From 2013 to 2014 or how I did on my 2013 Resolutions...

Before looking forward I like to glance back a bit. In 2013 I had 8 resolutions to work on throughout the year. I really meant to post progress reports throughout the year, but it didn't happen... so, here's a final report on the 2013 resolutions!

(In no particular order)

Resolution 1: Read More. I have so many books on my “to read” list. I want to start working my way through them finally. At this point reading at all would be an improvement to the last few months. So, my “goal” is to read at least 2 books a month in 2013!

How I did: I'm calling this one a success! I read at least 2 books a month throughout the year consistently. I still don't read a ton but it's definitely becoming more of a habit and I'm enjoying it more. Looking forward to continuing to get through my "to read" list in 2014! :)

Resolution 2: Make/do something off my Pinterest at least 4x a month. I’d like to do something once a week, but until Skylar is a bit bigger its hard to do crafts a lot. Really, I just want to start DOING the things I see as “good ideas” regularly… Instead if just “pinning” them and forgetting them. This resolution could include recipes, dress style, hair & makeup ideas, & polish inspiration.

How I did: Successful. For the most part. LOL. I'm calling this a success, but not because I really did 4 things off my pinterest every month... It's more like I used a recipe or an idea from one of my social media sites (Pinterest, Instagram, Fb, etc) at least 4x a month pretty consistently. The point of this resolution was to get in the habit of DOING things I saw online that I wanted to try. ... of actually utilizing the ideas I found -- instead of just seeing them and never acting on them. It's now a part of my general lifestyle to try out ideas, improve on them, and make things my own that I find online. Definitely going to continue this throughout 2014!

Resolution 3: Exercise! Get back to exercising! Goal is 3-5 times a week.

How I did: I had varying success for this one in 2013. I kinda ignored it for part of the year, but really got more involved with exercise toward the end of the summer. Then things got busy and exercise fell by the wayside. This is a disappointment for me.... because I truly do want to make exercise more a part of my lifestyle. So. I will try-try-try again in 2014.

Resolution 4: Cook Dinner more often. For a while I used the excuse that we were unpacking & the kitchen wasn’t put together to avoid cooking dinner every night. The funny part is, I LIKE cooking! It gives me a sense of accomplishment to cook and/or bake food for Jimmy and I (& eventually Skylar).

How I did: I'm calling this one a half-success. I could have done better at cooking more frequently, but I definitely made dinner more often than I was. This is definitely one I need to continue working on, though!

Resolution 5: Drink more wine! (Especially before buying more!)

How I did: SUCCESS! This one was fun! Heheheh.... We still have more wine I want to drink, but I did a pretty good job of drinking what we have and not buying too much more throughout the year. ;)

Resolution 6: Blog more. Specifically I want to blog at least once a week (I’d really like to work up to once a day or every-other day, but baby steps!).

How I did: I'm calling this one a failure. At least partially. I did okay with it... for a bit. But never really did post once a week. I plan on working on this in 2014. I really DO want to post more... and I still haven't completed my birth story... I actually have written most of it, but I need to finalize a few things and add pictures and times. Anyway, look for more on this particular resolution.

Resolution 7: Finally learn to crochet! I can knit, but I really want to master crocheting this year!

How I did: Fail! I really didn't try to get this one done in 2013. It's sad, really... So, I'll be trying again in 2014. I hope to find someone I know who can help me with this... I learn best WITH someone. ;)

Resolution 8: Clean up after myself. This is embarrassing to admit (especially as an almost 30-year-old), but I have a bad habit of using something & not putting it back when I’m done; completing a project & not putting away the things I used right away; eating breakfast or lunch & not even clearing my dishes to the sink area consistently; of… well you get the idea! So in 2013 I want to work on breaking that habit. I want to learn to put things away as soon as I’m done with them! & if that’s not possible at times (re: Skylar needs me or something) I want to work on taking care of it as soon as I can — before leisure time. (This is a picture of my clean & organized nightstand to inspire me to keep it that way by putting things away & not letting them get stuck randomly on that surface!)

How I did: I think I rocked this one. I didn't ALWAYS pick up everything perfectly, but I DID make a major effort to put things away right after using them, to be more organized and to clean up quicker after finishing a task. I still have a long way to go on this one, but I definitely established better habits on this front in 2013!!

Final Thoughts: And there ya have it! My 2013 resolutions in all their glory... some resolutions I feel like I completed fairly well (and hope to continue them in 2014). Others... not so much. But overall 2013 was a decent year. There were hardships (I lost both of my grandfathers and my childhood dog... and my great aunt -- who was more like another grandmother, in 2013) and there were amazing things (Skylar turned 1, a good friend got married, another friend got pregnant, relationships with friends and neighbors deepened, etc). So, my friends, I look forward to 2014 and all it will hold... and I'm thankful for all we had in 2013.

Be on the look-out for a blog entry about my 2014 resolutions at the end of January/early February!

How did you do with your 2013 resolutions? How was your year?

♥, Emmie

Hey there 2014!

The holidays snuck up on me this year. After Skylar's birthday our lives barely seemed to slow down this fall (and early winter). Between beach trips and a wedding and everything else we have going on in our lives all of a sudden it was Thanksgiving and then Christmas and then, two nights ago, 2013 went and ENDED on me! Last year I posted a set of New Year's Resolutions at the end of January that I had compiled throughout the month. I think I'll do the same thing this year... and be on the look-out for a progress report (finally) on my resolutions from LAST year! But for now... watch... enjoy... love:

[youtube]http://youtu.be/27R_goWiAAU[/youtube]

2014 here I come!

♥, emmie

My Bout with Harry Potter Withdrawal:

The Harry Potter series. Most people read these books years ago. I didn't. For many reasons I didn't. But recently (well, last year) several friends encouraged me to try them. I asked for the first book for Christmas and received it from a friend (thanks, Mary!). After reading the first few chapters I promptly returned book 1 (what?!?!? I didn't read the whole thing!) and put the $$ towards an order of the whole set instead:

I then read the first couple books in the short span of 6 months. Haha. I really did enjoy the first few books, but they didn't "grab" me in a I-have-to-read-until-I'm-done way. Plus, I was pregnant and distracted by many things (including tons of mommy and pregnancy and birth books). I read book 1, book 2, and part of book 3 and then I gave birth to Skylar.

Fast forward 5 months. We had moved to a different state, Skylar was 5 months old and able to nurse without as much "help" from my hands and I was relaxing into being a Mom. PLUS, as part of my New Years Resolutions for 2013 I decided I wanted to READ more. I finished book 3 and moved on to book 4 in January. less than 2 months later? I've finished the series and I'm craving MORE MORE MORE!

This isn't really a review... it's more of a general discussion of the books and why I now wish I could just keep reading them forever (ok, not really, but they were pretty epic!). There are a few things about them I loved most... and here they are (in no particular order):

It's fantasy. I typically love other-wordly books. Plot lines that are completely outside of where we are today (ex: Hunger Games, Lord of the Rings) or that sit along side our current society but present some separate part of our world that is completely different or hidden (ex: Twilight). Harry Potter is more the latter than the former, but has some ties to both types of fantasy.

The characters! Fun, like-able protagonists... with flaws. They were human. They fought and had issues just like we do, but they also had character development and enough goodness that I WANTED to like them. Evil, awful villains... who, typically, also had a humanness -- and their fall from goodness to evil could be traced and understood. AND everyone in between: All the people who were caught between these worlds... uncertain of their allegiance... but never losing sight of some sort of hope or love or something more than the evil that desired to consume them.

The storytelling. On that front I think I've been spoiled badly. It's so cool to learn something in book 1 and then have it reference in book 7. I love the "ohhhhh" moments when everything clicks and you start to understand what's been going on the whole time -- right out of view -- but hinted at for the whole book (or, sometimes, the whole series).

Good writing. While not perfect, it was some really good writing. I did chuckle a few times at words that would make an appearance over and over for just one book (usually in the speaking style of a few characters). The most notable is the use of the word "mate" in one of the books. ;)

Nuggets of wisdom. While the worldview of the books is not the same as my own completely, there was an underlying theme of doing good, thwarting evil, and, above all: LOVE. Additionally, there were themes about the dangers of power and how easily a lust for power can consume a person. One of my favorite quotes in all of the books is pictured here:

Finally, the ending. It was all I could have hoped for. And for that I'm extremely thankful.

The best way to describe my "reading mood" since Harry Potter is: In withdrawal. No story seems "right" to be reading... or quite as interesting or rich. I miss the world of Harry and Ron and Hermione and Dumbledore... and Snape, and the Weasleys and Hogwarts and all the rest. Yes, I know I still have the movies to watch.. .and I will. But for now I want to enjoy the pictures in my head..

♥

Ps: My attempt to assuage the withdrawal symptoms is to read this book (thanks for recommending it, Jill).

It's entirely too short, but should help calm the withdrawal shakes for a bit. ;)

Valentine's Day (pictures, and recipes, and presents, oh! my!)

As I mentioned in my previous post: I love Valentine's Day. I've had lots of good ones in the past... and this one was no exception! In fact, I think it was one of the best! I got to share it with my two loves: Jimmy & my precious daughter Skylar! Jimmy and I had alone time at night AND Skylar and I had plenty of great times together earlier in the day! It was pretty near perfect. So, here are a few highlights of the day: Woke up around 6 to feed Skylar and wrote a note to my hubby in lipstick on the mirror... along with a sassy card that I left on the sink counter for him to discover when he got up to take a shower. (muhahah - I can be sexy as well as sweet!) I then went back to sleep... woke when Jimmy kissed me goodbye and told me he loved me! (including his appreciation for the mirror/card). Slept in for a while.... & got up to send a dear friend her Valentine's Day surprise!!! :)

I spent the morning sending various surprises via e-mail, text, facebook... It was so much fun! I love stuff like that! Skylar woke up and "helped" me with some of my projects on the computer and then we had a mini-photo session with my iphone:

Then we dropped off some v-day bags to a couple neighbor girls... and packages and FLOWERS arrived!:

(Jimmy, you did good! I love them!)

The rest of Valentine's Day involved hanging with Skylar, loving on her and... you guessed it... more pictures! This time she was more dressed up with headbands and such and I used my fancy Cannon SLR:

(more pictures will be uploaded from that "photo-shoot" sometime in the near future -- hopefully this weekend!)

Finally around 4 I figured dinner should be started... ANd here's where I was nervous: I decided to make something new... & something reasonably HEALTHY for Valentine's Day. I've been really wanting to try a healthy Fettuccine Alfredo recipe I found on Pinterest (resolutions! Ding-ding!). Yes, you read that right... HEALTHY Fettuccine Alfredo. I started making it... prepping everything... and put Skylar down for her "late in the afternoon/evening" nap right when Jimmy sent me an ETA for being home (perfect timing - yay!). I was hopeful that it would be good... but, i have to admit, a bit skeptical. Well, half-way through the process I started raving about the sauce to my friend through text. You guys, I wanted to DRINK the sauce. Seriously. And that was BEFORE adding cream. In fact, in the future, I'm pretty sure I could skip the 1/4 cup of cream and not notice in the slightest. I finished the recipe soon after Jimmy got home (adding chicken -- because we needed some PROTEIN with all those carbs from the noodles) and plated it!:

(plated... but not well... Hey! I'm not a chef!)

We both LOVED this meal, ya'll (so becoming a southerner... wow). It was so... YUMMY and flavorful! I will be using what I am dubbing the: "cauliflower creamy method" to make this and lots of other things in the future! I'm so excited to be experimenting with it... because it truly adds so much smooth, creamy, goodness to a sauce (or a soup, or a pasta dish, or ... well, you get the idea).

The pasta, well, that part is another story... I'm really not sure how to omit that part... Except by using spaghetti squash... which I am only reminded of because a friend mentioned it recently (thanks, Liz!) I'll have to try out the sauce on spaghetti squash sometime in the near future!

After dinner we moved on to opening presents (Skylar was still sleeping -- good timing, little babe, good timing!). His & Hers:

Inside Jimmys: JellyBelly's (and a promise to buy more from the "menu" that he likes -- I couldn't find a place with all of the specific flavors in time for Valentine's Day, but I will get more in the near future to fill his Jellybelly candy dispenser!), A Hacker Book & another copy of Archer (he can't find his at the moment)... and finally another "I Owe You" for body wash that's coming! :)

Inside Mine: FILM for my Fuji Instant Camera!! (Jimmy got me the camera for Christmas -- we celebrated as a family here in NC only recently --but it didn't come with film. Both he & I were surprised... so he got me a pack of "50 shots" for Valentine's Day!), Chocolates... seriously, a very sexy box of chocolates! (with lace on the front -- so pretty), Roses (already pictured), and an Alex & Ani bracelet!!!!!:

(The "E" was a Christmas present! & J gave me the Key for Valentine's Day. I'm so excited to have more than 1 now!!)

First picture taken with the instant camera:

We had a few more minutes together before little miss Skylar woke up... and then she was awake and ready to hang with family! We spent the rest of the evening relaxing together and having fun! It was pretty near perfect! And Skylar (who was sick and getting over having shots earlier this week) enjoyed the evening and seemed to be getting better! yay!

After Skylar went down for the night we had some more grown-up-time and then it was time for bed for us too!! All-in-all it was a pretty wonderful Valentine's Day!

So, readers, how was your day!?!?!?!!? I wanna hear about your adventures into this day of love! How did you show love to those in your life???

xo, Emmie

Learning Balance (and other tales)

SO. One of my "goals/resolutions" for 2013 is posting more frequently/regularly. You may have noticed that I haven't really been making much progress with that resolution. And there's got to be some irony to the fact that part of why I haven't been posting much is because I've been spending every free second I have lately READING Harry Potter (irony because, if you remember, one of my other resolutions was to read more). What I've found is that I need to work on balance. I kinda already knew that... but I need to think about and pursue it more. I want to have balance in lots of areas of my life: my leisure time, my "working on the house time", my eating habits, and so many other areas. I also want to be able to truly RELAX and enjoy just "being" sometimes.

One time I do usually relax and chill out completely is while feeding Skylar right before bedtime. It's one of the most calm, balanced, sweet, times we have during the day. She snuggles up against me... and nurses... really well. I watch her and usually hold one (or both) of her hands. And I sigh in contentment, I smile at her with wonder at how much I love her. And then I get sleepy (what can I say, apparently oxytocin and prolactin make me sleepy -- who knew?) It's one of the few times in my day when I'm not trying to multitask and I'm just sitting, still, taking everything in. It's often when I take pictures of Skylar nursing, too... mostly because those are some of the moments when I feel most connected, and crazy in-love with my little baby girl.

So, I guess this is what I'm seeking elsewhere... balance, the ability to enjoy whatever I'm doing in that moment and not feel like I "should be" doing something else... (because when I'm nursing Skylar I truly feel like that's EXACTLY what I should be doing in that moment):

(Not sure how or why this became a post about breastfeeding, but oh, well, sometimes posts have a mind of their own).

Until next time, Emily

P.s. I'm still working on Skylar's 6 month entry! It's coming! Promise!

Resolutions {2013}

Throughout the month of January I posted several resolutions with a corresponding picture to inspire me on my Instagram. My goal is to truly work on all of these things throughout the year and post progress reports every so often. I'm thinking that I'll post the progress reports (PRs for short) every 2-3 months, but to kick things off I'll post the resolution and an initial PR for the month of January. So, in no particular order, here are my Resolutions for 2013: Resolution #1 Read More. I have so many books on my "to read" list. I want to start working my way through them finally. At this point reading at all would be an improvement to the last few months. So, my "goal" is to read at least 2 books a month in 2013!

Progress Report: In the month of January I read two books. So, YAY for meeting my goal. It was an underwhelming goal on purpose because I wanted to keep from being discouraged -- but I do feel like I should be able to read more than 2 books a month... so, I'm mentally shooting for more (hence my slight disappointment at literally reading only 2 books my first month working on this resolution). BUT I should keep in mind that they were long books (Harry Potter books to be exact). They were both 600 pages or more, so I wasn't skimping on the 2 books I read. Additionally, I'm only 5 days into February and I'm already 476 pages into the 5th Harry Potter book (and loving it). It feels good to read and get excited by the literary world again. I think I'll enjoy keeping up with this resolution!

Resolution #2 Make/do something off my Pinterest at least 4x a month. I'd like to do something once a week, but until Skylar is a bit bigger its hard to do crafts a lot. Really, I just want to start DOING the things I see as "good ideas" regularly... Instead if just "pinning" them and forgetting them. This resolution could include recipes, dress style, hair & makeup ideas, & polish inspiration.

Progress Report: I am rocking this one! In January in just the baking blogs I posted on here were 5 pinterest recipes! I actually referred to it more than that! But I'm definitely trying to use the ideas and things I've posted to Pinterest with intention! Yay!

Resolution #3 Exercise! (this one is explained BY the picture)

Progress Report:This resolution has been a pretty major failure during the month of January. I have gone out walking with Skylar a few times, but between her being sick for a week+ and the weather being SUPER cold at times (though the nice days we have tried to go out), I have not exercised much. I really want to find a gym... and that needs to be a priority in February/March/April.

Resolution #4 Cook Dinner more often. For a while I used the excuse that we were unpacking & the kitchen wasn't put together to avoid cooking dinner every night. The funny part is, I LIKE cooking! It gives me a sense of accomplishment to cook and/or bake food for Jimmy and I (& eventually Skylar). This is a meal I made recently... Mashed Potato soup with Pumpernickel toast (no that's NOT burnt toast).

Progress Report: I succeeded in making some pretty yummy dinners in the month of January -- but I also "dialed in" some by serving left-overs or using frozen stuff. If I were to grade myself I'd probably give myself a C+ or maybe a B- if I was being generous. I think I can do MUCH better and keep branching out with cooking... so here's to more good, healthy, and inventive food in the coming months!

Resolution #5 Drink more wine! (Especially before buying more!) and loooook I'm working on this one right now!

Progress Report: With the exception of a few very inexpensive bottles of wine purchased at Trader Joe's, I avoided buying wine in January. I also shared several "old" bottles with Jimmy and friends. So, I've delved into the "stash" and will continue to enjoy a glass of wine a few times a week. I must say this might be my favorite of my resolutions... ;)

Resolution #6 Blog more. Specifically I want to blog at least once a week (I'd really like to work up to once a day or every-other day, but baby steps!). I also have a "back-log" of subjects to post about... & I want to work on those. Briefly they are: Skylar's Birth (including labor), Online Community, Super Secret One (I know what this means), Re-post and re-formate the "in the NICU" Skylar posts (for posterity) & Nailpolish (this may be a series of posts).

Progress Report: I blogged 4 times in the month of January. It wasn't *quite* once a week since all 4 posts were during one week, but I'll still count that as progress. I think the "issue" is that I don't have blog time worked into my day (or week). I don't really have a specific time that I do it, so it's not as likely that I'll get around to posting even when I fully intend to do so. This is something I'll work in for the next couple months.

Resolution #7 Finally learn to crochet! I can knit, but I really want to master crocheting this year!

Progress Report: I have not actually worked on this resolution much at all yet and I'm okay with that. I do fully intend to LEARN to crochet this year, though... I just need everything to settle down a bit (hah ... in other words my house needs to be in order and the rest of the unpacking needs to happen and organization, etc) and then I'll get to this one. So, check back with me in a few months! ;)

Resolution #8 Clean up after myself. This is embarrassing to admit (especially as an almost 30-year-old), but I have a bad habit of using something & not putting it back when I'm done; completing a project & not putting away the things I used right away; eating breakfast or lunch & not even clearing my dishes to the sink area consistently; of... well you get the idea! So in 2013 I want to work on breaking that habit. I want to learn to put things away as soon as I'm done with them! & if that's not possible at times (re: Skylar needs me or something) I want to work on taking care of it as soon as I can -- before leisure time. (This is a picture of my clean & organized nightstand to inspire me to keep it that way by putting things away & not letting them get stuck randomly on that surface!)

Progress Report: I actually only posted this resolution a week and a half ago (or so), and my nightstand still looks like that! Considering how consistantly cluttered it usually is, that's some major progress! So, I think I'm making progress on this resolution. I've been paying more attention to when I'm leaving things un-done and seeking to finish, clean up, and work on being less cluttered in general. I still have a long way to go when it comes to general organization -- but at least I'm not making many more messes as I go anymore. :)

And there ya have it! Those are my resolutions, for 2013!

Do you have any resolutions for this year? What are some of your resolutions???

Xo, Emmie

Homemade Mayo (Instructions, Review & more!)

A while back a friend of a friend posted on Instagram and FB about making her own Mayo in order to make an Avacado dressing. I was instantly intrigued. I've never made anything like that... and was curious about what was involved. Recently I decided to try it to work on one of my resolutions and actually make the mayo myself! (remember a post about all of them will be up sometime near the end of January/beginning of February)! So, here's the video I used to make my very own Olive Oil Mayo at home: 

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcKRj4E7m6M[/youtube]

And here are a few pictures of the process:

It was actually pretty simple and took me around 10 minutes (after the egg and lemon juice got to room temp for about an hour). The thing I did find interesting was how warm the mayo was when I scraped it into the container. I guess that makes sense considering the friction involved in this process & the fact that it started out at room-temp, but I wasn't expecting it. :)

Soon after I made the mayo I realized that I could just use the "dirty blender" to go ahead and make the "Dreamy Avocado Dressing". Since I obtained the recipe for that directly from the friend of a friend I will post it here for you:

Dreamy Avocado Dressing

• 1/2 large avocado • 1 tbsp lime juice • 1/4 cup olive oil mayo • 1 small garlic clove • 1 tbsp fresh cilantro (optional) • 2 tbsp water (optional -- I used it, but use or omit it depending on desired thickness) • salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Place all ingredients into blender and or food processor and puree to desired consistency. Add water 1 tbsp at a time if necessary. Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.  Store covered in the fridge! Like the Mayo the egg's expiration date is your dressing expiration date. :)

FINAL REVIEW:

I like both the mayo and the avocado dressing. I especially love the dressing for eating cut veggies. It's a healthy-er version of a regular dressing. I think both the mayo and dressing are better after sitting in the frig for a while. It helps add a bit of depth of flavor for all the ingredients to "mellow" together. Also, I didn't use fresh cilantro for the dressing (only because I didn't have any). I used some dry cilantro  but I *know* it would be better with fresh herbs. I'll try it again with fresh and update once I do!

If you try these recipes please let me know what you think and if you discover any new or interesting ways to update them!

Enjoy!

-Emily

Healthy Snacks: Balls and more balls!

At the end of January I plan on posting my resolutions for 2013 along with info about how I'm doing with each of them.... One of my resolutions involves cooking and another involves my pinterest. I'm hinting because I can't wait to share about this past weekend of cooking! On Saturday Jimmy, Skylar and I headed to a Whole Foods for the first time:

Talk about food-mecca! It was incredible in there! It took Jimmy & I a while to get our bearings, but we were able to get some amazing food! I also was able to purchase a ton of raw ingredients I planned to use for making healthy (but tasty) snacks:

On Sunday after making a ridiculously bad for us (but super yummy) breakfast of french toast, bacon & fried eggs I settled into making snacks for the upcoming week! I made three types of "balls" (apparently that's the form many "snack foods" come in -- who knew?) and here's a picture of all three:

Now for the reviews! First the top left: Clean-Eating Cookie Dough (click for the recipe). These are the ones I was the most excited about and are probably my least favorite. Not only do they take the most work, but the recipe yielded the fewest "balls". I do like them -- just not as much as I had hoped. I may make them again and tweak the ingredients some to come up with something I like better. I will say that probably only about half of the almonds called for are needed to "coat" the balls. So, "food process" a 1/4 cup instead of half a cup.

Moving on to the bottom left type of "ball":  Power Truffles. I like these. They are actually similar to the next recipe, but with more actual nuts in them. Because of that I will likely make these again and will play with the types of nuts I use. This time I used cashews, almonds and walnuts. I would like to see what this is like with other nut combos. I also would probably add a few more cranberries and possibly raisins and a bit less sweetener (I used 3 T of honey). Overall, though, these are pretty satisfying.

Finally, my favorites (saving the best for last) on the right in the above picture: No-Bake Energy Bites. These are my "go to" snack balls at the moment. They are yummy and there's something about the oat texture in these that just reminds me of oatmeal cookie dough (with chocolate chips). I think if I made these with raisins I would enjoy them as well and they would truly be "oatmeal cookie dough bites". I may try that next. Or maybe I'll make half the batch with chocolate chips and half with raisins. Either way, these are awesome.

Along with these snacks I also cut up a bunch of veggies and separated them out into baggies for "easy snacking". Here's what I ended up with:

(Carrots, Zucchini, & Celery)

There ya have it friends! Here's me dipping my toe into the "healthy snack" arena. I will be experimenting with this a lot more in the coming year and I can't wait!

Love & Kisses,

Emily

PS: Last night I made home-made olive oil mayo and an avocado dressing out of the mayo. I'll write up a post about that in the next day or so -- after I try it with my veggies! :)