My friend Lucy who flew in from the East Coast to attend our wedding, also attended church w/us the day before. During the service one of our members Nadine, gave a captivating speech where she talked about overcoming obstacles, conquering one’s fears and the like. She quoted Nelson Mandela…however my friend Lucy wrote to me just the other day, still enveloped by Nadine’s talk, to let me know that Nadine was actually quoting a poem by Marrianne Williamson…often referenced by Mandela. Lucy included the actual poem for me & I am including it here for you as well. I had the pleasure of seeing Marrianne Williamson speak this past year at Agape. (www.AgapeLive.com). As we embark upon a new year, her words inspire light, hope, inspiration in me. I hope for you, they do the same thing. If you are planning a wedding in 2010, this is such a joyous time & my heart dances with you as you walk through this fantastic & life-changing event! If you are simply planning a great life in 2010 & beyond, (& I actually think a great life must be planned for) then hop on board…hopefully here’s some inspiration to start you on your way…

Courtesy of www.Marianne.com:

Our Greatest Fear

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other
people won’t feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of
God that is within us.

It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.

—Marianne Williamson

W/love, light & anticipation, Yours truly, VB.

Ok, so they put the challenge to me. Our church is deliverling a plate of homemade cookies to all 400+ families in the congregation, & the Relief Society (our church’s women’s organization) has been chosen to head the effort of making like 4,723 cookies by this Saturday. Naturally, being the NON-BAKING stress case that I am (I’ve literelly not baked so much as a crumbin my entire life) I find this to be quite the dunting task. However, thanks to the good ole internet, I’ve hopefully bumped into some salvation. Here are 2 promising (meaning not too complicated where even a baking foolio like me can manage) vegan cookie recipes I’ve come across. I’m afraid to brave these waters, but I will  try, & I’ll let you know the results. If by chance you know of any vegan cookie recipes (the healthier the better), please do bless us w/your fruits! In the meantime, draw on these for inspiration:
Courtesy of cookiemadness.com:

Courtesy of Cookiemadness.com - Do these look sinful, or what!?

Vegan Oatmeal-Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour – spoon and sweep, don’t pack
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons applesauce
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup natural type peanut butter (Jif would be fine too)
1/4 cup peanuts (salted is fine)
1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips or 1/3 cup chopped up good quality chocolate
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Grind oats in processor. Add flour, baking soda and salt and pulse to mix.
Stir oil and both sugars together in a medium bowl. It’s okay to do this with a spoon – no need to pull out the electric mixer. Beat in applesauce, peanut butter and vanilla. Add flour mixture and stir until blended. Stir in peanuts and chocolate chips.
Using about 2 tablespoons of dough, form dough into balls and place on ungreased baking sheet. Flatten slightly. Bake until edges are golden brown, about 12-14 minutes, Cool on sheets 5 minutes. Transfer to racks; cool completely. Cookies will firm up as they cool.
Makes about 6 cookies

Image Courtesy of thepressedpastrychef.com - I mean really!

Courtesy of About.com:

Vegan Lemon Sugar Cookies (Can these be made w/agave instead??:)

Says they:
This vegan lemon sugar cookie recipe will leave you with wanting more! Unlike other sugar cookie recipes, this vegan sugar cookie is flavorful enough on it’s own; no icing is needed.
Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour (I prefer gluten-free blends)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup sugar + 1/4 cup
1 cup vegan margarine, pre-softened (I like non-hydrogenated ONLY, prefer Earth Balance)
1/3 cup lemon zest
1/4 cup silken tofu (I ALWAYS only go w/organic tofu, still cheap & not made w/GMO soybeans!:)
3 tbsp lemon juice, preferably fresh
Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl.

In a separate large bowl, beat together the 2/3 cup sugar, vegan margarine and lemon zest until smooth and fluffy. Add the tofu and whip until well mixed, then add the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the margarine mixture and stir until well combined.

Form dough into one-inch balls, and roll into the 1/4 cup sugar until well coated. Flatten slightly, and bake for 8-10 minutes, until lightly golden brown.

Get to bakin’ & let me know what you think!! (Perhaps I should take my own advice!:):)

Yes, it’s true. No sooner were we back from the honeymoon when the NEXT DAY, I was off to hang my license w/a company I’ve had my eye on for a long time, Keller Williams in Studio City. Dear family, please don’t think me blog neglectful! (Ok, truth be told, I’m neglectful…but for good reason I dare say!) I’ve had real estate in my blood for many years, having bought my first investment nearly 10 years ago. One thing I do regret is that I didn’t know then what I know now. If I HAD been in touch with a real estate professional, a savvy mortgage person, a carpet cleaner… SOMEBODY who could have pointed me towards the road of real estate happiness, it would have been a heck of an easier road. However I had to knuckle my way through (therefore I DON’T own half of LA the way I’d like to:), but if I can help anyone else in ANY way possible, I’m definitely jazzed, open & available. Buying real estate & (building wealth, if one so chooses) can be such a pathway to freedom…but if you don’t know the difference between a point on a loan from a point on a shoe, or if for you HOA represents something Santa Claus would say mixed with some attitude, it can be quite the daunting task, but not to worry, I will help you!!

So forgive me for being IMMERSED in classes on  capitalization rates for 2-4 unit properties, tax incentives for first time home buyers, the CRAZY FACT that in my opinion, this is a great market for BUYERS & FOR SELLERS right now (has this EVER happened?) & the 1,000 other things you aquaint yourself with when you join a new office. I love you still dear family..I’m just getting my groove on in Real Estate while Vegan Groom continues to get his groove on with Earth Cafe with Craig, our driving force of course. To make it up, we’ll for sure have a holiday giveaway of some “hearth-warming” vegan cheesecakes. We’ll FINALLY post the pictures from the wedding that we’ve recently received from Ms. Toki, we’ll post some wedding video as soon as we receive it from Mike, & if you refer anyone to me who is interested in buying or selling real estate, they’ll of course receive Earth Cafe cakes plus other wellness goodies (spa packages even) at the close of each transaction!! My r.e. website is still under construction, but open for business, so check me out if you’d like at YourHolisticAgent.com & family, thanks so much for your support. If there’s anything I can do to help YOU, please don’t hesitate to ask!! Love ya, VB