Looking for a Recipe?

With the holidays upon us, it is a great time to try your favorite old recipe or discover a new favorite.  One favorite holiday treat most of us love is fudge!  Say the word, fudge, and everyone comes running!  Butterscotch, peanut butter, vanilla, layered, and/or chocolate fudge is often a holiday staple—not to mention a summer favorite on the boardwalk. 

Fudge recipes vary from complex to simple.  The recipe that I sometimes make is, Fantasy Fudge, which is located on the Kraft Recipes website.  This recipe even provides steps to cook the fudge quickly in the microwave, and there are only 7 ingredients! 

If fudge doesn’t interest you, explore the web for your favorite new or old recipe.  There are many great recipe sites to choose from including: Food Network, Betty Crocker, Savory Sweet Life, Simply Recipes and more!  You can even create a recipe based on the ingredients you have on-hand by visiting the Super Cook website.

Do you have a favorite recipe you’d like to share?  If you do, post it in our comments section to share with others! Happy cooking….

Looking for a Recipe?

With the holidays upon us, it is a great time to try your favorite old recipe or discover a new favorite.  One favorite holiday treat most of us love is fudge!  Say the word, fudge, and everyone comes running!  Butterscotch, peanut butter, vanilla, layered, and/or chocolate fudge is often a holiday staple—not to mention a summer favorite on the boardwalk. 

Fudge recipes vary from complex to simple.  The recipe that I sometimes make is, Fantasy Fudge, which is located on the Kraft Recipes website.  This recipe even provides steps to cook the fudge quickly in the microwave, and there are only 7 ingredients! 

If fudge doesn’t interest you, explore the web for your favorite new or old recipe.  There are many great recipe sites to choose from including: Food Network, Betty Crocker, Savory Sweet Life, Simply Recipes and more!  You can even create a recipe based on the ingredients you have on-hand by visiting the Super Cook website.

Do you have a favorite recipe you’d like to share?  If you do, post it in our comments section to share with others! Happy cooking….

Now that classes are over if you are looking for some holiday fun, the events referenced below may be just what you need to relax after a long semester:

Bull Run Festival of Lights 2013, Centreville, VA: Enjoy a 5-mile drive-through a holiday light show at Bull Run Regional Park featuring penguins, snowmen, candy canes, jumping deer, Santa’s workshop, Frosty the Snowman, tin soldiers, elves and Santa. The light display includes over 40,000 animated lights set to music! After viewing the lights you can visit the Winter Wonderland Holiday Village that includes amusement rides, an ice skating rink, entertainment, shopping, contests, food, and more.  7700 Bull Run Dr., Centreville, Virginia. (703) 359-4633. November 20, 2013 - January 5, 2014. Hours: Monday - Thursday & Sunday: 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., Fridays, Saturdays & holidays: 5:30 to 10 p.m.For more information, please click here.

Meadowlarks Winter Walk of Lights, Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, Vienna, VA:  Animated lights, displays, gift shop and more.  For hours and more information, click here.

Mount Vernon, Alexandria, VA:    Celebrate the holiday season, colonial style at Mount Vernon.   Experience the holidays as in the days of George Washington including 18^th century music and dancing.  Tour the “rarely open” third floor of the mansion, and watch the chocolatiers produce chocolate using 18th-century techniques. Meet Aladdin the Camel and see the National Thanksgiving Turkey.  For more information, please click here.

National Christmas Tree and Pageant of Peace, Washington, DC:  Enjoy a visit to the National Christmas Tree and Pageant of Peace located at the Ellipse, Washington, DC.  For more information, please click here.

Potomac River Running 1K Fun Run, 5K and 10K Races:

v  New Years Eve, Ringing in Hope – Brambleton Town Center Plaza, Ashburn, VA:  , December 31, 2013: 12pm-1K Fun Run, 1pm-5K, and 1:15-10K.  For more information, click here.

v  New Years Day 5K Sponsored by Potomac River Running – Reston Town Center, Reston, VA: 10am, January 1, 2014.  This is a great opportunity to start off the new year with a healthy activity!  Click here for more information.

ZooLights 2013-Holiday Lights at National Zoo, Washington, DC:  Enjoy thousands of sparkling lights featuring sculptures of National Zoo’s most popular animals.  See giant pandas, Asian elephants, gibbons, a sea lion, an octopus, and a Komodo dragon.  Holiday treats such as including hot chocolate, donuts, and kettle corn will be available for sale. Families will have opportunities to take a photo with costume characters, or do some holiday shopping at one of the eco-friendly gift shops.  Admission is free and tickets are not required.  The display is open through January 1, 2014, 5:00-9:00pm (they will be closed December 24-25). For more information, please click here.

Online Journaling

Oh Life is a website that enables you to journal online.  If you love to write, this is just the place for you to begin journaling.  And, if you struggle with writing, this is the perfect place to write daily, in an effort to develop and enhance your writing skills!  The more you write, the more comfortable and creative you become with the writing process.

Journaling has many benefits to include increasing focus, enhancing writing skills and self-confidence, as well as helping capture memories and special life moments.  It also serves to provide insight into daily life and helps to identify goals, thoughts and ideas, to name a few.  For more information of the benefits of journaling, please click here.

When you are journaling, keep in mind, you will be the only one reading your work.  It does not have to be perfect and if you are hesitant to write down all of your thoughts simply leave them out. 

Oh Life will send you an email each day, asking how your day went.  You can start simple by listing all your accomplishments and favorite parts of the day.  Later, you can refer back and begin to see all the accomplishments in your life.  Alternatively, if you love to write, you can broaden your vocabulary to provide a full synopsis of your day.  Don't hesitate to stick with the pen and paper journal - flipping through the pages and reading about your accomplishments will also inspire you!

Begin journaling today and capture your life story!  For more information on journaling, please click here.

Word Games that Give Back

Classes end today!!!  During the long break, take time to stimulate your brain as you explore Charitii.com!  Have fun while giving back and challenge you brain as you work on crossword puzzles for charity. 

Charitii’s website advises that by playing a crossword-style word game, you will be donating to various valuable resources. According to the website, when you play, you can choose which charity you want to play for.  Ironically, many of the benefiting charities are environmentally focused which aligns well to the No Impact Man Common reader program that ELI Student Life just completed.  As you explore the website you will learn that you can donate clean water to communities living in extreme poverty, give food to malnourished children and families, provide school education for children around the world, or even help protect our rainforests. By playing Charitii.com you are automatically helping, “one word puzzle at a time”.

Brain games such as crossword puzzles help boost and sharpen your brain, enhance your vocabulary and memorization, and, in this case, while also giving back!   For further benefits of crossword puzzles please click here.

Weekend Fun: Civil War Christmas in Camp

If you are a history enthusiast or looking for an affordable and educational weekend activity, the “Civil War Christmas in Camp at the Fort Ward Museum in Alexandria, Virginia may be the perfect leisure activity to experience.

Enjoy some hot mulled cider as you explore this educational and historical event. The program will feature a variety of fun and educational activities for all ages. Learn about the history of Santa Claus from historian and interpreter Kevin Rawlings, who portrays a patriotic Union Santa Claus based on a period woodcut engraving from Harper’s Weekly. Re-enactors will interpret how soldiers celebrated the holiday, including opening Christmas boxes from home, decorating living quarters in camp and more. And, weather permitting, soldier-led tours of the fort will be offered.

A Civil War Santa will listen to children’s holiday wishes, read “The Night Before Christmas,” and visit troops in camp. If you have children, they will have an opportunity to create a Victorian ornament or greeting card, and see examples of period ornaments on the Museum’s Victorian tree.

 

When: Saturday, December 14, 2013,12:00pm – 4:00 pm

Admission: Suggested Donation of $2.00 per person.

Where: Fort Ward Museum and Historic Site, 4301 West Braddock Road, Alexandria, VA

For more information, please contact the Museum at 703-746-4848  

or click here to visit their website.

Seven Tips to Reduce Your Stress

With the semester ending and the holidays upon us, this time of year can be especially stressful if you let all of the madness get to you.  Perhaps you’ve heard it all before, but just in case you need a refresher on some “quick” tips to consider when you are feeling stressed, the following tips may help relieve your anxiety and promote a peaceful holiday and semester end:

• Deep breathing- Inhale through your nose, hold the breath and exhale through your mouth.  Make sure you are in a quiet place where you can focus on calming yourself down.  Then, refocus with a renewed purpose where you aren’t in the throes of anxiety.

 • Reach out to a friend, acquaintance or family member.   Connecting with another person can help to lessen anxiety and promote feelings of community and calm.

 • Engage in a soothing regimen for the body such as having a cup of tea, or scheduling time for massage, yoga or meditation. 

• Listen to some relaxing music such as nature sounds or perhaps the Pure Moods collection, as a way to unwind and promote relaxation.

• Retreat to a piece of fiction or novel that you enjoy to escape from day to day pressures and demands, when you can.

• When you find yourself with a lot of anticipatory anxiety about the future, remind yourself to stay in the present.  Learn to appreciate all of the outdoor scenery that surrounds you such as the changing of the leaves as you embark on the autumn season.

As a rule, aim for balance in your life; when you find yourself overworked or overwhelmed by too many emergencies and putting out fires, identify the area of your life where you need to restore balance and concentrate on these when you find yourself getting derailed by life’s demands and emergencies.  Maybe it’s more time for yourself or time with family, or perhaps community activities where you feel like a part of something that is making a difference.  For more information on this topic, visit this link.

Fall Fun and Relaxation in Virginia

If you live in the Virginia area and need a break to get away and enjoy the beauty of the skyline, bursting with autumn colors, click here to visit the Fall in Virginia website. 

This website provides all the information you could possibly need to explore fall in Virginia.  You will find a plethora of recommendations for the best scenic drives, family getaways, romantic getaways, fall festival, corn mazes, pumpkin patches and even a Fall Foliage Hotline (1.800.424.LOVE).  There is also a search engine to help you find events taking place by area.  You will even find meters on this website showing the peak time the leaves are turning by area!!

According to the meter on the Fall in Virginia website, this will be a peak weekend to enjoy the colors in the mountain areas of Virginia.  This is an outstanding website to locate just about any fall fun you could desire.  Explore this website today and plan your day to relax, de-stress, and enjoy the beauty of autumn!  (If you do not live in the Virginia area, a web search will provide many similar websites by state – look for your state today!)

ELI Pedometer Challenge

Join The ELI Fall Pedometer Challenge as part of our Health and Wellness Interest Group!

What is it?

Compete and share experiences with other students by tracking your average daily steps for a month as well as create personal health and wellness goals.

How does it work?  

o      On October 25th, you will receive access to a Google spreadsheet where you will record your pedometer steps as well as keep track of what types of activity you took part in for the day/week.  

o     Pedometer steps will be recorded daily by each participant starting October 28th.  

o      The first 50 participants that sign up will be mailed a FREE pedometer to participate/ otherwise you will need to provide your own pedometer.  

o      Challenge begins on October 28th and ends at 11:59pm on Nov 24th. Prizes will be given for several categories including: weekly winners, best average, overall step count...etc) . 

o      Throughout the challenge, join our Health and Wellness group on ELI's Virtual Student Union. This will be used for participants to share their progress in the challenge and great health and wellness motivational articles and tips. Join here: (http://elife.nvcc.edu/vsu/?page_id=29)

How do I sign up?

Please click here to sign up!

For more information, contact elistlife@nvcc.edu

Fall Festivals and Apple Picking

Fall has officially arrived and apple picking season is in full swing!  From Gala to Stayman, or Honey Crisp, your favorite apple is out there waiting to be picked.  

If you live in the Virginia area, apple picking opportunities are abundant!  From Central Virginia to  the Shenandoah Valley to the Blue Ridge Highlands, you will find hundreds of acres filled with over 15 varieties of apples! Take a drive and enjoy a visit at a local farm. De-stress as you enjoy fresh picked, crispy apples along with some warm apple cider and plenty of fresh air.   

Not interested in apples? Enjoy a fall festival with mazes, hayrides, jams, apple butter, pumpkins, cow trains, music and more!  This weekend (Oct. 11-13), enjoy the Hands and Harvest Festival located in the Shenandoah Valley.  The festival will offer many fall traditions along with a BBQ Chicken Dinner to benefit those in need.  Or, enjoy the end of the harvest at an annual BBQ and Bluegrass Festival, next weekend, October 19.   

As the warm summer days fade away, there is a harvest of fall fun just waiting!

Weekend Fun at NOVA Woodbridge Campus

Get your weekend workout at the Woodbridge Campus Second Annual 5K Run and Community Expo, this Sunday, October 6 from 8am-12noon.  The NOVA 5K Hustle 2 Health, will benefit the NVCC Educational Foundation and provide scholarships for NOVA students.

 

The event will run from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and will be located outside the new Arts & Sciences Building. Start off your morning with the 5K run starting at 8am or participate in the family friendly One-mile Fun Walk. An awards ceremony, expo, mobile health services/screenings, and kid’s zone will also be featured following the 5K/Fun Walk.

 

This year’s event is sponsored by Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center, Wegmans, and Sport & Health, and a number of additional local businesses.

 

To register for the run, please click here. If you would like to sign up to volunteer, please contact Rolando Garcia at rogarcia@nvcc.edu.

 

 

Fiesta DC

In honor of Hispanic Heritage month, Washington DC is hosting their 42^nd annual Fiesta DC celebration this weekend on Sunday, September 22^nd. Fiesta DC is a festival that honors the Latino/a community and a great opportunity to learn more about their heritage through music, food and family friendly activities. Some of the highlighted events are as followed:

Parade of Nations: This parade will begin at Constitution Ave and stretch from 7^th to 14^th street beginning at 11am

Street Festival:  11am-7pm (Pennsylvania Ave) featuring traditional Hispanic cuisine, children’s festival, and 5 different stages with international and local performances

Admission is Free!

For more information check out their official website:  http://www.fiestadc.org/en/

Inviting More Quiet into Your Life

Are you feeling overwhelmed or bombarded by too many phone calls, e-mails and/or mini crises?  Is it that time again?  Time to post a message or send a text, while you are trying to concentrate at meeting?  Are ads being thrown at you faster than you can delete them? Finding ways to build more quiet time into your daily routine may help to promote better focus in the midst of everyday mental clutter that we face in the form of e-mails, text messages and random interruptions.  Check out the following suggestions for creating more quiet time and improve your focus.

• Reduce multi-tasking where possible.  For example, don’t work on that project or paper while talking on the phone or check e-mail while listening to a lecture.  Do one task at a time wherever you can so that you can just focus on that one task for the moment while decreasing mental clutter and promoting sharper focus with which to achieve the task thoroughly.

• Turn off your cell phone ringer to avoid unnecessary interruptions when you are trying to focus and carve out some quiet down time for yourself.  A ringing cell phone can lead to knee jerk reactions that can interfere with concentration.

• Decrease the amount of errands you run after school or at the end of the day.  Keep a list nearby, but be aware that you don’t have to do all of your errands in one day.

• Reduce the amount of time you spend surfing the Internet.  Keep your Internet research limited to specific pieces of information as opposed to random browsing.  That way you don't lose sight of your main purpose for your Internet search (i. e., background information on that topic for your research paper) by reaching the point of burnout first. 

• These days, it is so natural to check e-mail on a frequent basis with the automatic availability of e-mail via iphones or ipads.  However, disciplining yourself to turn off e-mail is a great way to reduce that feeling of being on “autopilot” and racing thoughts.  (If the power goes out, take advantage of it!).  If you absolutely can't tear yourself away from the computer or blackberry, go camping for a weekend and get in touch with the experience of having no computerized communication for awhile.  Better yet, unplug all of the appliances in your house to create a similar effect if you can't schedule camping time!

• Take numbers out of your day where you can.  When possible, on a weekend, for example, take a day where you avoid looking at the clock or your watch; do not look at bathroom scales.  Let the other side of your brain show dominance for a change and relieve the feeling of being at the mercy of numerically driven objects.

• Carve out time for exercise.  Giving yourself enough time for exercise can help to alleviate jumpiness and stress while releasing endorphins that can produce a calm state of mind.  Shortly after exercising, challenge yourself to put first things first without looking at your day planner.  Let the thoughts of the day's tasks peacefully enter your mind as you relax from an invigorating workout.

• For important tasks, reduce distractions as much as possible.  If you need to work on something that requires a lot of focused attention such as a major project, research paper or paying bills with upcoming deadlines, eliminate visual and auditory distractions where possible if you choose to work out of your home.  If necessary, flee the situation and find a quiet location such as a library or a computer lab that promotes improved concentration and reflection on your most pressing tasks.

If all else fails, remind yourself of a calm quiet state either on a bookmark, your day planner or on a note card that you can readily access by writing the words, “quiet mind.”  Putting the idea in your thoughts will help you to reinforce the importance of maintaining quiet focus so that your day will seem less stressful.  If it is too difficult to practice these strategies during the week when your inbox is flooded with important e-mails that need immediate tending to, practice them on the weekend and gradually, you will ease into a routine important e-mails and text messages can wait until you are settled and at peace for the morning. 

For more information on this topic, visit this link.