I've been thinking about this post all day, and what I would write. I wasn't banking on the news of the Boston Marathon explosions. I wasn't banking on feeling...
...stunned...saddened...shocked...sick.
The runners --and their families, friends, and cheerleaders-- started out this morning with such pride in their cause, and their day ended in such tragedy. Even those who finished well before the explosions, their day --their accomplishment-- was forever marred.
Boston's day was forever marred.
The entire country's day was forever marred.
Today has just been...unreal.
I'd been thinking about my post today, and how I was going to write about the fact that this last year didn't end up the year I'd had planned for myself, and how this coming year would be better. How this year I would make sure to meet my goals.
Then, the explosions at the Boston Marathon happened, and all of a sudden, my thoughts of my tomorrow seemed a whole lot less important.
My thoughts and prayers are with everyone who was --and is still-- there, both physically and mentally. May God bless, and keep you all.
And may justice quickly be served upon those guilty of this COWARDLY act of terror..
Probably not, as I've been pretty quiet lately. Balancing life and school, and whatever is left afterwards has proven to be pretty tricky (and, if I'm honest, not all that enjoyable).
I haven't felt like I have had anything interesting to say, but someone recently told me I should blog about my favorite iPhone apps. So, you know what? I think that's what tonight's post is going to be about.
In no particular order, here they are:
Instagram Love snapping photos with your phone? Love adding filters that make them look fabulous? Love social networks to share said fabulous photos? Enter Instagram. Love.
Runkeeper If you're big on tracking your mile-accumulating exercise, Runkeeper is the app for you. Working out in the great outdoors? Runkeeper's GPS will track your distance, pace, and time, as well as map your workout AND show your relative position to sea-level at any point on said map. Really, really cool. If you're not exercising outdoors, the manual tracking features are easy to use and still provide you with plenty of post-workout information.
WazeI stumbled upon this after its initial release, and now believe it to be one of the best apps EVER. Not only is it a FREE and fabulous GPS --that will, by the way, continue guiding you even when you are on a phone call (it does momentarily cut into your conversation, but you won't ever miss that turn...so who cares???)-- but it often warns you about other issues along your route: accidents, construction areas, hidden police, and other various hazards. Fantastic app.
Pandora Have a favorite song? You can build a radio station off of it. Search and select the song to get started, give subsequent suggestions a thumbs up or down, and before long you will have the perfect radio station. Pandora is probably the only app that I can say for certainty I use every day. If you love late 80s, early 90s music, let me know. I've created the best station ever and am happy to share it :)
Box Once upon a time, I used to swear by Dropbox, but these days, I've moved on to Box. So much more SYNCED storage (50GB) across all of my devices - iPhone, iPad, and Macbook Pro. Seamless document sharing and uploading between them. The only downfall is that many apps have yet to recognize it as a backup source (instead of Dropbox or iCloud).
Day One I wasn't sure if I would include this or not. I love so many things about Day One, but the fact that it doesn't encrypt its backups is a huge issue for me. The convenience of updating across multiple devices is excellent, as is the inclusion of weather and location information. But, you know what? If I'm keeping a pin-protected journal, I'm really not cool with someone being able to hop into my Dropbox and find the journal entries backed up (and easily readable). Not cool. At all. I'm hoping but writing about this here, others will take notice and action might happen. (A girl can dream, right??)
FlipboardSomewhere along the line, someone decided to make their feed reader not just better, but amazing. And then? Flipboard happened. This was another app I stumbled onto, and never looked back. It is GENIUS! Your favorite internet feeds --not just blogs, but Facebook and Twitter, and others, as well-- in a format mimicking a magazine, for you to peruse, page to page. AWESOME.
GetGlueWatching a tv show? Reading a book? Listening to music? Get rewarded! Download GetGlue, check into whatever activity you are doing, and earn stickers! This is especially awesome for people like me who scrapbook or smashbook. Sticker freebies that arrive in the mail?? Fantabulous.
By the way, it was originally my intention to put the little cutesy app graphics next to each link above, but all of them got super grainy when I tried to shrink them down, so. Take my word for it, and ignore the lack of pictures. The apps mentioned above are all FANTASTIC. I promise.
Since nearly completing my first Project Life layout over the weekend, I've been looking for photo ops everywhere. This morning, while taking Sadie out, I wasn't even actually looking when I happened across this gorgeousness on our front porch -- crystals of ice, looking as though they were purposely etched there. Lacy flowers and stems. Just...beautiful.
I was finally inspired (motivated??) to work on my 2013 Project Life album today, so I spent a fair amount of the afternoon and all evening working on it. Here's a sneak peek at one of the pages:
For now, the bottom right is a blank pocket that is showcasing...my tablecloth. I have some journaling in mind that will soon replace it :)
This happens to be the left side of the two-page spread for Week One. I really set myself up well to work on it, thanks to the advice of Tracy Larsen. Basically, I created a folder in Dropbox entitled "Week One", to which I uploaded all photos, journaling bits, and any other relevant things to remember, via iPhone, iPad, or computer. So, when I was ready to get to work today, the hard part was already done for me. That was so great!!
(And ridiculously easy.)
Too bad I haven't been that mindful of my Project Life intentions since :(
Lesson learned, though. Now that I've seen how helpful it was, I'm going to pick back up with and continue it from here on out.
I'm very excited with my progress so far. While I still agonized over some of the little details here and there, it was nothing like when I scrapbooked years ago. Project Life can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it, and that is one of the things I really appreciate the most about it.
Honestly? Filling each pocket feels like a little victory and I love that. LOVE.
I have been a bad bloggess lately, and that's partly because I've not had much interesting to say, but mostly because I have been absorbed (and in some cases, obsessed) with other things. I thought to make up for my absence, I'd share some of those things with you :)
ABC's Scandal. I haven't been this excited about tv since Grey's Anatomy and The Good Wife. People that know me know what this means. If you don't know me? It's huge. (As far as tv is concerned, anyway.)
Egg-in-a-Hole. Most amazing breakfast food ever. EVER. (credit)
My homework. No links or photos to share. Sorry, folks. I've been experimenting with essential oils, though. Fascinating stuff. (I did mention I'm studying to be a Master Aromatherapist, yes?)
Knitting. Specifically, a ladder lace scarf for someone who has waited years on me to make it. (I have the most patient bff ever, no lie.)
Planning our spring landscaping/gardening...flowers, vegetables, neighbor-blocking-winter-shrubbery. Oh, and we're pretty sure we're going to have some chickens (hens -- for eggs) too. Yay!!
Other tv shows that I am newly enjoying? The Following and The Americans. What's especially great is Mike likes them too so we are finally watching something together :)
Long story short, SMASHbooking didn't happen yesterday. It did, however, happen today. I worked on my home-themed SMASHbook.
(Do I really have to keep using caps to refer to a SMASHbook? It makes me feel like I'm yelling. I don't like it. From here on out, it's 'smashbooking' or 'smashbook', just so you know. I don't like to yell.)
I actually made quite a bit of progress. I finished our 'home buying timeline' pages, but there is just too much personal info on them for me to post photos here. I also smashed a few other random things on random pages for rooms in our house, but mostly, not enough to be interesting. So.
Here are three page sets that are still very much in progress. In order, they are: our farmer's porch, family room, and formal living room.
Farmer's porch
Family room
Formal living room (aka the "Blue" room)
And yes, I do have big plans. Please embrace them :)
(Did you see what I did there? If not, you will...)
First, I'd just like to say thank you for the bloggish support on going back to school. I got three comments, but the post itself got more hits than all but two of all my other posts have. So, you didn't comment, but you were interested. And I appreciate that. Very much!
(I would love to see you comment though. It would be amazing to know who is out there, reading and following me along my journey! *smile* Not comfortable leaving a comment? Send me an email and say hello!!)
Today was Day 4 of being a round-two college student. I am still adjusting, but getting there. I've finished reading, taking notes on lecture, and making flashcards for one class (Anatomy & Physiology) and am halfway through reading on the other (Aromatherapy 101). I never studied in high school, and rarely in college, so the amount of time I have been dedicating to my education this time around is taking some getting used to.
I'll get there.
Today was also Day 3 of a very, very cold snap of weather for us. Wind chills have made sure it's been several degrees below zero each day. The iPhone screencap below is from 7am this morning, and while my phone says it's warmer now (4F, feels like -10F), I think it is lying. The wind is howling way more now than it was this morning. Brrrr. Poor, poor animals outside :( :(
In other news, I am very determined to do some Smashbooking tomorrow. Are you familiar with this concept? No? Watch the video below, then. It changed my life. I'm not kidding.
Once upon a time, I used to scrapbook. I ended up getting very burned out trying to keep up with all of the latest trends and accessories/supplies. Fast forward to about a year ago, I saw this video and have been completely obsessed with the idea ever since. I have many ideas for many SMASH Books, but the only one I have going so far is a "Home" SMASH book, which documents our homebuying process and my decorating ideas for our new home. I'm in love with it. I'm also proud of it, which I rarely say about anything I create, fyi.
I will post some pictures of it soon. Possibly tomorrow!! :)
I also have plans to start a personal momentos one, as well as one for Lily's school stuff -- homework, artwork, etc. I have so many ideas, so many items waiting to be smashed! I just need to sit down and do it!!
I meant to mention this before now, but I start classes tomorrow -- my first time in college since 2004. I'm a little nervous but pretty excited. I've been waiting a long time for the right time to do this, and the time has finally arrived. I'm going to be studying Aromatherapy, with the intention of getting my diploma, taking the national exam, and then practicing as a Registered Aromatherapist (R.A.).
I'll be taking 6 credit hours (Aromatherapy 101andAnatomy & Physiology I) this semester. The latter has me a little worried. It's pretty in-depth stuff. I already have quite a bit of self-taught aromatherapy knowledge, so that one should flow along smoothly.
I'm not the best at staying on track for projects, but we are paying...a lot...for me to do this. Also, my bestest gave me a little tough love lesson a few weeks back:
...Here is your tough love time. You can't let yourself have a choice. You have to do well at school, you're 30 years old and that's too much money to spend to not give it your all. You have a kid who is learning by watching you so you have to show her a good example. This is not something you can fail even if you try your hardest, so there's no reason to let your fear sabotage you.
And you have to keep your house organized because you are a stay at home mom.
And you have to figure out how to budget in time for me because I say so.
You may now return to your regularly scheduled love.
Dammit I forgot to add, "You're smart and you can do this, you just have to believe failing isn't an option and even when you don't want to do whatever it is you need to do, do it anyway." <-- this good advice. It's what I had to repeat to myself every single day before my test.
Oh also this gem, "You need to follow your dreams today because you are not promised the opportunity tomorrow."
I think this is all of my life coaching advice.
I love her so much. She knows me (probably better than I know myself), and she spares no words when it comes to the truth/heart of the matter. I will be referring back this post my entire semester for motivation -- hell, my entire degree-- just to keep myself on track. Thank you, K-Kat. LY♡
I want to talk about food, but not my grocery budget challenge. Not today, anyway.
Today...what I do want to talk about the fact that Lily and Mike made dinner for me for the first time ever last night -- a quiche, no less-- and it was amazing.
I had a killer headache and was laying down, so I missed the inception of the project, but from what I've been able to gather, Lily was thumbing through a cute little cookbook she got for Christmas and that gave them the idea to do up dinner. I was brought said cookbook and asked to pick a recipe, which I did...not realizing this was a *serious* endeavor. Soon after, they headed to the store to get the necessary ingredients needed for both the quiche and loaded baked potatoes, and then came back and did got to work.
I love watching them spend time together. That was the best part ♥
While eggs and cheese are among my favorite foods, I don't usually care for sausage. Still, I figured the quiche would be okay (read: edible). Mike was of the same frame of mind, and I have to tell you, both of us were pretty floored after we took our first bites. So, SO good. Like I said before, amazing.
I'm pretty sure I complimented them at least 80 times as I ate, not only because it was that good, but because it was shockingly good and because I appreciated that I didn't have to make it.
And, just when the evening couldn't possibly get any better?? I didn't have to clean up after, either :)
I always thought quiches were labor intensive. They're not! Take a look:
Thanks to the wonderful world of Pinterest, I recently stumbled onto a blog post about a woman who feeds her family of six...on $60 per week. It blew my mind, as there are just the three of us and I spend well over that when I grocery shop; usually at least double.
I was amazed. Fascinated.
Curious.
Could I challenge myself to a similar goal? Shouldn't I be able to feed us on that amount of money? Less, even?
The more I thought about it, the more excited I became. It would require planning/organization, creativity, sticking to a list, using ingredients I already have on hand, and not being lazy in the kitchen. (Not that I'm saying you are lazy if you spend a lot on food. I am saying *I* am lazy because I buy a lot of convenience items that I could make pretty easily instead.)
So, I've decided to try it. My goal is to create tasty (and healthy) meals and snacks out of $40 worth of groceries per week, for the next four weeks starting Friday. I will shop for Week One tomorrow, and will report back with my purchases and their prices, as well as some meal plans (and possibly recipes) for the upcoming week.
I'm so excited! I can't wait to see what I come up with.
I spent a good portion of last night trying to organize my photos and thoughts for Week One of Project Life. I felt so inadequate...so uninspired, and all I could think was, "This is supposed to be easy. And quick."
At my current rate of progression, it is neither.
I finally managed to design a 4x6 card with three Instagram pictures from New Year's Eve as well as create one 3x4 of a screencap of my iPhone during a workout. I decided I'd stop there for the evening and upload those to a printing company who I've read many great reviews of the printing for Project Life stuff. So, I get my photos/cards uploaded and the price is phenomenal...under $1 even with the special print options and shapes I've chosen. Get to checkout, and shipping is $5 flat rate.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!?
At that point, I was ready to say to heck with the whole works. I was frustrated with the quality of my photos, frustrated with my lack of creativity in working with them, and then, to top it all off, super disappointed by a photo/printing service that I'd very much looking forward to giving a try.
And, my poor friend Emily --who had been subjected to whiny "I suck at this" texts all evening-- had the worst time convincing me I could get two 3x4 cards by cutting a 4x6 printout in half. Oh my goodness, it is embarrassing how dense I was being about that.
I decided to take a Project Life break for a day or two, and will re-approach it with a clear head and a renewed intention to keep it simple. It has to stay simple for me, or it's not going to work, especially with my classes starting in a few weeks...
On our way to Lily's bi-weekly Brownie Girl Scout meeting last night, I was subjecting her to some of my music -- stuff I grew up with. And, in just another way I'm pretty lucky: our music compatibility is pretty high and she rarely complains about what I choose for us to listen to.
One of my favorite songs is "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" by John Parr, and I play it quite often while I'm sitting at my computer, working out, cleaning the house, etc., etc. I'm not sure how it has happened that Lily's never heard it before tonight.
Or, maybe she has, but was never actively trying to listen to the lyrics.
Anyway, the song is playing, I'm driving along, enjoying the tune and feeling uplifted (and singing along) as always. Then, Lily pipes up from the backseat.
"Hey, Mom? Did that just say 'Santa's nose is on fire'?"
...I am never going to experience that song the same way ever again. It's been forever changed for me. In a good --no, in the best -- way. Now it's going to make me smile even harder when I hear it.
This has become my absolute go-to recipe for anywhere I need to take a dish to share. I serve it with sliced baguette and it is just...AMAZING!! Everyone loves it.
Ingredients:
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup blue cheeseor ranch salad dressing
a very, very large squirt of ranch salad dressing
1/2 cup Frank's Redhot Buffalo Wing Sauce
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheeseor shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
6-8 fried chicken tenders, chopped into bite-sized pieces. (I get mine from our grocery store deli!)
Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F.
Place cream cheese into deep baking dish. Stir until smooth. Mix in salad dressings. Frank's sauce, and cheeses. Stir in chicken.
Bake 20 min. or until mixture is heated through and starting to bubble.
Serve hot.
Enjoy!!!
(If you have leftovers, this reheats fabulously and is just as good the next day or two after.)
Disclaimer: Recipe is not mine, but the edits are :)
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