I made a huge chopped salad yesterday and am currently enjoying some of it with spicy Asian ginger dressing. Yum!
Monday, January 9, 2012
The Proof is in the Salad
I am submitting this as proof that I am meeting at least one of my New Year's goals!
I made a huge chopped salad yesterday and am currently enjoying some of it with spicy Asian ginger dressing. Yum!
I made a huge chopped salad yesterday and am currently enjoying some of it with spicy Asian ginger dressing. Yum!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Thirty before Thirty
As of writing this post, I have exactly:
until I turn thirty.
I have to keep checking the math in my head. Wait, thirty? Are you sure? Didn't I just turn 21?
Didn't I just turn 3 and get an awesome Rainbow Brite tricycle?
I'm not really stressing it, though. I don't feel that old and everyone says their thirties are better than their twenties, anyway.
Before I reach this milestone though, there are some things I would like to check off my bucket list. Things I have been talking about or thinking about and haven't done yet. Turning 30 gives me a date to countdown to. Like I said yesterday, I work better under pressure, so instead of giving myself the rest of my life to complete these, I'm hoping that giving myself a cutoff makes me more productive.
until I turn thirty.
I have to keep checking the math in my head. Wait, thirty? Are you sure? Didn't I just turn 21?
Didn't I just turn 3 and get an awesome Rainbow Brite tricycle?
I'm not really stressing it, though. I don't feel that old and everyone says their thirties are better than their twenties, anyway.
Before I reach this milestone though, there are some things I would like to check off my bucket list. Things I have been talking about or thinking about and haven't done yet. Turning 30 gives me a date to countdown to. Like I said yesterday, I work better under pressure, so instead of giving myself the rest of my life to complete these, I'm hoping that giving myself a cutoff makes me more productive.
1. Read the entire New Testament2. Take the ferry to Cumberland Island3. Be pregnant (or trying)4. Cook an intimidating recipe from Julia Child's cook book5. Get my director's credential6. Watch a Jax Beach sunrise7. Lose 30 pounds8. Sew a skirt I can wear in public9. Pick our own fruit at a U-Pick-It Farm10. Find a skin care regimen and stick to it!11. Make bread from scratch12. Go to a Gator home game13. Go out of the country14. Get a makeover & buy some of what is recommended15. Grow out my nails & get a manicure16. Give up soda17. Make another quilt18. Stay in a quaint bed & breakfast with Josh19. Cut my hair & donate it to Locks of Love20. Back up the photos on my computer21. Complete photo books for our honeymoon & first year of marriage22. Run a mile23. Save more than I spend at the grocery store24. Go on a road trip with Josh25. Have a significant amount of money in savings26. Make authentic Pad Thai from scratch27. Be a Vegan for a week28. Reupholster a piece of furniture29. Find a type of fish I like & learn to cook it30. Play in the snow
Friday, January 6, 2012
Fill in the Blank Friday!
Happy Friday, folks! I'm joining Lauren @ The Little Things We Do for another meme today. I have always loved surveys and such!
6. The best thing about free time is naps! I love naps! Free time means I can nap!
7. The next time I have free time I should probably organize something or clean something but instead, I'll probably play around on Pinterest and stalk new blogs.
1. One of my favorite things to do when I have free time is do something crafty. Or catch up on my reading.
2. When I have free time I tend to be less productive than when I am busy. It's the procrastinator in me. I work better under pressure.
3. If I had an entire day completely to myself I would find a small coffee shop to have breakfast and read in. Take a nap on the couch. Talk the dogs for a long walk in the park. Rent a movie from Red Box and eat ice cream out of the carton.
3. If I had an entire day completely to myself I would find a small coffee shop to have breakfast and read in. Take a nap on the couch. Talk the dogs for a long walk in the park. Rent a movie from Red Box and eat ice cream out of the carton.
4. I would prefer to spend my free time (alone or with others...) half and half. I love lunch dates with friends, and hanging out with my hubby, but I also love time alone.
5. Most of my free time happens On my days off. I am lucky enough to work four 10-hour days, so I get Friday off (most weeks). I love, love, love my day off.
6. The best thing about free time is naps! I love naps! Free time means I can nap!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Midweek Confessions
I came across this meme on a new blog I started following, so I thought I'd join in the fun!
Thanks for letting me spill my guts!
- I packed up all of our Christmas stuff last week, so we could put it in storage at my mom's house. I left our HOHOHO cookie jar out though, because it's full of Christmas candy and I was too lazy to transfer it to something else.
- I hate hate hate to iron. Usually I can get away with not ironing by using some wrinkle release spray and a few minutes in the dryer. Unfortunately, we do not currently own a dryer. Sometimes I go to work in clothes that are damp from the wrinkle release spray! (I know my mom is gasping for breath at that!)
- If I buy fresh bread at the grocery store (like Rye or Sourdough from the bakery), I break into it in the car. I swear I could eat a whole loaf of bread by myself.
- Since starting this blog (less than a month ago) I have become obsessed with checking my stats, coming up with new ideas to blog about, and finding new blogs to follow.
- We currently live in a one bedroom apartment and when our lease is up, we are looking to rent a house with at least 2 (preferably 3) bedrooms. I have been stalking rental houses online; one of the reasons I am so excited about this is that another bedroom means room for a baby! Shhhh, don't tell my husband ;)
- I love to read and will read pretty much anything, but I tend to get stuck halfway through nonfiction books. As a result, I have read the first half of most of the nonfiction books on my shelf, and the second half of none of them.
Thanks for letting me spill my guts!
Snowman Cake Pops!
I made Snowman Cake Pops for my family this weekend, and I pretty much love them!
One of the gifts I gave a few people this year was membership in my inaugural "Cake Pop Club". This means I am committed to making cake pops at least bimonthly and making sure they're delivered on time (yikes!). I saw these snowmen on Pinterest (where else?) and made these as their introductory pops.
I know there are several ways to make cake pops, but I've only tried one way. Bakerella is the one who introduced me to cake pops and inspired me to make my own, and I use her method faithfully. She has a great video tutorial here that you should definitely watch if you have any interest in cake pops! I'm going to share a mini-tutorial on how I made these, but trust me, Bakerella is the expert.
1. Start with a box of cake mix, whatever brand you can get on sale. I usually use chocolate or vanilla, but the fun part is you can use whatever floats your boat. I bake it per the directions on the box, but I pull it out of the oven a few minutes early. You want the cake to be cooked through but not burnt at all on the top, because that makes the next step harder.
2. Once the cake is cooled, crumble it up into a big bowl.
3. Add frosting. Some recipes say a whole can, I have found that I usually use a little less than half a can. Mix the frosting into the crumbled cake a little at a time, until it forms a dough.
4. Using your hands, roll the dough into balls and set on a cookie sheet. I aim for about 1 1/2 inches in diameter; the bigger the cake balls, the harder they are to dip. Place the cake balls into the refrigerator for at least an hour.
5. Now comes the fun part! Place two balls on each lollipop stick. The stick should go all the way through the top ball, and about halfway through the second.
6. Melt your white candy coating. I use Wilton Candy Melts, because they're readily available at craft stores in a variety of colors. You can melt them in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted. For the snowmen, I used a tall coffee cop to melt the candy, so it would be deep enough to dip the entire snowman. One trick I learned from Bakerella is to add vegetable oil to the melted candy. It makes it so much easier to dip. I added about 1 tbsp for the 12 oz bag of candy melts.
7. Gently dip each snowman into the melted candy. If it the candy doesn't make it all the way over the top of both cake balls, tip the cup or gently tip the snowman. Don't stir--it'll make the cake balls slide off the stick. Trust me, I've lost many a cake ball in a pool of melted candy.
8. Set the dipped snowmen on foil or wax paper to harden. Aren't they adorable?
9. As the candy hardens, it turns matte instead of shiny. Once they're set, you can add their facial features and give them some personality! I used candy sprinkles for their noses, using a little extra melted candy to attach it. For the eyes and mouth, I tried an edible marker for some of them.
Add a plastic treat bag and some ribbon, and you're all set!
One of the gifts I gave a few people this year was membership in my inaugural "Cake Pop Club". This means I am committed to making cake pops at least bimonthly and making sure they're delivered on time (yikes!). I saw these snowmen on Pinterest (where else?) and made these as their introductory pops.
I know there are several ways to make cake pops, but I've only tried one way. Bakerella is the one who introduced me to cake pops and inspired me to make my own, and I use her method faithfully. She has a great video tutorial here that you should definitely watch if you have any interest in cake pops! I'm going to share a mini-tutorial on how I made these, but trust me, Bakerella is the expert.
1. Start with a box of cake mix, whatever brand you can get on sale. I usually use chocolate or vanilla, but the fun part is you can use whatever floats your boat. I bake it per the directions on the box, but I pull it out of the oven a few minutes early. You want the cake to be cooked through but not burnt at all on the top, because that makes the next step harder.
2. Once the cake is cooled, crumble it up into a big bowl.
3. Add frosting. Some recipes say a whole can, I have found that I usually use a little less than half a can. Mix the frosting into the crumbled cake a little at a time, until it forms a dough.
4. Using your hands, roll the dough into balls and set on a cookie sheet. I aim for about 1 1/2 inches in diameter; the bigger the cake balls, the harder they are to dip. Place the cake balls into the refrigerator for at least an hour.
5. Now comes the fun part! Place two balls on each lollipop stick. The stick should go all the way through the top ball, and about halfway through the second.
8. Set the dipped snowmen on foil or wax paper to harden. Aren't they adorable?
Add a plastic treat bag and some ribbon, and you're all set!
Monday, January 2, 2012
It's Gonna be a Happy New Year!
Happy 2012, everyone!
Josh and I spent a long weekend in Tampa with my family, celebrating a belated Christmas. We had a wonderful, relaxing time. I've been off work for 5 days and while I love my job, I am not looking forward to the alarm tomorrow.
Seeing as how it's 2012 already, I wanted to write down some goals for the new year. I don't like the term "resolutions" because those always get broken. So these aren't my resolutions, these are just some habits I'd like to start (and some I'd like to stop).
1. Stop biting my nails. I have tried this multiple times and sometimes it lasts for a few weeks. But I always end up biting them again! I've tried having acrylic nails put on to help break the habit, but as soon as I get them taken off, I go back to biting. Part of my problem is that usually I don't even notice I'm biting them until I've already bitten half of them. Anyone have any suggestions on how to stop completely?
2. Eat Healthier: The reality is we don't eat that badly. I don't buy a lot of snacks or premade meals, mostly because of our budget. But I do cook a lot of pasta and I love cheese. And if there's a dessert around, I will eat it. I want to start eating more fresh fruits & vegetables and less sugar. I found a local organic produce company that sells huge bags of produce for $33 a week. I'd like to start doing this, because having all that fresh produce around will hopefully force me to eat more of it. I also need some healthy recipe ideas, so please share!
3. Quality Time with God Daily: I'm stealing this explanation from Whitney's (one of my favorite blogs that I follow!) because she said it so well: "Spend quality time in the Word each day and to nurture an ever growing and maturing prayer life." Amen.
4. Explore Jacksonville: Josh and I are pretty conservative and unadventerous. We have routines and we usually don't explore outside of them. This year I want to see some new things! There are multiple parks, historic sites, and cool things to do in Jax. I want to try some of them this year. If you are a local and have some recommendations, please share!
That's it. I'm keeping it pretty basic in hopes that it will help me actually follow through! And I'm hoping that by sharing these with you, I'll have some more accountability to stick to my goals.
Josh and I spent a long weekend in Tampa with my family, celebrating a belated Christmas. We had a wonderful, relaxing time. I've been off work for 5 days and while I love my job, I am not looking forward to the alarm tomorrow.
Seeing as how it's 2012 already, I wanted to write down some goals for the new year. I don't like the term "resolutions" because those always get broken. So these aren't my resolutions, these are just some habits I'd like to start (and some I'd like to stop).
1. Stop biting my nails. I have tried this multiple times and sometimes it lasts for a few weeks. But I always end up biting them again! I've tried having acrylic nails put on to help break the habit, but as soon as I get them taken off, I go back to biting. Part of my problem is that usually I don't even notice I'm biting them until I've already bitten half of them. Anyone have any suggestions on how to stop completely?
2. Eat Healthier: The reality is we don't eat that badly. I don't buy a lot of snacks or premade meals, mostly because of our budget. But I do cook a lot of pasta and I love cheese. And if there's a dessert around, I will eat it. I want to start eating more fresh fruits & vegetables and less sugar. I found a local organic produce company that sells huge bags of produce for $33 a week. I'd like to start doing this, because having all that fresh produce around will hopefully force me to eat more of it. I also need some healthy recipe ideas, so please share!
3. Quality Time with God Daily: I'm stealing this explanation from Whitney's (one of my favorite blogs that I follow!) because she said it so well: "Spend quality time in the Word each day and to nurture an ever growing and maturing prayer life." Amen.
4. Explore Jacksonville: Josh and I are pretty conservative and unadventerous. We have routines and we usually don't explore outside of them. This year I want to see some new things! There are multiple parks, historic sites, and cool things to do in Jax. I want to try some of them this year. If you are a local and have some recommendations, please share!
That's it. I'm keeping it pretty basic in hopes that it will help me actually follow through! And I'm hoping that by sharing these with you, I'll have some more accountability to stick to my goals.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Pinterest Love, Part II
Not along ago I shared with you the projects and recipes I had already completed from all the pinning I do on Pinterest. (Speaking of, did you see the new button I added? To the right? It says "Follow Me on Pinterest". Click it. Because once you follow me, I can follow you back, and I always need new inspirational people to follow and repin!)
The ratio of what I have pinned "to do" and what I have actually done is about a bajillion to one. I chose my favorites from my Craft & DIY board, otherwise I'd still be staring at all my pins trying to pick favorites! Here are some of the things on my list to do...
The ratio of what I have pinned "to do" and what I have actually done is about a bajillion to one. I chose my favorites from my Craft & DIY board, otherwise I'd still be staring at all my pins trying to pick favorites! Here are some of the things on my list to do...
Memory Jar (credit)
This is something I pinned a long time ago and have been really excited
about doing for the new year. Actually, it's good that I'm writing this,
because I've been so excited about it that I forgot to get it ready! The good news is, this is an extremely simply project--just a mason jar and some slips of paper. I want to use it to record the little moments of 2012 that we would normally not remember, and then next New Year's Eve, we can read them all.
Lotion Bottle --> iPhone Charger (credit)
This is one of those pins that is so simple yet so amazing! I am constantly plugging my iPhone in wherever I can find a plug, usually in the kitchen while I'm cooking dinner. And while nothing has happened yet...let's just say my odds aren't good. This is a cheap solution, and so cute! I can't wait to make this.
Rag Quilt (credit)
Oh.My.Word. I am in love with this quilt! In college, my roommate and I went through a phase where we made rag quilts for everyone we knew. Let's just say the phase ended with a broken vacuum cleaner and lots of blood. The quilts did turn out pretty though. And since it's a rag quilt, details aren't so important, so I am sure I can manage this. I especially love the way the grey creates borders on this one, and the color and fabric choices are gorgeous.
DIY Quote Canvas (credit)
I have seen a couple of different versions of the DIY Quote on Canvas. There's this one, which I love, and also one with wooden letters glued onto the canvas and painted the same color, which I love as well. I can't decide which one I actually want to make. I also have a couple of quotes and song lyrics that I can't decide between... I may end up making both types of canvases so I don't have to choose!
No-Sew Cardigan (credit)
I am in love with this. As I've said, I can sew sort of a straight line, but the idea of no-sew appeals to me much more. I really want to go scour a thrift store for a cute long sleeve shirt and do this! A little bit of stitch witchery and a button... I can handle that!!
So there's a few of my favorite pins that are on my to-do craft list. One of my news year's resolutions is to actually start and finish projects, so hopefully I'll get these done!
Do you have any projects on your "to-do" list? How do you motivate yourself to start and finish them??
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)