What are you doing New Year's Eve?

What are you doing New Year's Eve? I am not doing anything too exciting. I hope all of you are more exciteing than I am.


Speaking of what you are doing for New Year's Eve isn't this a cute song from Zooey Deschanel?

Happy New Year's Eve everyone!

Christmas is almost here!

Can you believe it is almost Christmas already? I think I would be more willing to believe if there were snow on the ground (although, I wouldn't want to drive to work in it).
I am so grateful for this time of year. It is a chance for me to celebrate the birth of my Savior and Redeemer. Our Heavenly Father has given as the greatest gift, he sent his Son to die for us so that we can live again. I cannot think of any greater gift. Jesus Christ came to this earth to save the world through his atonement and because of that I am able to return back to live with my Heavenly Father again. I hope all of you have a Very Merry Christmas and remember the reason why we celebrate.

Attention: Music Lovers!

Caitlin...I thought of you!

A Cake for Aunt Kathy

Here is a picture of the cake I made for my Aunt Kathy's birthday. It was a cherry chip cake with a cherry filling and a cream cheese frosting.

Wedding Planning

Despite what you may think, we are NOT planning a zombie/hobo/insert-your-own-far-out-theme wedding.  Actually, I do believe it is going to be quite lovely.  

We have successfully managed to check off the majority of the big things off of our to-do list, so that is one big relief.  Now, it is more about the details.  

Ah, the details!

Well, here are a couple projects that I am working on.  Of course, Pinterest has been a major inspiration, and the two ideas I have gotten from the fabulous website.  One, actually, was inspired by my mother-in-law-to-be, and I liked it and I am now running with it.  

Here are the two projects I have undertaken:

Numero Uno:

Numero Dos:

The idea for number uno is that they will be in the center of the tables with beautiful white flowers.  Perhaps tie a little bow around them.  If you go on my pinterest and find that pin, it actually shows you how to make the mason jars blue.  That is the project I am undertaking.  Hopefully it turns out alright!

Now for numero dos, I would love it eventually to be in our apartment, hanging somewhere fun.  (I do love the idea of it hanging over the bed! I also adore Mumford & Sons AND that quote!)  But for the reception, perhaps it can chill at the present table, or the sign-in table, or...anywhere.  It could just be fun.  I also saw an idea of where someone wrote out their "story" on the chalkboard, so that is another possibility.  (We do have one heck of a story!)  

Now, my apartment smells like spray paint, my nose is running (I'm getting sick, I do believe), and I am either tired, or getting high off of the fumes, but either way, I'm out like trout!

Avoiding Going to Bed...

It is currently 10:49, and I am avoiding having to go to bed.

You know what I mean, your eyes are nearly half shut, but you persist on browsing the internet, look up pins on pinterest, find funny youtube videos...Oh come on, you know exactly what I mean!!  I bet you are doing it RIGHT now...avoiding sleep and reading this blog instead.  Tsk. Tsk.

Anywho...I decided to practice my homemaking skills and made a real dinner tonight.  Shock, right?

I made meat loaf, mashed potatoes, rolls, veggies, and for dessert, a pumpkin roll.  Ryan was the lucky recipient of this great meal.  (Lucky boy, eh?)

Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures.

BUT!

Here's a cool picture:

(Okay, so this is TOTALLY random picture, BUT! If you can believe it (and you should!), this is a BOY'S bathroom...Yes, you read right...This bathroom belongs to a GUY.  A DUDE.  A MALE!  Not a female anywhere IN this apartment!  Crazy, right?)

Okay...Now that I have rambled away, I think perhaps I will go crawl into my bed.  Mmm, sleep.  Night!

Engagements!

Good news!

We have our engagements ticked off of our enormous "to-do" list! We had a lot of fun!  Check out a sneak peak of our photos here:

http://envisionimage.blogspot.com/2011/11/ryan-and-erin-engagement-sneak-peek.html


:)

Parkour!!

I love this clip from the office.  Absolutely hilarious.  It makes me want to do parkour in my own office.  I'm sure my manager would LOVE me for that one!

Women's Tears

Do you ever just want to cry? For no reason whatsoever? If you are male, you probably are thinking, "No way...Why would I do that?"  But if you are a girl, you are probably just nodding your head away in complete understanding.

My cousin posted this on Facebook.  I liked it.  Now I am sharing it with you:

A little boy asked his mother, "Why are you crying?" "Because I'm a woman," she told him.
"I don't understand," he said. His Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will."

Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?"

"All women cry for no reason," was all his dad could say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.

Finally he put in a call to God. When God got on the phone, he asked, "God, why do women cry so easily?"

God said, "When I made the woman she had to be special.

I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world,

yet gentle enough to give comfort.

I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children.

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining.

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly.

I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart.

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly.

And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed."

"You see my son," said God, "the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart - the place where love resides."

Les Mis

Happy Friday!

I have been obsessed with Les Miserables as of late.  I blame the fact that I have been reading the book, my friend bought the 20th Anniversary DVD and we have watched that, and the fact that whenever I get into my roommate's car, she has Jon Schmidt's version of "Bring Him Home" blasting through the speakers.

But seriously...SUCH a good story.  Every time I listen to "Bring Him Home", I get chills and sometimes, I hate to admit, I tear up.

I mean, listen!

That video is not of only ONE Jean Valjean, but of FOUR, all who played in previous years in Les Mis.  Gorgeous.  Simply gorgeous!

Les Mis makes me think of my Dad.  I just remember growing up, my Dad would play the soundtrack all the time...whether at home or on family trips, it was there in the background.  I suppose you can say that through Les Mis, I have bonded with my Dad over the years of my childhood.  It brings fond memories.  That may be part of my obsession.

But seriously...if you haven't read the book...Read it.  I know it looks intimidating, but it is such a lovely story filled with rich symbolism and power.  Jean Valjean is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters of all time.

Double Dream Hands

Best dance moves EVER!!!! Who would have known dancing was so simple?  ;)

This is Halloween!

On the night before Halloween, when all were asleep, Erin and her roommate, were making their keep,
They searched and scavenged for something to wear, they became terrified when they had nothing to bare.
They howled and the wept, for the lack of a thought, and opened their wallets for the money they sought.
But their wallets were empty and began to lament, and pounded their fists as they cried on cement.
But then a voice appeared from the dust, "Look in your dear closets, for there is no need to lust!"
The girls they gained courage, and began to have hope, they searched as if they were at the end of their rope.
And alas! They found it! The costume of their dreams! Their costumes, I warn you, may make you scream!

Ok, so I lied, our costumes won't make you scream.  To be honest, you'd probably just scratch your head and ask, "What the heck ARE you?"   The members that come into my credit union ask me what I am and I tell them to guess.  Whatever they say, I reply, "Yep! You are right!"

With an hour into the day, I have gotten a hippie, an indian, and a lot of other really confused looks. I also had someone tell me, "You look nice today!" He seemed completely clueless to the fact that it is Halloween. In all reality (actually, Halloween can't be considered as reality), I am a flapper.  Lame, eh? 

But no worries.  If I get sick of people wondering, I have a back up plan.  I will become French.  Then I shall speak wif ze french accent all ze day long and I vil LOVE it! :)

Then if people STILL don't get it, I'll resort to Ryan's idea...I will write "Book" across my face.  If people still don't get it, I'll tell them I am a popular social networking site.  If they (or you) STILL don't get it, well, then, I will officially give up on Halloween.

But for now, well, I'll keep my "flapper" costume and eat the bucket of Halloween candy sitting in front of me until I throw up.  Happy Halloween!!



P.S.  PLEASE forgive me for my TERRIBLE poem.  Poetry, apparently, is not one of my hidden talents...Limericks, however...

Yeah Toast

Here is a post that I started working on a couple days ago, I just never got around to finishing it, so here it is:

I have been on an emotional roller-coaster today. Yes, it is most certainly that time of the month for me.

Tears
Anger
Frustration
Tears Again
Numbness
Laughter
More Tears
Whatever

Ugh. It is only two in the afternoon and I already am exhausted by my mood swings. Annette (my wonderful co-worker) was so patient with me as I vented my "problems" to her at work today (if there was any doubt in my managers mind that I am a crazy hormonal girl it was erased today).  Some of which are real concerns that I have been struggling with lately such as what I am going to do with school and my personal issues with my American Heritage professor. But really, I was being completely irrational and I was frustrated at...well...nothing. These things were just vehicles for my uncontrolled emotions to take a joy ride in. The next moment, I was almost in tears over absolutely nothing. I had to try really hard to compose myself because all I wanted to do at the moment was to collapse on the ground like a three year old and sob my eyes out. Logically, my emotions only took me to the next phase...Laughter.
 Don't you love those moments when everything is funny and silly?
 Here is something that I found particularly funny ..Yeah Toast...which is a ridiculous song that was hilarious to me, my friends, and siblings when we were growing up. (Snap..I am now flooded with tons of found memories of all those people...composure Cait, don't get emotional...ok..better..) Here it is...(the song not all of the memories):

I really don't have a reason to be sad, angry, or frustrated. I am letting my hormones get the best of me. I am truly blessed with so many things.

That is all I had written from that day and I am doing a ton better now that my hormones aren't going haywire. :) I should be done with crazy hormones at least for another month. Yay!

Half Acre

Half Acre by Hem



I discovered this song while listening to Pandora. I fell in love instantly. I wish there was a good video that went along with it but alas the videos on Youtube were lame. So just listen to the song and imagine something splendid instead.

News!

So.  To follow up  Caitlin's great post about engagement pictures, it just so conveniently was posted on my OWN engagement day!  That's right!  I am engaged!  So now the talk to wedding is springing, including, and not limited to, trying to figure out WHAT to do.  Themes have come about...Let me run them by you and see what you think:

1) Hobo Wedding

Think of many bonfires, roasting sticks, a soup line, cut-off mittens for gifts, and a dumpster to serve great foods such as spam, leftover doughnuts and what not.   Include the bride (me) and groom holding cardboard signs saying, "We'll get married for money,"  or "No money, newly weds, starving students.  Any help accepted."


2) Zombie Wedding

Well, we just witnessed the great pictures Caitlin posted, so just think along the lines of that.  Some guests will have the privilege to dress up as Zombies and the rest will be given "weapons" (perhaps nerf guns or pepper spray) and they will attack (okay, bad idea on the pepper spray) the zombies and shall be victorious.  We could serve "brains" (Jello mold?) and guts (more jello?) for the food.

3) Pirates vs. Ninjas

So my side of the family/guest shall be pirates and his side of the family/guests shall be the ninjas.  Then we shall fight to the death, er, win.  Dressing up will be essential and as well as cool accents for the pirates and great stylized moves for the ninjas.

4) Cowboys vs. Indians

Pretty much the same idea as Pirates vs. Ninjas, except with Cowboys and Indians.  Perhaps the food can be some Thanksgiving food as the cowboys and Indians come together in peace.  (I know, I know..it's the PILGRAMS not the Cowboys.  But still...)



Hmm...Well, I've got some good planning coming in here.  I'm sure we'll come up with something great.  But, to close this fabulous post, here is a picture of the happy couple:

Cute, right? This is just moments after being proposed to.  

Anywho, be looking for a wedding section for the planning on my pinterest soon. 

Zombies

Here are some awesome engagements pics that my friend posted on FB via Pinterest. She posted them for her fiance to look at for ideas for their pictures ;) Enjoy! (I laughed pretty hard when I saw these)

Source: mlkshk.com via Randee on Pinterest

Speaking of Zombies here is song by Stephanie Mabey titled: If I were a Zombie

Well enough about zombies. Cheerio! 

A Post on a Sandwich?

I got a sweet sisterly message from Erin today which said: "Dearest Caitlin. You have not updated the blog in a long while. Repent."


So here I am. Repenting. I don't even have much of an excuse why it has been so long other than my new church calling (Beehive Adviser!) and School. I wish I had an lengthy adventuresome story to tell you about how I was spending my time fighting dragons, flying to the moon, discovering a new species, etc. But alas such is the life of a college student. It is rewarding but it does not make a good story. 
So I decided to share part of my journal with you on eating a sandwich. No really, it is about a sandwich. Weird? Probably. I hope you enjoy it even though it sounds like it should be only a sentence (ex: I ate a sandwich today and it was good.)


The other day I had a fantastically amazing veggie sandwich with a homemade pesto yogurt sauce and a roasted red pepper as the 'meat' of the sandwich. I made a copycat version of the veggie sandwich from Paradise Bakery. As I ate the sandwich my heart was so full of gladness and I could feel the energy that came from the fresh vegetables and the sprouted wheat bread (Ezekiel Bread). I have never had that happen before with food. When I used to eat "comfort" food it would make me feel numb and pacified. This was totally the opposite effect. My soul was enlightened and lifted as I ate these nourishing things for my body.

I was a bit interested in why I was having a spiritual and uplifting experience while simply eating a sandwich. I read in the scriptures later on that day about the word of wisdom on LDS.org and I gained a greater understanding of why I was having this amazing experience from my meal.

In the Doctrine and Covenants 59: 17-19

17 Yea, and the herb, and the good things which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards;

 18 Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the a benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart;

 19 Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul.

 What are the Doctrine and Covenants, Word of Wisdom, or the LDS church? Click on any of these links for more information, or ask me. I would love to talk to you about it :)

I felt that strength to my body and that my soul was literally enlivened. I feel incredibly  blessed with all of the food that God has put on this earth for us. The natural healing power that we can receive from eating right. I know that it is truly a gift from the Lord. 

French Tuesdays

Brilliance.  Sheer brilliance.  Can't get this out of my head.  Two of my favorites:  Jacques Cousteau!  And, Splish Splash!  Love.  PLUS it is in French.  Voila!  Enjoy.

Glitter Toes!

I came across this lovely website the other day, explaining on how to do your very own Glitter Toes!

I know, it seems rather intimidating.  Your very own glitter toes? Is it possible? I do not have the steadiest hand when it comes to painting my nails.  But I tried my hand on it.  It turned out fabulous.

I bought exactly what she suggested...I went to Sally's and punched the Gelous clear nail polish.  It was on sale for a bit less than 5 bucks.  Then I headed on over to Robert's and bought a pack of 5 different colors of glitter for a bit less than 5 bucks too.  (Thank you, 40% coupon, which, by the way, is ALWAYS available, everyday!).  The good news is, it hardly used any glitter.  It is definitely worth the money.  I mean, check it out:

I am sorry you have to look at my feet.  It's not pretty, I know.  But! I am ready to show off these babies (meaning my toenails...who'd want to see my feet anyways?) at the beach!  Bring it on!  (And yes, I am going to be at the beach verrry soon here!)

A few Saturdays ago, I went to CPK with Ryan for lunch.  As we were sitting there, a very flamboyant looking man entered, sporting a leopard pring shirt, black vest, crazy necklace, and a crazy mo-hawk.  I gawked and quickly nudged Ryan to get a good look at this piece of work.  Then we happily finished our pizza and forgot all about the leopard man.

Well, as I was scrolling through my usual dose of morning blogs the other day, guess what I came across while browsing cJane?

This:

I nearly gasped when I saw the same flamboyant outfit, crazy hair, leopard man with his arm around Cjane.  Turns out, crazy, flamboyant man is Tyler Glenn, the lead singer of the Neon Trees.  You may know their hit single "Animal", yes?  It was a good thing I wasn't drinking anything...It would have shot right out of my mouth, I was so shocked.

But there ya have it.  Crazy, no?

Do you ever just come across something and start laughing uncontrollably?  Even if it isn't immensely funny...you just can't help but to laugh until you cry?  I just did that.  I saw this and started laughing and laughing and laughing:

I am still laughing.  I can't stop.  I need help!

Hour Glass

 Here I am doing my homework on a Saturday. It is quite lovely though. I am enjoying the beautiful weather outside while studying my Nutrition reading assignment. There is a dainty butterfly fluttering around my porch. I am listening to one of my favorite songs: Hour Glass by Mindy Gledhill. It is very magical. Listen to it and imagine my little porch with me sitting in a while wicker chair learning loads of info and you may understand why I do not mind my weekend of school work. Have an oh so loverly day. Ps. I weighed myself yesterday and I have lost 10 pounds in the last month. YAY!

Update on Life

Hey Everyone!

Here are some quick updates on my life:

I have been trudging my way through my first week back at school (literally trudging, aka my sprained ankle). Actually, I am really excited about school starting! I love school! It has just been a little hard trying to get to my classes because of my leg. It is healing though and I will be looking forward to being able to walk normally again.

Part of my school expenses went towards purchasing a new laptop. I am super happy about this. I purchased a HP TrueVision HD Laptop. Even though it is not a Macbook (which I totally would love one day) it was well the money I spent on it. Which means....drum roll please...MORE BLOGGING!

I am still eating healthy and I love how I feel. I wish I can exercise more but with my leg I haven't been able to continue my normal workout routine. As soon as I can (Monday? Hopefully.) I will start it up again. Today was also supposed to be the day I would weigh myself but I want to use the same scale that I started weighing myself on so I will get the most accurate results. The problem is that the scale I use is at the rec center. I guess I will have to wait.

That is all I have time for now. TTFN.

OH wow...

So, it has been awhile since Caitlin has posted.  She is the one to blame.  She has no excuse.  She has not been locked up dying from illness.  She has all the free time in the world.

Just kidding.

I will take the blame too.  But while excuses are always acceptable (are you telling me they aren't??), I am going to blame the fact that I have not been feeling well whatsoever for the past few weeks.  Straight.  Fun,  right?  Which has equalled to no energy, an increase of apathy, and an extreme sense of fatigue.  But! I'm getting better! I'm not dead!

Caitlin has had some great excuses too.  She sprained her ankle pretty good.  It has been a great source of pain, that I am positive that her excuse for not blogging is due to that pain overtaking her brain and unable to think of anything else, let alone blog.

So there ya have it.  But, just you wait! I'm sure one of these days, we will get around to blogging more frequently once again.  Once we are all bright and chipper again! Bright days are ahead indeed!

Sick Also...

I feel sick too. Not like poor Erin, thankfully for me. Unlike Erin I am to blame for my "sickness". Sorry Erin you are not feeling well. I hope you have continued to rest and recover fast from your illness.  I ate some pizza and breadsticks today that Cameron brought home from Pizza Hut.

Remember that I am trying to eat healthy? Well, I have been SO good. I have eaten as well as I can and I have exercised at least 5 days a week.
Until today.
Grr.
I went on a bike ride with my younger sister today which was wonderful. Yay!
Why did I ruin my workout by eating junk food? 
I am not very happy with myself... It was definitely not worth the fifteen to twenty minutes of eating it.
My stomach is achy and sore.
My head hurts from the lack of nutrition and I feel tired and grumpy.
I am also having acid reflex which I do not have a problem with when I don't eat junk food.
If I am going to feel this awful after eating something it should have been way more worth it,
such as something involving CHOCOLATE. 

I needed to write this down to remind myself that I enjoy the way I feel when I eat right. I look forward to tomorrow where I can work on reversing the pizza I ate today.
Tomorrow is a New Day!!!
I am going to move forward and do better tomorrow.

Sick

Happy weekend! I hope your weekend plans are a LOT more exciting than mine.  My Friday night plans have been to lounge, rest, watch Arsenic and Old Lace, and eat.  Today was a sick day for me.  Last night, I knew I was in trouble when I started shaking uncontrollably from feeling "cold" when no one in the apartment felt cold at all.  Why, hello fever.  How great it is to meet you.  I slept all day long.

Now, I get rather antsy when I just sit at home and do nothing.  I start going crazy.  I start going through my to-do list (my real one, not my fake one) and start thinking of all the things I could accomplish throughout the day, since I am not at work.  (Dear Erin, there is a reason for that...YOU ARE SICK!)  You will be happy to know, however, that I only left my apartment once to run to the grocery store (a sick girl needs OJ ok?).  The rest of the day was spent in bed, or on my living room couch.  All day long.

It is now 12:58 a.m.  I am terrified to go to bed.  Why, you ask? I've been sleeping all day.  Why on earth would my body let me fully sleep through the night?  I'm afraid it will shout and prod, "You've been sleeping all day! Get up you lazy girl!"  I don't want to take that kind of torment.  So I am stalling sleep time.  (You can't get mad at me...Remember? I've been a good girl and slept/rested all day long!)

However, in my sick state, I managed to pick up an old Cary Grant classic, "Arsenic and Old Lace".  Please, oh please tell me you have seen it.  It is rather hilarious and it is definitely worth the watch.  Describing it just won't do it justice.  You just need to go watch it.  Now.  Right now.

Then, as I was fiddling around on Facebook (where all go when they have nothing left to do), and I found this YouTube video of Harry Potter, How it Should Have Ended.  I rather enjoyed it.  Especially the end where Dumbledore announces the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher.  It was my favorite part and I laughed, a lot.   Check it out:

I wish I could say that today was a success...I suppose in a sense it was.  I rested.  Which was exactly what I needed to do.  I just hope I'm not stuck inside all day tomorrow.  Here's to feeling better!  Perhaps I'll actually attempt to go to bed now.  Good night, folks!

Sugar Addiction Help

Two weeks ago I committed to changing my life to become healthy. I am so glad I did because I have seen wonderful changes with my whole well being. I have had an increase in energy, a better ability to deal with cravings (most of the time I don't even have cravings anymore, YAY!), clearer skin (this one is huge for me as I have struggled with severe acne most of my life), weight loss, and an increased ability to deal with stress. I can't wait to see more changes in my body, mind, and spirit as I continue on my journey.

I read an article today about recovering from sugar addiction with ease that I found very helpful and informative. I have been addicted to sugar pretty much all my life and it has done havoc to my body. I am so glad my sugar cravings are getting better and are becoming so few and far between I hardly notice them anymore. Click here to read. It is worth the time if this is something you struggle with too. 


Here is an excerpt from the article:

The Benefits of Breaking Your Sugar Addiction

Besides the obvious long term benefits of markedly lowering the risk of diabetes, hypertension, stroke and heart attacks -- the major killers of modern life -- cutting sugar intake will help many other conditions. These include:

• Chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia
• Anxiety and depression
• Pain of many kinds
• Decreased immune function (a 12 ounce can of soda can drop immune function by 30% for three hours!)
• Chronic sinusitis
• Irritable bowel syndrome and spastic colon
• Autoimmune disease
• Cancer
• Metabolic syndrome with high cholesterol and hypertension
• Heart disease
• Hormonal problems
• Schizophrenia
• Candida and yeast infections
• ADHD

It also helps boosts metabolism so that people can finally lose weight as well!

Vacation Shoes

Well, along with Caitlin, I, too, need a new pair of shoes.  Actually, just about my whole shoe wardrobe needs replacing...but I am in special need of a pair of tennis shoes. 

Now, I am not a tennis shoe kind of girl.  I love my flats to pieces.  Literally.  In fact, last year, I was forced to throw away a beloved pair of flats, that were in shreds.  Did I still wear them? Until the dying day. 

But I am leaving on vacation here in a month and a half, and I made the mistake LAST vacation to wear these little beauties:

Horrible.  Absolutely horrific.  I refuse to make that mistake twice.  The picture does not show how flimsy these shoes are.  They are more like slippers.  Just imagine trekking San Fran in slippers.  Bad, bad, bad idea.

So I am on the hunt...For a good pair of vacation shoes.  Cute ones.  I mean, if tennis shoes CAN be cute.  I am kind of a fan of Tom's Cordones.  Simple, stylish, and not too over the top.  Here are a few that I am eyeballing at the moment:


Black Cordones

Wool Cordones

Or perhaps these ones....                                                                                                                             

http://www.toms.com/womens/cordones/english-herringbone-women-s-cordones

(photo coming soon!)

I just don't know.  The black ones are classic...But I love the gray.  Gray matches with so much, but then I am worried about the wool.  Recommendations? Suggestions? Your favorite vacation shoes? Help?

Best Friend Application

Some guys in my apartment complex came up with this {clever} resume with many valid points why they should be your best friend.  Check it out:

Hired, I dare say.

Notebooks for College

Yesterday I went to Target I wiped them all out of the Five Star 1-subject notebooks, they were only a $1 each. These are my favorite notebooks for college and at that price I bought enough for this semester with a couple left over for next semester. They usually are priced around $2.50.

While we were there we saw these awesome notebooks that I love. They are so clever. I wish they were also a $1 each.

I ended up splurging the 2.50 for this one. I couldn't resist:

Darling right?

New!

So!

I just received my brand spankin' new MacBook Pro.  I am absolutely loving it.

But, of course, it comes with a learning curve...

I was going to make a beautiful post with pictures and what not....

...but...

I don't know how on this computer.

Not yet.  But soon.

For now, I am going to sleep on this one.  Good night Neverland.

Time For New Shoes

Have you ever bought an item of clothing that you love so much that you literally have worn them into the ground? I have. Quite a few times. I recently wore my cute black pointy shoes that I bought at Payless and I realized that my right foot shoe was acting a little funny. When I got home I examined the shoe and this is what I saw:

I promptly threw them out after these pictures. Sad day. 

Becoming Healthy

Source

I have decided to tackle #9 on my bucket list.

This is the MOST important reason for #9 is that I want to become healthy.

 I know what to do. I know how to live a healthy life style but for various reasons I have not chosen to do so.  I could go on about the various excuses that often put the blame on society but really it is my own fault. I choose what to eat. I choose whether or not to exercise.

I want to change.

I will change. 



Here is my game plan for achieving not only my goal but of having a healthy energetic body:

#1: No sugar, except one day a month (for holiday's and birthday's).
#2: No soda (I have gotten into a nasty habit of drinking more soda than I used to).
#3: Eat mainly vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole wheats, whole grains, and nuts.
#4: Try to stick with lean cuts of mean. Preferably fish.
#5: Eat more food that contains probiotics such as Yogurt and Kefir.
#6: Study up on Nutrition and Health regularly
#7: Exercise between 5-6 days a week for at least 30 minutes.
#8: Drink plenty of water.
#9: Have a support system (my mom is joining me on this endeavor).
#10. Pray for help and guidance as I embark on incorporating a healthy life style into my life.

This is a pretty basic plan and it is not supposed to be a diet. It is more of a life long commitment. I have not been kind to my body in the last couple of years and if I am not careful and change my ways I would am headed down a path of various health problems that I do NOT want. I started on Monday and I have realized that I have been addicted to unhealthy food such as sugar. I hope that as I eat right and exercise, I will abolish the cravings and addiction.

What tips do you have for being healthy?

Why do you eat healthy?

Why do you exercise?

What is your motivation?

A Post About Rainbows

I absolutely, 100 % adore rainbows.  However, sometimes rainbows and I have a rough relationship.  It seems, at rough times in my life, the heavens close, and rain pours down.  I stand there, out in the open, completely drenched. 

But then, they come:

A rainbow appears, offering hope, even admist the storm.  It is God's way of reminding me that all is in His hands and that good things are just around the corner, even with the storm at hand.  All will be well. 

Favorite Tools to Use for Cupcakes

It is Saturday again my friends and what does that mean?
I will spend a couple hours baking something for somebody :)
I love baking for friends and family!
This Saturday I made cupcakes for a small party of old high school orchestra friends (about eleven people showed up total, even though it was small we still had a blast). I made Chocolate Cupcakes with a Cheesecake Filling and yummy Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting.  I should come up with a name for this scrumptious treat. Any suggestions? I am gettting into a habit of making these. I need to branch out of my comfort zone sometime and try something new but it is hard when these are so good, not to mention ADDICTING.

I have a couple of things that are a must have when baking cupcakes.  Here are my Top 5 Favorite things to use when making cupcakes.

#1:

Chocolate Chip's (preferably Semi-Sweet): I throw them into the batter at the end to add an extra ummff to any chocolate baked good. Cupcakes, Cake, Brownies etc.

 

#2:

My Kitchen Aide: It is one of the best Christmas presents that I have ever received. Thanks Mom and Dad! It makes baking so much easier. I love making Marshmallow Fondant in it. I hate kneading by hand. 

#3:

Cookie Scoop: This helps me make even cupcakes with minimal amount of effort. Filling up the batter takes no time at all with this tool.

#4:

Cupcake Filler Tip: This has revolutionized the way I view and eat cupcakes. Just think of the endless possibilities of what fillings would go with cupcakes!

#5:

 My Grandpa's Old Big Round Tip: I use this to frost my cupcakes. I love how professional they turn out when I use this tip.