Monday 31 March 2014

Seven Days, Five Goals


I stumbled upon this link up this morning while reading through my Bloglovin' Feed and knew I had to participate. I used to be really good about writing monthly goals but I'm totally out of the habit. And honestly right now it's hard to make monthly goals when my work schedule is all over the place and the weather is beyond unpredictable. Plus, with weekly goals there's a lot less time to make excuses and procrastinate.

Here's what I'm going to accomplish this week:

  1. Half hour of yoga 3x this week.
  2. Blog 4 times this week
  3. Register for Camp NaNoWriMo
  4. Read for 30 minutes every day.
  5. Cross off at least one item off on "Long Term To-Do List" at work
They all sound like pretty simple tasks but I know if I don't make myself accountable for getting them all done this week it won't happen. I might read a few chapters of a book and blog for the sake of participating in a link up but defining things as goals and being specific will motivate me to get things done!

What are your goals for the week? Head over to The Sticky Note Addict and link up!

Friday 28 March 2014

Five on Friday : Favourite Things


It’s been a while since I did a Five on Friday: Favourite Things Edition but I had such a great sleep last night and woke up all refreshed this morning ready to appreciate and celebrate all the little things I’m currently loving.


Doodling
I keep referencing my re-discovery of writing but alongside that comes by love of doodling. I was that kid in school who COVERED the margins of any and all pieces of papers with drawings of notes and words and whatever else I felt like drawing. I love browsing Pinterest and admire what other people are doodling. Note how I never said I enjoy drawing…because in my mind that’s different. I spent years taking Art Lessons and learning to sketch and paint but they never really sunk in. And I get stressed out trying to make drawings perfect, whereas doodles are meant to be fun and imperfect!

 Homemade Mac & Cheese


Pinterest

At the risk of having my Canadian passport revoked I fully admit I don't like Kraft Dinner. I would eat it occasionally as a kid but I would never dream of considering it something I loved. But a couple of years ago I was introduced to homemade mac & cheese. The clouds parted and angels sang! Over the past 6 months I've really perfected my method/recipe and now I just want to eat it ALL the time. Luckily I have some self-control but I have a huge craving for it right now and I think I'll make a big batch on Sunday so I can take it for lunch next week!


This Quote:



"Being a geek is all about being honest about what you enjoy and not being afraid to demonstrate that affection. It means never having to play it cool about how much you like something. It's basically a license to proudly emote on a somewhat childish level rather than behave like a supposed adult. Being a geek is extremely liberating." ~Simon Pegg

This Song:


Last Kiss - Taylor Swift
Gummy Bears


Gummy Bears are kind of always my favourite but I cheated in the groceries last week and bought a tub full. Even though they definitely do not fit into my "no buying junk food in the groceries" rule. I needed a treat. I already told myself I needed to make them last because I wouldn't be buying any more but so far they're half eaten. I just can't resist their gummy goodness!

Thursday 27 March 2014

Snow Day Roulette

During university whenever there was a snowstorm in the forecast my friends and I liked to play what we called "Snow Day Roulette". The game was pretty straight forward - you could have a few drinks/stay up late/not do the assignment all in hopes that the next day classes would be cancelled and you'd be free to recover from your few drinks/sleep in/enjoy another full day of procrastination.

So when the weather forecast looked like this Tuesday night I was faced with a new grown up job version of Snow Day Roulette.



Except that in Grown Up Land my choices were more along the lines of not choosing my outfit or packing a lunch the night before. I know. Livin' on the edge.

Wednesday morning I woke up at 7 and checked my phone to be greeted by the glorious message that work was in fact closed for the day.

My Snow Day was exactly what a needed I wore my favourite extra grubby $10 Wal-Mart jogging pants all day long, drank two cups of coffee and at least 3 cups of tea. Enjoyed homemade waffles and played board games with the roomies. 

And I won't lie this morning when work wasn't closed I was pretty annoyed. The roads were really sketchy and I absolutely despise winter driving. Plus it was kind of a long day at work.

The good news is tomorrow is Friday which means I can wear jeans to work and I have no plans to work this weekend! Depending on the weather I may go on an adventure to visit with H. on Saturday but we may be getting more snow. (Seriously, I am SO ready for spring!)

My snow day also seemed to have re-kindle my blogging inspiration! I've got some post ideas planned for the next few days and have been taking steps to contact folks about a new design. 

Life is looking up! 

Wednesday 26 March 2014

Confessions

After weeks & weeks of reading Kathy's Hump Day Confessions and giggling to myself as I read everyone's posts I am finally joining in the fun!


Despite the weather (more on that tomorrow) summer is approaching. And with summer comes bathing suits. On two separate occasions this week I popped in a Yoga DVD and then sat at my desk and watched the DVD without actually getting up and moving. E for Effort?

I'm trying to grow parsley in a little flower pot that we made at Day Camp…it's been 2 weeks and there is no sign of anything growing. I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to continue to water dirt before I give up and accept it's not going to happen.

I finally watched the first two seasons of New Girl. I enjoyed the second season more than the first but honestly Jess kind of annoys me. I don't like one demential characters and Jess is pretty one demential. 
I have been on a really strict budget since the start of 2014. No unnecessary purchases. I haven't spent money on anything other than gas, groceries, student loan payments, rent and a handful of suppers out since January. This week I got tickets with friends to see the Backstreet Boys in May and almost have myself convinced to splurge on a cute camera strap before summer.

I am also itching for a new blog design. But I don't have $100 of dollars to spend and right now I'm not willing to spend the time to do it myself. If anyone has suggestions of bloggers who do design/layouts in the $30-$40 dollar range? Ideally closer to $30. Or cheaper. 

My camera is still at my parents house because I forgot to pack it when I moved. The only plus side to this is not having it has made me REALLY want to have it. So once we're reunited I will make up for lost time with lots & lots of photos.

I was crazy enough to think that I could pick up blogging right where I left it and am so disappointed to discover that is not the case. It's never been about the followers or comments but it is pretty disheartening to put time into blogging only to check stats and realize nobody read what you wrote.

I've been thinking about what to make for lunch since I finished eating breakfast at 9:30 this morning.

As soon as I decide what to make/eat for lunch I will move on to thinking about what to make for supper.
 
I am probably going to drink more than one cup of coffee today. And I'm okay with that. Snow days were made for blogging & multiple cups of coffee. 



Tuesday 25 March 2014

Food Friends

One of the things I want to do before I'm 25 is try 10 new foods. This may not sound like a huge feat so some of you but like I've said before I'm a "picky" eater. So trying new foods can be a source of anxiety for me I've been doing really good though! I wish I'd been keeping better track of it but in the past few months I've tried (and even embraced) four new foods.

Zucchini 
Pinterest
I didn't have any strong feelings against zucchini, but I just couldn't imagine it tasting any good. It doesn't have a delicious smell and people seem to spend an awful lot of time "hiding" it in recipes. I was at a friend's house for supper though and she made pasta with roasted zucchini so I bravely tried some and was pleasantly surprised! Since then I've had it roasted a few more times and as a topping on greek pizza!


Black Olives
Pinterest
Again, a food I just assumed I didn't like. And they haven't made in on any favourites lists but I've had them on pizza a couple of times and in small quantities (i.e. Greek pizza) I can tolerate them. I think I could also eat a few in a salad but I haven't actually done that yet. 


(Roasted) Red Peppers
Pinterest
I hate green peppers. They are the worst. And up until recently red peppers were just as bad. The thing is though I love all things chipotle and the manufactures and recipe makers of dips, sauces ect. have decided that roasted red peppers and chipotle need to be together. So I've learned to tolerate it. I still don't think I "like" red peppers (especially in stir fry or as a raw veggie) but I can handle the taste of it if it happens to be paired with something I really like eating. 

Tomatoes
Pinterest
I've never had a problem with ketchup or tomato sauce and even salsa was on the eat list.

What new foods have you tried lately? Any recommendations?

Sunday 23 March 2014

Sunday Social #95

Linking up with Ashley & Neely for this week's Sunday Social. 


What are the top 3 things you can't go a day without doing?

Praying
Texting
Writing

What are 3 things that scare you the most?

Never Falling in Love
Not Having Children
Forgetting

What are 3 places you want to see before you kick the bucket?

Stonehenge
Auschwitz
Cliffs or Moher

What are 3 movies you will always love?
The Princess Bride
Pocahontas
Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire

What are your 3 favorite current songs?

Colder Weather - Zac Brown Band
Play it Again - Luke Bryan
I Will Follow You Into The Dark - Death Cab for Cutie

*These are my current favourites, the ones I've been listening to on repeat for the past few weeks. My "All-Time Favourites" is a totally different list of three! 

Thursday 20 March 2014

Summer Lovin'


Linking up with Helene & Taylor to share just a few of the many reasons I am counting down the days until summer! Even though summer weather doesn't happen around these parts until July I consider the day I move to camp (May 18) to be the first day of summer!

Without further explanation I present to you

I Can't Wait For Summer Because…

  • Dollar Drink Days at McDonald's. Hello, $1 Iced Coffee!!
  • Campfires
  • Daylight until 9:00 p.m.
  • Adventures with H. & R.
  • Flip Flops!
  • Sundresses
  • Sunshine 
  • Photography Adventures
  • Swimming
  • Warmth!
  • Stargazing
  • Chats on the dock
  • Tie-Dye!
  • Laying in the grass
  • Seeing returning campers
  • Smell of sunscreen
  • Enjoying the outdoors
  • Summer rainstorms
  • Camp!

Tuesday 18 March 2014

Ten on Tuesday

{one}
It seems like all of a sudden every blogger on the planet is jumping ship to WordPress and is posting about a giveaway/free product/review/other successful blogging thing every second day. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little envious. I'd also be lying if I said my ultimate goal is to be a big time blogger with thousands of adoring fans.

{two}
Up until university I would spend hours every day writing. Sometimes I'd write poems, sometimes I'd just ramble out prose until I was finished. I've been thinking a lot lately about how I want to start writing again. And at some point I realized that the timelines of when I stopped really writing on a daily basis and when my anxiety went from being an occasional visitor to a daily friend match up pretty well. I've started making myself write for 20 minutes every day. It's hard to start but once I do it I find myself losing track of time and really enjoying what I'm doing. Playing with words and rearranging sentences, putting names to feelings…I knew I missed it, but I didn't realize how much I missed it until I started doing it again.

{three}
I hate living in the city. There I said it.

{four}
Pinterest
I've mastered the art of popping popcorn on the stove and it's now one of my most favourite things. I know my parents always had an air popcorn popper but somewhere along the way I fell victim to the microwave popcorn revolution. But it's just not the same. I'm officially renouncing any involvement with the microwave stuff and devoting myself to "real" popcorn.

{five}
When I moved I forgot my camera. I haven't been back home since I moved to get it and it's slowly starting to drive me nuts. It's hard to practice and "get good at photography" when my DSLR is 5 hours away. I know I'll be gone home in April for Easter but I've got my fingers crossed I'll figure out a way to reunite with it before then!

{six}
I think I can officially say that I've masted the art of homemade mac & cheese. Unfortunately I have no photographic evidence of this….but the next time it's on my menu rotation I fully intend on sharing my recipe with the world. Or the 5 people who read my posts on a regular basis.

{seven}
Lately everything has been purple & red. Neither of those colours have ever been my favourite but over the past month or two when asked to chose a colour for something it's always purple or red or both.

{eight}
As you may have guessed by that last line I'm really just trying to pass the time until my chicken is done marinading so I can make and eat supper. I neglected to defrost said chicken so that's really prolonging the supper process. And I'm hungry.

{nine}
There aren't enough words to express how ready I am for summer to happen. I miss sunshine!!

{ten}
"Nine on Tuesday" Didn't have the same ring to it as "Ten on Tuesday" but I don't really have anything of value to say here. Happy Tuesday!

Monday 17 March 2014

Weekends in March

This first Saturday in March I was up at 5:00 a.m. to drive to a Saturday morning group for children with disabilities to do camp recruitment.

The second Saturday in March I spent at the office getting ready for Day Camp.

The fourth Saturday in March I'm spending at a conference for high school students with disabilities for more camper recruitment. 

Which means this past weekend was my one full weekend off this month. And I celebrated by doing a whole lot of nothing  BuzzFeed Quizzes.


Friday night after work I actually went out to supper with some friends. I was still home by 11 though and asleep by 12. 

On Saturday I finished reading 7 by Jen Hatmaker. It was SO good. Even if you're not religious I still think you can appreciate the message she's trying to get across. I'd love to do a similar kind of challenge, especially the Food & Clothing month. I am a habitual complainer of "having nothing to wear" and limiting myself to 7 types of foods for a month would be a challenge, but it would certainly remind me to appreciate what I eat on a daily basis without much thought. 

Sunday I got caught up with my Lent Project (more on that later this week), TV shows and went to bed at a decent hour. 

The majority of 20-somethings are probably out tonight drinking copious amounts of green beer & Jell-O laced with alcohol. I on the other hand am wondering if 8 o'clock is too early for pyjamas. (It's not.) And trying not to stress myself out about finding my way to the location of a full day workshop I'm attending tomorrow. 

Writing this really made me realize I need to have more interesting adventures if I want to keep up this blogging thing! 




Sunday 16 March 2014

Sunday Social #93


1. How much time do you spend on Social Media a day? …be honest
Managing Social Media is part of my job so I spend a fair bit of time on Facebook during the day. As for my personal accounts I scroll through Twitter four or five times during the day and same with Instagram. I might scroll through my FB once or twice but I mostly use it for Messenger. 

2. How long were you reading blogs before you started a blog?
I've been blogging for a really long time. I started off with an Xanga (bonus points for anyone who remembers those days!), moved to LiveJournal, Blogger, gave up on blogger and played with Tumblr and then a little over a year ago came back to Blogger. That was the long winded way of saying I don't have a real answer for this question. 

3. What's your favourite kind of cupcake?
Via Pinterest
I've never had an out of this world cupcake eating experience. I do enjoy a good chocolate cupcake so I guess I'll go with that.

4. Do you eat fast food? If so whats your favourite?
Not often but on occasion. My favourite really depends on my mood. If I'm eating out because I have to I usually go with Subway. If I'm eating my feelings I opt for McDonald's or Wendy's. 

5. What is the most random thing someone would find in your purse?
A glowstick. It's been there for over six months and I always forget to take it out until I reach into my purse and remember that it's still there. 

6. What is the weirdest TV show you watch? 
Via Pinterest
I'm going to go with Teen Mom 2. The whole concept of it being a show in the first place is kind of depressing. 

Saturday 15 March 2014

Keeping My Feet On The Ground


I had all kinds of things I planned on writing about over the last two weeks. Pancakes, Lent, Frozen Yogurt, Writing/Journalling, Reading, Living in the City, Life Update…and obviously I neglected to write about any of them.

I've been so focused on not letting myself be overwhelmed that I've officially run out of back burners to put stuff on. This past week we did a March Break Day Camp and to say it was a long, stressful week is an understatement. It was wonderful to hang out with campers but coordinating volunteers was a bit of a nightmare. I ended up working the past two weekends going to recruiting events and preparing for Day Camp so when I woke up this morning with nothing to do for two whole days it was kind of thrilling. 

It's almost 1 p.m. and all I've done today is indulge in a bagel with cream cheese, drink two cups of tea and catch up on Grey's and The Middle. My only plans for this afternoon and this evening are drinking more tea catching up with Survivor and Big Brother, reading through at least some of the 299 unread posts I have on Bloglovin' and deciding if I want to make pizza or mac & cheese for supper. 

I did start a Lent Journal of sorts, but I fell way behind this week…I really want to blog more about that  because I'm pretty happy with what I came up with and the first few days were great. I am definitely going to set aside more time this week to do that. And some more time this afternoon and evening to fill in the blanks from this week.

I've really missed blogging the past two weeks and everyday I see teasers on Instagram for posts people have written, I want so badly to read them but I haven't been making that a priority lately. I truly never realized how much time I spent in the blog-world before office life started. I knew it was a lot, but I think I still underestimated the hours I spent writing, reading and commenting on posts.

Here's hoping I can get back to being an active member of the blogging community without sacrificing time that needs to be for working (and sleeping, eating and showering).