Blogging Children, Photography, Design, Crafts, Organization, Healthy Food | Yes! Mom

new blog.. coming soon!

2010-09-26T20:25:00.000-05:00

I'm currently working on starting a new blog. It is completely, completely empty right now and that is scary, but really great. I know what I want from this blog and I get to design it from start to finish.
I don't know how soon it will be ready. You should follow me on Facebook to follow my progress.

Enjoy your week!
I'll be a married lady in T-14 days!

biggest pregnancy craving

2010-09-20T19:45:00.000-05:00

High Risk, High Reward

2010-09-06T15:22:00.003-05:00

I'm still working on the blog, as you can see. We had a long and not-so-restful, but really fun weekend away for a friend's wedding this past weekend and I am trying to quickly get back in the groove.

Really exciting news is that I have booked a few portfolio building photography sessions in the next month. I have some really, really cute little models. I couldn't be any happier about this! I started really loving photography about a year and a half ago and that love has only grown stronger. I am nowhere near professional or anything like that, but I am really excited to see where this journey takes me and my family.

I've been really trying to work on my Photoshop editing lately. Scary stuff, but so worth the reward.
Evan and I had a little mini session together near our house last week and I thought I'd share some of my favorites..

My heart skips 17 beats when I just know that I have captured an image like this. One that I know that I will love, love, love.

So there they are.

If you or someone you know would be interested in helping me out by letting me take their photos in the Madison area, please let me know or have them contact me! I am open to children, families, engagement & portraits (senior, personal, headshots). I am a natural light photographer, so there is no studio involved in my process.

i'm under major construction

2010-08-29T22:03:00.000-05:00

Things are going to be wonky-licious around here for a bit.
School starts on Thursday, so hopefully I can get a lot of work done before then.
Then, this blog will be under major, major overhaul. Like I've been saying for months.
But, for real this time.

So why am I overhauling?
Over this summer particularly, my life and my perspective has completely changed.
People kept telling me this would happen... that my early 20s would be a total whirlwind.
So right.
I'm not a completely different person, but much of what I have learned about myself is different than I had ever thought. Maybe because I was truly clueless about my identity before.
Learning about where my passions really lie is important, but I've also learned that who I am is also who I am not.
When this blog makeover is complete, hopefully I will feel a little more confident writing what I want to write and showing what I want to show, rather than what feels somewhat predictable.
And hopefully you, my readers, will stick around.

When I come back, I would love to do a post highlighting YOU. So here's your chance:
In the comments section, ask me a question. Any question. Obviously, within reason. But pretty much anything you ask, I will answer. I want to know what you want to know about me and I want you to know those things. Now... GO!

as promised: birthday awesomeness

2010-08-28T15:19:00.000-05:00

When I became a parent, the one thing I promised myself I would always do is to make my kids really freaking awesome cakes for their birthdays every year. Year one: success. Year two: success.

I'm blue?

one year ago, i made this cake

2010-08-26T16:40:00.000-05:00

Stay tuned for this year's awesomeness.

2010-08-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

Inspired by Elise, I've known for a while I wanted to make one of these lists. Whether I check everything off or not is irrelevant, but I wanted to set some goals for myself this year. Some of them are goals that have an end in sight, such as going to Picnic Point and others are more long-term goals, such as learning to exercise more regularly. I will admit, it's quite a hefty list, but I've got one whole year. Bring it on 22, bring it on.

dinner on the floor

2010-08-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes we have dinner on the kitchen floor.

Sometimes it's Captain Crunch because the box was retro vintage-y and we had to have it.

Sometimes a paper plate gets fished out of the garbage and the dry cereal gets crushed on it.

I wouldn't trade it for the world.

a busy week

2010-08-16T22:11:00.000-05:00

Guess what. I really, really like being the host. I confess that it makes me feel special and I'm also a control freak when it comes to food and decorations. Something in me.. This weekend is our big pre-wedding reception party. I gotta tell ya though, this has not been all that fun to plan. Real life has really gotten in the way of this one. I also feel like I'm going to totally hate what I chose to do or totally love it and that's a really stressful thought. I do have some fun little surprises up my sleeve though.
I know one thing is for sure: I am really excited to hang out with friends, meet some kooky family members (I kid, I kid) and even more thrilled to take a lot of photos. My camera will be strung around my neck the entire time and I will not let go. Someone will tell me to relax and have fun and I will kindly tell them that I couldn't be having more.

the big 22

2010-08-16T21:59:00.000-05:00

I turned 22 last week. Like I've said before, I feel much older sometimes. But 22 feels good. I know I have learned so much in the past few years.

It rained most of the day, which I normally would have hated, but on that day, it was okay.

I got another Skittle cake. Score.

A card and some cake is all I need.

lovin' on links

2010-08-06T15:34:00.000-05:00

This is going to be a new feature on this blog. I read more than enough blogs & I love to share links that I love, so I thought compiling a small list each week would be nice for my readers. Let me know if you like this and what kind of articles/blogs/links you'd like to see each week. I'm going to try to keep my list pretty scattered, so there is something for everyone and so that you all can learn a little something about what I like too. Sound good?

Summer winding down? How about some fresh, homemade bubbles?
Most gorgeous baby shower of all time.
These paper illustrations are ingenious and fascinating.
A cute and lemony printable cupcake topper.
"Use what you have" crafts are my favorite.
Scroll almost all the way down for a yarn-covered bus!!!
A very cute kid and adult-friendly stylish necklace idea.
These murals are really inspiring.

Enjoy your weekend! Sunday is my birthday!

this picture speaks to me

2010-08-05T21:02:00.000-05:00

Something about this photograph speaks to me. Maybe because I love him so much.

the weekly plan- free printable

2010-08-04T14:38:00.000-05:00

I am a mess most of the time. My calendar has chicken scratch all over it and I am constantly making tiny lists in tiny places where they are forever lost. Are you the same?
This printable has a large section for each day of the week. At least some order has to come from this. Whether you use it for homework assignments, meal plans or just planning the everyday, this printable works for everyone! When you're done planning out your week, go enjoy some chocolate. Enjoy!

Weekly Calendar

healthy belgian waffles that don't taste healthy

2010-08-03T21:08:00.001-05:00

Generally, breakfast around here is a bowl of dry cereal and a cup of milk. My kiddo is just not a big breakfast eater, but if there is one thing I know, it's that he likes waffles. And so do I. But frozen waffles from the grocery store are not very cheap and frankly, they aren't that healthy (just look at those ingredients).
I doubled this recipe and have probably about the equivalent of 3 boxes of Eggos in my freezer. They are healthier and cook in the toaster just the same. I didn't have to go buy any of the ingredients, so you tell me what's the better deal. You don't have to have a belgian waffle maker- you can use a regular one and they will be just as tasty! Freeze these in freezer bags between layers of parchment paper or freezer paper and you can just grab one to throw in the toaster in the morning.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 Tbsp. flaxseed meal*
1 Tbsp. white sugar
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 3/4 cup buttermilk**
2 eggs, separated
4 Tbsp. butter melted and cooled
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Cooking spray for waffle iron

*Here is an article on the health benefits of flaxseed. I try to throw a little bit into a lot of baked goods and even into cereal.
**If you don't have buttermilk, don't fret. You can easily substitute this amount of buttermilk with 1 1/4 cup milk + 2 Tbsp. white vinegar. Doubled, you will need 3 cups milk + 4 Tbsp. white vinegar.

1. If needed, mix milk and vinegar. Set aside 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine your dry ingredients (flours, sugar, flax, salt, baking soda). If you are doubling, you need a pretty dang big bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the milk and egg yolks. Stir in the cooled butter and the vanilla. It is important that your butter is at least partly cooled or it will cook your egg yolks.
4. Now is a good time to preheat your waffle iron.
5. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry. It can still be a little lumpy, don't overmix.
6. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Here is a video if you don't know what that means.
7. Gently fold the egg whites into the rest of the batter.
8. Spray your waffle iron with cooking spray.
8. In heaping ladlefuls, fill the waffle iron. These will bake in 3-5 minutes. In my experience, check at 3 minutes. When I cooked one for 5, it was way too long. Plus, if you are freezing them, they will slightly cook longer in the toaster.

Tip: Let your kid help in the kitchen. Evan is finally at an age where I am trying to let him actually help me. Just the little things. Can you help me pour this baking soda into the bowl? Can you put this in the sink for me? I have a feeling this is only the start of all kinds of great memories together in the kitchen.

just some updates

2010-08-01T20:46:00.000-05:00

Here I sit. I want to blog. I want to write. Nothing is prepared though, sorry.

But I'll share with you some little updates of my life. Things I'll probably blog about soon.

-My new kitchen loves me. And I love it too. This morning, I made 2 batches of homemade granola, pizza crust to freeze and this evening, I roasted chickpeas for a snack. Yum.
-This week starts our new save-money-at-the-grocery-store-by-meal-planning-cooking-from-scratch plan. Personally, I love this. Eric is a bit nervous, but I think he will find that it works beautifully.
-Tomorrow, I am going to our new library to get a card and hopefully a cookbook and a new book to read. I just finished the Lord of the Flies and want to get this. I watched her show this afternoon and was really impressed.
-I am going to be taking a beginner photography class with a friend of mine from high school who is also really into photography. It really makes me happy to have someone to talk about this stuff with in real life.

Is that enough babbling? Ok, okay. I guess I'll add an Evan picture, for good measure. And because he's cute.

an appropriate use of focal b&w

2010-07-29T06:00:00.001-05:00

Sometimes focal black and white editing can be really distracting. For me, editing a picture so that you only see the color of someone's shirt is distracting in that the shirt often shouldn't be the subject of the photo. When I uploaded this photo, I knew that a focal B&W would be the perfect transformation. I don't get very many instincts about editing (yet!) so I was delighted that I was right and that this looks really cool. I also really like the original version. Tell me what you think, I would love to hear your feedback!

Before:

After:

beauty & bragging

2010-07-28T21:49:00.003-05:00

My city is absolutely filled with queen anne's lace. Every little field, every ditch by the road, is filled with it. It's so gorgeous and simple to me and I'm considering getting some for a little patio decoration.

When I was taking these pictures, the sun was just perfectly bright and I knew that I had to try to capture some sun flare. I gotta tell ya, I'm pretty damn proud of this. It was intentional and that reassures me a lot about my abilities.

homemade playdough

2010-07-26T06:00:00.001-05:00

Play-Doh brand playdough stinks for a reason. It is full of fragrances and preservatives. Luckily, we can easily make playdough at home, from scratch, in less than 30 minutes. It will last if stored properly and is non-toxic and budget-friendly.

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup salt
3 teaspoons cream of tartar
1.625 cups water (1 1/2 + 1/8)
3 tablespoons oil (vegetable)
food coloring (any will do, but I used Wilton gel food coloring)

Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a large pot until no lumps remain. Whisk in the wet ingredients (except for the food coloring) and stir until no lumps remain. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes until a dough forms. Make sure you are stirring here. You don't want it to burn on the bottom of the pan. It goes quick and really strengthens that arm muscle. Separate into portions and add a little bit of food coloring (you can always add more later), kneading until uniform in color. I initially kneaded on some wax paper so that I wouldn't stain my counters and then moved to the counter once it was slightly incorporated. Store in airtight containers.

I used red, blue, green and yellow because we have been working on colors lately and I didn't want to confuse him with burgundy and teal. But I could have made any assortment of awesome colors.

[confession]

2010-07-23T06:00:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I think I am way older than I am.
Like I get nervous that I am running out of time, so I must do as much as possible right now.

In reality, I'm 22 21 and I have years and years ahead of me to do all the things that I daydream about.
I've got years to learn to sew properly and years before we buy a house.
I don't need to learn to cook and bake everything I want to know right this second.
All my design plans don't have to happen the minute I walk in the door of our new apartment.
My blog has plenty of time to transform and become everything I visualize in my head.
Better yet, I have plenty of time to transform.
There are plenty of days to contemplate whether I want to be a photographer or graphic designer or a writer or something completely different.

But I so want to be there with all these things.

Tell me I'm not the only one.

[birthday wish list]

2010-07-22T06:00:00.008-05:00

I don't expect anything for my birthday (August 8), but I did have some fun putting together a little wish list. I think sometimes people are just way, way, way off about what I like and what my style is, so maybe this will help? Probably not, I am totally eclectic and proud of it!

A *Shey*[B] camera strap. I love them all, but this one stands out to me.

This handmade clock from Etsy seller, decoylab, speaks to me. I'm in love.

This giclee print from Etsy seller, inaluxe, would be a fantastic focal point and is so, so inspiring.

I recently got my ears pierced. The Lillian earrings and Anabelle earrings are so precious and I have been oogling this Etsy shop for probably a year. I hear there's a sale going on.. *wink!*

I just got rid of my old yucky fake Uggs and snowboots. Something tells me these Toms vegan wrap boots in navy would gladly replace them. Toms donates a pair of shoes for every pair bought.

Okay, okay, my online drooling has come to an end now. If nothing else, I hope you walk away from my birthday wishlist understanding my style a bit more and understanding even more how important buying handmade is and how beautiful it can really be if you are looking in the right places!

[note to my readers]

2010-07-21T17:50:00.000-05:00

Hi readers!

My blog is under major construction.
Topic choices.
Appearance.
Purpose.
And I'm really, really happy about it.
Don't worry, Evan will still be as cute as ever on here.
But maybe just a little less him and a little more me.
Also, my sidebar is not quite where I want it to be, but it will get there. And this header is just a placeholder until I design something a little better. Though, I do absolutely love these photos. I captured some wicked sun flare today and I am unbelievably proud that it was so purposeful.

For now, what do you think? Any suggestions for topics to write about? I will gladly write about just about anything you say, so speak up now!

This is simmering away on my stove and it looks weird right now, but I hope it turns out well because this has been bookmarked for ages.
Kung Fu Panda is currently on our TV. My kid was freaking the freak out.
You should really pick up a package of the Wonka Exceptionals Fruit Jellies. I tried Apple. They are pure bliss and I am eating them as slowly as possible.
The in-laws are having their annual garage sale this weekend. We gave them a lot of stuff to sell, but I think I need to go rescue some things that I am not ready to part with before Friday comes.
Sunday is the big move. Again. I've moved every year for as long as I can remember. I'm ready to stay put for a while. Even more, I am so ready for this blank slate of an apartment. I have really started to love interior design again lately and I am more inspired right now than I have been in a while.
This afternoon, I made Evan some homemade playdough. Post to come next week. It's fabulous, but Evan doesn't get it quite yet. He will.

Ok, I'm off to stir the sauce! Enjoy your evening friends.

[our life is in boxes]

2010-07-21T06:00:00.001-05:00

[guess what, guess what, guess what!]

2010-07-20T06:00:00.001-05:00

Remember when I said I was too sleepy to blog or when I was lazy or when I made lots of pickles or when I ate a skittle cake? How did you not catch on? We've been keeping a little secret for over a month now and it's been great. Last time it was like people knew the second it happened. This time is completely different. And we are over the moon excited!

Some fun facts about this pregnancy so far:

*I am 10 weeks 6 days
*Which makes this baby due February 9, 2011 (Can you say Valentine's baby? Aww!)
*I have been totally nauseous, but no real morning sickness
*Baby's heart rate was 175! this morning.
*I have to take Flintstones vitamins again, because something about prenatals really psychs me out.
*My appetite is whack. But I am craving mostly either salty snacks or fruits and veggies.
*I am going to try super hard to avoid maternity clothes as much as possible.
*I am really nervous for being pregnant in winter.
*I am going to grow, grow, grow during this fall semester and I am nervous for how it will go.
*Can't WAIT to decorate the kids' room. They will be sharing.
*Definitely feel the pregnancy more this time around. Glad I have Evan to distract me.

I will definitely be posting more pregnancy-related stuff and probably some questions for all my lovely readers too! Last pregnancy was only 2 years ago, but it feels like an eternity.

[happy legal drinking age little bro]

2010-07-19T00:01:00.000-05:00

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave a good one!

[i'm an information whore]

2010-07-18T09:00:00.000-05:00

It's true. I am totally obsessed with absorbing as much information as humanly possible.

It could be a problem.
But I try to look at it as a good thing.
Sure, I don't actually remember each and every thing I read, but that's what bookmarks and Evernote are for.
And Google Reader.

I currently subscribe to 157 blogs.
I currently have 859 blog posts that are unread.
I literally have hundreds of things bookmarked that I will organize this summer.
Currently, there are 9 blogs open in Mozilla Firefox that I do not yet subscribe to.
There are 20 tabs open in one window in Firefox. This is not uncommon.
Some people may argue that the Internet is horrible because of information overload, but not me.
I love it.
I feel constantly inspired and am constantly thinking and absorbing. And that's a feeling I like.

[reflecting]

2010-07-16T15:31:00.000-05:00

This week, I've been spending a lot of time reflecting on this blog and its purpose and where I want it to go and to be. I've also been thinking about my shop and what I really want to create for it. Though I enjoy doing random craft projects, I don't feel like they define me as a creative person. I've been looking for some freelance writing jobs [so if you have suggestions, tell me!] so that I can contribute more to the house, have something more to do with my time and really hone in on what kind of writer I am. Sometimes I think I try to be too much, when I really just want to be me. Who that is, I'm still not quite sure.

[just a few days]

2010-07-15T13:29:00.000-05:00

I really needed this weekend. Last week, my dad asked me if Evan and I would like to come to Missouri with him to see my grandma. I hadn't seen her in over two years. So I said yes. It was unbelievably hard for Eric and I to leave each other and for him to say goodbye to Evan, but we did it. And I think it was good for us.

While we were gone, Eric got a lot of packing done around the house and I got some relaxation that I have been desperately needing. Though the trip was totally stressful and being with Evan 24/7 is a chore at times, I feel really rejuvenated this week. A fresh outlook on life, if you will.

The drive was excellent. Evan was a great kid, seriously! and we had a lot of fun.

(Click to see larger) There were hundreds of these wind turbines within a couple of miles. It was magnificent. Unfortunately, my 55mm lens wasn't able to get very close.

We arrived around dinnertime on Friday night and my grandma made a really good dinner and then we just hung out and went to bed. It was a long day. Saturday morning, we woke up bright and early and went to a diner for breakfast. I had some biscuits and gravy that tasted curiously like the ones that Eric makes. Eric, you sure you weren't back there?

Then we headed to the Mexico Farmers' Market. It was tiny, but my grandma and my dad know everyone in town, so that makes it interesting.

Evan was lucky enough to get a giraffe balloon animal. He was so excited and this guy was super nice.

Some of the cutest ways to present the produce. I died.
Later that day was the Mexico Soybean Festival. It used to be a big deal, but they had some issues for a few years. This was the first one in a couple of years. Though small, I thought it was awesome and we had a lot of fun just sitting on the curbs and people watching.

Evan had two sno cones. Yup. Two.

Then we headed over to a really old fountain in the "uptown" area and just sat. Evan was really into this fountain and just kept laughing and laughing and laughing.

Sunday, we did some shopping & I took some fantastic garden pictures. Will share more later. Might actually have to blow some of these up for our walls at the new place.

Monday morning, we decided to come home. We were all exhausted and ready to be home again.

[Nothing But Net Quilt Raffle @ Little Bit Funky]

2010-07-15T08:34:00.001-05:00

Hi friends! Today I am sharing with you a post from Little Bit Funky. This is a blog I read on the regular and this girl's got a huge heart. She made this beautiful quilt to raffle off so that she could donate the money to help people in Africa. You will see all kinds of these beautiful moments of selflessness on the Internet, but to sew an entire quilt, to me, is really caring. That's a lot of work! And it turned out beautifully. For me, helping less fortunate people is not about what God tells me to do at all, but rather, a feeling I have inside that tells me that I can have at least a little more purpose on this Earth. So head on over to her blog and you can find the button on where to donate and possibly win this beauty.

Here is her original post:

I am SO excited to be writing this post. You really have no idea...I am almost day before Christmas excited...but not why you think. Well maybe...if you know me...if you can beleive it...the finished quilt is not the most exciting part to me.

It's the fulfillment of a promise that is making me all giddy with excitement.

You see...a couple of months ago I felt the nudge to do more with my blog than just write and share...I felt like I was being led to use my blog as a catapult for showing God's love...

Honestly, I was like...ok...just what do you mean God?

And I waited...and prayed. And then things started clicking...I found the quilt pattern over at Film in the Fridge. You can find it HERE.

"YES!" Is what I wanted to scream when I saw it...I knew what I was supposed to do...and how.

And quickly, because I am human and humans both chicken out AND forget easily what God tells them to do...I emailed a small group of women that I trust and love...some who I knew would kindly remind me of what I had shared with them that God told me to do.

Basically, I told them..."God told me to do this...please call me out on it if I don't".

Then I contacted sweet Jody from Fabric Shoppe...and told her what I was on a mission to do...wouldn't you know it...she is a pastors wife and hopes to adopt from Africa one day. She almost immediately offered to donate ALL of the fabric I would need to make the quilt.

Thinking about it...that is a pretty crazy thing. That is a LOT of fabric to just send to a stranger who promises to make a quilt to benefit a charity. I cried in the parking lot after getting her email.
Then a good friend offered to pay for the batting and the shipping.

God is SO good.

God is responsible for all of this coming together. God loves all people. God loves Africa...and all those sweet people who are suffering from something that is SO easily helped...

To me...each piece of fabric in this quilt stands for a family or person...or BABY...that together we can help...and this may sound crazy...but if you are one of the many who have told me of plans to adopt from Africa...the net you buy just may save YOUR future baby. Crazy cool, right?

Malaria kills over 1 MILLION precious people PER YEAR!!!

In fact, there are 10 new cases of malaria every second.

Every 30 seconds, a child in Africa dies from a malaria infection. A child that is no less precious or loved or held dear by his parents than our own children.

By buying ONE net a family of four can sleep under an insecticide-treated bed net, safe from malaria, for four to five years.

AND

The benefits of bed nets extend even further than protecting those sleeping underneath them. The insecticide woven into each net makes entire communities safer – killing and repelling mosquitoes so that they can’t go on to bite others who may not be protected by a net.

Although $10 for a bed net may not sound like much, the cost makes them out of reach for most people at risk of malaria, many of whom survive on less than $1 a day.

Just think...to us $10 is a couple of latte's...a movie...a shirt...a lunch out...a CD...a couple of magazines...any number of frivolous things that we all throw money at...can I challenge us all to give those up for a day...or a week or a month...and give a net or two or three instead?

Can you help me show God's love to people in Africa? And wait with me for God to show up in a big way? Each net you buy is ONE entry into the raffle to win this quilt!

It's a beauty...if I do say so myself...considering that I only started sewing a little over two years ago...I feel so BLESSED that God would use me in this way to do something big.

It is approx 51in by 73in. It would be cute as a twin coverlet...or on a couch...or hanging on a wall.

And fyi--my home is smoke and pet free. :)

And as a special little touch...to help you remember what this quilt represents...I added this cute little tag. :)

God IS SO GOOD!!!

And now for the begging...

PLEASE go buy a net...you can click HERE to go to our page.

If only each daily visitor to this blog bought ONE...we would more than double or triple our goal. So YES...one net DOES make a difference!

PLEASE feel free to copy this ENTIRE post and repost it on your blog...you will probably have to check the links but feel free to post away....anyway you choose. I would LOVE nothing more than to go through my reader and see this post over and over and over again!!

We will choose a winner NEXT FRIDAY the 23rd!! So every net bought by Thursday the 22nd at midnight will count as ONE entry...and I have a totally unbiased judged in mind to do a VIDEO reveal of the winner!!!

AND there will be other prizes as well. If you would like to donate a prize PLEASE contact me...I already have several offers and I would like to extend the deadline to donate.

You guys are awesome. And I love you...truly. I can't wait to hit "publish" post...I feel like all of this before was like heading up to the highest point of a roller coaster and hitting "publish" will push it over the edge...

Now...pretty, pretty, PLEASE...go BUY A NET...and spread the word!!
GOD IS SO GOOD!

[wedding unvitations]

2010-07-13T15:19:00.001-05:00

Evan and I just got back last night from our trip to Mexico, Missouri. It was fantastic and it was nice to get away from household responsibilities. Evan and I bonded so much and we got in a lot of cuddle time. It was lovely to see my grandma and to get to hang out with my dad, but I am glad to be back. We missed Eric terribly. I will share some pictures of our trip later this week, but right now I want to show you the invitations I designed for our wedding "reception."

For mainly financial and stress-related reasons, Eric and I decided that having a reception in the summer would be a better choice than having it at the same time as our wedding ceremony in October. We know it's pretty unorthodox, but we don't care! So we decided to just have a giant backyard BBQ at his parents' farmhouse. We did have to pare the guest list down quite a bit, but we made sure to invite the people that have been the biggest parts of OUR lives together. It's important to us to have the event be very personal.

Since I have been working on my graphic design skills lately (and not sharing very much- YET!) I knew that I was going to design our "unvitations." Included in the set is a formal invitation, an RSVP card with envelope and a directions card. I also created a wedding website through mywedding.com. (Address is blurred over to retain privacy)

They were professionally printed on a natural colored cardstock that I bought at Archiver's. Eric did all the cutting and I did all the addressing of both the RSVP and outer envelopes.

It was a lot of fun and a great learning experience designing these and I'm really proud of them and hope to be able to do many more for other people in the future.

[appearance is everything]

2010-07-06T05:00:00.000-05:00

This is a totally crass way of thinking, I know.
But isn't it pretty true?

We clean our houses more thoroughly when people are coming over.
If anybody knew what your house looked like the other 6 days of the week, would they want to stay? Maybe not.

We wear cuter clothes when we leave the house.
If anybody saw you 5 seconds after you wake up in the morning, would they want to look at you?

We put out that weird bowl that crazy Aunt Shirley gave us for our birthday ten years ago when she visits.
Would Aunt Shirley be upset if it wasn't there when she visited? Does she know that you hide it the minute she leaves?

We make sure that we feed our kids more nutritiously when with friends or relatives.
Would those people judge you if they knew you fed your kid a peanut butter & jelly every single day?

So isn't appearance everything then? People believe what they see. And that's not that bad. That's a pretty good thing if you can make things look nice. I certainly don't mind putting on eyeliner so that people might think that I wake up that way.

[our fireworkless weekend]

2010-07-05T13:18:00.000-05:00

That's right, we saw no fireworks this weekend. But we still had a great time as a family. I can't wait until we live in a real neighborhood with real neighbors and we can throw block parties like this. Future neighbors, whoever you are, I hope you will be people like this.

This weekend was the kind where you just sit back and realize how lucky you are.
Eric & I got printed, cut, addressed, stuffed and stamped invitations to our pseudo wedding reception. I'll share what they look like next week after the guests have received them.

We spent a good 5 hours at the pool on Saturday afternoon/evening. It was so great to have Eric there with me. A lot of the time, I do things like this by myself and while it's fun, it's even more fun when my whole family is together. Eric did a flip off the diving board and I did a pencil dive. It was impromptu, so we didn't get pictures, but it was tres funny.

Sunday, we decided to take a drive and go to the park. We found a park that was right near the water. Then we spent a good half an hour driving through a lakefront neighborhood, which makes me totally swoon.

I hope you had a nice weekend too!

[on consumerism and gratefulness]

2010-07-02T17:22:00.000-05:00

We live in a consumerist society. We are all consumers, every single day. We buy stuff and things all the time. Because we need them. Errr, sort of. We have been brainwashed into thinking we need a lot of things that we really don't. Damn advertisers. Sometimes they are just too good. Becoming a journalism student has made me notice good advertising more and more too. And bad advertising, which just makes me giggle.
This consumerist attitude wouldn't be such a problem if we didn't have the internet, social networking or places like Target. These things only add to the stress of feeling that we need things so badly. The reality in this world is that some people have more money than others. And the people with more money buy more things, whether they like to admit it or not. They buy more junk than the people who don't have very much money. Budgeting works in such a way as to allot a certain amount of money to "extra" spending. When the number is bigger, the (plastic- don't even get me started) bags come home in larger abundances. Then, we tell everyone else everything we have bought and we show off the things we have. We show off the awesome new lamp we bought and the oodles and oodles of toys for our kids, because we feel accomplished and proud to be able to buy such things. We all feel like this. Buying things makes us feel good. And getting positive feedback about our purchases from others only makes us feel better. And then we see something someone else bought and we think 'Gosh, that would really make my life happier too.' What a mucked-up way of thinking.

And when we walk into places like Target where it's essentially a "get everything in one spot" kind of place, we start to think we need more than we came for. What started as a trip to get some new band-aids turns into a $50 or $100 trip. Don't pretend you've never heard someone say "I can't leave Target without spending X amount of dollars." So what does this say about us? Do we have a shopping problem? Are we ungrateful for what we already have? Are we greedy? Or are we just stupid?

When we've got 100 extra dollars to spend, we spend it. And when we don't, we spend it too. Because we feel like we need things. We feel like we have to. We feel happy when we do. Until we get to the cash register. But then it's too late, right? Right?

But what about when we really, really don't have 100 extra dollars to spend? I will be the first to admit that it's really, really hard. There have been times where I felt like I had the money to spend, so I did. And now I'm entering a period where I realize that I don't really need an extra swimsuit and I don't really need another hair accessory and I don't really need new towels. Because I have so much junk already. And it's perfectly okay to 'make do.' Even if I did have the money. What's the point in buying things? My fiance and my little baby make me happy enough as it is. So why do I feel so depressed when I walk out of Target having put back half (or all) of the things I picked out? Again, am I ungrateful? Am I greedy? Am I stupid? Or have I just been living in a society that doesn't give a shit about money? Because it keeps coming and going. Coming and going.

Something to think about...

Gain happiness from family time this holiday weekend.
Happy 4th my fellow Americans.

evan misses you, pampa

2010-07-01T15:14:00.001-05:00

[skittle cake]

2010-06-30T14:45:00.000-05:00

[YUM!]

[i made pickles]

2010-06-29T15:00:00.001-05:00

If you're friends with me on Facebook, then you know that I made pickles. I have been sharing them with all our family and a few friends. Let me tell you, they are divine. I started with a couple of recipes and then altered them to meet my needs.

To make 8 jars like I did, you will need:

-4 seedless cucumbers (aka English cucumbers, the wrapped ones)
-1 small white onion
-6 cups water
-12 Tbsp. white vinegar
-3 Tbsp. salt (kosher or table)
-celery salt
-minced garlic (I buy the kind in the glass jar)
-1 bunch fresh dill (bought at farmers' market for $1- score!)
-black pepper (I always use freshly ground)

*Mix the water, vinegar and salt in a large pitcher.
*Cut all your cucumbers into spears that will fit your jars. I used Ball pint-size canning jars with wide mouths (find at grocery store). I found that cutting the long, seedless cucumbers into thirds was about right. You could also do pickle coins if that's what you're into. Or even chunks. It really doesn't matter too much.
*Thinly slice the onion

Now you're all set to assemble.
First: Put a few of the onion slices in the bottom of the jar. You really just have to eyeball here.
Now, sprinkle a little bit of celery salt. Like a couple of dashes. And a little bit of black pepper. And a few sprigs of dill.
Then, throw in about half the spears for the jar. Then layer in some more dill in between the pickles. Then fill with pickles. Don't pack them too tight, but you can squeeze them in there until full.
Now put about 1/2 tsp. of garlic on top of the cucumbers. Add a little more celery salt and black pepper.
Finally, take your water/vinegar/salt mixture and fill the jar above the top of the cucumbers. Screw that lid on tight.

You can do each jar one at a time so that you will know exactly how many jars you are going to get from your cucumber stash or you can do it assembly line style. I had no idea what to expect, so I did it the first way.

Store your pickles in the refrigerator and they will be ready to eat and gift 48 hours later.
It may feel really daunting, but this probably only took me about an hour and was really easy and these pickles.. are divine. They are so fresh tasting and I bet they would be even better with garden fresh cucumbers. The fresh dill is really the key here, but you could use dried if you didn't have a fresh option and they would probably still taste better than the kind from the grocery store.

Obviously, you may omit celery salt or onions if they seem scary to you, but I promise these pickles do not taste like celery or onions.

I hope you try this sometime this summer! It's really fun & even Evan enjoyed helping me!

In other news.. I bought:

Once a year, I buy cherries. They aren't cheap! But the are damn tasty! I need your cherry recipes!

ETA: I spent $15 to make these 8 jars. That's pretty cheap, I think. $8 of that was the jars. It would have also been cheaper if I had a garden or if I had been able to find regular old cucumbers at the grocery store.

[the 8-year-olds love him]

2010-06-27T22:33:00.001-05:00

The pool in town here is pretty awesome. It isn't too expensive & it also has a giant sandbox with play equipment for kids. This is great for Evan, because he can get a "park" feeling (his favorite!). First we swim a bit, then we play! This also gives me a chance to just relax because it is fenced and there are tons of nice kids willing to play with a toddler.

For real, Evan is a lady killer. Is that appropriate to say about my not even 2-year-old? The 8-year-old girls love him! We're really in for it.

[toddler activity: stickers!]

2010-06-25T14:09:00.000-05:00

Summer is lovely, but we can't be outside all day long. My boys have sensitive skin and in Wisconsin, it's a little harder to adjust to the warm weather. So, we have to spend time inside, which can be totally boring. I came up with this fun idea for stickers- shouldn't cost you much at all!

You need:

and stickers! and a kid! (unless you like stickers, then by all means..)

Tape some freezer paper with the shiny side UP onto your surface. Give your kid stickers. Help them if they need it. That's it!

The great thing about freezer paper is that you can remove the stickers. You can move them wherever you want once they have been stuck, which means the stickers are re-usable! Woo! This didn't last that long, but it took a little bit of the boredom out of our day.

[the best popcorn recipe in the world]

2010-06-24T10:47:00.001-05:00

Well, this morning has been slightly rough to say the least. Evan is teething, so he is mimicking cold symptoms. We were up half the night tending to him. I even had to give him a pacifier to get him to sleep at all (He isn't asking for it today though, so they're still technically gone). We were up at 5 and Eric had to work at 6. I popped in Toy Story 2 and fell asleep on the couch while my kiddo dumped an entire water bottle all over his table (no biggie, really) and watched his movie and climbed on me. Well finally, I had had enough laying down and needed to go outside. It's beautiful today and I can't miss this after all the rain lately. I threw on a dress, threw some clean clothes on Ev & we hopped in the stroller (we meaning he, I had to walk- darn!) We walked down the street to the farmers' market. I can't tell you how happy I was that it is Thursday. I grabbed some fresh dill (because I want to make these) and some cherry tomatoes (because they looked really good). Evan spotted some kettle corn on the ground, so we went to say hi to the kettle corn man and bought a medium bag to share. Now we're home and I have discovered that my less than 2-year-old son knows how to remove a movie from the DVD player, place another one in and make it play. Cool kid, right.

Anyway...

A popcorn recipe? Yes. A popcorn recipe. Because we don't eat microwave popcorn around here. No-siree. It's not good. I promise you, it's not. Not even the movie theater butter "flavor." I make my popcorn basically the same every. single. time. I should really branch out and try some other combinations, but this one is just too dang good.
Here's what you need:

popcorn kernels, parsley flakes, unsalted butter, vegetable oil, parmesan cheese (fresh is good too)

First, you put ONE popcorn kernel in a large pot (you need a lid) and then pour in enough vegetable oil so that it just barely covers the kernel (any more and your popcorn will be really greasy). Then turn your burner on medium. Please don't try to rush it. You will burn it.
Now, wait. Wait for that one kernel to pop. When it pops, you can pour in the rest of your popcorn. How much you use is up to you. I keep a 1/3 cup scoop in my popcorn and usually use 3 scoops, more or less.
Now, pop on the lid. And get some potholders. Shake that pot across the burner pretty fast. Eventually, it will start popping. And it's loud and it's fun. You will know when it's done, but keep shaking or it will burn. It doesn't take that long, but it sometimes feels long.

Do not, under any circumstances, open the lid to check on it once you have put the lid on. You will get hurt. Not that I've ever done that or anything.......
Once it is done, remove the lid to see your beautifully popped corn.

Pour in a bowl.

Put your pot back on the burner and throw in your butter. If you use a full cup of popcorn kernels, I recommend about half a stick of butter.

Let it melt, but watch to make sure you don't burn it. Slightly burnt butter is good, really burnt butter is gross.
Once it is melted, pour over your popcorn.

Then take your bowl and shake it around so that you can more evenly coat the popcorn with the butter.

Now, give it a generous portion of parmesan cheese. I probably go overboard because I love it. Just pour it on to taste and adjust as needed. This is a proportion you will have to perfect for yourself. Then sprinkle in some parsley flakes. Again, another measurement that changes depending on your tastes and how much popcorn you made.

Serve in cute ramekins and with carrots. Because carrots and popcorn totally makes sense.

Enjoy! Let me know if you have any questions. Do you pop your own popcorn? I hope you will now! It is so much better- absolutely worth the extra time!

[crazy skies]

2010-06-23T14:22:00.000-05:00

We had the most magnificent sky I have ever seen the other night. I am sort of obsessed with the sky to begin with, but this was fantastic. I'm not being dramatic, I promise. This was awesome! And kind of scary all at the same time. I was just laying on the couch around 7:00 or so when all of a sudden, it looked really bright outside, so I went outside to find some real beauty.

To my right:

To my left:

You see the double rainbow?

If I headed out further into the yard, I could see the rainbow from beginning to end.
Here is the other end from inside:

And then...

Ooooooooooo! Ahhhhhh!
None of these photos have been edited. It was really hard for me to capture these, but I think they look really good. These really were the colors I saw.
And very soon, it turned to this beautiful blue.

It all happened so fast, but I was really psyched to capture it.

[meet wolfy]

2010-06-22T16:27:00.000-05:00

This is Wolfy. Evan picked him. On his first birthday. Honestly, he really did pick him. We were at the Milwaukee Zoo and we wanted to get him a stuffed animal. While Eric was in the bathroom, Evan and I searched and searched. I kept giving Evan animals to test out, give a squeeze. This was the only one he would not let go of. He wanted him, he loved him. And he still does. He calls him "Buddy." But we call him Wolfy. He's getting kind of worn and dirty, but I'm sure Evan will love him for a long time. Would you like to see Eric's and my "buddies" from when we were kids? They're pretty gross, not gonna lie, but we still have them.. somewhere. Note: Please ignore the fact that I am showing you a picture of my legs. I know that's weird.

I have a lot to share this week. We've been so busy, but I've captured it all. ~~Just for you.~~ Mostly for me. Haha. I have a Little League game, a parade, a day at the pool, some beautiful skies, a recipe for the absolute best popcorn in the world, a fun activity to do with your toddler and maybe something else special. Are you excited? I hope so!

[lazy]

2010-06-17T14:44:00.001-05:00

This picture has nothing to do with anything other than that my kid throws rocks. Until i ask him to stop, of course!

Anyway, oh man, oh man.. I gotta tell ya, I am lazy. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind for me and I am not on my A-game. I haven't sewed anything, I am not taking as many pictures, I haven't done many crafts, I haven't designed anything new, I haven't been reading.
I really don't know what I have been doing. Spacing out, mostly? Whoops.
Mostly cuddling up on my little & living everyday life. Cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, taking showers.. ya know, the stuff we all do, but the stuff we rarely talk about. Yeah, that stuff.

[too sleepy to blog]

2010-06-15T21:15:00.002-05:00

I had visions of a great blog post tonight, but it will have to wait.
Watching the Brewers with my man & probably falling asleep on the couch.
Hope my readers are doing something relaxing tonight too!

[you asked for it: a proposal story]

2010-06-14T21:53:00.000-05:00

Let me tell you, this is not a very exciting story at all. But I will share. And you will laugh.. I think.
Eric left one day really early for work. He said he had a meeting. Ok, see ya later. I kind of wanted to take a nap. So I laid on the couch and was playing with my iPhone. Then I accidentally called Eric. Whoops, sorry, I said. He said, I'll be home in 10 minutes. I was like OK. Then I was all.. ??? What? He comes in the door. I'm laying on the couch. He says get up and grabs the blanket off of me. I say Whyyyyy? But I get up nonetheless. He immediately goes to one knee. Big speech. Lots of tears between the two of us. A 'Will you marry me?' mixed in there. Lots of hugs. Lots of love. Ok honey, I really do have to go to work now. Ok, love you, bye. Later that night, he called asking for his fiance. It was cute.

Was it the exciting story you were hoping for? I hope so! I may have exaggerated his abruptness and my whining just a taaad bit, but you get the picture, right? I had to make it a little interesting!

Anyway, I'm planning my own wedding. It will be in October. It will be totally nontraditional. We like it that way. Lots of details to work out still, but I'm really excited. Don't get me wrong though, I've already had a wedding planning meltdown. I'm good now, but for a second there, it was like Whoooa stop the waterworks. Lots of lists to write, phone calls to make, crafts to attend to, designs to complete.. I love it! This is the perfect thing for me. Good thing too, because I kind of want to be a wedding planner/photographer. Parfait pour moi, non?

In other news, we are moving. Again. At the end of July. If you are a close friend in real life or my family, you are helping. Ok? Ok! Here is a picture of Evan and I last week in our new apartment. I'll share some other photos later in the week.

P.S. Sorry for the total quickness of this post and the likely grammatical errors. I have to go watch portions of the Bachelorette while the fianceeeeeee (I don't like that word) is in the shower.

[i said yes]

2010-06-12T14:40:00.000-05:00

[i like signs]

2010-06-09T21:56:00.001-05:00

I really enjoy signs. I notice them more and more. I'm not supposed to read the billboards when I drive though. That's a rule.

[rain, rain go away]

2010-06-08T21:57:00.000-05:00

It has been raining so much this week. It really ruins my mood. It's difficult for me to want to take pictures or go anywhere or do anything but watch movies. I have gotten a few cute and small craft projects done though, which I hope, hope, hope to share later in the week.
However, we used the rain as a bit of a teaching moment the other day: HOW TO USE AN UMBRELLA.
And guess what, he gets it now! And will hold the umbrella for me while I've got him and a bunch of bags in my arms. Yessss!

[evan's drawstring backpack... finally!]

2010-06-07T20:28:00.001-05:00

Let me tell you, this was not an easy feat. I am still a very, very beginner sewer.
I saw this tutorial over on Noodlehead's blog long ago when I didn't have a sewing machine.
I came across it again in the past month and thought that I HAD to do it.
My new camera bag will be coming soon and I would much rather keep the cups of milk away from my camera, so I decided that Evan is ready for his own bag. Right now, he is carrying his diapers, wipes, snacks, a binky, his hat and sunglasses. I keep the sunblock and other things that I wouldn't want him to eat in my bag for now (not that I want him to eat diapers or anything!)
This bag took me a couple of weeks and it was totally stressful in every way. I ripped out a zillion seams, but I was determined to do it perfect for my little man, so it was no problem.
Tell me, does your toddler have their own backpack?

[i kinda like them]

2010-06-07T14:32:00.001-05:00

[free printable emergency contact list]

2010-06-04T19:57:00.001-05:00

I love to have an emergency contact list posted right in my kitchen. We don't get a "babysitter" very often, but I am sure we will in the future and it gives me some peace of mind to know that our parents have these numbers easily accessible if they are babysitting.
I needed to update ours and then I decided that I would make a cute, but simple printable version just for you! I think this is something every household should have, especially if you have children.
The version for you has simple fill-in-the-blanks and large type.
Hop on over to Scribd and print yourself a copy or five.
If there is anything I can do to improve it, please let me know!

Updated Emergency Contact List

[in the unlikeliest of places & learning about ISO]

2010-06-02T21:32:00.004-05:00

It may have been the most spectacular moments of my life when I walked into that bathroom and saw this gigantic collection of glass. This small photo doesn't even cover it. It was a WALL of beautiful greens, blues and yellows. I wanted to stay in that bathroom forever.

If you've ever been to The House on the Rock, you know the entire place is very low-lit. This is something I don't have a lot of experience with. I thought before that if I turned up the ISO too high that my pictures would be absolutely full of noise. But I've learned since I took these photos that my camera handles ISO pretty well, so next time I am in a low-lit situation, I will turn up the ISO more. My old point and shoot couldn't handle ISO past 400 without the photo coming out totally speckled, but my SLR can deal with 1600 and still look pretty nice. And that is nice! This would have been the perfect opportunity for it too since this particular section had a lot of great backlight.

Either way, this bathroom was phenomenal and if you ever come to Wisconsin, this is the tourist spot to go. It's magical. I have about a trillion and one photos from our trip there and I don't want to just do one huge House on the Rock post, so I will sprinkle some photos in here and there. Ok? Ok!

[weekend fun]

2010-06-01T21:13:00.000-05:00

The "long" weekend was fun. I say "long," because we don't have a normal schedule, so for us, it wasn't really that type of holiday weekend that others might be used to. It was packed full of fun, but it was also really, really hot. 90 degrees is just not okay. I know I shouldn't complain because I complain all winter, but can't we just get some normal in-between temperatures here?!

Eric stood up in a wedding, so we went to a rehearsal Friday and the wedding on Saturday. I really wasn't in the mood for taking pictures on Saturday night, but I captured a few good moments.

This is what kept Evan entertained at the rehearsal dinner.

(I am still really unfamiliar with shooting indoors without flash, but I'm working on it.)
She was the most beautiful bride.

Sunday was a total recovery day. Oh my.
Monday, Evan and I did a little shopping since Eric was at work.

And of course had pretzels.

He likes to say "cheese." He was also eating cheese.

So that pretty much sums up my weekend.

[homemade honey challah bread]

2010-06-01T08:10:00.002-05:00

I have a slight obsession with challah bread lately. I had a challah roll at Einstein's and then I had a challah bun at Uno's and I am in love. I think I may have used a little too much flour in the kneading process and perhaps baked just a few minutes too long, but it was still really tasty and totally worth it. I made this loaf Saturday morning before I went to a wedding. As with any recipe using yeast, there is rising time, so you have to realize this won't be ready for dinner if you start it at 5, but rising time is also time that you don't have to be doing anything, so I think making bread is actually pretty awesome because it keeps you in your kitchen, but allows you to do other things.

Here's the recipe! I hope you'll try it!

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water, about 110 degrees Fahrenheit
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus about
1 cup for kneading
1/3 cup honey (use local if you can!)
2 whole large eggs
3 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt (I used regular table salt)
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1- Combine water and sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the top. Set aside until foamy, about 8 minutes.
2- Put 1 cup of flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Whisk honey with 1 of the whole eggs, the yolks, olive oil, and salt in a small bowl and pour into the well. Stir to combine. Add yeast mixture and remaining 3 cups flour and stir to make a soft, shaggy dough. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until soft and supple, about 10 minutes.
3- Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead for just a minute, shape into a ball and return to bowl. Cover and let rise again until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
4- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Form loaf according to instructions below.* Cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel and set aside to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
5- Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat remaining egg. Brush loaf with egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes. (WATCH it though!)

*Forming the loaf is simple. Divide the dough in three and roll and stretch each section to about 12 or so inches. Don't measure, just do. Then braid the loaf (on parchment paper). It will only braid a few times, so this isn't really a big deal. Make sure to tuck the ends on each side.

Enjoy! I'll come back later this week with some pictures from my weekend and some of my first Photoshop work. Yikes!

[book review: in defense of food by michael pollan]

2010-05-31T21:41:00.001-05:00

Let me first start off by saying, this book is not easy to read. Not in the sense that the words are too big, but in the sense that it really shakes you a bit. Lately, it seems that modern American/Western culture is a bit of a lowlight in American history and this book showcases one piece of that: our diet.

This book is definitely for anyone who has ever questioned their eating patterns. If you have ever eaten half a bag of potato chips vegged out in front of the television, please read this. This book is for the skeptical. Some of it seems questionable, but other parts are spot on.

Pollan's writing style is refreshingly funny, but the book is extremely well-researched. This is the kind of journalism that has changed the business and I can't complain.

The book shows how unhealthy the Western diet is and gives potential reasons for the shift in heart disease and cancer being some of the leading health problems among those eating it.

My favorite part about the book is that is doesn't inappropriately preach organic eating. In fact, he says that the term "organic" is crap, that just because something is organic, that doesn't make it healthy.

Pollan gives loose suggestions for eating and buying habits and recognizes that the current economic system in the United States makes it difficult for many people to eat appropriately. Grocery stores mark down unhealthy, processed food and mark up the entire produce section.

He sings praises to farmers, as we all should and suggests farmers' markets and CSA shares as great ways to eat well for less.

One point that I think Pollan missed when he wrote this book is the actual shift in American culture that led to the diet we consume now. He talks about how food got there, but not so much how people got there. He talks about the obsession with nutritionism and nutrients and how we, as a culture, are obsessed with "fat-free," calorie-free," etc. labels. But he doesn't talk about why that obsession exists. He doesn't talk about why people felt the need to "eat healthier" (though they weren't) and "be skinnier" (though we're not).

Overall, this book is enlightening, but very difficult to digest. For many people in America, the resources to eat well just don't exist. Most people in America believe that the FDA is the end-all and be-all of the definition of nutrition, though Pollan points out the corruptness of that organization (and I would have to agree with him).

The main message Pollan wants readers to take away from this book, I believe, is:

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

Honestly, it sounds really obvious and kind of nuts, but the simple fact is that we don't eat that way. Most of the calories we consume in a day are not real food. Most everyone can be guilty of overeating, because it is natural for us because we have been socialized that way. Plants are harder to come by because of price and availability and they are not as nutritious as they once were because they are grown differently.
Pollan recognizes that maybe people will adapt to the Western diet, but doesn't that seem like shortcut to health?

[basic photography tip: composition and the rule of thirds]

2010-05-26T21:08:00.000-05:00

When it comes to photography, there are a few hard and fast rules to getting a really great picture, no matter what kind of camera you are shooting with. My favorite rule to play with is the rule of thirds. This is the rule that tries to dictate how a picture should be composed.

The rule of thirds is as follows: Visual components (in this case, a photograph) should be divided into 9 equal parts with two equally spaced vertical and two equally spaced horizontal lines. Important elements of the image should lie at the intersections of these lines in order to create a more visually interesting image.

Here I've taken a photo of mine and I've drawn the rule of thirds grid. Obviously, this picture isn't THE perfect example of the rule of thirds, but it demonstrates my point nicely.
The focus of this photo is meant to be the spout on the iced tea pitcher and it lies within a good range of an intersection of the lines.
In the case of this picture, placing the pitcher in the left part of the photo gives the rest of the photo some context. You can see my concrete patio, so you know it is outdoors and you can also see our baby pool hanging out in the background, which helps tell my story.

OF COURSE, BREAK THE RULES WHEN YOU WANT TO!
What is visually pleasing, to me, is extremely subjective. If you are looking through the lens (or on your screen) and you see something that you think looks beautiful, go for it, regardless of the rule. Rules are made to be broken.

This photo clearly does not follow the rule of thirds exactly how one might assume it should be followed. The point of focus (or in this case, non-focus, falls on a line, but not an intersection. However, the lid of the pitcher does land on the top two intersections. This photo also helps to tell the story of my tea, but in a different way.

To me, they are both visually interesting photographs with very different compositions.
If every picture you take has the point of focus or the subject on one of the intersection points, well that's not very creative, is it? The composition of the photograph describes a point of view and it changes every time you move and your photographs should demonstrate that.

Now I'm going to show you a pretty bad photograph. Or at least in my opinion it isn't great.

There isn't much that is visually interesting about this picture. The only thing it tells me is that there is tea outside. Great, lovely. I guess. The pitcher is centered right in the middle of the frame and there is no point of focus or subject in the intersection lines (which I haven't added here, but you can imagine).

What do you think? Are the two first pictures better?

Anyone can compose a great photo if they keep this rule in mind and if they break it when a beautiful image comes across the screen.

[the life pouch]

2010-05-26T13:25:00.000-05:00

This pouch is going into my shop today!

I did some scrappy patchwork on the front. It is held firmly in place, but the edges will fray over time and as you wash. The inside has a beautiful red and white geometric print and it includes a functional red zipper. It has been washed one time to ensure security in Purex Free & Clear detergent.

Perfect for your kiddo's snacks and binky he won't give up.

Or even more perfect for a make-up bag!

[summer, here we come]

2010-05-25T21:42:00.002-05:00

summer is...

bare feet

water

adventure

many sunny days at the park

the pool,

and a little bit of sand.

what does summer mean to you?

[happy birthday air]

2010-05-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

air = Eric! It just doesn't look right as "Er."

We decided to take it easy on buying each other gifts for birthdays this year. We already give each other enough on other days. But, here is the card I made him. I designed it in Illustrator, then just printed it on normal printer paper. I only had a piece of cardstock JUST big enough, so I used small pieces of masking tape to adhere it to the cardstock. I think it turned out pretty cool. What do you think?

[guess where i got these cuties]

2010-05-23T21:33:00.001-05:00

Seriously, can you guess where I got these buttons from? A shout-out goes to the person who guesses correctly.

[weekend smiles]

2010-05-21T21:52:00.004-05:00

I haven't shared much of what I have been perusing online lately, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite things on Etsy lately. I've also got a little challenge for you this weekend: consider giving a stranger a nice smile. It might make their day!

[he moves fast]

2010-05-20T22:00:00.001-05:00

[jewelry box transformation]

2010-05-19T13:10:00.001-05:00

I've had this jewelry box for a while. My grandma gave it to me and I love it, but the color and pictures on it just weren't going to work in our bathroom. I have had it tucked away in the closet for a long time, but I want to be able to see it and I want to actually use it rather than leaving my necklaces all over the place.

So I decided to spray paint. First, I sanded it with some sandpaper (I bought a variety pack, so I used to really rough stuff first, then the finer paper). Then I painted away. I realized two things: 1.) I am not very good at spray painting. 2.) Spray paint doesn't easily come off your hands. It is 5 days later now and it is still on my hands!

Here's my transformation!

Before:

After:

After I painted it and it dried, I sanded the edges a bit to give it a more used and shabby look. I'm usually into a more clean look, but I think the jewelry box wanted to be shabby.

It's so fun to take something you already have and make it better and prettier for your home. Have you transformed anything lately?

[sewing: my first zipper]

2010-05-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

I've been sewing a lot lately. Remember when I got my sewing machine for the New Year? Well, I used it a little, but then it collected a lot of dust. The poor thing. It just wasn't a priority. But I still want to sew. And now, again, I am. I have been sewing a few little things (which I will share later), but I am so excited that I could squeal that I sewed in my first ZIPPER yesterday. I was terrified and I was sure the whole time that I was messing it up. But I didn't! Yes!

I made this cute little pouch with houndstooth fabric and light blue on the inside. I used this amazing tutorial from Dana @ MADE and now I am confident that I can do it again, and again, and again! Woo!

I'm planning on making more with some embellishments and I am also planning on making an ID wallet.

By the way, I have another friend who has been sewing a lot lately and I thought I would mention her name to my readers. Her blog is super cute and she makes all kinds of cute things for babies: Brandi @ The Crafty Nest!

[eric & jaimie]

2010-05-17T13:49:00.001-05:00

Two years ago, we were just two clueless kids. Two years ago, I would have never thought I was going to fall in love. Two years ago, I was 5 months pregnant. Two years ago, I had no clue what the next two years had in store for me. Two years ago, I had no idea who I was or where I was going.

Eric and I met in the fall of 2007. He was a bartender and I was a hostess. What was a mini crush quickly turned into something more.

When I found out I was pregnant, I went home and I mustered up the cajones to tell Eric that I was pregnant and that he was the father. And I was surprised by his immediate emotional connection to me and to our baby. He was in it and that was the bottom line. I wasn't so sure, but I knew that I wanted to have the baby and I knew that I wanted to give it a shot with Eric.

So we did. We started to date and we even went to Chicago together over my spring break. We were falling in love. Sometimes we hated each other's freaking guts, but we wanted to be together, so we were.

Since then, we've been through a whole hell of a lot. I spent a year at home with our baby Evan and Eric got his first big job. That job has treated him well. He has had two promotions in two years. I went back to school and got into one of the top journalism schools in the country. I picked a career path and I became passionate about healthy food, art and writing.

Eric and I have had tough times, but we have exactly the kind of relationship that is right for us. We work hard at it every single day and we love each other all the time. We support each other no matter what. We always have each other's backs and we respect each other's ideas and passions.

He listens to me and he supports me. He wants me to follow my dreams and I want him to follow his. I've grown up with him. I'm still not all the way there, but I have been able to identify myself more. I have been able to be myself. He has shown me that it's okay to be honest and it's okay to take risks.

I think that we learn from each other all the time. We are not afraid to speak our mind with other people and we are not afraid to speak our mind to each other.

I would have never thought that the bartender would be the man I fell in love with, but he is. He's perfect for me in so many ways. We push each other to be better and Evan pushes us to be better together.

We aren't the perfect family and we don't live in the perfect house, but we do what works for us. I get asked just about every week if we are going to ever get married and I can honestly say that I don't know and that I am okay with that. We are what we are. Eric makes my life better and that is exactly the kind of person I need.

We are still two crazy kids. But now we're in love. We've grown up a lot together. We've changed the way we look and we've changed our attitudes about life. We did it together.

Love you, babe.

[something pretty for your monday]

2010-05-17T06:00:00.001-05:00

[my plan to read]

2010-05-14T21:45:00.000-05:00

I like books. I've enjoyed almost every book I have ever read. Of course, for the most part, I only read books that interest me to begin with, but there have been some surprises along the way. My absolute dream home will have a giant library where everyone is welcome and there will be floor-to-ceiling shelves just filled with all the books I've read and all the books I want to read. The shelves will be white and the furniture will be bright and the books will just shine because there will be a giant window so that I could sit with the natural daylight or look at the stars.

I digress...

Anyway, when you become a mom, time gets sucked out of you. Suddenly, days seem like they are eight hours instead of 24 when you really need 28 or maybe even 30, though you know you couldn't last that long, at least not without at least two caffeine breaks.

But I refuse to stop reading just because I don't have the time. Because I do have the time. There are moments when I sit there bored and there are days when I watch three hours of TV after my kiddo goes to bed because I just want to relax. But reading is also relaxing, even more so I might argue, but it seems like such a chore.

So I have pledged to myself that I will get into a routine and read. I will read 30 minutes per day, or more if I choose. If I can't read for 30 minutes, that's fine, but I am going to try. It is going to be on my list at the end of each night and I am going to make it a priority.

I will share with you in my reading adventures and I hope you will join me. I have heard good things about Goodreads, so I registered and put my widget in my sidebar [over there! ===>]. Currently, I am reading two books:
1. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan- I have been meaning to read this for a long time, but the library never has it in stock, but I stopped on a whim yesterday and there it was, so I snagged it.
2. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory- I'm not going to lie, I have been working on this one for a long while. It is not a beach read by any means, but it is sexual and kind of intense.

The other books sitting on my nightstand are Push by Sapphire (no, I didn't see Precious), The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (no, I have never read this before), Public Relations: Leveraging PR in the Digital World by Robert L. Dilenschneider, The Image by Daniel J. Boorstin and American Carnival: Journalism Under Siege in an Age of New Media by Neil Henry. The latter two were assigned this semester, but I didn't read them, but I want to and I will. I've already started The Image and I find it brilliant and extremely relevant.
[I have linked to Amazon.com in this article, but they aren't paying me or anything- just keepin' it real.]

If you have a Goodreads account, become my friend. Is that what they call it over there? And if you aren't a Goodreads member, still tell me about your reading experiences and recommend some good books. I will admit that I am not really very big on beach-type books or mysteries, but I have an open mind.

Some of my favorite books of all time are Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad , Walden by Henry David Thoreau, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes by Maya Angelou [this one was a surprise], Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding and The Essential Bogosian by Eric Bogosian. I'm allowed to have that many favorites, right? Right.

What are you favorite books?

[by lake mendota after it rains]

2010-05-13T20:32:00.002-05:00

After it rains, the sky seems to radiantly glow and everything just looks calm and natural.
People are more quiet, colors seem more vibrant and even the most ordinary things are beautiful.
*All images are property of Jaimie. Please do not use for any reason without permission.

[how to detangle and organize your cords]

2010-05-13T13:26:00.002-05:00

In this crazy tech society we are living in now, cords are one major problem. It seems like they never end. Everything you buy comes with a cord or two or eight.
I don't know about you, but my cords get a little out of control. Many of them don't get used very often, but they sit in a pile on my desk. Well yesterday, I decided that just was not going to work anymore. I can't handle clutter.
So I came up with this easy and cute solution, using what I had. That's the most important part.

I started with a pile of cords (camera, headphones, iPhone), some rubber bands, a pen, Post-it notes and a jar.

Then I folded each cord so it would be about the length of my jar and wrapped a rubber band around it.

Next, I tore the tiny post-its so they would be tag-size. When you do this, make sure one side of the post-it is sticky and one side is not. Then wrap the post-it around the cord and stick together. Label it accordingly.

Now you'll have a pile of cords that are nice and wrangled. You might have a lot more than this. I know I've got more somewhere.

Now, just stuff them in your jar. I like the see-through jar so I can see what I have in there. You could easily use an old sauce jar, pickle jar, whatever you already have. You could also use a cute little box to put on a shelf or in a drawer. I just happen to have quite the glass jar collection going on on my desk.

I hope you'll give this a try!

How do you organize all your cords?

I'm planning to show you more of my workspace (if you can even call it that) later!

[chicken noodle for a rainy day]

2010-05-12T20:00:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was so rainy. This whole week has been rainy. It's back down in the 40s in Wisconsin, so that means COMFORT FOOD! Soup is probably my favorite thing to cook, because you get to chop a lot and because it's fast and easy and always tastes great.

Here is my recipe for the best chicken noodle soup I have ever made.

The players:

1/2 medium white onion, finely chopped
Handful of baby carrots, chopped on angle in bite-size pieces (I used maybe 10)
1 tsp. minced garlic (I use the kind in the can from the store)
2 tsp. olive oil - you may need a little more once you get the chicken cooking
1 large chicken breast, chopped in bite-size pieces (use 2 if they are small)
5-7 asparagus spears, cut on angle in bite-size pieces**
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
3/4 of the really large can of chicken broth (the can I had was 49 oz. total)
3/4 cup uncooked orzo - any small noodle will do, but I think the orzo made it kind of creamy
salt and pepper to taste

The game plan:

1 - Get a large pot on the stove. Add the olive oil and set to medium heat.
2 - Chop your onion, carrots and asparagus. My chicken was defrosting in the microwave while I did this.
3 - Once the oil is hot, throw in the onions and carrots. Add a little bit of salt and some freshly cracked black pepper.* Stir to coat in oil.
4 - While the carrots and onions are softening, cut up your chicken breast. Let the onions get pretty soft and then throw in the chicken. You want the chicken to get completely white and then throw in the asparagus. At this point, you may need a little more oil so the chicken doesn't start getting scorched.
5 - Once some of the chicken starts to get a little brown, pour in your chicken broth, oregano and basil. Stir around, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil.
6 - When the broth boils, throw in your pasta and set the timer for 7 minutes (or however long the box says to cook it).
7 - When the pasta is done, bring the heat to low and take a taste. If it needs more salt or pepper, add some and then take off the heat.

If you want the soup to be more soupy, serve immediately with some crusty bread.
If you want it to be more like a pasta, put the lid on and let it sit for a little while, then serve.
*Salt & Pepper - I like to add a little bit of salt and a little bit of pepper with each layer I add. Every time I add something to the pot, I add a little of each. I have been doing this a long time so I kind of know what proportions are right, but if you aren't used to seasoning this way, ere on the side of less is better because you can always add more later.
**You can use pretty much any green vegetable. Asparagus takes a while to cook, so adding it at the beginning is good, but if you use green beans, they take a much shorter time to cook.

This soup is deliciously creamy and heartwarming. It comes together quickly because you don't have to leave it to simmer or boil for any period of time. The steps go smoothly together. Dinner in no time! Enjoy!

[the park is my new best friend]

2010-05-12T13:23:00.000-05:00

The park has not been all that fun, until now. Evan finally GETS it. He wants to climb and go down the slide and he doesn't fear doing it by himself. He loves to play by himself, so I can sort of sit back and relax, at least when he's on the ground. Still hates the swings, but I'm okay with that. I hope he learns to love them so he can jump off like I did when I was a kid.. that was the best part of recess!

Workin' hard.

Really fast slides are the best ones.

Dive right in, little one.

Let 'em get messy.

[no fear]

2010-05-11T14:29:00.003-05:00

just a little inspiration for your day.
(this is original work - please ask before using)

[you just move on]

2010-05-10T14:44:00.000-05:00

sometimes, things don't go exactly as you had planned.

sometimes our expectations get totally shot to hell.

sometimes life moves more quickly or more slowly than you want it to.

sometimes your coffee tastes awful, but you need it, so you drink it.

sometimes you lose your favorite pen.

sometimes you go to the store and come back with nothing because you don't have any money.

sometimes you don't get all the loan money you had expected for school.

sometimes the dishes just don't get done and you watch some DVR instead.

sometimes you leave your inbox(ES) full for just one more day.

sometimes that cute little kid face turns into the crustiest thing you have ever seen.

but i always move on.

bye-bye point and shoot

2010-05-09T23:25:00.000-05:00

I (finally) got an SLR camera. (It's a Nikon D3000 and I'm shooting with an 18-55mm lens, though I hope to also acquire a wide-angle lens at some point). In the past year, I have become really enamored with photography and have found that I'm not too shabby at capturing some really great photos. I don't share a lot of them here- I generally post quality moments over quality photos. But now, all my images should be pretty quality.

For the time-being, I am shooting in auto mode and in no flash mode, mostly for the sake of wanting actual pictures of my kid and not a bunch of blurred out stuff, but I hope to experiment a lot and be shooting in manual in no time. We'll see. I'll probably be doing a lot of reading and a lot of playing. I wish I personally knew another photographer in town that would shoot with me!

This was the perfect timing to get Photoshop too, because I can learn to shoot and to edit at the same time. It's a lot to take on, but when I made my New Year's Resolution, my main goal this year was to follow my passions and indeed I am. I'm not just some mom who pretends to be a photographer- this is a real passion for me and something I would really like to make a living doing. Right now, I feel that my strengths are in still photography, but I hope to sharpen my skills at photographing people, because I would love, love, love to shoot weddings.

I haven't decided yet whether I am going to go back to a 2-column blog again. I like the 3 columns, but I am not that happy with the size of photos in 3-column. I could make the wrapper larger so that I could have both, but then my blog isn't as accessible to people still using smaller browsers and to mobile media.

Okay, okay, enough rambling.. I'll share some of my photos from the past two days. Keep in mind that I am a total beginner with this camera and these photos are SOOC (straight out of camera).

[what's new with me?]

2010-05-05T20:13:00.001-05:00

"what's new?" is probably my least favorite question. my answer is almost always 'nothing'. obviously, 'nothing' is a ridiculous answer. something is always new with me. but it feels like "what's new?" is so damn awkward. is that just me? so i guess i'll share...

seriously, today was not a fun day. as a whole.
there were some really great moments like having ice cream and playing with little E at the playground.
but overall, i've been bitchy and grumpy.
it's so not me and i hate when i get like this.
and i just banged my knee of my desk super hard. that would happen.

my adobe cs5 came in the mail today though, and i am psyched to finally have these programs on my computer!
now i can practice and play all i want! no more going to the library just to play with indesign or illustrator.
i got a pretty sweet student discount on it, which makes it even better.

i'm in the mood to paint right now, but i have a story i have to finish. i have a few canvases that really want to be painted. the story i'm writing is about the lgbt dating scene in madison, wi. i'm actually proud of this piece, even though informative writing is not really my biggest strength.

i have been super obsessed with home design and graphic design blogs lately. perhaps i will share some favorites in the near future. in particular smashing magazine and young house love.

i have a couple ideas for books lingering in my head and i hope to start something over the summer. it scares me to write a book, but anyone can do it these days if the idea is right. i probably won't reveal those ideas to basically anyone for a really long time.

here's something yummy: stove-popped popcorn (the real way people, it's the only way i promise), covered in real unsalted butter, parmesan cheese (the stuff in the can, but sometimes the real stuff) and parsley flakes (though i'd like to try fresh parsley). try it. i promise you won't be disappointed.

speaking of food, sonic's french fries have been calling my name like crazy. it is not okay.

my dad finally retired! i am taking him with me to garage sales this weekend. i normally don't really like garage sales, but there are a couple things i want to scope out, plus all the really nice neighborhoods are having their garage sales and those are my favorites.

i think i am going to take evan outside to play with sidewalk chalk soon. he will probably eat it. or just scrape at it with his fingernails like he does with crayons. though, he is sort of enjoying coloring lately. maybe he is my son after all.

i really want to read the seth godin books, tribes and linchpin. i really like his blog, but have never read one of his books.

finals are next week and then i have a month of free time before my summer class starts. i think i should write a list of goals for that time and for the summer as a whole. i'll put that on my to-do list.

so that's what is new with me. what's new with you?

[the food revolution in my home]

2010-05-04T14:00:00.000-05:00

"This is the first generation of children expected to live a shorter life than their parents."

Have you joined the Food Revolution?
I was immediately intrigued when I first starting seeing the commercials for Jamie Oliver's show.
I didn't watch it though, until one day I randomly watched Oprah because both Ryan Seacrest and Jamie Oliver were on. Did you know the Ryan Seacrest produced The Food Revolution? I had no idea, nor did I know he was such a big deal. I digress. Anyway, when I saw the emotion fill Jamie's eyes when he talked about children living longer, I ran to Hulu to start watching the show (a week late).
I was appalled, emotional, scared. Generally, we eat pretty well around here. But with our schedule, something things get crazy. Eric and I rarely sit down for meals together. We do/used to buy frozen chicken nuggets and other easy stuff, though we stay away from Kraft Mac unless a craving hits. Even then, Evan doesn't eat it. But when I watched the show, I realized that too often I was feeding Evan things that I knew weren't that healthy. I didn't feed him lard on a stick or anything, but I wasn't doing one thing that I actually really love doing: cooking.
I love to cook. I always have. There was a time when I thought I wanted to go to culinary school and sometimes, I think I still do.
I read somewhere once that we are put on this Earth and then there is one basic thing we have to do to survive and that is to eat, so why do people always say they don't have time to cook?
Maybe that's a mean way of saying something really obvious, but isn't it true? We've all got busy schedules, but if we keep going, we can find the time to cook real meals, real delicious meals for our loved ones.
And it doesn't have to be expensive. And it doesn't have to be fancy. It just has to be real food, from real, raw ingredients.
Jamie Oliver's concept is really basic and really quite a lot of common sense, but in this country, we have strayed so far from it and the show really showed me just how far it has gone for many families. When I saw the lumps of junk the kids were eating in school cafeterias, I cried. When I saw the teenager who almost got diagnosed with diabetes at his first trip to the doctor in years, I cried. When I heard that a glass of that thick and delicious chocolate milk has more sugar than a can of soda yet it was still served in the lunchroom, I cried. When I heard someone say 'we don't want to eat lettuce,' I cried. The whole show got me emotional and even though I know I am nowhere near that bad, nor have I ever been, I got emotional. I felt an urge, like Jamie, to be a part of the revolution and to at least do my part to speak out.
So I am passing the information onto you. Please buy his book, even if the recipes don't look appealing: donate to the cause. Please visit his website. Please, instead of ordering takeout tonight, cook something. Cook something real.
There is no way in hell that I will be a part of helping my child take years off his life just for a little convenience and some yummy "food." No way in hell.
Sure, we will still eat out occasionally. Sure, a Happy Meal will make its way in once in a while. Sure, we will still eat a frozen pizza here and there. But we will also be in that kitchen a whole hell of a lot more, chopping, stirring, pouring love into the food that we eat. Because that's how we survive.
I am so lucky that Eric likes to cook just about as much as I do and the food he makes is always satisfying. Lucky, I tell you.
Did I convince you to join the Food Revolution? I really hope so. Real food is something I really am passionate about. It doesn't have to rule your life. It just has to change it a little bit.

Check out The Food Revolution on Hulu!

NOTE: I'm sure there will be people out there that are offended by my words. That's okay. I'm sorry you feel that way. We're all different and I can't judge anyone for the choices they make for their family, but I can control the food that comes in my home and I will.

GO TO NEXT POST FOR MY FIRST FUN GIVEAWAY!

[how i use evernote for my recipes]

2010-04-30T13:45:00.000-05:00

Are you like me and you bookmark a recipe every time it looks good? Do you have a giant arsenal in your bookmarks on your computer, but you rarely use them? Yeah, me too. And it's sad really, because there are so many really great recipes out there and they deserve the attention that I wish I could give them.
A while ago, I downloaded Evernote, but really didn't understand what to do with it. Then I read the comments on this post at Simple Mom and realized what a great tool it could be for me.

Saving a recipe could not be easier.
Step 1- Find a recipe you like.

Step 2- Highlight the text you would like to save. The pictures will come too.

This isn't too hard yet, is it?
Step 3- Right click on your Evernote icon in your toolbar (near your clock, volume icon, etc.) Click on "Clip Current Selection" or use the shortcut it gives you. There are versions for all computers.

A little sticky will pop up that says '1 note added.' You can either click on it to see that individual note or double-click on your Evernote icon and open the application. Your note will be sitting there with all the text and pictures you wanted to save. It saves them automatically.
Now, you can add tags so they are more easily searchable. In this case, I added "recipe" and "dessert."

The Evernote interface is extremely easy to understand. I have faith that you can do it! Once you have your recipe clipped, you can delete all the 'blog talk' and just keep the recipe and a picture, if you like.

Here are some other really great reasons to download Evernote:

iPhone (and iPad) app available- clip screen shots from webpages on your phone, take voice memos, take pictures
Clip anything from your computer- PDF, Website, Webpage, your Windows (or Mac) documents (Word, Excel), an e-mail, an image capture
Notes don't have to be clipped. You can type notes, like an itinerary, so you have it everywhere.
Take pictures of all your documents so you can refer to them whenever you need to
You don't have to organize anything. Evernote processes everything you clip and makes it easily searchable. Search any word/word combo and you will get every note with that word.
Add tags and create notebooks.
Handwritten text is searchable too!
Easily print straight from Evernote.

This program may have revolutionized the way I organize recipes. I hope you try it too.
*No, they did not pay me to rave about them. I just really like it.

[american idol favorite: lee dewyze]

2010-04-28T13:01:00.000-05:00

i think this is when i knew. i will absolutely buy his music in the future.

[put a smile on your face: fly a kite]

2010-04-27T13:44:00.000-05:00

Most fun spring activity = Flying a Kite
It doesn't matter who you are. Flying a kite is fun. There's something relaxing about just laughing together and hearing the flapping of the wind and seeing if you can do tricks with your kite (I can't.)
It just puts a smile on your face.

We bought some $1 kites. Don't do that. We had to go back because they came without pieces. Splurge for the $5 kite on the first trip. Not only is it a fun activity, but our kite feels like a fun spring element hanging in our dining room.

[chalkboard cork tiles]

2010-04-26T21:40:00.004-05:00

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you may have read last week that I was creating something with chalkboard paint and cork tiles. Well, they are finished and I've got a little bit of a step-by-step (though you don't need one) for you.

First, ignore your dishes. There's nothing you can't do later when it comes to a fun time with your kid and a fun project!

Okay, now go pick up some chalkboard spray paint (found at Michael's, but not in the normal paint aisle- it was by the wood crafts), cork tiles (found at Target by the magnet board and corkboards), a newspaper and you're set.

Now, go outside and cover your workspace with newspaper. I went in the grass because I did NOT want a chalkboard patio. Throw on some clothes that you won't cry over if they get paint on them (though I had no problems). Shake the paint according to the directions and start spraying away on your cork tiles.

They will need a couple of coats and make sure to get the sides!

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!

I don't recommend this, but it just happened. The cap was on and he only had it for a brief second while I snapped the picture.

NOTE: If you have a small child with you, make sure they aren't just hovering over the paint. Little E was running around the yard the majority of the time I was painting. At no time while he was near me did I spray hardcore.

Let them dry! If it's a sunny or windy day, it won't take long- MAYBE an hour.
The stickies the cork tiles came with were awful and did not hold the cork tiles to the wall at all. They ended up falling down in the middle of the night. We will be getting something stronger, but I'm not sure what yet. I'm guessing some sort of 3M product.
I arranged my tiles in a square pattern so there is a nice geometric cross in the middle. I like it that way, but you might want to rearrange them in a little more of a funky manner or do 8 (or more) to make it much larger.

The great thing about these is that it's not just a chalkboard, but also a corkboard! Multifunctional!
I bought these chalk ink pens and while they write REALLY well on the cork and look really stark, they are NOT easy to erase and I warped one of my tiles by wiping so hard. (Don't worry, I got it flattened back out! Just throw a book on it and leave it overnight if you do this too.)

If you don't have allergies to the chalky dust, I recommend regular old Crayola chalk. I got this giant case at Michael's for cheap.

Linked up to DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land!

Have you experimented with chalkboard paint? Show me!

[haircut results]

2010-04-26T14:30:00.000-05:00

enjoying the simple things

2010-04-24T09:17:00.000-05:00

Do you ever just look right in front of your eyes and realize how lucky you are to be a part of this world?

Try it.

tomorrow's haircut inspiration board

2010-04-23T21:00:00.001-05:00

I am finally getting my haircut tomorrow. Remember when I asked you if I would look cute with bangs? Well, I've taken some a lot of time to think about it and I've decided yes. But I have a certain kind of bangs I want. I do NOT want them to be fluffy or poofy looking. I want them to be low-maintenance (I don't even own a blow dryer). I am also cutting my hair short, probably around chin length or a little longer.
I always do this. Cut short. Grow long. Cut short. Grow long. It suits me.
The in-between period is awful. Do you get that too?

Here's my inspiration for my hairdresser, Shannon. Shannon has never given me a haircut I didn't love. I have confidence that it will be great. For some reason, I'm pretty nervous about this cut. I usually don't care at all. I'm sure that once I sit in the chair, I will just say 'hack it off' and be so relieved that I did.

I'll be sure to show you my hair tomorrow when it's all salon-stylized.

DIY Easy Pillows

2010-04-19T22:38:00.002-05:00

A really long time ago (aka January 4) I saw this really cute tutorial for the easiest pillows ever at Prudent Baby. I read it, liked it and that was it. Then last week I was at Target and I saw some really cute cloth placemats, instantly thought of the tutorial and that is how my easy pillows were born.

All you have to do is get a corner large enough to fit your arm in open on your placemat, stuff to your liking and sew it back up. You don't even have to know how to sew because I just winged it- I don't have skills at all- I just do what feels right and looks right.

I just used a small veggie knife to cute open the existing thread because I don't have a seam ripper and I used some embroidery thread I had lying around to sew them back up.

You like?

I'm linking this up to DIY Day!

a trip to tourist land - wisconsin dells

2010-04-19T22:08:00.000-05:00

Saturday started with an innocent trip to the first day of the outdoor Farmer's Market here in Madison.
Next thing you know we're driving an hour away to the Dells. Ok, it didn't happen exactly like that. There was lunch, a nap and a visit to E's brother before we decided to go there.

Want to go on our journey too?
First, we needed some of this:

Then we were ready to hit the road.

READ & SEE MORE AFTER THE JUMP!

We saw a lot of this:

And we saw a lot of this:

What did you expect? Wis-con-sin. Gotta love it.
There were a TON of these, since we were headed towards a MAJOR tourist destination.

You know you're in the Dells when you see:

and

America's Largest Waterpark! Yay! E & I are hoping to get a day to go either here or to Six Flags together this summer. But it's very contingent on our busy schedules.

The real reason we came to the Dells was to eat dinner. Kind of weird, but we just wanted to do something fun and different.

We decided on Marley's because Connie and Fish (radio personalities) talk about them all the time. Guess what- it sucked. The food was decent for the most part, but the service was terrible and when I say terrible, I mean the girl didn't even talk to us. She came up to us and looked at us and expected us to know what to do. It was silly. Unfortunately, we likely won't be back if we ever come to the Dells again.

We stopped in the parking lot here to play for a bit on the way home. They were closed, so it was empty.

I told you we live in Wisconsin, right?
There were cows. Of course.

Then we drove home into the sunset. Ok, I'm lying.. we drove away from the sunset. But that doesn't sound very magical, does it?

no makeup? brilliant magazine cover.

2010-04-15T12:35:00.000-05:00

So, what do you think of this? Have you seen it on magazine stands?
I noticed it in a BIG way the other day at the store. Then, I saw Jessica "defend" the cover on E! News and I was shocked that she would need to do so or that the journalists would frame it in that way.

I always knew Jessica Simpson had something special in her. She may act like an idiot on camera, but she knows what she is talking about and this cover is the proof. The idea of "no makeup, no retouching, no regrets" is one that all celebrities and frankly, all people, should embrace.

This cover is brilliant. I will say that with no regrets.

As to whether or not this picture is actually representative of the "no makeup, no retouching" idea, I really hope so. There isn't much else to say. There has been speculation that it isn't real and that she is indeed wearing makeup, but Jessica says she begged them not to retouch and she seems happy with the cover, so that's all that I can believe until proven otherwise.

The simple fact of the matter is that young girls are affected by the media. Wait, hold that. ALL WOMEN are affected by the media. (Men are too, but that isn't the point here.) They look at "role models" and most of the time, what they see is a fake image. They see images like these:

Even THIS was retouched:

They were all retouched, some in VERY dramatic ways. It's sad, really. It's considered the norm in the industry and most celebrities don't mind it very much. Who doesn't want to look better? But guess what! It's not freaking real! Retouched images, at least in the dramatic way these are, send out the wrong message.

What Jessica Simpson did was say, NO MORE. She's a real person and she has real flaws and that's how every girl should be able to think of herself. No woman should feel the need to be perfect, because no woman is or ever will be. What is perfect anyway?

Jessica Simpson is absolutely beautiful in this picture. What she is showing is that she does wear makeup regularly, but without it, she can be and FEEL beautiful too. Jessica may get a lot of flack for this cover, but the more she doesn't care about the criticism, the better message she is sending.

Now I'm not saying end photo retouching altogether! No. The technology is there and it will be used. What I am saying is that photo retouching needs to be real and I am saying that celebrities need to stand up and say, Hey I'm not perfect and it's okay for you (girls everywhere) to not be perfect either. In fact, it's a good thing. Embrace your flaws.

I really hope this cover starts a trend because this is a good trend. This is the kind of trend that needs to be widespread. Women need to feel beautiful, but sometimes we can't because we have Heidi Klum's perfect body-after-baby staring us in the face.

nature walk

2010-04-13T20:32:00.000-05:00

I can't help it. I just love the way the natural elements look, from all angles. I'm not really into flowers as much as the real, hard, kind of ugly things in nature.

Evan likes it too. Maybe it's just that we can actually GO outside and we can actually SEE the grass- that's pretty nice, I must say. We have been going on nature walks a lot. Our apartment buildings are surrounded by beautiful woods and sometimes I find the weirdest things outside- I found a cowboy hat a few weeks ago. Cool, right? Evan really likes going outside- in fact, he sort of freaks if I put on his shoes and we go out the front door instead of the back. His favorite thing is rocks. Such a boy.

What are you doing to occupy yourself and your kids outside?

happy music monday!

2010-04-12T13:44:00.002-05:00

I'm really excited to share with you one of my favorite new artists. I am not SUPER into music, but I was listening to my Last.fm and I stumbled upon Meg & Dia and I loved them and thought my blog readers might like them too.

Here is a couple of their videos from YouTube:

This is pretty much the epitome of what music is to me. I love chick music, I love acoustic, I love GOOD lyrics, none of that 'bitches and hoes' nonsense.. Whoa, I can't believe I said that. Haha.

While you're in a music mood now, create a Last.fm account and be friends with me.
(No, they didn't pay me to say that. I just love it.)

i heart everything

2010-04-11T14:41:00.000-05:00

I feel as though this tee describes me perfectly. I have always been the person who can't decide anything because I just love it all. This can be a problem, but I like to find the positive in it and realize that it makes me a well-rounded person.

@ Forever21

I wear a size medium. *Hint, hint!* Haha

Still Left to Do:

2010-04-10T16:22:00.000-05:00

As you can see, I have been working on my blog a bit this weekend. I almost totally screwed up the HTML, which was scary, but I got past it and worked it out. There are still a lot of things yet to accomplish, though.

-new header. something fun, something stylish, something simple.
-change fonts/colors of link styles
-sidebar content needs major help
-center items in sidebars
-new about me section
-social media icons perhaps
-figure out how to make the sidebars and the main content into boxes that have borders, so that you can see the background image in between them
-get rid of/change footer

Anyway, those are probably just a FEW of the things I still have yet to change, but I am really excited for this blog to get a total makeover and I am really excited that I am doing it myself!

I would LOVE to see everyone's blog layouts, so leave your link in the comments!

Etsy Update!

2010-04-09T09:21:00.000-05:00

I updated my Etsy last night with a few new items!

There are 4 photographs, 1 original painting and 1 set of 8 crocheted coasters!
Enjoy!

Easter

2010-04-07T14:14:00.000-05:00

We aren't real big on Easter. We aren't religious, so to us, Easter is really just another day, but nevertheless, there are certain traditions associated with the holiday so I captured them.

A very small Easter basket.. just a few tiny goodies. One Cadbury cream egg...

...which inevitably gets eaten immediately.

Brunch at a hotel. This may be a new tradition because it was delicious. My poor brother who is 20 got charged the 14 and younger rate. But hey, it's cheaper, so who cares!

The Easter Bunny came to our table.

And offered Evan some candy, which he happily took. He took another piece on the way out. Oh my, TOO much candy! But I do remember just absolutely pigging out on candy on Easter.

sometimes

2010-04-06T19:47:00.000-05:00

Some days, I take zero pictures.
Some days, I just make it through the day.
Some days, it isn't about trying too hard.
Oh, it's true.
Once in a while, I just go about my business.
I forget all about impressing people.
My camera stays tucked away and I just live.
I got to my classes. I leave. I come home.
I make dinner. I clean up dinner. I play.
I clean up some more.
I watch American Idol.
I work on some homework.
Exciting, isn't it?
It really is. Because I really do love my life.

love//hate

2010-04-04T17:50:00.000-05:00

spring break is over.
tomorrow, classes start again.
i can't decide whether i am happy or sad.

love//
-getting to see funny friends again, beers on terrace hopefully!
-the sense of a schedule
-having somewhere to go by myself
-a place where i always feel accomplished
-getting out of doing so much laundry!

hate//
-missing my little
-missing my man
-sometimes TOO MUCH work
-one very boring lecture
-less time for blogging

i guess it's a tie.
here's something cute to brighten the mood.

my butterfly wreath

2010-04-02T14:35:00.004-05:00

I saw this tutorial the other day & knew that I had to do it too! Hers is so gorgeous, but I wanted to do something a little different. I already had a yarn-wrapped wreath that didn't make its way into our decor and I had a TON of scrapbook paper leftovers, so I went for it.

etsy weekend love

2010-04-02T09:03:00.002-05:00

The weather this week (SPRING BREAK) has been phenomenal. It was 80 degrees on Thursday! That's unheard of in Wisconsin this time of year. It was lovely. We went to the zoo. I am really feeling the spring weather this year. I do hope for a real spring though, with a little milder temperatures than 80!

To celebrate the REAL beginning of spring in Wisconsin, here are some lovely things that remind me of spring! Enjoy!

Mac N Cheese Does NOT have to come from a box!

2010-04-01T16:02:00.001-05:00

Guilty. Kraft White Cheddar Mac n Cheese is delightful. However, when Evan was born, I told myself that I would never feed him it, no matter how easy it is. He's had it, but I didn't fix it.
Mac n cheese is one of the easiest meals to make, even when you do it from scratch. Evan doesn't even really like it, but I sure do. And so do most kids.

So here's my sort-of recipe for you! It doesn't include heavy cream! It's basic ingredients that we all have!

First, get some NOODLES boiling. I like to choose small shapes, but any noodle will work. You can also use whole wheat pasta if your kid will eat it. I used about 2 cups of noodles.

Then, shred your cheese. Trust me when I tell you this: SHRED YOUR OWN CHEESE. I say this for a few reasons: 1.) It's cheaper. You can find pretty good blocks of cheese for only a couple dollars at the grocery store. 2.) It tastes better! Pre-shredded cheese has that chalky white weirdness all over it which prevents it from melting into a sauce as well. 3.) It's EASY. It's even EASIER if you have a food processor, which I do not. 4.) I'm from Wisconsin. Cheese is our pride around here. 5.) It can be done in advance if you use shredded cheese a lot. I used some sharp white cheddar and some medium cheddar. In total, it's about 2 cups of cheese. You can do more or less depending on your tastes, but I find the 1:1 ratio of noodles to cheese pleasing.

Now, chop up some VEGETABLES. You can even use frozen vegetables. I had some broccoli in the fridge and just chopped a little bit to get about 1 cup of broccoli florets. ANY vegetable works. This is a good way to get your kids veggies in, especially if they really like mac n cheese. If they hate vegetables, you could puree them and dump them in with the cheese. Cauliflower or yellow squash would be hardly visible!

Make sure your kid is properly entertained with a whisk.

When there are about 2-3 minutes left on your noodle timer, throw your broccoli florets in the water with the noodles. They only need a little bit of time if you boil them. This way, they also retain many of the nutrients and their vibrant green color.

When the noodles and broccoli are done cooking, strain them. Throw them back in the same pot they cooked in. No need to dirty extra dishes. Immediately, throw in your cheeses. Season with a little salt and pepper to taste. I like a lot of pepper. Remember you can always take a bite and add more but you can't take any out. Stir away. The cheese will start to melt. To get it a little bit creamy, splash in a little bit of MILK (any kind). I'd say a couple tablespoons. You can add more if it isn't creamy enough, but if you add too much, it will be runny. That's gross.

Now you'll have something really yummy and creamy. Taste it. Add more of something if it needs it.
I threw in a couple tablespoons of seasoned bread crumbs. I thought it didn't make much difference. If you like the idea of a baked mac n cheese, at this point, you can throw your noodle mixture in a baking dish and cover with bread crumbs and bake until golden brown.

The result is super creamy and delicious. Now go make some! I hope you enjoy it!
Say bye-bye to the box!

css rules

2010-03-29T20:07:00.000-05:00

In my classes, I have been learning HTML and CSS via Adobe Dreamweaver.
The Adobe creative suite is officially my favorite thing in the world and I wish I had the $ to buy it!

Nonetheless, learning CSS has been probably my favorite part of all my schooling to date.
Understanding how HTML and CSS work has allowed me to change my blog from 2-column format to 3-column format very easily.

My brother helped me find this TUTORIAL!
It is so incredibly easy to do as long as you don't freak out. I thought I would for sure get a headache, but I did it in about 10 minutes. Seriously.

So now that I have added my third column, I have to figure out what to put in it and I need to create a new blog header, but those things will come in time. Until then, I am FINALLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION.

etsy weekend love

2010-03-27T12:47:00.000-05:00

I find so many amazing products and shops on Etsy, but I don't have the cash to buy it all. Not even close. I just throw them in my favorites and hope that one day I'll want it bad enough to buy it. But for the most part, they just sit there.
So I've decided that sharing my favorites with you each weekend would make better use of my Etsy addiction.
So here's my favorites this week:

things i dig times 5

2010-03-24T21:56:00.000-05:00

Bow Cord Wraps @ Mod Cloth

Cactus Print

Crochet Earrings

Knotted Jersey Espadrilles @ Old Navy

Yarn Glasses @ RVA

What are you drooling over right now?

blogging what i feel & pictures

2010-03-22T20:08:00.000-05:00

sometimes i avoid writing down what i am really feeling, which is unfortunate because writing is the medium in which i feel the most comfortable. i can generally express myself very well in writing, but in speech, i'm a bumbling idiot.

i ignored my blog for a week, mostly because last week was the most exhausting week of my life. i wanted to avoid the fact that i was overwhelmed and tired. instead, i ate. a lot. that's bad.

in order to not ignore my blog again, i am going to start facing my emotions. in print.

now for a few pictures. i've been taking some pretty stellar pictures lately, so i want to share.

they just love each other

2010-03-11T21:59:00.001-06:00

evan just loves eric. eric just loves evan. with everything that they are. evan is a papa's boy. when he gets hurt, he needs his papa. they love to cuddle and they love to play. sometimes i get jealous. evan and i have a fun, cuddly relationship, but he definitely loves his papa. not more, just in a different way. but they love each other and there's nothing more rewarding than watching the man you love love the baby you love.
CLICK ON THE COLLAGE TO MAKE IT BIGGER!