Great Article From the Resurgence

Just wanted to send you guys an awesome article I read on the resurgence website about growth...and grace! It's great read to start off your day. I hope you enjoy it!

CLICK HERE!

Snowman Genocide

Like I've said before, Pintrest has become a huge part of my life. =) So I thought that I would share one of the many recipe ideas I've come across on this oh so amazing website.


Painfully cute? I know. =)

So these guys just started out as lowly sugar cookies...from a box. (Gasp!) Yes it was a box mix, and it was delicious. The brand we used was Krusteaz. Super easy, and not having to let your dough sit in the fridge for hours. I love that!


Just roll out your dough and cut them into "melty" shapes. =)

Then...FROST! We used Betty Crocker cookie frosting. It sets in just a few minutes.

Pop some jumbo marshmallows in the microwave, and watch em close! About fifteen seconds was enough, but a couple needed a little bit longer to look sufficiently melted. Put some flour or oil on your fingers when its time to pick them up, cuz those things stick! And depending on what size the cookie portion is, you may have to split the marshmallow in half.

Now the decorating part would have been a lot easier with some piping, but I made due with sprinkles...which took, forever, but so worth it!! I love these little guys. You can even give them some personality!


My new delicious Christmas friends! Hope you enjoy!! Try out some new Christmas creations yourself...it's so fun to change it up and try new things!

Season of Saving

Cha ching!

Yeah, that's a sound I don't hear too often.
And that's OK. As long as I'm super responsible with the little money I make. Right. I'm graduating in February, so I thought it was high time to get some savings going. What I'm realizing is...every. penny. counts. No really. Even pennies. I just had to change my mind set...it's one more penny than I had before. So pick up those pennies you see on the ground! Than put it in the jar and don't think about it till it's a jar full of pennies. I have a piggy bank just for silver change.


No, your eyes don't lie...that is, in fact a TRON piggy: ready for a light cycle battle at any second. My amazing boyfriend, Apollo mad it for me for our five month anniversary. I love TRON, I love pigs, and I needed to save money. It was the perfect gift.

I also have another bowl thats just for pennies. Ok so I know with all the plastic we use today, there is very little change in circulation. But the little change I do have...goes in the jar and starts to multiply!

Here are some other ways to save/make money that I collected...

1. Make your own coffee. (Check! Some hazelnut creamer, and I'm in homemade Starbucks heaven!)
2. Brown bag it! (Most likely a healthier choice, too!
3. Hang on to that car! Take care of your vehicle to avoid nasty repair fees. (I'm working on this one...I recently went about 8,000 miles before an oil change, no bueno.
4. Recycle! (This is especially good if you drink a lot of canned soda in the house!
5. Bottle your own water. (A dollar, sometimes two for WATER? No thank you.)
6. If you are in Simi Valley, I know we have a $3 theatre. You only have to wait a little longer than normal to see the latest movies.
7. Get rid of that land line. Who wants telemarketers, anyway?
8. Grow a garden. (Ok how cute would that be? And not paying for your veggies? OK!) This site is a great guide!
1greengeneration.elementsintime.com/?p=751
9. Oatmeal...cheaper, and healthier than cereal.
10. Cut the cable. ( I know, I know..but come on, Hulu? Netflix? Movies? Board games..CONVERSATION?? The possibilities are endless.
11. CLIP Coupons! ( We've all heard of the show.)
12. Pass out fliers in your neighborhood and offer to walk dogs. (Not just for teens anymore. Exercise+cash!)
13. Do you take good pictures? There is a website called shutterstock.com (Sorry for no hyperlink, they aren't working for some reason) where if accepted, they will post your picture, any time someone downloads it, you get 25 cents!
14. Sell your crafts! Knitting, paper crafts, jewelry, it can call be found on Etsy.com
15. Take surveys online! Another website called surveyspaid.com pays members to test products, and the answer questions about them.

Alright so those are just a few...but I thought I would get the ball rolling. How do you save money?

DIY Christmas

So, as many of you know, I'm going to school FULL time, and that leaves very little time to make extra income. So with the little jobs I do have, I've been saving my pennies (no literally) and I've been Pinning away like a madwomen.
For those of you who who don't know what I mean when I say "pinning" first, roll out from underneath that rock, and second...It's the most amazing thing that will ever happen to you.
pintrest.com is a website that is dedicated to addicting teen girls, young moms, old moms, basically any woman to scrolling through thousands, if not millions of pictures to then "pin" on your virtual bulliten board to then later go back to a tackle as your next project. This Christmas, that website has been my saving grace! There are countless inexpensive, homemade gift ideas. Tonight, I'l show you two. I'm working on a third as we speak, I'll show you those next blog. (They happen to be my favorite project yet!)

So first, I wanted to make something fun for my niece, Sophie. She's two.

And the most adorable thing you will ever see on the planet. Don't argue...you know it's true =)
I was looking at her toys and noticed that she didn't have any sort of matching game. And she is getting to the age and ability that I think one would be perfect for! So, I thought why don't I make one? I went on the gem of a website, pintrest, and a couple clicks into it I found the perfect one.
Popsicle matching game. Can you get any cuter?
So here were my supplies...


Glue gun, pencil, scissors, popsicle sticks, and cute scrapbook paper. I picked colors/patterns that I thought Sophie would get most excited about.

So all I did was draw my best popsicle shape, and once I got one that I liked, I traced it out and used it as my stencil to cut the rest of them out. Best if you use this one simply for that, that way it doesn't matter that the edges get all pencil-y. I did five pairs, so I had ten of my solid color, and two of each remaining pattern.




Then I glued on either side of the popsicle stick one solid, and one patterned paper!


And voila!!


Fin! I just cut off the excess on the sides to make sure they were perfectly even, and then I was done. The cutest matching game I've ever seen! Oh and It's completely functional. I played a game after they were all done just to check. =)

The next thing I thought I would try was a homemade sugar scrub. This was SERIOUSLY easy as well. For the sugar scrub all you need is some sugar, (any old sugar will do) olive oil (or even veggie oil) scented oil (found flavors like lavender and cucumber melon at Michaels for only a couple dollars each), and if you wanna get fancy, some special coloring (found in the soap making section along with all the flavors). This special color won't dye the skin.

The mix is super easy, I did it all by eye. I just kept adding more oil until it got to the consistency I wanted. It's a little bit dryer than I expected, but perfectly spreadable and makes your hands oh so soft! The purple dye I needed a lot, but the green only took a couple of drops. So just go slowly and keep adding as you mix for those. And for each scent, I only used a couple of drops and it was smellin sweet!

I found these adorable jars at the dollar store, three for a dollar. How could I resist? I bought four sets. I wish I had bought ten.

Then I cut some cute paper to decorate them .


Then I made a little label, and spooned in my mixture!

Now that I'm done, I would have done the labels completely differently. I would use the computer, and may be some mod podge (my new favorite thing) But oh well, first time is for learning. I'm super happy with the way they turned out! What do you guys think?

More Christmas crafts to come!!

Miracle on Burnside St.

As we come together for this wonderful time of year, we look far and wide for the first Christmas Miracle.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, look no further.



Fox went into Linus's "bedroom" and woke him up for a midnight "hello."

My boyfriend, Apollo recently got a kitty. Who I love =) I have a crazy dog that wants to kill everything moving that he doesn't recognize. Who I love. We wondered... how will these two ever come together?!
Naturally Apollo didn't want to leave the kitty all by himself for the long periods of time when he was hanging at my house or we were going out somewhere. So he brought the kitty, Fox, to my place. We had long thought out extensive plans and strategies to keep the two animals apart. When one was out, the other was in and vice versa. But one day we just thought, "I wonder..." And what do you know. They love each other. They even touch noses. It's too cute to even handle!

So there you have it. The first Christmas Miracle of 2012.

Thankful for Dessert!!

Well, Thanksgiving has come, and gone. (And may I just say, the turkey was goooood). My pants are a little tighter, and my heart is a little happier.

I was in charge of one of the desserts this year and it was a hit! (If I do say so myself!). So I thought I would share the recipe with you! It's a yummy apple crisp that is super easy to do!

Rachel's Amazing, Delicious Garaunteed to Make You Go Up a Pant Size But You Don't Care Cuz It's So Devine Apple Crisp.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar (oh, you use this for more than just your face?)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, cold
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats (not quick cooking)
3 pounds apples-such as empire or gala, peeled, cored and cut into bite size chunks
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preaheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl mix together flour, brown sugar, salt, and 2 table spoons granulated sugar. Cut butter into flour, using a pastry blender or two knives until mixture is the texture of coarse meal. Add oats and use your hands to toss and squeeze mixture until large moist clumps form. Transfer to freezer while you prepare apples.

2. In another large bowl toss apples with lemon juice, cinnamon, and remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Transfer to a shallow 2 quart baking dish and sprinkle with topping mixture. Bake until golden and bubbly (55-65 min). Let cool 10 min before serving. Add some vanilla ice cream if desired. And CHOW DOWN!

There it is! Super yummy. Super easy! What are some of your favorite easy recepies?

My Nemesis...Chicken.

As many of you know, I have been on a journey for the past few months toward vegetarianism.

At first it was bliss...spinach, beans, rice, cottage cheese, veggie burgers. I was feeling great! Me and veggies were gonna take on the world together, one carrot stick at a time.

Then, the cravings came. It started with an old friend turned enemy, the corn dog. It all happened at Disneyland. Disneyland and corn dogs go together! They are the ideal Disneyland meal. They can be eaten while walking, and their deliciousness adds to the whole Disneyland experience, turning the evening into an eating, riding, walking, TRON filled experience!
I was strong.
Then a few weeks ago, I realized that at Thanksgiving, you eat turkey.
And at Christmas, you eat Ham
And the day after Christmas you put ham in your omelet, and the next day you eat a ham sandwich, and the next day, and the next day.
I cracked.
I realized that not only were these things symbols of the holidays, they were symbols of my youth! My childhood!!! And then I thought...I haven't eaten meat in months! If I crack and pig out on Thanksgiving without preparation I'm gonna get sick on my favorite holidays of the year!!

I. Just. Couldn't. Help. Myself.
Ok Ok Ok... So I have loved being a vegetarian for the past few months. However...meat has been calling to me! I learned a lot on my little journey. My diet will never be the same again. I will still have a very vegetarian based diet, but with a little meat in there every once in while cuz...I can't take it anymore!
I'm weak.

Thank God for Grace!!

So the college group I go to at Rocky Peak Church, Soma, is going through a series called "Movement." Last night's sermon focused on spiritual discipline and how that relates to our spiritual growth. It was a very eye opening and exciting evening for me.
One of the students was mentioning how he first started out with lot's of discipline when it came to his Bible reading. Even mornings when he didn't want to read he would do it, and pretty soon that discipline...turned to desire and hunger and a want to read the word. The speaker asked the audience, how many of you are there?
I felt my hand raise.
What?
Now part of this was due to the fact that I zoned out for 1.5 seconds and was thinking "Yes I want to read" not "Yes I have this every day super thirst to get into the word." And part of it was because the speaker looked over my way and I just immidiately wanted to participate and look like a "good Christian" by saying "Yes I LOVE reading the Bible!!"

It took me a few minutes of thought to realize that was what it really was about. It's amazing how much motivation can go behind something that takes you a half a second to do.
So then I started thinking, where did that come from? I mean I have gone through times when I felt like that thirst, but right now I am actually going through a pretty "dry" spell when it comes to reading. Why do I feel so afraid to fess up to that? And why do I feel this need to pretend everything is together?

And I remembered something my boyfriend said. It's. A. Heart. Issue.
So many times as Christians (especially as women, I feel) have this need to perform or be the "Perfect Christian." (Whatever that is)And I realized that the reason the way I was reading the Bible wasn't working before is becasue I was approaching it like this quota that I had to reach for the day.
If I check reading the Bible off the list I will feel better. And if anyone asks I can say "Why yes I have been reading every day." And God will be pleased.

WOAH. Ok first off...what's up the the order of priority of those things? And second, as if me reading the Bible today is going to make God love me anymore. He already loves me daily the maximum amount available!! His GRACE is the only thing we need!!
So I decided to pray, and approach my reading in a different way. Instead of having a set amount of reading that I HAVE to get through every day...why not read and meditate on a few verses that pop out to me in the sermon? I feel like that leaves more time for reflection and learning than zooming through the books so I can check them off of my reading list.

So I cracked open a devotional book I had set aside a while back because I had decided it has you read only a couple of verses a day and that wasn't enough. So now, my devotional time is going to be based more on topics, thoughts, people in the Bible I'd like to learn from, one verse I am wrestling with that I heard in church, and so on.
I realized that I was focusing on the amount of pages I was going through, rather than the ideas and lessons God was trying to teach me. This new outlook seriously encouraged me today, and I hope it will encourage your too.
Oh and the devotional book I opened up is called "Women of the Bible." You spend a week learning about one woman, starting with Eve. I'm super excited to start this. May be you guys wanna check it out!

DIY Microdermabrasion!

I'm always looking for the next thing to help my skin look amazing and radiant and just like those girls in the skin ads who have no wrinkles and their face is all one color. Right.

I know I will never have those kind of glorious airbrush results (*sigh) but tonight...I came close!
I hate wearing makeup. But when I was in 7th grade I snuck into my mom's makeup case and packed on every single form of makeup I could find. I've been wearing it ever since. So stepping out of the house without my usual mask can sometimes be a little scary. I wish I could just wake up in the morning and have the skin tone I do once a layer of clown makeup-er-foundation is put on.

I've been hearing a lot about microdermabrasion and what it can do for your skin. I've also heard a lot about the price tag that comes with it. So, I decided to DIY and actually DO something I pinned on Pintrest (Gasp!)

Two words. Brown Sugar. Yes my friends, brown sugar is more than yummy goodness, it is amazing for your skin! All I did was make a paste with some brown sugar and a little thing I like to call H2O. I just gently rubbed the paste on in a circular motion for about three minutes and viola!! Skin like a baby's behind! Now, it started to hurt a very, very tiny bit after two minutes or so...but I believed in the system! Also, lot's of sites say to stay away from the under eye area. However, I get small bumps and a lot of dryness under my eyes so I just swiped the paste there with as little pressure as I could, and only did it once or twice.

My. Skin. Feels. Amazing.
And it has a lovely glow because of all the layers of skin that I said goodbye to. You guys gotta try this. I'm gonna keep it up and do it a couple of times a week and see if I start to see any major long term results and report back!

What are some of your fun beauty secrets?

My Manly Musician =)

Wow. Two in one day? I'm on a roll. One step closer to the best blogger award.

So one awesome perk about having a blog is being able to shamelessly promote my boyfriend and his AWESOME music.
He has this great project called "Train Ticket Home" (now doesn't that sound like it should be announced on a radio somewhere?) with upbeat music that everyone can enjoy!

Come CHECK him out. You'll hear great music, meet some cool people and well...hang out with me...so there really isn't anything more to say about that.

Click Here

In The Words of Michelle Karim: "Whoops!"

Alright, alright, alright...







So this blog has taught me something very important about myself.


I'm not very good at finishing things. Like goal lists...or scarves turned blankets...or blogs.


But like they say when you fall off a horse...something something something. Right.



So a lot has happened since I last wrote. Let's see....




1. I started dating an AMAZING guy named Apollo. Eight months now =)
This is his facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/apollobukowski... Pretty cute, right? I know. =)

2. I'm graduating in, wait for it...3 1/2 months!! Woo hoo! I am so excited!! Thanks AMDA it's been real, it's been fun, but it hasn't been...well anyway. Ok really though, the teachers at AMDA are some of the most amazing, inspirational people I have ever met. Its just time to be a big girl and move on.

3. I never finished the scarf turned blanket. I started working on it again last week. DON'T judge me.

4. My credit card is paid off in FULL! (Do I hear angels singing?)

5. I am taking an entrepreneurship class which is totally helping me organize the right way and write up a business plan for my canvases. I even have a name already. hARTful designs. My good friend Charles is making a logo for me. Whata guy!

6. I have recently gotten over my fear of hospitals...by force. Apollo has had quite the battle with some nasty kidney stones. So it was either be a horrible girlfriend and say "Sorry babe, you're on you're own!" or suck it up and take care of my man! The things we do for love... But I am super happy. And super happy that he is now on the road to recovery.

7. I've been a vegetarian for the last 4-5 months now. But I ate a teeny bit of meat the past two nights so I can get my body used to it again because well, the Holidays are coming. I. Just. Can't. Help. Myself.

So, shall we call this take two? It's ok. I believe that all of us have the ability to commit to a project and focus in us somewhere...

1. Eggs
2. Milk
3. Dog food

Oh. Sorry. I was just writing my grocery list. Anyways. The latest upcoming fun thing? A Christmas dinner at my place! I'm so excited! I'm rolling up my sleeves once more and heading into the kitchen full of furver...and fear. =) So, I thought I would ask, what is your favorite food during the holidays?

Goal Check in

Alright so the first day of the year I thought would be an appropriate day to check in with these goals I had made for myself...





So far I have accomplished:





Goal #1. Be continuing with my blogging


Goal #3. Have outside Arbor built


Goal #4. Actually finish the scarf I started to knit (there is a good story with this one...I'll tell more later =)


Goal #9. Try 3 new recipies and make them for my family


Goal #10. Be content with myself without someone on my arm...single is not so bad. God is doing so many things in my life right now. I am so content and that is a great feeling! I am so excited to see what he has for me next...BRING IT ON!





Ok so, 5 out of ten goals...eh I still have a couple of weeks but I know, I don't expect a miracle. Some of them because of my circumstances were just impossible. Because I decided to go back to school after I set these goals in place, some things had to change. I had to quit my job at Costco in order to go to classes so any of the goals that had to do with money...half, were real hard to accomplish. I do however want to sort of half count a goal. In order to put an etsy site up, it would be a real investment. I can't start a site with only four things to sell. So, my sister had a Christmas boutique instead. I proudly sold two items =) And I have more ready for the next craft boutique. That was my variation of the goal. I had to change the goal to fit my sittuation, so I'm half marking it off. These are some of the things I made...the one in the middle was SOLD!






Sadly, a trip to Pennsylvania for my friend Jessica's wedding was an impossibility. With the TEEEEENY amount of money I have rolling in every month, I would never be able to get the money together. I was very sad to have to tell her that news, but I know she knows I will be with her in my thoughts!





The savings account...sheesh...and the credit card? Well let's just say I'm dissapointed about those two. I mean, I know I had to quit my job, but those were the two goals I wanted done probably the most. So I think they will just have to carry over into my next six month goal list. Doing it again after kinda crashing and burning this time? Haha, absolutely. I gotta make up for the goals I didn't get done.





Cake decorating classes...this one I will be able to get done. I wont probably get started with the classes until after my goal cut off date, But I will be signed up.





So...6 1/2 out of ten? Ok so it's not horrible...But I'm gonna do better next time. I'm determined. Next blog entry? I'll show you my scarf turned blanket project. Yeah, long story...and very tired fingers =)