Fun Friday- Weeklong Randomness- 1-23-15

As someone who is currently having a pool built in their back yard I'm suddenly grateful that we don't have any bears in Las Vegas.  I could only imagine walking outside to find this guy in my pool.  That would certainly freak most people out.  Except for the person that decided to get this close to a wild bear to take a picture of it.  NOPE!  

We are currently about halfway through the process.  It's definitely been interesting to watch.  Sometimes Chris will go outside and watch the guys work for hours.  He finds it so fascinating.  I've snapped a few pictures along the way.  

Here's a picture of the big hole that will transform into a water holding receptacle.  

This is the beginning of the plumbing process. 

This is what it currently looks like after being sprayed all day yesterday.  

I haven't really had much going on lately so there's not much randomness to talk about.  I went to my best friend's sons' birthday party two weeks ago.  That was fun.  I might have been slightly overdressed for a 9 year old's party though.  What do you think?  

I finally sat down and cleaned all my makeup brushes as well.  It takes forever and it's really tedious work.  I have a blog post all about how I clean my brushes that you can find here.  This is what the final result looks like.  

I've really been trying to get more into walking/ running around my neighborhood.  So far this week I've gone out and exercised on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  Yesterday Chris and I were out in the desert so that he could go dirt biking.  I plan to head out today as soon as I'm done with this blog.  

So far this week I've done 6.33 miles.  

I use my Garmin Forerunner 620 to keep track of my progress.  

I like that I can see exactly the route that I've taken because it connects to a GPS satellite.  It also comes with a heart rate monitor.  My favorite thing about it though is its ability to set intervals.  I by no means can run continuously for a long period of time but I'm trying to build up my stamina.  I started off with having it set to run for 1 minute and then walk for 4 minutes.  Then as I get more comfortable with that I can change it to a 2/3 ratio then a 3/2 ratio and so on until I'm able to run continuously.  

I have a really great route through my neighborhood and it's 1 mile door to door. 

What have you guys been up to this last week?  Have a great weekend!  

   

Recipe Wednesday- Fudge!

I laughed really hard when I saw this on Pinterest.  I really love kitchen humor.  Today's blog post is going to be an easy one.  When I did my day of baking I made a Christmas time staple in most houses.  Fudge!  No nuts though.  Just plain old chocolate fudge.  I use the recipe that's on the back of the marshmallow fluff container.  

First things first, let's gather our ingredients.    

Next take some foil and line a glass baking dish.  The recipe called for a 9x9 but I decided to use a 11x7 instead.  I wanted my fudge to be a bit thinner and longer.  Make sure that the foil hangs over the sides so you can easily lift the entire brick out of the pan.  

In a 3 quart saucepan mix together your sugar, butter and evaporated milk.  Bring this mixture to a rolling boil and stir constantly for 4-5 minutes or until the temp reaches 234° on a candy thermometer.   

Then remove from heat and add in the marshmallow fluff until melted.  

Then slowly add in the chocolate chips stirring frequently until melted.  

Add your vanilla and stir until incorporated.  

Spread your fudge mixture into the pan and let sit until hardened.

Remove from the pan and cut into small pieces.  

Enjoy!

Fudge

Ingredients

3 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter

1- 5oz. can evaporated milk

12oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1- 7oz. jar of marshmallow creme (fluff)

1 tsp. vanilla

Preparation

1.  Line a 9 inch square pan with foil and make sure the foil extends over the sides.  Bring sugar, butter and evaporated milk to a full rolling boil in a 3 qt. saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly.  Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly or until a candy thermometer reaches 234°.  Remove from heat. 

2.  Add chocolate chips and marshmallow creme (fluff) and stir until melted.  Stir in the vanilla as well.  

3.  Pour into prepared pan and spread until even.  Cool completely.  Use the foil handle to lift out of pan and cut into small squares.  (Tip- I used a pizza cutter and it worked really well.)

  

I hope you guys are having a great week.  Comment down below and let me know what you baked over the holidays. 

Fun Friday- My 2015 To Do List

I am optimistic that this year will be the best ever for me.  I am closer to God than I have been in years past and I am praying more and more.  I believe that He will use me to do great things this year.  They may be difficult but I have to trust that everything he wants is for the greater good of myself.  

I don't really have a lot of confidence when it comes to my appearance.  I have been overweight my entire life and hearing negative comments about myself for years has really taken a toll on my self esteem.  I need to remind myself that even though I may have some changes to make when it comes to my appearance I have to love myself first or it's difficult for anyone else to.  I have gained some great friends over the last year and I have found that it is so much easier to say "thank you" when they compliment the way I look versus being negative and saying something like "uh no, I look like crap."  I need to be more positive. 

So, about 6 months ago I decided that I wanted to start sewing.  I was really excited and Chris bought me a really amazing sewing machine and all the accessories that I needed to accomplish my projects.   My first project was an apron and let me just tell you it's UGLY.  I messed up somewhere along the way and the pockets are stupid.  Immediately after finishing that project I got the materials needed to make a set of pajamas for my best friend's son.  I got everything ironed and cut out.  I am literally ready to start the sewing process but I have been putting it off because I don't want this project to turn into a disaster like the apron did.  I know that's not fair to the boy that I promised them to but I would hate to give him anything less than perfect.  Chris recently asked why I hadn't been working on them and I expressed my fears about falling short again.  He made a great point that no one does everything perfect the first or even second time.  It's about practicing and getting it done.  So I have vowed to make more time for sewing projects, my creative outlet.  

I have a hard time doing things that most would consider adventurous.  My mind immediately goes to all the things that could go wrong.  That's just my personality I guess.  I'm trying to be better about that.  Chris is a total adrenaline junkie and would love to try anything once.  I am definitely the voice of reason but often I just push all my fears about the situation onto him.  He is pretty fearless however and my concerns don't ever seem to faze him. 

Example:  

My reasoning- You could die.  

His reasoning- You could die drinking your coffee.  

Me- That's a bit dramatic. 

Him- So is pointing out the  0.001% of people who have died doing this. 

Me- Stop making sense.  I don't like it.  

I am going to try to be more adventurous this year.  I can't NOT live life to it's fullest because of my fears. 

I REALLY don't like vegetables.  I just didn't eat a lot of them growing up and I don't care for many of them.  I have made a point to try things a lot more though.  I have found that fresh, steamed vegetables taste a lot better than canned.  

I am going to try to be better about sending snail mail in the form of hand written thank you cards.  I feel giddy when I get a piece of mail that isn't a bill or another credit card offer so, I'm sure that other people feel the same way.  Now, where did I put the stamps?

I am a big believer in "you get what you pay for."  I have started buying more high end quality pieces that will last for a very long time versus items that are inexpensive, cheaply made, and will fall apart after a season.  

I want to try to go out of my way to say something nice to everyone I encounter in my daily life.  You never know what a person is really going through and my kinds words could help them smile.  

I have been to many beautiful places in past years but this year I would really like to focus on hitting places in the States that I haven't been to.  Chicago, Boston, New York City, Orlando, and a few others.  

We are often so busy with our own lives that we can be pretty rude to strangers around us.  How much time does it take to smile?  

I'm serving every week in my church's nursery but I want to find something that uses my skills.  Maybe I could cook some meals for some families that are less fortunate.

I'd like to take some classes to be able to cook some things that are more complex, like a souffle or risotto. 

  Sometimes, just being somewhere when someone needs you makes all the difference in the world.  

You can definitely learn from your own mistakes and triumphs but you can learn from others as well. Another person may have some great insight to a problem that you are having.

Simplicity is hard for me to wrap my head around.  Whenever I head to a friend's house for a party I normally take the time to make something from scratch to take with me.  I have a few different dip recipes that I like to make but I found when I brought a basic french onion dip (soup packet mixed with sour cream) more people raved about that than my super complex and time consuming spinach artichoke dip.  Maybe keeping it simple really is the best route to take. 

Alright, so what's on your 2015 To Do List? 

I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful day! 

       

            

Thoughtful Thursday- 1-1-15

I hope everyone had a great time last night ringing in the new year.  Hopefully you guys were able to celebrate and be safe.  I had an awesome time hanging out with friends and playing some games.  I still can't believe that 2014 is over.  Is it just me or does the year seem that the older you get the faster the year goes by?  

I spent the past few days cleaning things out around the house.  I spent nearly two hours cleaning my bathroom over the weekend, not because it was THAT dirty but because as I clean throughout the year I don't really stop to take the time to DEEP clean things.  I recently reached for something on top of my vanity that I hadn't used in a while and found a layer of dust on it.  So that lead my to wiping down every item and surface in my bathroom.  I like to think that I keep things pretty clean around my house but this was really necessary.  

I also went through all my old files on my server and found about 1500 songs in a random music folder. That was really exciting.  I found all my old music from my early 20's and it really sent me on a trip down memory lane.  I think that I have a pretty eclectic taste when it comes to music and this folder just proved my point.  I found everything from Cartel and BoyslikeGirls to Shania Twain and The Dixie Chicks.  I also found Disturbed and The Spice Girls.  I happily added all of those files to my iTunes library which led to me making a "January 2015" playlist earlier today.  I tend to go through all my music at the beginning of each month and make a playlist that reflects what I'm into at that time.  This one has 500 songs though because as I was going through everything I kept going "Oh, I love this song."  I couldn't just NOT add those songs right?  

Anyhoo...  Let's get to the question of the day.  This one really isn't a surprise considering that today is the start of a new year.  

January 1st-  What is your number one goal this year?  

My number one goal this year to to stick to a diet and exercise regimen.  I want to work out 4 times a week, whether that means heading outside and walking/running, or jumping on my treadmill or row machine inside.  I have also recently found out about Blogilates on YouTube.  I like that these videos are really positive and uplifting and they AREN'T repetitive.  There is such a great selection between total body workouts and targeted areas.  I also love that I don't need any extra equipment.  I already have a yoga mat.  

Annnnd...  Currently I'm...

Reading- After by Anna Todd.  It's a college aged romance novel.  It's really long though.  It's over 600 pages on my iPad.  I'm about 90% of the way done though.  There is a sequel that I intend to read once I'm finished called After We Collided. 

Playing- Music in the background while I blog.  I feel like this answer is the same every time I do one of these. 

Watching-  I started watching Pretty Little Liars on Netflix recently.  It's pretty interesting but I feel a bit too old to be watching it.  Hmmmm...  

Listening to- My January 2015 playlist.  Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm at this exact moment.  

Working on- This blog and hydrating myself.  I've been pretty horrible about drinking water the past few days.  I take a large Smart Water with me to work each day and every day this week I've brought home with me more than 70% full.  Oops...

Eating- Nothing really.  I was out shopping with Chris earlier today (yes, I'm crazy.  I had no idea it would be so busy.) and we had Claim Jumper for Linner (lunch/dinner) on the way home.  

Wanting- To get back into cooking for dinner.  I totally slacked off this week.  I don't think I've cooked once. 

Needing- To plan a menu and make a shopping list so I don't have any excuse to slack off.  I really enjoy cooking and I feel much better throughout the week if I'm eating home cooked meals versus crap/ fast food.  

Loving-  The way my hair has been lately.  I recently started using a new hair regimen and I can tell the difference in my hair.  I'm using Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Shampoo and Conditioner.  I try to avoid washing my hair every day.  After my hair is clean I use Bumble and Bumble Invisible Hairdresser's Oil Leave in Conditioner/ Primer.  Then I add Bumble and Bumble Straight Blow Dry Cream from the bottom of my ears down.  I blow dry my hair and then finish with a quick flat ironing.  I'm using Not Your Mother's Dry Shampoo on the days I don't wash it.  It's just been feeling really nice and healthy even though I'm having to heat style it more frequently than I would during the summer months.  My mom always told me not to leave the house with wet hair during the colder months because that is the easiest way to get yourself sick. 

Thinking- About what I'm going to do tomorrow.  Chris is going dirt bike riding with some neighbors so I'll have the whole day to myself.  What should I do?  

Feeling- Tired.  I was up until 3am and even though I slept in til' noon I'm still wanting to go to bed early.  I can't stay up all hours like I used to.  I'm getting too old for this stuff.  

Celebrating- The beginning of this new year and all the possibilities it brings.  Anything can happen...  Hopefully God has great things in mind for me and Chris.  

Grateful For-  Music.  Could you imagine how empty and depressing this world would be without music?  Music speaks to my soul and makes it sing.  Well sometimes it makes my mouth sing too...  badly...  I love music in all its forms.  I'm so glad that I am fortunate enough to live in a place where we have the freedom to listen to whatever we want.  

I was searching for a pin on Pinterest that sums up how I feel about music but I couldn't pick just one.  

What is your number one goal this year?  How are you going to accomplish it?  

I hope you all are having a great week!