Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Day 273- Why Facebook is ridiculous

This is exactly why I hate Facebook ( I still use it).  No one needs to tell 315 people what they ate for lunch.  I wish I could be blunt enough to defriend them.  Unfortunately, all of my annoying Facebook friends are relatives, so I'm stuck with them.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Day 272- The 15 Minute Workout

I saw the 5-4-3-2-1 Workout on Pinterest.  It only takes 15 minutes for a beginner.  It looks easy, but I was sweating by the time I was finished.  I would recommend it for busy days when you just don't have time for the gym.




 








Sunday, April 28, 2013

Day 271- Moscato Cupcakes

I found this recipe on Pinterest for Moscato cupcakes.  They were so good.  Seriously, they might have been the best cupcakes I've ever had.
 
My only complaint is that the icing is a little running.  It melted all over.  I had to keep the cupcakes in the refrigerator. 
 
2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 and 1/4 cups white sugar
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/3 cup Moscato wine
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tsp. white vinegar
Optional: fresh strawberries or sprinkles for garnish
 
Directions:
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put cupcake liners in two cupcake pans. This recipe should make about 24 cupcakes depending on the size of your pan.
 
 
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar, and whisk together. In a separate bowl, combine the oil, Moscato, buttermilk, eggs, and vinegar. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into dry and mix until it is  just blended. 

Scoop the batter into the prepared cupcake pan, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks before frosting with Moscato vanilla icing.

Moscato Vanilla Icing:
 
8 oz. (1 cup) butter, room temperature - You could also use a mixture of half butter and half cream cheese for the icing if desired, but I used all butter and it was delicious!
3 Tbsp. Moscato
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups icing sugar

In a large bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer until it is smooth and fluffy. Add in the Moscato and vanilla and continue mixing until combined. Add the icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing until smooth and light. Frost the cooled cupcakes and garnish with a fresh sliced strawberry half and/or sprinkles.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Day 269- Similar is not the same

This is what I do whenever I see posts on Pinterest about "copycat" versions of makeup and other types of beauty products. 

"They are not the same.  They are similar."

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Day 268- 101 Almost free things to do with kids this summer

I don't have kids, but I saw this list and wanted to post it.  Most of the activities are things that I would want to do in the summer as a 24 year old.  This list will come in handy when I am bored during the summer since I don't work then.  (Yea! Job in the education field!).

The best part is that the activities are free or low cost.  It's very budget friendly.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Day 267- How to choose running shoes

This pin gives advice about running shoes.  I need this because I have high aches and my new running shoes aren't giving my feet the support they need.  This is so true.  I have high aches and my feet roll out.  I will definitely relace my shoes like it tells me to.  Hopefully, that will help.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Day 266- Best Apology Ever

I don't know who forced Andy Levy to apologize to Chris Brown, but at least he did it the right way. It's sad but true.  I don't understand why people are such die-hard Chris Brown fans.  I don't like his music and I don't think that abusers ever change.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Day 265- Jennifer Lawrence and Jack Nicholson

I laughed so hard when I read this pin.  Jennifer Lawrence and Jack Nicholson talking at the Academy Awards. It cracked me up.  The look on her face is priceless.  They would make such an odd couple.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Day 264- Seasons in the Midwest

This is so true right now.  If you don't know, there is a lot of snow here in the Midwest.  My cousin sent me a picture of her snowman she made yesterday.  It was April 20th.  I'm so ready for summer (or even spring.)

"Welcome to the Midwest where the forecasts are made up and the season don't matter."

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Day 263- 50 books to read before you die

I found a list of 50 books to read before you die that was created by the BBC in 2003.  I have read 29 out of 50.  That's not too bad considering I hope I have a lot more time before I die.  I bolded the ones that I have read.  Only 21 books to go before I have read the entire list!

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2
. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7.
Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8.
Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10.
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17.
Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18.
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26.
Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30.
Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35.
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36.
Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41.
Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44.
The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher

Friday, April 19, 2013

Day 262- If you watch Godzilla backwards


I never thought about this, but if you watch Godzilla backwards, it changed the entire movie.  It's about a giant lizard who helps rebuild a half-burnt down city, then moonwalks back into the ocean.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Day 261- Every group project I'be ever been in


This is so true.  Whenever I was in a group project, I was the one who did 99% of the work. 

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Day 260- Square Watermelons

It would be so cool to have a square watermelon.  I'm sure they are easier to cut into cubes, too.  Apparently, all you have to do is grow the watermelon in a square container.  It works with pumpkins too.  A square jack-o-lantern would be the coolest one on the block.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Day 258- Braid Up-do

I saw this hairstyle on Parks and Recreation a couple of weeks ago and have wanted to try it since.  This pin gives a step by step guide to how to do it.  I gave it a try and mine didn't turn out as perfect as this, but it still looked good.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Day 257- DIY Sunscreen

I hate putting store-bought sunscreen on.  It's full of toxins and chemicals.  I don't want to put that on my skin, but I also don't want to get skin cancer either.  I knew that there had to be a way to make my own sunscreen that would be more natural.  I have always wanted to make sunscreen, but I haven't found a recipe that seemed legit until now. 
 
I saw this recipe on Pinterest and it looks super easy.  Supposedly, it has an SPF of about 30.  You can make the SPF higher if you add more zinc oxide.  This sunscreen is also waterproof because of the beeswax in it.  

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. Beeswax pellets (about 1 oz.)
1/2 cup Shea butter
1/2 Coconut oil
4 Tbsp. Zinc Oxide (about 2 oz.)

Directions:

1. Start a double broiler by placing a glass bowl over a boiling pot of water.  Add your beeswax, Shea butter, and coconut oil.  Add the coconut oil after the other oils melt because you don't want to burn the coconut oil.  You can stir with a wooden stick to speed up the melting process.

2. Remove glass bowl from double broiler and add zinc oxide.  It may bubble and fizz slightly.  Stir with a wooden stick and then with a hand mixer or stick blender until nice and smooth.  Make sure you clean all utensils right away with a paper towel or the beeswax will stick and be very difficult to clean later on.

3. Pour sunscreen into a glass or plastic jar and let it sit for several hours until it cools.  This can also be poured into an old deodorant tube and used as a stick.  Make sure you label and date it so that everyone knows what it is!  It should keep for up to a year.  

4. When you are ready to use just scoop some out with your fingers and apply as normal or rub over skin if you are using it as a stick.  It may take a bit more rubbing in cooler weather, but it will otherwise go on very smoothly.  
 
 

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Day 256- Good Guys

Good Guys.  Some of these are unbelievable.  It just proves that some people are genuinely good.  If you have lost faith in humanity, read those and you will feel better.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Day 253- Team Guy Who Almost Hit Bella with a Van

Twilight was not my type of movie, but I did see the first one.  Let's just say that it would have been so much more interesting if Bella would have been hit with a van.  Go Tyler Crowley!  (Who knew that guy had a name?)

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Day 252- Paint Buddy by Rubbermaid

I saw this pin and got so excited.  Seriously!  This is genius.


This is called a Paint Buddy.  It's made by Rubbermaid.  Basically, it helps people touch up their walls by using the leftover paint.  No more paint cans in the garage!

All you have to do is pour the leftover paint into the Paint Buddy and wait until you have a scuff mark or scratch.  Then, use the Paint Buddy to fix it.  No more brushes, paint cans, or mess.  All you need is the Paint Buddy.

You squeeze the tube and a valve opens to let paint flow onto the blending roller. The roller’s flocking blends the paint so there are no brush marks to reveal the touch-up. Paint Buddy allows you store leftover paint inside the tool where it stays fresh.

When finished, simply close the valve, wash the roller or throw it away, and give Paint Buddy a quick rinse under warm water. Put back the old roller (or put in a new one) and the cap, and Paint Buddy stores the paint until you need it again.

I freakin' love this.  It's so easy.  I can't believe that this exists.  Who would have thought? 

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Day 250- I need this!!

This pin is the solution I need to never lose anything again.  It's called "Stick-N-Find."

Basically, it's Bluetooth stickers.  You stick the sticker on anything you would lose such as your keys, the remote, or even a pet (you just stick it on the collar if you have a pet that likes to run away).  When you lose whatever it is, you open the app and follow the radar until you find it. 

This is seriously amazing.  If I works, I would totally buy it.  I am always looking for my iPhone charger. 

I love this.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Day 249- Hidden Disney Secrets

I spent way too much time today reading this blog about hidden secrets in Disney movies.  I wasted about an hour reading through it. 

I found in on Pinterest.  This site offers a lot of hidden facts for a lot of Disney movies.  If you are bored, this will entertain you for a while.

Friday, April 5, 2013

Day 248- Melted Crayon Art

There is a lot of melted crayon art on Pinterest.  Some of it is very ugly looking, but I found a pin that looked so amazing.  It looked like real artwork that I would pay for.  I love the colors.  I have so many crayons that I think I will make this one day when I am bored.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Day 246- Tortellini Soup

I have seen many recipes for tortellini soup on Pinterest.  I kept meaning to make it, but I hadn't until yesterday.  I found a recipe that I liked and tried it.  I'm glad I did!  It was so easy and delicious. 

Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
2 T. olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. salt
1/2 t. oregano
1/4 t. thyme
1/4 t. marjoram
1/4 t. black pepper
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes (with juices)
4 c. low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth (I used vegetable broth)
9 oz. good quality tortellini (any variety, fresh or frozen)
3 c. fresh baby spinach, washed
 
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onions soften and just begin to brown. Add the garlic and seasonings (salt through pepper) and sauté for one minute, until garlic becomes fragrant. Add tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, and add the tortellini. Cook according to package directions (should be about 8 minutes). During final minute of cooking time, add fresh spinach and allow it to cook down into the soup. Taste, adjust seasonings, and serve with garlic bread.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Day 245- Make your iPhone look fabulous

I saw this pin and my jaw dropped.  The screenshot of the iPhone homescreen looks so amazing.  I knew that I had to do that to my phone.

You use the app Cocoppa.  It's a Japanese app and I found the English translation to be lacking at times, but with a little trial and error, I managed to use it with little issues.

This blog has a great tutorial about how to use the app.   Seriously.  This tutorial helped me so much.  I don't think I could have figured it out without it.

It is important to remember to not delete your old apps.  You can stuck them all in a folder to hide the ugly, old ones.  What you are basically doing is making a shortcut that will lead you to the app.  If you delete the original app, then your new, decorated one will not work.

Monday, April 1, 2013

Day 244- Map My Run

I was looking for an app to figure out how far I am running.  After searching Pinterest, I found Map My Run.  I have used it twice and I love it.  I found out that my running trail at my park was .10 mile further than I thought it was.  That means I've been running further and faster than I thought!

I think that the GPS is pretty accurate.  My first time using it, I tested it against a .25 mile track and it was right. 

I like that the app speaks to you at the end of every mile to tell you the distance, time, and pace.  It's great that I don't have to stop and look every so often.

My only complaint is that when you pause and resume your workout, it takes it awhile to readjust to your pace.  I paused it once and when I resumed it said I was running at 1 mile per hour for about a minute into the workout.  Finally, my speed started going up, but it messed with my average pace. 

Other than that, I'm pretty happy with the app.  I'm using it to keep track of my marathon training.