the giraffe life

January Cure:  I bit off more than I could chew with Apartment Therapy's January Cure . I loved the concept and the inspiration, but the daily project part was overwhelming. So, I looked over the monthly schedule and picked a few that I could handle - like creating an outbox, buying art to frame, and organizing the medicine stash. I'm happy with what I accomplished and will continue to work on the ideas I like - but with a much less stressful timeline. 7 books:  You can see the books I read here . So happy I pushed myself because I lucked out and read a lot of good books this month (and it was much more fun than fretting over the January Cure ;) ). The best was Code Name Verity , which I considering reviewing, but this and this  and  this say it better than I ever could. House scrapbook:  My parents were talking about how some of the rooms in their house have changed over the years, and it inspired me to take pictures of my home and make a house scrapbook book (done on

linking up here and here

I saw this recipe in the newspaper today and couldn't resist! They are thick and chewy like a brownie, but not as rich and easier to carry - perfect! Here's my tweaked version: Brownie Cookies • 1 1/2 cups flour • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder • 4 tablespoons butter, softened (half a stick) • 4 tablespoons coconut oil, softened • 3/4 cup sugar • 1 egg • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Instructions Stir together the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder.  In a separate bowl, cream butter, coconut oil, and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients. Put dough in a container with a lid in the fridge for about an hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the cookie dough on a floured surface. They should be 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick (makes about 20 cookies). Bake for about 10-12 minutes until the edges are set but the centers are still soft. Top with peanut butter or ice cream. Enjoy!

How do you feel about narrators?  I usually prefer books written in first person, but I have to make an exception for  The Templeton Twins Have an Idea,  written by Ellis Weiner and illustrated by Jeremy Holmes. The narrator is being forced to write this story (or so he tells us), about thirteen-year-old twins, Abigail and John. Another set of twins, Dean and Dan, kidnap Abigail and John in an effort t o convince their father to hand over one of his inventions. Resourcefulness abounds :) Each chapter includes a title page with a drawing related to the story (the diagrams sprinkled throughout were super nice - especially for people whose eyes start to glaze over when reading paragraphs describing how things are set up. I'm not actually one of those people, just guessing you know ;) ). So, on to that fabulous narrator.  The  whole kidnapping story could have felt ho-hum, but the narrator really berates you into enjoying yourself, with his general storytelling, fun foo

I'm linking up here and here .

1. Yoga! I love how yoga makes me feel, plain and simple. I usually do it at home with my Wii, but I'm going to start taking the class offered at work, too. 2. National Geographic - my favorite magazine, hands down!  I found a box of old issues (marked FREE, so how could I resist?) in college, and have read every issue since.  The articles are always fascinating and accompanied by breathtaking photographs. 3. Popcorn - the perfect snack! I'll eat it plain, with salt, with butter, with cheese, the list goes on and on. 4. Flats! Just another sign that I'm getting old , I guess (except that I've always loved them - probably an insignificant detail ;) ). I think flats are adorable and the comfort level just can't be beat.  Flats make my feet happy :) 5. Art!  I started an art board on Pinterest and can't wait to start saving my pennies to brighten up my house. What makes you smile? This post was inspired by Margaret !

No, that's not a typo - I am planning for Valentine's Day in January. Probably makes me a little weird, but that's okay.  We have about a month left , but I saw a project idea in Martha Stewart Weddings (umm yes, I am already married, why do you ask? ;) ) that needs some lead time. Will my husband enjoy it?  Hmm, hopefully. But I'm not too worried about it. I buy him packages of dried up marshmallows , what more could he want? ;) Anyway, here it is: Click the picture to download the template. It was created with engaged couples in mind (hence its inclusion in Martha Stewart Weddings ) but I think the idea is lovely - 25 reasons why you love someone.  I was going to glue my message over the part that says "25 reasons I can't wait to marry you," but he's a smart guy and I'm sure he knows we're married.  Someone more tech-savvy than me coud probably find a way to recreate the template to change the message electronically. This is

linking up  here  and here

There are tons of ways to document - these are just the ones that work for me.  I have three main ways: Journal:  I use the 5 year journal found   here .  It lists each date on its own page with 5 spaces - one for each year. Most of the stuff that gets written here is just everyday life.  Check out October 9th and 10th: I'm writing about the weather and being a scaredy cat, nothing profound :)  But I enjoy thinking of one tiny piece of my day that I'm going to keep forever in my little book.  (Usually I go for the happy stuff.) The biggest reason this works for me?  This journal overcomes my two biggest obstacles:  feeling like the day was unworthy of documenting and the obligation to fill the entire page with each entry.   It only requires a phrase <insert huge sigh of relief>.  And I  must write every day - because each day has a space set aside for it! Scrapbook:  Ahh, scrapbooking. My first love. I started out putting photos in little 4x6 photo album

My love of documenting my life started with a Fisher Price camera and a $1 photo album from AC Moore. (Does anyone else remember these cameras?  I thought I was hot.stuff. rockin' my own camera.) Later I moved into journaling and scrapbooking.  As I got older, I vacillated between writing daily and letting months pass without touching my journal. Journaling was a source of pressure/stress for me because I wanted to fill the full page for each entry (not wanting to waste paper, you know - a top concern in any typical ten-year-old's mind) and each entry had to contain some earth-shattering event. Sometimes a day would go by where nothing "good enough" would happen or I just couldn't muster the willpower to write for the 20 minutes it would take to fill that page. So I'd skip it. And one day would turn in to two, then four, and on and on, until I hadn't written for months.   The other monkey on my back was that while I wanted to write about certain thing

I was at the library earlier this week while the librarian was doing a read-aloud with this book.  I've read it before - but the read-aloud brought it to the front of my mind and I wanted to share it with you. Weslandia tells the story of Wesley, a kid who has never fit in - maybe because he doesn't like pizza, soda, or football, and he refuses to get the "cool" haircut (head half shaved). Everything changes when he decides to grow his own staple food crop and start a new civilization (aptly named Weslandia). Suddenly, his days are busy tending his mysterious plant, cooking, weaving his own hats and clothing, creating a new language, and so on - you know, all the everyday tasks that go along with building a civilization from scratch. ;) The other kids eventually grow curious - so Wesley starts allowing them to help him and play his newly-invented games.  By the time Wesley returns to school in September, his tormentors have turned into friends. (Gotta love a ha

(hopefully you're imagining The Price is Right announcer saying that title) linking up  here  and  here

I try to eat homemade, nutrient-dense foods, but that goes out the window when I'm not feeling well, come home exhausted after an 11-hour day, etc.  You know the drill :)  On those nights, I reach for convenience foods because it's cheaper and marginally better for me than ordering take out. Since becoming vegetarian, I've had to give up some of favorite meal savers, like Rice a Roni because the ingredients include animal products (chicken broth and chicken fat are found in a surprising number of foods that I would assume to be vegetarian).  So I was very excited to find a copycat version of Chicken Rice a Roni , which I tweaked to make it vegetarian friendly.  It doesn't taste exactly the same, but I really enjoyed it.  The rice mix is easy to assemble:  I started by getting out all the spices. Rather than add the chicken bouillon powder the recipe calls for, I cooked my rice in vegetable broth (made with Better than Bouillon base) instead of water.  This stuff i

Wondering how to use up a few cups of spinach?  You could use it to make soup , or Kristin's Green Monster smoothie .  I've made it a few times, and no matter what I add, it's always delicious! Get out your blender (doesn't have to be new and fancy!): Pour in a little ground flaxseed: Some nut butter (I used almond butter this time): Add milk and your choice of frozen fruit (I went with a strawberries this time, but I can't imagine any fruits that wouldn't be tasty!): I decided to throw in some peanut butter, too - that's the lighter color nut butter in the photo above.  And, the ingredient that gives the smoothie its namesake color: (spinach) It's ready to slurp! Yes, I use a glass straw.  And you didn't believe me when I said I went off the deep end with the environmentally friendly stuff. ;) Besides, doesn't drinking from a straw make everything better?

linking up with  http://wordlesswednesday.blogspot.com/

Inspired by Elise , Kim , and Kelsey , I'm trying monthly goals this year (I've previously enjoyed the less life-changing "what do I need to do today?" type of goal setting).  So without further ado, here's January: Going easy on myself this first time around. Interested in Apartment Therapy's January Cure?  There's still time to sign up! Do you set goals monthly?  

yes, I made this in PowerPoint.  I'm high tech like that.