365 X 2: Day 7-15

Per usual, time to play catch up. I cannot wait till the time changes and it's not dark when I get home so I can get out and take pictures of something other than my dog. She has actually started getting up and leaving the room when she sees me start messing with my camera. 


Day 7:



 

iPhone Photo:
Poor Layla

Canon Photo:
My lazy Booga





Day 8: 

 iPhone Photo:
Shore Drive on the way to work. 

 Canon Photos:
These two are good nappers




 Day 9:

i

 iPhone Photo:
Second run of the new year

Canon Photo:
First coat of Killz





Day 10: 

i

 iPhone Photo:
Chicken nachos with kale "chips"

 Canon Photo:
She refused to face the camera and I was chasing her around the house until she decided to nose the bell to go outside and really get away from me. 




 Day 11: 

i

 iPhone Photo:
No caption needed

Canon Photo:
Wood pile. 





Day 12:

iPhone Photo:
Garlic and pineapple chicken with quinoa

Canon Photo:
Foggy day in the backyard






 Day 13:

i

iPhone Photo:
Demon dog. Clearly pissed at the incessant pictures. 

Canon Photo:
I'm dating the green arrow





Day 14: 

i

iPhone Photo:
My mouse crashed on my computer which means I have to use this guy. So awkward. 

Canon Photo:
I so need a new subject(s)





Day 15:

 iPhone Photo:
 It only took me over a year to finally have this framed. 

 

Canon Photo:
The irony of this picture

365 X 2: Days 3-6

I know I'm moving slow on posting on the blog and on Facebook the two pictures from each day. BUT, I have been taking them. I'm honestly just too lazy to take the 10 minutes each night while watching TV to get it done. Pathetic, I know. 

Day 3: 

iPhone photo
I'm trying really hard to get rid of all of the chocolate from Christmas. 

Canon photo
I think Jason intended on us drinking this a month ago. Oops. 




Day 4:

iPhone photo
Oh hey my most favorite wings. Ever. Try some!

Canon photo
So this is mine and Jason's four year plan. 




Day 5:

iPhone photo
Even with my phone I could have gotten better lighting. However, this perfectly depicts a typical weekend for these two. 

Canon photo
So excited to be a part of this wedding!




Day 6:

iPhone photo
This is my Sunday

Canon photo
Okay, so I was quick scrambling to take a picture of something with my camera for the 6th day. But I did adjust the lighting in the photo and this is my next furniture overhaul project.

365 X 2

I've decided that one of my resolutions or "goals" as I'd rather refer to it, is to pick a project where I have to hold myself accountable. I know that the "taking a picture a day for the year" has been done by many, but I wanted to see if I could do it. Of course, I have to make it more difficult for myself and take two pictures a day to post for the year; one picture from my phone since it's always with me and another with my Canon. I really enjoy photography and am a complete amateur at it, but I figure this way, I'm forced to use my camera daily as well as work with some new photo editing software. I thought about taking a picture of the same thing everyday (something living), but there are too many times throughout the year, where I would not be able to take the picture of said thing, so I'm going with random. We'll see how this goes, I've never been good at sticking with any one thing for too long. 


DAY 1:

iPhone Photo

Canon Photo

I figured the best way to start out this little project is some of my favorite people and animal. 


DAY 2:

iPhone Photo
We like to keep it classy with our bathroom reading material

Canon Photo
All the pretty lights...or at least the ones on my fake plant.

So I Had This Idea....

So I'm sure someone somewhere has thought of this idea already, but so did I, and I thought it cool enough to actually take the time and share it, so here it is. I don't typically wear makeup, but when I do, I have to dig through a zip-lock bag (seriously) to find what I'm looking for. Since I'm on this crafty DIY kick thanks in part to Elizabeth Eljdid with her inspiring pictures, I figured there had to be a more organized and aesthetic way to deal with my makeup. This is what I came up with and this is what you'll need:

• A frame (check out your local thrift shop) any size will do depending on how much makeup you have
• Piece of sheet metal. I got mine from Lowe's and I got a piece thin enough that I could cut with tin snips. Lowe's would probably cut it to size for you if need be. Aluminum is not thick enough for the magnets. I tested it at Lowe's and it was a no go. You'll need the sheet metal to fit the size of the frame. 
• Fabric of your choice. Enough to cover the sheet metal
• Drill
• Smallest metal screws you can find
• Spray Adhesive
• Paint or Spray Paint (to paint the frame if you choose)
• Small magnets
• Super Glue

To start I figured out how big of a frame I would need so I went through my collection of thrift store frames and fit all of my makeup that I use regularly inside of it and chose the one that would work the best.

 Next, I decided to paint my frame, so I put a couple of coats of Killz (primer) over the original wood. I love this stuff and I use it on everything.

I then painted the frame the color that I chose with acrylic paint (2 coats), cut the sheet metal to fit to the back of the frame so that I would be able to attach it with the metal screws and I cut the fabric to fit the sheet metal leaving some extra to wrap around the back. I adhered the fabric to the sheet metal with the spray adhesive and I let all this dry overnight.

The next day I tacked down the extra fabric on the back with super glue and then used the drill to attach the sheet metal to the wood frame.

To finish I took all of my makeup and I super glued small magnets to the back of each. Depending on the weight of the makeup, you may have to put more than one magnet on the back. I also decided that I needed something to hold my brushes, eyelash curler and mascara, so I took an empty pill bottle and painted it and also glued magnets to it as well.

And behold the finished product. Not only is it practical, but it's pretty too :)

No, you may not use my pen

So I'm sitting here sick. Again. For the third time in 2 months I'm having to put up with cold/sinus/crap. I hate colds. Mostly because they make me whiny.

When I first started working at the community services board, I was astounded at how much hand sanitizer that was available. You can find this stuff on every desk, in every counseling room, people's shirt pockets, and there are even people sized stands around the building that it can be dispensed from. There is also an abundance of Lysol and Lysol wipes around to be used as well. Needless to say, I am starting to become a bit OCD about germs. Good thing there are plenty of people around me that I can talk to about this.

Unfortunately we get a lot of client's that come in off of the street, who use public transportation, who have poor hygiene, and they do not have health insurance, which means they tend to be sick a lot. So considering I do not work with kids, my recent rounds of sickness, seem to come from one place only. Because of this, I have now developed a phobia of letting other people use my pens. I have a bad habit of chewing on my pens, so the thought of letting someone else (especially a client) use one of my pens makes me queasy. I've also recently started feeling queasy every time I have to use the restroom there as well. I have started carrying around little bottles of hand sanitizer (though mine are the kind from Bath and Body that smell like something other than alcohol). My hands are paying the price by starting to look like scales, but it seems to be my only defense. I don't think wearing a face mask during an individual session can be easily explained and definitely is not a skill for building rapport.

So no, you may not use my pen.

Nothing Screams "Classy" Like Pajama Jeans

I've been procrastinating at this whole blogging thing, I know. I never feel as though I have something to write about. Until now. First off, one of the perks about coming home to Lynchburg is the Chiller Channel. A TV station devoted to creepy movies, sci fi stuff, and other greatness. Sounds a lot like SyFy but the Chiller Channel has one thing that SyFy does not. Buffy. Oh yes, there is a 24 hour Buffy marathon on Christmas day (I am asserting my dorkiness, but it's cool, I came to terms with it a long time ago). Now, I own all seven seasons of this show, and every now and then I go on a binge, but there is just something better about it being on TV. With that being said, Cox, you need to up your game and get on top of offering this channel. My boyfriend will probably hate you, but I'm tired of WWE Raw radomly interrupting the programming on SyFy.

Today however I saw by far the most ridiculous product to ever be commercially advertised. Until today, the snuggie held that title. If you want to stay warm and have your hands free, then wear a sweatshirt. But girls, now there are Pajama Jeans. Seriously? These pants are stretchy, look like jeans, are lined with some fleece stuff and do not have zippers or buttons. That's right, they pull on. Apparently you can wear these fantastic pants out on the town and then come home and still be so comfortable that you'll sleep in them. Really they remind me of the tuxedo t-shirts. They are simply sleep pants with jeans painted on them. But wait, theres more! If you order today you'll get a free crew cut t-shirt. Now your outfit is complete. So be sure and order yours today so that you'll be ready to go out with the girls and then go to bed without ever changing clothes. Oh wait. I can do that without pajama jeans.

Baking Challenge Uno

Since the idea behind this blog originally was to chronicle some of my baking adventures, I figured it was time to actually chronicle a said adventure. For Christmas my boyfriend gave me an awesome bread making book. It is not only recipes but really breaks down bread making and explains in detail how to really work with dough. This was the perfect gift for me, because, let's face it, my bread from regular bread recipes were coming out less than yummy. My mom gave me a stand mixer for my birthday, so I had no problem with making the dough, but when it came to baking, the inside was constantly coming out doughy no matter how many different things I tried. I decided that I was over making regular sandwich bread. I read my new book cover to cover and instead of starting with the basics, I decided to tackle the not so basic.

For my first attempt with this book, I decided on Challah. Challah is a sweet Jewish bread that is braided before it is baked. Reading through the recipe it looked incredibly intimidating, but hell, regular bread wasn't coming out any better so I didn't have anything to lose. So I made my dough, let it rise, kneaded it some more, and then stuck it in the fridge. That is one thing that I really like about the bread recipes in this book . You let the dough rise overnight in the fridge (I think this might be secret to not having doughy baked bread or maybe it's the eggs used in this particular bread, just a guess). Anyhow, the next day was baking day, the time when everything goes to shit. I followed the directions precisely and even managed to braid a pretty impressive looking loaf. This time I followed the baking instructions exactly, even leaving the bread in when it appeared that it was over baking. All this hard work resulted in:





Not too shabby. But more importantly, the inside wasn't doughy! Bread baking challenge uno was a success.