Updates!

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted! I have one more month of class before I walk in graduation and I student teach next semester. Hopefully you'll see a lot more of me in the upcoming months.

So here are some goals for my blog that I'm already working towards!

June 2013 - 30 days of Pinterest projects. I'm going to complete thirty things that I've pinned on Pinterest! A crazy undertaking, but I want to feel like Pinterest actually helps me to be productive.

July 2013 - 30 days of crochet! I want to feature 30 different crochet projects from many different sources. I'm working hard to get them all done!

August 2013 - I'm going to debut a new line for my Etsy store, which will include 25 crocheted items, along with separate listings for their patterns. Hopefully, I'll be able to do this!

In other news, my friend introduced me to an awesome website - lang-8.com. The site allows you to practice writing in whatever language you are learning (in my case, Spanish) and have your entry edited by a native speaker. You can even get suggestions like, "this is correct, but you would never hear anyone say that..." and so forth. And you get to edit entries in your own native language. Which means I get to learn a new language and help others learn mine!

My goal is to write a post a day to improve my Spanish. I found this wonderful Pinterest board with many, many wonderful ideas for writing prompts.

Happy Friday!

Reading Wednesday: Destined by Aprilynne Pike

Never pick this book up if you are planning on getting a good night's sleep! I couldn't put it down and read practically the whole thing in one sitting. (And stayed up past when I should have gone to bed). This is the final book in the "Wings" series and it was just as amazing as the first three. Seriously, if you need a good read, pick these up. The book kept you hanging on the whole time as it follows Laurel, Tamani, David, Chelsea and their whole gang of friends as they fight to save Avalon.

Tasty Tuesday: Mac and Cheese

To find a recipe for today, I just went onto Pinterest and found the first recipe I had all the ingredients for. I came across this pin, a recipe for revolutionary Mac and Cheese.

This pin (and many others) can be found on my Recipes to Try board.

Ingredients
1 cup noodles
1 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheese
Salt to taste
1 small squirt mustard

1. Place milk and noodles in a saucepan, bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook for another 20 to 25 minutes until noodles are soft. Make sure milk doesn't boil.
2. Remove from heat. Add cheese and salt. Cover and let sit for five minutes.
3. Add mustard and stir before serving.

Notes: I would recommend using sharp cheddar (or any cheddar), and not a random cheese mix like I did. The original website also recommends using Dijon mustard instead of normal mustard, I just didn't have any on hand. For more suggestions and such, use my pin to check out the original recipe.

Sorry about the quality of the pictures - my camera died, and these are from my iPad. (Which I love! I just doesn't have a super great camera/)

Funky Friday: To the Zoo Baby Frame

Congratulations to my little sister - she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy! Little Eli was born almost a month ago, and here is a gift I made for my sister to celebrate.

Here's the pin that inspired my project:

This pin, among others, can be view on my Baby Ideas board.

I loved the poem, but not the frame, necessarily. Plus, I think the one I made fits better with my sister's family and my first nephew. =)

Materials needed:
Wooden frame (you can find these at Michaels for $1)
Acrylic Paint
Pre-made wooden animals/figures
Glue
Card stock
Paintbrush

Directions:
1. Paint frame. For me, it's easiest just to squirt a blob of paint directly on the frame and use the paintbrush to spread around. Saves having to use a paper plate. I chose blue, since my sister was having a boy.
2. After paint has dried, arrange pre-made wooden figures on the frame. Glue on.
3. Type up and print out poem. I printed it on card stock so that it would be more rigid and  fit well in the frame.

Go Lumberjacks!

Nothing much to post today - but it's game day, so go lumberjacks!

Reading Wednesday: Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

This book was amazing! I read the entire thing in a 24 hour period because I just couldn't put it down. The author does a brilliant job creating and voicing the two very dynamic characters. This book follows a Hispanic gangster, Alejandro, and a preppy cheerleader, Brittany, both with secrets and home lives very different than you would imagine. If you're looking for a good read, pick this up!

(Caution: Does contain some PG-13 material, including language and sex).

Reading Wednesday: The Sweet By and By by Sara Evans, Rachel Hauck

I love books by Rachel Hauck, so I've been trying to read any book of hers I can find. She writes Christian chick literature. (Which is sort of like normal chick-lit (or chick-flicks), but Christian). I really enjoyed this book. It was intriguing and kept you wondering what had happened in the past and what was going to happen - the book switched between flashbacks and present tense, so you unravel the characters' pasts as you move forward in the story. This story follows Jade as she reconciles with her past and moves forward with her future. Jade owns a vintage shop (as in a store that sells vintage items) and is about to get married. But some things from the past are about to get in her way.