Being Accountable

This post was inspired by the hilarious and informative series Erin (ok, Sallie & Perkins) have over at Love, Fun & Football. Sure, theirs is focused on finances but after re-reading a years worth of posts I suddenly had an idea to cure my lack of content lately. 

They have been working steadily over the past year to pay down student debt, and they're doing it, in part by being accountable both on paper and on the blog. Tracking purchases and budgeting, but accepting sometimes things don't go exactly as planned. 

In a year they have paid down over half of their debt, read all about their amazing success here.
Luckily Jay & I have very little in student debt, a story I might tell another time, so that's not what I wanted to talk about. I was inspired by the way Sallie & Perkins kept themselves accountable and I want to apply it to something different. 

Eating. 

After the wedding Jay & I started working really hard towards cleaner eating and just being more mindful of what we were putting into our bodies. For two months we tracked everything we ate and the exercise we did that day, every day. Then we stopped. 

Our goal wasn't weight loss as much as just working on being healthy. Sure, there were perks of weight loss- but we really just wanted to get healthy. 

 We had been using an App to track our eating/exercise and when we stopped I thought I could keep being accountable without the App so I just stopped recording daily. The first couple of weeks 'winging it' weren't so bad, but now a month after stopping I have to admit in the last week I've eaten two bags of cheezies, a bag of chips, two bags of gummy worms and a bag of bridge mixture. Oh, and a huge bowl of ice cream every night and cake, cupcakes and Oreos at work. It was a fun week! 

Self control around the kitchen I just don't have. 

It's a new week and I'm ready to start fresh and make better choices. I mean looking at that list of crap that I ate in just a week I am ashamed and worried. I mean the occasional treat is one thing, but so much so often can't be good. I mean what are gummy worms and cheezies even made of? I'm sure I don't want to know. 

But I do want to try harder. 

So, this morning I got out the measuring scoop and had an appropriate serving of cereal and supplemented it with some fruit! For lunch, I'm skipping the white rice and having a delicious salad. Most importantly, for the time being, I'm going to enter all the information into my trusty App and hopefully start taking better care of myself again. 

I need to. 

When I was sticking with the App, I felt better. Jay and I were walking every night, eating tons of vegetables and drinking water by the jug. I want to catch that feeling again. 

I'm not sure if or how often I'll update on how it's going but I feel better just putting the idea out there. Hopefully now that it's out in the world I'll be more motivated to keep pushing. 

Thanks again Erin for the inspiration! Linking up with the lovely Meg for Mingle Monday!

Any advice for a recently-reformed candy and cheezie addict? 

Keep Smiling :) 

Projects

I've undertaken a few DIY projects and baking experiments over the past couple of years and hope to complete a few more in the coming weeks and months. 

Like the rest of the internet world I take much of my inspiration from Pinterest, you can follow my Pinterest Boards here. 

Below are a few of my DIY/cooking/baking posts, and you can view all of the pins I've tried here.

Living Simply:  Jan.16.13. Pasta & Cupcakes
Trust.Your.Gut: May.3.13 Muffins & Bread
Yummy Chocolate Bark: Feb.12.13 Chocolate Bark
I Made Some Food: Feb.22.12 Guacamole, Pita Chips, Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake 
A Little Valentines DIY: Feb.15.13 Heart Crayons

(Pre) Spring Clean Out

We cleaned and reorganized our apartment from top to bottom this past weekend. I was also eager to try the Throw Out 100 Things challenge that I read about over at Secondhand Sundays earlier this year. 

One thing I was excited to get rid of was our dehumidifier which broke last summer.  We finally took it to a waste depot, along with an old laptop battery and broken printer. It was nice to finally get the dehumidifier out of our apartment after all this time. 

I wanted to make sure we managed to clear out at least 100 things so we kept an inventory:

Donated: 

1-9 Coffee Mugs

10-11 Travel Mugs

12 Fish Bowl

13 Creamer

14 Sugar Dish

15 Knife Block

16 Blackberry Case

17-18 Laundry Baskets

19-20 High-Efficiency Shower Heads (Unused) 

21 Wii Remote Dock

22 Electric Skillet

23-24 Computer Games

25-30 Wii Games 

31-39 Assorted DVDs

40 Boots 

41 Water Bottle

42 Cordless Phone

43 Blanket

44 Slow Cooker (We already have one!) 

45-52  Assorted Jewelry 

53-60 Books and Magazines

61-92 Clothes (jeans, sweaters, shirts we don't wear enough etc) 

Trash and Recycling: 

93 Pyrex Dish (Grease Stains)

94 Plastic Container (Stained and No Lid)

95 Rain Boot Socks (Worn out)

96-97 Two Pairs of Slippers (Worn Out)

98 PJ Pants (Ripped)

99 Jeans (Ripped)

100 Hand Mixer (Broken) 

101 iPod Charger (Broken)

102 Dehumidifier

103 Laptop Battery (Broken)

104 Printer (Broken) 

105 Empty DVD Case

106 Laminator Box

107+ Miscellaneous Papers, Plastics, Expired food, etc. 

Just some of the stuff we cleared out! 

It felt great to clear out so much of the clutter from our apartment. The worst part is that despite the fact we got rid of 107+ things it hardly feels like we got rid of anything! I guess that means we should find some more stuff to clear out! 

If you are feeling overwhelmed by the clutter I definitely suggest undertaking your own 100 Things challenge. Having a target number gave us the push we needed to keep going when our motivation started to wane. 

Pinterest also has a lot of great ideas for clearing up the clutter. One that I love is tagging clothes you don't frequently wear with the date and if the tag is still on them in six months you donate them. It's a great way to keep track of what you do or don't wear. 

My new goal is to buy less, so that we aren't replacing old clutter with new clutter. Hopefully we can be as successful. 

Have you done any (pre) Spring cleaning or re-organizing? Do you have any tips to share? I'm always open to new ideas and challenges so please share any ideas you might have! 

Keep Smiling :) 

A Little Valentine's DIY

So this year, rather than buying pre-made Valentine's Day presents for my friends I've decided to focus my energy on creating a little homemade love to share instead. 

Since I joined Pinterest I have been wanting to try making my own crayons by breaking them up and melting them in the oven. Valentine's Day presented the perfect opportunity, especially when I found a silicone candy tray at the mall. 

I did use this photo tutorial I found on Pinterest to base my experiment on. It really was as simple as it looks!

The best crayons to use for this project are old, broken crayons that have had their fun colouring pictures over the years but unfortunately I didn't have any old crayons. I bought four cheap boxes of crayons to use for this project and enlisted Jay's help in peeling them all (his method was far more efficient)! 

I then used an old cutting board and knife to chop the crayons to bits. Around this time you should also pre-heat the oven to about 230-250 degrees. 

Once your crayons are peeled and chopped you just put them in the silicone candy tray. 

Bake the crayons for about fifteen minutes, or until they are entirely melted. Remove from oven and let cool. Patience isn't really my thing so after about five minutes on the counter I put the tray in the freezer for another fifteen minutes of so to re-harden the wax. 

Sidenote: Some of the wax separated leaving a layer of clear wax on the back of the crayon. I started stirring my final batches to avoid this, but I think the problem was the brand of crayons I chose. If you spend a lot of time colouring you can probably see a difference in types of crayons, some look more waxy than others. I think Crayola, or similar texture to Crayola crayons would be best for this project. 

Once completely cooled pop the crayons out of the tray and colour away! You can also package them up to share with your friends! 

Voila! Beautifully shaped crayons! 

Tips and Suggestions

• I've seen examples on Pinterest where metal muffin trays have been used, this might work. I'd recommend silicone just because you can easily pop the crayons out afterwards. 
• I did make some solid coloured crayons, do these first if you are reusing your tray as it gets harder and harder to get all the crayon shards out of the tray, so you end up with yellow flecked with blue (which is cool in itself). 
• I recommend using a muffin pan (and knife and cutting board if possible), you don't plan to bake with in the future as it is quite difficult to clean all the wax off. 
• Make sure your silicone tray is oven safe so there are no surprises.
• The wax in the crayons I used separated, leaving a layer of clear wax. To avoid this I stirred my final batches with toothpicks and filled the trays a little fuller. 
• Have fun!

Did you give it a try? I'd love to hear how it worked for you and if you have any ideas on how to further improve the process. 

Keep Smiling :) 

Living Simply

This is the first year in recent memory when I didn't set and post a lengthy list of resolutions or goals for myself. I did brainstorm a few ideas (the usual: spend less, eat healthy, work harder, etc) but I am trying to let change happen more organically rather than putting unnecessary stress on myself. 

One of my loosely framed goals, even prior to the new year, was to be more mindful about what I am eating. Not to lose weight as much as to eat less chemicals and think a little more about what I am choosing to eat. 

Since we've been back in Ottawa we've been trying harder to make better choices and cook more from scratch. Having K-Fed living with us is also helping to expand our standard meal rotations, we've eaten something new and exciting every night for the last two weeks. 

I made one delicious pasta dish from scratch that I am proud of, check out the pictures below. Chicken, veggies and noodles tossed in homemade lemon basil garlic sauce, served with homemade garlic bread. It was quite the undertaking (it might not sound like it, but it really was!), and turned out delicious! 

This weekend I also made some Superfood Chocolate Cupcakes from a recipe in Chatelaine. Again, far greater an undertaking then it sounds, and I even made a meringue style icing to go on top. I'll be honest, I didn't love them (due to the flax-seed), but Jay and K-Fed enjoyed them. 

I also made homemade fruit snacks (fruit leather), which tastes delicious but didn't photograph well so until I make another prettier batch you will just have to imagine it. I just pureed cranberry sauce, peach slices and a little bit of honey. Then pour it thinly on a baking sheet and baked at 170F for about 7 hours, until it dried out. Really easy and delicious! 

This cooking thing isn't without flaws, I made another pasta dish with steak and veggies but it just wasn't as delicious. Tonight I also tried to make some oatmeal cookies but my experimenting nature led to them being a little unbalanced (too thick instead of gooey). I am enjoying having more control over what ingredients are in what I am eating though so expect many more stories about my (mis)adventures in the kitchen over the coming weeks. 

I am hoping to extend this simple living thing to other aspects of my life. I want to clear the clutter in my life and try and be less of a consumer, buying more of what I need and less stuff I want for superficial reasons. This is a more difficult aspect of my master plan, so it's something I plan to work on over the next few months. I've seen a lot of great ideas in the blog world the past few days, one is Kate's Seven In Seven idea for eliminating clothing she no longer wears, found here.  Another idea I loved was one shared by Bekuh at Secondhand Sundays. She is getting rid of 100 things by donating, recycling and throwing away what can't be reused. 

We haven't had a chance to start our one 100 Things list just yet, but when I do I think I'll share it. What's the fun of making a list if it isn't being shared, right? 

Speaking of sharing I do have a few pictures from the past few days and some of my yummy creations! 

The picture is a little smokey but it smelled too good to wait for a better picture! 

Homemade garlic cheese pitas 

Jay modelling some fab new glasses I picked up at Nans.

Seriously, I made this, all of it, and decorated. I think this is my best work yet :) 

Hope you are having a wonderful week, only two days until the sweet glory of weekend! Yay! 

Keep Smiling :) 

Quest for Happiness [Day 18]

Holy Moly! I've been blogging for 18 days straight now! One thing that definitely made me happy today is that realization. I wasn't convinced I'd be able to keep this up when I started so I am pleased with my progress so far.

I'll admit yesterday's entry was a tad bit cheesy, I just love that joke! Today I'm headed in a different direction. 

I want to share some of my big dreams, things I want to accomplish and places I want to go. I've been working on my "Bucket List" for many years so I'll share the highlights.

Before you start reading, this may not be a conventional bucket list. Some of my ideas are a little abstract rather than events I can scratch off a list. My thought is, once I'm old and grey I can look back and hopefully feel like I accomplished all I set out to. Those in bold are things I've already seen or done!

Travelling Soul: Places to See

Travel my own country: Visit all the provinces and territories, I'm about half-way on this!

Visit France: See the Eiffel Tower

Go to Australia: Hold a Koala Bear and see the Sydney Opera House

Visit London, England: Visit Big Ben, Double Decker Buses; Buy awesome Royal Family masks!

Go to Scotland: My father & grandparents went when he was young and I've been curious ever since.

See New York from the Empire State Building
See Toronto from the CN Tower

Take Action: Trying New Things

Go rock climbing and repel myself: It took three months, and a few tears but I did it!

Ride a mechanical bull: Anyone know where to find one?

White Water Rafting

Camp every summer

Run a marathon

Hike the Confederation Trail

Go to a Broadway Show

Milk a cow

Ride a horse

Learn to understand one sport: I'm working on hockey & football it's going to take time though!

Being Responsible: Staying Safe and Healthy

Spend money wisely and always have money in a savings account

Become a good, safe driver: I need to conquer my nerves on this one!

Wear sunscreen

Eat right and exercise often to keep healthy

Read everyday (screen time doesn't count!)

Eat fruit and vegetables daily

Take multivitamins: I don't try hard enough at this one. 

I love football, I'm just not always sure how it works!

Live, Laugh, Love: The Abstract Goals

Own a house

Laugh everyday

Learn to forgive (Accept that mistakes happen)

Worry less, stay calm and don't panic!

Keep my family close

Stay in touch with friends: My ability to do this fluctuates, sometimes I pull away- I need to fix that!

Get Hitched and start a family

Practice Yoga

Go to Church

Get wild and crazy sometimes

Have my written work published: Three years on the university paper taught me a lot!

Read War and Peace

Making a Difference: Sharing and Developing Talents

Discover a job that I love where I can make a difference: I had one, now to find another!

Feel accomplished at the end of each day

Have a positive impact in the lives of others

Become bilingual

Graduate university with distinction

Volunteer in a soup kitchen

Donate Blood as often as possible

Become a strong confident leader

Always seize opportunities to learn new things

If you don't already have a Bucket List, I highly recommend taking some time to write one. When you know what you want out of life you are one step closer to having it.

My progress has stalled on a lot of these, especially traveling. I am slowly scavenging pennies for a trip to Europe that will hopefully scratch many of those goals off my list. With my recent decision to not work this summer and to go back to school it might be a good time to work on some of the other goals!

Ironically, given how this blog started, for the first time in 18 days I do not plan to write again for the next four days. I am taking a tech-vacation (ok, and a real vacation!)

Technology connects us, allows us to learn from one another and to share our stories. It also keeps us up all night, distracts us from connecting with those we actually live with, and encourages us to sit on our butts rather than enjoy the sunshine.

As much as I love blogging I am excited to take a few days off and get out and see some sights! Don't worry I will make up for it with lots of photos and stories upon my return to the world of technology.

Keep Smiling :)