Break time

Hey everyone. I've started a million blog posts and get stuck after 3 sentences. It's been a long couple of weeks and I'm going to take this week to just be me and enjoy my Birthday weekend. I'm sorry for being lame, but I promise I will be back with vengeance after this trip. Thanks everyone for your understanding.

Vlog Sunday- Birthdays, Babies, and Bad Weather!

Saturdance

Robyn is one of my favorite artists and anyone that knows me, knows that! I love the idea of using clear tubing as textile and it's super cool how they use it in this video. Happy Saturday y'all. It's snowing here. We are trying to get to the hospital to visit a friend, but we are waiting for the storm to clear first. We will see what happens.

Brain Scramble

Hey everyone. Sorry for the ill planned blog posts and lack there of. This week stuff around the house has been all sorts of out of whack! It started this past weekend when I got in a fight with my best friend over miscommunications. Both of us hurt each others feeling and things got out of hand real quick. Then On Sunday I went to go film my video and my camera died half way through the darn thing in a place were there was no turning back, so that was a fail. Monday I had to take Jim to the E.R. . He had hit his knee on the dog gate and it swelled up all huge and turned purple. The doctor thought he broke his knee cap. Thank goodness he didn't, he did manage to hit it so hard that the joints filled up with blood and they gave him this fancy knee brace thing. That same day I got a call for an order for 10 hair flowers that I sell in my Etsy shop. Of course they need them by Friday. I am not complaining at all about this, in fact I'm super stoked about it. But with all of this going on it still makes me a busy gal. Then with all of this going on the kitchen sink clogs up and and it's been 2 days trying to fix it. Our house is so old that we have cast iron pipes so we can't use Draino or anything like that to fix it. I had to do the dishes in the bathroom sink last night. That sucked real bad.  I also have made the decision to get strict about meal planning and setting a budget for food. This has led to us trying new recipes and Jim is helping alot with it. We have started sharing cooking duty and cleaning up in the kitchen. I love that my partner is crime is there even for the poopy stuff too. :) Tuesday night I made Lasagna cupcakes. They turned out even better then I thought they would, and the best part is they were simple and didn't take long at all! Last night I made Cornmeal and chive waffles with a friend egg and salsa. Now I'm usually not one for savory breakfast food, but this was awesome. I made the salsa myself . I honestly was pretty impressed with myself. All of the recipes I mentioned in this post I found on Pinterest. It's been raining since Monday here and it's not supposed to let up until Next Monday. My best friend and I made up, if you were wondering. We are both hard headed and I'm sometimes super sensitive so that combo doesn't always work out so well. It doesn't help that we live hundreds of miles away from each other, which is one reason why I think I took this fight so badly. I miss my two best friends very much and it's hard not being able to just hang out with them, it's a whole planning process. It's been more then a year since I've seen either one in person. That is far to long.

I'm sorry this is so jumbled and all over the place. That's kind of how I feel right now. Well I have a busy day of crafting and plumbing, so I will check in with all of you soon.

Salsa making adventure

Creamy Polenta with Meatballs.

I know that I normally stick to baking posts, but I thought I would mix it up and write about dinner this time. When we stayed with friends in Sacramento, they made us this awesome recipe and when we got home I had to try it myself. It's fairly simple and easy to make. Although this was my first time cooking polenta. I leaned that you need to look for the fine grain kind when doing creamy polenta. We did not do this and our was a little gritty. It still tasted great and would make it again, it was just "different" this time. Lets get started.

Meatball Ingredients:

1lb. Ground beef (you can use turkey/pork or a mixture if you like)

1/4 medium yellow onion

tsp garlic (I use pre-chopped)

dash of pepper

dash of salt

dash of red pepper flake

1/8 cup Parmesan cheese 

1/4 cup Italian style bread crumbs

1 egg

Preheat oven to 350F degrees

 

 Mix all the ingredients together and shape into balls. I made 12 meatballs and it worked out great for us. We had enough for that night and then lunch the next day. In a pan brown all sides of the meatball and then stick in the oven for about a half hour.

While your balls are in the oven (ha ha) you can start your polenta. 

Polenta ingredients:

4cups chicken stalk

1 cup polenta (not the instant kind)

1/2 cup milk or cream

3 Tbsp butter

mozzarella cheese

salt and pepper to taste

  In a large saucepan bring the chicken stalk to a boil and then whisk in the polenta and butter. Let cook for about 15 minutes on medium heat, stirring frequently. The polenta will start to thicken, add in the milk and desired amount of cheese and seasonings and cook for another ten minutes.

 

 At this point your going to need marinara sauce. I just used a can of pre-made stuff and added some onions and seasonings. Heat that for about 5 minutes and then your ready to plate!

Here it is. It turned out super yummy and will totally make it again. I don't think my photo does it justice, but it really was great. I served this with a side salad and both of us were stuffed. 

Have a great day y'all.

Saturdance

Ok I know Tegan and Sara are super cliche, but I love them and have for a while. So much so that for about a year I listened to nothing but them! Most of my friends now hate them because of that! Well this one is for Halley. One of my dearest friends. I love you and thanks for taking me to see T+S. One of the best days ever!!!!

Homemade detoxifying mask- DIY

With all the fun I had last week on  our mini vacation my face was feeling a little under the weather. Not to mention this winter has done weird things to my face. I chose all natural products that had healing qualities. I know this sounds all new age hooey, but this was my first time trying it and I was pleasantly surprised. Here's what I put in it and why...

Oatmeal- sooths the skin and moisturizes

Honey- has natural anti-biotic qualities

Sugar- the small grit isn't harsh and helps remove dead skin

Baking soda- Helps to clear up break outs, but can dry skin out

lemon- the citric acid helps problem areas and will lighted scars and imperfections

Measurements

5 Tbsp Oatmeal

1 Tbsp Honey

1 Tbsp Sugar

1/2 Tbsp Baking Soda

The juice of 1/2 lemon

 You will also need a coffee grinder or food processor to grind down the oatmeal. You don't want this to be chunky. Also I hope that you know that you should be using plain oats, not any fancy flavor. While peaches and cream is great for breakfast, not so great for your face!!!!

Once you have ground your oatmeal add all the ingredients, making sure to add the lemon last. When you add the lemon juice it will bubble up and look awesome. When you stir it the bubble will dissipate. If it's a little watery add some more oats until it's thick enough to put on your face.

Next you want to make sure your hair is pulled back. Once that is done, go ahead and slather the stuff on your face. Now I'm not going to lie to you, it feels like your rubbing cookie dough on your face. I also took the liberty to taste it and it tastes like wheat thins. Once it's on your face rub it in and then let it sit for 10-15 minutes or until you feel it start to harden.

 

Sexy, I know right!?

After you wash your face your face will feel super soft. I waited a couple of days to post this because I wanted to make sure that it didn't dry out my skin and it didn't. You also may have some left over and you can save for a week-ish and use it again if you like. I would avoid doing this everyday because it will dry your skin out if you have normal to dry skin. I recommend doing this once a week as a way for your face to recuperate from all the makeup and air pollutants. 

I hope this has helped and I hope you give it a try. 

See ya soon!

Freedom is Knowledge: Kony2012

I know this is a long post, with no pictures, but please take a minute to read this. It means a lot to me and it may make a difference in the way you see things.

     The Kony 2012 campaign hit the Internet this week and like a moth to a flame, young, hipster attention seeking cool kids started blowing up every social network possible. While this is great and I totally support free speech and the right to assemble, I have a few issues with this movement.
     I sat down last night and Jim and I watched the moving video made by Jason Russell of Invisible Children. This video is heart wrenching, filled with images of children walking hours to a school were they could safely sleep. It also included images of Jason's son being born and then him growing into a vibrant toddler that is then told about a bad man in Africa.  What Jason explains is that; the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) is a self made army guided by Joesph Kony that abducts children and forces them to be soldiers. He then talks about friends he's made while in Uganda that have managed to escape Kony's wrath. Jason goes on to talk about his efforts to bring down Kony and how the U.S. government turned a blind eye.  Followed by clips of people protesting across the U.S., all in efforts for our government to see that this issue is big enough to send our troops to Uganda to take down this terrorist. Images of Hitler mixed with sad African children instantly make you want to get up and call congress. With all of this how could the president not see it. Well he did. Obama deployed 100 soldiers to help the Ugandan army take down the LRA. Good work! If interest is lost then the troops will be pulled, because troops only go were the people want them to!?  He explains Invisible Children's plan to take down Kony is to make him famous. He shows a list of Celebrities and Congress who he is hoping will take interest in Kony 2012 and that by having social media involved it will open the eyes to the millions of people that before this week had no idea who Joseph Kony is/was. Keeping Kony's name relevant in tern makes government see that the American masses are aware of this situation and think it's something that needs to be stopped. Jason ends this 30 minute video by showing that you can donate, or buy this all in one protest kit, including fashionable (kabala-esk) bracelets and posters to slather against walls and store fronts.
     Now I will be the first to admit that I did not know who Joseph Kony was prier to this video. I did however know about the children soldiers. But with all the poverty, disease and unfortune in most of Africa, it all gets swept under the rug. This video did open my eyes to a bigger problem, but I think that what Invisible Children is missing is that removing Kony isn't going to solve many of the problems in Africa, or even Uganda. Kony is not the only man revolting against the African government, and while the LRA is the largest, if the LRA is taken down, then it will just be another group stepping in to take their place.
      Lets talk about issues. Yoweri Museveni is the President of Uganda and is going on his 4th term as president, making his ruling more then 25 years. Their idea of democracy is a little (a lot) different then ours. With little social service, corruption is rampat. Do we need to mention genital mutilation for women? Should we even get started talking about the lack of health care and wide spread aids epidemic? What about the Skippy scandal of the 1990's that poisoned many Africans because their only source of food was the super chemical filled peanut butter the  U.S. company supplied for them. These are the things that are not even hinted at in the Kony video. How is taking down the LRA going to effect any of those problems.  
     The main point of this viral video  is get people to talk about it. I feel with that, the video is a success. Where it goes wrong for me is that they are urging people to get active and to call congress and stand up for this campaign, and people are with little knowledge rather then a 30 minute well produced video. I think that using social media is a great idea. We are in the age of facebook, for peets sake, your reading this from my BLOG post. Social media is everywhere and using it to your advantage is what it was made for.  People aren't looking at any of the other facts beside, bad man = must be taken down. Part of the problem is that IC has found it's nitch; sleek modern imagery that appeals to young adults. While that works and has got people's attention, I don't think it goes much farther then that. You have America's attention... what comes next? IC has been criticized by people as "show boaters" or "part of the white man's burden", with lots to say and the ability to swoop in and take credit, but there are many organizations silently working to help Africa with it's many problem including Kony and the LRA. 
     My main point through this whole post is that Kony does need to be taken down, and this is a, smart eye catching, thought provoking, campaign. I'm all for becoming an advocate for this cause, but before you do, make sure that you are educated on the subject. Make sure that Invisible Children is an organization that you want to be affiliated with, there are lots of organizations that have similar goals with less propaganda.  I will provide some links to other charities that have similar agendas and you can make a choice for yourself.  

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I am writing this not as slander against Kony2012, but as a person with objective thoughts. I am not the smartest person, nor do I claim to be, but I feel like this is an  opportunity for young people to make a difference, a smart, educated difference.

Caritas Uganda, 

AYINET

Refugee Law Project

All three of this charities are great are are worth taking a look at.

Saturdance

Last night was a blast, but I'm paying for it now! 

This song always reminds me of Sacramento and randome adventures Cora and Amanda shared with me. 

Have a great Saturday everyone. I tried to get some videos last night, but it was to dark. So I'm working on something else... equally as awesome!

United states of Nicole

Did any of you lovelies watch "United States of Tara". Jim and I found it on Netflix and got so engrossed in it that we watched all 3 seasons in two days.  If you haven't seen the show, it's about a woman (Tara) who has multiple personalities and her life with her family and how they deal with her and her "alters". One of the alters is Alice. Alice is this lady who jumps straight out of 1950 and is a "June Cleaver" type. 

I'm saying all of this, because this is my Alice outfit. When I got dressed  I looked at myself in the miror and totally thought that this was my version of "Alice". 

We are 2 days into our vacation. We are headed to our favorite bar tonight and meeting up with some great friends. Sacramento is always so nice to visit. When I was young I alsways talked about moving and not living there anymore and how happy I would be, but when I visit , the place still feels like home and I could totally see our little family being back and totally happy! I miss being able to ride my bike to the grocery store and walking to go get coffee and donuts in the morning. You can't really walk anywere in Sonora.

Ok well Im off. Enjoy your day everyone! See you tomorrow for Saturdance!!!!

 

OOTD-

T-shirt- walmart

Sweater- Torrid

Skirt/dress- Kohl's

Shoes- don't remember :(

Galaxy Nail Tutorial-ish

Ok, Let me start out by saying that I'm not super awesome at doing nails. I'm not sure if it's because I have super short nails or if my skills are just not that developed, but I had a hell of a time with this tecnique. I am saying this because I'm sure that I'm not the only one and I know that not everything turns out perfect all the time. 

I started out by watching a million Youtube videos on how to do this. My first attempt turned out not so great, so I went back and watched more videos to refresh myself. The second time around wasn't any better. Finally I got mad enough to try it one more time. Now this still isn't great, but I wanted to show you the proccess I used so you can try it and maybe it's just me not getting it. 

STUFF YOU WILL NEED

• PRIMER
• TOPCOAT
• BLACK NAIL POLISH
• MAKEUP SPONGE
• ASSORTED COLORS (FOR YOUR NEBULA)
• SMALL GLITTER NAIL POLISH
• OPTIONAL- TWEEZERS

 Prime your nails and then paint them black. let them dry a few minutes. 

I didn't have a makeup sponge so I used a foam roller. Cut a small chunk out of your sponge/roller and if you like use the tweezers to hold your small chunk. 

Sponge on streaks of white to create your nebula 

Next sponge on yellow or your whatever color you have chosen.  After that then take another color (I chose pink) and sponge that on the edges of the yellow.

Also sponge on some dark blue on the edges of the pink to blend it into the black. I didn't do this the first time and I think the blue makes a big difference. 

Take a tooth pick or any small dotting tool and use white to make little dots to represent starts.

Next cover with a fine glitter nail polish, this will add more "stars". This really helps pull the look together. Well it's supposed to. Then finish off with a top coat and you should have Galaxy nails...

This was attempt #1

Attempt #2

These last two are attempt #3

Here is what they are supposed to look like!