Photo 366 :: A photo a day challenge

Tomorrow, I am going to start the Photo 366 :: A photo a day challenge. (click on the yellow words, to find the original details)

I learned about this challenge over at Joy's Hope. It started in January...which bothers me a little bit to have not started at the beginning...but I thought, WHATEVER, better to start now than get months behind, and wish I would have just started in March!

Now to be honest, I've already failed at this challenge once. On my birthday last year, I decided I wanted to do 'a photo a day', and so then on my birthday this year, I would have 365 pictures that captured "Year 25" of my life. I was going to make a small coffee table book with the pictures. But, it only lasted about 13 days. I had a hard time finding something to capture. Some days are boring, and nothing seems interesting enough to take a picture of. Even though the point is to find beauty in everyday life and to capture the mundane moments, I was still struggling. BUT...THIS CHALLENGE gives you a prompt each day. Perfect! A guideline, an idea, for 366 pictures!

So, here are March's prompts.

Check out Julie, Erin & April's  interpretations of a photo a day!
You can also find this challenge on Facebook.
I can't wait to join in, and you should too!

P.S. Maybe I will end up making a book from April-April & title it "Year 26", but I'm going to go ahead and start now, in March, for extra practice!

Cameo Projects : Sneak Peak

A few in-process projects using my Silhouette Cameo.

SAYONARA, Scotty

Last week, at Camp, we said goodbye to the Stevens' Family.

Scotty picked me up from the airport on May 30, 2006, being the first person I ever met from Camp. Scotty & Sarah Jo have been at Hole in the Wall since 2005 in various capacities. They have been amazing colleagues and friends. Now, along with their two precious kids, Lily & Fisher, they have packed up and moved to Carnation, Washington. Scotty is the new Assistant Camp Director at Camp Korey.

Without getting too emotional (leaving that up to you, Scotty)...this sums up how I feel about it.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! 

Kong, who makes weekly appearances at Camp, joined us at Midway for a going-away party for Scotty & Sarah Jo.

Before the Midway farewell, before his last day at work, we had to get a fill of Diet Coke & Camouflage at an outdoor Bunkhouse BBQ in Scotty's honor.

*tear* This is our Team. *tear*

There definitely won't be enough Diet Coke or camouflage around here anymore. Or laughing, because Scotty is funny. And every one else...well...they aren't as funny as Scotty.

Scotty & Fisher, Grandma DiDi, Sarah Jo, and Lily Faye

 

Hope you are having a great first week at the new j.o.b!

Ben still doesn't read my blog. Did I ever tell you I like you waaaay more?

Embroidery Giveaway

Yuck & Yum.

On Sunday, I decided to do a little cooking.
I found this low-cal Oatmeal Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe on Pinterest.
I won't even share it with you.

Because, they WEREN'T good! I took a bite out of one, and threw it, and the other 11 away. I get sad when I see them in the trash, but they tasted like cardboard & baking soda mixed together with a little mushed banana. Yuck!
I wish I hadn't wasted 3 bananas on these, because I'm sure I could have found some high-calorie Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins that would have been delicious! Bummer.

But, while these were baking, I did make a tasty Egg Salad.
Hilary has been bringing egg salad to lunch every so often recently, and it got me craving it.
When I think of egg salad, I think of my dad's cousin, Selena. I could be way wrong, but I think she used to make it when she served lunch at church. And, that's the only time I think I have ever eaten egg salad sandwiches (I'm not a huge fan of eggs). But, Selena's egg salad sandwiches, that I probably had only once a year while growing up, is a very random craving I get.
I didn't have her recipe, but I combined a few recipes I found online.

Can you tell that my favorite color is green?

Ingredients included:
-hard boiled eggs
-mayo
-yellow mustard
-dijon mustard
-purple onion
-paprika
-dill weed
-salt & pepper

I even treated myself to croissants & bacon! Yum!

So, 2 thumbs down for low-cal Oatmeal Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, and 2 thumbs up for Egg Salad Sandwiches (not quite as good as Selena's, but I'll work on it!)

Oops!

Embroidery

I've had a few request for embroider projects after my mom framed her last year's birthday present.

So, I pulled out a few hoops I had on hand, and had a lot of fun creating different frames with fabric, stamps, buttons and beads. 

And...it's time for another Pink Antler Give-a-way. Comment on this post, and you will be entered to win an embroidered piece of your own!


Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Claire's Book

You may remember that my little sister, Claire, won Pink Antlers first give-a-way.

Well, her prize is in the mail, on the way to Manhattan, Kansas.

Here's what she's receiving:

Supplies: journal, washi tape, embroidery floss, book pages, and type writer print (sketched on my Cameo Silhouette) 

For my studious baby sister, who is a freshman in college. 

 

Today.

Happy

 Valentine's

 Day!

Love,

Pink Antlers

Tonight, Petunia and I are ordering take-out Indian food, pouring a few glasses of wine, and watching last nights episode of 'The Bachelor'!

I hope you all had a great Tuesday, and remember, as Josh Groban sings..."You Are Loved"

And, if you are a Josh Groban fan, as we are at Camp, check this out!

Jimmy Fallon, Josh Groban, Jake Gyllenhall, Trisha Yearwood, and campers from each Hole in the Wall Camp around the world, are performing live at Lincoln Center in New York City. April 2, 2012. All proceeds go to The Association of Hole in the Wall Camps. 

Tickets on sale now! (Box office tickets start at $35.) Click here for more information.

Weekend

 I spent my weekend here. At my table. It was lovely alone time, and there were great movies on TV for perfect background noise. You know, movies you have seen a dozen times, so you don't need to watch them, but you can listen and still know exactly what's going on, like..."Stepmom" "Miss Congientality" "The Notebook" "Pretty Woman". 

I also ran 8 miles. 3 on Saturday, 5 on Sunday, and was up and running before work this morning. Training is paying off, and I'm starting to enjoy it...a little. Hope I didn't just jinx myself. There is still 60+ days until the half, and many-a-miles to go!

I am going into Boston tonight (we are hosting a group interview at Harvard), and I hope to run into the Cambridge Paper Source, so that this week I can finish some of the projects spread across my table...and then I'll share them with you! 

Happy Monday!

Valentine

While browsing blogs last week, I came across this Valentine. 

I loved the simplicity, and the 'coin' roll design. 

Just print out the handy pre-made sheet {found here} of valentines onto kraft colored paper or cardstock. Cut each rectangle out and roll it around package of BreathSavers candy. You can secure the wrappers with tape or glue. Then crimp in the ends like you would do with a roll of pennies.

If we work together, act like you've never seen this before when it appears in your mailbox on Tuesday! 

Snapshots

Sketchy

For Christmas, I got a Silhouette CAMEO. It is an amazing machine.

"The Silhouette CAMEO™ is an electronic cutting tool for personal use. Like a home printer, it plugs into your PC or Mac® with a simple USB cable. However, instead of printing it uses a small blade to cut paper, cardstock, vinyl, fabric and more up to 12" wide and 10 feet long. The machine also boasts a quiet motor and the ability to register and cut printed materials." 

At first, I admit, I was not completely sold. My paper was tearing when I tried to take it off the mat and I couldn't figure out the rollers.
But, I gave it some time (and ordered a scraper & spatula to delicately remove the paper off the mat) and now I LOVE it. When I ordered a scraper & spatula, I also ordered sketch pens. 
So, instead of a blade, you insert a pen, and it sketches your design!
Check out my first sketch project. 

I'm slightly obsessed. You can sketch anything! And, some of the designs you can buy ($0.50) through Silhouette, are perfectly, extra 'sketchy'; like this bike. Love. 
I have lots of plans for my Silhouette. And of course, I will share them with you; the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

Frito Snack Mix

The last weekend in January, I invited a few long-time Camp friends from Boston, NYC & New Haven to come to Vernon for the weekend. We had a great time hanging out at The Mansions, and playing lots of Boxers & Briefs and Scattergories. 

Before they came I made a Fritos Sweet Snack Mix. I remember munching on this as a child, particularly while we drove to Colorado for family ski trips. It was a huge hit for back-to-back game nights!

Fritos® Sweet Snack Mix

A wonderful combination of sweet and salty!

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups brown sugar
2 sticks butter

1/2 cup Karo® syrup
1 box rice Chex®
1 bag Fritos®
1 can peanuts or mixed nuts (I used peanuts)
1 bag M&M's®

DIRECTIONS:
 1. In a large bowl mix all dry ingredients (minus the M&M's).
2. Bring sugar, butter and syrup to a boil.
3. Pour caramel mixture over the mix and stir.
4. Spread in two 9x13 cake pans.
5. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes, stir and bake another 8 minutes.
6. Pour in brown paper bag to cool, mixing every so often to keep from clumping together. 7. Once totally cool, add M&M's.

Jess, Haley, Sarah, Claire, Christine and I at Max Burger in West Hartford. 

Thanks for making the trip to Vernon, ladies...let's do it again soon!

A travel read

I made it back safe and sound from Dallas.
It was an interesting trip there, with an emergency landing due to a left-wing malfunction. Scary.
But, once I got safely to Texas, it was truly a fantastic weekend catching up with friends, and just...being us. It felt so good.
Now it's time to pop some popcorn, and get ready for Episode 6 of The Bachelor. 
But, first, I wanted to share a book that I finally started.
I bought The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson (a favorite author of my Dad's) before I went home for Christmas, but didn't read it. 
Today, when I was on my way back from Texas, I finally cracked it open. 

"A touching and emotional read. James Patterson is mostly noted for his thrillers, but he knows the romance genre too. Not to mention that he throws in a few twists along the way. The characters feel like real people with real problems. They are people I truly came to care about. The storyline flowed beautifully from page to page. I couldn't put this book down. I wanted to know what would happen next. It's a fast-paced story with realistic characters. I can honestly say I will miss these characters very much." (Yvonne, SocratesBookReviews)

I concur and highly recommend it.
Any suggestions on another good read? 

Sneak 2012

Tomorrow I am boarding a plane to Dallas, Texas. 
Six of my sorority sisters and I are getting together for a mini sneak.
Each year during college, our pledge class took a 'sneak'.  
The idea of Sneak is to not tell anyone you are leaving town, and 'sneak away' for some serious sister bonding time. Before you leave, you prank the sorority house, and then head out for a weekend o' fun!


Freshman Sneak: Kansas City, Kansas *can't find any pictures!* 

While our whole pledge class is not getting together, it is so exciting to think of spending 3 days with 6 of my best friends from college. 

I've got our sneak party favors packed and my liver prepped...peace out Connecticut! 

Zuk, Amy, Meetz, Liz, Mon & Case...I can't wait to see you tomorrow! 

First Day of the Month

Happy February 1! 

(and Happy Birthday to my brother-in-law)

I love the first day of the month. And one of the reasons is {nerd alert} turning the calendar.
If you know me well, you know I have a thing for 'desk supplies'. Paper, notebooks, pens, pencils, paper clips, binder clips, calendars, envelopes, address stamps, staplers, tape dispensers...well, really anything you can find in the 'office' or on a 'desk'.
When I was younger, a secretary at my dad's work had a file drawer in her office where she would 'recycle' things to. I would go in and empty the drawer, taking home treasures that I would use in my pretend office and secretary play.
My dream job for much of my childhood was to be a secretary. Well, actually, I wanted to be a secretary in the morning, a teacher during the day, and a nurse at night. Phew.
I do feel like I have the best of all 3 of those in my current job. As in most jobs, there is office work, and I make sure I always have a supply my favorite pens, colored binder clips, and beautiful file folders.
And the appeal to being a teacher & nurse, was to aid, help and work with children.
So, like I said, I think I have the best of all 3 of my 'childhood dream jobs' in my current job. Funny how life works out.


But, back to flipping the calendar. I love calendars and think they are so fun; they are beautiful AND practical. 
Here are 6 of my favorite and most useful calendars.

This one sits on my desk at my apartment. I use the wooden box, and silver clip as shown  in the 3rd row.
{from Anthropologie} 

My mom & I picked up this calendar at a little paper shop in Portsmouth, New Hampshire last year. It hung in my bedroom. 
Now that 2011 is over, I can send out 12 beautiful postcards!
{by Linda & Harriett}

This perpetual calendar sits on my desk at my apartment. I write my to-do lists, travels, and all non-work related plans here. I like that you write in the dates yourself. If I scribble something down sloppy, I can re-write the week & when I'm out of town, it doesn't take up a page!
{from Paper Source}

This is my #1. It sits on my desk at Camp. I love the size, the kraft paper and the simplicity. It is perfect for penciling in meetings & summer staff interviews, as well as writing fun plans and events in big, bold colors.
{from Paper Source}

I love the vintage design of this kitchen calendar. I received this for Christmas, and it is a perfect addition
to my kitchen.
{from Anthropologie}

This calendar hangs on my bulletin board at Camp. I love the fun, kind of random designs. You never know what you are going to get when you flip over to the next month! Also, there are guide lines on the back,  so you can cut & fold these pretty designs into file folders or pillow boxes when the month is over!
{from Paper Source}

Well, who knew each of my desks need at least 2 calendars, but I appreciate the fun designs & beautiful art this useful & practical 'office item' adds to my day. 

And, each first day of the month, I love going around 'flipping my calendars'. 

It's like checking off a whole month of to-do lists! 

It brings both a sense of accomplishment of the past month, and a sense of excitement for the month to come.