Pinterest Evidence - Part 1

How I have applied more of Pinterest to my life.

I was putting away laundry. I tend to avoid this because I am lazy and my dresser is getting full. There are pins for life organization or 'whod've thoughts!' Here is one such case. Tshirts that I cannot part with (some I do wear) and have no where else to put them. Instead of stacking them vertically, stack them horizontally. The stack at the bottom of this picture wouldn't have fit in this drawer had I not stacked them like this. I still have room to add to this.

I don't know if I saw this on pinterest or not. It may have been something similar. I finally just got around to doing it. This top photo is how I use to store my flat iron. Out of the reach of Ivy's delicate fingers. Job done, but annoying. So then I decided to get a metal/mesh magazine bin and hung it in my closet. I've also put my hair dryer in the bin and I'm going to put my curling iron in it too. No dangling cords, still out of Ivy's reach, no wire hangers. NO WIRE HAAAAAANGERRRRRRRRRRSSSS!

Here's that calm down bottle...

 

And a discovery bottle...

And an honest to goodness pit stain remover. Remember that guy on Pete and Pete? I really was sceptical but decided the mix was free and the brush was inexpensive.

Before:

And the after. One part dawn dishwashing soap, two parts hydrogen peroxide and a sprinkling of baking soda. Pour, scrub, let sit, launder as normal. And voila! The after picture looks off color, but the shirt was back to normal. Seriously! Even used it on a couple color shirts. No harm done.

Ready for the end

As much as I love summer, it is time for it to end. I am so very ready for fall. I really love all of the seasons. Each have their own positives and negatives... But fall is my favorite season.

Back to school time - school supplies, school clothes... I always loved shopping for school. Oddly, high school football season only for pep rallies and Tx homecoming mums.

The weather - cloudy, sometimes drizzly, and cooler. The crisp smoky smell in the air.

Fall festivals and fairs. And the food, petting zoos, and games.

The decorations and holidays. I am very partial to halloween and thanksgiving.

And the rest of this will be quite random.
I'm anxious about going back to work (with the kids) in 3 days. I don't know how these middle-schoolers are. It's almost like starting for the very first time all over again.

I'm changing some things up in my classroom. I'm "flipping" it. Meaning lectures, lessons and learning are done on the YouTube and homework is done in class. This should save me (and the kids) some time. I already have two videos done that need editing. Oh my! I swear. The district is pushing for technology and something called strategic design. And they block YouTube. I know there are other video hosting websites. But damn.

So there is this new coworker. He and I grew up in the same city. Graduated from the same high school. And lived in the same city (like where I lived two years ago). And now we teach at the same school. It's so odd.

And I think this is where I stop. I could've sworn I had more, but I don't.

Stats... For muh bloggg

I don't know what the heck is up or how it's even happening. There are a lot of hits (because I like to know about my audience) from a lot of strange places. Some, I expect. I do link round-ups and I have my blog connected to facebook and other social media.

But some, how is my link even there?

And then, kerplewie! My link shows up on an *ahem* adult social media thingamabob. I had no idea what it was by the name and I clicked the link. BAD BAD BAD STUPID IDEA. I hope mal/spyware doesn't pop up on the computer. I just saw big giant uh... parts and shut that down.

So I looked at my settings. And I fixed what I think what happened. I just hope my blog is legit-searchable now.

Foooooood!!!

Today is my husband's 33rd birthday. (Happy birthday babe! I love you!) I know! We are so young! Today he gets his choice of meals. I made him sausage and rolls for breakfast so far. I got our babysitter to watch Ivy on Saturday. We went to a dinner movie theater to see The Campaign. I choose not to watch Will Farrel movies because a lot of the time it is gross humor. This one wasn't that bad though. Highly recommend? No.

I made myself some fruit and granola yogurt. Thank you Pinterest for reminding me to freeze my berries when I did. They still taste good, whereas the ones I would buy now don't.




















I had some yummy vegetarian nachos the other night. There are egg whites, black beans, corn, seasonings, cheese abd hot sauce on them. Pretty tasty!




















I was going to do a Menu Plan Monday, but I'm out of sorts. Hooray? Thought not.

Today was my first day back to work. Granted, it is only inservice. No students yet for a week and a half. Phew! But I just re-emotioned the crap from May.

New to campus teachers had orientation today and the quote from the principal today was... "You are Top Gun. Everyone I spoke to proved that to me. And there were five times the amount of people in this room (about 20), if not more, lined up to get these jobs." Oh, except for you Lena. You were handed to us. I feel like a hand-me-down. I'm grateful for my job. I could've, you know, just been fired with a Good Luck Loser letter. But I feel like I didn't prove my worth. I didn't fight for my job.

And then I replayed all the parts of the situation in May and went ahead and cried again.
A fine romance, indeed.

FaceTweet?

Am I treating my blog like a facebook status or tweet box? I dunno.

Have you heard about the Rory Gilmore Book List? There are about 250 books that Rory read and/or mentioned on the show.

Challenge accepted.

I feel like I have lost touch with actual books. I got a Kindle as an early christmas present. And while I really love the gadget, I have to admit that I really miss touching books. Turning pages. Smelling the paper. Hearing the spine crack - oh how I wish mine would... But I cannot justify purchasing books. To the library I must get! But I read so darn slow. Oh well.

The?

It looks like I'm not going to be doing any 'real' vlogging for a little while. The only thing that I think I'll be able to manage is iphone vlogging and that'd have to be unedited stuff. Eww. For some reason, my editing program keeps crashing. I'm going to try something else and see if there is just too much going on in what I'm doing because it's huge. But I've done other rather large videos and had no problem. GAH!

Fill in the Blank Friday

We took Ivy to Fossil Rim again yesterday. One last summer hurrah just before we go back to work.  I'll be editing all the video clips and photos I took for a vlog tonight. I might do a quick Outfit Of The Day and announce a Giveaway on YouTube.

Since I missed it yesterday, here is a Fill in the Blank Friday on a Saturday. Just the normal version - as my last one was videoed and tubed.

1.  The age I will be on my upcoming birthday is 33 in '13. I just had my 32nd birthday a month ago.

2.   The best birthday present ever would be   a personal stylist because I really don't know fashion and I need help. I'd also like a ton of money. I'm happy but I would still like to own a house, pay off my college loans... Real life. 

3.  My favorite birthday to date was   My 28th. I was pregnant and had a nice group of friends join me for dinner. 

4. Birthdays make me feel   Old and awkward. 'Nough said. 

5. The worst birthday I ever had was   My 29th. It was my first birthday as a new mommy and it was spent away from my daughter. It was for work.

6. When I was born  my name was supposed to be Sam as in 'what in Sam Hill?!' Quite the comedian, my mom. My last name was Hill. Anyway, my dad vetoed that and mom named me Lena.

7.  So far my favorite age has been   27 -  I learned so much about myself that year.

I hope you have a thrilling weekend!

Going to Grandmas

I received a small suitcase in the 80's as a child for christmas. The original decal had worn off (with some assistance, of course) so the suitcase was light blue.

It went with me to pretty much every overnight stay at Aunt Carol's or one of my cousins'. It even went with me to camp one year. I even brought it on my(our) honeymoon. After we moved away from family, I used that case for our visits. The thing got used! When Ivy was born, guess what... I passed that little case down to her.

I'd kept it until last year. Until a cat pee'd in it. Couldn't get that stench out. So I had to toss it. I'm still upset because I was attached to that case. And I see the exact same one (the photo above) on Etsy being sold for $36.00. They're listing it as from the 60's. Which is ridiculous because it's from the 80's. There's no way in hell I'd pay that plus shipping.

I've been on the lookout for another like this. And I had a close call. We were donating at Goodwill and the lady right in front of us had a red one. I tried to snag it but the workers wouldn't let it go.

Sadface.

Menu Plan Monday

It has been a strange few weeks. And we have been eating out every day it seems. The opportunity arises that we can eat at our favorite restaurants when we don't have Ivy. So we take advantage of that. I know, shame on us.

I've discovered something new to eat. I decided to try Chobani yogurt and it's so good with granola. But I mainly got it so I can do poached pears for breakfast with honey yogurt. It is pretty healthy too!

Speaking of food, I've made the decision to eat less meat. I am basically just going to eat eggs, dairy and fish. Why am I going semi-veg? I do this every once in a while. Hoping to incorporate more fruits and vegetables in my diet. Meat is expensive. How it's manufactured. How the animals are treated. But I just dug through my freezer and found so much meat, I will need to clear that out (read: we need to eat all this meat) before I make good on my word to eat less meat. I've never been rich so I just don't feel right throwing it all out. It has gotten ridiculous... we have all this food but we end up picking something up or eating out. WHY?!

Sunday - Leftovers - I don't know what they were.
Monday - Fish Tacos
Tuesday - Fondu
Wednesday - Yoyo
Thursday - Nachos or some crock pot chicken thing.
Friday - Salad
Saturday - Out for Ryans bday. Possibly lunch. If so, skillet grilled chicken and steamed broccoli for me.

For more awesome menus, check out Menu Plan Monday. That's where I'm about to head for some new ideas!

VLOG: $20 Make Up Challenge

Wow, for a while there I was writing something every day! Well, I was visiting family and had a bit of time on my hands, and a lot to say apparently. This week, I traveled back home (alone) because I had a conference for work that had me attending meetings and workshops all day for three days in Dallas. I've been before. Love the conference. Just... ugh. And I have been so tired!

Maybe you remember the post I wrote about makeup purchases (lookit!) . I finally filmed the $20 makeup challenge and just now posted it online.

Yup, I did cheat and didn't include the tools in the purchase. I didn't know. And I've seen people whine about people "cheating" and doing a challenge with all elf products. So what?

Anyway, enjoy.

Shhhhh

All isquiet in the house d'LenaBena. She has either been sleeping or busy working. Take your pick. Next week will be back to normal next week. Look forward to posting as normal (what is that?) and at least one vlog.

Fill in the Blank Friday

Regarding one of my previous posts (basically, things vlog about)... I did a video response to the Fill in the Blank Friday at TheLittleThingsWeDo.



You answer the writing prompts that are (der) fill in the blank! Lauren had started this but took a hiatus. I think I only did one right before she took a break. But she is back!

This weeks Fill In The Blank Friday is:
I am:
I have always:
I hope to:
I can:
I dream of:
The way to my heart is:
I am passionate about:

Please check out her website! It's really cute and I love her linkup.
Do you know of any other link roundups? I love those things. Should I do Menu Plan Mondays as a vlog?

PS: I talk about 100 Goals... It is it's own page above!

Vlogaholic

What is that face I'm making!! EEp!

Oh my gosh I am so into the whole YouTubeeeeee. Hi You, Tube. Let's be friends.

Oh, okay. Back to reality? Maybe. I'm a bit tired so I'm a bit weird. I'm finding myself subscribing to a lot of Tubers. Not the potato, people. Nor The Potato People. And I have an idea for a vlog. I was going to just write it up but I'm thinking of, yes, vlogging it.

Fwump!

I think I heard your head falling to the floor. Get up! This is seriously interesting!

So, I shall present these in a numbered list form.

1. Vlogging a Friday response link-up thingamajig. It's called Fill In the Blank Friday from the little things we do. She has a set of questions that have blanks in them and you *gasp* fill those blanks in. I've done one here on the blog before but right after that, she stopped. Life happens, yahnno? Anyway, she's bringing it back and I'm crossing my fingers because I want to vlog that.
2. The Friday Five. Same concept as above except The Friday Five is a series of 5 themed questions. People used to do these a long time ago. Aherm, I mean, I used to do them a long time ago. Again, they seem to be on a hiatus. I don't know if I want to travel back in time to their older questions. Like Pumbaa says, "keep your behind in your past."
3. Who I'm subscribed to you the Tube and why. I don't know. Who the heck are YOU stalkingfollowing? Why are they so speshul?!
4. I was thinking of an open box (where I open a box that I order and you get to see what I bought) from Ulta.
5. How about a coffee talk? About books?
6. I'm going to a conference next week. Want to see a clip reel? Oooooo I think that'd be interesting.

What do you think?

And I decided to go ahead and edit the first $20 challenge. I was able to just cut out and speed up the unnecessary bits. I really just wanted to get that one taken care of. I did "cheat" though, but I didn't know what the rules were. Tools are supposed to be part of the purchase. And maybe include tax? I'm not sure. Maybe I'll do it again. I know that I would probably have to cheat again because of my stupid sensitive skin. But shhhhhhhh! I won't tell if you won't!

Vlogggg!! Accent Tag

Okay, I know vlogging equates talking on video. However, this vlog is more of an analysis of accents. Specifically, my accent. You start off pronouncing a list of words and then you answer questions. I guess it's poking fun at one's way of speaking.

Yes, this video is a bit older. It has been sitting on the computer for a few months. I was going to scrap it and re-shoot this but I thought man, forget it. Yo, home to Bel-air!



Please, pretty please, click through to my channel to find the list of words and questions and do this tag!

Ivy the Photographer

Ivy knows how to work our phones. I have quite a few of her original portraits. The majority are stored on my laptop. So here are a few that I have on my phone.

Fitocracy Website Review

I have been a member & app user of Fitocracy for about 4 months. I'm not entirely sure.
Fitocracy is a mix between a social networking, fitness diary, and game website. Track your workouts, earn points and level up and get feedback from other people. I think it is a great idea but the website needs a lot of work.

You cannot fix workouts after a week.
The app and the website aren't very user friendly.
You cannot delete your account. You have to ask a moderator to send a message to the developer on a weekly basis for your account to be deleted.
The website ONLY works on Chrome. My laptop is too old to work with Chrome. I've tried. This isn't a major gripe because I have other computers I can use, but it is inconvenient.
I have one workout that doubled itself - because the app wasn't functioning properly. I tried to immediatly delete the activity but the app fritzed out on me.
I have a 10 mile hike that materialized out of nowhere. Unless, of course, it was another user error because the app is difficult to use.
I have a 20 mile hike which I know is user error and I supposedly fixed that immediately.

I really don't think the points adjusted after I fixed the workout. So I feel like I am being unintentionally dishonest.

The app and the website should not be that difficult to use.

A good idea. A bad product.

Do you know of a similar website and app that does it better? Let me know!

Don't Fall Asleep

Just some random updates. I know, my life is terribly interesting, right?

First off, the $20 makeup challenge vlog. This is still in the works. I purchased the makeup. I filmed it and it was 30+ minutes long. I really don't think I can edit it because of all the yammering I did. So I filmed it a second time. And apparently my skin had a reaction to one or some of the products. I didn't change a darn thing. I don't understand it. So I am thinking about "cheating." I still want to film this makeup challenge but I need to use something on my face that will keep me from having another possible allergic reaction. I am getting pretty pissed off with my skin. It's getting sensitive in it's old age. This is the third time I've had a problem with products. Well, no, not really. I think I've always had problems.

This week, we are down with family again. Ivy was here by herself (well, without Mommy and Daddy) visiting her grandparents. Ryan and I got some time to ourselves and we got to have several quiet dinners and late evenings without worrying about getting home at a certain time. Children have curfews? No... no. NNNNOOOOO. The parents are the ones with curfews because they have to be home for the kids' curfews to be valid. Ivy has just been a loving little girl. She's been so polite and sweet. I just want to buy her fun stuff. Is she ready to drive yet? Hey Ivy, what kind of BMW do you want?

Choo chooooo! Oh look it's the ADD train! It seriously derailed my thoughts. Damned shiny, glittery, train. Oooooh pretty!

Last week, she was visiting. This week, Ryan and I joined her. Next week I return home. I will be going to a conference for work. I refuse, at the moment, to go into the brain-draining details of why conferences suck so much. Then one of those days, Ryan comes home to go to a whole day of training for work. And then a day or two later, Ivy comes home.

I have pretty much decided that even though I got makeup for my birthday, I'm going to go ahead and get a bike. But I'll wait until the end of August. I have also decided to look into a membership to a gym. I've also decided to equip all computers all over the world with this magical device that prevents you from jumping through the darn thing to wring my neck with what I'm about to spew all over the internet... And if you know me in real life, remember that I come equiped with knives and a gun.

Hold on to your britches homegirls. It's a doozy. I've decided I'm fat. There I've said it. I really need to lose weight. Do you know me? Have you seen my pictures? Then you'd probably want to slap me into next week. Because everyone who does see me when this shit flys out of my mouth, I swear I somehow walk away with bruises. Anyway... here's the secret. I've learned to wear clothes that fit. So no, it doesn't look like I need to lose weight. But I am not happy. I do not feel good. Mentally or physically. I am inching closer and closer to the weight and size (so help me when I look at my profile) as I was when I was 8-9 months pregnant.

Now, before I go any further... please realize that I am a proponent of shape. People need shape! I support the Dove campaign. Screw what society says is beautiful. Shame on those people who have gendered-weight hate.  If you are comfortable with your body, then so be it. You are happy and beautiful. I just am not. I don't want to be a skeleton. I just want to feel and look healthy. I want to fit into my clothes. My heart and mind are scaring me lately. And I think it has to do with the fat on my body.

History, because we love even more of a story... I am considering myself anorexic. I had a battle with it in high school and early college. And I still have some of the mental anguish with the disease and sporadic tendencies. So I'm slapping myself into the current category of EDNOS. Maybe I'll talk about that some other time. Digression into digression.

I'm throwing it out there. I am going to make an effort to change my life with healthier options.

Mid July MPM

Short and simple... Menu Plan Monday

Sun - Links - I had a PBJ sandwich, Ryan wasn't feeling well
Mon - Chicken parm & alfredo - Hot links
Tues - Pizza - Ate out: Sushi!
Weds - Ranch chicken
Thurs - YOYO: I'm going out, Ryan ?
Fri - Steak and potatoes
Sat - Slow cooker BBQ chicken from Simply Scratch

I scratched out what we had planned and added what we ended up doing.

Making it Up as I Go Along

So let's talk cosmetics.
Instead of a bike for my birthday, I got make up. It's just make up, right? This year, I learned that not all make up is equal. You've got high end cosmetics that you find at department stores and have a pretty price tag. And then there's the cheaper stuff that you find in drug stores and super markets. I used to walk around not knowing the difference between MAC and Cover Girl. It's all the same, right? Right?? Why spend $$$$ on a single eye shadow instead of $ on four? I know why now. The quality is much better. 

Honestly, I've never been into cosmetics. And I can only guess why. While I was growing up, my mom was never really into make up so I never sat with her as she put it on, she never put any on me. I think I only played in her make up once. As a teenager, I never really spent what little money I got on cosmetics. I never had any little girlfriends or BFFs - no one to really play with make up with.

I was 10 when I got my first "make up". It was a little case that had all the basics. A blush, a bronzer, a few eye shadows, several lip glosses and a tube of mascara. Thinking back, having the mascara in that kit is odd. I used it as real make up even though it was marketed as a toy.

A couple years later, still using that garbage, a 'friend' asked me why I didn't wear make up. Hell, for all I knew, I was! So then I decided to spend my allowance on a few Cover Girl cosmetics. It was all I knew. After that I never really messed with make up. Just didn't do it. I did accumulate more over time but didn't really put any effort into anything on a daily basis.

I think I got into make up after I graduated high school. I got contacts and had to cover the bags under my eyes. After years of dating, I was gifted with Clinique freebies so I was introduced into the world of high end cosmetics. I bought an eye shadow duo and a foundation. Still, I never really did my make up much.

College came and went. Did my make up sometimes. By this time, I had myself figured out. I didn't need cosmetics to feel comfortable in my skin. I was happy with me, au naturale. Still, I had accumulated some more make up but didn't do it all the time. I'm just lazy like that.

Skip ahead a few years and I finally got into make up. I got foundation matched to my skin tone. I still only accumulated cosmetics here and there. Cover Girl and Clinique is what I stuck with. Then came along a little lady named Dita Von Teese. Kerplewie! I really loved her glamourous look. And red lips. Somehow, I found out about MAC and got a lip liner and lipstick. And a Christian Dior gloss. But at the time, I still felt the red didn't look good on me. That was like two years ago. And this year, THIS YEAR, I finally get into messing around with make up. Hellooooooo YouTube Beauty Vloggers and Gugus.

I've spent more on cosmetics this year alone than I have my entire life. Maybe that's an over-exaggeration. I really don't think so. I'm still trying to get over the sheer amount of products that are used. Primer for face, eyes and eye lashes. Bronzer, highlighter, blush. Foundation, concealer, powder... I think you get the idea.

So I have two make up vlogs I'm going to do this week.

One is a $20 make up challenge. You purchase as much cosmetics as you can for $20 to create a full face or something. Here's what I got for $19. All of it from the elf line which is $1 or $3 depending on what you get; regular line or studio line. This vlog will probably be a review of the products too because I've never used some of this stuff. I don't know what I'm doing with some of these things.

e.l.f.: 1. Tone Correcting Powder 3$; 2. Contouring Blush & Bronzer (dusted/bronzed) 3$; 3. Brightening Eye Color Quad (butternut) 1$; 4. Matte Lip Color (nearly nude) 3$; 5. Mineral Infused Mascara (black) 3$; 6. Tinted Moisturizer (porcelain) 3$; 7. Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter (fair/glow) 3$;

Twenty Dollar Challenge at Nineteen Dollars
Could also consider this an elf challenge

Another vlog I'm going to do is a five minute make up challenge. Can I do a full face in five minutes? I guess we shall see. 

So let's talk about my birthday. We planned on moving apartments and I was going to get a bike for my birthday. But we ended up not moving and I decided I didn't want to try to carry a bike up a flight of stairs, through the apartment and through a tight squeeze galley kitchen. I got high end cosmetics instead. I'm starting to replace Cover Girl with the good stuff. I'll probably vlog this too. The following picture isn't all of my high end make up. I'm just starting to get into MAC.

MAC: 1. Viva Glam VI Lipglass; 2. Carbon (matte); 3. Blanc Type (matte); 4. Naked Lunch (frost); 5. Fig 1 (matte); 6. Brun (satin)... I purchased 2 & 3 in May or June. but everything else I got for my birthday.

I'm really liking the MAC cosmetics. Should I save that for a review video? So I think that covers it, girl.

Pinterest Addict

Why do you pin?
I pin because I'm inspired to do something 100% of the time (or 50% of my pins {10% success rating meaning that I've actually done something that inspired me through searching Pinterest}). Confused? Good, join the crowd.
Here are some of my completed Pins!

Salsa Blanco (modified from this)
Memory Jar
Tried this packing technique (which still didn't keep me from brining three bags)
Made Christmas gifts out of these
Made this cocktail for my friend's birthday
I love potatoes! And fried pickles apparently.

And several more things out there. Recipes, crafts, life hacks... The internet has decided that it is fed up with me and is no longer willing to cooperate. Else, I'd have a longer list of my completions.

Edited to Add:

I'd like to finish my post and I'll probably add to this again later. But these are the thoughts I have regarding Pinterest.

First off, there are a lot of people who sit and waste their time all day long just looking at stuff. "People Pin for weddings they'll never have and houses they'll never build." The internet, like TV, in my opinion turns people into zombies. Pinterest is a catalyst for that.

But there is praise out there for Pinterest. Just like Facebook and Twitter and other social media outlets, Pinterest is becoming a career resource. Rather, people are using Pinterest for their careers or jobs. For instance, since I'm a teacher, I have four 'boards' dedicated to work. One is for general work topics (classroom management and organization), one for food science, one for interior design, one for sewing etc.

The people behind Pinterest also are attempting to address self confidence too. This is a good thing because people who are susceptable to images that can harm them, won't see much of that. There's controversy over this because even though they don't allow 'thinspiration' or images promoting self harm, there's fitness "motivation" images that could be considered thinspiration too.

My opinion is that Pinterest is helpful more than harmful although it can be addicting for certain people.