Pinterest Archives

The return of Pinterest Project Tuesday

November 4, 2014 by Jana 12 Comments

Last year, when I transitioned the blog from strictly personal finance to a lifestyle blog, I started documenting my attempts at completing recipes, projects, and assorted other things I found on Pinterest. I stopped when we moved and never started it up again.

Until now.

As part of my Choose Your Own Adventure Challenge for November, I’m working on organizing my Pinterest boards (full details on what else is in the challenge coming up tomorrow) and I thought this would be a good time to resurrect Pinterest Project Tuesday.

So let’s get to it.

I’m terrible at remember to take pictures so for the first post for the resurrection, I’m showing you guys a project I worked on over the summer. Next week’s will be a new, more seasonal one. I promise.

Okay.

Here’s the ingredients I used (not pictured: the stuff used to make the cake batter like eggs and applesauce)

While I mixed the batter, my helper put the cupcake liners in the pans

The cupcakes baked in the oven and I got out my blue food dye

Then I mixed it with the vanilla frosting (note: I usually make my own frosting but I didn’t have shortening and ain’t nobody got time to run to the grocery store twice in one day)

After the cupcakes came out of the oven and cooled, I generously applied water blue frosting on each one because really, cupcakes are just holders for frosting

Then, because this was supposed to be an edible version of bears floating in inner tubes, I added the gummi Lifesavers “tubes” and put Teddy Graham bears inside each one:

Lastly, because we can’t have our bears getting sunburned, I added cocktail drink umbrellas. On the left is my version. On the right is the Pinterest version.

Save for the Christmas wrapper (remember what I said about not going to the store twice?), I didn’t screw the pooch too badly on this one. It turned out better than my usual attempts, as you’ll see going forward.

And now is when I announce that I’m going to try this as a linkup next week, but on Thursday instead of Tuesday since next Tuesday, November 11, is when Steph and I want you to show us your books in our monthly book chat.

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.lifeaccordingtosteph.com/" title="Life According to Steph"><img src="http://i1290.photobucket.com/albums/b536/lifeaccordingtosteph1/bookbuttonlinkup_zps01365b43.jpg" alt="Life According to Steph" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Have you guys tried any Pinterest projects lately? How’d they turn out?

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July goals and June goals recap

June 30, 2014 by Jana 26 Comments

Remember when I posted my June goals? It seems like yesterday but really, it was a whole month ago. And in that 28 days, I did, well, pretty much nothing. Maybe not nothing but not really a whole lot either. Because this is kind of how I felt:

Let’s assess.

Lose weight. My fat ass has a whole lot of pounds to lose and I did lose a couple of them this month. Not exactly sure how much because you know all that bloat and nonsense you carry around when you’re getting your period? Yeah, it made my end of the month weigh in depressing and probably inaccurate. So, I guess I can say I accomplished this one but not sure how well I accomplished it.
Work on the couch 2 5k. Not quite up to the whole 5k but almost. Finishing up week 7 and I have to keep repeating days as I refuse to allow myself to move on until I can do a whole run without stopping and 25 straight minutes is HARD, y’all. We’ll call this goal accomplished but with prejudice.
Essential oils. I did a ton of research and narrowed down the areas I’m going to use them in (insect repellent, aromatherapy-type stuff, and cleaning products) but I didn’t buy any. I can’t figure out which ones are good, which ones are bad, and honestly, they’re kind of an expensive commitment and I don’t want to pick the wrong ones. We’ll also call this one accomplished but with prejudice.
Crochet potholder. Fuck crocheting. I’m done. I gave up spending any time and energy on something I just cannot do. Maybe I’ll try to find a different project as far as crocheting goes but a potholder or blanket or anything like that can seriously suck it. Failed this one with pride.
Sew pillowcase. No excuse on this one except lack of planning. I could have made time to do it but didn’t. I need to get better with my schedule. Failed this with shame.

Alright, now that that’s out of the way, let’s move on to July. I don’t think I’ll be too ambitious because summer is in full swing and with my daughter home, it makes it a bit more difficult to work on time consuming projects. And rather than set myself up for failure, I’ll just back off the ambition.

Lose weight. Same as last month, and probably a staple until I get to my goal weight. So let’s plan on this one as a staple goal for awhile.
Complete couch 2 5k and run the race. The husband and I signed up for a 5k on July 19 and my goal is just to survive it. Because clearly I hate myself and purposefully sign up for my first race. In July.
Bring back Pinterest project Tuesday. You know all those pins I have? I should probably actually do some of them. Then I can share what I did and amuse you all with my failures. Also, it’s a good way to keep my daughter busy.
Outline my novel. I have long had a dream of being a published author, with my book sold in bookstores and doing a book tour and all that jazz. That’s not going to happen if I don’t write a book. But I have an idea. I just need to fine tune it and get writing.
Host a linkup. I have this idea for a linkup (well, two actually but I’ll save one for August) and I want to roll it out. The premise is “Notes to My Teenage Self” and the idea is to write a letter to yourself at any age in your teen years about any topic you want–body image, money, career, friendships, relationships, etc. But it gets better! Then I want to take all your posts and compile them into an eBook. It’ll be available for free and first and then I’ll set a price, with proceeds donated to a charity TBD.
That’s all she wrote for my July goals. Completely doable and I’m hoping to be able to write “accomplished” next to all of these in August!

It’s been 6 weeks: My (somewhat) triumphant return

January 3, 2014 by Jana 9 Comments

In case you haven’t noticed, my posting has kind of taken a break over the last 6 weeks. I’m not apologizing for it, because it was necessary, but I figured maybe you’d like to know what’s been going on. So here goes.

The last 6 weeks have been pretty big for me. For starters, I found out that my mentoring program, Bloggers Helping Bloggers, is going to be part of FinCon14 and a bigger part at that. I can’t reveal too much right now but I’m ridiculously excited and honored that Phil thinks enough of what I do to ask me back this year. Also, the conference is in New Orleans. I’ve never been there. And I. Can’t. Wait.

Speaking of my mentoring program, I’ve also been working on some huge changes for that. This year, particularly the next few months, it’s getting a major facelift. The site is being renovated, we’re changing the name to Blog Mentoring Network because it will represent more of what we do which will also include a blogger training class AND podcaster mentoring. The training class launches in February with registration starting next week. I’ve been working like a crazy person getting that ready, as well as some new, fun freebies and services we’re adding to the program. Those will be ready when we have our new site unveiling in March.

So there’s been that.

too much to do — For more hilarious gems like that, make sure you’re following me on Pinterest. Link in the sidebar.

Let’s see, what else have I been up to? Right. I’ve been battling a depressive episode and that kind of sucks my ability and desire to do anything that I don’t have to and has been drowned in compulsive pinning, online Amazon shopping, naps, yoga pants, and binge watching Prison Break and Justified (anyone else watch this show? I love it!). The last week or so has gotten better and I’m finally able to do things that are not sitting on my couch. Or at least, things that are sitting on my couch but are productive.

For instance, I’ve decided to do an Instagram project this year. Every day, I’ll be posting a meaningful song lyric, handwritten in whatever pen I can find on whatever paper I can find. I’m doing this for a number of reasons, the least of which is making myself do something, no matter how small, creative every day for an entire year. You can follow along by finding me on Instagram (@saysjana).

I’m also putting the finishing touches on the site for my pioneer project. That should go live by the end of the month. You’ll be able to follow along with the project on the site, Instagram and Pinterest. It’ll be a combination of blog posts and craft/DIY ideas that I try and it’s probably the most ambitious undertaking of my life. So very pioneer-like, right?

And finally, I’ve spent the last 6 weeks being a very overachieving mom. My daughter and I have done a number of crafts, all found on Pinterest, during the holidays. Craftiness is not something that comes easy to me but the child loves them so I’m putting forth tons of effort for her. Maybe more than I needed to. Because in addition to puzzles (big ones), we made gumdrop fudge (it’s disgusting), reindeer cookies, elf donuts, grew a candy cane garden, decorated ice cream cone Christmas trees, had a Zumba birthday party, and the tooth fairy had to make 2 visits. I’ve also been organizing my sewing supplies for the pioneer project.

Of concern: I have a ridiculous amount of yarn for someone who cannot knit or crochet. I need to get this under control. Stat.

For those who are wondering, I did also set goals for 2014. I’m not going to share them because really, they’re boring to everyone who’s not me. But this year more than others, I’m confident in my ability to achieve them. I’ve put the proper mechanisms in place to achieve them. That includes making them big and audacious but also realistic. This is the first time in a long time that I have not set myself up to fail. Which is a huge victory. And I’m proud of that.

I don’t plan on taking another long break anytime soon, and I’m stoked for what I have coming up this month on all my projects. I hope you’ll follow along (if you plan on doing the song lyric project, please use #profoundlyrics).

Now you all know where I’ve been. How about you guys? What have you been up to? Any projects or ventures you’d like to share?

31 Steps for Feeling Happier, Step 11: Finish a project

October 11, 2013 by Jana 2 Comments

What did you read yesterday? I read a couple of chapters in Jeannette Walls’s latest The Silver Star. I loved her other two books (The Glass Castle and Half-broke Horses. If you have not read them, do so) and this one is great so far. I have a tendency to latch on to authors that I like and read everything they write. I’ve done it with a number of authors; Jeanette Walls is the latest to make it to that illustrious list. Can I also say that I love that she was a gossip (maybe entertainment) columnist before she started writing these wonderful books? It just shows that you never know what talent is lurking behind something seemingly superficial.

I also made the ambitious decision to buy the new, very comprehensive Jim Henson biography. It’s around 600 pages and I’m pretty sure I’m not getting through it by the time it has to go back to the library. I want to take my time reading it since, you know, it’s a biography about JIM HENSON, and I’d rather have it on hand.

But that’s enough about books.

Can you believe it’s day 11 already? This month is flying by. Which is good because Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I can’t wait to get to it. It also means that we’ll get through Halloween (I’m making my daughter’s costume this year. Expect a post on that) and the rest of fall cheerleading (my daughter cheers at football games. Outdoors. One of the main reasons I don’t like football is because it’s outside in the cold. And I now I have to sit outside while my kid cheers. It’s unpleasant. Although, it’s been unusually warm this fall so it hasn’t been too bad. I’m digressing). It also means that we’re starting to spend more time indoors, making it perfect timing for finishing projects.

Which leads me to today’s step towards happiness: complete an unfinished project.

I have at least a dozen unfinished projects in my house. From a mismatched set of cloth napkins that I’m sewing to hanging pictures on my wall to finally doing a big batch of freezer cooking, there are a minimum of 12 projects in various stages of completion lurking in my house. Every time I look at one of them, I get upset and stressed because I’ve either abandoned the project, don’t have time to work on it, ran out of materials and don’t have the cash available, or have some other ridiculous excuse for why I stopped. Then I start getting down on myself that I never finish anything that I start and you all know where it goes from there.

BUT!

When I do finish something, I feel great. I feel empowered and encouraged to finish another way. Then I feel happy not only because I finished but because I finished. I can’t wait to share the fruits of my labor. I can relax know that that project is done. One less item to worry about, one less sad looking pile of materials in the corner. One less reason to berate myself.

And one more notch in my happiness belt.

That’s how I want you to feel today. I want you to feel happy that you took the initiative, carved out the time, and completed a project you abandoned. It doesn’t have to be crafty. It can be as simple as ordering pictures for a frame (and then filling the frame) or hanging a shadow box over the toilet paper in your bathroom (I saw it on Pinterest and I am in love with the idea). Just pick one project you’ve been meaning to finish and commit to finishing it. Today.

You’ll be so glad you did.

(Also, whenever I see the word “today” and it’s emphasized the way I did it, I automatically start singing Neil Diamond’s “America” in my head. It’s involuntary.)

Pinterest Project Tuesday: Chocolate chip cookie dough fudge

August 6, 2013 by Jana 5 Comments

This week I made chocolate chip cookie dough fudge. Because why not?

I used this recipe, which was linked from a pin I found. Here’s what happened when I made it (I take terrible pictures. I apologize in advance for every post like this that I do):

Starting from 1:

All the ingredients (you might have also seen this if you follow me on Instagram)
Mixing together brown sugar, white sugar, and butter in my stand up mixer (I love my stand up mixer. It’s my favorite thing in my kitchen. Also it was free, courtesy of my mother in law).
Melting butter with brown sugar and half and half. I think salt might also have been added.
All dry ingredients, including powdered sugar (I swear that’s what it is. I know it looks like a prop from Scarface).
Dry ingredients mixed with the melted butter concoction.
Adding in chocolate chips.
The whole mixture in the prepped pan, ready to go in the fridge.
Finished product. Arranging food displays is clearly not a career path.

So that’s it. Like most foods I make, it looks ugly but tastes delicious. A warning: this is really sweet and a little goes a long way.

Did you make anything from Pinterest this week? How did it go?

The return of Pinterest Project Tuesday

July goals and June goals recap

It’s been 6 weeks: My (somewhat) triumphant return

31 Steps for Feeling Happier, Step 11: Finish a project

Pinterest Project Tuesday: Chocolate chip cookie dough fudge

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