Pottery with My Big Sister

Two posts in the same day is quite out of the ordinary for me, so consider it a very special occasion.  A couple of weeks before, my sister Erin and I painted pottery together.  It was so much fun and I decided to make a plate to put in my room with my motto, "Change the World With a Smile," so that every morning when I wake up I am inspired to be a ray of sunshine in the world around me.  This is documentation of what occur and I can't wait to go back and paint something else sometime soon.

 

As you can see, we had lots of fun painting pottery can having girl talk as we worked.  I used to hate painting because it was so time consuming and I felt that I was never good at it.  Now that I am older and more experienced, I love it and I enjoy making special things like pottery that can last as a life-long keepsake.  This was my first time painting pottery and I am sure that it will not be my last.

What would be the motto that you would put on your inspirational plate???  Tell me about it!

XOXO,



Summer is Here

Hello All!  I am so sorry that I have not posted in a long time but I have been so very busy

with the last few weeks of school and I am very happy to say that I am officially on summer vacation.

Finally I am free from papers, discussions, projects and assignments.  Don't get me wrong, I love school

but I am so glad that the semester is finally over and I leave for camp in just a couple of days.  I hope to keep you all posted on my summer happenings but I am not sure that I will be able to post much.  I promise that I will continue to crochet and I am very excited to introduce this project that I just completed for a friend from school that is getting married.  Drum roll please...

This is my first ever crochet apron.  I was very easy to make and didn't take that long either.  I was

so proud to give this to her as well as a crochet dishcloth  and some kitchen necessities such as a

glass pie dish and some measuring spoons and cups.  I love to give gifts to others and I am so excited

for her and her new life with her soon-to-be husband.  The next craft I have coming up is a crocheted vest.  It is very Bohemian and I am loving the process of seeing it come to life.  With that said, have fun and be safe this summer and I can't wait to share with you some of my adventures. 

XOXO,



April 5, 2011: One Day Without Shoes

Hello everyone!!  Yesterday was Toms One Day Without Shoes and I participated for the entire day walking around my campus without a bit of shoes on.  This was my second year of doing this and I must admit that it is very liberating to know that you are doing something as simple as not wearing shoes for one day as a way to raise awareness about those that go without each and everyday. 

I would think that each and everyone of us understand the importance of shoes.  Shoes provide a barrier between our feet and germs and they help us from getting cuts, scars and even wounds.  I personally wear shoes every single day but lots of kids outside the United States don't, simply because they aren't available.  The one thing that I love about Toms shoes is their One for One program.  Simply put, you purchase a pair of these awesome shoes and they give another pair to a child in need.  So in light of this initiative, I decided to leave my shoes behind and walk all day without shoes.  Our Bonner group and other students on campus were able to raise curiosity and awareness.  We had a walk that evening and a large group of us walked around campus together united for this issue in the world.  I plan on doing this again next year and if you did not this year, I encourage you to do the same and check out TOMS as a way to raise your awareness.

      Did you go one day without shoes??  If so tell me about it!

XOXO,

Spring Break and Birthday Wishes

Hello all.  I must admit that I have had one of the most relaxing yet entertaining spring breaks ever!  In fact, I just got home Thursday night from St. Augustine, Florida where I had been working with Habitat for Humanity and the local Conservation group.  Our Bonner group traveled together and did a four day trip of day long service work filled with amazing food and extra time spent shopping and visiting the beach that was just steps from our hotel.  I had such an amazing time and I am so glad that I had this chance to visit the sunshine state of Florida.  For this trip to be my first time there,  I must admit that I could very well see myself having a house in St. Augustine someday because I admire its beauty and history.  Here are some pictures from my trip.

Also, my little cousin Riley celebrated her birthday (where have the years gone??) today with a bowling party and I made this for her...

I don't really think the picture does it justice but it is a handmade double flower headband.  I also found her a cute shirt when I was in St. Augustine but I am much more proud of this than that I must admit.  Riley is one of the sweetest little ladies I have ever had the joy of knowing and I am so excited for her experience the joys that come with being being one year older.

So enjoy the sunshine all and be sure to count your many blessings!

XOXO,

Sister Intuition....

Hello all!  This week I found a new crochet headband that I have come to love, because they are beyond cute and easy/fast to make.  It is called The Knotted Headband and here is a picture of the very first one that I made...





As the story goes, I found the pattern on Tuesday night after a long night of writing papers and I decided that I would work on making one the next morning when I had time.  It turned out better than I thought it would and I instantly thought that I should make one for my big sister.  Fast forward to Thursday afternoon and before I entered my last class of the day, I thought that I would text her and tell her the good  news.  Later that night when I was checking my email and Facebook, I got a notification from none other than my sister.  I clicked on it and found a link, to the exact headband that I was making her, and found a comment that this was what she wanted me to make her. Freaky!  Little did she know I had this planned all along.  I had a huge laugh about it and I finished hers today and it is waiting here for when we go to camp next weekend.  I think that she will really like it!

XOXO,

Saturday Night Reunion

Hello world!  I know, I know, it has been a really long time since I last blogged.  School has been very busy and my schedule has been filled with service work lately.  Plus have I failed to also mention that the weather took a turn for the better this week and I must admit I have been enjoying the warmth a little bit too much (I am so ready for summer!)  I have been having this big need to make something these days so I think I may start on a crochet project for someone special soon (Erin, you already requested it).  I picked up this book in Elizabethtown the other day at Micheals.  I can't wait to start working on some stuff.

Last night, I got the rare opportunity to spend sometime huddled around a table at Olive Garden with three wonderful friends.  We were enjoying our varying degrees of pasta induced comas (haha!), laughing and simply having a great time with each other.  It was a wonderful night and it was our very own little Saturday Night Reunion!

XOXO,

My new project... and Why Yes I Have Lots of Them!

   Okay, so you know you have become addicted to crocheting when... you almost die because you found a crochet pattern to make a case for your kindle!  This is what my life has become.



Courtesy of Little Birdie Secrets



    Needless to say, I will more than likely start on this soon.  I have so many projects, to get done, and only so much time in the day to do it.  If you guys are wondering how school is going, I have to say that I really enjoy my classes so far.  I am in both Gender and Intrapersonal Communication classes this semester in addition to the rest that I am taking. I like learning about these subjects, and I have found that I have a made a lot of self discoveries about both the opposite sex and myself.  Which is always good right? 

XOXO,

Snow, Flowers and Back to School

So, this weekend has been interesting.  Due to heavy snow, I was unable to volunteer at camp this weekend, which made me very sad.  I then decided that I would not let this sadness ruin my entire weekend, so after I finished my homework on Friday, I decided to crochet some more.  While crocheting, I decided that I would try a final attempt at making crochet flowers (I have been trying to make these darn thing since December.) I found a much better pattern to work with here... http://youseriouslymadethat.blogspot.com/2010/11/sweet-little-headband-tutorial.html  I was surprised at how much more simplified the pattern was.  After about thirty minutes of tinkering, this was my end result... {Drum roll please!}

I am so proud!!  It actually looks like a flower and not a star, or just a blob of yarn.  Since I made the first one, I have been making them very quickly, so I plan on gifting three specially made flower hats, to three very special little girls in my family... my little cousins Riley, Ella and Maggie! (I will have to post pictures of them when the are finished.  I have already started on one, since Valentines Day is right around the corner.)

Also, I had decided a week ago, to make a special gift for my big sister Erin.  I decided that since she was making some gifts for me, I should return the favor, so I worked on this scarf for her and it was finished on a few days ago. And just so you know she really liked it!

Finally, back-to-school has officially arrived, and I must say that I had a great day back to school.  I loved all my classes, and it looks like I will be doing a lot of reading this semester, but I LOVE to read, so this shouldn't be a problem for me.  Here is a picture of me on the first day of the Spring 2011 semester. I know it is dorky, but I love to document these little moments. Ha!

The only thing that rained... well snowed on my parade, was the snowstorm that started to roll in at the beginning of my last class that day.  What started as a "little" snow turned into a "ton" of snow, but I must say that thank goodness I made it home safe and another positive to that is while I was waiting for my Dad to pick me up from school, I got to read a little bit more on my kindle e-reader, which I had been neglecting to do prior that week. Haha!

XOXO,

Good News Came My Way!

    Hey Guys!  Yesterday treated me well, with the news that I am the Summer 2011 CCK Theatre Counselor.  I am so excited.  Last year's Theatre programming was interesting to say the least, and caused me to think that with some planning and aspiration, the theatre program area could be fantastic. I have been so excited about this opportunity, I even started planning potential activities before my interview.  With such great news coming my way, I have started going through theatre textbooks I have at home and I have been highlighting, reading and searching for the best activities that I can use and I am proud to say that I already have 8 pages of my "handbook" typed.  I plan to introduce aspects of theatre that many overlook, and I want to entertain the campers as well as teach.  Who said you can't learn and have fun!?!?!

  I will keep you guys posted about how my plans for the summer work out. I can't wait for summer.  I guess that will be my pay off for a great and productive Spring semester.

XOXO,

Lacy's Granola Bar Bites Recipe

  Hey Guys.  As I am typing this post it is snowing, much as it has been doing all winter so far.  When I woke up this morning and looked out my window, I noticed that our almost melted yard, had once again become a winter wonderland.  Since I knew that I wouldn't be going out and about anytime soon, I decided over my morning cup of Raspberry tea, that I would cook something for you all.  The recipe that I decided on is super easy and makes a great breakfast and snack food. 

  

  On the menu today, is my Granola Bar Bites recipe.  The process is really simple and quick actually.

 Ingredients:

  * 3 cups of Oats

  * 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar

  * 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons of honey (I normally use maple syrup, but today I was out and only had honey on hand.  Either works fine but just remember that both have a very different taste in comparison.  It is still yummy but use whichever works for you.)

  *1/4 cup of vegetable oil (I used this ingredient today, but in the past I have added Apple Sauce when that was the only thing I had to substitute.  I personally love to use Apple Sauce, as I think it makes it more moist and a little bit more healthy.  My Nanny, makes the best homemade Apple Sauce each canning season, so I think that this is the best kind of  "sauce" to use.  This substitution is another that just depends on the cook, but just to be noted, I used vegetable oil in this batch.)

  *3/4 teaspoon of salt



All the supplies you will need!

                                                                

 Process:

*First preheat your oven to 250 degrees.

* For this recipe, you will need 2 bowls.  One to contain your dry ingredients (the oats and brown sugar) and another to contain the wet ingredients (the honey/or maple syrup, vegetable oil/or apple sauce, and also the salt).

*For each bowl you will need to mix the contents in that bowl and then add all of your contents together.

                                        

*Once everything is mixed together, pull out a baking sheet, pour your granola bar bites onto it and pop it in the oven.  Cook the granola for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  You will need to "stir" your granola every 15 minutes.  By "stir," I mean that you will basically need to keep the granola from sticking to the baking sheet.  I usually take a wooden spoon and just stir it around.  Note: You may see that your granola bar bites take a while to thicken.  This is common and in the last 15-30 minutes of cook time, you will notice that it should thicken up noticeably during this time frame. 

* After the cook time, let your granola cool and then cut it into bite size pieces.

                                          

     Doesn't this look yummy!?!?!  I think so.  These bites make, like I said, a great breakfast or even a snack to take on the go.  Since, I made mine after breakfast this morning, I decided that I would enjoy this treat for lunch.  So I decided to pair a couple of bites with a banana and a clementine orange.  Let me just tell you that I have officially become obsessed with these oranges.  My mom recently purchased a small crate of them from our local supermarket for our family to enjoy and as you would know it, we are the only ones that will eat any of them (and we have almost eaten all of them... lol).  I eat them every meal and I am pretty sure that if I keep this behavior up, I may just turn into a clementine orange myself. Ha!  Well, I hope that you guys will try this recipe out and leave me a comment about how your attempt worked out.  Happy cooking and enjoy these pictures of my winter wonderland day so far.  

                                                      

                                          

                                                   

                    

XOXO,

 

 

                          

                                          

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