Looking for the perfect accent?

I just made this for our room.

{wide view}

Word Clouds are super fun.
You can decorate any sort of frame for them, any sort of way- any color. You can also customize your word cloud for font and font color, to suit the room you are decorating.
& They are fairly inexpensive which is important- because not only can you use it to accent any room in your own home, but it also makes the perfect gift!
I made some as graduation gifts for my friends.
By using things like our University names, our sorority tenants and jokes or phrases from over the years, it is a personal way to say happy birthday, happy graduation, happy...whatever.
But, my favorite is still the cloud hanging above our bed, it is a nice reminder every day of what B. and I have, and what we are working to build on every day.
What would you want your cloud to say?

This dinner taught me...

That eating healthily does not equate to boring food all the time.
That Rocco Dispirito is a God-send for his low cal high flavor dishes.
& that unfortunately....
I am not a balsamic vinaigrette fan.
All the fancy chefs use it, and I wanted to like it SO BAD!
But alas, the sweet but vinegary taste was too much for me.
Still a SUPER yummy dinner though.
I give you..
Beef Tenderloin with Mashed Sweet Potatoes& Brussel Sprouts in Balsamic Jus.

(also excuse the photography skills, I don't typically take pics. of food, but you get the basic idea)
The best part? I have yet to try a recipe that takes more than half an hour to make, tops, so cool!

Ok...

I know it is annoying to brag, but i just got my ETSY shop officially set up and added new stuff.
check it out:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/caitiegee

Feathers :]

So I mentioned already that I got feather hair extensions in, or rather that I figured them out...
I spent a couple of hours today dying them all sorts of fun shades.
I have White Grizzly(striped) feathers
Pink
Turquoise
Red
Purple
Brown
and lots of funky little ones

& they are super easy to put in/take care of.
It is a lot harder to put them in yourself, so I suggest you find a partner, or have me do it :]
You need the feathers and crimp beads, pliers, and a wire.
Use the wire and lay a small section of hair inside a v type shape, feed the "loose" top parts of the wire through the bead, and pull until the section of hair is completely through the bead.
Take the feather and feed the top part into the bead, then take the pliers and close the bead by crimping so that the bead lays flat on your head.
Here is how mine look...

The feathers are taken care of just like your natural hair, washing and drying, and even styling- the most impojavascript:void(0)rtant consideration is to not heat them too much or too long. try to stay away from 400 degrees but if your hair needs that high of a temperature, do not stay on it for too long.
The extensions will eventually come out on their own, but if you just need to be free again- crimp the bead in the opposite direction it was closed, and slide the hair out.
Questions?

Chic Chick Accessories

Check out the spread from Mom's weekend.

Rings, Hairties, Headbands, Earrings, Necklaces, Bracelets,Hair clips and Bobby Pins.

Soooo I'm thinking of doing a giveaway, what would you like to win??

Glitter Makes The World Go Round.

It is SATURDAY.
biiiiiig sigh of relief!
This Saturday I am feeling happy happy happy.
& what says happy better than glitter.
So expect a few different glitter inspired projects coming soon.
I am all about glitter in unexpected places like.. riiiing riiiiiiing
oh- did I forget to put it on silent?
( ok, that was cheesy, I know.)

there is NO silencing this baby.
& yes, this is a very unhappy post bathtime puppy as my "wallpaper"

I get tons of questions about where I found this little gem, and it feels good to be able to say "oh, I made it"
you can too.

Hooray!

O.k this week was nuts.
Between working pretty much every day, trying to work on the business, and the end of the semester, things were wild and still are a little bit. Yesterday I had not one but TWO final exams and for those of you that checked in yesterday... a research paper to write in less than an hour and a half (which I did accomplish, thank you very much)
Anyway I am cooling down and trying to start the weekend off right by remembering what is important and what really needs to get done so I am starting a little segment "my friday"- here are my top 5 lemme know what ya think :]
1. My puppy is sleeping right now, which I am VERY thankful for because it means I can write today's research paper without having to play fetch in between.
-his sleepy breathing reminds me that all is well, and that we are all loved
2. My faith is important to me, and I feel guilty for being stressed and maybe, just a little teeny tiny bit impatient this past week.
-I am trying to be at peace today and will try to find time to reflect on the sacrifice Christ made for me on this, Good Friday.
3. My living room is looking a little too much like a war zone.
-Once I am set into this paper, my next study break will be dedicated to B.'s laundry on the ottoman, Thor's toys all over the floor, and finally, finally vacuuming the floor.
4. My exams are over for the week, and I only have ONE more two weeks from now, during finals week.
- However, Is till have 3 research papers to write in the next two weeks, not including today's, HOORAY!
5. I have been working out diligently well, I skipped Thursday.
-I am very sore and I was just a little too sleepy yesterday for the wake up call at 4:30. But, B. and I both have massages scheduled (at the student price WOOHOO) and we stuck to our diet all week- except for Thursday when I caved and ate my chocolate frozen yogurt.
what made your list?

Did you know....

Texting and driving really is very dangerous- so is talking on the phone even if it hands free while you are driving.

(*this photo is not mine, it is from The Economist)

How do I know?
I am frantically trying to finish my final research project written about just that. I have 40 minutes to go. I am on page one.
But I still found time to blog :]
Wanna read more about it?
I will share my pride and joy with you as soon as I am done!
In the mean time I recommend this little piece- you might recognize the picture
http://www.economist.com/node/18561075?fsrc=scn/fb/wl/ar/thinkbeforeyouspeak
Happy almost Friday!

Tutorial!

So a while ago I started admiring the simple beauty of ruffles. They don't sound like much, but they add just that little something extra.
& so I decided I must figure them out.
I read a billion different source, including my big how-to book.
But the result was miserable, and I could not figure them out.
Naturally once I did get it I figured I cannot be the only one having ruffle trouble- so here is my how to-

First gather your supplies...obviously.
I suggest- because of the last step, that you go with a little bit of a heavier thread, especially if you are using a thicker fabric.
Because I want to eventually use this as maybe a trim or embellishment, I wanted a nicer look to it so I pinned and sewed three edges. Ia m not sure if you can go all the way around, or what that would do to the ruffle, but I played it safe- if you do it my way, just remember to sew that unfinished edge at the very end!

Ok- from here is where I had trouble personally. People are on both side of the sewing machine settings. Some say high tension some say low- I say low. I also just used a straight stitch and sewed two lines straight down the center- make sure they do not touch, but remember the ruffle will hide it somewhat so the stitch does not have to be perfectly one hundred percent straight. Also, I recommend idling th machine a little until you get used to ruffles so that the thread doesn't yank right out. At the end of each of those, trim the thread, leaving a couple of inches of tugging room.

The last step to complete the ruffle is to pull on the thread.
This took me like oh.... 5billion frustrating attempts, so don't worry if your thread pulls all the way through or breaks don't sweat it. Everyone else made ruffles seem so easy that it was somewhat discouraging to me that mine were anything but. So do not panic if it doesn't come out right the first time!

If you were like me and left that raw edge, finish that edge off, and then enjoy your hard work!

Bleh.

This week is very long and it is trying me already...
I work a TON this week, and I am trying to get orders in before the end of the school year and just get my business off the ground in general. And study for finals.
AND write my final papers. AND make time for my boyfriend and pup, AND eat healthy.
Ughhhhhh
All I want is a BIG fatty frozen yogurt- chocolate of course. With mini gummy bears.
oh
&
a bubble bath.
That will have to wait until summer though (maybe not the froyo- froyo waits for no woman)
Also, I made the Pho today and let me tell you it was EASY!
It took less than 30 minutes to make, I didn't have agave nectar, and I subbed stew meat in for the beef tenderloin because I forgot to defrost it, annnnnd I bought the wrong type of noodles. However it was still yummy. While I did not clear my bowl because I didn't much care for the amount of fresh lime juice I over zealously added, Is till very much enjoyed the dinner. I especially loved the speed.
This recipe was also from the Now Eat This Diet cookbook. I am grooving on this new book. The food is so flavorful it doesn't taste like diet food, but this meal was under 200 calories- woohoo!

Weigh In Day!

Today marked my first check up on my weight loss challenge.
while I have not actually lost weight yet, I check all of my measurements and there is nothing but good news there.

Thankfully my booty saw the greatest reduction in inches overall- down an inch there, my pants are thankful for the extra breathing room.

Also, I just bought a new cookbook- Rocco Dispirito's "The Now Eat This Diet"
It caught my eye because the menu is all planned out for me, complete with shopping lists.
Tonight we had Pepper Onion and Goat Cheese Frittata ( I substituted feta for the goat cheese because I am a culinary chicken) and it was suuuper yummy, took mere minutes to make and was only 182 calories a serving. Good call? I think so.

Guess Who

Just figured out how to make feather hair extensions and is adding them to her business line???
Yeah, this girl!
As soon as my stuff comes in I will teach you how to make them too :]

Tutorial!

I have a dirty secret.
And I know what you are thinking- geez louise woman, enough with the secrets!
But this is much worse than all of the others.
You see, I love things when they are nice and neat. I love to craft, to create, to beautify.
But my apartment is U.G.L.Y- it aint got no alibi.It's ugly, formt he front entrance in, out of shape old, and intimidating to any who want to remain healthy and alive as it looks like it could crack and fall to the ground at any time.
{here is my sad looking front door}

{and the part of the walkway directly to the left of the door}

Clearly, this is the area I am focusing on...
first:

* I forgot to mention you also need a helpful mom.
-The shepherds hook could go straight into the ground, unless you have ground like mine that is rocky and gross, plus I like the look of the pot planter WAY better
Step 1: Add bricks to the bottom of the planter for drainage.
Step 2: Place the hook inside the pot, you may need help (this is where mom comes in) :]

Step 3: Pour potting soil in to the pot, being sure to pack it in around the hook for added stability.
Step 4: Grab you plants, loosed the roots at the bottom, and plant them.
Step 5: Add your hanging plant or other to the hook.
Step 6: Admire the difference

I used lavender, and white alyssum.
Hopefully they will both come back and I will have a nice back drop of white with pretty and fragrant purple lavender.
Also the hanging flowers are pansies, in case you couldn't tell- just because they were cheapest, but I like them. I am working on a hanging welcome sign to add to the second hook.

What beautification project are you working on?

Oops (again)

Sooo I skipped yesterday.
and I have yet to upload my pictures from this weekend so I can't post those either.
BUT I do have progress with my personal challenge. I am still struggling trying to recover from being up too late Monday night (ughh). Yet, we woke up for the gym at 4:30 am today (not so yay) but I got my workout in. Also, I have nothing but healthy. Yesterday I was going to give in to temptation and buy myself a frozen yogurt for getting so much accomplished but resisted (partially due to the lack of chocolate fro-yo, but whatever.
I hope the progress for your own challenge is going well!

Final secret, first challenge, and more!

O.k. I know there were no posts this weekend. My momma came for mom's weekend on campus and having her, and B.'s mom here, and the stress of the end of the semester and blah blah blah, it didn't happen, alright?
And I know I have said things along this line kind of often lately, but I have a lot in the works for you, including my very first tutorial(HOORAY).
But today I am starting something special, something my momma and I talked about this weekend. And mom, since I know you are reading this- time for you to jump on board missy.

First, me last secret- which should sot of explain why this is gonna be so very hard. Growing up in base housing the friends you have are sacred for as long as they are yours before one of the two of you transfers. I had this super cool friend way back (like k-1st grade) and she had an even cooler older sister, who had just had a baby. Their house was quiet, her parents listened to the king of Pop often, and the even got to eat dinner in the living room. Looking back, my family is obviously cooler, but I thought they were awesome, and they quite possibly were. Anyway0 my friend's sister had just had the baby and she was using this neat little trick she had learned from her own friend to lose the baby weight. she was forcing herself to vomit this was working so well and she was so pretty, and we wanted to be just like her, and so we tried it. We clearly had nothing to lose, we didn't need to be anything but little girls. But we picked up a nasty habit that we had no idea was bad. To my parent's credit- as soon as they figured out this unspeakable game we just started, they sought help, and I became much healthier. But the seed was already planted. The pain of feeling fat, of feeling uncomfortable in my own skin but not wanting to sink back into the disorder is very difficult. And I have let myself slip- not into the disorder, but into letting this self pity get the best of me.
This is me at the end of my freshman year in college- at 120 pounds.

( never mind my messy roommates stuff in the background)
I am now 170 lbs.
and five feet tall.
you read that right.

this is me now.
cropped for an illusion of thinness.
But today starts my change, and this time for real, feel free to leave suggestions, update me on your own progress, or just follow along silently.

OH & Happy Monday!

Dear World,

Neon pink tights, a zebra print trench coat and knee high boots are not necessarily a good look.

Most especially not when worn together.
I am not the most stylish person, but come on...even I know better than that.

The other man.

I have sooo many things I am dying to share with you. All of which are awesome but I have saved for you the grand finale to my family. My sweet little man. He has been with me only since June of this past year, but the impact he has made is incredible. He is not a baby, though he is most certainly my baby.
I introduce to you now, the sweetest, best puppy ever- Thor.

(rocking the infinity scarf I made him :])

Thor puppy is a man of many names, with a personality much larger than our teeny tiny apartment. One day I will give you a 360 and you will understand what I mean by that. Anyway, this little guy brightens me up every single second I am with him. It starts early early early in the morning when I am still grumbling about having to wake up to go to the gym, (or in the micro second I take to debate whether or not I am waking up to go to the gym) . B. gets up first, takes him out to potty and gives him his treat, which is apparently code for “time to get Caitlin” because without fail I can hear his mini paws clippy clapping across the kitchen floor, pummeling across the living room floor to the bedroom where he jumps (and I swear he has a strange hovering type ability) and pounces square on my chest, where he stays until I have decided to get up, in which case he gives me my good morning puppy kisses, or stay home, in which case he curls right up and commits to another hour of sleep with me.

Thor came into our lives suddenly- like within days of deciding I wanted a dog, and within hours of finding out that little guy existed in the first place. He is undoubtedly the best split second decision I have ever made. Though he caused living arrangement “problems” initially, and there has been a great learning curve, and he STILL does not understand “sit", he ultimately has made every situation better, and his goofy little mannerisms get him out of all sorts of trouble.

(and he is a coug :])

Puppy love is the best therapy.

The Man.

A long long not so long time ago I was younger and more naïve. I thought boys that pay attention to you really did love you, and meant what they said. Then I had my heart broken- it was sad news. Thanks to a sorority sister he almost had his nose broken which would not have been sad news, but that is a story for another day.
Turns out that little preface was not such sad news after all because it meant I could actually have a “college” summer, right? Go to the beach when I don’t work, spend time with girlfriends; go on dates with people- go figure. It did not so much work out that way, why you ask? Because I did spend a little time with my girlfriend who told me it was time to stop moping and move on to the fun part of this situation. It was time to… dun dun dun meet someone, and she knew just the guy. An hour later, still a little pink, and covered in sand, still a little sticky from the saltwater, here I was waiting with my friend to meet this man she had such glowing reviews about. I saw him get out of the car. I watched him approaching the coffee shop. I wanted to bolt. My stomach was literally turning over; there is NO WAY this Adonis looking man is going to be interested in me. But he was so polite, and so funny, he had a quick wit, and was entirely too charming. We talked until the coffee shop closed, then we went somewhere else- until they closed too. We said our goodbyes and I think my friend had to pull me down off the ceiling I was just that enamored already.

Two years later here we are. In our teeny tiny apartment. He is more handsome than ever, more charming than ever, more frustrating than ever. And yet I love him all the more. B. is truly in a class of his own. That is not to say we don’t have our tiffs here and there, and I am sure I am the culprit behind half of them. But I am really and truly more in love by the day and lucky for that.
Thanks you B. for all that you say and do, for being the man that you are, I am proud of you, I love you.

Meet the fam.

I am holding onto my last truth because I think you have to know a little bit about my other parts to get me more fully. I am one of four children- you read that right, four. I remember growing up, all the wide eyed stares my mother would get out in public, the gasps, "are they all yours? And now the Duggars among others have made large families more normal...cool even. I can dig it.

My father is a retired marine turned engineer. He will argue this point because "marines never really retire" however he is not one of those salty old dogs that still relates everything in combat terms, so- still hip. He is awesome, and the most incredible role model of a man I could think of. He definitely set a standard for hard work, loyalty, and the types of people you want in your life. My parents have been married for 24 years now and are the perfect "old couple" but still goofy and fun.

My mommy is incredible. How lame is it that I am tearing up trying to actually describe my parents, because that is just how incredibly awesome they are. My mom has sacrificed just about everything for us kids, she was a stay at home mom when we needed her to nurture us, and has since picked up a stressful full time position (at the high school) so she could still maintain our schedule and be there when class is done. She has also sacrificed her sanity in the form of becoming a cheer mom, a debate mom, a softball mom, a SUPER mom all for our sake.

I told you they were awesome.
My brother and I are 14 months apart, he is the oldest, and just graduated from the University of Washington,and is now moving on to think big thoughts and do big things. I am very proud of him.

My sisters have the most incredible sense(s) of humor. They are farther apart in age that my brother and I are, and there is a 5 year gap between me and my next little sister. They have the perfect way of reminding me that life is fun, the problems I have now are fleeting and trivial, and that someone is watching, so make sure you set a good example.

Without all of them, I would be a very different woman.
I am grateful
I am lucky

Oops!

Soooo... Sunday came and went.
Literally JUST like that.
I had my sorority philanthropy event, a bike ride to Idaho (8 miles away) followed by a planning meeting for very serious end of the year adpi celebrations :] (I could not miss)
Very quickly followed by a group meeting for my Athletic Training class because our final project is due in 9 days eeek I STILL have to study for my abnormal psychology class at some point since my exam is tomorrow yikes but I let that slide yesterday so that I could set up promo letters for other sororities on campus, and make dinner for who I hope will one day be my mother in law (hint hint B... I know you are reading this) :]

Also- we splurged and bought a kinect so B. and I unwound for about an hour and then tucked ourselves in finally after a very long busy day! If you are lucky maybe one day there will be some of those ridiculous pictures they sneak of you doing the funky chicken in an attempt to "hit the volleyball"

What all of this means is that the last truth will happen either late tonight or early tomorrow for those of you who are dying to read more.

Embarrisingly enough

I am a dork. There, I said it, I feel better for getting it off of my chest. I am embarrassing, I do weird things, I make strange noises, I am weird to the tenth degree, I am a dork. I was reminded of this yesterday at work. I am a facilitator it is kind of like being a camp counselor

but... all year long, and also I have to be knowledgeable about a plethora of topics mostly centered around leadership. Yesterday though, was a big day on campus and this is a huge visitor weekend, so we had groups of twenty all day- but they were high school students and we started at eight and they were tired, and cranky and, well, you can picture it. I however LOVE my job, especially when I am working with high school students because that means they are going to be cranky and cool, and I have to be overly weird and loud and dorky to get them to come out of their shell. The problem is some other form of me takes over and I am not Caitlin anymore. I am some alternate being. A strange combination of light and giggles and bouncy peppy movements and strange expressions.

When it was over I reflected and there was this moment where I thought "wow, did I really just do all of that?" I did. And the truth is, I think this alternate being might be who I actually am. this might be why I feel strange compulsions to dance around when I am bored, or talk to the puppy like he is totally aware of what I am saying in my fluffy happy voice. Maybe, just maybe, dorky Caitlin is the only REAL Caitlin there is, and maybe quiet sit down and pay attention in class and be serious all the time Caitlin is the fake. I think it must be this way because I just worked again, and now that I have to switch back over to serious Caitlin... I am doing this instead :]

Happy Saturday!

The sad truth

At the heart I am a very joyous person. I am reserved most of the time but charismatic and loud when I need to be or when the mood is right. But the one determining factor that sends my day one way or another is that along with more than 20 million other Americans I have a depressive disorder. Not the can't ever get out of bed and in constant pain with soreness or numbness depression. Actually I think mine is much more obnoxious because it leaves me short tempered and almost temperamental at times. I wish there was less of a stigma about this. I wish that people know that a lot of times I don't speak up it because as soon as I say something out loud I wonder why I did, I am embarrassed that I would even think to say it out loud- that my friends probably all think I am really weird, and will probably never call again. This dark cloud attacks and consumes my thoughts, i hear a whooshing, my face gets hot and I need an escape, I am taken over by a need to cry. And boy do I cry. A friend in high school once told me that if I was a superhero, my power would be to cry. I keep a kayak on hand because I could probably LITERALLY cry a river.

I recognize this bit of myself in others, but I would be so embarrassed if I knew more people recognized it in me. I hope one day the thinking will change, I am a completely normal girl, 98% of the time. I work, I go to school, I craft (a lot), I dance around in my underwear, I laugh ( more than I cry) and I enjoy life.

I hope you do too!