Recipe organization made easy

I will bet that you, like most of the U.S. (or at least Pennsylvanians), have some time to kill now that we’re all locked indoors with nowhere to go. Many are using this free time to tackle little things around the house we’d been meaning to do — deep cleaning rooms, washing curtains, etc.

One of the tasks that’s been on my “to do someday” list was to organize the stack (and I mean stack) of recipes that we kept in a drawer that we would have to rifle through every time we were looking for a recipe.

I didn’t want to recopy the recipes onto cards or into the computer. It would’ve taken forever and I’d have lost the personal notes on them. Also, frankly, when I’m looking for a recipe, I often know what kind of paper it is on — a green index card or a printout with the recipe in the top right hand side, etc. What I needed was a binder. Maybe something with pockets that I could just slip my recipes into.

I went online to look around, but all the photo albums were for 4×6 pictures and the recipe binders either had recipe cards, or they were just too expensive.

I finally decided what I really needed was a bunch of plastic sleeves — full sheet and half sheets — some dividers, and a three-ring binder.  I spent less than $20.

It only took me one three-hour movie night to complete this project. I started by sorting my pile-o-recipes into categories. Then, I weeded through them to see which ones I actually wanted to keep. From there, I slipped them into sleeves, added dividers between categories and voila!

P.S. If you do this, leave some empty sleeves in the back so you can just move it forward as you add new recipes to your book.

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Voices in my ears (Podcasts I love)

I jumped on the Podcast bandwagon back when Serial exploded and everyone was listening to find out the fate of Adnan Syed, a young man who was arrested in Baltimore, Md., in 1999 for the murder of Hae Min Lee, a popular high-school senior, and his ex-girlfriend. Spoiler: There’s still no satisfying resolution to this true story/mystery.

But there was a happy ending for me (wait…is it in bad taste to say there was a happy ending to a podcast about a probably-wrongfully-imprisoned man and a dead teenage girl? Whatever..it’s my blog, I’ll do what I want) because I, like 10 million other people at the time, discovered podcasts.

They are nothing new. Podcasts have been around for more than a dozen years, or at least since the invention of the iPod for which the audio podcasts were named (though I doubt anyone listens to them on an actual iPod today), but nobody really listened to them.

Then Serial happened and hooked the whole nation on talk radio and podcasters came out of the woodwork to produce shows about everything from shoes to books to politics to popular culture to puppies to pizza to professional development.

The best estimate is that there are more than 525,000 active podcasts and that number is growing daily. Most (if not all of them) are free, though many of them ask you to support the show with regular donations or buying merchandise, or supporting the show’s advertisers (a la public TV and radio).

Some Podcasting stats:

I listen to podcasts on my phone using the Podcast Addict app on my phone. I subscribe to several podcasts, but do not have it set to automatically download new episodes because A.) I like to chose which shows I am interested in and B.) I’m conserving space on my phone. I download (using wifi) the episodes I want to listen to so I can then listen to them anytime (no wifi required once they are downloaded).  I have the app set to save podcasts to my phone’s micro SD card and the app is also set to automatically delete episodes after I have listened to them.

I listen when I walk, when I drive, sometimes when I run (though…I prefer music), when I cook/clean/garden or otherwise work around the house, and when I want to blot out the voices of the people I live with (it happens…teenagers, you know).

What do I listen to? That list is long and growing…seriously, I just added another one today (Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard….can’t recommend it yet..haven’t listened to one episode even). I regularly look for new stuff and usually try a few episodes before I subscribe. I also regularly unsubscribe is a podcaster is annoying or the podcasts starts to bore me. So many podcasts…so little listening time.

Here are some of the podcasts that I’m listening to or have listened to (Some, like S-Town, are only a few episodes). They may not all be for you. I find podcasts are, like books, very subjective. But, if you’re looking to try it out…here are a few (or more than a few) that I can recommend:

(P.S. Pardon me for not linking you to all of these, but…I’m lazy like that. You can find most of them on Stitcher’s Top 100 list.)

Gimlet Media

• Crimetown (Mafia ….and it is fascinating)
• Science Vs.
• Heavyweight (though I do find this podcaster annoying…I don’t get the bit with him annoying his sister at the start of every episode.)

WNYC Studios

• Death, Sex and Money (podcaster Ana is awesome.)
• Fresh Air with Terry Gross (Literally the best podcaster/interviewer in the biz)
• RadioLab
• On the Media

NPR (honestly anything from NPR is awesome)

• Hidden Brain
• How I Built This (really interesting stories of entrepreneurs)
• Invisibilia (not updating now, but…back issues are good)
• This American Life (the Gold standard for podcasts)
• TED Radio Hour
• Embedded

Others

• Runners’ World’s Human Race (they’ve not been updating, lately, but…)
• Sincerely X (Anonymous Ted Talks)
• Katie Couric (I hate her cohost and wish she’d dump him, but…I love Katie)
• Longform (They interview writers, which, as a writer, I find it fascinating)
• On Being (a little hippy-dippy/religious-y sometimes, but I like the host and I find most of the topics interesting/inspiring)
• Dirty John – A serial story of true crime (interesting, but the main woman is so stupid I kinda hoped he’d kill her).
• S-Town – Another serial story that defies description – a crazy story – like a train wreck. You can’t stop listening. I binge listened to this one in like two days.).
• My Favorite Murder – the hosts (two women) are hilarious. Lots of F-bombs and bad language though.
• Oprah’s Super Soul (Sorry, not sorry…I love Oprah).

Meh

Here are a few podcasts that are hit-or-miss with me (I download episodes if I’m interested in the topic):

• Stuff You Should Know
• The Chasing Joy Podcast
• WTF with Marc Maron (I fast-forward through the first 5 or so minutes when he just whines about himself. But he has great guests…like OBAMA…and a variety of celebrities.)
• Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin (Same comments as above. Basically, Alec talks about himself too much, but…has good guests and is a real left-leaner, which we all know I like.)
• The Ezra Klein Show (Ezra is a writer for Vox)
• Rolling Stone’s Music Now
• TED Work Life with Adam Grant

 

 

 

I tried it: Makeup removing towels

Today’s topic: Makeup Removing Towels from Ulta

What they are: Pretty self-explanatory, but they are reusable towels that claim to remove all of your makeup (including eyeliner and waterproof mascara) with nothing more than warm water.

Why I tried them: Because my Sister-in-law recommended them and because every eye makeup remover that I have used (even my own organic mixture of 1/2 olive oil and 1/2 witch hazel) seemed to irritate my eyes.

Cost: $10 for two at Ulta. If you visit the store, just ask for them as they are not easy to find. You may want to buy online though, as there is currently a Buy-one-get-one-1/2-off sale.

What you do: Wet the cloth with warm water and wipe your makeup off.

Does it work? Yes! It takes more than just a wipe or two, but doesn’t require scrubbing.

How does it work? I have no idea, but I can tell you these miracle cloths easily remove my mascara without using any chemicals!

Can you wash them? Yep…toss them right in the washer and dryer. I’ve done so and they still work.

Would I recommend it to a friend? Yes! I’m recommending them right now. Go get yourself some of these and stop using those overpriced, chemical-filled, disposable (wasteful) cloths!

Bringing up the Black-and-Gold

Despite the NFL trying to stuff the freakin’ Buffalo Bills down our throats (and forcing the local stations to show the Bill’s road games as if anyone here gives a shit) Erie, Pennsylvania, is clearly Pittsburgh Steelers country.

Sure…sure, there are also quite a few Cleveland Browns fans around here, too, but we Steelers fans tolerate torment tease kinda love the little underdog fans in a big-brother-giving-his-little-brother-a-noogie way.

One thing Browns and Steelers fans share, besides a deep-seeded hatred for the Baltimore Ravens, is the belief in starting ’em young. Most of our kids have their first fan gear before they’re even out of the womb.

Hence the greatest Christmas present I’ve bought so far this year—”Steelers 101,” a board book for the little fan you’re growing:

How freaking awesome is that?

Don’t worry Dawg Pound, there’s one for your pups too.

There’s even one for that team no one cares about.

And, that team that shall not be named.

Relativity explained in 32 words

NOW it all makes sense:

Button, button

A friend recently hosted a Pinterest party where we made these cool button trees.

I have zero artistic talent, but I think my colorful tree turned out pretty cool.

Want to make your own? Ideas, inspiration and instructions here.

I’m going to try this one next.

Worth Reading — October 17

A random collections of blog posts, articles and other things I think are worth sharing.

Apparently…I’m all about numbers this week — 10 tips, 3 ways, 4 skills, 13 things….

The Great Fitness Experiment: 10 Tips for Silencing the Siren Song of Sugar

Marc and Angel Hack Life: Three Ways We Failed Our Way to Happiness

NPR: Instead of Surgery, Man Pedals Off Pounds (Kudos to you, dude. Long may you ride).

The Allstate Blog: 4 Survival Skills Every Kid Should Know (Situational awareness….good call)

Reader’s Digest: 13 Things a Movie Theater Employee Won’t Tell You (though, um…obviously, someone spilled the beans, er, Jujubes).

Three things — 8/2/12

Three (plus) things I’m loving this week

I forgot to post my three things last week, so we have a hardy post this week.

1. “Sewing School.” I bought Kelly this sewing book on a whim for her birthday and it did not disappoint. The cover says it contains hand-sewing projects, but most project can be adapted to do some (or all) of the stitching on a machine.

The projects are things that kids (and, heck, adults) want to make, and  it comes with all the patterns.  The directions are easy to understand and most are illustrated step-by-step with photos.

If you’ve got a wannabe sewer on your Christmas list, this is a terrific book and it’s just $12.

2. Columbus. At less than $400 for a three-day, two-night trip for a family of four, Columbus (Ohio) is a bargain. As you know, we had a blast there, and we loved the Drury Inn. We’ll be looking for that hotel chain when we book future vacations.

3.  Amazon.com. I know, I know….shop local, shop local, shop local, but….I love that I can find anything I want at Amazon.com and have it shipped to my door in two days for free (I have a prime membership which, for us, is worth it).  The week before Kelly’s birthday, I had no idea what to get her. I did a little Amazon surfing and found the sewing book and the awesome earrings & necklace (above) that look just like Sammy.

As a busy working mom who doesn’t have time to shop local, Amazon has been a God-send.

4. The Summer Olympics. You can’t help but get caught up in all the excitement of the Olympics.  NBC has been bashed for their coverage of the 2012 summer games, but I think they’re doing a pretty solid job.

My only complaint is that the games are in the summer — a season we rarely even turn the TV on. But we’ve been making a point to try and watch at night, at least  from 10 to 11 p.m.

5. Our aquatic dog. Sammy has taken to swimming, which is pretty dang cute. As long as he goes in & out the plastic stairs, he won’t scratch the liner, so it’s OK. I mean, as long as you don’t mind sharing swimming space with the little pooch.  Don’t worry, the gate is always closed when we’re not around.

Things I’m not loving this week

1. Negative energy on Facebook. While I appreciate the ability to stay in contact with friends and to “get to know” casual friends, the dark side of Facebook is that it also allows for people to get really judgmental with one another because they are not face-to-face. If they were face-to-face, it’s unlikely that people would ever say the things they do or make the statements they make.

After a “friendemy” posted a comment that clearly referred to something I had posted, I took the opportunity to do a long overdue purge and rid myself of more than 80 “friends.” Who needs that kind of negative energy in their life? I sure don’t.

2. Litter in the Wintergreen Gorge. Seriously, what is WRONG with people? How do they have zero respect for nature? On a 2-mile hike, I couldn’t even carry all the trash I picked up (Yes, now I’ve become that weird woman who picks up trash while she walks.)

That said, I need to talk to the powers-that-be at Penn State Behrend because there used to be a trash can at the entrance to the Gorge trail that is no longer there. That could be part of the problem.

3. ER/Rabies conundrum. Long story short, I got bit trying to “rescue” a kitten that I later found out was feral. It bit my thumb pretty badly, so I went to Urgent Care to have it looked at. They said I had to go to the ER and get rabies shots.  Whatever. Even the ER doctor rolled his eyes when the nurse told him it was protocol (because the chances of that kitten having rabies were like a million to one).

So…I feel forced into the damned shots (four of them in the first round — one in each arm, one in each hip) and then they tell me I have to come back four more times for follow up shots.

I realize I have a $100 ER copay, but they make it sound like the follow-up shots won’t count as a visit because I’ll just “stop in” and the nurse will quickly give me the shot.

Not so. When I went back for the 2nd shot, I had to sit in the waiting room, talk to the triage nurse, see a doctor, etc.  All for shots that everyone knew I don’t need.

I called my insurance company (yep, each visit is $100 for me and probably $500 for them), I called the hospital to see if they could send the medicine to the Urgent Care (no dice), I called my doctor’s office (sorry, you have to go the ER), and I called the Erie County Health Department (again…sorry, you have to go to the ER…and a lecture about how rabies is fatal).

So, I am being forced to have a treatment I likely don’t need at the most expensive place I can possibly have it because that’s the only place that I can get it. How does this make sense if it’s a public safety issue?

Done. I never went back and, now, suddenly, the Erie Co. Health Dept. cares because they’ve been calling me daily. They can bite me. (LOL).

So if you see me frothing at the mouth, you have my permission to shoot me. Rabies if fatal, you know.

Friday Funny — photobombers

LOL. Check out these 45 Amazing Animal Photobombs. BTW — a photobomb means to drop in a photo unexpectedly…to hop in a picture right before it is taken.

For example:

Three Things — 6/28/12

Three things I’m loving this week:

1. Photo books. Each year, I make a photo book (“A Year with Daddy”) for Dan for Father’s Day with photos of him and the girls through the year prior, choosing at least one photo for each month. When I first started doing them, they were basically 4×6 photos spiral bound together with a cardstock cover. But now, a mere 10 years later, you can make 5×7 collage books with a custom soft cover for same price.

Photo books are very easy to do with the digital page templates the photo sites give you — just drag the template onto the page, then drag your photos into each hole, click on a text box to add text, etc.

I made this large 30-page hardcover book of our Florida trip (below) for $38 (1/2 price sale):

Recently, I made this 5×7 softcover book (below) for Lauren for $11.

I took a story she had drawn on construction paper, scanned the pages, and turned it into a “real” book.

You can make books at most photo sites (Walmart, Walgreens, York photo, Snapfish, etc.), but shop around because prices vary widely. I always hold out for a 1/2 price deal at York Photo where I upload all my digital photos.

2. College for Kids at Penn State Behrend. Granted, I work at Behrend, but I’m telling you that the College for Kids programs are incredible. They are well-organized and fun and the girls are having a blast this week. Kelly is in “Author’s Club” and is working on her first book and Lauren is in “3-D Art” making daily masterpieces in paper (origami, etc.), clay, wire and more.

Yesterday I sat in on a “CSI Forensics” class in which the kids were studying “blood spatter” (with food coloring). Clearly, they were having a blast learning about science (pix above).

3. Baby birds!  I was thrilled when a robin started constructing a nest on top of our garage light in May because if you stand in our porch, on the step up into the kitchen, you can see right inside the nest.

I thought poor Mother Bird’s eggs were duds because she had been sitting on them for weeks, but then …. three babies hatched.  We’re really enjoying this birds-eye view of nature.

4. The Barnes & Noble Summer Reading program. Did you know that if your kids (grades 1-6) keep track of the books they’re reading  this summer — and write them down in their Reading Journal — they can earn a free book at Barnes & Noble?   More info here.

5. The Presque Isle Sunset Concert Series. What can be said? Coolest event in town. The Sunset Concert Series rocks, literally and figuratively.

Three things I’m not loving this week:

1. Sibling squabbles. For the love God, they need to stop before I lose my mind. When I was a kid, I remember that fighting with my brother was the one thing guaranteed to make my mother go ape shit.  Now I know why. (And, mom, I’m very, very sorry).

Janet Kummerer/Erie Times-News

2. A looming race date. How can my Her Times woman’s 5K  (Sat., Oct. 6) be just 3+ months away now?  A certain race director needs to get her shit together and get going on this thing.

3. Cold afternoon temps. I don’t mind the chilly nights because they make for great sleeping weather, but the chilly afternoons early this week were not welcome…yet. Give it a couple months, Mother Nature.