Book List #1

What I Finished Reading:

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Anything by Gillian Flynn gives me goosebumps but in the best way.  She has talent, this one, and she wields it well.  The entire book is like a slow build up to a really stunning end, but it never seems to drag or take longer than it needs to.  I'm jealous of people who can pack such a punch with their words.  After I read anything by Gillian Flynn, I find myself thinking about the book long after I'm done.  It stays with you for a long time and makes you think.  I think that's partly because it's not an easy read.  It's gritty and incredibly disturbing in places, but it's well worth it nonetheless, just to experience the writing.

What I'm Reading Now: 

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

This one's kind of cheating, because I knew it was going to be good before I even picked it up.  It's a slim book, but I like that, because it's apparent he used only as many words as he needed to in order to tell the story.  There's a lot in this book for how small it is, and I'm guessing I'm going to have to read it again (and again) to pick up everything that he wrote down.  I'm a sucker for anything Gaiman though, so that won't be much of a chore for me.  The language he uses is so simple but everything he has to say seems so important.  I'm nearly done with this book and just like all of his others, it's a good one regardless of the last few pages.

What I'm Reading Next: 

Quiet by Susan Cain

Stamp It!

So lately, I've been really into metal stamping my own bracelets and dog tags.  It's pretty easy and getting started is not that expensive.  The worst part is missing the stamp entirely with the hammer and getting your finger instead, which I have definitely done.  And lining up the letters... My first tries probably looked like a drunk gorilla tried to stamp a word into the aluminum.  It takes practice but the results are really cool, especially since you can put whatever you want on your own jewelry without paying someone else to do it!

I bought all of my supplies from the starter kit beaducation sells.  It's pretty inexpensive, and the tools seem pretty high-quality.  The kit will come with a set of uppercase letters and number stamps, a pair of metal hole punch pliers, steel bench block, copper practice sheet, some blanks, and a few other small supplies you might need.  I bought my bracelet blanks and bracelet bender (far left) from gottagetadeal on Etsy.

First you have to decide on the quote you want to put on your bracelet.  Choose something with only a few words to start with.  I like to start in the middle of the bracelet so just figure out what the middle word should be and start from there.  For this bracelet, I'm going with the phrase "so it goes" from Slaughterhouse-Five because I'm kind of a book nerd.  Plus, Kurt Vonnegut was from Indiana.  How cool is that?  

It can be helpful is you use tape to mark where your letters should go.  As you can see, it's really hard to get the letters even and straight, but I like to say that the imperfections make the piece more unique!  Heh.

Okay, this is the weird part.  You're going to have to mark over the indentations with a permanent marker so you can get that vintage, antique-y look.  Don't worry about making it perfect because the extra around the letters will rub right off with a little bit of nail polish remover.

See?? Pretty cool, right?

And last step.  Just slip the end of the bracelet into the bracelet bender and bend the aluminum strip around its rounded curve.  Make sure you bend it all the way or you'll have an awkward little crease in the middle of the your bracelet.  Do the same with the other side of the bracelet.

And you're done!  Enjoy your new bracelet.  You totally have every right to brag about how you can make your own jewelry now. ;) 

Selfie Tuesday?

     

Messing with my camera today by taking some self-portraits.  I bought my camera months and months ago but I still haven't really figured out how to use its manual settings yet and using it in auto seems like cheating.  It's a Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100 and it's a really nice, small size that's easy to carry around in my purse.  Plus, I wanted to learn on something cheaper before investing in a DSLR, mostly so I could decide if photography is something I really wanted to get into.  Anyway, these are just a few of today's shots.  I'm learning slowly, but I guess that's better than not learning at all!

A Little Slow Down Fast

It was Steven's birthday on Thursday, so we decided to take a little trip this weekend to Waikoloa.  I was super glad that we did, because seriously, I needed to get out of the house.  There's only so much baking that I can legitimately do without going a little crazy.  And playing fetch.  Dear lord, Layla loves playing fetch, which I don't really understand, because it's seriously just me throwing a toy across the room over and over again.  Yeesh.  Anyway, the hotel was super nice and the room was massive, and it was cool to go to a beach with some actual sand.

 I'll never get tired of taking pictures of flowers, apparently. I don't even know what these are called, but they're pretty, and they're definitely growing a lot better than the orchids I have at home.  Whoops.

I seriously have to take about a hundred pictures with this guy to get one where we're both smiling.  He messes around too much to ever get a good one, but on the plus side, it makes me laugh.  Like in this one:

Hope you had an awesome weekend too! 

Finding My Happy

I have a worrying problem.  If there's a possibility that something might wrong, believe me, I have considered it.  I am very good at weighing the pros and cons but, unfortunately for me, I usually end up having more cons on my list.  I can be pretty negative.  I won't lie about that.  I love this picture of me because at that moment, I was so unapologetic about my happiness.  I was just so glad to be where I was, doing what I was doing at that time.  So this is what I'm going to do to try to get back to that girl more often.  These are things that make me happy.

Baking - I surprised myself with this one, but I love to bake.  I used to do it a lot with my grandma when I was younger, and she taught me all her secrets.  That was awesome.  This summer, I started baking again, and there's something really calming about it.  I take so much pride in baking things that taste good (or don't taste so good) and letting other people try it.  

Reading - This is something I don't get to do very often, but it's definitely my one true passion in life.  I love getting into a character's head and going on adventures with them.  I love getting mad at them for doing stupid things and I love being happy for them when things turn out the way I want them to.  That's the one thing I miss the most about living on an island - there is a disturbing lack of bookshops here. 

Writing - Stringing words together in a way that shows how I feel or tells a story that's been running around in my head is an awesome feeling.  There's definitely something therapeutic about being able to write down what I can't say out loud.  I'm definitely an introvert, and I'm much better at communicating through writing than through actually talking.

Trying new things - I'm not sure if this counts or not, but for the last couple months, I've been really into trying new things.  It's a sense of accomplishment when I get it right, and it gives me something to work at when I don't get it right.  I've tried metal stamping, baking dog treats, wall art, and photography lately, and all of it's been very fun even if I'm not very good at it yet.  

Here's to finding even more new things that make me happy in the future! 

Green Thumb (or Lack Thereof)

I tried to start an herb garden a few months ago and... didn't have much success.  (No one told me you had to water them every day!  Come on!) Anyway, so I decided to try again and have enlisted my boyfriend to help me out with its upkeep.  In fact, he does most of the upkeep, so this is basically his baby.  I did plant the seeds though!

We're also growing some cilantro, which is growing quite nicely.  We actually started it using those cilantro cuttings you can find in some stores with the roots still attached thinking that it'd probably just wilt and nothing would come of it, but it actually looks really nice.  We just don't really know what to cook so we can use it!

These are some succulents I picked up from Home Depot.  I'm planning on putting it in my classroom for the kids to look at once school starts again.  Only problem is, I'm not sure what kind of succulents they are.  Oops!  They look nice though, and require very little care, which is great for me.  I don't have the best track record with plants, so if you're like me, I totally recommend getting some succulents for your garden.

We also have a coffee tree and an orchid growing, but neither are really impressive at the moment.  Apparently they take a while to grow, but in a couple years, we should have our own coffee beans!  I'll cross my fingers, I guess.  

Ruff Day Dog Treats

I started making dog treats a couple weeks ago, because I heard that store bought treats can be pretty unhealthy, and it seemed like the best option for our dogs.  They're pretty easy to make and the dogs seem pretty happy with them, although I'm betting they'd be happy with any treat I give them.  You could never accuse them of being picky eaters, so I guess that's a point in their favor!  The above are just my standard peanut butter bones.  The bone-shaped cookie cutter I found is so sweet.

This is where things start getting a little crazy.  These are the cinnamon roll bites I made for Layla and Mia.  They're adorable to look at and they taste pretty good to the dogs.  I tried it myself (ha!) and they taste alright, but I'm not a fan of peanut butter, and I put peanut butter in almost all the treats.  I never thought Id' be one of those people making fancy things for my animals, but these are actually pretty easy to make.

These are the pretzel bites I made for 'em.  Also pretty easy to make.  Dog treats seem to all use the same base recipe and then you just twist the dough into whatever shapes you like.  That way, you know the ingredients are pretty safe and healthy for the dogs.  It's SO much easier trying to teach Layla simple commands using treats that I know don't have any chemicals or unhealthy things in them.  

Babies!

Most mothers can't wait to show off their babies, and I'm not really any different.  This is my baby Layla.  I adopted her from the Humane Society mid-May, and I knew immediately that I wanted to take her home.  She was the runt of her litter and had trouble getting to the food bowl because her sisters would push her out of the way.  She was the most mellow but wanted love just as much as her sisters!  

Sidenote: I would totally recommend adopting from the Humane Society.  I only had to pay $80 for her and she already had her first round of shots and was spayed and micro-chipped.

 

This is Mia.  She's my boyfriend's dog and an Italian Boxer.  Layla and Mia love to play together, although Mia seems to think she's a small dog and Layla seems to think she's a big dog.  I can often find Layla sleeping on Mia's big dog bed and Mia sleeping on the floor next to it!  Mia isn't my dog, but I still think she's awesome and is a big part of our life, especially when she tries to sneak onto the bed at night!  

And this is how Layla likes to sleep.  Wedged between a blanket and the sofa with her paws up in the air.  Hey, whatever works, I guess.  I know she has a hard life just sleeping all day so I'm sure she's exhausted all the time. ;P

 

 And, of course, who doesn't take tons of pictures of their babies for instagram?  Mia and Layla like to share the bed, although Layla somehow ends up taking most of the room.  Layla hates getting baths but she likes the treats that come afterward.  Our girls are best friends, for sure, and I couldn't imagine my life without them.  They make my life fuller and more fun.  

A Chalkboard Paint Obsession

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I am obsessed with chalkboard paint lately.  You can literally put it on anything and have a surface to write on.  Have an empty wall that you don't know what to do with?  Chalkboard paint it.  Have a door that could do with some sprucing up?  Chalkboard paint!  I chose to use chalkboard paint with a picture frame.  It's pretty easy.  Just pop out the glass and paint away!  There are a few more steps along the way, but you get the idea.  You'll need chalkboard paint (I bought mine from Home Depot), paintbrushes, and a cheap picture frame.

Wash the glass first using soap and water, then make sure it's completely dry before you start.  You'll want to also sand the glass first to rough it up a little.  This will help the paint stick to the glass.

And now the fun part!  I used the foam brush to paint on the chalkboard paint.  Steven pointed out while I was doing it that longer strokes and more paint would help decrease the little lines and rough areas once the paint dries.  I did two coats of paint on the glass.  The paint dries pretty quickly.  I only had to wait an hour or two between coats.  One tip I found out the hard way: Let the paint dry inside! You'll get dust stuck in the paint if you leave it outside.

And you're done!  I put the frame right by the door so we can leave notes about important things (or not-so-important) things for each other as we're leaving the house.  I really have to find other things to chalkboard paint now!