How I Spend My Me-Time (Tag, You’re IT!)

December 5, 2014December 5, 2014 Caitlyn5 Comments

Today I read a blog post–about a blog post–about me-time. Both posts invite readers to play along with a me-time questionnaire, so I’ve decided to give it a go myself!

What do you watch or read during me-time?
I tend to read a lot of articles online. I mean, a LOT. I also really enjoying reading blogs, crafty books and magazines, cookbooks and cooking magazines, and of course, BOOKS! As I mentioned before, right now I’m reading Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and his Years of Pilgrimage.

What do you wear during me-time?

I could probably live in leggings. Or shorts over leggings. In the wintertime, fleece leggings.

Otherwise I love wearing running shorts and tank tops, hoodies, etc., and I’ve almost always got my red snuggie on when I’m lounging around the house. Oh yes! And I am rarely without slippers!

What are your me-time beauty products?

I actually don’t tend to go wild with beauty products during me-time. Once in a while I will use a face mask, like Garnier’s Skin Care Renew, or paint my toenails. I used to love the face masks in Japan–you could find tons of really inexpensive ones that worked really well and were really fun. I’ll keep you posted on some of my favorites when we get settled in next month!

Current favorite nail polish?

Unfortunately I’m not allowed to wear fingernail polish at work, but I loved this Sally Hansen Hot Tamale color in the summer, and I like this snowflake-like Blue Marks the Spot in the winter for my toesies.

What do you eat/drink during me-time?

It’s hard to really nail down a specific food for my me-time, but one of my favorite pastimes is exploring the worlds of chocolates, pastries and sweet breads.

If you know me at all, you must be able to guess that my beverage consumption tends to be almost on a daily routine: coffee in the morning, water throughout the day, and beer and/or tea at night. Favorite coffee at the moment? Probably Starbucks Christmas Blend. My favorite, favorite (favorite!) beer is Ranger from New Belgium Brewing Company. And my favorite tea? Tazo Refresh Mint or Henry & Sons Sencha.

Usually any moment I get to drink or eat anything counts as me-time, because eating and drinking are two of my favorite things.

This is my favorite tea cup ❤

Current favorite candle?

I love Bath & Body Works “Party Dress” scent (currently unavailable through their site, but you can find it on amazon!). Not only does it smell really nice, but it reminds me of when one of my best friends visited me from Japan last year (I bought it when we were shopping together!).

Do you ever have outdoor me-time?

Definitely! In the summer I love riding bike around town–especially to the library, little shops and the beach. I also enjoy running and going for walks in the summer. In the winter I go for a lot of walks (I have to, as a matter of fact, because my car was totaled about a month and a half ago. Luckily I live close to work!). I really enjoy listening to podcasts when I’m running or walking. My favorites are Dinner Party Download and Radiolab.

Would you ever go see a movie alone?

I’ve considered it, but if I were to see a movie by myself I think I’d rather just watch it at home (with my kitty cats and my snuggie).

Favorite online shop?

I don’t really do too much online shopping, but if I do I suppose it’s from amazon, and I usually order books.

What else do you do during me-time?

I do a lot of baking, cooking, writing and crafting (drawing, wood burning, painting, art journaling etc.) during my me-time.

I made these easy Mexican Wedding cookies yesterday and they were dangerously addicting!

I almost always am listening to music, too. I really like classical guitar music for me-time, especially when the weather is rainy. I also enjoy yoga when I’m not distracted by the million other things I want to do (I like Jillian Michael’s Yoga Meltdown). Oh yeah, and going to cafes and bookstores. And art stores. Annnnnnnnd, I think I have way too many hobbies!

Okay, TAG! It’s your turn to tell me about your me-time 🙂

xxCaitlyn

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Letting the Cat out of the Bag…

November 10, 2014 Caitlyn2 Comments

As some of you have probably heard by now, Chad and I made a very difficult decision recently. We were contacted by our former company in Japan and asked if we would be interested in starting a new campus for the school in Tokyo. With much consideration, we’ve decided to accept their offer! We have purchased our tickets, so things are feeling very official now. It is a bit scary to leave family, friends and kitty cats behind, and we know it’s going to be especially hard to go so soon (we fly out to Japan the end of December)!We are thankful for all of the endless support everyone in Michigan has been giving us, and we are looking forward to the great opportunity ahead. I will of course continue blogging here, so don’t go disappearing on me! Lots of love to everyone ❤

More soon!
xxCaitlyn

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Art Journal

October 29, 2014January 2, 2015 arielmay85Leave a comment

Hi, everyone! Ariel here with a short post about art journaling. If you spend any time at all with me you know I have an art journal (or four). I find having a designated place for creativity to be therapeutic; it’s a great way for me to recharge my batteries after spending time out in the world. I thought I would share a page I made recently in case anyone was curious about art journaling but wasn’t sure what was involved/how to start/what constitutes art journaling. I made a page in my journal about doing the Color Run with my husband and friend. I first gathered my supplies which were gesso and watercolors. Gesso is a primer for a page. You use it to make the page thicker and easier for things to stick to it, whether that’s paint or adhesive or what have you. It’s a little expensive but it’s worth the price if you have a journal with thin pages. After painting on the gesso and allowing it to dry, I put blotches of watercolors at the top of the page and used a spray bottle filled with water to make the paint run down the page.

the blotches of paint will stay wet for a while so you can let the paint running down dry and then spray more water at the top to give more interest to the page

I sprayed water at the top of the page, letting the page dry between sprayings, until I was happy with the way everything looked. And to be totally honest, I didn’t like the top of the page with those big blotches of paint. That was okay, though, because the next thing I was going to do was put pictures from the Color Run on the page.

I placed the pictures on the page in such a way as to hide what I didn’t like about the paint, namely the top and bottom. You can still see the colors and the way the blended together and that’s really what I was going for. I used photo corners to attach the pictures to the page. The only thing left to do at this point was to add some journaling about the day.

Mostly I wrote that we had a great time and after the race we had an amazingly delicious breakfast at a local restaurant. And that’s it! There isn’t a whole lot going on with this page but I liked the way it turned out. It documented an experience that I will remember for a long time and allowed me to be creative.

Here’s a few links that I’ve found helpful in making an art journal:
A Beautiful Mess has an e-course that Caitlyn and I have used
Daisy Yellow has some good tips
Thistle Dew blog has monthly art journaling prompts

Also, PInterest has some really great art journaling images!

Have you ever kept an art journal?

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October: National Popcorn Poppin’ Month

October 1, 2014January 2, 2015 arielmay85Leave a comment

Guest Author: Ariel Knapp

Good morning and happy October first! Did you know October was National Popcorn Poppin’ Month? I just found that out earlier this week when I visited this popcorn website. My family and I love popcorn! We usually have it as a snack once or twice a week. And we don’t use microwave popcorn, either. We pop it on the stove top. It’s super easy to do and you don’t have to worry about all the chemicals that get added to the microwave variety. If you’ve never popped popcorn on the stove top before here’s a quick run through of how to do it along with some topping choices that we like at my house.

First, gather the ingredients (such as they are) together:That’s it. All you need is oil and popcorn. Canola oil is a good neutral oil to use plus it’s good at high temperatures. Cover the bottom of a high sided pot with the oil and then pour in the popcorn. You want the popcorn to cover the bottom of the pan but not be overcrowded because then you get kernels that don’t pop. Cover the pot and apply medium high heat like so:At the same time, put a small amount of butter in another pot over low heat so it will melt and you can pour it over your popcorn.Pretty soon, your popcorn kernels will start popping. Turn off the heat when the time between popping sounds is about 3 seconds or so long.

my dog Barley gets very excited when we make popcorn

This is what happens when you overfill the pot with kernels. But it’s ok because the more popcorn the better if you ask me. When the popcorn has stopped popping, transfer it to a large container and pour the melted butter all over it.

Most of the time, I eat my popcorn without butter but with plenty of salt and pepper. But other times we’ve put parmesan cheese on it, Italian seasoning or even these handy little seasonings.The most important thing when having popcorn? Making sure you have a friend to share it with.If you haven’t tried making popcorn at home before I hope you try it out soon. It’s a lot of fun to experiment with different flavors and toppings!

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Summer 2014 Bucket List Recap

September 24, 2014September 24, 2014 Caitlyn1 Comment

Wow, this summer flew by. I think because Michigan’s summer was a bit cold this year, it didn’t even feel like we had a real summer, but I was really happy that I could check so much off my summer bucket list for 2014 anyway! The to-do’s with checks were completed, and most of the ones with a strike-through were just transferred to my fall list (coming soon!) instead. Many of the links will lead you to past posts so you can remember with me, if you like 🙂

Summer Bucket List 2014

1. Drive-In Movie √

We saw Guardians of the Galaxy

2. Binder Park Zoo √

3. Make S’Mores √

4. Go to a Star Party √

5. Have a BBQ √

6. Go on a picnic √

7. ~~Make homemade ice cream~~

8. ~~Blow bubbles~~

9. ~~Tie-Dye Shirts~~

10. Make Bloody Mary’s √

11. Make jam √

12. ~~Make milk carton boats~~

13. Make pickles √

Remember these watermelon rind pickles?

14. Run at least one 5K race √

I ran the Kalamazoo Mud Run & the Holland Camp Sunshine Run in the Sun

15. ~~Look at bugs/plants/nature under a magnifying glass~~

16. Go to a museum √

17. Have a fancy night dressed up around town √

18. Attend a “pretentious” tea party √

19. ~~Have a wine and cheese night~~

20. ~~Have a chocolate tasting party~~

21. ~~Dandelion Blowing~~

22. Make/Decorate pottery √

23. Traverse City Trip √

24. Make macarons √

25. Make bread in flower pots √

26. Work on our first garden √

27. ~~Make dreamsicle orange punch~~

28. ~~Do a 30-day drawing challenge~~

29. Do at least one writing prompt ~~a week~~ from 642 Things to Write About

30. ~~Go fishing and/or eat fresh-caught and battered fish~~

31. Make a fire pit and have a bonfire √

32. ~~Build something with wood, a hammer and nails~~

33. ~~Make Michigan string art~~

34. ~~Do another wine and canvas~~

35. ~~Try Madcap Coffee Company in Grand Rapids~~

36. Try Drip, Drop, Drink in Muskegon √

37. Try Unruly Brewing in Muskegon √

38. Try Lemonjellos in Holland √

39. ~~Make a fairy garden~~

40. Buy a cute summer dress √

Also, just for fun, here are some more Wheatland pictures from this year, as well as an adorable picture of Simon in Chad’s back pack before a bike ride downtown.

Click image to enlarge

What are some fun things you did over the summer?

xx Caitlyn

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Wheatland!

September 17, 2014January 2, 2015 arielmay851 Comment

Guest Author: Ariel Knapp

A couple of weekends ago Chad, Caitlyn, Justin, our friend LeeAnn and I went to Wheatland Music Festival. I’ve been going to Wheatland almost every year of my life and it is definitely one of my happy places. There’s good music, great food, and fun times with friends. Caitlyn posted about Wheatland last year so you already know about the gloriousness that is blueberry pancake sausage on a stick. Unfortunately, I didn’t take as many pictures as I wanted to. I was having too much fun to remember to bring my camera with me whenever I left the campsite.

isn’t that a beautiful face Caitlyn is making?

Chad making friendship bracelets at Middle Ground

Caitlyn made felt purses and henna at Middle Ground as her volunteering

here's my parents. they've been going to Wheatland for 30 some years. — here’s my parents. they’ve been going to Wheatland for 30 some years.

It’s hard to find the right words to describe the conversations we had (that would not be nearly as funny to anyone who wasn’t there as they were to us) and the irritation you feel upon being woken up for the fourth time in one night because the drum circle is still going strong or a group of 15 people have broken out in song. Despite not sleeping well, we had a fantastic time. It’s always hard to leave at the end of the weekend. You want to stay and continue to have a great time with your friends, camping in the woods, eating awesome food, and listening to really talented musicians.

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Around Town: Did’s Deli & Catering

August 12, 2014September 7, 2014 CaitlynLeave a comment

Hi friends! I know it’s been a while, but I’ve been busy crossing things off my summer bucket list, and that (in combination with work and everything else that comes up in life) has left me with little time to post! Hoping to get back into regular posting again now, starting with this entry today on a fabulous little deli in Grand Haven called Did’s Deli & Catering.

Did’s Deli & Catering is located just off US31, though it’s sort of tucked away off of the main part of the cross street (Jackson). The deli has a simple, charming atmosphere, along with a menu filled with sandwiches, salads and soups.Chad tends to get their reuben, which has honestly got to be one of the best reubens I’ve ever had. But despite repeatedly enjoying tastes of the reubens Chad gets, I always get something else: a fantastic sandwich on sour dough heaping with ham, hard salami, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, and an Italian sauce. I guess the sandwich isn’t called a Bigga John for nothing.

Most of the sandwiches offered can come in wholes or halves, but the Bigga John can only be ordered as a whole. Since the Bigga John is so big, I tend to eat part for lunch, and save the other half for later. I was super excited to have a Dog n’ Suds with my sandwich when I went the other day. I had been biking around town and the root beer was a perfect beverage for refreshment to go along with my hearty sandwich.

Did’s Deli also sells loaves of its bread, and I’ve been tempted to indulge in a loaf of that wonderful sour dough bread I always get. *sighs longingly*Did’s Deli has been a family-owned restaurant for over thirty years. If you’re ever in Grand Haven, I definitely recommend stopping by to either eat in or grab a great sandwich for a picnic (or to bring to Odd Side Ales to have with a beer…!).

Take care!

xx Caitlyn

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Happy Holidays

December 19, 2013December 19, 2013 Caitlyn3 Comments

It’s tough to take nice pictures of Christmas trees with an iPhone, but I had to try!

This is our first Christmas tree, three of my favorite ornaments (a Precious Moments one with my birth month & stone, a sushi one, & a Starbucks one!), and Christmas cards written and ready to be sent. It’s amazing to think that a year ago tomorrow, we were on our way to Thailand. (That can also get depressing to think about when I look at the cold snow outside, so we’re not going to talk about that anymore right now.) Anyway, I’m looking forward to the holidays next week, and I am REALLY looking forward to my best friend visiting from Japan! What is something you’re looking forward to in the coming week?

P.S. This is my 100th post! Time flies!

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Meet Comet & Curry!

December 2, 2013December 2, 2013 Caitlyn3 Comments

A couple weeks ago, Chad came home holding two kittens in his arms! After much deliberation, we’ve chosen to name them Comet and Curry (though Chad has another name for Comet I am choosing to ignore haha).

Curry is a snuggly, sweet-hearted, orange female kitty. She often follows me around the house, and she usually tries sleeping on my head for at least part of the night!

Comet is Curry’s brother. He’s already getting really big, and his tail is especially long! He can be really snuggly, too, but he also hangs out by himself a lot.

Curry and Comet are best friends, and love chasing each other around, sneaking up on each other, playing together, and sleeping next to each other.

They also LOVE trying to eat people food!

I’m so glad these little friends could become part of our family!

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Monte Cristo’s!

November 13, 2013November 13, 2013 Caitlyn1 Comment

Well, I’ve had a bit of a rough couple of weeks. But I’m trying to get back into the swing of things, so here I am with my first post in a while. Will perhaps go into some of the not-so-fun parts of my last couple weeks eventually, but right now I’d like to focus on something fabulous: I finally got around to making homemade Monte Cristo’s! (Sorry in advance for the HORRIBLE photos, but sometimes you can’t be a perfect iPhone photographer when delicious sandwiches are in your near future.)

I decided to use my panini press for the Monte Cristo’s, but I think grilling them would be a delicious option as well. To start, I set out my ingredients: homemade apple butter, homemade honey mustard dressing, an apple, homemade bread swirled with apple butter, turkey, and provolone cheese.

I cut thin slices of the apple and put them on the bottom half of the sandwich…

…added turkey slices on top of that…

…and provolone cheese on top of that.

Then I added honey mustard dressing on top of the cheese, and apple butter on the top slice of bread. If I made these again, I think I would also add apple butter on the bottom slice before adding any toppings.

Then, all I did was grill my delicious little sandwiches. I worried at first that the apple slices would be too crunchy, but they were perfect! I was really happy with how the sandwiches turned out, and have been having fun looking at other Monte Cristo variations online. Have you ever made any good ones, or are there any you’d like to try?

Also, I know it’s a little late, but I can’t help but post a picture of our cute pumpkins and our front porch on Halloween. I was able to scratch off making pumpkin seeds from my bucket list using this recipe, too!

Hope you’re doing well as we make our way into the colder, darker months, and that you can stay positive with warmth and light.

Little Snail

…inching along

Category: Uncategorized

How I Spend My Me-Time (Tag, You’re IT!)

Letting the Cat out of the Bag…

Art Journal

October: National Popcorn Poppin’ Month

Summer 2014 Bucket List Recap

Wheatland!

Around Town: Did’s Deli & Catering

Happy Holidays

Meet Comet & Curry!

Monte Cristo’s!