A Simply Fluffy Friday

No serious talk for today. Just fluff.

(Fluff being all thinks fun and cute- like bunnies and puppies and kittens.)

Sometimes it’s nice to not think so much and just “go with the flow.” And my “flow” is telling me that this Friday post should be fluffy. Is that alright with you? 🙂

For today’s fluffy fun stuff I’m going to start off with a review of my past week courtesy of Meghan’s Week in Review (Which I now affectionately refer to as WIR):

• Last weekend I made a few delicious things for my family. I posted two of the recipes on my WIAW post- Candy Pizza and Grain-Free Pear Crisp. Both have allergy-free and healthy options so that basically anyone can have them!

• On Saturday I made a meal from Clean Food, Creative Fitness entitled The Easiest Bowl of Gluten-Free Pasta You’ll Ever Make. This recipe is super versatile and so EASY (hence the title). I used zucchini and mushrooms for the “pasta,” homemade pizza sauce (like in this recipe) for the tomato paste, and topped it all with some skillet-cooked grass-fed ground beef with some sauteed onions and peppers. My parents loved it. Thanks Danielle!

• Also on Saturday I attended a baby shower for an old high school friend who I hadn’t seen in about a year. It was a lot of fun and I got to hang out with both the mother-to-be as well as two of my other really close friends. Here is the present that I brought to the baby shower: A caterpillar bag…

• To hold a Caterpillar baby blanket…

• With the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar to match!

• And here is my favorite decoration from the shower: Flower Cupcake Bouquets! My friend’s sister and mom had to stay up really late to make them but I think they turned out wonderful.

• On Sunday I baked a batch of my 3 Ingredient Nut Butter cookies that I posted on Eating 4 Balance awhile back. This time I used sunbutter in place of the nut butter, which would be perfect for anyone with nut allergies.

• Tuesday I uploaded a short post that I was very sad to write.

• Wednesday was much more upbeat with WIAW!

• Also on Wednesday night I attended a fancy Accounting Banquet with my parents, and got all dressed up. (Note: Savor this moment because it is highly unlikely that you will see me in a skirt ever again).

• As far as school goes, I’ve been rather busy, so if I seemed a little delayed in responding to comments and commenting on your posts, that would be why. Big Access assignment due on Wednesday. Statistics homework, Business Oral-B Toothbrush presentation and E-mail Privacy Policy report due Thursday.

• My Friday is going to be pretty relaxed as one of my teachers cancelled class on account of us having not much left to do. I’m going to be hanging out at school a little longer than usual and Friday afternoon my family is making the two hour drive up here to pick me up, and then we are continuing north to spend the night at a hotel in the city where I’m going o be having my internship.

• Then on Saturday we’re going to look at apartments and *hopefully* get a sublet arrangement worked out so that I have somewhere to live for the summer!

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Totally random, but speaking of all things fun and fluffy, here are my favorite animal pins from this week:

Can you tell that I saved the best for last? 😉

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Enjoy your Friday everyone!

And tell me… What was the highlight of your week? And, what is your favorite animal pin of the week? (Link them up!)

Marvelously Practical

When I was younger, Christmas was all about the “wow” factor. What amazing gift would my parents find to take my breath away? Can you say spoiled much?

This year, I got so many great presents from my friends and family. None of them had that “wow” factor though. At first this made me a little upset. I wasn’t looking for anything expensive or out-of-this world, just something totally unexpected, but totally perfect.

Hmm… That just sounds like a set-up for failure, doesn’t it?

 

Instead, what I learned is that I have officially grown up. This was my first Christmas as an adult. And by what I got as gifts, you could tell.

Like I said, I was a little upset, even disappointed at first. My dad asked which was my favorite and I had to tell him that I didn’t know. They were all great, but mainly just practical.

Now though, I’m so thankful for the gifts that I received. I’ve used each and every one of them already! When I was younger, sure, I got the pretty toys that I wanted, but to be honest after the first few weeks they sort of lost their appeal, never to be used again.

Practical gifts; however, are just that. Practical.

And I will be using all of these for a long time coming:

GPS

Greatest invention ever. It means that I don’t have to pay attention to road signs and I can  totally tune out during my car ride to school.

New Car Radio

Includes blue tooth, a usb drive, a CD player (the best part!), and I can customize the colors to whatever I choose.

Flash Drive

Needed one desperately since I lost my turtle flash drive. Whoops.

LED Light for my Key chain

A surprise in my stocking. Awesome addition to my lanyard of keys.

Headphones + Board Game

Noise-cancelling headphones. Big Bang Theory Game (similar to Apples to Apples).

So, I say this almost every week, but marvelous is my family. They know what I need better than I know myself. 

And marvelous is practicality! The dictionary definition of practical is:

practical– adapted or designed for actual use

Well then, shouldn’t all presents be practical? Things that we will actually use?

I do want to mention that practical can sometimes lead to being rude, so watch out! Yes, a barbie doll is a perfect gift for a young girl, and really, when was too many barbies ever a bad thing?

My point is, a barbie doll is completely unoffensive because it is something age appropriate, and a gift that you know will be loved and used.

What IS offensive is this list of gifts that I compiled together:

1. Self-Help Books. Maybe not on holidays or birthdays it would be okay? Or if the person actually asked for it? I received one for Christmas a few years ago and it just made me feel like an awful human being.

2. A Half Eaten Cookie. Seriously, one of my close friends got this as a present from another  friend. The other girl got hungry… There were even bite marks. Not even kidding.

3. Earrings. When my ears weren’t pierced… Thanks!

4. Soap and Shampoo From A Hotel. Yes. This happened.

And that’s it for Marvelous in My Monday. I hope that last list put a smile on your face and made you laugh a little!

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Do you ever find yourself not appreciating all that your family does for you?

What is one practical gift that you originally despised, but have grown to love? I want to note that under no circumstances did I despise any of those gifts above. They just weren’t things that I could enjoy “in the moment.” Take for example my brother’s new laptop… Now THAT has the desired “wow” factor. Too bad I already have one!

Any rude or offensive past gifts that you’d like to share?

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Merry Christmas 2012

Hope you all are having an amazing Christmas Day!

That is… If you are up already…

We got up at 5:30 this morning to open gifts.

“Why” you may ask?

Well, we just love Christmas, and we couldn’t wait!

Do you know what else can’t wait?

The winner for the Happy Herbivore Abroad Giveaway.

So, without further ado, the winner is:

Entry #22, Kaitlin @ A Taste of Bulmer!

Note: If the winner does not respond back with their full name and a viable shipping address within one week, then I will randomly pick another winner, of which the same rules apply.

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I’ll probably be back tomorrow with a WIAW and a recap of today’s events.

But, until then, I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!