Sunday, October 28, 2012

Blast from the Past 11 - What I Want to Do With My Life

This series consists of notes that I wrote on facebook in the past. Enjoy reading my thoughts during my college years. Please comment but please be nice! Also please feel free to check out my other Blast from the Past Posts.


From November 2006


What I Want to Do With My Life

I went and listened to Michael Spooner talk about his artwork from Treasure Planet. I have not seen the movie but after the show I really want to. The artwork was amazing. During his talk Michael talked about people who would go into animation, people who loved art. All my life, I have loved art. I have discovered that if I do not have a creative outlet I will go crazy. However, I am not that good of an artist, I know and accept that. I know that I will never be able to just sell my art. Even if I was the best artist in the world the art world is incredibly difficult to get into. This is why I have had so much trouble picking a major, and why I have continued to worry about it. The thing that I really love is art, but I know that I can’t have a career in just art. I know it, and my mom has mentioned it more than once. I know that money is necessary for future livelihood, but I don’t believe that it should be the sole, or even main reason, to choose a job. I actually do not really see myself using my degree in my future as a career. I imagine that it will more than likely be a hobby, or a side job for a little extra money, or possibly as a volunteer service for my church, I don’t know. But what I really want to do does not require a major. I eventually want to be a wife and a mother (this is the abridged version, there is more involved) and there is no mothering degree. No I am not here for my Mrs. Degree either. I am here to get a quality education, because I believe that education is important. Education is the cornerstone of our society and I would like to get the best education that I can. I would also like to take advantage of this opportunity, a paid for chance to do what I want and learn what I have always wanted to. Besides the core classes, and the classes for my major, I am taking any classes that look interesting to me. This is my plan for now. I had been thinking about this for a while but hearing Michael talk about his job helped cement it in my mind.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Blast from the Past 10 - "Pro-choice" vs "Pro-life"


This series consists of notes that I wrote on facebook in the past. Enjoy reading my thoughts during my college years. Please comment but please be nice! Also please feel free to check out my other Blast from the Past Posts.


From October 2006


"Pro-choice" vs "Pro-life"

Today in President’s Colloquium we talked about “Pro-life"? vs. “Pro-choice"?. Even though a few weeks ago I discovered that I am not shy (See my note “Nothing to Say"?), I still do not like talking in class, well some classes, and this is one that I cannot talk in. So I have decided to post my views on Abortion here.
I am “Pro-life"?. I put the “"? in because I do not like that title. By being “Pro-life I am also pro-choice (notice absence of “"?). I am in favor of the child having a choice too.
I believe that abortion is fundamentally wrong. I believe that abortion is in fact killing a child. It does not matter how old a person is when someone kills them, it is still wrong. The dictionary says that the definition of kill is “to deprive of life in any manner; cause the death of; slay."? If a person removes a fetus before it is born that person is depriving the child of life. How can this not be considered killing? Even if the fetus isn’t alive at conception or whenever the abortion takes place, although I believe that it is alive, but even if it isn’t, it will be at some point, right? I mean nobody is debating that a fetus will grow and become nothing, it will be alive sometime. So it would have life, and an abortion would deprive the child of having life in the future.
In the case of rape, I am somewhat uncertain about the topic. I believe that the mother should have the child, and if she does not want it she can give it up for adoption. I believe that this is the right thing to do, and this is what I would do if that ever happened to me. But I am not entirely certain that I have the right to say that this is the way that everyone has to be, for this part of the issue only. I guess I compare it to if a woman was attacked and she was physically injured, like her leg broke, or like if he gave her a STD, she cannot get rid of these simply by saying “oh I didn’t want this so I will get rid of it"?. Nature does not work this way, we can not simply wish things away like that. I do not see how having a baby is that much different.
Another issue that we discussed is that a lot of “Pro-choice"? people would not actually have an abortion, but they believe that other women should choose. They are basically saying ‘I don’t want it but nobody is allowed to tell me that I can’t have it’. This attitude reminds me of the southern attitude around the time of the civil war. A lot of southern people didn’t own, or want to own, slaves, but they rebelled when the government told them that they couldn’t own slaves. To me this attitude is immature and sinful. If you don’t want something why are you fighting for it? Some people don’t believe that it is right but they don’t believe that it is the governments place to regulate it. By fighting for it, however, they are endorsing abortion. Now I am not condemning them for this, because I know that I fall into this pattern too. Sometimes someone will tell me that I can’t have something that I didn’t want anyways. And I will rebel and start fighting for it, even though I didn’t really want it. But when I notice that this is what I am doing I stop myself and think about what I am really fighting for. I am really fighting because I want my own way. But I don’t need to have my own way all the time, I need God’s way.


Friday, October 19, 2012

FallFun and Howling Halloween Linky Party Features

Wow, there was so much talent linked up to the Fall Fun and Howling Halloween Linky Party! In case you missed it I partnered with The Chic Geek, Second Chance to Dream, Makin My Apt a Home, Condo Blues, The Cookie a Day Challenge, and Claiming Our Space to bring you an awesomely fun linky party specially designed to fit the holiday themes of October.

I personally looked at each post (except two that wouldn't open) and trust me it was tough to choose between all those great posts. Some of them were so tough that I couldn't pick between two for some categories. And there were several runners-up that were pinned on some of my Pinterest Boards (of course the features were pinned too). So anyways here they are, the features!





I you are featured grab a button!






Favorite Child Related Link

Sew Can Do linked up a Princess Merida Costume that is absolutely adorable.


What Happens at Grandma's linked up a post about Monsters that looks like a lot of fun.



Favorite Craft Post

Crafty Journal linked up a Bath Pouf Jack-o-Lantern that I love.

The Thrifty Rebel linked up some Ombre Vases that are really beautiful!


Favorite Halloween Tip

Oh Boy Organic linked up a recipe for Homemade Face Paint that can be used to avoid the chemical filled store bought face paints.


Favorite Food Posts

Natural Girl Diary linked up a Monster Mash that is not only delicious it is healthy (and served in cute containers)

Good Girl Gone Green linked up a list of 10 (actually 11) Apple Recipes which has some really great ideas all of which are vegan (I'm not vegan, but I still appreciate a good recipe, especially if it is healthy).





Favorite Party Post

I Gotta Try That linked up an Avengers Cake that would make my husband wish for an Avengers Birthday Party.



Favorite Knockoff Using a Halloween Candy (Yes, I just made that up, but this is a great link)


The Rehomesteaders linked up Homemade Butterfingers and you will never guess which Halloween candy is used in them (Go ahead leave a comment with your guess before you visit the link).
 
 
 
 
Well That's All Folks. Go Forth and Visit!

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Blast from the Past 9 - The Importance of Being Important

This series consists of notes that I wrote on facebook in the past. Enjoy reading my thoughts during my college years. Please comment but please be nice! Also please feel free to check out my other Blast from the Past Posts.


From October 2006


The Importance of Being Important

It is exactly one o'clock in the morning. I have no idea why I stayed up this late, I really didn't do much in the last hour. Well I guess maybe I did.
I finished an IM conversation with a friend. I made popcorn. I had a conversation on facebook. I worked with someone else trying to figure out myspace. I braided my RA's hair. I made hot chocolate. I had more conversations on facebook. and I got extremely frustrated with blogger.com because it wouldn't allow me to get on and do my homework.
So I guess I did do a lot in the last hour. It doesn't seem like much because most of it wasn't very important, but when I list it out like that it looks like a lot.
It is no longer exactly 1:00. It is now 1:06. Isn't it amazing how time flies? I mean one minute it is 1:00 and the next minute it is 1:06. Did you see that time just skipped 5 minutes. It is always amazing to me how much time I spend doing nothing. Well maybe not nothing, but not things of extreme importance either. I think that we as humans probably spend about half our lives, or more, doing things that do not matter in the long run. But then if you think about it, what does matter in the long run? Only the things that are eternal, like witnessing would be in the truly long run. Or maybe I should think of a shorter long run, like 20 or 30 years down the road. Then we could include doing homework and going to classes because they will help us get good jobs for the future. And I suppose that talking to your significant other could also be included in this, because you could be strengthening your future marriage relationships. So I guess the question is, What is important? For this, I cannot give you an answer right now, because I am too tired. If I feel like it I may post about it later. Or I may not because after all it might not be important.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Painting the House: Little Man's Room

Happy Friday Everyone!

I have been crazy busy painting like mad. We are painting every room upstairs (There is 1 room in the basement that we could paint, and would love to, but it just seems like it may be asking too much of ourselves right now) Which means that I have been painting for 3 weeks straight, and off and on for a week or two before that. It has been really busy and it is killing my neck (which was already hurting a lot and I have been seeing a physical therapist about it for a while). It is a pain in the neck (literally :) but I think it will be worth it. The house already looks soo much better and feels more like our home (not just what someone else picked out before us). So anyways I will be showing you guys the new rooms in our house as I have the chance to.

Today I am going to share Little Man's room. This was actually painted almost a year ago. It was the first room that we painted in our house (of course, for some reason the children's room always seem to be the first ones painted). My Mother-in-law came over and helped me paint it when Little Man was about a week old (it was supposed to be before Little Man came, he came 2 weeks early, and of course by help I mean that she did the vast majority of the work because I was dealing with a newborn who took a minimum of 1 hour to eat every 3 hours). Anyways when we got it done it looked fabulous.

I am totally kicking myself for not getting any before pictures so I could show people to give an example of how much better it looked after it was painted. I will try to describe it to you. It is a small room. It had medium dark wood style paneling on the bottom, with wood trim and an ugly pinkish tan on top. It was dark and depressing and before we started turning it into Little Man's room it was just our junk room (we had only been living in the house for a couple months before we got pregnant so it was the room that the unpacked boxes hid so we didn't have to see them).

So anyways, without further ado here is is Little Man's Room!

 We were going for an ocean theme, but we didn't want to be too themey. The colors are baby ocean blue, light tan (sand) and white for the trim. We were thinking about doing some sponging on the blue part to make it more oceany but when we got done painting it this color it looked so great we didn't want to change it. We would love to replace the carpet too, but that is not in the budget right now.
 The TV was in the room so I could watch it during the late night feedings (like I said he took at least 1 hr to eat, I needed to do something) so I wouldn't wake Mr. Random by watching in the living room. It has been removed and will not be replaced because I don't think it is good for children to have access to their own TVs.

The changing table came with the crib, I was planning to just use the top of a dresser and a changing pad until I got this one for free. It turns out that I absolutely love having the changing table because I don't have to bend over constantly when changing diapers (I had to use a changing table attachment on a pack and play for several weeks while his room was being painted and aired out and it killed my back). If you are going with the dresser option make sure your dresser is a good height for you to be working over several times a day.

The cabinets and doors were all brown too. As you can see when everything was brown it would have been very dark and small looking.



Well that is it. It is a small room, but we fit it all in and it looks soooo much better than it used to. I hope you enjoyed this peek into our home. Come back for more!





Linked Up To:
Cornerstone Confessions, Clean & Scentsible, The NY Melrose Family, Serendipity and Spice,

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Blast from the Past 8 - Mondoshotto

This series consists of notes that I wrote on facebook in the past. Enjoy reading my thoughts during my college years. Please comment but please be nice! Also please feel free to check out my other Blast from the Past Posts.


From October 2006


Mondoshotto
n. a person who is constantly following you around, despite all attempts to lose them, without saying a word. A monodoshotto will not speak, they will simply follow you around.
n. A nickname for one of my friends
adv. something really huge, to the extreme. e.x. My leg hurts Mondoshotto. I have a mondoshotto load of homework. I love you mondoshotto.



Friday, October 5, 2012

DIY How to Make Your Own Pumpkin Puree on the Stove - Fall Fun and Howling Halloween Linky Party

Don't forget to check out the Awesome Giveaways on my September Sponsors post!

Welcome Visitors from the Fall Fun and Howling Halloween Link Party!

This week we are doing a Fall and Halloween Linky Party. I have to admit to you that I don't really care for Halloween so I will probably focus more on the fall links but I have teamed up with 6 other awesome co-hosts (Claiming Our Space, The Chic Geek, Second Chance to Dream, Makin My Apt a Home, Condo Blues,and The Cookie a Day Challenge) so there will be a variety presented! Make sure to visit each of the hosts to see what they have created for the party.


Can I tell you a secret? I don't really like pumpkin. I have never really cared for pumpkin dishes. I don't like pumpkin pie, or cookies, or bread (although i have a recipe for pumpkin bread that I don't really mind and everyone else raves about). Anyways even though I don't care for pumpkin, I love toasted pumpkin seeds, and Mr. Random loves all things pumpkin. So I buy whole pumpkins and puree them to use in pumpkin recipes and toast the seeds for myself (Mr. Random doesn't like the seeds). It works out really well for us. And I actually kind of the whole process of making pumpkin puree. It is satisfying.

Pumpkin puree can be used for a lot of things. You need it for pie, and bread, and cookies. And you can also use it for baby food. It is great to make your own so you know what is in it (mine is just pumpkin and a little water) and you can spice it however you want for your recipe, not just have it taste like whatever they put in the can. I like to freeze mine in 1 cup increments so I can just pull however many bags (cups) I need out of the freezer and not have to worry about thawing too much or too little. This way my husband can enjoy yummy pumpkin treats all year round. (I told you about this in my pumpkin bread recipe).

Here is the best resource that I have found for making your own pumpkin puree. They have several techniques for cooking pumpkins. I went with oven cooking this time because that is my personal favorite. I have also cooked pumpkins in the microwave and on the stove. Both methods work but take a little bit more watching and you can fit more pumpkins into the roaster pan so if you are doing several pumpkins at once it is actually quicker to cook them in the oven. Or to do all 3 at once :)

Anyways on to the recipe.



How to Make Your Own Pumpkin Puree


Supplies Needed:
Pumpkin (I would go with pie pumpkins, I have tried both pie pumpkins and big pumpkins and pie pumpkins have a better flavor and texture, are less watery, and surprisingly have more seeds)
Spoon
Food Processor (if you don't have one you can probably use a food masher, blender,or something like that, I have never tried anything else so I can't tell you what else would work best)
Roasting Pan (or cake pan, but a roasting pan is easiest)
Aluminum Foil (or a lid for your pan, I don't have one so I use aluminum foil)


Directions:
Wash your pumpkin. Whenever you cut into a fruit or vegetable you should wash the outside even if you won't be eating it because whatever is on the skin will be transferred into it when you cut into it with the knife. Sorry about the bad picture. The screen on my camera is broken so I can't see my pictures until I get them on the computer. I usually just take a bunch of pictures and hope one of them comes out, but none of these did.
 Cut the pumpkin in half.
 Scrape out the seeds and goopy stuff.
Place the two halves of the pumpkin cut side down in the roasting pan and fill with about 1 inch of water. As you can see I could have fit another pumpkin or two in the pan, I usually cook more than one at once, but I didn't do the others because they were not quite as ripe as I like (This one turned out just fine even though it was a little unripe, so don't worry they still work then). I just wanted to get one done so I could get pictures for you guys.
Separate the seeds from the goopy stuff and put them in a bowl. Add water to cover.
Cover your pan with aluminum foil. Make sure you get it all covered. You want the steam to cook the pumpkin and keep it moist. Cook at 350 for 30-90 minutes (The time is different for each batch, keep checking the pumpkins every 10 minutes or so until they are done. They are done when a fork inserted through the skin slides in easily, see the picture below)
 Rinse the pumpkin seeds.
Spread the pumpkin seeds out to dry (I think it would be better to skip the paper towel or switch them over to a plate afer they have dried a bit. I left them on the paper towel for a couple days and the paper towel stuck to them and wouldn't come off until I got them wet again). This step is not at all necessary if you are toasting the pumpkin seeds the same day. If that is what you are doing then just rinse them off and cook them however you do it (I boil my seeds before toasting so I would put them in a sauce pan with water and salt, but toasting pumpkin seeds is another post). If you are not toasting your seeds the same day you can store the seeds dried out for a couple days, but don't store them wet because they will probably either rot or sprout (I stored mine because I was also roasting watermelon seeds and cantaloupe seeds and wanted to do them all together so I was waiting until I was done collecting the seeds).

When the pumpkins are done cooking uncover and let them cool down for a little while so they are cool enough to touch them.
The pumpkin will most likely be pretty much falling off the skin at this point, but if it is not uuse a spoon to scoop it out.
Place pumpkin in blender and puree until smooth. This one didn't need any more water, but if yours is dry just add some water until it is a nice, smooth, creamy consistency.
Measure out one cup and put it in a small plastic bag (If you have reusable freezer containers that would work too).
This one pie pumpkin made 4 cups of pumpkin puree and the little bit in the ramekin in the last picture.
Put the little bags into a big freezer bag (make sure you do this, the little bags were not meant for freezing food)
I kept out the little bit extra for Little Man. He loved it :)

So there you have it! What is your favorite thing to make with pumpkin?


Now on to the Linky Party!


Welcome to the 
Fall Fun and Howling Halloween Link Party

Fall is here and Halloween is right around the corner so that means it is time to share all your fun Fall-themed dishes and decor, scary costumes and terror-able treats.


Now that you have seem my project it is time for you to share with us your projects, crafts, recipes, whatever you have come up with that is Fall or Halloween related.  Your project will show up on all the host's blogs so you only need to link up once but, remember, of us have different projects we are sharing. So make sure to stop by The Chic Geek, Second Chance to Dream, Makin My Apt a Home, Condo Blues, The Cookie a Day Challenge, Domestic Randomness and Claiming Our Space to check them all out.

The party will be up until Thursday, October 18 and then on Friday, October 19, each host will pick their favorite links. So mark your calendar to check back to see if one of your link ups was featured.

Just a few guidelines

1. It would be great if you would follow all the hosts
2. Link ups should be Fall or Halloween related. (No shops or other link parties please)
3. Try to visit some of the other link ups and leave a comment. Everyone loves visitors!
3. You don't need to link back but we would appreciate it if you would display the button on your blog or in your post. 

<a href="http://domesticrandomness.blogspot.com/2012/10/diy-how-to-make-your-own-pumpkin-puree.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg186/gooch100/OctoberPartyButton_zpsbe486aa3.jpg"/></a>

With that, it is time to party!!

Monday, October 1, 2012

September Sponsor Spotlight and Giveaways!

Hi all! Today I get the awesome privilege of introducing you to a great blog. White Lights on Wednesdays is one of my personal favorite blogs. I have been following her for a while! I even gave her an award once! And she also happens to be a sponsor for September! Yes, I know it is no longer September, and yes I know that the button may not even be up on the sidebar anymore when you read this. But I didn't get a chance to post her feature post in September because of the crazy construction and painting busyness that has been  going on here. But I do not back down on my word to my sponsors so she is getting a feature post, it is just a little late :). Check out my Advertise Page to see how you to can join the Domestic Randomness Sponsorship family. And use the code FALLSPONSOR to get 50% off of any sponsor spot for October! Oh and stick with me all the way to the bottom because we are doing a couple great giveaways!

So I was going through White Lights on Wednesdays just to get an idea of what things I might want to feature and I just opened up anything that looked interesting to me. I did narrow it down a bit, but I still have a huge list and I just can't choose so you are going to get to see them all. Lucky you! Check out all these great recipes and posts!


Garlic Parmesan Pull Apart Bread
Umm, can I say Yum? Like monkey bread with a savory twist. this looks so good!



Chick Fil A Slider Knock Off 
I don't care how you currently feel about Chick Fil A (that is another conversation, not one for this post) they make good chicken. If these knock offs are half as good as the original they will be yummy! I have had this pinned for a while and really want to try it.

Soy Glazed Salmon
I have a bunch of Salmon in my freezer that I got on sale. Also I have been wanting to eat more fish. Solution here.





Puke Chicken
Don't let the name fool you (and yes she does tell the story of the name) this looks like a great recipe! Mr. Random loves very basic meals so he would love this. I also finally learned what a bechemel is.




Elmo Cookies
What kid doesn't love Elmo? Aren't these adorable!

Homemade Crab Puffs
We actually never get crab puffs at restaurants because we don't spend money on extras so I am excited about the possibility of making my own so I can try them. Plus I have a can of crab meat sittin g in my pantry waiting to be used.




30 Before 30
Making lists and goals is a great way to keep on track ( need to find time to make lists and goals, if I had a to do list I could add it to that :) See Julie's goals and use them as inspiration to make you own list. Also fun to see what she has accomplished from her list.

The Blog Binder
Another great way to get/stay organized! Must make to do list so I can add this. First I have to get through painting and finding my house again. Someday!


Since the holidays are coming up I thought I would spotlight a few of her holiday posts from the past.

She has a No Fail Sugar Cookie recipe that she uses as the basis for all of her sugar cookies (including the Elmo cookies above and the cookies below). I am also drawn to her post about her Christmas Bake-a-Thon because I also bake tons of cookies every year for Christmas. I started this tradition 4 years ago when I got married and invite my sisters and cousins to join me in the cookie making fun. I like to give plates to neighbors and friends.

Thanksgiving Turkey Cookies
Thanksgiving (and Little Man's 1st Birthday) are just around the corner. Wouldn't these cookies be great for a Thanksgiving party? (No I am not doing a Thanksgiving theme for Little Man's birthday, I just can't think of Thanksgiving without thinking of his birthday anymore since he was born 1 week before Thanksgiving). Anyways check out these adorable cookies! Great activity for the kids that day!



Christmas Tree Cookies
This might just be my single favorite post of all of these. I LOVE Christmas and all that goes with it (You might just get Christmas posts well into January and February because I will be busy having fun and enjoying the season but will want to share everything with you :) And I LOVE this cookie tree! It is sooo cute. It is pinned on my Christmas board so I will remember it. I am thinking of taking one to church for our sharing time, maybe a couple other places if I have time to make several. Can you tell that I love this?



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