Writer's Wednesday: NaNoWriMo

Greetings from the thick of NaNoWriMo. I'm at it again, with the same goal as last year: 1,000 words a day on a novel I feel I've been sludging through. It's a little easier this year, since I'm not working full-time at the moment (and I'm not working full-time with young children who made my blood pressure soar like a clay pigeon). On the other hand, I've only been formulating the idea for this book for the last year or so. My usual MO is to have an idea kind hang out in my head, changing and shifting until I have no choice but to write it down. The idea for my first novel was first created in 2006 and it wasn't until 2009 that I even started writing (and, even then it was only because I was taking a novel-writing workshop in college. And, even then, I only was taking the novel-writing workshop because the study abroad trip I was signed up for was filled to the brim, and the first people they let go were those who had already done a semester abroad. Funny how things come together like that).


This year I prepped both my novel and this blog as much as possible, scheduling what I can so that the normal flow of the blog isn't too disrupted. I thought about doing a repeat of last year, but with my 365 Blog Project in full swing, it seemed a bit redundant. I also spent the last week of October writing out just what I think should happen in my book. It's exciting to finally see it come together, but I recognize that I have a lot of work ahead of me.


If you are participating in NaNoWriMo this year, congratulations and best of luck! I'll be talking incessantly about writing in my 365 Project, as well as updating my NaNoWriMo page. I'm going to do my best to take it one day at a time and see what comes a result.


Do you have a NaNoWriMo page? Post it here! NaNoWriMo is such a wonderful event and more is definitely merrier!

How to Make Frosted Candle Jars That Actually Work

I don't feel right calling this a Pinterest Fail, or a Pinterest Win, or a Pinterest Anything. Why? Because I knew the original idea would fail. And why? Because candles + glass in close proximity = scorch marks. Because Elmer's Glue + fire = burning. And I wasn't ready to mess up three perfectly wonderful jars because of a project gone awry.


So this is how you get the same results without the horrible, sticky mess and the smell of burning glue.


You need the following:
Rust-oleum Frosted Glass Spraypaint
3 Glass Jars of varying heights
Painter's tape
Electric tea candles


I cannot stress electric tea candles enough, especially if you are doing anything with lidded jars. Even if you don't get scorched glass, most lids are airtight (or airtight enough) that you'll smother the flame pretty quickly. Not to mention that whole pesky "fire hazard" thing.


I wanted to spray paint the insides. I really, really did. As you can see, I had made an awesome protective case around the outside. But I could not get a proper angle for the life of me. After three coats, the glass barely looked frosted. To be honest, it didn't even look slightly foggy.


So, Plan B. I taped up the lid and rim and spray painted the outside. I cannot stress enough: like any painting project, do thin, multiple coats. Paint on a thin layer, let it dry completely, then do it again. It's a lot more work than lathering it on, but you will get drip marks otherwise.


And then, simply place in the (now fully-charged) electric tea candles and you're set! I used these to light up the s'mores table at our Housewarming party.


I recently found out that some websites call for solar lights over tea candles. And while I still am iffy about the Elmer's Glue, I like the idea of the solar lights as well.

Photo Friday: Mount Monadnock

And we go from the Sierra Nevada all the way back to the Appalachians. Kind of. One of the mountains in the Appalachians.


On Memorial Day Weekend, the weekend after I put in my notice at the school I was working at, I finally reached the summit of Mt. Monadnock. It's adorable in comparison to the other mountains of America. Monadnock caps out at about 3,500 ft. The top spot available by road in Estes Park was 12,000 ft. But I was proud that I finally climbed an entire mountain to the top. Somehow, the view from Mt. Monadnock was just as spectacular as the view from the Rockies, if only because I got there through my own blood and sweat (and because I went there before our road trip).

Guess Who Ran Her First Half Marathon?

This has nothing to do with crafts, or decorating, or cooking, or photography. But there are pictures, so it's kind of like photography, right?




Can you spot me in this mix of people? Like Where's Waldo for bloggers.

But that's okay, because I'm hoping to write a few fitness posts, so this is kind of like a segue into it.


What originally started as a lofty goal after the Boston Bombing has finally come to fruition. It wasn't easy, and I wanted to stop and just walk about, ah, say, 150,254 times during the race. But I powered through and somehow completed 8 minutes faster than what I was hoping for.


With any luck, I'll be posting about natural running (which I used for the marathon, minus one particular length where I was so exhausted from running up the course's version of Heartbreak Hill that I starting running with a heel strike and didn't even realize it) and maybe even a few other tips and tricks. If you follow my 365 Blog, you've already heard me rant about fitness and health. Maybe it's time to bring some of that to this blog, only less rant-y and more informative.


That is, if I'm not completely sidetracked by NaNoWriMo, but that's for another entry.

Pinterest WIN!: Mini Tacos with Wonton Wrappers

Oh, it's nice to finally find a far-fetched Pinterest idea that actually WORKS.


It doesn't make any sense: put Wonton wrappers in cupcake tins and make mini tacos? What?


But -- lo and behold! -- it works!



What you'll need:
Wonton wrappers (which, if the grocery store carries them, will be in the refrigerated section, usually alongside tofu)
Cupcake tins
1 lb of beef
Taco seasoning
Cheese
Any other taco seasons you love

Prep time: 30 minutes \\ Makes 24 mini tacos



Preheat the oven to 425*F. Thoroughly cook your beef as you would for any taco meal. Drain the grease at regular intervals (aside from the fact that the grease is horrible for you and doesn't really add anything to the taste, you don't want greasy beef going into the wrappers). Add seasoning until the beef is how you like it.

While the beef is cooking, place one wonton wrapper into each cupcake tin. If you like a "soft taco" texture, I recommend putting two wonton wrappers in the cupcake tins.



Place about one spoonful of beef into each tin. If distributed correctly, you'll fill all 24 wonton wrappers about halfway up. Sprinkle with cheese and cook for 8 minutes (or until the edges are brown).



And then, top with whatever you like putting on your tacos. Sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, guacamole. More cheese. These are absolutely incredible. This is one Pinterest experiment that I'm more than happy actually works.

Photo Friday: The Sierra Nevada

Ah, the Sierra Nevada. Also known as America's least talked about mountain range. Which is a pity, because there are parts of the Sierra Nevada that are more intense than the Rockies themselves. They just don't have miles and miles of plains to accent how incredible the mountains are.


Still, for someone who spent her life in the northeast portion of the Appalachians (aka the smallest, lowest-lying part), the Sierra Nevada is absolutely breathtaking. I can only hope I can return and spend more than just a few passing hours with these mountains.

Try it Tuesday: Contact Paper Under the Sink

Lining shelves with contact paper is not exactly a new concept. But it is a practice that fell out of favor by the 1990s. And, while I'm not lining the rest of my shelves with contact paper, lining the area under my sink breathed new life into the cabinets.



Let's face it: the area under the kitchen sink is ugly. Even the nicest cabinets get water damaged by the piping. It's not a pretty sight, and I don't like putting cleaning products in an area that isn't clean in the first place.



Contact paper can be found anywhere. Online, in crafts stores, in home improvement stores. They come in all shapes and sizes and colors. I got some granite-patterned contact paper, then chuckled to myself because -- hey -- I live in in the Granite State and got granite-patterned paper. Yeah, I had a feeling it was amusing to only me.



I really recommend doing this piecemeal. Contact paper is a sonofagun to remove from its backing. It crinkles, folds in on itself, and can be a beast to lay down without air bubbles. Cut small strips, start from the back wall, and slowly roll it into place. If you have a free hand, use it to smooth the paper as it lays down on the ground.



I know none of my guests are going to look under my sink and be amazed that I have bright granite pattern, but I like the change. It's nicer to look at and I feel better about putting things like detergent and cat food under here. (Plus, you got a sneak preview of this project in my kitchen post.)



And, while I was at it, I decided to spruce up the pantry. The metal racks are nice enough, but don't provide enough surface support for cans and narrow boxes.



All it took was a few flat pieces of wood, my extra contact paper, and I have brand new shelves.



Although, I must admit, I wish my shelves looked this tidy and pretty. Sadly, these pictures were taken before we fully moved in, and this was just our "to eat while renovating" food.

Fall Decor

I've been looking forward to this ever since we signed our lease last year and decided that it would be the last time we ever rented: decorating. There is only so much you can do in a little apartment. And the decorations feel like clutter if you're not careful. But now we have the open space to do what we please. And that's exactly what I did.


My little farmer's pair is back again, this time on our den's half wall (don't mind the mess in the back; we went essembling our DVD racks at the time).


Which perfectly accents the kitchenette area. A few plastic gorges, a nice fall-themed table runner, some festive flowers...


And these adorable brass napkin rings that I bought at the local antique shop.


We needed something on top of the mat outside on the porch, something where we could take off our shoes, or wipe off any remaining dirt. I had also purchased a proper kitchen mat, making the one I got from Target last year somewhat obsolete. The result? A little bit of fall right where we pop off our boots.


I finally have a kitchen with cabinets that aren't nailed to the ceiling! So, obviously, that meant hanging garlands of leaves over them.


Including an adorable pitcher set that I got at Marshall's. To keep them visible, I placed them on overturned tupperware containers.


And what kitchen isn't complete without some fall-themed towels?


These were 50 cents a piece at Target. What a cute little way to accent the kitchen island. The nice thing is that these little guys take up such little space that I don't have to worry about moving them when using the kitchen island to eat or make food.


Speaking of festive flowers, I placed some fake flowers in my red vase and used it as a bookend in my library.


I accented the coffee table with a nice little table runner, because I have a weird fascination with table runners.


I love decorations in the front the TV. My husband thinks they're distracting. So we compromised, and I only decorated the corners (with a bit of ribbon in between the two).


And this is why I'm not allowed near Michael's. I went to Michael's looking to get canvas, and saw this little guy on sale for $6. He made his home in the front of our house faster than it took for me to bring out the garbage.


I'm not really one for decorating for Halloween, if only because Halloween decorating is very limited in its time frame (whereas you can have fall decorations up from September to November). But Target also had these little guys for a dollar a piece. And who didn't have something like these guys for trick-or-treating? I put a few handfuls of rocks in the jack-o-lanterns to keep them from blowing away and put them on the side of the stairs opposite of my scarecrow.


I can only imagine what decorating ideas I'll have in store for Christmas. But, unlike the department stores, I'm not going to get ahead of myself: first, enjoy autumn! It'll be gone before we know it.