I've been waking up at 4 o'clock in the morning to go swimming before work. I'm not crazy. Truthfully, if it was anything but swimming I doubt I would be as dedicated as I am.
Before I go exercise, I wanted to grab a small snack . Something light and full of energy food.
This is what I found:
I customize the recipe. This week I added some oats and semi-sweet chocolate morsels. I also added cinnamon candy flavoring. It kind of taste like a fireball larabar.
You could change the nuts to to peanuts, cashews, pecans, or mix it up.
I'm not sure what you could substitue the dates with. I'm going to try adding other dried fruit like a fig or apricots. That would be an interesting mix.
I have tried Larabars from the store and I like to think the ones I make at home taste much better.
Let me know what you guys think.
Also let me know what you add to the recipe. I'd love to try a new flavor.
Evidently I missed the year anniversary of my blog. It was back in August! I have no idea how I missed it!
I've been doing this blog for a year now! A YEAR! Craziness!
I have gone from an average of 2 views a day to an average of 40.
I have gone from 0 to 10 Followers! You guys are so awesome for putting up with my ramblings!
I did my first DIY video and I do plan on doing more.
I've also been making a few changes.
I finally figured out how to make buttons for my blog. It only took me half a day. I learned how to do it from this Oikology blog. I only have the one button right now, but eventually I will be designing more.
I also finally made some pages. I currently only have the three, but I plan on creating a few more. Making the pages was a lot more complicated then it should have been.
I'm also creating a new blog header. Here is a draft I have. What do you think?
I've also taken the Blogging Day out of my titles. It was cute at first, now I find it annoying.
I will be making more changes over the course of the next month.
Let me know if you have any suggestions.
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30 Day Song Challenge: Day18 - A song that you wish you heard on the radio.
Ayumi Hamasaki has such a beautiful voice. This song is my favorite and it is also the 18th most expensive music video ever made. It cost 1.6 million to make.
I am a subscribe of Whitney Sews on YouTube and she did this awesome video on how to make a wrap bracelet:
This is what I ended up with:
I didn't have any leather rope so I used hemp rope I had, which works just as well. I also ran out of the pink beads I was using,so I ended up finishing the bracelet with the metal beads. Instead of wrapping them I just knotted them on. I think the metal beads adds a nice touch. Don't you think?
This bracelet takes awhile to make. I suggest popping in a movie while you are making it. I ended up watching Thor, very cool movie, while I made mine.
30 Day Song Challenge:
Day 17 - A song that you hear often on the radio
I actually like this song. Kelly Clarkson is my American Idol :)
I love beautiful vintage earrings. Unfortunately,95% of the time, they are clip-on earrings. When I wear clip on earrings they always hurt and feel as if are trying to pierce my ears AGAIN.
After awhile I finally figured out I could convert them into pierced earrings.
Awhile, as in- I have a nice collection of clip-ons that I has been growing over the years and earlier this week I thought up this crazy idea.
I know (points to hair) blonde. It takes awhile to process ideas.
Let's begin!
What you will need:
Clip-on Earrings
Craft Glue
Jewelry Cutters
Posts and Backing
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First Step:
Using your jewelry cutters, cut off the clip on your earrings.
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Last Step:
Glue the posts to the back of your earrings. Let set over night.
Done!!!
Very simple! Even I can do it!
30 Day Song Challenge:
My computer was lagging like crazy last night, and I was unable to post my song yesterday. So, here are two songs for you to enjoy today.
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 15 - A song that describes you.
Yes, I am crazy.
The video is even better because I found a Fullmetal Alchemist AMV .
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 16: A Song I used to love, but now hate
When this first came out I could not get enough of this song, but then they played it 24/7 and now it annoys me. I think it was a big deal because of Dawson's Creek.
No, I did not watch Dawson's Creek... how dare you think that. Bad Reader! No cookies for you!
I was searching for something on Youtube and I came across the CCProse YouTube Channel.
CCProse is a channel that is basically a combination of a regular book and an audio book.
Here is the first chapter of my favorite book, 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Bronte, as an example.
How awesome is this! School kids today have it SSSOOO easy!(OMG! Did I type this?!?!?!? If there was an doubt I am officially an adult for saying that!) I would have loved this site when I was in college, let alone high school!
They have a huge list of books and I have only read six books on the list!
SIX!!!
Not anymore! I think I'm going to start listening with 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'.
Last thing: They also allow input from the subscriber on which book they will work on next! I personally would like them to continue with the Anne of Green Gable series. I love Anne, she is so spacey and imaginative.
This CCProse YouTube Channel is going into my awesome website list!
I've also reealized that I am no longer a 21 year old and can not live on less then 8 hours of sleep. I've tried, but I can not. Well, technically I can. I just will not be entirely functional. Functions like patiences, deep thought and walking in straight lines tend to be not working. Plus, they say it helps with weight loss.
No more staying up til 1am...crap.
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 14 - A song that no one would expect you to love
This song makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside... which is why people would be surpirsed I liked it. Not a big fan of country love songs.
I think I need to go kill some Zombies on Resident Evil to get this romantic lovie dovie feeling out of me...
Ever since the earthquake in the Maryland, I've been checking out this website. It has a mother load of information about earthquakes. I totally geeked out over it!
I'm going to add this website to my 'Awesome Website' list. I don't want you guys thinking I'm this dumb blonde who only likes make-up and clothes. Don't get me wrong I do, but I also enjoy finding things out. Ask me a question that I don't understand the answer to and I will google the heck out it until I do!
Now onto the super girly part of the blog.
30 Day Song Challenge: A song that is a guilty pleasure.
This group is actually a guilty pleasure of mine. I can not get enough of their songs!
My friends came over for dinner last weekend to hangout on the cheap. We are doing cheaper things to hang out since we are going on our cruise and have plans to go to comic con next year. Must save tons of pennies.
Anyway, two of us are Harry Potter fans and I decided for dessert we should make butterbeer!!!
IT WAS SSOO GOOOD!!!!
This is the recipe we used:
It was an awesome recipe except I would not add the salt, use cold seltzer water and you may need to add alittle more then two tablespoons of mixture to each drink.
Either way, you guys should definitely give it a try. It was super fun and easy to make. We even got the mustaches with the beer.
30 Day Song Challenge: A song from a band you hate.
I do not know enough of the band to hate them ,but this song annoys me.
This is a simple DIY for a beautiful tie on head band.
Items Needed:
Needle
Thread
Beads
Fake Flowers ( I got mine from the Dollar Store)
Ribbon
Felt ( mine is sparkly)
Glue Gun (not pictured)
Pins(not pictured)
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Step 1
The length of the ribbon depends on your head. You basically need enough to wrap around your head and tie into a bow. Then length I needed was 62".... which is almost as long as I am tall. I wanted a lot of extra ribbon after I tied it on.
Cut a square piece of felt. How big depends on how big you wish your flower piece to be. I cut out a 4x4" and I honestly did not know what this headband looked like until I pieced it together.
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Step 2:
There is not clear formula on how to put the flowers together. Put your first flower down and using your needle and thread, attach it to the felt. Sew the bead in the middle to secure the flower and then move onto the next flower.
The sewing does not need to be perfect. As you can see I'm all over the place.
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Step 3:
Once you have all the flowers you desire on your felt turn it over and attach the ribbon. You will want to first figure out where you want your ribbon to lie. Test the placement out by pinning the ribbon to the felt and in front of the mirror tie on the headband and adjust accordingly.
Once you have found the perfect place, loosely sew the ribbon to the felt.
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Step 4:
Any excess felt you have at this point fold over onto of the back of your piece.
Any pieces sticking out in the front, cut off.
Using your glue gun, glue the excess to the back of your piece. If you do not have any excess, cut out a similar shape of felt as your piece and glue together. This way it will protect your stitches, secure the ribbon and look nice.
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Step 5 (Optional):
I could never stand tie on headbands because they would always move and securing them with bobby pins did not help! Here is a little tip that helps A LOT to keep your head bands in place.
Using your glue gun, glue down lines of glue on the back of your flower piece and let dry. The texture of the glue will help keep the hair band in place. I tried this out on this head for the first time. I wore it to work and did not have to adjust the piece at all. You can also add glue throughout the ribbon to help keep that in place as well, but since I used a lace ribbon I did not try that out. Maybe next time.
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All Done!
Just a few simple items to make an elegant headband.
I wore this to work and got tons of compliments. I tend to try out my DIYs on my co-workers, they help with feed back.
Enjoy! Remember: Have Fun, Don't Stress, and Make it Your Own!
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 11 - A song from your favorite group.
2NE1 Of course!!!!!
I choose this song, because I think this is one of the only songs I have not yet posted on this blog! 2NE1 Rocks!
I love this color and I think it would be perfect for my vests. I 've become a fan of the vest these days, but lack the shirts to wear with them. I have a black one that would look fabulous with this top.
I have one wristband bracelet like these and absolutely love it. They are very comfortable to wear and they are beautiful. I always get tons of compliments when I wear my wristband.
That is all I was able to get because I'm on a major budget! I'm going on a cruise this January and next summer I plan on going to Comic Con. I must save so many pennys!
I'll keep an eye out on Torrid and twitter any cool sales.
30 Day Song Challenge Day 10 - A song that makes you fall asleep
Utada Hikaru is another favorite artist of mine. I like her so much that I bought her CD, and I have only bought about 10 CDs my whole life.
'Flavor of Life' was the main song for the Japanese version of 'Boys Over Flowers' TV show.
You might her know her best for her work with Kingdom Hearts.
I have been working on this video all weekend long! I did not realize how much work goes into a simple 10 minute video!!!!
Now for the unfolding!
Presenting Zerila's first DIY YouTube Video:
YEAH!!!!!
I'm so proud of my little video!
I hope you enjoyed it!
<3 Zerila
Since I know I'm behind in posting my 30 Day Song Challenge, here are the videos to catch you up:
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 04 A Song That Makes You Sad:
It takes ten seconds and I'm in tears.
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30 Day Song Challenge: Day 05 - A song that reminds you of someone
My high school sweet heart, he was a sweet guy and this was my sappy song to him.
Day 06 - A song that reminds you of somewhere
I was born in Scotland and then later my father was stationed there for a tour when I was in second to fifth grade. I have yet to see a land more beautiful then Scotland and doubt I ever will.
Day 07 - A song that reminds you of a certain event
When I was in college ,the first social I planned for the BCM was a pizza party and we watched Veggie Tales. It was awesome!
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 08 A song that you know all the words to.
A beautiful song I used to torture my parents with.
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 09 A song that you can dance too.
I've been practicing there moves. It's hard not to be addicated to this song.
As everyone knows, Borders is closing. A friend mentioned they were selling their shelves for 3/$100, so my family and I went to check it out. Also, the lure of books being up to 60% off was a pretty sweet deal.
We ended up not buying the selves because the lean and it would look awkward, but I found this instead:
It cost $58 something. I'm going to use it to organize my make-up and other things. As soon as I am done I will show you. WISH ME LUCK!
<3 Zerila
30 Day Song Challenge: Day 03 A Song that Makes you Happy
The Little Mermaid is one of my favorite Disney Princess movies.
I recently had my debit card stolen about a month back. Actually, I had my debit card numbers stolen because my card was still in my purse...weird. Evidently they can take your numbers and "program" them a new card.
ANYWAY...
I decided not to get a new debit card because I have found that I spend less money when I have to run to the bank to grab the cash I need to spend. I have to think twice about every purchase I do. I also started using checks again for when I go the the grocery store. After awhile I noticed certain stores not taking checks anymore.
The first store I noticed was Whole Foods. WHOLE FOODS, a GROCERY STORE doesn't take checks anymore! Granted, I do not shop at Whole Foods a lot. This is a 6x a year treat. Well, maybe more now that I learned they make AWESOME Indian food.
The most recent place I learned was Five Below. I was grabbing a few things and went to the counter and went to write out a check and he said they no longer take checks. I was so frustrated. Unfortunately, I only had enough money to buy one thing and explained my situation with the whole card thing. He stated it was because of the economy. A lot of people are writing bad checks and a lot of stores do not have a checking system for checks, so they are no longer taking checks. All of a sudden it made more since. If I owned a store, I would most likely do the same thing.
Still annoying though...
Has anyone else run into this problem?
<3 Zerila
30 Day Song Challege: Day 2 Your Least Favorite Song
Allen, the writer for Fun with Perler Beads, my little brother, is going to have open heart surgery! It was suppose to be this past Monday, but now we are on call. This mean they could call us today and it would be tomorrow, or next week. It is kind of driving me nuts! My family and I are trying to keep everything up-to-date for the next two weeks and it can be frustrating.
The doctor that is going to be performing the surgery is the top surgeon in his field in the WORLD! I am not worried because he has done this surgery 150xs. My brother is in good hands. I just don't like the idea of Allan having to go through that. Please keep him in your prayers
I was one of those running out of the building during the earthquake. You know why? I thought it was a terrorist attack, not an earthquake. 9/11 has been burned into my brain and if an earthquake happens again, I am still going to be running out of the building.
For the rest day I couldn't do my work, and when I got home I just face planted into my pillows. Fear, I find, drains you.
What I <3 about Otakon is that you get the chance to watch Anime on the big screen!
These are the animes that I got a chance to see.
Bunraku:
This movie had potential to be AWESOME! Unfortunately, it feel short. Still a good movie. Anything bad about it had nothing to do with the actors, and all with the story. At times it moved slow and I found myself getting bored.
The best part of the whole movie is Kevin McKidd as Killer #2. In fact, I may cosplay as this guy.
Everything I have seen him in I have liked, especially ROME. He is an amazing actor and he plays Evil very very well.
Of course it probably helps that he is a Red Head Scot,which I find incredibly sexy :D
Madoka Magica:
This looks like an a cute and light anime. It is CUTE, but not light, in fact it is very dark. In fact, I think it's cuteness makes it that even darker. It's about girls who can make any wish, but for that wish they most battle witches for the rest of their lives.
While trying to describe this anime, Gunslinger girls comes to mind.
Gunslinger Girls is another amazing anime about young girls being turned into assassins. This is psychological anime and the story is amazing. When I played Shadowrun I based my character on these girls.
Back, to Madoka Magica, the producer said he wanted something like Sailor Moon but with people dieing It definately feels like a darker Sailor Moon. They even transform like Sailor Moon.
Either way, this is a most see anime, if anything for the art.
Durarara:
This was a very huge anime at Otakon. I saw three episodes and for me it moves slow, at least the episodes I saw. The only reason I will continue to watch this anime is because everyone says it is amazing.
Trigun: Badlands Rumble:
I <3 Trigun!!!! Trigun is one of my favorite animes!!! I was super excited that they made another movie of this story.
**spoiler.. maybe**
The only disappointment I have is that they did not continue the love story of Vash and Meryl.
**spoiler end**
Fullmetal Alchemisst: Sacred Star Of Milos::
I wanted to see this because Fullmetal Alchemist is another one of my favorite animes!
Unfortunately, I was not even able to get close to the room that was playing this movie.
FYI-This movie was part of the Brotherhood series.
Garden Of Sinners:
I am not a fan of this series. It was way to serious for me. I like animes that are serious, but with humor to ease the pressure. I found myself being bored. A good story and amazing art, just not for me.
Neuro:
I like this anime and then again I didn't. It was hilarious, this trailer makes it look very serious, but the episodes I saw were not. I loved the mystery solving part of the story, but I felt the mystery was solved to fast. It felt like a dark Scooby Do.
Funniest part was when he hired the secretary and how he paid her...LOL!
Another intersting part is that the main character is a girl who is helping out this demon because she hopes that he will solve her father's murder. When they described her father's "suicide" everyone in the room cracked up laughing. If you can catch why they are laughing, you are much smarter then I am, because I had to have my brother explain it to me.
**Spoiler Answer**
Evidently you can not kill yourself my pinning yourself to the floor and then continue to take a chain saw to yourself. The cops ruled that suicide...
** End of Spoiler Answer**
Our Home's Fox Deity:
This anime is hilarious!! I am definitely watching this one!
FYI- The blonde guy and girl in the trailer is the same fox deity that is protecting two young boys. The fox deity had been locked up for a 100 years and was freed to protect the two boys who are the children of a girl she had befriended. Her reactions to technology are priceless.
Best part ever is when she trys to make a cursed video like in The Ring! LOL!
That's all I was able to watch, unfortuantely there were so many animes to watch and so little time! Now, I have a list of animes to watch to keep busy until Doctor Who starts again.
