7/16 ~ Thru the Years

7.16.24: tt how to squeeze spinach dry

7.16.23: 🔥 week 29

7.16.22: another phone case

7.16.21: fun friend gift by Jenny

7.16.20: cilantro lime rice and salsa beans

7.16.19: frosting tip

7.16.18: golf counter pin

7.16.17: zucchini lasagna

 

Tip-sy Tuesday: red onion

When I was googling around for pasta salad ideas I read this tip from someone named Carrian (I didn't copy the link so I don't know where this tip came from other than it says "Carrian's secret to the best Greek pasta salad). But it's a good tip so I'll share it...

I did not follow the Greek pasta salad recipe but here's how the tip reads, and I quote:

"The red onion adds a crunch and flavor that cannot be skipped, and I'll be honest, I don't usually love raw onions. My method to get killer flavor without the harsh bite of a raw onion? Soak it!! Using slightly salted, cold water, gives your onions a ten-minute soak to help the onions remain crisp yet mellow that overwhelming onion-y-ness." 

I posted this pasta salad that I ended up throwing together and it turned out SO good!! I didn't put onion in it so this tip is really just a random onion tip haha. 

7.15.24: santa cinnamon sticks

7.15.23: words

7.15.22: california roll wrap or taco

7.15.21: organizing clutter by Jen

7.15.20: copycat sweet pork

7.15.19: felt flowers

7.15.18: greek chicken bowls

7/14 ~ Thru the Years

7.14.24: 🔥 week 28

7.14.23: MSTI: brownie baked oatmeal

7.14.22: baked fettuccini with Asiago 

7.14.21: linen closet by Jen 

7.14.20: tip-sy tuesday: dryer sponge fail

7.14.19: 🔥 week 28

7.14.18: champagne cage party trick

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  7.14.17: paper umbrellas

  

  
  

 

🔥 Around the Campfire (week 28)

Dear Campers ~ 

Here's a quick recap in case you missed anything at camp last week:

Posts ~

7/6: 🔥 week 27 

7/7: July challenge (6-6-6 do-over)

7/8: TT moving tip

7/9: charging station 

7/10: reviving headphones 

7/11: apple tart

7/12: words (garden secrets)

That's it for this week! See you next week for more projects, crafts, recipes, whatever we can think of to make at camp - bye :)

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor

7.13.24: words  cat with spiderweb

7.13.23: Macey's dreamcatcher

7.13.22: chicken parm meatballs

7.13.21: Jen's centerpiece

7.13.20: zucchini chimichangas

7.13.19: Cathy's banana pudding

7.13.18: kid craft - Sydney makes slime

7.13.17: beachy scene in a wood box

  

7/12 ~ Words

 7.12.24: glass gem  magnets

7.12.23: olive burgers

7.12.22: TT personalized phone charger

7.12.21: circuits by Jen

7.12.20: 🔥week 28

7.12.19: za'atar bread

7.12.18: baking tip - alternating ingredients

7.12.17: jam filled muffins

Apple Tart

Janis and Ron had us over for dinner and she picked up this gorgeous apple tart for dessert from a local bakery - side note: their apple tart usually has nuts in it, when she said Dave was allergic they told her if she gave them about an hour they would make her a special one without nuts - how nice was that?! - I took a picture before she sliced it because it was just so pretty. I haven't made one like this so I don't have their recipe, there are tons online tho so if you want to try your hand at making one there is a lot of inspiration recipes to choose from. Here is one I found at midwestfoodieblog that looks good, the one Janis bought didn't have apricot jam on the apples tho, but the rest looks similar (click here for that post). 

Use this photo as your guide to shaping the tart into a flower shape - I'll update this post after I make one (if it turns out hahah). 

7.11.24: thru the years

7.11.23: boom boom sauce

7.11.22: window shadow box

7.11.21: 🔥 week 28

7.11.20: rosemary skewered vegetables

7.11.19: mnih (my niece is hungry!): oslo pasta bake

 

7.11.18: banana cupcakes with marshmallow filling

7.11.17: spider mum paper flowers

7.11.16: coco lopez

Reviving Over-the-Ear Headphones

Today is a quick little post that isn't very exciting but I'm sharing anyway - I brought back my noise cancelling headphones from where they've been in CA for quite a while, long enough that the material covering the ear pads and headband had totally disintegrated and turned into a smeary greasy mess that I couldn't even wash off my hands! (Side note: I removed it with a little fingernail polish). 

I did what I usually do and asked Mr. Google if they could be replaced and sure enough, they can be. Good to know. I ordered the new ear pads and headband cover from Amazon and YouTube's instructions and it was quite easy to do - and I now have a 'new' revived pair of really nice noise cancelling headphones, yay!

Here's a random pic I took of the middle of the process - I pulled the old ear pads off and following the instructional video snapped the new ones back on. For the headband piece I unscrewed the sides, cut off the existing messy fabric and snapped the new one before replacing the tiny screws. Easy!

7.10.24: make-ahead manicotti 

7.10.23: daddy's survival kit

7.10.22: 🔥 week 28

7.10.21: LeDonna's rhubarb pie

7.10.20: hungarian potato soup

7.10.19: cookie dough cupcakes 2.0

7.10.18: zesting a lemon

7.10.17: net wrapped mason jar

Charging Station

I made myself a charging station from an 8" heavy box, can't decide if it's too big and clunky - if I keep it I'll finish the edges around the outlet cover nicer but until I decide I'm not putting more work into it! I took off the outlet cover to measure how big I'd need to cut the opening in the back of the box, and cut  holes in the top and side to fit the cords. I made a shelf with a front flap out of the box top, glued it in place - the extra cord lengths go behind the flap (I hot glued a piece of cord to the center of the flap so I can pull it open when necessary. For now I just have 2 cords in place, one to charge my watch on the top of the box, and the other fed thru the side hole to charge my phone (the phone can sit on the bottom of the box so it's off the counter - that was my goal, to clean up the cords and stuff sitting on the counter). I tacked it to the cork board backsplash we have above a counter in the back hallway - if it stays I'll also make the tacks look better - I just wanted to get it to stay on the wall so I can see if I like it! 

So, it's kinda dumb and homemade, but also maybe kinda fun. We'll see - in the meantime it's what I made at 'camp' today!

7.9.24: TT brownie knife

7.9.23: week 28

7.9.22: roasted pork loin with fig sauce

7.9.21: yard yahtzee

7.9.20: bacon lettuce cups

7.9.19: hair bun hack

7.9.18: beach terrarium

7.9.17: knock-off Topopo Salad

Tip-sy Tuesday: moving tip

We just got done packing and moving the contents of our condo (which, as an aside, was a ton of work!), we weren't moving everything so in order to help the movers know what was staying and what was moving I put stickies on everything. Everything, everything. 

First I sorted out what I really wanted to move and then made piles for Goodwill or friends, including what was being stored under the bed and in closets under the stairs (we had a surprising number of stuff stored in those places! Note to self, try to not put things under the bed or stairs and then forget about them until it's time to move!). 

Then I put stickers on what was left - I tagged both staying or being moved, I also added what room things should go in once we got it back home (the movers haven't delivered the contents to us yet so I don't know if that system worked). I heard more than one time how easy it made their job having everything labeled ahead of time - no one even asked me what needed to go. I overheard one of the moving men tell the others that this would be an uncomplicated job since I had things so organized - gotta love that haha. Yes I used a LOT of stickies, but saved myself a world of (moving) pain. 

This isn't an original-genius-of-me idea, but I can highly recommend this system if you are moving! Oh, I did make an actual list of what was being moved from each room but no one looked at it hahahah, although it was helpful to me to keep track of what was happening when a crew of people were taking things out! Moving is miserable, stickies help. 

7.8.24: crochet bowl

7.8.23: words

7.8.22: lake life soap dispenser

7.8.21: mushroom rice

7.8.20: sugar cookie mini cakes

7.8.19: beaded hoop earrings

7.8.18: gazpacho

7.8.17: 3-ingredient sangria

July Challenge (6-6-6, here we go again)

So...I did not make my June walking goal (and I didn't make May's goal either!! C'mon man, get it together). I'm a week late for the first of the month challenge but it is what it is. I'm going to repeat June's challenge and see if this month goes better than last. Here's the June post:

I just read about the 6-6-6 challenge and I'm going to give that a go. Here's some info I found:

“The 6-6-6 walking workout is a trending routine that involves walking for 60 minutes a day, either at 6 a.m. or 6 p.m., with a 6-minute warm-up and 6-minute cool-down built in,” explained Matt Dustin, an NASM corrective exercise specialist and certified Precision Nutrition coach at Garage Gym Reviews. “The idea is to make walking part of your daily rhythm while giving your body time to ease into and out of the effort.” During a brisk, 60-minute walk, you can log around 5,500 steps, getting you more than halfway to the gold-standard goal of 10,000 steps per day.

Whether on a walking pad, your favorite hiking trail, or your go-to neighborhood loop, there are no rules or guidelines on how you carry out the workout other than the time of day and a timed warm-up and cool-down. While 6 a.m. or 6 p.m. may sound too early or late—depending on whether you’re a night owl or an early bird—the time options are intended to lower the chances of procrastination and allow you to fit it around your busy schedule.

As for the warm-up and cool-down, Dustin recommends not overthinking it. To loosen up your body, mobility exercises like arm circles and leg swings (stand sideways next to a wall, holding onto it for balance with your hand closest to it, and swing the opposite leg forward and back like a pendulum) will do the trick, while the cool-down can look like post-workout stretches to help your hamstring, calf, and quad muscles recover. 

VERDICT:

If you want to build consistency and give your physical and mental health a reliable pick-me-up without needing equipment or a gym, the 6-6-6 workout checks out. “Walking is one of the most sustainable forms of exercise, and this version helps you structure it into your daily life in a simple but effective way,” Dustin said. That said, since the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity along with a minimum of two days of muscle-strengthening exercises every week, it’s best to incorporate some weight lifting two to three times per week to round out the 6-6-6 routine. Better yet, make it a habit stack and try weighted walks.

If you don’t have a full 60 minutes to commit, break it up however you can (think: two 30-minute walks or six 10-minute strides). As with any workout, for the 6-6-6 challenge to be worthwhile, it has to be realistic, consistent, and sustainable for you. The moment it becomes a stressor rather than something that fills your cup, you’ve lost the purpose, and you’re not going to maintain it long-term. 6-6-6 walking challenge or not, prioritize joy and put your best foot forward.

info found here

I get up early in the morning but I don't see myself consistently walking at 6 am, so my plan will probably look more like 7-6-6. I'm thinking I'll walk 4 days a week, and 2 days of cross training and weights, 1 rest (or easy) day. 

7.7.24: 🔥 week 27

7.7.23: MSTI: famous chicken breast rolls 

7.7.22: V8 soup

7.7.21: oreo cheesecake cookies by Brooke

7.7.20: tip-sy tuesday: outdoor paper towel holder

7.7.19: 🔥 week 27

7.7.18: movie popcorn butter hack

7.7.17: k-cup twine lights

7.7.16: dear deer by Candy