Still here!

I apologize for the fact that I haven't really posted in the last month. I feel awful about it. This blog means a lot to me. I've just had such horrible issues with my Internet connection and my computer that it's been almost impossible for me to get online.

But guess what - I'm MOVING!

Yes, the biggest thing in my "Year of the Swan" project - I'll be moving out of my parents' house! This is long overdue. As much as I love my family, I needed to be out of here. And the house I'll be renting with my best friend has some awesome space for taking blog-worthy photos - at least, it will once I put daylight bulbs everywhere! I've got some awesome plans for the space already.

I'm just really sad to be leaving my current room - it's small, and it's cramped, but I've got to say, it's pretty well decorated. Before I move, one of my projects is going to be to get photos taken - I want the memories of it for years from now.

I really can't say how much this excites me. I'm going to be completely revamping my life. I talked before about my "year of the swan" project, and this is where it starts.

SQUEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

In the meantime, I'm working on things. I'll be coming back. I'm aiming for May 21st - I'll be signing the lease on May 15th and moving around then, plus working that entire weekend, so once I get my things in some semblance of order, I'll be back to blogging (and I can't wait!).

Lovely List O' Links - 4/13/2013

MWAHAHA! I return!

I've been having some serious problems with a lack of Internet connection - unfortunately, since I live way out in the country, my Internet tends to be limited, and once we're out for the month, that's it. The nearest town I live with has two places to use wifi - the library (which is painfully slow) or McDonald's (which I hate going to).

The good news - I'll be moving soon! Plans are in place for me to move in with my best friend/former college roommate. There will be SO many benefits to this, and I'm so excited. Right now we're in a "hurry up and wait" period (her current roommate is looking for an apartment of her own). Still, it's coming soon - I won't have to drive 30 miles one-way to work, I'll be closer to my favorite stores, I'll have a consistent Internet connection, and I'll see my best friend EVERY day!

But enough about me - this is the interesting stuff I was able to dig up on the Internet.

First, because I like to start these with a funny picture - this behind-the-scenes picture on the set of "Jurassic Park" made me laugh. I hate trophy hunting, but when you have a chance to pose with your Triceratops...

>> I was fascinated by the pictures of this elite Russian military academy for girls - they learn ballet and how to field strip just about any weapon. Does it seem really odd that I actually would have loved to attend a school like this? (eight years of ballet class and a love for my various weapons - this place appeals to me on multiple levels)

 >> Although we aren't nearly as divided as societies such as India, we do have a class system. It's based around money. I've grown up in the lower end of the middle-class spectrum, and I attended a college that allowed me to work my way through, because if I hadn't done that I wouldn't have been able to attend college at all - but just because I can't afford the latest model of iPhone or even buy full-price clothing very often doesn't make me less than anyone else. This Tumblr, Class Rage Speaks, brings out some valid points. It's not being updated anymore but it's still worth a read.

 >> I'm saving this to Evernote so I can keep it as a reference - 27 Ways to Make Your Groceries Last Longer. I'm looking forward to trying some of these!

 >> If you're in you're twenties, you NEED to read 15 Ways 20-Somethings Ruin Their Twenties from Thought Catalog. This stuff is SO important, because people have a bad habit of doing these things and it's going to ruin your life.

 >> I LOVE these pictures of women working during World War Two. They look too gorgeous. I might need to dress as a WW2 factory worker when Halloween rolls around. I've always loved the styles of the era.

 >> Of course, during that era they used a lot of bobby pins. We don't use them as much anymore, but if you have some laying around, check out these twenty-five practical uses for bobby pins.

 >> As one of the many people who found themselves on the other side of their college careers with a piece of paper and no job, I appreciate this Thought Catalog piece: I'm 25, I Live At Home, And I'm OK With That.

More will be coming soon, but sadly enough it took me about two hours just to get this done. Ah, how I look forward to moving...

Latest Loves {04/01/13}

I got a few cool things during March, and I thought I'd share them with you all!

 First, this was actually the February Cara Box Swap hosted by Wifessionals. I got a box from the lovely Sarah at Silly Incantations (and Sarah, I apologize for being so late in posting this! I couldn't find the picture I'd taken!). Her box included some of my favorite things - yummy teas, warm socks, and chocolate!!! (along with some pretty pink nail polish and a frame that seems to be begging for a lovely, beachy picture...I need a vacation...)

Next (and I apologize for the horrendous picture), some of the stuff I got this month! From the top left going clockwise:

 - A Firefly/Doctor Who T-shirt from TeeFury.com called "The Time Job." Due to the nature of TeeFury (each shirt is only offered for 24 hours), once it's gone it's gone, but if you like geeky shirts it's definitely worth taking a look.

 - A Jayne hat (Firefly FTW!), handmade by Nadia of Hope and Heart on Etsy. Folks, I am in love with Etsy. You get to support people trying to make some extra money, by buying neat stuff at great prices. I'm going to do a gender-bender Jayne cosplay at some point - the hat is essential!

 - One of my latest things: records! I love going retro. These are just a few from my new collection. I've also got Scottish bagpipes, medieval music, "I Love Paris," "Christmas With Julie Andrews," and about a hundred old Victrola records from the early 1900s, among others. I really want to get some Glenn Miller and "The Sound of Music" soundtrack.

 - My new (to me!) iPad 2! I love this thing. Seriously, seriously love it. I got it for a good deal on Craigslist, complete with a smart cover and Bluetooth keyboard.

 - Washi tape and little stickies in the shape of London things, from pikwahchan on Etsy! I thought the prices were pretty reasonable, and the packaging was GORGEOUS! I will definitely be ordering from her again. Washi tape is one of my newest obsessions! A better view of this:

 (actually, even looking her shop up was a bad idea...now I'm fighting the urge to browse!)

Finally, leaving you with a "blooper" photo:

As I was setting my things out to take the picture, Rezzy assumed you all would want to see her too.

What are you loving lately? Anything I should check out?

An Organized Life: Hard Drive Holder

This is the first in a new feature, showing my little organization tips - I love to organize and I have quite a few ideas! 

At one point, I was browsing in one of my favorite parts of Target - that little "value" section where everything tends to be between $1 and $2.50. They happened to have some cardboard magazine holders for $1 each. I don't know how you feel about magazine holders, but I LOVE them! I mean, I don't just use them for magazines (although I use them for those too). I use them to keep my notebooks, loose papers, my CD case, and one of my most important things - my external hard drive.

There's good reasons to keep my hard drive in this - not only does it look neater, it makes it easy to transport my hard drive if I'm taking it somewhere; just unplug the cables, toss them in, and go. In case of a natural disaster or a fire, I can give it a good yank, pull the cords out, and have the actual drive (cords are replaceable - years of pictures, financial information, and scanned copies of important documents aren't).

It's super easy to do this. The next time you're in Target, look in that "value" area near the front. They don't always have the magazine holders, but in my experience they have them every month or so. The only other thing you need is an Xacto knife and a marker.

 Take your magazine holder and draw a hole big enough for your cords at the widest part. If you're feeling confident, add in some slots to help hold the cords (I was too lazy to care).

Cut along your line (carefully, of course!) and use the edge of the Xacto knife to smooth the edges of your hole. Make it look pretty. If you want, put some tape around it.

You could just set the entire cord inside, and let out just enough to reach where you need it. I tried to put my excess in here. All depends on what your cords look like and how big everything is.

This is the (admittedly slightly blurry) photo of the nearly-finished product. The whole effect overall is a pair of shelves (the one this set on and the one below it) which both contain a pair of matching magazine holders, most of which aren't holding magazines. If you want to do this through the short end, you could potentially turn the taller end towards you and have them all look exactly uniform, but that's a level of OCD I don't have.

I don't know how your hard drive works, but it used to be that if mine got bumped at all it would disconnect - this helps prevent it from being bumped. It's minor thing - but it's amazing how much nicer it looks than just leaving the hard drive laying around.

Happy Spring!

I apologize for my lack of regular blogging - my Internet situation has been crazy lately! I'm getting some posts written out and I hope to have them up soon. In the meantime, I thought I'd show you pictures of springtime in Springfield, Missouri...

The first picture was taken on March 21, when a normally ten-minute drive took me half an hour. The second picture was today, March 25, right before we got a couple more inches. I'm pretty sure in the last few days, we've gotten about double the amount of snow we had this winter and last winter combined. Go figure...

How's spring coming in your neck of the woods?

Linkup: Me, Myself, and I #7

I like link up parties, I admit it. It's a great way to meet other bloggers and get to know each other.

1. Do you celebrate Saint Patrick's Day? How?
Occasionally we've pulled out the corned beef and cabbage, but my family's never done much. Maybe because we're more Scottish and German than Irish? LOL


I'm pretty excited though, my best friend and I will be roommates (again!) in a few months, and one of my plans is to have a themed dinner every month. Next March will be an awesome St. Paddy's Day dinner - all the traditional Irish foods I can make, and copious amounts of Guinness (not a drinker myself, but I've been to Dublin - you're a heathen if you drink anything else).

2. It's March which means spring break! We want to know how your spring break went or if it hasn't happened yet, what will your spring break consist of? 
Spring break is non-existent for me. But I wish I still had one.

3. A Zombie Apocalypse happens and you're stripped of all your luxury items. What beauty product would you miss the most?
Eyeliner - I don't usually put on any beauty products, but if I only put on one thing it'll be eyeliner. I like to smudge it a little and get a smokey eye look. But I don't think I'd have a lot of time to worry about it.

4. What is the one cause that you feel most passionate about?
Just plain doing good. I enjoy helping people and making a difference. If everybody did one good deed a day, what sort of difference could we make in the world?

5. What's the #1 most played song on your ipod?
I really don't know what's the most played song - but I've definitely been listening to a lot of podcasts lately, especially "The Food Programme" from BBC Radio 4. 

Product Review: Skinnygirl Daily On-The-Go Bars

Disclaimer: the product being reviewed is a sample I was given via Influenster. I was not compensated in any way to promote this product. All opinions are my own.

I always like getting to eat stuff. Food is good. Free food is better. I was pretty excited to see a SkinnyGirl Coco-Nut bar in my Sweetheart VoxBox.

I don't know what I was expecting - probably your typical "high fiber" snack bar. You know how most of those have an unpleasant bitter note? This, however, was delicious. There was a little hint of coconut but I didn't get a very big taste. The peanut butter in it was really nice though - creamy and smooth. The bar had a pleasantly sweet taste overall. Probably the best one I've ever had, honestly. I would totally eat this again in a heartbeat - and the other flavors look delicious (banana oatmeal dark chocolate? Yes please!). And it was only 180 calories a bar, these are a great snack. It was really pretty filling too - I ate this and an apple, and that was my dinner (not suggesting that's a good idea though).

Now, the bad news - the MSRP for these is $9.99 - for just five! I could eat five in a week, pretty easily. So as much as I love this one, I'm not sure I'll be getting them again. My budget just can't support it. If I can find a deal, I might buy some as a treat - mainly because I really, really want to try the banana oatmeal dark chocolate ones.