Ginger joy

Just a smoothie I made up that I thought I'd share. You can add your own amounts of each ingredient according to your preference:

frozen blueberries
1 lime
ginger root (I peel the root and chop it into little pieces - it's strong, but gives the smoothie a refreshing kick)
milk (soy is extra delicious)

Enjoy after a sweaty run or a refreshing swim or a long day at work or with kids or in the morning to wake you up or when you're sick (aka: it's pretty much awesome any time!)

School Lunch

I make three school lunches a day, and sometimes find myself wondering how I can incorporate a little variety and keep the kids full at a long day of school. I give all my kids a snack, too.  I am trying to avoid high fructose corn syrup and incorporate mostly whole foods . . .

Here are some of my ideas.  What are your thoughts?  Any additions?  Thanks!

Sandwiches:

PBJ
Roley poly sandwiches (tortilla with pbj rolled up -- my kids love this)
Lunch meat
Egg salad (can do in pita)
Tuna Fish (can do in pita)
Bagel with cream cheese
Nutella
Hummus (my kids haven't warmed up to this one yet)

Veggies:

Carrot sticks
Celery with pb and raisons
Snap sugar peas
cherry tomatoes
peppers (my kids don't like this, though)

Fruit:
apples
oranges
whole strawberries

grapes
raisons
dried fruit or banana chips
dates
applesauce or fruit cups (check for corn syrup b/c most have it)


Other:
yogurt (the only kind for big kids I can find without corn syrup are greek yogurts and Activa)
cheese sticks

Snacks:
Saltines / graham crackers
dried fruit
raisins
fruit leather (Costco has the best prices)
pretzels
almonds or nuts
dates

One to Watch: Sarah's Key

 

warning: This is not light fare. It is a Holocaust story, but not in the way you might expect.  Very gripping and very sad.  (And, Kevin actually stayed awake for this one.)

Green Chile Cornbread

I made Catherine's Roasted Red Pepper soup the other day -- delicious!  It was the essence of a summer day.

To go with the soup, I tried a new cornbread recipe.  It was the moistest cornbread I have ever tasted!  It went really well with the soup.  I incorporated two of the reader comments in making the cornbread by cooking it in a 16" cast iron skillet (preheated) and adding half a bunch of green onions.  I also used diced roasted green chiles because I didn't have any roasted whole chilis and it tasted fine!  Overall, this is a great summer twist on classic cornbread:

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/green_chile_cornbread/

Sorry -- I don't have a picture, but the link does =)

Cucumber Lime Mint Agua Fresca

So I have to admit I've been a little hesitant to post because, let's be honest, y'all cook and I am not an experienced cook. But seeing as of late the parents are out of town and I am left to feed myself (what?), I have been cooking up a storm! It helps, also, that I have probably 83 cucumbers to do something with. :) I found this drink on punchfork.com, one of my new favorite cooking websites. This website is cool because you can put in any ingredient, and it connects you with hundreds of recipes from a bunch of the popular cooking websites. I love it.


I like the unique taste of this drink, and it really does cool you off on a hot summer day (today it's 103 in NC! yikes.)

Cucumber Lime Mint Agua Fresca

Ingredients:

1 lb of cucumbers (about 2 good sized cucumbers), ends trimmed, but peel still on, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup lime juice from fresh limes (from about 1 pound of limes, or 5 to 10 limes, depending on how juicy they are)

1 1/4 cup packed (spearmint) mint leaves (about a large handful), woody stems removed

1/2 cup sugar (I would put a little less in if you don't like super sweet).

Approximately 1 1/4 cup of water

How to:

Put ingredients in blender, add enough water to fill 3/4 of blender. Hold the lid on the blender and purée until smooth. Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and pour the purée through it, pressing against the sieve with a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid out as possible.

Fill a large pitcher halfway with ice cubes. Add the juice. Serve with sprigs of mint and slices of lime.

Oatmeal Cake

Cake

1 c oats
2 c water
3/4 c butter
3/4 c sugar
1 1/4 c brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 t vanilla
2 c flour
1 1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt

Preheat oven to 350 F and grease bottom of cake pan (9 by 13).  Bring 2 cups water to a boil, add oats, and set aside (do not cover or drain any water.)  Cream butter and sugars together.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Add oats (and water.)  Blend in dry ingredients.  Bake anywhere from 30 to 50 minutes until center is done. 

Icing

1/2 c butter
1/2 c brown sugar
3 T canned milk
1/2 c chopped walnut (opt)
3/4 c coconut (opt)

Boil all together.  Pour over cake then broil until icing is bubbly and begins to darken (don't leave it alone - it can burn easily.)

I LOVE this cake.  Just had it for my birthday and couldn't get enough.

Roasted Brussels Sprout salad

Roasted Brussels Sprout salad:

cut brussel sprouts in half or quarters.

toss in a bowl with olive oil, salt, pepper and a little vinegar

dump onto a cookie sheet and put in the oven at 400

Meanwhile put this in a bowl:

lettuce (I used the pre-washed spring mix)

purple onion thinly sliced

blue cheese 

prunes/dried plums cut in 4ths

avacado

Dressing: 

mustard (Dijon or regular)

honey

rice vinegar (or a white vinegar)

oil

salt & pepper

Toss the roasted sprouts on and mix it all together. It is delish. I fried an egg and threw it on top for protein. This isn't really a kid-friendly dinner (obviously). 

Easy Homemade Pizza

This is a tried a true recipe.  I make it all the time, with lots of different toppings.  We all love it because it is super easy and tastes great.
 
Pizza Dough

Dissolve:
1 T yeast (1 package)
1 C warm water

Stir into yeast mixture and let sit for 5 mins:
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 T oil
2 1/2 c flour

Bake 400 for 20 mins.


Pizza Sauce

Mix:
16 oz tomato sauce
8 oz tomato paste
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
3-4 big, heaping tsp parmesan cheese
1 pinch basil

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

I always crave this soup, but it's especially delicious when red peppers are in season (and cheaper). It's surprisingly simple and still very tasty. Sit outside in the summer air and enjoy.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup  

3 red bell peppers

1 yellow bell pepper

1 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

3 cups stock (veggie, chicken, etc…)

1 Tbls flour

black pepper, salt

1. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (If you don’t you’ll have black marks from the peppers that don’t go away). Cut peppers in half and clean out seeds. Lay cut edge down on baking sheet. Broil until skins black and blistered.
2. Place the peppers in a plastic and a close it with a tie or zip lock. Let it sit and cool off.  When cool peel off skins and discard. Roughly chop peppers.
3. Put onion, garlic, and 2/3 cup stock in a large saucepan.  Boil until stock reduces in volume.  Lower heat and stir until onion and garlic soft and just beginning to color.
4. Sprinkle flour over onions.  Gradually stir in the rest of the stock.
5. Add chopped roasted peppers.  Bring to a boil. Cover the saucepan and simmer 5 minutes.
6. Let soup cool slightly. Puree in food processor or blender.  Return to saucepan.  Season with pepper and salt.  Reheat.

Makes about 4 servings

• Another version: cook the onions and garlic and butter with rosemary sprigs.  After cooked remove rosemary.  Add roasted peppers and stock.  Boil add a few Tbls of tomato puree, cook it all together, let cool and then puree.  Add a little paprika and ¼ c. cream.
• Another version: chop up 1 or 2 sweet potatoes and cook with onions and garlic in the stock.  Then after adding the red peppers cook together, let cool, puree, then put back in pan on the burner.  Add salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce to taste.  

COLORFUL COLESLAW

1/3 medium head red cabbage thinly sliced
2 large carrots coarsely grated
1 medium onion thinly sliced (red or sweet white)

DRESSING
1 1/2 T mustard
1 T honey
1 T fresh lime juice (more to taste)
1 T cider vinegar
1 T olive oil
1/2 tsp salt (more to taste)
1/4 tsp pepper (more to taste)
1/4 c fresh chopped cilantro (optional)
1 tsp poppy seeds (optional)

I saw this recipe in USA Weedkend May 25. I have made it twice.  The second time I cut the dressing proportions in half since it thought it was too watery.  The "Cut" version appears above.  I didn't put cilantro in either time because I didn't have any.  I keeps for days in the fridge.  It can be used in place of lettuce on a sandwitch which is how we use it the most.

Mom/Gayle

One to watch

Don't judge it by the cover. This movie is sooooo good. For real. And totally inspiring. The whole thing is true  which makes it even better. And the only "bad" thing about it are the bikini's. 

Running Socks

Just wanted to pass along that I have just discovered the ultimate running sock:  the Balega Womens Enduro Sock.  You have to try it if you like to jog.  They are so comfortable!  So don the sock and let's get in shape!

Love Post (late)

Person that I love: ALL OF MY NIECES AND NEPHEWS. Cath and I were recently talking about how we used to think it was weird when people were obsessed with their nieces/nephews. Now I'm one of those people. I love kids in general, but there is something special about being an aunt. I love them so much! (Note: just because I have a picture of Allyson, Spencer does not mean they are my favorite and I love them more than my other nieces and nephews. No snarky comments, Ang)

Place I love: Quiet places. Everywhere I live, I always have an outlet, a nature-y place where I go to escape the noise and people and just think. I have made some of my biggest life decisions in these places. In Provo, it was the Provo River Trail/Utah Lake:

In North Carolina, it's a close call between the Duke Trails or the American Tobacco Trail:

Thing that I love: Technology. No, really. And not just because there was that one song on Napoleon Dynamite that was really catchy about technology. I really do love it. Embarrassing as it is to admit it, I can not remember how society ran smoothly without it. Unlimited knowledge at my fingertips. Access to all of the talks I can want from Conferences all the way back to when I didn't exist. Podcasts. Music to listen to while I run. Ways to connect and spread love/build friendships. Ways to stay connected. Really, technology is awesome.


Activity that I love: Bananagrams. And scrabble. Yes, they are my favorite favorite. They are even better when you make cookies to eat while playing (although I can't say I ever crave cookies these days)...

Things I Love - Emily

Person I love: The nice person. For instance, I love the lady who saw me struggling with a screaming, non-cooperative two year old in a Wal-mart parking and instead of judging my mothering, quietly asked permission to give my son an orea. Or the manager at the grocery store who helped an 8-month pregnant woman with two small children find the Easter hams hidden in the corner of the store. Or the mother who spent five hours on a Saturday on the telephone asking numerous bridal stores across the country if they had bridal gown # 3214 for her engaged daughter (and yes, she found the dress), or the husband who sees his exhausted wife and sends her off to the bedroom for a break and fixes dinner instead (even though he's exhausted himself). I think nice people who see beyond themselves make the world a brighter, better, happier place - and I love them!

Place I love: Historical sites. Pictured above is Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA. It is in that building that our nation's founding fathers gathered to debate, and eventually adopt, the Declaration of Independence and later the Constitution. I have visited this site repeatedly and always feel inspired by the courage, strength, and faith in God that those brave men exhibited. They lived through difficult, uncertain times, but they rose above their times and they paved the way for our bright future. I love visiting historical sites because there is something powerful about standing were previous men and women have stood (and sometimes fought) and learning their stories. They is much to be learned from the past and visiting these important places opens the windows of the past.

Thing that I love: Owning my own washer and dryer. It took seven years of marriage and two children (the younger of which was 16 months) before we bought our first washer and dryer. I still get giddy every time I throw a load of laundry in at 8:00 pm on a Tuesday night without inserting quarters.

Sound that I love: Laughing children. It makes me smile every time I hear it!

Quote that I love: "Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other” - Marvin J. Ashton

Educational Websites and Apps for Children

I though I'd start a post of our favorite educational websites or places where you can order educational material.  I would love everyone to please add to this post so we can learn from each other!  Please post a description of your site above the link.

Below the websites, please post your favorite Mac APPS!!!  I don't have any because I am just getting my Mac up and running, but I'd love to hear what you use! 


ABCs, READING

My preschoolers like this website to learn / reinforce letters:

http://www.starfall.com/


MATH

This one one is free:
http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/

IXL is the best math website I have found!  It costs $70 per year.  I recommend buying a subscription when your oldest is in 1st grade or when they start learning math facts.  I make each of my children in 1st grade and older do 10 minutes a day until they can get 100% quickly, then we move on to the next number.

http://www.ixl.com/


GAMES / GENERAL ED

Lots of fun games for all ages:

http://pbskids.org/

Playground is really fun for preschoolers.  My older kids love Poptropica the best:


http://www.funbrain.com/


HANDWRITING

I am using and have used the kindergarten version with two kids and am using the cursive book with my oldest child.  I love these books.

http://www.hwtears.com/hwt



KEYBOARDING


This is what my 3rd grader uses at school.  He can now type 13-20 words a minute and puts his hands in the correct place (no finger typing).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/


HOME SCHOOL SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS

For math, the top three courses are Saxon, Singapore, and Horizon Math.  Saxon is best for grades 3 and upper grades because it is very practice-intense, but no pictures.  Horizon uses lots of pictures and presents things clearly for grades 1 - 4.  I used Horizon last summer with my 1 and 2 grader to give them a little extra math practice.  I don't know much about Singapore.  I ordered Horizon from Amazon and don't know about the others.

For reading, the best course I have found is Sonlight (http://www.sonlight.com/)  It is very pricey, but you can look at their book lists for free.  They have wonderful lists of children's literature broken down by age.  I'm going to do another post of my favorite children's books, but this website is a good start.

FAVORITE APPS

Loves by Sarah

Place you Love:  England!  I would love to take my entire family back there some day. 

Person you Love:  My husband!  A great husband, father, and friend.

Thing you Love:   Cheese.

Quote you Love: 


"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. 
I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. 
I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children. 
I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. 
I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. 
I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived." 
— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Poem you Love:

William Wordsworth, "Ode: Intimations of Immortality"

Excerpt:

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,	60
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come	65
From God, who is our home:

Photo you Love: 
I love babies!  I love this photo of me and my first baby.  Now that I am done having babies, I look back on those years of nurturing the very little ones with fondness and a little nostalgia.  This photo represents for me all the pictures of me with my babies, whom I love.

L.O.V.E-- Angela style

PERSON I Love: Brian. I don't need to convince you that this guy is great. 

PLACE I love: The Island in the Sky. . . there were times it was tough, but this little insignificant spot in the universe where we had no internet or cell phone-- where we frequently ran out of groceries and ate cabbage and fried eggs, where we saw a mountain lion under the stars and biked the White Rim; where we lived in a space that was WAY too small-- but it was okay. And where we had company packed in and watched the sunsets every night. . . The Island (as it is affectionately known) will forever hold a very special place in my heart. 

THING I love: PB Hershey kiss cookies. You know I love PB-- but did you know I was obessed with these in college? I used to carry 47cents in my backpack for a mid-study cookie break. I would wander through the bookstore to the candy counter where I could count on one of these babies as an immediate pick me up. Sarah Hays just gave me 30 for my birthday (on Saturday). They're gone. It's Tuesday. 

Thing I love TO DO: be outside. I am SO much happier when I'm outside. If I'm in a funk, feeling strange, something's amiss or I feel unproductive-- if I do it outside, I'm suddenly cured. I especially love doing hard things that take all day long outside.  I took this photo on the Chilkoot Trail in Alaska. Alaska completely blew me away-- if it was in the lower 48 it would be the most popular place for sure. It is incredible. This field was covered in wildflowers (although they didn't show up in the photo) and the colors were that vivid. I have loved all of the outdoor adventures B and I have gone on together-- we've created some great memories. 

PHOTO I love: Jo and I in Chesler Park taken on timer with a point and shoot on my backpack.  As a kid I always loved the outdoors-- I remember swinging on the swings in the backyard and making up songs about spring because I was so excited for the beautiful trees and flowers. I loved our trips out west. In college I fell in love even more and Spring Summit solidified my passion into an actual reality. When we hiked into Chesler Park that spring day-- I'm pretty sure I was writing another song (or at least a prayer) about how lucky I was to be in such a beautiful place. 

thinks I love

So I'll be the first to post on the February challenge:
Place I love: Appalachian Trail at Greyson Highlands State Park
Person I love: Gary
Thing I love: my Bernina sewing machine
Thing I love to do: Work in the garden
Picture I love: The one of me on the front of "Gayle's cookbook"

February Challenge?

What happened to the February challenge?  I thought it was something about the things we love?  Happy Valentine's Day anyway!

2012: Sarah

My goal for 2012 is to SURVIVE the insanity!!!!

No, really (sort of):

My biggest personal goals are to keep my voice soft at all times, to lose 9 pounds, and to be more cheerful.

My biggest spiritual goal is to study, not read, the scriptures.

I would also like to fix up Emmy's room and the bare wall in our front living room and hallway (probably just with some neat family pictures in frames).  This will entail learning how to paint furniture that has already been stained and how to choose and arrange pictures in an artful way on a blank wall.

Our family goals (in addition to continuing the good things we are already doing) are to do a service project once a quarter (can be as simple as picking up trash on our street or bringing cookies to a neighbor), going to the temple together at least once, and giving a compliment a day to someone.

A few of my goals for 2012 - by Catherine

One of my goals for 2012 is to get married to this man. Sometimes, I get teary-eyed just thinking about it. Like right now as I wrote that.

Another of my goals is to learn how to watercolor, something I've wanted to do for quite a while now. My interest in it probably started as a child, marveling at my grandma's paintings that graced the walls of our home; then there was painting the grand canyon with Angela using the portable watercolor set she gave me for my birthday. Today, I bought all of the supplies for my first class tomorrow. Can't wait to mix New Gambouge, Alizarin crimson, Burnt Sienna and Yellow Ochre into a masterpiece (or maybe just a blob of an apple on a table, but you know).

My 2012 Goal- January

So my goal was spurred by a few moments/epiphanies/realizations:


1. I have realized I am kind of mean sometimes.
2. This is not who I want to be.
3. I want to be known as someone who is kind and someone who builds and uplifts others.

Then I heard this quote by President Monson: 

“When we deal in generalities, we shall never succeed. When we deal in specifics, we shall rarely have a failure. When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported, the rate of performance accelerates.” 


And I thought about my former roommate, Kasia, who is an amazing person. When we met for roommate prayer every night, we would share what we did for someone that day. I decided to try that up again and record it (be accountable). If nothing else, it's gotten me to think more about what I do for others and try to focus more on those around me. It has also helped to take an abstract goal like "Be kinder" and make it more tangible and concrete. 


Here is the record for January.


Jan 1- Instead of running off to do something else after church, I stayed to help fix lunch
Jan 2- Asked mom what I could do to help and then immediately went and did it (cleaned bathroom)
Jan 3-Did dishes at dinner to help out
Jan 4- Called back the girl who I visit teach even though I really didn't want to talk on the phone (yeah it's been a rough day, okay)
Jan 5-Instead of leaving the baby in the bouncer chair and using my time to clean up so I could go home on time, I had the thought to play with her because I knew she had been at day care all day and probably had not had one-on-one interaction.
Jan 6- Tried to be nice to my co-worker and resisted the urge to get offended when she was condescending. Told her I hope she has a nice day.
Jan 7- Supported a friend in my ward who was getting her Endowments out today by going to the session with her
Jan 8- Decided to sit next to someone in the ward that a lot of people talk poorly of.
Jan 9- Resisted the impulse to feel offended and was still nice to that person.
Jan 10- Smiled at a stranger
Jan 11- Tried to be really kind, genuine, and cheery on the phone after a long day.
Jan 12- Was friendly to my new co-worker at the gym.
Jan 13- Mopped the floor
Jan 14- Called one of my sisters to see how she was doing
Jan 15-Made garlic bread for the missionaries
Jan 16-Visit taught
Jan 17- Asked my co-worker about her weekend and tried to genuinely care. Tried to see co-workers as God sees them.
Jan 18- Noticed someone in Institute didn't bring scriptures, so I let her use mine and I shared with someone else
Jan 19- Read a book to the boy at my job at Fitness World when I could have been cleaning up so I could leave earlier. Sought to build kids, love kids, not just make sure they don't kill themselves.
Jan 20- Expressed emotions to parents instead of "shutting off" and running from problems. Tried to humble myself and confront issues (another rough day, ok)
Jan 21- Went to the temple. Tried to be kinder to Mom and less critical.
Jan 22-Gave someone the benefit of the doubt when I could have felt offended, hung out with some people all day to be nice, even though I felt like a third wheel
Jan 23-Told mom I loved her
Jan 24-Gave someone a sincere compliment
Jan 25-Attempted to be better at keeping in contact with old friends by writing them an email and telling them things I like about them
Jan 26-Rough day...uh...smiled at a stranger?
Jan 27-Made some scarves for children in the homeless shelter
Jan 28-Consciously tried to be less competitive during frisbee and to be kinder to people while playing
Jan 29- Made food for the missionaries, prayed for them, tried to get over the fact that I don't like one of them
Jan 30-Prepared the spiritual thought for FHE
Jan 31-Started planning a birthday party for my friend

Mom 2012 Goal

Ok, so my goal for 2012 is to become known as "The Great Communicator". Don't everybody laught all at once, please. Details include - not interrupting, gentle not intense (intense meaning over bearing or too opinionated), listening more, (telling less), keeping my volumne turned down, not giving my opinion too readily (wait to be asked), being kind in tone and message.

Ok, so it took me 60 years to stop picking my fingernails. We'll see how long this takes me.

2012 Goal Emily

I have two goals for this year. The first goal is to be more calm - hence the "sunrise on a calm morning" photo. I am by nature a somewhat high strung intense kind of person. I can get worked up about little things and overreact. So my goal this year is to think before I act, react more slowly, and keep my voice calm (especially when interacting with my children). Here's to a new year of calmness.

My other goal for the new year is to learn to play 50+ hymns from our church hymnbook on our piano. Below is our "family" (read "Emily's") Christmas gift. I love it! It's a digital piano, so I can practice even when the babe is taking one of her short naps or all the rest of the crew is in bed. Right now I have picked one hymn for each week through June. I practice about 20 minutes a day and that seems to be more than enough to learn the one hymn and even move ahead each week. Here's to a new year of music!

2012 goal Jana

This is one I didn't think about until considering what to post for this challenge, but I definitely have been wanting to do it so I will make it official:

Stop cracking my knuckles - fingers and toes. 

Very bad habit.  I managed to stop several years ago, but started again when a doctor friend told me that it was a myth that it was bad for you.  Regardless of the health consequences, it is an addictive, bad habit and I want to stop.  Since grade school (when it was cool to crack your knuckles) I have been popping - not front to back - but sideways, the highest joints on my fingers.  In high school, I discovered I could also pop my toe knuckles front to back and sideways.  I am constantly cracking my toes when my shoes are off.  Okay, TMI! 

That is my goal.  And it will be very difficult to stop.

2012 goal Angela

 I wanted to post about something I wanted to learn this year. I really want to master using a digital SLR camera. I don't know if I will be successful at starting a photography business and while I think it would be amazing to contribute financially to my family, I've realized I need to learn to use it before I try and start a business (yeah, I know that should seem like a no-brainer to me, but I guess I'm just kind of hasty with things). So here's to learning something new in 2012!!

A few new hairstyles for the brave in heart

With the risk of being trite when I'm supposed to be posting something I did for someone else (are we still doing that?), I wanted to share two new awesome hairstyles I discovered.

1. The classic fishtail. Contrary to how it sounds, it does not look like this:

(thank goodness). It looks more like this:

It didn't work as well with my hair since it is layered, and is a little tricky to get at first, but I think it's a great spin on the classic braid once you get the hang of it. Click here for a great tutorial online.

2. The Waterfall Braid: I am yet to perfect this (obviously) but there are a lot of tutorials online

3. The "Vintage Bohemian Updo!" I found this one randomly online here. If you can ignore all the times she says "vintage," it actually makes for a great tutorial. I haven't actually done it yet, so no pictures yet. But it looks like it would work great for shorter hair.