Pinterest: Everything That Is Right With The Internet

So I'm slightly addicted to Pinterest. And when I say addicted, I mean that if I actually physically had one of everything I'd ever pinned, I'd be the most watched episode of Hoarders ever.

That's just how I roll.

And like all you other Pinteresting people (check that out! I just invented that word. That is how I'm going to refer to people who use Pinterest. Pinteresting. Everyone is going to start using it now. Mark my words), I have tried to recreate several of the ideas I have pinned. Some have gone well (this recipe for lemon bar "brownies" is so good you should eat them in a coffin because you're going to go straight to Heaven) others, not so well (let's just say it was a shake that claimed to only have 50 calories. After making it, tasting it and taking a second look at the ingredients, I'd say it was more like 550 calories). In other words, it's kind of a crap shoot. Some times you win, some times you just ingest a ton of calories.

Recently though, I saw a pin that claimed if you put vanilla scented candles in a small container with coffee beans, the warmth of the candle will heat up the coffee beans, making your house smell like french vanilla coffee. Seems legit, right? Even if you don't like coffee (what are you, un-American?) you can't deny the smell is full of awesome.

So while I was at Target yesterday I picked up some vanilla tea lights, a package of whole coffee beans (I literally sat in the coffee section debating what kind to get for about 5 minutes. In the end I went with the cheapest) and 3 ramekins to put them in. When I got home I busted it all out and put it on my kitchen table:

At first, all I could smell was the coffee. But low and behold, about 30 minutes later the vanilla of the candles started to mix with the coffee and my kitchen smelled so nice I just wanted to die.

Well, not really actually die, but it was pretty good.

I left the candles burning while I made dinner, which consisted of me making a batch of french fries in the oven. My husband came into the kitchen and said "It smells like coffee and french fries in here." I said "What are you saying? Our kitchen smells like McDonald's?" He said "No, I don't smell old people and a loss of hope."

So in the end? This pin had winning all over it. Even if it did make my house smell like a fast food joint.

Love, Jen

Blogging Is Hard, Like Math.

Just last month the other day, I was doing something completely mundane (like teasing the cat) when I thought "Hey...I have a blog, don't I?" and the answer was "Yes Jen, you do. But you're a bad person and you've abandoned it. For shame." Then I went back to teasing the cat and forgot all about it.

Until this afternoon. I was sitting here fairly bored (my house is clean, the kid is doing homework, I've checked Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter...several times) when I thought "Huh...maybe I should check on my blog. I bet it's been a year since I posted anything." 

Yeah. My last post was in April. Of this year.

4 months. It can seem like a year.

In those 4 long months, I've thought about blogging. I really have. Many are the times I've sat down to write something (anything at this point), but it always left me feeling like this...

But today? Today I'm feeling different. Inspired, maybe. Hopeful, perhaps. Maybe it's because I've got nothing else to do right now and I want to get it out of my system (seems legit). What I'm trying to say is I think I've missed this blogging thing. Yeah. I have. I missed writing about my mundane little life, missed reading everyone else's blogs and thinking "God, I wish I were that (fill in the blank)." 

I think it's time to climb back on this virtual horse and see where it takes me.

Just so you know...it took me 3 attempts to spell virtual correctly in that last sentence. I'm just trying to keep it real. Real stupid. 

Love, Jen