Monday, September 8, 2014

The Scent Of A Memory

I've heard a hundred times that smells can trigger memories better than any of the other senses. I fully supper this theory because nothing can spark a memory of some obscure time for me like a smell can.

For instance, I spent a lot of time with my great-grandma and grandpa when I was younger. They babysat me a lot and when I first started going to school I would get off the bus at their house and spend all afternoon there until my mom would come and pick me up after work. I was a child when I knew my great-grandma, so I have a child's memory of her, but in my eyes, she was the greatest and boy oh boy did she love me!

there's no editing on this picture. this is an authentic scan of an authentic polaroid picture from approx 1992-1993.

She used to have this face powder that she would wear and sometimes she'd even put a little on me! Any time I went into her bathroom, especially when I was really young, I would play with the face powder. It was in a really pretty container and had one of those little poofs in it and basically begging for a little girl to play with it!


Now if I ever smell the scent of that face powder I always think of her. It's odd sometimes because occasionally I'll smell it and it's all of a sudden like I'm right back in her house with her and she's catching me in her bathroom playing with her powder. The memory is so vivid!

Smells bring out the memories in me.

Which brings me to yesterday. First of all, yesterday was my momma's birthday. Shout out of my pretty momma.


Yesterday my family and I all went out to breakfast for her birthday and then I decided to go on a leisurely 3 mile walk around campus.


It was a beautiful day yesterday and I am so lucky to be living in Bloomington, Indiana this time of year! Campus is just always so beautiful!



Anyway, then I went home and opened up all of my windows and quickly finished my big fall cleaning I had started in my apartment on Friday. Just knocking out things left and right on my September Goal list! I had football on the TV and was watching it and checking scores anytime I was in the room, but mostly just listening to the game. I put bbq chicken in the crockpot for the week and then finally sat down to organize my messy email inbox.

Then I smelled someone grilling.

And it was SO WEIRD because all of a sudden all of the smells just came together as one thing. The scent of upcoming Fall, the bbq chicken in the crockpot, the lingering smell of windex, the scent of fresh cut grass from my neighbors, and the grill all came together and brought back an old junior high school memory.
A memory of me, sitting at our dining room table finishing homework, while my stepdad watches football, my mom's cooking in the kitchen, after she had spent all day cleaning, and the windows open, so you could smell the grass from my grandpa's mowing job earlier in the day.

It was so weird and it was such a simple memory. Such an average, every day memory. But it hit me like a ton of bricks and I could remember everything so clearly!

Anyone else have a smell that just takes them back? 

Thursday, September 4, 2014

10 AMAZING Mac and Cheese Recipes



I love mac and cheese. No, you're not listening - I LOVE MAC AND CHEESE. Ask my mom.

I live pretty firmly by the rule that everything tastes better with cheese on it, in it, or around it. Also, carbs. Carbs are heaven. Which makes mac n cheese the official food of the gods.
Just one more reason to love Haley and those Tree Hill Ravens.

Anyway last week I saw this Buzzfeed article. I'm really working on eating a lot more veggies and a lot less carbs, so reading that article was pure torture. I guess I didn't get enough torture though, because then I thought I'd type mac and cheese into Pinterest and see what I could find. I found a lot and I think I started to drool on my laptop. Instead of cooking any of these delicious, heavenly, glorious mac-n-cheese perfections, I'm just going to share my Top 10 with you and hope that you make it.
…And then send me a photo. So I can drool over that too.


No specific order, of course. Because how could I choose?!


via Angie at Big Bear's Wife
Shut uuuppppp. Also, at the bottom of that recipe there are a hundred links to other mac and cheese recipes. I died too, it's okay.


via Kalyn at Geez, Louise
I'm seriously considering making this my ginormous cheat meal next week. Seriously.


via Jessica at How Sweet It Is
Mascarpone, Fontina, Gruyere, and Sharp Cheddar cheese. Do I even need to continue?


via Brita at Baking Is A Science
I searched high and low for a delicious, but easy mac and cheese pizza. This one won. I mean, look at it. Drool.


via Jo at Jo Cooks
It's kind of like combining to summer cookout classics and it makes me happy, oh so happy.


I know, you want to eat it off the screen. Me too, girl, me too. This has been on my list to cook for months actually. I want it now.


via Tara at Smells Like Home
Look at all of that cheesy and crunchy goodness! This recipe also seems really easy to modify for different kinds of chipotle tastes! 


Look! There's a veggie in there! Covered in cheesy happiness! The veggie is happy! I could pass this off as healthy, right?


via Lisa at Spicy Ice Cream
I have a thing for mac and cheeses that use not-your-typical cheeses. Also this recipe has just a tiny bit of dijon mustard in it, which makes me think it's like the secret ingredient. I'm all about that. 


via Kelly at Just A Taste
This might be my new go-to mac and cheese recipe. I love garlic. No, I'm obsessed with garlic. This looks delicious. Oh my goodness, I'm so hungry!


I know I said I was going to give you 10, but I have a very, very honorable mention:


via Laurie at Andiamo
This is a simple, easy, classic mac and cheese recipe. I listed a lot of different variations above, but this one is just a classic recipe and it looks delicious. Beyond delicious. 


And now I'm going to go drool over my computer screen.
Send help.


…Make sure the help brings mac and cheese with him…

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

September Goals

Remember back in the day when I used to make monthly goal lists at the beginning of the month? Yea, I don't remember either.

The last time I made a list was in June and in that post I said I was going to try a few different things and basically change the way I complete (or don't complete) my monthly goal lists. All good in theory. The problem was that I had a lot going on this summer and I didn't keep up with my goal lists. Also, other things.

In June I talked about not making attainable goals. For instance, I'm in a very committed relationship with my snooze button and it is something I know I really, really need to work on. However, one month I made one of my goals to not use my snooze button at all for the entire month. That was never going to happen. I failed before I even started. This same situation happened a lot with my workout goals too. I'm losing and gaining the same 5-10lbs over and over and over again.

To be honest with you, I haven't figured out how I'm going to keep myself motivated this month yet. Add that to my goal list - Figure out how to keep myself motivated. Anyway, I did make a September goal list on Monday and here it is!


Be Spontaneous
Pay it forward
Organize email inbox - a constant work in progress
Practice my calligraphy at least twice this month
Fall cleaning of my apartment - priority
Make it to the gym at least 3x a week - aim low
Go on a long walk at least once a week - aim low
No pressing snooze longer than 20 min.
Read 1 book - minimum.
Prepare for Part 1
Schedule Part 1
Clean my car
Get my hair cut - and my eyebrows, oh man my eyebrows are rough!


That's all for now! Anyone else making goals? I saw a ton of goal posts yesterday! I love it!

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Right Now I'm…

Reading Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. Actually, I finished my #HPsummerReRead last night, but I'm going to read the last few chapters again. I love the final confrontation between Harry and Voldemort! I'll never tire of reading this series.


Cooking a broccoli stir fry that I'm now obsessed with adding water chestnuts into. Those little things are delicious! I love their little crunch! Also, stir fry is the quickest dinner ever because it requires very little effort and hardly any prep work. Easy and quick are my 2 best friends right now.

Wishing I could watch Sportscenter at the gym in the mornings while I'm hating my life on the treadmill without having to see Johnny Manziel. You would think that he is the ONLY football player in America right now. Although, I have been referring to him as "Johnny JamBoogie" now and that amuses me.


Announcing that I'm back on my #100ouncesAday water intake! I totally slacked off on this all summer long and I can absolutely tell. I think drinking a shit ton more water will fix some of my other issues at the moment. Water is like a cure-all, I tell ya.

Gossiping about my neighbor. I spent some significant time being a total creeper on Sunday night because I had my window open and I could hear arguing and crying outside. It was like an episode of The Real World outside of my apartment and I watched the whole thing play out. On one hand I feel like a creep because I stood at my window for 25 minutes, but on the other hand I feel like maybe you shouldn't have had a loud argument outside of my apartment window if you wanted to keep it private?


Giving a 50% off discount for my sponsorships right now through the end of the week! CELEBRATION50 is the code you'll need! Read here for more details! Also, if you've sponsored me before, shoot me an email, you get something extra special!

Wondering if anyone wanted to do Fantasy Football league with me? I know Sarah had set a bunch up for bloggers, but there were limited spaces (obviously) and I just so happened to not be on the internet that day, so I missed out on blogger Fantasy Football fun! I'm kind of wondering if anyone else missed out too? And if anyone wanted to do like a $10 buy-in, winner take all league. We could draft this week, I'm leaning towards Wednesday? COMMENT if you want to!

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