Simply Interesting

My friend Jenn recently sent me an article from Forbes titled "How To Be More Interesting (In 10 Simple Steps)". Click here for the full article.

The article is a  funny, quirky, and interesting take on things you can do to live a more interesting life - just as the title says. In honor of my Simply Simple Year, I asked some friends how they've made or are making their lives simply more interesting by doing some of the suggestions from the Forbes list. 

Meet my interesting friends and their interesting lives.

Nicolle

Forbes list #1: Go exploring. Explore ideas, places, and opinions. The inside of the echo chamber is where all the boring people hang out. 

"This year is about trying things, all things even things that scare me. Last Fall I backpacked Europe, alone, for the first time. Since then I've become addicted to new adventures. I'm saying YES more and am open to whatever opportunities come my way. Becoming a yogi, choosing raw and organic meals over fried foods, exploring my voice with vocal lessons, dusting off my writing skills for magazine articles, and picking up my guitar again to write music are on my 2012 list."

 

Jenn

Forbes list #3: Do something. Anything. 

Dance. Talk. Build. Network. Play. Help. Create. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you’re doing it. Sitting around and complaining is not an acceptable form of ‘something,’ in case you were wondering.

"I realized I spend way too much of my downtime on Pinterest and Hulu. I'm going to unplug from those for a bit. My activities for this weekend include running sprints, happy hour-ing, going for a walk with a friend, hiking, cleaning out my closet, and cooking something healthy and delicious."

 Jeremy and John

Forbes list #5: Have a cause.
If you don’t give a damn about anything, no one will give a damn about you.

Jeremy and John are two of the four co-founders of Live a Life of Love. Their passion and cause lead them to do something...to have a purpose and to make a difference. "Live a Life of Love is a San Diego based non-profit apparel company that donates 100% of its profit to charity; we believe in encouraging the world to live a life compelled and fundamentally governed by love." 

Joyce

Forbes #7: Give it a shot.
Try it out. Play around with a new idea. Do something strange. If you never leave your comfort zone, you won’t grow.

Joyce recently tried surf photography - something she actually turned out to be really good at.

"I thought surf photography would be relaxing and artsy, but it actually takes a lot of concentration and hard work. I felt exhausted by the end of the hour, but the pictures inspired reactions I'd never gotten from other people before. It made me realize that trying something new meant that I got new reactions and a new way of looking at people."

Callie

Forbes #9: Grow a pair. Bravery is needed to have contrary opinions and to take unexpected paths. If you’re not courageous, you’re going to be hanging around the water cooler, talking about the guy who actually is.

 Talking about going to Africa and actually doing it are two different things. Callie made the trip - she did something so brave and so selfless.

"I traveled to Malawi and saw my sponsored child.  I saw how he lives; i saw his single mother struggles to support him and his sister (who was stricken with Malaria).  I saw their faith in God.  It doesn't get more real than that."

 Me

2. Share what you discover. And be generous when you do. Not everybody went exploring with you. Let them live vicariously through your adventures.

"I went to Europe for five weeks and blogged about my adventures. Writing was a way for me to not only tell people about how I was doing, but to reflect on how much I was learning about myself throughout the journey. Since then, I've made it a point to share my experiences and lessons - hence this blog. :)"

Simply Gluten-Free

Without getting into too much detail, let's just say that I've lived with some awful "stomach issues" for as long as I can remember. No doctor, friend, or Google search was able to come up with a solution for me. Then I started hearing about this gluten-free thing and while I was skeptical at first, I finally caved into try it because I had pretty much tried everything else. OH MY GOSH I had no idea life could be so...um...normal. Fad or no fad, cutting gluten from my diet has changed my life completely. That and eating more simple, whole foods. I have some friends who can eat any sort of processed anything, but unfortunately/fortunately (depending on how you want to look at it) my stomach can't handle anything that's over processed. So now I'm on a quest for a lifestyle change - to eat more simple, whole, gluten-free foods (oh ya, and meat-free too...by choice not for stomach reasons).  I'm only on week number three of this lifestyle change, but I'm already loving it! I eat salads a lot, but found a few more exciting yummy, simple, gluten-free recipes I wanted to share:

Peanut butter or almond butter spread on apple slices 

and topped with gluten-free granola:

Avocado slices on gluten-free bread topped with a little

season salt and pepper:

Gluten free foods found at Fresh and Easy:

Portobello mushroom caps instead of pizza

dough. Top with your favorite pizza toppings. 

1/2 c light corn syrup, 1/2 c sugar, 1/2 c peanut butter

melted together and poured over plain popcorn:

On the back on this plate is a Southwest Salad - corn, black 

beans, tomato, cilantro, avocado, and cucumber. Squeeze one

lime over the entire salad and add a little salt to taste. Makes enough 

for 4-6 people:

Cut sweet potatoes into wedges, drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper 

and bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes:

Project: Simplify Home - Part 2

A few weeks ago I unshamefully (yes, I just made that a word) shared with the world wide web my disastrous, messy, unorganized room. While the disarray in my room was exacerbated by my recent, "I must get rid of everything" raid, my ability to keep my room neat and tidy had become a daily battle because I was unequivocally faced with way too much stuff to keep tucked away in the drawers and hangers so nicely designed for said organization. I completed part 1 of Project: Simplify Home by finally going through every last piece of material objects I own and bagged up over, wait for it...25 large garbage bags of pure "stuff".  Yep...over 25 bags.  Slowly I moved onto Part 2: paint, refresh, redesign, and create a space that was more than a room, but a sanctuary, a study haven, a place of peace and relaxation.  Since this is my year to live simply, I wanted a place where I could come back to myself. Where I could simply study quietly. Where I could simply relax. Where I could simply read. Where I could simply rest. It took a while to finish up everything, but I think my room is finally done!  A bucket of paint, a day or two indoors, and some thrift store excursions was all worth it for months and months in a space that feels simply good.

First, a little re-org! By moving my bed to one side of my room and my desk to the other, I created a literal divide between my "work space" and my "rest space". Doing this helped me mentally separate the two and gave me more floor space to read on the floor (yes, I love reading on the floor), do some crunches, or maybe even a cartwheel - who knows!

Next, I got rid of the "stuff" that was just sitting there not being used. My keyboard was a good idea in theory, but I never play it and it just sat there collecting dust. I decided I needed the $60 I could get from selling it on Craigslist more than I needed it for the once a year I played it.

Time to paint! I have a wall decal of a verse that I didn't want to lose when I painted. To keep the verse, I traced over the decal lettering with puff paint, let it dry, then painted my wall.  I left a fan on as I painted it so the puff paint wouldn't run down my wall.

The decal before puff paint.

Starting to add the puff paint.

Time to add the paint.

Half way there!

Done with the gray paint.

Done!

 

After finishing the paint and frame, I realized the look was too subtle. I wanted a way for the verse to stand out.  I took a piece of cardboard and white paint and brushed it over the raised lettering. It created a vintage/worn-out look. The style may not be for everyone, but I love the way it turned out!

Close-up

With the frame - iPhone picture...sorry!

 

Now time to clean up that dresser/jewelry area! I got ride of so much clothes, jewelry, and accessories.

Before

After

 Once I finished my "rest" side, I moved over to my "work" side.  

Before

After

Here's a close up of my "inspiration frame". I wrote simple things that inspire me on tags and strung them along and empty frame. When I'm doing work or homework, I have this to look at to give me a little boost of inspiration. 

And last, but certainly not least, I finally got around to hanging my favorite photos from my trip to Europe. Sometimes it feels as though Europe was a dream. But when I stop and look at these photos, it's as if I'm transported back to that special place. I get an overwhelming feeling of peace and happiness. :)

All of these frames were either a gift or I collected them at thrift stores!

Simple Lesson: It's ok to be sad

I was on top of the world after coming home from spending 5 weeks in Europe. Nothing could touch me. I loved life and I blissfully shared with whomever would listen about my new-found zest for life.

And then three weeks after my return life happened.

Well...technically nothing "happened"...but for whatever reason I soon found my happiness leaking out of my soul like a punctured balloon slowly withering into a shriveled up ball of rubber. Maybe it was the stress of starting a new semester. Maybe it was the stress of needing to crack down on the business plan I'm working on. Maybe it was the stress of going back to work. Maybe it was the stress of the 29 other things I have going on. Or maybe it was just the ups and downs of being a girl. Emotions...gotta love 'em!

Anywho...

I got so angry and embarrassed for the way I was acting and feeling. The less happy I got, the more angry with myself I got, and the more angry with myself I got, the less and less happy I got.

So then I thought of my little commitment to myself this year: Live Simply. So I simply accepted the fact that for whatever reason, I'm a little "off" right now. Life happens. It's ok to be down for a little while.  And you know what, once I started to let go of trying to not not be ok, I started to be ok. That's a little confusing. Let me try that again...the less I beat myself up over having a bad week, the better I started to feel.

While it's ok to be down, it's not ok to treat people badly while you're unhappy. That's something I'm still working on. What I had to do this week was to learn how to hold my tongue (I failed about 4-5...maybe 6 times), but also to allow myself to sit in "it", whatever "it" was...and then I had to make a conscious effort to try and feel better. Sometimes you really do have to fake it 'til you make it. Get dressed, go to that dinner party you don't really feel like going to, call a friend you haven't talked to in a while, let someone in, go surfing, go on a run, get yourself to work, whatever it takes. It's dangerous to sit in unhappiness for too long. Before you know it, you'll be long past depressed and left alone to attempt to climb out of the quicksand of life's junk. 

Here's what I did to lift my spirits.

Went on a walk to Gliderport on my lunch break.

Blasted my favorite songs in the car...and sang loudly. 

Took pictures of my friends surfing. 

Read outdoors. 

Looked through pictures and blogs of my Europe trip to find renewal again. 

Danced like a hippie.

Simple Foods: Cupcakes

Cupcakes have to be one of the best inventions ever! A perfectly sized sweet treat in it's own little wrapper,  no plate, knife, or fork required - how wonderful is that!? The only problem is...it's sooo easy it is to have more than one.

Anywho...
I was baking cupcakes for a friend's birthday the other day and thought I'd share my tips on how I simplify the baking process...and how I simplify (reduce) the calories (aka it's really just a reason to feel better about eating more than one).

First, I'm just going to put it out there...using a box mix is OK. I know there's a lot of stigma behind baked desserts not being 100% homemade, but in the case of the creation of cupcakes, I am absolutely comfortable admitting that I use a box mix and am proud of it.

Tip #1: To cut down on the number of calories, I substitute vanilla yogurt or greek yogurt for oil. People have told me they use apple sauce instead of oil, but I prefer using yogurt. Unless you have a lactose intolerance, I find that yogurt is the better, more tastier option. (PS if you're making brownies, you can substitute black beans for oil. I know it sounds weird, but it totally works and I personally think it makes them taste even better!) And...my friend just sent me a link to a new idea for "healthy" cupcakes. Check it out. I think I'll try this recipe this weekend: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/04/pineapple-bliss-cupcakes.html

Tip #2:  Add fruit or candy pieces to the batter to add excitement to your box mix cupcakes. Think of it like this: you just reduced the number of calories by substituting yogurt for oil, so now you have a few extra calories to play around with. :)

After you've distributed the cake batter into the cupcake cups, add a peanut butter cup (unwrapped, of course), a strawberry, some chocolate chips, or whatever you can think of to each unbaked cupcake. Take that Martha Stewart!

Photo Credit

Tip #3: Use an ice cream scoop or a 1/4 size measuring cup to evenly distribute your batter. I hate when I bake cupcakes and 1/3 is spewing over the top and the other 2/3 hasn't even made it past the top of the cupcake paper. I finally decided to use one of those ice cream scoops that has the little trigger to release the ice cream and it works like a dream. The trigger that releases the ice cream also works great for getting all the batter out of the scoop every time.

Tip #4: If you find yourself with a cupcake tray only half full of cupcake papers and batter, have no fear. Just fill up the empty cups with water (and no cupcake papers) to keep your pan from burning and becoming discolored. The water will evaporate because of the heat instead of just heating and heating the metal and potentially ruining your pan. 

 

That's my Suzi Homemake tip of the day!  And now for some cupcake randomness....

Photo Credit

 I MUST make these.

Simple Tips: Baking Soda

I'm not Real Simple magazine. I'm not Martha Stewart. I don't have a ton of secret "grandma" tips and tricks. This blog isn't meant to sound like I know all there is to keeping your home nice and fresh...but...I am nearly convinced baking soda is the cure for almost everything and I wanted to share this great, simple find with you.

I always knew it was a necessary ingredient for baking cookies and for clearing out bad smells in your fridge, but little did I know all the other great uses for it. A friend shared with me her secret to great skin: wash with baking soda. That's it? Yep! So I tried it and absolutely love it! It exfoliates, is the correct Ph balance for skin, and leaves your skin feeling so so soft. (Do I sound like an infomercial yet?) After discovering this little trick I began investigating other uses for baking soda.

There are probably a million and one more uses for it, but here are the ways I use baking soda.

Face Washing: Put some baking soda in your hand, add some water to make a paste, then scrub lightly and rinse! (Note: I have a friend who didn't like baking soda to wash her face because she has really sensitive skin, but try it once a day or every other day and see if it works for you. Don't be afraid if some zits come to life the first few times...that means it's bringing everything out!)

Teeth Brushing/Whitening: Add some baking soda to your toothbrush/toothpaste for fresher breath and whiter, cleaner teeth.

Get the smells out: Leave a bowl of baking soda in your fridge to get rid of all the different food smells, sprinkle baking soda over your carpet before vacuuming,  pour some in the bottom of your trash can before putting the bag in, sprinkle some in the bottom of your shoes after you take them off for the day, leave some baking soda in a cup in your car, pour some down your sink to clean out your garbage disposal. Basically anywhere that stinks...using baking soda. I even add a 1/2 a cup of baking soda to my laundry detergent for added freshness. I've ditched fabric softeners because baking soda is just that good!

Cleaning: Scrub your sinks, bathtub, and toilet bowls with baking soda to get the grime and dirt off.

Safety First: Keep this stuff close when cooking with oil and grease. It will put out grease fires...something water can't do!

More uses for your skin: Use baking soda to help sun burns, insect bits, and bee stings.

It seems as though baking soda can do it all. It's such an inexpensive and simple product...I think I'll keep life a little simpler by clearing my shelves of whitening strips, cleaners, face wash, antacids, etc and just reach for my Tupperware jar full of the magical do-it-all substance called baking soda.

Project: Simplify Home

Recently I went on a five week excursion through Europe. I learned many a things during that time, but the idea that suck with me the most was this notion of simplifying my life. I lived out of a small carry-on suitcase with just a few options for outfits for five weeks...and it was amazing. I ate simple, yummy, whole foods. I simply walked around all day and easily dropped a few pounds. Simplicity. What a concept!? So many times I try and complicate my life with trying this diet or stressing about that work-out or worrying about what other people think or becoming consumed with my lists and to-dos. I can't say that I'll ever be able to give up the planner in me, but my resolution for 2012 and for the rest of my life is to simply live simpler.

Why blog about it? Why not just simply live my life? Because I grew quite fond of blogging while in Europe. I enjoyed the accountability as well as the encouragement from readers and friends. So I decided to start a new blog about my year of adopting a lifestyle of simplicity. I hope to carry this on forever, but let's just start with one year at a time.

Here you will find simple life lessons. Simple recipes. Simple crafts. Simple home decor ideas. Simple cleaning tips. Simply simple things.

Where to start? I'm beginning this journey by purging my life of all the excess "stuff". Thanks to an idea from my cousin Morgan, I implemented Boxing Day at our apartment a couple days before New Years Eve. I started going through my clothes and other things already have over 10 large trash bags full of things I'm giving away. I am still in disgust of myself at the amount of excess I've been hording in my closet over the past 7 years while living in San Diego. Gone with it all I say! And with this action comes a lesson in patience. My immediate reaction is to hurry up and get through it all. Finish packing it all up, finish the "face-lift" in my room, finish, finish, finish. But then I realized that in order to simplify my life, I need to take things at the pace I can complete them and be satisfied with that. My apartment is in shambles, there is still so much work to do, but you know what...it's ok. There will be another day, another night, another weekend to forge through this project some more. It will get done. One day at a time.

Here are some pictures of the beginnings of Project: Simplify Home.

My dresser drawers were overflowing with clothes. Other people need these clothes more than I do.

My closed was bursting at the seams!

My "stuff" took over my desk and it soon became a shelf and not a space to work.

 A girl really does NOT need this many pairs of shoes! What about the people who can't even afford to buy one pair? These should go to them.

All bagged up! I still have more to come.