Say hello to "PicTapGo"!!!

I have had my eyes on RadLab for quite some time now. RadLab, created by Totally Rad, is a Adobe Photoshop plug-in. Basically, it simplifies photo editing for photographers. I love taking photos with my Canon T1i and my iPhone 5, but I am horrible at editing photos. I would love nothing more than to get my hands on this software, but unfortunately I financially cannot justify the purchase. On the bright side, LiveLaughRowe has a current giveaway on her blog to win a free copy of the RadLab plug-in. I have both my fingers and toes crossed that I am the lucky winner!!! 

What makes Totally Rad even more rad, is that they have just released an iPhone app called "PicTapGo." I just downloaded it and I am in LOVE! The above photo I edited using a bunch of their filters; it's pretty sweet right?!! I don't think I have had any of my other photos look that great. If you are addicted to taking photos on your iPhone and sharing them on instagram, like I am, you have to go download this app. It's only $1.99, so it's very affordable. This app is easily one of my top favorites photo editing apps!! 

Enough of my rambling, go check out the PicTapGo website, they have a cool video demonstrating their app, and there is a link to the Apple App Store. 

What do you think? Will you download their PicTapGo app? If you want to see some of my other photo edits using this rad app, follow me on instagram --> @chelseadward. 

Little Letters.

Dear both jobs, I appreciate all the new duties, etc., but please slow down and give me a minute to learn! My brain is on overload, especially when I am only at each job 3 days a week (sometimes only 4 hours/day). Thanks! 

Dear February, where have you gone? Seriously? I can't believe tomorrow is the last day of the month. 

Dear self, you need to really get your butt in gear and start exercising. You also need to start going to bed early again so that you have the energy to exercise! Just do it! 

Dear boyfriend, thanks for all the help the past few weeks! I love you! BTW, you still owe me a fish puppy (because its taken you so long, the fish has turned into a puppy)!!!

Dear new blog friends, you all rock! Thanks so much for following Life Unpublished, and a special thank you to those who are swapping buttons with me! 

Dear Hart of Dixie, I'm not impressed that you broke up Zoe and Wade. Not cool. 

Dear Vancouver, please no more rain. And please bring on the sunshine so I can start getting outside to take more photos, and of course, exercise!! 

Dear Game of Thrones, I can't wait for season three premier on March 31!!!

7 Tips to Keep Food Fresh.

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Since moving in with my boyfriend this past summer, I have been trying to find ways to reduce my our monthly spending on food, while at the same time trying to reduce the amount of food we waste. 

My solution? Meal planning and buying in bulk.

While both are great solutions and have been saving me time and money, its important to think about keeping the food you buy fresh, for as long as possible. For us, there are always a few items that don't always get used up right away, or are forgotten about. This tends to happen more often than not; and generally when this happens, I find a way to sneak it into the garbage before D knows. He hates wasting food, and I hate eating food that's gone stale, etc. 

To help keep food fresher and to reduce the amount of food we throw away, I have done some homework and found a number great tips to help.

1. Depending on how quickly you go through sliced breads, it may make sense to store them in the freezer to help increase shelf-life. This is a must for us because there is only two of us, and sometimes it takes a month to eat a loaf of bread.


2. Use glass or plastic containers to prolong the freshness of foods. Instead of storing half-empty bags of cereal, rice or pasta in your pantry, transfer these dry foods into air-tight containers after you've opened the original packaging.


3. Although dry food items such as rice and pasta generally do not go bad, certain types of small bugs like to get into these dry food items. To help fight these "flour bugs," place bay leaves around your pantry. The scent will discourage these bugs from attacking. This may have happened to us last year; we ended up throwing away almost everything that had been opened. Yuck!


4. In your refrigerator, designate one drawer for veggies and one for fruits. The reason being, some fruits give off high levels of ethylene and can speed up the ripening of nearby vegetables. But I also read some fruits can do this to other fruits. Can't always win!


5. Snip those leafy stems off your vegetables, such as carrots, before putting them in the refrigerator. You can leave about 1 1/2 inches to ensure it wont dry out, but by doing this, it will increase their shelf-life.


6. Store fresh herbs, such as parsley and basil, in a little glass of water (like a bouquet of flowers) and use them as you need them. This will help to keep their flavor and texture for longer than if stored loose in the refrigerator or on the counter top. For non-leafy herbs, such as rosemary and type, wrap them in a moistened towel and store in a reusable shopping bag in the refrigerator.


7. Zip-freeze your herbs. You can store fresh herbs in the freezer for up to a month; simply place them in a ziplock bag. This is perfect for the summer because we always end up with way too much basil and parsley and can never eat it all right away.


8. Freeze your cheese. While freezing most cheeses isn't advised, you can freeze aged cheese for up to 3 months. To thaw frozen cheese, put in the refrigerator for 7 - 8 hours. We like to buy big blocks of cheddar cheese when it goes on sale; I usually end up freezing half of it and small ziplock bags and take it out when needed.

Your turn -- do you have any great tips for keeping your food fresher?

Today I am linking up with:
The Life of a Not So Ordinary Wife

Monday Motivation.

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This Week for Dinner.

Last week I stumbled upon a new pizza recipe, Chicken alfredo. I was super excited because I love both chicken and alfredo. My boyfriend was skeptical about this recipe and tried to convince me not to make it; thankfully, it turned out perfectly and I have to admit, it was probably my most favorite meal this week.

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If you are looking for some new, yummy recipes, you should head on over to my new favorite food blog, Cooking Classy. 

+ Monday: Leftovers: soup & pasta

+ Tuesday: Butter chicken & basmati rice 

+ Wednesday: Leftovers: butter chicken & rice 

+ Thursday: Chicken alfredo pizza & caesar salad. Recipe here. 

+ Friday: Dine out: Sushi

+ Saturday: Chicken alfredo pizza & caesar salad

+ Sunday: Cannelloni (made by my mom!)

And with that, I turn it over to you...! Have you tried any new recipes lately? Please share your weekly dinner menu for this past week, no matter how simple or fancy! 

Weekend Bookmark Dump.

Happy Sunday! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

I spent Saturday at work, and today I went grocery shopping to Costco with my mom. When I got home with over $100 worth of food, we decided to do some baking -- we now have chocolate chips muffins and banana bread for the week. It's currently 7:00 pm and I am exhausted, and hungry. It's going to be a late, late night for dinner!

Anyways, I have been stumbling across some pretty sweet new websites, blogs and other cool links lately, so I thought I should start sharing my finds!!

1 // I am absolutely loving this youtube video of a cute puppy playing with a doorstop.

2 // I have decided that once I eat up all the eggo waffles in the freezer, I am going to start making breakfast smoothies. I found this strawberry oatmeal smoothie which looks very delicious! If you know of any other tasty and healthy recipes, please share! 

3 // Just the other day I discovered a new recipe/food blog, I am in love with all of her recipes, especially the Chicken Alfredo Pizza which we made the other night. Delicious!!

4 // I am loving some of these healthy baking substitutes.

5 // Need some new workout songs? I found these 100 workout songs to help put the boom-boom back into your zoom-zoom.

That's all I got for now, will share more soon!!

Today I am linking up with:

Peacoats and Plaid

Southern Flowers & Coffee Beans

The Things We Find Inside

High Five for Friday.

1. On Sunday we went out for brunch with my dad. I don't normally order soup with my meal, but decided to try something new. So glad I did because it was INCREDIBLE. Best part was taking a doggy-bag home and having the rest for a snack on Monday. I can't wait to make some tomato soup in the slow cooker soon. I just need to find a good recipe.

2. Beautiful Vancouver sunset! 

3. Every time I go to visit my parent's house, my mom always has new flowers through out the house. We always joke that my step-dad has dome something wrong because that's generally the only time he buys her flowers. Either way, it means more pretty instagram photos for me! 

4. Exercise, oh how I dislike you. I'm having a tough time motivating myself this week. I have found a few new exercise videos to try out, so maybe I will try one after work today. 

5. Chicken Alfredo Pizza, oh yes! I will post the recipe we used this weekend. Yum! 

This is my first link-up for "high five for friday;" if you want to join me, you can link up over at From My Grey Desk blog, link here. Hope you all had a wonderful week! 

Sweet deal...!

The other week I posted about a new website I discovered, Ebates. With my Dad's birthday coming up tomorrow, I thought I would test it out and buy part of his present online at Amazon. 

Yesterday, I received an email from Ebates; as you can see, I earned $0.40 cash back. Yesssssss! My purchase wasn't very much, but I know I received 2% cash back on my purchase.  I know $0.40 isn't much, but hey, its better than nothing.

Once I earn $5.01, I will receive a BIG FAT cheque in the mail. Woot! If you want to sign up to either the .ca or .com website, I have included the links below. 

ebates.ca // ebates.com 

Color Inspiration // Red.

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Going forward, for the rest of the year, I have decided that I really want to tap into my creativity. Therefore, I bring you my "color inspiration board." I think that creating these inspiration boards is a step in the right direction to help in this whole process, hopefully!?

Since February is the month of LOVE, I decided my color should be red. I'm personally not a huge fan of red (I used to work at Staples for 5 years and had to wear a red shirt every day, I hated it), but I am loving all these red images - especially that red dress. 

All images are linked to my pinterest account (which are then linked to their original sources). If you want to follow me on pinterest, here is a link to my pinterest boards. Leave me a comment with your pinterest account and I'll follow you back! 

Any tips/suggestions for tapping into ones creativity? I really want to start my own thing on the side, but I don't think I'm there yet. 

What I'm Listening To.

But now I've seen it through

And now I know the truth

That anything could happen

This Week for Dinner.

This past week has come and gone way too quickly. Monday was a STAT holiday, so we decided to bring out the slow cooker and cook some french onion soup, recipe here. Even though it was our first attempt at cooking it, it turned out perfectly.

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I didn't realize this until typing up my weekly meal plan this evening, but for the past few nights, all we have been eating is pasta, pasta, and more pasta! Last week's mac & cheese was so delicious that I decided we should have it again this week, but with caesar salad. I love the taste of the two of them together on the same plate. 

+ Monday: French onion soup & caesar salad 

+ Tuesday: Leftovers: soup

+ Wednesday: Pesto pasta

+ Thursday: Leftovers: pasta

+ Friday: Mac and Cheese & caesar salad

+ Saturday: Beef stroganoff & caesar salad 

+ Sunday: Tomato soup and biscuits, & leftover stroganoff

Maybe next week we'll make some more exciting meals, but I suspect the first few days will consist of leftovers as we still have soup and pesto sauce left. What did you make for dinner's this past week? Try any new and delicious recipes? 

Sunday Confessions.

1. 30 Day Shred ... you're off to a SLOW start. It's been about 2 weeks since I started day one; I only just completed day three yesterday. Eeek! 
2. Charlie horse in my calf = lots of pain. I woke up Monday morning to this horrible, horrible pain in my right calf. All I could do was scream while wiggling around in bed. It wasn't until Thursday that it finally started feeling better and I could walk properly.
3. I really hate cleaning up after dinner. I work too much and when I come home and have to cook dinner, the last thing I want to do is clean up the dishes. Yet, I hate a messy kitchen. We made a slow cooker meal on Monday, the ceramic pot may still be sitting on the kitchen counter waiting to be properly washed. 
4. I have been slacking a lot on my #fmsphotoaday challenge. Maybe its because I am tired, or possibly its because I am not feeling very motivated. I really wish I could just quite my jobs and work at home doing something. 
5. I applied for a new job. Unfortunately its only a part-time job, but it pays VERY well; should I be successful, I would quit one of my current jobs. What's funny, the one I would quite approached me this week about possibly working longer hours here and there, and giving me more responsibility. I feel kind of guilty, we'll see what happens! I doubt I would be a candidate for the job because I don't have all the experience they are looking for, but I am hopeful I will get an interview. *fingers crossed*
That's all I got for this week; I'm pretty sure I had more to share, but I am exhausted from work today and can't remember much. What are your confessions this week? Head over to Every Day is a New Adventure and link up with me!

Houseplants for Improving Indoor Air Quality.

I have always loved the idea of filling my home with greenery. Since moving in with the boyfriend last summer, I have been purchasing all these various houseplants. Considering neither of us know that much about houseplants, we've been really lucky and haven't had any die on us. *knock on wood*

A few weeks after buying a spider and snake plant, I found out from my mom that both work as living air purifiers. Really? Who knew! To learn more about beneficial houseplants, I stumbled upon this great article from the mother nature network website (www.mnn.com) about fifteen houseplants for improving indoor air quality.

I have yet to find all fifteen plants in my local garden shop, but I thought I would share eight of my favorite plants and their benefits.

1. Bamboo palm. This small palm tops the list of plants best for filtering out both benzene and trichloroethylene. They’re also a good choice for placing around furniture that could be off-gassing formaldehyde. 

2. Aloe. This easy-to-grow, sun-loving succulent helps clear formaldehyde and benzene, which can be a byproduct of chemical-based cleaners, paints and more. Aloe is a smart choice for a sunny kitchen window. Beyond its air-clearing abilities, the gel inside an aloe plant can help heal cuts and burns. 

3. Spider plant. With lots of rich foliage and tiny white flowers, the spider plant battles benzene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and xylene, a solvent used in the leather, rubber and printing industries. 

4. Gerber daisy. This bright, flowering plant is effective at removing trichloroethylene, which you may bring home with your dry cleaning. It’s also good for filtering out the benzene that comes with inks. 

5. Snake plant. This plant is one of the best for filtering out formaldehyde, which is common in cleaning products, toilet paper, tissues and personal care products. Put one in your bathroom — it’ll thrive with low light and steamy humid conditions while helping filter out air pollutants. 

6. Chrysanthemum. The colorful flowers of a mum can do a lot more than brighten a home office or living room; the blooms also help filter out benzene, which is commonly found in glue, paint, plastics and detergent.  

7. Chinese evergreen. This easy-to-care-for plant can help filter out a variety of air pollutants and begins to remove more toxins as time and exposure continues.  

8. Peace lily. Shade and weekly watering are all the peace lily needs to survive and produce blooms. It topped NASA’s list for removing all three of most common VOCs — formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene. It can also combat toluene and xylene.

Quite often people, aka me, do not understand why they don't feel well, and why they develop symptoms that worsen over time. Inside our homes, various toxins are present at any time and can lead to serious health problems, such as asthma and allergies -- interesting...I happen to have both. By keeping these beneficial houseplants in our homes, they assist in keeping our household air clean and pure, and balance indoor humidity. These plants not only absorb pollutants, they also absorb harmful gases out of the air and help fight pollution. Frigging amazing if you ask me!

If you want to read more about these plants, you can read the full article here. What do you think? Do you have houseplants in your home? 

Fashion Finds: Dresses!

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I love dresses, but I hate dress shopping. Any time I need to buy a new dress for a special occasion, I can never find what I am looking for. The process is actually quite painful (especially for the person I take dress shopping)! 

Anyways ... my boyfriends brother is getting married in August and I am determined to find the perfect dress. I love the style of the four dresses above (yes, I know I can't wear white the wedding), but am completely clueless as to what type of dress I should wear, or where I should be shopping? The first three dresses are from Urban Outfitters and the fourth one is from LuLu*s -- what other online stores are great for finding cute dresses? Suggestions? Please and thank you!!! 

Happy Valentine's Day.

Wishing you all a wonderful day full of love and chocolate! 

Recipe // French Onion Soup.

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Ingredients

6 tbsp butter
4 large yellow onions, sliced and separated into rings
1 tbsp white sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup cooking sherry
7 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
8 slices of French bread
1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1/3 cup shredded Emmental cheese
1/4 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Heat butter in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat; cook and stir onions until they become translucent, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle onions with sugar; reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring constantly, until onions are soft and browned, at least 30 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

2. Stir sherry into onion mixture and scrape bottom of pot to dissolve small bits of browned food from the pot. Transfer onions into a slow cooker and pour in beef broth. Season to taste with sea salt; stir in thyme and bay leaf. Cover cooker, set on High, and cook 4 to 6 hours. If desired, set on Low and cook 8 to 10 hours. 

3. About 10 minutes before serving, set oven rack about 8 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler. Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet. 

4. Broil bread slices until toasted, 1 to 2 minutes per side. 

5. Combine Gruyere, Emmental, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses in a bowl, tossing lightly. Fill oven-safe soup crocks 3/4 full of onion soup and float a bread slice in each bowl. Top with about 2 tablespoons of cheese mixture per serving. 

5. Place filled bowls onto a baking sheet and broil until cheese topping is lightly browned and bubbling, about 2 minutes.

Unless you count chicken noodle soup (that comes in a package), neither D or myself have really made soup before. We decided a few weeks back that we should attempt a slow cooker French Onion Soup recipe. D found this recipe from one of our favorite website, allrecipes.com  -- if you have never visited this website before, you should add it to your bookmarks ASAP!

All in all, it was fairly simple to put everything together and didn't take us too much time. After a few hours of cooking, D mentioned that he didn't think it was going to taste that good because he figured it would taste more like beef broth than french onion soup; but I am pleased to say that he was wrong and absolutely loves how it turned out. The taste is perfect and we wouldn't change a thing about the recipe!

What's your favorite slow cooker soup recipe?? 

What I'm Listening To.

So keep your head up, my love

So keep your head up, keep your love

So keep your head up, my love

Review on Ebates.

While watching tv this evening, I saw a commercial for this online website called Ebates. To be honest, I wasn't really paying much attention to the commercial until I heard "Ebates pays you to shop online..."

Seriously? Besides groceries and clothing, I do most of my shopping online. I am actually a huge fan of online shopping because nine times out of ten, I can find a better deal online than in store; and to receive money for shopping online, I would definitely start buying more online. My first thought was that this website is too good to be true, but from what I could find, I think it's legit!

So, what is Ebates and how does it work? 

To make it simple, Ebates is an affiliate website to several hundred retail stores.

Instead of going directly to the retailers website, start your shopping at Ebates; from the Ebates website, click through to your favorite online store and shop as you normally would. Because Ebates is an affiliate website, when you click through via their link, they receive a commission. What Ebates does is they keep track of what you buy and give you a portion of the commission they receive from the retailers. Every quarter, they send you a cheque for a percentage of your online purchases. Each retailer is different, you may get 10% cash back from retailer A, or 16% cash back from retailer B.

I'm actually a little disappointed that I didn't know about this website back in December because I did all of my Christmas shopping online.

Anyways ... the second best part is that Ebates is available to online shoppers in both Canada and the United States. I only just signed up this evening, but if you're interested in signing up, I have included links for both the .ca and .com sites.

ebates.ca // ebates.com 

Do you currently shop online via Ebates?

Wish List: Valentine's Day.

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Valentine's day is right around the corner, so I thought I would put together a small wish list of items I am currently loving. *hint* *hint*

This Week for Dinner.

The first two night's meals weren't the healthiest, but they were really good (and greasy)! On Wednesday, D made Tikka Masala with broccoli and basmati rice. Besides being traumatized by the broccoli in my tikki masala, I really like the VH® Indian Market Tikka Masala Cooking Sauce he used. 

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Friday night's dinner was probably the easiest and most delicious -- I forgot how much I love mac and cheese. 

Lastly, in celebration of "Family Day" tomorrow, my mom made a huge feast for us tonight. Lucky for D & I, there were tons of leftovers which means we don't have to cook dinner one night. Thanks mom!

+ Monday: Nachos, veggies & dip

+ Tuesday: New York Fries, veggies & dip

+ Wednesday: Tikka masala with broccoli, chicken & basmati rice

+ Thursday: Leftovers: Tikka masala

+ Friday: Mac & Cheese

+ Saturday: Leftovers: Tikka masala

+ Sunday: Turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, & vegetables

Did you cook any good recipes this past week? Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!!

January Photo A Day {Part 2}.

Sunday Confessions.

1. I am so terribly out of shape. I started the 30 day shred last Sunday; it wasn't until Wednesday that I could finally walk without my calves hurting like a b*tch. I attempted day two on Friday and I am in the same boat today. 
2. I have tried all week to give broccoli a second chance; but I still don't like it. Tonight for dinner we had leftovers and I attempted to eat a little more of the broccoli than previous nights, but began to gag after I put it into my mouth. Yuck! 
3. I have a new person on my "you drive me crazy" list. It all started the other week when I received an email notifying me of some grammar corrections. A few days later, I received an email about a link not working properly. Today I received an email about some photos on the company website and how they haven't been updated. I kindly replied back with a link to the company flickr account with updated photos; moments later those photos were criticized. Seriously?  
4. I cut my boyfriends hair last night. For Christmas, I bought him a Wahl Multi-Cut Clipper & Trimmer kit because he hates having to go to the hair dresser every few months and wanted me to start cutting his hair. At first, I was skeptical of my skills (the first few cuts looked horrible, shhhhh!), but I eventually figured it out and realized that I should trust the clipper attachments. It only took me an hour to cut his hair, but it looks pretty damn good for a first attempt! 
5. I made kraft dinner the other night... it was really good! Mmm

What are your confessions this week? Head over to Every Day is a New Adventure and link up with me!

I hate Broccoli.

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Last night was not a good night. 

I had a very, very busy day at work; while driving home in the pouring rain, I had to deal with a lot of stupid drivers on the road; and as soon as I got home, I was ambushed with all these questions about dinner. This didn't sit well with me, so I told my boyfriend that I quit from making dinners and went to have a shower.

I honestly didn't expect him to make dinner, but was very appreciative of his efforts... I was appreciative until he put broccoli into the Tikki Masala sauce! I hate broccoli; I have never liked it and really don't plan to like it anytime soon. To find these green bits floating in my dinner only made my evening worse and threw me into a funk. 

We've been together for almost 6 years, so he knows I don't like it. He claims that the reason I bought it was not for him, but for us to eat. Ha ha, I don't think so! He can think that all he wants, but its so far from the truth. I barely touched my dinner last night because I did not want to eat these green UFOs that were in my food. 

When I woke up this morning, I had a horrible headache (which I still have), and I had a stomach ache all morning/afternoon. He claims I need to start eating more broccoli and is currently searching for all these new recipes. While he is searching for recipes, I am trying to convince him I am allergic to this green vegetable. So far he has shot down everything I have found. I have a feeling I am going to loose this battle...!

Top 5 // Valentine's Day Free Printables.

Did somebody say free printable(s)? Yes please! I searched high and low for the best and narrowed it down to these top five. Not only are they free, you don't even have to leave your house! Sounds like a win-win situation! 

I actually attempted the top one, hearts stitched together, and was amazed at how fabulous it turned out (I only say that because I am not the most crafty person).

Get them here, from top clockwise: 

Hearts Stitched Together // Monogram Heart Thank You Card // Valentine Scrabble Gram // Valentine's Day Note Cards & Envelopes // Mini Valentines

Do you have a favorite Valentine's day printable that I missed? 

Attempt #2 at the 30 Day Shred.

On Sunday, I decided I would attempt the 30 Day Shred again...!

Back in September, I started it and I was successful for about a month, but then my energy levels crashed and I gave up. August is only six months away and I need to get my butt into shape for both summer and for my boyfriend's brothers wedding. So, on Sunday I decided that it was time to suck it up and start a new exercise routine, plus this is one of my resolutions for February.

I had a few challenges keeping up for the entire 20 minutes, but I think I did pretty good for day # 1. I do plan to push myself more and more after I get a few weeks in. I was hoping to do day # 2 today, but I don't think that would be a good idea. The muscles in my legs are beyond angry, and I think if I don't give them another day of rest, I may hurt something. Instead, I plan to focus on stretching and some much needed ab exercises.

Do you have an exercise routine that you do at home, that you really enjoy?

Monday Motivation.

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This Week for Dinner.

The theme for this past week's dinner was leftovers (again)! Thankfully I love all the dinner's we've been making and could eat some of them every night if I had to.

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I think my favorite meal was the homemade spaghetti sauce that I made on Wednesday night -- you should really try it, it was amazing! I am so glad I found that recipe from A Pretty Life blog. Tonight, we finally used up all the pizza meat and mozza cheese in the fridge; once we eat up all this pizza we can venture onto some new dinners!!

+ Monday: Leftovers: Pork, mashed potatoes & caesar salad

+ Tuesday: Leftovers: Pork, mashed potatoes & caesar salad

+ Wednesday: Homemade spaghetti sauce. Recipe here

+ Thursday: Leftovers: Spaghetti.

+ Friday: Leftovers: Spaghetti.

+ Saturday: Homemade pepperoni pizza.

+ Sunday: Vegetables and dip, sausage rolls, & homemade pizza

What did you make for dinner this week?

January Photo A Day {Part 1}.

Like my photos? Follow me on instagram!

Sunday Social.

1. If you were stuck on an island, what are the two material items you would want to have? 

Definitely my iPhone, so I can call for help but also take some photos, and a Mary Poppins bag full of all the supplies I could possibly need!

2. What are two TV shows you’d watch over and over?

Right now I am obsessed with Hart of Dixie & Downton Abbey.

3. If your house was on fire what two things aside from family, pets, etc would you grab? 

Definitely my laptop and SLR camera. 

4. What are your two most favorite articles of clothing? 

My pink TNA sweatshirt and a pair of tights. I love Aritzia's clothes!

5. What two movies that you saw in the past year would you recommend to us? 

The Hobbit and Zero Dark Thirty.

6. What are your two biggest guilty pleasures?

$2.00 candy bags and coke. Yumm

For Bloggers // Adding Google Web Fonts to your Blog.

The appearance of your blog is so important. It's not just about color scheme and having visually appealing images, its also about typography. Choosing the right type of font to use on your blog is more important than you may actually think.

I am personally a font junkie, I have hundreds, if not thousands of fonts installed on my computer. However, I think there is a time and place for those fun fonts. As fun as those fonts may be on our blogs, I don't think they always belong in our blog posts. 

Here is a fact... and I really hate to admit this because I feel horrible for saying it ... if I come across a blog with a bad design, color scheme and horrible fonts that aren't easy to read, 8 times out of 10 I don't take the time to stop and read their blog. Visual appeal,  for me, is essential! The same is true for websites; if its poorly designed and hard to read, it takes me one second to click away and never return. 

In an attempt to further improve my current blog design, I decided to play around with Google Web Fonts. Google Web Fonts makes it quick and easy for us bloggers to use hundreds of free, open-source fonts optimized for the web on our blogs. Not only can you embed these fonts into your blog's css code, but you can also download them to use on your computer. Sweet deal!

To help you get started and to make this process as simple as possible, I have included a few images and steps.

1. Head over to the Google Web Fonts website, here. Click "Start choosing fonts"

2. The interface is fairly self explanatory -- you can search for different fonts, filter by category (serif, sans serif, etc.), thickness, slant and width. Once you pick the font you want to use in your blog, click "Add to Collection" to add the font family you want to your collection. 

3. After adding you font to your collection, click the "Use" button. 

4. Follow google's instructions to embed your collection into your blog.

Copy the html code from "3. Add this code to your website" into the <head> of your HTML document. To access your blog's html, go into your blogger dashboard, click on "template," and "Edit HTML." I also like to expand the widgets when viewing my blog's html and css.

note: I know google doesn't tell you do do this, but make sure to insert a "/" backwards slash at the end of the html code that you insert into the <head> of your blog's html code -- see my example, below, in pink text. 

5. To integrate the new font in your blog, copy the css code in the second box. Depending on where you want to use this new font, you will have to search for the code of your desired element, and replace the current font-family with the new one. 

For example, I wanted to edit my post title font. To do this, I inspected my blog's elements (using firebug lite) and discovered that my post-title font used the class ".post-title" -- from there, I searched (ctrl + f) for the class in my css code. You will also notice that I added some other fancy stuff to my post-title. 

h3.post-title, .comments h4 {

  font: normal normal 18px 'Text Me One', sans-serif;

  font-weight: 500;

  margin: .75em 0 0;

  letter-spacing: 2px;

  text-transform:lowercase;

}

6. Once you are happy with the results, save your template's HTML code and voila!

What's your favorite google web font? Hopefully I haven't confused you too much! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.