I've Moved!
I could get used to this...
Classes are done. One of my exams is over. I am in full feel-good mood. Yesterday I had a job interview [FINALLY] then spent the rest of the day crafting and listening to music at home. Today I started my day off with making cookie dough. While it was chilling in the fridge, I went for a run down by the water. I ran the ENTIRE way. 3km of running. I. Am. A. Champ. That might not exactly sound amazingly stellar or anything but I was pretty darn proud of myself. I digress.. I got home, showered, popped the cookies in the oven, and made lunch. I then proceeded to get things in order so I could dye some easter eggs! I didn't want to buy a kit so I did some research (after being inspired by this post) and figured out how to dye my eggs naturally! It was quite an experience and they didn't exaaaactly turn out the way I'd hoped, but hey, that's part of the fun in trying new things! I am now sitting on the couch thinking about what to make for dinner and deciding between studying [the right choice] or watching more Game of Thrones [the feel-good choice]... Hope y'all are having a good Thursday!
A few things I've learned so far...
- Take math 12. It’s not a necessary class in high school, at least the one I went to, but it should be. If you don’t know what you want to do and you’re just going to take a bunch of classes in your first year (precisely what I did) TAKE MATH 12 ANYWAY. It is soo much easier to do right after math 11 when everything is still fresh in your mind than it is to do it 3 or 4 years after you’ve already graduated and haven’t taken a math class in as many years. Just take it.
- Think about the things you like. Brittney and I were talking about this the other day. As great as it was to get a taste of a bunch of different subjects it sucks to find out that the courses you’ve taken for the past three years either aren’t going to contribute to your degree at all or are taking up valuable elective room that could have been filled with courses that would contribute to a minor. It’s not a huge deal, but it does feel a bit disappointing knowing you’ve put an effort into a course that didn’t really do much for you.
- Use RateMyProf. People warned me not to rely too heavily on it because the only students who post rating are those who have a gripe with the prof. This is simply untrue. I have read reviews for every professor I have ever had and never have I found the experiences of others to differ much from that of my own.
- Go see a counsellor. The second you think you know what you want to get a degree in, talk to a counsellor/academic advisor. Talking to people I don’t know kind of freaks me out... I put off going to see a counsellor and tried to use my school website so I could avoid talking to a stranger and risk looking silly. This was dumb. Counsellors have the most updated list of necessary courses for every degree and provide so much more information than a school website. They want you to get your degree in the fastest way possible and show you all the ways you can do it. They really are a great resource.
- Ask for help when you need it. This kind of goes along with number four... There is nothing wrong with needing help. Courses can be tough. Life can also be tough. Asking for help, whether it’s school related or life related, is one of the best things you can do for yourself. There is no point in suffering through something when there are great people that can and want to help you.
- You’re going to fail something. It may be a test or it may be a course, and it may happen more than one. And it’s going to suck. But, it isn't the end of the world. The professor isn’t going to judge you, your friends are not going to think less of you, and your family will not disown you.
- All-nighters are dumb. Sure, you might have a huge test tomorrow or a paper due in the morning, but just go to bed. Stay up as late as you can to get it done, but give yourself a break. The work you’re doing at 3am is not your best work. It’s not even your second best work. Set an alarm to get up early and give yourself the chance to sleep for awhile.
- “What is the least amount of work you can do to still get the best mark possible?” This is something someone asked me to consider when I was in grade 10. I was a classic over-achiever who thought that in order to get good grades I had to put everything I had into my work. I didn’t think it was possible that I could do less work and still get good marks. I was wrong. Realizing I could do well without being completely consumed by the assignment really changed how I do my work. This is not to say that I don't put much effort into my work and still expect to do well or don't proofread my essays. All it means is that I do the best work I can until it's done, then accept that I did the best I could do and hand it in.
- Grilled Cheese. They’ll change your life.
- Go to office hours. I feel slightly hypocritical saying this because I am not one to usually go to them. BUT, the few times that I have gone I’ve had great experiences. Twice I’ve gotten grades bumped up just by going and looking over a test and asking a few questions. Even if they don’t bump up your mark they want you to do well and if you show them you care they usually notice.
That’s all I’ve got for now... :)
New Tunes
Joseph - Native Dreamer Kin: this album was such a score! It's kind of like a mix of Birdie and a bit of the Civil Wars, but they have a uniqueness to them too so they're just really a great listen period.
NoNoNo - Pumpin Blood EP: such fun. Great car jams.
The Paper Kites - Woodland: I heard a couple songs by these guys on two different occasions and it wasn't until I Shazamed them both that I knew I needed to hear more. Great for mellow times and mini adventures.
Sara Bareilles - The Blessed Unrest: this album is beautiful. I bought it back in July, around the same time the Civil Wars' new album came out. It wasn't until mid January that I really listened to the words and appreciated how well the songs are written and the depth behind all the lyrics.
What are y'all listening to? I love discovering new music as the seasons change :)
Sombrio Beach
On Friday Brittney and I decided to make a two hour trek to a place called Sombrio Beach. It's just a little bit south of Port Renfrew and about a one hour drive past Sooke. It. Was. Amazing. I don't think I've ever been somewhere as beautiful as this place. To get to the beach you walk down a forested trail that emerges onto a gorgeous beach. It was breath taking! There were surfers in the water riding some of the bigger waves and a few families scattered along the shore. Brittney and I walked along the rocks until we couldn't walk any further. We had initially planned on hiking in the forest, but once we saw the beach we decided to just walk along, take some pictures and admire the beauty. I can't wait for more beautiful weather so there can be more adventures just like this one!
adventure preview
Here is a preview of the adventure Brittney and I went on today!! More to come soon :)
secret project revealed!
I did it!! I finished my first big knitting project! After making my first mini blanket I decided I was going to make a bigger blanket. It's not huge or anything but I am very proud of it :)
I didn't have a pattern to follow, but I knew what I wanted the blanket to say. I looked at a few patterns online but didn't find anything I liked very much. Once I gave up on trying to find a pattern I tried to download a program that would allow me to make my own. It was quite the process, but I am so glad I stuck with it and figured out how to do it! I used a program called KnitBird. The free trial only lets you keep the program open for half an hour before it closes and you can't save it BUT if you make your pattern quickly and take screenshots you can put them into a word file and print it out that way!
This project was a huge learning experience for me and it was definitely frustrating at times, but overall it was so fantastic! I am a firm believer that the energy you feel when you're knitting gets transferred into the project you're making. Because of this I only try to knit when I am in a happy or relaxed mood so that all of my positivity gets to be shared with the recipient of the final product!
I'm incredibly busy with school right now so please excuse my absence but I will do my best to share whatever it is I'm working on whenever I have the time.
long overdue...
Why hello there! Long time no see! I know this is my excuse for everything but school really has been very busy! Midterms, papers, quizzes, assignments, there has been a lot going on.
Anyway, here are some photos I took while I was home for reading break a couple of weeks ago. I'm still learning how to use my film camera so please excuse the gnarly colouring in some of the pictures... All of these were taken on a very windy day at Crescent Beach, one of my most favourite places on earth!
Although we're a few days in to March, which should mean spring is on its way, it certainly doesn't feel like it. Two days ago snow covered the ground at home while Victoria was getting pounded with rain. Since then the rain has not let up and everything has a soggy feel to it. I am definitely ready for some clear, warm weather! Hope your week treats you well! Tomorrow is Wednesday which is halfway through the week, so basically the week is almost done!
let the sun in!
after a weekend of nothing but rain, the sun that is currently streaming through our windows is so fantastic!
week 5: string art
This is something I'd wanted to do for awhile, but I'd just never made the time to do it. Yesterday I decided I'd go to the beach, find a perfect piece of wood and get busy. Once I picked the word I printed it out, taped it down and used it as my stencil. Then I stuck in all the nails and started wrapping. It didn't take long, and I can't wait to put it in my room at school!
Reading break is going by way too quickly! I can't believe how fast time goes when you're really having a good time! I've slept over at my friend's house every night except one since I've been home and we've spent most of our days together too! All the fun times have meant that school work has been put on the back burner, but tomorrow that will change.. I'll be hittin' the books hard.
Hope everyone's week has been going well! I have a few post ideas so I'll be seeing you again real soon :)
week 3 & 4: orders
I'm a bunch of days late with this post because I've been a very busy bee! Last week I had a midterm - well a couple of midterms really, but that's a story for another day - and I also wanted to get a couple of toque orders finished. The one on the left was for a family friend's daughter as a birthday gift and the one on the right is going to one of my dad's best friends.
The weather here has been incredibly cold the past few days so it feels good knowing that I've tried to help keep people warm and cozy.
I'm on reading break for the week and so far it's been fairly busy. The past few days have been spent mostly with friends and it's been great having time to just relax and hang out without school work being the primary focus.
I hope that wherever you are, you are warm and happy and healthy!
week 2: secret project
This is a post in my weekly series of "Create" posts that will be things I have made by hand or am in the process of making. Enjoy!
I have been working on this project for about three weeks. It's just over half way done and I CANT WAIT for it to fully done. Both so I can share it and just stare at it and admire it! This project has taught me so many things so far and I'm quite proud of myself. I've ripped it out twice and started from scratch and, as frustrating as that was, I'm glad I did! I can't wait to show you when it's all done!!!
week 1: homemade granola
This is the first post in my weekly series of "Create", posts that will be things I have made by hand or am in the process of making. Enjoy!
Last night I made granola. My mom made some delicious granola over the Christmas break and I just ran out so I decided to make some more! It was super easy and fun to pick what I was going to put in it.
Recipe:
3 cups of oats
3 tbsp of brown sugar
1 tsp of cinnamon
¼ cup of oil
⅓ cup of honey
1 tsp of vanilla
handfuls of nuts and dried fruit
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
Combine the remaining ingredients [with the exception of the nuts and fruit] in a measuring cup.
Pour the liquid mixture over the dry ingredients and combine until the oat mixture is completely covered (might be helpful to use your hands)
Spread out over a cookie sheet with sides and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes (until the oats are a golden brown)
Mix the granola, try to flip it over so it bakes evenly and let it continue to bake for another 5 to 10 minutes.
Let granola cool on the pan, mixing occasionally.
Pour granola into a mixing bowl and add the nuts and dried fruit.
Store in airtight containers and enjoy for days and days to come!
a year of creation
Hello there!
I have recently come up with a “new years resolution” for the blog. Each week I will share something that I have created. It can either be a work in progress or something recently completed. It will range from a meal to a knitted or crocheted thing to a picture I drew. It’s going to be slightly random but I think it will be a fun way to document a year of little projects. I am aware that I'm a few weeks behind so instead of 52 projects there will only be 50 official ones... but technically I made donuts and a coffee cozee so really I'm right on schedule!
I hope that the weekend treated you well and gave you an opportunity to take some time to relax, create things and connect with the people you love!
Homemade Donuts
we made donuts!
we decided that this weekend was going to be tasty. roomie made muffins, we made apple chips together and we made donuts!
The muffins burnt a bit on the bottoms (stupid oven, we still can’t get it to cook our food properly and we’ve been living here for 4 months), the apple chips didn’t really turn out super great either but they were pretty good. The donuts, however, were DELISH! We kind of cheated tho…we didn’t make our own dough… we used safeway white dinner rolls instead! They may not be as authentic but they still tasted great!
We dipped them in oil, fried them up, drained the oil and coated them in a cinnamon/sugar mixture. They were great on the first day, nice and soft and slightly warm but by the next day they were a little harder..
Needless to say, these will be made again! I’d like to try and make a different glaze and decorate them a bit to make them even more fun!
Hope you have a great week and get to make and eat lots of yummy things!
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