Cege Smith's Blog, page 7

Recipes for National S’mores Day

This is Day 10 of my 31 Days of August Awesomeness Blog Challenge. Want to know more? Check out the inaugural post here.

Did you know that today is National S’mores Day? I didn’t either! A friend of mine revealed this awesome news on Facebook today and immediately I knew that this was what I was going to talk about today.

I guess I’m a little bit traditional. My s’mores are your standard campfire fare: Hershey chocolate bars, marshmallows, and graham crackers. Toast the marshmallows over the fire and then mush with chocolate between two graham cracker squares. It’s hard not to look like the kid in the photo at the top of this post.

So for something a little bit different, I decided to dig for some “fancier” s’mores recipes to shake things up for you and do a little recipe round-up. In no particular order, here they are.

S’mores-n-berry bars - From Sheknows Food & Recipes this one adds raspberries

Caramel S’more Cups - From Betty Crocker, these look like cupcakes!

Easy S’mores- This recipe uses the same ingredients, but takes out the campfire.

S’mores Pops – From Dying for Chocoloate, this is s’mores on a stick!

Are you hungry yet? I know I am!

(photo credit kretyen)

Share and Enjoy


• Facebook • Twitter • Delicious • Digg • • StumbleUpon • Add to favorites • Email • RSS

Sing Your Heart Out

This is Day 9 of my 31 Days of August Awesomeness Blog Challenge. Want to know more? Check out the inaugural post here.

There was a period of time when the kids constantly walked around the house singing. Mostly it was random tunes and notes, nothing with words or that I had ever heard before.

Whenever we’d say something about it, they’d look at us with complete surprise on their faces. They didn’t even realize they were doing it. It was something that felt natural and fun, and there was no conscious effort required. It was like their insides were bursting with happiness and they just needed an external way to express their joy.

Singing is something that I’ve loved to do since I was little. Wanting to be a singer ran a very close second to my desire to be a writer. In junior high I auditioned for every musical, took choir every year as an elective, and even joined show choir. Singing was just something that I did; I never thought twice about it.

Somewhere around my sophomore year of high school though, being in singing-related activities started to feel less fun, and more like work. I guess that’s the testament to if  you are passionate enough about something to really make a go at it. I felt pressured to perform and constantly stretch myself, and at the end of the day singing was something I did for fun. So I joined the drama club and focused on the light crew instead.

In my early twenties, we started hanging out at a local dive bar after my company softball games. We were horrible; we lost every game. So we’d go out to drown our sorrows. The bar we always went to had a karaoke night that same night. My interest was piqued. An interest in singing re-entered my life.  I needed a part-time job, and so I thought why not? I auditioned with the karaoke company and started hosting shows myself three nights a week.

I grew out of wanting to hang out in the bar scene after I got married (the first time). But as is always the case with things in life, the interest in singing emerged again when my boyfriend (now my husband) started exploring his musical side again. So we trek down to our local karaoke hangout about once every other month for some karaoke goodness. In fact, it’s where we’re headed tonight.

All sorts of people sing. Some sing the same song every week because it’s comfortable and easy. Some people shake when they sing and their voice quivers, but they get up there and do it anyway. There are some people who bring the house down with their talent, and still others who should never ever try to sing in public again (but you can’t tell them that).

Regardless, one thing is common for all of them. They sing because feel like they can’t not sing. Their insides are bursting and they need to get it out. Just like my kids. Singing can join a whole group of people together and make everyone happy. Which is why it remains one of my favorite things to do.

Just in case you’re wondering, my current favorite song to sing? Invincible by Pat Benatar.

(photo credit p_a_h)

Share and Enjoy


• Facebook • Twitter • Delicious • Digg • • StumbleUpon • Add to favorites • Email • RSS

A Few Of My Favorite Things

This is Day 8 of my 31 Days of August Awesomeness Blog Challenge. Want to know more? Check out the inaugural post here.

If you have Julie Andrews from the Sound of Music singing in your head right now, then we have something in common.  Maria had her favorite things, Oprah has her favorite things, and as I was pinning things over on Pinterest, I decided that I should share a few of my favorite things too.

The things that really get people excited and passionate can tell a lot about them. I can only imagine what my list says about me.

Apple products: Okay, I admit that I’m an Apple fangirl. I have an iPad, an iPhone, and a MacBook Pro. Oops, I almost forgot about Apple TV.  I don’t quite know how it happened, but I think it was the original iPad that really sucked me in. I am on the go a lot, and travel quite a bit for the day job, so there is no way to put a cost on being able to be mobile and still be connected. Plus I trust Apple stuff- they make cool products that last forever if you treat them right. (You may remember I mentioned in my Day 6 post about my camera sucking? It’s from my iPhone 3GS- so I’m not always an early adopter. Just most of the time- lol.)

Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc: If you are looking for a solid white table wine, then this one is a winner every time. It’s crisp and hits just the right notes on the palette, and it’s extremely  affordable, usually ranging anywhere from $10-$13 depending on where you pick it up.

 

Pampered Chef stoneware: I know how to cook, but I don’t really do it a lot. My husband enjoys cooking much more than I do, so I pretty let him run the kitchen. However, back in 2003-2004, I ran across this little home party that was selling kitchen products and I bought my first stone. Then I signed up to sell it (pretty much so I could get the discount to buy everything I wanted). Six months later, my kitchen was FULL of Pampered Chef products. Many of those stones we still use almost everyday, and they are beautifully seasoned (which means that they are almost black). I didn’t own a metal pan again until last year when my husband forced me to buy one as overflow for cookie baking.

Bath and Body Exotic Coconut Lotion: I use this everyday along with the shower gel and body spray. What drives me a little batty is that they don’t carry it in stores around here year-round because apparently it’s one of their “seasonal” scents. Thank goodness for the internet!

Stephen King’s The Dark Tower books: I cut my horror teeth on Stephen King when I was in grade school. I devoured everything he wrote (good thing the guy’s prolific!) and have continued to follow his dark journeys as an adult. But I didn’t read the Dark Tower books until just a few years ago, despite the fact that the books leading up to the last book have been around for a long time. I read like a banshee, but even I was slowed down by each massive tome. When it was all over, I cried. Literally.

I promised just a few of my favorite things, but I’m sure I’ll have more to share as I’m pinning away. If you like some of my favorites too, be sure to let me know in the comments below!

Share and Enjoy


• Facebook • Twitter • Delicious • Digg • • StumbleUpon • Add to favorites • Email • RSS

Know Thy Neighbor

Tonight’s post isn’t going to be too long, because I was out cavorting with my neighbors at National Night Out. If you aren’t familiar with this community event, it’s sponsored the first Tuesday night every August (with a few exceptions) and is a great excuse for everyone to get together, let the kids run wild, and get to know the people who live closest to you better.

I confess that although I’ve lived in a neighborhood since 2006 that sponsored an annual National Night Out event, this is the first year that I’ve actually participated. (I’ve always had a very valid excuse.) But there are a few reasons why I felt like it was important that I get my butt out there this year:

We moved into a development last year that is still growing. With new neighbors coming in all the time, this face-to-face event is one of the rare times that I knew that I could meet a bunch of neighbors. Otherwise it’s random happenstance encounters.
Our neighborhood has had a few incidents of crime this past spring. We’ve noticed a lot of suspicious vehicles hanging around in the as yet undeveloped part of the neighborhood, and I’m considering starting a neighborhood watch.
Our city encourages and supports National Night Out and send out policeman and fireman to chat with the folks. It’s a nice way to meet the people who protect and serve our community.

In short, I was eager this year to feel like I was part of my neighborhood, and not just a resident in it. And you know what? I had a lot of fun too.

Share and Enjoy


• Facebook • Twitter • Delicious • Digg • • StumbleUpon • Add to favorites • Email • RSS

Going Shopping In Your Own Closet

This is Day 6 of my 31 Days of August Awesomeness Blog Challenge. Want to know more? Check out the inaugural post here.

First off, yes, the camera on my phone stinks. But the closet pic at the top is definitely of my own closet. I thinned it out quite a bit recently in preparation for an afternoon of closet fun. Nope, not organization. Shopping.

I read some statistic somewhere that we only wear about 20% of the clothes in our closets. After a bit of introspection, that felt right about on target for me. I wore the same rotation of clothes pretty much all the time. It was starting to feel very blah and very boring. But I’d grown to dislike shopping in general because I didn’t feel like I was buying things that looked good on me. I needed to shake things up a bit.

Enter Sally McGraw. Sally writes on a fashion blog called Already Pretty. If you are looking for practical, down to earth, make-you-feel-good-about-yourself fashion tips and finds, then her blog is the blog for you.

Last week, Sally came over for a closet consult. Better known as “shopping in my closet”. The expectation was that once Sally left, I’d have 6-12 new outfits using clothes I already had, and that I would something new things that would help me continue to build my wardrobe out from that point on my own.

After three hours with Sally, I can honestly say that the money for the consult was well-spent, and I have a whole new outlook on clothing and my own personal style.  Sally took my “orphans” (clothes that I loved but I didn’t know what to do with), and combined them with other pieces of my wardrobe to create some fresh, new looks. That was pretty awesome in and of itself.

But beyond that, I gained some thoughtful, personalized advice on what colors, shapes, and styles work best on me. Sally freed me from the idea that I have to tuck in every shirt and wear a belt with every pair of pants. She encouraged me to play with color (oh how I love thee, neutrals!) and reminded me that I do have lots of fun costume jewelry hiding away in my jewelry box.

I also was given an invaluable piece of information: a tailored list of what basic items were missing from my closet. Eureka!! In the last eight days since the consult, I’ve been out shopping three times (which I think is three times more than anytime in the last three months). I strategically picked up a few of those missing items and nothing more- so I don’t feel like I’m wasting my money buying a bunch of things I’ll never wear.

Best of all, I’m getting compliments right and left from friends and co-workers who keep asking me “Is that new?“. Best feeling ever!

So I know not all of you live in Minnesota or have the time/resources to hire a “Sally” for your own closet consult. If that’s the case, then here’s the next best thing. Pick up a copy of Sally’s book. If you follow even 20% of what she recommends you do, you’ll be having a ball shopping in your closet in no time!

 

Share and Enjoy


• Facebook • Twitter • Delicious • Digg • • StumbleUpon • Add to favorites • Email • RSS

Don’t Be Afraid To Use Your Voice

This is Day 5 of my 31 Days of August Awesomeness Blog Challenge. Want to know more? Check out the inaugural post here.

On Day 3 of my 31 Days of August Awesomeness challenge, I provided a list of some of Minnesota’s upcoming fairs and festivals. One in particular I was quite excited about: the MN Food Truck Fair. 2012 is its inaugural year, and it sounded like an extremely cool concept: downtown Minneapolis, a bunch of food trucks, a bunch of breweries, some live music and all around fun-ness.

Well, what sounds good on paper doesn’t always translate to good in real life. Let me just say that I am utterly thankful that I purchased discount tickets for this event, because if I would have paid full-price I’d probably be a bit ballistic right now.

The event was scheduled from 12pm-5:30pm. From what I heard, the doors didn’t open until 12:30pm. When we got there at 1:30pm, there was a very long line of people waiting to get in. Not entirely unexpected, but we bought VIP tickets and thought that would help us jump some of the line.

Nope.

30 minutes later we finally enter the fenced in area. Imagine a sea of people standing in line after line after line, and you’ll start to get an idea of what we were looking at. We decided to go grab a beer first (our VIP tickets gave us access to unlimited beer samples). We tried to scout out some of the trucks, but it was impossible to get close enough to see the menu because of the length of the line.

20 minutes later we were double fisting 4 oz. beer samples. We decided to brave a line for a free juicy lucy. We spent about 5 minutes tracking the line which bobbed and weaved around the other lines to finally arrive at the back of the line. And then we waited.

And waited.

And waited.

After 20 minutes, we had moved about 10 feet. By that time, we had had enough. We were hungry and cranky, and in the midst of 5000 people (the # of ticket sales according to fair rumors) we decided to cut our losses and leave.

I went out and found the MN Food Truck Fair’s Facebook page. It was blowing up with comments. It’s still blowing up with comments.  Not only were people complaining about the length of the lines, but more recent reports said that the trucks were running out of food and the trashcans were full and overflowing (gross!). Almost every single one said that they are planning to ask for a refund.

Including me.

It made me feel just a tad bit better knowing that my husband and I were not the only ones who felt like we got a bit scammed. The people are speaking, and I’d say that its a safe assumption that if this event happens again next year, it’s going to be totally different. This is a PR disaster, and my guess is that whatever money they made they are going to lose a fairly significant chunk issuing refunds (which in all good conscience they should).

Consumers are savvy these days. If they don’t like something they are going to speak up. I’ve used Facebook and Twitter several times to lodge a complaint, and I have to say that when I do, I almost always get a response and am taken care of. That’s pretty cool. Social media has taken down the walls between us and gives us a pretty big stage to be able to shout to the world when we’re not happy.

Social media, when used properly, is pretty awesome. So even though I’m unhappy right now, my frown is turned upside down simply because I feel like I was able to tell someone about it, and hopefully my issue will be resolved. If not, at least I was able to commiserate with about 2000+ other people.

I almost feel bad for the MN Food Truck Fair event coordinators. Almost.

(Photo credit: Identity Photogr@phy)

Share and Enjoy


• Facebook • Twitter • Delicious • Digg • • StumbleUpon • Add to favorites • Email • RSS

Taking Advantage of Lazy Days

This is Day 4 of my 31 Days of August Awesomeness Blog Challenge. Want to know more? Check out the inaugural post here.

Today is Saturday, and you know what? I woke up late with nothing to do. Now that’s not to say that I didn’t have an agenda in mind of things that I wanted to accomplish, but there wasn’t a single place that I needed to be today unless I chose to be there.

These kinds of days are bliss.

It’s kind of easy to zoom through lazy days and forget to appreciate that they are dabbled in amongst the chaos that is our normal busy day lives, isn’t it? When our game piece lands on a lazy day, I think the most common reaction is to go into some kind of schedule paralysis and turn the dial the complete opposite direction “I must get the 5 bazillion things on my to-do list that I never look at done before 11:59pm when my pumpkin disappears!”

Ok, that’s a little extreme, but I think you know what I mean. We don’t enjoy the fact that our schedule and our time are our own. So we overcompensate. What that does is ensure that our brains and bodies aren’t given any kind of break from the normal day stress. We still click away to a beat that has stopped, but we’ll know will be picked up again in just another day or so.

No wonder I’m always exhausted!

As I look into August, I see these beautiful glimmers of light on the calendar like today, and I am making a promise to myself to appreciate and enjoy them to the fullest. That definitely doesn’t mean that I plan to do nothing with them. But I am going to be very intentional about how I chose to spend my time. I don’t see any downside in doing that.

Today’s “schedule”? I slept in later than I have in forever, and I didn’t beat myself up about it. I’m doing three planned writing sprints to progress my current WIP (the sequel to Heiress of Lies), but I’ve already taken a nap in-between. I’m sitting at my local coffee shop enjoying a caffeinated beverage. Tonight I’m going to wrap up by watching the Olympics and probably Underworld Awakenings. (yea yea, I’ve heard it’s horrible but I’m going into it with low expectations.)

I feel relaxed and happy. Which is exactly what I love and appreciate about my lazy days.

(Photo credit Retroeric)

Share and Enjoy


• Facebook • Twitter • Delicious • Digg • • StumbleUpon • Add to favorites • Email • RSS

There’s Nothing Quite Like A Day At The Fair…

This is Day 3 of my 31 Days of August Awesomeness Blog Challenge. Want to know more? Check out the inaugural post here.

August brings out one of my favorite seasons in Minnesota: Fair/Festival season. It can be a little bit overwhelming actually. As I was looking at the calendar and thinking about what I absolutely LOVED about some of these events, it always comes down to 2 things: food and shopping. (Probably not a big surprise.)

Here’s a few of my favorites with some fun facts for you. Double bonus points for you if you live in Minnesota and can share a fun fact of your own!

Minnesota State Fair – better known as the “Great Minnesota-Get-Together”. 1.8 million people convene in St. Paul during the 12 days leading up to Labor Day. The amount of food on a stick is obscene and the people watching is even better.

Minnesota Renaissance Festival- Did you know that Minnesota hosts the largest Renaissance Festival in the country? There’s definitely a food component that makes this one of my favorites, but I go for the shopping. I can find unique gifts and baubles that come from artisans who travel here from all over the country. Yes- period attire is not only welcomed, but encouraged.

Uptown Art Fair – This event is second in statewide attendance only to the above mentioned Minnesota State Fair. There’s art, food, and entertainment in abundance. This is another favorite place of mine to find one-of-a-kind treasures.

MN Food Truck Fair – 2012 is the first year for this fair, and I have to say, I’m pretty excited about it. One afternoon, 14 food trucks, and 25 breweries. I have a feeling I’d better write Sunday’s post early.

If you happen to live in Minnesota, lucky you!!  If you don’t, I’ll take pictures for ya.

Share and Enjoy


• Facebook • Twitter • Delicious • Digg • • StumbleUpon • Add to favorites • Email • RSS

Need a Kick in the Productivity Pants? Try Journaling

 This is Day 2 of my 31 Days of August Awesomeness posts. Click here for how it all started…

 Ask anyone who has known me for any length of time, and they will confirm what I am about to tell you: I am a lifelong procrastinator.  It is a crippling habit when paired with my other “p” weakness: perfectionism. What do you get accomplished when you are a perfectionist procrastinator?

Nothing.

I have had a bazillion false starts in my writing career. That’s why I spent 7 years working on the Edge of Shadows manuscript. That’s right: 7 YEARS! I wrote it, I edited it, I changed it, I got brave in 2009 and gave it to a bunch of beta readers, I edited it some more based on their feedback, I lost that version (whole other story), then I tweaked, moaned, and edited some more. It still wasn’t right. I felt like I still wasn’t ready, and so I shoved it away for another day.

Now that easily could have been the end of my story. Aspiring writer finds reality and trudges back to day job content to live out the rest of her life. 

Then quite by accident, I stumbled across a reference to a book on a writing blog called The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. If you are an artist, not even a writer but any kind of creator of artistic work, and you are stuck, you must run (don’t walk!) to Amazon and buy this book. I’m absolutely serious- the book will change your life.

I’ll wait.

The single most important habit that book taught me, and a habit I continue today is to journal. I journal three long-handed pages almost everyday. I started the self-paced The Artist’s Way course in October 2011, and as you can see by the picture at the top of this post, I’m on my 5th journal.

Why do I consider this course and this habit life-changing? I got out of my own way.

Consider this. Prior to October 2011, I had written two 50,000 word manuscript drafts which were both collecting dust in a drawer. Fast forward ten months. One of those manuscripts I published (Edge of Shadows), and then I’ve written and published 4 more. Ageless is written and with my editor, so that’s really 4 1/2 by my count. And I’m well underway on the next book.

My writing has been taken to a whole new level. I’m not afraid to take risks. I’ve had my share of failures and lessons learned, but that is far outweighed by the massive burst of energy and productivity that I’m leveraging on a daily basis.

It all starts with my journaling. In it, I allow myself to be whiny. I allow myself to be self-deprecating and get down on myself. I nit-pick dumb things I’ve done. But I also plan out what I want to get accomplished each day. I pat myself on the back for every victory. And I have a fabulous record of my writing journey. I get shivers thinking about being able to come back and read my first entry in my first journal five or ten years from now.

It’s heady stuff, powerful stuff. And it’s addictive.

Journaling has opened up my mind and jumpstarted my productivity. It’s one of my awesome productivity secrets, and I’m delighted to be sharing it with you.

By the way, you may be thinking “Well sure, Cege, you’re a writer so journaling is easy for you.” I may have written in a diary a couple of times when I was a teenager, but this kind of structured writing has never been part of my writing routine. Finding the time and sticking with it was a challenge. But in the end, it became part of my day and it’s something I look forward to.

So if you are looking for a way to shake up your routine and find massive loads of inspiration? Try journaling. Plus, it’s a great excuse to go shopping at your local bookstore.

Share and Enjoy


• Facebook • Twitter • Delicious • Digg • • StumbleUpon • Add to favorites • Email • RSS

31 Days of August Awesomeness: Day 1 (Blogging Challenge)

I woke up at 6am this morning (way before my alarm went off btw) and my first through was “Whoa- it’s August“.  My second thought? “That’s awesome!”

I’m doing a ton of really fun things in August in both my business/writing life and in my personal life. I feel like I have 31 days coming up that are just chock full of excitement and goodness. So naturally I decided that I should share these amazing things with all of you.

It’s my 31 Days of August Awesomeness blogging challenge. Right now the only person involved in it is… me. But that’s cool. There are lots of things that I already have written down to talk about, and I will be talking about, for the next 31 days. Books, movies, music, current events, vacations, writing- I’ll be covering it all.

I even gave myself a Twitter hashtag: #30DAA.

If you are feeling similarly excited about what’s happening for you in August, and would like to join me, there’s just a few simple rules:

Commit to try to post every day in August.
Post something AWESOME and share some details around it. If you can come up with 31 responses to “What’s awesome in your life right now?” then you have all you need to play.
Share your post on Twitter using the #30DAA hashtag.

That’s it! Share the smiles. Share the awesomeness! And who knows, what you post may make someone else’s day- which at the end of the day is an awesome accomplishment.

Happy August!!

(photo credit Howdy, I’m H. Michael Karshis’)

Share and Enjoy


• Facebook • Twitter • Delicious • Digg • • StumbleUpon • Add to favorites • Email • RSS