Summer 2015 Bucket list

Last summer, my big achievement was to shower most days and keep a tiny human alive. While it wasn't the most exciting of summers, I was successful in both things. Now that tiny human is a bigger tiny human, and I am lucky enough to spend my days at home with her (until August 24 anyway.) Here is my 2015 Summer Bucket list. Some of these things are for just me, some are for me and the tiny human, and others are for the whole family.

Other Stuff and Things here!
What's on your bucket list?

Summer 2013 Bucket list

Stop trying to make fetch happen

For the last month or so whenever I have commented on a blog, I immediately get a failure to deliver notification. I would go back and check the blog I posted on, and my comment was published so I went on my merry way. I did notice wasn't getting replies to my comments. I totally get that people are busy, but most of these were to my regular bloggy friends that usually send a quick response back within a day or two. Last night I finally reached out to one of those ladies (Hi Erika!) with (what I hope didn't sound like a pathetic "why aren't you talking to me?")  my big question: are you getting my comments? After she looked around, she could indeed see my comments, but was never notified of them. After I did some Googling myself, I did the one thing I thought might work.

I connected my blog to Google+.

I went back to Erika's blog and commented on a post, and hurray! She got a notification! She replied back and it went to a gmail account that I really don't use. But whatever. My android phone told me I got an email. And now I am back to being connected with the blog world. (now if only I can get back to regular posting!)

So anyway, if this is happening to you, connect your blog to Google+. And Google, stop trying to make Google+ happen.

Blogging For Books: The Portlandia Cookbook

I got my second Blogging For Books book! I saw Angi review this book, and it was the one that made me go ahead and sign up for this awesome program. When I saw it was available I jumped at the chance to get this book!

I will be completely honest, I have only seen a couple episodes of Portlandia, but each one makes me laugh because it really is what it is like there. ( I mean, people in Portland have tattoos of the airport carpet. That in itself should be an episode.) When the book arrived at my door, I was super excited to rip it open!

The book itself is gorgeous. I love cookbooks with great pictures, and this one doesn't disappoint. It also has humorous stories and snippets throughout the book, all based on characters from the show. The book is divided into the normal recipe sections (including drinks and small plates!) and the recipes do look delicious. However, this is not a cookbook you can just use on a random night when you are looking for dinner. Or at least, not one I could just use. While the recipes didn't look hard, most required ingredients that I (and many people I know) just don't keep on hand. One recipe I tried was Claire's Co-Workers Sichuan Chicken Wings. The wings turned out fantastic (especially since they are oven baked not deep fried) and the duck like sauce had a nice sweet and salty thing going on.

This is a cookbook I would recommend for anyone who loves Portlandia or pictures of food :)

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review, but all opinions are my own.

Stuff and things I hate... and a funny classroom story :)

Things that I hate...

cutting into avocados.  Craig and I usually eat somewhere between 3-5 avocados a week. And every time I cut into one I am scared to death that it is going to be brown and gross inside.

doing my hair. I really dislike my hair. I know that we all want what we don't have, but I really wish I had straight boring hair. That way if I just dried it, it would be straight and "done." My hair, is wavy and not in a cute beachy way. Mostly in a frizzy out of control way. It probably doesn't help that I haven't had a hair cut that I love in a few years.

this artwork. It is in a fancy frame above my fireplace right now. Craig got it from his brother for Christmas. I'm trying to figure out when I can take it down. 

washing bottles. I have been pretty lucky  that nursing came pretty easy for Grace and I. But now that I am back to work, she has been drinking bottles of pumped milk while at day care. While I hate pumping at work, I think I hate washing her bottles more. No, pumping is worse. Or washing the pump parts. That also sucks. 

And now that I have complained... here is a story that is still making me chuckle. I was teaching about cylerbullying with my 8th graders and I mentioned how I think it would be so hard as a middle school student now with everyone always being connected to the internet and no real way to get away from bullies. Then this convo happened:
Boy: so you had to use like a flip phone?
Me: No, cell phones weren't really a thing. We just had house phones.
Boy: So like facebook was harder to get to?
Me: No, facebook wasn't a thing. The internet was really only in super rich people's houses then.
Boy: So you had to go to mcdonalds for the WiFi?
Me: WiFi wasn't a thing either. If you had a computer it was a desktop. And it was really only for writing papers.

Clearly I just blew his mind.

What things do you dislike???