wait....Janurary is over!?!? when did that happen!?!?

i can not believe that on Wednesday it'll be February already!!!!! Where did January go!?!?! kiddo went back to school on the 3rd, hubby went back to work full time on the 9th and then there was silence. i know here we had few days off of school and it was tons of fun having long weekends. it's still a bit weird being "alone" again for most of the day. max is here with me of course, but he's mostly sleeping. January had a few birthdays and yesterday a very dear friend of mine welcomed their second daughter to their family! so so very happy for them!

i've added two more books towards my reading goal and i'm so happy i'm finally getting into The Game of Thrones book. i've had the series sitting around for quite some time and just kept putting it off, but not any more! tho i may take a break from it since i just requested a few books from the library, but they appear to be easy quick reads.

February will be quick i know! it always is, even with an extra day. my hubby and i will be celebrating our 10yr anniversary in March! i am so excited about this! we've been tossing around the idea of having a party to celebrate this, so i'm pretty sure all the planning for that even will have to take place in Feb. in April, our daughter will be 10!!! another event i'm crazy excited about! so March will most likely be about planning for that celebration! i have no clue what kind of look i want for our anniversary party and when talking to my kiddo yesterday, i now know what colors she wants around the house for her party, so that will help me come up with an over all look. now if i only had about an extra room for all the girls she wants to invite, i'd be less nervous!

i remember my parents throwing me a surprise party for my 10th birthday. it was fun and there were a lot of girls there. some i'm surprised that showed up, but happy nontheless. any special birthday memories you have from growing up? any thing from those parties that really stand out? please share! i'd love more ideas!

xo-amanda

insta.gram goodness

snuggled on the couch with my love and a warm puppy in my lap= a very happy moment

one of our many halloween decorations last year, the lights flickered creating a "flame" effect ;)

a very happy sleepy puppy, max

a "why are you taking my picture AGAIN, momma?" puppy

one of the kiddo's Monster High dolls with a scarf made by me

i can be found on intsa.gram under the name "randomvisions"

xo-amanda

empty space....

this lovely piece is pretty new to our home. we've been looking for a nice way to store our many games and also my collection of cookbooks, which are in the cabinet with the solid door. now that the holidays are over....i'm left with empty space again on top. no clue what to put here. we don't have many "display" pieces so i'm pretty stumped on this one. i need to get some more recent photos of the kiddo printed out and framed so that's one idea, but i'd like something a bit.....more.

we do a weekly trip to our local antique stores, where this piece actually came from one such trip. we LOVE LOVE LOVE our local shops. like, they know us by name now and will usually keep an eye out for something we may be interested in....that's how much we love going.

any thoughts? any ideas? suggestions?! please!?!?!?

xo-amanda

feelin like a zombie

i am going to be completely honest right now and say honestly that the past 2 days....i've been a horrible wife. tho i actually did cook monday night, tuesday was leftovers (which was perfect due to short timing due to hubby having to teach class last night) but other then that.....pfffft. nothing. some dishes did get done and some laundry. orange juice request was filled and also picked up more vitamins for my kiddo. dinner tonight? eh...i've got hours yet to plan and cook. it'll get done.

the reason for my zombie-ness.....my wonderful headaches. one started monday, continued into yesterday...and sloooooowly trailing off today. yes i've been to the doctor. yes i've tried stuff. but thanks to the lovely estrogen hormone, i get some pretty wicked headaches. can't say i love 'em. they're pretty much a pain in the....well head actually. i can function pretty normal when i have too. kid does get picked up from school, has a pretty healthful lunch to eat, and has clean clothes. am i the most talkative, playful, cheerful mom during this? nope. but i'm there. do i hate that i'm not the most talkative, playful and cheerful mom? yup. hate with a passion. but i know only a few days out of the month i get to be a zombie.

xo-amanda

Family Night Out

weekends in our home are pretty special. my hubby is gone for 12hrs a day and only really has about an hour with our daughter before bed during the week. so on the weekends, we try to make the most of it. ours was a 3-day weekend this past weekend. it stared off with going into his work for lunch and to check out what new movie he's been working on, followed by a night out with another family. saturday, they had a dad/daughter day watching movies while i was out with some girlfriends having lunch and seeing a movie of our our. sunday, she and i had some time to chill and watch a movie while hubby was teaching. then that night we went out to dinner just the 3 of us. it was a lot of fun just relaxing and having time together. little things like this can really make a difference. it's not about doing huge things to make up for time spent away, it's the quiet moments doing simple things that really matter to us in our family.

while at dinner i saw another random family that kinda irritated me and made me sad. there was mom and dad (around mid 40s?) boy 1 was about 10-11?, girl was about 12-14? boy about 15-17? and grandma. the family is seated and given menus. mom and daughter go use the restroom. oldest son looks at menu then proceeds to take out his smartphone, attach his white headphones to his ears and ignores the family. daughter comes back.....proceeds to do the same as her older brother. dad....he's sitting there on his smartphone doing who knows what. youngest son....HE's on HIS smartphone/device. mom finally comes back from the restroom.....SHE gets on HER smartphone!!! poor grandma is just sitting there. i could see them right in front of me, i quietly point this out to my husband. he kinda chuckles and reminds me of a PSA commercial we just saw last night while catching up on some Hulu. according to this PSA, the average child averages about 9hrs of media a day. from computer use, cell phone, tv, video games....it's just crazy! here was a family that could have totally fit into that research group.

it really irritated me because as a parent, i expect my child to intact with us as a member of our family. the ONLY time she is allowed to bring her itouch with her to dinner or such is when we know she's going to be the only child within a group of adults and even then that's greatly limited. she's almost 10 and interacts with adults extremely well for a child her age. jokes with our friends and will start/engage in conversations with them as well. and here was a whole family just completely ignoring each other, more interested in what's going on around them then what's with who's right in front of them. then poor grandma. i hope she didn't invite them all out just to be ignored half the night. if my daughter sat there like that, her privilege of having such a device would be taken away.

it made me sad because THIS has become socially acceptable. to sit with your family or even in a group of friends and to be constantly "connected" to everything else then enjoying who is sitting RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!!! too many people are just so "trained" now to constantly pick up their phone the second something happens on it. i know there are times i'm completely guilty of it. and let me tell you, hubby and daughter both point it out to me and "yell" at me for it. but when you're out with your family, especially older family members who may not be around forever, you spend time with them. you're supposed to enjoy each other......or why go out at all? i remember that going out to dinner was something special. you cleaned up a bit and it was something to look forward to. something where you were expected to act a certain way and to use your manners and to engage with who you were with. now it seems it's more common to see children connected to their smart devices/video game players while the adults are staring off into space or the tv that's bound to be somewhere to catch the game they're missing.

i know i'm trying my best to show our daughter how a loving family works and how to interact not only with adults, but with people in general. time spent with family is special. i really hope when she grows up she'll have good memories of all the silly things we do together, remember laughing and playing games, time spent snuggling watching a movie or reading a book together. maybe we're old fashioned this way, but i'd rather be then disconnected with people right in front of me.

Braided Bead Bracelet

i have a few new internet loves.....i should really say obsessions. one of them is now stumbleupon.com. if you've never been on this site...WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!!! GO!!! GO NOW!!!...ok wait!! maybe after reading this post you can go ;) whilst "stumbling" the other day i was directed to this site Honestly WTF. they have a great selection of tutorials and i came across a great tutorial on making a braided bead bracelet. if you follow to their site, you too can make one!

i am pretty impatient so i headed out to my local craft store thinking all the waxed linen cord would be there and everything else.....well.....sadly no. it wasn't. but what i did get worked. tho i'm kinda wishing i had the waxed linen cord, the beads would have gone on much easier.

the picture on the side is the materials i used. it's a hemp beading twine that's 9.1mm, 6/0 glass beads, and a 12mm two hole button. i had to keep re-twisting the ends of the twine to get the beads on, but over all they went on fairly well. once you get a few beads on you can really start to see the pattern and pulling it tight as you go helps. i'm sure with the waxed cord it's WAY easier but like i said i'm pretty impatient and didn't feel like driving all over town or waiting for internets ordering. here is a picture of mine finished.




it feels really super soft on my wrist and really light weight. will i be making more of these? possibly. the only draw back for me is that after awhile of pinching the tiny beads, my fingers and hands cramp up. i bought some other color beads as well, so i'd love to see how those turn out. a good friend of mine came over today and she made one using purple hemp cord and clear beads and it turned out so pretty as well! the beads she used were a bit bigger and the cord also a bit thicker. it created a whole different look.

if you get a chance to make one, please let me know and send me some pictures!

xo-amanda

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

i downloaded this book on my brand new kindle this holiday season, and let me tell you.....i'm SO SO happy i did. this book is AMAZING!!! from amazon.com their description is as follows:

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

this book is just amazing with getting your imagination going. at times you really feel as if you are walking around the circus, complete with the smells of popcorn and caramel apples. the sights Ms. Morgenstern describe make you WANT to be there, to explore every tent over and over again. the creativeness of the tents Celia and Marco create are things of dreams. the costumes and everyday clothing the characters wear are simply beautiful!! it's fashion porn for the imagination! but then again i'm a sucker for clothing from those time periods. if you like stories with magic, star crossed lovers, intrigue, and amazing imagination....then please pick up this book.

on preparing to do this entry i came across Ms. Morgenstern's blog and also an interview with her with some little tidbits. Summit Entertainment has apparently bought the rights and will be making a movie about this book. no word on a release date as of yet, but keep in mind these things do take time. i really, REALLY hope they do the story and imagery justice. i am really disappointed when a book you love and know becomes something unrecognizable when made into film. i can see people lining up to see this film in an all black, white, or grey outfit with a crimson scarf, or shawl, or rose upon them. :) i know i will be.

if you happen to read this book, please let me know your thoughts!

xo-amanda

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

i have been wanting to read this book for a VERY long time....no clue what took me so long to read it, but finally i did. my daughter and i took a quick trip to the library the other day to pick up another book i had requested and while looking for a book for her, i saw this and grabbed it. a description from Amazon.com is:

It takes a graveyard to raise a child.

Nobody Owens, known as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a graveyard, being raised by ghosts, with a guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the dead. There are adventures in the graveyard for a boy—an ancient Indigo Man, a gateway to the abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible Sleer. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, he will be in danger from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family.

it's a rather unusual way for a child to be raised, but being amongst the deceased from various decades did have an advantage for Bod. he had many people to watch out for him and to guide him as he grew. he had many different teachers, he learned about how life really was during different time periods. later as Bod grows up he is allowed to attend school with the living. it's there he learns the being among the living has some advantages and disadvantages. being among the living makes him noticeable and hard to hide from the man Jack who hasn't stopped looking for him.

this book was really good. there are illustrations throughout the book that help support the story as well as support your imagination. Neil Gaiman is a wonderful storyteller for both the young as old. i'm really glad i was finally able to read such a great book. there are also many, and i do mean many, discussion boards regarding this book all over the internet. there were some insights that i didn't even realize till i read others opinions and thoughts. if you get a chance, please read this book and other by Neil Gaiman....you'll not be disappointed.

xo-amanda

amazing dancing books!

i came across this very awesome video on Facebook from my local library page. the couple who created the video did an amazing job! the time to do all this must have been crazy!

if i'm ever lucky enough to have my own bookshop i can totally imagine my books doing this after hours! enjoy!



xo-amanda

Buffalo Chicken "meat"ball Subs

one day while hubby and i were shopping at the grocery store we came across pre-made Buffalo Chicken "meat"balls.....bought them....tried them....eh....we can do better. and we did. here's our recipe for:

Buffalo Chicken "meat"ball Hoagies/Subs

please note: nothing was properly measured out, it was "add some of this..some of that" and it turned out so delish!

in a mixing bowl mix 1lb of ground chicken, two eggs, breadcrumbs, sliced green onions, blue cheese crumbles and your fav wing sauce (we used Frank's) to taste. if you like your wings spicy then pour it on! just remember to increase the breadcrumbs so the mix isn't too "wet". roll into decent size meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 mins or until baked through.

they will come out smelling so yummy and looking like this!

then take your hoagie/sub rolls and spread on some blue cheese dressing, lettuce (we had a salad mix on hand with different kinds of lettuce. you can use just plain ol'iceberg or romaine lettuce) then place your "meat"balls, add some more wing sauce, some more blue cheese if you'd like and enjoy!

these have SUCH a great taste!!!! for our daughter we made some "meat"balls without a ton of sauce to make them mild for her. they were even BETTER the next day!!! we had some blue cheese crumbles left over, so when we made up some for lunch, we melted the blue cheese over while the "meat" balls were heating up...OH.MY.YUM!!!! we served coleslaw as a side. Enjoy!!!


xo-amanda

2012 goals

with the new year now 12 days old i've been thinking of some goals i'd like to see accomplished this year. i'm not one to make resolutions because if i'm being honest with myself and others....it just stresses me out because i know that i'll fail at keeping up with them. so here's what i'd like to do this year:

-read 100 books
-complete 10 creative projects this year
-sew a quilt
-learn 10 new recipes
-learn a new craft skill
-read 10 biographies
-work on getting healthier
-organize my craft supplies
-find a way to make money doing something i love
-take more pictures
-work out everyday

sounds pretty basic and easy so we'll start with this. i'll most likely add more to this list. what plans/goals do you have planned for 2012?

welcome!

this is an idea i've been playing around with in my head for some months now. i've done some blogging in the past, but everything was just random, hence the name "Randomess". nothing felt quite right and collected. so this is where this one comes in.

on this site you will see some things i've been creating. nothing new and exciting but just things i've made. also book reviews. some daily ramblings and also i'll share some of our crazy yummy recipes my hubby and i have come up with! i hope you enjoy and stick around!