Life Lately | Session 02 | February 

Hey guys! Welcome to my progress report/monthly recap of February! First of all, can you believe it's March!!??!! Crazy, right? I for one am actually excited for Spring to come-usually I really dislike summer because I get tired of not having a schedule, school, and routine. BUT... 

This segues nicely into my first topic! Summer is going to be chock full! I am (hopefully) getting a job, getting some more credits over the summer, we will be starting up our equine therapy ranch, our very close family friend's daughter and our other really good family friend's son are getting married (ya get all that?) and my aunt is having twins! FULLEST SUMMER EVER. I'm not thrilled about how full it actually is. I'm still in the process for looking/thinking/deciding on a job for several reasons >> I will be doing a post about that sometime soon! So the money, credits go hand in hand. My parents are going to Oregon for a few days to Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch for a clinic on how to get the equine therapy ranch started etc. The wedding is in June, the babies July, and then guess what? school starts again in August! This is kind of a rambling, nonsensical paragraph so...

Goals, then! Unfortunately, I've been slacking. We started a personal finance class on Thursday (the day before community day on Friday) where we're in town all day, which consequently makes it hard to do all the school. All that to say, I've been struggling to keep up with everything. I've not been Bullet Journaling-but I've started another kind of journal. Enter-junk journal. {proceed at your own risk of permanent confusion}                             One of my mom's very good friends (who happens to be my best friend's and my sister's best friend's sister's soon to be mother in law) ((yes, I meant to confuse you)) is helping me, my sister, and our best friend's (who are sisters, too) start these. They're scraps of old paper that we bound together, decorated, and write thoughts, prayers, gratitude, fears, Scripture etc... they are so cool and pretty! I will have a separate post for them. All my other goals have been kicked to the wind BUT I will get started on them soon! OH, but I have been keeping up on devotions! Reading the whole Bible this year-mid Numbers! 

What have I been baking?...CUPCAKES!!! I made cupcakes for a bridal shower, and for a baby shower this month. Both turned out pretty well-I think the baby shower ones are much better. I really enjoyed making these-well there were a few struggles along the way-and got a lot more experience for sure! Pictures to come. 

What have I been cooking...well in the spirit of Spring (up here in Alaska it is Fool's Spring, first out of about 8 false springs) I made chef salad yesterday. It is one of my favorite dinners ever. It's incredibly easy and delicious. It's literally like a lettuce salad, with cheese, chopped deli meat and/or grilled chicken pieces, more fresh produce if available and hard boiled eggs. It's so good with poppyseed dressing :) 

What have I been drinking...I had a head cold last week, so didn't really drink much coffee, but a lot of tea. I drank Glazed Lemon Loaf, Salted Caramel, Earl Grey and...Green Tea Matcha!!! I'm in love with this green tea! 

Our church has started doing youth worship service once a month! We had our first one two weeks ago, and it went really good! I did guitar (with the lead guitarist, of course) and it went great! 

I'm going to stop rambling now! Thanks for reading (if you made it all the way through!) and sorry it's two days behind schedule! Talk to you later...♡♡

Easy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

 What's up guys? I'm going to make this post short and sweet, so...

I decided to pair this along with the cupcake recipe I just posted. This is my favorite, go-to recipe for buttercream and I really like it. I got this from Sally's Baking Addiction (just like the cupcakes) of course. 

click here for link

Here's the recipe! 

Easy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting: 

    (this yields around 2.5 cups)

1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temp.

4-5 cups of confectioner's sugar

1/4 heavy whipping cream, milk, or half and half at room temp.

2 tsp vanilla extract

salt, to taste

With a handheld or stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high till creamy, about two minutes. Add 4 1/2 cups of the confectioner's sugar, milk, and the vanilla. Beat on low for 30 seconds then increase to medium high speed for two minutes. Add a pinch of salt if the frosting is too sweet. If the frosting is too runny, add the powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time, or add milk if it is too thick. Use immediately or cover and store in the fridge for 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. After freezing, thaw in the refrigerator, then beat the frosting on medium high for a few seconds, so it's nice and creamy again. If needed, add a splash of milk to thin it out. 

Hope you enjoyed this simple vanilla frosting recipe. If you make this recipe please comment below! Thanks for reading, and see you later!

Delicious Yellow Cupcake Recipe

 [guys! it's 2.22.22! how cool is that!] 

Anyway, to the post! These cupcakes are soft, moist, nicely sweetened, have a tender crumb and are easy to make! What's not to love!  

   Today I'm sharing a vanilla cupcake recipe with you. This is the only cupcake recipe I use anymore and they are really easy and fairly quick. I found this recipe in March 2019 ( I think?) and loved it! I get most of my recipes off of Sally's Baking Addiction because-well-they're all amazing. click here for the recipe!

     So, this kind of going into my life lately post, but I have been asked to make cupcakes for a baby shower and a bridal shower, and another bridal shower, and possibly something this summer. Since I've been thinking about starting a cupcake "business" I knew these would be great opportunities. (not to brag, but I'm known for my cupcakes 😉)  So, just to get the feel of using my own ingredients, I bought some flour, sugar, eggs, sour cream, sprinkles, and butter. 

    So, I made 2 dozen cupcakes for the bridal shower and decorated them with the color theme (a shade of pink, shade of green, and white) with some white pearls. They were pretty nice-looking. I might post pictures...But of course we were out of piping bags, and apparently Ziploc bags have become very poorly made, so there was a "big buttercream dilemma." 

    I also reduced the butter amount in the second batch (I made 2 dozen, separately) and they turned out really well and I thought they tasted great! 

Here is the recipe: 

2 eggs room temp

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cups butter softened to room temp (I reduced to 1/2, both turned out great)  

1 3/4 cups sugar (I also reduced this by a bit.) 

3 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup whole milk room temp 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12 count muffin pan with cupcake liners (this makes 16-18, by the way, so...)

With a handheld or stand mixer with a whisk attachment beat the two egg whites (keep the yolks, folks) on high speed until soft peaks form, about 2-3 minutes. You don't want liquid in the bottom of the bowl :) 

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl, whisk together and set aside. 

Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment beat the butter on high until soft and creamy. Add the sugar and beat on high for 2-3 minutes, or until creamed together well. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula. Add the two egg yolks and vanilla, beating on medium-high, scrape again! On a low speed add the dry mix and the milk in three additions, beginning and ending with the dry, until just incorporated. Do not over mix! Fold in the fluffy egg whites. The batter will be smooth, velvety, and a slightly thick. 

Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling about halfway full (they rise really nicely). Bake for 18-21 minutes (mine usually take 21 minutes). You will know when they're done when you lightly press the surface and they spring back, if the edges are brown, or when a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack, if you're fancy, or a counter, if you're like me. 

You can store these in an airtight container in the freezer (unfrosted) for 2-3 months! Or store them in an airtight container stored at room temp or in the refrigerator three days in advance. Or, leave them covered at room temp. a day in advance. Their only flaw is they dry out fairly quickly! 

So there is the recipe, I hope you enjoy! If you make these let me know! Also, I will post my few favorite frosting/buttercream recipes! See you later! 

Beautiful Quotes from Socrates

Hey, guys! Today I found some beautiful, inspiring quotes from Socrates, as I am learning about him in history right now. I love these quotes, and I hope you do, too! 

"The secret to change is to focus all your energy on not fighting the old, but on building the new." 

"Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people." 

"Sometimes you build up walls not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to break them down."

"It is better to change an opinion, rather than persist in a wrong one." 

"Falling down is not a failure. Failure comes when you stay where you've fallen."

"The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less" 

"Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." 

"Everyone wants to tell you what to do and what's good for you. They don't want you to find your own answers, they want you to believe theirs." 

"True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little about life, ourselves, and the world around us."

"Be slow to fall into friendship; but when thou art in, continue firm and constant." 

"He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have."

"Silence is a profound melody for those who can hear it above all the noise." 

"To find yourself, think for yourself." 

"True knowledge exists knowing that you know nothing." 

"The greatest lesson I have learned in life is that I have a lot left to learn." 

"The years wrinkle our skin, but lack of enthusiasm wrinkles our soul." 

What is your favorite(s)? Hope you enjoyed! 

Books to Read as a Family

Hey, guys! One thing our family loves is reading (or listening). We are almost always listening to an audiobook on the road. Especially since we live about half an hour from the nearest town, (where we have our friends, co-op, church etcetera) and an hour and a half-two hours from groceries and chiropractor etcetera we drive quite a bit. Here are some great family books to either read or listen to! 

The Mysterious Benedict Society-Trenton Lee Stewart (5/5 stars) 

    this is such a great book! it's intriguing, funny, exciting! totally recommend.

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place Series-Maryrose Wood (5/5) 

    we love this series so much! it's been a while since we've listened to it, but great memories! 

The Viking Quest Series-Lois Walfrid Johnson (5/5) 

    I LOVE, LOVE this book series! we first read this aloud as a family and for Christmas my cousin gave the whole series to me! I've read these several times, and don't get tired of them!

The Wingfeather Saga-Andrew Peterson (5/5)

    Great series :) Not my personal favorite..but super fun and interesting!

Don't worry I will be updating this list as we read (or I remember ;-) more. Hope you enjoy this list, and if your try any of these, let me know! That's all for now, see you later! 

February 14th

 ♡♡♡Happy Valentine's Day, readers! ♡♡♡

Can you believe it's already been a year since the last Valentine's Day?!?! 

Last year our family and a couple from our church put on a Comedy Night for Couples, which turned out sooo good. We made beautiful decorations, there was candles and string lights (it was at our church) delicious desserts! Plus lots of laughter! It doesn't seem like it's been a whole year since then! 

January went by so fast, too, though! 

Some incredibly witty and intelligent Valentine's Day jokes: 

Do skunks celebrate Valentine's Day?

Duh! They're so scent-imental! 

What did the calculator say to the pencil on V Day? 

Don't worry, you can always count on me. 

What did the chef give to his wife on Valentine's Day? 

a hug and quiche. 

Who ALWAYS has a date on Valentine's Day? 

    a calendar.

I hope you guys have a great Valentine's Day! See you later! ♡♡

100 Posts + A Roundup

 Hello, guys! I have big news! This is my 100th [Artsy Otter] blog post! *cheers*. I am personally more proud about this than I should be because I started mid May or so...100 posts isn't actually quite a lot for that amount of time. But, I am so happy about this milestone! 

I decided, that, in celebration of 100 blog posts I would do a roundup of top ten favorite posts of *all time*. So here we go! 

1. Rainy Day Activities

2. 10 Things You May Not Know About Me

3. 20 Cheap or Free Family Activities

4. How to End Days off Well & How to Start Days off Well

5. Books on my Bookshelf

6. Life Lately

7. London Fogs Recipe

8. School Snacks

9.  How to Create a 'Space'

10. Highlighter Tips + Tricks

What is one of your favorite posts? Anything you want more of? Let me know in the comments! 

I've had a pretty broad variety of topics [recipe testing, recipes, interior design, activities, random, quotes, music recommendations and on and on] but I can't tell which kind I like the most! 

I've been reading other's blogs to learn from them, so I can be a better blogger myself! I've been trying to add more variety, and information into my blogs, and trying to be more interesting :) 

My goal-set low, mind you-is that by the end of 2022 to have 200 blog posts! (100 to go!) I hope to exceed that number, but start small and see where you end up, right? 

Alright, that's all for now! I hope you enjoyed this post! See you later :)

Recipe Testing

 Hey! Today I'm going to be sharing a super fast and easy recipe I saw on Pinterest one day. This is an "at home Starbucks caramel frappucino", I think? Maybe?? 

I didn't have caramel sundae syrup, but did happen to have butterscotch (like when does that ever happen) so I used that instead. 

    All you need to do is put 3/4 cup milk, and around a cup or so of ice, your add in (could be sundae syrup, chocolate chips, whatever) and blend. I garnished my glass of this thick, icy, fairly yummy drink with a bit more butterscotch syrup and pretzels! 

It actually didn't taste spectacular like I'd hoped, but it still was pretty good. Probably a 3 1/2 out of 5. But I enjoyed it nonetheless. It was delicious looking though! Maybe I'll get around to posting a picture of it soon <3 

That's it! If you tried this, let me know how it turned out! Thanks for reading, see you soon! 

What's In My Bag?

 Hey! Glad you could join me today. I am on spring break week, so enjoying slowing down a little and less school! All I'm doing right now is my algebra, personal finance, and history. I thought this would be a great time to catch up on some stuff on the personal front, and blogging just happens to be on that to do list. So, here I am. 

I am a preparer. I love to be prepared, and I am not fully comfortable unless I know I have everything set/ready/packed. So, as I was perusing lists of lifestyle blog post ideas I stumbled upon "what is in my bag" and I decided to go for it. 

I recently got a new purse for Christmas *yay!* and have been loving it. It's a really nice size, and it's camo. What's not to love? I pulled all the items out of my old (actually old) purse, so I could regroup and organize. 

(love love love thirty one!) click here for link!

Anyways, It's more rectangular, and it's got a zip up pocket on the front, a phone pocket on the back and on the interior it has a more subtle zip up pocket. It's hard to explain, so just go check it out! 

In the front pocket I have my pack of chewing gum and inhaler. I like to keep it minimalist. ;) 

In the interior "compartment" I keep a little case thing that has hair ties, chapstick and earrings, my travel brush (gotta love 'em) and of course a deck of cards. For real though, those cards have come in handy several times. 

I have this really cute little LA coin purse I got as a gift from my brother, that has my earbuds and mask for easy access. (it hangs on the outside of the purse.) 

The interior pocket holds my gift cards/pocket money and driver's permit. This is a nice and secure pocket for all those things. 

So, that's what's in my purse. That's all for now! See ya later!

Self Care Night Routine

 This is funny. 

I don't really have one of these so...

    

every night I've been doing this, because it is one of my 2022 goals; get in a better self care routine. So you might be surprised on how not self-care ish my self care routine is. You'll laugh. 

I brush my teeth and put in my retainer. I pull my hair back, take off my glasses, watch, and bring over my hand (turned face) towel. I turn on the warm water and water my face. I do one and a half squirts of hd clear DōTERRA face wash. I mix it with a tiny bit of water and rub it over my whole face. Then I take my blaphenptis eye wash, which I have to spread on the outside of my eyelids. While I stand there for a minute I complete the effect by taking deep breaths and thinking inspiring thoughts. ;) Then I wash my face off, and dab my face off with a towel. Put my glasses and watch back on, and I'm done! 

There. 

Uh-huh. 

How to Stop Wasting Time

 Hey guys! How are you? 

Today I am going to be talking about how to stop.wasting.time. 

            I know...broad topic. But here's my favorite tips and tricks [soon].

Time is in demand, these days! (well, it's always been in demand, but...) 

Time is one of those things you can never get back again, it's the most often forgotten values in life. Time is beautiful. Time is one ofthe most easily regretted, untraceable things on earth. 

    So, all of that to say: Time is important, don't waste it. 

Here is a few beautiful quotes about lost time to inspire you to keep saving it! 

     "You may delay, but time will not, and lost time is never found again."-Benjamin Franklin

"Time flies over us, but leaves it's shadow behind."-Nathaniel Hawthorne

               

                 "Lost wealth may be replaced by industry, lost knowledge by study, lost health by temperance or medicine, but lost time is gone forever"-Samuel Smiles

Lost time is always lost. So take advantage of the time you have and stop wasting it!

Here are some tips on how to save your time: 

    1) Prioritize your day. This can be time blocking, to do lists, etc. I recommend writing in a daily, weekly, and even monthly planner. 

    2) Monitor the time you spend. How much? and on what? Is it worth it? Important? What can you do to keep yourself from spending precious time on unimportant things. This might mean setting time limits on your phone/computer or setting timers for completing certain things (e.g. doing the laundry.) 

    3) Make a detailed meal plan. It can be exhausting and take a really long time to figure out what groceries you have, what meals you could make, and didn't I already have something with ground turkey earlier this week? 

    4) Set Break timers. Instead of just taking random breaks throughout the day, work for like two hours and then take a 10 minute break to stretch your legs, get a snack, anything. This really prioritizes your time and makes you more efficient. I started doing this recently and it's really helpful. When it's break time I quick tidy my room and refill my water, get a snack and back to school! 

    5) Get a goodnight's sleep. This might not seem as obvious, but trust me! 

    6) Create a distraction free zone. Somewhere where you can focus on your work.

    7) Create goals for your personal, and for your work/school life. This also helps you prioritize!

 

That's all for now, I hope these helped! Enjoy, and if you have any time saving actions you would like to share, feel free to comment below! 

Looming Hats

 This is my favorite (craft?)...I don't know what the official categorization that hat looming goes under. 

But I love looming hats/scarves/leg warmers etc. a lot. Because...it's really easy, I can get a baby hat out in (I don't know) a few hrs or so, I can quickly do a row here and there between school subjects, and I can easily do it while our family watches our show. 

What's not to love? 

Plus, it turns these projects out beautifully! Here is 3 baby hats that I made in December. I like them. But now I need to make baby boy hats, because these are girl hats, and I feel like only boys are being born/have been born. So, definitely need to get more "boy" yarn ;-) 

ANYWAY, here are the hats. 

I know that the coral one looks a little, strange, but after a little reshaping and pulling, it looked fine. 

Which one is your favorite? 

Baby Names I Love

 Welcome back, readers! Today I thought I'd share some of my favorite baby names. As a writer, I started compiling lists and lists of baby names for my stories and books. I did realize, however, looking over them that a lot of the names I used to love, I don't anymore. So, I decided to write up some of my new favorites. You might find a lot of similar names, but it's for a reason. I did find that Rose, Grace, Joy, and Olivia are really good middle names, as you can see! I'll be adding more and more as I go, there's always more! Do you like any of these? 

• Autumn Faye
• Luella Rose
• Abigail Joy
• Addison Mae
• Talitha Rose
• Evelyn Joy
• Harbor Olivia
• Adair Blue
• Lyra Anne
• London Paige
• Madeline Olivia
• Avonlea Rose
• Aspen Rose
• Tinley Nichole 
• Lauren Tate
• Indigo Rayne
• Kinsley Sage
• Teagen June
• Avery Joy
• Amaranth Joy
• Magnolia Grace
• Loren Azalea 
• Aven Elise
• Haven Marie
• Tyra Rose
• Violet Olivia
• Tessa Rose
• Audrey Jane
• Poppy 
• Wrenley
• Taylor Amaranth
• Jordyn Paige
• Lilah Jean
• Lillian Joy
• Phoenix Joy
• Alora Joan
• Ruelle Song
• Ireland Rayne
• Sparrow LaRue
• Isla Joy
• Tenley Zo
• Aleah Faith
• Holland Reese
• Matilda Grace
• Tennyson Evangeline
• Aria Rain
• Tinleigh Rue
• Skye Auslow
• Willow Layne
• Tenley Rose
• Adalynn Joy
• Etolin Joy
• Auslow Rose
• Ava Rose
• Piper Saige
• Kinley Sage
• Kinsley Oaks
• Amelia Rose
• Amber Leigh
• Allyn Grace
• Hazel Mae
• Adatha Lee
• Skyler Ann
• Layla Brooks
• Addison LaRue