App-etizing

This is an out-of-character post for me as I don't really care that much about technology and I'm usually behind the times. Thankfully I have a husband who is a tech junkie and has pushed me into the world of iPhones, iPads, iPods, i-everything. I've been playing with my phone and our iPad lately and have found these apps to be great for daily living and daily time wasting. This will really floor you- I've added links to each app I'm recommending! Don't judge me if you already know about and or use all of the apps I'm about to recommend below :)

Let's jump into a little day dream. We're going to plan a new life for ourselves all by using phone apps. We're going to buy a home and decorate it, get healthy, and become perfect chefs.

To begin this new lifestyle we must begin with a new home: While Russell and I are currently home owners who live in apartments (and right now a furnished apartment that we get absolutely no design control over), we love to dream about the homes where we may one day live (yes homes, not apartments).

Zillow and Trulia are great apps to use when you're in a neighborhood looking at home prices. They help you not only see what is for sale, but how long it has been for sale and gives you a good

picture of what you'll be paying to live in that neighborhood. For most listings, pictures are available and you get most MLS information. We love to use these apps when we are visiting new places to get a better feel for the area. Both of these apps are free. These are best used on your iPhone while on the go since you'll most likely to be able to connect to them. We rarely use these apps while at home so they're less iPad friendly unless you have a 3G plan.

Once you've found that perfect neighborhood and the perfect home to buy, you're going to need to get remodeling ideas and an overall picture for the way you want your new home to look. Houzz is a great free app for this. It has a plethora of pictures that are organized by space, style, color scheme etc. You can open various ideabooks for various projects. Right now I have an ideabook for I.O. Metro photo shoot ideas (current place of employment) and an ideabooks for our future home. You can add notes to each picture that you choose so that you don't forget why you liked the picture. The more pictures you choose, the better Houzz can predict other photos you may like. Even better- some pictures are tagged so that you can click on items in the rooms that you choose to find out where to buy the items. It even links you right to the products. There are also lists of designers, builders, retail owners etc. in your area that can help you with your design. You can get lost for hours on this app. I recommend this app for your iPad or your computer so that you can really see the picture details.

Now that you've chosen an overall look for your new home you can get down to business and iron out the details for every room. Moodboard is not a free app but it is worth the $10. You become a professional interior designer. Moodboard allows you to create a theme for your space and choose specific products. You pick a background color, you can import actual pictures of your room and overlay sketches or actual products right into the room. You can go directly to websites to choose products and crop/size the items to scale or just to fit onto your board. As you choose products, you can add links to them to take you right back to where you found the perfect piece for your room so that you can buy it whenever you're ready. You can add notes, frames, scaled drawings of your room, the possibilities are endless! Once your room is ready, you can email it, post it to facebook or print it for your files. Another great use for this app is party planning...create your theme and plan out seating etc. This app is best for your iPad but is accessible from your phone.

Now that your home is move in ready, it's time to stock the pantry with healthy choices!

Fooducate is a fun app. I use it more for judging the snack options in the office than actually buying food at the grocery store. Russell and I don't buy a ton of prepackaged goods so it's not always the best app for us. If you are a prepackaged food buyer this app is great for helping you find the best product for you and your family. The app has a scanner that you use to scan an item's barcode. Once the item is scanned, the food is given a grade A+ through F. With the grade, it gives you calorie count per serving and alternative foods that are similar but healthier choices for you. It also gives you quick-read bullet points of the positives and negatives about the food you chose. There are other great features on this app such as a history of items you've scanned, "my likes" to keep up with things you typically buy, "healthy me" to give you a personal health grade based on the foods that you choose and a "messages" section that sends you opportunities to save money and win stuff. This app is hands down most effective for your iPhone.

Now that you've stocked your pantry and fridge with healthy options, it's time to get to cooking scrumptious and creative meals. Here are my two favorite recipe apps:

All Recipes is great for everyday cooking. Most recipes are reviewed and there's a huge variety. If you're feeling spontaneous, there's a "recipe spinner" feature where you choose the dish type, main ingredient and prep time and it comes up with a recipe for you. If you're more of a planner (which I am) you can look for more specific recipes. The search feature gives you dietary filter options so if you are a vegetarian or you're allergic to dairy, those recipes that don't fit that criteria will not be shown. Once you figure out what you're searching for, recipes are sorted by ratings given by others who have made the recipe. You can read reviews to better decide which recipe is right for you. This app is great for you iPhone while searching on the go and for your iPad when using it in the kitchen. The iPad app is definitely easier to read while cooking. This one is free.

Epicurious is probably my favorite recipe app. The basic version is free and an upgrade is less than $2. This app is very well arranged for iPhone and iPad. Again, I love the iPhone app while in the grocery store and the iPad app while cooking. There are seasonal recipe categories as well as categories for beginning cooks and fast prep options. You have the option of saving recipes that you choose in a recipe card "box" and shopping lists are automatically generated for you when you choose recipes. The iPad app looks very similar to a cookbook or recipe binder. LOVE this one!

You've moved into your new home, impressed your friends with great food and now you've decided to top off your perfect new life with a little exercise.

I haven't found many exercise apps that I'm crazy about, but I love Map My Run. You can use Map My Run on your computer, iPad, and iPhone. Use your computer or iPad to plan a route and use your iPod to get an accurate reading of your actual route. Back in my marathoning days (yes, that seems so long ago) I used Map My Run to make sure my training runs were long enough. I saved my favorite routes from training and Map My Run still has them (as if I'm ever going to run 20 miles for fun ever again). Lately, I've been using Map My Run on my iPhone to calculate distance and pace. I just activate the app and carry my phone with me while I'm walking or running. It shows you a real-time picture of your progress, gives you a current pace and average pace, calories burned estimate and overall distance. It's like a pedometer on steroids. Get this app. It's free and it's fun.

So there you go- a whole new life is just a few app downloads away :)

...and that's all!

Service Schmervice

As many know, Russell and I are huge fans (and critics) of good customer service. We both work hard to be polite and easy-to-deal-with patrons and we hope that we are perceived as hospitable to guests in our home. Why is it so hard for some people to be nice, knowledgeable and helpful?

Russell and I are so thankful that the company he is working for this summer has provided us with furnished, low cost housing this summer so please do not take the following post as an ungrateful rant. We realize how lucky we are for Russell to be working for a great company that is taking their interns well-being (and wallets) into consideration.

I begin this story 2 weeks ago. Russell is in China and I'm trying to pack up our apartment in Durham so that we can head out ASAP for our summer adventure. We have been told that we will be living in a furnished apartment. It took a considerable amount of time to even find out where we were living for the summer which was frustrating but forgivable.

As soon as I found out where we would be living, I called the apartment complex to ask about some basics- What is our address? Do we have a broom/mop/vacuum? Do I need to bring bedding? Do we have televisions? Do we have internet? Are these questions hard? Unreasonable? Out of the ordinary? I think not. The person on the phone was so rude. She cut me off, gave me short answers and didn't even know the answers to some of my questions.

If I had been the leasing consultant, I would've given the following answers: "I don't know the answers to your questions but I'll have my manager call you when she is available." OR "I know the answers to [x y z] but I'm not sure about the rest. Let me find out and I will call you back as soon as I can." OR "We are swamped in the office. I want to get all of your questions answered. I can call you back later today or you can email me your questions and I'll get them answered as soon as I can."

I cut my conversation short because I was feeling like I was being a nuisance and I was annoyed with her lack of hospitality. I tried to shake my frustration throughout the day but I just couldn't drop it. I chose to email the office and politely throw in that I felt I had been disregarded and rushed through my conversation. The manager returned my call and she was very polite. In this call I got a better picture of what to expect in my furnished apartment. During the conversation I thought it would be important to let her know that Russell and I would be arriving after the other interns. I told her we would be arriving either Monday or Tuesday and that I would call before we showed up. This conversation lasted around 15 minutes in total.

Fast forward to about a week later. I am following up on our promise to call before we arrived.

When I called the manager answered and I told her we were on our way. She was confused and said, "I thought the interns moved in on Friday." Really?! Didn't we have a conversation about this. I don't expect her to remember everything, but this was a significant point of our conversation.

We arrive around noon on Tuesday and guess who checks us in- you got it! It was the rude girl on the phone. Was she rude again? Not blatantly, I think she's just not from around here. Did she give us ample information about the complex? Not. At. All. She handed us some paperwork and did not explain a single piece. She pretty much showed us where to sign and got up. We read through the paperwork while she paced, obviously annoyed that we were actually reading it. The manager ran past the table and threw a welcome basket at us. She did not make eye contact, welcome us or introduce herself. We were handed two keys and shown a map of the apartment complex. The leasing consultant circled our building and sent us on our way with two keys (one of which did not work).

The apartment is well furnished, moderately clean and we have plenty of space. I can't complain too much about the apartment but here are my complaints: sheets not clean, bed frame so squeaky that when you open the bedroom door the bed squeaks (it wakes us up during the night), a few dead bugs on the floor (which you could expect from an apartment that has been closed up for a few days/weeks this time of year), a very tiny kitchen trashcan with no lid, and the kitchen is very scarcely equipped (I will also accept my snottiness about kitchens. The kitchen is actually fine...I'm just a kitchen brat). More great things- all of the marketing interns live on the same floor (although if you read earlier posts you will know Russell and I sometimes have trouble fitting in with the cool kids and we're finding that to be true again), we are living in Fayetteville which is my old college stomping grounds and I live 5 minutes from my little sister- so fun!

After day one I find that I have more questions like: Can I get a new key? When does the cleaning service come? Where do we get our mail? Where do we take our trash? What should I do to make my internet work? Can I get into the gym after hours? Below you will enjoy a verbatim reenactment of my experience in the leasing office:

Me: Hi! It's me again. Is this a good time for me to ask some questions?

Girl at front desk (new one, haven't seen her yet): stares

(I take this as a cue to continue talking)

Me: Ok, well I have several questions here is the first. Number one: one of our apartment keys doesn't work. Do you have another spare or should I go get another one copied?

Girl: We have one (continues to stare)

Me: Second question: Where do I get my mail?

Girl: it's out your door on to the right.

Me: On the third floor?

Girl: No on the first floor.

Aside: when I get back to my apartment I look to the right on the first floor. No mail. Determined not to ask further questions about the mail, I continue to search. I look across the parking lot, probably 50 yards away (that's right, half a football field) there was a little mail hut. Sorry that wasn't obvious to me.

Me: Do I have a combination to get my mail?

Girl: (annoyed) you use your mail key.

Me: Oh, well we didn't get a mail key. Do you have that?

Girl: silently turns and walks to the back to get our new house key and our mail key and hands the keys to me.

Me: Ok, here's my next question. I've been told we have a cleaning service. Can you tell me when the cleaning service comes?

Girl: Silently steps aside and shifts her gaze to the manager sitting in her office.

I take this to mean she doesn't know the answer and I shift my attention to the manager.

Manager: Our cleaning service doesn't have a set schedule.

Me: So is there a range that I could expect her?

Manager: Sometime between Monday and Friday. She doesn't have a set schedule because sometime she has more apartments to clean than others or the weather might be bad.

Me: (restraining the urge to yell) Ok, so I just need to make sure that my house is picked up and there is nothing in the washer/dryer (I say this because I have been told previously that she will not wash your sheets and towels if there is stuff in the washer/dryer).

Manager: No you don't have to do that. She'll just vacuum around whatever is on the floor and she won't wash your sheets if there are things in the washer or dryer.

Me: (thinking not speaking) Why in the heck would I want her to vacuum around piles on the floor and not wash my sheets?

Me: (to the Manager) Ok. Well is she on the property now?

Manager: Yes.

Me: Any idea where she might be? I'll just go ask her what her schedule usually is.

Manager: I don't know what you could possibly ask her. I just told you everything you need to know.

Me: Thank you. Oh, I have a couple more questions. Where do we take our trash?

Manager: To the dumpster.

Me: (Again resisting the urge to roll my eyes, grit my teeth, and scream). Yes, I know I take it to the dumpster. Could you tell me where I could find the dumpster?

Manager: The closest one to your building.

Me: (giving up on this one, I will look for the dumpster myself. It happens to be close to my building) Thank you. Also, what are the rules about working out before or after hours?

Manager: You will come in and sign up for a pass to get in the doors. It will cost $25 if you lose it.

Me: Ok, so do I just come in the day before I need it and sign up for the pass?

Manager: No. You can keep the pass with you.

Me: How do I get the pass?

Manager: Just come in when you're ready to fill out the paperwork.

Me: (after a short pause) I'd like to fill out the paperwork now if I can do that.

Manager: Ok great. Do you have a roommate?

Me: Yes. My husband.

Manager: Does he want a pass too?

Me: sure.

Manager: Well he'll have to fill out paperwork separately.

Me: Can he just use the pass I'm signing for?

Manager: Well, yes!

Me: Ok, then he doesn't need a pass of his own.

Manager: (walks away to get paperwork which I'm expecting to be extensive since she assumed that I'd want to come back to fill out) Here ya go. Sign right here.

Me: (signing the one line after reading the 5 line paragraph). Thanks, where do I use this pass?

Manager: vaguely points behind her and says "over there"

(I still have no idea where to use this pass...I'll soon be finding out when I have to do early morning workouts)

Me: Ok, last question. My husband brought you our router that didn't have an A/C adapter. Do you have a replacement for us?

Manager: Yes it's in my car. We'll get it now.

Me: Thanks so much for all of your help today. I apologize for all of my questions. Have a great day.

Manager: MmmHmm. Here's your router. You need to call Cox to get them to set it up for you.

...and that was the end of the exchange.

Fast forward to later in the day after an hour and a half on the phone with the very polite Cox people I had to trek back to the leasing office. It's not far, I just feel like it's a trek because I dread the interactions that take place there. I explain that this router doesn't work because it's assigned to a different apartment complex. Two days later I finally had internet.

So there ya go- if you would like to break into the world of leasing office management, the competition is weak. At least that's what I'm assuming. It could be a tough market with unique criteria including checking boxes that say "I do not like helping people" "I do not like to smile" and "I do not have common sense".

I hope you've enjoyed my rant for the day. Happy summer y'all!

...and that's all!

Mothers

I am likely one of the luckiest people in the world because I have been blessed with numerous women in my life, especially my mother, who have been role models for me to grow up into a confident and self-sufficient woman. I've been thinking about this post for several days and ways I could possibly organize it to get all of my thoughts into one post. I think I will just make a list of things I have learned from the women in my life. I won't name names because I would hate to hurt feelings or leave someone important out, but if you're one of those important women you'll know.

Here is my list, I'm sure not complete, and in no particular order:

I have learned from special women in my life to...

...be a hard worker

...set good examples for my siblings and cousins

...cook great food with a huge budget or a tiny one

...cook great food for one or for one hundred

...bake the perfect cake

...volunteer my time to help others in need

...be kind to strangers and to people I know

...read

...write

...stand up for myself

...get stains out of clothes

...garden (or at least where food comes from...I swear I'll learn to garden some day)

...save money

...make money

...swaddle babies

...rock babies

...feed babies

...dance

...have self confidence

...have my own style

...love my husband

...wrap gifts

...type

...swim

...dance

...make hair bows

...grocery shop

...lead by example

...run meetings

...love God

...plan a party

...write thank you notes

...can food

...juggle packed schedules

...plan vacations

...resolve disagreements without yelling or being ugly

...embrace difference and change

...embrace familiarity and similarity

...cry when I need to

...make friends

...be inclusive

...follow my heart and intuition

....think

....be confident

...love myself

...love others

...be independent and to need others

...dress up and use manners

...play in the woods, on the lake, in the dirt

...go barefoot

...wear high heels

...be thankful for what I have

I know there is so much more to add to this list. I'm so lucky to have special women in my life who have helped me become strong and well-rounded. I know that there are many women in the word who have not had the luxury of good female role models. I know there is still so much my special women have to teach me. Thank you to these women, especially my mom!

Thanks y'all!

"Kiddin" Around

I've been a little behind in my blog posting lately but I couldn't go without posting about these adorable babies! Last Tuesday, my friends Emily and Meredith and I headed out to Prodigal Farm to feed their kids. This year is the biggest "crop" of babies they've ever had topping out at 104 (I think). Thank you Meredith for loving the farmer's markets and for receiving Prodigal Farm's newsletter AND for including me in this thrilling experience!

We all woke up bright and early to make it to the farm by their 8am feeding time. We were warmly greeted by the farmers and the quickly put to work.

We fed the newest kids from bottles made out of old wine bottles and baby bottle nipples.

The older babies were passed back and forth into an enclosed stall to be fed from an ice chest that had been turned into a milk bar. Holes were drilled in the sides and nipples were placed in the holes. The ice chest was filled with formula and the goats just helped themselves. Each goat in this year's new herd has been named with "E" names and when a goat was passed over, you call out their name so that they can be checked off the list and everyone is sure to be fed.

My favorites were the smallest babies. They were so eager to eat and to get attention. Who knew a baby goat

could be so sweet! Just look at those faces!

Some babies ate a ton (like tiny little Egg in the first picture below) but others needed a little coaxing.

I was excited to use my speech pathologist feeding skills to help a little guy who isn't yet taking a bottle on his own and exhibits signs of failure to thrive. Chile is his mom's name. He hasn't been given his own name yet, I assume

because they aren't sure if he'll make it, but that's just a guess. He doesn't curl his tongue when he sucks and he hates the bottle nipple. We used a special soft bottle (a 1 liter coke bottle) so that we could control the milk flow and he didn't have to suck.

After much effort, we got him to eat some food. His breakfast was followed by a little bath because he was COVERED in formula.

A little less than two hours later all kids had been fed, we were covered in milk and dirt, and had made 104 new little pals. We headed over to the milking barn and got an overview of the milking process and graciously received our payment- chevre cheesecakes and goat cheese spread. I chose a coconut lime cheesecake and curry spread. In case you are wondering, I ate every single bit of them in 3 days. I tried to share with Russell but he loathes goat cheese.

Some facts about goats that I learned on our field trip:

1) Goats only breed one time per year, the

se goats breed in October.

2) Baby goats stay with their mothers for about two days before they are moved. Goats produce colostrum just like humans that is very important for the baby's health.

3) Male goats are kept away from female goats except during breeding. When male goats are

near females, their pheromones cause the milk and cheese to taste very "goaty".

4) It's very common for a goat to have twins and triplets. It is rare for them to have quadruplets but it can happen.

...I can't wait to go back!

and that's all!

What Makes A Day Beautiful?

This morning I had a tough time dragging myself out of bed. It was rainy, gloomy and a little chilly. I was hoping to wake up to warm and sunny but it didn't happen. I was prepping myself for a bit of a lazy, unfulfilled morning. I went through the morning routine of making a green smoothie (much needed after our pizza binge at Mellow Mushroom last night) and checking email. This morning Russell had to be at a conference and that's the only thing that got me out the door. I decided that since I would be near downtown that I should stop in at the farmers' market and that's when my day took a turn for the better.

As always, I should've taken more pictures to illustrate the perfection represented in the farmers' market. Upon entering, there is a man playing the violin, and toddlers doing the baby bounce as they listen. Families interacting and meeting new families, lots of smiling faces, and the sound of "good morning" throughout the crowd. I could sit and watch this community of people all day. I took a walk through the market to enjoy the smells and beautiful colors of the vegetables, fruits, fresh meat and cheese, and beautiful flowers. All farmers smiling and ready to tell you anything you need to know about their organic goods.

I could've shopped all day and come home with a load of food for the week but

I practiced a bit of self control and walked away with fresh strawberries and asparagus. The strawberries were picked this morning at 6:45. Embarrassingly, I was 75 cents short but without even a blink, the boy at the strawberry stand said "Don't worry about it! Enjoy your strawberries!".

I love the market. Everybody wins there. The shoppers get fresh food and they know exactly where it came from. The farmers raise awareness of their farms and make profit for their hard work. Durham builds a stronger family.

I took one more perusal through the market-listening, looking, and breathing deeply taking in the experience. When backing out of the small space where I chose to park, a couple stopped to help me and let me know how much space I had left and did it with a smile.

It's not the weather that makes this day beautiful. It's the community. People serving people.

...and that's all!

StrengthsFinder 2.0

I recently read StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath. This book analyzes your personal strengths and it's findings can be applied to the workplace, in the home and throughout all relationships with others. The foundation of the book is based on a researched theory that people are more successful when they focus on their natural talents and traits instead of trying to constantly transform their weaknesses.

This is such a quick read and the test takes about 30 minutes to complete. I highly recommend it to anyone no matter your age or stage in your career. The test gives you the results of your top 5 strengths (there are 34 different strengths that have been identified) Here are my results:

Developer: "People who are especially talented in the Developer theme recognize and cultivate then potential in others. They spot the signs of each small improvement and derive satisfaction from these improvements"

Individualization: "People who are especially talented in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can work together productively"

Responsibility: "People who are especially talented in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty"

Communication: "People who are especially talented in the Communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters"

Futuristic: "People who are especially talented in the Futuristic theme are inspired by the future and what could be. They inspire others with their visions of the future"

I will have to say, I think that the descriptions of my strengths are a bit idealistic and I only wish that my strengths were actually as strong as the descriptions portray. Overall, though, I think the test was pretty accurate in pinpointing my strong traits. The test results go on to discuss what you should do to express your strengths to your advantage and how others may perceive your strengths in both positive and negative lights.

Taking the test has definitely helped me brainstorm ways to use my strengths to my advantage. I hope that I can capitalize on these traits and embark on a successful new career, whatever it may be!

Chicken Asparagus and Mushroom Crepes

Once again, I have forgotten to take pictures of the food I made before it was devoured...just trust me on this one, it's REALLY good!

Makes enough for 6 crepes (not perfect on portions yet, you'll have some stuff leftover)

Crepes:

3/4 c. flour

2 eggs

1/2c. milk

1/4 c. buttermilk

1/8 t. salt

1-2 t fresh rosemary

a few cranks of the pepper grinder

1/8 c. grated Parmesan cheese (or hard cheese blend)

put all of the stuff above into a blender and blend until smooth, transfer to a bowl and let set for 30min.

Filling:

1 to 1/2 chicken breasts cut into chunks and seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder

6-8 asparagus spears cut up

1/4 onion (purple or yellow) cut up

5 strips of bacon already cooked and crumbled (use half for filling and half for sauce)

some chicken broth

3 T sour cream

2 T flour (maybe)

in a pan, saute onions and asparagus for 3 minutes (maybe with a little bit of butter), add in chicken and cook until chicken is done. Add in bacon, sour cream, and chicken broth. Add the chicken broth about 1/8 c. at a time. Add in flour to thicken and reduce until it tastes good.

Sauce:

1/4 onion

1 carton portabella mushrooms, sliced

1/8 c. flour

chicken broth

1/4 c. shredded cheese, white cheddar or monterey jack

1/4 c. half and half

a pinch of thyme

saute onions, thyme, and mushrooms in a splash of chicken broth, when softened add bacon, more chicken broth, half and half, cheese and flour, reduce and continue adding chicken broth until desired consistency is reached, shouldn't be pasty.

Prepare crepes, I used a crepe maker but if you don't have one you should look up the best way to make them.

Add chicken filling and roll up then drizzle with mushroom sauce. Garnish with chopped green onions. I gave each person 2 crepes.

...and that's all!