Happy #thinkingoutloud Thursday! No idea what I’m going on about? Click here!
1. 3.more.days until I can go back to chewing gum again. 3 more days! I wish I could say that I experienced some awesome health benefits as a result of giving up gum for 40 days, but… I didn’t. Then again, I was only chewing around 2 or 3 pieces a day (I chew half a stick at a time), which I guess isn’t much in the grand scheme of things. I miss the taste and having something to do with my mouth, though, so… three more days [until Easter]!
2. On that note… spring really needs to stop being such a bipolar tease. It went from a gorgeously sunny 17°C (63°F) one day to a cold, wet, and windy 5°C (41°F) the next — and we might even get some snow out of it [edit: we did indeed end up getting snow]. Things were looking so good for a while there, and I even managed to crack open the windows and listen to the birds sing. But now? I’m back to drinking my smoothies by the fireplace and walking around looking like this…
3. There’s only one place I’m okay with having more snow, and that’s up in the mountains…
The conditions weren’t all that great on our last trip up, with tonnes of wind, limited visibility, and snow that went from sheets of ice near the summit to heavy slush near the bottom. The season usually lasts until early May, but I’ll be lucky to get one more trip in before I have to break for the summer/fall. Sad face.
4. So I discovered a favourite new way to cook brown rice! And by “discovered a new way,” I really mean “finally tried something that’s been around forever but I’ve just been too lazy to do.” Rinse and soak [and rinse again] your grains first. It doesn’t even have to be for long (I think I soaked mine for about 30 minutes?), but it’ll give you the fluffiest and most filling pot of brown rice that you’ve ever had. Give it a go!
5. And while you’re at it, whip up a batch of my almond butter protein fudge as well! I don’t want to toot my own horn, but… toooooooot. This ish be good.
6. It only took me 5 months, but I finally got around to getting a new phone case. I figured it was time to stop tempting fate and throw some protection on that sucker before I dropped it and it turned into iPhone smithereens. I like it well enough, but I’m currently going through that awkward phase of trying to get use to holding it all over again. Watch me end up dropping it just because of that…
7. So I’m back to playing FarmVille… I randomly stopped playing around 3 months ago, and then randomly decided to pick it up and got hooked all over again. I’d call it a nasty habit, but in all honesty? Video games are my escape and good for my mental health. Yup. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
8. You guys know I adore my Erin Condren Life Planner* (referral link), so I’m super stoked to tell you that you can now get one for the remainder of 2015 for 40% off the original price! It’s a great way to try one out and see how you like it if you weren’t too keen on the price before. You can click here to check out my in-depth review, and if you sign up using my link, you can also get $10 off your first order. Not too shabby!
9. For the past couple of weeks, a tonne of my comments have been going to spam. I always do my best to try and comment on as many of the ToL linkup posts as I can, so if you haven’t been seeing me pop up then look for me in your spam folder and get me out of there! I have no idea why it randomly started to do that, but I hope it randomly sorts itself out soon because… grrrr.
10. I always mean to make these ToL posts a little shorter, but it never ends up happening…. Happy Thursday, friendly faces! Get out there and rock some socks off! 😀
No questions… just tell me whatever comes to your mind! 😀
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Almond. Butter. Protein. Fudge. You know I’m drooling right now, right? Definitely will be trying that soon! 😀 Have a great weekend!!
Loving your new Kate phone case!! Hope the weather shapes up for you all next week…we’re FINALLY starting to get spring-like weather here in VA.
Ive never thought to presoak my rice before….I may have to try that. As for whats on my mind right now…the fact that im currently typing this from my parents couch because im home! craziness – it feels surreal still. I keep having to remind myself that im not going back to work tomorrow.
Hope you’re having the best time, love! <3
OMG!!! I had not read your post yet before I wrote mine and litterally said OMG out loud when I saw your #1 thought…..mine is so similar! The Lord knows our hearts!!!
Mother nature needs to STOP PLAYING!!!
Rinse and soak- I will need to try that! Thanks
Almond butter protein fudge -dang that looks tasty!!
did you notice less bloating when you stopped gum chewing?
Unfortunately, no 😕 But like I said, I didn’t really chew that much to begin with. I’ve heard lots of people say their bloating went away, but that was usually in cases where they were chewing almost a pack a day.
Sweet case! And omg yes this weather… is being such a tease!! Said it was going to be almost 60 today but seriously just felt like 45…! I can’t wait til I can go outside without boots and a scarf 🙁
Going to look into the planner today also need an address book(yes I still use one lol). Love the phone case (not telling my daughter about it, she’s a Kate Spade fan) Another well written post Amanda! Have a Happy Easter!
Loving the phone case! I just put up gold polka dot wall stickers up in my office so I’m digging the polka dot thing 😉 And aren’t you the cutest all bundled up! Praying for spring to show it’s face sometime soon, too. Have a great day!
I love your new phone case! I have a boring plain pink one but I’ve been thinking about ordering one off of ETSY that has a bike on it
Etsy has so many cute cases, I can’t even handle it. I can easily lose 2 hours once I start browsing on there 😆
Soaking rice before cooking it is one of the best tricks I’ve learned, too! I’m not sure how I survived before learning it 😉
Almond butter protein fudge sounds amazing! Have to try it 🙂
I love the Kate Spade brand – especially their phone cases! I’ve been wanting to get one for my phone so bad, but I’m thinking I’ll just wait until my current one bits the dust (or I get a new phone!).
Soaking rice seems like a whole lotta work! Rice already takes FOREVER to cook. Is it really worth it?
Hmm. It’s worth trying out and seeing if it’s worth it? It’s definitely pleasant, but maybe not enough to justify the extra effort. It does help to remove some of the phytic acid, though… so it’ll be easier for your body to digest.
I haven’t chewed gum in over 2 weeks, because well it was kind of out of control. I haven’t seen any amazing differences either, so who the heck knows. I was also chewing a lot more than you…1/2 piece isn’t so bad. What’s your favorite flavor anyway? 😉
Spearmint! Always and forever. I’ll occasionally get a craving for some watermelon gum, but 99.9% of the time it’s spearmint.
Oh my gosh!!! I just got my Erin Condren life planner in the mail on Monday!!!!!! Yahooo!!! I love your little special details too. I plan on going into Home Sense this weekend to see if I can find some gel pens and stickers to jazz up my new love. I found some Etsy sites with neat stuff too, but thinking I might be better off making my own stickers and page savers etc. 🙂 Great minds think alike! And if I didn’t have one already, your post would have influenced me to get one STAT.
Now I am butt hurt I over paid, if only I was a little more patient, lol.
-Ash
Don’t feel so bad! I paid around $40 for shipping, and a few weeks later they lowered the international shipping costs. Urgh. But it’s crazy how much of my life has become stickers, washi tape, and post it notes 😆 So much fun.