So I quit (most) social media for a month... Part 2

These are the voyages of a confessed Pinterest addict, expert Facebook stalker, and Tumblr fangirl who decided to quit her social media loves for a month. Herein you will find the chronicles of that month long journey... the good, the bad, and the whining.


Day 1: Besides an occasional finger twitch to check my phone's notifications, not too bad...except Once Upon A Time is back from its' hiatus and I CAN'T CHECK TUMBLR TO SEE ALL THE NEW FAN THEORIES, FANART AND FANFICS... but really I'm doing fine.

Day 3: Went to Facebook stalk someone, and realized that I couldn't... Just shed an imaginary tear.(insert sad emoticon face here).

Day 5: Finished binge watching the web series The Lizzie Bennett Diaries (for the second time) and The Autobiography of Jane Eyre. Now contemplating binging on Emma Approved. Am now 17 episodes into Emma Approved.

Day 7: Went to show a friend a Pin, but had to slowly BACK AWAY FROM THE PHONE.

Day 8: Finished all 87 episodes of Emma Approved. Now what?

Day 9: Because I'm no longer being sucked into the social media black hole, I'm sorting through my enormous backlog of Taste of Home and Simple and Delicious magazine...how in the name of Serenity have I collected so many?!

Day 11: I think today's the first day I haven't been aching to check Pinterest. Not that I'm not longing to pin all the vintage Easter cards and spring desserts pins I can find, 'tis the season after all, but I'm okay not doing it.

Day 12: Received this email notification from Facebook...

(Facebook, I think you might have more of a problem with me than I do with you...)

Day 15: Halfway done!! It's kind of crazy, but the urge to to do my habitual evening interwebs browsing is almost...gone. Whoa.

  

(Baby Tom, you are adorable.)

Day 18: I have several friends who have birthdays this month and not being able to wish them "Happy Birthday" on Facebook feels kind of strange. I'm going to have to do something drastic like text, call or even...send them a card (!!) to wish them "Happy Birthday". What?!

Day 20: I broke my vow. I sneaky sneaked my way onto Facebook. It was only to wish my Canadian friend "Happy Birthday". I don't have international texting, and that was the only way I could be sure she would get my birthday love. I didn't check a single notification even though I was sorely tempted. Seriously. I did not. That red notification flag was taunting me, but I said "NO."

Day 23: So far I wouldn't say I'm more productive since I cut out the Big Three, but I would say my evenings feel a little more relaxed, strangely enough.

Day 27: Finished one blog post, and began the finishing touches on two others. Also 3/4 of the way through my Hobbit cross stitch project. Okay, so the creative juices are starting to flow now that I'm almost done with my challenge? Way to go, Creative Juices. Way. To. Go.

Day 28: Today is mah birthday, and I'm struggling with feelings of guilt for not saying thank you to the people writing Happy Birthday wishes on my Facebook wall.

Day 30: Today I had the pleasure of being at the hospital with two friends as they welcomed their precious baby girl into the world. Feelings of missing social media were far, far, away. Any app or website pales in comparison to this moment. This is what life is about.

Day 31: LAST DAY!!! I'll be honest the temptation of "Oh, I'm basically done with this challenge. Go ahead and check Pinterest. It's totally fine. In fact, I deserve it!"is strong today. I will resist.

Aaaaand I did. Boo-yah!! Thirty one days without The Big Three, and I survived!!

So what did I learn from this little experiment?

1. No having a reason to constantly check my device for notifications is freeing.

2. Not being in front of a flickering screen all evening long is lovely.

3. I'm resolved to cut my evening web browsing to 1-2 hours maximum.

4. Am I free from the allure of Pinterest? Did you miss my Day 31 entry? No. I still love it, and can't wait to look up new Easter brunch recipes.

5. Will I take another social media sabbatical in the near future? As the Minnesotan blood in me says "Yeah sure, you betcha!".

6. Realizing how much time I spend online was mortifying, but the knowledge that I could break free from it for a whole stinkin' month was empowering.

7. Am I a better conversationalist? I think so, but if I'm talking with you and you see me to start reach for my phone to do more than check the time, I give you the freedom to slap the phone out of my hands.

As much as I've whined and complained, overall this has been an awesome learning experience for me, and I challenge you, my lovely readers, to do same. It doesn't have to My Big Three. We all have our own Big Three that consume us. It could be Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, a certain show, a particular sport you follow, TV in general, gaming, or even texting.

Trust me. It will be hard, but it will be worthwhile. If I can do it, I know you can. I have faith in you. Now go forth and do the thing!

Oh, and please feel free to tell me if you do decide to do the thing because I would love to be able to encourage you in your thing doing process.

(Doctor, I can always count on you to do the thing...)

So I quit (most) social media for a month... Part 1

A couple of my friends are in the middle of doing a seven month lifestyle challenge inspired by this book:

Seven: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker

Out of curiosity I thought "What the heck? I'll give it a read and see what all the fuss is about. I could use a new book to change up my usual literature playlist. It probably won't impact me like it did them."

Whoa.

Famous last words. 

This book. Man, oh man. 

Peeps, I loved it. 

Jen Hatmaker speaks my language. In fact, despite her love of reality TV, I'm pretty sure we could be friends. She's hilarious, real, raw, and inspiring. She's even a bit of a foodie. This lady is my kind of people.

In the book, the author explores the attitude of excess that is so prevalent in American culture, and her own personal convictions about how she's bought into it. She identifies seven, hence the title, areas of excess in her life, and takes seven months to focus on them. One area per month.

Every single chapter in this book made me stop and examine my own life. My spending habits, how I take my access to fresh food for granted, how much stuff I own, and how much time I waste in mindless social media browsing.

Out of all the areas she focused on (Sorry Jen, only eating seven things or wearing seven items of clothing is just not happening right now.) the issue of social media impacted me the most.

If I stop and really think about it, the time I spend online is embarrassing.

No really, it is.

If I let myself, I can easily waste away 3-4 hours in an evening browsing the Pinter-nets and Tumblr, and not even think twice about it.

3-4 HOURS, PEOPLE.

As Susan Powters used to scream at us 90's kids "STOP THE INSANITY!" (Yeah, I went there! What?)

(Trust me. It was all the rage.)

Talk about your social media black hole.

There are so many other things on which I could spend my time.

I could read more.

Revel in the mild winter we've been experiencing.

I could spend time writing new blog posts...shocker!

Finish some stitching projects.

Actually cook some new recipes instead of just pinning new recipes.

Carry on a complete conversation instead of periodically checking my phone to see if I have a new re-pin, like, or re-blog.

Carry on a complete conversation...

When did I get so obsessed with an inanimate object that I couldn't talk to a real live human being without checking or at least wanting to check it every 10 minutes...sometimes less?

How pathetic is that?

With all these realizations, I decided that I needed to put what I had just read into action. I needed to take a break. A little shake up was in order.

It was time to say goodbye, if only for a month, to my three biggest time wasters. Catch ya later, Facebook. Farewell, Pinterest. So long, Tumblr.

So on February 28, I turned off notifications, deleted bookmarks, cleared my browsing history, hid app icons, took one last look at my social media loves, and on March 1 faced a world free from The Big Three.

How did I do? Well, tune it for Part 2 to find out.

Alone

Music: Swept Away by The Avett Brothers
            Moonshiner by Red Bird
            You Really Got A Hold On Me by She & Him

Alone.

Not lonely, but alone.

Some would say "Lonely? Alone? They're the same thing."

I would argue "No. They're completely different."

To me feeling loneliness is the lack of contact with other when you're longing for it.

Alone is the act of being solitary.

I love being alone.

Of course not all the time, but for me and my fellow introverts, the amount of time we spend interacting socially must be equal to or less than the time we spend alone.

I draw strength from "alone time". 

The feeling of always being "on" in the workplace and in public can be draining, and by the end of the day, I'm ready to decompress.

People who tell me "I hate being alone." make me sad and a little confused.

I don't understand it. Even as young thing with an enormous imagination, I loved playing and being by myself.

Four year old Amanda making up adventures for Rainbow Brite and her daring steed, Starlite.

Seven year old Amanda pretending that her mother's flower garden was a fairy realm and her favorite Barbie was a elfin princess who drank droplets of water out of a bluebell goblet and made her bed under a spray of Lilies of the Valley.

Ten year old Amanda curled up in the hollow stump in the middle of the little field next to the pig shed, devouring book after book.

Thirteen year old Amanda holed up in her room mooning over teenager...stuff.

Sixteen year old Amanda racing through her school work just to dive into a secreted away romance novel.

And now, thirty three year old Amanda reveling in quiet evenings where the most pressing thing on her calendar is a long walk by herself.

Are people who hate being alone afraid of their thoughts? Of facing who they truly are away from their friends?

I understand the people who have had a horrific trauma in their life that makes being by themselves not a healthy option.

I understand family dynamics make it tough to have alone time.

I get that, and respect that.

But those of you who just simply can't stand quiet, you baffle me. I love you, but you're strange in my opinion.

How can you think with all that noise?

How do you not have a constant headache from always being on?

I'm know, I know. I baffle you too.

When I tell you "Alone time is amazing!", you look at me like I'm a refugee from Mars.

"Aren't you scared to be alone?"

"Isn't it boring?"

"Really?!"

"Why?"

Why? Because to me it's as essential as oxygen.

Things I Just Don't Quite Understand aka Possible Signs I'm Getting Old.

Music: Cry Me A River - Ray Brown Trio
            I've Got A Woman - Ray Charles
            Am I Blue - Billie Holiday



Herein lies three topics that leave me scratching my head a bit, lately. Maybe it's because I'm getting old (Year 33 is only a little over two months away) or maybe not. I don't know.

1. Duck Lips/Tongues Hanging Out Selfies:
Look, I have no problem with selfies as long as they're done in moderation. Moderation being the key word. Trust me. The majority of your social media buddies won't forget what you look like if you only post a selfie once or twice a week.

What I don't understand is the popularity of a couple of selfies poses. What is so attractive about making kissie faces all the time. Did a yellow jacket sting your mouth and you want to show me your swollen lips?

Are tonsils suddenly the new "Hot" feature? Is that why you have to take pics of your tongue hanging out? So we can see your lovely tonsils and adenoids? Are you five years old and want to show me what color your sucker turned your tongue?

These are the questions I ask myself when I see these species of selfies. I don't care if you're a chick or a dude. Neither of these poses are attractive in my book.

Maybe we would all be better off if we asked ourselves a few simple questions when tempted to do one of the poses mentioned above.

Am I a world famous male supermodel named Zoolander?

Am I Miley?

Am I a pop diva or a geriatric "rock star"?

Lastly, am I a majestic waterfowl?

If your answer is no to any or all of these, then maybe you should just consider a simple smile instead.

P.S. Do not even get me started on the "Sparrow Eyes" trend.

2. Men and The Inability to Zip Up and Re-buckle While Still in the Bathroom.

Seriously, guys!! It takes one extra second in the bathroom/restroom/porta-potty/outhouses to zip up your pants and re-buckle your belt while still in bathroom. I don't understand why you think it's better to do this in public. Why you would want to risk The Flash by doing The Zip in public?

Are your facilities so putrid that to be in them for one more second than necessary will literally kill you? Is it some kind of bro code that The Zip must be done public? Is it a notice to the world that you conquered the bathroom and the sound of a zipper being closed is your war cry?

3. People Who Call Me Back Before Checking the Voice Mail I Just Left.

Here's a script of how this usually goes.

Me: Calls Person. Person doesn't answer. I leave a detailed voice mail for the reason for my call.

Person: (calls back 10 minutes later) Hi. Yes, I see I missed a call from you.

Me: Yes, you got my message?

Person: No, I didn't check my messages. I just saw you called. What did you call for?

Me: You didn't listen to my message?

Person: No, I didn't want to take the time to listen to it. 

Me (Externally): Oooookay, well I called to tell you.... relays message for the second time.

Me (Internally): Why did I even leave you a message if you weren't going to listen to it? Didn't you tell me to leave you a message if you didn't pick up your phone? Now I have tell you the entire message again. I'm not the biggest fan of talking on the phone, and now you're making me to do it more! Thank you for extending my agony.

All right. Old lady rant over. Chang out.

Thankful Thursdays: New Year's 2015 Edition

Music:

Shelter by Ray LaMontagne

            I See Fire by Ed Sheeran

Fake You Out by Twenty One Pilots

1. A huge thank you to you, my dear readers for sticking with me through a rather sparse blogging year. You're all fantastic!

2. Working up the endurance to RUN up to 3/4 of a mile on the treadmill. It's just a piddly amount compared to what most people can run, but for me it's a big deal. Hopefully I'll get up to a mile and more in the new year!

3.Making two new friends via the interwebs. My Captivating Canadian Matty and the lovely Miss Kimma.

4. Middle brother got engaged, and this year, after waiting 30+ years I'll finally have a sister of my own!

5. Ending the year with a weight lost total of 65 pounds. Eep!

6. Not having to wear a seat belt extender on the flight I was on in October. Guys, I almost burst out in the full on "Ugly Cry" in the middle of a super crowded, rowdy flight to Las Vegas over that one.

7. Caravan-ing non-stop for 20 hours with 12 of my favorite people to see my youngest brother graduate from college. It was a bit chaotic, but oh so much fun.

8. Breathtaking new views of Glacier.

9. My Lord giving me just the right amount courage to do "The Brave Thing" in a few social situations.

10. Being so incredibly blessed to be able to spend another year with my amazing family and fantastic friends.

Here's to a new year filled with family, old and new friends, a dash of adventure, a bit of travel and a generous helping of love and laughter.

And to start it off right, here have a laughing Richard Armitage. You're welcome. ;)

(Swoons upon swoons...)

Peppermint Blondie Brownies

It's no secret that I looooove peppermint. It's pretty much my favorite sweet flavor, next to chocolate (after that comes caramel...just in case you were wondering, which I'm sure you were.).  York peppermint patties, white chocolate peppermint anything, candy canes, Grasshopper Pie, and peppermint salt water taffy...mmmm, yes...come to Mama.

So great is my love for peppermint, that as child I'm pretty sure I wanted to marry Mr. Mint from Candyland and live with him in the Peppermint Forest. 

When Hershey's introduced their Candy Cane Kisses, "At Last" by Etta James played and I went weak in the knees at my first bite.

You get the picture. I love me some Mint!

So when I saw these lovely creatures flirting up at me from holiday baking section at my grocery store, I knew that I had to take them home and make something yummy out of them.

I started brainstorming and suddenly remembered that when I was a mini baker in the making my mom and I would occasionally whip up a batch of Zebra Bars. Zebra Bars are basically blondies and a brownies layered on top of each other.

Light bulbs started flashing! Why not take that combo and, if you'll pardon the old Emeril Lagasse expression, kick it up a notch?!

Just like that, Blam! Peppermint Blondie Brownies were born.

Just looking those baby blondies in the making!

A vaquero on a vanilla bottle?! Oh Mexican Vanilla, you're too awesome! Also you know that you're a foodie when a friend bring you back a bottle of vanilla as a souvenir from their recent trip to Mexico.

After much deliberation I decided to add the regular Andes bits to the blondie batter. My reasoning was I thought it would be a better contrast. I was afraid that since they're mostly chocolate, they would melt into the brownie batter and you wouldn't be able to see them.

First layer done...boom.

Now we have baby brownies in the making!

Mmmm...homemade brownie batter...do you know how much self control it takes not to attack this bowl of amazing-ness with a spoon?! 

Adding the peppermint bits...Must. Control. Inner. Cookie. Monster.

Houston, we have the second layer on.

Baked! Look at that prettiness.

Just look at that cross section! 

These little guys turned out to be all I hoped and dreamed. Soft, slightly gooey, chocolaty and oh so minty. They made me a very happy Manda, indeed.

Peppermint Blondie Brownies

Makes (2) 13x9 pans. Perfect for taking one pan to a cookie exchange, and keeping the other one all to yourself...not that I did that.

Blondie Layer

1c. butter, softened

3/4 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. packed brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/4 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 bag of Andes baking bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease (2) 13x9 baking pans. Cream together butter, sugars, and vanilla until fluffy. Beat in eggs. Mix in flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in Andes bits until well combined. Divide dough in half and spread each half into the prepared pans.

Brownie Layer (adapted from Nestle's Chewy Cocoa Brownies recipe)

1 2/3 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. butter, melted

2 Tbsp. water

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

3/4 c. cocoa powder

1 1/3 c. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 bag Andes Peppermint Crunch baking chips

With a whisk, combine butter, sugar and water. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Sift cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt over butter mixture. Mix together until all ingredients are well combined.

Using a spatula fold in peppermint chips. Divide batter evenly between the two pans. Spread brownie batter over blondie dough. 

Bake each pan for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting into squares. 

Each pan should make about 24 bars.

Apple Butterscotch Bars

Fall is the official start to baking season in my book. It's finally cool enough to start up the oven, and some of the best ingredients are back in season. Apples, pumpkins, and cinnamon, oh my! Not to mention all the yummy Halloween candy on the shelves!

To commemorate, I'm sharing with you this tasty little treat I made up today.

I had a few leftover apples from my parents apple trees that needed to be used up. There weren't really enough to make a pie (nor was I really in the mood to put forth the effort to make a pie) so I thought "Hmm, maybe I'll try to make some bar cookies with them..."

Of course, simply throwing some chopped apples into the batter was a little too Plain Jane for me. So I decided to add some cinnamon, a little nutmeg, and butterscotch chips.

To finish it off, I sprinkled on some sliced almonds and fall decorating sugar for a little crunch.

The result? A buttery, cinnamon-y bar cookie loaded with chunks of apple and creamy, butterscotch-ie goodness. They're perfect with a cup of chai, mug of coffee, or all by themselves as you run out the door for work... What? Like you've never eaten cookies for breakfast... ;)

Apple Butterscotch Bars

1 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
3 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 c. apples, finely chopped
1 c. butterscotch chips
1/2 c. sliced almonds
Decorating sugar, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 13 x 9 baking pan. In a medium bowl, cream butter and granulated sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir into butter mixture until all the flour is combined. Fold in apples and butterscotch chips. Spread dough evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with almonds and sugar. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting into bars. Store in an airtight container.