Husband Approved Valentine’s Day

Posted on January 26, 2015 by A Pop of Red

Valentine’s Day is coming up fast and a lot of things are going through my mind. Among the top thoughts though is “What can I do for Valentine’s Day that my husband will actually approve of?”

Some men just don’t like this pink-washed day, heart filled halls, or mushy date nights. My husband definitely falls into that category. So I decided to ask him what he would consider “Husband Approved Valentine’s Day Ideas.”

A Husbands view on Valentines

So, I introduced him to Pinterest and had him go over a slew of pins that I thought he might like. So far, he has narrowed the list to 13 “Husband Approved” pins. While mostly food related, there are some gift and décor ideas in there as well. And he has agreed to keep looking to try and beef up the list so be sure to follow along here to see what else he adds.

But, let’s introduce you to some of the husband approved Valentine’s Day ideas and get my husband’s reasoning for his choices!

  1. A gift bag/box of his favorite things

Personalized gift bag for Valentines Day

This brown bag (or gift box) keeps the pinkness to a minimum while ensuring maximum personalization with the gift. Just grab a bag, decorate the outside as shown, and add in some of his favorite things like snacks, books, games, bathroom products, etc. Make sure you really think about what HE likes to show that you pay attention to him and his interests.

  1. Mini love letter in a bottle

Mini love letter in a bottle

My husband isn’t much for love letters, he would rather us just say what we need or want to say to each other’s faces. And heck, it works! But if I ever wanted him to have a little reminder of my love, he approved this mini love letter in a bottle from Shrimp Salad Circus. He said the size allowed for it not to be awkward while still holding the significance of what is inside. Though, he preferred it without the stamped coin, but to each their own!

  1. Heart shaped bacon strips

BACON and hearts

Bacon. Enough said right? My man loves his bacon and whether it comes in a perfectly cooked heart shape or a charred knot, he will approve this again and again. Because it is bacon.

  1. Chocolate words and hearts

Valentines words in chocolate

These chocolate words or hearts can be used to top everything from cupcakes to milkshakes and they were such a simple and sweet idea they met approval. My husband especially liked how easy it would be to personalize a message just by changing the template.

  1. Conversation heart vase

Conversation heart vase

This décor item features a vase filled with conversation heart but with another vase inside so that flowers can be put in as well. This multi-functional idea really peaked my husband’s interest because it was food (awesome), was functional (logic, yay!), and meant that I had some décor to put up (he knew this would make me happy). So approved it is!

  1. Two lovers in a tree

Our love as a tree

This was probably our favorite idea overall. This cute frame is filled with so much meaning, yet is beautiful enough that my husband would actually approve it to be up year-round! In fact, we plan on making our own quite soon (like you will probably be seeing the post in a week or two). Our version will have the lyrics of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Dreamer.” We have not had a wedding ceremony yet, so this is not “OUR” song but it is a song that reminds us of each other. This is the song that we both remember from our first vacation together where it came over the crackly radio on a rainy day.

  1. Heart shaped pancakes

Valentine-Shaped-Pancakes

Gotta have something to go with the bacon right? Once again, so long as it is food, there seems to be a higher chance of approval. Pancakes is a breakfast we both really enjoy so having this fun little twist on Valentine’s will be a cute change in routine.

Well, this is about half of what my husband approved for Valentine’s Day so far. You can see the other items over on the Husband Approved Valentine’s Day board. As mentioned earlier, he will try to add some more items so be sure to comment below if you think of something he may want to add!

Husband Approved Valentine's Day

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Chocolate Chip Cookies – Update

Posted on January 23, 2015 by A Pop of Red

Impress with A Pop of Red Chocolate Chip Cookies

So at the start of January I said I was going to eat less sugar as a monthly goal. Thus far, I am doing pretty well with staying on track too. I have eaten more than I planned but less than I ever have before. And that to me is a win.

One of the things I allowed during this sweets free month was home made goods like my sweet chocolate chip cookies. But I decided the least I could do was try to cut down on the sugar so I made the recipe cut took out all the white sugar.

BEST DECISION EVER!

Moist and cakey cookies

Since I removed the white sugar, I have gotten numerous compliments from my husband and my coworkers whom I treat with baked goods every so often. In fact, I brought some to work today and my manager took THREE, two people were referred to my desk for a treat, and I got countless compliments!

I think that is a win, which means it is time for a little update of my chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Delicious chocolate chip cookiesChocolate Chip Cookies – Version 2

2 ¼ Cups Flour
1 tsp Baking soda
½ tsp Salt
1 Cup Butter, softened
1 Cup Brown sugar, packed
1 tsp Vanilla extract
2 Eggs, large
2 Cups Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Any additional toppings like nuts

  1. In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt
  2. In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar and vanilla until creamy
  3. Beat eggs into the large bowl
  4. Slowly add the dry mixture to the large bowl, stir between additions to ensure consistency
  5. Add chocolate chips and toppings, stir in
  6. Place tablespoon sized amounts of rounded dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375F for 8-10 minutes.
  7. Serve with a tall glass of milk.

Baking chocolate chip cookies

That’s it! Not too many changes but if made quite a difference for the overall taste. So bake up a batch (or 10) and get ready for the compliments to roll in!

Some comments I have received:

  • Best served warm!
  • I like how they have a cake-y texture.
  • Yum!
  • So much chocolate! It is perfect!
  • Can I have another one…or two?

Perfectly baked cookies

 

 

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Career Path? How do I plan that?

Posted on January 23, 2015 by A Pop of Red

I’ve done it!
I have done what seems so rare now a days. I got a job in my field right out of school.

Out of school and into work but what does that mean

Say goodbye to the textbooks!

Don’t hate me just yet! I actually worked pretty hard to get here. In fact, I have actually been working in this position as a student for nearly 2 years. Plus I had built up some experience elsewhere to add to my attractiveness. But in the end, my bosses decided I should be kept on as a regular employee and transitioned me in as soon as my classes were done.

Relief.
Or not?

I sat down with my manager the other day to go over my training plan now that I am not longer a student (students were not allowed to have training so until now I have been learning as I go). As we discussed my options and selected a few courses, he reads aloud: “A conversation about career path and goals has been had with the employee. Yes or No.”

No. There was no such talk so we decided had it then. So he asked: “What ARE your long term career goals?”

I BLANKED.
Stress happens

I just got out of school. Last week my goal was to GET the job not figure out where I would be in 10 or 20 years. I found this question hard to answer. Incredibly hard.

You see, I never actually thought I would go into economics and statistics. I thought I would go into policy or work in the international development field. But after getting a taste of programing and data use, I fell in love! I knew I wanted to stay, but where could that take me.

Frankly, I don’t really know where I could be in the years to come. And I don’t 100% know where I would like to be. But I am now working on finding out.

I am talking with my co-workers to see what their plans are. Are they hoping to stay in our group until they retire? Are they planning to move around and try new things? Are they thinking of switching fields altogether? I figure talking with my peers was a good place because many of them have been in my exact position before.

Welcome to A Pop of Red

I have also signed up to have a mentor in my workplace. The mentor can basically be anyone but I have requested:

  •  2 people who work in areas parallel to mine so I can understand my work from another perspective and apply that knowledge to my everyday work
  • 2 people in more corporate jobs but whose experience includes work in areas relating to the development side of my International Economics and Development degree
  • 1 person who is nearing retirement and who has worked his way up from being a student to being assistance to a VIP, his experiences also include work in areas that relate to development

With these mentors I hope to learn what paths are possible in my career and also learn about careers which lean on both the economics and development sides of my degree. I took this hybrid degree because I like both portions of it, finding a job that blends them would be amazing!

Finally, I am planning to talk to the highest superior I have access to. She is retiring this year and I hope to sit down and chat with her about where she sees our group, and the public service in general, in 10 years. Based on that I hope to tailor my skills for the future. She would know what is to come, she has the experience and she has been directing the group for a while now. She has also been a big supporter of mine and I need to thank her for that. I have always assumed she is unreasonably busy and have yet to stop by, but I will definitely be doing that soon. Heck maybe I will stop by tomorrow with some cookies!

Me in Ottawa

I have come a long way and I am just getting started

 

Anyways, that is my thought for the day. Fresh out of school and into a job. No idea where I want to head from here. But I have a plan to figure it out!

Don’t ever be afraid to ask people questions about career or anything else. Humans have such varied experiences that you will learn so much just by talking to another person. All it takes is one person to change your perspective.

 

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Super Moist Meatloaf

Posted on January 18, 2015 by A Pop of Red

How to make super moist meatloaf

Love it or hate it, meatloaf is a staple dinner in many households.

Either your family has a recipe that is continually passed on, or it is the meal you use to clear out the refrigerator. But it usually comes down to ground beef, onion, and sauce. After those three, it is up to you what to add.

I started experimenting with meatloaf soon after my husband and I moved in together. He couldn’t recall ever having it so had no idea what to expect. My first few batches, he hated. He can be picky sometimes and likes things that are simple, garlic-y, and meat-packed. So I set out to make something he would like. But at the same time, it had to be nice and moist for me…just the way I like it.

Super moist meatloaf A Pop of Red

Low and behold, several iterations of meatloaf later, I came up with my super moist meatloaf. It features BBQ sauce, garlic, onions, and spices mixed into the meat plus ketchup and bacon on top. With my husband, bacon just adds to a meal so when I heard that bacon could be used to time the cooking of your meatloaf I instantly added it. Basically, you lay a few slices on top of the meatloaf before putting it in the oven. When the bacon is crispy, your meatloaf should be done!

Anyways, I am keeping this post short and simple. I am too busy enjoying my weekend to add more words today! So without further ado, here is my recipe for super moist meatloaf.

Super Moist Meatloaf

Adding flavour to meatloaf

1 lb Ground beef
½ Cup Milk
½ Cup oats
¼ Cup BBQ sauce
1 Small onion, grated or finely diced
2-4 Garlic cloves, grated or finely diced
2 tbsp Spice of your choice (oregano, parsley, basil)
1 tbsp Black pepper, ground
1 Egg
1-2 tbsp Ketchup
3-4 Slices of bacon

  1. Combine milk and oats in a small bowl and set aside until oats absorb the milk
  2. Combine BBQ sauce, onion, garlic, spices, and pepper in a medium bowl. Add the ground beef and mix until thoroughly combined.
  3. Add the milk/oat mixture and egg. Mix with meat until combined and meat feels formable.
  4. Place meat into a, ungreased loaf pan and pat into desired shape. Lightly drizzle ketchup on top of loaf then lay bacon on top to cover entire loaf.
  5. Place in oven preheated to 350F and cook for 45-60 minutes or until bacon is crispy.
  6. Slice and serve with a side of vegetables.

Hope you all enjoy this husband approved meal. Remember to change it up to suit your tastes. The sauce and spices are the perfect items to switch in order to achieve your preferred palate. If you need somewhere to start, I use Diana’s Maple BBQ Sauce and oregano to flavour my super moist meatloaf!

How to make super moist meatloaf

P.S. Grating the onions and garlic leads to a smoother meatloaf but this is intensive work. I also do not recommend grating the onions if you are quick to cry while chopping, it is even worse when grating!

 

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Endometriosis – My Journey – Part 1

Posted on January 15, 2015 by A Pop of Red

Today I am going to share a story with you about my recent health journey. My hope is that you will read through this post and either be encouraged to see the doctor when something seems off, or at the very least learn something about my health problem: endometriosis.

First, let’s start with a little story. In September of 2013, I started working in a not so great work environment. Compared to my current job, the environment was toxic. Deadlines, boss who took all the credit, infighting among coworkers, disorganization, you name it, it was happening here.

Stress happens

So over the four months I was working there, I noticed my pants started to tighten. And eventually, I couldn’t fit in them anymore. I brushed it off as stress weight due to job. And I was angry at the weight gain because I had actually been doing really well in the earlier parts of the year with working out, running, and eating well.

I left that job in December 2013 and to my current position, a far less stressful place. But I noticed that the weight was not coming off. Even while working out and eating well. In fact, when I tried amping up my workouts by going to group classes, I found myself having abdominal pain. And it was BAD. Again, I brushed it off as menstrual pain, overworked muscles, constipation, etc.

I still couldn’t fit in my pants. In fact, I was forcing myself to wear stretchy clothing just to avoid the thought of going up a size. I routinely got upset in the mornings when I tried to put on clothing and it just would not fit. My husband noticed. He was concerned. “Maybe it is time to see a doctor.” “This is going on for too long, I don’t think it is constipation.” Words echoed by some of my family members.

Endometriosis is the growth of tissue, similar to that of the uterus, that is located elsewhere in the body (pelvic cavity or abdomen for instance). This tissue reacts to the menstrual cycle just like the uterus lining: builds up, breaks down, sheds. While menstrual blood exits through the vagina, the endometriosis tissue has no way of leaving the body. This causes inflammation, scarring (adhesions), severe pain, gastrointestinal problems, and in some cases cysts (endometrioma). The symptoms and effects can differ by woman. Please see endometriosisinfo.ca for more information.

And then I started to feel the bump. Not a little bump. A baby sized bump. In my lower abdomen and pelvic region I had started to notice an extremely hard half basketball size bump. It I put pressure on it, I felt pain which is why those group workouts were so hard on me. Now I started to worry. Bumps can mean a lot of things and I didn’t like any of them.

So I breakdown and went to a walk-in clinic seeing. The doctor did the usual: asked about diet, bowel movements, sexual activity, took a pregnancy test (negative), etc. When I told him I gained 40 pounds in just the 4 months at that stressful job…he balked. “That is a problem. How did that happen?” I explained about the stress but he shook his head saying that was took much weight given my physical activity and body shape as the weight was entirely in my abdomen and pelvis.

My Endometriosis Story - Part 1

The bump. Not an arched back, though the weight forced me forward a bit. Mind the bad editing, wasn’t going to put up the photo when I took it!

Finally, I explained to him the pain I was in. He didn’t appear convinced that it was that bad so he laid me on the table and felt around the area. I CRIED. He pushed hard the first few times not expecting a response and he quickly apologized. He said there was a definite growth of some kind and that it was plenty time for an ultrasound.

So, ultrasound time. They wouldn’t tell me what they found while I was there, but I noticed the word “cyst” on the screen. That is when some family members mentioned they had similar growths. Their diagnoses were endometriosis.

When the results came back, I didn’t actually get that much information. It was a cyst. They could not tell where it was stemming from because its size blocked the view. That meant an MRI of the area to try to narrow it down. It was on an ovary but even with the MRI the results were difficult to confirm in terms of which side. After all the testing, the doctors were thinking endometriosis due to what they saw, what I told them about my menstrual cycle, and the family history. But there is only one way to know for certain that it is endometriosis and deal with the cyst at the same time.

A laparoscopy. A surgery. My first. Ever.

It was a good experience. I will not lie.
Thank you Ottawa Hospital and to those present for my stay and surgery.

Endometriosis and Surgery

After it all, I got the results. Number one, cyst removal was successful and approximately 15 pounds worth of fluid was extracted from the cyst. That’s over 3 litres worth. So yay! Instant weight loss. Number two, my diagnosis was positive for endometriosis. The cyst was an endometrioma, or a cyst created by the endometriosis disease. In addition to it, I found out that I have several adhesions as well which were what caused such a painful menstrual cycle my entire life.

Now that I knew what I had, I met with my surgeon who happened to be a specialist in endometriosis. We talked about the options but with the likelihood of my cyst returning so long as I have periods, we decided the best option was to suppress my menstrual cycle using an endometriosis specific drug. Now I experience no pain, have less risk of cyst recurrence, and can focus on getting my body back.

Endometriosis Organization Video

An Informative Video

Now, I am not an expert in all things endometriosis. So if you want more information including symptoms, treatments, and effects on fertility, then I suggest the website: endometriosisinfo.ca. This was suggested by my surgeon and it gave me a lot of answers and made me realize what my body was going through.

Thanks for reading, I know this was a longer post but thank you for reading if you did. I will be back soon to talk about the emotional impacts of this journey. Feel free to comment below with questions or to share your own experiences.

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Wake Up with Homemade Vanilla Crêpes

Posted on January 9, 2015 by A Pop of Red

I have to admit, if there is one breakfast food that I go overboard on…it’s crêpes.

Coras Crepe

This photo was taken at Cora’s restaurant and shows a typical breakfast for me when I eat there. An April 89 crepe! It features a mix of basically every fruit the restaurant has on a bed on English crème or chocolate spread (I obviously went with chocolate), wrapped in a large crêpe, and with three dollops of whipped crème on top.

Delicious.

But, in my effort to eat healthier, I have been going to Cora’s less and less which means I am missing out on this lovely meal. Instead I made homemade vanilla crêpes so I can at least have the enjoyment of wrapping up my own fruits into a delectable meal.

Homemade Vanilla Crepes

In this post, I am going to show you my recipe for homemade crêpes. Later on, I will have a HUGE post with all the possible things you can put into a crêpe or use a crêpe for. I might even have some friends come along and have them share their favourite fillings! So without further ado…let’s make some crêpes!

Homemade Vanilla Crêpes

1 cup flour
1 cup milk*
2 eggs*
2 tbsp butter, melted
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking powder
Vanilla for flavouring (adjust to taste)

*At room temperature if possible

Simple homemade crepes

  1. In a medium bowl mix the flour, salt, and baking powder.
  2. Add the wet ingredients and beat until smooth. Note, you may get some clumps of butter if your milk and eggs are not at room temperature. This is NOT a problem and the crêpes will turn out just as well in the end.
  3. Heat a pan or crêpe pan to medium-high heat. Grease the pan well with butter.
  4. Ladle batter into the pan (about ½ to 1 cup worth) and CAREFULLY tip and rotate the pan so the batter thins out over the bottom.
  5. Cook on first side until top is no longer wet. Then use a spatula to flip and continue cooking. It does not take look for these to cook.
  6. Remove the crêpe from the pan and get ready to add filling.

Making homemade crepes

Homemade crepes from A Pop of Red

A couple things to note about this recipe:

-The crêpes can be eaten while warm or when cooled depending on your preference

-The vanilla can be adjusted to suit your taste, I add A LOT because sometimes I just eat the crêpe without filling!

-The finished crêpes can be frozen. Just put a piece of wax or parchment paper between each one then put in a freezer bag or similar container. Remove the day you wish to use them and let thaw on the counter.

Homemade Crepes

That is it for today but be sure to come back for the fillings post, you will not want to miss some of the awesome (and crazy) combinations!

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New Year, New Goals

Posted on January 8, 2015 by A Pop of Red

New Year - New Goals

While I didn’t make any “New Year’s Resolutions” this year, I am setting little goals and challenges for myself throughout the year. You see, New Year’s Resolutions just seem so prone to failure, or maybe it is just that I have had so many failures that I refuse to make them. Regardless, it seemed far more attainable to focus on a mix of small goals and big challenges.

Why not join me!

First, let’s make some small goals. The idea is to decide on one small change you can make to better yourself. Then define what is allowed or disallowed in order for that change to be realistic in your life. Then it is a matter of sticking with it for a whole MONTH.

Change yourself with small goals

My January small goal is to eat less sugar. Here is what is allowed/disallowed to make it work for me:

  • I am not allowed to eat sugar based foods for the month of January
  • Hot chocolate is allowed since I don’t drink any other hot beverage
  • Homemade baked goods are allowed (I need to be able to blog and I enjoy trading treats with coworkers)
  • Once per week I can splurge if I so choose (that means 4 times for the whole month, no half weeks!)

So far, I have been doing really well. The first day or two, I spent the night baking just to get more sugar, but it was time consuming so I stopped baking so much. I also have managed to have less hot chocolates than normal!

Yesterday I tried treating myself to a chocolate croissant from my favorite coffee shop near work, it would be my weekly splurge. Surprisingly, I didn’t get through eating half of it before I decided it wasn’t worth the splurge. I am proud of myself because I am a sugar-holic and quitting like this is NOT an easy decision but defining exactly what I could do really helped because it made the whole experience more realistic while still going for a life change I want to make.

Busy times mean excuses

Next is the big challenges. These are year long (or long term in general) changes I want to occur. In a lot of ways, they are like resolutions but instead of just saying what I want to end result to be, I am aiming for a specific point. The best way to explain these challenges is through examples so here are some of mine!

Resolution: Lose the weight I gained from my health issues and school stress last year
Challenge: Lose 20lbs of said weight by increasing my exercise and planning my meals by year end
(This is an achievable number and I have explained how I plan to do it, now I have to follow through)

Resolution: Maintain a clean and organized home (never know when guests are coming)
Challenge: Unpack all moving items by summer and have them organized, clean kitchen and bathrooms thoroughly at least once a week
(This mixes short and long term targets, the result if I follow through with just these two things will be a large step towards the ultimate clean home goal)

Resolution: RE-LEARN FRENCH!
Challenge: Do at least one French activity each month AND look into French training opportunities at work
(I take into account my time restraints by setting a minimum of one activity a month and also encourage myself to look at all the available options to improve even further)

Oh, and remember:

No Excuses

Did you make any resolutions, goals or challenge yourself this year?
Share in the comments below!

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Stovetop Hot Chocolate

Posted on January 2, 2015 by A Pop of Red

Stovetop Hot Chocolate

My first experience with real stove top hot chocolate was actually at my ex-boyfriends house. His mom was an early riser and seemingly loved to cook away her mornings. One day while I was there, she baked some beautiful biscuits and something in a pot.

I didn’t know what was in the pot so I asked. When she replied hot chocolate I sincerely got confused. Hot chocolate comes in a packet, you add hot water, and voila. What do you mean it is in the pot?

Relaxing or procrastinating

So she enlightened me to the wonders of homemade hot chocolate and gave me a great lesson in learning how to balance the taste. The balance among sweet, bitter and salty needing to be met of course.

She made me appreciate the slow and methodical nature of cooking and ever since it has made me hope to one day be the kind of person to wake up early and cook in such a way. I mean, watching her cook made me relaxed and now that I am cooking and baking more I understand how the process is soothing. Must be an ever better way to start the day.

So after some experimentation and taking into account the need to balance sweet, bitter and salty, I came up with my own recipe for stove top hot chocolate.

How to make stove top hot chocolate

1-1 ½ tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened)
2-2 ½ tbsp sugar
2 ½ cups milk
Dash of vanilla extract
Dash of salt

  1. Mix together the cocoa and sugar in a pot until combined. Use a sifter to break up large pieces if available.
  2. Add ½ cup milk to the cocoa and sugar and turn heat to low-medium. Stir continuously until you get a rich and creamy chocolate mixture.
  3. Add the rest of the milk, vanilla, and salt. Keep stirring.
  4. Taste test often to make sure you have the right balance but within the ranges I have listed it should taste really good!
  5. Once the mix is warmed, use a ladle to serve in mugs. Serve immediately.

Hot Chocolate Recipe

A couple notes for you:

-The light colour is normal. You really don’t need a lot of cocoa, it packs a punch!

-Add ½ tsp of crushed candy canes (leftovers from peppermint bark perhaps) to the pot after step 3 for a mint hot chocolate. Just make sure they melt completely, this will take about a minute.

-Make sure to use a ladle when getting ready to serve. I tried to pour straight from the pot and that did NOT turn out well.

-Make sure to prepare a little something on the side too. Here are two cookie ideas: Spice or Chocolate Chip.

Stovetop Hot Chocolate

 

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No Excuses!

Posted on January 1, 2015 by A Pop of Red

So when I first started typing this post it came out as a long list of reasons why I failed to blog in December. It was a long winded apology. REALLY long.

I accidentally took a nearly 1 month break from writing posts for you guys. I even gave hints for things to come that just never materialized. This post was originally meant to explain my absence. But, I was not happy with what I wrote because it was not how I really felt. I am sorry, and I do wish I had blogged, but…

No excuses.

No Excuses

That is what my grade 10 English teacher taught us. She would not accept any late assignments no matter how many excuses we gave her (except medical notes of course) and I will never forget her stance on the matter.

She told us that excuses were things we told OURSELVES to make us feel better about not doing things we should. Sure we tell others these excuses but really we are legitimizing our actions to ourselves by listing all the things that got in the way. But what was to stop us from working around those reasons?

No excuses when writing book reports

Of course, as any good teacher would do, she gave examples.

You are assigned an essay reporting on the theme of a particular book. So you read the book and do the brainstorming. But then:

  1. Your computer breaks down and you cannot write the assignment.
  2. Your printer stops working the day before it’s due.
  3. Your extended family that you haven’t seen in forever come over and are demanding your attention.
  4. Your dog ate the printed essay…and you didn’t save the work!

Homework and procrastination

My teacher would not have accepted any of these as a reason to not hand in an assignment.

  1. You could have gone to a library or public computer. They are available nearly everywhere now.
  2. You could have printed it at a friend’s house. Or the school.
  3. You should have explained you had a major paper due. They would have understood that you need SOME time away. Manage your time to allow for social and work time.
  4. If you wrote it once, you can write it again. Heck, now that you already had the ideas in your mind it should flow far easier as you type.

These aren’t the greatest examples but the idea is for every excuse you can make, you could have found a solution. So when I was typing my list of excuses for not blogging in December, I got to the end and realized I could have avoided the absence mostly by managing my time better since I knew I had a busy month coming up (exams, moving, Christmas).

Busy times mean excuses

So now as we go into January (Happy New Year by the way), I want to encourage you all to say NO EXCUSES! This is resolution time and we all know how often those get broken and usually the culprit is our list of excuses.

I couldn’t lose the weight because I didn’t have time to work out. I didn’t travel because I lacked the cash. I didn’t reconnect with old friends because I lost their contact information.  STOP IT! NO EXCUSES!

I guarantee if you really think about the excuses you are making, you would be able to think of some solutions. So think it through and put the solutions in place before you start using excuses to reason with yourself. It’s not worth it and listing excuses and reasons for failure will make you feel worse about it.

I tried to stop using excuses after that grade 10 class. When I go to state one I think about it and rephrase to an “I could have” and “Next time I.” This makes me feel so much better because it means in the future I can fix the mistake and the things that held me back this time will not happen again.

So I dare you to try using NO EXCUSES. See how it makes you feel and see how it impacts those New Year’s resolutions.

No Excuses

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Snowman Gift Tags – Printable

Posted on December 8, 2014 by A Pop of Red

Snowmen Gift Tag Printable

Christmas time usually means lots and lots of gifts which means lots and lots of wrapping.

I don’t know about you, but wrapping in our household means piles of gift bags, gift wrap, ribbons, and gift tags. Of all those things I tend to forget to pick up the smallest: gift tags.

Gift tags for those piles you have to wrap!

Gift tags are important, how else can you tell whether that blue wrapped gift is your mom’s or your husband’s? NOT a mistake you want to make! So if you have forgotten that oh so key gift wrapping ingredient, I have a solution: PRINT YOUR TAGS!

If you have some thick card stock (or regular printer paper if you are okay with a flimsy tag), you can print out tags on demand using printables. Pre-made designs by your favorite bloggers. And of course for the holiday’s I had to create my own printable for you.

Snowman Gift Tags

So I made a hand-drawn and digitized snowman gift tag printable. I have made them in two sizes: small and medium. And there are two versions of each: blank and with to/from written. You can download them here:

Snowman Gift Tag – Small – Blank

Snowman Gift Tag – Small

Snowman Gift Tag – Medium – Blank

Snowman Gift Tag – Medium

And don’t forget to add a flower to your gifts for some extra wrapping goodness. Next Monday I will be sharing a new nail polish flower tutorial made especially for Christmas!

If you want additional sizes or would like to suggest future printables comment below or email me at . 

Gift Tag Printable - Snowman

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