iphonography

I LOVE my DSLR. The only thing is that it's big, it's bulky, and it's anything but subtle.

My phone on the other hand is the epitome of subtle and is always with me.

This has probably influenced my love for Instagram...I've had a few friends ask how and what I use to add words on my pictures, so here you go!

Things of note:
1. I take all my pictures with the regular-comes-on-the-phone camera.
2. I crop, edit, and apply a filter in AfterLight. I loooooove AfterLight, it's the best $0.99 app I have. Love love love LOVE! 
3. Then I save the picture to my camera roll.
4. I open the app I'm going to use next. Either one to create a collage [I currently use Pic Stitch, but I don't love it because I'd like to make the borders between pictures smaller. Any suggestions?] or one of my writing apps.

I always save to camera rolls between steps because I'm anal rententive and I spend waaaaaay too long doing this. You don't need to judge me, I judge myself. (-:

The apps I use to write on pictures:

PicLab

PicLab has a fairly simple interface, which is a large reason I'd recommend it. The only things I don't like about the free version actually is that the PicLab logo is watermarked in the lower right corner of your final product. I like that you can add frames within the picture [the circle, hexagon, etc. although I add these in AfterLight] and that you can have more than one font by clicking in the upper left corner to add different layers.

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Typic

The free version of Typic doesn't have much. I loaded it to my phone to try it out. It's very basic and there are only these seven fonts available. If given the choice between Typic and PicLab, I choose PicLab.

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Typic+

The plus version of Typic costs $0.99 [I got it free from Apps Gone Free] and has many improvements over the basic Typic. In the upgraded Typic, you can add frames, there are 35 fonts to choose from, you can layer 2 captions, and there are elements you can add! The interface isn't my favorite to use because you have to nudge and resize from the different menus rather than directly on the screen. I also always seem to be forgetting that you can use the up/down arrows to get to more information.

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Over

I probably like the results of Over the best of everything...except it's SO FREAKING DIFFICULT TO USE. This is an app that makes me want to punch a baby [but not really]. This app costs $1.99, but again, I got it for free when it was listed on Apps Gone Free. FREEBIES! Holla! I really like the fonts, the artwork, and the ability to edit a non-square picture in this app. HOWEVER, getting there? BLECH. I can barely tell you how to make it happen because I feel like I'm learning it over again every time. )-:

What apps do you suggest? Do you like writing on pictures or do you think it's overkill?

xo

successful procrastination

I have one assignment due by midnight tonight before I can officially be on Thanksgiving break. Have I been working on it?

No.

Why not?

• Because I got caught up in the Sister Act marathon on VH1.
• Because Facebook. 
• Because Instagram.
• Because cookie brittle. 
• Because old blog posts. [it's like reading a journal without my bad handwriting, ha!]
• Because I thought I should move things around on my blog. 
• Because blogging. 
• Because Martha Stewart Living Christmas issue. 
• Because...my patient had a confusing diagnosis and I can't find information in my text and it's...hard. 

If I sat down at 2pm to begin working on this and I've barely started what does that say about me?

Now that it's crunch time I guess I could be productive.

Maybe.

What are you doing for Thanksgiving? I'm going to Kansas. It's been 18-weeks since I last saw the Nephew and Niece. That's entirely too long.

xo

Pumpkin Oatmeal Bread

If this is food karma, I don't know what I did to deserve it...

Last Friday, I started thinking about pumpkin bread.

Saturday, I shoved those sweet, pumpkiny thoughts way down into the depths of my brain. I will have willpower!

Sunday, I tried a slice of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Nope, my pumpkin bread desire scoffed at my attempt with carrots-as if.

Monday, I decided the concoction in my brain needed chocolate chips and oatmeal.

Tuesday, I debated purchasing a slice at my favorite campus coffee shop. Nah, I can make that plus...oatmeal and chocolate. Then I searched for recipes. Then I thought "MAPLE AND PUMPKIN!" Then I reconsidered the chocolate chips and replaced them with pecans. Then I thought about browned butter.

Do you understand why it is so difficult to live with myself yet?

Mary understands [don't worry, she only got teeny-tiny bites without any pecans]. She crawled right over to her grandpa as soon as he sat down to have some pumpkin bread. I'm pretty sure Mary and I are kindred spirits.

I chose a recipe, altered it to be what I want [because, really...would I leave something the way it was?], made some browned butter frosting, and demolished a slice.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Bread

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1-1/2 cups Flour
• 1-3/4 cups Oatmeal
• 2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 Tbsp Baking Powder
• 1-1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Nutmeg
• 1 tsp Ground Cloves
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
  Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. 
  
• 4 Eggs
• 1 can (15 oz) Pumpkin
• 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt [I used 0% FAGE], or Sour Cream
• 1/2 cup Water
• 1/2 cup Maple Syrup [the real deal]
  Mix all the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.
  
• 1 cup Pecans [Optional, but you know you want them. Also, take 10 minutes and roast them because it takes a pecan and makes it a PEEEE-CAN! What I'm trying to tell you is that roasted/toasted pecans are where it's at, just throw them in a skillet over med-high heat until you can smell a toasty smell. I'm very technical here.]

Once you've mixed the dry and the wet, just combine them until it's all sweet and delicious looking. If you want pecans, you should add them in now.

Fill your greased bread pans 3/4 full. This made two large loafs for me. Bake those breads at 350 for 45-60 minutes. Once they're done, a toothpick will come out clean. [I baked mine for 50 minutes and the top got dark, but the middle is gooey--I should have given them another 5-7 minutes.] Don't get too worried about the bread getting dry because the combination of pumpkin and yogurt make this bread MOIST.

Once they're out if you'd like to make this "breakfast bread" more like dessert [who doesn't?], you can add a browned butter frosting. If you've never browned butter, we need to talk.

Browned Butter Frosting

• 4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) Butter, browned and cooled to room temp
• 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup [the real deal]
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla
• pinch Salt
• 1-1/2 - 2 cups Powdered Sugar
• a splash of milk if you need it depending on how thick/thin you like your frosting
  Mix to combine and the slather that delicious frosting all over the bread. OH.MY.LANTA. 

Or don't do it because you'll be stuck with pumpkin bread lust sometime in your future. 

I cannot stop thinking about that bite. GET IN MY MOUTH.

I read good...

Back when I was in college [waaaay back in 2001-2005] everyone did not have a cell phone. I mean, my roommate showed up to Manchester with a pager. A PAGER - I couldn't even tell you what to do with a pager.

We didn't have texting.
We didn't have facebook.
We didn't have Instagram.
I only knew one or two people that even had a digital camera.
We had a purple clear plastic cordless phone on our wall.
We had AOL and MSN instant messenger.
We had one desktop computer with a monitor the size of a 13" television.

Cool.

In 2005, I was driving in Indianapolis one evening and I called Sarah's home phone from my cell phone [I got it my junior year of college, only because I was driving 800 miles by myself several times a year]. I was lost.

GPS didn't exist at that point [if it existed in anyone's life, I don't know about it], and I'm up shit creek without a paddle unless I can get ahold of Sarah. Thank goodness it's when it is because the time before this when I was lost I somehow ended up in the ghetto and called Sarah from a pay phone and she said "GET BACK IN YOUR CAR." I look around, there aren't any people, I think I'm safe. "NOW." Imagine me hustling my buns into my car and locking the doors immediately.

This time I'm driving around downtown Indy trying to figure out where I am, and Sarah asks me for my crossroads. "I'm on Sen-ah-tay Avenue."

"What?"

"Sehn-ah-tay."

"Huh?"

"Seh.
nah.
tay." Am I stuttering or something? Why is this so confusing?

"Are you sure you're downtown?"

"Yes. It's S-E-N-A-T-E. Seh-nah-tay."

"Uh. Senate?"

"Oh. Yeah. Or that."

Gingery-Molasses Cookies [repost]

I went to look up this recipe to make these and thought, what the heck--I'm gonna repost those babies. These cookies are a family favorite and you can't go wrong with or without the vanilla bean filling. I'm going without tonight. (-:

I love looking at these old posts and checking out the pictures. Progress! [At least, I like to think that I've made progress. ha!]

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I never met a person who didn't like Molasses Cookies. I'm not joking. Everyone loves these things.

And they are basic and easy.

It's messy work, but soooooo worth it.

I like to roll all the dough out first so it's ready to go then I just plop the little balls onto my cookie sheet and it makes the baking process go really quickly.

I use about a 1 1/2 Tablespoon sized scoop for these, I don't squish them down at all, but if I made them bigger I would do a slight flattening of the cookie.

mmmmmm....COOKIES!

They're great plain. They'll keep for 3-5 days in a sealed container or you can freeze them.

Except I didn't want plain cookies, so I kicked it up a notch.
With Vanilla Bean Buttercream.

I know. I'm sorry.

I love, love, LOVE vanilla beans. If you're intimidated by them, don't be. They are forgiving, delicious, magical additions to ice cream, icing, and just about anything else.

I thought they would be hard, but a vanilla bean is flexible and a little like a Twizzler.

Just slice down the middle.

Scrape down the opening with the edge of your (slightly rusty) knife.

And use those beautiful seeds for all things good.

Like buttercream:

I may have been inspired by the Oatmeal Cream Pies from Sugarland, but these Molasses Cream Pies were BANGIN'. That's right I said bangin'.

Molasses Cookies
3/4 cup Butter
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1/4 cup Molasses
2 1/4 cup Flour
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Ginger
1/2 tsp Cloves
1/4 tsp Salt

Mix butter, brown sugar, egg and molasses. Blend in remaining ingredients. Cover and chill one hour. Heat oven to 350. Shape dough in rounded balls. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake 10-12 minutes.

Vanilla Bean Buttercream
(I doubled the recipe in the pictures, so this is for a single batch. And, yes, I measured.)

1/2 cup Butter
2 cups Powdered Sugar
1-2 Tblsp Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Vanilla Bean, scraped

Mix all ingredients together, add more milk as necessary to reach desired consistency.

in the past week

The past seven days FLEW by! Whew! I know you are wondering what all I did [duh], so I'll recap for you.

Friday, November 8
This was the first Friday that I didn't have class - WOOO! - since our Friday class was 10-weeks long. So, I woke up early and scheduled some pedicures for 4 people. Me, Sarah, and two people of whom I didn't know. I showed up and was reunited with Sarah's BFF Kat [we met once before a few years ago] and Kat's awesome mom.

Then we ran errands...last minute runs to Target. Bandaids and pantyhose were on my list.

Then I dropped the toffee I made for the reception [they did a dessert buffet full of goodies made by friends] on the sidewalk outside. Classic.

The rehearsal:

Saturday, November 9
To bed late and up early! Hair. Makeup. Pictures. Main event. Reception. Dancing. Laughing.

This wedding was so beautiful! Deeply personal to who Sarah and Peter are, I felt so blessed to be a witness to their love.

Sunday, November 10
Brunch with all the friends!

Erin [left] is trying to convince everyone that her sourdough toast was made with bread that was "too fresh." Sayo [right] is giving me the ranking of all the reality singing television shows.

That night I let my hair down, so here's an update on the length...

Monday, November 11
Resting. I've never been happier to not have class than on a Monday after a full weekend! I made my favorite soup since the season where I am freezing all the time has begun. I'm not complaining, I love seasons!

Tuesday, November 12
Class. This day was not that interesting, sorry.

Wednesday, November 13
Lab...preparing for my final head-to-toe check off with a standardized patient [you know, the actors who are "patients!] I'm totally excited! Who wants to let me practice on them between now and next Wednesday??

Then I went to the hospital to write down the information on my patient for my first day of clinicals!

Thursday, November 14
The day of my birth! Holla at me Valentine's Day conception, babies!

I was up at 5:00am so I could be at the hospital for clinicals by 6:30. AND I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE COFFEE. I was running on pure nerves and adrenaline. I'm happy to report that my patient survived my time with him. WHEW!

Then Mark and Ursie [the family I live with] took me out to dinner and I headed to the salon to...

chop my hair.

I went to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Salon in Fishers and Caitlyn was amazing. I showed her a few pics from my pinterest board and she rolled with me. As you might know, I'm completely, 100% not attached to my hair--hello, it grows back! So, this was a time to have a lot of fun!

I love it.

Friday, November 15
I'm now sitting here blogging, listening to Christmas music, and drinking the first coffee for my 31-year-old self.

Now I need to get down to business and do some work. BOO. 

How was your week?

love you people.