silvery strands of thought

Posed [She Only LOOKS Calm]

image
| by | pets, She Only LOOKS Calm, Wordless Wednesday

Well, I’m totally in love with my Vizsla, Rowdy. If you didn’t know that already, it’s probably because you don’t follow me on Facebook or Twitter. If you love Vizslas too, you should connect with Rowdy on Facebook or Twitter, or with me on Instagram–I try to do all my dog-related sharing in those places for my non-dog-people friends; I used to be one myself, so I understand that that sort of post can get annoying.

So anyway, I will occasionally post pictures of her here, but I promise they’ll only be really cute, really funny, or with a good story behind them. Continue reading →

Spiked Chai Latte [recipe]

standard
| by | recipes

I had a bad day yesterday and Sarah had a rough one today. And Jenny isn’t here for our weekly ritual of Coffee, Crafties, and Besties (#CCB) because she is out of town for work. Sad day.

So instead of straight-up chai tonight, I decided that we needed something with a little extra oomph: after a quick run to the nearest Brown Derby, spiked chai was born. Continue reading →

WordCamp Kansas City 2012 Review #wckc

standard
| by | cool technology

I just got back from NerdCamp, er, WordCamp Kansas City, and it was a blast! My only complaint was the venue: last year we met on a college campus, so there were conference tables for easy note-taking, reliable wifi, and plenty of plug-ins for charging our devices. OfficePort KC is a cool venue in a cool part of town, but I still prefer the JCCC campus from last year for this sort of event.

With that said, I don’t have anything else negative to say, except that it’s always over too quickly! My sincere thanks and congratulations to the speakers and organizers for a successful, engaging, and productive WordCamp KC 2012!

Here’s a quick run-down of the sessions I attended. Continue reading →

Wordless Wednesday: Crocheted Baby Afghans

image
| by | Wordless Wednesday

Three crocheted baby afghans and one mug cozy: the work of several months and lots of love!

Clockwise from upper left: Will Mildren and his blue and yellow baby boy afghan, Little Miss Bailey’s afghan — a pink, ruffly afghan for a little girl with two older brothers–a mug cozy with crocheted button, and Little Miss Robertson’s afghan–a ruffle-edged afghan made to match custom curtains. Continue reading →

The 14-Day No Dr. Pepper Update: Day 4

standard
| by | health

Well, I decided on Monday to go cold-turkey on Dr. Pepper with a couple safe guards in place to make sure that I don’t slip up. If I make it 14 days with out any soda (diet is okay at this point), then I get to give $2 a day for a total of $28 to the Alzheimer’s Association and Pamela has bought in too at $0.50 a day. That will be $35 for a cause very near to my heart.

But if I take one teeny sip of Dr. Pepper, then my $2 a day goes to Westboro Baptist Church, cult that does more for the forces of darkness it purports to fight than it does the “god” they supposedly follow. Everything they do goes against everything I believe God truly is. Why in the would would I do anything that would support them.

So here is an account of what I’m sure will be the three hardest days of this 14 days. Continue reading →

Willpower and The Biggest Hurdle: Dr. Pepper

standard
| by | health

It’s no secret that Dr. Pepper is one of my biggest weaknesses when it comes to making healthy choices. I’ve tried all sorts of ways to quit it, but it’s so hard.

My current strategy is substitution. Coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon, sparkling water in the evening, and lots of good old fashioned tap water all day. It works well, but it’s not fool-proof because I’m weak.

But I have a new strategy. Continue reading →

Google+ Twitter Integration: How to Send Posts from Google+ to Twitter

standard
| by | cool technology

This post is for Nathan. :)

Google+ Twitter Integration is something I have sought after for almost as long as I’ve been using Google+ (I’d even be happy with the reverse!), but I never found a method that worked. Until IFTTT. There is a Recipe (user-created triggers and actions), but it didn’t work. I was determined! So I Googled a bit and found exactly what I needed from Google+ user Henrik Ekenberg. I’m posting the Google+ Twitter integration process here so hopefully it is easier to find in the future. Continue reading →