Reblogged from Caffeinated & Random:

Dear Barney, Robin, Lily, Marshall & Ted: You used to make me laugh every week. We had some great moments, you and me. Those times I almost peed my pants. The episodes I watched over and over again. The Pineapple, the Duel, the Slutty Pumpkin, the Goat… Sandcastles in the Sand and Let’s Go to the Mall had me rolling on the floor. All the hints and flash forwards kept me interested, trying to figure out if we had met the mother yet and who she could be. Every week I would be so excited for the new …

I feel the same way, but I’m too invested to say good bye now…
Hopefully the writers of the show will get their crap together and get back to the story instead of trying to stretch it all out!
If not, then I guess I’ll always remember HIMYM as one of my favorite shows that just got lost at the end. :(

nails inspired by polish you pretty

I know I haven’t been posting here lately, but it’s not for lack of love. I miss you guys and I promise that next week (hopefully) I’ll be back and posting with a regular schedule!

Colin and I are going to the Renaissance Festival today just like we do every year. I’ll take tons of pictures just for you!

Oh and here are some of my recent videos to make up for my lack of posting:

Reblogged from TIME Ideas:

Amidst all the talk this past week about Pamela Druckerman’s new book, Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting, there was one phrase that immediately lodged itself in my mind. It was in a sidebar that ran with the Wall Street Journal adaptation of her book, “Why French Parents Are Superior,” and it said this: “Children should say hello, goodbye, thank you and please. It helps them to learn that they aren’t the only ones with feelings and needs.” That …

The Friday before last Friday my mother invited me and Colin to a church Spaghetti Dinner and like the spaghetti loving people that we are we totally went. It was soooo much more delicious that we though it was going to be. The sauce was delicious and the meatballs! Oh my goodness! The meatballs were amazingly juicy and very flavorful. I still daydream about those meatballs. My mom promised me that she would do her best to get me the recipe and I hope that for my sake and for your sake too that she can. I’d love to share it with you.

Ever since that Friday Colin and I have had Spaghetti on the brain. We made it twice in the same week and I wish we had made some more. We use sausage instead of meatballs just because it’s so much easier. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure:

What would any normal blogger do after being told by what apparently is an all knowing groundhog that there are six more weeks of winter? Obviously they would try out the recipe for frozen hot chocolate that was going around a couple of weeks ago. Bad idea? Not at all. It was totally worth it!

Also, I wore ALL THE SCARVES. Yeah, watch it. :D

from my channel Two Mermaids and a Vlog

This Week

GAH! I just want to eat the filling, but I’ll take the rest of this crepe pie too.

These body “paintings” are true works of art.

Potato chip cookies. The universe owes you everything Deb.

An adorable conversation hearts manicure.

The world’s worst superhero, Etymology Man! Here’s a second one.

Please Target, promise me you’ll still have some cheap moccasins in stock so I can try this.

I bought raspberry hugs just so I could attempt these cookies! Let’s hope they don’t all mysteriously disappear before that happens.

Who would ever think to do a peter pan collar inspired manicure? My nails owe your creativity at least a million dollars.

As a HUGE fan of Bon Jovi and a lover of Bon Iver I approve this video.

Arrested Development is coming back for another season on Netflix and a movie after that! Be still my heart!

Did you wonder what all the fuss was about yesterday. Here’s a pretty good article about Groundhog day and why it’s celebrated.

I think I should put test tube chandelier on my list of awesome Chemistry stuff to buy right in between a periodic table quilt and a bunsen burner.

Here’s a great tutorial on turning a moleskin into your perfect personal planner. It’s not too late in the year to get organized you know. :)

More wallpapers! I think I’m developing a bit of an addiction!

Awesome tutorial for needle-felted elbow patches. The cherry on top: they’re in the form of hearts!

Wait? They’re making a movie based on Candyland? And it’s going to be written by Adam Sandler? Wow. I hope this is an early April Fools joke.

Heartbeat necklace tutorial. Yes, it is amazing. <3

Five things that might be causing your split ends. The internet is slowly trying to help my hair.

Your dreamcatcher is clogged again.

It’s decided. My nails will look like this on Valentine’s Day!

This is hilarious. David Lynch Signature Coffee part 2.

Dollhouse as a shelf. This made me inexplicably happy.

OK GO and Sesame Street team up to teach kids about the three primary colors and inadvertently make me smile. :)

Adorable cross-stitch heart decoration.

Hot crab dip! Just in time for the superbowl. Makes me really wish we were more into football.

Great snippets of advice.

Hot chocolate made especially for valentine’s day. <3

On the Blag:

Monday – I posted my recipe for a Greek Salad.

Wednesday – All the crap I didn’t buy at Marshalls. I really miss that luchador pillow.

Thursday – I posted my braided scarf tutorial.

This weekend I’m painting my room and moving some stuff around. It’s going to be super fun! What about you? What are you doing this weekend?

Good news everybody, we have six more weeks of winter! Don’t you think it’s time you made yourself a new scarf?

Usually when I want to make a scarf I just get out my knifty knitter loom and go crazy because I can neither knit nor crochet (still on the life list, #28). This time, however, I wanted to try something completely new!

Let’s Make a Scarf

You’ll Need

• Thick Yarn
• Thinner yarn in the same color – optional
• Scissors
• Yarn needle

Here’s the type of yarn I used.. I really love how it feels against my neck, it’s really soft and not at all itchy. It’s also really, really warm.

You can probably use whatever type of yarn you want. I’m just not sure it’ll turn out the same as mine. Proceed with caution!

I used a scarf that was around 1/3rd longer than the length I wanted the scarf I was making to be as a “ruler.” I didn’t cut the individual strands, but instead folded the yarn over and over until I had nine strands. You can go more or less depending on how many braids you want your scarf to be comprised of. I think that four braids composed of nine strands each looks the nicest.

Gather up the ends and cut. Please make sure that your yarn has not shifted first. You don’t want to end up with strands that are not the same size. It will only frustrate you.

Soft yarn is not something you want to waste.

Now take one of the ends and measure out about how long you want your tassels to be. Don’t go absolutely crazy though. Keep in mind that the longer your tassels are the shorter the actual body of the scarf will be.

Make a loose knot. Not so loose that it will be impossible to braid without it falling apart every ten seconds, but loose enough that you’ll be able to take it apart and make the braid longer/shorter. Don’t worry. We’ll tighten the knots when we’re done.

Now channel your inner nine year old girl at a slumber party and braid your little heart out. If you’re a male, don’t worry, you can pretend. It’s not too weird. Well actually it is, but we don’t have to tell anyone.

Stop when your braid is the size you want it to be and make another loose knot. Don’t worry about whether the tassels are even just yet. That’s all in the future.

It’s a no-brainer. Just keep making braids until you achieve the width that you want.

Go get your needle and thread the yarn through. It’s time to sew all these mo-fo’s together!

Now, you can use the same exact yarn to sew these puppies together, but I didn’t have a needle with an eye wide enough. Instead I used a much thinner yarn in the same exact color.

Now, I’m not saying this to try to scare you, but this is the most important step. It’s time for you to choose which side of the braid you want to be the front. Make sure to be consistent or you’re in danger of making your scarf look wonky.

I do respect your decision to skip this step though. I myself love to walk on the wild-side and wear things that have “personality.”

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Time to sew!

To start take two braids and line them up by the knots. Insert your needle through the knot of the tassel on the right braid (the second braid). It should be incredibly easy if you haven’t already tightened all your knots. I told you! :P

**** Make sure to constantly check that the braids still line up because if you don’t you might end up with all the braids being extremely different lengths and you’ll have to re-do it. This happened to me and it was a gigantic pain in the B-U-T-T!

When you’re at the end DON’T pull the needle through the knots just yet. You should end with the string on the braid to the left of the one you started on. Just pull the needle off the your yarn and sew together the remaining braids. Remember to line them up by the knots of the tassels.

Here is a close-up of what the stitches look like.

Now it’s time to even up this baby. You’ll see that your braids are a little uneven [or a lot uneven if you didn't line them up right like I did the first time]. Don’t worry, this happens to everyone. Just take out the knot and unravel the braid until it is the perfect length. Then, obviously make a new knot.

Oooh. Look at how nice and even your scarf is now.

Now take the strand of yarn that you definitely did not pull through the knot and (after threading through a needle, duh) pull it through the not of the braid on the right. Just like you can see in the pictures above.

Cut your tassels down to size and you’re absolutely done.

Well, almost done.

You still have to wear it and look incredibly stylish. That’s the most important step. :)

Oh and we went to IKEA too, but that’s not really part of this story.

1. A Psychedelic Luchador Mask Pillow

Lately I’ve begun to realize that I don’t have enough decorative pillows. :( I don’t know if it’s a “girl-thing,” but the fact that my bed isn’t completely covered in pillows that I don’t actually use is kinda cramping my style. Dear Psychedelic Luchador Mask Pillow, We truly could have had it all. Love, Mariana and Mariana’s Bed. <3

2. Very Rotund and Adorable Animal Pillows

I mean, just LOOK at them. Aren’t they just plain adorable. I’m not sure which one’s my favorite: the adorable little lamb or the sassy pink elephant. There was also a pretty kickin-rad cow, but some lucky girl grabbed it before I could take a photograph all of them. Maybe it’s best I couldn’t buy them. It’s pretty cruel to make a poor girl Sophie’s Choice a pair of adorable pillows.

3. Brightly Colored Mugs/Tea Cups

They were only $3.99! How could I have been so foolish? Not only were they incredibly colorful and “me,” but they also had decorative pictures inside the rim! Isn’t that all a girl wants? I mean, I know that I don’t really drink hot beverages, but I do love eating things like ice cream and yogurt out of mugs and tea cups. Yeah, I’m pretty sophisticated… #LivinTheF’inLife

4. Cute Owl  Soup Bowl

They have Owls on them! Come on! I’m not 100% sure if these are actually soup bowls, but we’ve always used them like that. Oh god, I miss them so much. :(

5. Purple Crystal Candle Holder

Now up to now everything I didn’t buy I really could do without. That’s not to say I don’t miss them, but yeah, I guess I can admit that I don’t absolutely need them. But this! This I absolutely regret not getting. Just look at it. It’s beautiful and sparkly and natural and amazing! I could look at it for hours. It was only $7.99 too. Next time I go back I swear I’m getting it.

6. Tahari Picture Frames

There were three of these picture frames and I absolutely loved them. I ended up getting a small blue one with the quatrefoils, but I really wish I had gotten all three. I just love the colors and the textures. Plus they were only $3.00 each. Wow, I really need to rethink how I make my purchasing decisions.

7. Jumpsuits in General… Forever

After we got done looking at all the cute home furnishings we decided to quickly peruse the clothes. Bad idea. I saw these ankle length jumpsuits and just about died. Recently my mom had placed a moratorium on clothes purchasing for moi and so these jumpsuits were completely off limits. I don’t know if I can ever portray the agony I felt on being so close to these completely adorable jumpsuits while knowing that I couldn’t own them. Maybe next time…

***Crap I Want Wednesday is just that, random “crap” that I want. I always try to give credit to the creators of all this fabulous… stuff… and also to the sites where I found it on. If you are not satisfied, feel free to email me at lifeofcarbon@gmail.com and I will fix that. Oh, and I am getting zero dollars for writing about this “crap” which is sad because that means I probably won’t be able to afford it. :( ***

Before New Year’s I told Colin that I wanted us to try to cook more food this year. The reason being that we were in a fast food slump and it was starting to give me a chubby face. Oh, and also because I love to cook…. This salad is the first thing that he suggested that we make and I was ecstatic. Definitely because salads are the thing you want to eat when you want to lose some weight, but mainly because I LOVE FETA CHEESE.

This recipe below comes his friend’s mom just the way she makes it. We’re rebels though and we made some slight adjustments.

Let’s Get Cookin’

Ingredients:

• 1/2 red onion [1/2 in dice]
• 1 green bell pepper [1/2 in pieces]
• 1 red and/or yellow bell pepper
• 1 kirby cucumber — no seeds
• 1/4 lb feta
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives

Directions:

Chop up your onions. Now mix up the marinade ingredients and throw the onions into the marinade. This takes the bite away from the onions and adds a little hint of an onion taste to the marinade. Usually order doesn’t matter when making salads, but it does here. By the time you’re done chopping up all the other vegetables the onion will have been tamed. If you don’t the onion is a bit overpowering.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Now you can chop up the rest of your stuff. The green bell pepper is absolutely mandatory. If you want to keep it super simple, or if you don’t want to go back to the store it’s perfectly okay for you to only add one more color. I’m not going to lie to you though, all three colors make a perfect trifecta of flavor. If that even makes any sense.

Now peel and chop up your cucumber. We like to go seedless, but only because we don’t like super watery salads. To de-seed your cucumber just cut it in half “hot dog style” and spoon out the seeds.

We’re not an olive loving couple and the smallest container of kalamata olives that we could find was three times too much and not at all in our price range so we decided to skip the olives. If the stars ever align and we find a smaller and more reasonably priced container then I will definitely try this salad with the olives. For now, if you’re as skittish about olives as we are, feel free to skip them. The salad still tastes amazing.

Your onions should ready and submissive because of your awesome pre-planning abilities by now so drain them. Make sure to keep 1/4 cup of the marinade though. Your salad needs dressing!

Mix up all of your vegetables is a pretty crystal bowl. Or not. I won’t judge.

Crumble your feta cheese. Pour in the reserved marinade and toss with clean hands. Now taste it and drizzle a little more olive oil over it or salt/pepper if you feel it needs a little more. It’s ready! You can either dig in and reward yourself for all that hard work or you can put it in the fridge and let the flavors meld. I don’t know about you, but I’m not that patient.

The salad is delicious meal by itself or as a side dish. Leftovers are delicious in a toasted pita with some chicken or in a wrap with the addition of lettuce and some tomatoes. Colin and I want to try adding orzo and tomatoes while my mom wants to try it with some rotini. What about you? I’d love to hear what you think. :D

This week was a pretty mad scramble for me to complete all of my new year’s resolutions. In the queue: a salad recipe and something to keep you warm. :)

This Week

These heart garlands are absolutely adorable!

A nautical manicure to remind you of summer in the middle of winter.

Hilarious Valentine cards from the Oatmeal.

The most beautiful swim suits I’ve seen all year.

Barbie tributes to famous works of art.

Commercial for Jason Wu/Target. Getting so excited!

How to bring permanent markers back to life.

Beautiful Victorian Lockets.

Two ingredient strawberry fudge. Perfect for Valentine’s Day!

I’ll take both!

And that’s why we don’t play board games.

Decorate dishes for Valentine’s Day with edible paint.

Chocolate Cake with Whipped Ganache. Yes, please.

Nostalgretz.

Let’s chalk up our hair!

Amazing Superhero wallpapers by blo0p.

Mini crepe paper flowers.

I want those bowls.

More amazing swimsuits. Oh, and other clothes too.

Origami hearts.

Valentine’s Day friendship bracelets.

And that is why the universe gave us LMFAO.

Sh*t Liz Lemon Says. Blargh!

On the Blag:

This week was a pretty quiet week for me.

Sunday – Our little blog got an award. :0

Monday – my new year’s resolution progress report.

Wednesday – some misc. videos from my channel Two Mermaids and a Vlog.

———

What are your weekend plans? Going anywhere awesome?

You can find more at Two Mermaids and a Vlog!