Monday, October 29, 2012

A No-Frills Review

I hope this blog post finds you well. After seeing the controversy about the new iPad mini, I am writing my little piece on it.

When companies write their critical reviews of these products, they don't take into consideration college students. They just think about entertainment and watching TV on an itty bitty screen. If I want to do that, I'll use my Galaxy s II super-mouthful-of-a-name phone. I freely admit that I love my Android phone. Sure, it had one issue but it was easily fixed. You can't take the battery out of your iPhone, now, can you?

Anyway. Back to the iPad mini. I'm getting one. I've been waiting for it to finally be announced so I can get it for next semester. I was looking on Amazon to see what cases they had for my phone and see what preorder pages were up for iPad mini cases, and saw the lovely new Kindle Fire HD...umm. Sorry, Amazon, but I have a Kindle Fire. I know the limitations and shortcomings. I got it from my mom when she got an iPad 2 because she couldn't use her Square reader or even get a compatible keyboard for the Kindle. And on top of all of that, you expect people to pay to get "free" two day shipping. Sorry, but when you get some type of security features in place in the Market so my preschooler nephew isn't charging my credit card (Apple App Store is Password Protected, so we feel better letting him use the iPad for his stuff), then we can consider doing business.

I rotate taking my laptop and my mom's iPad to classes. I use the laptop to view Powerpoints in my History lecture class, and the iPad for Algebra (PaperDesk is an amazing app! I can draw and type and all that neat stuff I wanted to do with the iPad!) where I write/draw my notes and then transfer them to a notebook later when I go to the Math (computer) Lab.

As for right now, besides my phone and my laptop (Samsung and HP, respectively), my mp3 player is an iPod (I actually have two, but the first one is an old shuffle that i replaced with the 5th Gen Nano; I use the shuffle for exercising) and I am getting an iPad mini. The Kindle is good for it's original purpose: reading. I have several books and I wish I could've gotten a regular old Kindle since it's all I use the kindle fire for. Then again...I'm a bookworm. Speaking of books...I need to finish my book. It only has 2 finished chapters :(

Have a GREAT week!!

Natasha B.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Yay New Stuff to try!!!

I found this yesterday on a blog I follow, and it's AWESOME!! It's called Go Chic or Go Home, and if you've never heard of it, you can check out the post here:

http://www.puttingmetogether.com/2012/10/making-most-of-what-you-have-using-go.html

I requested my invitation (like Pinterest) and got signed up last night! My pictures uploaded super fast through Google Chrome and today I am adding some more things as I type this. (Killing time so I'm not staring at the screen as it uploads) But basically, you can upload pictures of your entire wardrobe and mix and match outfits that you never thought of wearing! You can get inspired by other people's outfits and add their items to your collection as well. I just added my Forever 21 order that came today and some other pairs of shoes. This still isn't everything, but it's most of my closet!

http://gochicorgohome.com/explore/members/6762/profile

No recipe written yet for Foodie Friday, but my pictures are downloaded and ready to go!

Monday, October 22, 2012

Variety is really the spice of life...

I need to start doing the other posts I was talking about. I have tutorials to repost, for crying out loud! So far, this is a weight loss and Etsy blog. It's the most immediate topic for me right now. And on that note, I found a new blog with an inspiring weight loss story, called Peanut Butter and Peppers. You can read her story here:

http://www.peanutbutterandpeppers.com/my-weight-loss-story/ 

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Additions to my Etsy Boot Camp To Do List

 

I need to figure out my shipping system in the off chance I have a huge load of orders to ship XD (I need to list more items)

I also need to write my holiday return/exchange policies - though I don't usually take returns.

 

Happy Crafting and sorry for the super short post!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Foodie Friday

I know this is not a new concept or idea, but it is new for this blog. Something food-related will be posted every Friday, just to keep me on a decent posting schedule. I want something for Monday and Wednesday, too. (Back to the drawing board...or pile of scrap paper that needs to be sorted!) Today, i am going to repost (sort of) from my old blog (also named Inside Natasha's Head, but I deleted it before I looked through all of the posts, so some stuff is just lost now).

I tried Paleo, and will someday attempt vegetarian (my system can't handle coconut milk, so no vegan for me right now). There are some things I don't want to give up eating and some things I can't go without eating, and that's my personal decision. But so far I have:

  • Cut my sugar intake way down - I don't eat alot of sweets anymore; occasionally, but other than the occasional bowl of cereal, I don't eat it much.

  • No more processed meats - hotdogs and bologna. I'll sometimes snag a piece of my nieces fried hotdog but I don't eat this stuff anymore. once you watch certain TV shows, they can change the way you see certain foods. On that note, no more canned sausages, either, actually. (Vienna sausages)

  • Carbs reduced - I don't eat much bread unless I have a burger or the occasional Subway. I do still eat pasta, just not often. Maybe once a week, if that!

  • Reduced fried foods - Maybe once a week since we eat junk on Friday nights.

  • More fruits/vegetables - I eat grapes. Alot of grapes. They are also naturally sugary. I can't win. But I will nibble on veggies (baby carrots, grape tomatoes) while I cook so I don't snack on something loaded with salt or sugar.

  • Sodas and sugary drinks - I don't drink much soda anymore. Again, occasionally. We don't even make Kool-Aid much anymore because it doesn't go as fast anymore, so that wasn't hard to cut out.


However, as with everything, I still have things I need to work on, such as:

  • Eating breakfast EVERYDAY. Some days I'm not hungry and I don't force myself to eat but then I'm starving later and my stomach doesn't understand quiet.

  • Snacking unnecessarily - I have a huge problem with this.

  • Figuring out my goal and weighing myself regularly - I don't know what number I want to get down to, but I'll never know if I don't step on a scale except randomly one day and I happen to have just eaten...

  • Exercise - I have a perfect routine planned, I just need time to go the gym on campus. They have an indoor track that's 1/9th of a mile and I did 4 or 5 laps with a friend the day they gave us a tour -- so I know I can handle that! And the treadmills have TELEVISIONS on them! But  I would be totally happy with just my ipod the whole time.


Thanks for reading!

N

Friday, October 12, 2012

Etsy Holiday Season!

Hey all! 

I have an Etsy shop that I occasionally add items to (gradually, and now I have almost 60 items), and will hopefully sell some of it this holiday season. I signed up to get the Holiday Boot Camp emails, and naturally, of course, I am already behind because I haven't started reading anything and keep missing the Online Labs so I need to go back and watch those too! I will try to track my progress on here so you can see some of the strategies at work if you are considering opening and Etsy shop or if you just haven't put anything in it yet, really. 

To Do List for Week Two:

  • Rewrite my listings to appeal to holiday shoppers
  • Group my items in gifting categories (decor, favors, gadgets, personalized items, keepsakes, stocking stuffers, etc.)
  • Check my inventory (need to print a new copy from Etsy) and see if I have a balanced amount in each price category
  • Do I have gifts for each type of recipient 
  • Plan out Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales
  • Make adjustments to my new ipad case pattern so I can make more cases and get them listed
  • Scan in doll patterns/write instructions to offer for sale

As you can see, I have a LOT to do! I need to rewrite my goal list (and upload the tutorial I did for that) to reflect these  tasks. Happy Blogging and Crafting!

 

Natasha.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

I HAD to share!!

I was perusing a couple if my favorite blogs when I got home today and found a post where a group of bloggers all submitted their handwriting to be turned into fonts! (I wonder if I can pay someone to do that with mine....hmm) I already downloaded and installed them and they are AWESOME!! I found the link on this blog:

http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2011/05/do-you-want-to-see-what-my-handwriting.html

 

And no, I am not being biased when I say Make It and Love It's is my favorite (;

 

Natasha.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Happy Purse Week!

I entered my purse into a purse week contest and there is a good variety on there! I LOVE making purses and it's something I've been doing pretty much since I learned how to sew about 8 or 10 years ago.

There are some great prizes being offered and you should enter as well for a chance at some great stuff!

See the Flickr group here:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/2078922@N21/pool/with/7870740432/

 

On another note, I'm writing a book! Well....I have about 10 or 12 partial manuscripts saved on my laptop that haven't been touched for months. There is one that I look at once a month or so but I haven't taken the time to just sit and finish it out. It has a great plot and story line (in my head lol) but I haven't decided on the pace and chapter lengths of the novel. IT will be available in ebook format whenever it is published. An announcement will be made here when that happens, though!

Friday, October 5, 2012

Mid-Terms Coming Up

I am so nervous for my first mid-terms. I need to go through the essay questions for my history mid-term and outline them so I have a basic guide to help me write the essays come test day. I've got two weeks! And I will make it count.

I'm still working on the job hunt process -- I have a list of 70 and have managed to get through maybe 10? They all have those long questionnaires to complete and they really do take awhile. I've gotten a couple more emails back saying they couldn't review my application, but I did two more applications last night. Hopefully something comes up soon.