28 Springs Photo Essay

Dinner at 28 Springs

        

Cajun Style Chicken Fried Steak

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

Salmon

Dessert Coffee

Madelines

Distraction # 7 - Memes and Someecards

If you're looking for another time waster, look no more for here is one of the best!
Memes and Someecards are great distractions that will entertain you and make you laugh.  I was first introduced to both of these through Facebook (an entire distraction of its own).

Perhaps the best thing about memes and someecards is the ability to use the same image or idea to apply to a variety of topics.  Some people have even gotten into creating their own meme or card.  I wish I could come up with some of this stuff!

Another great thing is that you can send these to friends, family, or anybody for any occasion.  Maybe the meme or card just reminded you of them.  Maybe it's their birthday, anniversary, or another holiday.  Whatever the occasion, memes and someecards are quick and easy ways to entertain.

Just check out some of my favorites below.
Then go distract yourself by finding more and creating your own!

Distraction #6 - Dorm Life

Living in a dorm can be very fun, but it can also be very distracting for a college student.  I mean, unless you grow up to become a character from Friends - which I absolutely love, by the way - you will never again have the opportunity to live with a bunch of crazy people trying to make the most of their life before entering "The Real World."  (And no, this time I'm not referring to the television show.)  Here are a few things that I have been extremely distracted by and that you should look out for.

#1 - Dorm Events
My dorm hosts events that not only offer opportunities for socializing and entertainment but also FREE FOOD!  Last year we started the annual tradition of Floor Wars - random games that the dorm floors compete in to find one winning floor.  Afterwards we had a pizza party. #winning

 

#2 - Awesome Roommate/Suitemates

Not everyone is blessed with a roommate or suitemates that they love to live with.  I, on the other hand, am extremely blessed to live with the best people in the world, but again they can be a big distraction.  Simple things like trips to Walmart can take up so much precious homework time.  There are also those frequent television shows we all watch together, ice cream nights, dance parties, and random events that we do together. #lovethesegirls

#3 - Pranking & Randomness

My roommate and I have decided that this is the year to complete our "College Bucket List."  This includes doing random stuff we have always wanting to do (like playing paintball, going to a big college football game, attending a drive-in movie theatre, etc. . . ).  The best part is the Dorm Pranks!  We just started developing ideas and succeeded with our first attempt a couple weeks ago.  #BennietheBanana

This thing has been going around our dorm like crazy and winding up in the most random places!

As you can see, dorm life can be a major distraction and steal all your time away.  The key is to find balance between the fun things and the not so fun things (class work).  And while I do warn you about spending too much time being a crazy college kid, it is a fundamental time in life to do things you will never do ever again.  So live it up! (Safely, of course.)

Distraction #5 - Cooking Real Food

So it's not that my college's cafeteria is THAT bad, I just like to think that it is.  Plus, who doesn't make any possible excuse to have "real" food whenever possible.  My roommate is gluten free so she has to cook all the time - Great for Me!!  But it can turn into a real distraction sometimes.  When the pots and pans come out my mind instantly turns to mush . . . mashed potatoes and steak, that is.  And it probably doesn't help that we love to try new recipes we find on the internet (a whole other distraction).

The real key to easy cooking in the dorm is having the right materials.  My roommate is a big fan of goodwill and has found many treasures like those below.

Hot Plate for heating up pots and pans

Electric Skillet for cooking meat, sauteing veggies, etc. . . 

It's also important to find meals that are quick and easy to make.  

RAMON & EASY-MAC DON'T COUNT!!

Here's a couple of the things my roommate and I make when we are in a time crunch.

Tacos - Just brown the meat (or cook it beforehand and just

warm it in the skillet), microwave a shell or tortilla, add some lettuce/cheese/tomato/avocado/salsa/etc., wrap, and DONE. 

Quick Side Dish - Chips and Salsa are super easy.

Spaghetti - Quickly cook some noodles, warm up a can 

of spaghetti sauce, and DONE. If you want to get 

"fancy," add some meat or Parmesan cheese.

Quick Side Dish - Warm up some green beans and 

throw some garlic bread in the oven or microwave.

And when you have more time you can get really fancy while still keeping it pretty simple.

Here's a recipe we just tried the other night.  It was really good!

Chicken Marsala

Prep: 10 min Cook: 15 min

3 Tbsp whole-wheat flour
3 Tbsp white flour

1/4 tsp white pepper

1 - 1 1/2 lb chicken cutlets

3 c sliced mushrooms

2 Tbsp thinly sliced shallots

1/2 c Marsala wine

1/2 c low-sodium chicken broth 

2 Tbsp chopped parsley

1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaf

1. In a shallow bowl, combine flours and pepper. Dredge chicken in mixture and set aside. 

2. Lightly coat a large, nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium-high. Add chicken and sauté until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove cutlets to a plate and keep warm.

3. Add mushrooms and shallots to pan; stir for 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Add wine to pan. Reduce to a glaze, scraping any loose brown bits from bottom of pan. 

5. Reduce heat and add broth, parsley, and thyme. Stir; cook until broth reduces by half. 

6. Return chicken to pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 224 cal, 2 g fat (1 g sat), 400 g sodium, 20 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 27 g protein

Make it a meal 

Mash 1/2 cup boiled red bliss potatoes (leave the skins on for maximum nutrition) with 1 Tbsp fat-free cream cheese, 1 Tbsp skim milk, and saltand pepper to taste. Serve alongside 1/2 cup peeled, sliced carrots that have been boiled, drained, and glazed with 1 tsp honey. This pair of belly-filling sides adds a mere 116 calories, for a dinnertime total of 340.

So good luck with your cooking and try not to get too distracted!

Check out this Blog #3

Great summer movies with hidden Biblical truths?!?  Whoa, gotta get a piece of this action!!

Amy's Blog For Class: Biblical Truths Hidden in Summer Movies #1: I can't lie, coming up with an in-depth theme about pop culture is difficult!  Because, let's face it.  Most of pop culture isn't in-depth. ...

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Join Jenny as she looks through her summer playlist.  Awesome music videos included!!

Pretty Things & Clever Words: Soundtrack to my Summer: Call Me Maybe: Some songs you hear on the radio beg you to hate them. With catchy tunes and shallow lyrics, they squirm their way up the charts. ...

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Steven has great things to say about the worldview in pop culture.  Check it out!!

Steven Hamilton- Comm Tech: Worldview in pop culture, #1: The NewNormal

Two ...: Worldview in pop culture, #1: The New Normal Two gay guys who want a baby, a single mom with not much left who will become the surro...

Distraction #4 - Random Websites

I was introduced to the world of "Awkward Family Photos" a few years ago by the same distracting friend I mentioned in a previous post.  And thanks to that incredible find, I discovered more awesome websites to distract and waste my time for me!

awkwardfamilyphotos.com is a great site to visit if you're an alien from another planet seeking a true picture of human beings.  I mean, what better defines humans than the moments when their brains turn to mush and pure stupidity comes out?

(Like the kissing tree!)

(Or the bowling cheerleader??)

Another great website is the play on Facebook called "Lamebook."  At lamebook.com, people share random facebook, twitter, and other social media posts that make me feel like a genius.

Here's one that increases my personal IQ calculator by at least 10 points!

And once again - just like so many times before - I find myself spending hours looking through the hilarious awkward photos and lame posts.  At least I'm learning valuable life lessons to prevent complete embarrassment!  My mother would be so proud!!

I have included a few more of my favorite posts from both websites to distract you as well!  Good Luck!

(I always wanted to be a Ninja . . . until now)

(Bow ties, bowl cuts, and brotherly love)

 (The original "Profile Picture")

 (Who lost the bet - Him or her?)

 (I will never watch this movie the same way again!)

Distraction #3 - New Movie Trailers

When people ask me what I like to do in my spare time I usually give the boring answer of "watching movies."  But what I might like even more is watching movie trailers.

The cool thing about trailers is that they can capture your interest in about a minute or less.  Take the best parts of a movie, add a song that will pull emotional strings, and show the release date and BOOM - you have a successful trailer!  

Take a look at a few of these and consider yourself distracted!

The story of how the Wizard came to Oz.

(Because the only new movies out there these days are prequels or remakes!)

Another story of a woman caught between duty and love, but this one has historical literary value - 

One of Leo Tolstoy's famous novels (the other is War & Peace) written in 1877.

The story we all will experience one day (or have already) - 10 year reunion.

Maybe this movie will prepare us for that awkward occasion!

If you ever want to get excited, just watch a "Coming Soon" movie trailer.  Forget the coffee in the morning, give me a good movie trailer!

Distraction #2 - Random YouTube Videos

I have this friend that is a giant distraction!  I love her to death but she is like a professional YouTube viewer and always has a new video to show me.

Just the other day I was trying to do homework (Hmm, I tend to do that a lot. Crazy!) when she enters my room with yet another entertaining video.  Check it out below!!

There's only one word to say after watching this: MORE!  Of course I realize that this poor girl is one of the worst singers of all time, but that is exactly why I want to keep watching.

Of course this forced me to visit her YouTube channel and spend 20 minutes watching her "Call Me Maybe" and other song covers.

But I spent even more time on this next video that the same friend brought to my attention.  (WARNING: This video contains some content that may not be quite "morally sound."  But it is very funny!)

 

I just love parodies!!  When I become famous I'm going to be the first celebrity to make a parody of them self!!  Look out world because I'm about to distract you so much you won't even know you were distracted - Oh wait, that's what normally happens with distractions!  

A big thanks to my distracting friend Shelby Delay!

Distraction #1 - Creating this Blog

Blogger has just made me waste over 2 hours of my life!  I'm not sure how much blogging experience you have, but I personally don't have very much at all.  When I began creating this blog I thought it would be relatively easy and quick . . .  I was only partially right.  

Blogger does a great job of making it easy for a newcomer to design a good-looking blog.  The only problem - for me at least - is the numerous amount of design options.  One minute I'm choosing the title of my blog and thirty minutes later I'm scrolling through all the template choices.  

I mean really!!  Does a person need 34 template design options?  Plus each one is customizable!!  How am I to choose?  And then there are the 20 different types of background images that each have a number of pictures to choose from.

For a girl that can barely pick between Fruit Loops and Frosted Flakes in the morning, this is an almost impossible task!  After hours of distraction from what should have been homework time, I finally decided on the design you are now viewing.

If you're wanting to get into blogging yourself I would advise developing a sense of decisiveness.

Or you could just get a Magic 8 Ball to make all your design decisions for you.  Why didn't I think of that!!!