Friendship

This blog post will be written in conjunction with my friend Joe, who also hosts a blog. We decided that it would be fun (?) if we each wrote a post on the same subject (which would no doubt result in two differing points of view) and then link each other's blog in a shameless plug for more readers and/or comments. Or maybe that's just me. 


When I was 7, I had a Best Friend. We played with our Barbie dolls, we walked home from school together, we went to each other's birthday parties. We were sure we'd be Best Friends FOREVER. After all, who else would ever know me as well as she did?
   
What I didn't realize was that one day, we'd grow out of Barbie and My Little Pony... and there wouldn't be another common bond to take its place. So, my Best Friend and I inevitably grew apart, and my next BFF was someone who shared my newfound love of New Kids on the Block, stone-washed jeans, and makeup. That friendship lasted through 7th and 8th grade, but fell apart in our freshman year of high school. The much-coveted title of Best Friend was bestowed upon many other people as the years went on. 
   
Some of the friendships we had in childhood may have been fleeting, but they were by no means trivial. Everyone needs friends. I truly believe that friendship is an essential component to living a happy, healthy life. When I look at all the people I've called "friend" over the years, I've noticed that they can be grouped in several categories, all of which serve their own purpose in my life.


Work
I have co-workers, but I've also been lucky enough to have "work friends." Those are the people I bond with over lunch and watercooler gossip. Research actually shows that people who have a best friend at work are 7 times more likely to feel engaged in their job. And it makes sense. If there is someone at work that I enjoy talking to, then I look forward to going every day and I'm happy when I'm there... so it follows that I'll be a more productive worker.

In my current work environment, I'm friendly with all of my co-workers, but there are some I gravitate to more than others. We started this job last September as strangers, but I've noticed how our personal lives have started to trickle into our professional setting. We know the names of each others' spouses and children. We ask about family events. We email and text each other about everyday stuff as well as work issues. The only time we see each other during the week is at the office on Friday (we're at different schools during the week), and we all agree that we look forward to it all week. Just like the research says - we're happy and we're productive.


The Social Circle
In high school, I became part of a social circle for the first time. We were all involved in the chorus and the drama club, so we spent a lot of time together. I didn't have a close relationship with all of the people in the group, but there were no shortage of people to talk to at parties or pass notes to in the hallway. I was a painfully shy child in grade school. Being part of that group in high school was a life-changing experience. I felt a sense of belonging that I had never known before, which improved my self confidence greatly.

Over time, that group grew and changed and eventually dissolved. Thanks to Facebook, I've managed to reconnect with several people in that group, which has led to party invitations, book club meetings, and Girls' Nights Out. I don't consider all of these people "best friends," but they're fun to hang out with and they keep my social calendar filled. 


Best Friend
When I taught first grade, there were girls in my class who had a different "best friend" each week. That's typical of kids... but as we grow up, we start to take the title of "best friend" more seriously. For me, it's no longer about who lives on my street or who shares their dolls with me. As an adult, I see the role of a best friend in a different light. My best friend is my constant cheerleader. She offers support and advice, lets me vent when I need to, gets excited for my successes, and is trusted with my secrets. And I do the same for her. There's a saying that "friends are the family we choose for ourselves." That's SO true. When I think of all of the things that have happened in my life - both good and bad - my best friend is the first person I call, after my parents. 
  
The best part about our friendship is that it has lasted so long. We met freshman year of high school and then went through an 8 year hiatus two years after graduation (caused by college, life changes, and a falling out among mutual friends). When we reconnected, we still had the bond that had made us friends in the first place. But because we had both matured over the years, we are now able to relate in a new way. (Case in point - the whole time I have been typing this, she and I have been texting each other about recipes, family drama, and what we did today.)
  
Good friends are not just important, they are VITAL. I don't need science or research to tell me that. And while it's true that some friendships don't last forever, I still keep in touch with friends from grade school, high school, college, and every job I've had. It takes some time and energy to maintain those friendships, but in my opinion it is 100% worth it.

Things are never quite as scary 

when you have a best friend. 

(Bill Watterson)

Read Joe's blog post about friendship here!

More linky goodness!

One week ago, I posted a blog about the sites I visit when I need a good laugh. Today I'm going to share some links that bring me inspiration and creativity. Any additions to this list are most welcome!
  
Chica and Jo - Awesome ideas for crafts, projects and recipes. 
  
Daisy Cottage - Love love LOVE this woman's site. Her photographs are stunning and her posts are simple and uplifting. Also, she has a music player in the sidebar with some wonderful music. The song that cues up when you open the site is my favorite ("Stranger on the Shore").
  
Nesting Place - This blog is mostly about a family home decorated with a shabby chic twist, mostly done on the cheap (garage sales, repurposed items, etc). Much like Daisy Cottage, the pictures in this blog are eye-candy for me.
  
Home Sanctuary - This site (currently on Spring Break hiatus for one week) tackles the little household tasks - the author calls them "small things" - that build up in our lives and keep us from enjoying time spent at home. I love the concept of doing one "small thing" each day to keep the to-do list manageable.
  
Home Ec 101 - The tagline says it all: "Skills for Everyday Living." Cleaning tips, recipes, and other essentials. 
  
Simple Mom - I know. I'm not a mom. But I always find something interesting to read on this blog. It's filled with DIY projects, tips for organization and money management, links to other blogs and articles, and (as the name suggests) advice for moms. 
  
Small Notebook for a Simple Home - Similar to Simple Mom, without the parenting focus. Lots of tips for housekeeping, simple living, organization, money management... simplify, simplify :)
  
Tipnut - Tons of ideas for crafts and DIY projects... but also plenty of tips for cleaning, housekeeping, and gardening. I found this site when I was looking to simplify my cleaning products. It gave me a lot of tips for cleaning with natural products (baking soda, vinegar, etc).
  
So there you have it! Go forth and enjoy the linky goodness!

Bento!

Have you heard about bento? If you haven't, then click this link and read all about it. Go ahead, I'll wait.


Done? Good.

   
Okay, so now you've been formally introduced to the Japanese wonder that is bento - a single serving meal (usually lunch), packed in a little container. A traditional bento usually contains rice, fish/meat, and veggies. There are stores and websites dedicated to the creation of bento meals as well as the equipment required to make and decorate a bento. 

I first learned about bento on a site called Epicute, which was a blog devoted to cute food. That site is no longer around, since it has now merged with another site to become Must Have Cute (mentioned in my last blog post). If you go on their site and search "bento," you'll see some of the fanciest and cutest little lunches EVER. Go check these out... scroll down to see them all... you won't regret it. 

The people who made some of these have a LOT of time on their hands. I don't think I'd have the patience for it. But seriously... wouldn't your lunch break be a little bit happier if you opened your box and saw flowers and animals and cartoon characters?

So why am I writing about bento? Well, since last year, I've been on a kick to eat healthier. And one of my biggest obstacles was portion control.  To that end, I began packing small containers of snacks instead of one big lunch. Today's lunch, for example, contained the following: 5 chicken nuggets, 7 Triscuits, 1 wedge of Laughing Cow cheese spread, 3 large strawberries, 1/2 sliced cucumber (with drizzle of ranch dressing on top). I like the variety that the small portions provide, and it allows me to mix snacky food with healthy choices (fruit & veg). 
  

from Were Rabbits

Of course, I don't have all the fancy little bento boxes and food separators and picks... but a simple bento can be done in a plastic container. And the food doesn't need to look like flowers and bunnies. Sometimes just the mix of color and texture is enough to make it visually appealing. The one pictured below is right up my alley... Taco Rice Bento! I often have ingredients like this in my fridge. It would be super easy to put them all together in one container and have a fabulous lunch! (And if I bought the teeny little cutters to make the teeny little carrot butterflies, it would be even cuter!)

from Adventures in Bentomaking

Some of my lunches already have a bento-style, even though I still pack my food in separate containers. However, I'd like to take it to the next step... and maybe even buy some of the cute little holders to keep my food in place! I doubt I'll ever take my bentomaking as far as some of these people, but you never know. 


So there you have it. It's okay to play with your food. And when you do, lunch can be healthy AND fun!

Linky goodness.

When I need a good laugh or some inspiration, I hit my "favorites" (now called "bookmarks" since I'm using Google Chrome) and visit some of my favorite links. I keep them organized in a way that probably only makes sense to me, but I like having everything at my fingertips. Instant amusement. Isn't that why God invented the internet?
  
So here's a small sampling of the sites I visit when I need some mindless entertainment.

Must Have Cute - A site filled with pictures of all sorts of adorable things.

Failbook - Weird shit that people post on Facebook. Some of this stuff MAKES MY DAY. (I know. I'm easily amused.)

Cake Wrecks - The name pretty much says it all. Professional cakes that look like crap. Sometimes there are hilarious spelling mistakes. And every Sunday, they post the most amazingly beautiful pics of cakes in their Sunday Sweets segment.

Hyperbole and a Half - The chick who writes/draws this blog is a genius. Seriously. There are times that I can't get through a post because I'm laughing too hard to see straight. Pure internet gold.

Texts From Last Night - Again, the name says it all. This stuff reminds me of when I used to go out bar-hopping and clubbing and staying out all night. It also reminds me why I stopped doing that :)

The Oatmeal - Short, funny comics about all sorts of random things. Sometimes what makes them funny is how TRUE they are.


So that's just a few for you to check out (if you haven't already discovered them on your own). I have other sites that I use for ideas and inspiration, but I'll save those for another blog. If you know of any other sites/blogs that you think I should see, feel free to add a comment! I love finding new things to read!

The little things.

Why is it that I always think of things to do when I don't have the time to do them? Prime example: I'm driving home from work and when I stop at a red light, I notice that my nail polish is chipping. And then I'll realize that this is the 3rd time this week that I've thought about it... so what's stopping me from taking care of it? This goes on all week long... just substitute "removing chipped nail polish" for "mailing birthday cards" or "reading book club book" or "cleaning off desk." Oh yeah... add "posting new blog" to that list.

All of these little things start to pile up, and before I know it, I'm overwhelmed by all the stuff that needs to get done. So I decided to take a good hard look at how I choose to spend my free time.

Most of the time it's the computer. Specifically, the internet. More specifically, Facebook. It's not even that interesting, but for some reason it sucks up my time like you wouldn't believe. Sometimes it's TV. There are very few shows that I watch regularly ("Community," "Big Bang Theory," and of course, Flyers games), but I've been known to get sucked into a marathon of "Law & Order: SVU" or an afternoon of cooking on The Food Network. It happens to the best of us.

Sometimes the week flies by, and before I know it, it's Friday. This was one of those weeks. In addition to work, I found myself with things to do every night this week until today: Monday was grocery shopping and an impromptu trip to the casino/bar (gotta carpe my diem once in awhile!), Tuesday was CCD, Wednesday was (as always) dinner with my parents. And that brings us to Thursday. I was DETERMINED to get shit done today. I came home, took out meat for dinner, sorted laundry, started my first load of laundry, and then walked 3 miles while the meat defrosted and the laundry ran. I watered my windowsill herb garden. I salvaged a few mums from a bouquet that I got a week ago. Then I cooked and ate dinner and washed dishes. Right now I'm watching a Flyers game while my second load of laundry is in the wash, and I managed to remove my chipped nail polish and apply a fresh coat.

AND I'm blogging.

I feel so accomplished.

I just need to remember to do this more often. If I use one day each week to catch up on this stuff, then it won't be so overwhelming. Even better... what if I take 30 minutes every night to whittle away at these little things? Takes a little bit of discipline on my part, but I think it's do-able.

Oh, and as an added bonus, I took pics of my herb garden and flowers in the late afternoon sunlight. Taking care of the little things certainly does pay off! ;-)