Valentine's Day Buttons

After a stressful day at school, I thought a little creative cooking would help me relax. I found this recipe on Pintrest of course, and thought I would spread a little Valentine's Day cheer to my classmates, and pass the recipe onto you <3

Valentine's Day Buttons

Ingredients:

Hershey's Hugs

Valentine's M&Ms

Pretzel Snaps (checkerboard)

Step1: Spray a pan with non-stick spray and place pretzels on the pan

Step 2: Unwrap and place "a hug" on top of each pretzel

Step 3: Pop in a 200 degree oven for 5 minutes

The hugs should look as if they glisten but they should still resemble the classic shape

Wreakage

Step 4: Place an M&M on the center of each button

Place in them in the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes to let them harden

Step 5: Enjoy!

I hope your Valentine's Day is full of love and sweet wishes!

Rory I love you. I love you, dammit! How many times do I have to tell you? God! Just talk to me!

Just Another Manic Monday

Ms. Adams?

Hello my name is Ginger and I am going to be your genetic counselor today.

Today was a big day for me and my classmates. Today we had to perform our first counseling session by ourselves...(thankfully using actors!)

We will be doing three of these role plays throughout the semester, one for each main discipline of genetic counseling, and today was prenatal. We were given our patient's chart on Thursday in order to prepare for what we were going to say and do.

Talk about nerve racking! I must have practiced how I was going to say everything at least 50 times.

Finally, today arrived. My appointment was at 8:30am and as you can imagine, I did not get much sleep. After talking with my director before I began, I went down to retrieve the patient. My heart was pounding the whole time.

Is this really happening? Can I do this? I hope I can be a good genetic counselor!

I called my patient's name in the waiting room and everything else is kind of a blur. A mix of adrenaline, nerves and confidence took over me and I presented all the information that I needed to my patient.

When it was all over, the actor and my director spoke with me about things I did well and things that I need to improve on.  I was praised for my tone and ability to communicate difficult information in a simple way. ::what a relief::

Overall, although terrifying it was a great learning experience. It brings me one step closer to being a genetic counselor and having a C.G.C. after my name!

Mad as a Platter

I feel like I am beginning to sound like a broken record, especially since I keep apologizing for my lack of blog updates because of my school workload.

oh...the glamorous life of a graduate student.

Remember how much fun the Lucky 7 has when celebrating birthdays?
(Need a reminder?....are you sure?)

Finally it was my turn to have a Lucky 7 birthday celebration!
Well, me and Rachel.
We Capricorns have to stick together!

We started the evening off by going to Mad Platter, a pottery painting creativity studio to get our craft on. Of course, I am wonderful at taking pictures at other people's parties, but not so much at mine!

A breakdown of what everyone made:
Stephen: A soap dispenser for his guest bathroom
Rachel: A spoon rest with beautiful flowers :)
John: A plate with a bride and groom on it for a wedding present
Cassie: A soup mug with giraffe print and a green "C" on the inside
Darcy/Niall: An appetizer tray with grapes in one section and fish in another
Ginger:  A small serving tray that I am using in my bathroom to hold jewelry

Finished Product :) 

What do you think?

I really had a wonderful time. I needed a creative outlet and it came at the perfect time. We ended the evening by going to my favorite restaurant: Harpers. Another one of the wonderful surprising things about Columbia is that it has things like my favorite restaurant from my hometown.

Overall it was a wonderful time. I am so lucky to be a part of the Lucky 7 :) Cannot wait until the next birthday celebration!

Why am I being mocked on my birthday?

You Just Got a Letter...I Wonder Who It's From!

A friend of mine from undergrad sent me a message earlier this month asking for my address. She made a resolution to start writing more letters and cards to people and I was lucky enough to make the cut :)

Since then I have been thinking about how letter writing is becoming somewhat of a dying art....but who doesn't love getting letters and cards in the mail? I know I do! :: hint hint ::

Thanks to a coupon at Target I bought three cards to send out to my three favorite people: Jared, Erin and baby sister. I hope to make a habit out of sending more letters. It really does brighten a person's day and is the perfect way to let someone know you are thinking of them from far away. 

my cards

you need to have a fancy pen to write of course

Rory helping me write my cards

I hope they make it to you safe and sound.

I'm writing a letter. I can't write a letter. Why can't I write a letter?

Home Away from Home

Being back in Columbia has been a whorl-wind, but a postponement on a presentation has giving me the opportunity to pop in. 

Remember when I promised I would post pictures of my apartment after I moved in October?....remember how that was 3 months ago?

Better late than never I guess. Here is the tour of my home away from home. 

Lets begin....here is my front door, from the inside:

When you walk in (back is facing the entrance) you walk in with the living room on your left:

My lovely couch and chair set from Erin :)

Close up of the door leading to the balcony

Looking at the other side of the living room

 Now if we start from the door again, to your right is the dining room:

Across from the dining room is the kitchen:

This is the view from the front door, dining room is to the right

Right side of the the kitchen

Left side of the kitchen, which has a breakfast bar

Cute nook that is perfect for coffee :)

Built in mini pantry

Directly through the kitchen is the door to the laundry room:

Washer and Dryer

Also in the laundry room in more pantry space!

View of the kitchen from the living room

 
Going back to the front door, this is directly in front of you. I have moved away from the front door, but the door you see is the guest entrance into the bathroom.

Bedroom is to the left off of the mini hallway

What you see to the right when you walk in 

Left side of the bedroom

Closer look at my desk, there is the closet too

My bed :)

This is on the wall where the entrance is

The door you see in the previous picture (on the left) is the door from my bedroom into the bathroom. The entrance is to the right.

Bathroom, walking in from the bedroom

Plenty of counter space!

See?

Guest entrance 

Garden Tub :)

Linen Closet!

What do you think?

Scarf Smart

I have been pinning a lot these last few days, especially since returning to Columbia and came across an idea that I wanted to try.

Scarf Smart

This is a practical way to hang your scarves in order to free up some room in your closet or drawers. It also displays them nicely and makes them easy to access instead of having to dig through a sea of scarves.

Step 1:

Things you will need:

• Wooden Hanger (Will hold the weight of the scarves without bending)
• Shower Curtain Rings
• Your Scarf Collection

I go this pack of 5 wooden hangers for about $4.50

Love the blue :)

My scarves

 Step 2:
Add the shower curtain rings onto the wooden hanger, make sure they snap together!

Empty with all the rings

Step 3:
Thread each scarf through one of the rings. Fold the scarf in a way that it will be the right length for your closet.

Here is mine with 7 scarves which I think is a good number

Tip: Place the scarves in a way in which the weight is balanced in order to prevent all the rings from sliding to one side. 


Cute and simple and very scarf smart!

She also had my second-least-favorite-scarf

Thirty Things before Turning Thirty

2012: a new year with new goals and new outlooks.

2011 ended in an unexpected way, but I am looking towards to future. Recent events have made me realize that there are some things that I need to do for me and for me alone. So I am making a list of thirty things to do before I turn thirty. I will keep updating it, and devote a post to each item I cross off my list.

I am open to suggestions/encouragement/advice/motivation. 2012 is going to be a year for me...wish me luck!

Thirty Things to Accomplish before I Turn Thirty

1. Graduate with a M.S. in Genetic Counseling
2. Love myself
3. See a movie by myself
4. Do something that scares me
5. Be my ideal weight
6. Vacation in Greece
7. Become a Certified Genetic Counselor
8. Get married
9. Become a mother
10. Donate money to a worthy cause
11. Find a job I love
12. Take up running and stick with it
13. Get a massage
14. Buy my first car
15. Run a half marathon
16. Host my first dinner party
17. Take a trip with my sister, just the two of us
18. Make my own tradition
19. Take a cooking class
20. Do something spontaneous 
21. Spend an entire day without a computer, phone, or TV
22. Make an inspiration board
23. Take a road trip across the United States
24. Scrapbook all my memories
25. Get a tattoo
26. Learn how to do the perfect smoky eye
27. Find out my blood type
28. Learn photography
29. Become someone's mentor
30. Throw a surprise party

don't forget, don't forget about me