May Report Card

May flew by! Today I am linking up with Kelli from She learns As She Goes. Here are my goals for May, incase you missed them.

Keep up to date with my Bible readings and Devotions:C-

I did great with reading my devotions, but I am still having such a hard time getting into the habit of reading my bible every day. I have a new plan that I'm going to try out for next month. We will see how it goes. Do you have any suggestions? I am really struggling with this

Start my new job: A

I started my new job! It is wonderful. I am interested in the things I do and I know it will help me in the future, I feel like I transitioned into having a job very well.

Sleep: B+

I did so much better with this this month! Being in a consistent routine had definitely helped! 

Start and keep up with my online summer course: A+

I have finished all of my labs and readings on time, I am very proud of how this course is going

Manage stress: A-

I feel like I have handled myself really well for the amount of things I've had on my plate this month.

Read 1 book: C

I am almost done the second Harry Potter book, but I didn't quite finish it this month :( I just got a little to busy.

How did you do on your goals this month?

Make sure to check out Kelli's blog!

My Summer Bucket List

Hey everyone! I've decided to make a bucket list of things I want to do this summer. Often the summer flashes before my eyes and I don't end up getting anything done that I wanted to get done. My plan is to cross things off this list once I finish them and link them to a blog post.

My Summer Bucket List

-Go Camping

-Go to the Beach

-Read all the Harry Potter Books

-See Fireworks

-Have a Campfire

-Go Stargazing

-Go on a hike

-Go Biking

-Watch Grease

-Finish 1 season of Gilmore Girls

-Have a Picnic

-Have a Dress Up Date

-Cook a meal for someone else

-Outside Tea Date

-Get Frozen Yogurt

-Nature Scavenger Hunt

-See New Star Trek Movie

-Make Sock Monkeys

-Minecraft Party

-McDonalds Ice Cream Date

-Breakfast Before Church Date

Blog Wars: Light Fixtures

These guys are fast! Their blog posts are ready for you to read and vote on! Make sure you read both of the entries before making your decision. You have until the end of the week to decide!

Here are the posts

Pretty Fly Camp Guy

 Life of a not so average Joe

Make sure you vote! 

(its on the right near the top!)

Blog Wars

Hello Internet Friends! It is time for something new today! You guys may know Andrew and Joseph from Pretty Fly Camp Guy and Life of a not so average Joe. The three of us have decided to start a kind of war. I call it Blog Wars. Here's how it works. I will post a topic on my blog and Andrew and Joseph will have 48 hours to write the best blog post they can about the topic. Then you, the viewers at home will have one week to read their entries and vote for whichever one you think is best. Here are the rules.

Rules:

1) Entries must be appropriate (PG-13)

2) Entries must be written and submitted within 48 hours

3) Viewers will have one week to vote for their favourite entry

4) You may only vote once

5) Blogs must mention the topic at least 7 times

With all that said, here is their first topic:

Light Fixtures

My Rubiks Cube Collection

Warning, if you hate rubiks cubes then this blog post is not for you! I thought it would be fun to show you guys all of the rubiks cubes I have. Here it goes!

3x3

I can solve this in about a minute.

1 year anniversary present

 This is what Andrew got me for our one year anniversary :) He mixed it up so I had to solve it in order to figure out what it said.

4x4

This one takes me about 20 minutes to solve.

5x5

This one takes me about 45 minutes to solve.

6x6

 This one takes me over an hour, probably more like an hour and a half.

7x7

  This one takes me about 2 hours. It's curved so the pieces don't pop out.

Rubiks 360

I have actually never been able to solve this one.

Rubiks Slide

 This is a super fun game that Andrew bought me for my birthday!

 I don't know what this is called, but I can solve it in a couple minutes.

Rubiks Plush Toy

Someone from my church got me this recently, its super cute

Key Chain Rubiks Cube

This is my rubiks cube key chain. I keep it on my backpack. And yes, you can solve it too

God's Got it Figured Out Button

One of my friends from camp got me this, I also keep it on my backpack

Rubiks Cube Speakers

This speaker actually works, I really like it

Metal Rubiks Cube Box

Andrew gave me this for Christmas the first year we were dating.

Staff Sweaters

These are my two staff sweaters, which say rubiks on them :)

RUBIKS ONESIE

This concludes my rubiks cube collection. I hope you enjoyed it!

Advice on: Handwritten Note-Taking

Hey guys! This week's advice is on handwritten note-taking. Three weeks ago I wrote a post about electronic note-taking, so you can think of this as part 2. I take handwritten notes in classes that involve lots of math formulas or diagrams. Some of my classes even put up the slides on their course website. In the case of those classes I print off the notes ahead of time and make notes in the margins. I don't mind taking handwritten notes but they can get really sloppy if I'm trying to write fast. Here are my pros and cons of handwritten notes:

Pros of Handwritten Notes:

-No internet distractions
-Easier to focus
-Easy to draw diagrams

Cons of Handwritten Notes:

-Not very legible if you're writing quickly
-Can miss things if you're a slow writer

Hopefully my pros and cons lists help, here are a few tips I have for taking handwritten notes:

Use different colours

I like using different colours for lines, charts and different terms.

Date and Label things

I put the date on all my pages. Make it a habit. You will be grateful if your binder ever drops on the floor and pops open.

Try to write neatly

I know its tough to keep up with the prof. But try to write neatly, it makes it so much easier when you are studying. If your professor puts the notes up online, write down what he is saying and print off the notes later. You can always go back to the slides and fill in the spots you missed.

Well there you go! hopefully this advice helps! If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment!

I Went Camping- It Was "In-Tents"

So this past weekend was a long weekend for me! I went camping with Andrew and some of our friends. I was a super fun time and I thought I would share some of the highlights with you (as well as some pictures)!

I made an album for the pictures on my Flickr, so if you want to see more you can find it here.

Andrew and I got there a few hours before everyone else and right away we got to work on setting up our campsite.

Once more people arrived we went to check out the beach, it was beautiful.

That was pretty much all we did that night, we had a campfire and went out for some dinner at this cute little boathouse place.

The next morning I woke Andrew up early (5:00 am! What can I say? I'm a morning person) and we got to work on making some coffee.

Andrew found a robin's egg shell.

We played football on the beach

Fed a Chipmunk

We had a photoshoot on the beach

Probably my favourite picture from the weekend, Andrew was trying Bird calls...

I had a great time, despite being over tired. I love taking pictures, there are far to many to post in one blog post, so if you want to see more, you can look here.

How was your weekend?

Current Favourites

Hey everyone! Things have been very busy for me lately, but I think after this week it will be a whole lot better. I have a ton of blog posts planned, just not written out. I'm hoping to have a blog marathon and get a whole bunch written up and scheduled in to be posted. For today, here are my current favourites:

Pictures in Cubicle

I recently put up a bunch of pictures in my cubicle, it feels like its my own now, I love it. I ordered them from shutterfly, pretty cool website, nice and inexpensive pictures

Teapot

I got this super cute teapot from Andrew's family as a birthday gift, I am going to try it out tonight! I am so excited

Camping Pictures

I went camping this past weekend! It was really fun, I have a whole bunch of pictures and a blog post about it coming up this week! Keep an eye out for that

Tea

My parents brought me back tea from their trip to the mediterranean. I am so excited to try it!

New T-Shirt

My parents also brought me back this shirt, its super comfortable!

Sorry about the lack of blog posts guys! What are your current favourites?

Current Favourites

Hey Everyone! Happy Tuesday! I hope your day is going absolutely splendidly. Here are my current favourites this week:

1) My parents are home!

My parents went on a cruise for a little over a week and they got back yesterday! I am so glad to have them back.

2) Gum

I really like excel spearmint gum, and I thought I would throw that in here this week

3) Leftovers

I am rediscovering the joy of leftovers. They are so nice to take in to work for lunch!

4) NCR swag

As you may already know I recently started a job. I got a nametag and a waterbottle.

5) Sticky Notes

I love sticky notes. Especially at work. They are just so useful!

What are your current favourites?

Current Favourites

Wow, this week has been absolutely crazy! I started work, and I like it, it's a little stressful though. I didn't have much free time with taking my brother to football and taking care of the house. So I wasn't able to write current favourites on Tuesday, but here it is now!

1) Messy Mondays- Things you should never say to a guy/girl.

These videos came out from Blimey Cow recently, and I think they are amazing! Here they are:

2) Pizza from Andrew

I was having a really stressful day earlier this week and Andrew came over to help me take Stephen to football practice. With him he brought Pizza, Root Beer, Cake, and Flowers. He is the sweetest guy ever!

3) Lipton Raspberry Passion Fruit Green Tea

I've liked this tea for a while, but I re-discovered it this week and I've fallen in love with it all over again.

4) New notebooks

I got a new notebook for work, I love getting new notebooks and school stuff.

5) Gilmore Girls

With the birthday money I got from my relatives I bought all of the seasons of Gilmore Girls. I can't wait to watch them!

What are your current favourites?

DIY Gift Idea: A Kiss in your Pocket

I made this as a part of Andrews Christmas present last year. I found it on pinterest again, but with no instructions. It’s a flip book that looks like you are blowing a kiss! Supa cute.

Here is how I did it:

Supplies:

-Camera

-Printer

-Marker

-Cardstock

-Glue

-Ribbon

What to do:

1) Take a picture of yourself blowing a kiss

 

I edited the picture so that the background is mainly black and white, but you can do whatever you like

2) Print off several copies of the picture, cut them out and glue them to cardstock

3) Now what you want to do is draw hearts on the different pictures. On the first picture draw none, on the second draw one, on the third draw 2 or three, and increase the number until your picture is full of hearts.

4) Hole punch the pictures and put them together in a book, tying them together with ribbon.

Good Luck!

Advice On: Electronic Note-Taking

As I was sitting down to write this blog post about note taking I quickly realized that there are two types of note taking to cover, Electronic Note taking and Handwritten Note taking. I don't think that one is better than the other, each has a time when it should be used and it really depends on the class. There are pros and cons to both. I have decided to divide the two types into different posts. This week I will be writing about electronic notes.

I often use electronic notes in university. I love the convenience of using my laptop and my notes are always legible.

Here are my pros for electronic notes:

-Readable

-Easily Organized

-Quick (I'm a fairly fast typer)

However, there are several cons to typing up notes.

Here are my cons of electronic notes:

-Expensive (to print off, ink and paper cost a lot of money)

-The internet is distracting (having such easy access to the internet can be so distracting from the lectures)

-Danger of losing notes if something happens to your computer or tablet

-Formatting notes can be difficult

Now that I've covered the pros and cons of typing up notes, here are my tips on electronic note taking.

Use Multi-Level Bullet Lists

I discovered these early on in my first year, they are easy to use and I found that they really help organize the points of the lecture. Here is the Microsoft website which shows how to create a multilevel list.

Turn off the Internet

Temporarily disconnect your laptop from the internet. It will help you focus so much.

Set Up Folders For Storing Things

Folders can help you quickly find your notes and documents. I find it so frustrating when I lose my notes somewhere in my computer. This will help prevent that. Another thing that helps is saving all your files with similar names. For example, I save my files starting with the course code, then the lecture number (GEOG1200-Lecture 5.docx).

Print off notes

Keep up with printing off your notes. Otherwise you'll end up spending an hour printing everything at the end of the semester. Printing off your notes once a week can help with this.

I hope these tips help you out! Let me know if you have any additional advice or any questions.

Happy Thursday!