The luck of the Irish is on everyone’s side today! It may not be gold at the end of the rainbow, but these adorable printables are all coming at you for FREE! How magical is that?!
Celebrate creativity every Wednesday with a “Creativi-bee” post, where I share easy craft tutorials, project ideas, and craft collections.
Filed under st. patricks day
Feel the need to be inspired? Check out these amazing quotes from some of the most influential women in literature.
What other quotes would you add to this list? Comment below with your suggestions!
“And, of course, men know best about everything…except what women know better.”
– Middlemarch, George Eliot
“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me. I am a free human being with an independent will.”
– Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”
– To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
“If only we’d stop trying to be happy, we could have a pretty good time.”
– The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton
“The problem with gender is that it prescribes how we should be rather than recognizing how we are. Imagine how much happier we would be, how much freer to be our true individual selves, if we didn’t have the weight of gender expectations.”
– We Should All Be Feminists, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
“If thou must love me, let it be for naught
Except for love’s sake only. Don not say,
’I love her for her smile—her look—her way
Of speaking gently—for a trick of thought
That falls in well with mine, and certes brought
A sense of pleasant ease on such a day–
For these things in themselves, Beloved, may
Be changed, or change for thee—and love, so wrought,
May be unwrought so. Neither love me for
Thine own dear pity’s wiping my cheeks dry:
A creature might forget to weep, who bore
Thy comfort long, and lose thy love thereby!
But love me for love’s sake, that evermore
Thou mayst love on, through love’s eternity.”
– Sonnets from the Portuguese, Elizabeth Barrett Browning
“Each of us must confront our own fears, must come face to face with them. How we handle our fears will determine where we go with the rest of our lives. To experience adventure or to be limited by the fear of it.”
– Tiger Eyes, Judy Blume
“…because in spite of everything, I still believe that people really are good at heart.”
– The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank
“She was becoming herself and daily casting aside that fictitious self which we assume like a garment with which to appear before the world.”
– The Awakening, Kate Chopin
“Thinking has, many a time, made me sad, darling; but doing never did in all my life…My precept is, do something, my sister, do good if you can; but at any rate, do something.”
– North and South, Elizabeth Gaskell
“The world you desire can be won. It exists…it is real…it is possible…it’s yours.”
– Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand
“The greatest wisdom doesn’t know itself. The richest plan is not to have one.”
– Love Medicine, Louise Erdrich
“Sometimes we reveal ourselves when we are least like ourselves.”
– Henry and June, Anais Nin
“Stop worrying about your identity and concern yourself with the people you care about, ideas that matter to you, beliefs you can stand by, tickets you can run on. Intelligent humans make those choices with their brain and hearts and they make them alone. The world does not deliver meaning to you. You have to make it meaningful…and decide what you want and need and must do. It’s a tough, unimaginably lonely and complicated way to be in the world. But that’s the deal: you have to live; you can’t live by slogans, dead ideas, clichés, or national flags. Finding an identity is easy. It’s the easy way out.”
– On Beauty, Zadie Smith
Looking for a new book to read? Check in every Friday for a “Bee Happy” post, where I share reviews of books I’ve read or other book-themed lists.
Filed under quotes
One of my favorite things about summer is going to local farmers markets. For those of us who live in the Midwest, it’s often hard to find fresh seasonal produce at our local stores, so whenever the farmer’s markets come to town, we do our best to stock up on fresh, seasonal fruits and veggies.
And one of the best ways to buy your produce is to know what’s in season when you’re out shopping. Buying produce when it’s in season often means fresher, cheaper, and tastier ingredients…and who doesn’t love that?
To help you learn what is in season when, here are some handy printables so you can see what fruits, veggies, and herbs are in season every month of the year. Happy shopping!
Looking for clever ways to use your favorite herbs? Check out this herb printable for some handy ideas!
Every Monday is a “Reci-bee” post, where I share my favorite recipes, recipe collections, and cooking and baking hints and tips.
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Today is the birthday of Theodor Geisel, better known to children of all ages as Dr. Seuss.
Author of such classics as The Cat in the Hat, Oh the Places You’ll Go!, The Lorax, and so many more, Dr. Seuss gave us an entire collection of classic stories that continues to inspire and encourage children and adults the world over to dream, imagine, and have fun reading!
As is the case with most children’s books, Dr. Seuss’s stories are jam-packed with meaningful quotes and inspirational messages…many of which remain relevant, especially in today’s changing world.
So if you need a little pick-me-up today, or just some assurance that we’re all on the same boat in this crazy, turbulent ocean of a situation, here are 11 inspiring and relevant quotes from Dr. Seuss that will hopefully help bring a smile to your beautiful face!
Knowledge is power! Learn fun facts, hints and tips, and creative ways to use every day items with “The Buzz” posts on Thursday.
Filed under quotes
Well, award season is finally here! The Oscars air on ABC this Sunday, February 26th…and I can’t wait!
Hosted by late-night sweetheart, Jimmy Kimmel, the 2017 Oscars are bound to be a riot…and there are some GREAT movies in the line-up this year.
Now in my household, the Oscars are SERIOUS business. We have themed foods, we dress in our most glamorous pajamas, and snuggle in to see the brightest stars on Hollywood walk the red carpet.
One tradition I’m thinking of starting this year is to have an Oscar ballot contest…to see who can pick the winners in each category. My family and I used to play this all the time and it was always fun to see who won (usually my dad…probably out shear dumb luck!).
Though there was never a prize, I’m thinking of instituting one this year…suggestions are accepted!
If you want to have your own fun watching the 2017 Oscars, here is a free, printable ballot you can download and print and use to track your picks for all the Oscar categories.
Are you gonna tune in with me and watch the Oscars this Sunday? Let me know what movie you’re hoping will win!
Celebrate creativity every Wednesday with a “Creativi-bee” post, where I share easy craft tutorials, project ideas, and craft collections.
Filed under pop culture
OK, guys…Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is JUST around the corner. While everyone else is on the hunt for antacids and stretchy pants, I’m raiding the baking section of my local grocery store to plan for my holiday cookie platters!
Baking Christmas cookies is a tradition I picked up from my dad. He used to bake cookies for family and friends every year, and since he’s now passed, I’ve taken on the duty of turning my own little kitchen into a butter and sugar paradise.
I always make his favorite cookies: gingerbread snaps, peppermint canes, butter cookies, almond cookies, and cranberry bread…but every year I try to make a few new cookies to help switch things up. This year I have a lot of new recipes I want to try, and it can definitely be daunting to figure out exactly how much of everything is needed so you can buy all your supplies in one shopping trip!
However, I’ve found a way to make this insanely easy and stress-free. The answer? EXCEL. Excel is seriously a life-saver. If you don’t have Excel, you can also use Google Sheets…it’s free and works exactly the same. PLUS, you can access your Google Sheets from any device that can connect to the Internet, which is super helpful in a pinch.
For my purposes, I’m using Google Sheets this year, as my home computer doesn’t have Excel. And I’m gonna take you on a step-by-step tutorial on how to use any spreadsheet program to make your holiday food shopping so much easier! While I use this for cookies, you can also use this for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any occasion when you have to bake or cook several recipes at once.
First things first—gather all your recipes. Open up Google Sheets or Excel and, in the first row, type “Ingredients” in the first column, “Amounts” in the second column, and “Recipe” in the third column. Then you’re just going to import all your data, putting the ingredient in column 1, how much of that ingredient is needed in column 2, and what recipe that measurement belongs to in column 3…so your chart should look a little something like this:
Keep going until all your ingredients for all your recipes are listed. It will also help you in the long run if you list ingredients the same throughout the sheet. For example, list “flour” and “all-purpose flour” just as flour. That will make this much easier to sort in the next step!
Also you can freeze row 1 so it remains at the top of the sheet as you scroll down through your data. To do that, just highlight the first row, then go to View—Freeze—Row 1 and the top row will remain at the top as you scroll down your list.
Once everything is added, create a new tab and copy and paste all the info from the first tab into the second. Highlight everything but the top row:
Then do a right-click, select “Sort Range” and sort by Column A, AàZ:
Now all your like ingredients are grouped together. As you can see, I have Heavy Cream, Salt, Sugar, and Butter listed several times:
Now comes the fun part! Next we’re going to combine all the double-listed ingredients. So for butter, I’d combine all the measurements (1 cup, 1 cup, ½ cup) and type “2½ cups” in the “Amounts” column, then delete the two rows I don’t need:
So this:
Becomes this:
Go ahead and do that with all instances of doubles.
Finally, I like to add one further step of organization and just put like ingredients together so I’m not running all over the grocery store. For that, I turn the “Recipe” column into an “Area” column and type in the section of the grocery store where I would find said item:
That way I can walk through the grocery store once, get everything I need, and head out.
This method has been pretty foolproof for me since I started using it about two years ago. It makes it so much easier when I don’t have to guess how much stuff I need and I know I’m getting just enough ingredients to make everything I want to make.
If you plan on baking a lot like I do, you might have an instance where, after you tally your totals, you end up needing something like “40 cups of flour” or “15 cups of sugar”. For instances like that, keep in mind that one bag of flour can contain anywhere from 15 to 20 cups of flour, depending on the type of flour, the brand and whether or not it’s sifted. There’s really no great conversion for how many bags of flour you’ll need, but a 5 lb. bag should give you a good 15 cups at least. For sugar, the average is about 2¼ cups to 1 pound…so a 4 lb. bag should contain about 9 cups.
Knowledge is power! Learn fun facts, hints and tips, and creative ways to use every day items with “The Buzz” posts on Thursday.
Filed under cooking and baking tips
He was one of the greats. He was the one who influenced and paved the way for some of today’s best comedians. His large body of work and ability to speak truthfully about everything from religion to politics put him at the top of the entertainment ladder. Comedians like Louis C.K., Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, Lewis Black, and many others have been very open about how the late and great George Carlin influenced their comedy and the industry as a whole…and it was a sad, sad day when the world lost this beloved curmudgeon eight years ago today.
Some may know ol’ Georgie from SNL (he was the lucky bastard who hosted the very first episode!), some may know him from his countless performances, others from his collection of publications…still others might even know him as Mr. Conductor from Shining Time Station. With an impressive collection of recordings, performances, guest appearances, books, TV shows and specials, and even movie roles, George Carlin has put his mark on nearly every entertainment medium. His persona was rough and honest, and he never hesitated to share his feelings on several controversial subjects, including race, abortion, women’s rights, and homosexuality. But for as tough and gritty as he was on stage, who he was at home was completely different.
George met his first wife, Brenda, in 1960. They had one child together and remained happy until Brenda’s passing in 1997. Six months later, George met a writer named Sally Wade and married her the following year. They remained faithful to each other until George’s death in 2008, two days before their 10th anniversary. George described his meeting with Sally as “love at first site”, and their relationship was nothing short of ooey gooey lovey dovey sweetness. Hard to believe, right? But a short glance at The George Carlin Letters, a book written by Sally Wade, shows a different story. Throughout their 10-year courtship, George and Sally shared a whole magical world all their own. Love letters, dreams of lands in far off planets, and sweet notes back and forth fill the pages of this book, showing a hidden side of a man we all thought to be so open and honest. This book will make you laugh, make you cry (for SURE!), and will have you falling in love with George all over again.
Often hidden in his crude and truthful comedy are little gems of life advice that we should all keep in mind. As a tribute to this trailblazer on the anniversary of his passing, I’ve collected some of them for you here. Save ‘em…print ‘em…live by ‘em.
Download these George Carlin printables here: George Carlin Printables
Celebrate creativity every Wednesday with a “Creativi-bee” post, where I share easy craft tutorials, project ideas, and craft collections.
Filed under printables
Started in Charleston, South Carolina, June 1st was granted Say Something Nice Day when the Mayors of North Charleston and Charleston came together with members of various church groups to create a day to be kind to the special people in our lives. In an effort to fight unkindness and bullying, Say Something Nice Day is spreading into schools and offices all over the nation.
In an effort to spread the love, here are some cute printables to share with your family, friends, and co-workers. You can print them out on an 8.5×11 sheet of paper, cut them out, and write sweet messages on the back. Hand them out to your loved ones and help make their day on June 1st!
Download this printable compliment sheet.
Celebrate creativity every Wednesday with a “Creativi-bee” post, where I share easy craft tutorials, project ideas, and craft collections.
Filed under printables
So, I know 30 Rock is old news now, but today is the wonderful Tina Fey’s birthday! Happy birthday, Tina Fey!
To celebrate this wonderful witty woman of comedy, I’ve created some fun little printables for you…inspired by the wonderful wisdom of Liz Lemon:
Celebrate creativity every Wednesday with a “Creativi-bee” post, where I share easy craft tutorials, project ideas, and craft collections.
Filed under printables
No one loves a pun like Yoda:
A play on the popular phrase, “May the force be with you”, May the 4th has been granted Star Wars Day. Whether you spend the entire day in your Darth Vader uniform or just in your pj’s watching the ORIGINAL movies, celebrating Star Wars Day is a must for fans of all ages!
With the recent release of the new Star Wars movie, a whole new generation is being introduced to the nerd-lore of this galaxy far, far away…and if you’re looking for fun ways to celebrate Star Wars Day with your friends and family, here are a few helpful suggestions from your fellow Han Solo-loving friend:
Sing along with Moosebutter’s rendition of the Star Wars medley:
Listen to Paton Oswalt’s plan to prevent those terrible prequels from even happening:
Or…have a good old-fashioned viewing party (with themed foods, of course)!
Forget those nasty sandwiches…as Yoda would say, “A sandwich does not a party make.”
Gear up for a party every fan is sure to love with these awesome printable Star Wars-themed food signs!
First of all, make sure everyone knows where the silverware is with the “May the Forks Be With You” sign. And it’s not a party without red “Han Solo Cups”!
For chippies and dippies, you can have “Seven Leia Dip”, served with “Storm Trooper Scoopers”…or how about “Eguaok Dip” (like guac…get it?!) with “C(hi)p30s”…which is a very big stretch for chips…but you know, all in the name of geekism!
Throw out some “Yoda Soda” to drink…or if you’re feeling so inclined, you could make some “Darth Maulted Milkshakes”.
Other snacks could include “Millennium Falcorn” (popcorn), “Light Sabers” (chocolate-dipped pretzel rods), “Wookie Cookies”, and my personal favorite, “Obi-Wan Kabob-ies”!
Adventurous eaters could also serve a batch of “Jabba-Ghanoush”. I know, I know…
So there you have it, Jedi’s. If you want to celebrate Star Wars Day with these fun themed snacks, download your copy of these printable signs here:
May the 4th be with you always…
Every Monday is a “Reci-bee” post, where I share my favorite recipes, recipe collections, and cooking and baking hints and tips.
Filed under pop culture
The Hob-bee Hive 