Holiday

I'm back! While spending a week in Hawaii with my family I was continually sidetracked and took an unplanned break from blogging. I've been busy the last few months, and nothing appealed to me more than reading on the beach. 

Our vacation was hectic as cancelled flights and being on hold with Expedia are never fun. There were a few highlights, which I would love to share with you.

My dad and me on the beach in Honolulu (during our two day delay on our way to Maui)

The sunrise on Haleakala 

Haleakala crater

Biking down Haleakala after sunrise on Christmas day

Hiking on the rocks in Maui

Swimming under a waterfall on a farm in Maui

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday season. I'm excited to begin the new year, it's going to be a good one. 

Enjoy today,

Addie

P.s. today's your last chance! I loved this 2013 workbook. It helped me reflect on the last year and prepare for the new one. Try it!

DIY jewelry holder

As I continue to simplify my life, I find organizational tactics that just don't work. A good example of this was my earring storage. I was hanging my earring from hoop earrings (that I never wear) that were hooked on to the light fixtures in my bathroom. I had another spot just to hang my necklaces.

This week, I was shopping downtown with a friend when in one of my favorite local shoe stores I saw that they displayed their earring in window screens framed by old wood windows. I thought, I could figure out something like that, and I did. This is the first of my recent projects to be finished and put to use. Here is the DIY for my embroidery hoop earring holder!

Step 1: Gather your materials

I already had the embroidery hoop and I purchased the window screen for $1 at my local ReStore. 

An emboridery hoop, an old window screen, and a box knife

Step 2: Cut the screen out of the frame

Step 3: Lay the screen over the small inside hoop

Step 4: Slide the larger hoop over the screen. Make sure the screen material is pulled taught and then tighten the bolt on the large hoop.

Flip the hoop and pull the screen taught

Step 5: Cut the excess screen

Step 6: Add necklace holders (optional)

To hold my necklaces I used small crafting brads and slid them between the two hoops.

Step 7: Hang your handy work! I used two screws, one at the top and one below the tightening bolt. I started with one screw at the top but the uneven weight caused it to tip. The second screw keeps it from leaning to one side. 

The great thing about this is that it is completely customizable! If you need more space for necklaces, turn it on its side and get more hanging space. If you don't have necklaces, don't add the brads and you'll have tons of room for earrings. 

I love how easy this makes my morning! All of my earrings and necklaces are easily visible and don't fall into the sink like before. If you make this project, be sure to let me know how it went!

Enjoy today,

Addie

What a mess

I love projects. I'm not much of a crafter, I'm more a DIYer. Over the past two weeks or so I've started around four projects in my room, and completely finished just one. What this leaves me with is nothing short of a mess. I have piles of fabric, random pieces of wood, and spare threads all over the floor. I plan on tidying up of course, but for now I'm living with the mess. 

We all have things we don't like, and sometimes these things come along with things we love.Though the piles may not be something I am fond of, doing projects makes me happy. A bit of a mess is something I'm willing to put up with for that. 

I can't wait to share my projects with you! I'm even going to try my hand at some DIY posts- stay tuned.

Enjoy today,

Addie

Snow

Today it snowed. It didn't stick, it didn't stay, but for a good half an hour it snowed. I spent a while with my nose pressed up against the window, watching. Nothing makes me feel more like a little kid than getting excited about snow. It's just so magical. 

I was reminded of the little things, like the weather, that really can be amazing when viewed with a child's perspective. I'm six months away from graduating high school and I want to take every opportunity to be a kid. That means getting excited about snow and reveling in the magic of everyday. Doesn't sound too bad to me.

Enjoy today,

Addie

Breaking (and baking) bread

One of my favorite things to do is bake bread. Nothing slows down time more than waiting for the dough to rise, often multiple times, and finally being able to bake. Baking today is hardly what it once was, with yeast that comes in a package and kneading being done by machines instead of fists. Still, the smell of yeast and the stretchy yet somehow silky dough bring me back in time.

This weekend I made challah (hal-lah), a Jewish egg bread, for the last night of Hanukkah. I started with two loaves but with a slip of the wrist one loaf went down to the charring coils of the oven, the parchment it sat on catching fire. We soon put the fire out, and pieced together the burned loaf. 

The second loaf turned out beautiful but unfortunately a bit dense, not light and fluffy like challah I've had before. For me, this was a lesson in patience. I did not wait long enough for the dough to rise, and ended up with beautiful but less than delicious bread. I'll know next time to take it slow and make sure the yeast has time to do its job. And this time, I have two big loaves of bread with which to make French toast.

Enjoy today,

Addie

An un-stuffed holiday season

Save the stuffing for the dinner table. This year, I decided to go sans-stuff for the holidays.

I only have a small list of people on my holiday shopping list, but somehow I still stress out over the gifting season. I'm a bit of a gift perfectionist, so it usually takes me some time to come up with and find the (close to) perfect thing. The holiday season is a stressful time. Everyone and their best friends are out shopping and with finals and all I just don't have the time (or desire, really) to join them.

Solution? Make stuff! Last year it was candies (peanut butter cups, almond joys, caramels) and this year it was cookies. Giving batch-made gifts for the holidays allows me the time and money to give special gifts for birthdays. In my opinion, one great gift (and some cookies) a year is much better than two blah gifts. I'll give you a quick list of why making things is the way to go.

Top 5 reasons to make gifts:

1. It saves you money

2. It saves you time (everything done in one day)

3. It saves you stress (no crazy holiday shopping)

4. It fosters simplicity (who knows, your friend might have a few of whatever you're giving sitting around somewhere already)

5. Handmade gifts are made with love! Share your love!

And now some links to great gift diy projects (click photos for links):

How adorable?! And not too difficult to make (I know from experience)

Easy to follow tutorial. I've made myself two and my friend one! We love them!

The recipe I used for peanut butter cups- delicious!

Enjoy today,

Addie

To-do time

I always have that nagging list of to-dos. Put this away, call so-and-so, finish the laundry. Half the time, I think of something that I need to do and promptly forget it. So I came up with a genius (and never before thought of) idea of... a to-do list! (cue the oohs and ahhs)

But not only did I write my list, I titled my list "To-do Time". This is where it gets fancy. I figured if once or twice a week I set aside thirty minutes dedicated just to those pesky tasks on my list, I could get them done with the least amount of pain. 

So, this morning I set aside 7:30-8am as my to-do time. And instead, I ate breakfast and talked with my mom. I decided that though I need to get things done, those things shouldn't stand in the way of spending time with my favorite people (yes mom, you made the list!). 

I'll try again with scheduling some to-do time and let you know how it goes!

Enjoy today,

Addie

Nothing like it

Quote by Brian Andreas. And yes, this is on my wall!

I never pass up an opportunity to cook for my friends. I learned the art of hosting at a young age, and now my mom and I have it down to almost an exact science. This weekend, I had friends over for Hanukkah dinner. Latkes, brisket, dreidel, and lots of laughter left me exhausted but happy. 

For me, cooking is a way to show love. Any love can shine through a well cooked meal. I cook for my friends, for my family, for everyone. Sometimes  a warm baked something can create an instant good mood, and there is nothing I like more than to inspire happiness. 

How do you share your love?

Enjoy today,

Addie

Overalls

Some days I find myself wearing overalls. 

A few months ago I bought a cheap but reasonably well fitting pair at Value Village (the most fun place to shop, in my opinion) with the hope that I could figure out a way to actually wear them in public. I've always felt like there is an adventurous dresser living inside me, whispering ideas of polka-dot tights and 80s sweaters to me in my sleep. 

I used to be too scared to dress how I wanted. I would buy clothes that I loved and never wear them. Lately, I've found my style. I'm more confident in how I dress and that confidence has allowed me to take more risks with what I'm wearing. Sometimes I get to school and immediately regret my outfit choice, but more often than not I end up loving what I'm wearing and getting a few compliments. 

At this moment, I'm sitting in a coffee shop wearing overalls. This morning they called to me from the shelf. Regular pants just didn't seem good enough. So I threw together an outfit and decided, to hell with it, if I want to rock overalls then I can. And maybe it worked, the barista said she liked them. But the most important thing is that right now, I'm loving my outfit and that's all that really matters.

Enjoy today,

Addie

New feature: check it out!

Starting today, there is a new feature on Slice, Serve, Savor! In the tabs section, along with the home page and such you'll find the Check It Out page. This is a page I will keep updated with the books and blogs I'm reading and the music I'm listening to. I commonly find inspiration for this blog from the things I'm reading and listening to, so take a peek at the list if you're in need of a little inspiration yourself.

Enjoy today,

Addie

A year in review...

2012 is hardly over yet, but it's about time to start reflecting on the year that has passed and the year that is to come. I have yet to sit down and really spend time on this reflection, but within the next few weeks I certainly will- maybe even on the beaches of Hawaii (could it get any more perfect than that?). 

I've been reading other blogs that say how great it is to do a year review. It helps process what has happened during this year, and gives inspiration and a fresh start to the one to come. 

Read how Tammy Strobel at RowdyKittens reviews her year here.

and

Find Susannah Conway's 2013 workbook here.

(I plan on using this for my reflection!)

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend. I know mine is going to be busy, but I'll try my best to find time to appreciate the small things.

Enjoy today,

Addie

Write through it

Last night I couldn't sleep. It was just one of those nights where I couldn't stop milling through something that had happened during the day. Since I've been enjoying writing about things on my blog, I thought that maybe writing about what was on my mind might help me think through it.

So, I got out my notebook and a favorite pen and started writing, making sure to keep an open mind.

I decided to sort of prompt myself through writing about the situation with these questions:

What happened?

What were my feelings toward the situation/person before this happened?

How do I feel about the situation/person now?

Did my feelings change and if so, why?

After answering these questions, I started writing to the topic of "things I should remember", which was kind of like giving advice to myself. What I found was that among the ten statements I wrote, two of them were really inspiring. They helped me learn how I actually felt about the situation and gave me a new perspective that I had never seen before. 

This was a new way of approaching a problem for me, and I found that it really worked. Though I can think through things, I tend to get lost in my own mind and lose my trail of thought. By writing everything down, my thoughts became more organized and easier to analyze. Once everything was in front of me, I found connections and solutions that wouldn't have shown themselves otherwise. 

I am planning on trying this technique again in the future. It really does seem applicable to almost every problem from a fight with a friend to a bad test grade. I would love it if others found this technique helpful, so give it a try if you can't get something off your mind!

Enjoy today,

Addie

Happiness photo feed

You read it right! I decided to add another feature to my blog: a happiness photo feed! I actually created an Instagram account (something I thought I'd never do) and created this lovely slideshow. It will constantly update with any new photos I post to Instagram. 

My idea with this is to (hopefully) improve my photography and to more easily share the little things that make me happy. Taking the photographs will help me to notice the small yet wonderful things that I might otherwise miss. I was partially inspired by Tammy Strobel of RowdyKittens, she talks about how photography helps her be happy here. Maybe one day I'll get good enough that I don't need the fancy filters that Instagram has! For now, I hope you enjoy my photos as much as I enjoy sharing them.

Enjoy today,
Addie

Simplicity is contagious

I have been continually paring down my belongings, and it seems to have caught on!

Over the years my mom had accumulated five mugs which she only uses during the holiday season. For the rest of the year they sit unused on a shelf. I had been encouraging her to get rid of some of them, but she insisted that they were important to her, and I didn't mention it again.

So, I was surprised to see her the other morning, putting most of her mugs in a box. I asked her what had changed, and she said that she realized that every morning she reaches for the same Christmas cup and that the others rarely get used. She made her own decision about simplicity.

What she decided to keep were her two favorite mugs, an old-fashioned Christmas mug and a simple Hanukkah mug. They are both important to her, not only because they are pretty but because they hold sentimental value.

What I learned from this is that simplicity cannot be forced. My mom's final decision to get rid of the cups is only strengthened by the fact that she made it without pressure from me. I am so enthusiastic about the joys of simple living that all I want to do is share my passion. Sometimes I am simple to the extreme (read about my future tiny home here) but I know that even the smallest act of simplifying can bring happiness. I hope that by striving to continually simplify my life I can inspire more people to find simplicity.

Enjoy today,

Addie

My 5 most important things

In my efforts to simplify my life, I have found that an absence of things leaves room for happiness. I have also found that with less physical objects to value, the value I place on "things" has grown. It's often said that the "best things in life aren't things" and I wholeheartedly agree.

My Top 5 "Things"

1. Family and Friends- they make me happy, I make them happy. It's (mostly) a circle of happiness!

2. Time- whether it's five minutes of tea drinking or half an hour of blog writing I love finding time to do the things that I enjoy and that make me happy.

3. Kindness- no matter who is being kind to who, it makes happiness on both sides.

4. Giving thanks- thinking of what I am thankful for helps me to realize what amazing things I might be missing out on every day. It helps me notice and appreciate the good things in my life.

5. Hugs- no explanation needed.

Try making your own top 5 list. I guarantee it will brighten your day as it has for mine.

Enjoy today,

Addie