I'd rather have a grain of sand hurled at my head than a boulder...

Well HI!
Here is a look into my mind for those of you just DYING to know what my thoughts are.
 Let's go!

So I have a cold....

But... here's what I compare sickness to;

Imagine all of the world's sicknesses and ailments were rocks being hurled at people. Things like aggressive cancer, starvation, and so on, would be like boulders. They are going to knock you down, tear you up, and most likely kill you.
A cold is like a few grains of sand. It'll get into your eyes, your nose, and just be irritating as frack. However it will not leave you any worse for the wear when all is said and done. It's an annoyance, that is all.
Because of this, I will NEVER call in for work because of a cold, even if I have to chain a box of tissues to my waist.

So there's a little ray of sunshine for your day... Eh?

In regards to the Year of Months..

It IS HAPPENING.

I haven't even though about what I'll be doing starting on Sunday for an entire month, but nonetheless I am excited to do it!

In regards to the YA Rebels...

We are rebooting! We are looking for a few good peeps so we can get launched and back on track! This year will bring you more author interviews, more fun insight into all different viewpoints in the YA lit world, and just... MORE. So stay tuned. Or audition. Auditioning is good too.

Anyways you guys rock my sick face off.
Kayelee

Because I'm a Copycat of the Very Late Variety.

Quite some time ago my lovely and ambitious sister (who I silently glower at when she isn't looking due to her aforementioned ambitiousness,) did what she called a "Year of Months."

 I know what you're going to say, "But Kayelee we all do a year of months.. Twelve of them.. Every single year."

BUT WAIT! Just listen for a second. These months were special! She had a theme for each month in which she challenged herself! There were months in which she took a photo a day, months in which she tried a new recipe daily, and so on, so forth.

Now I am well aware of my award winning lack of attention span. (You may not be, because I've never focused long enough to display those awards on my mantel. I've got them though, trust me.) SO this is what I shall do; play it by ear.

And so begins the planning. Will it be a year of months? Two months of months? 50 years of months? WHO CAN KNOW THESE THINGS?! Great mysteries of life and all that... But let's just say I'm shooting for a year.

Anyway, August will be the month in which I plan for this year. I have a few themed ideas which I will list, but I am welcome to any and all suggestions. Also, I will not decide which month I am doing until that month has reached it's eve.

The current list follows...

1. Photo-A-Day Month
      In which I try my best to look like my life does not completely surround my dog and Doctor Who. This shall be tough, and you should still expect to see some of my dog because she is JUST THE CUTEST EVER AND I WANT TO SNUGGLE HER FACE OFF. Moving on....
2.  Recipe and New Food Month
     I thought my sister was CRAZY for this with all the planning and time it took, but there are just so many great things out there to try. I'm relieving a bit of the recipe burden by also allowing myself to try a food I have never tried in the stead of making a new recipe from time to time.
3. Art Month.
     In which I explore all different forms of art, old and new. Perhaps I'll paint, make jewelry, sing, film a book trailer, or craft something else. Maybe I'll even take a class! Who can know? I'm told artists can be very unpredictable.
4. A Month of Helping.
     I have yet to decide if this month means I commit myself to a daily good deed, or perhaps I find some volunteer work? This month will require planning out the wazoo, but I'm down.
5. Pinterest Month
     Those of you that know me know that I have NEVER been into pinterest. I am just not the type of person that wants to make my own stuff. I want to buy it pre-packaged, decorate the room with it, and move on. However I've always wanted to take on a little more DIY craftiness, and pinterest has plenty of that, as well as yummy recipes. So maybe this will be the time I finally understand what all the craze is about!
 6. Quote Month
     Not sure where this one is gonna go. But it's a thing. It'll happen.
7. Video Month
     I will not put up a video every day but I WILL work on a video project every day. I am not a professional but I do enjoy making videos. Plus my sis may need some book trailers soon. ;)

So here's where family and friends come in. I need 5 more months of challenges. I forewarn you though I have no interest in Vegetarian Month. Not because I don't want to do it, but because I barely care for meat as it is so I don't feel as though this would be any kind of a challenge.

Please help me find those 5 topics.

As I said, none of these will be in any particular order.

Love ya lots, you bunch of crazies.

<3 nbsp="" p="">Kayelee

Harry Potter's Birthday


Hello all!
As many of you might already know, yesterday was Harry Potter's birthday! My first idea was to utilize my season pass to Islands of Adventure and celebrate at Harry Potter World itself. However, my husband worked a long hot day at his mostly-outdoor job and wasn't feeling more sweating, despite my argument that HP world has snow. so I decided to get creative. How so? Harry Potter dinner!

Step 1:
Turkey legs!
Turkey legs are a staple at Three Broom Sticks, the restaurant in Harry Potter World. The HP world restaurant is by far one of the best in all of the universal parks. Their food is always consistently yummy, the environment in which you eat is fantastic to the point of feeling as though you really are in Hogsmeade, and, of course, you can have a delicious butterbeer with your meal! The recipe I used was found for me by a friend, and you can find it here. (It's YUM and healthly!)

Step 2: 
BUTTERBEER! Yep. That's what I said. Butterbeer.
For a long while I have been bummed out that butter beer isn't for sale anywhere outside of HP World. Being as I have had a season pass since HP World opened, I haven't missed out on it too much. Once you taste it however, you want it often. I googled and googled butterbeer recipes and frankly they were all WAY too complicated, and had very mixed reviews. I knew I would be overly critical since I am an experienced butterbeer drinker, and nearly gave up. I then encountered a blog known as Bakingdom. The creator of the blog has invented her own butterbeer recipe and it wasn't anywhere near as complicated as all the others I had seen. I figured it was worth a try and I have to tell you...
It was SPOT ON. I can hardly tell the difference between the butterbeer I had at HP world and the batch I had made. I encourage you to try it. Here is the recipe.

Step 3:
Honeydukes themed cupcakes!
What's a birthday without some kind of cake?
Honeydukes signature colors are pink and green. I intended to print the honeydukes logo and attach it to toothpicks as a sort of sign sticking up from the cupcakes. However, I did not know that my printer was out of colored ink, so I basically just made pink cupcakes.
But they were delish!

It's so fun to bring fictional stories into your home in ways such as these, and I greatly encourage it. I hope you'll have your own Harry Potter dinner!  


The Finished Product:



LAMMMMMMEEEEEEE

Today's Top 5? Top 5 Lamest Mascots!


#5 What strikes more fear into the hearts of men than..... an orange? The mascot for the Syracuse Orange is Otto the Orange. The Syracuse Mascot was originally a Native American character named Saltine Warrior, but the Native American students petitioned to have the mascot changed because of its "Stereotypical portrayal of Native Americans." 17 years went by before they decided on a mascot, and what was chosen? (by the student body, no less.) Otto the Orange...I mean... Really?




#4 At first glance I see rotten celery... But it seems the Wichita State WuShock is actually a giant living bound bundle of wheat. In 1904 The team's manager chose the name because many of the players earned money during the off season harvesting (or "shocking") wheat in the surrounding fields. No offence mister manager sir, but maybe you could have been a wee bit more inventive.








#3 Brutus Buckeye at Ohio State University is simply what his name suggests- an Ohio Buckeye nut. Brutus has been around since 1965 when the athletic council chose a buckeye as the college's mascot over a buck deer... Interesting decision Ohio.








#2 The Boll Weevil: University of Arkansas at Monticello. The boll weevil is a beetle that feeds on cotton buds and flowers. It infested all U.S. cotton-growing areas by the 1920s, devastating the industry and the people working in the American south. During the late 20th century it became a serious pest in South America as well. UAM’s early students, most of them the sons and daughters of delta cotton planters, selected the Boll Weevil as their mascot...
So they chose the biggest pest they knew of, which was putting their families out of business, to represent them as a college mascot. What do they cheer at games? "GO PESTS!"???






#1 At Evergreen State University, they chose the largest burrowing clam in the world as their mascot. According to the college's website, "The appearance of geoduck's large, protruding siphon has led to the belief that the geoduck has the properties of an aphrodisiac." Erm.... Take from that what you will people....



However, before I go, I MUST share with you the Geoduck Fight Song because I literally laughed out loud when I read it. I mean, Are they SERIOUS!?


The Geoduck Fight Song
words and music by Malcolm Stilson, 1971

Go, Geoducks go,
Through the mud and the sand,
let's go.
Siphon high, squirt it out,
swivel all about,
let it all hang out.

Go, Geoducks go,
Stretch your necks when the tide
is low
Siphon high, squirt it out,
swivel all about,
let it all hang out.


Wow...

On that lovely note, thanks for reading!

Love Always,
Kayelee

Spontaneous Saturday!

So this week I have been very step-outside-my-box-ish.
I went to an art lecture....
AND I met the guy who wrote THE SURROGATES! (the graphic novel the movie is based on)
....and both were awesome!
I'm continuing these new experiences today by going to the Book Festival at UCF :)
BUT I just wanted to share some of the pics Sarah and I took the last 2 days...

Art of War: Kevin Haran
(to see a bit of an explanation as to how he makes his sculptures, go to my sisters blog here)





The Surrogates: Robert Venditti
This guy was great to listen to, and so far I am liking his graphic novel a lot! Again, for a description of the event, go to my sister's blog.








One last thought then I'm done:
I REALLY encourage you guys to try to reach outside your routine and try something like this out. Its so freeing to step outside your daily life and do something a little different for a change. It doesn't have to be anything major, but it will make a difference, I can promise that. Besides, you might find something you really like out of the experience. For example, I had no idea a graphic novel could be such a fun thing to read, but I'm having a hard time putting it down.

Thanks for reading :)
Love Always,
Kayelee

Lake Eola!

ADVENTURRRRRREEEE!!!

Today there was an event at Lake Eola that my sister and I went to. Take a look!



Thanks for watching!

Love Always,
Kayelee

Aurenthia Studios- Sara Lewis' Photography

Sara Lewis is someone I went to college with, but hardly knew in my time there. As far as I remember, we had one class together, and I can honestly say I have no recollection as to how I first sighted her photos. What I do remember is not having seen any photography like them, and being completely in awe of her talent. Since I first discovered her work, I've followed it closely, making sure I never missed an update of new pictures on her website or facebook. When most of us take a photo, it is just a photo. There might be some of our most beloved friends and family in it, and we may cherish it until the day we die, but still, it's just a photo. When Sara takes a photo, it is art. I hope you enjoy her photos as much as I do!





















Thanks for taking a look! Sara's website is www.aurenthiastudios.com if you want to see more!

Until next time!

Love Always,
Kayelee

About this blog

About Me

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I've moved 13 or 14 or 20 times in my life... Not totally sure. I like working with kids, reading books, kayaking and canoeing... anything like that that keeps me ABOVE the water. I'm afraid of Sea Creatures, (particularly sharks) semi-trucks, and cows. ...In that order. My favorite food is bread followed by rice. What can I say, I like carbs. I have a long haired chihuahua that I am fairly convinced is an alien spy. But I love her nonetheless. (silly emotional humans) I'm convinced I will one day play the character my sister named after me in the book she is writing.. Because I KNOW it will be a movie. She's a villain ;)

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