Thick, Cheesy Potato Soup

It has been raining cats and dogs here and I am so over the cold weather. Whenever it gets like this, I just get the hankering for some good ole' potato soup. I whipped out this recipe in 30 minutes today, making it perfect for the busy days when homework and stress are stacked to the ceiling.

Ingredients

• 3 potatoes (baked -- I like to put mine in the crock pot, wrapped in tinfoil, for 8 hrs on low)
• 4 Tb butter
• 4 Tb flour
• 1 c. chicken broth
• 1 quart half&half
• 1/3 c. sour cream 
• 1 cup cheese 

Bake the potatoes (mine is in the crockpot) and when done, set aside to cool off while you bake the soup. 

Melt the butter completely. Whisk in the flour until coooked through. Pour in chicken broth, half&half, and sour cream IN THAT ORDER, stirring constantly. If it's too thick, add a little milk. Too thin, add some flour. 

Next, unwrap the potatoes and scoop out the insides. Using a fork or chopper to mash the potatoes in the soup base. Stir in cheese -- lots of cheese. 

Serve with green onions, bacon, and more cheese. 

I am experimenting with food photos so please don't judge me as I figure out editing ;)

Topic: Management Platforms and Tools

I am so excited to be writing about this topic! It has made my life as a social media manager so much easier. At the beginning of the week, I can sit down schedule all my posts in one fell swoop and then focus the rest of the week on other items.

Agora Pulse gives good reasons to schedule posts:

• Get more posts out at a more frequent and consistent time
• Word ahead of time
• Helps stay ahead of local time if you have global customer

I would also like to add my own to the list:

• One less thing to worry about if all he!! breaks loose at the end of week (trust me, last minute meetings always happen)
• You can change the post if needs be, but it allows you to have some form of structure to your posts. 

Scheduling posts really helps me to stay organized! These are my favorite tools:

1. Facebook scheduling: This is the back-end way that FB allows you to post on timelines at specific times. They let you formulate your posts so you can see exactly how it will look on Facebook. It also lets you boost so you can always have your budget figured out for the week. 
2. Sprout Social: This platform is what I mainly use to schedule my tweets. I am the worst at trying to remember to post on Twitter so it helps me to get that project done. Sprout allows you to make a queue (pronounces "Q"). A queue, by definition is "a line of messages waiting to be sent." What this platform does for you is post at a regular time every day so that you ensure that things go out the way you need. It also allows you to schedule tweets at specific times, if you know something will be happening. I use it to make sure my hospitals show support to the high school sports teams they sponsor. Those tweets get a lot of engagement, so I'm grateful for my ability to tweet. 
3. Gramblr: My new favorite scheduling tool - it schedules your Instagram posts! The only downside is you must keep your computer on and the internet open for the posts to go. Since I work 8-5, I'm always on the internet. I wish more people knew about this tool. When you are ready to use this tool, here's a great step-by-step guide to how to use it.  

And there you  have it! Here's just my thoughts of social media management platforms and tools. 

Things that Make me Happy

On February 15th, I was diagnosed with clinical depression and mild anxiety.

 It was a huge blow to me because I never felt depressed or sad. But looking back over my life, I did have the signs. The last six weeks have been some of the hardest in my life. Adjusting to medication and realizing that I can't control my brain...it's been rough.

But I refuse to let this define me.

I may have depression, my brain might not function correctly, but I can still be happy.

So I started doing things to make me happy, and not care about the depression. Sure it still makes me tired and unmotivated, but I want to still live my life the best I can. .

1. My new pet fish Jimmy. One of my favorite jokes goes: "Why can't Jimmy ride a bike? Because Jimmy is a goldfish." Stupid? Probably but it makes me laugh every time. Because I don't have room for a goldfish (apparently they need 30 gallons of water!) I bought a Betta fish named Jimmy, got a small bike from Hobby Lobby, and now have a pet fish. And it has made me so happy. 
2. My pink tulips outside. They were $5 from Home Depot and they have brightened my day. My favorite color is pink and they fit the bill just perfectly. I love seeing them every morning when I head to work as a reminder that I a happy.
3. This sign from Hobby Lobby. I saw it on Instagram and died laughing. That's when I realized I needed it, because it made me happy. So I bought it. 
   
4. A clean fridge. Lately leftovers have been lingering in my fridge for far too long so I decided to clean out the freezer and fridge, wipe down the shelves and organize it. There is just something rewarding about tackling a project like that and completing it. 
5. My clean bathtub. When we moved in, our tub had a nasty gringy gray look to it. But thanks to Bar Keeper's Friend, it's as white as ever. 
6. My cactus named Fern. I got this tiny cactus as a graduation present from my sister Whitney and it has been with me for over 5 years. I love this little thing. 
7. Connor made me this coat rack a few weeks ago, and it has been so nice to have. 
8. I bought Cheetohs for lunch and didn't even care that they were 310 calories. I enjoyed every last bite. 
9. Me and my youngest sister went to the Library and I checked out a young adult book. Who says that they are just for teenagers. 
10. I stayed in bed and wrote this blog post, just because I could. :) 

What makes you happy? For the record, I am doing fine! I have my days but overall I am doing much better. Still haven't lost weight, but that will come with time. Right now I am trying to focus on healing through proper medical help, therapy, and my Savior's Atonement.

Mountain Dew Steak Kabobs

Summer is rolling around and that means grilling. Connor and I have a little gas grill (like this one) that we have used the heck out of. We love how easy it is to set-up, use, then clean up.

Theses shish-kabobs are AMAZING! I have come up with the greatest marinade for the steak and it has changed our life. Sometimes I can be dramatic, I know, but they really are that amazing. I know that Connor likes what I made when his eyes roll into his head and he sighs really deep. It's only happened on a few recipes, and this was one of them. 

Ingredients:

Marinade

1 can of Mountain Dew 

1/2 c. BBQ sauce - Our favorite is Sweet Baby Ray's

Kabobs: 

4 or 5 sirloin steaks 

1 red pepper 

1 green pepper

1 large onion

1 pineapple 

Cut the sirloin steaks into 2 inch pieces and marinate with the Mountain Dew and BBQ sauce for at least 3 hours. 

Remember to also soak the kabob sticks for at least an hour so the sticks don't burn on the grill. 

Chop the peppers, onions, and pineapple into 2 inch pieces that will be big enough for the shishkabobs.   

Assemble the steak, peppers, onions, and pineapple on the sticks. 

Grill until the meat is cooked and the veggies are soft, brushing with BBQ sauce occasioally. 

Serve with rice and voila!

I use a normal cookie sheet to soak the skewers in water 

Prepping the ingredients takes some time, but if you make an assembly line, it goes by faster

It's always hard to judge just how much meat to veggies you'll need but just make them how you like. I am not a fan of onions so there are a few kabobs with only one or two onions.

 I usually can make 5 to 6 kabobs with this recipe. 

 Connor is the grill master. 

Brush them with BBQ halfway through their cooking

Bad picture, great food. 

Yum! 

Grocery Shopping at 8:00 (March 25-March 31)

I have a lot of new recipes I'm trying this week. I have such a hard time cycling through recipes because there is just so much that I want to make! On my Pinterest page I have created a "Tried and True" board for all the recipes I've made and looooove. It has been nice when trying to meal plan to think about foods that we like to eat.

Here is this week's meal plan:

S: Straatman's
S: Alex & Jeremy's
M: chicken fajitas (my own recipe!)
T: Shrimp and pineapple skewers 
W: Busy night so OYO
R: Baked potato soup
F: Costa Vida - I have a coupon :)

Groceries $50
(Pro-tip: grocery shop at 8:00 in the morning on a Saturday. By this time, all the shelves are stocked but there is nobody in the store. I love getting up, throwing my hair in a pony then heading to Macey's. I always bring home donuts for breakfast so that makes Connor happy.

pineapple
spinach
sweet potato
shrimp
waffle mix
chili
corn dogs
rice
mandarin oranges
raisins
sunflower hearts
half&half
cream
milk
sausage for breakfast :)

And there you have it! Have a great week :)

Easter Crafts on a Dime

These two crafts were a ton of fun to make! I had a few of my old high school girls come over and help me out, which is always a blast. Isn't it funny the people we stay close to?

Anyway, all the Spring weather made me excited for warmer days so I wanted to make some Easter crafts, since  I have no spring decor in my house. Let me know if you make them so I can see how yours turned out.

Here are the original links to the crafts:

Carrot garland from The Bewitchin' Kitchen
Bunny jar from: Weekend Craft

This is my sister's garland that she made with JUST carrots. I think it still turned out pretty cute. 

A lot of the paint strips were donated by Bennet's Paint but some I also just grabbed from Lowes and Home Depot. They had no problem with me taking a giant stack. 

I tried to freehand cut my first one and it turned out less than desirable so I got these easy stencils to trace and cut around. (Carrot - Easter Egg)

Cute striped carrots!

Bunny jars in the making

I love that each one has personality 

My finished garland! For the carrot tops, I just cut smaller triangles from the paint strips.

Cute bunny jar with silk flowers from the Dollar Store. Such an easy craft. 

Brazilian Stroganoff

My friend Roxanne, who btw is AMAZING, introduced me to this yummy traditional Brazilian stroganoff. Her husband, a native to Brazil, says that this recipe is different in every family. Because of it's simplicity, I can see how easy it would be to shake it up according to your family's tastes. For this recipe, I used the version Roxanne taught me but you're welcome to mix in whatever veggies or spices or meats you like:

Ingredients: (Makes 4 servings)

• 4 partially thawed chicken breasts
• 2 8 oz. cans of tomato sauce
• 1 can of table cream (by the Mexican food)
• 1 TB ketchup
• 1 TB mustard
• 2 TB sugar
• Salt and pepper
• Rice
• Potato sticks

Cook the chicken in a little bit of olive oil, S&P-ing the whole time.

 Dump in the tomato sauce, table cream, ketchup, mustard, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for about 5-7 minutes. 

Serve over rice with potato sticks. 

So yummy! I think it would be fun to add mushrooms, if Connor would let me ;) 

All the ingredients (minus ketchup and mustard)

Cooking the chicken. I love frozen chicken breasts for things like this. 

It looks like tomato soup/fry sauce

These potato stix are at Walmart by the Pringles and pretzel thins

Apples, and Peppers, and Oranges OH MY!

I love that summer produce is coming on! When Macey's does their Fill it Fresh for $10 bags, I stuff that thing with as much fruits and veggies as I can.

Here's what this week's menu is:

M: Kabobs (I'll post the recipe on Monday!)
T: Turkey Steak and potatoes
W: OYO
R: Potato soup
F: Fajitas

Groceries $60 - because I bought a fancy ribeye steak for dinner on Saturday...

cucumbers
peppers
oranges
onions
apples
strawberries
bananas
cantaloupe
sirloin steaks
ribeye steaks
bacon
brown sugar
white sugar
milk
eggs

I know it doesn't seem like it should be that much, but when you consider the steaks were $10 and the fruit another $10, it adds up. But what I love about it is the amount of fruits and veggies I got. I still haven't lost any weight, which is super frustrating, but I will continue to try my best.

TOPIC: Organizational Uses

I absolutely love the community of Cache Valley. I have lived here my entire life and have been able to rub shoulders with some amazing individuals. 

One such opportunity that I have had is to serve on the Logan Downtown Alliance Marketing Committee. It is such a fun environment be around successful business owners and other members of the community. Part of my job is to run the social media campaigns for the Alliance. It's a fun job that, for the most part, isn't hard to come up with content. Being on this committee made me wonder, how are other ways that we, and Logan City, can better benefit from using social media to interact with members of the community. 

I recently read an article by Tod Newcome titled: "The City that Incorporated Social Media." In it he talked about Roanoke, VA and their uses of social media. What I liked about this article was how simple it made social media for cities sound. 

"...accounts also act much like a 311 service. While citizens can still notify the city about a problem via a phone hotline, social media followers increasingly use the city’s Facebook and Twitter pages to query, complain or ask for help. “It’s become a highly effective way to contact us,” says Melinda Mayo, communications and media officer."

I think that Logan City does an excellent job at using social media to announce news, but could improve on answering inquiries made by members of the city and outlying neighborhoods.  Because so many more people are feeling more comfortable messaging rather than calling a city, (source) it's important for a city to have a structured communications network established. 

Another way I think cities can uses social media, is to relay important emergency information like road closures and power outages. Since people already post about that stuff on social media, if a city was actively looking for questions and could answer them quickly, it could help put the public's minds at ease. 

I also liked what this article from CivicPlus talked about: 

"Several Parks and Recreation departments use social media to remind the community of upcoming activities and classes to register for. Within the social media post they’re linking to an online registration form to boost participation by making it easy to sign up." 

If more cities, even smaller ones like Nibley and North Logan, did things like this, I think there would be more participation in city-wide events. This could lead to reduced crime (because everyone is banded together), more friendly communities, and better collaboration on future projects.

I think that all cities should have at least one person dedicated to the social media and online presence of their community to stay in touch with the members of the community and spread news and events quicker than traditional methods.

Social Media Case Reflection #2

The internet is a great place to share creativity, show-off your talents, and generate new ideas. Because of the internet information, videos, pictures, are passed around like the flu during January. People often now start conversations with "I saw this thing online" or "I read on the internet..." or "I saw this thing on Pinterest..." 

This kind of talk is generally positive for the world as it unites us, connects us, and makes us more aware of the people around us. 

Because things spread so fast online, a new generation of entrepreneurs has emerged from the dark, dusty basements of the millennial generation: YouTube sensations. While Preston Parker might not agree that these social media and internet stars can be considered "famous" I beg to differ. We've all hear of "Charlie bit my finger," "Double rainbow," "Hide yo kids" etc, and those people have definitely made money. (Most viewed YouTube videos) 

Another major YouTube sensation is the band OK GO. Their first major video included carefully timed jumping from treadmill to treadmill. They were instantly a hit. 

In their latest single-take internet sensation, OK GO created a video in zero-gravity. The video was set to launch exclusively on Facebook for a 48 hour window. But the airplane company that the video was filmed in, Russia's S7, released the video first. 

Big no-no. 

The copyright laws of the United States protects "original works of authorship, fixed in a tangible medium including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and other intellectual works." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_law_of_the_United_States)

Under this definition then, the OK GO video was original, fixed in a musical medium. By law, they owned the rights to the video. Only they had the legal capability to share it with the world. Once their video was posted, however, it became part of the fuzzy-gray line of internet copyright. (Learn more here)

How then was the airline able to release it? And what can be learned from this legal battle between YouTube, Facebook, and the producers of content? 

My first question with this case is, "How did the airline even get the video in the first place?" 

It's highly unlikely that they tapped into OK GO's deep values of data to collect the footage. The band then, I can assumed, sent the video to the airline to view before the rest of the world. That was their first mistake. I feel like the band should have kept it under wraps as much as they could. And if they wanted to send it on, they should have clarified that they DID NOT want it posted. Having clear directions and clear expectations would have prevented the airline from thinking they could post it. 

HOWEVER. 

The next part of blame I put on the airline for releasing something that wasn't theirs. They did not have permission from OK GO, therefore infringing on the copyright law. It was not theirs to use, making it blatant plagiarism. Before they posted it, they should have confirmed with OK GO that it was "ok go." In my line of business, I am often working with clients exclusively through email and I understand that things can get confusing. But a good social media manager will confirm with a client before just posting willy-nilly.  (For more information on how to be an effective social media manager read this post from Business to Community). 

In this situation, I see both OK GO and Russia S7's airline at fault. 

Another HOWEVER

The video was shot outside of Moscow Russia, making it obviously not on U.S. soil. So does that mean the copyright laws still exist for it? According to Russian copyright law (Copyright Law of Russian Federation): 

Under the 1993 law, copyright covers works of the sciences, literature, and the arts that are the result of creative activity and that exist in objective form. Neither the value nor the purpose of a work is a criterion for copyrightability. An "objective form" is any realization of a work such that it can be perceived by others in any way. Mere ideas are not copyrightable. Copyright is vested in an author automatically upon the creation of a work.

So who, in this case of Russian copyright law, was the true author? Sure OK GO filmed the video, but it was with the airline's airplane. In this case, I would still put all my case on OK GO. But as far as Russian law goes, S7 didn't break any laws.

Perhaps why there wasn't a large law-suit out, because of the international laws/regulations that were too open to debate.

I think that as the internet expands and things like this begin happening more and more frequently, there will be a change in international internet laws and perhaps a U.N. governing body to monitor such things. Because the internet connects countries and nationalities in a way never before seen, new laws, never before seen, will need to be enacted to protect the creativity of artists, musicians, and potential YouTube stars.

One last thing to be said, if you are going to post anything online, just remember that you've put out there for the world to see, use, and possibly manipulate or change. So be aware of what you post, use your brain, and give credit where credit is due and you'll be fine.

Topic: Class Cloud Assignment

On Wednesday, I had the most interesting assignment for a class. We were to tweet at someone to join in on some discussion about social media using the #socmeddiscuss. I chose to tweet at my boss, Lance Lyons, Monumetrics, and the Tailwind App.

Here is me inviting my boss:

And here is my question for the discussion:

I had hopes, because I had tweeted at them, that they would participate. However, as the class discussion began and other tweets popped up on my feed, I noticed that a lot of people had used the words "class discussion" in their tweets, driving away potential discussion. I think that that alone shows why the discussion didn't go as planned. I felt jipped in this discussion because no one took it seriously or used the hashtags appropriately.

Here is one of my tweets that I made that day:

As you can see, I tried to get a conversation going between me and my class mate, but nothing past my reply. I think that a lot of people were more interested in the not-so-interesting love affair blossoming on Twitter through the hashtag. It really bothered me that that was what people were excited about. Here we had this great opportunity to learn how to manage a live Twitter-feed, a skill many of us will most likely need in the future, and all we were concerned about was "Are you single?" That's not how I choose to spend my tuition. 

I did enjoy, however, reading the +Wendy's tweets to users. It showed me how to have creativity on Twitter, something that I struggle with when dealing with company complaints. That alone saved the experience for me. I learned that it's ok to be a little casual on Twitter, for a food brand like Wendy's. They can do that without ruining their reputation. 

My biggest struggle when replying to peers' questions, was the limited characters. Because I have so much that I'd like to say about social media and the topics asked, I could have maybe linked out to longer blog posts that summarized what I wanted to say. 

I liked doing a live feed just to see how flexible social media can get. It's crazy to think about all the different directions and voices that can be a part of this conversation. 

After the class, the next day at work, I talked to my boss and asked why he hadn't joined in on the conversation. "I didn't get your tweet!" he said "Or I would have totally participated. From that, I learned that if you really want someone to be a part of your conversation, you need to more than just tweet at them. Really good preparation is required to have successful live Twitter discussion. 

Exercise Accountability

Accountability breeds success. I'm sure someone famous said that. But I feel like it applies for this.

I am trying to lose 15 lbs by my sister's wedding in 20 weeks.

Here's how I am motivating myself:

Every time I work out, I put a "dollar" in it - to use later.

I use resistance bands and a yoga mat every morning to do a few of these HIIT workouts. Once or twice a week I try and go run at the gym but I have terrible shoes right now so my feet hurt ... a lot. Any advice or tips would be welcomed!

Here are my favorite workouts: 

Case Lot and Food Storage (March 13-17)

If you have never shopped the Case Lot sale at Macey's, you are seriously missing out. This time of year is one of my favorites to stalk up on canned foods.

Here's what my storage room looks like:

We don't have a done of space, as you can see, but I try to stock up on essentials a few times a year, just to keep me from having to buy them later. It was something we both felt we could take out of savings for. The other nice part about Case Lot, is that it lasts two weeks. So if you plan carefully, you can really take advantage of some great deals.  I've got canned green beans, corn, black beans, oatmeal, cereal, ramen noodles, soups, and chicken broth. It's definitely good to have staples. Then, after a buy a few extra, I donate them to the Cache Community Food Pantry.

My menu for this week looks like this:

M- Skinny Burrito Bowls
T- Spaghetti
W- OYO (This has turned into just whatever leftovers, sandwiches, ramen we can find)
R-Brazilian Stroganoff - I don't have a solid recipe for this yet. S/O to Roxann
F-Burgers

Groceries: $65 this week, but that's because I bought a few things from Case Lot

cantaloupe
grapes
carrots
lettuce
tomatoes
onions
green onions
turkey steaks
ground beef
black beans
canned tomato sauce
table cream (for the Stroganoff)
shoe string chips
milk
frozen chicken breasts ketchup
pasta
marinara sauce
ramen noodles


Have a great week!

Garlic-Butter Seared Pork Chops

Spring Break was just too much fun.

You'd think that because we didn't go anywhere, I would have had more time to blog, but NOT TRUE! We were busy relaxing. Bummer we have to go back to school next week...

I'm going to try and blog at least three times a week. Will I actually do it? Who knows...

Part of our week was eating dinner together at Connor's work sites. I was tired of being home alone all the time so I brought picnic dinners to where he was working and we ate there. One of the nights I made these garlic-butter seared pork chops and WOW!

Ingredients

• 2-4 Tb butter
• 2-3 cloves minced garlic (I use the stuff pre-cut because I'm lazy)
• 4 pork chops, thin
• 1 Tb parsley
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a large frying pan and saute the garlic until you can smell it. Place the pork chops in pan and sprinkle parsley and salt and pepper over it. 

Cook until a golden brown color. Too much longer after that and it will get tough. 

Rice, pork chops, and cantaloupe

Just hanging out at work 

And THAT'S IT! 

Simple ingredients. No time at all. My kind of meal. 

Meatball Sandwich

This is my night right now: diet Coke, caffeine free, with lime & poetry homework.

Recently I discovered that Connor loves  meatball sandwiches. I made them for him once when we first got married and they turned out eh. But this time around, I decided to just go for it with my own recipe and man did it turn out great.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag frozen, cooked meatballs
• 1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
• slices of cheddar jack cheese
• bread - I used Asiago bread from Macey's

Place frozen bag of meatballs and marinara sauce in crockpot on high for four hours (Don't go much longer)

Serve on bread with cheese!

Tah-dah! Best marinara subs ever. And WAAAAY cheaper than Subway. I have a 4:30-7:00 class on Wednesdays so it's nice to swing home between work, throw things in a crock-pot, then have it be ready when I get home. 

Don't you like how the marinara sauce matches my red counter?

So tasty!