Wordy Wednesday

My friend Kyle began doing Wordless Wednesday posts a while ago, and I thought it was a great idea. But I tried it, and I’m horrible at not using words. So I think Wednesdays will have to be all about the words (and I’ll try and throw in pics to keep it interesting).

Also, I was tagged by Jenn at Knack for Nutrition to complete the 4 Things survey. If you haven’t checked out her blog, you should! I’m very flattered that she tagged me, but also slightly embarrassed that I can’t think of enough details to fill in all the spaces. You see, I am odd—I have no cable TV, so I don’t even have four TV shows to tell you about (but I do like Private Practice and Weeds).

I think I’ll adapt (read: butcher) the survey format and just give you a list of some of the words popping into my head today:

MagnArt

I bought this kit a few years ago from Remo and I love it. The part that sticks to the wall is kind of like that 3M sticky stuff (and doesn’t leave any marks), and the magnets are extremely strong. For a while I had one set up with the magnet directly on the metal plate (so it made a kind of hook) and I hung a framed picture on it—it stayed! It’s great for hanging printed artwork (or painted in the case of my nephew) and keeping a neat look without having to frame things. If you put one in each corner of your artwork, it keeps everything super straight, sleek and flat to the wall. Makes it easy to change your art displays and pictures more often!

Upcycle

I heard this term from a crafty friend—apparently upcycling things into something useful is different than recycling. It just sounds more positive anyway, doesn’t it? Uncommon Goods has a lot of upcycled stuff–things like welcome mats made of flipflops and such. I use the term “Upcycle” in my mind-body training. Some people call it pivoting, but I think Upcycling your Thoughts sounds much more desirable! I’ll tell you about that technique soon—it’s pretty awesome.

Prickly Pear

When I’m bored or procrastinating, I often go to the grocery store and buy a weird kind of produce that I’ve never tried, and then I dissect it to find out what it’s all about. This is also a great technique to use with kids (did I just insult myself?)—a study showed that in an elementary school, kids who were able to explore and talk about brussel sprouts (not talking about their health benefits, but pulling them apart and discussing their attributes “the leaf looks like a little boat!”) were much more likely to try them when they were subsequently served in the cafeteria ( ref: The China Study). Play with your food!

Snow

How could I leave this word out? I don’t have anything to say about it except this: I used to hate winter. I wish I had access to the pic of me standing outside waiting for the school bus (after my sister’s friends had picked her up and left me standing there even though they had room in their car). Really, my winter mantra was always, “Why does anyone live here?!” I’ve grown up. I still prefer sun, sand, warmth, and summer, but I’ve learned not to fight winter anymore. In fact, I’ve changed my perspective on life (over the last 7 years) from one of fighting for everything to one of accepting and creating. I can tell this is true because I am in the midst of winter, and I’m feelin’ no hate 🙂  (I’m also working at home right now, and don’t have to go outside in it before the roads are plowed in the morning!)

Giveaway

I have a product review and giveaway coming up very soon—don’t miss it (the giveaway is a $25 gift certificate!).

Do you have tricks for keeping food interesting when you’re not inspired?

Have you ever upcycled anything?

Do you have any Words for Wednesday?