iPhone App Organization

Apps have become kind of a big deal. We now have so many that we�re feeling a little overrun by them! And guess what? It seems like we hear about the newest, coolest, helpful-ist ones every day! You may be wondering if these are worth organizing. 

They are absolutely worth organizing! Apps kind of drive me crazy! I hate how cluttered they make my phone look. And I really hate the fact that Apple won�t let me delete the ones that came with the phone that I�ve never even opened (Stocks, anyone?). SO� here are some helpful ways I�ve found to organize my iPhone apps!

-1-

Alphabetized

Obviously, if I�m looking for anything in this world, I search alphabetically. When I was 6, I used to organize all of my family�s VHS tapes. When I lived in my studio apartment, I alphabetized my yogurt. So, why not alphabetize iPhone apps? This is just a super simple way to find what you�re looking for! 

-2-

Categorized

Ok, so this is actually the way that I have my phone organized right now. I know that some people don�t like it when apps are consolidated into those little category folder things but I really love it! I love opening the Social folder and having my Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter apps altogether. I love opening my Productivity folder and having my E-Mail, Notes, and Reminders apps all right there. Yes, it does create an extra step to get them open but seriously, how lazy are we getting if we don�t want to open one extra thing on our touchscreen phones?

-3-

Color-coded

The only thing that drives me crazy about having my apps alphabetized is that, even though it actually is very orderly, it looks very un-orderly! Color-coding apps solves this problem! Color-coding makes everything look so neat and even pretty! Also, I don�t know about you, but when I think about an app, I�m picturing its little icon in my mind. So it�s pretty easy to search by color.

-

Finally, in order to keep the amount of apps I have from getting too excessive, I delete unused ones pretty frequently. I usually try to do this around the beginning/end of the month� because, if I haven�t used it in a month, I�m probably not going to use it. I also try to eliminate duplicate apps that do the same thing (those photo editing ones are the ones that I tend to hoard)! Sure, you might �need it someday� but just remember that you can always re-download it in 5 minutes or less! So, letting these go is no big deal! :)

Those are the only 3 ways I�ve tried organizing my apps but I�m sure y�all have thought of some more ways to organize them! How to you keep them �cleaned out�? Do you love or hate using those little category folders? 

More about → iPhone App Organization

Summer Bucket List - 20 thing to check out in Cbus

Happy Memorial Day!  Thank you to all those that have served our country so that we can all enjoy the freedoms we sometimes take for granted.

And since Memorial Day is also the unofficial start to summer, our calendars are starting to fill up with cookouts and pool parties.  Make sure you get some variety in your summer fun by hitting up the following 20 guaranteed good times unique to Columbus!

1. Visit the Columbus Zoo's new Heart of Africa exhibit - we all love the zoo, but now you can interact with lions, cheetahs, and giraffes... oh my!
2. Rock out at the LC Pavilion - 90s alternative bands make a comeback in this year's line up with Beck, 311, Counting Crows, Goo Goo Dolls, and Sublime
3. Moonlight Canoeing on the Hocking - you can leave the sunscreen at home as you paddle down the river under the moonlight to a bonfire and s'mores
4. Cheer on the Columbus Clippers - see why Huntington Park was named best ballpark in 2009... and more cowbell!
5. Hit the Trails and Metroparks - Columbus is getting close to 100 miles of trails for walking/running/riding and has 16 Metroparks to get outside and be one with nature
6. Indulge in fair food at the Ohio State Fair - my favorite... ice cream from the dairy barn (home of the butter cow) and some cinnamon candied almonds... it's only once a year!
7. Join a half million of our closest friends for Red White & Boom - find a rooftop, patio, or grassy spot for the biggest firework show in the Midwest and then follow it up with the Doo Dah Parade the next day
8. Yoga in the Commons - get your stretch on outdoors, focus breathing in that fresh air
9. Nice day for a Gallery Hop - join the masses on High Street and enjoy great restaurants and local artist galleries
10. Go to as many Cbus festivals as humanly possible - over 250 festivals listed on Columbus Underground's fest list, that has to be some sort of city record
11. Buy/Rent a standup paddleboard and use it - after surf lessons in San Diego and paddleboarding in the Gulf, we need some sun & surf in Cbus... SUP is gaining traction with meetups at Griggs, Hoover and Alum Creek reservoirs as well as Olentangy River, Big Darby Creek, and Buckeye Lake
12. Get rowdy in the Nordecke at Crew Stadium - defend our fortress with chants, flags, and smoke bombs... Columbus 'til I die
13. Check out the Scioto Mile - specifically the Rhythm on the River series on Fridays including a free BalletMet performance on August 29 to kickoff their new season
14. Chow down at some Food Trucks - they'll be at every event in Cbus, but they will all be at Food Truck Fest August 15-16
15. Ride in a hot air balloon at All Ohio Balloon Fest - soar over Marysville with 50 other hot air balloons August 14-16
16. Visit Ohio Village for one of their event nights - besides old school baseball games and kids activities, Ohio Village will put on Retrorama (8/9) as part of their American Dream series including drinks, eats, music, and more
17. Take a Brewery or Distillery tour through Columbus Brew Adventures - lots of local brews and spirits to sample and then sample again
18. Frequenting the best patios Cbus has to offer - whether it's for dinner or just drinks, there are plenty of patios to enjoy... Third & Hollywood, the Crest, Harvest Pizzeria, Pies, Milestone 229, the Boat House, Haiku, La Chatelaine, Brazenhead, and Local Cantina to name a few
19. Old school drive in movies at South - pack a picnic and catch a double feature
20. Hike Old Man's Cave in Hocking Hills - ranked in the top 50 hikes in the entire country, make this hike a yearly tradition... stay in a cabin and get to some of those less traveled trails too

Of course, if your summer plans are rained out... opt for one of these other 40 things to do indoors!  Yay for summer!!!!  :)

More about → Summer Bucket List - 20 thing to check out in Cbus

Taco Bread - total time 40 minutes

I know I'm one of the anomolies that has cooked or baked just about everything on their food-related Pinterest boards, but there are still some recipes on there that I'm just not sure about. Most of the foodstuff I pin look and sound delicious, with a couple tweaks, it's perfect for my somewhat picky pallet. Other recipes look amazing, but sound much less appealing.

That's how I felt about this taco twist that pinned over six months ago. I love stombolis and I love tacos, but mixing the two together seems sacrilege. I guess if I can do it to stuffed shells, I can do it to stromboli. So, inspired by Bev's raving review, I checked another recipe off my Pinterest board.

Taco bread is basically begging to be dipped into something, whether it be guac (my fav), salsa, sour cream, or queso dip... the bread makes it nice and sturdy so you don't lose anything when you make your dunk. The egg wash give the crust a good crunch with a fluffy inside and a savory filling. I don't know what I was afraid of, taco bread is delish!

Read more �

More about → Taco Bread - total time 40 minutes

Home Tour

Well, yesterday was the closing day for our house! YAY! It has been the longest, most frustrating ordeal in the whole world but it is finally all over!

Even though selling the house was stressful, it will still always be a place full of memories of our first years of marriage! It is the house my husband lived in while we were dating, the place where we had our engagement party, Super Bowl parties, Christmas Eve celebrations, and countless other wonderful memories. While I am {sooooooooo} relieved that it is officially not ours anymore, a little part of me is still sad to see it go.

When Derek and I started dating, he had one thing on the wall: A Fight Club movie poster of a bloody, shirtless, sweaty Brad Pitt with all of his Fight Club bros hanging right above the living room sofa. Charming, right? At least it was framed.

We put a lot of time and work into making that house �ours� {aka: I threw away all of his stuff}. And we really enjoyed the time we spent there.

So, in honor of all of our memories, here is a little tribute to that house on Tributary Lane!

{This was our Herb Garden and I wish I had taken a picture later in the Spring when everything came back to life. We had Lambs Ear, Lemon Balm, Chives, Mint, Rosemary, and Thyme. It was the most precious little garden ever!}

{These are all from our Living Room. Derek framed some 8x10 photographs of our favorite travel destinations like, Puerto Vallarta, Rome, and Capri, and hung them one day while I was at work. And that turquoise table was my first ever furniture-painting project!}

{This was our dining area in our eat-in kitchen. That table used to be brown and those chairs used to be black before we gave them all a makeover. Oh, and all of the walls used to be the color of cardboard.}

{This was our bedroom which is another room that got a total makeover. When I moved in, the walls were a brownish color and Derek had a black bedspread. This room turned out so bright and cheery and was one of my favorite spaces in the house!}

{Of all the comparisons of our old house and our new loft, the only one where the old house wins is this whirlpool tub. It was the best, seriously. You will be missed.

{For the first two years of our marriage, we hung up clothing racks and I used one of the bedrooms as my closet/dressing room. Last year, I made the command decision to try to share a closet with my husband. It meant getting rid of a lot of clothes but now I�m down to just my favorite pieces and it�s a great feeling!}

{Finally, the office. The last time we were out of town, I let my husband be in charge of deleting some photos in my phone so this is the only office picture I have left! We spray painted our old pasta sauce jars to use as pencil/pen/scissor holders and that little jar was originally filled with candied ginger from a Thanksgiving party we attended last year. 

{oh, hi there. don�t mind me. just working away, over here!}

Yesterday, we drove away from this house for the last time. Since I don�t think we�ll go back to it (or even the neighborhood) ever again, I wanted to preserve my memories of how it looked when it looked my favorite. Goodbye, little house! 

What is your favorite part of the place that you live now? Are you moving soon or have you moved recently? If you�re selling a house, has it been an easy experience or have there been a lot of challenges? 

More about → Home Tour

Broccoli Chicken Alfredo Pizza - total time 30 minutes

Seems like every night this week I've been rushing to get dinner on the table before 9:00! Whether it's work, after work activities, working on our fitness, or running after kids, we all need a quick go to meal. My first mainstay is tacos, but sometimes get tacoed out (it takes a lot of tacos to get there, but occasionally I reach that tipping point). So my plan B menu item... pizza, of course!

I always have a ball of whole wheat dough in my fridge just waiting to be made into a pizza, stromboli, or calzone thanks to GreenBEAN delivery. It makes homemade pizza night sooo easy!

Usually we stick to traditional red sauce with mostly traditional toppings. But this time I changed things up a bit by making a white pizza! And what goes best with alfredo sauce? Chicken and broccoli! This pizza has become the new favorite in our household. Can't wait to make it again. :)

Read more �

More about → Broccoli Chicken Alfredo Pizza - total time 30 minutes

5 Tips for a Smooth Move

The last time I moved, I was in undergrad and I moved my things out of my room at my parents� house into a tiny studio apartment. I was mostly able to fit everything into my Honda Accord and it took one trip with a truck to move my bed. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!  

That was like, years ago. So, when I was planning for this move, I thought back on it and estimated about the same time/work commitments. Let me just tell you now that I definitely, definitely, definitely underestimated how crazy moving an entire house is!

We officially �moved in� to our new place last Monday! All in all, it�s been an awesome (but time consuming) adventure and I�ve definitely been keeping notes of things that I liked/didn�t like about how we did it. So whether you�re moving across town or across country soon, here are some ways to keep some order (and sanity) during your move! 

-

Start Purging Early

You really cannot start paring down your things soon enough. We knew this move was coming for about a year, so I gave full trash bags of things away monthly. And you know what? I still felt like I had too much stuff! This is the perfect time to get rid of clothes you never wear, decor that you�re tired of, or things you never liked to begin with!

-

{image}

Create a Moving Planner

I found one that I absolutely loved on Michelle Lea Designs! She creates beautiful printables PLUS she�s a military wife, so she�s moved multiple times! Her checklist contains literally every single thing you could possibly need to do. It also divides things by a timeline which was my favorite thing about it! Print it out, cross out the things that don�t apply to you, and write your date deadlines next to each heading!

-

Play Around with Decor 

Luckily, before our move, we had already seen our new space in person. As soon as we left the new place for the first time, I grabbed a piece of paper and created a quick floor plan of it. Then I drew in where I envisioned everything going. When I got home, I arranged furniture, lamps, etc. how I wanted them to look in the new place and photographed them. This way, when I started to unpack things, I already knew where almost everything was going! 

-

Label Every Single Thing

We kind of had a 2-step process with our labels. We got the ones that people use for yard sales that come in 3-color packs and created a color-coding system: Green for �Take to New Home�, Pink for �Donate�, and Orange for �Storage�. Then we literally stuck one on every item in our home! Once I knew where things would be going, I wrote on the labels: �bedroom", "dining", �living�, etc. This made packing an absolute breeze!

-

Pack by Room

Finally, (I know some people say to pack things by their size but) I would really suggest packing by room! This way, you just need to label the bin/box according to its room and drop it off there during the move! It also makes it way easier to unpack the things and decorate once you�ve arrived! Finding homes for things this way was SO simple! Also, this way you can prioritize which rooms you�ll need to set up immediately and which ones can wait. 

-

Those are the top things that have helped me stay organized during our moving process! :)

Are you moving over the summer? Or have you recently moved? If so, Where?! And what advice do you have for others? 

More about → 5 Tips for a Smooth Move

Weekly Menu

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!  This weekend was packed with fun things like Race for the Cure, a Cbus bloggers lunch, and visiting with friends.  A bit of a mixed bag with weather after almost getting hailed on walking around Bexley.  Got 'lost' for hours in the Book Loft with a friend (from my 40 things to do in Cbus when its cold or rainy post).  Then we tried Tom+Chee which opened recently in Pickerington followed by going to see Godzilla.  

Tom+Chee is a cute little grilled cheese place, kind of like Melt, but a little less extreme.  My husband had a grilled mac and cheese sandwich.  They also have grilled stuffed donuts (we shared a smores donut).  They apparently have a bakers dozen challenge for eating these donuts... I don't know that I could even eat one whole one let alone thirteen!  I wonder how many people they get attempting the challenge?!

 

 

If only the weekend could be longer!  Oh well, time for this week's menu...

jerk shrimp sandwiches (kind of like po' boys)
sundried tomato pasta
baked sloppy joes
broccoli stuffed chicken and salad
pizza night

More about → Weekly Menu