Quick apple cake

Nothing could be easier than this recipe for quick apple cake.
It literally takes three ingredients: apples, a cake mix and butter.
I'm sure it would be just as good with any other fruit as well.
I had some apples that only tasted so-so and had been sitting on my counter.
I also happened to have an unused cake mix tucked away in my cupboard.
It seemed a perfect time to try the recipe out!

 If you're interested in trying it out for yourself, I found the recipe at the link above. I did adjust a few of the guidelines to suit my tastes and it turned out really well!
Here's what I did:

•  Preheat the oven to 355 degrees F
• Spray dish with non stick spray.
• Slice apples into medium size bites and layer evenly, then sprinkle with a sugar/cinnamon mix
• Evenly distribute half of a dry cake mix (I used a yellow cake mix) over the top
• Melt half of a stick of butter then pour it evenly over the cake mix
• Follow by adding a couple tablespoons of water to the parts of the mix that are still dry
• Bake for 40-45 min.
• Check halfway through baking.  If there are still portions that appear dry, add a bit more water and continue to bake.
• Enjoy!

Home to my (limited) creativity

Our guest room/office is getting closer to being decorated and hopefully, done. There will be more pictures to come of that room later.

You see, yet another room is in the works. This time it's my "craft room."

This room used to be the computer/music/catch all room.  Since we have been simplifying our house and surroundings in general, we had this "bonus room."

My idea was to make it a room where I could scrapbook, sew or maybe even take a nap ( I can do that anywhere...)

So, I finally spent last Saturday finding a home for things and arranging them in a way that I could live with for the time being.

Afterwards, I even managed to sew a few little projects that have been piling up.

It has turned into a room I enjoy being in.

Anyway, here are a couple pictures of the room and what it was

(a room gone wrong if you ask me...)

  

The room is very small, so there really isn't much to it.  But it turns out, it's the perfect size for me!  I chose a light grey color on three walls, with the other white.  Eventually, I want to incorporate pink accents for a girly effect.  I also need to make some curtains, weed through a few more things, find homes for others and finally, hang some art.  Maybe down the road, new floor can be installed as well. But this is my crafty space for now. 

My dream is for my room to look like this, but I feel I have a long way to go:

via Pinterest

Flawed but not without hope

One of my favorite sayings used to be "I'm hopelessly flawed."  In fact I used it just the other day.  I liked to think it meant I was imperfect and could really do nothing about it.  But I've done "nothing about it" for quite some time.  I've found myself in a very deep rut, where I perform my daily activities in such a routine way that I could do it all in my sleep.  But there is no joy in doing so.  As a result, my life has been very much the same for several years now.
Boring.
I felt compelled to share this because it helps explain my absence in my blog, my lack of direction and lack of posts as a result. Somehow along the way, I've lost my way and very much lost myself.  I'm not so sure what makes me tick, what makes me hum anymore.  I have found it difficult to find joy or get excited about much of anything.
But today, after doing some reading and thinking (something I try to avoid..haha) I came to realize I'm not hopelessly flawed.  I have hope, even if it is in small doses and harder to find some days. 
I feel like I just woke up from a very long nap and know that I have to get up from it.  I just don't have a plan anymore and find it easier to stay still for a little while longer.  But while I'm still, I do know that I have to move forward.  There is no other way. Now I just have to find the way.
On the plus side, today is a day with hope.  I was finally able to talk to someone about where I am in my life and she helped me see that I do have power to take control of some things and that gives me more hope than you could possibly imagine.
My hope has always been there, I just have to dig for it and work at it more than I used to.
I now have a little more insight and am able to formulate more of a plan for myself.  (I can do nothing without formulating a plan, researching it, analyzing it, then dissecting it...so my plan will be quite the process.)
Now my new favorite saying is that I'm perfectly imperfect.  I have imperfection down to an art.  But instead of letting my imperfection and the regret, then the weight it results in pull me down, I've decided to fight.  I have the power to change things.
And I will.
One.little. step. at. a. time.

I'm baaaaack!!

Over the year I've been absent, you (if there are still any yous out there) may have wondered:
Where has she been?
What is going on?
Why is she blogging? (is it still called blogging?!)
and for those of you who accidentally stumbled upon this blog looking for something else entirely:
Who are you?!
Let me answer the last question first: I'm Whitney and I'm back!  You'll have to stick around to find out more about me from my blog if you really want to know!
As for the other questions, maybe this little blurb will answer those pressing questions (because we ALL have them!)
To start, I really can't remember why I originally started blogging in 2010.  I just wanted to share!  Is that so wrong?  One thing I can remember though,  is that I actually enjoyed the blogging process for some time (3 years guys!!).  Then as if someone suddenly turned off a light, my joy for blogging stopped.  I was done.  I tried to keep it going for a while, but it (and let's be honest....life) felt strained and overwhelming.  I was burned out and desperately searching for something, anything to talk about that mattered.  But I couldn't find it.  I was lost.  So one day, I just stopped.  Not only did I stop blogging but I even stopped reading many of the blogs that for one reason or another inspired me to blog.  I  felt some relief for a while.  No more blog responsibility for me!  No more connection.  Whitney out!
I hung out around Facebook for a while, then got bored.  Not my thing.  But then I discovered Instagram.  Ah Instagram!  There I reconnected with friends AND bloggers I had missed out on for some time.  They inspired me to search out new and exciting ideas, places, etc. Only then did I feel the void my blogging hiatus had left.
Then a year later a friend and fellow blogger decided to start up her own blog and she inspired me to be brave and take on this blog monster again (check her blog out at: simplyfinelife.com).
So that's what I'm doing!  I'm trying to be brave and starting up this blog once again.
With that being said,  I'm looking forward to reconnecting with those of whom I've lost along the way and starting anew!
Because every day brings a new adventure! Why not start now?