The Versatile Blogger Award

So two posts in a day? What's up with that? Well I just found out I've been nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award!!! This is my first blogger award I've been nominated for so I'm kind of just a little bit SUPER excited. :) I was nominated by Morgan from Morgan's Blog, which is a fun blog with all sorts of interesting fashion tidbits and other fun stuff. Thank you Morgan!
So I'm supposed to include seven fun facts about myself but as y'all know all facts about myself are fun. ;) So anyways, here are my seven facts. I tried not to include any that you could find anyways on my blog.
1) I'm always cold.... I guess except for when it is like 100˚ but only then!
2) Drinking tea is actually a mood thing for me. I have to be in the mood to drink tea... lately I've been in the mood.
3) I'm a phases kind of a person... like as I mentioned with drinking tea. Sometimes I am in a phase of eating pancakes, other times I'm really into eating salad. However, I am ALWAYS in a greek yogurt phase.
4) I'm always tired. If you know me well, you already knew that.
5) I don't talk to Siri all the time on my iPhone. I really pretty much never do. I can think of a couple distinct times that I remember talking to Siri since I got it in April.
6) I quote movies, YouTube videos, books, my family, and anything else that could possibly be quoted. Originality doesn't exist with me.
7) I saw a meme the other day that said "Having inside jokes with yourself." I looked at that and I knew that was me. Yep... no life. :)

I think those facts about me were INCREDIBLY fun!
So now for my nominations for the Versatile Blogger Award.
Suzanne from Just Another Girl
Kaylin from Average Christian Geek
Hayley from Victorious Heroine
Katie from Katie Lyn
I assume we can't nominate someone who has already been nominated but if I could I would totally nominate Morgan again!
There were supposed to be fifteen nominations but I can't think of anyone else! Sorry if I forgot you!

If you were nominated the rules for the award can be found here. Have a great day!

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

The Lord of the Rings Movies: What I would have done differently

So y'all know I LOVE the Lord of the Rings books but I've never really shared my feelings about the movies... apart from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. I was quite young when the first movie came out... seven to be exact. However, I had to read them before I got to see the movies... my Dad's rule.  So I was just seven years old when I read the Lord of the Rings because there was NO WAY I wasn't going to miss out on seeing those! I absolutely loved them as a kid. It has now been several years since the movies were released. I've matured a lot in how I view the movies and though I still really enjoy them, I now see the errors that were made, some of which were just in my opinion UNFORGIVABLE!!!! Let's review them shall we?

Aragorn and Arwen Scenes

You know what I'm talking about. The million and one romantic scenes of them together that never ever EVER existed in the book. The whole Aragorn and Arwen relationship was really blown out of proportion in the movie. Besides my disliking this change because it wasn't in the book, I also just disliked them because (you know me) they were icky romancy gag me stupidity! I can't believe that far more important scenes from the BOOK were left out and THOSE were put in. 

Sam, Frodo, and the stairs of Cirith Ungol

I think you know what scene I'm talking about here too... the scene that once again, was NOT IN THE BOOK but somehow made it into the movie. I really dislike this scene because it completely goes against the character of all of the characters involved... except Gollum I suppose. Frodo would not have believed Gollum over Sam and he most definitely would not have told Sam to go back! Sam would assuredly have NEVER left Frodo. And, as mentioned afore, IT DIDN'T HAPPEN IN THE BOOK!!!!!!!!! 

Faramir

Like they REALLY messed him up. You know, in the book he's supposed to be DIFFERENT than Boromir but in the movie they have him make the SAME mistake Boromir did, though granted in the end he makes the right decision. I really liked Faramir in the book, he's one of my favorite characters. There are certain qualities about him that caused him to make the right choice when Sam reveals that Frodo has the ring. It completely went against his character to have him do what he did. And, once again, IT WASN'T IN THE BOOK!!!

Those are my three main aggravations with them movies that really irk me to no end (as you may have noticed). You'll probably get the idea from what I wrote that I am a stringent "movie has to be like the book" kind of a person but I'm really not. Normally I'll be fairly lenient when it comes to movies staying true to the book. However, when movies add in scenes that aren't in the book (so they have NO reason to add them in) that are just stupid and don't help the movie at all, then I get very unhappy. 

There are a few other complaints I have about the movies that I have learned to partially forgive Peter Jackson for so I will spare you form those rants. Those listed above are most definitely my top ones though. What are your thoughts on the changes the Lord of the Rings movies made from the books? Do you have other parts of the movies that you find unforgivable? Share your thoughts in the comments section! 

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

Recipe- Pumpkin Baked French Toast

I know you're beginning to notice a new trend...a trend where I am pretty much only posting recipes anymore. It's because they're GOOD! And perhaps I'm too busy or too lazy to write you out a real blog post...
Today I bring you what I practically lived off of last week. I had it for breakfast every day and if I could I ate it at lunch or dinner also. I really REALLY loved it and it is probably best that it is gone now. Today I bring you pumpkin baked French toast!

Pumpkin Baked French Toast

Ingredients
3 1/2 C cubed bread of choice
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or a little extra cinnamon)
3 T sugar or sweetener of choice
1 1/4 C milk
1 Cup yogurt (the original recipe called for tofu or yogurt but I'll die before I use tofu and obviously I live by greek yogurt so...)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
Directions
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except bread and stir well. Grease an 8X8 baking pan and pour  the cubed bread into the pan. Cover evenly with wet mixture and then cover the entire dish with a lid or saran rap and refrigerator overnight. The next morning, preheat oven to 400 F and bake 30-35 min. Top with maple syrup or eat plain (it is actually very delicious plain). I enjoyed it both hot and cold.
NOTE: You may need to adjust milk and bread proportions depending on the type of bread you use.
Recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie.

I know you all are worried about seeing my cup of coffee in the picture but we've had this conversation before. I like coffee AND tea. Actually I've really gotten into a tea drinking mood recently so you may see some more tea inspired blog posts around here soon.
Have a great day and don't forget to like my blog on Facebook! :)

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

On this Blustery Friday

On this blustery Friday I bring you a quick blog post before I dive into studying.
First off, look to the right... the right side of my blog page. Observe there where it says "Like me on Facebook!" Now, like me on Facebook.
That was simple.
Secondly, get your hoodies out and get some apple cider, hot chocolate and of course TEA cause cold times are ahead!
That's all... have a great Friday! :)

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

Favorite Food Blogs/Websites

I just got done with my second nursing test. I'm SO tired! Whenever I have a test I go to bed early and wake up about four so I can do some last minute refreshing before the test. So right now I'm running on coffee and post-test adrenaline. Today I give you a very lazy post because I have no time because I'm in nursing school (in case you hadn't noticed).

Y'all know I love to cook... especially bake... cookies cakes, brownies... yum! I just thought I'd share a few favorite food blogs/websites so you can enjoy finding some great recipes too! :)

Sally's Baking Addiction
Probably my favorite baking blog right now. I get a lot of my "healthy" recipes from there. However, when it comes to Sally, her healthy recipes don't taste healthy. Love it! :) Don't be fooled though, there are plenty of unhealthy recipes on her blog too. :) I got my healthy brownie recipe from there and my Mediterranean dip recipe.

Ambitious Kitchen
Another new favorite food blog. It has a variety of different kinds of recipes some healthy some not so (but absolutely delicious).

Food Gawker
This is kind of a recipe center. If I can't find a recipe for something I'm looking for on my other go to food blogs I go to food gawker and search and I always can find at least one recipe for what I'm looking for. Most all of my other recipes I have found there.

Picky Palate
Another great food blog I was introduced to by my cousin. I got my gingersnap cookie recipe from this blog.

Annie's Eats
This is the food blog from which I got my pumpkin snickerdoodle recipe which is a absolutely amazing. :)

Do you have any favorite food blogs?

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

Recipe- Refrigerator Oatmeal

Today I am sharing with you my new favorite food! Refrigerator oatmeal! It's healthy, it's got greek yogurt in it (which is always a plus in my book), and there are so many different flavors you can make. I found these recipes from The Yummy Life. In this blog post I am only including the flavors I've tried but there are many more on the website. Also, all of the original recipes called for chia seeds but as that is not something in my normal collection of ingredients I just skipped them. Because chia seeds do absorb some of the liquid you might want to cut down on the milk.

Mocha Refrigerator Oats

1/3 Cup uncooked old fashioned oats

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

2 tsps honey or other sweetener

1 tsp cocoa powder

1/2 tsp espresso powder (I used cappuccino powder as that is what I had on hand)

Raspberry Vanilla Refrigerator Oats

1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned oats

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
2 tsps honey or other sweetener

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup raspberries sliced in half. 

Pumpkin Pie Refrigerator Oats

1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned oats

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 tsps maple syrup or other sweetener

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

Banana Chocolate Refrigerator Oats

1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned oats

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1 T cocoa powder

1 tsp honey or other sweetener

1/2 banana 

Banana Peanut Butter Refrigerator Oats

1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned oats

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1 T peanut butter (or substitute PB2)

1 tsp honey or other sweetener

1/2 banana

Directions for all

Mix all ingredients together and place covered in the refrigerator overnight. Take out the next morning and enjoy cold or if you so desire heat up for a minute (I've never tried them heated). Can keep up to three days in refrigerator or a month in the freezer. 

ENJOY!!!

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

TV Shows

I've mentioned quite a lot on here about the different TV shows I watched so I thought I might share a little about them as well as mention ones I want to watch in the future.

Monk

Is the first modern TV show I ever watched. It follows an obsessive compulsive detective as he solves crimes while ultimately trying to figure out who killed his wife. This show has occasional mild bad language, some not the most modest clothing at times, a couple episodes where there was some suggestive speech, and of course a little gore. I would consider it very family friendly though. My younger siblings are always allowed to watch these as long as we have screened it before. There are just a couple episodes that I would really consider not worth watching and as for the rest they should be fine depending on maturity level. 

Psych

Follows Sean Spencer, a private detective who has convinced the world he is psychic to explain his incredible observation skills taught to him by his ex-police officer father. This show has more occasional mild bad language, some not the most modest clothing at times, some suggestive speech a few iffy scenes, and a little gore. There are only a couple episodes I can think of off the top of my head that one of them I wish I hadn't watched and the other I was warned not to watch and didn't. Psych is definitely for a more mature audience but is still relatively clean. 

Castle

Follows Rick Castle, an author of mystery novels who is called in to consult after a murder uses a method described in one of his books to kill somebody. Of my three cop shows that I have watched, this is the least clean. I have put them in order of cleanest to least clean. This show has more occasional mild bad language, more not so modest clothing at time, some suggestive speech and some suggestive scenes, and some gore. I have not watched all of Castle. I have watched the first season and part of the second as well as random bits here and there. Because its not always the cleanest its hard to consistently watch it and while I do like Castle, there are shows right now that I enjoy more. You are more likely to find episodes in Castle that should be skipped. 

Human Target

Only ran for two seasons which made me very unhappy. It follows an ex-assassian who reformed and now saves people with the help of another ex-assassian and an ex-cop. This show has occasional mild bad language, some not the most modest clothing at times, a bit of suggestive speech, and some gore and violence. For its subject matter, this a pretty clean show. I always really enjoyed it and it is so disappointing that it only ran for two seasons.

Foyle's War

Take place during World War 2 and follows a police officer solving crimes during that time period. This show has occasional mild bad language, some more mature themes, and some gore and violence. This was a pretty clean show as I recall and quite historically accurate. I was watching through it during my first semester at Butler but stopped and I can't remember why as I know I really liked it. Someday I need to finish it. 

Sherlock

Is amazing! It is the modern day telling of the story of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. In this show off the top of my head here's what I can think of; some british language, some references to homosexuality and some gore. This is all omitting the first episode of the second season that should NOT be watched. I haven't seen it but I have been informed by everyone that it is inappropriate so I'll take their word for it and skip it. 

Stargate SG-1

I just started this last month and I am steadily working my way through it. Do NOT watch the first episode of the first season. Besides that, so far what to look out for is some not so modest clothing at times, some mild bad language at times and some suggestive speech/scenes in a couple episodes that isn't terrible but I'd just fast forward through. This is my first sci-fi show to watch and I am enjoying it so far. I really can't think of a good synopsis so maybe you should just look it up on Wikipedia. :)

Shows I want to watch/thinking about watching

Doctor Who

I know you can't believe I haven't watched that yet. That is what I plan to watch next and I am really looking forward to it. 

Call the Midwife

My library just got this recently but then someone checked out the first season before I could run it by my Dad. But it looks very interesting and I am going to give it a try. 

Elementary

This is also a modern retelling of Sherlock Holmes but it takes place in America.

Stargate Atlantis

This follows after Stargate SG-1.

What are your favorite TV shows? Any other recommendations? Warnings? 

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

Monthly Resolutions- September 2013

I made it simple last month and I am going to make it simple again this month.

Read through 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, and Titus

I look at that and notice that they all begin with T... because I always notice the important details first. ;)

Read or Re-Read at least three books

That seems like such a minuscule amount as compared to what I normally will read per month but with school I don't want to overwhelm myself. 

Write a blog post per week

I'm going to try to keep up with my blog a little more. I hope this won't drag me away from my studying. 

Pray daily

Same as last month. I want to make a daily habit of praying.

STUDY!!!

This nursing school thing is hard and time consuming. I want my goal to be that I study for AT LEAST four hours daily (except Sunday). If it is the day after the test or something like that I'll take it down to two hours. I want a total of at least 24 hours studying time per week. I've just got to dedicate myself and keep at it. 

Become more organized

I've made a lot of progress with this. Last year I forced myself to keep some sort of a calendar to keep track of when school things were due. Now that I have an iPhone I set reminders and make to do lists. What I have the most trouble with though is keeping track of things outside of school. I have a confession to make, I missed a doctor's appointment... because I forgot to put it on my calendar! I felt really dumb and I'm resolved never to do such a thing anymore. In the past I have always relied on my mom but with being at school so much I don't really communicate with her a lot. And, as she has told me many times, she can't keep track of everything that all nine of us are doing. I just need to take a little responsibility for my own time. I have come up with a plan to keep a daily word document diary and then a weekly word document diary. This was roundaboutly inspired by Hayley at Victorious Heroine. We'll see how it goes. 

So all the same goals with one new one. I really think that since doing these monthly resolutions that I have done a much better job of getting things done and trying new things. So even if you aren't much of a goal maker, you might want to try this... maybe just do weekly goals and see how that works out. 

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.