Friday, October 23, 2015

Short Story... Sorry, It's Not a DIY

Hello everyone! It's Ariel, and I'm struggling with the time to do another DIY, so I decided I would share a story I've been working on. I know I'm not sticking to my topic of a simple DIY project with this post, but I figured rather than rush to do a sloppy project, I would share something else with you guys! So, I wrote this story in creative writing, and since I'm sharing it with you guys, I'd love some feedback! :)


          “Lena Hansen, please come to the front office.” I hear my name called over the intercom and cringe. Oh great, what happened this time? I don’t remember doing anything bad in the last few days… I sigh and grab my books before standing up and awkwardly stumbling out of the classroom. I can feel everyone’s eyes follow me out of the room and I feel my cheeks heat up with anger and nervousness. I walk down the hallway toward the front of the building. I don’t see either of my parents, or anyone I should be concerned about. I slowly step toward the office desk, where a lady is sitting behind it.
Drawn by me!
         “How may I help you?” She asks in a slightly annoyed tone.
         “I was called to the office. I’m Lena.” I say, sighing a little.
         “Oh yes, you’ve been checked out for a last minute doctor’s appointment.” She says, handing me a checkout slip.
         “What?” I ask, my eyebrows furrowed.
         “Your father called, he’s waiting outside.” She replies as if it’s obvious. I nod and turn away, then grab my backpack and strut out. 
         “My dad is at work… Why would he be taking me to the doctor’s?” I whisper to myself shaking my head. I push open the doors and walk to the parking lot. An old, beat up truck with blue chipping paint is parked on the curb across the street from the school. I smile as soon as I see the driver and walk towards the vehicle a little faster. I eventually break out into full speed running and finally reach the truck.
         “Hey, darlin’.” The driver says in his thick southern accent and I open the door as fast as possible. I jump in and wrap my arms around him, embracing his presence. The smell of his cologne fills my nose and I smile, sighing.
         “Corbin. What are you doing here?” I whisper into his ear, and I can tell he’s smiling.
         “I thought I’d stop by for a visit.” He says and I pull back. We both stare at each other smiling.
         “Well this ought to be a heck of a day! I can’t believe you’re here!” I continue to smile as I shut the passenger side door and buckle my seatbelt.
He pulls away from the curb and slowly starts to roll down the road before he steps on the gas. The car zooms down the street, and I can’t help but smile like a stupid fool.
         “How’d you get here?” I ask after a few minutes of silence.
         “I drove.” He says simply like it’s no big deal.
         “Oh my God, Corbin! You drove here all the way for me?” I ask my cheeks turning pink.
         “Anything for my little sis!” He says, looking at me smiling. We stay looking at each other for a while, still driving down the road, both too distracted by each other’s presence. I finally turn my head back to the road but am horrified by what I see.
         “Corbin!” I shout, and he turns his head, but a second too late. A car in the opposite lane crashes into our vehicle, sending me flying backwards in the blink of an eye. My seat belt comes unbuckled and my body is slammed into the backseat. The truck rattles and my vision blurs. I look around slowly, seeing that my leg has been crushed under the weight of the back left door, along with Corbin’s seat… Corbin!
         “Corbin! No! Corbin!” I shriek, hot tears rolling down my cheeks. I struggle to pull myself out from under the rubble, but don’t get very far. Panic takes over my body and I shake uncontrollably. The edges of my vision slowly fade black and a numbness floods my body. I inhale a shaky breath and slowly close my eyes, falling into a deep sleep. 


         Bright lights shine into my barely opened eyes. I blink a little until my vision becomes less blurry. My eyes focus on a white ceiling. I sit up a little and take in my surroundings. I am in a completely white room, the and there are very few pieces of furniture. Across from me is a closed door, to my left a grey plastic table, and to my right a heart monitor and IV stand.


Well, that's it for my short story! I really hope you enjoyed and I apologize for this not being a DIY project, but I'll be back with a new, and fun project for you guys next week! If you'd still like to try out a DIY project you can check out StudioDIY! Thank you so much for reading, and please leave any feedback! This story also does not have a title so feel free to suggest any ideas! Also, please check out my poll and vote for which project you'd like to see next!

~Ariel

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

DIY Food #2 - Apple "Cookies"

Hi again! It's Ariel, back with another super delicious recipe for you! This DIY is great for a snack, dessert, finger food, or just for fun! My second DIY project is, apple "cookies". Apple "cookies" are very yummy, and healthy, and great for any occasion. These are also super great treats for children if you are babysitting!

First you want to gather all of your ingredients. I will be using:

  1. Apples - Green or red work perfectly fine but I prefer red.
  2. Peanut Butter - If you have an allergy, soy butter, sun butter, or almond butter are great substitutes.
  3. Nutella - You can use plain melted chocolate if you'd like, or even chocolate syrup but I personally like Nutella.
  4. Chocolate Chips - You can use dark, milk, or white chocolate but I will be using milk.
  5. Pretzels - You can use any type, I will be using regular pretzels.
  6. Granola - This is optional if you do not want it.
You can use any other ingredients you would like for a different variety, and the steps to making this simple snack will work for any other ingredients you'd like!

To make the apple "cookies", you will also need an apple corer to remove the center of the apple. You want to start by taking your apple and pushing the corer into the center, then raise it out and and rotate it a little then push it back in. Repeat the process until the whole center of the apple is cut out. The you can remove the core and your apple is ready for slicing!


Next slice the horizontally into thin slices, about a quarter inch. This will be your "cookie" to put the toppings on. Once you have cut all of your apple you can begin to spread on peanut butter or Nutella. I made a few of each kind but you can choose to do however many of each that you would like.







Now for the toppings! First spread the peanut butter on the apple. Then, on the peanut butter "cookie" I am also adding a few chocolate chips for flavor.









As for the Nutella "cookie" I spread on the Nutella, and then add granola and crushed pretzels for texture and yummy flavor!









Now you can repeat this process for the other slices and and enjoy! I really hope you enjoyed this project, I think it's super easy and fun to make! Feel free to request any project or recipe you'd like, I'm always up for a challenge! I also would love feedback and suggestions! Thanks again for stopping by again, and I'll be back with another post soon! Also, check out I SPY DIY for some cool DIY projects! See you soon with an all new DIY! :)

~Ariel 

Saturday, October 17, 2015

DIY Food #1 - Peach Raspberry Smoothie!

Hello! It's Ariel again, back with my first DIY project! I'm sure most everyone will enjoy this project, it's super easy, yummy, and healthy! For my first DIY I've decided to post about one of my favorite smoothies! This smoothie has many different ingredients including a lot of fruit and it's perfect for a snack or breakfast! You can substitute any other ingredients for the ones I've used if you would like!

Here is what you will need for your super yummy smoothie:
(I am not a sponsor of these products)
  1. Orange juice - you can replace orange juice with whatever type of juice you enjoy!
  2. Peaches - I am using fresh peaches that I have frozen in place of ice. For this smoothie the peaches can be frozen or fresh, whatever you'd like or can find. You can use nectarines for a similar taste if you are not able to get peaches.
  3. Raspberries - frozen or fresh will both work and if you do not have or like raspberries you can substitute strawberries in place of them.
  4. Honey - any type of honey. A great substitute for honey would be agave syrup.
  5. Plain yogurt - you can use any brand of yogurt. Another good flavor to compliment this smoothie would be peach yogurt.
  6. Ice, but only if you are not using any frozen products.






Now that I have all my ingredients I start by putting the fruit into the blender. If you are not using a frozen fruit you will also want to add ice. If your peaches are frozen I suggest cutting them into smaller chunks before putting them in the blender.

 Now that the fruit is in the blender you should add just a little orange juice. I usually do not measure, but just add a little. You can always add more, but you can't always take it away!













Next I added about 5 small drops of honey into the blender. The honey will help cut down the sourness of the raspberries but still allow the flavor to come through. It will also add just a little sweetness!

 Then after I add those ingredients I put in about 3 or 4 spoonfuls of my plain yogurt. This will give the smoothie a little more texture.

Make sure to put on the lid before you blend!

The finished product!
Now blend it until it is completely smooth and all the fruit is blended fully. It usually takes about a minute or so to blend depending on the blender you use! Now you have a super delicious, and healthy smoothie!











Hope you enjoyed the first DIY! If you like this recipe and are looking for some more types of smoothies you can check out this website! There are many more coming up soon! Thanks so much for stopping by, see you next time on DIY Anytime for another simple DIY project!

~Ariel