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Prone to Wander

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Tips for a Fun Technology-Free Road Trip

July 6, 2017 by Abby

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RoadTripTreats #CollectiveBias

Are you ready to give your kids the same old-fashioned road trip you enjoyed as a child? Check out these easy, creative tips for a fun technology-free road trip!

Are you ready to give your kids the same old-fashioned road trip you enjoyed as a child? Check out these easy, creative tips for a fun technology-free road trip!

Road trips were a huge part of my life when I was younger. My siblings and I lived in New Hampshire with my mom and my dad lived in Mississippi. Semiannual drives south (and then back again) meant we were well-versed in all things road trip. All that time spent in the car took place long before smartphones and tablets and DVD players (although I do think my older brother got an old-school GameBoy at one point).

With all the technology-related entertainment options available to us now, it can be tempting to hand the kids a music player or a video game and let them zone out for hours on end. That makes for a pretty easy trip and, trust me, I’ve done it a time or two. But if you long to leave the gadgets at home, keep reading for tips for a fun technology-free road trip.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: food, Holiday, life, Parenting, travel — Tagged With: road trip, snack, snacks, travel, traveling, wandering

Brown Sugar Bacon-Wrapped Sausages

November 7, 2016 by Abby

These brown sugar bacon-wrapped sausages are seriously like crack. They’re sweet, savory, addictive, and perfect for any party you’re having.

These brown sugar bacon-wrapped sausages are seriously like crack. They're sweet, savory, addictive, and perfect for any party you're having.

There are some big changes afoot in the Winstead household. While I typically try to avoid vague statements (like the one I just made) without further explanation, I’m too excited about what’s happening to not say something. I’m excited, nervous, hopeful, and anxious all at once, and I’ll be sharing more details in coming weeks.

In a season of life when there are still so many unknowns, it occurs to me that I have so much to be thankful for. In addition to the obvious, like the health of my family and a beautiful home to live in, I’m so thankful for answered prayers and peace of mind amidst uncertain circumstances. During a time when so much of the future is up in the air, I’m thankful for confidence that God’s timing is perfect.

Things might be looking different around the Winstead house soon, but some things never change. One thing that will always remain the same is my love for cute little bite-size appetizers, particularly those that include bacon-wrapped anything. These brown sugar bacon sausages are a recipe my mother-in-law has made for a few years. They’re a huge hit with anyone who tries them, and with good reason.

The sausages themselves aren’t anything special. They’re the kind often served smothered with barbecue sauce at parties. The bacon is where the beauty begins. The strips are the same width as the length of the sausages, making them a perfect pairing. When the dish bakes, the brown sugar on top gets sticky and caramel-y. The result is a perfectly sweet and savory bite that’ll be a hit at any holiday or game day event.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: dinner, food, Holiday, in the kitchen, recipes, snack, supper, Uncategorized — Tagged With: appetizer, bacon, five ingredients or less, life, recipe, recipes, sausages, snack, wandering

Guest Post: An Open Letter to the Future President of the United States

August 25, 2016 by Abby

Today’s guest post is different than what I normally share on Winstead Wandering. Rayben, a former student of mine, sent me a text asking if she could share this post here. I said yes because I love to see young people with a passion for writing and with a passion for politics.

An 18-year-old's open letter to the next president of the United States.

TO SECRETARY CLINTON & MR. TRUMP:
“Love Trumps Hate.”

Does it really?

A clever play-on-words created by an experienced word-weaver, the phrase is more often used as a tactic of destruction rather than that of benevolence.

One of you declares his love for the minority; the other makes well-known his amnesty toward the radicals: Polar opinions with identical approaches.

Who really loves the most?

Some would say the left-wing, with their attempts to prove that “all are loved,” and “your life matters.” What they fail to inform the general populous of is that with every “we’re all equal” statement (to include a minority), a majority is displaced. You, the candidate say that “your life matters,” but not if the person they’re speaking to has been blessed with a hardship-free life, or if they’ve worked hard to live comfortably, or if they seem to have never been in a situation in which they had to choose between a luxury and necessity. You say our religion is accepted, but not if I worship this type of god, or if I pray more than once a day.

If the love expressed is “love” comprised of thinly-veiled attempts at gaining political momentum, how true are his intentions? Can love really be love if the person giving it has hate in his heart for the opposite opinion? If you’re using love as a means of demeaning others’ opinions and their beliefs, you’re not actually loving anyone.

Love does not envy

A neighbor who loves does not covet what his more fortunate neighbor is blessed with

Love does not boast

A proud leader is usually not very well-received

Love is not rude

Where rudeness is, loyalty is not soon to follow

Love is not self-seeking

Self-promotion and self-adoration are unflattering

Love is not easily angered

A short temper is not quickly admired

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth

Lies and schemes are not in fellowship with true love

Love always protects

A true leader does not provoke and stand back while his people are attacked from the inside-out

I say to you both:

Love may trump hate, but only, only if the love being expressed is a love cultivated with pure intentions: intentions only possible if one follows the outline given in 1 Corinthians 13.

Give me your love and acceptance, or bluntness and blatant disregard for others’ feelings all day, but I’d much rather have truth and discord, than lies and unity.

Regardless of how I vote in November, good luck to you both.

Filed Under: Wandering — Tagged With: guest post, politics, wandering

3 life lessons I learned from weeding

July 10, 2015 by Abby

Sometimes in life, we’re wise to take cues from the world around us; here are 3 life lessons I learned from weeding.

Hey! The month of July has me crisscrossing the country, from a road trip to Chicago to a plane ride “home” to Oregon. While I’m away, I’ve lined up some awesome guest posts for y’all.  Today, Angela is sharing some wisdom she’s gained while working in her flower beds.


I love the Spring and early Summer. I’m not a very experienced gardener of flowers or vegetables, but I have tried to make the space around our house beautiful with flowers. We moved into our house 9 years ago and my husband and I worked patches of the hard clay soil with compost and a lot of sweat so that we could have a few flower beds.

With the beautiful budding flowers and Spring rain come weeds. Lots of them. Every time I weed the garden beds, I find myself meditating on how there are life lessons we can learn from weeding. Today I was weeding the garden beds for the second time this season and reflecting on 3 life lessons from weeding.

Sometimes in life, we're wise to take cues from the world around us; here are 3 life lessons I learned from weeding.

1. Pull weeds early and often. The first time I pulled weeds this season, there were a lot of them – but they were small and their roots were thin so they pulled up easily. This time – I had neglected the garden beds and some of the weeds took two hands and all my muscle to pull out. Some I couldn’t even pull out with just my hands – I needed a tool.

All of us have vices, negative habits or thoughts, sins – whatever you personally call them. There are things that we do in our personal lives that are unhealthy for us. These “weeds” can’t be neglected. We need to be vigilant about knowing what our triggers are and pulling out our “weeds” before they take root in our lives.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: life, Wandering — Tagged With: life, life lessons, wandering

5 blogging mistakes you’re making

June 19, 2015 by Abby

Are you making one of these five blogging mistakes? They’re actions that can drive viewers from your blog, but they’re all easily corrected.

 

Are you making one of these five blogging mistakes? They're actions that can drive viewers from your blog, but they're all easily corrected.

This isn’t a post containing the tried-and-true wisdom I’ve gained from years spent in the blogging trenches. This isn’t a post written by someone who makes a living helping people grow their blogs. This isn’t the post of an expert blogger.

Because I’m so not.

This is the post of a seasoned blog-reader. I read blogs, a lot of them. A few I read faithfully, but lots I visit randomly, through Pinterest or through the internet rabbit hole of “I clicked a link that led there, where I clicked another link that led there, and that’s where I saw another link…”

Are you making one of these five blogging mistakes? They're actions that can drive viewers from your blog, but they're all easily corrected.

I’m stilling feeling my way through the blog-owning side of things, but I’ve been a blog-viewer for many years. This is what I see:

5 blogging mistakes you’re making

your links don’t open in new pages

Picture this: I’m on your blog, let’s say browsing a recipe. During the course of reading the post, I come across a link, like this. Based on context, I’m interested in where the link leads, so I click it. Now I’m no longer viewing the recipe, I’m viewing the page from the link.

And most likely, because I’m me and usually have no fewer than seventeen internet tabs open at any given time, I get distracted by the link and forget I was there for a recipe. So the recipe doesn’t get pinned, or commented on, or shared.

the solution: have every single link you include in your posts open in a new tab or window, but especially a link that takes the reader away from your site.

(2.21.16 update: I recently learned that have all your internal links open in a new tab can seriously hurt your bounce rate. With that being said, I still highly recommend you have all external links open in new tabs.)

you’re not replying to comments

I don’t comment on many blogs. Now that I have my own blog and I know how special comments are, I try to make more of an effort, but I’m still pretty bad about it. So when I do take a few seconds to leave my thoughts on a blog post, the least you can do is respond.

Oftentimes, I go back and visit the blog again when I get an email informing me of the reply. If there’s no reply, I don’t really have a reason to go back.

the solution: respond to every comment left on your posts, even the one-word ones. If a reader is kind enough to leave their thoughts, it’s the polite thing for you to do.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: blogging, Wandering — Tagged With: blogging, wandering

what public school teachers want parents to know about education

March 2, 2015 by Abby

what public school teachers want parents to know about education | winstead wandering

Not a week goes by without a national news story proclaiming the latest sins of a public school teacher. People love to like, share, and comment on any story that exposes even the smallest wrongdoing on the part of an educator.

I get it, I do. “Teacher Gives Own Time and Money to Buy Supplies for Students” lacks the sensationalism that most media outlets prefer.

“Teacher Spends Hours Each Evening Planning Lessons and Grading Papers” wouldn’t garner many readers.

“Teacher Voluntarily Supports Students at Sporting Events” would be downright laughable.

With so much negativity out there- including all the comments of “we need more teachers like this” on any story that manages to show educators in a positive light- there are a few things parents should know about the people who spend so much time with their children.

1. I believe in what I teach. School is not, despite what you may have heard, an endless parade of textbooks and worksheets and lectures. We prepare these kids for life, as best we can at least, considering our somewhat reluctant audience. And I can promise you that I know my curriculum, inside out and backwards, and I’m passionate about its ability to make your child a better adult.

2. I understand the system is broken. I know that public schools, as a rule, are overcrowded and underfunded. Student to teacher ratios are rising at an embarrassing rate, as are drop-out numbers. If your child is gifted, he’s likely doing fine, but the same probably can’t be said if he has unique learning needs.

If that’s the case, chances are you and your student both feel forgotten and unimportant. I’m just as frustrated as you are, maybe even more so, because I see your concerns magnified across an entire student body. I see all of these flaws, and more, and I wish I could fix them. I even have a few ideas about that, not that anyone is asking.

3. I love this job. The days can be long. The students can be moody and argumentative. The administration can be inconsistent and short-sighted. There are dark moments, moments when I wonder if I’m doing my job well, if my passion for the curriculum is evident.

Sometimes I run out of patience and snap at a student. Sometimes my personal life gets in the way and I don’t start the school day as prepared as I could be. Sometimes I’m rooting for that snow day just as much as your child is.

Even on days when I question my ability to teach effectively, when all I can do is close my eyes, breathe deep, and pray for patience, I can’t imagine doing anything else, being anywhere else.

4. I love your child. Yes, even yours. The one who never remembers to raise his hand in class. The one who spends more time visiting with her classmates than participating in discussions. The one who roles his eyes at every other word I speak.

I love them all. Sometimes I lay awake at night, worrying about the girl with a history of self-harming. Wondering if that activity we did in class had an impact on the quiet one in the back. Hoping that boy’s failed test was a one-off and not a sign of bigger issues.

I want every single one of my students to succeed, because I see huge potential in all of them.

5. I need your help. I think you need mine, too. We both want your child to grow into a responsible adult, making his or her unique contribution to society. You know your child better than anyone, but can I share something I’ve learned from experience?

Coddling her isn’t what’s best for her. Making excuses, transferring blame, hand-holding. I know you do those things because you love her, and because the world is harsh and why not protect her from that for as long as possible?

But an inward-focused teenager will grow into an entitled adult. The kind of person to whom regular rules don’t apply. The kind of person who doesn’t get along with others, but it’s never her fault. The kind of person you wouldn’t want as a coworker or as a friend.

So, while I know it’s tempting to smooth her ruffled feathers, please consider a different tactic. Consider urging her to work even harder on that group project, even though the other members are mean to her. Consider encouraging her to work extra hard in that class, even though she doesn’t mesh with the teacher.

She might be angry, and it might be hard, but you’ll be raising a child who possesses the kind of qualities we educators just can’t teach.

6. I think the media has it wrong. If you take only one thing away from this post, let it be that. If they had it their way, news outlets would have you believe that public schools are full of harried burnouts who couldn’t cut it at a real job.

That’s simply not true.

Your public school has some of the brightest, most patient people you’ll ever meet, in education or elsewhere. It has employees who could be working somewhere else, making a lot more money and facing a lot less criticism, but who stay because they believe in what they do and in the students they teach.

I know this because I work in a school full of teachers like that. I know this because I wonder every day if I’m doing all I can to be one.

what public school teachers want parents to know about education | winstead wandering

Obviously, this is a personal blog and these are my personal thoughts. I can’t actually presume to know what every public school teacher would like to say to students’ parents.

Filed Under: teaching, Wandering — Tagged With: personal, teaching, wandering

3 ways I maximize my time on pinterest

February 27, 2015 by Abby

3 easy strategies to make the most of Pinterest| winstead wandering

Pinterest is a beautiful thing. Thanks to the website, I make much more of my family’s food from scratch, I’ve discovered dozens of favorite new recipes, and the traffic on my own blog has seen a steady increase.

If I’m being honest, though, Pinterest can also be a major time suck. Something about it just draws me in, and I often find myself spending twenty minutes browsing when I only logged in to double check a recipe.

I might have to physically pull myself away sometimes, but when I do allow myself time to hang out on Pinterest, the following are the things I do to maximize my time spent there.

1. Look before you pin

Before pinning a new page, investigate the link. The reason for this is two-fold. First, it’s good to know that the link works. How frustrating is it to pin a mouthwatering new food photo, only to go back later and realize that the pin leads to a “page not found” message? Or to a photo that leads nowhere? Save yourself the heartache.

Second, by checking out the link you can decide if the page is right for you. If it’s a food recipe that includes ingredients your family doesn’t eat, or a DIY that’s too complicated for your skill level, you can skip pinning it. Sure, this takes a little extra time up front, but it will save you from wasting time later, and from counting on a pin that will ultimately be useless.

2. Pin to multiple boards

When you find something you want to pin, go ahead and pin it to every relevant board. For instance, I used to search and search for the recipe every single time I made crockpot refried beans. Was it on my homemade products board? My food board? My slow cooker board? Finally, I wised up and pinned it to every place I might go looking for it.

3. Make a board for your favorites

My food board has hundreds of pins, and that doesn’t count my separate boards for desserts, snacks and sides, or breads. Finally, I decided to create a board for recipes I’ve already made and loved. It’s the board I refer to most frequently when planning our monthly menus. I still use all my other food-related boards for inspiration, but now I have a board that I can go to for recipes I already know we like.

3 easy strategies to make the most of your time on Pinterest | winstead wandering

Do you have any tips for avoiding being sucked into the black hole that is Pinterest?

Filed Under: life, Uncategorized, Wandering — Tagged With: life, Pinterest, time management, wandering

5 not lame valentine’s day gifts for your woman

February 8, 2015 by Abby

some couples buy each other three-piece suits and ping pong ball-size diamonds for Valentine's Day. How about a few gift ideas for the rest of us? | winstead wandering

Not every woman wants a dozen roses and a tennis bracelet for Valentine’s Day (or any holiday). Many ladies, me included, would prefer practical yet fun gifts. The kind that we can use regularly but might not spend the money to buy ourselves.

That’s where this list comes in. Behold, V-Day gifts for the rest of us. And, in case I have any credibility at all as a female gift receiver, I can affirm that I would love to receive all of these gifts (ahem).

a cute tumbler

some couples buy each other three-piece suits and ping pong ball-size diamonds for Valentine's Day. How about a few gift ideas for the rest of us? | winstead wandering

You know that New Year’s resolution your girl made, the one to drink more water? Chances are she’s feeling pretty waterlogged about now. This adorable bottle is the perfect balance between “I support your desire to be healthy” and “You’re perfect just the way you are.”

jewelry with meaning

some couples buy each other three-piece suits and ping pong ball-size diamonds for Valentine's Day. How about a few gift ideas for the rest of us? | winstead wandering

I might have included a piece from this same shop on my list of gifts for guys, but I had to include this necklace, too. Jewelry might be a stereotypical V-Day gift, but a necklace like this is sentimental enough to get a pass.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Holiday, life, Wandering — Tagged With: gifts, holiday, life, wandering

5 not lame valentine’s day gifts for your man

February 8, 2015 by Abby

some couples buy each other three-piece suits and ping pong ball-size diamonds for V alentine's Day. How about a few gift ideas for the rest of us? | winstead wandering

For J. and I, Valentine’s Day isn’t a huge deal. Next Saturday won’t find us enjoying a candlelit dinner for two. There will be no rose petals strewn about the house, but as much as I dislike the commercialism driving the holiday, I do think it’s a good opportunity to pause and make sure your special someone feels just that- special.

For most people, that involves gifts. We’re no exception. But again, we’re not so into expensive cologne or fancy watches. We don’t have anything against those gifts, they just aren’t us. We’re a little more quirky and a lot more cheap.

So while we do give each other a gift each February 14, those gifts are typically a little outside the box. Here is a compilation of five presents that go against the grain without breaking the bank. Included on this list are the gifts I’m giving J. this year. If you want to know which ones those are, check out winstead wandering on Instagram.

cartoon character boxers

some couples buy each other three-piece suits and ping pong ball-size diamonds for V alentine's Day. How about a few gift ideas for the rest of us? | winstead wandering

 

Because no man should take himself so seriously that he can’t throw on a pair of TMNT underwear.

waterproof bluetooth speaker

some couples buy each other three-piece suits and ping pong ball-size diamonds for V alentine's Day. How about a few gift ideas for the rest of us? | winstead wandering

Surely J. isn’t the only guy who likes to rock out while he’s showering. If so, since this speaker actually allows you to answer and make phone calls, music in the shower certainly isn’t the only thing it’s good for.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: frugal living, Holiday, life — Tagged With: frugal tip, gifts, holiday, love, shopping, wandering

5 non-medicinal quick fixes for a headache

February 6, 2015 by Abby

5 non-medicinal ways to get rid of a headache | winstead wandering

 

Headaches are kind of a pain (see what I did there?). I get a few every month and, at the risk of over-sharing, they seem to closely follow my “cycle” if you know what I mean.

When a headache strikes, most of us don’t have the luxury of dropping everything and holing up in a dark room with a cool cloth. But sometimes, for whatever reason, we want to avoid over-the-counter pills. Maybe, like me, you just try to avoid pharmaceuticals if there’s a non-medicinal alternative that’s just as easy and just as fast. Maybe you’re allergic. Maybe you don’t have access to medicine.

Whatever your reason for seeking alternate solutions, here are five that have been successful for me in getting rid of a headache.

Note: I am not a doctor, nor have any of these statements been evaluated by a doctor. These are just the remedies that have been successful for me.

1. drink a coke

Drinking a Coke gives you a blast of caffeine and sugar. Sometimes a headache can be caused by a lack of caffeine (lack might be the wrong word, but if your body is used to getting caffeine but doesn’t, it certainly thinks it’s lacking), which is why over-the-counter headache medicines contain it. Sometimes your body can use a little sugar, too, which makes Coke a one-two punch.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: frugal living, Health, life, Wandering — Tagged With: essential oils, health, life, wandering

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