Jen Russum

Five email subscriptions you will actually enjoy…

January 18, 2017

I am a passionate email UNsubscriber. I scan my email daily, like a watch dog, unsubscribing from everything that isn't practical or enjoyable. I even avoid emails from my favorite stores, because I don't want to be tempted to buy clothes for 40% off every other day of my life. If I catch anything remotely superfluous or annoying in my inbox, I usually open the email, quickly click the tiny unsubscribe link at the very bottom, and then also mark the email as SPAM. Double protection. I also login to unroll.me once or twice a month and unsubscribe from there as well. Triple protection. Photo from Death to Stock However, I am not one of those anti-email people. When my inbox is clean and relevant, I actually appreciate a quick email from a friend, a reminder to pay a bill online, a unique business opportunity, or valuable information about theology, real estate, social media, etc. So today, I thought I'd share with you five organizations I allow in my inbox, because they add a bit of fun and flavor to my highly curated and controlled list of messages. Coffee and Crumbs (subscribe to newsletter in right margin) - The ladies from Coffee and Crumbs send an email on the first Saturday of the month (only!). It's filled with links and hacks for moms, and it's fun to scan and click. The Useletter - This Saturday newsletter is sent out weekly by Amy Lynn Andrews. If you have any interest in writing, blogging, social media, or technology from a business perspective, I highly recommend this resource. It's a brief email filled with tips, hacks, and products to make online life easier. Crossway (subscribe where it says "Connect with us!" at bottom of page) - I don't know how I got on this mailing list, but I love it. Crossway is the main publisher of the ESV Study Bible and Journaling Bibles and other awesome Christian publications. About once a week they send a newsletter with links to Bible resources and blog posts written by trusted pastors and theologians. Topics are often focused on marriage, parenting, missions, Bible study, etc. This week they sent out three posts about reading the Bible for study, for devotion, and artistically in 2017. Good stuff! Death to Stock - I have been a subscriber to this company from its inception. If you have any need for stock photos (blogging, business, etc.) and want beautiful images that don't look like stock photos, Death to Stock should be your go-to. They send an email with 10-12 images at the beginning of every month. The pictures are gorgeous. Look at them all and download only the ones you might use in the future. Upsplash - This is another company that sends out free stock photos. Upsplash sends ten gorgeous photos a week straight to your inbox. Browse the collection and download any that you like to use for any personal OR commercial purpose. ... Read more

In the Kitchen: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies {a made-up recipe}

January 11, 2017

Zianne and Talitha were out of school the week between Christmas and New Year's. On Thursday night, I asked Zianne what one special thing she wanted to do with mom on her last day of vacation. She asked to bake cookies. Now before you go thinking, Z and I have some kind of heart-warming tradition of baking together, I assure you I only tolerate baking on occasion, and Z has interest in it for about five minutes. Nonetheless, committed to giving her some quality time over Christmas break, I agreed that we could make cookies on Friday morning. Micah had recently requested Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies, so I woke up on Friday and perused a couple recipes on Pinterest. I was pretty sure I had the ingredients I needed, and in true Jen-fashion, I simply picked my two favorite recipes and morphed them into my own recipe. When I actually started pouring ingredients, I discovered I only had exactly 2 cups of oats left (not 2.5 or 3 like the recipes called for), so I improvised and the results were amazing. I made 48 round, soft little oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and they were devoured in 48 hours. They would have disappeared faster, but I hid a dozen away in a Tupperware container for dinner guests coming over the weekend. What you need: 2 cups quick oats 3 cups flour 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup brown sugar (packed) 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda 1 cup butter (two sticks), room temperature or slightly melted 2 eggs 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1/4 cup coconut oil 1/2 bag(ish) of chocolate chips What you do: Preheat oven to 350 and grease a baking sheet. I encourage the use of parchment paper or a silicone baking mat on the tray. *If your oven runs hot like mine, I would reduce heat to 340. Stir together all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking soda) except for chocolate chips. Mix softened butter for one minute. Add eggs and vanilla. Continue to beat until creamy and smooth (about two minutes). Add dry mix slowly to wet ingredients and continue mixing with mixer. When dough starts getting too thick to mix, add 1/4 cup coconut oil and mix with hands. Add chocolate chips and mix in. Use hands to form one-inch round balls. Drop 12-16 cookies on your baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes (depending on oven). Remove when cookies are slightly darker and hold their shape, but before they get overdone. They will cook on sheet for a few minutes outside of the oven. Remove to a cooling rack, a plate, or insert directly into your mouth. ... Read more

How I used the ‘1 second everyday’ app to make a family video

January 9, 2017

In 2016, I started using an app called "1 second everyday" to record our year in video. The goal of the app is to record a one second clip every single day. As a busy mom, I didn't even attempt to take a video every single day of the year, but I knew I would naturally take enough videos to make the project work. The result of my "taking videos often enough" throughout the year is the coolest 4 minute video of our family. I love it. Most of my videos were just normal footage I take of the girls and their antics all time, but the project did inspire me to stop every now and then a take a short video of the scenery outside or around the house... slightly more artistic footage than toddlers yelling and dancing. I highly recommend this app. I am planning to do this project again in 2017, and I would love for you to join me! ... Read more