Ingredients:
8 oz Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap
20 drops Vitamin E Oil
1 tablespoon Sweet Almond Oil
1 teaspoon Jojoba Oil
4 tso Vegetable Glycerine
40 drops Bergamot essential oil*
40 drops Orange essential oil*
*I prefer to purchase my essential oils from Young Living or Plant Therapy.
Mix together and store in a glass pump bottle. Citrus oils are strong and can break down plastic.
With the recent heat dome covering most of the United States, many of us are dealing with record high temps outside. But what about inside? For those of us lucky enough to work in an office, the climate can be quite different. Look familiar?
It is always freezing in my office because a coworker keeps the air conditioning set to subarctic levels. Every morning I stand in my closet and ponder, “What do I wear today that will be appropriate for the forecasted triple digit record highs, knowing that the office is going to feel like I just walked into a refrigerator?” Staying warm in the air conditioning doesn’t have to be unfashionable. And you shouldn’t have to pack a second set of clothes to change into if you’re meeting friends for dinner after work. I have compiled a list of essentials for the professional to help win this battle.
LEGGINGS: Leggings are the perfect complement to the cute summer dress. I prefer leggings over tights for two reasons; they come in both a variety of thickness and length. It is very easy to customize a degree of warmth that is perfect for you by selecting a thicker ankle-length legging or a thinner capri-length. Don’t forget, if your dress is solid color, add a splash of fun with a patterned legging. Bonus: Leggings don’t cover your feet so you can easily slip out of your leggings quickly, and without having to unbuckle and take off your fashionable sandals. You’ll shed that layer and be ready for a warm summer evening in less than a minute!
ANKLE BOOTS: Ankle boots are so adorable, and can pair with just about any outfit during any season of the year. They’re fashionable and functional! Those of you like me, who can never get warm unless your toes are warm, will appreciate that ankle boots can discretely hide a pair of no-show socks! Toss a pair of thin sandals or flip flops into your purse, and change out of your ankle boots and socks before heading out for the evening.
KIMONO: The kimono has to be one of my favorite new fashion trends. They look great paired with a blouse and dress pants or with a white tank top and jean shorts. A kimono can be worn over a sundress or a semiformal dress. This piece is so versatile; every woman should own one! Admit it… layering has never been more chic.
HOODIE: Hoodies aren’t just for game day! Layers can sometimes be uncomfortable, but hoodies provide a lot of comfort and warmth. I mean, who doesn’t love wearing a hoodie? They’re also extremely easy to care for. A classic black, navy, or gray hoodie is very acceptable in an office setting. Leave one hanging on the back of your office door for warmth and style.
VEST: Men’s vests are always in style. This classic piece is perfect for layering. They come in a variety of styles and material, and are probably as versatile as the women’s kimono. They can be worn over both t-shirts and button down shirts, and are an easy transition for the cold office.
UNDERSHIRT: Undershirts, like women’s leggings, come in a large selection of styles and thickness. Although it isn’t as easy to remove this layer, companies like Tommy John create awesome undershirts that can be worn as a single layer t-shirt. With its premium, stay dry fabric, this comfy and cool option is perfect for a casual night of drinks with the guys. [Tommy John not only specializes in t-shirts, but they offer a great selection of men’s underwear as well.]
CARDIGAN: The Cardigan will always be a favorite of mine. Classic and comfy, it speaks for itself. Originating in the 1800s, the Cardigan proves that it is here to stay. It is an office staple for both women and men.
SCARF: Scarves are typically thought of as a winter accessory for both men and women. However, if you’re looking for an easy layer of warmth, consider the scarf as an office accessory too. Scarves come in an array of lengths, fabrics, and colors/patterns to complement any outfit. And they are extremely trendy for guys and gals!
JACKET: The number one office go-to for layered summer fashion is, without a doubt, the jacket. The ultimate in class and versatility, a jacket pulls together an outfit while offering an extra layer of warmth. However, when you think of jackets, you shouldn’t only think of suit coats. Consider all cuts and materials, including the Summer Blazer for men. They come in a variety of styles, even offering different sleeve lengths, and fabrics, including linen and seersucker as popular choices. Ladies, don’t rule out denim. A tailored jean jacket over a sleeveless blouse adds style and comfort to white dress pants or a patterned pencil skirt. Slip the jackets off for the easiest of transitions to a dinner date or an evening out with friends.
I hope that my list of Office-to-Evening essentials have been helpful. If you’re still a bit overwhelmed, consider incorporating one or two pieces at first. Not sure you can pull off a scarf or leggings? That’s okay! Start with classic pieces and build from there. The thing to remember is that layers are key in helping you transition from a frigid office setting to a hot night on the town.
I was not compensated for this post, and it contains no affiliate links. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way. Photo credits can be viewed by hovering over each image above. All sources found online.
If you’re like me, you’re on a mission to keep your New Year’s Resolution(s). But the later into January we get, it seems to become more of a struggle to stay on track. Am I right? One of my goals for this year is to make healthy eating choices. This goes above monitoring calories, fats, and carbohydrates. I want to choose organic, whole foods as my options for both meals and snacks. What I am finding is that there aren’t many ready-made selections available that are also gluten- and dairy-free. I have to confess… that makes it harder for me to stick to my resolution because I am guilty of wanting convenient options. Listen, I get it. Life is busy. And the longer it takes to prepare healthy meals and snacks, the less likely we are to eat them.
Fortunately, there are some natural choices that are ready-to-eat with no preparation. I keep a variety of nuts, seeds, and dried fruits in my kitchen at all times. (It’s time to restock… some of my canisters are dangerously low! haha)
I keep them in a resealable bag, too, and carry those with me in case I need nourishment while on-the-go. I love adding sprinkles of walnuts and sunflower seeds to my salads. They’re great in yogurt. Nuts make a tasty addition to stir-fry veggies. Dried fruit is a perfect compliment to a hot bowl of oatmeal. Cashews, soaked in water and then blended in a food processor, create a fantastic non-dairy cream for things like casseroles. Nuts, seeds, and dried fruit are versatile, healthy, and delicious.
Today, I want to introduce you to a great snack that combines all three with one of my favorite things… chocolate! Dark chocolate, in moderation, is healthy too! It is a powerful antioxidant, can improve brain function, and may lower risks of heart disease. Let’s face it; sometimes we just want chocolate. This quick and easy recipe will satisfy your sweet tooth and salty cravings while providing nutrition. Healthy and guilt-free — that’s my kind of snack!
Begin with chocolate. I use a gluten-free, dairy-free, nonGMO chip that I find at my local grocery store. If your local store does not stock these types of chips, they can be found at specialty grocery stores or online. For this recipe, I used all of the 10 oz bag. You do not have to use a gluten-free, dairy-free option but do look for dark chocolate that is a higher percentage of cacao, with as few additional ingredients as possible.
Next, select a variety of nuts, seeds, and dried fruits. I have chosen to use dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and almond slivers. Be careful when selecting these items in grocery stores and supermarkets. Often times, the selections will contain additives or high volumes of sodium. A great source for purchasing nuts, seeds, and dried fruit is Nuts.com. Ordering from them is easy, and the items are shipped to your door. Remember how I said that I like convenience because it keeps me on track? Nuts.com makes purchasing organic items a breeze. (They even have dark chocolate chips and pre-made snacks too, among other things! Please click here to check them out!)
The last step in preparation is lining your cookie sheets with parchment paper. This recipe will yield approximately 30 snacks, so I use two cookie sheets.
To assemble the snacks, start by heating the chocolate in the microwave. I suggest 30-second increments, stirring after each. This helps to ensure that the chocolate does not burn. You want the chocolate to be smooth but not too thin. I achieved these results after approximately 2 minutes.
Spoon small amounts of chocolate onto the parchment paper. I would say use no more than 2 teaspoons per snack; then spread the chocolate to 1″ – 1.5″ diameter. You will want each snack to be able to hold the nuts, seeds, and dried fruit… but you want the chocolate to be thin.
Add a variety of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit to the chocolate, pressing lightly to ensure they stick to one another. When you finish, slide the cookie sheets into the refrigerator for two hours. Once the chocolate has set, the snacks are ready to eat!
These snacks store well and are great on-the-go. Just keep them in a dry, relatively-cool location. I like to put a couple in a resealable bag and keep them in my purse. They’re also great in lunch boxes, and are a tasty contribution to an office potluck. (Just be cautious of anyone with nut allergies! You may want to make them with just seeds and dried fruit if that is the case.)
There you have it! A quick, healthy snack to enjoy on-the-go. This snack has it all… protein, fiber, nutrients, and flavor! It will only take one or two to curb your sweet and salty cravings, and to keep you satisfied between meals.
Growing up, one of my favorite aunts always included an ornament on our Christmas gift each year. As an adult, I have borrowed this tradition and try each year to come up with a pretty ornament for all of the kids gift. Most of the time I just buy ornaments, but every few years I will catch the crafty bug and make them myself. Salt dough is a fun, cheap, and easy way to make ornaments. This year I wanted to make a Gingerbread House as the ornament so I decided to make a dough that also looks like Gingerbread.
INGREDIENTS
Salt – 1 cup
All Purpose Flour 4 – cups
Cinnamon ¼ cup
Water – 2 cups
Cookie Cutters of Choice
Drinking Straw
Paint and ribbon or string
DIRECTIONS
Mix all dry ingredients.
Add water, and mix into a ball, if dough is too sticky add a few more spoonfuls of flour.
Spread a couple pinches of flour on your countertop, roll the dough out, and cut into the shape of your choice. Place on an ungreased cookie sheets. Take a straw and poke a hole in the ornament in a place that a ribbon would go through, blow the dough out of the straw between each ornament so you can reuse it.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees and bake the ornaments for one hour.
Helpful Tips: Do not fill cookie sheets with more ornaments while your waiting for others to come out of the oven, they will stick like cement to the pan and will break during removal. Wait until right before they are going into the oven to roll the ornaments out and put on the cookie sheet.
Remove the ornaments from the pan immediately after they are baked, cool on cookie rack or foil sheets on the counter.
Don’t put the pan on the bottom rack of the oven, they will burn.
Paint the ornaments any way you choose, the last time I made these I put a clear coat on them after, but since these smelled like cinnamon I didn’t want to coat them so they would still smell. Put a ribbon through the hole and tie it in a loop or bow and your ready to go.
These ornaments last for years. I hope you and your family enjoy.
Written by Kara Cody
If I had a dollar for the number of times I have heard “I don’t lift weights because I don’t want to be big and muscular”, I would be a rich woman! I’m here to tell you that you will NOT get big by lifting weights.
Have you ever said this?
“I get bulky when I lift weights.” Or “I need to lose weight so I only focus on cardiovascular exercises.” Or “Lifting weights is for bodybuilders.”
At one time I thought that too. But as I have learned more about exercise and the many different types there are to benefit your body, weight training is one of the key workouts that will help you burn fat and stay lean. The more muscle you put on your body, the more calories you burn at rest. Meaning that, while you are not exercising, your body burns more calories. Plus, the more muscle you have, the less fat you have on your body.
You do not have to lift heavy weights and you do not need to lift weights everyday, but incorporating weight training a few times a week is essential to a fit lifestyle. And the great part about weight training is that you will never get bored. You can try weight machines, dumbbells, kettle bells, barbells with weights, or you can simply use your own body weight. If you are intimidated by weight lifting, have a personal trainer show you some simple exercises you can add to your regimen. Or try a weight training class. Our gym offers Body Pump, which is a full body workout with weights. And you control the amount of weight you want to use.
I like to work on different muscle groups throughout the week. I will do a short 20-30 minute weight routine after my cardio session so I can concentrate on 1-2 muscle groups. It’s best to work out larger muscle groups first, because you can lift the heaviest weights and get an overall harder workout. Start with back and shoulders or chest and back.
Back – overhand pull ups, wide grip pull downs, seated cable rows, bench rows
Chest – bench press, incline bench press, chest fly, cable fly, push ups (on floor or elevated surface)
Shoulders – overhead press with dumbbells, upright rows, lateral raises
You can work on your biceps and triceps on the same day because they are a smaller muscle group and fatigue easier. Try bicep curls, preacher curls, alternating concentration curls for biceps and cable press, overhead press, chair dips and push ups for triceps.
Do this workout for 2-3 weeks then switch it up. Try back and biceps together and chest and triceps together.
But ladies, I implore you, do not use the 3 and 5 pound dumbbells (unless you have never lifted a weight ever). When you are performing 10-15 reps of an exercise, the last few should be difficult. If you get to 15 reps and are not straining, up your weight!
When I trained for my figure competitions, I was lifting heavier than I ever had in the past. And I got leaner than I have ever been. So I’m here to tell you that lifting weights does not make you bigger. It makes you stronger!
Please feel free to email me with any questions or comments you may have!
The thing I love the most about gardening is the whole growing process. I love to see how something comes from such a small plant or seed and what it can turn into. Unfortunately, when you plant everything at the same time you end up with an abundance of the same types of vegetable all at once. Obviously the scale at which I currently garden isn’t ever going to be conducive to producing all of my own food, but it is nice to be able to grow as much as I can.
This week my first vegetable other than lettuce was ready for harvesting. I planted four broccoli plants and they were all ready to harvest this week. I decided to use half now and safe the other two for later. As I have mentioned before I am going to try different types of food preservation this year. Broccoli isn’t something that is canned so this was another easy one that can be frozen.
Harvesting the broccoli is very simple, cut the head of florets with a few inches of stalk from the plant with a sharp knife. If your broccoli is a variety that produces off shoots and possibly additional heads of broccoli don’t cut away the part of the stalk that contains the new shoots.
To prepare broccoli for freezing you must first cut it into uniform or bite size pieces.
Put leaves and any unhealthy pieces of the plant in your compost bucket, and make sure you’ve removed any bugs or caterpillars. Wash the pieces of broccoli well and then put them into a pot of boiling water to blanch.
Blanching helps preserve the food longer by delaying the enzyme deterioration process within the vegetable.* Boil the broccoli pieces no longer than 3 minutes. Once you drain the boiling water put the broccoli immediately into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
Once they have cooled put the broccoli in freezer zip top bags and remove as much air as possible or use a food sealer if you have one. Don’t forget to label the bag with the contents and the date and your extra broccoli should be ready for the freezer.
*Blanching info from “How to Store Your Garden Produce” by Piers Warren
As I sat here coloring my poster for an upcoming Open House, I want to share my secrets on creating this masterpiece with all of you! So here is the scenario – there is an event, school project, or something you need a poster for, and you don’t have the best drawing skills or handwriting. So you want it to be legible right? Here is a trick I learned, although I’m not sure where! You need to have a computer with a word processing program like Microsoft Word, or a desktop publishing application like Microsoft Publisher, or similar. Once you have decided what you want your poster to say, type one word to a page. Use a large, legible font that is fun or pretty. Make sure you use black ink only. Color ink will not work for this project. Before you print the words, reverse the font so that everything is backwards. On your poster board (don’t use the glossy side) arrange your words where you want them. Take a pencil and trace, or just rub over, the back of the paper like so.
Once you have done the first letter, lift your paper to see if you are applying enough pressure. You will see a faint tracing of the letter.
Repeat this process until you have finished with all of your lettering. You can even do rubbings of clipart onto your poster board too. This is helpful if your drawing skills need a boost. Fill in your letters and clipart with markers, colored pencils, or crayons.
Here is a poster I did for a fundraising event last summer. All of it was traced, but it looks like it was hand drawn! 
Good Luck and happy coloring!
Recently we enjoyed a family trip to the strawberry farm for a nice afternoon of berry picking. I was happy to go along for some time with my nephews who enjoyed eating as many as they picked. I came home with a gallon of berries and decided to learn how to make some freezer jam. This year I want to try and learn several methods of preserving foods that I grow, or buy fresh, and I thought freezer jam would be an easy one to start with, because no real cooking is involved.
I purchased several packs of Ball 8oz freezer jars, and lucky for me the recipe for strawberry no cook freezer jam was right on the back of the label. If you use glass canning jars they should be boiled to sterilize them before using, but I was apprehensive about boiling the plastic freezer jars, so I just washed them very well in very hot water.
This recipe is so easy, you only need three ingredients: strawberries, sugar, and Instant Pectin. Instant Pectin is designed specifically for no cook freezer jam, so be sure you purchase the correct one.
Specifics
4 cups crushed berries
1 ½ cups sugar (or no calorie sweetener)
5 Tbsp Ball Real Fruit Instant Pectin
Clean and Hull enough berries so that you have enough to end up with 4 Cups of Crushed Berries (for me that was roughly a half gallon of berries)
Use a potato smasher to crush the berries and then measure out four cups and put in another bowl.
In a smaller bowl mix 1 ½ cups sugar with the 5Tbsp Instant Pectin.
Pour the sugar and pectin mix into the bowl of crushed strawberries . Stir the mixture for at least 3 minutes.
Ladle the mixture into the jars up to the fill line, be mindful to leave a ½ inch of headspace at the top of the jar to allow for the expansion of the food during the freezing process. If your using glass jars and you don’t leave enough headspace the jars could break. Using a wide mouth canning funnel makes this process much easier.
Secure the lids on your jars, and label with the date and contents.
Let the jam stand on the counter for at least 30 minutes so that it will have time to firm up. This jam can be kept in the freezer for 1 year but should be eaten within 3 weeks if kept in the refrigerator. I’m sure it will be long gone before the year is up.
I made a second batch and ended up with 12 jars. So far mine has been quite tasty, it didn’t jell up quite like a store bought jelly, but instead has a wonderful strawberry sauce consistency which has been great in strawberry shortcake!
After preparing your soil and raised bed you have to decide what to plant, and when to plant it. To know when it is acceptable to plant in your area you should determine what hardiness zone you live in. This basically tells you what types of plants will survive in your area. Adjust that knowledge to how the weather is at the current time. Seed packages and plant tags will also give instructions for when it is appropriate to plant. For cool weather plants instructions may say: plant in early spring as soon as the ground can be worked, or for warm weather plants, sow after all danger of frost has passed. Some instructions include maps with a range of months that it is appropriate to plant in.
Here is a link for the USDA plant hardiness zone map. Zone maps are usually more beneficial for perennials than vegetable gardens, but it’s interesting information nonetheless.
In the Piedmont of North Carolina, the winter of 2011-2012 was very mild, and most people have had their cool weather plants in the ground for a few weeks if not longer. I planted mine in early April. Cool weather plants are plants that are more tolerant to cool nights and most are somewhat frost resistant.
Common cool weather plants are cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, peas, lettuce, onions, carrots, radishes, garlic, spinach, turnips, beets, and many others.
After deciding what I wanted to plant I had to plan a space layout for my vegetables. With a limited amount of space in a raised bed things can overcrowd very easily and the smaller plants will get shut out from the sun and either die off or have a less productive yield. Last year I made the mistake of planting peppers beside of zucchini, so the peppers were quickly hidden, and didn’t start their growing season until after the zucchini had finished its season.
It is important to pay attention to the plant label as far as how tall the plant is going to be. Shorter plants should be planted on the sunnier side or end of the bed so that they are not shaded out by taller plants.
Larger plants such as broccoli, cabbage, or Brussels sprouts need to be placed one per grid square.
Where as smaller plants such as head lettuce can fit four plants per grid square.
Plants such as onions or leaf lettuce can fit from 8 to 16 plants per square, it’s important to research what you’re planting to make sure you don’t overcrowd your plants.
I am a somewhat of a visual learner so I like to draw a plan with a grid so I can decide where I want to plant everything. It’s also a good idea to take advantage of online resources that allow you to plan your own virtual garden. Some of these websites also have the benefits of telling you how much of each item to plant in the grid space and give planting instructions.
My favorite online resource is a retail site that offers a free gardening planner.
I keep a yearly garden journal that includes a diagram of what I planted to include each plants complete name and variety, where I put each plant, and the dates I planted. I will look back at the varieties that I liked and locations that worked the best when I plan the garden next year.
I will admit the warmer weather this Spring convinced me to go ahead and plant some warm weather plants such as peppers, herbs, potatoes, and beans, and now we are experiencing another cold snap. Be prepared to cover your plants when frost warnings occur, and expect some plant loss for varieties that are not frost hardy. Try to cover your plants with pots, old jugs, or sheets. If you use plastic make sure the plastic is not touching the plant because it will kill or damage the plant. I used plastic, but I kept it raised off of the plants by putting empty pots underneath the plastic. The most important thing to know about gardening, is that no two years are ever the same and each season you will learn something new. Sometimes you learn what not to do….
Upon finding out that I am a photographer, I’ve had several people who enjoy photography as a hobby ask me for assistance. They have unanswered questions or need a few pointers. I am always quick to help out. I find that training hobbyist to become amateur photographers will maintain the art of the craft. Too often I see folks who acquire a digital SLR and automatically think they can start charging clients for their services. Granted, there is no law that states you have to have a certain amount of education to be a photographer… but because of that, the market becomes over-saturated with eager, yet untrained shooters and it suddenly becomes difficult on the consumer to weed through everyone.
In this blog, I want to define a few basics that every photographer – no matter their skill set – can follow to ensure you’re producing the best quality shots.
The first mistake that any photographer can make is simply not shooting enough. How much is enough? In my opinion, you can never shoot too much. It is crucial to exercise your skills, just as an athlete trains for a competition. Let’s face it… there are a lot of self-proclaimed photographers out there. Being a consistently good photographer doesn’t happen over night, so being a great photographer requires years of finding your niche, honing your techniques, and continuously educating yourself.
Composition:
Without a doubt, the single-most important factor in becoming a great photographer is composition. It is all about putting objects together in your frame to emphasize the parts you want and making them stand out in the right way. These objects include anything in the foreground, the background, and anywhere in between.
Have you ever seen a landscape photo with so many objects in it that you’ve honestly had no idea what the subject actually was? Well, that is the perfect example of poor composition. Successful photo compositions are quite simple. Regardless of the number of objects in the frame, there is never a doubt as to what the subject actually is. Some people have the knack for capturing great composition, while others have to shoot and shoot to hone their skills. The important thing to remember is that wherever you start, you will only get better with practice.
Lighting and viewpoint play large parts in composition as well. Before you dabble in flash photography, pay attention to direction, intensity, and color of natural lighting. Move around the subject. Look at it from different angles, heights, and focal lengths. All of these things will have an impact on capturing the right composition.
So remember, no matter how expensive your camera equipment is, without a knowledge of composition, you’ll never be able to capture the essence of a great shot. It is completely possible that someone with a cheaper set-up, who knows about composition, will consistently produce a better photograph. Decide what your subject is, which viewpoint looks best, where to place it in the frame, and monitor the natural lighting before pressing the shutter button!
Aperture:
Aperture is nothing more than the unit of measurement that defines the size of the opening in the lens. This can be adjusted to control the amount of light reaching the image sensor. The size of the aperture is measured in F-stop. What is slightly confusing with F-stop is that with each increase in number (for example f/5.6 to f/11) the amount of light passing through the lens decreases. Therefore, the higher the F-stop number, the smaller amount of light that will reach your image sensor.
F-stop plays a huge role in determining depth of field, or the zone of acceptable sharpness in a photograph. When you shoot with a DSLR, you have the ability to control which subjects in certain distances are sharply focused and which are not. Since the human eyes cannot distinguish small degrees of unsharpeness, some subjects either in front of or behind the object in focus can still appear sharp. Increasing the depth of field increases the sharpness of an image. Using smaller apertures (higher numbered F-stop) will increase the depth of field.
Shutter Speed:
This term is used to discuss exposure time – meaning, the length of time a camera’s shutter is open. This length of time determines the amount of light that reaches the image sensor. In addition to its effect on exposure, shutter speed changes the way movement appears in a photo. Very short shutter speeds can “freeze” fast moving subjects, where very long shutter speeds on the same subject create a blur. Some common shutter speeds are 1/60, 1/125, and 1/250. A good rule of thumb for hand-held cameras to reduce noticeable noise and blur caused by camera shaking is to select the shutter speed numerically closest to the lens focal length. For example, if you are shooting with a 50mm lens, the closest speed is 1/60. Any shutter speed below this may require a flash or a tripod to reduce your risk of blur.
ISO:
ISO is actually a common short name for the International Organization for Standardization. ISO settings date back to film cameras. Remember those? When you would purchase film, the box usually said 200, 400, or even 800 on it. That number indicated the film’s sensitivity to light. The higher the number, the more sensitive the film was to light. In other words, the film with the lower number had to be exposed to light for a longer period of time than a film with a high sensitivity in order to properly expose the image. However, the lower ISO produced a better quality image. Film rated at 100 or 200 worked beautifully outdoors, but take it inside and photos – without a flash – would be quite dark.
Jump ahead to digital cameras. Instead of being locked to a certain ISO for 36 frames, you can now change the ISO setting for each shot you take. However, I wouldn’t recommend this… especially for a hobbyist. It could get too confusing. So why would ISO even matter now that there is no film? ISO still plays a key part, when combined with aperture and shutter speed, to get a great shot. As I stated earlier, the lower the number (100-200) the better quality your photo will be. In film days, you may remember a sort of grainy effect on some images. Digital images can have their own grain too. It is referred to as noise, and can be seen as a flat block-y area, typically in very light or dark shadowy areas. If you see this in your photos, check your ISO. Always shoot at the lowest ISO possible, using your aperture and shutter speed to get the right exposure, and then move up to the next ISO setting if your previous settings didn’t work.
Ultimately, the best way to better yourself as a photographer is to begin shooting outside with the automatic settings on your digital SLR camera. Play with all aspects of composition until you understand what to look for, and how to do it quickly. As you shoot, and composition becomes more comfortable to you, start taking notes of what settings your camera uses based on your location It isn’t a bad idea to take a notepad with you, or keep track of your favorite photos’ settings in your smartphone. Use these settings as a basis for you to advance over to the manual mode, remembering the tips I mentioned above. Above all, SHOOT!! Take every opportunity to photograph in random environments. It will allow you to get more comfortable with your camera, to develop better compositions, and make faster decisions.