30 for 30-Kick Off!

I picked my clothes for my 30 for 30 challenge this weekend! It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I really hope I don't hate all of these clothes by the 1st of May! I took the pictures with my phone, so you can't really tell what they look like. I listed each item and where I got it.

4 dresses- 

Black and white- Ross, Black- Banana Republic, Blue and Grey- Banana Republic, Green- Talbots

2 Blazers-

Denim-Target, Black- Ann Taylor

2 Dress Pants

Black Pinstripe- Gap, Grey-Hand me down

3 Skirts 

Denim-Target, Paisley- Ann Taylor, Black- J Crew

Long Shorts- Target

2 Cardis

Blue- Express, Pink-Maurice's 

2 Sweaters

Blue and Purple, both Gap

3 Button Ups

Plaid-Hand me down, Teal-Limited, White-Ann Taylor

6 T shirts

This picture is not what I actually chose, I changed my mind later, but I didn't feel like retaking the picture. You'll see them as I wear them! 

4 Shoes

Black-Vintage, Red-Rack Room, Tan-Vintage, Yellow-Bakers

 To make it easier to put together outfits, and to remember what I picked, I grouped everything together in my closet. Don't they look cozy??

I'm interested to see if anyone notices that I'm wearing the same items over and over. I'm also interested to see if I chose well! Tune in starting April 1st to see how it goes! 

Giving Blood

I mentioned , last week that I would be giving blood as a way to help me feel like I was doing something about all the tragedies in the world (even better, giving blood can help with tragedies that happen in my community!). My work hosts a blood drive every other month, so I signed up.

I forgot that I signed up while I was getting dressed in the morning, and I wore a long sleeved blazer over a tank top (it's about 5 degrees in my office, so wearing long sleeves, even when it is humid and warm, makes sense). I should have taken that as a sign that I was not supposed to give blood that day, but instead, I changed into the stretchy sweater I keep at my desk and went on my merry little way to the blood donation bus.

Before I get into this story, I should mention that I have given blood several times with little or no reaction. I don't want this story to be the reason someone doesn't give blood, because it is an easy, free way to help people, and it only takes a few minutes of your time. Every time you give blood you have the potential of saving three people's life! How's that for 15 minutes of your time? So if you meet the requirements, please try to give at least once. It really isn't that bad.

I passed through all their tests with flying colors, blood pressure-perfect. Blood sugar-perfect. Clotting-perfect. Temperature-perfect. They plugged me in, sucked my blood for a few minutes, and I was on my way. I walked back to my desk feeling somewhat smug and happy that I didn't feel bad at all.

About 15 minutes later, a fuzzy feeling descended on me. I tried eating the Chex Mix they had given me, but it just made me feel nauseous. I was breaking out in a sweat, but I didn't want to take my sweater off, I only had a spaghetti strap tank top on! My manager noticed me having trouble, and brought me a glass of water. I kept getting worse, so he went to go get a worker from the donation bus. By this time, everyone in my department was circled around me, some to catch me if I passed out, and others just to see the show, I guess. That was the moment my body decided it would be a really good idea to get everything in my stomach out.

Not my proudest moment.

Luckily I had a trash can right next to me, or this would be an even more embarrassing story!! The nurse came from the bus, the same one that had praised me 30 minutes ago for being so hardy, and invited me to come donate again as soon as possible. He put ice packs on my neck, gave me more Gatorade, and took me to the Quiet Room where I had to put my feet up. Then people had to come check on me every 3 minutes to make sure I wasn't dead.

Luckily, I didn't die. I did get to go home for the rest of the day, and I'm guessing that I'll get a cool new nickname at work too.

It's going to be a while before I want to give blood again...

I Tried It Tuesday- Nail Buffer

I hate getting accosted every time I go to the mall by people wanting to sell me something. I know they think their hair straightener/Bahama vacation/knock off sunglasses are the best thing ever, but if was interested, I would come to you, ok?? But the one kiosk that ALMOST gets me is the nail buffer/sea salt scrubber guy.

I love the idea of having smooth shiny nails without all the hassle of chipping nail polish and having to do a touch us every few days. But $40 for that luxury?? I don't think so! I had tried the Sally Hanson brand from Wal-Mart, and it just didn't give me the same level of shine.

I was in Sephora, trying to decide if I wanted to spend my life savings on make up, and I saw a buffer for $5!

I grabbed it immediately. But would it be as good as the mall kiosk's? (That sounded really suspenseful. I feel like I should end with "Tune in next week to find out!")

My review-

Success! In about five minutes my nails were shaped, buffed and polished! I had a hard time taking a picture that really displayed how shiny they are, so you'll just have to believe me.

30 for 30

Starting April 1st, my sister and I will be doing a 30 for 30 challenge. Basically, you choose 30 items of clothing, and only make outfits with those 30 things for 30 days. Accessories are not included, but shoes are! Oh, and you can't shop the whole time.

We will be posting pictures daily, so if you want to follow along be sure to check in daily (you can find Jalenna's blog here). If you don't care what we wear every day, then come back in May :)

Right now I am making a list of what I will be wearing. I'll post pictures as soon as I have them.

I am thinking about going thrifting soon to try and pick up a few things my wardrobe is lacking before it starts. Is that cheating??

The Prophet Said to Plant a Garden, So That's What We'll Do

An article in this month's Ensign made me think about starting a garden. We have a porch that we hardly ever use, and it would be a perfect place to put some pots.

Only one problem: I have a brown thumb (that's the opposite of a green thumb) but I have kept a very hardy houseplant alive for almost a year, so I thought, what the heck, let's give it a try! After a lot of googling I felt prepared to get started.

We went to Home Depot and bought pots, potting soil, cilantro, rosemary, and tomato plants, and a hanger to go over the porch railing (there is a shrub in front of our porch, so the floor doesn't get that much sunlight).

First, we soaked the plants in water. I just soaked them in the sink.

Then I filled the bottom of the pots with gravel for drainage. This part was pretty funny, because the rocks kept falling out of the little drainage hole. But eventually a rock big enough to stay there got caught, and it worked just fine.
Next we hung up the plant holder. I don't have a picture of this because it was a two person job, so no one was left to take a picture! Then you tear the bottom of the eco pot off, put it in the pot, and surround it with potters soil.
So here is out little garden. It was pretty dark by the time we finished, so you can't really see it, but I'll take some more pictures as it starts to grow more. I want to try starting from seeds next, but I needed a little instant gratification to get me going!

Wish me luck!

When Tragedy Strikes

I've been a little overwhelmed with current events lately. Earthquakes in Australia, earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan, just looking at the pictures is devastating. I also found out that a friend of mine from high school committed suicide. She has lost both of her parents recently, and I guess it all became too much for her to take.

All of these events make me feel powerless, and guilty. Powerless because there is nothing I can do. I can give money, send prayers and good thoughts to the victims, but I can't roll up my sleeves and get to work. I feel guilty that my life is so easy, that I take it for granted, and that I live in peace and plenty every day. Why are these people be suffering, and I'm not? Nothing makes me better than they are, I just got lucky.

The one good thing that has come from all of this is that it has given me some perspective. After reading about people who have not had water and electricity for days, I can't help but appreciate taking a hot shower and being able to flip a switch for light. I have a roof over my head, a steady job, plenty to eat, and a support system that would be there to catch me if life starts to overwhelm me. My little problems are so incredibly mundane and unimportant in comparison.

I'm not really sure if there is an answer here. My plan is to do what I can (I'm planning on giving blood next week, and donating some money to the Red Cross at work) and then stop thinking about it. I wont be logging in to CNN or listening to the news for a few days until I feel more ready to digest everything.

I Tried It Tuesday- Stress Ball

I decided to start a new theme where I try something new and review it on Tuesdays. This week- stress ball. I have been trying to stop crossing my legs. I feel the strain it puts on my hips and knees, but it has been so hard to stop! I'm usually crossing my legs before I even realize it!

I went to the Internet (of course) for help and found a few tips. The first one I found said to put a stress ball between your knees, then when you go to cross your legs, you will think about the stress ball being there, and not do it. I remembered the stress ball I got when I started my new job, stuck in the bottom drawer of my desk.

I am aware of the irony of me taking a picture of the ball propped up on my crossed legs, but it's the only way I could figure out to get a good shot without my boss noticing I was taking pictures!

My review-

Success! I didn't cross my legs for several hours. My muscles started to get tired of holding it between my knees after about an hour (not only a re-training tool, but a leg workout as well!) so I moved it up a bit, and it still worked just as well! The only problem was standing up. It's hard to look graceful when you're pulling a stress ball from between your knees every time you need a drink of water... But if you work in a less shared space than I do, I highly recommend it! In fact, I even recommend it if you do share a space. I care much more about my hips than what my co workers think of me!

I Love Technology, But Not as Much as You, You See

I have recently realized how amazing the Internet is. I mean, I always knew it was amazing, but lately I have been more grateful for it.

1. It gives me instant gratification. I don't have to wait until the end of a movie to see the credits to find out who plays cab driver #1 in the movie I'm watching. I just look it up on IMDB!
2. The Internet never laughs at me when I ask dumb questions. Like the time I asked someone about the difference between a lamb and a sheep (I wish that hadn't really happened, but it did. I think I might have been absent they day we learned about farm animals in school...). I can just look it up myself!
3. It saves me money. No more buying how-to books and magazines. I just google it! How do I put together this furniture from Ikea? How do I spray paint the lamp I just bought at the thrift store? How do I pluck a chicken (hopefully I'll never need to know that)?

Not only does it make my life better, but it also travels with me wherever I go, via my phone! So here's to you, Internet. With all my love.

Thrifting

One of my New Years resolutions was to only thrift shop for an entire year. People stare at me funny when I say this. Or they don't believe I can do it. But it is March, and I haven't broken it yet! I went thrifting last weekend and came back with two great finds:

First, this super awesome jacket. (Yes, I am lame and took a picture of myself with my phone in my dining room mirror. And yes, I am in my pj's. And yes, that is my house behind me. If you haven't come over to visit yet, please feel free to zoom in and take a look around. It will almost be like you were here. If you stopped by and refused to leave the dining room...)

Totally vintage, I love it! Do they even make this brand anymore??

And check out the buckles on each wrist and at the waist. They just don't make clothes with this level of detail anymore!!

Cost: $1.25

And next, this jacket/shrug. It's from Gap. I know it doesn't look like much over my sweater, but imagine it over a cute Summer dress, ok?

Cost: $1.25

Newsflash

I now have bangs. My life is once again complete.