Deep in the Heart of Texas

Not So Extreme Couponing

2012-02-08T21:42:00.000-06:00

One of my New Years Resolutions was to try extreme couponing. It seemed easy enough, you get the coupons, you buy stuff, it's cheaper. Simple, right?

Not so much.

There are about a million websites out there dedicated to coupons for a reason. It's complex! And time consuming. So while I'm not too extreme yet, I have seen some results.

First off, I get the Sunday paper for $1 a week, so if I save a dollar that week, I count it as good. So far I have saved more than that every week I have gone, so at least I am getting a return on investment. Some of my best deals so far:

Free bottle of salad dressing. And it was the good stuff too!
Box of whole wheat pasta for $.37.
Two bags of peanut M&Ms for $.50 (we're talking full size bags here, not the single serving ones).
Two boxes of baking soda for $.47.
A dozen eggs for $.99 (ok this wasn't couponing, they are just on sale at Walgreens this week, but I never would have known that if I didn't coupon!).

I can see how people get addicted to it. It is super fun! And getting the best deals give you such a rush! I have already learned a lot, and I look forward to being much more 'extreme' in the future. So if you get a basket of toilet paper and toothpaste from me on your next birthday, don't be too surprised!!

Sometimes...

2012-01-24T21:23:00.003-06:00

Sometimes I feel like I am too blessed, like I should give away some of my happiness because I have too much. Thinking about all the suffering in the world, all the people hurting, and all the people who want just what I have, makes me grateful. Sometimes I am awed at how kind the Lord is to me.

Sometimes, I wonder why life can't go my way. I want to control everything. I want to be able to define things, to put a nice neat label on them so I can understand them. Sometimes I yearn for the things I don't have.

Sometimes, I am awesome. I am on top of things. I get to work on time, and my hair looks good, and I have a healthy lunch packed. I am kind to others, I keep my house clean. All my bills are paid on time.

Sometimes, I suck at life. I struggle just to get out of bed. I only think about myself. I speak unkindly to people that I love the most. Things that should be easy, I make hard.

Sometimes I forget that life has it's highs and lows. I want every day to be sunny, but I forget that without the rainy days, nothing would grow. Sometimes I remember that the low points only make me appreciate the highs that much more.

Aw Man...

2012-01-03T20:07:00.001-06:00

My resolutions are lame compared to this guy's.

I Need Patience. NOW

2012-01-03T06:43:00.000-06:00

I'm not the most patient person. When I want something, I want it now. That's what caused all my credit card debt in my early 20s... (Man, I feel old, I can actually talk about my EARLY 20s!) Since my life consists mostly of waiting right now, I have come up with a few things to do when you Just. Can't. Wait. Anymore!!

Play the piano
Call someone
Write rambling blog posts
Clean something
Watch TV
Read a book
Scrub something with an old toothbrush
Clean out your closet
Get on Pintrest
Go for a run
Bake something
Add things to your Amazon wish list
Balance your checkbook
Take a nap
Do some yoga
Floss
Reorganize your kitchen cupboards
Try to do long devision in your head
Try a new makeup look
Write angry letters to businesses
Drink some water
Edit Wikipedia articles
Change your voicemail message
Paint your nails
Play Just Dance on the Wii
Start a new sewing project
Become a Dr Pepper expert
Rearrange the furniture
Take a walk in a park
Vacuum the couch

New Years Resolutions

2012-01-01T20:58:00.000-06:00

I finally narrowed down my huge list of things I wanted to accomplish this year to two actual New Years Resolutions.

Establish routines for cleaning the house. Our house never really gets that dirty, there are only two people living here, but I never feel like I am really on top of things. I am going to start with small morning and night routines, and add one thing every few weeks until I get where I want to be.
Become and extreme couponer. I'm already starting to get frustrated with this. I ordered the Sunday paper a few weeks ago, but it STILL hasn't come. I'm tired of calling the newspaper company every Monday to complain... If it doesn't come in the next two weeks, I am going to take it as a sign that it isn't meant to be and forget it!! I know there are other ways to get the Sunday coupons than by getting the paper delivered to my house, but I am lazy, and I don't have time to go searching for them...

I was really leaning toward running 520 miles, but I decided that I am just hitting my stride (pun totally intended) with running, and I don't want to put a lot of pressure on myself to run a set amount and not make it fun anymore. If couponing doesn't work out, I'm going to go with trying one new things from Pintrest every month!

Washing with Oils

2011-12-29T22:26:00.001-06:00

I read a while ago that it can be good for your skin to wash it with oils instead of soap. The science behind it, allegedly, is that oil dissolves oil, so you can cleanse your skin without stripping it like soap does.

The hippy in me just had to try it! I've been using it for a few weeks now, and I have to say, I really have noticed a difference in my skin! While my breakouts have been about the same (which has more to do with my diet than anything else), my skin has been less irritated, and I don't have to worry about excess oil anymore.

I have been using a blend of two parts castor oil, one part olive oil, and a few drops of tee tree oil. The castor oil goes deep into the pores to cleanse the skin, the olive oil moisturizes, and the tee tree oil helps clear blemishes. If your skin is more dry than oily, you would want to use more olive oil than castor oil, and if you don't have breakouts then skip the tea tree oil altogether. I mixed it together in a $.99 travel bottle from Wal Mart. I squeeze about a quarter amount onto my hands, then rub it into my skin for a minute or two. It feels weird at first to be putting oil on your face, but you get used to it. Then put a really warm (but not hot) wet washcloth on your face and let it steam for a bit, maybe a minute or so. Rinse out the washcloth and wipe your face well.

The first few days, your skin will probably freak out because it's used to producing oil to make up for what the soap is taking out of it. But after a few days, it should even out.

Cheap, effective and natural. Who could ask for more??

One More Thing...

2011-12-26T06:46:00.002-06:00

Thanks to Pintrest, I now have one more thing to add to my ever growing list of New Year's Resolutions. Add cleaning and de-cluttering to the list! Not that I have THAT much stuff. I'm a serial thrower away-er after all, but living a more minimalist lifestyle has been appealing to me more and more lately.

I went to a baby shower last week (it was super fun, great food and no one made me smell chocolate in a diaper!) and I was so overwhelmed with the amount of STUFF that you get when you are having a baby... As if adding another person to your family wasn't enough, now you 'need' 20 bibs with coordinating socks and enough bedding to last the child through his college years. Then I watched the documentary Babies, and it showed that kids that grow up without all the 'stimulating toys' that we think are so important, develop at almost exactly the same pace! So, once again - our stuff basically means nothing.

So the point of that little rant is, I am thinking of becoming a minimalist. Because I'm tired of the stuff.

I still have no idea what I would like to focus on in 2012, and only one more week to figure it out. Is it possible to focus on 20 things at the same time?? That way I won't have to choose!

Christmas at the Mall

2011-12-22T08:03:00.000-06:00

I went to the mall twice in the last two weeks. Both times I went to buy a jacket (it was an epic battle between my desire to be cheap, and my desire to be warm). I rarely went to the mall this year, since I couldn't buy anything there anyway, and when I did go, it was usually to go to a specific store (hello Sephora!!) and then go home.

Both times I went, I was struck with just how much STUFF there is. Stuff that we are told that we need. Especially for Christmas. While I am in the stores, I think, if only I had the money to buy all these fancy things. Think how nice m life would be! If I could get an expensive hair cut, have a designer purse, and the cutest boots, I would be so happy.

Of course, that isn't true. Nothing that can be bought can decide if I am happy or not. Only I can decide that. But the advertising is strong. The people who make commercials and set up stores know what they are doing, and they do it well!

I made it out with a jacket (both warm AND cheap AND cute) so I felt like it was a win, but it was an eye opening experience for me. I will be able to shop at mall stores in less than two weeks, and I hope I remember that buying things there won't really change my life!

Someday I Will...

2011-12-19T21:40:00.000-06:00

...Wrap presents in eco friendly recycled gift wrap with cute decorations.
...Bake Christmas cookies to give to all my friends and coworkers.
...Put up all of the Christmas decorations sitting in boxes.
...Do all the ideas I have pinned on my Pintrest Christmas board.
...Make homemade stockings to hang.
...Invite people over for a lovely Christmas party.

But not today. Today I am going to go to bed on time. There's always next year, right?

A New Diet

2011-12-11T08:32:00.000-06:00

My doctor suggested that I go on a low carb diet as part of the treatment for PCOS. After obsessing over every bite for a few days, and freaking out because I didn't know what to eat, I decided that I needed more guidance. So I chose the South Beach Diet. It emphasizes eating whole foods, with lots of whole grains and not a lot of sugar, which is how I want to eat anyway. For the first two weeks, you can't have... well, anything really. No sugar, no wheat, no fruit, no happiness. Ok, you can still have happiness, but only in moderation. :)

The worst part about being on a diet is that everyone assumes that I am doing it because I am unhappy with my body. 'How much weight have you lost?' they ask. Which always makes me think- Do I look that chubby that everyone automatically thinks I want to lose weight? Is it bad that I'm generally happy with how my body looks? Am I a huge jiggly blob that walks, and I just haven't noticed yet?? I'm not going to lie, losing weight is a perk, and it is nice to see the scale moving down instead of up, but seriously, if I were doing it for the weight loss, I would have quit on the first day. A Bethany with no cookies is not a Bethany at all...

I just have to keep reminding myself that it will be worth it. And on Monday, I get to add whole wheat and fruit back in. I have never been more excited for a piece of toast in my life!

What the What??

2011-12-09T21:51:00.000-06:00

I can't believe that its already the middle of December... Seriously, where did 2011 go?? I still have to catch myself from saying 2010 (I think that is one of the downsides to no longer writing checks, I don't have a reminder about what year it is!) and here it is, almost 2012!!

Looking back on this past year, it really seems like a big blur. so much happened, and we were so busy! I learned so much, and I feel like I am a better person than I was 12 months ago.

For the first time... well... ever, I guess, I completed BOTH of my New Year's Resolutions!

My first resolution was to only buy clothes at thrift stores all year. This was harder, and easier, than I thought it would be. I did slip a few times- I bought a pair of jeans (mega on sale, they were $12 from Eddie Bauer! Great jeans! What was I doing in an Eddie Bauer, you ask? Well, I am quite the outdoorsman, you know...) and a few tank tops from Old Navy (they were $2 each! And I needed new tank tops! And you can't buy those at a thrift store!) and I also got a pair of grey tights from Banana Republic, for $1.89. Seriously. I also got some stuff from J Crew, but I had a gift card from work, and I only spent like $6 of my own money, so I don't think it counts! I probably shouldn't officially cross this off the list, since I still have two and a half weeks to go, and I'm going shopping tomorrow for a winter coat (crossing my fingers that the thrift store has a good one, otherwise I will crack. It's cold!!), but really, I have done much better than I thought I would!

My second resolution was to run a 5k. Done and done!! I actually ran two this year! My first one was in November, and I ran it in 40:30. My second one was at Sea World last week, and I ran it in 39:47. I know, with a time like that, its basically like I was walking fast, but believe me, it felt like running... I actually enjoy running now, and I'm planning on doing another race on the coast in March.

I'm still crafting my resolutions for next year, I have a few really good ideas. I think the reason I was so successful this year is I had something really specific that I could actually cross off. You can't really measure 'being nicer' or 'being healthier' but I can specifically tell you that I did, in fact, run 3.1 miles (twice!), and I did (for the most part) only buy clothes at thrift stores. So I'm keeping that in mind for next year. Some things on the possible list:

Become an extreme couponer
Run 520 miles (over the year, not all at once!)
Do one thing from Pintrest a month
Have a baby (just kidding... sort of)
Bake 12 new kinds of bread
Run a 5k in under 30:00
Write a mission statement (a la 7 Habits)
Pay off my student loan

Four Day Win, part 1

2011-10-09T17:00:00.001-05:00

I decided to focus on each of my goals for one week. Since there are roughly four weeks in a month, it should work out well!

My first goal was to improve my relationship with God. I like to think that I have a very personal relationship with my Father in Heaven. I have had many prayers answered, and I try to listen to the promptings I get from Him. But I know I can do much, much better. I am too quick to forget my dependance on Him when things are going well, and only remember to really pray when I need something. For this week, my four day win will be to read my scriptures each morning for 15 minutes. I know it sounds simple, but that's the point!

To make this happen, I will need to do a little bit of preparation at night (I could get up earlier, but I don't want to!). I need to get out my clothes, make our lunches and pack my gym bag so I have the extra time to add one more step to my routine in the mornings.

Next week I will be focusing on my health and fitness!

Cool-Whip, Continued

2011-10-07T14:34:00.001-05:00

I posted last week that I wanted to start looking at how I was spending my time. I have been thinking a lot about how I spend my time, and I have decided that I need to be much more intentional. The conference talk A Time to Prepare really drove this idea home for me. The whole talk is amazing, but I especially liked the end:

Time marches swiftly forward to the tick of the clock. Today would be a good day, while the clock of mortality ticks, to review what we are doing to prepare to meet God.

After thinking about how I spend my time, and think about what I actually want to accomplish, I found three main areas in my life that I feel need more focused, intentional attention:

My relationship with God.
My health and physical fitness.
My relationship with others.
My home.

My inclination is to rush into all of these things, set lofty goals, work furiously toward them for about a week, burn out, and then watch TV for three straight days. So I decided this time to set small, achievable goals, modeled after Martha Beck's Four Day Win.

I'm going to write a separate post for each goal, so stay tuned!

If you're interested in learning more about designing a life with intention, try reading the very inspirational blog Make Under My Life (there's a link over on the right).

2011-10-06T18:27:00.000-05:00

You can't connect the dots looking forward you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well worn path.

-Steve Jobs, 1995-2011

I Tried it Tuesday- Dry Shampoo

2011-10-04T06:30:00.001-05:00

I've mentioned before that I'm trying to grow my hair out. One of the ways I'm trying to keep my hair healthier is to not wash it as often. My hair is pretty fine, but thick, which means that when it gets dirty, it is not easy to hide! I've used baby powder before to absorb some of the grease, and it worked, but it took a lot of work to make my hair not look white, and it also got baby powder all over the bathroom! I've been meaning to try dry shampoo for a while, but I couldn't justify the cost when the problem could be solved by just taking a shower! So when I saw that Suave had a dry shampoo for $3, I had to try it!

My review:

Awesome! It comes out of the bottle COLD (refreshing on summer day, not sure how I'll feel in the winter! Oh, what am I saying, I live in Texas...) and a little powdery, then you rub it in with your hands. It has a nice, kinda peachy smell and made my hair look much fresher. It also makes my hair a lot thicker and coarser. I wouldn't wear it down like this, but it was great for putting my hair in a style that it wouldn't usually hold. It doesn't make my hair as good as if it were freshly washed, but it does get me through one more day of dirty hair with no problem!

I Tried it Tuesday- Sephora Primer

2011-09-27T06:30:00.000-05:00

I love Sephora. With my whole heart. One of my favorite things about shopping there are the free samples. The last time I was in, I got a makeup primer sample. I had heard that primer helps makeup go on smoother, and keeps it on longer.

I wore it a few days, and I couldn't really tell a difference. So I decided to put it on half my face. Don't worry, it was a day I didn't do much, so no one could make fun of me!

My review:

Eh. My foundation did go on smoother, but not so much that it was noticeable. And by the end of the day, I couldn't tell a difference at all. And I'm pretty sure it made me break out. Not recommended...

Cool-Whip

2011-09-21T17:48:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about my life, and the way I spend my time. So this came at a perfect time for me. It's long, I know but the end is totally worth it:

When I was little, I used to sneak into the fridge and get a huge spoonful of Cool Whip, and then another, and then another, so I can totally relate to this!!

It made me think about the 'Cool Whip' in my life:

TV- I watch way too much, and get nothing back in return, except maybe some excess fat...
Blogs- I follow seriously 50 or more blogs. Some of them add to my life, but most of them don't.
Reading- I don't think reading is a bad thing, but sometimes I read instead of doing other, more important things. Also, the quality of the books I read is not always the best.
Internet- I can spend HOURS online, looking at everything and nothing. Only occasionally will I see something that inspires me to DO. Don't even get me started on the time suck that is Facebook...

I wanted to challenge myself to get rid of the Cool Whip and start doing all the things I have been putting off, but I honestly couldn't think of anything. Which is scary. So this week, I plan to make a list of things to replace the Cool Whip, and next week- DO SOMETHING!!

Join me?

Feel Like Crying Today?

2011-09-09T08:21:00.002-05:00

Try this.

Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

I Tried it Tuesday- DIY Mask

2011-08-30T06:30:00.000-05:00

***This post is dedicated to my cousin Ashley, who was always my mask parter in crime!***

This horrible summer weather has been taking a toll on my skin. It has been dry, flaky, and tired looking. While I really believe that how my skin looks depends more on what I put in my mouth more than what I put on my face, but no amount of water, fresh fruit or multivitamins were helping! I remembered a DIY face mask that I read about a few weeks ago, and decided to give it a try.

The recipe:
1 T olive oil
1 T honey
1 t lemon juice (I used the kind in the little plastic lemon, fresh would probably be better)

Mix all ingredients. If it's not mixing well warm the olive oil up a bit (not too much, it has to go on your face!). Put it all on your face. Wait 10 minutes, then rinse it off.

My review:
It was a lot less messy than you would think, but I did get some olive oil splatters in the bathroom sink that were difficult to clean up (hint: try a kitchen cleaner, cuts through the grease better than bathroom cleaner!) but once it was on my face, it didn't run or drip at all. It also took some serious scrubbing to get it off, I had to wash my face three times! I recommend washing it off in the shower, it would take FOREVER in the sink, and I wouldn't really want to get olive oil on a washcloth. But it WORKED. All of my flaky skin was gone, and I had a nice glowy look for a few days. And it was super cheap! So if you don't mind a little mess, and have a few ingredients to spare, I do recommend it!

PS, I Love You

2011-08-27T06:30:00.004-05:00

I have been trying to be more consistent about posting the last few weeks, and the best way for me to do that is to write a bunch of posts when I have the time/have a few ideas/feel like writing and then schedule them to post later.

Usually I only write a day or two in advance, but I was thinking today, what if I got really ambitious and wrote thousands of posts and schedule them months in the future. And then someday I die in some freak accident and then my posts will speak from the dead.

It would be PS I Love You all over again! Except I wouldn't be giving Steve tasks to complete. And he hopefully wouldn't go back to my hometown in Ireland and fall in love with my best friend...

PS This is not a death wish. I hope to live a long long time and have my posts speak from the living not the dead!

Oh, and PS-I Love You ;)

Stealth Veggies

2011-08-25T06:30:00.001-05:00

I have a love/hate relationship with stealth vegetables. You know the kind, where you're having a delicious meal and then the cook casually mentions that she put 13 heads of lettuce in the main dish and you had no idea.

On one had, I love it. Eating more vegetables is a good thing! And getting picky eaters (children or husbands!) to eat them can sometimes be difficult. And I would love to feel like I was getting something good for me when I eat a whole pan of brownies by myself (not that I have ever done that...).

But on the other hand, do you really need to trick people into eating something good for them? There are tons of studies out there showing that people tend to like the food they are exposed to. So, if we give kids/husbands broccoli, the first second or third time they might only have a bite or two, but the fourth, fifth, or 100th time they will dig right in (this of course is not true for every food. I grew up hating hot corn meal cereal, no matter how many times my mom made it!). And wouldn't it be better to teach someone to like a real veggie then to trick them into thinking that brownies are good for them? What happens when you are not there to stuff a vegetable into everything?

I am (obviously) conflicted about this, so while I make up my mind, try out this recipe for stuffed meatloaf. Tons of good for you spinach, but you can totally see it, so it's only semi stealth! Also, a great way to use up spinach that's a little too wilty to put in a salad but still good enough to eat.

Spinach and Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Meatloaf

1 pound ground turkey
2 egg whites (or one whole egg)
1/2 cup oatmeal (you can also use bread crumbs)
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 oz shredded mozzarella
2 cups fresh spinach

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the turkey, egg whites, oatmeal, onion, 1/3 cup of BBQ sauce, and spices in a large bowl. Spread half of the turkey mixture in a bread pan. Layer cheese and spinach on top (trust me, put the spinach on after the cheese, it's much easier to spread the rest of the meat on!). Layer the remaining meat on top of the cheese and spinach. Cover with remaining BBQ sauce. Bake for 1 hour. Cut into 6 slices, and enjoy!

Nutrition: Calories: 262, Fat: 12g, Total Carbohydrates: 10g, Fiber: 1g, Protein: 28g

I Tried it Tuesday- Almond Milk

2011-08-23T18:18:00.000-05:00

Let me start this post by saying I love all things dairy. A PB&J just isn't complete without a cold glass of milk, I could have ice cream for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and I never met a cheese I didn't like. So I never felt the need to try any milk alternative products, since the real stuff was obviously amazing. But when I got hit by a nasty bug at the end of May, I had to lay off the dairy products until it cleared up. And when it finally did clear up, I was out of the habit of drinking milk. After pouring yet another sour half gallon of milk down the sink, I decided it was time to try something new that didn't go bad quite as quickly. Enter almond milk.

I bought the unsweetened unflavored store brand almond milk, nothing fancy. It was about the same price as a half gallon of milk.

My review:

Good and bad.

Good: Almond milk is great for putting on cereal. It has a really nice almond-y aftertaste, but other than that, I couldn't tell a difference. It is also good to bake with if you are using it as a moistener and not a thickener (muffins are a big yes!). It has less calories, but the about the same amount of protein as milk. Lasts longer than regular milk.

Bad: It is NOT good to drink all by itself. A little chocolate syrup will fix it right up though. It also is not good to use as a thickener in place of milk because, well, it doesn't thicken! It also is not good to use in savory foods, since it does have kind of a sweet flavor.

Garden Update

2011-08-20T06:30:00.000-05:00

Bad news. It turns out that going on vacation for a week and half without getting someone to water your plants will kill them. Who knew?? So my first gardening experiment has come to an end. We did get about 5 tomatoes, and tons of fresh basil and rosemary. We also learned that when cilantro flowers, pinch the flowers off or it will die.

We have more potting soil, so I am getting ready to try again. I am thinking about growing the plants from seeds this time instead of buying seedlings.

How to Save on Your Grocery Bill (Without becoming Crazy Coupon Lady)

2011-08-18T06:30:00.000-05:00

If you have read/listened to/watched the news lately, it's obvious our economy is not in the best shape. The stock market is up, no wait, it's down, it's a double dip recession, no, it's a recovery. It all makes me want to hide under the covers!!

So I don't go crazy, I am trying instead to save money where ever I can. You can't really control the cost of rent, and hello it's 104 degrees outside so I am keeping my thermostat right where it is, thankyouverymuch, so I see the grocery bill as the easiest place to cut costs without cutting the quality of my life.

While I am super interested in the whole couponing craze that is going around, who has time to do that?? And who really wants to be the crazy lady who hoards toothbrushes just because they were free?? Not I!! I also don't think that couponing lets you eat the best foods. I have never seen a coupon for lettuce or apples!!

So if you are, like me, trying to save money on groceries without eating a steady diet of chips and Oreos, or without becoming the crazy coupon lady, these tips might help!

1. Make a list of meals that you eat often. Try to come up with 15 or so. It can be hard just to sit down and list out 15 meals, so think of what you have eaten in the past week. If you still can't think of anything, open a cookbook or google some recipes that you would like to try. Come up with a list of the main ingredients for all the recipes.

2. Each week, look at the sale papers for all the stores in your area. That means the hippie shop down the street, the Mexican market across town, the Super Target where everything is twice as much, or anywhere else that you have access to. If the sale ads don't come in the mail, look them up online. Most places will send you a weekly email if you sign up, which will save time. It sounds like it takes a long time, but it doesn't once you learn where to find everything. Make a note if there is anything for sale that is on your list of ingredients. If you see a great deal on canned tomatoes, or BBQ sauce, or anything else that you know you will use, put it on the list!

3. Make a menu of the things you are going to eat that week. Write it down on a calendar, put it in your phone, or tape it on the side of the fridge. Just don't lose it!! Try to plan your menu around the sales that week, especially for fresh produce.

4. Go shopping. Go to all the little stores that have the great sales on one or two things and DON'T BUY ANYTHING ELSE THERE but DO STOCK UP on what you will use. Get as many cans of crushed tomatoes for $.45 as they will let you have! Yes, it will take more time to shop in four different stores, but when you are only getting 1-2 things there, you wont be there long. And most likely, you wont go to each store every week. If all the stores in your area have that great of sales, please tell me where you live. I want to move there! Yes, you can go to Wal Mart and they will price match, but I try to stay out of Wal Mart as much as possible since it kills my soul to go there. Also, don't you want to support local business?

5. Go to your regular grocery store and get everything else you will need for that week that wasn't on sale.

As you continue to do this, you will start to find that your weekly list at your regular grocery store gets smaller and smaller. Pretty soon, all you will be buying is produce and the occasional special ingredient along with all your sale items. For example, there is a store in town where antibiotic and hormone free chicken breast go on sale for $1.77 a pound! Every time I see that in the add, I go and buy 8-10 pounds. Steve packages it up into one pound portions and we freeze it until we want to use it.

If you still feel like you are spending too much, here are a few additional tips:

1. Pack your lunch. I know this is so obvious, but it still is a mystery to me how people I work with can complain about not having enough money and then go spend $8 on lunch. Hello! That's $40 a week! $160 a month!! For a not so good lunch from Subway!!

2. Eat less meat. I know. I live in Texas where meat is the main dish, side dish and sometimes dessert. But trust me, you will not die if you do not eat meat one or two days a week. If this is hard for you, try starting with Mexican food. Somehow a bean burrito or cheese enchiladas seems less 'meatless' than veggie lasagna or bean soup. Or maybe that's just me...

3. Make it yourself. Instead of buying bread, make a loaf! Instead of buying cookies, make a batch! It's a lot cheaper (I figured once that it cost me less than $1.00 to make a loaf of whole wheat bread) and it's also better for you. It wont take as much time as you think it will, I promise.

I Tried it Tuesday- Deep Conditioning

2011-08-16T06:30:00.021-05:00

Every time I watch Tangled I get the urge to grow my hair out. Sadly, summertime has not been kind to my hair, and my first thought is to chop it all off!! So when I heard that Fantastic Sams had deep conditioning for $10, and used Redkin products, I knew I had to try it! I went to the nearest salon, where they sat me in a chair, washed my hair and then put a mixture of deep conditioners in it. I sat under a dryer for 15 minutes, and then it was rinsed out.

My review: The salon was not fancy AT ALL. If you like full service, this is not the place for you. I left the salon with dripping wet hair! But it was only $10, after all. While the service wasn't the best, the product was great. My hair was (and still is) silky smooth and much more manageable, and I think I extended the time between haircuts at least a month, maybe two. If you want a good, cheap deep conditioner, and don't mind a bare bones salon experience, I highly recommend it!

Turning 'Have To' Into 'Want To'

2011-08-13T11:36:00.000-05:00

I have been in a bit of a slump lately. I don't want to get out of bed in the morning, I don't want to cook, I don't want to do laundry. I just want to lay in bed! As nice as that sounds, my job would stop paying me if I stopped working (they are SO picky about stuff like that!!), and I would run out of things to eat and clean clothes to wear, and let's face it, it would get very boring!

But thinking about all the things I 'have' to do was overwhelming and depressing. In the spirit of trying to change my poor attitude, I decided to think about the benefits of the work instead of the work itself. And right away, everything turned into a 'want' to!

I do not HAVE to do my laundry. I WANT to have clean clothes to wear.
I do not HAVE to go to work every day. I WANT to earn a paycheck.
I do not HAVE to cook dinner. I WANT to save money and eat more healthily.
I do not HAVE to read my scriptures or say my prayers. I WANT a closer relationship with my Heavenly Father.
I do not HAVE to do the dishes. I WANT to have a clean house.
I do not HAVE to practice piano. I WANT to improve my talents.

Just a small change in my thinking has already made a huge difference!

I Tried it Tuesday- Heatless Curls

2011-07-05T06:30:00.001-05:00

I love the idea of having curly hair for every day wear. Unfortunately, I have very straight hair, and the humidity is usually somewhere between 98% and 150% (seriously, I could swim to work if I wanted to), there just isn't enough time (or hair products) available to make that work. Also, it has been about 300 degrees every day, and the thought of using a blow dryer or curling iron seems crazy. So, curly hair is just for special occasions. So when I read about No Heat Hair, I knew I had to give it a shot!! Watch this video to see how it is done:

Isn't her accent cute??

My review: AWESOME. It really is as easy as the video makes it look. And the curls lasted two whole days! I put a little mousse in my hair and let it air dry almost all the way before I put it up. I slept with the headband in, and took it out the next morning.

This is a really bad picture, but just trust me, my hair looks very nice and wavy. Not bad for 10 minutes of effort!!

News Flash- New Car!

2011-06-16T06:30:00.006-05:00

This last weekend was an exciting one at the Ratliff's! I kicked it off on Friday by my making my own laundry soap, we got a new car on Saturday, and Sunday our toilet exploded (I don't think I've ever been happier we rented!! We called the emergency maintenance, sat tight, and they came and fixed it!).

I used to drive a 2002 Sebring. Her name was Lola (L-O-L-A Lola, Lo-lo-lo-lo Lola) I loved that car, it was so fun to drive, and was a symbol of my independence. It was the most expensive thing I had ever bought, and I was so proud that paid for it with my own money! There was just one problem: it was a girl car. Poor Steve hated getting in and out of it, and having a two door car just wasn't working for us anymore.

We had been saving for a few months, and decided that this was the weekend! We did a lot of research before and decided that a Ford Fusion would be the best decision for us, then we found three dealerships that had car that met our needs. I was really nervous to go to a car dealership, I wanted to make a good, sensible decision and not fall in love with the first shiny thing I saw. We only ended up going to two places, the first place offered us a really good deal, but we still wanted to see what else was out there. As soon as I got into the second car, I knew I wanted it. It had all the features I wanted, plus a lot more. But it was just out of our price range. Luckily Steve was a champ at bargaining, and he got them to give us $2800 for my car (we were only expecting $1500)! With that and our down payment, we only had to finance about a third of the car's worth.

I thought I would feel a little sad driving away from good ol' Lola, but I wasn't at all. That new car smell wiped away any sadness I might have felt. I am so fickle!!

I'm still figuring out how to use all the features, but I am loving it! We haven't decided on a name, so if you have a suggestion, let me know!

Our, as yet, unnamed 2010 Ford Fusion- if you enlarge this picture, you can see Steve making a funny face in the drivers seat. He is such a ham!!

I Tried it Tuesday- Laundry Soap

2011-06-14T06:30:00.001-05:00

I was talking to a friend from church, and she mentioned that she made her own laundry soap. She was kind enough to teach me how!

You will need:
2 cups of Borax
2 cups of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (NOT baking soda)
1 bar of Zote or Fels-Naptha or Dr. Bronner's Soap bar (these are all concentrated bars of cleaning soap, I found Zote at the local Mexican grocery)

Directions:
1. Take the bar of soap and grate it all up using a cheese grater. The finer you grate it the quicker it will melt. It will look like coconut, but resist the urge to eat it!!

2. Place it in a large sauce pan and add 4 cups of water. Cook on medium heat until it melts. This was the longest part of the process, it took about 20 minutes.

3. Put the Borax and Washing Soda in a big plastic tote or 5 gallon bucket. Mix with 2 gallons of HOT water (just hot from the tap, it doesn't need to be boiling). DO NOT use cold water, it will make the Borax hard as a rock!

4. Stir until dissolved. You can use an electric mixer to do this, but we just used wire whisks. It only took about 5 minutes with the two of us mixing.

5. Add the melted soap to the bucket. Stir until it becomes a thick jelly.

6. Add 1 1/2 gallons of more water to the mixture, and mix it again until it is fully blended. You can add essential oils at this point, if you wanted your soap to be scented. I don't really care, so I skipped this step.

7. Pour into plastic bottles. It makes about 4-5 gallons. I put mine in a big tupperware, and have a special measuring cup to scoop it out with. My friend put hers into empty milk jugs, which I think would make it a lot easier to store and to pour out.

It's a pretty strong soap, (my hands were very dry after mixing and pouring it) so you don't need to use a lot. I use 1/4 cup for regular loads, and 1/2 cup for heavy loads. I have done three loads with it (one white, one colored, and one towels) and I can't tell a difference between that and the store bought stuff.

The cost:
Borax: $2.50- will make three batches, so $0.83 per batch
Washing soda- $2.50- also makes three batches, $0.83 again
Zote- $1.00

Total Cost: $2.66, and if I'm figuring correctly, it should last over six months! I did make the initial investment of buying the tupperware ($9.00) but that was a one time cost.

Saves money, doesn't take very long, and helps us be more self reliant! What's not to love??

Keeping It Real

2011-06-02T16:08:00.000-05:00

I've read a few articles recently about Facebook depression, a new condition that is affecting many people, mostly teens. Basically, people are looking at other's on Facebook, and seeing all the awesome things that everyone else is doing, feeling that they are not measuring up, and then getting depressed about it. The problem is, people usually post only positive things that are happening. No one posts a picture of the week long flu they had or how they sit at home on weeknights wishing they had someone to talk to (of course, there are people who do that, but they usually make me feel uncomfortable and I de-friend them) or how they feel trapped by the ever mounting pile of laundry.

I also think that's easy to do with blogs. I read approximately 1,437,821 blogs every day, and usually people post great things that happen to them, pictures of their adorable house/child/cupcake/outfits. Which is the point of a blog, really, to share awesomeness. But it's so easy to compare the best of someone else's life (and probably photo-shopped pictures!) with the worst (un-photo-shopped picture) of your own, you know??

Not that I would advocate looking for the bad in anyone, but it is important to remember that no one is perfect, and that everyone has something that they would like to change. So really, the best policy is to not compare yourself at all, to find the best in everyone, including yourself, and take what you can from everyone. Don't forget to count your blessings!!

(Thanks to Abby from My Yellow Sandbox for this reminder. Also, an awesome place to get hair tutorials!!)

I Tried It Tuesday- Requests and Dedications

2011-05-31T06:30:00.004-05:00

I would love to say I tried something new this week, but the truth is, I spent all week watching tv and downing drugs. The totally legal drugstore kind, of course!! Although, I might have had a little too much Nyquil one night... So the only thing I tried were Halls cough drops that have little pep talks on the wrapper. They are super annoying when you're not feeling well, and totally not exciting enough to write a post about.

So I decided to ask you-any requests? Is there anything you've been wanting to try but are too busy/scared/resourceless to do it? Let me know!

PS- If you'd like to make a dedication, that's cool too. I spent too much time listening to late night radio as a child (my parents had a strict 8:00 bedtime for me, and my alarm had a radio. Ah, the good old days!!), so now I can't hear 'requests' without mentally adding 'and dedications'.

Links I Love: Scarf Obsession

2011-05-26T06:30:00.002-05:00

Last week I got a scarf in the mail from my sister. I wore it twice that week, and would have worn it more if I could have! I have decided to add to my (small and pathetic) scarf collection since then. But I only know of two ways to wear a scarf: wrapped around my neck, and as a belt. So, as I always do when I lack knowledge, I went to the Google!

The ultimate scarf tying guide! Lots of great ideas, and you can even download the PDF!

If you like it vintage, try this site.

If you need videos (always helpful for more complicated ties!), click here. This site also has some awesome headscarfs that I might even be able to pull off!

Now all I need is to find about 1,000,000 more scarfs!!

I Tried It Tuesday- Whole Wheat Brownies

2011-05-24T06:30:00.002-05:00

I thought take a bite before taking the picture would make it look more artistic and delicious.

I was wrong, it just looks chomped on and kinda gross. Sorry!

The Cub Scout value for the month of May is Health and Fitness, so last week we talked about the food pyramid and what foods were good to eat. They pyramid has totally changed since I was in school, and one thing they push now is 'making half of your grains whole'. Ever since I took a nutrition class in college, I have tried to incorporate as many whole grains as possible into my diet, so I love the idea of cooking with whole wheat flour, it is SO much healthier, but sometimes the results can be dry and mealy. So when I saw a Whole Grain Baking cookbook at the library, I checked it out! I might have to buy this cookbook, it has so many great ideas!! And all the recipes have been tested several times, so you know they are good ones!

I tried the brownie recipe first:

1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1 t salt
1 t baking powder
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan on low heat. Add the sugar and stir to combine. Heat the mixture briefly until it's hot and starting to bubble. Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

Stir in the cocoa, baking powder, salt and vanilla. Cool the mixture until you can text it with your finger, it should feel like comfortably hot bath water. Whisk in the eggs, stirring until smooth, then add the flour and chips, again stirring until smooth. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the brownies until a cake tester or sharp knife poked into the center reveals wet crumbs but not raw batter (about 30 minutes). The brownies should feel set on the edges and in the center.

Let sit overnight before serving; this gives the bran a chance to soften, giving the brownies a more pleasing texture.

Nutrition information: (if you cut it into 24 pieces) 252 cal, 13g fat, 3g protein, 8g complex carbohydrates, 25g sugar, 2g fiber, 125mg sodium, 216g potassium, 76RE vitamin A, 2mg iron, 46mg calcium, 100mg phosphorus, 15mg caffeine

For lower fat brownies: substitute 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce for 1/2 cup of butter. Add applesauce after the vanilla.

My review: These brownies are REALLY good, but they have no instant gratification! Smelling the brownies cooking, and then having to wait until the next day to eat them was not my idea of fun. I tried one the night I made them, and they were good, but they were better the next day, like the recipe said. I also didn't read the recipe all that well, and I really should have halved it! That's A LOT of brownies for two people!

While I wouldn't call them a health food, if you are looking for a slightly healthier brownie, this would be a good bet!

News Flash

2011-05-21T21:46:00.000-05:00

I'm blond again!!

I went to a salon in a bowling alley, which was totally random, but I got these highlights and a trim for... wait for it... $40!!! The lady was so sweet, when she told me the price, my jaw dropped and she said "I bet that's about half of what you're used to paying". Um, ya, try a third!! So I gave her a 50% tip. I'm a pretty happy camper!

Preperation

2011-05-20T06:30:00.004-05:00

While I am enjoying my life now as a DINK (double income, no kids) at some point, I do want to have babies. (Calm down Mom, I said AT SOME POINT) Along with thoughts of children comes thoughts of Oh My Gosh Am I Ready For This?? And of course, the answer is no. How can you actually be ready?? But I do think there are some things you can do to be more prepared.

I still need:

A really nice camera. It seems like every mom has one of these, and posts adorable pictures online of her adorable children. I guess taking pictures with my phone just isn't going to cut it once I have a baby...
A hobby. It seems every mom is into something these days. Scrapbooking, crafting, refinishing furniture, sewing. I have no hobby. Unless you count thrifting!
An at-home business. Why do I get the feeling all the moms are trying to sell me something?? Oh right, they are. I need to start a candle/housewares/refinished furniture/scrapbooking business to help subsidize my thrifting, right??
Friends- Ya, I know, I probably need those now, but I'm not very good at making them! It's hard! But what is staying home all day if I don't meet up with some gal pals for gossip and play dates? (Why yes, I am imagining my life will be just like Desperate Housewives, without the psycho drama and divorces. Just kidding!!)
An adorable nickname for my children, so no blog wierdos can stalk them. I'm leaning toward 'the kidlet'. It's cute, easy to remember, and works for a boy or a girl!

Before you lose hope that I will ever be prepared enough to have children, here is what I already have:

A blog. But I will probably have to change the name to something like 'Mothering and Loving It' or something cheesy like that.
A spare room. Because the kidlet has to go somewhere!

Of course, I'm totally kidding about this list. What other things do you think I'll 'need'?

I Tried it Tuesday- White Vinegar

2011-05-17T06:30:00.001-05:00

San Antonio has very hard water, and one consequence of this is the film that gathers over all the dishes in the dishwasher. A small helping on Jet Dry solves this problem, but it's kind of expensive, has a lot of chemicals in it, and forces you to use the heated dry setting (I hate this because it wastes electricity and if there is any leftover gunk on a dish, it gets baked on). I had heard that white vinegar can do the job just as well, but I hadn't got around to trying it quite yet. So this week I finally did. I filled the little rinse aid full of vinegar every time I washed a new load. I know there might be some down inside that little guy, but you can't see it, so I wasn't sure.

My review- AMAZING. Our dishes have never looked shinier! Everything looks better, not just the glassware. And it is cheap! A huge thing of vinegar is like $3.00, compared to a tiny thing of Jet Dry which is like $7.00. I did a little bit of research, and it turns out there is nothing vinegar can't do! Click here to get some great ideas!

Gardening Update

2011-05-12T06:30:00.001-05:00

You know how they say that you should get a plant, and if you keep that alive, then get a pet, and if you keep that alive, then you are ready to have children? Well, if that's true... Our children are going to end up withering on our porch until Steve comes home from work...

I'm not going to lie. the garden would be dead if Steve hadn't remembered to water it every day this week! But thanks to him, our little plants are alive and well! We even had our first harvest!

Two tomatoes! Don't they look yummy??

The cilantro isn't doing so well, we're thinking it might need to come inside soon.

There are a few more tomatoes on the plant!

Did I mention we got basil? It's not taking the heat too well either. It will be inside soon.

Rosemary is still going strong. You seriously can't kill that stuff!

This last picture isn't from the garden, but I wanted to prove that I am not a horrible human being that kills innocent plants for fun. This plant was given to me by a good friend I used to work with. She had an amazing green thumb, and made me promise I would not kill it! Well, here is living proof, over a year later, and it is still alive! It even has some new growth.

Christmas in May!

2011-05-11T21:12:00.000-05:00

Today was pretty exciting, and not just because it was scout night. We had two very exciting packages! One big one and one little one. The big one had a Dyson!! I have wanted a Dyson since I saw a commercial my freshmen year of college. And then Steve bought me one! Here he is putting it together!

And look at all of the boxes it came in!

I bet you're dying to know what was in the second package! It was a scarf from my sister Jalenna! She got it in New York this weekend! So here I am vacuuming while wearing my new scarf! Is this the best day ever or what??

Not bad for only getting 2 hours of sleep last night :)

Lids Down, I Count Sheep, I Count Heartbeats

2011-05-11T03:50:00.000-05:00

I can't sleep. Not even a little bit. I slept from about 11:00 to 12:30, but I've been up since then, counting down the hours of sleep I could get. Which reminded me of this clip.

It's almost 4 AM, and I've pretty much given up on sleep. I just hope that I don't end up agreeing to move to Tulsa today...

I Tried It Tuesday- Shoe Stretcher

2011-05-10T06:30:00.001-05:00

I went thrifting this weekend, and as usual, found a bunch of awesome stuff! I promise a full post on all the stuff I got will come later, but I did want to talk about this awesome shoe trick.

I found these beauties for $1.25!! I knew they had to be mine! I tried them on in the store, but when I got home, they were a little tight. I remembered a segment I saw on the Rachel Ray show once in the gym (her talk show, not the cooking show, is that still even on?) when I lived in Phoenix. I had never tried it, but I had remembered it all these years! What you do it put rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball, rub it on the inside of the shoes, and then wear them for half an hour. Something about the alcohol makes the leather conform to your foot, and then the shoes fit like a glove! (This only works on leather shoes, btw. If you are against wearing shoes that are all leather because they are expensive, call me. I'll tell you about the magical stretching powers of leather and how the shoe repair guy can fix them like 100 times and they still look good as new. Worth every penny! Also, if you need a shoe repair guy, I have an excellent one!)

My review: Works like a charm! After I got over my feet being pinched a little when I walked around, they stretched out nicely. You have to get the cotton ball pretty soaked with the alcohol, and you really do have to wear them for a while. But if you have any (leather) shoes laying around that aren't being worn because they are a bit too small, try this!

30 for 30- Recap

2011-05-06T09:43:00.000-05:00

Well, I pretty much failed at taking pictures and posting them last week! And I meant to do this recap on Sunday. Fail again... But I did finish the challenge!

I learned:

1) I didn't mind wearing the same clothes over and over, what I really missed was shoe options! If I had to do it again, I would choose more shoes and less clothes.
2) What was I thinking putting it two pairs of jeans AND a jean skirt?? I never wear jeans! My dark wash jeans didn't get worn once!
3) I need more accessories. I have almost none!
4) My black skirt is the workhorse in my wardrobe. Just goes to show that a high quality, well made piece is SO worth the price!

It was a great challenge for me, it made me realize that I wear the same 'outfits' over and over, the same pants with the same shirts and the same shoes. Being forced to remix was really fun, and I came up with combinations that I wouldn't have!

It also made me realize that I never want to post on my blog every day! It went from being something fun I do, to something I hated!! (Hence the no posting all week...) But I do have some fun posts coming up. We have added to our garden, and harvested our first tomato yesterday!! I'm also planning on doing some serious thrift shopping this weekend, and a pedicure may or may not be involved!

Day 25

2011-04-25T19:23:00.000-05:00

Today I took my picture after dinner, instead of before breakfast like I usually do. So this is a picture of me trying to not show all of the ham and mashed potatoes in my tummy. Gotta love Easter leftovers :)

Today was the first day that I was SO tired of all my clothes. Only five more days until I get to wear other clothes!

Day 23 and 24

2011-04-24T18:43:00.001-05:00

So... I forgot to take a picture yesterday, and I wasn't feeling well today (still in my pj's) so no pictures for now!

I got a new workout shirt for $5 the other day, I threw it on today, and it is so comfy I may never take it off again! Maybe it will even motivate me to work out more :)

Day 22

2011-04-22T17:58:00.000-05:00

Only one week left. Can you believe it? I know I can't, April has gone so fast!

There's nothing special about todays outfit, except the hair. I realized it was a super boring outfit, so I rummaged through my bin of scarves and things to see if there was anything to dress it up. I found this little number, which is actually the best to a pair of shorts I bought years ago. The shorts are long gone, but the belt remains! I tied it around my head twice, added a few bobby pins, and voila!

Day 21

2011-04-21T16:59:00.001-05:00

I kept thinking today was Friday. Which means tomorrow is going to be a total drag!! I wore my hair in a ponytail today, and then, like magic, there was a post about how to dress up a pony here. If only I had read it this morning...

I hate wearing a plain white top with a plain black bottom, I always feel like a waitress or something, but this top has enough detail with the tie to get it out of that 'uniform' look. I was going to wear it with the grey pants, but when I put them on, they were too low waisted to go with this shirt...

Only 9 more days to go!

Day 17 and Day 20

2011-04-20T21:20:00.000-05:00

Since I missed day 17, I wore the same outfit again. So just look at this picture twice, and there you go!

I remembered on my way to work that I could have worn jeans and my Spurs shirt, since the Spurs play today! (Go Spurs Go!) I almost turned around to go home to change, but since they are playing again on Monday, and I only have one Spurs shirt in my 30 for 30, I'll just wear it then!

And as a special treat, here I am in my scout uniform! I wear it every Wednesday night and try to keep 6 boys sitting in chairs and not killing each other! It's pretty fun. Except for the uniform. It makes me look like a man. And not even an attractive man...

When Steve takes my picture, I always have to take the phone away from him to get him to stop. Here is today's shot he got while I was trying to grab the phone. Why yes, I do floss almost every day!

Day 19

2011-04-19T20:56:00.001-05:00

If you are missing days 17 and 18, well... I forgot to take a picture. Sorry!

But let's move on, shall we? Only 11 more days! This is one more time where I feel like I actually remixed an outfit. Before this challenge I only ever wore this dress one way, but so far I have tried two new things! Success! I looked at this picture on my way to work, and I realized that the sweater was a little baggy, so I ended up butting two buttons. I think it looked much better.

I also have a special treat for you, to make up for missing three days worth of outfits!

This is Steve sewing patches onto my scout uniform. Isn't he cute??

Day 16

2011-04-17T01:31:00.001-05:00

We are out of town this weekend, and I forgot to take a picture of my oufit. Imagine me in the denim skirt with the white shirt with flowers on it. Then imagine that I remembered to take the picture in the cute little town where we stopped for lunch, which just happens to be the BBQ capital of Texas!

And PS- If you ever find yourself in Lockhart, TX, I recommend Kruetz Market for some amazing food!!

Thrifting Finds!

2011-04-16T09:18:00.000-05:00

I had an awesome thrifting trip about a month ago, but I haven't taken the time to take pictures of everything to post! I finally go most of them together, so here it is!

I like having my makeup out where I can see it, but it starts to take over the counter! I never want to stuff it all back in the bag, and then have to search for what I need. This is a real silver tray, and it has a great design on the bottom, which you cannot see because my makeup is on it! I love this tray, it makes me feel like a lady, and my bathroom stays 50% cleaner!

Cost: $3.50

Denim jacket. I love these jackets so much with the one button and flared fit!

Cost: $4.98

I call this a lampshade skirt, the pleats remind me of a lampshade. I have wanted one of these FOREVER, but I never found one in good condition, or for a price I liked.

Cost: $4.98

This is part of my 30 for 30, and I mentioned there how much I love this dress. Let me say it again: I LOVE THIS DRESS!!! It's from Talbots, and looks brand new!

Cost: $6.98

I love Ann Taylor clothes. I do not love paying for them. So finding this skirt at a thrift store: Awesome!

Cost: $4.98

Another great Ann Taylor find! And you can't beat the price!!

Cost: $2.50 (I know!!!)

I got one more blazer, it's cream and light gold zebra stripes. I can't get a good picture of it though! So imagine what it would be like, ok?

Cost: $6.98

Day 15

2011-04-15T15:15:00.000-05:00

Half way done!

I love this outfit. I really want to be the girl that can wear scarfs and look cute, but I just never seem to be able to pull them off! So here is my first try. I was also inspired to roll up my jeans by Jalenna's outfit a few days ago.

I worked from home today, but I forgot to bring the charger for my laptop home, so I only got four hours of work in. I could have gone in to work, but why would I do that? I took the rest of the day off! I went and had lunch with Steve, and then went grocery shopping. I thought the stores would be empty, but I forgot that today was Battle of the Flowers, a city holiday, so lots of people would be out of work. Plus the grocery store was having a 72 hour sale. And a bus showed up with about 50 senior citizens. So the shopping trip was less than pleasant. But I did get chicken and pork chops for $1.88 a pound!

Day 14

2011-04-14T17:01:00.001-05:00

I tried the skirt again, but this time, instead of trying to play off the blue pattern, I wore it with black to match the background. I think it was a success!

I had the worst hair day today! I tried to do a french braid headband, but my bangs kept poking out, so I finally gave up, but had tons of product in my hair. I actually re did it after this picture into a messy side bun, which was ok, but every time I looked in the mirror I wanted to go home and wash my hair!!

Day 13

2011-04-13T21:37:00.000-05:00

Can you believe the 30 for 30 challenge is already a teenager?? We're almost halfway done!

There are three things I love about this dress:

1) Its an all in one outfit, no undershirt, cardi, etc needed!

2) It has pockets (as displayed below)

and...

3) the skirt is really flowy, so I can do this:

I walked across the street from work today to pick a prescription from Walgreens, and I remembered that the flowy skirt is not so good in the wind... But since I almost never wear it outside, I still feel good about it!

Day 12

2011-04-12T22:00:00.001-05:00

Remember the time (yesterday) when I said I needed to take this skirt to the cleaners? Well I really wanted to wear it this morning. So I did. I'll take it to the cleaners before I wear it again, I promise!

I got this sweater ages ago, when I worked at the Grand Canyon. That was six years ago! Time flies... I think I love it more than I did six years ago. Talk about a good buy!!

Days 9, 10, and 11!

2011-04-11T21:12:00.000-05:00

So, it turns out I suck at posting on the weekends... This weekend was jam packed full of activities, plus the kick off to Fiesta (for all you non-San Antonians, Fiesta is held every year to commemorate the battle of the Alamo, the city (basically) shuts down for a week and a half and we have parades (both river and on ground), carnivals, and eat things on sticks, like chicken, steak, pork, fried cheesecake, cookies, etc. It's really fun, and you get to see lots of drunk people everywhere!) so I was barely home long enough to get dressed, much less blog about it! But here are my outfits for each day:

Day 9:

I love this shirt with all my heart. I got it at Target last year, but two people have asked if it is from J Crew. These shorts are awesome too! But I shouldn't have worn them that day. We volunteered at the Oyster Bake (the kick off to Fiesta) making funnel cakes, and by the end of the day they had powdered sugar ALL over them!

Day 10:

I love this skirt. It actually is from J Crew! It's the perfect length, and is a wool blend, which means it will last FOREVER. That also means that it is dry clean only, and I got something on it at church, so you wont be seeing it for a while until I remember to drop it off at the cleaners.

I also wanted proof that my hair looked this hot for a moment in time. With the 80% humidity, it was practically straight by the time I got to church, but here is photographic proof that my hair has the (short lived) ability to curl!

Day 11:

This morning, a time warp occurred in our house. My alarm went off at 6 AM, like it always does, and then all of the sudden, it was 6:39. Not sure how that happened... But Steve was in the shower when I left for work, so you'll have to deal with an awkward mirror picture. And please try not to look at my unmade bed behind me! I promise, I'll make it before I get in it tonight!!

Well, I'm not sure about all of you, but I feel much better with that out of the way! Can you believe in a few more days the challenge will be half way over??

Day 8

2011-04-08T18:58:00.001-05:00

I threw this shirt in at the last minute, when I remembered that the NBA regular season ends in April and the chances of me wanting to wear this shirt would be high! And I was right! The Spurs are now the Western Conference leaders! I also did something today that I have not done in a long time. I let my hair air dry and did not style it at all. I even went outside with it like that, and no one chased me with a pitchfork or kicked me out of the grocery store, so I'm calling it a success. Not that I would wear it like this every day. You can't tell from the picture, but there is a massive amount of frizz going on!!

Day 7

2011-04-08T09:53:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was so crazy, by the time I got home I just wanted to go to bed! So today you get two outfit posts. Aren't you excited??

I was tired of my bangs, so I decided to go with an updo. I really like how the back turned out! It only took 3 bobby pins, and it stayed in until the end of the work day!

This last picture is a special Friday treat just for you! I was feeling a little goofy when we were taking pictures yesterday!

Why I Thrift

2011-04-08T06:30:00.000-05:00

Last week I was talking to a friend about my resolution to only thrift shop this year. Like most people, she thought I was crazy, and I found myself defending my choice again. It really made me think about why I thrift.

There are two reasons, really.

1) I have expensive taste, and a cheapskate heart. I love well made clothes. Skirts that are lined, dresses that fall just right, and shoes that last forever make me so happy! These are not the clothes that you find at Ross, Old Navy, Forever 21 or Target. Even Gap and Banana Republic have been disappointing me with their quality lately. J Crew, Ann Taylor, and The Limited are more of my thing. But paying $50 for one shirt? Seriously? Not gonna happen… It has nothing to do with my bank account, it just seems wasteful to spend that much money. The more I thrift, the more ridiculous the prices in regular stores look.

2) I’m able to find more unique items. Sometimes shopping at regular stores can be so… boring. Everyone is selling the same thing! There are millions of ruffle shirts and embellished cardis. Which is great, if that’s what I’m looking for, but sometimes I want something totally out of fashion! I want a houndstooth blazer! I want a calf length skirt! I want peep toe kitten heels!

I totally get why some people hate to thrift. I get how people can be grossed out with the smell, or the thought of wearing something someone else wore. I understand that some people get frustrated shopping all day and only getting one shirt. I also get why people will buy something that is cheap and trendy, only expecting it to last one season. But for me, thrifting is my way of feeding my fancy taste while not making my thrifty side pass out!

Day 6

2011-04-06T20:52:00.000-05:00

Today was the first time I really felt like I was doing something new for this challenge. The previous five days have been outfits that I wear all the time. I usually wear this dress with a black shrug that I bought with it, but it's the only thing it's good for, so I didn't include it in my 30. I paired the dress with the Ann Taylor jacket instead, and I think it looks great!

I have to say a word about these shoes. I got them about 5 years ago at a vintage store for $10. They are the best shoes of all time! They are a pretty high heel, about 3 1/2 inches, but I can walk in them all day! I usually don't like pointy toed shoes, but these have just enough of a rounded tip to make them not look like wicked witch shoes. They have been to the repair shop twice now, and if they ever break for good, I will be so sad!!

Day 5

2011-04-05T19:14:00.000-05:00

Sorry the picture's so blurry, we were running a bit late this morning. I would have forgotten to take a picture, but Steve remembered. That's why I keep him, he remembers stuff. And he always takes out the trash without being asked!

I really love this skirt, but I have the hardest time pairing it with a shirt. I know you can't tell from this awful picture, but the background is black with a blue and tan paisley pattern. This blue shirt is better than the tan one I tried last time, but still... Just a little off. It drove me nuts every time I washed my bands today and had to look in the mirror. I'm thinking of trying it with a black shirt next. Any suggestions?

I Tried it Tuesday- Makeup Forever

2011-04-05T06:30:00.002-05:00

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was in Sephora, trying to decide if I wanted to spend my life savings on makeup. Well, I ended up buying Makeup Forever HD Foundation. The sales people in the store probably thought I was nuts. I found the color that worked for me, picked up a bottle, and then had to decide if I really wanted to spend $40 on foundation (I usually buy Maybelline mineral makeup from Wal-Mart for $6…). I would make up my mind that I was going to buy it, walk toward the register, and then change my mind and walk away. I did this three times before I actually made a purchase. They kept asking if I needed help with anything. I didn’t want to tell them about my internal struggle, because let’s face it, the longer I talked to anyone there, the more likely it was that I would walk out with $200 in merchandise. I’m an easy sale!

My review: I really like it. Like really really. But do I like it $40 worth? I’m not sure… It gives really good coverage, and it gives me a glowy look, but I’m not sure it’s THAT much better than the $6 stuff… It also makes my skin greasy, I have to use powder every day, which I didn’t have to do with the $6 stuff, but I also don’t have to moisturize at night anymore, my skin feels great after just washing it. I haven’t decided if I’m going to continue to buy it. I hope that it lasts for a long time and I don’t have to make the decision anytime soon!

Day 4

2011-04-04T21:00:00.001-05:00

I have been trying to think of an analogy to explain how much I love this dress. I love it more than a fat kid loves cake, more than a hobo loves a ham sandwich. If I loved it any more, it would qualify as cheating on my husband! Not only is it super cute and flattering, but it has pockets! AND it was only $7! Does it get any better than that??

And as a special bonus, if you look real close in the picture behind me, you can see Steve's reflection!

Day 3!

2011-04-03T14:58:00.000-05:00

Today is the first day of the challenge that I was going out, and seeing people. I was pretty excited.

I loved this outfit when I put it on, but now that I see the picture, I'm not so sure! It's interesting to see how I look every day in a picture, it makes me think about the proportion and style of each piece of clothing. This shirt seemed too long with the skirt, so I tucked it in, but it still looks a little off to me. I think it would look better with cowboy boots, but that might just be the Texan coming out in me.

We went to Conference this morning at one of my previous roommate's house. She always made fun of my bump, so I had to put one in my hair today! This one's for you, Janelle!

Day 2

2011-04-02T18:18:00.000-05:00

As promised, day two's outfit is more exciting than day one. But only slightly! Another day of not leaving the house, so there's not a lot of motivation to accessorize! I made Steve not show my head in the picture, because I decided to give my hair the day off from heat styling, and my face a break from the layers of makeup.

My favorite part of the outfit is the shoes. A multiple choice quiz on on why I'm wearing them today:

a. They're cute with this skirt

b. I don't have to walk much today

c. I wanted to show off my toenail polish

If you chose All of the Above, you win a prize (The prize is my famous egg with a hole in the middle breakfast. You have to come to my house to claim the prize. And bring your own bread. And eggs. And butter.) I got this polish as an impulse buy last week. OPI (the only nail polish I wear) came out with a Texas line. They have cute colors like Houston we have a Purple, Girl Meets Gal-veston, and and San Tan-tonio. What you see here is Too Hot Pink to Hold 'Em. It was so summery and fun, I threw it in my basket and was in the checkout line before I knew what happened!

So there you have it, Day 2, only 28 more to go!

Garden Progress

2011-04-02T10:50:00.000-05:00

Well, I haven't killed anything yet! But I did have a close call. The leaves were turning yellow, so I googled what that meant, and apparently I had been overwatering. So I stopped watering for a day, which threw me out of my routine, so I forgot for a couple more days. Luckily, they are on the porch, which is right by where I park, so after three days of no water, I saw them and remembered I need to water them. They were so sad, leaning over the edge of the pot. But a little water, and a few hours, and they were fine!

I know you can't really see the plants with the shrub behind them, so just take my word for it. They are very alive.

We have two tomatoes! There are also a few more flowers that will turn into tomatoes eventually!

The cilantro has some new growth! It also tastes amazing. It's growing so fast I might have to get another pot for it, it's almost taking over this one!

The rosemary is very hardy. It didn't even wilt when I didn't water it for three days.

Day 1

2011-04-01T18:18:00.001-05:00

A quick disclaimer before you look at today's 'outfit'. It's boring. Like super.

Well there it is. Day One. I wanted to start the challenge off with a bang, but let's face it, the only reason I left home today was to go grocery shopping. And I wanted to save all the really cute outfits for when someone would actually see them!

So there you have it. Day one! I promise tomorrow will be better!

30 for 30-Kick Off!

2011-03-30T06:30:00.000-05:00

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

2011-03-24T08:30:00.000-05:00

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

2011-03-22T08:30:00.000-05:00

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

2011-03-18T08:30:00.000-05:00

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

2011-03-17T08:30:00.000-05:00

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

2011-03-16T16:50:00.000-05:00

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

2011-03-15T08:30:00.000-05:00

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

2011-03-10T20:38:00.000-06:00

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.

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!
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!
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

2011-03-08T08:30:00.000-06:00

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

2011-03-06T21:24:00.000-06:00

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

Please Pass the Tissues

2011-02-28T08:40:00.000-06:00

It's no secret that I'm a cry baby. It's part of being a Call, my Grandma Call says we get it from her and my Grandpa Call. Really I had no chance at not being a cryer. But there are still some things that make me tear up that I can't quite explain:

The ends of sports movies. (A League of Their Own, I'm looking at you.)
Children's choirs.
Books where someone dies. Even the bad guy.
Extreme Makeover Home Edition.
The end of the Miss America pageant.
Hallmark commercials.
The Biggest Loser.
News interviews with former drug addicts.
Inspiring instrumental music.
TV shows where people lose their homes to fire.

Fact or Fiction- Follow Up

2011-02-15T17:59:00.000-06:00

I posted last week about my yoga class, and nostril breathing. There were 5 comments, 2 people felt more relaxed with the left nostril, two people couldn't tell a difference with either nostril, and one person felt more relaxed with the right nostril.

Stop reading now if you want to try it before you get the answer!

Drumroll please....

My yoga teacher said that breathing through your left nostril is relaxing, and your right nostril is energizing. I'm still not sure if it's true, but it sure works for me!

Thanks for playing!!

Nesting, Part Dos

2011-02-10T08:00:00.000-06:00

Once I got started with the plates, I felt like I was on a roll (oh great, now I want rolls...) so I decided to start on my next project. I actually thought of this project myself! I was inspired by the pictures we took for my parents for Christmas (Jalenna, you're awesome!), but the actual idea came from yours truly!

I had a bunch of frames from Ikea that I used at the wedding recep

tion, so I bought some scrapbook paper in colors I liked. I looked for stencils at Micheals, but I couldn't find any that were the right size, so I just printed out big letters in Word in a font I liked.

I was really happy with the first draft. (Sorry you can't really see it, the lighting made it hard to get a good shot.)

Until Steve pointed out that all the letters in white spelled out ALF. Then I couldn't see anything but that... So I took them all down and redid everything in the tan color.

You can't tell in this picture, but the tan has a pattern on it. I miss the green, so I might layer it on the tan. But probably not. Because, let's face it, its on the wall already and the chances of them coming down are slim to none!

The best part of this: the price.

Frames: Free, since I bought them a year ago, but they are 4/$1 at Ikea.

Paper: 4 sheets, $1.20 (the brown sheet was on sale for $0.01!)

Double sided tape: Free- it's been in the house forever.

Fact or Fiction?

2011-02-08T17:31:00.000-06:00

I used to do yoga twice a week when I lived in Arizona, and I loved it. The teacher was great, and the class made me feel great. I've tried a few classes since I moved here, but I couldn't find a teacher I really liked. It's really hard to find a teacher who is not:

a) obsessed with muscle tone and will make you wish you were dead (I personally think yoga should be about relaxation and listening to your body!)

b) obsessed with 'getting in touch with the universe/your third eye/Mother Earth'

Finding the happy medium has been difficult, but last night, I finally found a class I loved! The teacher was calm, encouraged us to listen to our bodies, not to force any poses, and to use the breath to sink into the pose, but never once talked about getting in touch with the Universe. She even said that yoga makes her feel like she just got a massage, which is what I always say! She will also be bringing treats to next weeks class for Valentines Day. Non-yoga-y treats! Count me in!

But one thing she said gave me pause. She said that breathing out of one nostril would relax you, and the other nostril would give you energy. I was surprised how well it worked, but I'm wondering if it was all in my head! So I'm asking you to do an experiment for me. Plug one nostril and take a couple of deep breaths, then plug the other one and try it again. Which side make you feel relaxed, and which side makes you feel energized, or does it not do anything?

I won't tell you which was which to keep the experiment valid. :)

PS- Don't look at the comments before trying this. I want to know for real!!

Someday I Will...

2011-02-04T14:33:00.000-06:00

... give myself a facial.

... scrub the grout in the shower tile.

... print out coupons to save money on groceries.

... decide what to do with all boxes of stuff that hang around.

... finish hanging up pictures.

But not today! Today I will cuddle up in a blanket, drink hot chocolate, watch trashy TV shows, and cuddle with my husband.

Because it's a snow day!

Nesting

2011-01-31T08:45:00.000-06:00

I've had a lot of trouble 'nesting' in my new house. It's strange. I usually love to decorate my own space, whether that has been one wall and a bed, or a whole apartment. But since I got married, I have had decorators block. Maybe it's because I live with a boy, who I actually care if he likes it, or maybe it's all the wedding gifts that I feel like I should use, but don't always like.

Last weekend Steve and I went to Marshalls, and since I couldn't look at clothes (still going strong on not buying new clothes!) we looked at housewares. I found this awesome plate, which I loved immediately, and, even better, it was only $2.00! So I bought it.

It inspired me to take out all my random plates that I had picked up over the years, and display them!

I googled plate hangers, and they were either ugly or expensive (isn't that the way life goes?). Then I stumbled across this Martha Stewart gem! Steve and I went to Home Depot the next night, picked up some 18 gauge wire, and an hour later, we had this!

I couldn't get all five plates in one picture without the light glare, so you'll just have to imagine what they look like all in a row. Now that I see the second picture, though, I don't like the purple plate... I guess I'll just have to buy another new plate!

All I Have is Time

2011-01-28T13:18:00.000-06:00

I'm working from home today, which means between IM's, reading through sources, and the other hundred things that make up a work day, I also get to do a little housework! I try to take 5-10 minute breaks every hour and do something useful, like put in a load of laundry or sweep the kitchen floor. Today loading the dishwasher was on my 5 minute task list, so I dutifully rinsed the dishes, and stuck them in the dishwasher. Like always, there were some dishes that can't be washed in the dishwasher. I was going to save them for later, like I usually do (and when I say later, I mean a few days later. Or until I need to use it. Or can't see the sink anymore...) but I thought to myself, why not just do it now? I put on my favorite song (still Party in the USA, if you're wondering, yes, I know, it's over a year old, and sung by Miley...) and started running the water.

I was done washing and rinsing the dishes and wiping off the counters before the song was over. I was so suprised! Seriously? That's all the time it takes to do a sink full of dishes? (The song is 3:22, I checked) Why don't I do that all the time? Can I really not spare an extra 3 minutes to really clean my kitchen well?

It made me wonder how many other things I put off becuase I "don't have the time", when I could proably get most of it done while I was making the excuse not to do it!

This reminded me of one of my favorite quotes, which used to be on my mirror, and will be again soon!

"Order your life more effectively and eliminate trivia, meaningless detail,
and activity. They waste the perishable, fixed, and limited resource of
time.
Choose to emphasize those matters that have an eternal consequence."

Richard G. Scott, Making the Right Choices

2011-01-24T18:33:00.001-06:00

I just found out I can blog via text. My life may have just changed forever.

Things I Want

2011-01-22T08:45:00.000-06:00

Today is my half birthday! It hit me a few weeks ago that I am almost 27... yikes! Most of the time I still feel like I'm 12. Ok, most of the time I still act like I'm 12 too...

I freaked out when I turned 20, because it sounded so old, and I still felt so dumb. I thought by the time I was 20 I would have life figured out! I would have a purpose! Direction! A lady in her 50's heard me saying this and started laughing. She kindly told me that you don't ever figure life out completely. You just do the best you can with what you have. I remind myself of that as every birthday approaches and I worry that I'm not where I should be at 'this age'.

But anyway...

If you're wondering what to get me, and this post didn't give you enough ideas, I have one more for you.

Happy shopping!

PS- No need to wait for a special occasion. I accept gifts all year! I also accept cash, check, and money order, in case you were wondering ;)

Winning Isn't Everything

2011-01-17T09:36:00.000-06:00

It's no secret that I'm a huge Spurs fan. I jokingly tell people that I moved here because I was a Spurs fan, but it's more true than I care to admit. So you can imagine my happiness with our record this year. Top in the league baby, and the second best starting record in the NBA ever!!

And yet...

Only 3% of NBA players think that the Spurs have what it takes to win a championship. Why is this? Well, if you read anything Gregg Popvitch is saying, winning isn't everything. Sure, they have been able to pull out a lot of wins, but most of them have been by extremely small margins, and in the last few second of the games. Our defence is, well, embarrassing for most of the game, and we can't seem to pull it together until the second half. So while our win/loss record shows a good story, if you look deeper, the Spurs don't have what it takes the way they are playing right now. I have full faith they can get there, but only if they start pulling it together.

I think life is like this. We see people who seem to be 'winning', whatever that means. They have a great career, a great family, are beautiful, organized, have big beautiful homes, and perfect hair. I don't know about you, but it's hard for me not to envy those people. But if we look a little deeper, maybe there is something missing. Maybe they are so busy with their awesome jobs that they don't have enough time to do the really important things. Maybe their hyper-organization makes them stay awake at night with lists running through thier mind.

I'm not saying that we should look at others' lives and try to find what they are doing wrong just so we can feel better about ourselves. I'm just saying that we can't always look at the end result - the win - and assume that everything along the way has been right.

My Name is Bethany and I'm a Twitter Addict.

2011-01-13T21:03:00.000-06:00

It has been... well, about an hour since the last time I checked Twitter.

I feel like sell out. I'm embarrassed to admit it... but I got a Twitter account.

And... I'm sort of addicted.

I only got the account because NMSU tweets all their games, so it was an easy way to keep up with my team. But NMSU was just a gateway tweet. I follow so many people now that I can check my account every hour and read something new. I now know that Bob Harper (of the Biggest Loser) had jury duty on Monday and DIDN'T GET TO WORK OUT. I know that Conan wore jeggings for his monologue. I know that at Target I can get free tubes of toothpaste with a coupon. I know what all my favorite bloggers are wearing/eating/doing.

Between this and Facebook, I think I might have a social media problem.

There Has to Be a Better Way!

2011-01-10T08:45:00.000-06:00

I had a wicked bout of insomnia two weeks ago, and sometimes when I was not sleeping, I was watching infomercials (don't worry, I didn't clean out the fridge again). They are so funny, and always seem to use the same formula.

Show us how difficult our life is now. How can we possibly boil pasta/organize our closets/cut through a penny/open a carton of milk?? It's just too hard! There has to be a better way!
Show us a revolutionary new product that will change everything!! Now that we can boil pasta/organize our closets/cut through a penny/open a carton of milk, everything in our lives will be better! We will be happier, healthier, and more beautiful! Our families will get along! Our pets will be well behaved!
Throw in 'the extra'. Most of the time this is something that will allow us to get it done better and faster. All for the same low price! And if we call now, we get free shipping!

I've haven't bought anything from an infomercial (yet). I am an impulsive shopper at night (I did buy a magazine subscription, though. What? It was only $3.99 for a year!) so one of these days I'm sure I will. I have bought a few things that I've seen on TV at elsewhere:

The Perfect Pancake- I'm not sure why it seemed so hard to turn a pancake over. I had plenty of spatulas in the drawer. It does not work like it should, though, there is a gap in the side and your pancakes will slide out if you're not fast! Don't even get me started with eggs...
The Bumpit- I've always wanted big hair. All nature gave me was thin straight hair, though. I ordered my bumpit off eBay for a low low price of $8.00. It came from Hong Kong, so it took almost a month to get here. The next week I saw them at Walgreens for $9.00. Three weeks of big hair, wasted. Even though I had to wait for it, the bumpit was a dream come true (have you ever noticed how gross that looks written down??) I had a huge lovely bump! Until the day a guy asked me in church if I was wearing a bumpit. Honeymoon. Over. The bumpits (still looks gross. I may never get over this) now sit in a basket in my bathroom collecting dust, and I have returned to teasing my hair.

There are a few things I still want:

A Snuggie- People might make fun of it, but I would be typing on my computer nice and cozily right now, instead of having cold arms if I had one...
A Subakawa Cloud Pillow- It's like sleeping on a cloud! And (if you haven't seen this infomercial) you can totally put an egg under your pillow, drop a 10 pound weight on it, and it won't break! I could finally sleep with eggs under my pillow!!
Pajama Jeans- Do I really need to explain? They're pajamas that look like jeans!!

My Official New Years Resolutions!

2011-01-07T08:45:00.000-06:00

Last year I didn't make a New Years Resolution, I guess I was already perfect :). But this year I really wanted a goal to work for. Not just something general like lose weight or be better with my money, but something that I could really measure. I had a big list of things I wanted to do, but I decided to narrow it down to two. So. Drum roll please!

1) Run a 5k.
2) Only buy used clothes, shoes, and accessories for a year.

I have walked a few 5k's (how do you pluralize that??), but I want to run the full 3.1 miles without walking or stopping. I know this probably sounds easy to a lot of people, but I am not a runner by any means. I'm going to start with an easy walking program (found here) and move my way up to running using a podcast. The best part about starting with walking? Steve has agreed to do it with me! We'll see if I can talk him into starting the running portion in two more months!

There are a few reasons I want to exclusively thrift shop this year. First of all, I want to save money. At most thrift stores I can buy a whole outfit for what one shirt would cost me at a full price store. Second, it's more environmentally sound. Third, clothes are being made with worse quality all the time. It seems that anytime I buy something new it looks old after a few wears. Fourth, I feel the need to be more creative with my clothes, and shopping in regular stores seems to stifle that creativity.

So there you have it. Wish me luck!

So Long, Farewell

2011-01-04T21:44:00.000-06:00

Well, Christmas is over. I can't help but be a little sad. Our apartment looks so empty with all the decorations gone. And I decided to change my blog decorations as well. Happy New Year!

10 in 11

2011-01-03T08:45:00.000-06:00

Last year I posted a list of things to do in 2010. While I didn't quite get to all of them (I'm looking at you, #8!) it was super fun. So, here is my list of ten things in 2011!

1) Clean out my closet. I mean really clean it out. This goes for my dresser drawers too.
2) Buy a lace skirt. At a thrift store.
3) Run a 5k. Seriously. I'm going to do it this year.
4) Learn how to cook a super healthy, vegetarian meal. (Not that I want to be a vegetarian, but I do think I should eat less meat.)
5) Make something crafty for my house.
6) Read Anna Karina. I honestly don't know how I've made it 26 years without doing this...
7) Pay off my credit cards!!
8) Visit both of my grandmas.
9) Go to the zoo.
10) Find a cake to send to Cakewrecks.

Good Luck 2011, You Have Big Shoes to Fill

2011-01-01T07:34:00.000-06:00

I have to be honest, I'm a little nervous about 2011. 2010 was such a big year, how can 2011 compete? In 2010 I:

1) Finished my Master's degree! After 18 months of not having a life, being chained to my computer, and stressing about assignments, I did it!! It feels so good not to have homework anymore! I get to read a book, just for fun, and not worry that I should be reading a textbook. Amazing!

2) Got a new job! How amazing is it to wake up in the morning and not hate the thought of going into work? Pretty amazing. And going to work and not being brain numb all day? Even more amazing! Getting out at a normal hour? Awesome! Working from home once a week? Best ever!

3) Got married!! What could top this?? At the end of 2009 I never would have thought that I would be spending the end of 2010 with Steve as my husband (I also didn't think I would spend it having a Star Wars marathon, but that's another post...). He has put up with me for almost six months (if you ask him, he'll say that he's put up with me a lot longer than that!) and every day I am amazed by him. His kindness, patience, sense of humor and innate goodness never cease to amaze me. I look at him sometimes and wonder how in the world I got so lucky. I'm so happy that he is mine to keep forever!

While 2010 is going to be hard to top, there are a few thing I will not miss! The angst of planning a wedding. The stress of trying to finish assignments and get them in on time. The many marriage pounds I have gained. The struggle the first few months of marriage, trying to put two lives together to make one. The suffocating feeling that I am failing at everything.

So here's to you, 2011. I promise to do my best to make you even better than 2010!

Over-Zealous Introspection

2010-12-22T11:25:00.000-06:00

Disclaimer: I become deeply introspective around the end of each year. If you don’t want to hear my reflections on life, you might want to check back next year.

We watched The Voyage of the Dawn Treader last week. Of course, it wasn’t as good as the books, but what movie ever is? Answer: Holes. If you haven’t seen the movie or read the book I highly recommend you do both. The movie and the book are great!! It’s a children’s book, so it’s easy to get through it in just a few hours. Anyway…

At the beginning Lucy is wishing she was beautiful. Her older sister is known for being beautiful, and she longs to look like her. I think every woman (and probably most men) can relate to this feeling. I know I can. It’s so hard not to look in the mirror and only see flaws and things I would like to change. There comes a point in the movie when Lucy is looking through a book of spells to help some unusual friends become visible again, and she stumbles across a spell for beauty. She tears the page from the book and puts it in her pocket. Later that night, she climbs out of bed and recites the spell in the mirror. She is instantly changed to look like her sister, and is transported to a party, where all eyes are on her. She realizes that by doing the spell, she has actually turned into her sister, and she no longer exists. Because she doesn’t exist, her brothers and sister never found Narnia and missed out on the greatest adventure of their lives. Aslan finds her, and asks her what she has done. She tells him that she just wanted to be beautiful, and he tells her to think of all that she has lost by making that wish.

This hit me so hard. There are so many things that I want to change about myself. I wish I were more organized, kinder, thinner, more efficient, happier, a better cook, cleaner, more beautiful, healthier. The list goes on and on. But what if, magically, all these changes happened for me? What would I lose in the process? I’m not saying that I should stop trying to improve on my weaknesses. I’m just saying that maybe we need to look at our weaknesses and see if anything is gained. Maybe we can stop criticizing ourselves long enough to think about our strengths for a while.

Why Do We Do What We Do When We Know What We Know?

2010-12-18T09:30:00.000-06:00

When I was about 13 we had a speaker at Girls Camp talk on this subject. He talked about the Israelites, and how they saw that Moses could do all these miraculous things, part the red sea, make water come from a rock, heal people on the verge of death, and yet, they were constantly going their own way. He then brought up the point that we do the same thing. We know the right things to do, and yet, we don't do them! He made us repeat the phrase over and over until we all had it memorized, and it has stuck with me these last 13 years.

I have been thinking about this a lot, not just in relation to my life spiritually, but my life in general. Why do I not do my laundry when I know it means I will have nothing to wear on Monday? Why do I eat junk food when I know I will feel awful the next day. Why do I not say my prayers every night, when I know it brings me peace?

I have all the tools available to me to live a perfect life. I know the principles that lead to a healthy life, an organized home, a peaceful spirit. I just don't use them like I should.

Why do I do what I do when I know what I know?

Bad Hair Season

2010-11-18T17:14:00.000-06:00

I have been having the proverbial 'bad hair day' for about a week now. It's strange, because I just got a good haircut a couple of weeks ago, and I even dyed it, which will usually tame it into submission for at least a month. But every time I look in the mirror it's all frizz, pouf, and stringy-ness. There could be a few reasons for this (I haven't switched shampoos in a while, my blow-drying habits have changed slightly)but I choose to blame it on my number two nemesis: WINTER (my number one nemesis is laundry, in case you were wondering. I swear, those socks hide under the washer just to spite me!!).

I know most people don't think that winter exists here in Texas, and to other people, that might be true. But I was born and raised in the desert, and to me, any temperature below 50 degrees is Winter with a capital W!! Don't get me wrong, I was as happy to get through August as the next Texan, but why can't it just be lovely October or April all year?? I hate needing to wear a jacket, I hate having to wear tights, and I hate having my hair look like I just crawled out of the sewer! (Don't worry, I still wash my hair regularly, so it doesn't smell like I just crawled out of the sewer).

And in unrelated news, the Christmas tree is up!! No ornaments yet. At least that can wait until after Thanksgiving. I'm trying to pace myself!

It's Beginning!

2010-11-04T12:55:00.000-05:00

I have had Christmas fever for a few weeks now. I'm trying to restrain myself from putting up the tree (three more weeks, I can do this!!) and twinkly lights and putting fake snow on all the windows.

So I decided to decorate my blog instead. I went low key, for now. No pictures of snowmen or presents or trees, just a few color changes. Hopefully it will get me through to Thanksgiving until the real festivities start! I can't wait for Christmas cookies and parties, hot chocolate, holiday movies, and Christmas shopping!!

Cleaning Out The Fridge For Dummies

2010-11-01T13:01:00.000-05:00

I couldn't sleep Friday night/Saturday morning. Sometimes I get bouts of insomnia, where I JUST. CAN'T. SLEEP. Very frustrating. Luckily, this past week was one of the laziest of my life, so there was plenty of housework to keep me occupied in the wee hours of the morning. I decided to get a jump start on everything, and at about 7, after doing two loads of laundry, cleaning the guest bathroom, and eating some candy, I decided the fridge needed to be cleaned out. Below are the steps for cleaning out a fridge. If you are a dummy. Like me.

1) This first step is very important. Do not, under any circumstances, keep your fridge clean. Do not wipe off sticky bottles before putting them in the fridge. Do not use your leftovers, let them sit sadly in the back of the fridge for a few months. When they are growing new food, you know it has almost been long enough. This is important because if your fridge does not get dirty, you cannot clean it, and you might as well stop reading now.

2) Sit on the floor in front of your open fridge, and take everything out. Try not to throw up when you open containers of three month old alfredo sauce or corn that seems to be growing a new life form. Cleaning your fridge during allergy season is especially helpful due to the stuffy nose. I even recommend waiting to clean out the fridge until you have a very bad head cold, if it helps.

3) Realize that sitting with the fridge door open for that long is a waste of electricity. Turn the fridge off.

4) Separate all the food into good and bad. Throw the bad away. Keep the good in a pile. If you fridge looks like mine, you will now have half a gallon of milk and some butter left in the good pile, and half of bag of very stinky trash…

5) Fill a bowl with warm soapy water. Wash off all the shelves. Bonus points if you take out the drawers and clean them too! Extra bonus points if you can identify the sticky goo under the vegetable drawer.

6) Put all the good food back. Give yourself a huge pat on the back.

7) Make a grocery list, now that you realize your fridge is completely empty (man cannot live on butter alone).

8) Go throughout your day feeling accomplished and thinking of how bright and shiny the inside of the fridge is.

9) The next morning, have a bowl of cereal for breakfast. Realize the milk is warm, even though you just got it out of the fridge… Remember that you forgot to turn the fridge BACK ON.

10) Be thankful there wasn’t actually food in there.

11) Vow to never clean the fridge again.

Right Now

2010-10-27T08:01:00.001-05:00

I've been looking for a new job ever since the wedding. Praying for a new job. Dreaming of a new job. It's not that I was in a bad place, it's just that I got everything out of that job I could. I was bored, and tired of the same thing day in day out.

And now I have a new job!!! I put in my two weeks on Friday!! I had daydreams of putting in my two weeks, and the song Take This Job and Shove It was always in the background, along with me shocking my coworkers, venting my frustrations to my director, and running out of the building in a blaze of glory. So the actual putting in of the two weeks was pretty anticlimactic. See, I forgot how much I like everyone at work, and how much I respect my manager, and in real life I would never want her to be blindsided. I also forgot that two weeks notice means just that- you have to be at work for two more weeks! I could have left in a blaze of glory, but it just would have been awkward to come in on Monday morning, ya know??

Now that it's done, and I know I am moving on, the sentimental part of me is taking over. I have a really hard time with lasts! (I saw a bumper sticker once that said "Why are we sentimental about things that sucked the first time?" It made me stop and think) My last staff meeting, my last team meeting, my last student yelling at me (ok, I wasn't sentimental at all about that!) the last halloween (my office goes ALL OUT).

I have also been surprised at the number of people who have stopped by my desk to tell me how nice it was to work with me. Our director even welled up when he announced I was leaving. It is all really nice, and I appreciate people doing it, but I just keep thinking- the last two years of my life would have been so much better if people would have told me nice things while I was working there. So many days I rushed to my car at the end of the day so I could cry all the way home because of what a bad day I had. Just one person saying a nice thing would have totally changed that.

It made me think- do I wait to tell people how much they mean to me or how they have helped me? Do I hold back on complements? It made me remember to focus more on RIGHT NOW and be aware of the people around me. It is so easy to lift someone's day, why not do it more?

Things I Do That I Know I Shouldn't

2010-09-28T08:10:00.000-05:00

1) Clean my ears out with a Q-tip. I've heard countless doctors tell me not to do this. But sometimes, I just feel the need!!

2) Climb into bed after taking a shower. This is 100% guarenteed to make me late, and yet, I do it at least 3 times a week. The world is so cold, and my bed is so warm!

3) Eat half of the cookie dough before I make cookies. I know it will make my stomach hurt. I know later I will wish I had more cookies to eat. But when it's sitting there in the bowl in all it's uncooked glory, it just has to go in my mouth!!

4) Put things off. I know I will feel better when I make that annoying phone call/fold the load of laundry/clean out the fridge, but for some reason, I just keep putting it off!

Links I Love Today

2010-09-21T16:05:00.001-05:00

I'm half happy/half sad I didn't find this site before my wedding. I love love love the bouquets SO much, but the cost of a small one is more than I spent on centerpiece and bouquet flowers!

I'm making these rolls right now. My favorite part is where they "jump out of the bowl and helps itself to a gin and tonic". LOL!! But seriously, they rise FAST!

I love Kendi. She talks about living in Texas a lot, if I ever find out where, I might go visit and try to convince her to be my new BFF.

I need to buy some boots. But once again, my expensive taste is not meeting my budget. I'll have to start eBay-ing. You know, for the one week every year it's cold enough to wear boots...

2010-09-11T10:50:00.000-05:00

I couldn't have said it better myself!