2Slicks Good Times

Ball Mason Jar Drink Dispenser

2012-01-27T22:49:00.002-05:00

So there I was...pinning, and pinning, and pinning...and then! I saw it! Not just a Mason Jar (which I love so much I have dedicated a board just to all things Mason Jar....titled "Mason Jar Love.")
I'm so obvious right?!

So I repinned it of course...

and followed the link to check out the price.

$69!!!! hahaaaaa, you gotta be kidding me!
Seriously, I am cheap like that.

Plus I thought for a hot second before I realized...Wait a minute...I can make that!

I knew that Hobby Lobby sold oversized Ball Mason Jars...oh, and I had a 50% off coupon that I found online the other day. I searched the internet for spigots to put on the jar I would buy from Hobby Lobby...$15...$18...$20!! No thanks. I could always find a cheap glass drink dispenser and take the spigot from it...Yeah. That's the plan.

So, Friday rolled around...my project day. I went to Hobby Lobby...happily picked up my oversized Mason jar...(half off, thank you very much.) Then as I head up to check out I saw a tall apothecary jar drink dispenser...$30.00...darn it. I had a 40% off coupon on my phone, but even that would only be like $20 after the coupon. Still not cheap enough. So I gave up, and decided to head over to HomeGoods to see what they had. I might get lucky. But I didn't, they had nothing.

So then I head over to Goodwill...walked around for about 5 minutes...then I saw it. Would you believe that I found the very apothecary jar that Hobby Lobby was selling for $30...for $4!!! YES!!! $4!!!! I had to laugh at myself a little, because just a week ago I was laughing to my Mom about how I saw a lady on HGTV who found exactly what she was looking for at a thrift store. What were the chances I thought! Well, obviously...the chances were pretty good...and I was SURELY in luck!

So I headed home, and after a few youtube videos on gutting glass, and some help from Husby to find the right Dremel tools...I was in business.

Here's a little video fun...how the project went down!

And a few photos of the finished product!

Enjoy! And be sure to click here ----> Pin It

I would love to see other projects like this!! :)

I'm going to lose it.

2012-01-11T01:32:00.001-05:00

I wanna lose weight.
I wanna be healthier.
I wanna be more active
I wanna get skinny.
I wanna wear cute clothes.
I wanna...what is it about the start of a new year that gets you thinking about all this crap? Granted, it's not a bad list of things to want for myself. However, it is frustrating.

If you've never struggled with your weight, you may not get what I am about to rant about...so read along if you must, just stop short of judging me if you can...or at least keep it inside if you do.

I've been laying in bed since Husby and I turned off the lights at 11:30pm. It is now 1:20am. I tried reading for a while, but that pit was back in my stomach. That knot that rises up on occasion that seems to keep my mind on nothing else but getting skinny.

skinny.
skinny.
S K I N N Y.

I kinda hate that word.

I tried reading a new book, but every other word just made me think about getting skinny. And trust me, the book has nothing to do about weight loss or 'skinny'ness.

If you must know, it's "Heaven is For Real."

I am thinking about it because I know it's time again. Time to try and lose weight...again. I hate even having to do it. And I hate even having the feeling of hate about having to do it.

Chubsters will get that, you skinny folk...not so much.

I don't want to have to watch food go into my mouth for nutritional purposes only. I like food too much. Ugh.

...but for all the distaste I have in dieting and losing weight...I have even more of a distaste of my dunlop belly, the same belly that for the love of all of those around me, I desperately try to keep tucked in my 'a-couple-sizes-to-big-for-real-fashion' jeans. God bless the man I married that gets to see it, and still somehow, chooses to love me.

Please don't think this is the pity party section of the blog...~~that's coming later~~...I don't plan on going down that road, that's not what this is about.

I am just sharing...because I am wide awake...and oversharing is a thing I am pretty good at.

Speaking of oversharing...I hate that I keep thinking to myself, just hold off on dieting because this month I am finally going to get pregnant and I will start gaining pregnancy weight. I've been saying that for quite some time now. If I dieted through all the times I told myself to hold off I would probably be the skinny version of myself that I am longing for.

Whatever.

And no, that's not an invitation for infertility pity either.

I am the type to hold my tongue usually on all things personal/infertility...I don't feel sorry for myself and neither should you. Gods got a plan...and I am sure in his bag of plans there is one for a skinnier me too. See, I can be positive on this weight loss subject.

My Mother-In-Law is the incredible shrinking woman right now...she's lost something like 49 pounds on this 17 Day Diet. I do~~n't~~ wanna do it.

Ugh. Diet. Ugh.

To those of you who know me...and are silently saying to yourself,

wow for a positive person, this post is rather negative.

No, it's not really...I am positive that I hate this.

See?

Anyways...my MIL has lost 49 pounds and looks amazing. She's a diet rockstar. She is like the gold star of dieters. I kinda wanna be like her.

Ugh. Diet. Ugh.

So...I guess I am going to wake up...after I fall asleep, since now the eyes are getting heavy now that I have placed my rant up for the public to see...and I am going to order the book. Then I am going to have yet another conversation with Husby about how I hope he is ready for another wild diet ride.

Babe, you're amazing to me during these diets...here's to hoping you don't starve.

Then I am going to have to pack away all of the wonderful recipes that I spent about 3 hours researching and pinning and printing and planning for tonight, I am going to have to toss out the whole e-mealz plan...or at least get prepared to get really creative with the pre-planned meals.

Then...I guess...I am going to lose it. Some of it. All of it.

Who knows, in the process I may actually get pregnant...finally...then I will be a smaller, much happier version of myself and I will be that much closer to being one of those cute pregnant ladies.

So here I go...

or something.

Oh..and seriously, don't feel like you have to comment.

I don't necessarily need the encouragement.

I know I don't need the told-you-so's.

You can offer up a firm "word-to-your-mother" if you are feeling me on anything I typed.

I'll hear ya.

And from one struggling chubster to the next...we will silently battle this dumb war together.

And that's just fine with me.

sidenote...

2012-01-09T17:49:00.001-05:00

Have I mentioned how much these jamesvandermemes CRACK me up?

HAHAAAA!

Quatrefoil Idea...evil genius? Just maybe!

2012-01-09T17:49:00.000-05:00

I am leanign more towards evil genius...by OH MA GOODNESS...

I'm excited...

I was going back through old posts and I came across this sweet little thang...

Gorg right?! If I remember the price tag correctly, it was somewhere near $299 and it was quite heavy. But oh how I lurved it!

So I keep skimming through posts and came across this post...it included this little bit...

Which is made from...styrofoam. Oh yes.

So I thought to myself...could I quite possibly use styrofoam, some 1x1's and MAKE my own room divider? I mean, it would be super simple and super lightweight. I could cover the quatrefoil design with fabric or yarn for a more colorful look. Or I could just paint it. I could even stretch fabric across the back of the quatrefoil design to make it more of a true room divider instead of leaving it open.

I don't know...it may just work...I may just be onto something. I am thinking it will be rather cheap too. I can watch Hobby Lobby for sales and snatch up some small styrofoam circle wreaths for cheap, then decide on how to decorate and incorporate color; whether by buying fabric or painting it, or yarn like mentioned above. Then I'd pick up some 1x1's at Lowe's, those are usually pretty cheap and I won't need many of them. Then I think I will need 6 hinges...so...yeah, this could work!

I think Husby is going to think I am crazy...but I am giving it a shot!
What do you think? Am I absolutely crazy?

E-mealz.com - Week 1

2012-01-09T14:02:00.003-05:00

So we joined E-mealz.com and we LOVE it. We just completed our first full week on the program, although we didn't utilize the entire menu because we had some events going on. In fact we only made 3 meals from the program...BUT...it was enough to know that we made a good choice in joining!

I'll share...

bear in mind these are the greatest photos, I just snap them with my phone righrt before dinner for our FB friends...

Monday, January 2nd was "Upside Down Pizza."

To be honest...when I looked at the recipe, it didn't scream PIZZA to me...so I added some pepperoni, but it was DELISH! We really enjoyed it!

We joined the Walmart Dinner for 2 plan...and it was the perfect amount of food for us with a little leftover. Although after cooking crescent rolls on top of meat in the oven, it didnt' heat up well. So the leftover were tossed.

Tuesday, January 3rd was "Creamy Chicken Enchiladas."

I was a little nervous about this one as well because it had a sour cream and green chilies sauce, instead of the traditional red enchilada sauce. I wasn't sure how that would fly with my sour-cream hatin' Husby...but...he loved it! And so did our guest for the evening.

The meal called for 4 rolled enchiladas and I didn't know if it would be enough for all of us, knowing right off the bat it was an uneven number for 3 people. I mean, would we just split the 4th one three ways?

That was an easy fix...there was plenty of fixin's to go in the enchiladas and I was able to split it into 9 smaller enchiladas that fit perfectly in a 13x9 casserole dish.

It was also very yummy!

At this point in the week...we knew we would have a night off and a night out, because we normally eat out after church on Wednesday. Then Thursday Husby was really feeling pizza, so I gave in and we postponed one of the meals. Friday we had a party and Saturday night it was time to enjoy another homecooked meal!

Saturday, January 7th was "Worcestershire Chicken on White Rice, Glazed Carrots and Cornbread." BAM!

Oh man was it yummy. I hadn't cooked carrots in...years...seriously. Even though they were glazed I still put carrots in my body, which is saying something! :) I promised myself and Husby that we would be adding MORE veggies to our meals this year and E-mealz.com is helping us do just that!!

Sunday was supposed to be "Penne Sausage" but due to the BRONCOS game it got pushed to tonight! And a point worth making...Instead of ordering out for food, we ate food from the house. Good move! :)

...After our first week, albeit not a full one...we are still so pleased with E-mealz!! If you haven't tried it, you should! Follow any of the links above or clink on any of the banners in this post or on my blog! It's worth trying.

Take the fuss and mess out of planning and make dinner time a little more interesting!

Things I have to do...

2012-01-09T11:50:00.001-05:00

...but I don't plan on making myself busy with them.
does that make sense?

I mean, I have a to-do list that, to me, seems pretty long. Yet, none of them are ubber important. I have added a priority rating per say to each of them.

There are things like, redesign the aePhotography blog/website, build/paint shelves for our closet downstairs, make curtains, go through all of our clothes and purge at least 40% of them.

Nothing earth altering and none of it has a deadline date to it.
This is a good thing...my nature is to make a list and want to get through it at lightning speed.

But then, I just find myself busy checking off to-do list items and missing out on life too, missing out on spontaneous creativity and such. So...not this round.

Even though, I felt that I had pretty much effectivly redone how I put my to-do list together, the researcher in me decided to look around to make sure I wasn't missing some other super effective changes. Here's what I found:

Organize the lists - i.e. "Tomorrow," "This Month," "House Maintenance," " Personal."

Let's take the "Tomorrow" list...they say:

Spend 15 minutes at the end of each day to plan "Tomorrow's" to-do list. Not at the very end of the day...then you will just end up jotting down what didn't get done today. Give yourself time to plan, check out tomorrows schedule, the calendar, etc.
Don't write your to-do list on the morning of the day you plan to complete the list. It should already be waiting for you.

Why? Writing a to do list the day before has many advantages over planning your upcoming day on the morning in question. After all, you have just completed a day’s work and hence you should have a good idea of where you are in the grand scale of things. What didn’t you get to today? What tasks will naturally fall into tomorrow’s to do list? Writing tomorrow’s to do list can also be a way of recognizing that everything does not all need to be done in one day.

Prioritize the tasks.

Oh good, I was on top of this one! Give them a rating of sorts, Red = Get it done, most important, Yellow = Want to be done soon, Green = No deadline, get done when you have time.

When color coding a list, it's important to bump previously unchecked, incomplete into a higher priority for the next day, to encourage thier completion.

Don't make everything Red, there's no need to be dramatic about your to-do list.

Go digitial. Trust me, as much as I love a handwritten to-do list...going digital just makes sense. For example, on my phone I use "Evernote" or "Springpadit." In the past I have used apps like "Remember the Milk" and "Todoist." There are also online applications as well, such as "Tadalist," "Toodledo," and "Remember the Milk." RTM can be used on your phone and web...making it one of the best all around options! Just remember, don't get too fancy with the lists. It's pointless to have a to-do list app or program that takes longer to set up and manage than it does to actually complete the items on the list. duh.

Other things to remember...don't write things like "start..." or "research..." on your list...items like that are time suckers with no real end point. Also, manage your completion and reward yourself with a break. Days are meant to be loaded down with to-do this and to-do that. Remember...a few mall things done in a timely manner each day will give you more time...don't fill it back up.

Here's to a more organized, less crazy busy 2012. :)

De.Clutter.Ed.

2012-01-04T15:49:00.002-05:00

Declutter.
It's like a magic word from baby Jesus.

Where do I sign up?! Oh, I already did...I am following the "My Simpler Life's Declutter Calendar" during 2012. So far, I am loving it. I already feel so challenged and victorious over clutter!!

Sunday, I thought about "Who I want to be this coming year." Not sure I came up with a real answer, other than the fact that I want to become more organized. Funny thing is...this calendar will help!!

Monday, I set up a "donation station" downstairs. It's nothing super formal...I plan to get some rubber tubs specifically for this. Then I want to quarterly take whatever I collect in this station to Goodwill. This also helps with taxes. You know you get credit for that? Awe.some.

Tuesday, (well, actually we did this last Friday...whatevs.) we decluttered the top of our cabinets (kitchen and bathroom), which actually didn't require any decluttering, however it DESPERATELY needed a dusting. Thanks to Husby who stood on the countertop for over 25 minutes to vacume up there, and all over the ceiling and walls in the kitchen! That job, simply made me breath easier! Since that task was already done, I moved onto Wednesdays' task...So on Tuesday night...I kinda got ahead of myself here, and I did Wednesday and Thursday's job too. I decluttered the top shelf of one of my cabinets (I picked the Baking/Spice Cabinet). I even ended up decluttering the entire cabinet. As well, I went through and discarded all expired and old spices. Gosh, I should have done that a while ago...the oldest one was from 2003. "No wonder the food is bland sometimes," I quipped to Husby.

So, I guess technically I get a day off today and tomorrow since I finished that task yesterday...but I will stick with the organizing game. Tonight, just for the heck of it...I am organizing and decluttering the sock drawers. If there are no matches, old socks and the like...they are gonezo. Tomorrow, I will probably make a run to Wal-mart for the rubber tubs I need for the donation station downstairs.

So I would say that the longest tasks took just under a half on hour each. That's not a bad amount of time to take out of your day to declutter.
I think I'll stick with this.

How will you declutter life?

Three Days in...so far, so good.

2012-01-03T13:28:00.002-05:00

It's January 3rd.
Thanks Captain Obvious.

So far, I am pleased with 2012. I want to make big plans this year...and check them off my list.
Husby and I are making some goals...as mentioned in the last post.

They are going to follow a few categories: Enjoy, Create, Organize, Grow, Save, Home, Cook and Health.
Any number of things can fall under these categories. For example, "Enjoy" could be anything from a date night, to the movies to a new book. "Grow" could be anything from a garden, to my hair, to our savings account. We are hoping these categories will require and encourage us to get creative in how we complete our goals.

I know it's my hope to have Monthly and Yearly goals within these categories.
Husby and I are going to work on them tonight. So soon, we can share them with you.

What are you doing this year to challenge and grow?

Happy NEW.

2012-01-01T19:24:00.003-05:00

2012.
woah.

I am blogging.

double woah.
I know, I am kinda blowin' your mind here.

It's all rather surreal.
well, more the 2012 part, not so much the blogging, although I know I haven't been around since June.

Poppa-son preached today at church...about the HAPPY NEW...*i know, you wanna say year...but that wasn't really it* it was more about the NEW Deal, Heart, Attitude, etc. God has given us so much and it's our time to turn around and live in this NEW-ness he has for us.

Let's be honest...2011 sucked.
No really, it did. Especially around these parts.

It wasn't so much any one thing that sucked...although there are plenty of sucky things to choose from...it was just the culmination of all things sucky that made me long for 2011 to be a distant memory, even if it was only mid-year 2011 when I was thinking it.
Yeah, I know, we still had months to go.

It's just all so crazy really. Husby and I sit here (between the living room and office) talking back and forth about how we didn't even think this far into the 2000's when we were little. I stopped planning and thinking about life in the middle of my twenties. Oops.

Thanks to Facebook, now my 2011 can be summed up in a couple of categories and main stories on it's new timeline feature.
I'll share, because I am sure you are dying to know...

In 2011, I added 51 friends to my friends list...and it doesn't tell me, but I am pretty sure I unfriended about the same amount. I guess that's some weird twisted FB logic on exactly how life works eh?

I almost lost my Husby to some maniac while he was on the job in January. It put him out of work for exactly 2 months.
It was a tough and trying time, especially for him.
But it looks as though many blessings will spring from this event, even into 2012.

I *officially* crossed over into the smartphone world with my first DROID in February.
Then went onto replace said phone 5 times.
Johnny 5, as I call him is still going strong...thankfully.

We celebrated Valentine's Day in style...homemade Chicken Pot Pies by Husby.

I finished my first full chair furniture refinishing project.
It fell apart shortly there after and no, I still haven't fixed it.

In March we finally finished the basement remodel project...with the exception of a few closet doors.
And I still don't have about 95% of the photos from the renovation, as my external hard drive crashed...and by crashed I mean, crashed to the floor, then crashed. Yeah, that happened in 2011. sucky. Can you say "goodbye 8 years worth of photos." Eeek. Still praying the tech can fix it.

I started my new job...which just happens to be my first job out of high school...back to working at the church I attend and have grown up in. Working for some people and ministries that mean the world to me.

I went to Ocean City with my VERBIES.

Husby went back to work...then got conked on the head by an ironing board at Lowe's.
Yeah, we found blessings in that too. :)

I celebrated 8 years of marriage to my best friend...delighted we made it through the 7-year-itch, but found ourselves still battling for a strong marriage in this love-confused world.
You know you have to fight for marriage right? It just doesn't come easy...it's work...very rewarding work.

Easter in my families house...blasting old-school christian music.
We know how to rock.

In May, I directed the 4th annual Murder Mystery show.

Husby, Liv and I saw Brian Reagan...so funny.

I made my first...and probably last Rainbow Layer Cake.
gorgeous, but too much work.

106 friends posted on my wall..."Happy Birthday."
I turned 30 this year. ehhhhhh.

I learned that if you say "beer can" in a british accent, you've really just said "bacon" in a jamaican accent.
Blows your mind right?

In June, I saw NKOTBSB.
Oh, yes I did.

I photographed my first aePhotography wedding.

Planted my first square foot garden.
Got one green pepper and one tomato. That's it. Ugh.

Husby and the VERBIES went to build a clean water well in El Salvador...couldn't be more proud of all of them!

In July...we planked.

Like alot.

We also took our small group to the shooting range.
Cause that's how we roll.

We also, didn't put all of our eggs into one omelette.
It was a holiday that needed to be celebrated.

I photographed my second aePhotography wedding.
And decided that as proud as I was of the job I had done...weddings aren't my thing.

In August...Maryland had an earthquake.
No joke. It was pretty big too. And it was my first. AND, it was awesome.

Went with the VERBIE Leaders to the beach for the weekend...
a cold, rainy, but awesomely fun weekend.

September was WAY low key...and I was more than ok with that.

I started as a middle school small group leader...
And I am loving it still.

In October I spent the evening with my Cousin, Husby and some of my cousin's friends from Australia touring the White House and eating yummy food in DC.

I got the flu...part 1.

In November, I went on another trip with my VERBIES...making memories in the mountains of Maryland.

Then we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It's quickly becoming one of my favorite holidays. The food this year...we simply ahhmazing...

I got a cold/flu...part 2

Then on the 25th...one of the "sucky things" happened...we lost Jeff and Jon...way too early.
This crushed us all...and it kinda felt like life stood still for about a month. For their families, I am sure it feels as if letting go of 2011 means letting go of them for good. I can't imagine, even if I wanted to, and I still pray for them daily.

December flew by...Christmas with Family was as lovely as always...

Oh and I got a bad cold...again...part 3.

This year, I shot over 49 photoshoots...I'd say that was a booming side business for me in 2011. So proud!

Even with all of that...good or bad or indifferent...I am so ready for 2012.

There is so much that I desire for 2012. I am so ready for what this year holds...and I am so not ready for another hard year, so here's to wishing, hoping and praying that 2012 holds more amazing, wonderful memories and lots and lots of love and good things

And yes, I think I am going to try and start blogging again. Who knows why...I kinda miss it.

So that was the summed up version of my 2012. Hubby and I have plans and goals for this year...I will share those once we have them nailed down. They won't so much be resolutions as goals.

Not that I am one of those people that doesn't believe in resolutions...I just know how we work...and goals work better for us. ;)

Well, I am off to spend time with family...and watch the Cowboys kick some Giants boo-tay. Thanks to Husby's new toy, the iPad2....I could travel to the parents house and continue blogging.

ain't technology grand!?!?

The all-in-one update :)

2011-06-13T12:50:00.000-04:00

No, your eyes have not deceived you. It is I...your long lost blogging friend.

It's shameful really how long it has been. Technically I blogged on May 23rd, but let's be honest...I haven't been "active" for months. I am terribly sorry.

Wanna see a little bit of what I have been doing? It's exciting, lemme tell ya! :)

I've been thrift shopping and buying ~~stilts~~ Walk-a-Roo's with great friends who are home from college for the summer...

I have been eating ice cream with my sexy man, trying to beat the heat.

I've been watching my Nephew/Godson graduate from Middle School...he's a big High Schooler now...*gasp* I still remember holding that little peanut when he was born!

I've been dying from the aforementioned h e a t....ugh.

I've been sharing evenings with some of my favorite ladies...

Watchin' some sexy men dance and sing for us...NKOTBSB!!! (Don't even get me started on the fact that I didn't bring my camera!!! ugh)

I've been playing dress up :)

I've been weeding the garden...over and over again...gosh, we really need to mulch!

I've been making rainbow surprises for my Momma.

And for my latest venture, I have been cleaning out the pantry...duh duh duhhhhhhh...yeah it was pret-ty bad. It became the catch all during the basement remodel. (and yes, basement remodel pictures AND videos are headed your way!)

You see...what really sent me down to the basement the other day was a dry, r e a l l y dry creative spell. Then I realized why. My pantry/creative storage area was so jam packed with junk and all disorganized that even if I went in with a plan...I may only come out with dust and some bruises from trying to find anything in there!

So I knew it was time.
Time to end this dry spell.
Time to clean out the pantry.
It was time.

And b o y did it take t i m e. Here I am at the begining of the day...all the stuff that is out in the game room, that stuff was covering all of my floor space. Which mind you, we don't have much of in our little 8x10ish room. :)

Not to mention there was stuff jam packed on the shelves. See all that stuff up there?!?!!

Well, after about 4 hours I had made some headway. I had cleaned off, wiped down and reorganized 7 shelves!! I still have probably another full days work ahead of me. I plan to tackle a bit of it tonight after small group and ice cream :) and then probably finish it up tomorrow night.

It's quite the undertaking.
Hopefully though, it will drive me to get creative and to finish some projects that I have on my wish list and the dreaded/fully procrastinated 30 ~~Before~~ During 30 list! :)

Well, that's what's been up. I would call this a success in the update category :)
Now let's see if I can get a success in the get creative and blog about it category! :)

Talk to you soon! :)

When Mondays go bad...

2011-05-23T12:41:00.000-04:00

It's only 12:15 pm and I am SO over today.

I was pretty geared up for a good morning too. I had set up a couple challenges for myself...read more on what they were below.

I got up from bed in a hurry...I will skip the next part of the story...it's TMI, but let's call it Crapity-Crap #1. Then I wasn't feeling good, but I pushed through so I could eat breakfast. Challenge #1. Then I got dressed and ready and headed off to work.

April = 1     Monday = 1

10 minutes late. Grrrrr. Thanks to the initial crapity-crap I failed at Challenge #2. "Be on time for work."

April = 1    Monday = 2

I settled in and started working on my Monday work...then my stomach grumbled and groaned. "Man, I am not feeling very well." I headed to the bathroom...and enter Crapity-Crap #2. I am just doing my thing and someone turned out the lights on me. "Helloooooo, someone is INNNN HEEERRREEEE!!!" Nothing. They didn't hear me. asl;kdjfoiansd;fokjasdf ay ay ay!

April = 1    Monday = 3

You see this right? Monday is SO winning.

So I got back to my desk and got to work. I was steadily cranking out some busy work when...crapity-crap #3 hits...bloooop. Off goes my monitor. "That's odd." I said outloud. I wiggled the cord and blooop; on popped my monitor. Hmmmmm. Anywho, I got back to work. 5 minutes later. blooop. There it went again. "Dang it! What in the woorrrlllddd??!!" I said out loud-er. I wiggled the cord again, checked every end, made sure it was all working right. Check. And then I sat in silence. Wiggled the cord again...and blooop. On it goes. "ohhhhkkkk." I got back to work. That lasted all of 35 seconds. Blooop. "Uggghhhhhhhh!!!"

April = 1    Monday = 4 5 6 7...

I texted Husby..."Is Monday over yet?" Time check? 10:33 am. Yep. My day was only 2 hours old and it was driving me batty.

Here I am at 12:27 pm. Waiting on lunch from Husby (Thank you SO much baby!!) and yearning for 4 pm. I just want to go home and start over again tomorrow.

Do you ever have days like this? I figure I am coping well enough...just glad it's a quiet day in the office; and even more glad for my under-5-minute commute home at 4 pm :)

My 29th year.

2011-05-20T00:10:00.000-04:00

I write you right now, I am 30...10 minutes into it at least. 30 ~~freakin'~~ years old.
My 29th year...has been a doozy of a year.

I am ready for 30.
I ain't skerd.

I have to admit though...the 30 Before 30 list. Well...It won. Technically I failed...miserably.
Although, I am not just forgetting the list. I DO plan to take my 30th year to complete it. ALL of it.

It's my list and I can do it if I want to.

So. there.

About blogging. I know it's been slim pickin's. My priorities, focus, time have been adjusting lately. I am more than ok with that; but I DO miss blogging. So I will be back. But I make no promises as to when.

I am doing some self-challenging right now, which may involve many things, some of which are getting up earlier...spending some time in the Word...and I may, I just may throw some bloggin' in there at that time too.

Blogging at work isn't an option now. So that's out.
Blogging at night, may only happen on occasion. Family time is more important right now.
So....It's gonna be more like blogging when I can.

But I will.
I just won't be breaking any records.
I love you all, my faithful readers and those that send me comment love.
I'll be around. And I will share as I mark projects off my 30 ~~Before~~ During 30 List. :)

Royal Crazy Hat Day

2011-04-30T11:00:00.000-04:00

Were you watching? I totally was. (Not at 6 am mind you...I heart DVR.)
I mean, seriously I almost died. How adorable..right?

I nearly wet myself when Prince Harry turned to Prince William and said "Wait, till you see her!"
Adorbs!!

Then...when they saw each other, Prince William says, "You look fabulous. Beautiful."
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...I melt.

It was a gorgeous day, and why wouldn't it be...it was a stinkin Royal Wedding afterall. However, I must say...some of the best moments...were the hats.
all.
the.
crazy.
hats.

Did you know that, as an attendee and a woman, you were requested to wear a hat?
Check it.
First we have Camilla and the Queen. Not too bad...understated and traditional...especially on the part of the Queen.

And Mum of the Bride...Carole Middleton. Very elegant, just like her daughter.

Princess Anne...snore; I mean it doesn't seem that she would take many bold fashion risks anyhow! :)

Then we have Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice of York (Fergie's daughters)

What the??

(Obviously Beatrice is known for her crazy hat choices...check out this old picture...woah now. overkill.)

Anywho, back to the wedding...Here's Miriam Gonzalez Durantez, the wife of Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. Kinda neat.

Lady Frederick Windsor. Love it.

Zara Phillip....woah a little like a giant spider was exploding out from under it.

Tara Palmer-Tomkinson. Channeling GaGa...uh woah.

Sophie, Countess of Wessex. Pretty traditional. I likey.

Princess Michael of Kent. Kinda Derby-ish.

All it all, it was interesting to see all the hats! I never realized the UK was such a HAT place?! What did you think of the wedding? The hats?

I am loosing Pinterest...come on now!

2011-04-29T14:15:00.000-04:00

I am not sure I understand why it takes Pinterest 8.76 years to send me my invitation.

I am loosing Pinterest.

I want it now.

No seriously...like n o w.

I all of the sudden feel like bookmarking pages and pictures I like is so below me.

Come to the ON!

I guess I'll just go back to looking at EVERYONE ELSE'S Pinterests for now.

Ughh.

It's a hot mess around here.

2011-04-28T21:11:00.000-04:00

I feel like I have been busy for two months. Probably because I have. Either way, I can kinda see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I'm settling in nicely at work, got my routine pretty much down.
The Annual Murder Mystery is this weekend, then I can breath and have my weekends back.
Although they will quickly be filled back up with photoshoots...but I'm not complaining! :)
The basement is done.
Yes, there is a tour coming for you...very...soon...promise.
So. The calm is quickly approaching. You may be thinking...calm, yes c a l m. Summer isn't too bad for us, at least it hasn't been. It's hanging out, working outside, playing with the dogs and swimming; with some great youth group events thrown in there.
Oh, and then there's the me turning 30 thing.
I feel like turning thirty warrants some slow down time...at least for a ~~couple months,~~ ~~a month,~~ ok, at least a week or two.

I am sitting in our office tonight. I feel like I haven't been in here in months. Truth be told, I am pretty sure I haven't been in here in a really long time. It's super evident too.

Need proof? This kind of disorganization is very unlike me...so I will share with you as I hang my head in shame.

This is just a snapshot of what the desk looks like...

And this pile of goodness is on the floor next to the office chair/desk.

The sitting area when you first walk into the office...

There's even crap on top of the dogs crates. Poor things, it sounds like the sky is falling whenever they shake or move while they are in there.

So, it's just a hot mess of unfinished projects, which adequately describes my life right now. Projects that my brain hasn't been able to wrap itself around; but after this weekend. It's on like donkey-kong. I am attacking my 30 Before 30 List, I am attacking this office, I am attacking the photo project for my ever-so-nekked hallway. I am GOING TO DO IT.

But for tonight, I am grabbing some shut up juice (chocolate milk) and watching some pre-royal-wedding-TV and relaxing before the busy weekend slaps me in the face a day early tomorrow. Bring it weekend. ;)

Oh, by the way...Olive is watching me blog...garsh I lurve her :)

It's ma birfday...

2011-04-25T11:44:00.000-04:00

That's right people...I am going to be thirty in less than 30 days. I'm not much closer to completing my 30 Before 30 list than when I last updated...but while I try and light a fire under my own booty I figured it was time to start making a birthday gift idea list. Also, per Husby's request.

Anywho...here I go. I really don't know what I want, so this list may seem random...but here goes.

I would LOVE a Vera Laptop Bag...in either Lemon Parfait or Baroque

I would also LOVE the Lensbaby Muse Lens!

I would LOVE some vinyl for my Silhouette SD Cutter. This assortment pack is a great idea!

I also think some great ideas for gifts would be some plants! I would LOVE to grow my garden bigger and more beautifully this year! I love flowers like Ranunculus, Peonies, Foxglove, Clematis, and other Perennials. I am a most definatly a perennial girl! I love color and beautiful cut flowers!

I would also LOVE a stylish camera bag. Preferably one that I could throw over my shoulder and wear during a shoot, or one that would just hold all my camera equipment without squeezing it all in or out!

Here are a few that I am liking:

the BUILT Cargo Camera Bag (Black/Teal)

the GOLLA Lynne Camera Case (Brown)

I am sure I have other things I want...so this list will surely be updated! Until then, happy shopping for my birthday!!

And please, don't cry for me and my twenties...I'm pretty stoked about what my thirties have to offer! ;)

Yes, I said it. I said it. I said it cause I can.

2011-04-19T23:40:00.000-04:00

I have at least two blogs headed your way...but Pinterest is owning my time tonight.

30 Before 30 Update

2011-04-14T22:42:00.001-04:00

~~Finish all drywalling in the basement.~~
~~Recover a chair.~~
~~Complete our Master Bedroom. (Paint, Furniture & Decor)~~
Sew a dress for myself.
~~Make Sushi from scratch.~~ Thanks to Husby tonight…read more below.
Get pregnant.
~~Pay down Credit Cards.~~ (I am sure you see what I did...changed "pay-off" to "pay down." It was a lofty goal at best, but we did put over $3000 towards Credit pay down since the list creation date...so I am marking this off. Deal with it, it's MY list! :) haha!)
Print out photobooks of my favorite photos. Forget favorite photos, I am working on a photo book of the basement progress. So it totally counts!
~~Have a Family Photo taken. Husby and I...and us with the Pups.~~ Again, thanks to Husby…we are taking photos tomorrow. So I am going to mark this one off!!
~~Grow vegetables.~~
~~Learn how to use my DSLR in manual mode.~~
~~Start journaling.~~
Lose 20+ pounds. *still on WW...losing slowly but surely. I highly doubt I am losing another 9 pounds before May 20th…but I am proud at many of the changes I have made and the 11 pounds lost so far!
Make new curtains for my kitchen. *getting ready to purchase fabric.
~~Successfully launch my Photography business...aePhotography.~~
~~Grow out my hair.~~
Bake my own bread. Got the plan…now let’s do it already!
Surprise Husby at least once a month with something fun. ~~August, September, October, November, December, January, February, March~~ Planning April now...
Create our "Family Story" wall. *May make the shelves in the next couple weeks.
Organize and add shelving to our Master Bedroom Closet. *I really wish I had known we were going to finish our basement as fast as we did…I wouldn’t have added this to my list haha!
~~Hit 35,000 visitors on our Blog.~~
~~Successfully keep an Orchid for more than 30 days.~~
~~Have a successful Yard Sale.~~
Paint a picture. *Painting soon
~~Slow dance with Husby.~~
Go to a show on Broadway.
Hold a puppy.
~~Make a necklace.~~
~~Grow Peonies.~~
Get Husby to dress up for Halloween.

So, let me tell you about how this evening went. So Husby tells me not to plan anything this evening and then he surprises me with some of my favorite girlies and all the stuff to make homemade Sushi! WHICH is one of the items on the list above. OH YEAH!!! Here are some great pictures from the evening.

It was a blast, and I am so grateful to Husby for planning it!!! If this is the kind of 30 Before 30 fun plans that are headed my way, I am really excited for the next month!!!

Wish me luck, I have a lot to do!!

A little vinyl action…

2011-04-08T14:09:00.000-04:00

What’s this? She’s blogging?! Oh yes, that’s right friends I am back. At least for now. I did get halfway through my first vinyl project before I realized it would be the perfect thing to blog about. So, pardon my jump into the middle of this Day O’ Vinyl Projects. : )

So first thing, I created a vinyl expression for Husby. He wanted the front door to say “Win the Day.” He had been wanting the perfect saying or quote to go over our front door, to serve as a reminder and encouragement before each of our days. He searched and searched and finally came across the perfect saying. Read more about it here: Win the Day. Of course it would have some relation to sports as well; but I could let that slide.

Here are a few photos of Husby putting the expression on the wall. It was his first time and he did a great job!

I can’t figure out why I look like I write like a 6 year old on my bamboo pad. stink.

Anywho. I think it looks lovely…the vinyl expression that is!! More photos to come!!!

It's over.

2011-03-31T17:41:00.000-04:00

I am sitting in our newly renovated, painted, carpeted and vinyl wood floored basement.

It's done.

All the work....all Husby's work...finished.

It looks amazing.

You can blame the basement for me not being around much; but now that it's done and as soon as I get the go ahead from Husby. There will be pictures-a-plenty.

I'm in love with it. It's perfectly us.

Stay tuned...I promise it will be worth it!

...'tis random.

2011-03-22T18:53:00.000-04:00

Just some random thoughts.

I am sitting at my desk, waiting for Murder Mystery practice.

I am terribly excited for this years performance.

I am already incredibly proud of how well the students are doing with their lines.

I want a double white chocolate pretzel and peanut butter cookie.

I am glad that this year is an "I Love Lucy" spoof...I loved that show.

Today was a gorgeous day.

I've driven much of my time the past three days with the window rolled down.

I want to swim.

I don't want to wear a swimsuit.

Not sure how I am gonna arrange the above.

I kinda like my desk set up at work.

Although, I do wish that I had a wall right by my desk, well closer than one is right now.

Oh here comes Husby, he's kinda cute...scratch that...he's really cute.

I bought donuts for my co-workers today, I felt like a good "fat" samaritan.

It's practice time.

I can't be late.

I yell at the students for that.

Bye.

I know. Don't say anything.

2011-03-21T21:39:00.000-04:00

I have been one heck of a bloggin' slacker. I have a few good reasons.

shut up, I mean it.

Number 1...So, I may or may not have mentioned my new job, but I am finally settling in there. I just started my second week and I am loving it. I am home. My career has truly come full circle. When I graduated High School I got a job at my church working as a Secretary for the Youth Pastor...who happened to be my Father. I loved it, but I had aspirations of becoming a Nurse...needless to say 11 years and many jobs later (none satisfying my desire to go into Nursing, but that's a different story) I am back at the church. I have wanted to come back to work here for years. My skills are best used here, I love the people, the environment...everything. Thank God for finally answering my prayer. I am at a job that I love, I mean love every aspect. Even the glitches with the server and screaming toddlers. (yes, you can bring your kids to work here) It's just home. So...I don't have as much time on my hands as I had at my previous job, so my blogging will be rescheduled around the rest of my life now. I am sure it would be safe to expect some late night blogging to come.

Number 2...our basement. There's alot of love around here people. It has all come together more perfectly than I could have imagined. From the paint colors to the baseboard, to this beautiful flooring that is coming next Wednesday. It's just perfect.

For the most part it's been Husby and friends working on the basement...with me stepping in on occasion. It's not that I don't want to step it...it's just they were at the manly-man part of the remodel and I only stepped in to do my part being the "Massa-Cauka" (Master Caulker) of the house. I'm such a DIY lovin' chick...you know this when you don't stop in the middle of your job to grab a hair tie to tie your hair back...instead you use painters tape.

That's how I roll.

Sidenote - To my wonderfully talented, patient and manly Husby...your work in the basement has been amazing. Your drive and determination to get the job completed and under/on budget makes me squeal with delight! You are pretty cute...even after all the trips to Lowe's. Such a trooper you are...

To our Fathers who have spent time to help teach and work beside Husby on this job...to the many friends, especially Mikey who spent so many hours helping too; we could NOT have done it without you. And yes, we DO plan to thank you in a very special way.

Anywhoodle...there will be pictures in your future. Aren't you just grinning with expectation?! I know I am. :)

Finally...Number 3...there really isn't a third good reason, other than the fact that I just have not THOUGHT about blogging. I do have stuff I want to blog about, and projects that are coming up!! Now, this next part is going to be rather negative of me...and that's not typical. However...I am getting the feeling that I may not complete my 30 before 30. I mean I kinda knew I wouldn't get a few of them or five...but I am thinking that number may be a bit higher. I think I slacked a little too long. Ehhhh. Well...here's to one last push...after all I do still have 59 Days 2 Hours, 22 Minutes and 55 seconds...54 seconds...53....

Oh and here's to more blogging too...

eBates - Buy and EARN money back!!

2011-03-11T16:26:00.000-05:00

Hey readers and friends!! Have you heard of Ebates? Join today and earn $5 just for joining! Then make a purchase of $25 or more and I get referral points towards a new iPad2 and YOU earn money back on your purchase!!

At Ebates there are rebates and coupons for over 1,200 stores!!

I did 90% of my Christmas shopping online this year through Ebates and earned over $36 back from that shopping. Since January of 2011 I have already earned $8.33 from my online shopping! It's like shopping and instantly saving 2%, 4% even up to 8% on your shopping trip. You could even earn a lump sum of cash back like $20 or $50! That money is given to you!

It's the best thing going in online shopping. And you would be doing me a solid by helping me earn an iPad2!!

It's this easy!!

Join Ebates today!!!

Interior Barn Doors - I'm drooling now...

2011-03-07T14:58:00.000-05:00

I couldn't be any more in love.

Barn Doors...

INSIDE?!

Yes please!!

Look at how gorgeous they are??

I just texted Husby a picture of the one below...saying "how great would a barn door be in the basement as the door for the pantry??"

Poor guy is cranking out work as fast as he can to prepare for our new carpet/flooring being installed in less than a month!

(side note...how cute is the chalkboard note "dog" pointing to the dog bowl in the picture above?)

And sure...we just built the pantry and installed a pocket door. So covering it up wouldn't be too harmful!! Right?!

+++ (and here's my Husby selling point) we can make it totally masculine looking...since that's the vibe we are going for down there (in the front half of the basement at least). I am thinking metal hardware and maybe a whitewashed grey/blue door to match the walls??? ehh? ehh? I love it!!

What are you lovin' right now?

Spring Fever

2011-03-07T14:38:00.002-05:00

Flooring - We are madly in love.

2011-03-03T22:42:00.000-05:00

Well, we just signed away ~~our first born~~ a hefty chunk of cash mon-ayy on the flooring for our basement. Hardwood laminate and some deliciously soft frieze carpet.

But let's talk about the laminate flooring shall we? Beccause I certainly can't STOP talking about it or looking at it!!!

It's Armstrong's Timber Bay Barnyard Gray. Isn't it spectacular?!

Ugghhhh...I just had to share. Now we have to wait for it :)

Oh...and pay for it too. Ay ay ay!!

Cabinet Door RE-Do–Trash to Pleasure

2011-03-03T17:35:00.000-05:00

Remember when I found the free cabinet doors on the side of the road? Well I had plenty of ideas on how to use them but I had never touched them since we loaded them in the attic almost a year ago. Until a friends birthday approached and I saw an idea online that led me back to them.

I didn’t have any cool tables like that lying around, but I did have a few cabinet doors…and an idea of a serving tray from an old cabinet door…

So I set my goal and got started. I remembered back to a school project in middle school where I died paper with tea bags, baked them and burned edges, etc. to make the paper look aged. Here’s a quick how to for that: You’ll need tea bags, (any will do) a cup of water, a cookie sheet and your paper. For my project I printed out the Hymn sheet music to my Friends favorite Praise and Worship song.

Preheat your oven anywhere from 100-175 degrees.

Soak the tea bag and squeeze it over the paper, occasionally rubbing it into the paper. If some of the tea spills out it’s ok, it will add to the look.

I laid each page on a towel, to decrease the opportunity for a huge mess! :)

Some pages I crinkled and allowed the tea to pool in areas to make darker stains.

I allowed them to dry a little, then I put each into the oven for 3-5 minutes until they were just about dry. Then I took a candle and held the pages over the flame to get small burn marks and to burn the edges.

Once I was done, I laid out the pages some I ripped, others full pages onto the cabinet door. I coated the door with modge podge and began to press the pages onto the cabinet door, especially in the dipped area.

Then I coated the top with modge podge (two layers) and let it dry over night.

Once it dried…Oh I had already fallen in love with it. Husby helped me to attach the handles I got 50% off at Hobby Lobby (total of $2.00).

Here’s the best finished picture I have. Sorry I didn’t think to take a better one, but I LOVE the final result!! Good thing is, my friend loved it too!! I plan to make a few more, for other friends as well…trust me, there is no shortage of cabinet doors in our attic!

It was a great little project, not too hard…thoughts? I LOVE it :)

30 Before 30 Update

2011-03-03T13:42:00.000-05:00

It's been nearly a month since I last updated...so let's see how I am doing...

~~Finish all drywalling in the basement.~~
~~Recover a chair.~~
~~Complete our Master Bedroom. (Paint, Furniture & Decor)~~
Sew a dress for myself.
Make Sushi from scratch.
Get pregnant.
~~Pay down Credit Cards.~~ (I am sure you see what I did...changed "pay-off" to "pay down." It was a lofty goal at best, but we did put over $3000 towards Credit pay down since the list creation date...so I am marking this off. Deal with it, it's MY list! :) haha!)
Print out photobooks of my favorite photos. *adding photos...
Have a Family Photo taken. Husby and I...and us with the Pups.
~~Grow vegetables.~~
~~Learn how to use my DSLR in manual mode.~~
~~Start journaling.~~
Lose 20+ pounds. *still on WW...losing slowly but surely.
Make new curtains for my kitchen. *getting ready to purchase fabric.
~~Successfully launch my Photography business...aePhotography.~~
~~Grow out my hair.~~
Bake my own bread.
Surprise Husby at least once a month with something fun. ~~August, September, October, November, December, January, February~~ Planning March now...
Create our "Family Story" wall. *Gotta make the shelves
Organize and add shelving to our Master Bedroom Closet.
~~Hit 35,000 visitors on our Blog.~~
~~Successfully keep an Orchid for more than 30 days.~~
~~Have a successful Yard Sale.~~
Paint a picture. *Painting soon
~~Slow dance with Husby.~~
Go to a show on Broadway.
Hold a puppy.
~~Make a necklace.~~
~~Grow Peonies.~~ Planted!
Get Husby to dress up for Halloween.

16 out of 30 completed, and that leaves 14 that I still need to complete. 5 of which I am about to jump on this month. I do realize that I will not COMPLETE this list, however for the first time doing this I am pretty darn excited! And I have 77 days left...I still may surprise myself!

I am really gonna hit the list now that March is here and the weather is on it's way to gorgeous! Come May, I think I am going to challenge the Husby and I to make monthly lists in the areas of:

Enjoy, Create, Organize, Grow, Save, Home, Cook and Health. (Idea taken from here)

I think it should be fun to challenge ourselves!!

Oscars 2011 - Fashion

2011-03-03T11:52:00.000-05:00

I'm gonna mix it up a little this time...

Let's start with a NO...

Cate Blanchett - This is simply horrible...not that she routinely makes great fashion choices anyhow...but what kind of yellow, wart looking beading is that?!

Hillary Swank - Gorgeous. I love it.

Penelope Cruz - Dang...and after having a baby about a month ago too! She looks amazing!

Sharon Stone - What in the ??? Does anyone else think her hair makes her look like a bug? Seriously...it's like she has antennae!!

Anne Hathaway - She looks STUNNING...one of my favorite Anne looks of the night...

Natalie Portman - Gag, she's stunning! If ONLY we could all look like Natalie when we are that pregnant!

Halle Berry - I feel like this a bad art project.

Scarlett Johansson - It's like wearing lingerie, without actually wearing lingerie. Nope. Although, the color is good on her...that's about it.

Reese Witherspoon - #1 BAD Prom hair...#2 could your dress get ANY less exciting?

Mila Kunis - Tattered and torn...like she pulled it from a jumbo shredder. Me no likey.

Hailee Steinfeld - Ahhhh-dorable!! So age appropriate and cute!

Melissa Leo - cough, cough, DOILY, cough, cough!

Gweneth Paltrow - I guess I can say it looks ALRIGHT...I just really don't like her and it totally impacts my decision.

Nicole Kidman - Boring. Even for Nicole.

So...what were your thoughts? Did you have any favorite fashions from the evening?!

Air Plants and Mini Orchids

2011-03-01T13:33:00.000-05:00

I might admit that I have become a little cocky when it comes to my Orchid. It's been alive and thriving for nearly two months and I am ready to step up my game in the indoor house plants arena, it's really making me look forward to spring!

So today I've done a little research and here's what I'm lovin'...

Air Plants

Air plants are described as "An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant (such as a tree) non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object deriving its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it.

Caring for them seems fairly easy: They grow differently than most other house plants, and it may be confusing to the beginner. They are really very hardy, and require much less attention than other house plants.

Protect them from frosts.
Most prefer cool night temperatures - below 60 degrees if it can be provided.
Give them bright, filtered light.
Provided the atmosphere is not too dry (as in an air-conditioned home) they require relatively little watering.
If you are growing them indoors and the air is dry, you will need to submerge the plant in water for 2-3 hours about every two weeks. Otherwise, in a shade-house or unheated home, you can use a soaking mist once or twice a week in summer, once a month in cooler weather.

Not too bad, and they are super neat little plants.

Obviously, I love orchids too. They are so beautiful and dainty, just begging for extra special care; and mini orchids have caught my eye!

Orchids

(You can watch the video of how this wall hanging was made here.)

I really want to try and make an orchid wall hanging...gonna follow through with some research and pricing first! It may be a pretty intense undertaking.

Succulents

Succulents or fat plants, are water-retaining plants adapted to arid climates or soil conditions. Succulent plants store water in their leaves, stems and also in roots.

So...I have some plants picked out and some ideas on where to put them...I'll update you more soon on the outcome. I just hit "order" on some cork bark and the necessary tools needed for the Orchid wall hanging!

What's making you look forward to spring?!

CSN Stores Review–Keep an eye out!!

2011-03-01T00:04:00.001-05:00

I was contacted by a customer service rep from CSN stores to review one of their 200+ stores. I am totally excited about this opportunity and I can’t wait to search through all of their stores to find the perfect item for us! and I am thrilled to have the opportunity! CSN offers so many products, you can literally find everything from a swing set for the back yard, to cute cookware to chic lighting pieces!

I can’t wait to check out CSN…be sure to drop by soon to see what I pick out!

Gettin' primed and ready!

2011-02-25T15:37:00.000-05:00

We've been looking at alot of these lately...because it is almost time to PAINT the basement!! I know right...I'm kinda dying over here!!The exact colors will remain a mystery...unless you have been to my house in the past week, then you will have a good idea of what we are going with...although Husby has decided that now he is worried about some of ~~our~~ my bold color choices...*sigh*

(...and the lighting in this picture does these colors no justice at all...so stop gagging on the dirty mustard color to the left...I can hear you all the way over here. I haven't completely lost my mind.)

The basement as been completely drywalled and sanded...drywall guy has been paid...and we are ready for paint!

Wanna see?

Of course you do...and I know some of you are saying, "Wait! I thought it was going to be a secret?!" Well, that was our intention...errr well Husby's intention...but he has loosened the reigns and I am free to share photos!

yahoooo!

Before I show you...allow me to boggle your mind with how far we have come...(now, these are the original before's...but they are "before" enough to serve my point today.)

Remember, this is the original basic layout (computer renderings) of the basement...some things have changed...i.e. the Snack Bar area.

So, without further adieu...our new basement with legit photos...(more before and afters coming soon!)

This is just right of the bottom of the stairs...basically standing where our office desk will go...looking into the Game Room. The Pantry is in that room to the left. The far closet on the right holds utilities like BGE meter and sump pump. The Closer closet to the far right is storage and electronics (for TV).

Please note each corner, besides doors and windows is a rounded bullnose corner...I am in love with them!

This was our view about 6 months ago, basically looking towards that far wall between the left wall and the first coloumn...

And here's another before...kinda...in this picture you are actually in the Game room standing by the pantry door and looking towards the closet areas...

In comparison to original rendering...not too bad!

This view is standing in the Snack Bar/Bathroom hall area facing the TV wall...where we will put our new 55" LED HDTV....booyaaahhh!
The Office will go to the right...

Snack bar area...

Which will look something like this...colors and arrangement may change, but will include cabinets and a mini-fridge.

Here, you are looking into my Studio here. The set up has been arranged in my head about 80 different ways...I think I am just going to have to wait for furniture to really lay it all out. More than likely though, you are looking at the Photo Nook, where I will house my backdrops, etc.

This is pretty much the same view from before...

This is the left side of the same room above.
My TV will sit up in that top left hand corner (where the blue tape is).

Isn't it GREAT?!?!! We are just too excited. Next is paint, then flooring...if all goes well...we may have a complete basement by...June?! That's my hope at least!!

We'll share more soon!!

Ana-White.com...how I love thee!

2011-02-24T12:37:00.000-05:00

Quite simply.

I lurve Ana White.

She has SO many amazing designs on her Blog and she makes each and everyone look so...darn...easy.

Here are some of my favorites...i.e. ones I totally wanna make!

Rolling cubbies...between $20-$50...

The High Rise Shelf...for under $20...

The 5 Shelf...for under $20...

A Leaning Wall Shelf...for between $20-$50...

Truss Shelves...between $20-$50...

Aren't these great?! I can't wait to try some (or all) of them! I have been following her site for a while...after finding $10 shelves there. These puppies are going in my dining room...eventually!

I visited Ana's site today in hopes that she had a tutorial for making a chair similar to these (from Target).

I want some SO badly, but I do NOT like the $299+ price tag!! They can't be THAT hard to make right?!?! Well...I'll add it to the list...and until then...I'll practice my hand at furniture making thanks to Ana-White.com! :)

Interchangable Zipper Necklace

2011-02-24T11:09:00.002-05:00

So, I have ONE more thing I can mark off my 30 Before 30 List! :)

I made my own necklace using this tutorial from Craftaholics Anonymous.

I didn't quite get all the pieces that I wanted for the project, but I like the way it turned out! Here's a few pics of how I did the project...first off, I didn't buy a premade necklace, although you can and then use the existing lobster clips to attach to the zipper base...I made my own necklace out of flat round mother of pearl beads.

First I drilled tiny holes in each of the beads...

Then I checked to make sure my rings fit...and they did...

Finished drilling all the holes...

Then I used my eyelet punch to make holes in the zipper ends...

Then I hammered in my eyelets. I used silver eyelets so they would show up a little better!

Then I just attached my rings and my new necklace with lobster clips.

I think it's super cute!

On to the next project!! :)

I lurve my momma.

2011-02-22T16:26:00.000-05:00

...because while she was away on a Minister's Retreat 'down the ocean hon...she stopped in a local antique shop and picked up some of these beautiful blue Ball Mason jars that I had been looking for...

She got me 4 of the jars and one small clear apothecary jar for my bathroom. I am so excited.

I can put my Lilacs, Peonies and Hydrangeas in them like this...

Then I can decorate like this...

I'm kinda dying over here...

Skoy Cloth Giveaway Winners!

2011-02-22T12:29:00.000-05:00

Better late than never...here are the 2 winners of the Skoy Cloth giveaway!

Brittany at MyLifeinManyTitles and Stephanie from MyDailySprinkle!!!

Congrats ladies, I will have your Skoy's to you ASAP! :) Thanks for all who entered!

Recovering a Chair - A new wardrobe for my seat :)

2011-02-19T15:22:00.000-05:00

Another thing I can mark off my 30 Before 30 List! Wahoooo! I mentioned yesterday that I finally finished painting my chair and bench for my recovering project.

Here is the final result!

Back in October I picked up this chair at Goodwill for $25 with Mom. I was pumped to recover it and use it in my Studio and for Photoshoots. I got him home and got all the fabric ripped off with Husby's help...

Once I got all the ~~icky~~, ~~nasty~~, old fabric off we headed outside to lightly sand and hit it with some white spray paint...

I brought it inside and tried my hand at some antiquing glaze...it did not go so well...so I nixed that idea!

And then...we had to do more work on the basement and my project got put on hold...straight through Christmas and New Years. I finally decided it was time to finish the project. It needed another coat of white paint after my antiquing debacle, and I decided to finish it off with a glossy coat.

Once it dried of course, now it was time to add my fabric and padding. I traced out the front piece using the cardboard from the original padding.

I used the same cardboard to wrap my fabric on for the back of the chair, then stapled it into place.

Then I added some extra padding between the back and the front and started stapling my front piece into place.

Wahh-laaaa. All done!
Well, at least the seat back portion!

Now for the seat itself. I decided I wanted some extra padding to go all the way down the front for those of us that are shot and didn't want to rest our legs against wood.

Once I cut the padding into place (which wasn't much cutting) then I covered it with my fabric and started pulling, tucking and stapling. It was alot easier than I thought it would be!

Finally...here I was at the last step. Time to add the trim.

Perfect! It makes it all come together!

Here is a close up of the trip. Crisp black. :)

And here is what the back looks like. There are a few paint chips that I will have to fix, but that's what happens when you give me an industrial stapler and a hammer. :) Trust me...I have a few sore fingers that remember too.

And here she sits in her temporary home. Until the Studio is complete!

The two front legs were my only real trouble spots. And I tried my best with them. I even added some fabric brads to cover up all the tucking I had to do. It's not bad I guess.

And finally...the Before and After again...

I LOVE it...and I can't wait to use it!!

Guess what I did yesterday?

2011-02-18T15:39:00.000-05:00

I finished painting my chair and bench...now it's time to start recovering it...can you say ONE more item crossed of my 30 before 30 list...yahooo!!

Anywho...just thought I'd share...pictures to come...

Oh...and Husby did a super great thing...he said I am allowed to share the basement progress...which has been AMAZING. Can't wait to show you pictures!!! Look out for them!

I was born to create.

2011-02-18T15:26:00.002-05:00

Pillow love.

2011-02-16T16:04:00.000-05:00

Homegoods. This place seriously rocks my socks.

I headed there on a whim today... (boy, will I miss being so close to Homegoods when I start my new job...more on that later.) and there were more goodies than ever!!! I picked up some lovely little items for my Studio...like this little beauty...(well almost exactly like this one...mine is actually white with a slightly larger mirror in the middle.)

...only I got mine from Homegoods for $34 as opposed to where Young House Love got it from Marshall's for $39! I nearly wet myself when I saw it...I have been stalking Homegoods for one since I first saw it on YHL's site around this time last year!

I had my lucky find above and a lovely green vintage locker basket (perfect for wittle newborn photoshoots) that looks almost exactly like this...

...sure you can find one online but only to the tune of $40!!! I got mine for $12! :) Boo-to-the-YAAAHHH!

Now I can take adorable photos like this...

(source)

Now, if I could just get my hands on a vintage scale...ANYWHO...the Pillows...that's why you're reading right?!!?!

So...there were some gorgeous pillows...and since I am on the hunt for some perfect throw pillows to replace the geometrical-boring-tan-pillows that came with our couch...I darted straight to that section. They were gorgeous. I found white ruffle ones...(sorry again for the cell phone pics)

And beautiful teal ones (these would match my bed perfectly!)

I really liked these as a possible for the couch...but they were a little on the bigger side and only had a few dots of green to match the living room...the stems were grey, flowers were black and the dots in the center of the flowers were a lime green.

I couldn't bring myself to pay $14.99 for the white ruffle pillows...even though I really wanted two for the couches...so I carried on and headed towards the bedding.

Then I saw it.

Amy Butler.

Did you hear me?

I said Amy *stinkin* BUTLER.

It was the most gorgeous comforter I had seen in a long time...AND it matched my spare room. I nearly wet myself...again.

Here's a better picture...

AHHHHHH...oh, and btw's...it's 100% Organic Cotton...300 thread count. I may resume my regularly scheduled naps back in the spare room again! :)

So...like I said...Homegoods. Rocks. My. Socks.

I will be heading back to pick up my new Amy Butler comforter later this week. *sigh* Can a girl get any happier??

OH..yes she can...and she has two reasons why...stay tuned!

Grammy Fashion

2011-02-15T13:34:00.000-05:00

Finding pictures is prooving difficult...at least finding pictures that I don't have to save to my computer to upload...so here are a few of the HITS and MISSES in my book!

Lea Michele was stunning tonight...although I am jut not a fan of the bright red lipstick look.

Dianna Argon was another favorite! She has such a natural beauty about her.

Selena Gomez was super age appropriate and just gorgeous.

Kelly Osbourne had a lovely ruffle purple frock...I loved it!

Now for the MISSES...

Rihanna, it could just be because I haven't been lovin' her lately, but I hated this dress.

Willow Smith, I know she is only like 12 years old...but I thought this looked like a hot mess.

Katy Perry will there be an award show where she isn't like just wearing lingerie?

Amber Riley me no likey, it's almost as if her jewelry is trying to kill her.

Natasha Bedingfield just no.

Lady GaGa do I really have to explain why Gaga is on my MISSES list?

So your thoughts about Grammy Fashion? Or what about the show? I thought it was an AMAZING show...I especially loved these guys (skip ahead to :50)...Mumford and Sons and the Avett Brothers. (you can skip Bob Dylan...Husby nearly shot himself because I made him listen! :) )

Happy Balumtine'th Day!!

2011-02-15T12:43:00.000-05:00

It's Lovey Day!!! One of my favorites...especially because of this guy...

Also, I throughly enjoy surprising Husby with his Clue Hunt...even if he didn't really like this years. :)

He had to answer questions like "What song did I dedicate to you on the radio?" and "What is my favorite movie of all time." He also had to make me a Valentine's Day craft...how cute is this? (sorry crappy cell phone picture!)

Overall he earned 45 out of a possible 60 points!!!! *cheering, clapping! His points determined his Valentine's Day goodies...

0-10 Points = A Card
11-20 Points = A new Book
21-30 = Two "Dirty Dishes" free weeks
31-40 = A week of his favorite dinners
41-50 = A Massage
51-60 = $50 towards new Clothes

He did pretty well, and only missed receiving his last present! I think he still made off pretty good though! :)

OH!!! He did great for me too...well...I took the day off and we spent it together. I got lunch at one of my favorites...Fuddruckers. (Oh yeah, I am that simple.) Then we hung out and did some other stuff then headed home. I was promised a homemade dinner of my choosing. I chose Homemade Pizza, but then we had pizza the night before, so that changed things. About two months ago I came across a yummy recipe from Martha Stewart Living for Homemade Chicken Pot Pies...BINGO. So he had his meal, his shopping list and got to work!! Here are some pictures from the evening...

One of my favorites from the evening... watching Husby cut up raw chicken. His face is priceless. He has the same face when washing dirty dishes! ha!

Here's Husby creating the oh-so-yummy sauce.

Wahhhh-laaa...all prepared and ready to pop into the oven...

And look at that deliciousness!!!! It was so yummy. Husby did an amazing job!

Thanks babe for another great Valentine's Day...I couldn't ask for a better Valentine! :)

30 before 30 Update

2011-02-15T11:41:00.000-05:00

Ok, let's see how I'm doing...

~~Finish all drywalling in the basement.~~
Recover a chair. *heehee, need to finish painting...but it's been too cold!
~~Complete our Master Bedroom. (Paint, Furniture & Decor)~~
Sew a dress for myself.
Make Sushi from scratch. *so the date came and went...trying again...ugh.
Get pregnant.
Pay off Credit Cards.*about to pay one off!!!
Print out photobooks of my favorite photos. *adding photos...
Have a Family Photo taken. Husby and I...and us with the Pups.
~~Grow vegetables.~~
~~Learn how to use my DSLR in manual mode.~~
~~Start journaling.~~
Lose 20+ pounds. *still on WW...losing slowly but surely.
Make new curtains for my kitchen. *getting ready to purchase fabric.
~~Successfully launch my Photography business...aePhotography.~~
~~Grow out my hair.~~
Bake my own bread.
Surprise Husby at least once a month with something fun. ~~August, September, October, November, December, January, February~~
Create our "Family Story" wall. *Gotta make the shelves
Organize and add shelving to our Master Bedroom Closet.
~~Hit 35,000 visitors on our Blog.~~
~~Successfully keep an Orchid for more than 30 days.~~
~~Have a successful Yard Sale.~~
Paint a picture. *Painting soon
~~Slow dance with Husby.~~
Go to a show on Broadway.
Hold a puppy.
Make a necklace. *Gotta buy items needed
Grow Peonies. *Have purchased the root/bulbs!
Get Husby to dress up for Halloween.

10 out of 30 completed, and that leaves 11 that I am working on...and that leaves 9 that I still need to complete, some of which I am already kind of preparing myself for an incomplete result. While I realize...this is not very good for only having 93 days left...I am still very excited!

I am really gonna hit the list now that we are in the middle of February and the weather is starting to give us a few subtle hints that Spring is on it's way! So I promise to update again soon...and hoping to mark off at least 5 to 6 of this items crossed off!

Ken wants Barbie back...

2011-02-10T14:10:00.000-05:00

It's true. There is a new digital campaign by Mattel to rejoin the once thought soul mates, Barbie and Ken.

And Ken wants her back...BAD.

After the controversial split back on Valentines' Day 2004, the two went their seperate ways and Barbie has even been seen around town with the likes of this guy... Steve...

Call me crazy, but has Steve ever held down a job besides surfing?

Ken is doing everything he can...like posting billboards all over LA...

He's even taken to his Facebook and Twitter pages to win her back!

Barbie is having a hard time deciding though. She too has been posting about this decision on Facebook and Twitter, with statements like, "This whole Ken things has me feeling completely confused. He's made it no secrete that he wants to get back together, but is it the right decision? Advice needed." and "Ken seems to be everywhere I turn. Driving to the airport and I see a billboard with him on it...again! What's a doll to do?"

I say GO FOR IT BARBIE...after all...I'm sorry, but lately Ken is looking goooooddd...

Now, if we were throwing Jacob in the mix...this might be a different story....heehee

Oh OH!

So what do you think? Should Barbie take Ken back? VOTE NOW!

The Joy of Love - Day Ten

2011-02-10T10:14:00.000-05:00

10 where they are comfortable

Todays prompt asked us to photograph a loved one in “their” spot in the house.

Technically, this isn’t in the house…but it is the backyard…and it is most definitely one of the puppies favorites spots in the yard. Sunning by the back shed is a prime location in the Spring and Summer. Aren’t they just too cute!!

The Joy of Love - Day Nine

2011-02-09T22:10:00.000-05:00

09 passions and hobbies

Todays prompt asked us to photograph our loved ones extracurricular activity.

Right away I knew I needed to head to the golf course…well not literally…but at least to the photos of one really great day for Husby on the golf course. This is the day that Husby almost made a hole-in-one at Congressional Golf Course. It’s one of the courses that the pros play at.

He was so proud of himself…and it proved to showcase the skills of one of Husby’s favorite hobbies.

Coupons! Coupons! Coupons!

2011-02-09T21:27:00.000-05:00

So I did a little research this morning...trying to find out where to snatch up the best deals, etc.

So here's the nitty gritty for those of you in my area...you know who you are.

Here are the list of stores in our area and their coupon policies...(sorry, but I kept the list down to only the stores I shop at, so Giant is not on the list...I have never liked their prices.)

Food Lion
Accepts manufacturer and internet coupons.
Does NOT double/triple

Shoppers
Accepts manufacturer and internet coupons.
Doubles up to $.99
On occasion, they triple, up to $1.50 I think.
Internet coupons accepted up to $7.00
Free internet coupons not accepted, unless it's BOGO.

Super Fresh
Accepts only manufacturer coupons
NO internet coupons
Does NOT double/triple

So...for me...Shoppers wins. Hands down. Not that it's a surprise. So now, onto planning my coupons and spending. Unfortunately for me one of my favorite sites, SouthernSavers.com doesn't offer the AD's for Shoppers on their site along with all the bonus information they provide (more on that in another post)...so I have to do a little work on my own.

So, let's pretend you are sitting down with me at the dining room table to plan my shopping trip. Here's what I would do. First thing, I make a list of what is needed, and then what's wanted, then extras. This is so I won't over shop and/or buy anything we don't really need. Then, I head over to Shoppersfood.com and I hit up their 'online coupon' area. I select my desired coupons and even print doubles of some good ones. (Now, bear in mind many online couponers will keep track of how many you have printed. I believe you can print two to three before you will see a note that says "limit reached" next to the coupon.) For this trip I clipped 12 coupons, totaling savings of $12.55, I am already excited! I also have my already collected coupons stocked up and ready.

Next, I check the weekly specials...for even more change in my pocket! After selecting your store you can check out the weekly in-store specials or the circular. So I check those out and match up with coupons where possible. For example, I am adding these to my shopping trip:

Digiorno 2/$10 - Coupon for $2 off = 2 for $8 or $4 each
Kraft Cheese Singles 2/$4 - 2 Coupons for $1 off = 2 for $2 or $1.00 each
Tyson Chicken Strips (lower price) $6.99 - Coupon for $1.00 off = $5.99
Sargento Cheeses (lower price) $2.79 - Coupon for $.50 off two/doubled = $2.29 each
Johnsonville Italian Sausage 2/$6 - Coupon for $1.00 off = $5.00 or $2.50 each

So with just those I am saving $7.00...it's a start, that's for sure.

Now the plan for this trip to the store is to just buy what is needed, no stocking up.

So skip forward a couple hours...after some research and planning, collecting and cutting coupons...the shopping is done and I save $13.80!!! That was 14% of my total. I am quite proud of myself...I love learning how to coupon and I love saving money!

So get out there, cut coupons, do a little planning and SAVE! Share some of your best couponing stories and how you save money shopping!

Ohhh yeeaaauuuhhhh...

2011-02-09T11:36:00.000-05:00

Who is 274 visitors away from hitting 35,000 visitors?

...this chick right here.

Just thought I'd share! :)

The Joy of Love – Day Eight

2011-02-08T20:00:00.001-05:00

08 gift from the heart

Todays prompt asked us to photograph a promised gift.

I knew that I wanted to get into photography and I had been researching and talking about it for a while. One day in late May, Husby said it was time. I was allowed to purchase my NEW camera. Although it wasn’t necessarily a gift FROM him, his willingness to let me use lots of our money on something that was really just for me, was gift enough!

Kitchen Makeover - Is it too late to change my mind?

2011-02-08T14:58:00.005-05:00

I know. We just re-did the Kitchen back in '06 (at least I think it was in '06...ha) and oh how I wish we were re-doing it now, because my style...gosh even our style has changed. So follow along in my little dream world. It's so pretty here...and one day...maybe one day...we can do a kitchen overhaul, on a budget and get just what I am looking for!

this post is heavy on the pictures...

but I couldn't show you what I loved...

without including them...

enjoy them with me...

drool with me...

dream with me...

First of...I want white cabinets and stainless steel. Even though I liked stainless steel back then, we just couldn't afford it at the time. Thanks to younghouselove.com for many of these pictures!

I love butcher block and dark countertops...

I love Subway tile!

I love open shelving or glass front cabinet doors...

And as you can see in MANY of these pictures, I love splashes of color...teals, yellows, greens, even orange! I want a greyish color on the wall with hints of blue in it. I want to add those nickel plated or black rounded/cup drawer and door hardware. I want big glass canisters holding my flour, sugar and brown sugar. I am lost on the floor. Part of my would love to continue the wood from the rest of the house, but I don't think that's possible. :/

So far, I have come across one kitchen that seems to embody it all...it's my favorite

over at...Odd Girl Out.

It has the subway tile backsplash, and the pops of color...the stainless steel...and dark countertops.

It has open shelving, even if it's just a little bit of it.

Open canisters and more pops of color...and look at that tile...gorgeous!

I even love the technically exterior light fixture she used!

*sigh* A girl can dream right?

Skoy Cloth - Paper Towels are OUT!

2011-02-08T14:55:00.001-05:00

Skoy Cloth.
Sounds all spacey and cool huh?
Oh it is.

I recently came across Skoy Cloth while looking for a better option when it came to cleaning up wet messes and scrubbing down the kitchen, bathroom and dishes. I normally run to my paper towels or to those yellow and white checkered kitchen rags that stain and fall apart after 2 uses. I hated buying paper towels only to see them pulled off two and three long and wasted on a small clean-up job!! Seemed like such a waste!

Well, I found my solution in Skoy Cloth! They boast a better cloth that is also environmentally friendly! Did you know that 2.5 million tons of paper towels are used annually!? The Skoy Cloth is made from renewable and raw materials such as cellulose (a derivative of wood) and cotton! One Skoy Cloth is comparable to 15 rolls of paper towels! What savings!!!

I read on their website that the Skoy Cloth could hold up to 15x it's weight...so I decided to do a little experiment.

I measured out a 1/2 cup of water.

Then I dropped in a sweetly designed Skoy Cloth...

I sat back and watched it do it's job...

...all of the 1/2 cup of water was gone in a few seconds! Then I could wring out my Skoy Cloth and clean off my counters!

The Skoy Cloth was also amazing on a soda spill...

Again, it absorbed the spill in a matter of seconds...leaving my counter top dry to the touch!

I'm sold!! These are the best alternative, without the expensive pricetag!!

Want a chance to win your own Skoy Cloth pack?! We are hosting a Skoy Cloth giveaway, today through February 15th at midnight! 2 lucky Winners will receive a 4 pack of Skoy Cloth!! Here's how you can sign up! You can get up to 4 entries:

1. Find Skoy Cloth on Facebook and "Like" them, leave me a comment saying, "I like Skoy Cloth on Facebook."

2. Go to the Skoy Cloth website and read about their company! Leave me comment with something you learned about Skoy Cloth or the Company.

3. Follow or Subscribe to 2Slicks Good Times, leaving me a comment saying you have.

4. Leave a comment with how you plan to use the Skoy Cloth.

Good luck to everyone, I can't wait to share these amazing little tools with you!!

The Joy of Love - Day Seven

2011-02-07T23:29:00.000-05:00

07 generations

Today’s prompt asked us to photograph family generations.

This is one of my favorite pictures. It’s my sisters and I, along with my cousin, my Mother and my Aunts. The pose is a “signature” with my Mom’s family growing up…and it has been passed down to the girlies in the family!

Valentine's Day Crafts - Felt Heart Door Hanger

2011-02-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a great little Valentine's Day project...we completed it at our Church's Chicks in Aprons class...and had a great time!

Here's what you'll need:
elt (any color) 10-12 sheets
Ribbon (to hang your decor)
Straight Pins/Dress Pins (250+)
Heart Shaped Styrofoam Heart (I know Hobby Lobby carries them)
Scissors
Your supplies should total around $14-16
Now, here's the HOW-TO
So I am gonna do a quick run down of the fastest way to cut out your circles, cause you are going to need A LOT of them!! First you want to cut your felt sheet in half...

Then cut it in half again...

Then cut them in half...

You still with me? Now you should have about an inch to an inch and a half wide stripe that is 8 inches long. (estimated) Now you need to zig zag fold them...like this...

Now, cut off the corners forming a circle. You can cut a complete circle out if you want, whatever works for you. And no, your circles do not have to be perfect...

Now...grab your pins and your heart...it's time to start assembling this baby...
Take one circle and fold it in half...

Then in half again...till you have this little felty bundle...

Stick one pin through the point of your felt circle bundle and push it into your styrofoam heart...

Pack them as tight or as loose as you desire...and keep folding, sticking and pushing...

No really, keep going...

And before long, you'll be DONE!!
It helps to have a little cutie-pah-tootie nearby to help show off the final result...and it's even better if she exclaims "oh I loooveee ittt aweeee" and gives it a hug. *adorable!*

Then you are complete. The adding the ribbon is pretty self-explainatory...I assume. Just cut the ribbon to desired length and stick it to the back of your heart with more pins.
*Note, your pointer and thumb finger will more than likely be numb at the tip by the end of this...but no one ever said crafting isn't hard work!!!*
Here's my finished product!

What kind of cutesy-heartsy things are you making for Lovey Day this year?

The Joy of Love - Day Six

2011-02-06T23:23:00.001-05:00

06 who they love

Today’s prompt asked us to photograph someone with someone that they love.

Husby certainly loves his little Olive-Girl and she loves her Daddy. Here she is resting at his feet.

Too cute for words!

The Joy of Love - Day Five

2011-02-05T23:19:00.001-05:00

05 love to hate

Today’s prompt asked us to photograph someone we loved doing something the hated.
I immediately knew which photograph would work. Husby hates to sand drywall…and we had to do a lot of it…even for a tiny room.
I think deep down he loves the accomplishment of it, but hates blowing it out of his nose for days!

The Joy of Love - Day Four

2011-02-04T23:10:00.000-05:00

04 what they wear

Today’s prompt asked us to photograph our loved ones clothes…

I choose to photograph Husby after a particularly long and hard day at work. Long story short it involved mud, as you can see from his pants. Glad he’s ok…this uniform has seen many days…and he spends the majority of his life in it.

But boy does he wear it well!

What I love about my Wife.

2011-02-04T11:23:00.002-05:00

Husby Writing......

I am in the middle of my Annual Valentines Scavenger Hunt Extravaganza (April will tell you all about it in a later post) and today's task is to write a blog about my Beautiful Wife.

I love my wife because of her extremely fun personality and her incredibly creative skillz. She is truly the light bulb in our relationship, by lighting everything up. She makes everything in our life run smoothly and she makes sure it is always topped with a lot of fun.

Her creative skillz have brought a lot of joy to other peoples lives and it has truly brought life to our Home. It has also given her the ability to start several in home businesses, and thankfully she has found one that is not only working/making money, but it is fulling an emptiness in her life.

There is so much more that I love about my Wife, but I will be here all day if I go through them all, so I highlighted the big ones.

I LOVE YOU APRIL

"What do you love about your significant other or your relationship with them?"

I SHALL Coupon!!

2011-02-03T12:01:00.000-05:00

I will...
cut coupons.
save money.
and save BIG.

I will.

Here's how I'm doing it...for now at least.

I have started by cutting coupons, duh. I recently purchased a weekend only subscription to The Sun newspaper (Thank you Groupon. If you aren't using them you SHOULD!), I got my first one last weekend. I cut out what we eat, drink or use only. I categorized them.

I will do this for at least another two-three weeks, to build up a complete system of coupons.

Then, I will start implementing them into my shopping plan...according to my bi-weekly meal plan.

I will take only the coupons that I plan to use. I don't plan to stockpile for more than a 3 month supply of anything. If my store is doubling or tripling coupons, then that's a bonus, and I will try and match up to those shopping dates. I will also take advantage of the deals at CVS, Rite-Aid and Walgreens, like toiletries, etc.

This is my plan.

I am excited to build up to bigger and better savings each time. Eventually, I plan to join CouponSense.com. So, far it seems to be the best plan available.

Until then, here are my other online resources:
Coupons: Red Plum
Coupons: Smart Source
Coupons.com
Money Saving Mom
Hip 2 Save
Mojo Savings
Frugal Coupon Living
Passionate Penny Pincher
Southern Savers

So...how do you save? Do you cut coupons? Share your secrets...it's not that fun if your the only one saving money! ;)

The Joy of Love - Day Three

2011-02-03T07:00:00.002-05:00

03: then and now

Today's prompt asked us to document someone we love...then...and now.

My little Pickle-Bear. The second man of the house.

Once a pink-puffy-eyed little puppy, now he's the worlds bestest friend and one of my favorite things to look forward to at the end of the day.

-Want to know what this is all about...see all of my Joy of Love posts here, and read about who started it here.

The Joy of Love - Day Two

2011-02-02T16:00:00.006-05:00

02: how they look

Today's prompt asked us to document an expression of someone we love. This is my sweet little Olive-girl...at her happiest.

Nothing comes between a girl and her big, backyard ball.

-Want to know what this is all about...see all of my Joy of Love posts here, and read about who started it here.

The Joy of Love - Day One

2011-02-01T17:00:00.016-05:00

I am participating in this 28-day class put on my Willette Designs. I am in love with the process already...

01: what they do

Today's prompt asked us to document someone we love while they are "DO"ing something. Lately, as in the past year or so, Husby has been "DO"ing alot of Home Improvement work. He loves it.

As you can see here, he really gets into it...what's not to love? A Man. His tools. And Fire.

-Want to know what this is all about...see all of my Joy of Love posts here, and read about who started it here.

What is the Internet?

2011-01-31T14:42:00.002-05:00

1994.

17 years ago.

I was in 8th grade I believe.

Do you remember life before the Internet?

Check out this video from January, 1994 with Bryant Gumbel and Katie Couric talking about "@" signs and the Internet.

I can remember my first instant message chat...it seemed so new and exciting!! What is your first internet memory?

SAG Award Fashion 2011

2011-01-31T12:29:00.000-05:00

Time for more FASHION...the SAG Awards this time...here we go...

First off we have the "HITS" from the night...

Kim Kardashian - I am loving this Marchesa dress and the color looks amazing on her; but still can't quit figure out why she was even at this event?!?!

Natalie Portman - Seriously, how adorable is she in this Azarro number? Plus, she was wearing earrings worth 2 million from Tiffany & Co. They even came with security guards in tow to protect the earrings!

Claire Danes - I cannot say enough about this gorgeous floral by Louis Vuitton. She looks stunning!

Angie Harmon - I think it's adorable...but maybe a bit much...by Monique Lhuillier.

Diana Argon - The ever so classic chickadee in a glittering tea-length gown by Chanel Haute Couture.

Sofia Vergara - This Roberto Cavalli gown with plunging neckline is a big hit...but then again she could probably make a burlap sac look gorgeous!

Helen Bonham Carter - No, your eyes are not playing tricks on your...this is the BEST I have ever seen her dressed, so that slide her onto the Hits list...this time. Wearing Marc Jacobs.

Nicole Kidman - In Nina Ricci, she looked so pretty!

Julia Stiles - I feel like I haven't seen her since "10 Things I Hate about You", but she is wearing that Monique Lhuillier like nobodies business and I am loving it!

Now we are moving on to the "ehhhh's"

Lea Michele - I want to like this low-cut, belted, sequin gown by Oscar de la Renta, but I dunno. I'm just not sold on it...+ I think she looks too skinny, she's been sucked into that Hollywood shrink effect.

Mila Kunis - Here's another one that I want to like...and I kinda do...but this Alexander McQueen just doesn't seem to suit the red carpet in my opinion.

Now for the "Me no Likey's"

Eva Longoria - No. Too Boring. Too cut up.

Amy Adams - Wearing Hervé Leroux and I am already asleep.

Julianna Margulies - This was a very classic and chic dress byYves Saint Laurent, but there is just something about red dresses on the red carpet...I just don't like.

Tina Fey - Same with this red dress by Oscar de la Renta...I just feel like you blend in unless the dress is spectacular!

January Jones - in Carolin Herrera...I think she looks like a lamp. Nuff said.

Winona Ryder - She looks unsure and uncomfortable...just like the dress.

So there we have it...my Hits, Ehh's and No Likeys...what were your thoughts on the SAG Awards Fashions?

What Inspires You? - Part 5

2011-01-28T13:05:00.000-05:00

Today, I am inspired by Husby. Who did you think I would talk about on a Friday?! :) I am inspired by his drive. The man just gets stuff done.

Seriously.

There are times when he heads downstairs to "clean up" and within an hour he has the place spic-n-span (well spic-n-span for the basement at least.)

Me? I can't finish a job like that very quickly. I get sidetracked, start doing three things at once, get overwhelmed and give up. ha!

He just has such a drive to get things completed. And that inspires me. Babe, you rock!

What's inspiring you today? Have you like the series? I hope it's challenged you to get inspired!!

Design Trends - Lyric inspired Artwork

2011-01-27T14:46:00.000-05:00

I keep running across a new design trend and I am loving it.

Lyric inspired art...

"You are my Sunshine" is an obvious favorite...

(image from here)

Throw a little country in the mix...

(image from here)

And some music for the soul...

(image from here)

Even a little "Beatles" magic...

(image from here)

And don't forget the 80's...

(image from here)

I love these! I may have to find a way to add some of my favorite "lyrics" to my walls! What would you use? Lyrics? Poetry?

What Inspires You - Part 4

2011-01-27T11:00:00.001-05:00

Today, I am inspired by Creativity.

I love how creativity can spark a bit of inner child-like energy. I know for me...when I see an idea I love or get an idea...I am pushed and driven to complete the task.

Sure. Most of the time I fall flat on my face and never complete it.

But then I have nights like last night or a few nights last week, where I get hit with the hastiness of my energy and I hit a few projects full force. I always get so proud of myself when a project is done.

This is so true as well...

I mean, for us, Decor...is on a budget. Gifts...are on a budget. So I have to get creative. And you know, for me...making something as opposed to buying them...means so much more!

So, I hope to inspire you to be C R E A T I V E, just like other bloggers do for me! So I will leave you with some of my favorite "creativity" quotes...be inspired.

“There is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost.”

— Martha Graham

“When we engage in what we are naturally suited to do, our work takes on the quality of play and it is play that stimulates creativity.”

– Linda Naiman

“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.”

— Mary Lou Cook

“The world is but a canvas to the imagination.”

— Henry David Thoreau

“The most potent muse of all is our own inner child.”

– Stephen Nachmanovitch

“Everyone who’s ever taken a shower has had an idea. It’s the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes a difference.”

— Nolan Bushnell

“God is really another artist. He invented the giraffe, the elephant and the cat. He has no real style. He just goes on trying other things.”

— Pablo Picasso

“Creativity is contagious. Pass it on.”

— Albert Einstein

What's inspiring you today?

I'm Lovin' It - Must Do List

2011-01-27T10:00:00.001-05:00

So I have been crawling back and forth all over my blog this week. I read through all of my past I'm Lovin' It posts and decided to come up with a "Must Do" list.

So here goes...you can click on any picture to link directly to where I got the idea, although some may just be pictures.

I will be adding some color to the backyard with these goodies this year!!

And adding some sweetness to the front yard with these...

I am just amazing by how cool this looks. So I will find a place to make and use these...

Uhm...this is just cute. Makin' one!!

And I will be adding some pops of color this Spring in my house with some of these...as well as some forced bulbs (thanks for the idea TT!)

and before the chill of Winter leaves us, I want to make one of these...

I have a plethora of cabinet doors just waiting for some projects to be done with them...so one of these is coming up very soon!!

So what great ideas do you have coming up??

Valentine's Day Crafts - Part 2

2011-01-26T13:24:00.001-05:00

Here's another great, and super cute little Valentine's Day craft. My amazingly wonderful Mother knew I was looking for an old Scrabble game and picked one up for me at Goodwill...cause she is super amazing at that!

She got me some great white shelves here.
She helped me find some great stuff for a project here.
She found me this beauty, that I still have big plans for here.
She found me this amazing rug here.
She even finds me stuff on the side of the road, here.

So anyways, like I said...she's pretty much amazing!

So finally, I sat down to crank out a great little project...original idea found at 320 Sycamore.

I picked up a cute little metal heart frame at Target, on clearance...get HOLLA...for $3.98 (regularly $4.99) Then I picked out some sweet heart paper from my mounds of scrapbook paper collecting dust downstairs in the new pantry, the same pantry who's door never seems to stay closed when the Husby and friends work on the basement...arggg! :P

Anywhoodle, that's besides the point.

So I have my paper and my frame. I cut the paper down to the right size...

...I made sure it looked cute...check!

I picked out the "L, O, V, E, Y, U" letters from the Scrabble game and added some tacky glue to the back...placing them in order...

L O V E

I sat it in it's rightful place and snapped a few pictures...

I just love it!

So for under $6.00, I have a super cute frame for Valentine's Day...and enough leftover for another fun little project.

You may be asking...So what do you plan to do with the other Scrabble pieces? And, I did have a plan...

Don't mind the background mess in the picture, like I said...I was busy as a bee working on some projects!

I took some old fridge magnets that we never pay any attention to and I cut them up into little squares...then I attached them to the back of the Scrabble pieces with some tacky glue. Let them sit for about 15 minutes and there ya have it...

Some great fridge letters, perfect for an ongoing game of Scrabble, or just some cute little love notes to each other!

I think it was the perfect way to use the leftovers...I even got a "cute babe" response from Husby! :) score.

Great little projecst like this, just make me giddy!!

Valentine's Day Crafts - Part 1

2011-01-26T12:35:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day is 20 days away; and it is a favorite in our house! So this year I just knew I had to whip up some fun Heart Day goodies.

I headed out to Target and picked up some cute Valentine's Day plates and a bowl to match. Then I hopped into JoAnn's to pick up a dowel and some Gorilla Glue.

When I got home, I laid out some paper on the table, snatched up some white paint (just the $.89 kind from any craft store) and painted my dowels that I had Husby help me cut down.

After two coats and letting them dry, I followed the directions with the Gorilla Glue and started attaching my dowels to the plates. This...turned into an ordeal. They most certainly did not want to stick. One dowel in fact fell at least 4 times. Arrrgggg. Just as I was beginning to get frustrated they stuck.

I have to admit though this process took about 2 hours, then right before bed we attached the top tier (the bowl) and went to bed. It fell once, it was fixed and then I went to bed again. Grrrrr.

But...when I got up this morning I met my new sweet little dessert tiered-tray.

I loved it! I can't wait to bake some yummy "low point" goodies for small group next week and share them on my new tray!

Yeah, I know you see it too...the gunk...more on that in a sec...

I must point out one thing. This was the first time that I had used Gorilla Glue. Everyone raves about it and even after the minor topples of last night it seems to have the strength to really hold, however I am not pleased with the foamy hard gunk that I am left with. I'm not sure if that means that I used too much...but I just know that I will have to try and get some of that off.

Isn't it just the cutest! And I saved on making my own! You see Target does sell it's own tray using some of these plates...but it was $9.99 and I just knew that I could make it cheaper. And I did.

Here's the cost breakdown: I got many of these on clearance...whoo hoo! How lucky!? I'm not counting the cost of the Gorilla Glue (which was $5.99, $3.59 with a 40% off coupon, which I used!!), it will lend me a hand in many projects to come.

At Target:

Pink Heart Bowl $1.50 (regularly $2.49)

Red Dot Plate $1.25 (regularly $1.79)

White Heart Plate $1.25 ($1.99)

At JoAnn's Crafts:

Wooden Dowel $.89

Total $4.89

Good enough for a quick little cute project! And I figure you can do this little project for any Holiday! Target always has the cutest holiday plates available! I will however be looking for something cuter to go in place of the wooden dowels.

I know many other people/bloggers have done something similar, so I knew I just needed to try it too! So what do you think of the little project?

Keep your eye out...more to come!

Photography Blogs - Some of my favorites!

2011-01-26T11:30:00.000-05:00

As mentioned in a previous post, I follow many, many blogs. And a good deal of them are Photography blogs. What can I say? They offer great inspiration and ideas and are just so fun to look at!

On any given day I can have over 100+ Photography blogs to read and get all googly-eyed over.

Take this day for instance, Friday, January 21st. I widdled down my list of blogs to just the "updated" Photography blogs and I had 186 to view. Garsh.

...I just can't explain it...I LOVE every minute of it. What are your favorite blogs to read?

What Inspires You? - Part 3

2011-01-26T09:00:00.001-05:00

Today, I am inspired by Music.

"Music is what feelings sound like."

I love how music can transport you to another place. Whether through memories, or daydreaming. Music can captivate your mind, heal your soul and change your attitude. Good or Bad.

"Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could
not hear the music. "
- Angela Monet

Have you ever experienced one of those times when a song took you back to a memory of your childhood, or your teenage years? Or has a song helped you remember a person, maybe even someone who isn't with you anymore?

Music is so strong, yet so gentle. It can make you angry, sad, happy, giggle, and excited.

"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music."
- Sergei Rachmaninov

I love how music moves me. It inspires me. It makes me creative and it soothes me. It makes a long ride home from work fly-by when the perfect song is playing.

"Music takes us out of the actual and whispers to us dim secretes that startle our wonder as to who we are, and for what, whence, and whereto."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

What's inspiring you today?

Bedroom Shelving - the votes are in!

2011-01-25T22:22:00.000-05:00

So about two weeks ago I asked for ya'lls help to decide on where to hang some shelves in our Master bedroom...and many of you came in with your votes!

Option 2 came in with three votes:

Option 3 got four votes...

And Option 5 got four votes...

I kinda feel like I like Option 5 the best, it gives me lots of space for storage...BUT...I don't know that I have the "stuff" to fill it up. And I think that Option 2 doesn't offer enough space...

Soooo....we are going with Option 2. Just enough space, but not too much. :)

Seems like a nice happy medium option yeah? Now to install...maybe Husby can watch while he is "resting." ;)

What Inspires You? - Part 2

2011-01-25T11:05:00.000-05:00

What inspires you?

Today, I want to tell you why I am inspired by a few of my best girlfriends...

I am inspired by my TT. She's the kind of Momma I want to be one day. She lives for her little Monkey and Beanie, taking the time to create fun activities for them, sew dresses for Beanie, take a picture a day to keep memories and so much more. She's that Momma that doesn't sit still. I am always inspired by her determination to do what she wants to do. She makes things happen and has great stories to share because of it.
She is inspiring me to make plans to always have memories for my children one day too.

I am inspired by Britt. I love her inner adventurer. Even when life gets in the way, she tries her hardest to get what she wants out of it. I love her desire to cook cleaner for her Family; and while I don't always get it, she strives to stay organic, giving Lil' Miss the best she can. I am proud of her determination to pay off debt and work, even though I know she wants more to stay at home and build her business. I know that all her hard work will pay off and she will see the benefits of it very soon.
She is inspiring me to push myself with my business, because as women, we can do what we set out to do, no matter what.

I am inspired by Brandy. She is a home-schooling Mom of three. For years there has been that thought inside of me that wants to home school my children when that time comes. I see the strength she has to get up each morning, make sure her children get what they need to start the day and then she teaches them. Seems like such a basic thing, a Mother teaching her Children; but not only in academics, she sees to it that her children understand God's Word and how to live their lives in such a way that would teach many of us adults how to love God. I can see the benefits she is adding to her children's lives.
She is inspiring me to do the same when I am a Mommy.

Who or what is inspiring you today?

Board and Batten Hallway - Could we?

2011-01-25T09:00:00.003-05:00

So I know I have mentioned Board and Batten before, here and here. I LOVE the design. I think it's such a clean, chic look. I had toyed around with the idea of adding it to my Family Story Wall, but I think it would be a bit too much for that small room. (If you look past the living room, you can see the Dining Room and the wall we are planning to use for our Story wall on the right.) We had already added crown molding and we are planning to use the "ten dollar shelves" (from Anna-White.com) on our Story wall...so adding more "stuff" just didn't seem like a great idea.

So, I got to thinking...where can I add board and batten...I mean, I'm to the point where I need it so badly that I HAVE to have it. :) Some designs are just that good. :)

Then, it hit me. The hallway.
But is it too small a space?
Oh, but wouldn't it look so good?!
And then I can finally make myself pick out an actual paint color for the top of the board and batten.
Hmmm...

So I hopped over to Google images...one of my online BFF's.

Here are some of the ideas I came across.

(image from here)

(image from here)

Oh, I think this is doable. Would this be a great place to incorporate the board and batten design? Our hallway now is so boring and plain and white. I want to include pictures too...but is my hallway too small to add picture on the ledges, or even have little ledges at all?

Thoughts?

What Inspires You? - Part 1

2011-01-24T12:30:00.000-05:00

What inspires you?

Seems like an easy enough question to answer until you start thinking about it. Then...it's not so easy. So I figured I would take the next 5 days and really break it down.

So today, I am inspired by Blogs.

I can't tell you how much I love reading my blogs. I have more subscriptions on my Google Reader than I can count (439 to be exact) and even on the days when I sign in and see 1,000+ new blogs to read...while I know I won't catch up for a day or two...I am excited about all the little treasures that are waiting for me on the next blog post.

Here's just a little of what inspires me from some of my favorite blogs...

I am inspired by pretty designs and bold design statements (I would never have the guts to take)...

(image from here)

(image from here)

I am inspired by yummy goodies...

(image from here)

(image from here)

Beautiful and bright photography....

(image from here)

amazingly heart-warming videos...

Love from Collin Kartchner on Vimeo.

(video from here)

It's all out there, you just have to find it. Inspiration is everywhere. What inspires you today?

Union 28 Giveaway Winner - And Discount code!

2011-01-24T11:37:00.000-05:00

Well, thanks to all that commented for the Union28 Giveaway!! I got 50 responses!! Love it!

And, the winner is #5....Brandy from Criswell Academy.

Congratulations Brandy!! You are the winner of a $25 Gift Certificate to Union28.net!! Keep your eye out for an email to arrange receiving your prize! And don't be sad that you didn't win! Remember you can still use the 10% discount code for 10% off any Union28 product. Just use the code "U28SGT15" when you checkout.

And THANKS to all the Husband's the ROCK out there!

30 Before 30 - Update...

2011-01-21T14:40:00.000-05:00

According to my Timer, I have: 118 Days, 8 Hours, 53 Minutes and 15, 14, 13...seconds left to complete my 30 before 30 list.

Let's take a look at how ~~well~~ I am doing...

Finish all drywalling in the basement. *We are so close...just a small portion of the laundry room needs to be finished and all the bulkheads. But we are on a little break after Husby's injury.
Recover a chair. *heehee, need to finish painting...but it's been too cold!
~~Complete our Master Bedroom. (Paint, Furniture & Decor)~~
Sew a dress for myself.
Make Sushi from scratch. *It's on the calendar...January 28th. If I have talked to you about coming over when I do it...save that date! :)
Get pregnant.
Pay off Credit Cards.
Print out photobooks of my favorite photos. *adding photos...
Have a Family Photo taken. Husby and I...and us with the Pups.
~~Grow vegetables.~~
~~Learn how to use my DSLR in manual mode.~~
~~Start journaling.~~
Lose 20+ pounds. *On Weight Watchers since January 4th, 7 pounds down so far.
Make new curtains for my kitchen. *In design phase :)
~~Successfully launch my Photography business...aePhotography.~~
~~Grow out my hair.~~
Bake my own bread.
Surprise Husby at least once a month with something fun. ~~August, September, October, November, December~~ I am working on January.
Create our "Family Story" wall. *Gotta make the shelves
Organize and add shelving to our Master Bedroom Closet.
Hit 35,000 visitors on our Blog. *Getting so close...almost at 33,657!! 1,000 more than last check in!
Successfully keep an Orchid for more than 30 days. We are on "orchid watch" It's day 14...so far, so good!
~~Have a successful Yard Sale.~~
Paint a picture. A plan is in place to work on this soon. Next month!
~~Slow dance with Husby.~~
Go to a show on Broadway.
Hold a puppy.
Make a necklace. Planning this one.
Grow Peonies.
Get Husby to dress up for Halloween.

So I think we are doing pretty good!! We only have 20 left and many of those are SO close to being done!! I am proud...and while we are at it...how about I check in with my 2011 Goals so far...

~~Join Weight Watchers~~ ~~again~~ I joined on January 4th. I have lost 7 pounds as of this morning.
~~Start a friendly weight loss competition with some friends~~. I have joined two competitions. One online with Bobbi and Mike, called the HealthyTrain. One is still in the works between the Young Adult Small Group and the VERB Youth Leaders at our church.
Exercising. I won't strike through this yet, because it has not become a habit, but I HAVE made an effort to be more active and do some workouts here and there.
~~Start couponing~~. I will go ahead and strike this one, because I am in collect mode right now...I will start using them soon.
Finish the decor in the Master Bedroom gosh, I am so close to striking this one, but I still need to hang some shelves and make our mirror first. By the way...I need options on shelving location...go here and let me know what you think!
Read my B.I.B.L.E. more. We are a go on this one....but won't strike just yet.
Read more period. Not striking, but I have three books ready to read...
Get at least $500 into savings. Ehhh no where close.
Go to bed earlier. I will say I have accomplished this a couple nights here and there...
Wake up earlier. haha, I would hardly say that one or two days counts.
~~Eat breakfast.~~ I have done this everyday since the start of Weight Watchers.
Hit my Photography business hard! Won't strike it yet, but I am hittin' it pretty hard already. Got a Grow-With-Me Package booked and my very first Wedding!
Get knocked up. :) Working on that ;)
~~Get crafty-er~~ I am striking this one...because I have already completed about 4 projects and I have a huge list of more to come!!
Sew more Working on it...maybe that dress finally?

Not bad!! This is all super exciting! How are you doing on your goals?!

My Husband Rocks Fridays

2011-01-21T14:02:00.000-05:00

My Husby Rocks this Friday because, he stayed ALIVE this week. We had a very interesting week, Husby is still recovering, and although I am playing nurse to a somewhat stubborn wittle'man...I wouldn't change it for the world. Husby is alive and well and still here with me. Thank you for being so strong this week babe...you rock!

143. Mostest infinity.

So tell me, how does your Husband Rock this week?

A Police Wife - I got one of those calls...

2011-01-20T11:55:00.000-05:00

7:58 am: House phone rings, jerking me out of a deep sleep. I missed the call, but could vaguely remember it saying it was "The Hubby" calling.

7:59 am: I picked up my cellphone from the nightstand, dialing Husby's number...one ring...

Husby: Hey babe.

Me: *sleepily* Hey...what's up?

Husby: I'm ok, I'm fine, but I was in accident. It was a big cluster, so I will tell you all about it later.

Me: *still trying to wake up* Do you want me to come up there? *even though I already know in my head that I am coming up to the hospital either way.*

Husby: You don't have to, I can get a ride. It's up to you.

Me: I am on my way.

These are the scary calls that you never want to get as a Police Wife. I am so thankful for God's hand of protection on Husby and his Brothers. When the incident was all said and done, there were 4 patrol cars trashed, three officers in the hospital and one crazy guy locked up.

It could have been so much worse, all of the Officers walked out of the hospital yesterday morning. Today they are sore and with Husby, even battling some numbness in his arm and hand...but I know that God was with Husby and his partners yesterday morning, and I am so thankful for that. I am thankful that they caught the lunatic that did this to them. The lunatic that tried oh, so desperately to take Husby and his partners away from their families for no good reason.

He didn't succeed, he is in custody with pending attempted Murder charges amongst many others I assume. I have never been more proud of the brotherhood of men and women that came to the defense of Husby and the other Officers.

So Police Wives, hug your Husbands today, just a little tighter than yesterday, I know I will be doing the same for mine.

I love you babe.

Golden Globes Fashion Re-cap - In My Opinion

2011-01-18T13:12:00.000-05:00

So it's that time again...Celeb Fashion. This year's Golden Globe winners weren't much of a shock and although I didn't watch it LIVE, I saw my share of clips. I skipped straight to what they were wearing!! My favorite part! Now...to the GREATS! This were my favorites from the night!

Eva Longoria - She looked absolutely stunning!! I mean, when does she not?!

Carrie Underwood - Sparkly, girl-next-door, goodness!

Mila Kunis- This green number was gorg on her! And to be honest, I still can't get over the fact that she dated Macaulay Culkin for 7 years!

Olivia Wilde - This just looked like an amazingly fun dress to wear! So cute!

Sofia Vergara - I am pretty sure she could pull of anything, but this was a big hit for me!

Lea Michele - Gag, I love her. Too cute!

Dianna Argon - SO elegant!! She just looked like a cloud on the red carpet!

Christina Aguilera - Ok...normally Miss Aguilera doesn't wear any favorites for me...but excuse me for saying this...I think the "healthier" Christina is beautiful. Not so poppy and hyped, but naturally beautiful.

Natalie Portman - That baby bump!!! Ahhh! I loved her dress too...so her! She's just gorgeous!

OK...now let's get down to the THE UGLIES...

Emma Stone - We've got a salmon-peach-bronzer spill on isle 7...UGH...this is just horrible. It like leaves a bad taste in your mouth...

Halle Berry - I'm thinking that was meant to be her undergarments...maybe she was running late and instead of running out in her slippers, she rain out in her slip. Ehhh.

Leighton Meester - You. Are. Not. 80. Don't. Dress. Like. It.

Tina Fey - Pale much? I think this dress just washed out Tina...

Michelle Williams - Did her daughter make this dress?

Helen Bonham Carter - Let's just say that it's safe to say Helen will probably never be on my favorites list...and how about some matching shoes next time Helen.

Ok...so this next list is kinda new...I like to call it the I-Don't-Know-What-I-Think list...

Megan Fox - I want to like it...but then her super large head throws me all off.

Sandra Bullock - I know. I nearly cried putting Sandra anywhere but on my fav's list...but I just don't get it. And the bangs. No.

Claire Danes - Girl. I love you long time...but this dress looks like a prom dress. A really bright one too...

Jennifer Love Hewitt - J. Love you know I love you...but I am not diggin' the top of this dress. You got the goods, don't hide them behind a super-sized fan.

So that's about all I have to say about the Fashion from the 2011 Golden Globes...what are your thoughts? Favs? Uglies?

Window Greenhouse

2011-01-17T11:31:00.002-05:00

So you see the little beauty below...? Husby is on his way to pick up about 25+ of them for FREE! Thank you Craigslist!

I have been wanting some old windows for a while now...for some crafty ideas, for some decor ideas and most of all...to build a window pane greenhouse!

Oh yeah...seriously! I am stoked. So pumped. Ecstatic! You gettin' my drift?

Here are just some of the best ideas I have found for designs so far, even though I pretty much have mine all planned out already...this one is probably the closest to my design as I could find online...

Here are some more...these have a little more design to them, but I still love them!!!

So there ya have it! How amazing are these? I am hoping that they will really boost my green-thumb this year...seeing as how last year I got one green pepper to grow. Out of 5 vegetable plants. Grrrr.

So watch the blog, because I will share my personal tutorial on how mine was made!!

Union 28 Review & Giveaway - The Return of My Husband Rocks Fridays

2011-01-14T00:01:00.041-05:00

*This Giveaway is CLOSED*

About two-and-a-half years ago I started "My Husband Rocks" Fridays. I loved doing it. It was a great way to boost up Husby and to shout to all the world how MY HUSBY was the best. Recently I found out just how much it meant to Husby, especially how much he had missed it. Yeah, I started slacking and missed a few weeks...ok, ok, my last post was in June 2010. My bad babe...it's not because you stopped rocking...by no means!

When I found "My Husband Rocks Fridays" I also found Union28 Marriage Apparel .

This company is amazing. Their message about supporting "Husbands," "Wives," "Dads" and "Moms" is completely worth supporting! Their mission is "to encourage marriages and to honor the sacred covenant between a husband and his wife by communicating a positive image of marriage in a fun and stylish way." Union 28's has a line of clothing with trendy, cute sweatshirts and t-shirts for adults and children. I am showcasing the Pink "My Husband Rocks" Ladies Cut Tee. There's no better way to shout out...that my Husby is the best. It's a great shirt too. So soft. And fits great! I can't wait till I lose a little more weight and can move to a more fitted version. I may just jump it up a bit with the Rhinestone shirt!

Union28 was amazing for helping me to show my Husby how much I love him!

If you are looking for a way to appreciate your Spouse, or if your little one wants to sing the praises of their Momma and Daddy, go visit Union28.net; and please be sure to take advantage of this little tidbit of fun...10% off any Union28 product. Just use the code "U28SGT15" when you checkout.

And to sweeten the deal, Union28 will be giving away a $25 Gift Certificate to one super special reader of my blog! You have 5 simple ways to enter...that means 5 chances to win!!

So today, January 14th thru Midnight, January 21st, choose any of these ways or all of these ways to enter for your chance to win!!

#1 - Visit the Union 28 website and tell me which of their products is your favorite.

#2 - Tell me why your spouse rocks.

#3 - Share this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter.

#4 - Share this giveaway on your Blog.

#5 - Become a follower of this blog.

All entries must be made by Midnight, January 21st...the Winner will be chosen by Random.org announced on January 22nd; remember, even if you don't win...you can save 10% on your purchase by entering the code "U28SGT15" when you checkout.

Now...lemme give you a few of my favorite ways that Husby ROCKS MY SOCKS!!!
It's been long enough and I think it's high-time I show him how great he is!

He takes me on great dates that would only mean alot to someone like me, like taking me to a flower nursery to peruse around.

He's a super hard worker...especially with this basement project.

Sure there are times he lays down on the job...

....but he always picks back up and gets the job done. Even with little puppies trying to help out.

He is one sexy stud-muffin...that's for sure!

He knows how to make me laugh...even though he thinks "his humor is lost on me."

Simply put, he's the best. I don't know where I would be without him. I love you babe, and I promise to never stop showing you and telling you that!

Bedroom Shelving - Nobody puts shelf-y in a corner!

2011-01-11T21:20:00.000-05:00

Was that title straight cheesy or what? My b. It's been one of those goofy days.

Alrighty then...on to the reason I am posting...I have some great little white shelves that Mom got for me from Goodwill. I loves her longtime. I know what I want to put on the shelves, and around about where I want to put them...but now quite h o w I want to install them.

So that's where you kind folks come in.

I needs opinions.

You ready? Ok...so here's the plain corner of our master bedroom where the shelving action will take place...

Some minor information that may impact your decision...The left-hand wall is slightly wider than the right-hand. So keep that in mind when making your decision.

Ok...onto the options...and yes, I used photoshop to do this...isn't it grand?! Annndddd....here are the shelving pieces that we have, although in each option all pieces may not be incorporated, this will help if you have any OTHER ideas. (Or if you know the layout of my room and may have other ideas for where they could go.) *cheese* :)

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Option 4

Option 5

(by the way in this picture those two middle pieces would be together to make a corner piece, even though it looks like there is a space in-between!)

So? Thoughts? Which Option do you like? Or do you have other ideas? HELP! I cannot decide!!