10 Things I have been up to lately

I'm a bad blogger.  I have been so busy lately.  But I still don't want to give up on this little blog of mine.  So in lazy blogger form here is a bullet list of the top 10 things that I've been doing but haven't had time to blog about:

1. We had our yearly site kick-off event for work a few weeks ago.  This is like a pep rally for the year.  Usually we have a dinner at The Angus Barn and other fun team activities.  This year's was not as great as previous years.  But they did surprise us with a performance from Scotty McCreery!

2. Speaking of work, I got a mentor at work.  We are going to meet once a month and so far she has been great.  It's like she knew me from our first meeting.  She wants to help me build my confidence so she gave me an assignment to make a list of 10 things I am proud of accomplishing in my life.  This topic deserves a whole post later because I have done much pondering and researching on confidence in the last month.

3. One of my goals for 2013 was to pay off my car early...and I did last month!  A whole year earlier than schedule!

4. I am also in the process of switching my home and car insurance and refinancing my house.  All this was prompted by a notice that due to an increase in my homeowner's insurance  I had an escrow deficit and they are increasing my house payments by $50 a month.  I know $50 doesn't seem like a lot, but I have a very tight budget and need my bills to stay pretty stable.  Hopefully after all this my payments will be about the same as they are now or even less!

5. I am giving up TV at the end of this month.  This is in an effort to a) save money and b) not be so lazy.  I may supplement with Netflix, but I haven't decided yet.

6. With the money that I am saving from giving up TV, I got a maid.  They only come once a month, but y'all I am terrible at housekeeping and really needed some help!

7. On April 15, 2012 I ran my first half marathon.  On April 15, 2013 I started over with Week One, Day One of the Couch 2 5K program again.  Yes, that is how far you can fall in a year.  I am so out of shape, but at least I am taking steps to get back on the wagon.  (And yes the irony continues that the Boston Marathon Bombings were on that day as well!)

8. I'm going to the beach this weekend with my Bible Study girls and to Austin, TX at the beginning of May for work!  YAY for travel plans!!

9. I've spent a lot of time in downtown Raleigh over the last month and sometimes I think I wish I lived downtown.  It really has come a long way since I first moved here.  But traffic, parking, and one way streets stress me out way too much to make it my home.  I like the outskirts and being right between Raleigh and Durham just fine.

10. I got to get in a cash cube at work last week.  It was a disappointing experience and I only got $24.  I think this was mainly due to the fact that I went 7th and all the $100, $50, and $20 bills had been taken AND they dumped all the fake money the previous people had collected back in the cube right before my turn.  So unfair!  But I guess it's better than nothing.

Hopefully next time it won't be this long between posts! 

Random Wednesday Catch-up

My goal of being a better blogger in 2013 is not going so well.  Life is just so busy.  Being an adult is hard y'all.  And I don't even have a husband or kids.  Although if I had a husband he could help out a little (just saying)

I don't have much time so here are some things that have been occupying my thoughts lately in good 'ole bullet fashion:

- I have become obsessed with Dusk Dynasty.  I seriously have watched about 20 episodes over the last 2 weeks.  Si and his tea cup are my favorite.  I mean HEY he just says the craziest things.  I also love Phil.  Watching the Roberson family makes me hap-py, hap-py, hap-py!

- Y'all if you are tormented by having a crush on someone, wait it out and spend as much time as you can around the person.  Slowly you will start to see their faults and the crush will go away and you won't be tormented by the longings of your heart anymore.  At least it worked for me and I am so glad!

- I'm going to give blood tomorrow for the first time and I am really nervous about it.  I hate needles.  I'm afraid of passing out.  It supposed to only take 15 minutes.  Hopefully I will survive.

- I need a vacation.  If I had a travel buddy I would be planning a trip to Europe right now.  I want to go to Paris and Italy.  In April I have a beach weekend planned and there has been talk of a trip to Austin, TX.  All I know is I need to get away ASAP.

- I need a maid.  I seriously suck at housekeeping.  I can keep things tidy and organized, but I hate cleaning. In particular vacuuming.  Pretty much anything having to do with the floors I hate.  And that is a problem when you have a dog that sheds two tons of fur a day.  It has taken over my house and follows me on my clothes everyday. Oh if only I had a money tree!

- I still want to find movie love.  I want some prince charming sweep me off my feet and cuddle on the couch and make out.  Oh how I miss making out.    

-I've been trying to cook more and not eat out.  I read an article about how off calorie counts can be and so I have just been trying to eat healthy.  Remember how I said I wasn't giving up anything for Lent?  Well, I decided to give up diet soda.  Or soda in general   I am more tired and have had a few headaches, but I feel much less bloated and it's forced me to drink a lot of water which is always good.

That's it for now.  I will try to post some of the Pinterest recipes I've tried recently tomorrow.

Saw it. Pinned it. Did it. - Re-use those candle jars

It all started with this pin:

Source: snapguide.com via ncsuz on Pinterest

I recognized the jar as being from a Bath & Body Works candle because I use those all the time.  And I thought "why did I never think of this before!?!"  (Doesn't Pinterest always do that to you?)

It was super easy.  Just put the jar in the freezer.  (I do mine overnight usually.)

The use a knife and tap on the wax until it breaks apart.  Then it all come out super easily.

Then remove all the stickers and wash any residual wax out.

Easy!

This one I used for cotton balls in the bathroom.

And another one I use as a catch-all jar in the kitchen.  It had knick-knacks like my ear-buds, spare change, bobby pins, and lip gloss in it.  Much better to be in a cute jar than a mess on the counter!

I'm thinking of using some to do this next Thanksgiving:

Source: naptimedecorator.blogspot.com via ncsuz on Pinterest

Or you could do "LOVE" for valentines day or "JOY" for Christmas.  Or you could do "HOME" just for everyday.

So lesson learned: Don't throw out those used up candles!  There are so many possibilities for them!

Linking up!

Pinterest Inspired Wednesday- Address Flower Pot

Source: google.ca via ncsuz on Pinterest

Two weekends ago I went a little crazy buying pumpkins and mums.  I bought 3 small mums, 2 medium size mums, and one great big mum.  I also bought a big orange pumpkin, a small white pumpkin, and a cute little gourd.  There is a cute pumpkin patch thing they set up in a field up the road from where I live.  They have so many mums, pumpkins, gourds, and other fall stuff.  It was such a pretty day and I think I got a little carried away.

Anyway, my friend told me about this thing she saw on Pinterest where you paint your house number on a flower pot.  She had found them on Etsy and ordered one and it was sooo cute.  So I decided to try to make one for my big mum.  I painted a big terra cotta planter and found this paint specifically for terra cotta planters at Michael's.  I bought a cream color for the pot and black for the numbers.  I printed out my house number using a font I liked in Microsoft Word.  Then the hardest part...I used an exacto knife to cut out the numbers.  I think the unfortunate thing for me was I had two 8s and a 0.  So I had to cut out the circles in the middle and save those too.  I taped the stencil to the pot and filled it in with the black paint.  I had to go back and touch up around the numbers after I took the stencil off and it still wasn't perfect but looks pretty cute!

Linking up for:

#18- Upgrade one room in my house

I have learned over the past six years that one of the most frustrating things about having a house is that it is like having a project that is never really complete.  First of all it is expensive!  You move in and you have all these ideas of things you want to change but dang! it is expensive to do everything you want to do.  Then as you complete projects, new ones come up.  It is a never ending cycle.

That is why I had a hard time marking this one as complete.  Because there are still things I want to do.  Especially in my kitchen because that is the room I really had in mind when I put this on my list.

I have upgraded several rooms in my house over the past few years, but one of the most dramatic differences I think it in my office/guest room/home gym.  Here are some "before" shots:

And here are some "after" shots:

One other MAJOR improvement in my house was the instillation of bamboo hardwoods throughout my first floor.  Here is a "before" shot (sorry only one I could find):

 And here is an After:

I also painted my Master Bath and upgraded the faucet in that room. I can't find a good "before" but here is the "after":

And since I mentioned the kitchen, here is a picture of what that looks like now:

I still want to repaint this room (the entire downstairs in fact), add knobs to all the cabinets, install a new light fixture, upgrade all the appliances to stainless steel, get a new sink and counter tops,  put a valance over that window or something, and add a backsplash.  But that takes money that I do not have at the moment, so it will do for now!



Even though there are a lot of other things I want to do when it comes to "upgrading" my house, I am marking #18- "Upgrade one room in my house" as COMPLETE!  Finally.  YAY!

Pinterest Inspired Wednesdays- PB&J cookies & Closet clean out

A guy at my work brought in some cookies his wife had made that had a dollop of jelly in the middle right before Christmas.  They were so good!  I forgot to ask him what kind of cookies they were so I searched on Pinterest for something that looked similar.

These looked similar and sounded easy enough to make, so I made a batch the week after Christmas right before I started my strict "no cheat" diet. They were no were near as good as the ones that guy brought in, but they were pretty tasty.


Here is what they look like on Pinterest:

Source: rachaelraymag.com via ncsuz on Pinterest

They were super easy to make!

Ingredients:
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 large egg
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon strawberry jelly
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1½ tablespoons whole milk

First you stir together the flour and baking powder in a small dish.

Then you blend together 3/4 cup of the peanut butter and wait...oh my.  I just read the ingredients again.  See where it says 1/4 cup butter.  Umm yeah...I put a whole stick in there because I freaked out that the butter was supposed to be softened and put it in the microwave to hurry it along.  It ended up melting a little and made a mess, so I threw the whole thing in there!  Oh my.  That is double the butter! HA!  No wonder I had a little trouble.

Anyway, Blend together the peanut butter and butter on medium speed and then add the sugar and brown sugar to the mix. I used Splenda (but I'm sure that didn't make a difference thanks to the whole stick of butter I used!  Beat until smooth.  About 5 minutes.

Finally stir in the flour/baking powder mixture until just combined.

Then use a tablespoon to drop the dough onto a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.  Then use your thumb to make a little indent in each cookie and put about 1/2 teaspoon of jelly into it.

Bake for 12 minutes.

While they are baking you are supposed to mix the rest of the peanut butter and the confectioner's sugar into a frosting.  I was too lazy to do that part.

Here is what mine looked like:

These were the good ones.  Half of mine had burnt bottoms (I think one of my cookie sheets sucks compared to the other one) and the other half were falling apart as I transferred them to the cooling racks.  The good ones weren't half bad though.  It must have been all that butter!

The original recipe can be found here.

I also decided to do this:

Source: rayandjen.com via ncsuz on Pinterest

The pin says "On Jan. 1st, turn all your hangers backwards. As you wear clothes, turn the hanger around. Anything that is still backwards on June 1, donate.---definitely need to do this"


Here is my closet right now:

What have you made or done that was Pinterest inspired lately?

Pinterest Inspired Wednesday

The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers.  But above all, the world needs dreamers who do.  ~Sarah Ban Breathnach

I think this new Pinterest Inspired Wednesday feature will be the perfect chance to take that quote to heart.  Pinterest is all about dreams.  Things you aspire to, things you want, things you think are beautiful, things you want to make, dreams you have for the future, things that make you laugh, things that are ingeniously useful.  Now we just need to DO something with all those dreams.

I chose a pretty easy one for the first week.

Here is my inspiration pin from pinterest:

Source: athoughtfulplaceblog.com via ncsuz on Pinterest

Here is my version.  don't judge me

I still like the original better, but at least I tried and I worked with what I had and actually did (or tried to do) something that inspired me. My cookie jar I had in the kitchen was a different shape than the jar used in the picture and my "colors" are red and sliver and white at Christmas around my house.  I still like it though!  I also think the angle of the shot and the quality of the camera helped hers- yet ANOTHER reason I need to get a real big girl camera and take some photography lessons!

So the reason why I really started this was because I want to see what you guys have made, bought, baked, been inspired to DO based on a pin you pinned on pinterest!  Was it all you ever hoped for or did it let you down?  Was it as easy as they say or incredibly hard?  Come on!  Share your experiences too!  Link up below to your blog post about what inspired you to DO on Pinterest this week!

And as always so I can get more ideas of things to DO!

Defining Character- Self-Control

Self-Discipline- the act of disciplining or power to discipline one's own feelings, desires, etc., esp with the intention of improving oneself

Self-Control- the ability to exercise restraint or control over one's feelings, emotions, reactions, etc.

Last month I declared the month "Self Control September".  Looking at the definitions above I should have named it Self-Discipline September, but I think they are pretty interchangeable.  Of all the fruits of the Spirit, self-control was definitely my weakest.  In fact I have even blogged about trying to get better with self-control/self-discipline here, here, and here. And I just remember my pastor JD saying in one of his sermons that you are only as strong as your weakest spirit.  So I am continually trying to work on this area of my life.

So what did I do to focus on my self-control in September?

1. I gave up soda (diet and regular) for the month of September.  I didn't drink a lot of soda anyway, but I would usually have a diet Mt. Dew, diet Dr. Pepper, or diet Coke just about every day.  All those chemicals can't be good for you (even if they are calorie free).  I did pretty good.  I had a cherry limeade that I think had Sprite in it, but other than that, no sodas.  Since the month has ended, I have kind of limited myself to just one mini (7.5 oz) soda/day.  I do notice that I get more headaches, but I also feel less bloated when I am not drinking soda.  I hope to keep them to a minimum from now on!

2. I had a virtual fitness partner!  I don't know what I would have done without Amber this month!  Each week we would send each other a summary of how we did the previous week as far as eating and working out.  At first I wasn't tracking my calories, but Amber was and she inspired me to get back on the bandwagon with that.  I thought I was eating pretty well, but it is different when you are tracking everything you eat!  I would often think before eating or skipping a work-out how this would look on my weekly report to her and it kept me from making some bad decisions.  I took this week off from counting calories and my 10K training program because I needed a break, but I hope we can continue our weekly reports because they have really helped me stay on track!  P.S. Go check out her blog!  It is one of my faves!


3. I started a 10K training program similar to the couch 2 5K program.  I'm up to week 6 and it is tough.  I'm up to over 4 miles/run and try to get all 3 runs in each week.  I think this helped me a lot too because I didn't want to get behind on the training program, so I would force myself to run on days even when I didn't want to.  I took this week off, but I had my 5K on Saturday and finally came in under 35 min!  My previous PR was 36:58 and I ran this one in 34:47!  I know it is still so slow, but hey it is an improvement!  Maybe one day I will break that 30 min. mark!

4. I've been using this app called "Home Routines" to stay on top of things around the house.  I have a morning checklist and an evening checklist and then a weekly checklist.  Here they are:

Morning:
- Breakfast
- 15 minute focus/devotional
- Let dog out
- water animals
- get fresh and clean
- make bed

Evening:
- Feed cat and dog
- Collect dirty laundry
- put away clean laundry
- shine sink (put everything in dishwasher and clean out sink)
- wipe down kitchen
- sweep floor
- run
- 100 sit ups
- swish and swipe bathroom
- take out contacts
- brush teeth
- pray

Weekly:
- Vacuum
- Mop
- Clean bathrooms
- Dust
- Brush Cam
- Go through mail basket
- Switch out towels (in bathrooms and kitchen)
- clean make up brushes
- clean out litter box

I didn't always mark off everything everyday/every week, but I aimed to get 90% marked off. 

5. Re-do budget.  I switched jobs this month.  I am still doing the same job, but I am a permanent employee instead of a contractor.  I used to get paid weekly, now I get paid twice/month.  I used to pay for my own health insurance and had no 401K, but now I have benefits through them and a 401K, so I had to re-do my budget.  I got my first paycheck this weekend, and I had to adjust my estimates a little (taxes are freaking outrageous!) but now I have my budget nailed down.  I am still doing envelope budgeting and I love being able to see where all my money is going.  Expect a whole post about budgeting later this week!

So there you have it.  I think self-control September was a success!

It's fall y'all!

Today is the first day of fall!  I've already updated my house with some fall decor:

I love fall!  Football, cooler weather, the pretty leaves, and so many yummy pumpkin recipes!  Speaking of pumpkin, I know y'all probably love the pumpkin spice latte like I do, but watch out!  A grande with skim milk and no whipped cream still has 260 calories!  That's almost double the calories from my normal favorite the Skinny Caramel Machiatto!

Also do you remember how I wanted this rug for my living room?

Source: blulabelbungalow.com via ncsuz on Pinterest

Yeah well I ordered it from West Elm.  I got the smaller 5x7 size.  It was not what I expected.  The material was really rough and the white was more of a cream.  It also had no kind of backing whatsoever and even with a mat, I could see it not staying in place very well in my living room.  The pattern was too bold for the way I had my furniture set up (on a diagonal) as well, so back it goes.

I wish I was going to the ECU game tomorrow.  I want to be able to use my newest addition to my Pirate collection.

But at this rate I might not make it to a game at all this year :(

Hope you all have a fabulous fall weekend!!

Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesday!

I am linking up with The Vintage Apple again for Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesday!

Please follow me on Pinterest so I can follow you and see all the pretty things you are loving!

Follow Me!!  -  ncsuz on Pinterest

Source: tumblr.com via ncsuz on Pinterest

I need a new case for my iPhone and I love this idea!  Get a clear case and insert pretty scrapbook paper so you can constantly update the look of your case.  I just might have to try this!

Source: impartinggrace.com via ncsuz on Pinterest

I am totally doing this in my kitchen.  It's a faux roman shade and looks like it will be totally easy.  Although those instructions for folding a fitted sheet looked pretty darn easy too and I never did figure that out!

Source: products.berries.com via ncsuz on Pinterest

How adorable are these!?  The first ECU football game is in Charlotte this weekend but I will sadly be missing it.  But I'm kind of glad I didn't get tickets because now it looks like I will be going to the beach!  Woo Hoo!  But I'll be cheering on my Pirates from the seashore.  Go PIRATES!

Source: livinglocurto.com via ncsuz on Pinterest

If I had a boyfriend he would totally be getting notes like this in his lunchbox. I love cheesy stuff like this!

List progress

ohmygosh I am so glad Blogger is back up!  I was kind of worried I might lose my whole blog and have to start all over again.  That would have been tragic!  Don't scare me like that again Blogger or I may have to switch to that other blogging platform!  Now onto my slightly delayed post I wrote yesterday...

I haven’t marked anything off my list in a while. But I am slowly making progress with the remaining items:

#1- Get in the best shape of my life. Ok, so maybe I should have defined what “best shape of my life” means. My whole life I could barely run a mile. Even in high school when I played soccer I hated Mondays because that was the day we ran the mile. I have been steadily making progress with my running. I run 2-4 miles 3-5 times/week. I’ve ran three 5Ks in the last 6 months and even though I said I was done for the summer, I am running another one this weekend. But my body is nowhere near the “the best it has ever been”. I’m not the size 4 I was in high school. I can’t even fit in most of the clothes I wore just 4 summers ago. I’m working on that part of it. But does “best shape” mean what my body looks like or what it can do? Oh well, all I know is I’m not ready to mark this one off the list yet.

#9 kayak- It is the perfect kayaking weather right now. I’ve looked in to options around Raleigh and it looks like it will cost about $40-$50 if I do it around here. Last year I was going to sign up for a kayak excursion through the NC Aquarium while I was at the timeshare we have at Atlantic Beach. Well, it was sold out. They have that as an option again this year and it is only $20. I could do that, but I think the one in Raleigh would be better (way less hot if I do it now!). Hmmm…I can’t decide. What do you think?

#10 catch a fish- I keep telling my friend to let me know when her dad is taking her son fishing so I can tag along. Hopefully it will be soon.

#18 upgrade one room in my house- so I painted my Master Bath, hung some pictures, and installed a new faucet but I never touched up around where I got paint on the ceiling. I am working on re-doing my home office/gym/guest room. I also hung curtains in my living room. But the main thing I want is hardwood floors! I feel like I need to get the hardwood floors to mark this off my list. But I might not. Who knows. If the home office/gym/guest room turns out fabulous and I touch up the ceiling in the master bath maybe I will just consider it done and save that money for something like paying off my car early.

#26 Kiss in the rain- HA!! Yeah right! I think the only way this one will ever get marked off the list is if I die and heaven turns out to be one big long romantic comedy. There are no kissable boys even remotely on my radar. Let alone someone I could have my “movie love” moment with.

#27 Read the Bible all the way through- The Bible has 66 books. I have finished 12. I am getting closer to finishing Romans through a study my small group is doing and I am working my way through Luke with the sermon series my pastor is doing. I’ve done studies on Esther, Galatians, and Proverbs so those are covered. I gave up on the chronological plan I was using and instead just read in order they are written with the Bible app I have on my phone. I just finished 1 Samuel and it was actually a pretty good story- lots of action and adventure. I will say switching to The New Living Translation was a huge help! So thanks to you all that suggested that!

#29 Attempt Surfing- I am going to mark this one off at the beginning of August when I go to the beach. The NC Aquarium has a class for only $25!

So that’s it…just 7 things left. If you are just joining the blog I am already 30. I made my 30 Before 30 list a few weeks before my 28th birthday and apparently 2 years just wasn’t enough time to accomplish everything. So now my goal is to complete my list before I finish this year of being 30 on August 12, 2011. Fingers crossed!!

Wishful Wednesday

Went to a Hurricanes game last night.  If you didn't know, my dog is named after my favorite Hurricanes player- Cam Ward (such a cutie!).  I love the Canes and I want a black jersey...badly.

These are Seven for All Mankind Dojo jeans.  My uber stylish friend Kristin has a pair and I have been coveting them for years.  I just can't bring myself to pay that much for a pair of jeans...but someday...

Remember this beauty of a daybed from Ballard Designs that I wanted for my spare bedroom/office/home gym?  Well I found an almost identical one at Ikea:

Do you think I could paint it to look like the Ballard Design one?  It's like 75% less than the Ballard Designs one!

I want this book.  Has anyone read it?  What did you think?  Do you do anything suggested in the book?

We played this game at Bible study last week and I LOVED it!  So fun!  My favorite morning radio show- Bob and the Showgram also plays this game every week.  I want it!

 A co-worker at my old job told me about this bar in downtown Raleigh and said they had the best Mojito she had ever had (probably my most favorite drink ever!).  Today I got this email from them...how yummy do these drinks sound?

Come join us for some special anniversary drinks today. We have a keg of Sexual Chocolate from Foothills, First Frost from Fullsteam, and sparkling cider on tap from McRitchie. We will also have a strawberry infused gimlet on special to remind us that spring is on the way. And there is some Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve Bourbon we just got in.

I've been wanting to try this bar for a while.  Would it be too Charlie Sheen of me to go by myself and try out their menu?

Finally...if I ever get super rich I want one of these houses!  My family has been going to Atlantic Beach every year for over 25 years.  This community called Sea Dreams is right down the road from our timeshare and I have been adoring them since I was a kid.  I'm ready for summer!  Anyone else?

On a side note:  I never loved Charlie Sheen, but for the past 2 days I have been on a drug and it's name is Charlie Sheen.  He is freaking hilarious.  I know he's crazy and a past(?) addict, but he just might be a genius because I bet he has doubled his fan base over the last few days.  Someone please give him a reality show.  Duh....winning!  Yes, yes you are my friend...at least in the "get my name out there" way, but I'm willing to bet it is at the sacrifice of your health and family life.  But keep it up because you're entertaining the heck out of me!

Things I'm loving Thursday

 

I finished the Huger Games series in aprox. 1 week. I LOVED it! I am recommending it to everyone I know. I hope to get full reviews posted on my bookshelf blog soon. I am seriously head over heels for these books and cannot wait for the movie. I like it even better than Twilight and it might even beat Harry Potter for me too!  Young Adult books rock my socks off sometimes :)

I always thought this stuff looked nasty, but a friend told me to try it. OMG it tastes like the inside of a truffle! I love it and have been having a little smear on a marshmallow or a graham cracker after dinner every night. I really don’t think it is very healthy, but it’s oh so yummy!

I don’t know why but I am in a Fresca phase right now. It’s so refreshing and won’t keep me up all night.

This recipe I found for mini-pot pies in a jar over on A Whisk and A Prayer. I almost broke out into a cold sweat this week at the mention of preparing meals for a girl in our Bible study who is having surgery. I barely have time or skill enough to cook for myself let alone someone else! But these little things look like they would be the perfect solution. And you could even make them as gifts for people! It’s such a good idea! I almost didn’t want to share it.  It is just so stinking cute I wanted to make it my own little secret!

Also loving this blog that I discovered through Jamie’s blog:
bowneyedbaker
Tons of yummy looking recipes.  I had to stop looking at it actually because it was making me very hungry.  She even has her own list! 100 challenging recipes to make

Finally...no picture to go with this one...

Re-doing my house. I am obsessed. I have this app on my phone called CraigsPro and I look at the furniture for sale by owner almost every single day! I have also been discovering and reading a lot of Home DYI/Decorating blogs. Just today I found a lot of new ones to follow through Thrifty Décor Chick’s “Showing Off” series. I have no money and can’t buy anything right now, but I am determined to make my house what I want, or at least something close.

What are you loving right now???