My super, amazing goodwill find

Since I’ve started blogging (and more importantly, reading all of your blogs), I have gained a new appreciation for thrifting and reusing. I like to cook (although, a few years ago, I was HORRIBLE), and I can already crochet/knit. I’m currently in the middle of a few projects, most of which are crochet projects. Eventually, I’ll have a pair of fingerless mittens to show you, and I want to show you the scarf I’m currently working on. In the near future, I plan on making an infinity scarf and a slouchy style hat. I’ve also made a can koozie, so I would really like to make another, so I can post the tutorial on here. Awhile back, on The Weekender, I featured some Book Boxes from another blog, and I’m currently working on one for myself. Lots of neat stuff coming up.

But, back to my original point (I do that a lot. You know, get off topic…)

On my last trip to Goodwill, I purchased the book for my book box (A Mother Teresa biography, I think. The title isn’t in English…) And an amazing set of dishes. I HATE current set. They’re just clear glass, nothing exciting. But this set was HUGE and has some personality! I bought 6 of each (except the cups and saucers, which I only bought 4 of because I know I won’t use those often) and paid a little more than $20. AWESOME!

Be jealous… be very jealous…

Don’t mind the price sticker still in the bowl. But do these look familiar to anyone? They’re stamped on the bottom, but its super faded, so I have no clue where they originally came from.

Music madness; no. 9

I’ve been on a music downloading frenzy lately. So, that means I have plenty to show you! Way back when, the last song that I posted was The Big Pink’s “A Brief History of Love”. Did you listen to some of their other songs? A truly amazing band! I <3 them. Anyways… going on my tradition to mix things up (because I would probably give you the same band every week! Haha.) I needed to find a song where the artist/title was somewhat related to the last one. This week, I would like to present to you “Big Bills” by Flosstradamus feat. Caroline Polachek.

OH! & I just wanted to let you know… We have a TON of bananas that are too ripe to look appealing for the breakfast bar in the hotel that I work at. I’m going to take a few of them home, and make some super yummy delicious food with them. Expect a bunch of banana recipes in the near future. I think I’m craving some banana pancakes tonight for dinner. ;) (Yes, I know… breakfast for dinner… but that’s what happens when you wake up at 5am!)

What a douche-er! (me, not ms. Jillian)

I went to Wal-Mart today with every intention to purchase Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. What kind of crap is it that Wal-Mart had the $20 kit that you’re recommended to buy with it, but not the dvd itself (and the dvd is not included in the kit). Maybe your Wal-Mart has it, but mine definitely doesn’t.

Anyways, I ended picking up Banish Fat Boost Metabolism. I still want to get the 30 day Shred, because its much better for beginners, but still super challenging. Shred is a 20 minute workout compared to BFBM’s 40 minute workout. I’m going to try the Wal-Mart in the town that I work in, and see if they have it.

Anyways, back to the funny little point I was trying to make by this post…

I’m standing in line with my workout dvd and kept thinking “Mmmm… Twix bar. I must buy you!” Haha! Then it finally hit me, “duh! Candy bars are part of the reason I’m in this predicament!” Silly me.

Anyways, I’ll keep you updated on my workout ventures. Has anyone else tried this? Or 30 Day Shred? I’m definitely planning on getting Skinny Diva up this week and I’ll put all my beginning measurements and what not. But anyways, I would love to have your input if you’ve tried this!

Sunday inspirations; no. 7

I decided to go ahead and do a Sunday Inspirations post. I FINALLY got caught up on reading through all of everyone’s posts on Google Reader…. It only took me about 3 days!

Anyways, today, I decided to go ahead and do this post on crochet inspired clothing..

Convertible Crochet Halter from Free People

 

 

Sweetshrub Blouse at Spool No. 72

 

 

Crocheted Short Sleeve Cardigan from American Eagle

 

 

Batwing Crochet Knit Dress by Candie's at Kohl's

 

 

Island Gypsy Bikini from Lucky Brand at South Moon Under

 

 

Double Layer Crochet Oblong Scarf from Pins and Needles at Urban Outfitters

 

 

Snowflake Sweater Bracelet from Anthropologie

 

 

3x5 Crochet Top Rug at Urban Outfitters

It’s freakin’ friday; no. 9

Real quick, before we get started with the blog hop stuff… I just wanted to give you a little update on my life. If you haven’t noticed, I haven’t blogged in a week. Last friday morning, I asked for everyone to pray because my grandfather had a heart attack. Unfortunately, less than 2 days later, and after a roller coaster of “we’ve got hope” & “there’s no hope”, he passed away at only 64 years old. This has devastated our family, because he was our rock. He was there for me, while my dad lived in another state. He took me to the Father/Daughter dance when I was young, and took me to catch my first fish. And even worse, my poor grandma is heart broken. They were high school sweethearts, together since they were 15… they 46th wedding anniversary was this upcoming April. So, I’m slowly going to begin blogging again, but I’m emotionally, physically, and mentally drained.

 

Also, I just wanted to make a note…

I try my hardest to individually comment and follow everyone new that links up to It’s Freakin’ Friday. The past couple weeks, due to various reasons, I just have not felt up to going through each individual blog. I apologize for this. So for all of you that stop by and link up, I will at least follow your blog, even if I don’t get a chance to leave you a comment. & If for some reason, I’ve missed your blog, just let me know.

 

Okay… now it’s Freakin’ Friday time…

   <a href="http://yourworkistodiscoveryourworld.blogspot.com/search/label/freakin%27%20friday"><img alt="bloghopbutton" height="200" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1307/5188648574_061fbbde73_m.jpg" width="200"></a>

 

This week’s featured blog is All is Bright, and let me tell you, I am absolutely in love with her blog. It is a super cute blog about a little bit of everything, especially her family. Make sure to swing by and follow her!!

 

You must follow my blog in order to join the blog hop. It's like going to someone's house and eating their food, but you're not even friends with them! So please, follow me via GFC, when putting your link in the blog hop.

Provide the link to your main blog site. One of these days, I'll do a blog hop for more specific sorts of posts, but this one is a general blog hop for meeting new people around the blogging community.

You must put my blog hop button somewhere on your blog. If you're new to this, most people people put theirs in a specific post, but you can put it somewhere else if that's where you keep your blog hop buttons. It just has to be somewhere.

And if I feature a blog, please follow that blog as well. Its kind of like a giveaway by joining, and then reward is being featured. So this last one is not required, but its definitely greatly appreciated.

Fix-it friday

I really enjoy doing photo editing and I stumbled upon…

Here are my edits: I used Picnik for both edits.

Edit #1:     The first thing I did was adjust the contrast of this photo. I went into contrast, advanced, and clicked the local contrast box and then played with the sliders until I liked the way it looked. I really wanted to make the kid pop in this picture and add lots of dimension. Then I clicked on the colors tab and added some temperature to really bring out the orange of the leaves. Next, I softened the picture, except for the boy (who I once again, really wanted to pop out of the picture) and used the Vignette tool, strengthened the frame, made it thin, and changed it to a really dark red color. Then ta-dah! The picture you  have in front of you!

Edit #2: With this picture, I really liked the way the Cross Process tool made it look. So, all I did was took the first edit, reopened it and applied Cross Process.

Please pray for my family

I’m not a very religious person, and I normally would never ask anyone to do this, but I would really appreciate if you could direct your prayers towards my grandfather today. He had a heart attack yesterday and the odds are definitely against him. It just seems to be getting worse and worse, and I’m not ready for something like this to happen.

It’s freakin’ friday; no. 8

 <a href="http://yourworkistodiscoveryourworld.blogspot.com/search/label/freakin%27%20friday"><img alt="bloghopbutton" height="200" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1307/5188648574_061fbbde73_m.jpg" width="200"></a>  

This week's featured blog is Five and a Highchair! It’s a great blog that I just recently have been introduced to, that has a little bit of everything. Make sure you swing by because there’s something there for everyone!

 

 

You must follow my blog in order to join the blog hop. It's like going to someone's house and eating their food, but you're not even friends with them! So please, follow me via GFC, when putting your link in the blog hop.

Provide the link to your main blog site. One of these days, I'll do a blog hop for more specific sorts of posts, but this one is a general blog hop for meeting new people around the blogging community.

You must put my blog hop button somewhere on your blog. If you're new to this, most people people put theirs in a specific post, but you can put it somewhere else if that's where you keep your blog hop buttons. It just has to be somewhere.

And if I feature a blog, please follow that blog as well. Its kind of like a giveaway by joining, and then reward is being featured. So this last one is not required, but its definitely greatly appreciated.

Look up, stop texting

 

LUST Baby Onsie

The Website

I found this website today, that is really inspiring me to write this post. Just to start, the website is LUST (Look Up Stop Texting). Almost everyone today has their face buried in their cell phones… texting, checking their email, updating their Facebook/Twitter, ..blogging (not, me. I would neverrrr do that! HA!). If we were to look up and get our heads out of our phones, we would be able to see the beautiful world around us.

The best thing that I find about this website is that its real people offering the advice, and this website is just a forum for doing so. …Kind of like a blog post saying “how do you quit texting?” and then people leave their responses. Plus, there’s a really awesome store with some cool merchandise. I soooo want a phone cover that says “Look Up Stop Texting” (Unfortunately, they only have Blackberry and iPhone… not HTC).

My Texting Story

I was kind of a late bloomer with my cell phone, or at least I felt that way. I graduated high school in 2006 and a cell phone was what I used my graduation money on (I had a hell of a security deposit since I had no credit at this point). In fact, my little sister in Texas who is 6 years younger than me had a cell phone long before I did. I had a prepaid Nokia phone (remember those things? Haha) but it was really just for emergencies and when I was home from a football game and needed my mom to come pick me up because I didn’t have a car yet.

Anyways…

I remember my mom and I  originally didn’t get texting because we didn’t think we were going to use it. After wracking up a few dollars in pay-per-text charges, we decided to go with the unlimited texting option. A couple months later my mom called to have our texting limits reduced in an effort to save money, obviously. (Hold on, maybe I should explain…. I purchased mine and my mom’s cell phones, they were both in my name, but she paid the monthly bill). Anyways, the operator told my mom that wouldn’t be a good idea because I sent on average, 3,000 texts per month. And that was only a few months after having my phone.

It’s been downhill from there… 4 years later and my head is still buried in my phone. It’s to the point that I get really aggravated if a teacher doesn’t allow cellphones/texting in class. What kind of crap is that? I know I’m supposed to be paying attention and all, but my friends need me too! HAHA!

In about the past year, I’ve really made an effort to not feel the need to reply to every single text I receive… but it would be nice to socialize again. …I should try harder.

What about your texting habits? Do you say no to the phone? Or are you like me and have it by your side 24/7? What motivates you to not text? And what do you see when you look up from your phone?

Country chic baby shower, continued…

Hey there everyone! I know I said my posting was going to become more infrequent, but I really need an excuse to procrastinate. …And I’ve done some more baby shower planning that I wanted to update you on!

• I have officially reserved the locations of the baby shower. Seasons Coffee & Bistro in my hometown is the location! They have a very nice additional room and I’m super excited. I won’t be able to prepare my own food but I have no doubt that they will prepare something delicious. Because they’re not really a catering company, I think we’re just going to order a bunch of sandwiches, cut them smaller and then a large salad and they’re going to provide water, coffee, and tea. If anyone is interested in anything specific, they can always go out and order something on their own. I haven’t really talked to my pregnant woman yet (hehe!) but as of right now, I’m thinking Ham & Swiss Panini, Chicken Salad Panini, and B.L.T. Panini. Fortunately, the owner is allowing me to bring in a cake.
• I’ve started making a list of things I need that I can at least think of at this point… Including clothespins. I know they would definitely bring out that country feel, but I’m really not sure what I would use them for at this time. Does anyone have any ideas? The only thing I can really think of is to make a banner with something like ribbon or yarn and then to use the clothespins to hang the individual letters. Are there any other ideas?
• I also looked on Etsy for some inspiration on other things I could make/purchase at the baby shower. What do you think?

Garden Gift Tins Set of 10

It's A Girl Banner

3x5 Blooming Sprig Unbleached Muslin Bags

Pastel Pearlescent Pink Confetti

Bird 'n Birdhouse Kraft Round Paper Seals

Flower Vase

Handmade Gift Tags Victorian Baby

 

• I have also gotten some inspiration for the diaper cake. Seems pretty easy to make!

1 Tier Diaper Cake

Peter Rabbit Diaper Cake

• And now I need some help… Does anyone have any ideas as to how I can embellish my larger winnings gift bags. Something similar to the inspiration image or made out of tissue paper. I just need something cute and light weight.

The above is my inspiration picture. Below is another option that I’ve found that could work if someone can show me the easiest way to do this. Or, like I said, I’m open to your ideas…

Crepe Paper Carnation Poms

Thanks for all your help & ideas! Keep ‘em coming!