Eccentric Delirium

Country Living Inspirations

2012-01-16T16:23:00.000-05:00

My most favorite article in February's Country Living magazine was one titled "A Good Yarn". It talks about using yarn to add texture to your home. All of the items they featured in this article can be store bought, but because I already know how to crochet & knit, I would just make them myself! Here are a few of my favorites:

I absolutely love the bathmat.

I am completely infatuated with the leg warmers.

I especially like the basket with kindling.

My next favorite article was called "The Very Picture of Rugged Refinement". I am in love with almost every picture they posted here. But here are some that I plan on using as inspiration in my new home.

I really love the table here, but I especially love the shallow bowl. They recommend switching out it's contents to constantly change the centerpiece. I could use red and gold glitter balls for christmas!

The coat rack would be super simple to make!

"One Beautiful Bathroom, Seven Budget-Savvy Tips" is a short article with tons of good ideas!!

They recommend putting your bath salts into new containers, such as apothocary bottles. And I especially love, oddly enough, the toilet paper wrack on the back of the toilet. But there are so many aspects about this bathroom that I truly adore!

I am obsessed with the kitchen in "Back to Basics", even though I already have inspiration for my kitchen.

If I was to ever remodel my kitchen, I would definitely go with butcher block countertops. My father, who remodels kitchens for a living, says that he buys these from Ikea as a cheap, chic alternative. I am enthused by the most minimalistic things. I love the rack holding the wine glasses under the cupboard. I also love the large jars holding the sugar, and flower. Everything comes together in this photo, and its my goal to incorporate as much as I can into my kitchen.

My New House is in the Works!

2012-01-15T15:47:00.000-05:00

I am probably one of the most excited people on the planet right now, after the people who are winning the lottery, and the new parents, etc.

In less than two weeks, my wonderful boyfriend and I will be the proud owners of our first house!

Let me tell you why I am so extremely excited, besides the obvious reasons.

I have had 12 addresses in the past 5 years. It's been insane. I had an ex-boyfriend that I had lived with awhile back, and when our lease was up on one home, we moved into another because I wouldn't have been able to take another year in that apartment. Just a couple months after moving there, we broke up and I moved back in with my mom. Then, just a couple months after that, her and her fiance bought a house, so we moved there. ....And the story continues with my journey of moving every couple of months. Lets just say that I want to settle down and not worry about moving for a very long time.
I'm living with my boyfriend's parents at the moment. And although I do love his family dearly, there just isn't enough room for all of us. My hunny bunny is the oldest of four (and their house isn't very big, either). When I moved in here, there was hardly enough room for him, let alone adding me to the picture. And then there is the issue that I'm almost 24 years old, I just want to abide by my own rules and live in every room of my house (not just a tiny bedroom).
Because of all the moving, most of my stuff has been sitting in storage for the past couple years. I would love to get it all out and actually see all of the stuff that I own! And I've also picked up some things here and there for projects that I planned on doing. I would love to actually finish those projects.
And then there's the most obvious reason... I want to DECORATE!!!

So, with all the excitement, I've been searching through the Pinterest boards, finding inspiration for different rooms in the house, as well as different projects that I can do once we get moved in there. I want to share the two biggest ones with you, that I have found.

The one room that we fought about the most was the kitchen. Just about every other room in the house we could agree on how we want to decorate. I FINALLY found some inspiration for the kitchen that I am in love with.

There are some minor differences, we have hardwood floors and we don't have open cabinet doors or the large patio doors. But I think I could easily duplicate this kitchen (and I think the hardwood would look awesome!). I've seen people all over the blogging community removing their cabinet doors entirely, so I may do that for a couple as opposed to the open front doors. We were also planning on doing stainless steel for our appliances, as well. The only other difference is that I think I am going to paint the walls a light grey color.

Oh, and we found a lantern like the one hanging in a local home decor store in the mall. I'm pretty excited!

I am going to make some tables very similar to these for the living room. My boyfriend's family uses a wood burner for heat, therefore I have very easy access to wood. I do believe I'm going to make mine larger in diameter and about half as tall, with longer legs, if I can find them. I have also contemplated doing half moon shapes. What do you think would look better?

These are the two pieces that I am most excited about at the moment. I also picked up a copy of Country Living magazine today, with some inspiration that has me really excited. I might update you on that depending on what I can find online.

I hope you all a wonderful day!!

My Slightly Belated New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-04T20:49:00.001-05:00

I'm a little late on this New Year's Resolution thing. I had completely forgotten that people even do that! I've never even really made resolutions before, but THIS YEAR IS THE YEAR!

So, here it goes....

I want to run my first 5k this spring, and more throughout the rest of the year. It's been a long journey thus far, because I really don't think my body is built for muscle (in my Fitness for Life class I took for college, we learned that some people's muscles were built for endurance, other's for power, and the rest for both. I think mine were built for power). Therefore, I want to continue my running journey to be able to finish a 5k by this spring, and to continue growing so that I can do a 10k by next year.

My second resolution is tied in with the first. I want, I NEED to lose weight. I'm not severely overweight, but I am overweight and I'm having some health issues because of it. ...And my happiness depends on it as well. My goal weight at this point, is 135lbs.

I want to work on making new friendships, and to, overall, be a friendlier person, and more social. I used to be this amazing social person, and I think one of the disasters from a horrible relationship I was in, was my loss of social skills. Is that even possible? If anyone has any advice on conversation, I would love to hear it! Afterall, talking about the weather is for strangers... or so I hear. :)

I really need to start working on my school work. I'm currently working on my Bachelor's, and I was slacking just a bit last semester, which was my first semester. I want to be active in class, and I want to do well and succeed!

The man and I are buying our first house this year (actually this month), and therefore, my final resolution is to be more mindful of my spending habits.

So there you have it! My New Year's Resolutions!!

Happy, Happy Birthday to My Love!

2011-10-25T21:08:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is my hunny's birthday! I'm pretty excited for him to turn the big 2-3! Partially because I'm 6 months older than him, so I feel even older when I'm 23 and he's only 22...Haha.

So, a little sneak peak on his birthday present... let's see how selfish I am.

Alex's absolute favorite show is Supernatural. Who else is a fan? He's pretty much got our entire group of friends addicted to the show... even my mom! Last year for Christmas, I made sure that he received all of the seasons on DVD.

I'm pretty sure he knows that he is getting this. He keeps saying things like "If you got it for me, you should just give it to me now so we can watch it." It was so hard, but I've stuck it out and haven't told him that I got it for him! It was even harder when him and a friend were talking about splitting the cost of the Season 6 Dvd's.

I will say though, I do really want to watch it, because I only saw a handful of episodes last year.

I also bought him an orbit sander. I am kind of surprised he wanted one. He had never even mentioned one before I talked about refinishing that ladder I talked about in my Barnfest post.

I picked one of up for him today, and I will say it was partially because I will need it to do the ladder. We also need to refinish his desk at some point as well. But I figured this would be a good gift that I could pick out myself, because some of the other tools he wants I'm afraid of buying the wrong thing.

Has anyone tried this sander? It was between this one and a Black & Decker one. This one had the pressure sensor and the canister to collect dust.

I hope I did good!

Perfect October Saturday Night

2011-10-16T15:31:00.000-04:00

I don't know about the rest of the country, but I think that in Northwest Ohio, October finally arrived. I ran into a friend from high school yesterday evening, and she was home visiting from North Carolina. She was telling me how it was 80 degrees there when she left! Up here, it was cold, dark, and windy. Perfect fall weather. :)

Anyways, last night, the wonderful Mr. Alex, a friend of mine by the name of Andrew, and I decided to make Apple Pie (the drink, not the food). I think this is becoming a yearly tradition for us, as this is the second year that Alex and I have made it. We also carved one of our pumpkins last night as well.

I used one of those pumpkin carving kits from the store to make this one. I think it is officially the best pumpkin I have ever carved! (Even though it is hard to see anything but the carving in the picture. It just didn't look as good inside!) The hardest part about the process was that the tools were so tiny, that my hand was cramping up, especially when I was etching the template onto the pumpkin. We have one more pumpkin to carve, and I'm really hoping we can do the Grim Reaper design! Maybe I'll do a post about it in the future...

Anyways... Apple Pie.

If you don't know what Apple Pie is (and I'm surprised by the number of people who have had no clue what I was talking about!), it is a delicious, extremely alcoholic drink that's perfect for fall. There are a lot of variations on the recipe, so here is the one that we use:

Apple Pie

2 Gallons Apple Cider
1 Quart Apple Juice
2 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar
7 Sticks of Cinnamon
1 Liter of Everclear

Simmer the Apple Cider, Apple Juice, Brown Sugar, and Cinnamon Sticks for about an hour. When the cinnamon sticks uncurl, then the mixture is finished. Make sure to stir often to help the sugar to dissolve.
Let the pot cool. This part may take awhile.
Stir in the Everclear.
Pour into canning jars. This mixture makes quite a bit, so make sure to have plenty of jars! Ours filled about 10 4-oz jars and 10 1-quart jars. Pint sized jars are perfect, as well. We left the cinnamon sticks in some of the larger jars, it is up to you.
Let sit for at least 2 weeks, the longer the better. The longer the jars are able to sit, the more the flavors will meld together making the flavor of the Everclear disappear.

**You can use other types of liquor for this, especially since Everclear is not available in most states (We have to drive to Indiana to buy ours). Regular vodka would work, and a spiced rum would also taste delicious.

Happy October!!

Ladder Decor

2011-10-09T17:19:00.002-04:00

If you remember, I picked up a ladder when I went to Barnfest a couple weeks ago. I knew I had been wanting a ladder, but I had no idea what for. I was thinking something along the lines of using it in our future living room to hold blankets on (I am a blanket ~~whore~~), or in the bathroom to hang decorative towels on.

Here are some pictures I found on Google to inspire me in my future ladder decorating ventures. Which one is your favorite?

Also, the one I got is covered in layers of paint that have mostly chipped off. So I'm trying to decide if I want to keep it as is, or if I want to repaint or stain it. Hmm....

15% Off + Free Shipping at Shabby Apple

2011-09-27T19:59:00.000-04:00

Hey there everyone!

I just wanted to let you know about an exciting sale going on at Shabby Apple. Shabby Apple is an online boutique that I recently discovered, and they have some of the cutest clothes! They offer women's, maternity, and children's clothing!

To celebrate their new back-to-school line "Academia", they are offering 15% off their entire website + free shipping on standard domestic orders. Very exciting!

Their new line features feminine collegiate styles. Here is just a preview of what Academia offers, so make sure to check out their website for all of their styles plus some of their other lines.

Extra Credit; $82

Dorm Room Blouse; $38

Scholar Skirt; $48

To take advantage of their 15% off offer, use codeword "Ivy" during checkout! Remember: This offer is available for purchases on their entire website, not just the Academia line!

Barnfest

2011-09-24T18:44:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite events held in my community this afternoon. Every year, we have an event call Barnfest/Fall Fest. Its basically a large craft show, to say the least. But the atmosphere of this event is great. I wish I would have taken some pictures. All of the volunteers dress very traditionally, in long dresses. Outside of the event, you can order homemade food. Every year, they sample a different soup, which they actually cook outside of in a very large kettle. This year was vegetable soup, and it was DELICIOUS!

Inside, there are a number of different vendors displaying their crafts. I picked up a few different purchases, which I'm super excited about! My first purchase was a 90 yard ball of alpaca/llama wool yarn, which is dyed brown and pink. I think I'm going to make a beautiful scarf out of it. My second purchase was a Corion cutting board. And then my third purchase was a ladder that, once we buy a house, I'll either use in the living to hang blankets on or in the bathroom for towels.

My #1 rule when walking around Barnfest is:

If I Can Make It Myself, Then I Won't I'm Not Allowed To Buy It

I have some great inspiration now for some awesome projects! Oh, and there was a vendor selling Redneck Wineglasses. I make those! I'll have to do a tutorial on that particular project, because they are so super easy. Does anyone know the best glue to bond glass to glass? That's what I'm still trying to figure out.

There were two vendors selling one of my favorite creations! The one lady referred to them as Slub Wine Bottles, although when I tried to search for it to find y'all a picture, I didn't find what I was looking for.

They are simply wine bottles that have been melted in a kiln. The reaction of each bottle is slightly different. They usually used as serving trays for cheese, but they have other uses as well. The best part is that my grandmother has a small kiln, so I'm thinking I can make these! I'm pretty excited. :)

My second favorite project was the lighted bottles that we found.

They are simply empty bottles with a hole drilled through the back and Christmas lights stuffed inside the bottle. Some of the bottles we saw had a transparent paint, which was a super cool effect, and others were decorative liquor bottles. I'm really excited to make some of these as well, because I think they would look really neat, and give a nice effect in the evenings when you don't want the house all lit up.

One of the biggest projects being sold were fall wreaths. One of my favorites was decorated in black and white! I can't wait to make some wreaths.

Another project that you see all over the place were painted blocks of wood with cute quotes stenciled on. I bought one of these last year, and it looks really cute sitting on a table. A project like this would be really easy.

Maybe someday, I'll have enough projects to have my own stand at Barnfest!!

**please note that the pictures on this post were found via Google Images and were not taken by me at Barnfest.

Barn Wedding = Fabulous!

2011-09-15T20:51:00.000-04:00

So, since I haven't been blogging recently, I haven't been able to tell you that me and my wonderful boyfriend are looking for a house. There is is this beautiful brick farm house that I am absolutely in love with. ... I'll get back to this in a minute.

I was on Facebook last night, and the clothing website Ruche had an article on their blog, something about barn weddings and a lightbulb went off .... FABULOUS! (And no, this is not an announcement that I'm getting married).

This old barn house that I really Really REALLY want us to buy has a barn! And its not one of those barns that are falling over either. I really wanted to get a cow, but I think it will have to wait until I can have a wedding reception in my barn.

Here are some pictures I found on Google that can show you exactly what I'm talking about...

And the picture that started it all, straight from Ruche's blog...

A Blogging Community Happiness Project

2011-09-14T19:19:00.000-04:00

So, I'm reading this new book called The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, and I'm really liking it so far (considering I've only read the first two chapters).

It's really kind of inspiring to read. Especially because... Who wouldn't benefit from being happier? This book isn't really designed for those who are depressed and entirely unhappy with their lives... its meant for those that have a lot to be greatful for, but could achieve so much more because they are just running through the motions of everything.

I think that in today's society, we're just so overloaded with all that we have going on in our lives, that its hard to really stop and appreciate everything. Our health is proof of that matter. How many people now-a-days have adrenal fatigue because their bodies are just exhausted from all the stress.

So here's what I propose...

A Blogging Community Happiness Project

How many of you would be interested in something like that?

The author, Gretchen Rubin, came up with 12 resolutions (one for each month) that she felt would result in her being happier. We can do the same, and then every week, link up, and just talk about what we have done to achieve our goals.

Each of our resolutions would be different. One of Gretchen's includes how to improve her life with her kids/family. I don't have kids yet, so that obviously wouldn't be one of mine. One of her's includes, her relationship with her husband, but not all of us have significant others.

So basically, we come up with 12 resolutions, and then check in every week to talk about how our lives are improving and what we've done specifically to achieve our goals. This would give us advice for ourselves in our own goals, and offer some encouragement (although we shouldn't need encouragement for others!)

So how many of you would be interested in doing something like this? I haven't established my 12 resolutions yet, but I'm going to soon!

Teenage Years: Perfect Skin, Perfect Hair, and Perfect Body. Young 20s: Thin Hair, Acne, and Obesity. Does anyone else see a problem here?

2011-07-18T21:35:00.000-04:00

I've been doing some thinking lately. And I really hate what the universe has done to me. During those awkward years, I was really actually blessed. I never really had a problem with acne, I had pretty long blonde hair, and a tiny little figure. Once I turned 20 years old, whatever higher powers there may be must have decided "You were too blessed, We're going to screw with you". And I'm really unhappy with this.

A few of the articles I have read have said that depression is a symptom of of PCOS. I think its only a symptom because of the evil things that are happening to the bodies of women who have this disease. Think about it. We no longer have a womanly figure, we have hair in places that hair has no business growing on a women, our faces have more bumps than the Rocky Mountains, among other things. The only benefit is the fact that we hardly ever have a period, and that's only a benefit until we decide we want to have children... then we're screwed there too.

I'm really praying to God that I will get some concrete solutions after I go to the doctor in a couple weeks. I don't know how much longer I can keep going on with this disease. I don't think I will ever be able to accept my body the way it is, especially when in the back of my mind, I keep telling myself that it is a result for my love of bread and pasta. And buying my clothes is just getting too hard. I would almost rather join a nudist colony.

A little update about my life

2011-07-13T22:06:00.000-04:00

You all are probably wondering what has been going on in my life lately. Let me begin...

Before I took the break from blogging, you all know I was on the search for a new job. Well, my job had gotten to the point where it was unbearable. Thankfully... I was offered a position at a local jewelry store with a very high reputation in April. It couldn't have come at a better time, because I was seriously to the point where I just couldn't stand to go to work anymore. Its pretty sad to be put under that sort of pressure for the simple reason that your boss is a horrible person. That's all it was, and I'm not ashamed to say it. // So far, I really enjoy my job at the jewelry store. It makes it hard because I know that I need to move on and get a big girl job, but at least I can stand to go to work on a daily basis. And I'm getting paid more, and am able to work full-time and usually some overtime. It helps out A LOT.

So speaking of that big girl job, I graduated with my Associate's in Applied Business Management: Human Resources Management in May. When I chose HR as my major, never did I realize how hard it would be to get a job in the field! In order to get a job as an HR Assistant in my area, I don't even have the experience. Its hard to imagine that, because everyone needs to start somewhere! But then as just another little update, I'm going to start working on my Bachelor's in Accounting this fall. I still want a job in HR, but I'm really hoping this will help.

Alex & I at my Graduation.

I've moved a couple times since before. I have moved in with my infamous boyfriend Alex (I'm sure if you read my blog, you know who he is) and his family. I thank God that they allow me to stay with them until Alex and I can get on our feet. We've started to passively look at houses. The realtor called me today to let me know that she doesn't really have what we're looking for right now, unless we want to pay an arm and a leg (which we obviously cannot afford), but she'll keep an eye out. I've never bought a house before or have been around that process. Does anyone have any information they can provide?

Oh, and I don't think I ever mentioned that we have a puppy! A pain in the butt, little lab-border collie mix. Hehe.

And last but not least... my health problems. I went to my family doctor a few weeks ago, and we both agreed that something is not right with my body. So, I went to do the pelvic ultrasound, and they found numerous cysts on both of my ovaries. I still need to go get the blood work, because its a matter of getting myself out of bed early, so I can go before work... But I've been unofficially diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I go to an OB doctor August 2nd to discuss this some more. I'm kind of hoping the OB doctor will end up forwarding me onto an Endocrinologist. I guess we'll see how it goes.

...I'm back!!

2011-05-17T19:28:00.001-04:00

It’s freakin’ friday; no. 10

2011-02-03T21:48:00.001-05:00

Whoo-hoo! Last week was our biggest week yet with 61 blogs participating! That’s awesome, guys! I want to sincerely thank each and everyone of you for supporting my blog & this blog hop and I really hope for your continued participation!!

This week’s featured blog is Our Life In A Click. Over there, you will be sure to find a tonnnnn of photographs, and they are awesome! My favorite part is that she also has tutorials and the pictures are so good, that she doesn’t really need that much description on what to do! Don’t forget to swing by!!

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.

On a completely different note…

This is probably the coolest thing I have ever seen, and I totally want to recreate this!

30 day shred; day 2

2011-02-03T14:33:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone! I just wanted to talk about 30 Day Shred a little more. There were some thing I wanted to discuss before, that I completely forgot about…And I wanted to discuss my progress just a little more.

Okay… so if you go back and review my post from Day 1, I went on-and-on about how amazingly hard it was. I would just like to say that today was much easier! I was pretty scared because it was so hard the first day, but I got onto Sparkpeople.com and read some reviews that real people posted. A lot of them said that they couldn’t get through the first day either, but by Day 4 or 5, they had no issue getting through. Whew! I feel much better now.

I will agree that Day 2 was even much easier, considering the fact that I’m still sore from Tuesday. I’ll probably be even more sore now, but that’s okay because that means I know it’s working. I can’t wait to see my progress once my muscles aren’t sore anymore! Maybe I’ll even move up to 5lb. weights in a week or so.

Okay, so some of the things I want to further discuss about the video.

There’s one spot that absolutely pisses me off. During the lunges, Jillian is going over the modified version, and if you look into the background and check out the chick doing the advanced version, she’s taking a break! She’s still living the weights, but she quits doing the lunges! Jillian goes on and on during the video about not taking any breaks, and then I see that. It’s just aggravating.

With that being said, I once again like the rest of the video.

Some of the reviews I’ve read, complain about Jillian not doing all of the exercises. This is my response to that. I don’t mind it because she’s with the two in the back explaining there moves. How many times have you watched a workout dvd and you’re just supposed to figure out how to copy the modified motions? She also takes a couple moments to demonstrate how not to do the exercise, which I find is also very helpful.

Okay… so I’m done talking now. If you’re looking for something to help you get in shape, I’m hoping these reviews are helping and I definitely recommend that you go out and pick up this DVD. Its only about $5-$10 depending on where you get it. I picked mine up for $9 at Wal-Mart.

Now I’m going to sink in this chair, and never get up because my calf muscles are in a huge knot! Okay, just kidding… I’m going to try a warm shower and some muscle lotion… But I hope you all have a good day!

Apple & peach oatmeal

2011-02-02T11:02:00.001-05:00

I was inspired by all the oatmeal circulating in the media lately. McDonald’s now offers their fruit & maple syrup oatmeal. I’ve seen lots of fruity oatmeal recipes in blogland. I’m watching The Martha Stewart show right now, and they’re talking about how you should eat oatmeal every morning to save your heart. Lots of oatmeal.

I went to the snow yesterday, before we got the worst of this stinkin’ blizzard, and purchased some of the necessary ingredients.

3/4 Cup Water
3/4 Cup Milk
3/4 Cup Oatmeal
2 teaspoons brown sugar
Desired amount of maple syrup
1/4 Apple, chopped
1/4 Peach, chopped (I used frozen peaches, so I just took 2 slices and chopped those)
Dash of salt
Cinnamon, if desired

1. Heat the water, milk, and salt to boiling.

2. Add your oatmeal, and reduce heat to medium. Let sit, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and add all of your other ingredients. The heat of the oatmeal will soften your fruit.

4. Move to bowl and top with cinnamon.

5. Enjoy!

Look at that picture… I put on a little too much cinnamon. It was okay though! It was still delicious!

Now, I made my own brown sugar for this, because I was out. You can do this by putting granulated sugar in a bowl with a small amount of molasses, and mix with a fork. One website I found said about 1 teaspoon for 1 cup of sugar.

Oatmeal is a very healthy breakfast, but when I plugged this into Recipe Analyzer, it was kind of high in calories. Now, I like my oatmeal pretty sweet, so I couldn’t imagine taking out the brown sugar or maple syrup… but that’s an option if you’re looking to reduce calories. Also, make your oatmeal with 1-1/2 cups water instead of splitting the liquid into water and milk.

Southern banana pudding

2011-02-01T22:22:00.001-05:00

What better thing to do on a snow day than make banana pudding, right? (I still need to make banana pancakes! I’m thinking breakfast!!) I’m pretty happy with how it turned out, especially because it was the first time I had ever made it. I used this website for guidance on this recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cups milk, 2% or higher
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons butter
2-3 large bananas
desired amount of vanilla wafers

1. Spray a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a medium sauce pan, whisk together milk, sugar, cornstarch, salt, egg, and egg yolk. Once well combined, set burner to medium. Heat, stirring slowly, until thick and bubbly.

3. Remove pan from heat and add the butter and vanilla extract. Whisk until completely melted. Pour into a separate bowl and cover with plastic wrap to cool slightly.

4. In your casserole bowl, place a layer of sliced bananas and vanilla wafers. I crushed the vanilla wafers in my hands so there was crumbs and some larger chunks. Slice your bananas to their desired thickness. (don’t mine my casserole dish. It’s not dirty, its old and stained…)

5. Pour about half of your pudding mixture over the bananas, then lay down another wafer/banana layer topped with a second layer of pudding. Top with whipped cream if desired. Cover and refrigerate for about 4-5 hours.

6. ENJOY!!!

Looky at what I found yesterday!

2011-02-01T14:28:00.001-05:00

I found the 30 Day Shred dvd that I wanted! Yay! And I just finished day 1. OMG! For being a 20 minute workout, it is tough! & I am definitely out of shape. More than I even thought. I haven’t watched The Biggest Loser, but if that’s how she works them, then I am surprised they don’t have heart attacks on the show! I stopped at one point because I was getting a tad dizzy. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t do it because it’ll make you pass out. I’m saying do what you feel comfortable with but it will definitely be a challenge.

Okay, so if you now nothing about this DVD… It’s about 20 minutes long, and split into 3 circuits consisting of 3 minutes strength training, 2 minutes cardio, and 1 minute of abs. You will need a set of weights, that are appropriate strength. You might even want to have a couple sets. I purchased a set of 3lb weights, but for one or two of the exercises, 1lb weights would have been ideal. It’s also set up into three levels. If you’re in decent shape, you should probably go through the levels the way they are intended for 30 days… 10 days each. If you’re like me, you’ll want to just move on when you feel comfortable. They even have a lot of the exercises broken down into modified and challenging…. so I’ll do the modified exercises first…

PROS: I like that this workout contains classic exercises… jumping jacks, push-ups, crunches. It seems like a lot of workout dvd’s these days have all sorts of different moves that leave you think “WTF am I doing?! Does this even work?”. I also like that it is so challenging, so you feel like you’re getting a great workout. I was sweating, my muscles still feel weak (even though I finished about 15 minutes ago), and my heart rate was raised. Even after finishing this program, this dvd will still be useful when you’re short on time.

CONS: This is very challenging. I almost wish it had a level 0 for those of use who are extremely out of shape!

My super, amazing goodwill find

2011-01-31T14:12:00.000-05:00

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

2011-01-31T07:36:00.001-05:00

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)

2011-01-30T21:37:00.001-05:00

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

2011-01-30T12:00:00.001-05:00

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

2011-01-27T21:55:00.001-05:00

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…

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!!

Fix-it friday

2011-01-21T13:54:00.001-05:00

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

2011-01-21T10:59:00.001-05:00

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

2011-01-21T00:03:00.001-05:00

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!

Look up, stop texting

2011-01-17T12:43:00.000-05:00

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…

2011-01-16T17:38:00.000-05:00

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!

Sunday Inspirations; no. 6

2011-01-16T08:05:00.001-05:00

I’m going to try to fit this into my busy schedule! Partly because I’m sitting at work right now, and I am amazingly tired and definitely unmotivated to do any “work” (whether it be in the form of my job or homework). This is going to be my excuse not too.

Anyways, I decided today that I wanted to showcase floral patterns. A couple years ago, I would haven’t even looked at anything with flowers on it… but now I feel as though floral patterned clothing has a certain elegance to it. By this, I means its classic, vintage, romantic… you really can’t go wrong with floral.

Floral Ruffle Tank by Lauren Conrad at Kohl’s

Floral Shirt from American Eagle

Dancing Blooms Cardi at Anthropologie

Please be mine floral belted dress from Ruche

Bouquet Scarf by Evelyn K at South Moon Under

Nice floral flats by Blowfish at Ruche

Vintage Floral Carpet Bag at Free People

Battersea Sofette in Bloom at Anthropologie

Yayy! For florals! This is me a couple months ago in my favorite Lauren Conrad top from Kohl’s. She uses a lot of floral patterns in her line. :)

…And now the real work begins

2011-01-15T06:34:00.001-05:00

The semester at school is now in full swing, and let me tell you… I didn’t anticipate this. I have an insane amount of homework. Because of this, I think I’m going to have to take a little bit of a step back from blogging. I’ll still post some during the week, and I’ll for sure still be doing It’s Freakin’ Friday, but as for stuff like The Weekender, I just don’t know if I’ll have time. Posts like The Weekender and Sunday Inspirations take a long time to write because of all the research behind them. I’ll do what I can, but obviously homework still comes first. I hope you all understand! & trust me, I’d rather be blogging than doing homework…

It’s freakin’ friday; no. 7

2011-01-13T23:01:00.001-05:00

Congrats to Lady Estrogen for being featured! If you need your dose of “cool”, go check her out because she’s got it all! So seriously, make sure you stop by and don’t forget to tell her that you’re coming from my blog hop!

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.

Thursday hops…

2011-01-13T08:37:00.001-05:00

I’m considering Weight Watchers

2011-01-12T17:04:00.000-05:00

That’s right. I’m thinking about joining Weight Watchers to help me achieve my weight loss goals. But do I really need it? That is the question. Does anyone have any experience with their program (specifically their online program)? I would really hate to pay all this money just for it to be a bust. I would really love your input!

I mean, I am only looking to lose 20lbs. Its easy for me to say that and it’s a shock to think that that’s all I really need to lose to feel confident again. If I was 5’6” 20lbs would have much less of an effect than my 5’-ness.

I feel as though, the past couple years my metabolism has plummeted. Even when I do work out and watch what I eat, I don’t see any results. Which is why its now so frustrating for me to be encouraged to start a weight loss program. I consider blaming two reasons for this … either hypothyroidism or pcos. I show symptoms of both, and many of them are the same for both. Thankfully, I now have health insurance, so I can go see a doctor and see what they conclude. As of right now, I’m just waiting on my insurance card to make the process easier.

I know that I do have some problems with food, but I really don’t think I eat that much out of the ordinary than I did when I was younger or than any other fit person.

Part of my problem is that I’m always on the go, it seems like. I’m either at school or at work. Thankfully, I’ll have a little more freetime this semester because I’m taking online courses. But we will see. I' also spend a lot of time eating at my boyfriend’s house, so I’m in no place to be choosy. But they don’t really eat bad either. In fact, when I’m there, I eat a salad before every meal, and drink water with every meal.

One of my problems is that I consume most of my calories in the form of carbohydrates. Mmm… yummy bread & pasta. I just love these foods! Probably a good 65% of my diet is bread/pasta. Also, when I’m home, if my mom makes food, she really fills the plate! Probably twice as much food as I should have on my plate (but that doesn’t mean I eat it all!) Also, I drink quite a bit of milk (2% at that).

But what I don’t consume is a lot of fat. I really don’t eat much meat and when I do, its usually chicken. I also don’t eat a ton of sugar either. I have soda, but that’s not an everyday occurrence.

That brings me back to a combination of metabolism issues and too many carbs. (& this post just took an entirely different direction than I intended. I meant to stop after that first paragraph!).

The perfect excuse to not touch up my roots

2011-01-12T12:35:00.001-05:00

Ombre hair color. It’s my new excuse to NOT go get my roots touched up (but we’ll see how long this lasts…) Not that you can really even notice on my anyways. When I decided to dye my hair back to my natural color, I went a little too light. Ooops. So anyways, next time you don’t want to go get your roots touched up, just exclaim “I’m rockin’ the Ombre look!”

Okay, okay. So its TECHNICALLY not just not dying your roots, but it looks pretty similar right? If you wanted to pull the look off the “right” way, you would tell your stylist and they could do a gradual transition from dark to light. But I think its pretty darn similar.

What are your thoughts on this new trend? Is it super cool or do you think it looks trashy? I’d love to hear your opinions (because that may just influence whether I add color to my hair appointment next week! hehe).

Days like these… you know what I’m talking about

2011-01-11T16:22:00.001-05:00

I really hate days like these…

The ones that start out pretty good and by the end of the day, you just want to curl up in a ball and bury yourself for the next couple of years.

My classes started today, although I only had one class. Woke up, got around, ate, and overall felt really good. And even better yet, I felt social once I got to the college! Yay.

…And then I leave the college. It’s snowing pretty hard, and I almost slip and fall not once but twice. Oh, and there were people around. I manage to make it home and I eat and start to feel sort of “blah”. And then I get the call that really upset me. That interview I had… yeah, they didn’t give me the job. Didn’t even want to bring me in for a 2nd interview because I can’t work on Thursdays at all because of school. So despite the fact that everyone involved agreed that I was a great candidate, they wouldn’t even give me a shot. So I eat more… (I never noticed me eating my feelings before, so I’m not sure if that’s something new or not, which worries me the most). And then I look in the mirror and notice just how broken out my face is.

Now I can’t motivate myself to get off the couch. I’ve accomplished one thing today, and that’s the fact that I’ve called to make my hair appointment for next week.

UGH!

Sorry, I just totally needed to vent…

Uh oh, school is back in session!

2011-01-10T16:23:00.001-05:00

This is my dilemma:

I love indie and bohemian fashion, without a doubt! But I’ve expressed before that I have trouble actually dressing the part. Don’t get me wrong… take me to a store and I can put together an outfit! But when it comes to me personally, my style consists of basics and that’s about it.

One of the things that I have a lot of are basic sweaters. I go to a community college, and a lot of the time I dress in a hoodie and jeans, but occasionally, I like to dress up a little more.

This would be my version of dressing up…

Does anyone out there know of how I can dress this up just a tad bit more? I don’t wear a lot of jewelry, especially to class.. and I can’t wear the high waisted belts because of my waist. So, what do you think? Any thoughts? HELP! :’(

Music madness; no. eight

2011-01-10T12:34:00.001-05:00

I’ll go ahead and do another week of Music Madness, because I did get such a huge response with the Sufjan Steven’s song (probably because he’s so incredibly AMAZING!) …So last week it was Mr. Stevens with “The One I Love” and this week, I would like to present to you “A Brief History of Love” by The Big Pink.

Getting in touch with my resolutions…

2011-01-10T09:11:00.001-05:00

Remember a whole 10 days ago, when I made those 11 New Year’s Resolutions? Yeah, I agree… January 1st, seems months ago. But I just kind of wanted to review my resolutions and hold myself accountable for my progress (and non-progress… eek!)

So let’s review what I set out to do…

1. Lose 20lbs.

2. Find a better job.

3. Fix my credit.

4. Buy a New Car.

5. Move into my own home.

6. Create more interesting and difficult crochet projects.

7. Eat healthier, and eliminate soda.

8. Begin paying off my student loans.

9. Begin crafting more.

10. Get back in touch with my friends.

11. Continue having a wonderful & healthy relationship with the love of my life.

I guess, to properly document the first one, I probably should have recorded my beginning weight. I know I’m at about 155 lbs. and I would love to get to 135 lbs. I really ought to weigh myself sometime soon, although I’m not too sure if I’ve necessarily done anything different.

I have a job interview today! Yay! Its for a front office position at our local American Hearing Aid Association office. All around, the position is better than what I have now… and I really think it would be much more fulfilling. Its in the town that I live in (I’m currently driving 25 miles to work), its $9 per hour plus I get bonuses (I’m only making minimum wage, which is $7.30 per hour in Ohio), its 42-43 hours per week (and I work anywhere from 16-32 right now.. depends on how much my boss hates me). See?… its better! I hope I get it!!

With my credit, I think I’ve decided my best option is to use my tax money to pay all of that off. It’s not like I have a ton of money that needs to be paid to collections (right now, I’m mostly worried about $700 of it, but I do have another bill in collections for $1500. That $700 is made up by about 4 different bills… so if I can get rid of those, I can significantly improve my credit and then start working on that $1500 one).

When it comes to crocheting and crafting… you’ll probably see some crafty projects coming up in the future with the baby shower and parties I am having in April. But I have begun working on a set of crocheted washcloths for my friend’s baby. They’re cute. I’ll make sure to have them posted and a how-to when they’re done.

The one that disappoints me the most is that I haven’t worked much on getting back into contact with my friends… I really need to do that and quit making excuses. I’m really not sure what my reasons have been for not doing it…

Sunday inspirations; no. five

2011-01-09T07:50:00.000-05:00

I really had no clue where I wanted to go this week. Not one. So I decided to look around some of my favorite clothing sites to get inspiration and I decided… I like the color green. So yes, this week… I am featuring GREEN. :)

We Belong Together One Shoulder Top in Sage Green from Ruche

Cape Cool Top at Planet Blue

Scaffold & Scrim Cardigan from Anthropologie

It’s Cute to be Square Geometric Skirt from Ruche

Oh Loverboy Dress from Free People

Stenciled Sketchery Curtain from Anthropologie

My belated christmas pictures...

2011-01-08T11:31:00.001-05:00

My Grandmother & I

Awe, my little brother sitting on Santa's lap!

Mommy & I. Can you tell we're related? Haha.

Random picture of me. Ugh... I need to get that Mt. Dew out of my hands!!

My Mommy & my cousin (a.k.a. Santa's Elf) with Santa

Favorite cousin!

The weekender; no. five

2011-01-08T08:38:00.000-05:00

So, I had about three weeks worth of posts to go back through. That was a lot! And I ended up just deciding my favorites, instead of a set amount. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did, and don’t forget to swing by and show them some love!

p.s. if you were featured don’t forget to grab a button to post on your blog!

Suzy’s Artsy-Craftsy Sitcom

Faux Stained Glass

Farmgirl Chaos

Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes

Pavei Photos Blog

Homemade Oreos

Make It and Love It

Pleated Knit Scarf

Lemontree Creations

Chalkboard Clothesline Christmas Card Display

Inside BruCrew Life

Beaded Picture Hanger

How About Orange

Wooden Disks and Sharpies

Made by Lex

Cloth Napkins

Day seven; eleven in two-thousand and eleven

2011-01-07T20:00:00.000-05:00

Favorite Memory from 2010

My favorite memory was when I went to Ohio Caverns in July. This was such a fun trip and I had never seen anything like it before! The best part was that it was soooo amazingly hot in July, but down in the Caverns, it’s a consistent temperature. This makes such a trip good for any time of year… because while you’re down there, you don’t have to worry about weather conditions. I had done a fully post on this, along with all of my pictures I had taken. If you want to check it out, click here. Here are a few highlights…

It’s freakin’ friday; no. six

2011-01-07T09:49:00.001-05:00

It’s Freakin’ Friday is back! After two weeks… hehe. Stinkin’ holidays. ;) And I can’t believe I completely forgot to get this up last night! Ugh, oh well, I suppose. Enjoy!!

This week, I would like to feature Adventures of a Thrifty Mommy! Head on over and check out her blog to get some really great tips and deals and to save some money!! Make sure to give her some lovin’ and let her know that you came from here!!

I don't want there to be too many rules, but as always, there needs to be order. So:

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.

I won an award!

2011-01-06T20:44:00.000-05:00

Thanks Kat @ Books, Crafts & Pretty Things for this award!!

There are four things I must do to be able to receive this award:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award

2. Share 7 things about yourself

3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers

4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award!

My Seven Things About Me:

I am under 5' tall. I'm only about 4' 11.75".
I want to do everything. The only reason I've gone to college as long as I have is because I've changed my major like 50 million times! Ready for the list? It all started with Marketing, and then went to Accounting, Science, Psychology, Nursing, Accounting (again!), Business Management, and now Human Resources Management (p.s. I am getting my associate's in Science as well). But after all that, I'm only up to two Associate's degrees. I'll be starting my Bachelor's degree next year... In Accounting (good grief!) and Communication Arts with a concentration in PR. Oh! And don't let me forget to remind you that I started going to college my junior year of high school...
I also joined the Airforce. Needless to say, I was discharged 4 weeks later during basic training.
I was a cheerleader in high school. I was so awesome that when I did my Toe Touches, my feet raised above my head. If only I had that kind of flexibility and strength now! ;)
Speaking of high school, I played two instruments... Well kind of. I started with Clarinet, and then moved on to Bass Clarinet and Contrabass Clarinet (so, that could be three!). During marching band, I played the Sousaphone. Do you see a pattern between two of those instruments? They're both about as tall as I am!!
I don't know if you saw my post on my favorite holiday, but in there, I mentioned that when I was young, my dad lived in Colorado. Now he lives in Texas.
On my long list of things I want to do in life, one of them includes being a pilot. :)

I would like to award...
H is for Handmade
Love The Day
Vintage Wanna Bee
Tara in Wonderland
A Thoughtful Place
The Great and Random Ramblings of Cannwin
Facing 50 with Humour
The Owl Diary
For the Love of Blogs
Moogie & Pap
New Nostalgia
Positively Positive!
Throwing Paint
Summerland Cottage Studio
Yours, Mine and Ours

I’m such a dummy!!

2011-01-06T16:05:00.001-05:00

Ugh!! I just downloaded Windows Live Writer a few days ago to help me with my blogging. It’s a neat tool and I really enjoy it. In fact, if you don’t have it yet, I suggest you download it. Anyways, I’m still trying to figure it out. And I was all… Oh, if I open an old post and I can make my changes and publish it as a new post. This obviously is NOT the case. In the 11 in 2011, I ended up completely deleting my Day 5 post and replacing it with my Day 6 post. Which also means that it looks like I posted Day 6 yesterday… grr…

At least now I know…

Day six; eleven in two-thousand and eleven

2011-01-05T08:43:00.000-05:00

Best Organization Tips

I’m not the most organized person, that is for sure. In fact, I’m pretty good at keeping things a mess. Go me! But there are a couple things I have learned along the way….

No. 1: If you or a member of your family is constantly putting something in the same place, then make that place that item’s new designated area. By this, I mean… if your kids area always throwing their book bags by the front door, and maybe that’s where their book bags should go. Create a space for them.

No. 2: Create areas that you’re excited about. If you aren’t turned on by the area, you’re obviously going to avoid it and things aren’t going to make their way there.

& That’s about all I know about organizing… Hope it helped!! Haha…

p.s. New Year, New Friends is still going on... don't forget to link up!!

Country chic baby shower planning

2011-01-04T20:26:00.003-05:00

I am having such a difficult time. You would think this would be easier.

One of my really close friend's is pregnant! Yayy! Okay, so she's 5 months along, so some of that excitement is gone. Anyways, she's having two baby showers. One, her mom is planning for her family, and the other, I am planning for everyone else. This is because the one that her mom is planning is going to be a little farther than most of her friends will want to travel.

She's having a little baby girl. Miss Makenzy Elaine, and we're thinking of doing a country chic shower. I would really like to have it outside, but in Ohio, in April... you can never be too sure what the weather will be doing. But we have these coffee shop in the town that I live in with a decent sized room that can be reserved. That would be fun, right? I've managed to find some inspiration photos. Let me know what you think, and if you have any other additional ideas. My main plan is to not make this too literal, and more real-life inspired. No baby farm animals or cowboy hats... hehe.

Oh, and I'm having a hard time finding shower invitations that I like that go along with the theme. If you know of anything, or know of any people or Etsy shops that make amazing invitations for a great price (Like $1.50 or less), let me know!

I thought the set up of this table would be really cute. I especially love the tablecloth. If only I could find a similar cloth in a more baby girl appropriate color.

My favorite part of this collage is the silverware cans at the top. That's a great way to display the silverware while recycling aluminum cans! I also like the snickerdoodle jar and display card.

Don't pregnant girls usually love pickles? I'm pretty sure Megan wouldn't mind!!

I thought these bags were really cute for giving away the baby shower gift bags and game winnings.

I love this, I just need help, once again, figuring out a way to make it more baby-fied and cute.

I thought finding different jars from thrift shops to display a few flowers would be great table centerpieces.

Overall, I just really like this photo.... Maybe the paper fan things in the back! I could use different baby and country scrap paper? I also really like the table cloth, and how they have a raised portion on the table to make some of the food more accessible.

This is probably my favorite to decorate the chairs! Of course, I need to find out what kind of chairs will be available before I can figure out how to decorate them...

I thought making some homemade candles in old baby food jars would be a cute idea as gifts for the guests.

I love the "baby cake" idea for the guests. Does anyone know how to make similar bite-sized cakes?

Another display that I'm really impressed with. Especially the different shapes of the beverage holders. I was thinking a raised lemonade dispenser along with punch? What else do you think would be good?

This is the only invitation that I have been able to find so far, that I even remotely like...

Day four; eleven in two-thousand and eleven

2011-01-04T15:23:00.000-05:00

Favorite Leftovers Recipes

Not going to lie to you, I'm not really someone who's ever used my leftovers... Although that would be really awesome if I did! Maybe I've now been inspired. Unfortunately, that still leaves me with nothing to present to you today.

There is something that I really enjoy doing after our big family dinners with the leftover turkey. I'm one of the few people out there that can't stand eating turkey or ham on the holidays. But, for some reason, after its been put in the fridge over night, the turkey changes so that it becomes amazinggg. I cannot resist eating a delicious turkey sandwich with my left over turkey. Take a slice of cheese, and some mayo and build this awesome sandwich.

My mouth is actually watering right now just thinking about. And I don't have any turkey anyways. Sad day...

p.s. New Year, New Friends is still going on... don't forget to link up!!

Day three; 11 in 2011

2011-01-03T12:59:00.003-05:00

Today's prompt is my favorite workout tips. This is something I really need to take to heart. ...But here it goes!!

Exercise in the morning, to boost your metabolism for the day.
Wear appropriate clothing. This usually doesn't include cotton, because then your clothing will absorb and retain moisture (a.k.a. sweat). Check out companies such as Under Armour, especially if you're a runner.
For bigger muscles, you should do less reps with heavier weight. For nice, long, lean muscles, do more reps with a small amount of weight.
Make a pact with yourself to exercise everyday. If you just don't feel up to it, force yourself to go for at least 10 minutes. I can almost promise you that then you'll be motivated to finish your workout.
This is something I learned in my anatomy class. Let's say you're a runner and you can run 5 miles no problem. No shortness of breath or anything. Try doing 5 miles at a higher altitude where there is less oxygen. Doing this can really strengthen your lungs.
Eat carbohydrates before your workout to increase energy. Eat protein afterward to repair your injured muscles.

Does anyone else have any great work out tips to share? I could use some inspiration!! && I can post them on Skinny Diva on Wednesday and give you and your blog credit! ;-)

Monday Blog Hops

Music madness; number seven

2011-01-03T07:36:00.000-05:00

Does anyone out there actually follow Music Madness? I was looking through my old posts last night, and I realized that I haven't really gotten a response about it. So, if I don't hear anything about this, I may discontinue it... Let me know your thoughts. Or maybe ways I could change it that people may enjoy it more?

Okay, so last time... I showed you an oldie that many of you are probably already familiar with; "One Headlight" by the Wallflowers. This one is "The One I Love" by Sufjan Stevens. Sufjan is probably my favorite artist, and I hope you like him as much as I do.

Sunday inspirations; number five

2011-01-02T18:08:00.000-05:00

I chose my inspiration this week to be lace. I just got this really cute lace sweater and I would love to expand on this!

Hazelnut latte one should top from Ruche

The Glitterati tank from Poetrie

Vintage violet tiered tank from Poetrie

Women's view point cardigan from Spool No. 72

Soft kisses lace skirt from Ruche

Feather lace earrings from Anthropologie

Hayseed clutch from Spool No. 72

Hand drawn lace shower curtain from Urban Outfitters

My new Lauren Conrad Lace Sweater from Kohls:

Day two of 11 in 2011

2011-01-02T17:25:00.002-05:00

Day two of 11 in 2011 is my favorite holiday memory...

I need to go back to when I was a little kid. My mom and dad have been divorced ever since I was a baby. And not too long after they divorced, my father moved to Colorado. I spent one Christmas out there. I don't remember much, but I do remember watching the news and them talking about where Santa was. It was just magical. That's about all I can remember, but that would probably be my favorite holiday memory.

Waddle in with 2011 ;)

2011-01-01T10:28:00.001-05:00

Since the holidays pretty much screwed up my blogging routine I had going on (and my shift change at work! hehe), I decided to take part in the 11 in 2011 hosted by Teaching in Heels & A Step Into My Life. Here's the prompts, if you're interested as well:

Day 1: New Year Resolutions

Day 2: Favorite Holiday Memory

Day 3: Favorite Work-Out Tips
Day 4: Best Leftover Recipe

Day 5: Places You Hope to go this Year

Day 6: Best Organization Tricks

Day 7: Favorite Memory of 2010

Day 8: Favorite Healthy Snacks

Day 9: Favorite Things to Do on a Cold Winter Day

Day 10: Favorite Girls Night Out Event

Day 11: What are you Looking Forward to in 2011

Today is the first day of 2011 (Whoot! Whoot!) and therefore the first day of the project! So what are my 11 New Year's Resolutions...

Lose 20lbs. by April 15th, which is my 23rd birthday. I'm only 5' tall, so gaining these 20lbs has really made my figure balloon and I would like my self confidence back. :)
Find a better job. One that involves a desk job, 40 hours a week, benefits, and being paid more than minimum wage. I can see that happening!
Fix my credit. I have a lot of small bills that have really destroyed my credit. 3 accounts are in collections for less than $300 and I have one at $1500. I would like to, at the very least, pay off those 3 small ones and apply for maybe 2 credit cards to get my credit back in good standing.
Buy a new car. This is going to be the result and motivations of #3. I've had mine for four years, and I would really like a new grown up car.
Move into my own home. This is going to be the result and motivation of #2.
Create more interesting and difficult crochet projects. I've done some neat ones, such as can coozies, fingerless mittins, and a lanyard... but I they were all relatively simple and basic, and I would love to venture out more. Besides, one of my best friends is having a baby, so the perfect excuse to venture out of my comfort zone!
Eat Healthier & Eliminate Soda altogether. This is going to be the most difficult. I don't think I necessarily eat unhealthy, I just eat a lot of the same things just because its what is there. Like, I'll go through an egg phase where I eat tons of omlets and scrambled eggs and such. Soda is also going to be difficult because I'm a Sierra Mist junkie!
Begin paying off my students loans. I'm by no means out of college yet. I'll be getting my Associate's this spring, and then I'll begin my Bachelor's... & who knows if I plan on getting my Master's (We'll cross that bridge when we come to it). But I do have a $12,000 private loan from the one year I did at Ohio University... and with interest, it has grown to almost $19,000. So I would really like to begin paying it off.
Begin crafting more. I have a few things that I've started and stopped and they have all been relatively simple. ...Like my lamp that I spray painted and will post as soon as I find a lamp shade I like.
Get back in touch with my friends. I have a lot of friends that I really haven't seen lately due to how busy I have been and all the stress I have had the past couple months. I really miss them. :(
Continue having a wonderful & healthy relationship with the love of my life. I would be lost without him.

Weekend Blog Hops!! ... Since I missed the Friday Ones.

Music madness; number six

2010-12-27T16:06:00.001-05:00

Last week was Arcade Fire's "Headlights look like Diamonds". This week isn't necessarily an "indie" song, but its definitely a good one. "One Headlight" by The Wallflowers.

p.s. Don't forget to sign up for my New Year's Blog Hop!! Let's get as many followers as we can!! :)

A new year blog hop

2010-12-26T00:00:00.004-05:00

I absolutely love New Years! & I thought it would be fun to kick off the new year with a fresh new list of bloggy friends. So, I've decided to do a New Years Blog Hop. Yayy... fun! Hehe.

There really aren't any rules for this blog hop, its just all in fun. It's open from today (12/26/10) until next Monday (01/03/11). You don't have to put the button on your blog, but its certainly appreciated. It's always nice to spread the word so we can get as many people as possible to link up. & Blogs of all times are welcome... crafty to fictional, new to old.

So lets go link up and find some new friends to start the new blogging year off right!

Merry christmas eve, everyone!

2010-12-24T07:03:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

There's no Freakin' Friday this week... but I'll definitely be back next week! But for now, here are the other friday blog hops...

Wednesday inspirations; holiday dresses

2010-12-22T12:00:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite things about the holidays is that everyone dresses up! And I absolutely love holiday dresses. Unfortunately, I've never been to a fancy Christmas party to wear one of these dresses (my parties typically consist of jeans or khakis and a sweater or other nice top)... But one day, I will!

The Manhattan Moonbeam Dress from Poetrie

Put Some Bling On It Dress from Poetrie

Kimchi Blue Gosling Dress at Urban Outfitters

Silence & Noise Golden Ring Dress at Urban Outfitters

New Years Tweed Dress at Anthropologie

Ruffled Strapless Mini Dress by Haute Hippie at Net-A-Porter.com

Cinched Sweetheart Dress from Forever 21

Strapless Prom Dress with Glitter from Windsor

Ruby Sequin Dress from Cache

Wrapping paper bows 101

2010-12-21T17:38:00.001-05:00

When I was wrapping Christmas presents the other day, I decided I wanted to figure out how to do wrapping paper bows to fancy things up a little bit. Here was the easiest one I could find, and I wanted to share it with you.

1. You will need 4 strips of wrapping paper (I forgot to photograph one. Do as I type, not as I photograph. Hehe.) that are 8" x .75" and then 1 strip of wrapping paper that is 4" x .75". The strips do not have to be cut perfectly straight, I would just make sure that there are no jagged edges.

2. Now you will need to take all of your strips (even the short one) and create loops and secure with a piece of clear tape. You can either do these with the decoration facing out or in, it doesn't matter. Depends on the color bow you would like!

3. Now, take two of your longer loops and put one inside the other, so they're making a cross shape. I used scotch tape to connect them, but its much easier to use a stapler. But you'll need to flatten your loops and somehow adhere them to each other. Then, do this to your other two larger loops. Now, you'll have two cross shapes.

4. Now, you'll place your two cross shapes on top of each other to make a star shape, and then you put your small loop on the very top (whichever direction you think looks best). If you're using a stapler, slide the top of your stapler inside the small loop and staple through all the layers, that way you're hiding the staple and the small loop is still round. Since I used tape, I just flattened the small loop as well.

5. Use a piece of tape to attach your bow to your gift!

The hardest thing to do, ever. enough said.

2010-12-21T08:17:00.000-05:00

I know, I know. I completely missed two of the weekly posts that I normally do. How come that doesn't surprise me? I should have done those... Its just one of those times when life starts to catch up with you! Music Madness Monday will be back next week, for sure. I had something really awesome planned for Sunday Inspirations, so I'll post something similar sometime this week. Keep an eye out!!

I did probably the hardest thing ever last night. I bought my boyfriend's parents (a.k.a. future in-laws!... maybe) their Christmas gifts.

Initially, I had intended to get them a gift certificate to a local restaurant called Stella Blue. They're definitely one of the best, if not THE best, restaurant in our area. I haven't eaten there (If you don't count the brownie that was given to me. I recommended it to a couple guests at the hotel, and they loved it so much that they brought it back to me. It was amazing), but I know it's my mom's favorite place to eat on special occasions.

His parent's are very family-oriented. And that's a good thing, considering there are 4 kids, with my boyfriend being the oldest. So, I thought the gift certificate would be a good idea so they could have an evening to themselves. But, I kinda-sorta spent too much money on everyone else, and I still have a bill that needs paid. Ugh. So, I had to figure something out. Maybe I should find out when their anniversary is...

I went to Wal-Mart last night on the lookout for an amazing gift that they could share together. Needless to say, I walked around the store for about a half hour feeling like an idiot because I had no clue.

You know that seasonal food aisle they have in the grocery section? That's when I saw it... The perfect gift, ...for his Dad. I definitely didn't think his mother would be nearly as appreciative.


His gift is similar to this one, except I don't recall it coming with the brush. I thought this would be perfect because, not only is he an avid beer drinker (not an alcoholic by any means... just to throw that in there, lol) but he also enjoys cooking.

So, then I was on an mission to find his mother a gift. My boyfriend wasn't much help, but he did mentione that his mother liked candles, but then again...what woman doesn't. So down the candle aisle I went!

Okay, so I couldn't find the set that I purchased
anywhere! Not even on walmart.com or pauladeen.com.
This is one of her full-sized candles. I bought a
trio of smaller candles, in three different scents.
I believe it was Fried Apple Pie, Creme Brulee, and
Strawberry Shortcake. And then the best part is that
it has her recipes on the back of the box.

How did I do? I think I did okay for my first Christmas with them. And although my boyfriend wasn't much help, he said I did alright... Let's hope they like them!

It's freakin' friday; number five

2010-12-17T01:30:00.002-05:00

First, and foremost, I apologize for my absenteeism this week. I actually have some posts that I need to get typed and up posted for you all! But it was finals week, and I had exams to study for... so that kind of monopolized my time. Unfortunately, that also means I haven't gotten an opportunity to read through the 1000's of subscription posts to do The Weekender. I'm not sure if it will be up Saturday morning, or not. If I don't get it done, I will do like I did this week: Combine two weeks and present you with 10 features instead of 5. Now don't forget to link up!

This week's featured blog is A Little Bit of Everything. Just as the name implies, this blog is a little bit of everything, especially some yummy looking recipes! Head on over, and I bet you can find some inspiring recipes for the holidays this year! & Don't forget to let her know that you're coming from Eccentric Delirium's blog hop!

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.

Tip tuesday; number sixteen

2010-12-14T07:45:00.001-05:00

I stumbled upon white concealer at the drugstore the other day. This makes an awesome facial highlighter. The best places to apply it are your temples, right under the end of your eyebrow, and the inner corners of your eyes (especially).

Music madness; number five

2010-12-13T07:28:00.000-05:00

Last week, I introduced "I am not a Robot!", by Marina and the Diamonds, to you. So this week, I would like to give you "Headlights Look Like Diamonds", by Arcade Fire. They are such a good band, and they have a ton of songs that I just love. This is only one. I've included the youtube video, but there really isn't a video (its just the album cover the entire time). I would recommend letting it play while you read all of your other blog subscriptions. Enjoy!

Sunday inspirations; number four

2010-12-12T07:13:00.029-05:00

We were very warm last week in our Flannel, but I really think that we need to continue to be warm! That is why I chose to be inspired by Fleece this week.

Victorian Sweater in Black Fleece by Moe Donnelly at Us Trendy

Turn and Burn Boatneck Pullover from Volcom at Pacsun

All the Buster Cardigan at ModCloth

Winter Legging at American Apparel

Organic Fleece Ivory Dress at Us Trendy

Side Zipper Fleece Jacket at Forever 21

Clifton Coat from BB Dakota at Lulu's

Polka Dot Slippers from Forever 21

Gypsy Tipsy Fringe Tote at Fashion Bug

My personal favorite fleece:

I know, I'm a sell-out.... But its so warm!!

The weekender; number four

2010-12-11T07:44:00.001-05:00

Here's the big one! For those of you who weren't around last weekend, I was having issues with my Google Reader and wasn't able to read any blogs. But it's finally working, and I'm all caught up. And here are my favorite 10 posts from the past 2 weeks, in no particular order (of course). I noticed that these past two weeks have been awfully girly! Lots of clothes and accessories, and no furniture tutorials! Go visit and show everyone some love!

Little Miss Momma

Pom Pom Bib Necklace

Welcome to the Good Life

AnthropologieVintage Lace Chemise

Design*Sponge

Homemade Lip Balm

Vintage Wanna Bee

Anastasia Headband

Cottage Sisters

Garlic Knots

Homemade Mamas

Homemade Candy Canes

Pretty Handy Girl

Glass Jar Votive Holders

33 Shades of Green

Cedar Branch Topiaries

Honestly...WTF

Lace Earrings

Made by Lex

Anthropologie Cirrus Duvet

It's freakin' friday; number four

2010-12-10T01:09:00.010-05:00

How ironic is this? Last week, I was one of the guest hosts over at Bee Friendly Friday Follow with Crazy About My Baybah, as well as some other blogs. And then when I used the random number generator to find my featured blogger for this week, it is who else but Crazy About My Baybah! Congrats! Stop by and make sure you say hello and sign up for her blog hop as well!!

I don't want there to be too many rules, but as always, there needs to be order. So:

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. Obviously, there is no featured blog this week, with it being the first week... but 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.

Skinny diva; week number one

2010-12-08T09:02:00.007-05:00

Hey there!! I want to welcome you to my new Weight Loss/Healthy Living link up. It's going to be once a week, and its primary purpose is to be there for whoever links up in doing what they need to do to achieve their goals. Check out that mission statement! Anyways...

No matter, who you are... YOU COULD BE HEALTHIER. I don't care if you work out 8 hours a day, 7 days a week, there something you could do to be healthier (relaxing, maybe?). In my case, I need to exercise more, lose my belly fat, cut my sugar intake (primarily soda), and focus on eating smaller portions.

Each week, I'll have a little tip for you,similar to the one I posted yesterday on my Tip Tuesdays. I'll also put a motivational quote up to encourage you to keep going! This is my contribution just for you! I also may put any good recipes up that I may find, or something interesting like that. I'll also feature someone each week, as well. What I want us to do as a group is:

Share our beginning weight, current weight, percent weight loss, or overall... just some sort of quantified measure of how you're doing. This doesn't mean that you have to put your weight up. One example maybe "2% weight loss from last week; a total of 6% weight loss overall". Or if you're focusing more on bulking up to be a body builder, you might want to put your percentage of body fat or your measurements. So, this can be as open or discrete as you would like!
We're all obviously doing this to reach one larger goal. However, setting smaller short-term goals is important to reaching that goal. So, what are your goals for just this week? What did you accomplish last week? Its also easier if you quantify these as well. This means, "I want to exercise" is much different than "I want to exercise 4 days this week, for at least 30 minutes". If you do this, you'll also feel much more responsible for this goal. So while you don't have to quantify your goals, it might make things easier!
And introduce yourself to fellow group mates. Let them know that you are there for them.

p.s. Once you join, there shouldn't be a need for you to come back and link up every week. I'm just going to keep this as an ongoing link list and repost the same list every week. If this doesn't work out for some reason, I'll make sure to let you know!

Now that we have our introduction taken care of...

My current weight is: 155

My shorter goal weight is: 145 by 01/01/2010

My overall goal weight is: 115

Eat your calories, don't drink them. Smoothies are good for on the go, but whenever possible, drink water with your meals. This way, you can eat more, and make it less likely you'll go over your caloric goal for the day. Many smoothies are packed full of calories, and could easily more than replace a meal. If you do choose to drink smoothies or juices, make them yourself, that way you can manage what exactly is going into them and keep out all that sugar and high fructose corn syrup.

I made a mental goal for myself last week. I mentioned up above that soda was my weakness, my a goal I set for myself was to not drink any soda at all. There is no nutritional benefit to drinking it! How'd I do? The last time I drank soda was one week ago, on Tuesday. I had a Sierra Mist (my biggest weakness!) at Olive Garden. This means, I really need to focus on alternative beverages while at restaurants because I'm really not a water drinker. However, drinking water while eating out will save me money... Hmm....

This week's goals:

Continue to not drink any soda.
Exercise with the Wii Fit at least 3 days, for at least 45 minutes.
Run/Walk on the treadmill at least 3 days, for at least 30 minutes.
Continue to record my daily caloric intake; keep daily intake under 1,200 calories.

It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get up. -Vince Lombardi

Cranberry-filled mini muffins

2010-12-07T19:02:00.001-05:00

Can you believe my phone took this picture??

I was looking through all of my blog subscriptions and I came across this delicious looking recipe from Cranberry Upside-Down Muffins at BigBearsWife's Blog. As I'm reading through the ingredients, I'm realizing I have everything, and most importantly some cranberries I would really like to use up! Yay! Baking time!

So, I decided to make some changes to this recipe. I'm weird. I don't have a regular muffin tin, I only have a mini muffin tin. I also wanted them to be more "muffin-like" so I could store them and give them to people, and they wouldn't be as messy. The recipe itself is the same though, its just the construction that is a little different.

Cranberry-filled Mini Muffins

Ingredients:

Cranberry Sauce Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice or water

Muffin Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure the rack is in the middle. Prepare your mini muffin tin by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a medium sized saucepan, combine all your sauce ingredients and heat on medium heat, stirring constantly. Keep stirring until cranberries begin to pop and the sugar dissolves. Set aside and let cool while preparing the muffin batter.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt). In another bowl, combine your wet ingredients (milk, egg, vanilla, and butter). Add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Don't over stir.

4. Put a small amount of batter into the bottom of each cup in your prepared muffin tin. Then put a layer of cranberry sauce, and then finish off with another layer of muffin batter.

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, and then let cool.

Tip tuesday; number fifteen

2010-12-07T08:59:00.000-05:00

Today, I decided to do a health tip to kick-off my weight-loss challenge (keep an eye out for that tomorrow!)....

Hungry but its not meal time? Eat a snack that's high in fiber to help you feel full until it is time to eat. So what kind of foods are full of fiber?

Raspberries
Bananas
Oatmeal
Beans
Almonds
Broccoli
Carrots
...Just to name a few.

Monday music madness; number four

2010-12-06T08:01:00.002-05:00

It's time for another music monday!! Last week, I had a creepy video called "Save the Robots" with zombies. It was about all I had to chose from. But that did mean I get to leave you a really fun song this week! Its one of my favorites right now! I would like to introduce you to Marina and the Diamonds, "I Am Not A Robot!". Best part about this video are the sparkles! (Yes, I'm a little ADD about that... )

Sunday inspirations; number three

2010-12-05T07:09:00.014-05:00

I've mentioned before that my boyfriend is a country boy. And all of his friends are country boys. And all of their girlfriends' are country girls. I've been around a lot of country here lately. I wouldn't say I'm super chic but I do try to have a little style, and if you can't tell, I prefer more eclectic, bohemian style. I love weird shapes. Flannel is kind of growing on me though! Therefore, I would like to feature Flannel as my fashion inspiration!

Lightweight Plaid Flannel Shirt from American Eagle

Studded Flannel Crop Shirt from Victoria's Secret

Staple Flannel Wrap from Billabong at PacSun

Wool Origami Sheath Dress from J.Crew

Flannel Tux Short from J.Crew

Madras by A.P.C. Plaid Skirt at Urban Outfitters

Hottem Gray 2 Tone Flannel Military Boot from Blowfish at Lulu's

"Clover" Flannel Felt Flats from Rocket Dog at Ruche

BDG Solid Tartan Tote at Urban Outfitters

& Now for a little bit of my own flannel!
From One Year ago!

Ugh, go figure!

2010-12-04T10:34:00.000-05:00

The past couple of days, I've been having trouble with Google Reader, which is what I use to read all of everyone's blog posts. I would get so far, and then it would tell me an error has occurred, and basically logs me out of Google. I have no idea what the issue is. ...But that also means, I can't even read the posts that I have saved in it, so I can't do The Weekender this week. Which has me pretty bummed.

But next week, I'll do a Double Weekender to cover both weeks. So, we'll call it the Weekend Double Header! Don't forget to keep an eye out next Saturday!

I do have Sunday Inspirations done for this week and next week! ...I needed something to keep me busy at work! So make sure you come back in the morning for that. I'm pretty excited about this week!!!

Fix {my-photo} friday over at trendy treehouse

2010-12-04T01:29:00.000-05:00

One of the things out in bloggy world that I've really been getting into is Fix {My-Photo} Friday over at Trendy Treehouse. I just wanted to post my fix for you all to check out! p.s. if anyone wants to buy me an upgrade to Picnik, I would be one happy blogger!! Hehe.

My Fix:

First thing I did was crop the photo. I wanted to get the other people out of the background, and definitely feature the ocean and sky. Asymmetry really does that here. Next thing I did was play with the contrast & exposure a little bit. I also checked the local contrast box to really make the clouds pop. And then I adjusted the saturation to bring out the blue in the water, and then the temperature to make the sun seem bigger and more golden. Finally, I softened the photo and used the Matte effect in Picnik to give the photo that white glow around the edges! (Oh, and I rounded the corners at some point... )

Whoop, whoop!

2010-12-03T18:56:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to do a quick thank you to all my followers! As of right now, I am sitting at exactly 300! How exciting is that?

Thanks to everyone who's following!!

It's freakin' friday; no. three

2010-12-02T23:08:00.006-05:00

Welcome to my Friday Blog Hop for making new friends in bloggy land! Because last week was so successful, I decided to come back for week #3. I know that with the holiday, blog hoppin' might be kind of slow, but I'll hope you take a moment to link up anyways!

First & foremost, I would like to introduce you to this week's featured blog LaBelladiva . Please make sure to stop by and say "hello" and follow, and let her know who sent you!

I don't want there to be too many rules, but as always, there needs to be order. So:

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. Obviously, there is no featured blog this week, with it being the first week... but 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.

I have also been featured over at BEE FRIENDLY FRIDAY. Yay! I'm a co-host! So, if that is where you are coming from, I want to thank you for visiting! And if you're coming here as one of my followers, I definitely encourage you to join this blog hop as well! And I'll make it really easy by allowing you to do it from my page! Here are the rules:

1. Add your blog to the linky below.
2. Follow the hosts in the #1 and #2 spots, and the co-host in the #3 spot! Leave a comment, and we will follow you back!
3. Grab our new Bee Friendly button to share the fun.
4. Bee Friendly, and visit the blogs that catch your eye.
6. If you get a new follower, Bee Friendly, and return the love!

I know i've said it before, but i need a lifestyle change.

2010-11-30T08:00:00.004-05:00

Okay, I've said this many times, but don't we all?
"I need to be healthier."
"I want to be skinnier."
"I want to feel good about myself."

And then I would go on with my life like I never even told myself these things. I mean, it might stick for maybe a week. And it doesn't help that I think I have practically NOOOOO metabolism. Ugh.

But now I really have to do it this time! I had a wake up call....

My little brother was going around at Thanksgiving snapping random pictures of people and asking them "How do you want to be remembered?" (Not for any reason, he's just weird like that), but this is what I got:

I don't know which view of myself is warped... this one or the one I have when I look in the mirror.

I mean, this could be just bad luck, but its still the fact that at some point in time and from some angle, this was the image of me. Fat wrists, puffy cheeks, and a chin that you couldn't distinguish from even my double chin.

Ugh.

When I look in the mirror, this isn't what I see! I see things like this:

Of course when you see things like this when you look at yourself, you would think you were healthy! Damn, I look hot there! I'm not going to lie. But it also took many times of taking pictures of myself to get something that good.

Unfortuantely, I'm pretty sure that's not what the rest of the world sees, and its probably somewhere in between these two extremes...

Regardless of what I really look like, the point is that my brother's camera caught that picture.. and like I said, at some moment from some angle that is what I looked like and it is unacceptable anymore. I've made excuses for too long.

I'm not sure what my plan is yet, but I'm going to Texas in exactly a month and how nice would it be to be able to enjoy my vacation and think "I'm 10 lbs. lighter", that would make it so much better. Granted, 50 lbs. lighter would be ideal, but that's not exactly healthy in 30 days.

Any suggestions?

Music madness monday; no. three & Tip tuesday; no. fourteen

2010-11-30T02:43:00.000-05:00

Okay, so this holiday must have really thrown me off! But I guess its better late than never right? And let me tell you, this week's song was a hard one to find. So, last week, we had "Annie, You Save Me" by Graffiti6 and this week we're going to do "Save The Robots" by Members of Mayday. It sounds so neat!

But first, our Tuesday Tip:

Save time by not filing the corners of your nails after you cut them. The source I found said that filing the corners actually weakens the structure of your nail!

& Now back to our feature presentation. :)

Too busy for inspirations this week. :(

2010-11-28T09:25:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry to say, that with the holiday this week, I just didn't have time to spend too much time looking at things I wanted! So unfortunately there will be no Sunday Inspirations this week, but expect it back next Sunday with a vengeance!!

The weekender; no. three

2010-11-27T10:00:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone! Welcome to The Weekender #3! I've got some great projects for you to check out. For some reason, this week's theme for me, seemed to be projects of a larger scale. Anyways, I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Summerland Cottage Studio

Holiday Sparkle...

Three Boys

High End Look For Less- Antique Buffet

If Life Was Like A Cupcake

My Shoes Redo

A Thoughtful Place

Map Dresser

Funky Junk Interiors

White Twig Chandelier

It's freakin' friday; no. 2

2010-11-26T00:00:00.008-05:00

Welcome to my Friday Blog Hop for making new friends in bloggy land! Because last week was so successful, I decided to come back for week #2. I know that with the holiday, blog hoppin' might be kind of slow, but I'll hope you take a moment to link up anyways!

First & foremost, I would like to introduce you to this week's featured blog I Am Jewelz. Please make sure to stop by and say "hello" and follow, and let her know who sent you!

I don't want there to be too many rules, but as always, there needs to be order. So:

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. Obviously, there is no featured blog this week, with it being the first week... but 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.

UPDATE 11/26: Sorry everyone! I had the post scheduled to post at midnight, but it didn't for some reason... hmmm... I'll extend how long the blog hop is open for though!

Trendy

Treehouse

{fix-myphoto}

I played around in Picnik for this photo. I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do though.

First, I played with the local contrast to add a little more depth. Then I adjusted to temperature and saturation to give their skin a little bit more color, since the water was making it look a little blue. I also cropped and rotated the picture about 8 degrees to zoom in a little bit more. Finally, I added a little bit of softness and cropped the corners, and that's it!

Simple banana bread

2010-11-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

I made some really simple banana bread for the first time ever, and let's say that I'm darn proud. This means, I want to share my recipe with you! You can find the original recipe at Simple Recipes. For the most part, I followed this recipe to a T.

The reason I liked this recipe is that you can truly make it with things you already have at home. We had some bananas that were too ripe to put in the breakfast bar at work, so I took those home with me, and everything else I already had. I hope you enjoy! (Oh, and check out the website above for some great variations.... from peanut butter to Kahlua!)

Ingredients:

4 ripe bananas
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup flour

Steps:

Mash your bananas, and then mix with the melted butter. A wooden spoon works really well for this.
Add your sugar, egg, and vanilla; mix.
Add your baking soda and salt; mix.
Add your flour last, and make sure to mix well.
Pour into two mini loaf pans until pan is 2/3 of the way full. If you have enough extra batter, you could always fill a third loaf pan.
Bake at 325 degrees F for about an hour. (I started at 25 minutes and kept adding time in 10 minute increments. I'm not positive the exact length of time, but I would say it was about an hour)
Let cool before slicing.

This recipe really tasted great. I think the only thing I would change for next time is that I would use only three bananas, instead of four. The banana flavor was realllyyyyyy strong. Everyone else that tried it said it tasted great though!

The winner's circle

2010-11-25T02:17:00.000-05:00

It's official... My CSN giveaway has finally ended (Just in time for Black Friday, I might add!) and I would like to congratulate Esther for her win!

Esther, I'll be sending you an email to verify your email address. Please respond within 48 hours of me sending it, in order to collect your winnings. If you don't respond, I'll have to give it to someone else! <3

Thanks to everyone who entered! Hopefully I'll have some more great giveaways in the future!!

Non-alcoholic drink recipes

2010-11-24T20:00:00.012-05:00

At work, I found this brochure book thing on the counter. At first I was excited because it says Drink Recipe Book, and then I read the important part.. "Non-Alcoholic". Oh well.

Anyways, this brochure book thing was published by AAA, in hopes to prevent drunk driving. Drunk driving is bad... got it. Now I want to share some of the yummiest looking recipes with you!

Chocolate Fluff

2 ounces of Half & Half
5 scoops of chocolate ice cream
2 tablespoons of Pur Java Honduran Dark Roast Essence Coffee
2 tablespoons of Irish Cream Coffee Syrup
1 tablespoon of Hershey's Special Dark Syrup
Whipped Cream

Place all ingredients, except whipped cream, in a blender. Blend on puree setting until thoroughly mixed. Divide contents between two decorative cocktail glasses. Garnish with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

Lime Egg Nog

1 quart of egg nog
2 tablespoons of 100% lime juice
4-6 drops of green food coloring

Blend ingredients of 3-5 seconds until well mixed. Pour in a glass rimmed with green sprinkles and garnished with a fresh lime slice. Serve with a wide straw. Makes 6-8 servings.

Festive Holiday Cosmo

Ice
Grenadine
2 ounces of club soda
1 ounce of orange juice
1 ounce of cranberry juice
1 ounce of pineapple juice

Combine orange, cranberry, and pineapple juice in a blender. Top with club soda and a dash of grenadine. Add ice and blend. Serve in a martini glass. To garnish, use a cookie cutter to cut stars out of a lime and lemon peel and let them float in the glass.

O'Minty Creme Frost

4 cups of mint chocolate chip ice cream
1 cup of apple juice/cider
3 tablespoons of sweet condensed milk
10 ounces of apple jelly
3 drops of mint flavor
4 Oreo cookies
1 cup of water

Put all ingredients, except for cookies, in a blender until well mixed. Add Oreos and pulse. Pour into glasses. Possible garnishes are ginger ale for fizz or 1/2 an Oreo on the rim of the glass.

There were more, but these were the most delicious looking. I wont tell if you add a little sumthin', sumthin'.... ;)

Creative Reuse

2010-11-24T12:00:00.000-05:00

Hey there everyone! I have another guest post for you all. This one comes from Heather from My Work of Heart. Her blog is amazing and is very volunteer-oriented. I hope you enjoy her post on Creative Reuse.

I'm very much a fan of "Creative Reuse". I try my hardest to be eco-friendly in everything I do, but especially when it comes to crafts. Another thing I'm passionate about is volunteerism. I do a ton of volunteer work for various organizations, including FriendsLikeUs.org, SoldiersAngels.org, OpGratitude.com, and many many
more. Recently I've been working with a school for Friends Like Us. The kids have been reusing construction paper and making cards for kids with cancer. For our MikksKidKrusaders.com OpGratitude.com Drive, we've been trolling thrift stores and creative reuse stores for extra cards, samples, and gifts for the soldier's care packages.

But I decided to do something extra fun for my adopted soldiers from SoldiersAngels.org So off I went to the Long Beach Depot For Creative Reuse (www.thelongbeachdepot.org). The owner, Lisa, has become such a
great friend of my family. She's a visionary, a community advocate, and her daughter is one of the most creative people you'd ever meet! Their store always gets odd and ends, a mish-mash of items. So I knew
it'd be absolutely perfect for my Creative Reuse Christmas Card. I wanted something interesting, fun, and unusual.

First thing I did was get a piece of cardstock from a pack of Christmas cards I had purchased for our drive. I cut that down to 4x6 inches, to make it easier.

Next, I had gotten a card with samples from a 2000 Gift Wrap Collection. I took four pieces from that card and cut them down to 2x3 inches each, to make a very patchwork, quilt looking card. Then I taped the pieces to the card.

Last, it was time for embellishments. I chose a red paper frame, topped by a gold star, then put a beaded snowflake embellishment onto the card.

Voila! Instant homemade Christmas card, made entirely from reused and upcycled materials.

Each card should have your own special touch. Each card can be as unique and different as you are. Have fun, and let your creativity flow!

-Heather
My Work of Heart

Last chance to enter the csn $35 giveaway & Creative share wednesday

2010-11-24T06:00:00.001-05:00

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a chance to win a $35 gift certificate from CSN Stores. They have a lot of amazing products, and I don't think there is a person out there, who couldn't find something they from their store.

Last Chance To Enter!!!!!

I linked my crocheted lanyard up at Trendy Treehouse for their Creative Share Blog hop! Head on over to check it out, as well as some other great projects!!

I'm desperate for a new job

2010-11-24T03:26:00.002-05:00

Okay, okay... Now don't get me wrong. I can't complain too much, because I'm posting this from work. But I am really in need of a new position, and here's why:

First and more importantly, I am sick and tired of working 3rd shift, and it doesn't look like I'll be able to get moved any time soon. I just want to sleep at night again!
I need to make more money. I'm only making minimum wage, which in Ohio is $7.30/hr. If I was flipping burgers, I would have no room to complain. But before I moved out of Toledo, I worked at another hotel, doing the exact same thing and making $9.50/hr. The reason for our wages here, is that our manager is just plain cheap. I just can't afford to live on that! Even when I am lucky enough to get some full-time hours, I wouldn't be able to afford to move out of my mom's house (and I really don't have too many bills. I am currently paying out less than $400 for my car payment, car insurance, and cell phone).
Slap my hands for saying this, my management in this place is a joke, and I'm just sick of it. Things are never consistent. Some people get punished and others don't. Gossip is HORRIBLE here, even among management. And there's just too much backstabbing going on. It's a fend for yourself environment, which would be fine if it hadn't forced me to develop some personality traits that I'm not too proud of. (I hate having to make other people look bad just so I don't get in trouble for something!)
And finally, I'm driving 30 minutes to work... and with winter coming, I'm just not in the mood to do that during a snow storm. Enough said.
I'm about to graduate. I know that an Associate's isn't much, but it has got to qualify me for something, right? I don't need any sort of degree to work here, and I don't even think the hotel manager has a degree in anything... this place is just bringing me down.

So I've been sending cover letters and resumes out like crazy. Unfortunately, I don't get too many opportunities to follow up on them, because of my sleep schedule (which, I take the blame for... I should wake up and make an effort to contact these companies) but I haven't heard back from a single one, and I've applied to dozens of companies. Oh wait, I take that back... Kohl's wanted me to be a seasonal cashier. I quite honestly, don't even remember applying to Kohl's.

So check out this resume I typed up tonight. Its for a customer service representative position at an insurance firm. I really feel like my cover letters are just so extremely bland. Am I doing something wrong? Do you know of any ways to spice it up? I want to stand out!

tip tuesday #13

2010-11-23T03:52:00.001-05:00

I love to use face masks, no matter the time of day! But especially in the morning. The benefits from the mask make your skin look absolutely amazing, so why go to sleep? And wearing it in the morning really doesn't take any longer than it would normally take you to get around.

Here's what I do:
I shower and wash my face like normal.
Then I put my hair in towel to get it out of my face, and put the mask on.
I'll do some random tasks to get around... brush my teeth, get dressed, fix my nail polish... and then after a few minutes and most of the mask has dried, I'll start drying my hair. Sometimes I'll go as far as to completely style it.
I then pin my bangs back and away from my face, and rinse my face off, and then finish my skincare routine.
My skin then looks good as new! :)

Homemade Lanyard

2010-11-22T14:56:00.000-05:00

I have my first little tutorial, although it might not be very useful if you don't know how to crochet. Although, I will say that crocheting is really easy to learn. I taught myself by watching various "how-to" videos off of the internet, and now I'm addicted!

This product is really good for those who are just beginning. It's quick, and quite easy. Plus you have a lot of freedom if you want to practice using different yarns and stitches. However, the one I made is really quite basic. You will notice that there is a lot of flexibility in this pattern...

So, here's what you'll need for this lanyard:

A latch/keychain. I got this one off of an old lanyard that I

didn't want anymore.

A medium weight yarn. I used this Simply Soft by

Caron. It's one of my favorites.

A 4.25mm Crochet Hook. This is

also the same thing as a size G hook.

Yarn Needle

Ch. 5
Sc in 2nd chain from hook. Sc in each chain until end. (should be 4 sc's, making 5 stitches total).
Do this for the length of of your lanyard. I'm not sure how many rows I did for sure, but I would say its about 100.
Slide your lanyard onto into the D-ring of the latch. Slip stitch the ends of the lanyard together. I found it helpful to change the direction your hook is facing (so that it's towards you, instead of away from you). And then when you slip stitch, make sure to pull through all the stitches, which will be about 5.
Cut and finish off your lanyard, and weave each end up the sides of your lanyard with a yarn needle.
Cut off a generous amount of yarn (about 6 in.) and use the yarn needle to weave this yarn through the section of the lanyard above the D-ring, so that the D-ring doesn't slide around your lanyard. When I did this, I wrapped half the yarn section around one way and then cut off the end, and then wrapped the other half around the other way and cut off the extra.

Finished Product!

Music Madness Mondays #2

2010-11-22T07:00:00.003-05:00

I decided to make Music Madness a little more fun. Instead of just posting some random song every week, I'm going to make the song related to that of the previous week. So, since last weeks song was "Graffiti Eyes" by Stellastarr, I have decided that this week's song should be "Annie You Save Me" by Graffiti6. See the resemblance?

Enjoy! ;)

Sunday Inspirations! #2

2010-11-21T07:00:00.003-05:00

I loved the response I got from last week's post on Ruffles! If you would have talked to me a couple years ago, I would have been like "Ew... Ruffles are too girly!" A lot has obviously changed in the past couple of years.

I know that a lot of people wear darker colors as it gets cooler outside, but I really like the look of white in the winter. So this week's theme is:

Snow White

Couture Cowl Neck Sleveless by Sherri Lyles at UsTrendy

Lamixx White Shoulder Top at Threadsence

Sparkle & Fade Inset Dolman Pullover at Urban Outfitters

Pretty in Chiffon Mini at Free People

Boudoir Beauty Babydoll Nighty at In Bloom by Jonquil

Embrace Me Jacket at Free People

Long White Jacket by Filipa Pinto at UsTrendy

Downy Canals Scarf at Anthropologie