Renewing Interests & Obnoxious Salespeople June 11, 2011

On Wednesday, I went to David’s Bridal with my niece so she could try on wedding dresses for the first time.  It felt almost full-circle for me.  Just over a year ago, Zach and I got married, and I was SO OVER anything wedding related. I deleted a whole bunch of wedding related blogs, and just took a big long break.  Fast forward to this February, and my niece was engaged and planning on a July 2012 date.  I’m so excited for them, and all of a sudden, I’m emerged in wedding detail blogs.  Obviously it’s not MY wedding, but it’s fun to shoot ideas to her, and she’s already asked me to make the invitations, so I’ve been trying to stay in the loop of her planning so that I have a good idea of what she’s going for to make the invitations appear cohesive.

My niece is coincidentally in town for a wedding this weekend, and on my day off this week, along with an entourage of her bridesmaids, we trekked to the infamous DB for her to try on dresses for the first time, and to see what kind of styles she might be looking for.  She tried on dresses in very different styles that she liked.  She didn’t fall in love with any of them, but left with style numbers of her top 5.  I was less than impressed with our “help”.  It seemed that she didn’t understand that since this was her first time trying on dresses, and her wedding is 12+ months away, that she wasn’t interested in actually purchasing a dress TODAY.  Our associate kept saying how we lucked out because there is a SALE going on now, and how she’s not sure how much longer certain styles would be available because their dresses come in and out so much she can’t keep up with them.  Um….excuse me? Isn’t it your JOB to know when a style came in?  Or at least to find out if you don’t know?  This is why I had my dress made for me.  I wasn’t interested in being pressured into something because my associate hadn’t met her quota for the month yet.

At any rate, here’s some eye candy to go along with this post.  I don’t really love DB, but here are a few styles that caught my eye on their website.

#16: Check! June 10, 2011

I’ve been wanting to create or buy art for above our bed since about the time we got married.  I even made it part of my 101 in 1001 list.  With Zach’s and my first wedding anniversary coming up (the PAPER anniversary) I thought it was appropriate to design something that could kill two birds with one stone.  I created 3 art prints to put above the bed.  I still need to buy the frames for the prints, but I thought I’d share what I designed.

First up, was a simple little saying with our wedding date on it:

Followed by a simplified version of our vows:

And lastly a simplified version of 1 Corinthians 13 (one of my favorite scriptures about love):

Who fell off the face of the earth? June 9, 2011

Yeah.  So, what happened to me writing every week, a couple times a week?  I got really sick.  I tried to power through it. It didn’t work.  I finally went to the doctor who declared I had strep throat and bronchitis. AT THE SAME TIME.  I was given 3 different medications. The strep cleared up but my cough was not getting better. I went back to the doctor who gave me an inhaler.  3 weeks later I was FINALLY feeling more like myself.  What else has happened in the last few months?  I fell off the blogging wagon, apparently.  Also, I am dreadfully behind on my 101 in 1001 list.  I should have been knocking out those movies while I was stuck in bed!

Work is still….work.  Right now I’m working at a different branch for a few months while they train someone else at my branch.  It’s definitely an adjustment for me, too.  My branch is smaller and doesn’t see nearly as much traffic throughout the day.  There are only four of us, which means we all have more responisbilities to run the branch.  At the branch I am working at now, there are more than ten of us, and the traffic is WAY higher.  There are more of us to shoulder responsibilites, which means that a lot more of my day is spent helping members rather than working on reports.  It’s also a completely different dynamic working with so many people.  I’m still getting used to having to communicate with so many more coworkers about what is going on.

I’m currently counting down the days to vacation.  Exactly one week from today, Zach and I are going on an extended weekend vacation in Portland. I’m so excited I started counting down at a month out!

So that’s my life in a nutshell. Hopefully, I can get back on the wagon and share more about my vacation and getting through my 101 list.

The Dreaded D-word February 18, 2011

Dieting that is. Over the years that Zach and I have been together, I have gained quite a bit of weight. Some people have called it “happy weight.” I don’t know about that, but I know it is unhealthy. I recently had a reality check and realized I need to get serious about shedding some pounds. My goal isn’t necessarily to get back to where I was in high school (120ish) but to get back to a healthy weight. I’m hoping to loose about 30 pounds. Maybe after I get there I will be motivated to continue, but right now I need to set a goal that is realistic.

Part of my problem is I’ve never really dieted before. I know it is crazy, but all through high school my metabolism was crazy fast and I could eat anything I wanted and never gain any weight. It sounds glorious but really it sucked when my metabolism started to slow down when I hit 19 or 20. Add in all the fast food & soda I was drinking to and from college classes while commuting and it’s no wonder I began to gain weight.

So two weeks ago, I started to watch my calories. Eventually I’ll add in exercise to the mix, but right now I want to focus on what I’m putting in my body. If I don’t change my habits then as soon as I loose the weight I’ll go right back to where I was. I don’t want to be a yo-yo dieter.

So far, I’ve lost 5 pounds and I can already tell my clothes are fitting a bit looser. I know that some of the foods I’m still eating aren’t necessarily the most healthy choices, but for now I’m just looking at calories. However, I’m already seeing a difference in the foods I choose simply because 1200 calories doesn’t go that far and If I am not careful I end up going to bed hungry.

I’m sure that over time I’ll tweak my diet to be more healthy, but for now I am just proud to be sticking to something.

Etsy Sunday: Be My Silly Valentine February 13, 2011

For this week’s round up I thought I’d touch on the humorous side of Valentine’s Day.  I’ve seen plenty of beautiful & sappy cards, and while those are great, I felt that with tomorrow being Valentine’s Day and all, it would be much more fun to take a look at the silly side of the day.

While looking for shops to feature there were plenty of the, “You’re the _______ to my ________.”  But still Macaroni and Cheese?  Awesomesauce.

Cheese to my Macaroni by Vixen’s Empire

And the whole, “I love you more than______” has also had it’s fair share of play, but this card is pretty swell.

More than Pickles by Oh Geez! Design

You Tickle my Fancy by Yummy Pocket

I Anatomically Heart You by Letter Happy

And last but certainly not least, everyone one needs a little Valley Girl to get them by…..

For Like Evah by Sweet Perversion

All that Good Stuff February 8, 2011

So my awesome run at keeping up my blog kind of fell to the wayside the last couple of weeks.  I’ve been super busy.  Not only do I have regular stuff going on, but I’ve also been working on a graphic design project for a friend.  It’s actually been really fun because it’s not really like any of the other invitations I’ve done.  We ended up going a different direction because the bride wanted to use pictures, but I’m still pretty happy with the results.  Even if it never gets used.

It was fun to design the wording a bit different than the average invite.  The bride and groom were inviting everyone to the reception so it had to have all of the information on it.  They were only inviting a small group of people to the ceremony so that ended up being the insert with the basics on it.  Sometimes I wonder if this will ever become more than a hobby of mine.  In the mean time I do enjoy getting to dabble in it and take a break from my real job.

Check & check! January 26, 2011

Numbers 1 and 8 have officially been checked off the list.  Unfortunately I’m a rusty blogger and forgot to take before pictures and only have afters. Sadface.  At any rate, we’ve been putting off cleaning out our downstairs storage area basically since we moved in.  Unfortunately, it had more become something like the land of misfit toys or where things go to die.  It was easy to just toss a couple half emptied boxes down there when we moved in (winter clothes that we didn’t know where to put when we moved in this summer).  Gradually the pile grew til we really only had a walking path down the middle from doorway to doorway.

See the awesome storage rack?  We weren’t utilizing that at all before.  We actually haven’t gotten rid of a lot of stuff, just reorganized and realocated and the room feels like it is 3 times it’s size now!   We have a stack of stuff to donate to Goodwill in the corner:

Along with a few bags of recyclables.  Other than that all of our stuff to store has been alocated to the storage shelf.  I’m loving it!   And we finally had room to put away our Christmas decorations that had been sadly boxed up and sitting in our living room since we took down our tree 2 weeks ago.

Also tackled this weekend was our horrendous living room window.  Again, I don’t have a before picture, but here’s a picture of the front door which has just about the same treatment as the big window had before we took  the awesful window treatment down.

I was truly loving the white metal blinds holder that doesn’t actually fit the window sans blinds look, but it was time for something new.  We’d bought the white sheers a couple months ago, but had yet to buy a double rod, or any actual curtains to block out light.  I finally caved and bought an inexpensive rod at Target as well as some “wine” colored curtains that were on clearance.  I know how much DIY projects like this frustrate my husband so I tackled this while he was at work.  I still need to buy some tie backs but I’m really liking the look.  I think it’s an improvement at least!

Etsy Sunday: Letterpress fun January 23, 2011

I love letterpress.  No really, I love letterpress. So this week I thought I’d spotlight a few shops with some pressed goodness.

Long Haul by Paper Parasol

Congratulations by Fine Day Press

Many Thanks by Dutch Door Press

Get Well by Green Grass Letterpress

Bicycle Birthday by Sweet Harvey

Etsy Sunday: Vintage Kitchen January 16, 2011

I love yard saling.  Goodwill.  Thrift Stores.  It’s so fun to pick through people’s odds and ends and try to find the gold in the ruff.  Most times I end up empty handed.  But every once in awhile I find a gold mine!  Etsy is a treasure trove of kitchy awesomeness.

Pedestal Bowl by High Street Market

Flower Bowl by Blue Bicycle

Turquoise Bowl by Lee Lee’s Closet

Pitcher and Glasses byPasse Nouveau Vintage

Yellow Casseroles by Katy’s Jewels

Budgeting January 13, 2011

Part of my 101 in 1001 post was to pay off one of my credit cards. Unfortunately I have a long way to go. Being unemployed and not qualifying for unemployment left me hard pressed for any other options. And it sucked. But I’m not going to dwell because Zach and I both have good, stable jobs, and finally have paychecks coming in that cover more than just the necessities. It’s SUCH a relief to actually see our savings growing.

I know that people have been talking about mint.com for what seems like ages. But I just created an account last week and I am loving it! I never thought that budgeting for a month could be easier. I’ve been trying to do it on my own for the last few months, but I know that I wasn’t doing nearly as good of a job as mint does!

Being able to keep track of how much we’ve spent on an alotted category throughout the month helps so much in knowing if we need to cut back in certain areas to stay on budget for the rest of the month.

Yes, we have a category specifically for coffee.  Someone in this household needs his Dutch Bros fix pretty regularly.  I wish I could say that we never reach the full budget….but in actuality, the $30 is lower than what has been spent in past months.  $30 is our goal so we can attribute the rest of the funds to things that we want to be saving for.  Or paying off.

 

I’m so glad for Mint.  It actually makes budgeting something fun to do, because I know I am working towards my goals, and trying to put living month-to-month in the past!