Pinterest Project Update

Alright, alright I know I have been a slacker this week with the posting.  Andrew's new schedule has thrown me off a bit.  Rest assured though, I did get some projects done this week.  I know last week I said I was going to do the Valentines Day Hearts as my pinterest project of the week.  I did actually go shopping for the supplies and start on the project.  However, I hit a couple of roadblocks with that project.  I thought I had floral tape, but it has gone off on an adventure somewhere in the house and has yet to be located.  For having a house less than 1000 sq. ft. you wouldn't things would get lost that easily, but they do.  I can tell you where it used to be before I took to organizing the closet it was in.  Now, I have no clue where it ran off too.  In my defense, Andrew said he remembers seeing it too.  So, my project for today is to find that so I can finish the project seeing as this week is Valentines Day.  I also got my snowmen and most of the remaining Christmas stuff put away.  I am done with snow and couldn't look at the adorableness of the snowmen any longer. 

I did manage to accomplish another Pinterest project this week, however.  While I was at Michaels this past weekend gather supplies for the project I was supposed to be working on, I came across a few things in the sale rack that I needed for another project.  Think of this as swapping out projects for the week.  This week, I promise I will finish the Valentines project.  Of course, but the time I finish up this one it is going to be time to decorate for Easter.

Here was the project this week:

Source: makeandtakes.com via Natalie on Pinterest

I wasn't sure where I was going to put said project when I was done, but I knew we would make good use of it.  I decided to put this in the kitchen on the fridge door.  Right now, we are using it as a grocery list, which actually works out great.  I can't tell you how many times I am standing in the kitchen and think of something I need to get at the store that weekend, but by the time I make it to write it down I forgot what it was. 

So, here was my major score at Michaels:

I paid $1.00 for this frame! 

 

I didn't like the white frame, but I knew I had black paint at home so I could paint it pretty easily. The Plexiglass in this frame was pretty beat up, but in the end it doesn't really matter because we are writing on it and the paper in the frame hides that.   I think the frame was originally $24.99.  While I was at the store, I bought this frame a page of 12x12 scrapbook paper to go in the frame.  I also bought some strong magnets to go on the back of this because I knew I wanted to put it on the fridge.  If you are going to do this, do not cheap out and buy crap magnets, you will be mad.  The ones I bought came in a pack of four and had adhesive on one side to stick to the back of the frame.  I think the pack was $2.79, so really not that bad.  Total cost of the project considering I had the paint at home was less than $5.00. 

 

 

For this project, I took the Plexiglas out of the frame and cleaned it up the best I could.  This frame was intended to stand, so I took that piece off the back so it wasnt' causing problems.  While the Plexiglass was out of the frame, I painted the frame black with black craft paint intended for use on wood.  I had to do two coats of paint on the frame to really cover it.  Once the paint was dry, I put the Plexiglass back in, but the scrapbook paper in, put the back on, and attached the magnets.  My total project time was probably less than 30 minutes.  Now we have this frame on our fridge so I might actually remember what I need at the store.  Here is the finished product! 

Some of you may recognize your Christmas cards on our fridge.  We do put them up so we can admire our wonderful family and friends throughout the year.  If you sent us one and don't see it in the photo, I promise it is up there.  So, there you have it.  Pinterest project #1 is in the books! 

Needed: Organization

Have any of you ever thought to yourself, I really need some organization in this place, but I'm totally lacking any thoughts on how to get organized?  If you have, I'm glad to hear it!  Now I know I am not the only one with this problem.  Since we moved into our house, I think I have been telling one of my friends at work that I need to get organized at the house, but don't know the how or what.  She and I like to browse vintage/junk shops, and I always hope something will reach out and grab me.  Clearly at this point, I have had no such luck. 

Case and point: our dining room table, or shall I say dumping ground.  I don't really know how or why the table got to this point, but it did.  I used to get so annoyed when I was growing up if the table was covered with stuff because then we couldn't eat dinner at the table.  Right now, we couldn't eat dinner at the table without an hour long cleaning session. 

 

Now you see the problem.  That's an empty laundry basket sitting on the floor there.  Why is it there you ask?  I really don't have an answer for that.  Then there is the old filter for the humidifier, some hats and scarves, an empty coffee cup from earlier this week, some random paper things, a book, some Valentines decorations getting lost in the mix, some things I need to return to someone, some things leftover from Christmas that I need to find something to do with, my coats, my workout bag, some empty boxes under the table, and a basket of laundry over on the other side with clothes I need to fold/hang up.  There is another thing, does anyone else hate folding laundry as much as I do?  Because I pretty much loathe it.  The sad part of that is, most of Andrew's laundry gets hung up so it is really only mine that gets folded.  

Again I go back to how does this happen?  Why haven't I thrown out the old humidifier filter?  That's a good question considering I could have taken it out last week with the trash.  Why don't I walk five more feet and hang up my coat on the coat hanger I bought?  Again, good question for which I have no answer.  If my mom were reading this, she would be laughing right now because this is the same problem I have had most of my life.  She would come home from work and get so mad at me because I would just drop my bag where I came in, along with my shoes and whatever else I had.  Seems I haven't really outgrown this problem. 

So, you may be asking what my proposed situation is.  Well, to cater to my laziness, I actually have come up with a solution.  We have an "unused" space behind our door that I'm thinking about making use of. 

I know it doesn't look that wide, but it is probably about a foot wide.  Yes, Andrew, before I do anything I am going to measure the space.  He gets so mad at me for not measuring things and just assuming they are going to fit.  Since I can't find anything exactly like I'm thinking online, I will draw a picture for you, aren't you excited now?

 

Now, let me explain this project.  I'm thinking of taking a board, or a cabinet door if  I can find one and painting it black like I have here in the picture.  Then, were you see our names, those are going to baskets for mail.  The white circles at the bottom are going to be hooks for coats since this is going by the front door and that is when we need coats.  I'm thinking this could work and might keep some clutter away.  Maybe in the blank space, I will put some sort of basket or something we can throw gloves and hats in because those also seem to always be hanging around. 

 

 

If anyone is looking for a status update on my craft/pinterest project of the week, you will be happy to know I did pick up the supplies yesterday and actually picked up the supplies for a second project.  I will post more details on that later.  I went to the Habitat for Humanity Restore yesterday looking for some supplies for a third project, but that was a no go.  While I was there, I was reminded why I like to shop there during the week; that place was a freaking mad house.  

Recipe Wednesday, On A Thursday

I know I haven't done recipe Wednesday in a while, but I think we kind of got in a rut in this house of always making the same thing because I knew we liked it and it was easy to make.  A lot of times, easy is what I go with.  After a long day of work, the last thing I want to think about is coming home to make a meal.  Granted, we do our shopping the weekend before, so I already know what I am going to make.  But, that doesn't make me desire to cook the meal any greater.  Sadly, I do actually love to cook.  I enjoy it mostly on the weekends when I have lots of time to both cook and clean up.  In case you didn't know, cooking can be a very messy process. 

Tonight's recipe is actually for a Super Bowl food day we are having at work tomorrow.  I checked the list today before leaving work, and it seemed that most people are planning to bring some kind of dessert.  While normally this is the category of food I would be pondering bringing and I really wanted to jump at the chance to use my awesome Green Bay Packers cookie cutters my mom bought me for Christmas, I decided to branch out.  And, before you make some comment about how the Packers aren't in the Super Bowl, the cookies were going to be my silent protest. 

A few years back, I did an internship at a law firm in town.  One of the legal secretary's made some amazing spicy wraps, and I have always wanted to test them out myself.  While I didn't have the exact recipe, I figured it shouldn't be hard to find something. 

Since work is evil and has blocked Pinterest, I'm sure they figured out how many hours they were paying people to sit around on Pinterest, I had to settle for Google.  The conclusion I came to for these wraps, was that everyone has their own spin and it is pretty much do what you want.  I picked one that looked and sounded pretty good, and headed to the grocery store.  Here is the recipe that I used as inspiration : Mexi Dip.  Yes, I know this is for a dip, but I liked the sounds of the ingredients, so I figured I would turn it into a filling for wraps. 

Here is what I came home from the store with:
1 Envelope of Hidden Valley Fiesta Ranch dip mix
2 bags Mexican Shredded Cheese
1 8oz Container of Whipped Cream Cheese
1 8 oz. Container of Sour Cream
1 Can Rotel Tomatoes (Lime and Cilantro)
1 Large Can Chicken
2 Bags Large Tortilla Shells (I used the sun dried tomato and spinach kind that come with 6 shells per bag, when I was done I had 2 of each shell left)

I drained the tomatoes off most of the way, but still left a little bit of juice in the can, and then poured in a mixing bowl.  Make sure you give yourself a big enough bowl to mix everything up really well; mine was getting a little full by the time everything was in there and it was a bit problematic.  Mix all the other ingredients into the bowl; there is no particular order.  For the cheese, I put about half of one bag in the bowl with everything and the rest was used on each tortilla.

Once everything is mixed up well lay a tortilla out and spread some of the mix across the tortilla.  You will have to experiment a little with how much of the spread to put on the tortilla.  You don't want to get too much or it starts coming out the ends and then you just have a mess.  Once the mix is spread out, sprinkle cheese across the top of the spread (you can do as much or as little as you like).  Next, you are ready to roll up your wrap.  Make sure when you are rolling that you get them as tight as you can, it just makes things easier.  Once your wrap is rolled up, cut it into 1-2" sections.  Make sure you use a sharp knife to cut these, or again you will have a mess. 

I used eight total shells and came out with probably 40 or so bites.  No, I didn't count them so I can't give you an exact number.  When you are cutting the wraps into sections, you will notice that you wont be using the ends, which is fine because you can save those for yourself.  Of course, I tested one of the end pieces to make sure I wasn't going to poison my coworkers tomorrow.  I have to say, these are pretty darn tasty!  We will see what everyone thinks tomorrow at work.  The other thing I liked about these is that I can make them up the night before.  Right now, they are sitting in the fridge waiting for me to take tomorrow.

 

There are two layers of wraps in that container... ok now that I count them I might have closer to 50 to 60 wraps

And now I will leave you with a picture of the kiddos playing in the snow yesterday! 

  

The Problem With Pinterest

I love Pinterest as much as the next person, don't get me wrong.  But, I'm telling you right now it has become a serious problem for me. I feel more than a little overwhelmed by the number of things I have pinned and done nothing with.  I have probably accomplished more of my dinner ideas board than any of the others.  My craft board you can forget about, I don't think I have done a single thing off that board and it isn't for lack of thought. 

My main problem with Pinterest is I simply don't have the money to do all the wonderful things I see on there.  At that point you come to that realization, it is just depressing.  My second issue with Pinterest is time.  One could spend so much time pinning, the forget about the doing.  How many people have actually done more than a handful of things they have pinned?  Like I said, other than recipes, I haven't. 

With some of my craft pins, I have gone so far as to think about where I would get the materials to execute the pin.  Last weekend when we were at Home Depot, I was walking by some supplies for a recent pin and thought, "should I get these".... Don't get excited about a possible project post here because I didn't get the supplies.  I know, now you're depressed like I am.  I kind of felt like that was the epitome of laziness at that point.  I was literally standing right next to what I needed for the project and actually had a gift card in hand so I wouldn't have to pay anything for said supplies, and I still didn't get the stuff.  Lame, I know and I really have no valid excuse on that one. 

My other excuse right now is the winter weather is just bringing my down.  I'm having a total lack of motivation.  Remember how I said one of my goals for winter was to create a book with all the tags from flowers we planted this year?  Yeah, that hasn't been started yet.  I take that back, I pinned an idea for it.  I'm sure that counts for something, right?  Perhaps if I commit myself to doing one project a week, I will make some progress on these pins.  There are some things I can accomplish while stuck inside for the colder months.  Don't let me wimp out though and only make a recipe, that doesn't count.  Ok, I'm going to say it counts if it is a dessert recipe because I honestly have a lot of them pinned and have only done maybe one or two of them. 

So, here is my first weeks project.  I'm going to give myself until next Tuesday to accomplish this one.  I have to be honest, until I get to the store this weekend, this one probably isn't going to get done.  But here it is:

Source: my.hgtv.com via Natalie on Pinterest

So here is my shopping list:

Go back to Home Depot with my trusty gift card and pick up the wood dowels (3-4)
Valentines paper (I have to think on this one if I want paper or fabric, not sure)
Felt (or paper, again I haven't made up my mind)

I already have:
Cardboard
Floral tape
Hot glue gun and extra glue sticks
Container to place the finished product in.

There you have it.  Once I have finished this one, I will post a picture, just so you all know I did it.  Once this one is done, I will post my next pinsperation!  Until next time, happy pinning!

How Is January Almost Over?

I can't really believe January is almost over.  I have always been told the older you get, the faster time goes.  I'm really starting to believe that statement.  I have no idea where the last month has gone, and Christmas seems like ages ago now.  January has already been filled with a lot of activity, who knows what the rest of the year is going to bring us. 

We rang in the new year by getting to put a new battery in Andrew's car.  That wasn't a very lovely way to bring in the new year.  Last year, we both had the flu for the new year and this year was a new car battery.  I'm already wondering what 2014 will bring us.  On the flip side, January also brought us Andrew's promotion to full time supervisor at work.  This has been about 9 months in the waiting, and I was starting to wonder if it was ever going to happen.  Patients: not my strong point.  With Andrew's promotion came a switch in shift.  He is now working Sunday through Thursday, but that means we get to eat dinner together now and we get Friday nights together.  I'm still getting used to having him home when I get off work.  In the six years we have been together, I have always had my nights to myself; it is usually when I get my projects done.  Don't get me wrong, I love having someone other than the dogs and the TV to dine with. 

At the same time Andrew was promoted, I got the respiratory flu.  That knocked me on my butt for about a week.  For two days I didn't want to get out of bed; my body hurt so bad.  Finally, I got it together and drug myself into work for a few days.  Mucinex was my saving grace the last couple of weeks.  After having the stomach flu last year and the respiratory flu this year, I think next year I will opt for my flu shot. 

Now that February is almost here, I'm ready for spring.  I'm sick of cold, snow, and being stuck inside.  I'm ready to get outside and take the dogs to the dogpark, play in the yard, for for walks, go to the farmers market, and enjoy all things summer.  I have a serious case of cabin fever currently.  In fact, I'm sitting here looking at my snowman decorations contemplating taking them down this week.  I'm over snow.  If I have more than three Valentines decorations, I would put those out.  Right now, we are in out planning phase for projects this year. 

I think we have decided at some point in the next 1-2 years we will want to purchase a new home, something that gives us a little more space.  We need something with at least one more bedroom, for a future expanding family.  We would also like something with at least one more bathroom.  I would love to have a larger kitchen too.  I have started a wish list.  Once we bought this house and lived in it for a while, my list of must have's in a house adjusted.  Knowing we will want to try and sell in the next couple of years, we need to get busy on some things with our house to give it a better shot at selling.  Our kitchen is probably the one room that needs the most work, and obviously we will need to do something about our art deco wall.  For now, we will have to plan and budget until the warmer temps blow in.

Happy Birthday, Buddy!

Today we celebrated Buddy's 9th birthday.  He reached doggie senior status last year, so now he is another year into his senior years.  We kicked off his birthday a couple of weeks ago by doing the responsible pet parent thing and taking him to the vet for his annual exam.  Actually, now that he is in his senior years, we take him in twice per year to get checked over.  This time, he had some shots to renew including his rabies.  He did great and even sat still for them to take some blood and run a wellness screen on him.  Everything came back great, and he had a clean bill of health.  He still is running around chasing Maya, and doesn't show signs of slowing down.  We have developed some steps for him to get onto the bed.  Right now he goes up the steps to get on the bed, but we are working with him to go down the steps when he wants off the bed.  I don't like him jumping down off the bed, I'm always afraid he is going to land wrong.  But, when he gets really excited he doesn't seem to have time for the stairs. 

To celebrate his birthday, we thought it was only fitting to buy him a treat! We stopped off at the Brown Dog Bakery and got him a birthday cookie! I contemplated buying the mini birthday cake for him, but I thought the cookie was probably best. Of course, he LOVED it! I wanted to get a picture of him with his cookie, but he scarfed it down so fast, he made it a bit difficult.  Don't worry, Maya also got a treat.  She got a peanut butter doggie cookie.  

Here he is licking up what was left of his cookie. 

 

He had the teal cookie.  This is what it looked like before he enjoyed his cookie!

 

 

Buddy enjoying some warm laundry

Out for a car ride

Sporting his sweater and waiting for a treat

 

 

taking a snooze in his kennel.

 

Next month we celebrate Buddy's 1 year adoptaversary and then in June our little turkey Maya turns one!  Our time with Buddy has flown, and we can't imagine life without him.  We love our little guy so much!  Happy Birthday, Buddy!  

A Beef With Bras

I'm going to post this in hopes that someone reading this, or maybe a few people, can relate and commiserate with me. I was discussing this with a friend of mine at work today when she mentioned she had a $10 off card to Victoria's Secret. I told her I probably needed to go there, but couldn't really afford to drop $45 on a bra right now. That's right, for any man reading this just stop complaining right now that a pack of underwear costs $20. You may get four or five pair out of that pack. We get one bra for $45, and check out any woman's bra stash and she probably owns five or more; do the math. Plus, we still have to buy underwear, so we have a double whammy.

Since we are past the days of bra burnings, although some days I wish I could burn mine, it is a forgone conclusion that we women have to wear bras. So, why on earth do these things have to be the most uncomfortable, expensive contraptions we own? Wires, no wires, either way they end up stabbing me. Covered wires, padded underwire, support sides, lace, no lace.... the options are endless. Why when I walk into Victoria's Secret do I feel like I need to be a stinking supermodel to wear these things? Note the layout of the store the next time you are in one. The va va voom bras, stick my ta ta's in your face, increase five cup size bras are in the front of the store. The "normal" bras are in the back. You know the ones that don't come in nine shades of crazy and look like something a normal person might wear. I don't need a bra with eight layers of padding; I need something I can wear without totally revealing what I have on underneath when I am dressed in normal clothing. I know, this is quite the concept for some. Bras are an undergarment. Please for the love people stop wearing black bras with white shirts, it isn't cool. I don’t need to see your lime green bra under your lightly colored dress.

Here is something else that bothers me about bras and the women wearing them. After Andrew and I had been dating for a while and I drug him into VS one time, I asked him about the man take on bras. I asked him if guys hate padded bras. My reason for asking; what guy in his right mind is going to be excited about a woman wearing a padded bra if when she takes it off things drop and are smaller than they first appeared? Is that not a total let down? Andrew just laughed at me.

When I walk into VS, I walk straight to the back of the store while mocking the "fake out" bras, the "let down" bras. If I were a man I think I would be depressed if I was with a woman that I thought had a pretty good set of boobs on her only to have her let those babies loose and find they weren't all I thought they would be. Let me also state for the record that I think boobs in and of themselves are highly overrated. They are flesh, fat, and muscles... woofreakingwho; nothing to write home about, but guys seem to obsess.

Back to my gripe with bras specifically. So I own some VS bras, I'm sure most of them were purchased when they mailed me a $10 off card too. I purchase them one at a time unless I have multiple cards to use, then I might buy more than one. I'm sure I'm a saleswoman's nightmare in that store. I felt bad for the last girl I encountered in there. She was trying her hardest to sell me some crazy extra pushup lace number and was telling me about some deal if I bought multiples. I wanted to look at her and tell her to stop wasting time, I wasn't buying. I went in, they didn't have the size and style I wanted, so I left. Now, I'm dreading the fact that I may have to go back at some point soon. The straps on the bras I have are suddenly starting to slide off my shoulders... not cool. You are probably thinking, "just adjust the strap". I would, except for the lovely fact that these bras are the "Incredible Bra" which have self adjusting straps. Self adjusting my butt, they have been nothing but self sliding the last couple of weeks. Last Saturday night when Andrew and I were in Target, I was all but throwing a fit about my bra straps sliding down. There I was, with nine layers of clothes on because it was cold out, trying to fish around and pull the stupid things back up.

This past summer, I thought I would outsmart Victoria, and buy a bra somewhere else. So I went to Younkers to check out my options. I was amazed that my price options were about the same. Depressed, I picked up a couple I thought looked promising and set out to try them on. Here is another beef. Trying on bras is like trying on shoes. They need to let me wear them for a while before I can decide if I really want to purchase them. I can't tell you in the confines of that little room if that bra is going to hold up to the rigors it has to go through. I can't tell you when I am standing there walking up and down a two foot stretch if after half a day of walking in a pair of shoes they are going to give me a blister. If I knew they would, would I buy them? No, I wouldn't. But, they give you ten seconds to decide if it is going to work or not. At least at Younkers, you don’t have someone knocking on your door every ten seconds to make sure you are alright. I settled that day on a Calvin Klein bra that was on sale. I thought it would work, it felt pretty good in the store, but by the end of the first day I wore it, it was digging into my side. Needless to say, it hasn't seen much action since that day.

Now I'm faced with the inevitable; I'm going to have to buy a new bra. Off I will go to Victoria's Secret, attempting to dodge the walkie clad women working there. Sorry for anyone that has worked there, but you all scare the crap out of me. The whole store is just intimidating to me. First, I have to choke my way through the perfumes that people have sprayed nine million times, then I have to venture through lace and titty under my chin land, once I finally make it back to an area I can breathe in, I have to cross my fingers that I am able to get my bearings before multiple people come up to me and ask me if they can help me. Andrew always tries to calm me down at that point and tell me they are just doing their job; I always tell him they need to suck a little more at their job, because I would prefer they just leave me alone. If I need help, I will ask. Unless I'm standing there with my mouth hanging open or flinging things everywhere, I don’t need help.

After I avoid all that, I will be confronted with the photos of Miranda Kerr in all her loveliness modeling the latest creation. Sorry Miranda, but that bra is never going to look like that on me. I have these things called hips, thighs, fat, and I know you haven't heard of them, but if you would like, I could share.

Sometimes I like to mentally prepare myself before going in to the store, so I do a little pre shopping ongoing. This is what I was doing tonight when I was prompted to write this post. Just venturing over to the website, you will be confronted by all kinds of colorful goodness. My mission: a COMFORTABLE bra in a NORMAL color, no lace, no push up, no bells, no whistles, and no frills.

Here are the options:

 

I dont need my boobs pouring out over my bra, I need a bra I can wear to work.  I married, I have no co-workers to impress, and I think it is tacky for women to be falling out of their tops at work.

 

In addition to the fact that I don't think this girl is 18, I despise that much lace.  It itches, it shows through clothes, and snags on crap.

Again, too much vavavoom

This is just ugly and again has too much lace.  Are we having fun yet?

 

I can't even begin to tell you how ugly I thin this is, and it would look terrible under anything other than a sweater. 

 

There is not enough fabric holding this bra together in the clevage area for me nor enough on the straps.  I dont trust that those thin straps are going to be able to hold everything in place.  

 

Lace- blech

If you look really close at this one, you will see it has a lace trim. Yes, even that much lace is too much. 

** all these photos and more can been seen for your viewing pleasure at http://www.victoriassecret.com/bras


Perhaps at some point in the coming weeks, I will force myself into the store to purchase another bra against my will.  You know I wont be happy about it, and you know it isn't going to be an enjoyable experience for me.  Does anyone else find the whole process as un-enjoyable as I do?  Please tell me someone else out there does?