Four Seasons of Marriage: Summer Picture Update

Do you remember my post last week about seasonal pictures the first year of marriage?  If not, you can find it here.

Our original idea was to buy pirate hats and have the picture taken at Magic Kingdom while wearing them.  We thought it would be such a cute picture because it would represent us getting engaged in front of the Pirates ride last summer.  But once we got to the park and started looking at the hats we couldn't find any that we liked.  It was fun trying them on though and laughing at how ridiculous we looked though!  I only wish that I had snapped a picture of Chris wearing Jack Sparrow's hat.  Now that was a sight to see!

Chris took the picture, that is why it is blurry! 

Since the Pirate idea was a bust we decided that maybe hats just weren't in the cards for the summer picture.  Since Chris was sick before we left (you can read about that here) he wasn't able to get a haircut so he was wearing his favorite Long Beach hat around the parks.  I figured that our summer picture would look better if he was wearing his "normal" hat and I was wearing nothing on my head.  I also figured that our fall picture is going to be something really fun (hats included!) so it would be okay to not wear a hat this time around.

When we got to Epcot on Sunday we were on the lookout for a photographer to take our picture in front of the ball.  I don't know if they were on their lunch break or what but we couldn't find anybody!  So Chris decided that we'd take the picture ourselves and see how it turned out.  These are the two that came out:

Picture One

Picture Two

Personally, picture number two is my favorite.  

After walking around for an hour or so we found a cast member that was taking pictures.  He was so funny and extremely nice so I felt completely at ease as he snapped away on the camera.  Usually the photographers snap them quickly and are done but he was taking his time.  I looked up the Disney Photopass Pictures online and took a picture of them with my phone.  They're a little bit blurry but you'll get the general idea.

My initial thought was that I liked the ones that were taken by the cast member because all of the pictures will look uniformed when I finally hang them on the wall after our one year anniversary.  But I also really like the ones Chris took on his iPhone.  

So, once again readers, I need your help!  Which picture do you like best?  Help me decide!

A Disney-Filled Weekend

There is something you need to know about me:
I LOVE bragging about my husband.

I'm not saying that everything is perfect every hour of every day but I will give him credit when it is due.  And he definitely gets major points for this weekend.

Last month we decided to use our annual Disney passes and go for a quick visit.  We'd leave on a Friday in September and come back on Sunday giving us just enough time for a few rides, good food, and lots of fun.  But when he came home from work on Friday, we were thrown a curve ball that neither of us saw coming.  Chris was sick.

At first we thought his allergies were acting up and a little medicine would do the trick.  But we later found out that he had a fever, cough, sore throat, and runny nose.  Not a good way to start off our trip.  But we still decided to pack up the car and drive 13 hours down to FL.

We got there at 10am the following morning and checked into our hotel right away.  The plan was to take a nap and then get up, get a shower, and go to the parks.  Poor Chris was feeling horrible by this point that I let him sleep a little longer then we planned to see if that would help.  It didn't.  He was pretty miserable all day but boy was he a trooper.  The Magic Kingdom was open until 11pm so we figured that if we got there around four o'clock in the afternoon and left around eleven we'd still get a solid seven hours to ride all of our favorite rides.

The park was all decorated for Halloween with banners and Mickey pumpkins around every corner.  We were really hoping that The Haunted Mansion was decorated as The Nightmare Before Christmas (like at Disneyland) but we were disappointed to find out they don't do that in Florida.

Since the park was moderately packed we were able to ride everything we wanted to with an average wait time of about twenty minutes.  We also tried to get a peak at the new Fantasyland but you couldn't really see too much because of the large walls blocking the progress.  It was fun to try to guess what we thought they were building and then find out we were right!

The next day we got up and went straight to Epcot.  Every time we go we eat in China because they don't fix the food in peanut oil, which means this is the only time in my entire life that I can have Chinese food!  The orange chicken is delicious.

We were so surprised at how empty the park was!  It was a little warmer on Sunday and I ended up getting sunburned (stupid eczema medicine...) but it was still one of the nicest days I've ever spent at Epcot.

We ended up getting our pictures taken in front of the ball, rode all of our favorite rides, and then left to head back to Magic Kingdom to ride Pirates one last time.

Chris was such a trooper.  I usually don't like to brag publicly (because he'll have proof of what I've said) but I really have to give him credit.  Even though he had a fever and probably wanted nothing more than to be asleep in a bed, he let me drag him around the park for some fun in the hot Florida sun.  Luckily the nyquil seems to have knocked the worst of whatever he had out of him and now he's just left with a cough.  Let's just hope I don't end up getting what he had.    

Last, but not least, here are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip.  Enjoy!

There was barely anyone at Epcot.  We were
trying to get a picture of us with the ball in the
background but failed.

The Finding Nemo ride is one of our favorites! 

Probably my favorite picture from the trip! 
We were waiting in line for Pirates the first night!

He was excited for Philar Magic!

Panoramic with the new iPhone.  The sunset was gorgeous!

We love Michael Jackson!

So cute in his 3-D glasses.  :-)

Milestones

We finally made it to 100 posts!  I'm extremely overwhelmed, happy, and quite pleased with how well this little blog is going.  

I first started delightfully married so I would have a written account of all the things that went on as Chris and I planned our wedding.  But somewhere in the midst of all that this blog started taking on a life of its own.  I knew I couldn't continue an "engaged blog" forever so it had to transform to keep up with where my life was headed.

Sharing my love for crafts, organization, and life in general is what makes my blog so special to me.   I love having people tell me that a craft I featured inspired them to try something on their own.  I believe that nothing is more satisfying than a project that you completed.

I appreciate all of the overwhelming support and kindness everyone has shown me over the past year.  My hope is to continue this blog for many years to come.  I cannot wait to see how much more this blog will grow and how many more people it can (and hopefully will) reach.  

Four Seasons of Marriage

I came across a pin on Pinterest a while back of a newly married couple who took photos every season the first year they were married.  I fell completely in love with the idea and started scheming of ways to make it work for me.

Chris and I are Disney people.  I'm pretty sure that by now everyone knows that about us though.  We go at least twice a year, got married there, and now have annual passes.  Since we're pretty much obsessed, I thought it would be really cute to do our four pictures at the Disney Parks. And since we've spent a lot of time there this year, the idea just fit.

First I had to look up what days the seasons started on, just to make sure I could make this project happen.

Spring: March 20, 1:14 a.m.

Summer: June 20, 7:09 p.m.

Fall: September 22, 10:49 a.m.

Winter: December 21, 6:12 a.m.

We have our wedding photos that were taken in April so that could be our Spring photo.  But, Chris and I did not go during the extremely hot summer months so I'm going to have to be a little creative with this one.

Since Chris and I are leaving Friday night (the 21st) for Disney, I'm hoping that traffic will be light and we'll be able to get to the parks early Saturday morning.  My goal is to run in, take the picture, and then go back to the hotel for a bit.  I'm hoping that works out the way I want it too!

But, I want to do something cute for the picture.  In our spring photo we're wearing the Bride and Groom Disney hats, and I was thinking that maybe we could wear different hats in each picture.  However, those hats cost at least $20 a person, even more if you get them personalized (which I want to do!).

My question is, what should I do?  I've found some really cute ideas on Pinterest but I can't pick which one I like the best!  Can you help me decide?

Buy regular ears and get our names (or the word newlyweds)
embroidered on them?

Put this on the front or back of a t-shirt? 

Buy Pirate hats!  This would be cute since we got
 engaged in front of the Pirates ride! 

I'd never wear a sweatshirt when it is 80 degrees
out but this would be cute on a t-shirt!

We already have these hats but we could always bring them again
and get our names put on them...

I need some help deciding because they're all such cute ideas!

Disney Trivia

When I helped my mom pack up the house and move I retrieved a lot of my old board games.  I asked Chris if he wanted to play a game with me and pulled out Disney Trivia.  At first Chris was a little disappointed that it wasn't the DVD version (yea, I'm old school) but he learned to love it.

We got all set up and were ready to go until Chris decided to make us some smoothies (yum!).  After a little bit of trash talk and an initial taste test of the delicious smoothies I was ready to kick Chris's butt.    

I could not stop laughing all throughout the game (there may or may not have been a little bit of alcohol in the smoothie) with all the silly answers we were giving.

The best part was that I actually beat Chris!  I never ever beat him in anything and let me tell you, I definitely did not let him forget that I won!  Can you tell I was excited?

Not to brag or anything, but I beat him by a pretty big margin.  My piece was the silver one and Chris was the white one.  Yea, I beat him pretty bad!

It was a pretty fun night and Chris ended up really enjoying the game.  I think this could be a regular staple at our house and I can't wait to continue beating Chris at it!

When the Husband's Away, the Girl's Will Play

I realize that I am way overdue for the follow-up post about Sarah's home make-over.  If you missed the original post you can find it here.

We left off with plans for what we wanted to do and some of the supplies we got, but I failed to let you in on how it all turned out.  Let's just say that Sarah and I were surprised and a little frustrated.

We tackled the closet in spare bedroom number one first.  Sarah wanted to completely re-organize it and add some space saving shelves to one of the doors.  This picture was our inspiration:

Sarah has a ton of wrapping and tissue paper, bags, boxes, and bows and needed somewhere to put them.  We were able to organize everything she had into this small shelving unit.  We were amazed and how great it looked and how easy it was to put together (no screws!).  We also cleaned out and organized a good portion of her closet while we were at it.  That part of the project was extremely successful!

We also added a few pull-out drawers in her kitchen cabinets.  The first one we decided to do was for her dog food container.  Word to the wise, always make sure you can easily pull the drawer out (with the container in it) before you install!  We skipped that part and found out that the container was unable to come out of the drawer all the way.  So, we had to return the first drawer and buy another one.  The second pull-out drawer we installed was for her pots and pan lids.  What a space saver!  I wish I could install one in my apartment!  (I'm a little jealous)

Another pointer: If you're going to install a pull-out drawer always check and make sure (before you start to install it) that the front door of the cabinet can close with the pull-out drawer inside.  It'll save you a few extra minutes of frustration since you won't have to unscrew the screws you just screwed in!  (say that five times fast!)

Hang tight folks, this is the long part of the story.

The very last thing we did was the pantry.  I wish I could say it was super easy and we were able to install it quickly with little frustration.  Not the case.

Sarah bought the track system from Lowes and the above picture is what we hoped the finished product would look like (in an L shape of course!).  The great thing about the track system was that you could add or take away shelves easily and it was a nice and sturdy system.  However!  When we talked to the people at Lowes no one said anything about having to screw the anchors into the studs!  They also didn't say anything about needing a horizontal bracket (which is mentioned in this article!).  So when Sarah first started installing it we could not figure out why we could pull the vertical brackets out of the wall!  We made way to many holes in the wall until we figured out what we were doing wrong.  By that point we realized that an L-shaped pantry (while it was a good idea) was just not going to work in her closet.  We scratched that idea and Sarah decided to go with a pantry like the one in the above picture.

After that I went home because it was midnight and we were both exhausted (plus Sarah had work in the morning!).  A few days later Sarah told me that she finished the pantry.  She had screwed the anchors into the studs in the wall which made a tremendous difference!

I wish I had pictures of all of this but I didn't take any with my camera.

Even though the pantry was frustrating it all ended up working out!  Sarah's husband liked what she did so I would call our entire en devour successful.  And we even learned a few helpful tricks along the way.  I just hope she knows that when I buy a house, I may enlist her help on a few projects.  I think we make a good team.

Have any of you taken on a d-i-y project and it didn't come out quite like you planned?  How did you deal with it?

Our Family Budget

In December of 2010 Chris and I sat down to have a serious talk about our finances.  He decided (even though we were dating at the time) that I should start to look at where our money went each month and how much we were spending on everything.  I was extremely flattered that he wanted to share this information with me, but I was also worried because I am in no way what-so-ever good at math.  I was positive I'd screw it up and told him as much.  But, for some reason he put his faith in me wholeheartedly (I think it's because he has his "love goggles" on) and I've surprised us both with how well I've handled the whole thing.

The first thing we did was sit down and figure out what our "fixed expenses" were.  Fixed expenses are payments that are taken out of our account every month for roughly the same price.  Those expenses can include:

1.  Mortgage or Apartment payment

2.  Phone Bill

3.  Cable Bill

4.  Student Loan payment, etc.

The second thing Chris and I did was figure out what our "variable expenses" were.  Variable expenses are items that do not cost the same every month but are items that are still bought every month.  Those expenses can include:

1.  Gas for your cars

2.  Food

3.  Utilities, etc.

When Chris and I lived in Seattle for six months Boeing gave us an expense account.  We were given a certain amount of money a day for food, lodging, and gas.  We used their system to figure out how much we should be spending on our variable expenses and found that their system seems to work best for us.

Each day they gave Chris $5.00 a meal ($15 a day) for food.  Chris and I figured that $25 a day for the two of us was a good place to start when it came to food and that is the system we still use to this day.  Do we spend the $720 allotted for our groceries every month?  Not even close.  But, it's a system that works for us and I can't see changing it anytime soon!     

As you can see from the picture below Chris and I use three categories:

Deposits

Fixed Expenses, and 

Variable Expenses

I use Microsoft Excel to set up my report.  Here is an example of what my budget looks like.  All the numbers are made up because I feel that sharing how much money we make/have is a little too personal, but you'll get the general idea!

To find out how much money you have leftover use this formula:

DEPOSITS -FIXED - VARIABLE  = SPENDING MONEY LEFTOVER 

Chris and I use the leftover spending money to pay extra bills that come up (like property taxes for the cars) or fun things like funding our trips to Disney.  

Here is an example of a monthly report that we would use:

The next couple pictures will all be the same as the one above but I will explain the math behind all of it!

To calculate the Yearly Savings you subtract the Deposit, Fixed Expenses, and Variable Expenses totals.  If there is any money leftover at the end of the month, I roll it over and add it to the Yearly Savings of the next month (which, in this case, is October).

Calculating the Monthly Savings is exactly like calculating the Yearly Savings.

I always use the little red numbers beside my Variable Expenses.  Why?  Because it helps me keep track of how much money I have left to spend in that category.  I use the numbers I calculated from my Budget Report (see first photo) and subtract whatever I spent in that category.  Confusing?  Let me show you the formula:

We're going to use Gas for Car as the example:  $175-SUM(I9:I10)   

$175 is the amount of money we can spend on gas each month.  Then you take the sum of the two cells (which are I9 and I10 in this scenario) and subtract it from the $175.  As you can see in the picture below, we still have $75 left for gas for the month.

As I stated above, Chris and I usually have spending money leftover.  We use that to buy things we want or to pay off bills or trips.  That is where the Miscellaneous Category comes in!  I have a strict $200 limit that we must either meet or come in under each month.  You can make it more or less depending on what you want to spend it on, but we find that most of the time $200 is more than enough.  

If we spend our Miscellaneous money on clothes or crafts, I usually put it under the Variable Expenses for the month.  However, if we are planning a trip or have a bill that needs to be paid, I put it under Future Expenses (see box below).  Then, I take the amount and subtract it from the Yearly Savings.      

As you can see there is a lot of math involved.  But, once you set up the chart the way you want it all you have to do is start plugging in the numbers!  

I usually update my report every three or four days just so I make sure I am on track.  And sometimes, I have Chris double check me so I know that I am doing all the math right (it's great to have a super smart husband around!).  We also have online banking which is such a blessing when you're doing something like this.  And it's a great way to keep an up-to-date record of your expenses. 

You can find my version of the Expense Report on my Google Site.  Please feel free to download it and customize it to work for your family.

Does anyone else do an Expense Report?  What's the best way you keep track of your finances?

EDITORS NOTE:  I really should not do math late at night.  Originally I messed up the calculation for the Yearly Expenses.  I have now fixed it on this blog as well as the Report on my google site!  I'm sorry if there was any confusion!

Home Style Quiz

Yesterday I was browsing Pinterest and came across a HomeGoods Style Quiz.  We're not allowed to paint the walls in our apartment but I like to sit and daydream about what colors I would use if I was allowed.

I have always liked the more neutral/warm wall colors: brown, grey, blue, etc.  When I walk into a home I want to feel instantly soothed, not smacked across the face with some loud wall color.  With a more neutral background you can find that unique accent rug or colorful throw pillow to bring color into the room.  Plus, you can switch them out easily if you decide you want new colors.  It's much easier to find new curtains or pillows instead of painting a wall!

When I took the Style Quiz I found out what I already knew: I like earthy colors.  I think the name they used was Earthy Casual.

"You're interested in creating a welcoming home where people feel comfortable and happiness flourishes. You appreciate the warmth and individuality of natural materials and handcrafted things and are inspired by colors and forms from nature. You love mixing up different textures and are sensitive to the tactile qualities of objects. Your style is grounded and solid, not flighty or frilly. And you are never taken in by the trend of the moment.

You value comfort. Your home is a warm and open friendly place, and you feel happiest when everyone is cared for and relaxed in your space. Elements like pillows, throws, overstuffed furniture, and good lighting set the mood. You may also enjoy layering different fabrics or mixing patterns to create a cozy effect."

Yep, that definitely sounds like me.  

What do you think?  Do you know what your style is?

Photo Storage

My mom moved out of her house a few weeks ago and she gave Chris and I a ton of stuff.  I thought we didn't have room in our apartment before but now we really don't.  So please excuse me if I don't invite you over for dinner and drinks anytime soon.  The mess is slowly taking over and I just can't handle the idea of people seeing it this way right now!

One thing she gave me (that I am really excited about) was all of our family pictures.  They are in two huge bins, all categorized, but I am not able to store them in a friendly space-saving way.  I looked on Pinterest, Office Depot, Ikea, and Staples but did not find what I was looking for.

What did I want?
I wanted something that held a ton of pictures but was easy to store, and you could easily find what you were looking for.  Was that too much to hope for?  

At first the answer was yes.  I seriously thought I would never find anything.

Where did I find my solution?
The Container Store.
It's no surprise that this is now my favorite organization store.  As Sarah puts it, "it made me want boxes for my boxes."

What did I find?

12-Case Photo Storage Carrier

This little beauty is a 12-case photo storage carrier that can hold up to 1,000 4x6 photos.  You can buy either the 12-case ($32.99) or the 6-case ($19.99).  I opted for the bigger case because we have so many photos.

I only bought one (on sale!) to start out with because I wasn't sure how I'd like it.  But, since I love it I will be buying another one in the near future.

Why do I love it?

  1.  It's lightweight.  Even with photos in it I can easy move it wherever I want.

  2.  It's see-through so you can easily find what you are looking for.

  3.  It's versatile.  It's also a good way to store recipes!

  4.  Easy to label.  

  5.  Photos will be well preserved for a very long time.

  6.  They're stackable so they don't take up a lot of space (score!).   

In a matter of days I went from this:

To this:

Big difference, right?  And I still have another box sitting in my car that is filled to the top with photos. 

Life Story Binder Part 2: Materials

Remember my idea to make Chris a Life Story Binder?  Well, I've finally got all the supplies I need and am ready to start putting it together!

My goal price was to spend $20 or less.  Let's see if I was able to accomplish that!

Price List:

• Shutterfly Photo Prints : $4.06 (I received 50 free 4x6 prints through a promotion and only had to pay tax and shipping)
• Photo Album Insert Pages : this plan backfired.  The 4x6 photo pages available at Target do not fit in a regular 3-ring binder.  Plan B is to make scrapbook pages for which I already have the materials!
• Binder : already owned!
• Sheet Protectors : already owned! (Costco sells 100 for $10 which I will be getting if and when I need more!)

Total Cost : $4.06 
I came in $15.94 under budget!    

I really lucked out by already owning most of the items I needed.  My wallet is happy and I'm ready to get cracking on this project!  I plan to do a little at a time that way I don't become overwhelmed and want to stop working on the binder all-together.  

I've also been tweaking my suggestion list here and there so I can make sure I include everything that I want to.  The one part I am most excited about is including Chris's Family Tree from ancestry.com.  He's worked hard on it for a few years now and is always so excited when he finds something new about his family.  

And, because he is so into video games (especially World of Warcraft), I want to include a section with pictures of him and his guild members, stats about the character he plays, and notes about the Guilds he has been in.  I'm expecting this part to be a huge surprise because I don't think Chris would ever expect me to be knowledgeable about his game and I already know I'm going to have to figure out some unconventional and crafty ways to get some of the more vital information. 

Those are just two of the ways that I tweaked my list to include things about Chris that I find special and endearing.  Most of the other categories are from all things simple's original suggestion list.  

Stay tuned to see how everything turns out!