Showing posts with label Pinterest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pinterest. Show all posts

Sunday, November 18, 2012

D-I-Y Fall Wreath

If you've been following the Pinterest Party posts you'll know that my friends and I got together and made fall and winter wreaths.  I did a fairly long, wordy, loads of pictures post about what we did, but I did not go into how I made my own personal wreath.  And of course, we have to see if it was budget friendly!

My original idea was to do a fall wreath that centered around sunflowers.  I absolutely love sunflowers and I loved all the examples I had found on Pinterest.

I absolutely loved the reds, yellows, and oranges of all the wreaths, but what I really liked was the letter!  I knew I was going to incorporate that into my own wreath somehow...
I decided to go to Michael's and see what I could find that would live up to my expectations.  The first time I went by myself and bought a vase of fake flowers that were on sale and thought that was all I needed.  But when I went back to help another friend find what she wanted for her wreath, I realized that I wasn't completely happy with the supplies I bought.

Originally I had bought a small wreath from Target for $2.50 and thought that would be sufficient.  I soon realized that such a tiny wreath would look ridiculous on my outside door and I needed something a little bit bigger.

As you can see, the wreath I ended up using could be the little one's mother!  I knew I needed to go bigger.  As they say, bigger is always better.  And while I don't always believe that is true, in this case it was!
I also needed a few smaller flowers to balance out the larger ones as well as a letter.  I also decided that I wanted cranberries wrapped around the wreath because that is something I've always loved.

I used wire to hold my flowers, cranberries, and letter in place.  Some people used hot glue for theirs but I felt like the wire held everything better for me.  I'm very happy with how it turned out!
 

Okay...let's see the cost breakdown:
Grapevine Wreath: $3.00 (originally $5 but I used a 40% off coupon)
Cranberries: $3.00 (Originally $5 but it was on sale for 40% off.  I bought two)
Flowers in vase: $2.60 (original price was $12.99 but I got it at 80% off!)
Other flowers: $5.00
Wire: $0.99
Letter: $1.99

TOTAL: $19.58  

I wanted to try to stay under $20 and I definitely accomplished that!  It is so rewarding knowing that I got a great deal on a lot of the items I used and that I am going to be able to use the wreath for (hopefully) years to come!

Next up, a Christmas wreath!  I'm already planning it out in my head and hope that it turns out just as good as my fall wreath.  Maybe even better!

post signature

Pinterest Party Success!

After a hectic day yesterday it's nice to sit down with my cup of coffee, catch up with a few friends, and settle in for a nice relaxing day at home.  We're exhausted from all of yesterday's excitement  and quite satisfied with the outcome of our crafting skills.  Let's just say that the Pinterest Party was a huge success, and now that I have the first one under my belt I cannot wait to do more!

{You can find my original party post here if you're a little unsure of what a Pinterest party entails}

For my party everyone brought one dish they wanted to try and all the materials to make a fall or winter wreath.  We spent the first hour and a half tasting all of the food and catching up. {Silly me forgot to take pictures of the food!  I guess I was just too busy chowing down!} After our stomachs were satisfied we grabbed our supplies and sat down to craft to our hearts content!  The crafting part of the party probably took about an hour and a half to two hours total.  It was so much fun to see what everyone else was done, and there were a lot of different projects going on!  I think each one reflected the makers personality perfectly, and we're all extremely proud of the outcome!
My sister J did a Christmas wreath with birds on it.  The original picture that she modeled her wreath after, is from Michaels Arts and Crafts store.  It came out so well and is so unique!  S was in love with the birds and I won't be surprised if she goes back to Michael's to make a wreath similar to the one made.  My favorite part of the entire project (beside the birds, which are super cute!) was the snow-in-a-can that used to give the wreath a "wintery" feel.  

I love that K's wreath was completely different than the rest of ours.  She used a styrofoam tube as the base and pinned felt to it to get the look the see in the picture.  It is so unique and fun!  K told us after we were done that using pins to keep the felt in place wore her fingers down during the process though, so if you are thinking of trying this version you may want to get something that will protect your fingers!    
At first, S wanted to do her own version of this wreath, but ended up with a finished product that looked more like a variation of the hydrangea wreath.  There were a few people (myself included) who did different versions of this.  The most unique part about the whole wreath was that S wrapped her letter in ribbon which gave it a completely different effect.  
L and I did different versions of S's wreath (see above).  I love L's wreath because the colors match the theme of her house and not only is it chic, but it is very unique to her taste.  Oh...and the colors are gorgeous of course!
All the ladies with our newly crafted wreaths!
There is one person whose wreath I did not get a picture of in an individual shot, and that is E's (top row, second from the right).  E made hers with coffee filters and the reason I don't have a finished shot is because she is not done with it yet.  Hopefully she will send me a picture with the finished result because I am so anxious to see it!  I absolutely adore the coffee filter idea and love how full her wreath is!  Even if she just put a bow on it I think it would look fantastic!    
Before everyone left I had a small surprise for them.  I wanted to say thank you for coming and to give them all a little momento to remember the day by.


And here are the bags they went in:


Even though I was stressing a bit, the party turned out to be a success and we all had lots of fun!  I am very excited to have left over snacks to eat and new recipes to print out for my recipe binder!

For now, I'll leave you with a few links for some of the food my guests made:
1.  Strawberry Cheesecake Bites: verdict?  A hit!  People gobbled them up.
2.  Moscato Spritzer: verdict?  Okay, not my personal favorite but still pretty good!
3.  Lemonade Punch: verdict?  Delicious!  I will definitely be making this again!
4.  Strawberry-Mint Water: verdict?  Holy cow.  I loved it!  In fact, I'm having a glass right now!
5.  Easy Parmesan Knots: verdict?  The best bread I've ever had.  Seriously!

There were also meatballs, spinach and feta cheese dip, shrimp dip, and blue cheese bread bites!  I'll have to get the recipe for all of those and update this when I do.  Everything was delicious though and my mouth is still watering thinking of all the deliciousness!

I hope you've enjoyed my long picture filled post!  And I also hope that it has inspired you to do some crafting of your own!

post signature

Monday, November 5, 2012

Pinterest Party Projects

I'm having a Pinterest Party!

Yep.  In a few weeks I'll have a few friends over to craft, eat food, and hang out.  I don't know about everyone else, but I am so excited to do this!  In fact, I'm so excited that I've already started making a few preparations that could technically be held off for another week or so (thank you OCD).

If you've never heard of a Pinterest Party before, let me fill you in on all the fun!

The point of the party is to get together and make a (reasonably priced) craft (or two) that you've found on Pinterest.  
At my party we're going to make wreaths!  You can either have your guests go out and buy their own supplies to bring with them, or the host can buy the supplies in advance and have each guest bring money to cover the cost.  This differs depending on whomever is throwing the party, but since everyone that is coming to my party has different styles I decided to have everyone get their own supplies.    

You can also have each guest bring a dish that they've found on Pinterest and have been dying to try (like a potluck!).
I've asked each of my friends to bring a different dish without being too specific (we could either end up with a lot of dessert or none at all!).  I've also asked that they print out directions for the recipe they've made, that way we can give it to someone else to take home if they like it.  OH!  And, if you have food allergies like I do, you can always specifically ask that no one brings a dish that you can't eat.  

That's about all a Pinterest Party entails.  Pretty simple, right?  I've also got a few surprises up my sleeve and will wait until after the party to share them with you!  I don't want to ruin it for the people who are coming.

So far, I've done a few things to get ready for the party that I'd like to share with you.

I'm not much of a e-vite person.  I love the old school charm of a handmade (or even a cute store bought) invitation.  There is just something so personal and sweet about someone taking time out of their day to write out a card to you.  That is why I decided to make my own Pinterest invites!

I wanted them to look as much like the Pinterest logo as I could, so I pulled out my cricut, plugged it in, and got to work.  Here is what I came up with:



I also made this super awesome printable using Photoshop.  I'm starting to get really good at just bs'ing my way through using it and making stuff look good.


And that is it for now!  Stay tuned for some more fun projects that I'll be starting for the party and check back in a few weeks to find out how it went!

As always, you can find the downloadable version of the above printable on my google site.  It will print up to an 8x10!

Happy crafting!  

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

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?

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

The Original Plan

These past couple of days I have been helping my friend Sarah re-organize her home.  Her husband has been out of town on work related business so she was hoping to get a few things done and surprise him when he got back.

We decided to have a brainstorming night at her house last week so she could show me what areas she wanted to work on. Then, she was going to go shopping to pick up the supplies we needed so we could start the fun Sunday after church.

The original plan was to tackle numerous areas.  They were:
-The pantry
-The hall closet
-The cabinetry in the kitchen
-The closet in bedroom number two
-The closet in bedroom number three, and
-The dinning room

We honestly thought we could get all of this done in one day.  Looking back on it now I know that was a silly notion to have.  We were ambitious and eager to get started and (in my mind at least) there wasn't too much that could go wrong.

Boy was I naive.

And stupid.

Let's start at the beginning though.  It'll be much easier to understand the goals we had if we start from there.

Sarah has a small pantry.  It's not very tall (maybe around 5 feet?) but it is only a few feet wide and the shelves are extremely deep.  The biggest problem was that she had no idea what items she needed from the grocery store and she would buy a lot of duplicates.  There would also be a lot of items that would go bad because they would get put in the very back of the pantry and were later forgotten.  We ended up deciding to clear everything out of that pantry and build a new one in the hall closet.  It would be a space for food and cleaning items, so an L-shaped pantry seemed the best way to go.

The picture below was my inspiration, but Sarah took it a few steps further and decided to use a track system.  She figured that would give her the freedom to add more shelves (or take some away) as time went on.  Plus, she has used the track system before and loves it!  We bought this one from Lowes.
Picture from
Home Stories A 2 Z
The second step was to make sure we had a space to organize her cleaning supplies.  We decided on the L-shaped pantry because that would free up one wall to hang up her brooms, mops, and whatever else she wanted on the opposite wall (see picture below).  You could also hang it on the door, which was the other option we considered.  
Picture from Real Simple

After figuring out what we were going to do downstairs we moved to the upstairs bedrooms.  Sarah has a lot of wrapping paper, gift bags, bows, etc.  And boy do I mean a lot!  She found a great solution from The Container Store that was able to hold all that she had and more!  The picture below was our inspiration.
Original image from IHeart Organizing

Elfa organizing systems are not cheap (even when they're on sale) but you can literally use them for anything!  They are especially great if you need more room for your pantry.  Plus, there are no screws so you can easily move it from one room to another which makes it a great solution for a small apartment! 

(I'm trying to talk Chris into letting me buy one while it's on sale.  I think I may be making a bit of progress!) 

Stay tuned to see what happens once we start putting things together!  

I'll leave you with this:
There was laughter, excitement, frustration, and almost tears.  Interested?  You'll have to come back to find out more! 

Monday, August 13, 2012

Dry Skin Relief

If you have ever been cursed with sensitive dry skin then you know what a pain in the butt it is.  I've struggled with it my entire life and still don't have complete control over it.  Some days it is worse than others but most days it is just there and somewhat manageable.

I was a baby when I first had signs of eczema.  The doctor told my parents to use lots of eucerin and to give me oatmeal baths but that only seemed to help somewhat.  I had a horrible rash all over (it was the worst on my legs) and nice sized red flaky patches all over the rest of my body.  After they got control over it I didn't have another episode until I was sixteen.  Being a lifeguard and being in the heat day after day didn't help my symptoms, and I found that sweat in certain areas (like the bend in your arms and knees) can cause eczema to appear.  Once again I was told to use lots of eucerin and was even given a cream to apply to the affected areas.

The worst breakout I've ever had came after my dad passed away.  I was told that stress can induce the symptoms and I looked like I had been beaten all over my body.  My back was completely covered and my neck looked like I had hickey's (I had people ask if that's what had happened daily).  It hurt to wash my hands because they would break open and bleed anytime water touched them and my face was red and blotchy.  I was miserable.  My doctor prescribed steroid pills and cream which helped get everything under control within a few days.  Ever since then I've had small breakouts but nothing serious, and I've been able to keep it under control with the cream my doctor prescribed.

Lately I've been having small episodes where I have a spot on my wrist or my cheek and use a little bit of my cream to get it to go away.  I don't like using my medicine because it has steroids in it and causes severe sunburn if I'm out in the sun (even with sunscreen on).  I needed a better alternative and fast, because on Saturday morning I woke up with a bad breakout on my face.  Chris swears he couldn't see it but my face was blotchy and was extremely dry.  I could use an enormous amounts of lotion but it didn't help the situation, and my face would soak up any bit of moisture I put on it.

When I got home Saturday night I immediately went on Pinterest to try to find some alternatives to my medicine.  The first thing I looked for was a recipe for an oatmeal bath.  There were two I found on Pinterest.  The first was just a regular bath (just using oatmeal) and the second one was an itch relief recipe using oatmeal plus other ingredients (good for chicken pox, psoriasis, eczema, etc).  I tried the oatmeal bath and my skin is already feeling loads better!

The second thing I found was a face wash.  All it is is 1-2 cups of Old Fashioned Oats ground down to a fine powder and stored in an airtight jar.  I put a little bit in my hand each night, mix it with water, and then cover my face in it and wash it off immediately.  In 24 hours my red flaky spots on my face were gone and it was already feeling better.  I put loads of eucerin on my face after washing it and that seems to help as well.

I'm sorry to say I don't have any pictures.  I wasn't thinking about it when I first started my hunt on Pinterest but now I wish I had taken a few.  I guess you'll have to take my word for it when I say that it works!  You won't be sorry if you try it.

Also, I use a lotion that I found on Pinterest a long time ago and it really does help keep your skin moisturized (especially during the winter) and helps keep my eczema at bay.  You can find that recipe here.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

A Twist on Old School Friendship Bracelets

Who remembers those super awesome friendship bracelets that were big back in the 90's?  My friends and I used to make them all the time during the summer and I had quite a collection.  And I used to be pretty fast at doing them too.  So when I saw this pin on Pinterest, I thought it would be fun to try!

Chris and I travel a lot and I always hate how my headphones get tangled.  It takes me a least five minutes to unravel the chords which can get frustrating and annoying.   So I was excited to go to Michael's and buy the materials to get started on this project!

What You'll Need:
*Embroidery Floss (I used 27.3 yards for all three of them but had way to much left over!  Also, don't get the satin kind (I got cotton) because it doesn't hold knots!)
*Scissors
*Tape
*Earbuds
* Elmer's Glue or superglue

If you want to see step by step instructions on how to do this, visit this blog.

For now, I'll leave you with the photos from my own project and a few words of wisdom.
-This takes forever!  Especially when you're out of practice.  Only do it for a little bit at a time( I did it in 30 minute intervals) because your hands and back will start to cramp up!
-I decided to do my own interpretation of ombre.  I used three different colors but you can buy floss that fades in color as it goes on.
-Use lots of tape to hold everything in place!


Here are all my supplies (minus the superglue)!
It's much easier to roll the floss so it won't tangle while you're knotting it over the earbuds.
The finished project!  

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Organized Cleaning

Does anyone else detest cleaning as much as I do?  Even though I hate it, the end result is always satisfying and pleasing to the eyes.  But, getting to that end point is always tough and somewhat of a challenge.

I'm always searching for new ways to clean (easier ways too if I can find it) and have found some pretty great ideas that have worked out fairly well so far.  I ran across this pin on Pinterest again today and thought I'd share with my readers.  It's something I've been following for a few months now and it's helped me out tremendously!  There are times where I'm better at following it than others, and I have revised it to fit my own schedule but it works and keeps me happy and to me, that's all that matters!

I revised the original list to fit my own needs.  I realized that it's pointless to vacuum the first day and dust the next (why would I want dust all over my clean floors?).  I also realize that sometimes it is impossible to get my chore of the day done, and that's okay.  I don't beat myself up over it, I just get it done the following week.     

I'll admit, I hate vacuuming and dusting.  Those chores are the worst.  When I was a kid, I would do anything to get out of doing either of those.  Now that I have my own place, there is no one but me to do them and they obviously they have to be done!  I may hate it, but it only takes fifteen minutes and I can deal with that.    

I also make sure to do my daily checklist.  These are the chores Chris and I share.  One thing I hate (more than shoes not put away...is a dirty kitchen).  We've had bugs in our apartment before so I am super OCD about cleaning the kitchen counters and floors.  


Now, I will not claim that my house is always clean.  We have too many things and not enough space.  But, I try to keep things as tidy as I can and that's all I can do.  That, and pray that we find another place soon!  I'm pretty sure I'll go crazy if we bring anymore items into our house.

So, does anyone else have a good cleaning schedule they try to stick too?  Or have you tried and not been able to keep it up?  What works best for you?

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Delicious Desserts: Soft Sugar Cookies

I've been looking for an excuse to make knockoff lofthouse sugar cookies and I think I finally found one!

This weekend my dear husband and I are going to a cookout.  My best friend's husband is finally back after being away for five months for Army training so we're celebrating his birthday and his return with an epic bbq.  He's going to make his famous bacon explosion (it's a heart attack waiting to happen...but yummy) and bbq chicken.  I'm not looking forward to the 95+ degree weather but I am really excited to see all my friends!

When starting the recipe, I didn't realize the cookies take a few days to make.  I'm actually glad I started a few days early because they would not be done for the cookout in time if I hadn't!

Things to keep in mind when making them.
-The dough is really really sticky.  I know the recipe says it's sticky but I was not expecting it to feel like it did.  Make sure you have plenty of flour to put on the counter so you can roll it out before you store it overnight in the fridge.
-It's a pain in the butt to wrap it with plastic wrap when it's sticky.  I have no good tips on ways to do it.  All I can do is wish you luck.
-You're going to want to eat all the dough.  Restrain yourself!  Trust me, it's worth it.


Ready for the recipe?

Ingredients

For the cookies:
6 cups flour, divided
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups light sour cream (it says light in the instructions but in the comments on The Novice Chef site says to use regular sour cream)


For the frosting:
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons heavy cream
Sprinkles

Day One
Instructions

For the cookies:
In a medium bowl, whisk 5 cups of flour, baking soda, and baking powder.  Set aside and pull out your stand mixer.

In the bowl for your stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.  Add the eggs (one at a time) until each incorporated in the butter/sugar mix.  Add the vanilla and sour cream and beat at low speed until combined.

Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined (about 30 seconds), scraping down the bowl as needed.  You need to make sure the dough has the right consistency for rolling so add an addition 1/4 cup of flour at a time (up to 1 cup more of flour).

Divide dough into two sections (this is the difficult part because it's so sticky!).  Flatten into rectangles (as best you can) about 1 1/2 inches thick, then wrap with plastic wrap.  Chill in the refrigerator overnight.

Day Two

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.  Set aside.

Generously flour a work area and rolling pin.  With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness.  Using a 2/12 inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles and transfer to a baking sheet.  (Don't try any other shapes because the dough will expand in the oven!)  Bake for 7-8 minutes, until a pale golden color.  Immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack to cook.

For the frosting:
To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and vanilla.  Slowly beat in the powdered sugar.  Once smooth and creamy, add in heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired spreading consistency is achieved.

Once cookies have cooled completely, frost and add sprinkles.  Allow frosting to set, then store in an air-tight container.  Let cookies sit over night before serving to allow the flavors to develop.

Don't they looks delicious?! 
Recipe and picture are from The Novice Chef  

Monday, June 25, 2012

30/30: Last One!

Don't Forget to Remember Me
{If you missed the beginning of the 30 Day Challenge you can find it here}

Wow!  I got through the thirty day challenge!  I can't believe after this one it's over.  I'll have to find something else fun to write about.  Maybe another series?  Chris and I have one in the works but I'll share that with you in another post.  It's been a long time coming and we're kind of excited about it! 

Anyways, I want to thank you for going on this journey with me.  I hope you've enjoyed reading these as much as I've enjoyed writing them.  It's been fun kids, but now it's almost time to say goodbye.

Finally, I'll leave you with this: 10 things I want to be remembered for.  Enjoy!

1.  My love for God
2.   Loving wife and (someday) mother
3.  Having a caring attitude
4.  Being a good and caring friend
5.  Being kind to others
6.  Being thoughtful 
7.  Always loving and supportive of others
8.  Surrounded by loving friends and family
9.  Being charitable 
10.  Making others laugh

Sunday, June 24, 2012

29/30: Misunderstood

{If you missed the beginning of the 30 Day Challenge you can find it here}

What is one thing that I think people misunderstand about me?  Well, that's a hard one because I'm really not sure.  There are probably a lot of things but I'm not a mind reader so I really don't know what people think about me 100% of the time.    

If I had to pick something I guess I'd say that even though I act like I don't care what people think or if they don't like me, I really do.  I act like I have a hard outer skin but it really bothers me just like it would anyone else.  


Saturday, June 23, 2012

28/30: The Language of Love

What Is Your Love Language?
{If you missed the beginning of the 30 Day Challenge you can find it here}

Has anyone taken the Love Language Quiz?  It's awesome and tells you how you most feel loved (which helps you communicate that to others)!  You don't have to be in a relationship to take this quiz, you can be a parent, child, single, whatever.  I highly suggest it!  Especially if you have little tiffs with your family or significant other because you feel under appreciated or unloved.  

This is how I scored after taking the quiz:

Quality Time: 11
Physical Touch:  8
Words of Affirmation:  6
Acts of Service:  5
Receiving Gifts:  0

Let's take a look at what the five languages means for any relationship:

Quality Time:
In the vernacular of Quality Time, nothing says, “I love you,” like full, undivided attention. Being there for this type of person is critical, but really being there–with the TV off, fork and knife down, and all chores and tasks on standby–makes your significant other feel truly special and loved. Distractions, postponed dates, or the failure to listen can be especially hurtful.

Physical Touch:
This language isn’t all about the bedroom. A person whose primary language is Physical Touch is, not surprisingly, very touchy. Hugs, pats on the back, holding hands, and thoughtful touches on the arm, shoulder, or face—they can all be ways to show excitement, concern, care, and love. Physical presence and accessibility are crucial, while neglect or abuse can be unforgivable and destructive.

Words of Affirmation:
Actions don’t always speak louder than words. If this is your love language, unsolicited compliments mean the world to you. Hearing the words, “I love you,” are important—hearing the reasons behind that love sends your spirits skyward. Insults can leave you shattered and are not easily forgotten.

Acts of Service:
Can vacuuming the floors really be an expression of love? Absolutely! Anything you do to ease the burden of responsibilities weighing on an “Acts of Service” person will speak volumes. The words he or she most want to hear: “Let me do that for you.” Laziness, broken commitments, and making more work for them tell speakers of this language their feelings don’t matter.

Receiving Gifts:
Don’t mistake this love language for materialism; the receiver of gifts thrives on the love, thoughtfulness, and effort behind the gift. If you speak this language, the perfect gift or gesture shows that you are known, you are cared for, and you are prized above whatever was sacrificed to bring the gift to you. A missed birthday, anniversary, or a hasty, thoughtless gift would be disastrous—so would the absence of everyday gestures.

Friday, June 22, 2012

One Great Product

Have you been bit by the cleaning bug lately?

I have!

I love to clean (tolerate it may be a better term) and I love when I find simple solutions for those expensive home cleaning store products.  Don't you?

Lately, I've been pinning away and have found one product that can do a million different jobs.  Know what it is?


That's right, it's vinegar!  I'm amazed at what one small cup of vinegar can accomplish around the house.  And when Chris is equally amazed by the finished product, I know it's a winner.

What have I been using it on?  Hmm...a better list may be what haven't I been using it on!  ha!  I use vinegar on everything.  And I do mean everything!  To name a few:

1.  Dishwasher,
2.  Washing Machine,
3.  Cutting boards,
4.  Shower doors and tub..... 

I broke the cardinal blogger rule and didn't take any before and after pictures (I know, how could I?!) but honestly I was too embarrassed by the "before".  So, you all will just have to believe me when I say that vinegar is just that amazing. 

What are the benefits of using it you ask?  Well, instead of buying a ton of different cleaning products to use in your bathrooms, kitchens, living rooms, and any other room in your house you only have to buy one.  Trust me when I say that your wallet and husband will thank you for it.  Plus, for all those who hate harsh chemicals, you won't have to worry about it with this little beauty! It's a win-win, right?!

One blog I absolutely love and is my go-to for cleaning suggestions is OneGoodThing by Jillee.  She always has fabulous tips for keeping your house in tip-top shape and her solutions are so practical you'll be kicking yourself wondering why you didn't think of that first!  Go check her out and see what great solutions she has for your home!  You won't be sorry!

So, want to know what you can use vinegar on?  Follow the links below and take a look at the pictures!  
The Magic Cleaner at While He Was Napping

How to Clean Your Dishwasher at OneGoodThing by Jillee

shower curtain/clean


Soap Scum Killa at Life, Crafts & Whatever

Revive Old Paintbrushes at This Old House
  
Pinned Image
Wash towels in one cup of vinegar on hot, then again with 1/2 cup of baking soda on hot.  They will smell 10 times better!  You don't realize how musty and gross they smell over time.

27/30: Loving It

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things...
{If you missed the beginning of the 30 Day Challenge you can find it here}

Ever girl is self conscious and if she tells you any different than she is definitely not telling you the truth.  As a kid, I was always a litte uncomfortable in my skin.  Maybe it was the glasses I wore that covered half of my face, or the fact that I was a head shorter and much skinnier than everybody else.  Whatever the reason, I was and there were not a lot of things that I liked about my appearance.    

However, I loved my hair.  I've always loved my hair.  Sometimes I wish/ed it was a lighter color or it was curly like Sam's but no matter what, my hair always made me feel pretty.  It's never been super thick but I do have a lot of it on my head.  And it always feels good.  

The other thing I take pride in are my teeth.  People always tell me I have a beautiful white smile and I take lots of care in making sure they stay that way.  Some may think I'm crazy (Chris) but I brush at least three times a day and floss whenever I need to (usually after every meal).  My smile is very important to me because I've always felt people will judge you on how your teeth look.  There are no gaps or horse teeth for this girl!



Thursday, June 21, 2012

26:30: World Peace

A Notion the World Has Wrong
{If you missed the beginning of the 30 Day Challenge you can find it here}

You hear it all the time, everyone wants peace.  No more wars, just peace.  Why can't we stop fighting?  Why is there so much hate?  Blah, blah, blah.  You know why there are wars?  Because people can't get along.  There are evil people in the world and the good one's who want to end their evil tyranny step in to stop them.  War will never be truly gone on our world because we will never be able to get rid of all of the evil people that live in it.  

Back during the Holocaust, I'm sure there were some of those "Make Peace, Not War" protesters out on the streets in the United States.  Did they want us to leave the Jews to fend for themselves while they were being put in concentration camps and being gased to death or experimented on?  What about the reign of Fidel Castro and what he did during his time in power?  What about the people in Syria today?  Or the innocent that die everyday all over the world because of some evil dictator?  

Peace is not an option.  It's a nice concept, and a great dream but it's just not plausible.  Even God says that we should go to war, but only if it is to protect the innocent.

 "So innocent blood will not be shed in the midst of your land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, and blood guiltiness be on you."
Deut. 19:10

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

25/30: Dinner Date

Would You Join Me for Supper?
{If you missed the beginning of the 30 Day Challenge you can find it here}

I'm having a hard time choosing who I'd like to have dinner with from history.  I've narrowed it down to two but I think that's about as far as I can go.  Both people are very influential in how my life has turned out thus far and I have a few questions I'd like to ask them.

The first one would be the Virgin Mary.  I think it would be so interesting to hear her story and ask her how she felt about giving birth to our Lord.  I'm not too sure what I'd like to eat with her, and I have a feeling that if I ever got the chance I wouldn't eat at all because I'd be drinking up every word she was saying to me.  And honestly, I'd probably be too nervous to put anything in my stomach.  After all, she is the mother of God. 

The second one would be George Washington.  Anyone that knows me knows how much I love politics and history and since he is the Father of our country it makes sense why I'd want to meet him.  I'd like to know what he dreamed our country would be like in the future and how our government should be working today.  I'd also want to know what he thought of the laws being put into action today and his opinion on the political parties.  To eat?  I'd say probably something like steak and potatoes.  (haha I had that for dinner the other night so that's probably why it came to mind!)



Tuesday, June 19, 2012

24/30: Family Dynamic

{If you missed the beginning of the 30 Day Challenge you can find it here}

If you want to find out about my relationship with my parents you can read that post here.  It'll probably help you understand more of what I'm about to say. 

My family dynamic growing up compared to now is still pretty much the same.  It might be easier if I divide up the post so let's get started!

Then....

Mom
Growing up we always argued over little things.  It could've been major or minor, it didn't matter. We got along but I was definitely Daddy's Little Girl.  

Dad
I always liked doing things with my dad and spent a lot of time with him.  If he had to go into work on the weekends I'd usually drive with him just so I could spend time with him.  We liked a lot of the same things and so we always had something to do together.  He also was the one who would be outside with Sam and I teaching us how to play soccer, baseball, or anything else we wanted to learn.

Sam
When we were very young we got along very well.  It wasn't until I hit my teenage years that we grew apart a little bit.  We would bicker and argue and get on Mom's nerves but deep down (very deep down...ha!) I still thought she was okay.  And then, once I got out of my teenage years Sam hit hers.  I guess you could say we had a little bit of an "off" period.


Now....

Mom
I think our relationship is still pretty much the same.  Nothing has really changed there....

Dad
It's hard to say what our relationship would be now if he was still alive.  I think it would still be pretty much the same, with the exception that I'm married and not living at the house anymore!  

Sam
Our relationship is the one that has changed the most.  It wasn't until the spring semester of her junior year at GMU that we began to do more things together and become closer as sisters.  Before, we'd never really talk on the phone or go out and do things together but now we like too.  It's fun to go shopping or to the movies, and Chris and I even took her to Disney with us last summer.  She's become more of a best friend to me than a sister.

Julie
I didn't know Julie until I was 19 so it's a little hard to say what our relationship would've been like when I was younger.  Now, she is someone I can rely on and she's a really great sister.  We're still learning about each other and I know that our relationship will only grow from here.










Monday, June 18, 2012

23/30: Hobbies

{If you missed the beginning of the 30 Day Challenge you can find it here}

I have lots of little hobbies, but there are only a few that I've kept up with through the years so I'm going to write about those.

Piano
I love playing my keyboard.  Ever since Gran bought me a new one for Christmas a few years ago I've been playing it non-stop.  Sitting in front of it playing music calms me and makes me feel peaceful with everything around me.  

Organization
I've always been kind of an organized person but it's something I've grown more passionate about over the years.  Why is it a hobby?  It's something I do in my spare time and I enjoy doing it.  It's always fun to think of new ways to make our lives easier.

Blogging
Blogging was never something I was committed to in the past.  There used to be an old site that you could either pay for or use it for free (the name escapes me at the moment) and all of my friends would blog updates on it.  I started doing that with them around the age of 16.  Was I any good at it?  No.  Am I better at it now?  I'd say I'm better, but I'm still learning.  The whole blogging world is still somewhat new to me.

Photography
People always told me that I had a natural talent for taking pictures but I never believed them until I met Chris.  We've been to quite a few places together so far and I started noticing little things I liked about the pictures I took on our travels: how I caught the water hitting the rocks just right.  Or how the sun was shinning perfectly over a hill.  I think photography has started to grow more into a passion for me but it definitely started out as a hobby.

Writing
I love writing.  It helps me get out feelings that I need to deal with and it's also fun just to see where my imagination takes me.  I don't do it as often as I should but looking at all the unfinished short stories I have leaves me feeling a little frustrated.  Maybe I need to take a few writing classes to turn this hobby into a passion (maybe a moneymaking passion?  Yes, please!)

Hello St. Thomas!


  

Sunday, June 17, 2012

22/30: Where You'll Be

{If you missed the beginning of the 30 Day Challenge you can find it here}

Do you remember writing essays in school on where you'd be in 5, 10, and 15 years?  Did any of you end up where you thought you'd be?  Or did only some of your predictions come true?  I used to love writing those types of papers because I always knew exactly what I'd say:

"In five years I'll have graduated high school.  In ten years I'll already have graduated college and will be on Broadway as Belle from Beauty and the Beast.  In fifteen years I'll be married with kids and live in a nice house in the country."

Well, let me tell you that only part of my predictions came true!  I definitely got married right on time with the schedule my ten year old self set, but no kids yet (and you'll be waiting at least another year or so for that to happen).  It's funny looking back on that and seeing how naive you were, and how you thought your life was going to turn out.  Nothing ever goes quite according to plan, does it?

If I had to make predictions now...I'd say that in 5 years Chris and I would be in a home with one kid, but hopefully two.  Or, one kid with one of the way...I'm not too picky!

In 10 years Chris and I would be all done having kids (only 3!) and I'd still be a stay at home mom and Chris would still be a working dad.

In 15 years (ugg...I'll be in my 40's!) our first born will be almost ready to drive (and I'll be having a slight heart attack every time I think about it).  We'll be busy, running from soccer practice to dance lessons and whatever other sport our kids decide to do.  We'll be constantly on the go and tired but loving every minute with our family.  

I think that about sums it up.  And I've left lots of wiggle room in case something changes.  It'll be fun to look back on this post and see if any of these predictions came true.  Hopefully they all do. But you know what they say, "God laughs when we make plans."


  

Saturday, June 16, 2012

21/30: I'm SuperGirl!

{If you missed the beginning of the 30 Day Challenge you can find it here}

"I'm supergirl and I'm here to save the world..."  The topic of this post really reminds me of that song from The Princess Diaries (I was kind of obsessed with that movie when it came out).  

There are so many super powers you could pick from that you'd think it would be hard to pick just one.  But, I've said for a long time that if I did have a power I'd want it to be speed.  Then I wouldn't take so long to get ready (gotta love being a girl!) and I wouldn't have to sit in the car to get somewhere.  How nice would it be to take two seconds to get to the grocery store and two more seconds to get back home?  Just imagining that is making me yearn for it!

However, there are drawbacks so I'd set a few limitations for myself.  
1.  No abusing my powers to speed through life.
2.  I could only use it for three things: (a) Get chores done faster, (b) get to places faster, (c) get ready faster.

I feel as though a set of ground rules would be best that way I don't start taking advantage of the power or missing out on things by using it.  What do you think?  Are there any powers you'd like to have to make your days smoother?  Or would you want a power just because it sounds like it would be cool?  I'm interested to know what others would choose!

Best friends at my Bridal Shower