Weekend Recap and the Living Room Reveal!

This weekend was so much fun!  I love three day weekends, life just seems better with them, and therefore we should have them every weekend, don'tcha think?  

Anyway, we were unable to buy my car as I didn't have an appointment....which would have been nice to know.  That appointment is set up for tomorrow night, and I am fearful of it.

We did buy wedding invitation stuff, and figured out what we are going to do! Very excited about that one!

More details later....

We are booking the honeymoon TODAY!!!!  I am so excited I may wet myself.

Anyway, 

Over the weekend, we hung out with my parents, with the rest of the fam at a bbq, and went exploring.  We may or may not have committed a little B&E, or just the E part.... details on that tomorrow.

But for the stuff happening TODAY---->

First of all, I hope you all share my excitement in this:

This my friends, is a bitty baby green bell pepper!  I am so excited that my plants are working!  Its amazing how you can put a plant in the ground and it makes you food!  Right?

And now time for the Living Room!

This has taken me forever to "finish" because I keep getting distracted by other stuff. I still want to add a few more things....eventually.

Drum Roll Please..............................

It's soooo much brighter!

I added the white Curtains and Coffee Table

 And the cute shelf 

This corner is still ugly.  I need something for the wall.  Eventually, I'd like to get rid of the entertainment center for something that hides the tv....a big white armoir! yes, i think so!

I feel that the room is much lighter now! It has definitely helped lift my mood!

I brought in blues and reds  pinks and yellows and greens and lots and lots of white!

White is kind of my thing lately.

Pillows

The Blue glass cake stand is one of my favorite finds EVER.  and I just had to have the white globe from Target as soon as I saw it!

New white end tables. They don't match.  I like it that way.

I think I'll move the Ipod Dock.  It's kind of unsightly....

I also have a love for lanterns, apothecary jars and small succulants. 

Nick has a massive addiction to salt water taffy.

We have some new coasters.  They will get cuter in the weeks to come!

And that is the living room for now!

Once we get a house....I'll probably redo everything again!

But that's the fun in it!

Before:

After!

Being a Queen Isn't Always A Good Thing

Well, I don't have a lot to write about today, but I still wanted to post something.  I've been a serious slacker the past week.  Nothing too interesting has happened though.  Today will probably be another mishmash of random thoughts, which may or may not be entertaining.  I promise a more linear and organized post tomorrow though!

Anyway, I've been thinking about the last two posts.  They were a lil heavy.  And then, my head went in all different directions, but ended up at the same place in the end.  

It's Official.

I'm a brat.

Yep.  I've been acting selfish and annoyed, and negative.....and for what?  To be honest, my life is pretty stinkin amazing, and I just need to get over myself.

I have been complaining about money and wanting a house SOOOO bad  {and I still do}- and its all fine and dandy to want something and have a goal, but I forgot to mention how grateful I am for the place I'm already living.  Yeah, well played, D.

We have a great lil place!  Its not perfect, but then again, NO house is perfect.

But, Its nice and warm and cute and spacious, and I should quit being such a brat about how I want another one.

I need to be grateful for what I have.   Really need to work on that one.

Also, 

Instead of feeling sorry for myself and focusing on all that crap, I should put my focus on others.

I definitely feel the best when I'm making other people happy.

And that in turn, makes me happy.

I really do have a blessed life.

And I just act like a brat.

How silly.

That, my friends, is the new project.

Less anger

Less complaining

Less annoyment  {TOTALLY a legit word  :)  }

and MORE love

Compassion

Understanding

and Calm.

That sounds about right.

So I'm going to Make and Do and Act in ways that help and inspire others. 

Maybe then I'll find my answers to all the petty crap.

The end.

In other news, 

There are some pretty epic things going on this weekend

I'm going to {hopefully} buy out my car lease

We are planning on booking our honeymoon  {The details of that will be revealed after its set in stone}

We're buying the stuff to make our wedding invitations

The wedding is OFFICIALLY 3 months from tomorrow!  {eeep!}

I am planning on revealing {finally} our {mostly} finished living room!

We're bbqing at Jons, which means I'll make something yummy and prolly post a recipe

And finally, I need ideas for wedding hair.  its just about that time to book the appointments.  I would like to choose 2 different styles {one for the bridal photos and one for the actual wedding}

I'm having trouble with this because I pretty much hate my hair right now.  I'm wishing it was about 4 inches longer.  {and there is NO way it will grow that much in 2 months}

So, I could get extensions.  {expensive}

I could get a whef. lol.  {a clip in extension} I hear good things about those

or just deal.

So, Here are a few photos of stuff I'm kinda likin'

with numbers

and Y'all should vote- there will be a poll at the VERY VERYEST end of the page.  Vote!

Note: There will be NO veil, but a pretty fluffy hair clip thingy {to be determined}

Choice 1

Choice 2

Choice 3

Choice 4

kinda seems jr. prom to me, but whatever

Choice 5

Choice 6

That's all I got.

I'm at a total loss!

And, I am open to suggestions as well!

OK, ready.........GO VOTE!  --please!

Maybe Me Too?

So, first of all, I want you all to know, that I weighed and measured myself on Wednesday.  I have lost ONE pound {lol} BUT! the coolest part is, I have lost 2.25 inches in my waist! {not what I was going for, but I'll take it} and 1 inch in my hips!  {yay!}  I think that darn kettlebell kicks some serious booty.  Oh, and running is getting easier! YAHOO!!!

Moving on, 

My last post was kinda heavy, sorry about that.

Get ready for another one.

But this time I'm not sad.

More like, ridiculously terrified. haha.  {like its funny...}

We went to a Mortgage 101 class last night, put on by our bank.  we thought it would be a great opportunity to learn what we need to do in the process of buying a house, since we're totally clueless at this point.

What I learned was:

Buying a house takes a ton of money. {duh}

I need to have a low Debt-to-income-ratio.....OH CRAP.   {I think I stopped listening at this point, and had a total mental breakdown.}

Here's the deal:

In the scheme of things, we really don't have that much debt- as far as credit cards go....well, compared to some people.

But our cars......oh those stupid cars!!!!

I have not wanted an old beat up car once in my life until now.

My car payment is TOO HIGH.  in fact, its pretty ridiculous.

This is what I drive

Excuse my French, but you have to admit, this is a damn sexy car.

I love it in fact.  0-60 in 4 seconds.  Blue tooth, handsfree phone, BOSE stereo, IPOD dock, sunroof, heated seats, push button start, leather interior...... and did I mention, she's fast????   

and now, when I see her, all I can think is, 

WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?!?!

Seriously. 

 Right now, its a lease {that I'm about to buy out, and I pray that that will lower my payment} 

I plan on buying this bad boy....er...girl memorial day weekend.  I think I'll go in alone with an extra coat of mascara to see if I can get me a really good deal! ;)

But really, the dudes at Infiniti are pretty awesome anyway.  Totally un-sleezy.

 still.....

we need to make more money.

Correction.

I need to make more money.  {Cops don't really get big raises, ya know}

So, 

What is it that I want to do?

Hmm.....

Well, I've been going to school for Mass Communications.....

And I"ve had my lil heart set on photography for OH SO LONG

but....

Right now, photography is inspiring me THE LEAST.

Kinda depressing, really

This past semester, I took an independent study with my all time fave professor on photography.

And I think it made me worse.

Or maybe just realize the truth.

It ended up being entirely too philosophical, and I left feeling like a failure

EVERY.SINGLE.TIME

and honestly, I think that was the point.

He wanted to instill a drive in us to be better, 

only I can find NO motivation for it. 

not ONE.SINGLE.BIT.

which makes me sad. Heartbroken, actually.

Granted, I could prolly make decent money doing it, but when it comes to art, it shouldn't be about the money.

no, it should be about the love for it.  the vision. the passion.

Passion is a big deal with me, in fact.

if I'm not passionate about something, I can't do it.  {well, I can't make it believable}

I need something that inspires me

something that makes me happy

something I don't have to try too hard to do.

well......

I'm kinda thinkin' graphic design is my thing right now.

remember how I said last post that I wanted to do art prints?

Remember how I told you I love paper and typography?

I think this may be a sign.

I've been brainstorming Stationary in my head for months

among other cute and fun crafts.

Maybe I need an ETSY shop?

Would you shop at it?

I have been reading blogs.  Lots of em.

Four, of them religiously to be completely specific

I've mentioned Emily over at Jones Design Company before.

{she's amazing.  read her stuff.  Click here to find her, you know you want to}

That's what she does- besides being super woman. 

She is darling, and has been such an inspiration to my creative side.  I think she and I are a lot alike.

Just like me, she has the undeniable need to create.

and she had this difficulty too!

and now she's successful.

she supplements the income nicely and is able to stay home with her kids.

this is also a goal of mine......someday.

And then there is {another} Emily  {My new fave blog diva}

to view her amazing blog, click here

she writes about lots of awesome stuff

but SHE has a dream of a lil ETSY shop too!

I just read that the other day!

and she's scared to do it, 

just like me.

but I think she should go for it!

Maybe me too?

I love these women.  reading their blogs makes me feel like I know them.

Even though I don't.

I wish I did!

It's really nice to find people that feel the same things you do, ya know?

Anyway, I'm thinkin here:

If I work up some stuff

and post it on my lil blog here

would you guys be willing to vote?

Give me critiques?

Some support and encouragement to help me in my lil artistic journey?

And be real with me if I suck?  {I won't be offended!}

Not only is this kind of thing very exciting and fullfilling sounding to me

but its flexible.

I can do it at night

and on weekends

at home.

And eventually, home with my kids.

Because I already work and have school full time, 

I don't have time to get a second job,

and we all know that Nick can't be the one to get one.

He might die from all that stress.

Plus, like I said before, 

I want success. and I want it to be at something I love

Something that fulfills me

something where I can {hopefully} inspire others

and something where I can create.

Whatcha think?

Needing Some Kind of Inspiration

It's something most of us struggle with at some point in our lives, has its ups and downs, but is crucial for our well being.  What am I talking about?  Self Esteem!

Over the past few years, I've definitely struggled with this..... a lot.  Half the time, I didn't even really know how to put my finger on it, but there it was anyway.

I was a {painfully} shy kid, always hanging with the adults because I wasn't {always} sure how to act around others my age.  Don't get me wrong, I had some great friends as a kid, but I was usually the follower in every situation, the sheep, if you will.

I always felt different.  Mostly because I was an only child, spoiled with toys, and didn't understand the lives of my friends who had siblings and lots of "family stuff" that kept them from being able to play all the time. I was also pretty smart, with a photographic memory, so others thought I was weird for knowing some random fact, or remembering all kinds of details.  {If you knew my dad, you'd know where I got the random facts thing}

At the end of 5th grade, however, I was diagnosed with Scoliosis. {A very long blog post in itself}  I had to wear a backbrace 20 hours a day while I was in 6th grade- which meant I had to wear it to school.  Can you say, LAME?  It's not a pity party or anything, but that definitely contributed to my "weirdness"  

Not until 8th grade did I meet some of the best friends I'd ever had. I had fabulous teachers, and I started moving out of the "awkward teenage girl stage" -- you know what I mean.   The braces came off, I got contacts, and I felt a whole lot more "normal"

Anyway, I continued to come out of my shell, and once in high school, I made {and lost} a whole bunch of good buddies.  In fact, I was into the whole drama thing {Can you say DRAMA NERD?} and was even the President of the Drama Club, and had the lead in the musical my senior year.  

Well, at this point, I think my popularity turned into arrogance.  Looking back now, I think, "Man, I was such a b.....} you get the point.

From then on, I kind of faded into the background again, and my self esteem reached its lowest point through my first few years of college.  {doesn't matter why; in reality, I don't know why} Then I got it back, {enter, Nick}  but I still feel lacking.

Now that I'm an adult, and a whole lot more reasonable with more life experience, I know what I need to do to feel more confident.  I've thought long and hard about what I need to feel more confident, and have come up with a short list of some {really} quick fixes.

As I said, I still feel lacking in the self esteem department from time to time.  Definitely NOT around Nick.  In fact, he makes me feel like a princess {one of the MANY MANY reasons why I love him}

But around others, I feel like I still have something to prove.  {Another trait I inherited from my dad, and probably the one I dislike the most}  I want to feel important, contributive, talented, liked, loved and needed. In society as well as in my own head. --The latter being the hardest to fix.

But, the adult me also tells me that if I don't like something, I need to change it-take control and make it happen.  

This is something I've been doing for a long time now, but am also trying to add things to- to be more well rounded, if you will.

Lately, as we've been planning our wedding, I've been thinking about the future, and I'm kinda wondering what it is that I'm good at or what I want to do......and, well, that's where the lack of confidence comes in.

Some of the things that help me maintain my confidence are:

Take a shower every morning.

Duh, right?  

Well, some people shower at night, some people shower in the morning, and some people only shower when they get a second.

A morning shower is a big priority for me because it helps me feel that I'm starting the day out fresh.  {Nothing kills a self-esteem-high worse than a bad hair day, right?}

Putting on makeup

I'm not trying to be superficial- in fact, there are a lot of days where I don't wear makeup, but having my face done makes me feel "put together" and like I have enough self respect to want to look presentable, especially at work.

{Note, I'm sure this one is all in my head.  It's not a diss to those of you who don't wear makeup for whatever reason}  

{try to}  Dress Cute

This goes along with the whole "put-together" thing.

It's true, when you feel like you look good, nothing can stop you.  Now, I'm not the most fashion forward gal you've ever met, but I try my best to match, and to wear clothes that fit my body like they should.  It's another form of self expression for me; my lil artsy self.

Exercise

We all know how I struggle with this one.

But ever since I've started working out on a regular basis, I feel a lot better about myself.  Even though I'm not at my goal size, I feel like I'm making some progress, and I feel stronger.  That's the point.  I love that feeling.  {Plus I looooove those endorphins!}

Affirmations

This wonderful thing is made by Emily at Jones Design Company.  I love it! It's an excerpt from Psalm 139, verse 14 to be exact  :)

to purchase it, click here  it's worth it.  Her blog and site are my FAVORITE to visit.  You'll love her too, I promise.

Anyway, the saying, "Sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me" is good and all, but I think we too often forget the incredible power of words.  I love words.  More than anything, I love to read them. Affirmations are great lil ditties to tell yourself when you're feeling like....well, like you need some confidence.  {I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and gosh Darnit! People like me!}  :)

I'm actually thinking of designing some art prints along these lines to hang in my house  {as well as purchasing this one from Emily} I've actually got a few on the drawing board.  more on that tomorrow!

Helping People

When I help someone, or am kind to them, it makes me feel oh so good.  About myself, about them and about life in general.  Afterall, we all want to feel important.  Making someone feel that is such a joy, and for me, makes me feel like a better person.  Double bonus!

Having great friends to confide in

ha, this photo made me smile.

I need more good friends.....ones whom I have stuff in common with.

It helps to have those we can talk to.  I'm pretty sure we all go through the same stuff......so why does it seem like such a big deal?  Good people can cheer you up faster than most things!

A warm Puppy.

ok, maybe this doesn't inspire much confidence, but it sure makes me happy!  :)

Anyway, I'm searching for ways to make myself a better person- in every aspect.   Sometimes we all need a confidence boost, and these are some things I'm going to work on.

Not that you need confidence.  I hope this post doesn't sound preachy.....More like me thinking out loud.  Hopefully I didn't sound arrogant.  I REALLY don't want to sound arrogant!

Anyway, I'm not really sure where this is going.

I think I just needed to talk about my self esteem issues for a minute. 

Thanks for reading it!

Do you struggle with your self esteem from time to time?

what inspires confidence in you?  

Some of This, Some of That

Well, Today is first of all, the Wednesday Weigh in, so I'll start by saying that when I weighed myself this morning, I was still.....136.8 pounds.  How ridiculous!  Nick thinks that I have lost fat and gained some muscle.  Not sure how I feel about that.

I do feel like my arms, chest, calves and stomach are tighter

but I'm still skeptical.  it may be that I want them to feel tighter. 

And once again, I forgot to measure myself this morning, so I'll check that tonight.

It's pretty frustrating....I have been trying so hard.  I guess I need to try harder.

The good news is though, that I bought myself an extra month to lose inches until I get my dress fitted, so I'm a weeeeee bit less stressed.

And that's all for that.  To be honest, I'm not in the mood to write about my fitness woes today.

In other news, 

This weekend, I went shopping, and now I am happy  :)

I bought clothes  (to be seen on Friday's post)

and some pots and dirt and plants! yay!  I am growing my little garden, and am very thrilled! 

I went to Home Depot with the intention of getting more herbs.

and I did

But then, I decided that I wanted a few veggies too!

I decided to start with peppers, since I hate buying them in the store- they are just about the most expensive veggie.

I got a nice big pot and some Green, Red and Yellow bell pepper plants!  

They seem to be doing well!  yay! 

Also, Jon gave us a tomato plant!  I am very excited to have my very own tomatoes to eat!  They taste SO much better from the garden, ya know?

We gave him a nice home in a big pot.  I'm hoping he'll be happy here and have an abundant season!  {let's hope I don't kill him}{and he looks better in person, this photo makes him look peekid}

As I said, I also bought herbs!  Another Rosemary Plant {because I loooove Rosemary}

An Oregano Plant

And two kinds of Thyme.  I got Lemon Thyme and German Thyme.  I can't remember which is which though haha.

And then, I bought some mint.  I'm pretty excited about it, actually!  

Soon, they will all live outside, but since its been cold, they have stayed inside, infront of the sliding glass door.  They are quite in the way, I'm excited to get them out!

Aaaaaannnndddd......I think I need more veggie plants!

Do you recommend any?

Also, 

today is a special day, 

and I am very excited to announce, 

that for the VERY FIRST TIME THIS YEAR

I got to wear Flip Flops!!!!

{yay for warm!}

Aren't they cute?

My feet are chubby.  they've always been like that.  Oh well.  :)

And that's all for today.  I'll be back with measurements and photos tomorrow.

as for now, I get to go home, work out, clean the kitchen and reorganize the pantry.

Don't pretend you're not jealous!

How To Live : How Do You Do It?

Ok, so we've been talking about my fitness woes for about a week now.  Yeah yeah, we all know we're supposed to exercise and eat right.....but what does that mean?!

 So, I figured I'd tell you what I"m doing and eating, and how its making me feel, and you can give me ideas too!  

{Because we all know that I tend to not think things through all the way, and generally need to be brought back to Earth}

So Here's the deal.

In the morning, Depending how much time I have, I either eat  Scrambled eggs on Whole wheat toast

Which is ideal, because it gives me a protein and a carb, so my body knows it needs to be alive, or, if I"m low on time, I grab a lowfat yogurt and a  lowfat string cheese

So far, the blackberry yogurt and the strawberry banana are my favorites.  I try to stay away from the desserty ones, like cheesecake and apple turnover, because I know that would get me in trouble.....

And then I always have a piece of fruit.  If I have my way, its a banana

This will usually last me a Good Long While.  Like, a really long while.  If I get hungry before lunch time, I either have another string cheese and/or some more fruit, but this time, its something like an apple or grapes.

All the while, I try my best to drink water.  As close to 8 glasses as I can get.  Sometimes, it gets boring though, so I change things up with either Crystal Light or Sobe Life Water

If you haven't tried the Peach Tea flavor, you are SERIOUSLY missing out.  It doesn't really taste that much like tea, it just tastes like.....yum.

This stuff is actually really good.  And it's only $1 per bottle.  My faves so far have been the Fuji Apple Pear and the Acai Fruit Punch.  Totally worth it.

Then, around 3pm, its time for lunch.  During the week while I'm at work, I either have a salad or one of these:

They are surprisingly good.  They are definitely small, but they fill me up fairly nicely {even though I don't think they will EVERY SINGLE TIME}

They come in all kinds of flavors.  Some are bigger than others.  None are more than 380 calories.  

I was surprised that I liked them because I am usually very against frozen dinners.  These are quality.

So far, my favorite is the Sesame Glazed Chicken.  The only one I can't recommend is the Chicken Verde.  No Bueno.

Then, I may or may not get a tiny hunger pang before I leave work.  {More often than not, but hey, eating small portions often helps your metabolism, right? }

so then I'll have something like carrot sticks and dip.  

Something awesome I just found out- the "Veggie Ranch Dip" generally has fewer calories than the regular ranch dip or dressing, just so ya know.

And also, make sure if and when you eat these, you only have 1 serving.  No weight will be lost if you keep eating- even carrots can keep you from losing weight if you eat enough of them.

This isn't the only thing I do during the day- on hungrier days, i eat more.  On days that Nick works, i'll be ok with having a bigger lunch, since i won't be cooking dinner, etc.

Then dinner.  I try to have real food for dinner.  I do try, however to cook things on the healthier side.  That way I don't feel so guilty if I want seconds, or if we decide to go out one night.  

Here are some of the things I've been trying {or plan on trying}

Pampered Chef's Recipe for Cool and Crunchy Chicken Tacos.  something like 370 calories for two.

Thai-Style Coconut Chicken.  We had this last night, and its to die for!  It was super easy too!  About 400 calories per serving  {I think thats without the rice} But I totally ate the rice!  Just a small serving of it.

Thai Pineapple Chicken.  I haven't tried this one yet, but it looks tasty!

Grilled Chicken is a staple.  Either on salad, or under various salsas, or grilled with honey and rosemary, or just plain grilled! 

This is grilled chicken with strawberry feta and avacado salsa.  doesn't it look amazing??

 or you could do mango salsa!

I'm sure i'll find more and more!  Its exciting to be able to eat really tasty foods while still being healthy, and of course, one of the biggest things is watching portion sizes.  At our house we also favor meatloaf, spaghetti, goulash, burgers, alfredo {oh how unhealthy that one is!} and quesadillas.  I try to come up with as many new things as I can, so we don't keep having the same thing over and over again.

I also have been trying to buy as many fresh fruits and veggies as I can.  A lot of these recipes call for a lot of fresh produce, so it's easy to get enough of them in a day.

I really can't wait till I can grow my own garden so I won't have to buy this stuff as much!

As for exercise, I'm still doing this one:

its awesome.  I have already noticed a good change in my stomach, arms and tushy.  It's totally worth it!

I just bought this one too

Tonight will be the first night I try it!  Its supposed to be brutal.....I'm a little excited.  :)

We also joined a gym last night!  This means I'll finally be running again, which I am also excited for.  My first choice would have been 24 hour Fitness, but there isn't one close to us.  I won't go to the gym if its not close, so we joined a little one in Farmington.  I like that its not a meat market and normal people go there.  The people are nice, and its small.  Plus, they have tanning  :)

Anyway, I'm going to keep up this healthy lifestyle, even though I haven't been perfect  {I HAD to have a sugar cookie last night....I might have DIED if I didn't get one}, I can't believe how much better I feel even after a week!  Yay!

Oh, and don't forget the yoga.  I am doing that too.  :)

So tell me, what is it that YOU do that works?

I'm dying to know!  :)