It's Always Something

If you are like me, you have a love/hate relationship with grocery shopping.  I love the idea of serving my family healthy home-cooked meals for the week.  I hate doing it all within a strict budget.  The budget constraints and my amateur skills in the kitchen make coming up with creative, healthy, budget-conscious meals a bit difficult for me. Recently, I came across this article that listed the 20 best foods to pick up at the grocery store.  It's an interesting read and I hope you find it useful the next time you are at the grocery store. ( Pinterest ) Here is the list for quick reference: 1. Almonds- Monounsaturated fat, protein, Thiamin, Riboflavin, and Vitamin E 2. Asparagus- Anti-Inflammatory nutrients and folic acid 3. Avocados- Monosaturated fats, Vitamin A, D, E, and K 4. Berries- Vitamins and Antioxidants 5. Bell Peppers- Antioxidants 6. Black Beans- Packed with nutrients 7. Broccoli- Vitamin C and Vitamin K 8. Brussel Sprouts- V...

I just had to post a pic of the hair accessories the kiddo has been working on lately for Entrepreneur Day at school.  If you recall, she was big into making headbands last fall.  Recently, however, she has been branching out into hair clips. St. Patrick's Day was coming up, so she decided to make a bunch of green glittery shamrocks for the school bazaar.  She also made some non-holiday hair accessories. I just love these oversized glittery stars she made. I cannot wait to wear mine!  

So much joy. Happiness. Sunflower filled warm hugs. This moment. Right now. Perfection. So much anger. Frustration. Razor sharp slashing words. This moment. Right now. Torture. Repeat.

Last September we moved into a new place.  The home is in a wonderful area and I just love living here. We are, however, just renting now, and unable to make updates to the home. Not being able to remodel is KILLING me because the house is from the 1970's, and nothing inside has been updated since then. Besides the Brady Bunch look, the worst part of the new place is that it doesn't get much natural light.  In addition to that, our furniture is dark brown, and it looks like we live in a cave. This weekend, I decided I was going to try and lighten up the room by painting some furniture turquoise.  I didn't really ask G prior, so I was a bit nervous that he would be upset when he got home. Before After I just LOVE what the turquoise has done to the room.  The splash of bright colors opens up the room and gives it a more artsy/loft feel.  Thankfully, G loved the final room, otherwise, I would be busy priming and painting instead of t...

Valentine's Day snuck up on me this year. Mostly because it is the same day as G's birthday, so I was busy planning that rather than getting prepared for the holiday. Brooke needed cards for all of her classmates and I just hate purchasing those ready-made ones at the stores. I just feel like they don't quite capture Brooke's personality accurately.  Afterall, she is just so full of spunk and love that I feel anything that represents her should be as unique as that little girl. One afternoon when Brooke got home from school, I grabbed my camera and took a picture of her holding her fist toward the camera.  I used photoshop to add a Valentine greeting to the picture, then we hopped in the truck and headed to Kinkos.  We ended up printing 35 copies.  When we got home, we used a blade cutter and lollipops to make a personalized Valentine's Day card.   I was very please with how it came out and Brooke absolutely LOVED them.  How couldn't you??? ...

Many years ago, I bought this Kenneth Cole coat that was way too big for me because it was on sale and, at the time, I needed a warm coat for a winter New York trip.  It served its purpose well and fit over many layers of clothing during that trip to keep my warm.  Unfortunately, I have not worn the coat since then because it is oversized and boring. As I was browsing through Mod Cloth , I ame across this jacket: This jacket became my inspiration. I will attempt to convert the coat collecting dust in my closet to this beautiful, classic coat. I started with this: And ended up with this: Since this was my first repurposing project, I am quite pleased with the outcome and I am surprised at how easy it was to do! I am in love with the fact that I made this coat my own and it is one of a kind. I think I have a greater connection to this cheap coat over any of my expensive ones. This coat will definitely be worn more versus hanging in the coat closet.

Funny is sexy.