5 year bloggiversary.

I started blogging exactly 5 years ago today. This was my first ever post {I still kinda crush on Anderson Cooper – is that weird?}.

So I thought I would look back over the blogs for some of my highlights {in my very humble opinion }.

Favorite Posts:

• how to be totally awesome {at saving money} {March 2009}
• how to be totally awesome {at planning a weekly menu} {Apr 2009}
• wiser {Dec 2009}
• rules to live by {my mantras} {Apr 2010}
• moving {and old house final tour} {Mar 2011}
• going vegetarian {Apr 2011}
• house progress pics and post {Jun 2011}
• natural “beauty products” {Sept 2011}

Favorite Projects:

• some onsies i designed {Jan 2008}
• bathroom redo {old house} {Feb 2008}
• sofa table redo {Sept 2010}
• diy upholstered headboard {Feb 2010}
• Master bedroom {new house} {Jun 2011}
• Gallery wall {Aug 2011}

Favorite Challenges:

• 30-day “veg pledge” {May 2009}
• 60-days, no retail {Jun 2009}
• the 2010 ultimate wardrobe challenge {Jan-Jun 2010}
• 30/30 clothing remix {Sept-Oct 2010}
• 30 things to do before i’m 30 {ongoing}
• Super-Organized September {Sept 2011}
• 365 photo a day project {all of 2011}

^ Also 5 years old ^..this pic. Whoa. Such kids!♥

Paisley

So, we were in Vegas for a long weekend. The trip was DRAMZZ. I have stories. Some of them I will share. haha. Later. Hubby survived his 30th {happy birthday, babe!} and despite the fact that eleventy crazy things happened, we had tons of fun and we have some seriously hilarious memories. Vegas remains a place I can’t wait to leave. I’m glad it’s weird but I’m more glad I’m rarely there.

Soon I’ll be ready to talk about it.

But now there are squirmier, happier, cuddlier, puppier things going on.

This is Paisley.

We just brought her home tonight and we are already smitten. So is her big sis, Sadie, although at first she was just confused.

They are already playing. And it is so adorable. (:

I’m already sleep-deprived so it’s going to be a long week! Welcome to the family, lil’ missy.

make your own laundry soap

I vowed to be frugal this year and listed making my own cleaning products as one goal. Here’s my hack at DIY laundry soap. Loving it!

Ingredients:

• 3 bars Fels Naptha, shredded {can be found at Ace Hardware or Winco, in my area, or online, for about $1 per bar}
  
• 3 cup washing soda
• 3  cup borax powder 
• Large plastic container

Steps:

1. Shred the Fels Naptha using a cheese grater or food processor. My food processor made quick work of this and gave me what looked like a pile of shredded cheese. Awesome.
2. Mix all ingredients in the bucket.
3. Use 1/8 cup scoop of the mixture per load of laundry {1/4 scoop if the laundry is very dirty}.

Verdict:

This was suuuper easy and cheap, and smells great {the Fels Naptha has a light scent I really like}. I’ve been using for about a month and except that it looks weird {the grated cheese looking stuff} I really am preferring it to the store bought detergent I was using. No weird ingredients and chemicals and my hubby’s work clothes come out really clean.

Also tried a dishwasher detergent but it wasn’t as successful. It left a little white residue on the dishes so I plan to try another formula when this jar runs out. Anyone else into making their own products like this? Please share if you have a tried-and-true DIY formula!

vegas, baby

Headed to Vegas on Thursday for a long weekend and hubby’s 30th birthday celebration! On the {packed} agenda – Cirque du Soleil show, Death Valley day trip, Swap Meet, dueling piano bar, the Arts Factory, Batiste’s Hole in the Wall Italian joint, a few hours at the gym, neon museum, aquarium … phew! … and homework crammed in there somewhere for me…

I am a believer in packing light despite the random assortment of sartorial needs {thus organizing ahead of time}. Here’s all that’s coming with me {sans personal items, cameras, and probably a bracelet or 12}:

 

inspired by dorm decor?

I was like every other pre-teen girl in 1994, I had pin-ups of Jonathan Tayler-Thomas (what happened to that dude?) and Jonathan Brandis (we know what happened to that one ) on my walls. And then there was my Dennis Rodman/Marilyn Manson shrine phase (my parents are so awesome, they got me a Rolling Stone AND Sports Illustrated subscrip just for my scissor-happy fun.) And then in college it was Smashing Pumpkins posters, decoupage-collages on furniture, and memo boards crammed with photos.

Then I became a grown up that could afford to put things on my walls that didn’t require poster putty. And I felt weird about putting wedding photos out in plain sight. I’m not sure why. It’s just awkward to me.

But, a confession: I completely miss the days when plastering every inch of my walls with personal items was an acceptable way of decorating. I came across this image on Pinterest a while back and it totally inspired me. I guess I am just not ready for a catalog-style home just yet.

I bought this scroll photo holder at Pier One for a measly $8 on sale, and hung it on a sad, blank wall in our hallway.

Then I found same favorite photos on my hard drive, and messed around with all of them in Photoshop. Jacking up the contrast, skewing the colors, aging some, switching a few to black and white, and making some look like Poloroids. I had them printed, then arranged them on the holder.

Nothing fancy. It’s reminiscent of dorm living, but in a good way. And it’s off in a little-traveled-by-guests hallway, so it’s only seen if someone wants to pause and check it out on their way to the loo. (PS: I think we should say “loo” more, don’t you?).

I am kind of a lot excited about something in my house that’s more young and fun {while the lack of push pins ensures it’s more quirky than tacky}. And I can rotate photos as I wish or use it to hold Christmas cards around the holidays. Super functional!

Thoughts? Would you collage-up a wall in your house? What’s your take on decorating with personal photos? Studio-quality only or goofy snapshots are a-ok? Really I’m still torn on the design credibility of this little collage, but we simply do not have that kind of establishment. Oh.. and do you know what happened to Jonathan Taylor Thomas?

365 photo project recap

One of my 2011 resolutions, the 365 photo project is over, and was also much, much more of a challenge than I anticipated. Can I admit that I’m so glad it’s over? A photo-a-day seems so easy, right? But it was harder that I thought to have a camera on-hand to capture the moments, and always remember to do so. (I can’t have it at work so it must stay in my car if I remember to put it there each day). And some nights I was struggling to find something interesting to capture before bedtime because I realized I hadn’t taken my photo yet.

I took a LOT of bad food photos, but I really am glad I captured my first year experimenting with vegetarian and vegan cooking nonetheless. Food photography is HARD. You cannot fake it with a point-and-shoot and some Photoshopping skills. Slightly off coloring, a shadow here, etc, can take something that’s real-life pretty and make it look completely unappetizing.

But, I managed to capture 343 days of 2011. Here are a few random faves!:

2012 resolutions//to do list

Happy New Year, everyone!

Wishing you all the very best for this upcoming year. We ended our year right with a fun party, bubbly drinks, and lots of laughing.

I recapped 2011 and all the resolutions I made for it yesterday. I am so excited to work on my 2012 goals!

And here they are:

1. Finish the half-marathon & the Dirty Dash
2. Fit in fitness 4 days a week {I already do this – just a goal to keep it up!}
3. Get my goal weight and stay there {I have been doing Weight Watchers and I am getting there!}
4. Take 4 classes for my MBA
5. Pay down $6,000 on my student loans
6. Save $ for a trip to NYC for my 30th birthday {June 2013}
7. Write 2 blog posts every week
8. Live super frugally! Scrimp on the unnecessary to pay off student loan debt and save for trip. Some ideas:

• Limit “extras” to $100/month. Includes clothes, shoes, books, alcohol, coffee runs, household items like décor, kitchen stuff, gym stuff including passes
• Make my own dishsoap, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, etc.
• Start a garden
• Eat $1 dinners twice a week (pasta+sauce, veggie+rice, grilled cheese sandwiches, baked potatoes, pancakes…)
• Make menus every week
• Be a better couponer
• Come up with a free or VERY cheap date once a month
• Buy or make Christmas gifts months ahead
• Reuse//revamp
• More DIY//craftiness!
• Blog about this monthly!

9. Lastly, some house projects that are our highest priority in 2012*:

• Build a shed
• Put in a vegetable garden and an herb garden
• Paint interior doors and trim
• SUPER organize the garage
• Re-caulk shower, and get new or fix up old shower door {maybe frost it?} in master bathroom
• Hang curtains in the office and spare bedroom and figure out something for the bay windows in the kitchen
• Get outdoor lighting
• Replace kitchen faucet
• Make the laundry room also a functional mud room

*PS: It might seem like a lot to take on with all those penny-pinching plans, but it’s how we roll. If there’s one thing we do well in our household, it’s save on the little things so we can pay cash for the things we really want to do. The last two months of 2011 I fell out of the mindset and went rather crazy on the spending {compared to my norm} and it’s time to get back on track!

What are your resolutions and plans for 2012?

2011 & resolution recap!

I can’t believe 2011 is nearly over! I can’t believe we are over Halloween let alone Christmas! What the hell is going on!? Anyhoodle. 2011 is apparently winding down. Last year I started a new tradition to recap the year.

So, here’s my 2011:

went to Hawaii//bought new house//got a new niece//got a new sister-in-law////sold old house by owner //three camping trips//hosted and attended girls nights//hosted a vegetarian-themed cooking club and attended many others//started yoga again//went vegetarian//started belly dancing//signed up for marathons and 10Ks for the new year//took a few more classes//hosted a post-wedding bash for my bro//painted every room in the house//put in a yard including grass, sprinklers, and 12 trees//2 shows {Rockstar UpRoar Fest and Bright Eyes {really? only 2?}…//plugged away at my 30 before 30 list//took a picture {nearly} every day and posted here.

Before I post my 2012 resolutions, here’s how I fared in 2011 {2011 resolutions post here}.

Resolution #1: Save Money.

Kinda win? Definitely have less money than we started the year with, but that’s because we put a very large chunk of our savings down on our new house, which wasn’t in the plans last January! However, putting down our savings plus the equity from our old house put us in a nicer, newer, double-the-size house for the same loan amount. I call that win. We are in the savings recouping stages and 2012 is going to be the year of super frugality!

Resolution #2: Pay off $1,200 of my student loans.

Win! I’ve actually paid off $2,729.12. My goal to pay them off before I turn 30 may actually be a possibility! Oh yeah, and hubby paid off his this year, in full!! Woop!

Resolution # 3: Lose 10lbs.

Win! By the skin of my teeth; I’ve lost 11.

Resolution #4. Take 5 classes toward my MBA.

Fail! I only took 3. Oopsie. I believe I have 6 classes left to take before I finish my MBA.

Resolution #5: Try 12 new things.

Win! Just off the top of my head, here are 12 things I did for the first time in 2011 {I’m sure there were more – this was an easy one}:

1. Snorkeling//swimming in the ocean
2. Went {committed} vegetarian
3. Belly dancing {only 4 classes so far but I love it! This was on my 30 before 30 list!}
4. Running//training for a marathon
5. Copper pipe soldering
6. Attended yoga & chakra workshops & have become a committed yogi again!
7. Got a massage {this was also on my 30 before 30 list. Ah-mazing.}
8. Swapped weird mail with {equally weird} friends and strangers {eh, more on that later}
9. Revamped stuff with fabric dye {rugs, scarves, hoodies, jeans… all got new life with some RIT this year. Love!}
10. Made my own dishwasher soap {it’s inspired me to DIY all KINDS of other things in the near future. More to come!}
11. Shot a gun {and hit some cans – who knew I’d be good at it? haha}
12. Hosted a girls night {craftiness and peach bellinis. This was on my 30 before 30 list}

Resolution # 6: The 365 Photo Challenge.

Win? I definitely saw this through til the end, but I missed several days over the course of the year, and I’m not especially happy with most of my photos! It was still really fun though! Here they all are!

2011, you were one of the best years ever!! But as always, I can’t wait for the next one! How’d everyone else do with their resolutions in 2011?

{First image via Pinterest}.

mErRy MeRrY

Chugging coffee..Making rounds..Lots of hugging..Wrapping paper everywhere..More coffee..Yummy food..Family..family..family..IT’S CHRISTMAS!!!

Have a lovely Christmas, everyone!

Love,

The Kellie, Jonathan & Sadie B. (:

makeshift mantel

I totally love having a fireplace. It’s one of my favorite features of my new house {I had plans to get one installed in our old house eventually}. So cozy. And I actually rather like that ours is so plain-looking as opposed to ornate and not our style.

{Random observation… wow our house looked plain back in June!} Eventually, we will completely revamp the wall and fireplace surround, but that wasn’t high on our priority list in our first year here. But when Christmas came along, I was kinda bummed that I didn’t have anything to hang our stockings from!

So, I came up with the idea to make a temporary mantel. This project requires a piece of 4×4 lumber cut to length, sandpaper, some wood stain, sealer, and 2 keyhole brackets like this:

 

 

 

 

The stain I used was Ebony and required 2 coats, then about 8 coats of sealer. Then we mounted the finished board using the brackets above, to the studs of course, so no visible L-brackets are required. It’s nothing super pretty, but it does the trick for a temporary shelf.

Pretty handy place to line up all the Christmas cards. Here’s a close-up. I like that it’s rough.

After Christmas I’ll be fussing with styling it and looking for something to hang above the fireplace, but for now it’s a nice little addition to that blank space for a total cost of maybe $20 {we already had the stain, sealer and sandpaper}. When we get around to putting up a proper mantel, I will reuse this as a wall shelf in the extra bedroom.