Apr 16, 2012

Organization and I are friends again!

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It really was a productive weekend! If you remember from last week, I declared that Organization and I had been fighting but that I was finally ready to make a commitment to “him”. Over the weekend I also decided that organization was going to be male… which surprised me because I know usually words either seem feminine or masculine and I think that generally speaking women may be more organized so it should seem feminine but it doesn’t to me. To He and I spent the weekend getting re-acquainted and had a wonderful weekend getting to know each other again!

In case you missed the declaration of the fight and the plans I had for the weekend here is what I hoped to accomplish

And here is what Organization and I did accomplishment!

Refurbished Shoes

No doubt in my mind I will owe you an updated on this when I actually wear my shoes but here is what Organization and I did…

I bought this beautiful pair of shoes that I was in love with. So in love in fact that I wore them the day I got them and in that very same day I managed to ruin them. Beautiful shoes

Photo Apr 14, 11 09 55 AM

Not so beautiful toe.

Photo Apr 14, 11 09 58 AM

As you can see I tried to find a like nail-polish color to do the trick but it just didn’t happen for me and the magical shoe repair guy told me that it was a lost cause. So I continued to wear them- ruined and all- but always felt like I was neglecting the true wonderfulness of these shoes so I decided to refresh them a bit. I should add in here that I am in desperate need of new black heels. Mine are just getting old, worn out, and frankly out of style. So when I decided to refurbish those beautiful above I decided that since I needed black shoes and black seemed like the most effective way to refurbish, I would make them black!

I started my stuffing newpaper inside my shoes so I didn’t get spray paint inside the shoe which would eventually end up on my feet. Plus, even though no one sees them, the insides of these cutes is just really cute.

Photo Apr 14, 11 12 06 AM

Then I prepped them. Just like painting I wall I figured primer is always a good thing to do if you want maximum coverage. So for about an hour they looked like ghost shoes.

Photo Apr 14, 11 15 50 AM

Then I just painted them glossy black. I got the spray-paint that was a tad more expensive and said it stuck to like everything including plastic because I figured it was my best bet. Honestly, I was truly surprised by the coverage. It seemed to go on really smoothly and didn’t have bubbles or anything. I was really impressed.

Photo Apr 14, 11 55 29 AM

Tim must have thought I was really trying to get back at Organization considering these are the text messages we exchanged

Photo Apr 14, 12 29 40 PM

So for now they are still in the garage. Kara and my sister both recommended I use some like clear coat sealant on them as well so I probably going to look into that before I wear them! The only drawback I have found so far is that they STINK like spray paint. I am hoping this will eventually go away because I don’t think people will enjoy getting a high at work because of my shoes!

The other great part about these shoes is that I recently ordered some black heels from DSW with a gift card I had but they were too small. So I had to return them this weekend and since I just made myself beautiful black heels I got to purchase these babies instead!

Photo Apr 14, 11 58 50 AM

 

Bobby Pin Holder

The bobby pin holder was a great success! Kara and I had an impromptu play date on Friday evening and we decided to go to Walmart for goodies! Mostly a 1 inch curling iron because we wanted to practice getting curls like Katniss from The Hunger Games (yes this is what we do with our time). Her hair is seriously so pretty.

I haven’t mastered it yet just FYI but I’m getting closer. And Tim tells me he likes my Katniss hair haha. So anyway Walmart did not have those magnetic bobby pin holders I was totally bummed but then I found some pretty ones at Staples. They were a little more expensive than I was wanting to spend (a whole $3) but still I figured I could get one for like $1. Anyway I bought 2 of them and headed home for craft time.

Here is what I used

  • Magnetic Paper Clip Holder ($3- Staples)
  • Fabric ($1- Walmart)
  • Bobby Pins ($2 Walmart)
  • Scissors
  • Spray Adhesive (tacky glue is pictured but I decided against it)

Photo Apr 14, 11 22 00 AM

I just needed a little square of fabric and since I already had the spray adhesive from the unity candle craft I did last weeknd all I did was spray the holder and then put the fabric right on top. I wrapped it up like a present on the bottom and TADA. Organized bobby pins!

Photo Apr 14, 11 46 42 AM

Thank you Pinterest for this wonderful craft!

I gave one of these to my sister and put the other in our bathroom. Tim already put a bobby pin in there when I left one out on the counter and I can tell how much he enjoyed having a place for them!

 

Jewelry Organizer

I was on a mission on Saturday to at least come up with one type of jewelry organizer. I was feeling a little defeating when I went to Michael’s and they had a spot for a hanging jewelry organization but was out of stock. So I took a chance and went to TJ Maxx after I stopped by Sally’s Beauty Store (yes I ran like 100 errands) to get some clings for my extensions for the wedding and TADA. I came across a beautiful hanging organizer for only $15! I went straight home and filled it up!

Photo Apr 14, 2 53 09 PM

It doesn’t fit everything- but it fits most things. It is double sided so right now one side if like necklaces and the other is earrings, bracelets, rings, and watches. I’ll still have to keep a few pieces hanging elsewhere but we are getting closer!

 

Shoe Organization

I didn’t spend as much time on the shoe research as I had hoped but I did check out those shoe trees. Not gonna work- just don’t have the right space for it. Then when I woke up this morning I had a link on my FB wall from my friend Jocelyn.

Hmm I kind of love that idea. Now, I’ll have to see what the potential is of me making more closet space- I may have to throw away from 100 hoodies from the guest room closet) but for this adorable and handy shoe storage I think it would be worth it. One of my issues is that I can’t see all of my shoes so I don’t always know what I have… this seems like a good way to be able to see them all at one time and make the right choice. I’m thinking at least for flats this is  a good option and probably the heels too. The flip flops I don’t mind in this hanging storage thing I keep that has like little cubbies for items like sweaters or hats. I use it soley for shoes (and a few other random bathing suits that ended up i n there).

So special shout out to Jocelyn who did some research for me! THANK YOU!

 

New Bracelets

My sister and I set out on Saturday afternoon to make these bracelets. We failed. I don’t know what it was but we just couldn’t figure it out. First, I think my string stuff was too thin but even if it was thicker I don’t think I would have figured it out. Bummer. But I did make this pretty little guy!

Photo Apr 16, 11 47 34 AM

Honestly, for as much as I spent on the string and beads I should have just purchased something similar at Claires but I guess it was fun trying! I won’t be going into the jewelry making business anytime soon.

I guess Organization won this time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Things that don't fit anywhere else · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Dec 23, 2011

A true Christmas miracle

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As Tim and I ran some errands the other day I came up with the bright idea that I needed new shoes. We were heading to a wedding that evening and I had purchased a new blue dress that would not have been complete without a stellar pair of pumps. I had red pumps in mind but was willing to be flexible if the right opportunity presented itself. Tim agreed- miracle #1.

Before starting our shoe shopping journey we stopped in on Katie and the twins to get our baby fix in for the day. Katie is so great about us letting cuddle and hug those babies up and I really appreciate that! (We are even babysitting in a few days which will be fun!) So I mentioned to Katie and Karla (who was there visiting as well) that we were headed to DSW and TADA, Karla whipped out a $20 off coupon and handed it to me. Expiration date- THAT DAY so it just HAD to be spent! Miracle #2.

So Tim dropped me at DSW and headed over to TJ Maxx (to return some pants I had picked out for him.. didn’t realize I picked out skinny pants for men and well needless to say while you all would have loved that photo Tim, he was not into me snapping a picture of that). As I walked into the store it wasn’t even 2 minutes later when I noticed a small brighter than the other light over in the right hand corner.

Now usually I don’t go toward the light but in this case something was drawing me in. I’m not sure if it was the light or the angels high pitch singing that it seemed only I could hear but I made my way over the most beautiful pair of red pumps. They smiled at me and practically asked me to slip them onto my cold and lonely feet. Being the truly good person I am I agreed to let them in and slipped them on to receive the most wonderful foot hug one could ever ask for. Wearing these red angels made me feel taller (no really they are huge heels), they made me smile brighter, and they someone made me feel like no matter what the world threw at me, I was going to be ok. I scooped them up, gave them a little squeeze, and politely offered them a few home.

Ok so all of that may have been a slight exaggeration of the entire red high heel experience. I may have already known exactly where the heel section is, there may not have been weird lighting or angels singing, but all that detail sure made you feel like I had an out of body experience with my new shoes right? Guess Shoes helped to create miracle #3 for the day.

I think going into DSW and not going to check out the clearance section should be illegal. One should literally get arrested for skipping such a wonderful aspect of a shoe store but who am I judge? I don’t want to be called stupid, so I am always certain to find my way to the clearance section of any store. There, I did some browsing. Telling myself that if the right pair jumped out at me I would consider buying my new red pumps a friend. Afterall, you don’t want your shoes to be lonely.

As I turned the corner something shiny was pointing right at me (and this time I mean it because they are shiny shoes) and I noticed they were the Nine West flats I have been drooling over for months. I remember the first time I saw these gold flats with a buckle on the top. $60 for a pair of flats… yea not in the wedding budget so I smiled politely at the shoes and moved on.

But NOT TODAY!

Today, I noticed that these beautiful shoes had a yellow sticker on them. Yellow, I thought to myself? The clearance section is made up of purple, blue, green, and red but not yellow. What could yellow me? Initial thought- what? 10% off you have got to be kidding, get back on the regular shelf you tease but after a closer look I saw the most beautiful writing in the world. 80% off was yellow! Yellow- you were never my favorite color but you have certainly moved up in the rankings.

I slipped the shoes on my feet and instantly felt like it was going to be a great day. Now my red shoes didn’t have to be scared of going into my closet all alone and being the new kid on the black. Now the red and gold shoes could be together, bond in the car ride home, and then meet all of their new friends as a team.

See, I’m a really good person. 

The gold shoes have since then made their way to Miami, FL and back. The red pumps enjoyed a truly magical night alongside the new blue dress. We said congrats to Adie and Nic who just got married and enjoyed a night out with Robin and Gary. Gary loved my new red pumps and so did the man who was part of the valet service. I guess they do have a way of smiling at everyone they meet and not just me. Except this time they were smiling because they found a nice new home not because they were looking for someone to love them!

Below are a few highlights from the wedding we attended!

Congrats Adie!

Filed Under: My family is the best · Tagged: , , , , , ,
Sep 8, 2011

Weekly Goal 2: Accomplished!

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Wednesday is a happy day. It’s a day when I don’t have grad school, it is a day that tells me I am half way through my work week, and it is a day that took me forever to learn how to spell but I finally did it! YAY for Wednesday.

This morning I woke up at the early 5:30 mark just to see that it was raining outside. I was pretty grateful for the rain because we had been up later than usual and there was a car alarm and some heavy rain that woke me up a few times throughout the night. I was tired and Mother Nature must have known it so she gave me a break at 5:30am. Thank you mam.

So after getting ready for work I made myself a Tim approved breakfast! I cooked up 2 whole eggs and an egg white and threw in some sliced chicken that Tim had made the night before. He grilled a few pieces of chicken thinking it could be a nice snack when one of us got hungry. He put some spicy seasoning on the chicken so it was delicious with my eggs. I put some spinach in the eggs too as a extra special touch so that made me very happy. I scrambled them so that they were portable enough to take to work with me. Works out well to just pop them in the microwave for about a minute when I get here. By the time lunch rolled around I was VERY hungry because I forgot to bring snacks with me today! Luckily I have some dried apricots at my desk (which are not Tim diet approved- no fruit it but I refuse to follow that) so I ate a few of those and then headed to lunch with my new mentor.

Portable breakfast!

If you remember reading before my old mentor, Kristin, was amazing! I assured her that she is not getting rid of me that easily and will still have to have lunch with me sometimes! She was so easy to talk to and so interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed having her in my life so I’m looking forward to continuing on with that relationship. My new mentor, Megan, is great too! Megan and I met in our cafeteria where I had a piece of grilled chicken with buffalo sauce and ate it with a “lettuce bun”, pickles, tomatoes, and onions. When the chef behind the grill handed me my chicken with buffalo sauce on it he said “that’s it, no fries? Nothing to do with that? No cheese?” and I politely said No thanks, this is all I need. His response was simple but very clear “that sucks”. Ha shows what he knows about “lettuce buns” and pickles! Megan and I spent lunch getting to know each other and talking about potential career paths and all of those things you do when you have a mentor lunch! She is a very impressive young professional and I am looking forward to learning more from her over the course of the next year or so.

After lunch I went back to work and got hungry faster than I would have liked. At the risk of giving away my healthy eating habits I decided to have 2 small flavored Tootsie Rolls (don’t worry, I already came clean to Tim) and decided on the cherry and the orange ones. I don’t know what it is about these little guys but I just love them! That sort of made me less hungry and I finally headed home with Casey and Brody around 5.

When I got home there was a PRESENT waiting! Well I bought it for myself but NEW SHOES!

Ooooo a box for me?! yes please!

Thank you DSW for making my day a little brighter with 2 new pairs of sandals!!

When Tim got home, him and I ran errands because I needed new notebooks for school! I seriously felt like a kid again shopping for school supplies except it was freaking hard trying to find college ruled notebooks. I thought as a kid you wrote in wide ruled.. what the heck? Why do they even make wide ruled if no one buys them?

Does anyone use wide ruled paper? Please tell me so I am not angry at stores for carrying HUNDREDS of them!

We also ran to Sam’s Club because I needed fruit. Tim did the last grocery-shopping trip alone and since he is not allowed to eat fruit he got none. I don’t care about that rule, I love fruit and I am going to eat it. So I got blueberries, raspberries, grapes, and Clementine’s. Then I headed home to RUN!

Goal #2 this week accomplished! If you remember I wanted to do 2 long runs and 2 short runs this week to prepare for Susan G. Komen this weekend. I only ran for about 2 miles and honestly, I think 2 miles are harder than 4 miles! After 2 maybe even 2.5 you start to just let go and enjoy the run so when you only run 2 I feel like I spend those 2 miles waiting to get to that point. It just felt really great for 2 miles to be a short run ya know? I remember 2 months ago when I couldn’t even run 2 miles straight so I am feeling really good about this entire journey I am taking.

I did have to run this alone. Poor Tim has a hurt ankle (we have no idea why!) and wasn’t feeling up for a run. It is a good thing I have been running at night because I think it is too dark in the mornings to run by myself now and poor Tim is on the injured list now.

While I was running Tim made dinner! He made some turkey sausage on the grill and put a side of edamame and broccoli. LOTS OF VEGGIES to go on top as well! I LOVE turkey sausage and chicken sausage and it is one of Tim’s favorite things to make so it works out really well. I even topped mine with some guacamole to make it extra special! I feel very blessed to have such a great man in my life to support me while I run and study!

Oh and I did my first homework assignment for my MIS class. So weird to be doing homework again… stay tuned to see if I go crazy.

Filed Under: Good Eats and Treats, Primary Menu · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,