Resolute

Yes, I KNOW, I am a procrastinator- in my defense, it really hasn't come to "bite me in the ass" as my mother has so often repeated to me. I didn't really make any new years resolutions for 2013 . . . .or at least I don't recall any so I obviously have not stuck to them if they were indeed made:) So here I am, 5 months late and feeling resolution-y.

New Years always feels like it's only 1/2 way through the year for me anyways. I associate my year with a school calendar so May is when I start dreaming of all of the things that I plan to do over the summer and when I feel the year has "ended." Usually my list isn't too ambitious. It usually revolves around attempting to party like a rock star, getting a nice tan, live music, live music, live music, a little camping, trying a new cocktail(see my post about last summer's winner, the homemade jars of infused vodka, here.)--really noble stuff like that:)

So this year, I have decided that yes I will commit to letting loose this summer as always, but instead of a spring break style summer break, I want to improve myself. Nothing extremely specific, just generally fine tune myself and my surroundings. I just want to be more purposeful . . . .with everything I do. The way I spend my $, the way I spend my time, the way I design my living space to the way I organize my work space. Attention to detail has never been one of my strengths and I think there is something to be said for people who think before they buy, choose, and do. I enjoy my spontaneity but I can be too impulsive.  I've broken it down into a few categories with a visual to provide a bit of direction-
1. Health/Wellness
2. Finances
3. Aesthetics
4. Treat Yo Self
5. Career/Future Goal Setting


1. Health/Wellness

Working out, check. Eating healthy . . . .working on it:)

Getting ready for spin, my FAVE=healthy:)

2. Finances

 

 I swear this single book has made me realize so much about how to focus more on conscientious spending and budgeting. I LOVE this man and his simple ideals. He literally inspired me to pay off 3 debts and cancel my credit cards- cash only for this gal:)

I bought some small expanding files in the dollar bins at target kind of like these ones   on Amazon.

I also bought "Spendvelopes" on Amazon as well- they are these great color coded envelopes that fit perfectly into the expanding file and there's even a space to label what the envelope is for (Fun Money, Gas, Travel Fund, Emergency, etc.)

I also did this and was pretty damn proud to get rid of them one by one:

3. Aesthetics(Generally improving my living spaces;) For example, I have this awkward built in shelf in my hallway by the bathroom and finally took some time to make it functional. Just one small step for resolution #3.

Next step for aesthetics is the vanity in my guest bedroom. I want to paint it white and bring some brighter colors into the room-- so here is the before and hopefully it won't be a year before the after pics come!

4. Treat Yo Self

Yes, I stole this catch phrase from Aziz Ansari and he makes it way funnier than I could ever explain, but the gist of it is pretty much what it sounds like: selfish indulgence. And I decided that I just don't do enough of it. I am just working so hard right now to Dave Ramsey the shit out of my debt- my student loans, my car, MY LIFE etc. that sometimes I forget that a massage or a manicure, a new book for pleasure, the more expensive one of anything, a splurge buy or simply a GD haircut would probably help improve my mood so I drew the line and went crazy. I spent $3 on some spring/summerish fingernail polish and even though it was tiny and insignificant, it felt damn good to just come home from Walgreens with my $1 nail polishes, brew myself a tea and post up in front of the T.V. and paint my nails- TREAT YO SELF, even if it is a teeny, tiny, seemingly insignificant 5 minutes of your day. Oh yeah and cheap wine is a MUST for this resolution.

 5. Career/Future Goal Setting
Below is a recent e-mail that I received and to be honest, instead of feeling excited about going back to school (which yes, I LOVE school) I was overwhelmed and stressed and could hardly even celebrate the fact that the hard work I had put into the application process had paid off. I want to work on setting career goals and actually approaching in a positive manner to achieve them. Instead of whining and complaining about the hurdles and hoops I will have to jump through to get my Master's, I want to approach it with the attitude that this is a wonderful opportunity to improve myself as an educator. I can take the strategies I learn and try to USE them in my classroom. If it's going to be my career, I should be the best that I can and try and find enjoyment and fulfillment everyday. How many hours of my life will I spend doing this? I should APPLY myself and work hard. It will pay off.

So, I am on my way and will be checking back in. What are all of your aspirations/resolutions?? Are you sticking with them? What "sticking with it strategies" have been working for you? Any suggested reading materials for me as I embark on this journey of self change? Cheers to a new . . .year/me:)

How To: Adult Juice Box

Weren't juice boxes the best? I think there is just something so nostalgic about those little bitty things- CapriSun, JuicyJuice. . . . but then again there were like 2 swigs and what were you to do when you opened your sack lunch at school and the effer was missing its pointy little straw!? Find a fork and poke a hole in it and sit there looking like a dork sucking out the contents? But still, they were the BEST so when my sister asked me to give her a hand planning her sister-in-law's bachelorette party, I was happy to oblige and those awesome snacks were the inspiration for one of the party favors that we made for all the lovely ladies that came from near and far to help our friend celebrate the end of her bachelorettehood.

Materials needed:

Raspberries, Blueberries, Pineapple, Mini ball jars (I think they were 12oz jars) and of course your choice of unflavored vodka:

I chose to personalize the "Adult Juice Boxes" by spray painting the tops with chalkboard paint. This is really simple. I just took a piece of scrap wood so that the tops would all lay flat and sprayed 3 layers of the chalkboard spray paint on them over the coarse of 48 hours and then let it dry for a day before I made the infused vodka. (This is an optional step but must be done 1st)

 

Tops in the process of getting painted

Step 2- Cut up the pineapple. I cut it into really small triangles. I didn't cut the blueberries or raspberries because they are small enough to stuff into the jar as is.
Step 3- Fill each jar with fruit. I just tried to make it look cute:) Arrange the fruit however you like. Then simply pour your poison of choice over the fruit to the top and seal the tops. I wrote names on the chalk tops. You could also write a quote or a personal message. Let the vodka "infuse" for 14 days and then enjoy!

YUM! Tip= to better "enjoy" your adult juice box experience, be sure to eat the fruit too!

Bachelorette Bliss

It's only been six months since my last post. . . oops:) I am blaming it completely on the new house. . . and a NEW JOB!:) We are still making house improvements, but I am getting close to posting some great "after" pics of our home. So instead of a house post, I am going in a different direction and posting about my dear friend, Janelle and some of the preparations for her AMAZING bachelorette party!

A few of the party attendees

I believe a wise choice was made by the bride when she said, "Whatever you plan, none of that penis shit please.":) My sister, Haley, was the wonderful maid of honor and we had a blast putting party favors and decorations together. . . .keeping it fun but a bit classy too:)

Each girl got a personalized bag with goodies for a party favor and this is how we created them:

1. We started with simple, plain tote bags that we found at hobby lobby for $2.99 a piece. They are available on Hobby Lobby's website here.

We also got generic stencil paper to design our own unique stencil as well as black spray paint suitable for a material surface. I always feel like I am so lucky to have such amazing friends and family with such a wide array of interests, talents, hobbies and skill. I love to help my friends with anything I can and I feel like no matter what task I am trying to complete, I have a bud who pops into my head and I think "they would know EXACTLY what to do or I know just the person. . ." Anywaysssss, my sister and I were walking through Hobby Lobby, the mecca of the crafting world and we were SEARCHING for some sort of heart applique for the bags- iron on, pattern cut-out, ANYTHING and came up with nothing- right then one of my amazing friends, Ryan, pops into my head who works at a place that screen prints. He hooked it up and it turned out perfect!(and a lot less time consuming than crafting something ourselves):

After the screen printing was done we recruited Haley's husband, someone who has that patient persistence and perfectionist personality to create our stencil. We printed the quote we wanted on the back of the bag in the font we wanted just simply in a word document and Brandon traced it for us and then used an exacto-knife to make this sweet stencil that can be used over and over again:

Properly geared up for the spray painting:)

"time to drink champagne and dance on the table"

Once the bags were finished it was time to stuff them- we put some random essie nail polishes, mini champagne bottles, candles, cute chap sticks, and other girly gifts as well as some homemade infused vodka, which is super easy to make and I will post a how to soon!

Here are some pics from the start of the party where we decorated a room at the Crown Plaza in Downtown Denver to kick the night off:

The front of the bags

We set up a little champagne bar with fruit juices to make mimosas and fresh fruit to garnish the champagne.

I used a filigree mirror from my vanity at home and bell jars left over from the infused vodka creations to add some charm and personal touch to the hotel room.

Help yourself!

Mini "dirty girl lemonade" drinks for everyone, a Laramie special and a favorite of the brides

We found these cute little bottles for .99 a piece at Hobby Lobby too!

Kisses for the gift table

Let's party!

What a wonderful party for a beautiful bride, who by the way looked RAVISHING when her special day arrived:

Home Is Where The Heart Is

Growing up is hard to do. That's very true, but it's also AWESOME!!! One of the perks of making the leap into the "real world" is achieving the dream of owning a home. I just got my very first house!!!! What a surreal and amazing experience. I decided that since the premise of this blog is an ode to new beginnings and adventures that my first post would be all of the "before" pics of my(and my boyfriend's;) humble abode:

 Tada! I absolutely love the big window with all the panes of glass in front. In the evening it brings in that perfect summer dusk sunlight, beckoning me to crack open a beer and sit on the front porch. I dislike the monotone paint color and the huge tree covering up the bedroom but that is an easy fix. . .hopefully:) I think the "fixing" part is what is exciting- there is so much potential. Renting is so boring. You don't want to pour money into a rental and it's so hard to make a place really yours and cozy and perfect to come home and nestle up when you can't change the colors or the blinds or things that you would want to invest in if the place were truly yours.

The first thing we did after closing was rush over to see if there was hardwood under the carpet- and thankfully it was in great shape! We then promptly began tearing all of the ugly carpet out. I was so excited, I didn't even think to take a before picture of the floor before the carpet was gone.

Another shot of the living room going into the bedroom hallway on the right and one of the bedrooms.

Bathroom Vanity

Bathroom

My friend, Emily said it best when she came and looked at the bathroom and said, "This would be so cute if it were the 1970s!". There is no shower head so we decided to just go for it and tear everything out and start from the studs which was so liberating and fun! Now we get to make it however we want it- but for now it looks pretty barren with everything ripped out. . . . 

Above is half way through the demo phase and below is what we have right now- yikes!

As you can see there is quite a bit of work to be done, but my boyfriend, Scott and I have decided to make (or at least attempt wholeheartedly) this experience fun and exciting instead of a source of stress and arguments. Here are some more scattered pictures of the house. We are so excited to share the results of our hard work with friends and family so I will be updating after photos to come!

The living room with all of the carpet and foam padding ripped out. This week we are getting the floors sanded and stained a darker color:)

The best "before" photo I have of the kitchen. We were going to paint the beautiful oak cabinets white(BIG mistake!) but my mom suggested that we replace the ugly brass cabinet pulls first just to see if that would make a difference. WOW- we bought these more modern stainless steel pulls(not pictured-I'll post a close up with the afters) from Home Depot and mom was definitely right! They tie in great with the amazing appliances that came with the home. Avoided a regretful mistake there- thanks mom!

After pictures to come soon!