High Five for Friday

I know I say this every week, but I am SO glad it’s Friday!  This has been THE LONGEST week ever!  I’m not kidding, on Monday I thought it was already Thursday…imagine my disappointment when I learned that was not the case.

Anyway, here’s what’s making me happy on this particular Friday:

1.  This is our last Friday of the school year!  We get out next Thursday (well, next Thursday is the last day with kids…I have to work past that day but it doesn’t quite count without students), so now we’re down to the final countdown!

testing in progress2.  State testing is finally over.   

Chick fil a3.  Breakfast dates with my hubby are the best

Levi and Jojo4.  Sharing snack time with my favorite boys (too bad I can’t take a cell phone picture to save my life)

LeviSweet Levi is always so happy!

speedometer5.  Michael and I love numbers (hey, we can’t help it!  An engineer and a former math teacher are just weird, ok?).  Michael really loves it when the speedometer has a fun number so it was exciting the other day when mine was 218,812 – the same forward and backward!  Too bad I didn’t take a picture three miles later when it was 218, 815…then it would have been a literal mirror image!

Linking up with Lauren

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how to eat real food on a budget {Works for Me Wednesday}

10 tips for eating real food on a budget

A year ago, Michael and I were gearing up to start our 100 days of real food challenge, where we would eat nothing but real, local, organic food for the next 100 days.  I had actually spent a couple of months thinking, researching, and reading Lisa’s blog before we took the plunge.  We successfully completed that challenge (you can read about it here: week 1, week 2, week 3, and our results) and have since then stuck to the basic real-food principles.

Here we are a year later, and I can say that we have completely changed the way we eat.  Yes, we still eat non-real foods (usually just the occasional dessert or eating out), but 80-90% of what we eat is good, whole, healthy, and natural.

If you’ve considered trying to eat more natural, now is the time to do it!  The farmers markets are opening back up, you still have time to plant a garden, and you’ll have tons of variety in the summer.

One of the biggest hurdles I hear people talk about is the cost.  I’ve heard many people say that they’d like to eat more natural and organic, but that it is way too expensive.  Yes, it can be more expensive but it doesn’t have to break the bank.  Personally, I think that we put so much money into gyms and insurance and doctors, and not nearly enough on eating nourishing food.

Now don’t get me wrong, I realize there are many family who have a very small grocery budget and absolutely have no wiggle room.  I’m not trying to make those people feel bad.  But if you do have some extra money (or could cut back elsewhere) and focus more on the food you buy, I highly suggest giving it a try.

Anyway, here are some tips I’ve found for eating healthy without spending a fortune

  • Grow a garden – You’ll have the start-up cost (plants or seeds, dirt, water, wood if you decide to do raised beds, etc.), but once you’ve paid that then you get virtually free veggies with the bonus of knowing exactly where they came from.  Even if you don’t want to grow a full-on garden, you could do a small container garden like we did last year when we lived in our apartment.  Even if you just grow some herbs, you’ve saved quite a bit of money there – fresh herbs at the grocery are outrageous!  You could also choose one or two items that you know you eat a ton of, and just plant those so you don’t have to keep buying them week after week.

container herb garden

  • Shop at the farmers market…but also compare prices with the grocery – I really do prefer to buy food from the famers market.  Our farmers market only allows people who grow organically, plus I like knowing where my food comes from and supporting local farmers.  Also, you can often find great prices on items at the farmers market.  That being said, sometimes there are things at the farmers market I just can’t bring myself to pay for.  For example, at the farmers market potatoes may be $3.50 per pound and I need 2 and 1/2 pounds for my potato soup.  However, I can get a 3 pound bag of organic potatoes at Kroger for just a little over $2.00.  In that instance, I choose to buy the Kroger potatoes.  That’s just my personal preference.

farmers market

  • Ask about “seconds” at the farmers market – A friend of mine who sells at the farmers market gave me this tip when she learned I was planning to can tomatoes.  I was able to buy a huge box of tomatoes for about $10.00 (way, way less than the usual price of tomatoes per pound) because they were “seconds” – not very attractive, and some with bad spots.  But since I was using them to make sauce or to can, I didn’t care about how they looked and just cut out the bad parts.  This saved me a ton of money.  It might be worth asking about to see if anyone at your farmers market does the same thing.

canning tomatoes

  • Use coupons where you can – You will rarely get coupons for produce.  Kroger occasionally gives a $5.00 off your total order coupon or a $1.00 off $6.00 of organic produce, but other than that I can rarely use coupons on the food we buy at Kroger (and of course, not when we buy at the farmers market).  However, I can still try to use coupons and shop sales for our paper goods and toiletries, then use the money I saved from that to buy more expensive organic food.
  • Learn the “dirty dozen” – If you can’t afford to but all organic, try to figure out what foods are most likely to contain pesticides (and thus, the ones you are going to definitely want to buy organic) and which ones aren’t so bad (and you could just buy the conventional ones).  I’ve seen lists of the “dirty dozen” all over Pinterest; the 12 items you should definitely buy organic and the 12 items that aren’t so critical.

fresh fruit

  • Eat less meat – Meat is expensive.  Organic, local meat is really expensive.  Try eating a few meatless meals a week or reducing the amount of meat you use in your recipes to save a little money.  Some of our favorite meatless meals are homemade refried beans with homemade tortillas, potato soup, pancakes, and pizza.

homemade pizza

  • Stretch the meat that you do use – Gone are the days of buying boneless, skinless chicken breast and canned chicken broth.  Now we buy a whole chicken at the farmers market, which is quite expensive at about $17.00 per chicken, but we stretch it farther.  We cook the whole thing in our crock pot and then pick as much of the meat as we can off the bones.  We usually have one meal with the chicken as our main dish, and then use the rest of the meat that we de-bone either for sandwiches (Michael likes chicken sandwiches for lunch) or in another dish (like chicken and dumplings, cheesy chicken and rice, chicken quesadillas, or white chili).  After we de-bone the chicken, we throw the bones and skin back into the crockpot overnight and make chicken stock.  It is easy peasy, makes 10-12 cups, and is way better than the store-bought, watered down stuff.  I use it in soups and such, and if I’m not going to use it right away I freeze it in ice cube trays for later.

whole chicken in a crock pot

  • Preserve food while it is in season – Not only is eating in season food much better for you, it is also usually cheaper.  Freeze or can extra in the summer to eat on all winter so you can have the most nutritious produce and save some money.  We were brand new to canning last summer, but we gave it a try, canned quite a bit of food (more than we needed…it’s almost summer again and we still have a lot left!), and so far have been pleased with the results.  We also froze some stuff (not much since we had very little freezer space at the time) and intend to freeze even more this year.

canned vegetables

  • Trade with a friend or see if they have extras they want to get rid of - If you have an abundance of tomatoes and your friend has way too much squash, maybe you could trade.  Or if you’re really lucky, someone might be bursting at the seams with food and just wanting to give it away so it doesn’t spoil.  We were very fortunate that for a while I worked with a professor whose chickens laid way more eggs than she could eat and she gave me free, fresh eggs nearly every week.  My in-laws had an abundance of apples on their apple trees this year that they gave us and I turned into homemade apple butter.
  • Reduce waste – Letting food go bad and having to throw it away is just throwing money in the trash.  Try to be mindful of what is about to go bad and eat it before it does.  An Eat First box is a good way to do this.  Or try to salvage things that have started to go bad (use wilted spinach in a green smoothie, freeze too-brown bananas to use later in banana bread of banana pancakes).

green smoothie

How do you eat healthy without breaking the bank?

(Other resources you might like: eating real food while travelling and the busy girls guide to eating real food)

Linking up to Works for Me Wednesday

my mom is so mean

I know, I’m a day late and a dollar short, but in honor of Mother’s Day I wanted to write a post about my mom.  Specifically, a post about how mean my mom is.

  • My mom is so mean, she made me do chores and clean the house (but when I moved out on my own and had to clean bathrooms, do dishes, and dust I knew exactly what to do)
  • My mom is so mean, she didn’t rush to my side when I got hurt in sports like the other kids’ parents (but that made me tough because I learned to get up and shake it off)
  • My mom is so mean, she sat me down and gave me “the talk”…including two movies and a book.  How embarrassing.  (but out of all my friends my age I think I’m one of the very few that even got a talk…it was super embarrassing but at least I got to learn about sex from a loving, mature adult rather than the kids at school *see note*)
  • My mom is so mean, she refused to let me wear my senior class t-shirt after I bought a size too small and it fit me like shrink wrap (I was so mad but now after learning more about modesty I am so grateful)
  • My mom is so mean, she wouldn’t let me drive by myself even after I turned 16 and got my license (but in hindsight I was a terrible driver, license or no license, and it was a good thing for me and the people around me that she continued to make me drive with her until SHE knew I was ready…no matter what the state of Tennessee said after my 15 minute driving test)
  • My mom is so mean, she made me try playing a half a dozen sports that I disliked (but it helped show me what I was really passionate about and gave me a direction of what to pursue once I got a little older; it also taught me about teamwork…and that I’m very uncoordinated)
  • My mom is so mean, she made me participate in Bible Bowl every year (which has now become one of my favorite things and gave me so much more Bible knowledge than I ever would have gotten anywhere else)
  • My mom is so mean, she didn’t let me watch most of the tv shows or movies that my peers watch (and thereby prevented me from viewing tons of inappropriate, sinful behaviors)
  • My mom is so mean, she made me get a summer job each summer while I was in college (which got my lazy self up and out of the house, plus earned some money for later, and helped me learn what jobs I like and what jobs I hate)
  • My mom is so mean, made me help plant, care for, and pick the garden, and then freeze the extra (which I hated, but am now so thankful for what I learned)
  • My mom is so mean, she made me write handwritten thank you cards for every gift I ever got (a lost art for most these days that I am proud to continue doing)
  • My mom is so mean, she would call me out if my behavior was out of line (it made me so mad, but it’s only the people who love you the most who are willing to risk that anger to try to correct sinful and wrong behavior.  And because of her reprimands I feel I am a better person)
  • My mom is so mean, she started talking about college and pushing me to make good grades way back when I was in middle school (I ended up getting a full ride to college based on my grades)

My mom was “mean”, but she was also my number one cheerleader, the person who encouraged me to reach for my dreams, the one who pushed me to always be better.

I do hope you realize that this post was written very tongue-in-cheek.  I love my mom and am so glad that she was “mean” to me.  The lessons I learned the hard way when I was younger are the ones I appreciate most now.  I just hope I can be as mean to my children someday.

Side note: Please, please, please talk to your children about sex.  I know it is uncomfortable, but sometimes parenting isn’t fun (or so I’ve heard).  I was shocked as I got older and I realized that hardly any of my friends were taught anything about sex by their parents – they learned most of what they knew from tv and their peers.  Now who do you want teaching your child about sex? The liberal, tolerant, media?  An inexperienced child?  Or you?  

And as an educator, I can say that you need to start early.  I was in 5th grade when Mom gave me the talk and that was a pretty good time I think (although one of my friends had told me the basics earlier than that), but these days you need start earlier.  You don’t have to tell them everything, but at least give them some basics and then build on that as they mature.  How early, you ask?  I’d say probably kindergarten.  I’m not kidding.  The things that these young kids know and say is shocking.  It is very likely that your child will hear things about sex at school, and I think it’s better if they hear it from you first.  Or at least try to keep those lines of communication open so they feel comfortable asking you about the things they hear.

Sorry for the soapbox, this is just a topic that I feel very strongly about and a particular area that I think we are failing our children by avoiding the “uncomfortable” issues.

Anyway, Happy Mother’s Day to all you MEAN moms out there!  You’re doing it right :)

The Missing

Who’s ready for summer!  I sure am.  For me, summer is synonymous with getting to read a lot.  Working really puts a cramp in my style when it comes to reading (because contrary to popular belief, librarians do NOT get to sit around and do nothing but read books…it would be nice, though).  If you’re like me and are gearing up to read a lot this summer, I’ve got the perfect thing for you – The Missing series by Margaret Peterson Haddix.  Add this one to your summer reading list asap!

the missing[source]

I first found this series during one of the Scholastic Bookfairs I held this year at school.  I had read another Margaret Peterson Haddix book, Double Identity, to my fifth graders in the fall and they enjoyed it (it’s a mystery/science fiction about cloning) but I hadn’t heard of any of her other books.  I started reading the backs of The Missing books and I was intrigued ..they looked like something my students would really enjoy.

I was absolutely right.

We are so close to the end of the school year that there isn’t time to start reading a whole long book with my kiddos, and between field trips, parties, and state testing, library class visits are sporadic.  So for the past few weeks I’ve been introducing one book per week for some of my older classes – reading just a chapter or two to hopefully pique their interest and cause them to want to check it out from the public library over the summer or from our library next school year to find out what happens.

I chose the first book in The Missing series, Found, to read to the fourth graders this week.  I have never had such a positive reaction to a book!  In fact, they begged me to continue reading – I had only planned to read them the first three chapters, which get you hooked and then leave you hanging, and then let the kids have free time for the rest of class, but they begged for me to keep going so we read until class let out.

Let me tell you something, I know I’ve found a winner if my students voluntarily give up free time to keep reading!

Unfortunately for them, they have to wait until next school year to finish the book (we aren’t checking out any more books this year) or visit the public library to get it.  But lucky me, I don’t have to wait so I’ve been devouring them in my spare time :).  Yep, I was just as hooked as the kids.

Now that I’ve hopefully piqued your interest, let me tell you a little about the series.  In the first book, Found, we meet thirteen-year-old Jonah and his twelve-year-old sister, the two main characters of the series.  Jonah has always known he was adopted and it doesn’t bother him any…at least, not until he starts receiving mysterious letters and meeting other adopted kids his age who are also receiving strange messages.  Jonah, Katherine, and their friend Chip, who is also adopted, suddenly find themselves deep in a mystery of where they came from and the circumstances behind their adoptions.

The rest of the series plays off of the ending of the first book, Found.  I don’t want to spoil the ending for you, but I also want to tell you a little about the rest of the series, especially if you are a parent of a child who might read these (I’m going to tie in some educational stuff for you).  So here’s what I’m going to do…this is an official spoiler alert.  If you plan to read these for yourself and don’t want to hear anymore, then skip on to the end.  If you are interested in finding out more, then read on :)

————————–spoiler——————————-

So the gist of these books is time travel…I know, not everyone’s cup of tea.  And I’ll be honest, it’s not really mine either, but I didn’t realize that was what it was about until I had already started reading and was hooked (side note, that happened to me with Harry Potter, too…I didn’t have any desire to read fantasy or anything about witches and wizards, and yet when I started it I couldn’t put it down and now they are my favorite books ever).  Anyway, so even if science fiction is not your thing, I suggest you still give these a try.

So the reason I had to give that away is to tell you this: each successive book in the series is about Jonah and Katherine (and sometimes others) travelling back in time into various parts of history.  I wanted to let you know that since I know that some parents and teachers read my blog and I wanted you to see the educational merit to these books.  These books are so intriguing that the kids will devour them and be learning about history at the same time.  These are perfect compliments to your history lessons if you are a teacher or a homeschooling parent.  They really make history come alive.

In the second book, Sent, they travel back to medieval times.  In the third book, Sabotaged, they go back to Roanoke and the colonies.  In Torn they are on a ship with sailors trying to find the Northwest Passage with Henry Hudson.  That’s as far as I’ve read so I don’t know where they are going in Caught :).

I will say the time travel stuff is way hard for me to wrap my head around and gets me a little confused sometimes, but it’s way worth it because the story is just so good!

———————end spoiler alert—————————

Ok, back to non-spoiler things :).  In case you are wondering, these books are on a 5th grade level (according to Accelerated Reader).   Like I said, I read an excerpt to my fourth graders and they (both boys and girls) really enjoyed it.  Speaking of boys, I know it is frequently hard to get boys interested in reading…this is the perfect series for them.  We see everything from the main character Jonah’s point of view, in all it’s pre-teen/teenage glory.  But on that note I feel like I should say that it is very clean.  No foul language, no dirty jokes, nothing.  Very refreshing.

I wouldn’t really classify this as a young adult book, but it is definitely a book that adults and teens would like, even though it is a kid’s book.  Think among the lines of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson as far as the ages of the characters.  So whether you are 11, 21, or 51, I think you could enjoy this series.  I know that I do!  These are perfect for a parent and child to read together – intellectual, funny, clean, thought provoking, and intriguing.  My kind of book :).  I wonder if they have them available as audiobooks?  If so, that would be a great book to listen to as a family on your way to the beach this summer (if you have kids around that pre-teen age, of course).  Might be something worth looking in to.

Anyway, enjoy!  If you happen to read these this summer, let me know what you think!

High Five for Friday

Friday!  Only one more Friday until school is out…whoa!!  So yep, here’s what’s happening this Friday.

H54F Collage

1.  My new jewelry holder – a ceramic egg carton-thing from Kohls.  It’s so pretty to display on the top of my dresser and the little cups are perfect for holding some of my jewelry.

2.  My newest water bottle – it’s glass!  I hear so much terrible stuff about plastic that I thought I’d give a glass bottle a shot.  So far, so good (as in, I haven’t dropped it and shattered it, so that’s good).

3.  Teacher appreciation week rocks.  Our junior beta club has been giving us a present each day this week – it is so fun to have a little surprise on my desk when I get to school each morning.  The gifts have been so cute, too.

4.  We’re also doing secret pals among the teachers/adults.  I greatly enjoyed the Reese’s my secret pal gave me :).  We’ve talked about how my love language is getting gifts, so I love having a secret pal!

5.  I’m hooked on a new kids/young adult series – The Missing.  They are really good!  I’m planning to do a book review tomorrow so stick around for that.

I hope your Friday (and weekend) is fantastic!

Linking up with Lauren

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What I Wore Wednesday

It’s that time again!  Not only do I like WIWW because it encourages me to make cute, original outfits but I also like it because I always know what I’m going to post on Wednesdays.  I’ve been so busy recently that at least knowing what to write on one day is a relief :).

On to the clothes.

pink maxi
dress (worn to look like a skirt) – Old Navy
shirt – Old Navy
tank – Maurice’s via Gabriel Brothers

Maxi skirts are so in right now.  I don’t have one yet, but I do have a maxi dress – on a whim I threw this shirt over it and now it looks like a shirt+skirt combo.  Love it!

purple and teal
shirt – TJ Maxx
cardigan – Loft outlet
skirt – Talbots
shoes – Shoe Carnival(?)

green and cream
shirt – Loft via Gabriel Brothers
skirt – Talbots
shoes – Shoe Carnival

Why is it that sometimes you put on an outfit, think it looks so great, and then see a picture of yourself and realize otherwise…but then other times you put on an outfit  think it doesn’t look very good at all, wear it anyway, and then see a picture and end up liking it much better than you originally thought?  So odd.  That’s what happened with this outfit – I thought it had way too much cream/white and that it wasn’t flattering at all, but I decided to wear it anyway because I couldn’t decide on anything else, and then when I looked at the pictures Michael took I realized that it was cuter than I thought.  Score!

Kinda like this…

Source: imgfave.com via Leah on Pinterest

In other news, I cannot get my hair to stay in a regular ponytail.  I don’t know if it’s because my hair has gotten so long or I need to get some more supportive ponytail holders, but even when I put my hair in a ponytail in the middle of my head, it slides down to the nape of my neck and somehow becomes a side ponytail that drapes over one shoulder.  Every.Single.Time.  Anyone else have this problem?

Linking up to What I Wore Wednesday.

pleated poppy

dryer sheet alternatives – help!

dryer sheets[source]

Today’s Works for Me Wednesday post is actually a What DOESN’T Work for Me Wednesday.  And I need help figuring out what DOES work, so I’m turing to my best resource…the blogging community and my readers!

If you’ve been following me for the last year or so then you know that I’ve started to turn into a crunchy-hippie-type tried to alter some areas of our lives to be more natural.  I’ve been using natural cleaners and natural laundry detergent for nearly a year with no problems at all.  Something that I’ve held off on, though, has been my dryer sheets.  Mostly just because I already had bought a bunch and wanted to use those up first, but I always intended to seek a more natural alternative once those were gone.

Can I just back up and say that I (more accurately my mom, since she did the laundry) never used dryer sheets until college.  I really don’t remember our clothes ever being static-y growing up, and so maybe there wasn’t a need.  But when I went to college and started doing my own laundry I discovered the frustrations of static and the wonderfulness of dryer sheets.  I’ve been using them ever since, except on Michael’s work clothes.  He has to wear special arc-flash protection clothes to work and we can’t use dryer sheets on them.  Let me tell you, that load of laundry each week is the worst because the static is insane…especially in the winter.

So a month or so ago we finally ran out of dryer sheets.  I then embarked on an experiment (mostly things I found on Pinterest) to find an alternative to keep our clothes from getting full of static.  Sadly, I didn’t find a single thing that worked.

Here’s what I tried:

  • Putting vinegar in the rinse cycle of the washing machine (vinegar supposedly acts like a fabric softener and get the static out as well) – No dice.  The clothes still had static.
  • Soaking a rag with vinegar and putting it in the dryer with the wet clothes – Again, nothing.  Michael thought the clothes smelled like vinegar, but I didn’t notice that.  However, I did notice that they still had static.  Boo.
  • Putting a ball (or two) of wadded up aluminum foil in the dryer – Nope.

After a few weeks of trying various things with little to no results, we finally broke down and bought some more dryer sheets.  And that’s what I’m using until I think of something else.

The only thing I haven’t tried yet are these felt-like balls that I’ve seen people sell at the farmers market.  They say they can be used instead of dryer sheets, but I haven’t bought any to try yet.

Oh, I’ve also heard to soak a rag with fabric softener and put that in your dryer with the clothes – I think that might work as a money saving alternative, but I’m looking for something more natural/less chemical.  I feel like fabric softener will have just as many chemicals as dryer sheets.

So…HELP!  What do you use as a dryer sheet alternative?  Is there something else out there that I haven’t tried?  I’m hoping the wisdom of the community can help me.

Linking up to Works for Me Wednesday

What I Wore Wednesday

It’s been bouncing back and forth between cold and warm around here, but I’m stubbornly going bare-legged because I am just tired of boots, tights, and winter!

green

shirt – Banana Republic outlet
sweater – New York and Company
skirt – Talbot’s outlet
sandals – Target

classic lookshirt – New York and Company via Gabriel Brothers
skirt – Loft via Gabriel Brothers
shoes – Maurice’s

spring colorsskirt – Talbot’s outlet
shirt – Loft outlet
sweater – New York and Company
sandals – Target

I love the springy look of this outfit!  I think it was my favorite this week :)

Linking up to What I Wore Wednesday

pleated poppy

projects and things

Remember how we moved into a new house in October?  Have you noticed the severe lack of pictures of our new house?  Well, here’s the deal…in my too-optimistic mind I just knew that I’d have everything all put away, organized, and decorated within a matter of weeks so I could share lots of beautiful pictures with you.  HAA!!  That definitely hasn’t happened.  We’ve gotten lots of things done, but not nearly as many as I’d like.  Everything seems to take 3x as long as I originally anticipate.  So long story short, I’m not quite ready to show off any of the rooms in my house.

Instead, I’ll give you a little glimpse of some things we’re currently working on.  Now that the weather is warmer and the days are longer, we’ve been more motivated to get going on some of the project on our to-do list.

1.  We have a bonus room upstairs in between the two bedrooms that we plan to use as a craft room/office/library/future playroom.  Since we’ve moved in that space has basically just been used as a junk room for the things we didn’t quite know what to do with.  The main reason we hadn’t done much yet was because we didn’t have the furniture we needed, but over the past few weeks I’ve finally found some of the pieces I’ve been looking for and have started actually putting the room together.

Expedit bookcasesI’ve been working on putting our books on our new IKEA bookshelves.  Right now they are just thrown on there with no rhyme or reason so I can get a feel for them (pardon the huge mess in the floor).  We have plenty of empty openings that can be used for games and toys when this becomes a playroom someday.  I love my new shelves!

sewing hutchI was so excited to find the perfect hutch for my sewing machine, fabric, and sewing stuff.  It was exactly what I had imagined in my head.  Nothing is organized yet – I need to get some cute baskets and such, but I’m just so glad to have a place to put my sewing machine!

We’re also “building” a craft table of sorts that I can’t wait to show you, too.

2.  We’re trying to get our garden started.  We’ve plotted it out and staked off the area we want to use, but we still have to till and plant.  This year we are going to plant a little bit of everything to see what grows well, what we like, what’s a bust, etc.  Then next year we should have a better idea of what is worth it to plant ourselves and what we will just buy at the farmer’s market.

garden planning

3.  Michael built a beehive – how cool is that?  All we need now is to get some bees to go in it.  I’m fascinated with how bees work and am looking forward to seeing the whole honey-making process from start to finish.

beehive

4.  Since way back before we were married I’ve wanted all white bedding.  I’m not sure what it is about having an all white bedroom  but it just seems so calming and luxurious.  Plus you can change the whole look very easily and cheaply just by changing out accent colors easily.  However, I was afraid that white would be way too hard to keep clean so when it came time to register for our wedding I went with something else (you can check it out here at our old house).  I liked that bedding, but I’ve always held that wish for all white in the back of my mind.  While we were at IKEA I finally decided to take the plunge and get a white duvet cover and pillow shams.  What do you think?

white beddingI love it!  Obviously it still needs a lot of work including a new bed skirt (notice the bed skirt that goes with our old bedding?), some accent pillows, and some more color in general, but it’s already looking great.  The way the white looks agains the dark wood of our bed is lovely.  I’m working on a total bedroom makeover…stay tuned!

What projects are you working on this spring?

 

 

If we’re going to be friends, here’s some things you need to know

Hey blog readers, if we’re going to be friends here are some things you need to know about me:

1.  I very rarely rinse dishes before I put them in the dishwasher.  This makes Michael a little bit crazy (sorry, babe).  It’s just…that’s what dishwashers are for!  I mean, if there is a ton of food in there I’ll clean off the worst of it, but usually I just put my dishes straight into the dishwasher.  And they almost always get clean, so I feel justified.

2.  Finding a double-wrapper-ed Reeses was one of the best things ever when I was younger (that’s when your Reeses has two of the brown waxy paper cup things on it).  I have no idea why that was a big deal to me, but I just thought it was really special!

reeses[source]

3.  I real.bad want to be part of a flash mob.

4.  I will feel like I’ve made it when I have all matching hangars in my closet.  Not sure why this one matters to me, but having all matching hangars just seems really luxurious.

200388442-001[source]

5.  I do not like to talk on the phone.  The awkwardness of the beginning of the conversation, trying to figure out how to end the conversation, it just stresses me out.  I’d much rather text or email than call, with the exception of a few people.

6.  I’m right handed, but left eye dominate.  When I take a picture or shoot a gun I always close my right eye and use my left eye to see out of.  It’s actually pretty hard for me to close my left eye and leave my right eye open.  Maybe I have weak right eye muscles?

7.  I have a secret desire to dye part of my hair purple.  I have never wanted to dye my hair – not blonde, not highlights, and certainly not a crazy color.  But one year I had a student who had should length brown hair, very similar to mine, and she had the underside of it dyed purple – it actually looked really cool.  When she wore it down the purple just peeked out a little, but when she wore it up in a ponytail you could see it.  I don’t think I’ll ever be gutsy enough to do it, especially since I’d have to bleach the hair before then dying it, but that’s one of my secret, if-I-lived-another-life, wishes.

purple hair[source]

What about you?  Are you a dish rinser or not?  What are your little quirks?