The Latest

Well, obviously nothing has been happening here lately!

• Snow and cold and winter. No motivation. 48 days until spring.
• I haven't done any crafts this month! Not keeping up with #3. February = lots of letters and maybe a little package or two though! -- for all those valentines. Also, Dan's birthday is in a few days! I should probably get to work on something for him :)
• I read more this month than I did in December, but still nothing that I was in love with. I do have two library holds, so I'm excited about those (YA lit!!!)
• For my little goals, I have been staying positive and eating pretty healthy. We're at the point in the month where we really should have gone to the grocery store already because we're down to scraping the bottom of the barrel. I need to make a food plan that involves all of the food in our pantry because I refuse to move it. REFUSE.
• This weekend should be pretty fun, though! We're having a double date with my cousin & her husband Friday and on Saturday Dan's off so we can do Habitat for Humanity! I thought I had put "volunteer" on my 25-before-26, but apparently didn't. That is a goal in 2014 for me, though. I guess it kind of fits into my third goal for 2014.
• I have exercised almost every single day in January -- that's nuts! I am working to keep this up forever. I will be fitting in some new things though as the walking/jogging isn't helping me shed those few pounds I want to get rid of.
• We did set up a new bed frame this month -- it was harrowing. It is my *dream* bed frame though, even though this particular one is VERY high off the ground. It feels pretty adult, though, so we're digging it. Also, it was only $20 at the thrift store!
• I also have had an interview!! It's in Richmond and in my mind I have already bought a house!!!
• I think April calls for a new 5k. I would like to do a different one -- a non-cross country one, but obviously want it to be a LOT warmer. The Monument 10k isn't in the cards this year, but 2015 maybe??

This all feels pretty positive and I'm excited about what happens next!

Little Goals

Here are a few little goals for what's left of January (only 2 weeks? Crazy!):

1. Continue cooking good, healthy meals at home
2. Stay positive

And February (to be updated as needed):

1. Visit Proper Pie. (it's time!)

2014

January 2014! Can you believe it? 2013 was a pretty lovely year. I am excited and ready for 2014 to begin. As is the usual, everyone in blogland is listing their goals for 2014...so you can probably tell what's coming.

1. Health -- diet & exercise. Meaning, fix my diet and continue exercising. I had a checkup today and it didn't go so well. Did you know I have gained TEN pounds since this time last year? That is totally insane. I have been exercising more than I have in the past, but have still put on the weight. I have gotten stronger and more flexible (thanks, yoga!) but it's time to lose a little of this desk-job-weight. That being said, I have given up gluten TOTALLY for the month of January. This is more in an effort to get rid of my daily stomach aches (no, really) -- I'm over it, so let's see if this works? I also have to eat fewer desserts, sigh (1. they have all the gluten, but 2. 10 pounds!!!! ugh!) I am going to continue running, yoga, and lifting weights. READY.
2. Continue saving money! We are almost halfway through our save money scheme and are feeling great! My bank account is looking pretty good with my house saving money, so that's a positive, too. Looking at you, 2016 to hopefully being prepared for house-buying (eee!) so hopefully we'll figure out where we want to live :)
3. The never-ending goal: being more patient, kind, and thoughtful to those I love and those I don't know. Always working on this one.

Happy 2014!

December // Life Lately

So...it's {almost} been two months! Whoops...

I did do two small projects in November, but obviously didn't photograph them (sigh).

I fixed a recipe clip that my mom gave me. I also made my grandma a Christmas light garland to hang under her TV.

We also held a yard sale at my parents' house which cleaned out their attic (a miracle) and made about $200! I am pretty excited about it and very proud of them -- my mom in particular. She likes her stuff.

Here's our DIY project this month:

That's right! Our Christmas tree. Although it doesn't have them in this picture, there are strands of popcorn on it now, too. That was...painstaking! Ha. The tree makes the place feel pretty homey and I love it. I have been baking up a storm because Christmas = carb-loading (obv).

***

As for other goals I am working on: I am still running 3ish times a week! I may do a 5k on Jan. 1 just for fun. I haven't really been running three miles, but I know I can do it.

We have been saving our monies. This is obviously my least favorite project. We are almost halfway through this savings plan in addition to what we are saving otherwise -- crazy!

I also have not been buying any clothes!
AND I am done with my Christmas shopping :):)

2013 has been pretty radical, but I am ready for the holidays to be here and to be onto bigger and better things!

Side tables & a banner // October

You're actually getting two for one this month! One of these was a big project that I have been thinking about for a long time and the other was just a cute way to say "welcome, fall!"

I'll start with the big project. For as long as we've been living together, we've had (still have) a lot of mismatched furniture. The one that bothered me the most was our bedside tables.

Our side tables on the day after we moved into our apartment -- ick!

I have been researching, shopping, and scouring the Internet to find THE side tables (I mean, for the last year and a half -- I'm pretty picky). This is all, of course, on a pretty tight budget. So these were definitely out (unfortunately).

Instead, my friend Jen and I trekked the 1.5 hours to Ikea and I got some Rast three drawer dressers. $35 each? I can swing that. Also, everyone on the Internet has done a tutorial so I had some guidelines -- thanks, Internet!! This tutorial was the one I followed since the blogger seemed super laid back about the whole thing and didn't do a lot of fancy stuff that I wasn't willing to do (although hers turned out beautifully!)

My dad helped me assemble these babies and then we stained them with Minwax Antique Walnut Polyshades. I got the one with the polyurethane already in it because I knew I wouldn't take that extra step. I wanted to do the dark walnut like in the aforementioned tutorial -- since hers are so beautiful -- but I needed that poly to already be in there. 

I found these knobs on Amazon and with part of a giftcard, they only cost me $5!

I didn't take any "during" photos, but here's the finished product:

Wahoo! I am so in love with them. They match! And have storage! Ahhhh!

So, onto the way more fun and much quicker project:

A cute little fall banner for the door! I saw this one on Pinterest and thought "ooh! I have got to do one!" Mine just uses construction paper and non-felt balls, but I still liked how it turned out!

A Major Skirt Fail // September

Here is a post about a dress skirt refashion:

Let's back up a minute.

I originally bought this as a dress from the thrift store for a July wedding. Now, I really did try to make the dress work. I wish I had kept the picture...it just wasn't flattering or a good looking dress. So the other day I thought I'd try to turn it into a skirt. Well... you see what happened. My measuring wasn't very good, but I did learn a lot from this experience. One day I will try to do another refashion along these lines, but I'm going to take some time off from sewing clothing (even though I just began).

Ah, well, you can't win them all.

Maymont XC 5k

I did it! I ran my first ever 5k last Friday. It took ages, but I did it! This is one off of my 25 before 26. I am going to keep running and get ready for a 10k -- I can't believe I am even writing these words!

There's a very sweaty, red-faced, excited me.

Yay!