rainy days & red balloons

lent.

2013-02-15T17:32:00.001-08:00

Even though we're not Catholic, I have decided that I am giving up Pinterest for Lent. (GASP!) It sounds weird and shallow to me but I spend way too much time on there and nothing ever really comes to fruition.

I am, however, allowing myself to look at one of my boards (THIS one) as it's a 2013 to-do list of sorts. The goal will be to not pin anything or waste time looking around when I already have a big list of things I want to do/make/try/etc...

I haven't participated in Lent for a few years just because there hasn't been anything I felt I needed to be "giving up". A lot of people I know will forgo some food or beverage - or maybe the unthinkable, Facebook, but the way I think about Lent is that you should be using the time that would be spend doing whatever you are giving up on praying, meditating, reading the Bible, or something of that sort. Like this time is a time to give something up in order to get closer to God. (Too religion-y for this blog?) I don't think giving up Diet Coke or chocolate will help me get closer to God (granted, it would help my body....but...yeah.) However, I do think I can find ways to get back to spiritual basics' if I'm not spending hours upon hours pinning projects I'll never get to, food I'll never make, clothes I'll never afford, baby nurseries for babies I don't have... I think you get the point.

I have a solid to-do list already, so why not try to knock some of those out? And a good handful are gifts and some home tips I want to implement anyway but have been too busy finding other stuff to put on the forever growing dream to-do list.

So, there's my Lent story.
I've already logged out (I was permanently logged in - such easy access), deleted my app (phone and on my Chrom home page), and removed my "pin in" button from my toolbar. Let's do this!

Proof. Now, what to fill the space with... Bible app?

Are you giving up anything for Lent, and if so, what?

twenty-six.

2013-02-12T20:36:00.000-08:00

Another year older, another year wiser?

My friend Sarah came down for my birthday this past weekend and it was a lot of fun. It was full of donuts, free/discount birthday treats, brunch and $2 mimosas, thai food, baby elephants, a free trip to the zoo... what could be better? Also, Husby made me a giant ice cream cookie sandwich. I should probably go on a diet now.

Here's some photos from the weekend!

brunch at East Burn

I was gifted with tickets to the zoo, but it was free zoo day
which means I still have a free zoo trip this year!

Chinese New Year. Why the zoo was free!

Also, tax return came today which means new eye exam and new eyes tomorrow! Just a little bit excited to see again.

bridal budget breakdown.

2013-02-01T20:04:00.000-08:00

[Warning, this post is for the Type A's. But I've thrown in some photos to make it look prettier : ) ]

I've been meaning to do this for oh...two years, but here I am doing it now! You're welcome. If you care. I still get nauseous when I think about the"average American wedding"cost. I thought we were awesome and incredibly amazing and only spent roughly $1,000 on our special day. But I went over the expenses today to really see what we spent. While it's about two times what I thought (I still don't like counting the rings as part of the "wedding"...) our whole wedding - with over 300 guests - was still under $3,000. I'd say I can still pat myself on the back!

How did we do it, you ask?

Necessity.

We ~~were~~ are broke and in love.
Our parents didn't have that "wedding fund" waiting for us.
We didn't want to go into debt from our wedding. (Student loans are enough!)

So, we I ~~sacrificed~~ let go of some of my teenage wedding fantasies and did what was practical but still would make me happy. Such as getting a dress from China, making everything I could, choosing disposable tableware instead of renting, getting bulk flowers from Costco, and having a "potluck" style buffet.... can you imagine how much it would cost to feed over 300 people?!

Here it is, it's pretty rough still, but I always rounded up, so if anything things were less than what they say.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
*Includes tableware, place settings, centerpieces, Costco flowers, peacock feather, candy table jars, Photobooth props, etc...

** Items in ( ) were paid for by either family or wonderful friends
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

And if you're the type who likes to know...

Where I got stuff from : )

Save On Crafts

The Feather Store (I think this is where I got them from...)

IKEA

Dollar Tree

Party City

Iron & Honey (Etsy)

The White Bouquet (Etsy)

The Pretty Petals (Etsy)

Boxed-Gifts.com

Lightinthebox.com

Costco.com

...and Craigslist and some awesome thrift stores!

Here's to being crafty, frugal and awesome!

pep talk.

2013-01-31T13:58:00.005-08:00

Love KP.

http://kidpresident.com/

Awesome videos.

two.

2013-01-01T13:11:00.000-08:00

Two years ago this happend.

(Post-wedding ring shots with my $3 band from China!)

The 'official' band.

It's been a crazy couple years, we both thought it was our third anniversary! A lot has happend, and yet not much has... it's weird. People still tell me how much fun the had at the wedding, which I am always happy to hear. Happy two years, Husby!

Also, these were my goals for last year...

12 goals for 2012.

01. Get a job.
02. Listen daily.
03. Convince husby he likes doing dishes. (goal/dream/fantasy - whatever)
04. ~~Spend less.~~
05. Save more.
06. ~~Move into an apartment.~~
07. ~~Change my freaking name!~~
08. Move more. Physically. Take walks.
09. Eat more greens.
10. Revamp/replenish my Etsy.
11. Save for a ~~real~~ computer so blogging isn't a hassle, but a joy.
12. Pray. Daily.

Okay, so while it feels good to cross some things off...perhaps I'll make a some more specific and more realistic goals (ha!) for 2013. Can we all just be happy 2012 is over though?

wordless{ish} wednesday.

2012-12-26T16:00:00.000-08:00

Insta-decemeber.

Home decorating.
Cookie decorating.
Nail decorating.
Tree decorating.
Doggy decorating.

December is deciding-ly for decorating.

My cute FREE tree I found a block away on Christmas Eve!

Christmas.

Linking up with Wordless{ish} Wednesday!

"i love you."

2012-12-26T11:00:00.000-08:00

"I know."

Classic.

If you aren't familiar,~~don't admit it and~~ watch this:

I saw this on Pinterest and decided I needed to make some art for above our bed. I had intentions on doing some painting to go along with the blue & brown theme that just happened. I was going to do these lyrics but then decided to cater it to my husband's taste.

from www.abeautifulmess.com

Since I knew it was going to be a big piece of art and wanted to change the look of the room anyway, I took Husby to HD with me to get some paint samples. He, of coarse, chose red and black as the colors. Like I had to ask.

I googled some images and found a way black and red could work. Greyscale, baby. With red letters.

I had found some big "frames" (cardboard backing and hard plastic as the 'glass') that were a perfect size for a statement piece. That, plus the free paint samples = a FREE project that will fill my empty wall space!

So then I went to work when he was gone a couple days. Here are 10-ish steps on how I did it!

Step 1: Letters. I was able to use the Star Wars font so that eliminated hours of my trying to find a font I liked. I printed them on some peel off photo paper (in later photos) and cut them out.

Step 2: Figuring out a word layout you can live with !

Step 3: Begin making your mosaic ..line up those paint samples. (I had to cut mine in half to make squares, but if you find some square ones that will cut your work in half!)

Step 4: When you are satisfied with the mosaic, (gently) try the words again and see if you want to move anything around.)

Step 5: Do the same with the second piece. (sorry for the crooked photo...just tilt your head!)

Step 6: I used a glue stick for the first two rows then gave up. Tape saved the day. Double-sided would be best, but you got to work with what you got! Seriously, Step 6 sucks. I need a big table. My back hurt so bad!

Step 6 (cont...): I started at the bottom middle to keep it centered then did the rows from L to R, making sure my corners looked good.

Step 6.5: Have sing-a-long music handy and playing loud.

Step 7: When you are (finally!) finished, stand up, stretch, eat a cookie, and marvel at your awesome work. Make sure you get the words right where you want them and then...

Step 8: Peel & Stick! (Or tape or glue...just get those letters on the piece!) I used THIS. I love it.

Step 8.5: Admire your work then realize this did not come out all center and have perfect edges like you imagined...

Step 9: Get a real frame, or if you are ~~ghetto~~ crafty, like me, finish off your uneven frame with electrical tape!

Step 9.5: Run out of electrical tape just a few sides short! (Grrr.)

Step 9.6: After getting more electrical tape, make sure it's secure and stuff. If you are ~~ghetto~~ money-less like me, and you get your electrical tape from the Dollar Store you might have to help it stick to the cardboard...

Step 10: Admire the awesome and decide that this table cloth would be better as curtains than a backdrop.

Here's our wall BEFORE:

And here is ~~too many angles of~~ AFTER:

And if you are the type that needs a side by side and edited photo, your requested is granted:

Happy crafting!

snowmen.

2012-12-25T11:00:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, when getting a job hasn't been your forte, you have to be creative when you are Christmas gifting. I decided to make these for family this Christmas. They are simple and cute and super full of love. : )

insta-card!

2012-12-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

I really wanted to send out Christmas cards...I missed out and procrastinated too long last year (we did THIS on Christmas day), and here we are a year later and I procrastinated and wasn't pro-active enough to get them done this year...oh well.

Let's say it's a green way of doing cards. You send them via some electronic source and for those who truly love tangible photo cards, they can print it out and display it! Perfect.

Drum roll please....

Your "print-your-own-card" from us to you. : )

12.12.12.

2012-12-12T12:12:00.000-08:00

I love numbers. Why do you think I picked 01.01.11 for a wedding day? I really wanted to have 11.11.11 but that would mean waiting 11 more months, and not having some important friends home and able to be at the wedding.

I have thoroughly enjoyed all these OCD number dates and being able to make the biggest wishes ever. Probably too much.

It's been fun, eh?

gifting.

2012-12-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

"Brown paper packages tied up with string..."

...they really are a few of my favorite things.

(gift tags from HERE)

Thankful.

2012-11-26T09:00:00.000-08:00

Second family Thanksgiving in Portland.

Crazy? Yes.
Fun? Most of the time.
Forgettable? Probably not.
A Grand ol' time? Absolutely.

miscellany monday {3}.

2012-11-19T17:00:00.000-08:00

1. This is the first Monday in a while where we didn't have Financial Peace. I might have withdrawals. Also, we might take the class again in January...haha. We signed the back of this credit card mosaic I made after our 'plastic surgery' class. We plan to mail it Mr. Ramsey himself!

2. These cute studs where separated for a day as one spent it lost in the sink, until we unscrewed part of the pipe and vacuumed it out! I was determined.

3. This weekend Josh and Savannah came down for some fun time. It's the best when they visit. The weekend was full of catching up, yoga, nerd games for the boys, nails and mimosas for the gals, Mortal Kombat, trying a new sandwich place and getting lost downtown. The best weekend in a long while.

I normally don't spend more than like $3 on nail polish but Sav brought this and I might be addicted.

4. On Sunday, I went to Ryan's Memorial/Celebration of Life Service. I had a surprisingly fun time. Weird, as it was a memorial...but shouldn't celebrating a life be fun? Here is Ryan riding a friend. (Oh, I didn't mention there were cardboard cut-outs of him everywhere? Silly and fun. And a lot of awesome.) If you want to be inspired by a wonderful man and his story, please visit this previous post and click on the links.

There was well over 1,000 people there. Truly incredible.

The many faces of Ryan, along with his beautiful wife Jessica and Justin Baldoni of SoulPancake, who directed of the amazing VIDEO that beautifully shares Ryan's story.

Linking with 'lowercase letters' today!

dance in the graveyards.

2012-11-09T23:32:00.000-08:00

The world lost another beautiful soul.

We are not of this world.
We are not of this world.
We are not of this world.

And cancer? I. Hate. Cancer.

This is one of the most raw, beautiful, inspiring stories I have ever witnessed.

So many lives have been touched. So many hearts are broken. They have given to the cause. (And you can too.) Whole cities are grieving.

There's nothing I can say that isn't said better than this:

Thank you, Ryan.

I will never get tired of sharing your story.

Say Hello to Adam.

Have you encountered a Hero of Faith in your life?
"Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith."(Hebrews 13:7)

~ ~ ~

When I die
I don’t want to rest in peace
I want to dance in joy
I want to dance in the graveyards, the graveyards
And while I’m alive
I don’t want to be alone
Mourning the ones who came before
I want to dance with them some more
Let’s dance in the graveyards

Gloria, like some other name we kept on calling ya and waiting for change
But I belong to all of your mysteries

And all of us, we’re meant for the fire, but we keep rising up and walking the wires
So when we go below don’t lose us in mourning

’Cause when I die
I don’t want to rest in peace
I want to dance in joy
I want to dance in the graveyards, the graveyards
And while I’m alive
I don’t want to be alone
Mourning the ones who came before
I want to dance with them some more
Let’s dance in the graveyards

Oh my love, don’t cry when I’m gone
I will lift you up, the air in your lungs
And when you reach for me, we’ll dance in the darkness

And we will walk beyond
Our daughters and sons, they will carry on
Like when we were young, and we will stand beside and breathe in their new life

’Cause when I die
I don’t want to rest in peace
I want to dance in joy
I want to dance in the graveyards, the graveyards
And while I’m alive
I don’t want to be alone
Mourning the ones who came before
I want to dance with them some more
Let’s dance in the graveyards

(A friend shared this video in response to the death of Ryan. I can't get it out of my mind. So beautiful.)

this is halloween...

2012-11-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

So this is not only a late Halloween post, but an uneventful one to boot! We spent the night in (shocking, I know) and we're pretty much lazy bums. We didn't even dress up. :( But next year we have plans for awesome costumes. We now have a year to save and scrounge around for them. Here is a hint:

In other news, semi related, I had too much fun last night editing these photos via this site. I am obsessed with it and the effects you normally pay for are free for a while so how could I pass up this chance to make awesome disturbing photos!?

Um, speaking of zombies... #killcarlalready

Skipping Thanksgiving entirely, I've been brainstorming cute Christmas card/photo ideas... they WILL happen this year! So...send me your address. : ) The real dilemma is what kind to do... funny, more funny, cutesy, barf cute... so many options!

what really matters.

2012-10-17T11:42:00.000-07:00

In this world of darkness we can feel helpless. Here's is one way to help one family who has to have inspired millions by now, including Rainn Wilson (that's Dwight Schrute for fans of The Office...)

If you do anything today watch this video. Then go and share it.

HERE is another fundraising site for Ryan and family.

lately.

2012-09-30T23:11:00.000-07:00

So Spencer and I are going into week 4 of FPU. I know budgeting can be tough, but when you are in the red every month it's nearly impossible to make a zero budget. Alas, somehow it's at zero. (Actually, it's because all our debt is on Irregular Income Planning form).

I really like that Dave says nothing is going to happen without hard work. It's not a pray you are blessed with riches mumbo jumbo. It's pretty legit. And Spencer doesn't seem to mind it, so that's a major plus. Since we are starting this now I have high hopes for us.

On a brighter note I have two job interviews this week. One of them (the full-time, higher paying one) comes with at least two recommendations for me...so I'm quite hopeful. But it all comes down to me. Ugh. I really hate interviews. Even a crappy job would at least put us in the green.

Also, if you have student loans... do this.

Too much money talk.

Christmas list begins HERE!

I really like this picture of Husby. Das a nice bowtie. These are a few from his sister Amy's wedding : )

a wedding shower.

2012-09-25T15:59:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday I hosted a wedding shower for my friend Shannon, with the lovely ladies of PUMP at the Russell home. I love parties and decorating and planning things so when the opportunity presents itself I will take whatever I can and go with it!

We had a dessert table and hot chocolate bar, and a few healthy options too. We played a couple games, showered Shannon with advice and gifts, and got our sweets fix in for the month!

Not too shabby for a Sunday afternoon.

THIS was my main inspiration. I loved the "rain" theme.

And here's how the shower turned out!

Nine Eleven.

2012-09-11T11:10:00.001-07:00

You all remember this photo, right?
Found 11 years ago today in the midst of chaos and death... two metal beams resembling a cross.

But it reminds me of another tragic and brutal death involving a cross.

But with that cross came a resurrection. An empty tomb.

HOPE.

(And not the Obama kind. The eternal kind.)

prime time.

2012-09-05T14:58:00.001-07:00

God bless Hulu+ and OnDemand.

600.

2012-08-22T19:08:00.001-07:00

Who decided to forgo Polaroid film? I don't want the little new ones (okay, maybe I would be happy if I had one...) I want 600 film not to be way out of any budget I would have.

Sigh.

I'll just live in the past.

permit.

2012-08-22T18:12:00.002-07:00

Only took 25 years...

The name change is practically complete!
Only took over a year and a half...

I promise to catch up on life soon.

etc.

2012-04-23T22:17:00.001-07:00

So I think it's safe to say that I have failed my 365, or 366 photo project. I was disapointed but it was that whole theme thing for March that caused me to slack off. Oh well. I'm over it. There's too much else going on. Between a new temp job, having to actually move out in the real world within the next month...learning really to budget, and somehow pack out life once again.... yeah. Making sure I post a photo a day isn't highest on my priority list...

I still have photos I want to share though! And Instagram is on android now. Yes please. I missed it so. So for your viewing pleasure... a mismash of my life for you to gaze upon.

(I have no control of what order these show up...)

366: days 8-20.

2012-03-19T15:30:00.000-07:00

Here are days 8-20 of my 366. There's more captions if you check out my Flickr set.

It's part of this.

Sorry I am so behind! I have to get to a computer to post these because my phone doesn't let me choose what order photos upload in...and we can't have days not in chronological order!

Also, for the month of March, I am doing this photo challenge. Hence some captions with " ".

day 8.

day 9.

day 10.

day 11.
"chaos."

day 12.
"out of place."

day 13.
"melancholy."

day 14.
"foreign (to you)."

day 15.
"negative space". [or lack there of...]

day 16.
"kiss."

day 17.
"cult status"

day 18.
"wind."

day 19.
"the bottle."

day 20.
"self-portrait."

it's pi day!

2012-03-14T23:45:00.001-07:00

Today is March 14, (3.14) otherwise known as "pi" day. I decided to join in on the pi[e] fun with my gal pal, Shannon. We had bought a Costco bag of marionberries earlier this month, because they're Husby's favorite, so a marionberry pie was meant to be. She made the crust and I was on filling duty. I've never made a pie before so I'm okay with the goo it turned into :)

I don't know why these are sideways... just tilt your head :)