The Blog Reno

There seems to be a lot of rules about blogging these days, how many times you need to post, how many tweets or instagrams you should post a day, how to create "your brand," and lots of classes on how it should be done. I don't think that this is that type of a blog, blogging is not my day job. I blog to try and keep myself motivated to do my odds and ends around the house. I blog so I have somewhere to talk/write about design, crafting, my day, work, or whatever (this also helps keep my DH from having to listen to hours of me talking about paint colors). I blog because I'm MUCH better about blogging than keeping a journal (although, I could still be much more of a consistent blogger). I blog for a creative outlet.

Blog-o-sphere complaining aside, I like blogging and think it's a fun hobby. I hope this blog helps give others ideas, or is a happy stop in someones day. I hope it is a good creative outlet and helps bring more beautiful things into my life, and maybe even a few others if I can help it. Recently, I don't feel like my blog is working for me. I mean, I've been at this for years, and I have tried to re-design, streamline my topics, or create a "brand," but it just isn't my jam. I think I just want to blog about whatever is going on in my life, not just design or home improvement. For example, I also am very involved in my church, I also happen to work a couple of jobs and have gained nifty skills, I'm obsessed about my dog. Things the world must need to know, right?

Okay, maybe not. But I've decided to try and give my blog yet another little renovation. Make it look better, be more organized, and just in general work better for me (and in turn, hopefully for others as well.) I read blogs a lot, and it's always fun to go to their site and BAM! Everything is different and pretty and organized. Well, like I said, I'm not that kind of a blog. And in the wise words of Sugar Brown "Ain't nobody got time for that!" So instead, I think I will take you along in my journey  of a BLOG RENO.

I don't plan on doing anything too crazy, just streamlining it all really. I also plan on writing more about what is on my mind or inspiring me at the moment and not worrying about weather it fits within a "brand." I basically will just try and make the blog work better for me and for others. I have so many projects around my house right now it's not even funny. I need to get re-energized and blogging really helps me do that, keeps me more organized as well.

Here is my beginning "to do" list:

Streamline Labels
Add "buttons" for social media and stuff
Add an Instagram Roll
I like links to blogs I like and topics instead of them cluttering up the side bar
Make "Search" field in side bar
remove the blogspot header
Make it look sleek and cleaner overall
Use my real camera for pics and rely less on my phone camera

Now, knowing me, it might take me a year to get this done. It's real life over here, but my goal is to try and do something blog-clean-up related at least once and month and share my wisdom struggles. I just put it all out there so I hope I will follow through. After all, that is why I'm blogging in the first place. Wish me luck!

What to Wear to a Wedding

Our family has been blessed to have two weddings coming up in the family this Spring. Lucky us! In our family even if we aren't bridesmaids or part of the official wedding party, the family always tries to dress in the wedding colors so that we look cohesive for the family photos.

My sister-in-laws wedding's colors are navy blue and gray (like a dark, gun metal color). My brother-in-laws wedding's colors are teal, royal blue, and purple. You know what this means? I think I might want to go shopping. And I never want to go shopping. But just because it's a good excuse, and you can never have too many cute dresses, and it's pretty and Spring, it's all making me want to bust out my wallet and buy something. Here's what I've been eyeing so far (least expensive to more expensive).

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This dress actually comes in this blue and teal. I think I could make the blue work for both weddings maybe? Do you think it is in between enough to work for navy and royal blue? I think I could dress them up a bit with a cardigan, tights, and jewelry. Our weddings aren't usually super formal anyways.

 

 

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This is more royal blue. Pretty, simple, and budget friendly.

 

 

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I love the leather ties on the side, but don't like that if I wanted to wear a cardigan (as I do almost every day) that I would cover up the cutest part of the dress.

 

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I love Anthropologie.

 

. . .and then I went crazy for ASOS

 

 

 

Sadly, I don't think they have my size in a few of them (top middle, teal, and bottom right), but I would gladly take any of these dresses. I am VERY sad that they do not have the teal dress in the bottom middle. It is so very very pretty! I have never ordered from ASOS but always hear good things. Maybe I will be brave and test them out.

 

I think the floral navy dress could work for both weddings as well, but is it weird to wear the same dress for both? My siblings are on the same side of the family, so it's likely to be the same crowd for both weddings. It makes me think I need two different dresses.

 

I seriously only shop when I am just trying to spend time with friends or family and they want to go shopping. It is not something I do in my spare time, and I've been away from it for so long I feel kind of lost. Where else is a good place to go dress shopping?

 

The "Little" Things

I have been somewhat stressed lately. I've been working a second job since November to help save and better prepare us for whatever might be down the road for us in our pursuit of parenthood (as I discussed a little bit here.) Working two jobs is a big stress on my time and leaves me feeling pretty drained some days. I don't know how people work 80 hour weeks? 60 to 70 hours has me pooped! My crafting, decorating, and couch surfing time has been GREATLY reduced!

I have also had to swallow my pride a bit, which is silly, because I know that what I'm doing is honorable, and it's a good thing for me to take control of whatever part of our situation I can. But when someone from high school walks into the cafe your working at with your fellow teenage co-workers, sometimes I can't help but blush. Then I just get mad at myself for being embarrassed over having to take a second job to save up some baby money and put us in a better position. It's obviously totally worth it and I shouldn't worry about such stupid things, right? Now, if only I could the blood in my check to behave accordingly.

Anyways! This is not a woe is me post, contrary to the above. Even though I may be stressed lately, it has just brought my attention to being so happy and grateful for the small (and maybe not so small) things of life. I am seriously so freakin' blessed I can barely stand it. Here is what is making me smile lately.

My youngest sister turned 15! I can't believe our baby is so grown up! She wanted to go cosmic bowling and I was more than happy to oblige.  It was a super fun girls night.

My husband is the most hilariously sweet person I know. I came home the other night to find flowers and this note on the kitchen counter. Read the note, it had me cracking up for a good five minutes.

The 49ers are going to the Superbowl, okay this one isn't really for me, but for my main man. He was very excited, which in turn let me witness this hilariousness (Too bad they lost last night, the seen at this house was pretty different last night from this video.)

I got to have an amazing Saturday OFF with my mom and little sister where we partook in manicures, lunch, and shopping. It was the best day I've had in a long time.

The Killers concert. Enough said.

I finally dusted off the bike for a good MLK bike ride out to the dam.

Lastly, and biggest of all- my little sister has been called on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! I could not be more proud and excited for her.

 

See, can you believe I had so many happy events in just over a month? Like I said, totally blessed and thankful!!

Mo Babies Mo Problems - What bugs me about the healthcare system

Okay, I try not to put my truly personal business out on the web, but I just want to take a moment and have a little rant about our health care system. I am so fed up and sick of it! Please indulge me and allow me a moment for a temper tantrum. As some may know, my lovin’ husband and I have been struggling to have a child these last 5 years.  I don’t like to talk about it really, because it is deeply personal and probably the biggest struggle and heart break I’ve had in my life so far, so I’m not really going to get into that here. I’m just putting it out there to explain why we get to deal with the lovely medical system.

The first time I wrote this post I gave a brief synopsis of the path that we’ve been on, but even though it was vague and tasteful (and very therapeutic for me to write!), I am not going to share it here. Instead of those dets, I’ve created my top 5 pet peeves we’ve experienced with the medical system so far:

1-      Why are patients not allowed to talk? Hasn’t study after study shown that all doctors need to do is allow their patient to talk for about 2 minutes, to not only allow the patient to feel heard, but also to allow for a more proper and concise diagnosis? With the 3 doctors I’ve seen I don’t think I’ve been able to get out 3 sentences together. A couple minutes out of their day for each patient isn’t going to put them out of business, I think it would only give them more.

2-      How can insurance companies still be getting away with not covering such a common and serious medical issue as infertility? If preventing/terminating a pregnancy is a suitable medical need that is covered, how can the reverse not be suitable as well? I’m not trying to say that women shouldn’t be allowed birth control or anything, just that if medication to prevent pregnancy is insurable, then medication to promote pregnancy should be as well. Also, our insurance coverage has significantly deteriorated in the last 5 years, even though I’ve kept good jobs that were supposed to have amazing benefits. I basically feel like I don’t even have insurance with my high deductible plan, everything seems to be coming out of MY pocket.

3-      It’s all about the Benjamin$. Not only are doctors inflating their pay by requiring un-needed test, but some doctors are requiring you get ALL tests done from them. It doesn’t matter if the tests were already ran by another office, it doesn’t matter if you really only need to be tested in one or two areas- it seems like they are requiring ALL OR NOTHING.

4-      It may be all about mullah, but nobody seems to want to talk about it! Letting you know the amount of money you will be paying for these tests and services is not a concern or priority for most doctors. Maybe they don’t like to discuss it because the cost would have you running scared ($3,000 out of pocket for an introductory blood test? Yeah, that happened. How could that not instill fear in the hearts of patients?), but I still think it needs to be given its own weight and conversation. I would not hire a contractor or purchase a sofa without first knowing the costs. Why then would I participate in some of the most vital and personal services of my life without first knowing the costs?

5-      Control. I feel like all power or control is taken away from the patients. I have absolutely no say in what or how I want to move forward with possible medical problems. They have all the cards and know the game, while I have no cards to play and have no instructions for the game. I am completely at their mercy. Not that I would want to tell a physician how to do their job or anything. I wouldn’t want anyone telling me how to do my job, but I feel like there is no balance.  Everything is on their terms.

Okay. So that is my rant. Pretty sad isn’t it. I know I am whiny, but I can’t help being frustrated with the whole thing. And because I can’t imagine living this life and not getting the chance to be a mother, I really have no choice but to deal with it. Put on my big girl pants and move forward. It sucks . . . so is life. But life has taught me that those things which are really worth having, and have the biggest reward, are not usually easily obtained. Being a parent takes crazy sacrifice, We have just started to sacrifice our sanity a little bit earlier than usual for our kids. Onward with doctors, onward with adoption research, onward with foster care research. It will come in its own time, I know, it is just hard. 

Merry Christmas!

 

Hope you are with your family this week and Christmas finds you well!

Christmas Baking Made Simple

Every year, like so many others, I try and do some holiday crafting or baking  for co-workers, visiting teaching and home teaching people. Like last year, when I had too many dietary restrictions in the office, I crafted up these cute little succulents gifts (and made some zucchini bread for those who ate bread).

The year before I spent hours and hours making these mini apple pies in small mason jars. These were so adorable (but time taking)!

 

(You can certainly tell when I use my camera phone and when I use my real camera can't you? I really should bust out my real camera more often!)

This year, however, I was  really feeling the pressure because I didn't really have the time to spend on something that would require a lot of effort or time. This is when my Mom came to the rescue. Of course. Every year for Christmas she makes us Cereal Candy (basically one of those Chex mix recipes) to munch on during Christmas day. Everyone LOVES it, and it usually doesn't last the day it's eaten up so quickly. So, she gave me the recipe and let the secret out of the bag, this stuff is easy and quick to make. Even I could do it!

So, I rushed out to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients and some cute containers, rushed home,  put it together, made the packaging cute-ish, and was done with EVERYTHING in about an hour. And this stuff makes A LOT, so I was able to cross off tons of people in one fell swoop! Have to love that. Thank.You.Mom!

I bought a couple of classic red tins and the Dollar Tree and adorned them with some green ribbon and left over gift tags from a few years ago for the people I work with. For visiting teaching and home teaching people I bought a few of those 4 packs of tupperware from the Dollar Tree. Then I just used the circle label that came with them to cut out cute festive tops from scraps of last years wrapping paper, put the paper in place with a couple of glue dots, tied a ribbon and tag on, and it was done.

Sure, it's not the cutest or most creative idea out there, but this definitely worked for me this year when I was in a pinch. Besides, I would be totally stoked to get a nice red tin full of Cereal Candy goodness! Sometimes I think I get carried away and believe whatever I give out has to be ubber creative or painstakingly made with sweat and tears. It was very refreshing this year to have my Christmas crafting/baking completed so easily!

Here is the recipe from my mom with a few extra instructions from me if anyone else is in a pinch and wants to give it a go, or just wants to melt into a delicious holiday snack.
 

Cereal Candy

Mix in a large bowl: (I used 2 bowls and split the mix, so easier to cover with sweet stuff)

1 large box Golden Graham Cereal

1 large box Corn Chex Cereal

1 package Coconut (reg. size)

1 16oz. jar Salted Dry Roasted Peanuts (or any other kind of nuts you like)

Boil for 3 minutes:

(I pre-melted the butter a bit before I put it in the pot to make things go faster. Once everything comes to a boil set a clock and boil it for 3 minutes exactly.)

3 cubes real Butter

2 cups Sugar

2 cups (16oz. jar) Karo Syrup

Pour over cereal mix until fully coated. Put in container and cover.  Enjoy your free time.

Decorating by Memory- Part 3

I finally got around to making a mood board that I think combines my families style, more specifically my grandparents style, and modernizing it into something that I could bring into my own home. I started this adventure here. My idea was to decorate my home using my own family and experiences as inspiration instead of the typical inspiration sources.  I hoped it would help me make my home be really about me and my family and not copied from some book or website.

So let’s look back and see what mood boards I came up with. The first was inspired by my father’s side of the family . . .

They are kind of traditional and classic. Lots of gold/brass, mirrors, and wallpaper with hints of natural elements sprinkled in there.

The other moodboard was inspired by my mother’s side of the family  . . .

 

They are a bit more rustic. Lots of leather, classic farm pieces, wood, and femine touches from my grandmother.

I thought about these boards, my grandparents, my happy childhood memories, and then went to work trying to combine these pretty different styles into one that I would want to bring into my own home. This is what I came up with . . .

 

It surprised me how rustic it ended up turning out, but there are just so many great rustic pieces out there right now. Now, I don’t think I can actually afford many of these pieces (of course) but this is an inspiration board after all, so it is just something to aspire to.

Here is the breakdown of what I was thinking-

Wallpaper: I like the idea of using wallpaper or a painting treatment to mimic wallpaper, since my grandmother uses wallpaper often throughout her house. But instead of mauve florals, I like the idea of using an earthier grass cloth. I have seriously always been in love with the stuff (it also reminds me of going to church, every LDS building in the west seems to have textured wallpaper). I am not sure if Jeff would ever allow it, or if we have the right space for it in this house, but one day I WILL get to use it!

Painting: I really want to collect paintings and art like mine and Jeff’s grandparents did. I feel like original art from an artist is maybe less available than it was for them, but thanks to Etsy and popular website like 20 x 200, great copies of art are more available than ever. I have always loved this print from 20 X 200. I could “imagine” the art piece without the typography in any of my family members’ homes, but the typography makes it more modern and suitable to our homes style. Jeff and I are already slowly starting our own art collection and I am excited to see it grow.

Light Fixture: I LOVE this light. It totally reminds me of the father’s mother! She loves glass and brass, it is all over her house, and the round globes kind of give the light a mid-century modern feeling to me, which also reminds me of her. I think if she were to redecorate a room right now she would totally want this light!

Mirror: This mirror was a good combination of both sides I thought. It’s a mirror, for my father’s side, but the rope and iron frame totally makes it work for my mother’s side. I would hang this up in my house in a second.

Chair: This chair was another great combination of my two worlds. The leather is totally up my cowboy lovin’ families alley, but the classically modern shape, kind of mid-century again, makes this chair reminiscent of the modern classic pieces the other side of my family uses. It’s a wonderful fit for my place, I love mid-century modern, have you seen my couch? Now only if I had a few grand to purchase two of them.

Side Table: This is me and my grandmother through and through. Every table in her house has a glass top and brass legs. It is just her. But again, the unique and modern shape would make it totally workable for a young family like mine.

Ottoman: There is just something I have always loved about ottomans. The idea of having one covered in a cowhide just blows my mind though. It is awesome sauce! (I know the thought of real animal hide at home may turn the stomach of many people out there, I get that, but having one or two hides around has just always been the way it was for me. However, having a stuffed and preserved deer head in my home would totally gross me out, so I get it. )

Sideboard: This sideboard from West Elm is amazing. It totally reminds me of the old barn wood that my grandparents used to panel their walls up at the cabin. I love how it is rustic, but with really clean and simple lines.

Rug: Since the cowhide is on the ottoman, I needed to do something else for the rug. And as much as I like the apple green shag carpet that my grandparents use to have, I decided to go with a more modern white shag rug. It would never survive in my house in real life, but it’s nice to dream!

Accessories: The drift wood, owl lamp, and geological rock book ends are a complete tribute to my father’s parents. The brass figurines, antler inspired candle holder, and vintage books are in tribute to my mother’s parents. They were all given a little bit of a fresh twist from how they display similar items in their homes but I think they work. I must say they all live quiet well together. My grandmother already gave me the brass giraffes who live in our guest room - I love them.

So that is that. I have enjoyed this experimental examination of my families style and how I could bring their touch into a more modern and family friendly space that I could create in my own home. Even if I can’t really afford many of these exact pieces, it gives me a great point of view to follow when I am shopping, rummaging in an old antique furniture store, or at my local thrift store. It defiantly feels homey and cozy to me.

(PS if you are worried that I’m not including my hubster in this style inspiration, I did try. I asked him about what he could remember from his grandparents’ places and what style of theirs he liked. I got a huge blank, yet confused, look from him. But I think his grandparent’s style was somewhat similar to my grandparents. One side was farmers/cowboys, another grandparent was also a math teacher, and in visits with his grandmother, I can see that they also appreciate original art. His great grandmother and great grandmother used to be quite the artist themselves.) Sorry if I forgot to link any image sources, I linked as many as I could remember.