Tie It All Together

Have you noticed that I like to drop little bombs of information without much explanation and then come back and do a separate post about it? Because I just noticed that I do that and I had no idea. I just write and then when I re-read to edit I'm like, "oh, you mentioned purchases you are saving for and how you'd like to have get new seating for the living room. You should post about it!"

And yes, I did use the examples that I wrote about yesterday and am going to explain to you today and Monday. Because then, it becomes a full circle. I know you are just sitting on the edge of your seat thinking, "Oh, is she going to tell us about what she wants to save money for?" Because it's edge of the seat information! ...Okay, okay. Maybe not. But it is good to put it out there to try to hold yourself accountable. Which doesn't always work for me. (Like with my weekly goals.) 

The few major things that I want to purchase this year are the following:

1. A New Kitchen

2. Living Room Furniture

3. A Like-New Black Fridge

4. An Equipped Office For The Hubs

5. Bryan's Truck

6. Painting the House

A New Kitchen -

Bryan probably does not read this blog but if he is reading it now I assure you he is laughing at me. And shaking his head, thinking "Ain't gonna happen." I want to completely gut and redo our kitchen more than Lindsay Lohan needs to stay sober. Poor girl. I've been thinking and dreaming about what I want to do for the kitchen and I've been staying away from the Home Depot/Lowe's credit cards because if I have to, I'll use their 10% off and no interest for my kitchen and then make HUGE PAYMENTS (like we did on my wedding ring) to pay it off before the interest kicks in. Which is what I call "making the credit companies work for you instead of you working for them" I'm working on getting a shorter title. Regardless, it's the truth. Credit can be a good tool for people that utilize it the right way. Before we charge anything, Bryan and I think about what the monthly payment will be and how fast we can pay it off. We just refuse to be enslaved in credit. It's not worth it. 

Getting a new kitchen in 2011 is a pipe dream because if I invest in my kitchen, I'm not going to settle or go cheap. I'm going to be reasonable, but I'm also going to get an awesome kitchen that will be used as a major resell tool in ten years. I may have to wait until 2012, which is alright with me. 

Living Room Furniture -

Here is the deal. My sister, Alison and her husband Mark got married in 2003. Shortly after that (I honestly have no idea when) they purchased living room furniture, and had it until they moved to San Diego in like... 2007 or somewhere near there. I have a horrible memory. Then, they gave it to my sister Kari and her husband Adam in 2008 or 2009. Again, memory! Jeez. Well then Kari and Adam gave it to Bryan and I in 2009. It's been love, love loved. But, its old. And the pillows are starting to tear, and its a white couch and boy does it look dirty. DIRTAAAAY. (Which reminds me, I need to call that guy about cleaning it. Or do it myself since I don't, at the moment, have $150 bones to drop...) It's also just a couch and a chair, and with our really large living room, it doesn't "fit." All the Christmas cash I got is going to this purchase. This will be the next thing I buy. Unless I find a new-to-me black fridge first.

A Like-New Black Fridge -

Let's call a spade, a spade. If I can find a brand spanking new fridge at a good deal, I will snatch it up. The likelihood of that happening, however is slim to none. I want to spend no more than $350 on a fridge. And I really don't want anything fancy. I'd really just like either a normal refrigerator with an ice maker in the freezer or one of those spiffy nifty upside down fridges with the freezer on the bottom, but it still needs to have an ice maker. Obviously, if I'm able to purchase my kitchen, I'll buy a new fridge through that, but if not, I am so down with the respectfully used appliances. 

A Fully-Equipped Office for the Hubs -

You may be thinking that I want this for him. Let's remember that I am human and selfish and honestly, I need to hear some new music. I want Bryan to put out a new CD with some NEW SONGS so that I can groove to them. In order to do that though, he needs to have a working office where he can shut himself away for hours on end writing material and recording. Hours-on-end. Just enough time for me to get in some cheesey reality TV in. Love me some Kendra. Although I do like Hank more than Kendra. Hank is sweet and hot. She scored on that one. You like how I stay on point, huh? Bryan needs to get cracking on his music and I want him to have the tools to do so. This is a MUST this year. 

Bryan's Truck -

I can honestly say that Bryan and I have absolutely no other debt other than our house, his truck and my car. Actually, I'm lying, Bryan has a student loan but that loan was used to get the skills he has in Photoshop and those skills landed him his full time gig at a local credit union. So, it's the good kind of debt. Back to the bad debt we have, I don't want the bank to own our house and cars. And you have to start somewhere, right? I want to own his truck. By December 2011 I will have the pretty pink title in my hand and we'll be down to a car and a house. 2012, I will add to my pink pile with my car's title. I want to OWN our vehicles. Not the credit union. So it shall be. Just watch. :)

Painting Our House -

I have no recollection of posting about the horror we went through with this dude we hired and he jacked us over. But it happened. We paid him $1000 and all we got was an almost finished wood floor and some second-rate tools. Oh, and a really tall ladder. Which is handy for us short people... When we really wanted our house painted. Freaking jerk. Oh well. We were gracious and he'll have to answer for his decisions someday just like I will, and I'm going to take the high road. Now, Bryan and I still need to get the house painted and I'm hoping that Bryan will change his mind and he'll say that we should just do it. We have enough Vickers boys that can come over and help. We'll bribe them with pizza and beer. (Stop shaking your head "no" Bryan! It'll be cheaper!) Right now, our house is yellow, with white trim and red shutters. Except for the parts that we painted white because of our appraisal for the loan. Basically the house looks janky. And we're shooting to paint it in the early spring-time.

So, those are the big-money items I want to invest in this year. Obviously, lots of things can happen between now and then, but hopefully 2011 is a smooth year and we're able to knock all of this out! What a blessing that would be! 

Lost In Laundry

It amazing that I am even alive to tell you that I have NOT been taken over by the mounds of laundry that I have done this week.

As you may remember, I wrote about my weekly goals in this post and one of them was to launder and put away all the bazillion loads of laundry that I have. I have gotten about 35% done and I have done about two or three loads a night.

It actually started on Monday because of my amazingly awesome best friend Denise. We went grocery shopping together and while I made dinner she sorted and started the loads and we tackled about 4 or 5 that night, with me continuing on after she left. I've mentioned many times that she is my husband when Bryan isn't around but honestly, she's my husband all the time. Bryan would never think it take it upon himself to help out with the laundry. The only time he does laundry is when he needs socks or his work shirts washed. Drives me bonkers.

...Before you think that we are so rich and have a ton of clothes, that is not the case. When we were living with my father-in-law we had basically just a box or two of clothes to last us all those months. Everything else was in storage. And all of these storage items need to now be cleaned. It's not just clothes, it's everything. It's overwhelming, is what it is.

In light of all this, however, it has come to my attention that we still have WAY TOO MANY clothes and I shall be starting the agonizing feat of gearing up for a yard-sale. I'm hoping to have one the second weekend in February. Donations will be accepted and are encouraged. :) 

I'm pinching pennies trying to buy a couch/love-seat/two comfy chairs or a sectional and a new-to-me black fridge. These are the two major purchases of the three or four major purchases that I'd like to save for this year. 

So, I'm going to tighten my pocket book and get to saving! 

Sorry this post was such a dud. But with all the laundering that is going on my brain resembles a used dryer sheet. 

Closets Like Books, Not Just Clothes.

When I get an idea in my head, it's really hard to let go. I want to do it right there, in that moment... Which really isn't the way to confront household projects. Bryan gets irritated with me because before we have even finished one project I want to be on to the next. So, I'm trying to rein that in and do things the right way.

The first project that Bryan and I started on were the closets. Below is a very fancy, well lit photo of Bryan painting the closets. I know, I'm a photography genius.

Well, I measured and went to Lowe's to get what we needed and whilst installing, we realized that the 1x4's holding the shelf were messing up the bar holders that attach to the wall to hold each end of the bar. They were half on the 1x4's and half floating in the air. Does that make sense? Hope so.

Anyways, so being the genius that Bryan is, he cut another 1x4 and attached that so the bar holder would have something to screw into.

But then we realized that the bar is really, really high and its hard (for us short people, which is everyone in the house) to reach. Sigh. We suck. But we wanted it high enough to be able to add another shelf and/or bar in the middle of the closet. We just went a tad too high.

We also have an issue with the particle board shelf because its kind of... curved? So it doesn't sit flat. Even though it is super heavy and thick. Annoying.

Anyway, since we haven't figured out what we want to do, we've done nothing... Which is productive! And now I want to just start a new project. But I won't. I'll just plan. :)

Speaking of plans, if you look on our floor plan, we have a hallway closet that faces the living room. Right now, it's a door with a fake nob and those slanted slates that shutters have. It's ugly. And since I want to do this to the entryway and incorporate the hat rack I purchased from Ikea:

Image: Centsational Girl

(How absolutely gorgeous is that? Sometimes, Kate just rocks my world.)

Image: Ikea USA

I will have ample space for coats when we have guests. What I don't have space for, is the hundreds of books that I own. I already have four bookcases in my house and I really don't want to add anymore. I follow this great blog, Shopping Candy and quite a while ago, she posted about finding an article on a library closet.

Here is the image that gave her the inspiration:

Image: NYTimes.com

Here is what she did:

Images: Shopping Candy

Isn't that amazing? You should really click the link and check out the before and after. Do it. It's worth it.

Anyways, I'm thinking of making my hall closet into a closet library. Instead of having a completely see-through door, I want to try to keep the existing door, but remove the slates and add glass. Who knows if I can do it, but why not try? I have a lot of paper-back books that are not very sightly and I'd like to store them in the closet library but still keep them hidden.

After I get all the closets worked out, I'm going to start on the entry-way. I'm really excited for that project!

It's Not Okay

This is going to be short and quick because I really don't want to delve into politics a whole lot on my blog. But I'm irritated. Oh, so irritated.

Last week, a tragic shooting commenced in Arizona - the target was Representative Gabrielle Giffords, a moderate Democrat. However, there where over 20 people injured and six killed. Rep. Giffords was shot in the head and is still in critical condition.

The assailant was a young man named Jared Loughner and the press is reporting that he is mentally unstable and committed this senseless act alone. He was apprehended and charged for the crimes. 

I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but I am conservative. However, I love everyone and was raised to treat everyone with respect, even if I don't agree with their choices. I have many friends that are of all types of political mind and I really couldn't care any less. I may not understand some of their views but I do understand their right to see the world as they choose. 

So, now that I  have been reading a ton of different articles citing that Republican Sarah Palin was to blame for this because of a blurb she said in her Arizona themed reality show or because she posted a map on her Facebook page about who voted for the healthcare bill that happened to have a cross hair marking the individuals. 

It is positively absurd that people are trying to blame the actions taken by this individual on anyone else. It is not another person or a weapon that made this man make the decision that he did. He is mentally unstable! It doesn't matter if he is a Republican, or a Democrat, or who he shot. The fact that he took human lives is the problem. 

Dave Ramsey is a Christian financial educator and Bryan and I took his classes. The most important thing that we took away was that money is an inanimate object. It does not breathe. It does not make decisions. The only power our money has is what we give it. Letting something like money own us instead of us owning the money is downright ridiculous. Its the same thing as a cup, a cup has no power until we fill it and drink from it. 

The same rings true with a gun. A gun is just a gun. It is neither good nor bad. What we DO with the gun is what gives it power. Sarah Palin or anyone else for that matter, did not pull the trigger. Lets hold the man that did this accountable and stop playing the blame game. 

If you think of it, say a prayer for the people that lost their lives, are fighting for it and the family members affected by this tragedy. 

Should It Be A Surprise...

That I failed three of my four goals for last week? I think not.

Last week, I wrote this post about implementing daily and weekly goals to keep myself from being lazy as heck. I noted that on my sidebar, I would list my weekly goals to keep myself accountable and that I did. Except I only managed to get one item done.

However, instead of beating myself up, I'm going to accept the fact that out of the past twelve days, I've spent eight of them with Bryan's family due to a death in the family. I'm going to pat myself on the back for having only one night the past twelve days where we weren't at a relatives house, had relatives at our house, hosted friends for movies and dinner, went out to dinner, on a day trip to the snow or to a musical event and keeping my sanity through it all. More importantly, though, I didn't have one. single. MIGRAINE. the entire time. That in-and-of itself is a feat worth CELEBRATING.

Let's not forget that while I was not doing my chores, I was having a great time meeting, hanging out, and listening to stories with Bryan's extended family. It's a sad way for the family to get together but we celebrated Bryan's uncle and managed to bond. It's just another way of reaffirming that God always puts a silver-lining in even the darkest of days.

So, that said, I refuse to be deterred by my own lack of accomplishment and I just added the three left over items to this week. I will focus on the only measly chore I was able to accomplish. Eradicating Christmas from my house!

Last week, I managed to pack up my Christmas tree, purchase a few more tubs (on the cheap from WalMart) and pack away every single Christmas decoration that I know. I have three tubs full o' Christmas. Those three tubs also include the few items I purchased at the end of Christmas at a major discount. YEA for buying clearance Christmas decor!

I was also able to put all those said tubs in our weirdo trap door so I now have Halloween and Christmas under the floor. I just have to put the rest of my fall/Thanksgiving stuff in the other tub I purchased and I will be good to go!

My old weekly goals were the following:

Week of: January 2, 2011

-Post-guest Purpley Room Clean-up

-Hasta-la-vista, Christmas!

-Install master bedroom wall sconces

-Beach Room Clean Up 

My new weekly goals are:

Week of January 9, 2011
- Post-guest Purpley Room Clean-up-Install master bedroom wall sconces-Beach Room Clean Up-Redecorate living room (including new furniture placement.)-Wash all laundry
Happy Monday to you all! 

Psst. Interested in seeing our floorplan? Check out "The Harbor" tab up top or click here.

I May Cross Stitch, But I'm Not Old!

When I was younger, I used to bite my nails.... Okay, lets be real. I still bite my nails. But, when I was younger, my oldest sister, Alison, used to get on me about not doing it. I would mostly bite my nails when I was anxious, which was pretty much all the time. It happened often when we were watching TV.

I'm not sure who introduced Alison to cross-stitching, but she decided that she would teach me so I would have something to do with my hands. Of course, I took to it right away. I love to cross-stitch. What I don't love about it is the fact that all the templates look so old woman. Don't believe me? Let's take a look.

Image: Herrschners

Image: Stuff For Cross Stitch

Now, I'm not saying that either of those kits are ugly, they are just not young and modern, which is what I am going for. So, I've decided to try out making my own template, picking my own colors, and working on it from scratch. 

I am not really super crafty, but I figure that its a pretty cheap project. Armed with a gift card that my Dad and Delia gave me, I went to Michael's in search of my supplies. I bought cream colored cross stitch fabric for $3.99, twenty-one bundles of color at $.35 each, a $2.50 hoop and I got my pattern for free from the internet. My little project only ran me about $14. I am almost certain that I won't use all that string for this project, but I didn't want to have to run back and forth and risk them being out of the color I need! 

I'm excited to start and I'm hoping I'll be able to this weekend. We're taking a day trip to the snow, so I'll have some time in the car ride to get things started.

Have a great weekend!

Resolve To Change

I have been thinking a lot about what I want to change in my life. The list is never-ending. In order to keep my sanity, I've decided to only focus on four things this year.  

1. Get Fit & Get Active

The first challenge I have to face is to change my eating habits and get more exercise. (As I type this I am eating a banana. Yay for me!) Even though I love my dear hubby so much, the boy has the worst eating habits in the world. We are also lazy. Which is not a great combination. I am the cook in the family, so Bryan cleans the kitchen. Therefore, he HATES for me to cook because then he has to clean. He talks me out of cooking all the time, appealing to my lazy side. We always end up arguing and I get so frustrated that I take on the mentality that I'm not making him a ding-dang thing because if I do some Ex-lax might end up hidden in his plate by mistake! Oh just kidding...maybe. But I've got to stop letting him win. I need to cook. I need to eat healthy, homemade meals so that I don't eat Burger King and become even fatter than I already am. I'm told that everyone gains weight their first year of marriage. Well fine, but this is the second year and I'm ready for a change!

2. Challenge My Marriage

Bryan and I met when we were just kids. It's my opinion that a lot of the time, we revert back to our childhood selves when we deal with certain things. Also, I am a ridiculously hopeless romantic. I love to be romanced. And its a deal-breaker, ladies. (In the words of Liz Lemon from 30 Rock. Love that show!) Luckily, Bryan knows this about me so its not a shock. Unluckily, he has a hard time understanding that even though I am a romantic, I don't need huge grand gestures. While I love the random big bouquet of roses and jewelry, I would rather have 'small feedings', if you will, of romance. For example, a note tucked under my pillow to find when I go to sleep or in pair of pajama pants to find the next time I wear them. Waking up to a hot cup of coffee on my nightstand. Having dinner cooked for me without the obligation to clean afterwards. These 'small feedings' are simple and take little effort, but make a huge difference in my life and the way I feel about my boo.

When I talk (read: complain) to Bryan about needing these things, he has asked me, what do I do for him? How do I appeal to his love language? I may be able to list a few things but it's not as much as I should. I don't show him enough how much I love him. More often than not, I hide the fact that if something were to happen to him, it would destroy me. I don't want him to know just how deep my affection is for him. I'm scared that it will be used against me. It's not right. 

Bryan and I decided that we were going to do The Love Dare. We watched the independent film Fireproof  right before we got married and even with the weird acting, it had a powerful message. A message that stuck with me. I want a strong marriage. I want us to be able to withstand anything that life throws our way. It's important that we actively seal any cracks that come into our marriage so that termites can't get in and eat at the foundation of our marriage. 

I haven't spoken with Bryan about how comfortable he feels with sharing our journey on my blog, but I'm hoping to be able to!

3. Walk With God

I used to have this amazing, deep spiritual relationship with our Creator. And I let it go. I'd try to get back into it and each time my walk would be attacked to the point that I stopped trying. Something that Bryan and I were told for our first year is to enjoy each other. If we wake up on Sunday and want to go to church, go. If we want to stay in bed and talk, then do it. Because of Bryan's work schedule, we didn't go to a whole lot of church. For our first anniversary, we resolved that it was time to attend church every Sunday. Since October 25, we have only missed three Sundays. We are slowly but surely getting back to where we were a very, very long time ago. And this is something I want to develop even further. 

4.Get Unpacked and Organized

Don't judge me. We moved into our house in September.... And I still have most of our life in boxes. Honestly, there are few reasons why that is. The biggest is that I am lazy. But the second reason is that I've always lived in very small houses. When Bryan and I lived together (not good, don't recommend it.) we lived in a very nice sized house. Then we ended our relationship and it really was just like going through a divorce. I took half and he took half. I moved into a two bedroom apartment with a roommate that was considerably smaller than the house we shared and ended up donating and selling a lot of furniture on Craigslist. The next two houses I lived in after that were tiny, too. And Bryan has very little furniture since his Dad kept the set he's used for the past 23 years of his life. All this to say, we have a house with over 1800 square feet and not a whole lot of furniture to put books and picture frames and candles. We also don't have a whole lot of storage. So things are slow going at the moment. It'll get there though. I'm sure of it.