Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Sometimes and Always #4


Sometimes... I think that I've watched everything interesting on Netflix.
Always... I find something else to watch. Right now, it's One Tree Hill.

Sometimes... I overbook myself.
Always... My husband is there to help out so I can get everything done.

Sometimes... I miss drinking Coke.
Always... I'm so glad that I gave up soda. It was something that I had way too much and is so unhealthy.

Sometimes... I really want to go back to Jamaica.
Always... I love feeling the way we did when we were there for our honeymoon.



Monday, March 26, 2012

The Newlywed Game



Last week, Megan posted that she was going to do a link up of the Newlywed Game this week. Being newlyweds and in that "in love" stage, I thought it would be fun to join in.

The rules are simple...
You answer the five questions below and have your husband (or significant other) answer the same questions and put it into a post. Here are the questions:

1) What do you think my best quality is?

2) What would be your ideal date with me?
3) What was your first impression of me?
4) What is your favorite memory of us?
5) What do you see for us in the future?

So, without further adieu, here are our answers...

My answers:
1.
My husband's best quality is his kindness and compassion for others. He is very selfless and always wants to help others. It's amazing to me how much he does this without complaining.

2.
My ideal date with him would be going out to do some sightseeing around different towns/cities. I love being out with him experiencing new things.
3.
My first impression of him was...interesting. We met on the internet and his profile was great. The first picture I saw was really good, but then I saw another picture where it was less than ideal. It was so nerdy! I seriously thought he put up a before/after shot haha!

My first impression of him in person was interesting too. We met at a baseball game and when he was walking up to me it looked like he was carrying a man purse! It was (fortunately) a camera bag with a long strap, but it was funny! He was very sweet, happy, and nervous that night.
4.
I have so many favorite memories of us. I loved our first date in D.C., our wedding, and our honeymoon. They are all special and stand out!
5.
In the future, I see us buying a house, having kids, and living our lives together. I see us being happy and loving one another more throughout the years.

His answers...
1.
Your best quality is your compassion for others.

2.
A good date would be eating dinner with you then laying down to watch a movie.

3.
I thought you were upbeat, spunky, and very well organized.

4.
It is hard to pick a favorite memory.  I could put one down but I think I would rather tell you later in person. ;)

5.
In the future I see a house, two kids, and a life time of wedded bliss. :)

As you can see, I literally copied and pasted his answers directly from the email I sent him! And yes, he knew this was for a blog!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Sewing for my Business

I love sewing. It's something that I started doing randomly a couple of years ago and really got into last summer. Once I decided that I enjoyed it so much, I made the decision to start up a business!

I started making and selling clutch purses online on my Etsy shop and mostly at craft shows. I get tons of compliments on them, but they're not a hot ticket item. They are, however, really cute.

I also made some quilted cosmetic bags and wristlets that didn't sell well at craft shows, but they were a hit with people I knew!
A custom one for the school I was working for.

Since those weren't selling too well, I started branching out and making fleece scarves and felt rosette hair pins for kids and boy did those sell!

Which got me thinking...maybe baby and kid stuff would sell better at craft shows! This got me into making some new things for the craft show at the end of the month like...
Customized burp cloths...
Pacifier Clips...

And bibs!

I'm hoping that these items will be much more received (and purchased) since the price point seems to be more of where people are comfortable spending.




Wednesday, March 21, 2012

So What Wednesdays



This week I'm saying SO WHAT! if....
  • Yesterday was my birthday and other than the facebook comments, it felt like just another normal day. I wanted a low key day and asked my husband to not get me anything. All I wanted was to spend time with him on my birthday.
  • I was super lazy the past two days. I had a crazy-busy weekend and was exhausted.
  • I went on an interview last night. I love staying at home, but got contacted for a 2-day a week job. It didn't work out (on their end) and I knew from the beginning it was not something that would work out.
  • I just started watching One Tree Hill on Netflix and I actually like it. 

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Sometimes and Always #3


Since it's Tuesday, I'm linking up with Megan!


Sometimes... I plan so many things in such a short period of time.
Always... I end up exhausted the next day and get a day to just "rest".

Sometimes... I try to update my facebook status using my iPhone.
Always... it ends us changing some words to make it look like I can't spell!

Sometimes... I really miss teaching.
Always... I love being home and know that God is going to work some great things out with me being here.

Sometimes... I want to go for a walk with my husband in the evening.
Always... I either try and fail or am too tired.

Sometimes... I spend more money than I thought I was going to.
Always... I get a great deal with sales/coupons/money back for your next purchase!

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Growing

Growing up in Southern California and living in Maryland is like two different worlds. I never thought that I would ever be living away from"home", in fact, I always thought that I would live down the street from my family.

I struggled while living on California. I struggled with not fitting in, whether it was with the partners or beach goers. I struggled with being able to afford my own place and finishing college. I also struggled with my faith and my relationship with my family.

I strongly believe that God allowed me to make the journey to the East Coast to help heal me from all of the pain I had been experiencing in California. My life now is completely different than my life used to be. I feel more at home and like this is where I'm supposed to be.

The Lord has blessed me south since moving out here and I am so thankful for that.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Saving Money Saturdays


Around here we really like saving money. We also really like for our apartment to be clean. Even if it has some clutter to it which never happens I am very particular that it must be "clean." I have no desire to turn into a hoarder and feel like I'm constantly picking up around the house.

One product that I absolutely love to use when cleaning is a carpet powder. I love that it makes my carpet smell clean and gives the apartment a fresh smell.

Carpet powder is relatively inexpensive, but I found out that by using the main ingredient baking soda you can save tons of money!

Baking soda will neutralize the odors and is super cheap. It is easy to find and works well for so much more than keeping your fridge clean!

To use baking soda as a carpet powder, lightly sprinkle your carpet with the baking soda, let it sit for 5 minutes, and vacuum. It's that easy and works so well!





Friday, March 16, 2012

Friday Letters

Photobucket

Today I'm writing some letters...

Dear Parents/Caregivers/Chaperones... Please watch your children when you are out. I have no problem telling your kids to "watch out, knock it off, or to stop it" and neither should you.

Dear Pageant Moms (on Toddlers & Tiaras)... I understand that you feel the need to live vicariously through your children, but get a grip! Spray tanning your 3-5 year old is not ok and neither is making your young child look like they are an adult. It's weird, but I still find you entertaining.

Dear People With Poor Grammar... "You did good" is not grammatically correct. Good is supposed to be used as an adjective to describe something (i.e. good job). Well is the word you are looking for. You're welcome.

Dear Lazy People in the Laundry Room... Please get your clothes out of the washer or dryer within 5-10 minutes of the load being done. I don't want to touch your clothes, but I will. I am not as patient as my husband and I will not drive to another building because you are too lazy to come get your clothes.

That is all :)

Ways to Tell if You're a Stay at Home Wife

You can tell if you're a stay at home wife if...
You get super excited thinking about all of the laundry, dishes, and cleaning you got done (and it's a weekday).

You actually have time to make yourself real meals during the day and make a real dinner too.

You call your husband/mom/friends less often because of stress and more because you feel awesome.

You realize that being at home and getting everything done makes you feel awesome every day.

The laundry is done and your husband didn't have to do it.

The bed has been made multiple times during the week just so that it looks pretty.

Changing into nice clothes to stay around the house is an option.

Grocery shopping is not considered a chore.

Running errands make you happy.

Figuring out new ways to save money excites you.


Thursday, March 15, 2012

Putting Yourself Out There

Let's be real. I'm not shy. Never have been, never will be. I like to talk and get to know people. Sure, there are moments where I don't feel up to it, but most of the time I'm pretty outgoing.

I started my business last summer with sewing clutch purses and quilted cosmetic bags/wristlets. It was fun and I really wanted to promote my business. I decided that what I should do was to carry one of them with me and when someone noticed the bag, I would let them know that I made it. This usually got them interested and I left giving them my business card!

With staying at home and transitioning into making more baby-related things it's been a little more difficult to do this. Sure, I can talk about it and show pictures on my iPhone, but it's not the same as having the item there and someone really being able to see it.

Today I was in the laundry room, putting in a load of laundry, and there was another woman in there with me. Of course, I decided to start chatting her up and happened to mention that I make my own laundry soap. She seemed intrigued with it and asked how I made it. By the time we left the laundry room she asked if she could stop by tonight to see it and possibly buy some!

My husband always seems so appalled at how well I get myself out there and how positively people respond. He says that if he tried to do the same thing, he would look super awkward and would make people feel weird and it's so true! Haha!

Of course, there are always times where someone does not respond as well as you would hope, but that's ok (they usually make for some funny stories later on).

Do any of you put yourselves out there?


Wednesday, March 14, 2012

So What! Wednesday

Of course I'm linking up with Shannon again because it's what we do.

This week I'm saying SO WHAT if...

  • I love Toddlers & Tiaras. The people on there are a hot mess and make me laugh at all of their shennanigans.
  • My husband and I eat turkey burgers on the regular. Seriously, it's a couple of times per week, but we love them.
  • I quit my gym membership. It cost a LOT of money and I wasn't going anyways. Plus, I have access to a "gym" at my complex so I was really wasting money to begin with.
  • My apartment looks like a tornado hit. I've been organizing and sewing a lot and sometimes that means things get messier before they get cleaner.
  • I get a bit offended when people comment about our new situation. No, I wasn't planning on quitting my job and staying at home, but it works and we're happy.
  • If I love the weather right now. I'm a California girl so living on the East Coast with many cold days does not fly with me.
What are you saying So What! to this week?

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Sometimes and Always #3


I'm linking up again with Megan again this week!

Sometimes... I want to go crazy on rude people.
Always... I try to hold it in and not cause a scene.

Sometimes... I try to get all of the errands done during the week.
Always... there seems to be something that my husband needs to help with on the weekend.

Sometimes... I try to save money by doing the "cheap" thing.
Always... I regret it and realize that it costs more to fix it than if I would have gone with the more expensive thing first.

Proof:
I call this "embrace the ugly". Do not get your hair done at a beauty salon. I was going for blonde highlights and dark blonde low-lights. They talked me into "copper" and assured me it wouldn't be red. Ha, riiiight.

Sometimes... I get a little energetic and do random things.
Always... He says he still loves me, but it's a little much.

Sometimes... I can't believe that we're married!
Always... I love being married and wouldn't change it for anything!

Monday, March 12, 2012

Why yes, I do have a job!

It's officially been a little over a month since I started staying at home and I still love it! To me, being a stay-at-home wife is not just eating bon-bons and watching Netflix all day.
It's about organizing, running errands, cooking, cleaning, and sewing for my business.
I have been busier staying at home than when I was teaching four different English classes. When I tell my husband my schedule, he says it exhausts him just hearing about it. Ha! His schedule exhausts me. He has the 1.5 hour commute each way to work every day and he clocks in over 8 hours each day!
Since being at home, I've definitely had mixed reactions from friends and family. Some think it's great and see how happy I am now. Others think that I'm making a huge mistake and should "get a job."
I realize that in 2012 it's more uncommon for the wife to stay at home and look after her husband and the household, but staying at home is a job! It's rewarding and I work hard. I have days where I get more done than others, but the beauty is that I have all day to get things done so if I'm not feeling it one minute, I can go back and take care of it later.
Today's agenda includes: washing and changing the sheets, dishes, running to the post office, putting clothes away, sewing, making dinner, and general pick up of the apartment. It might not sound like a lot to some people, but once you start doing it, you realize how much you actually do!
Basically, we all have jobs. Some work at home while others work out of the home, but everyone does something that contributes to their family and that should be recognized and not devalued.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Saving Money Saturdays #1


Saving Money Saturdays (via)

 Since I love saving money, I figured that I should try to do a weekly post on ways to save money!

This week I'm going to talk laundry. We know that I make my own
 laundry soap and love the fact that I can customize it depending on what scents we like and how scented we like our clothes. But, this post isn't about washing our clothes, it's about drying our clothes!

My husband and I grew up on different coasts. I was born and raised in California and he was born and raised in Maryland. To say that the way we grew up was a bit different would be an understatement. At my house, we always used a washer and dryer for our clothes. At his house, they used a washer and line dried their clothes in the laundry room.

I have to admit, I was taken back at first. I mean, who does that? I really thought that was for people who lived on a farm or the Amish. No, really I did. So when they let me do laundry at their house for free I had to change from using the dryer to line drying my clothes.

Line drying worked well there. Of course we use the dryer for towels and unmentionables, but other than that we hung them up on the line.

Once my husband and I got married, our laundry privileges were taken away and we started doing laundry at our apartment complex. The washers are small and it costs about $2.95 per load to wash and dry and we do about three loads of laundry a week. That comes to $460.20 per year just for the facility cost! Ouch.

Since we live in an apartment and don't have a good spot to hang an actual line, my husband found drying rack at Joann Fabrics while I was looking at fabric. It was compact and with a 40% off coupon it came to $18. It was easy to assemble and fits perfectly in our living room off to the side.



As you can see, it holds a good amount of clothes (30 pieces) and can be out of the way so the clothes can dry.

Right now we have a fan on it to get it started for a couple of hours, but when the weather is nice tomorrow we will keep the windows open so it will dry faster.

We are hoping to do this with all of our clothes throughout the week by spacing out our loads since it will take 2-3 days to dry before we can put the clothes away. If this works out, we can save $140.40 per year! {Based on drying only one load per week in the dryer for towels and personal items}

Line drying might not be for everyone, but it's defintely worth trying out!



Thursday, March 8, 2012

Homemade Baby Wipes

Since I've been staying at home, I've been making a lot of changes. I haven't had a fast food burger/fry in a month, stopped drinking soda, and have started making some things that we would normally buy in the store myself.


I saw a tutorial for homemade baby wipes and decided to give it a go. My husband and I use baby wipes on the regular and they can get kind of pricey which prompted me to try it out.


I read many different tutorials and watched a couple of YouTube videos to make sure that I would have a good "grasp" on how to make them.


Here's what you need:
  • A roll of 2-ply paper towels {I used Bounty Select-a-Size}cut in half
  • 2 Tablespoons of Baby Shampoo or Baby Wash
  • 2 Tablespoons of Baby Oil
  • A Tub with a lid {that your paper towels fit into}
  • 2 Cups of Water
  • A bowl or pitcher to mix it all in
  •  
Once you have all of your supplies you can start!

First, boil 2 cups of water (you could also use dilluted water and skip the boiling process). Let the water boil for a few minutes, turn off the stove, and let it get to room temperature.
 
While the water is boiling, cut the paper towel roll in half {length-wise} and place into your tub.
 
Once the water has reached room temperature, mix in 2 tablespoons of baby shampoo and 2 tablespoons of boiling water.
 
Next, pour the mixture over the paper towels {making sure to saturate it as evenly as possible}.
 
Put a lid on the tub, set a timer for 10 minutes and wait. Then, flip the tub upside down and set the timer for another 10 minutes.
 
Open the tub, remove the cardboard center and you're done! The wipes will come out from the center just like cleaning wipes.
 
These wipes work so well and stay moist as long as you keep the lid on once you're done!
 
And that's it. Super easy, super cost-effective!


Wednesday, March 7, 2012

So What Wednesday

I'm linking up again with Shannon at L.A.I.D..

This week I'm saying SO WHAT....
  • If I'm staying at home now and I love it. My husband and I decided that's what is best for our family and negative comments are not needed.
  • If I get a little annoyed when people ask me if I'm pregnant. If I were, that would be great, but no, I'm just fat thanks.
  • If I've been eating lunch foods for breakfast almost every day this past week.
  • I don't have a plan for dinner tonight. I'll figure something out, but I've been busy sewing all morning

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Sometimes and Always #2


Sometimes... I think I have all the fabric I will need for the next craft show.
Always... I end up running out to Joann Fabrics to get some last minute stuff.

Sometimes... I plan a surprise and think I'll actually surprise my husband.
Always... I end up telling him what it is because I'm so excited.

Sometimes... I think that we have people over too much.
Always... We have a great time and I want to have them over again.

Sometimes... I tell myself that I'm done shopping for the week.
Always... It seems that I've forgotten something and end up running out to the store.

Sometimes... I think that the parents and kids on Toddlers and Tiaras are crazy.
Always... I have to watch the show to see how crazy!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

It's Ok Thursday

Its Ok Thursdays

It's Ok...

To be a stay at home wife. So many people have their own ideas of what's ok and what's not, but for us, it works!

To have a difference of opinion and to {nicely} let someone know that is not how you feel.

To laugh when you fall into a puddle and keep going.

To watch old episodes of The Hills everyday starting at Season 1 Episode 1

To take pictures of things that make you laugh and send it to your friends to see their reactions.

To have a low key anniversary. I loved spending time with my husband and we were so happy to be together!