the little things

i love...

thrifting!

Seriously, why didn't I do it sooner?!  

I love browsing for "new" things & have decided my style is definitely vintage/primitive & that makes me happy! 

Nate & I ventured all over amish country yesterday (one of very favorite places, ever) & had such a blast!

We had to stop by Carlisle Inn (where we stayed back in April) to get mom & Phil's anniversary gift! Then, we HAD to stop by the bakery for a cinnamon roll! ;) 

After breakfast in the car, we stopped at a couple indoor flea markets, which were horrible (all new stuff, what kind of a flea market is that?! haha), but Nate managed to find a few more Hot wheels, so it wasn't a complete bust!  Then, we stopped by our favorite "spice store" where Nate picked up some more of his favorite Chipotle Tabasco & we also found a new love for Peach Salsa (hello, delicious!).

We had a yummy lunch & then stopped next door at an antique store & had so much fun browsing!  I picked a rug up for our kitchen for a steal & Nate found a New Era tin that used to hold potato chips! (New Era used to what is now Frito Lay).

On our drive back home, we stopped in Kidron (about 15 minutes from where we live)-another amish community.  We walked around the flea market there, but since it was a little later in the day, most vendors had already packed up, bummer.  It was still so much fun!

After Nate left for work, I had to run some errands & decided to stop by a local antique shop to do some more browsing, where I found some vintage buttons for scrapbooking & this....

!!  It makes my heart so happy!  Something so junky & simple!  But, it's perfect for what I've been needing & I was so happy to find it!

Here it is all cluttered up already with some of my schtuff! :)

Today after church we had a yummy lunch with mom & Phil at Tumbleweed.  I hadn't eaten there in years & boy do they give you a LOT of food!  I didn't even eat half of my order, I gave the rest to Nate for his lunch tonight.

After lunch, Nate & I stopped by Goodwill before heading home & I found this little bag full of goodness!

For 75 cents I got lots of Rick Rack & trims!

(the buttons are from yesterday's finds)

How yummy is all that?!  And ya know I'll never be able to use it all, so I've decided to share it!

So, if you'd like some vintage goodness for your layouts, cards, or projects just leave me a comment saying hello & I'll enter you to win!  I'll draw a name on Tuesday!

I even scrapped a layout tonight about yesterday already! (I couldn't wait to use some of that Rick Rack!)

I'm off to bed!

Have a great week!

Mmmm..chips.

You might have a husband who works at Frito Lay if...

You get big CASES of chips for next to nothing! ;)

ps: these weren't for us, they were for a girl I work with who is having many a summer BBQ! :)

If you like Frito Lay (or not, that's okay too!)...what is YOUR favorite chip?

Here's to tomorrow being Friday & a great weekend ahead! 

craft.i.ness :)

I've been working on some scrap stuff lately & lovin' it, but unfortunately, I can't share much of it yet (!) 

I can, however, share this bit of card craftiness that I whipped up late Saturday night after all the cleaning & such! 

It's an anniversary card for my mom & Phil. I can't believe they'll be married 8 years in July already!  The time has flown!

I'm kind of proud of myself for making cards lately.  If you'd of asked me a year ago if I'd be loving making cards almost as much as scrapbooking, I'd have said heck no!  But, I am so happy I would have been wrong :)

Nate's been getting quite a bit of overtime & I am so thankful for it, because it has allowed us to really take a chunk off our debt & helped us purchase our furniture wayyy sooner than we had thought!  God is so good!  I find every day I learn to trust Him more & more.  I know I should trust Him anyways...& I do, but it's so hard for us as humans to just fully give it ALL to Him, ya know?  

I'm learning tho!  Things on the weight loss front are a bit slow lately.  Ok, a LOT slow!  I weighed in today & was down .6=13.8...I am NOT going to give up this time tho!  I am just figuring my body & such out.  I plan on pushing hard this next week & hopefully I'll be down over a total of 15 by next weeks weigh in!

I would also like to share one of my favorites right now-perfect for these hot summer days & a sweet treat! :)

Helllloooo Dairy Queen fudge bars!!  1 is only 1 point!!!  How awesome is that?! And the best part?  They taste deeeelicious!! 

If you have a DQ & are watching or just want a low fat treat-you must run there & grab one or a box (a box of 6 is 6 bucks)

Welp, I have an itching to scrap!  Have a good week!

It's magic alright!

This little guy has made my life SO much easier!

I picked up my first box today at Target after reading on a blog they're great for (anything) cleaning keyboards on laptops, etc.

And I am so happy I did!  I went thru two today. I seriously couldn't stop scrubbing my tub! lol We have this scum that builds up right in the "round" part of the tub & up along the wall & I have scrubbed & scrubbed at that stuff for weeks with not much luck...until tonight!  That little Magic Eraser worked wonders!

So, thank you Mr. Clean!

Today has been spent shopping a bit (Nate found his wedding attire without any problems at all, thank the Lord!), I ate PIZZA!!!  & it was delicious! :)  Also picked up a few groceries & a DQ cake for Father's Day tomorrow.  We're having my dad over at some point (he has to work & has no clue when he'll be here).  

I purged a lot from the drawers in our bathroom & hallway cabinet. That felt awesome!  Cleaned the entire house & did two loads of laundry!  Busy day!

Hope your weekend is going great!

just thinking...

& dreaming about soaking in a tub just like this one...someday?!

seriously, how amazing (& relaxing) does that look?! sigh.

it's been a good week! i'm staying on program...feeling the burn by walking every night!

i am loving the following foods this week:

Bush's original baked beans (1/2 c. for 2 pts)

Yoder's ( i think this is a local only, sorry)  string cheese (2 pts)

Thomas' whole wheat english muffins (1 pt) YUM!

Cherry tomatoes

Smart Ones egg/ham/cheese english muffin (4 pts, but oh-so good & very filling!)

Watermelon!!

Weight Watchers strawberry shortcake yogurt (1 pt)

Morningstar Chicken patties (3 pts)

i am also loving the idea of switching things up each day.  i get bored so easily & by having something different almost every day has really helped keep me "interested" :)

this weekend will keep me busy.  tomorrow night i'm hanging out with some of my bestest friends for "veg night!"--which means Subway, a movie from Redbox & lots of laughs, i count on it!

saturday nate & i will be venturing to Kohl's to use up our Friends & Family coupon!  On the list?  A nice dress shirt & possibly tie for Nate to wear to all these weddings we have coming up, & a pair of sweats for me since I have run both pair of mine ragged!  then, i get PIZZA!!!  i have had this planned all week & am so, so excited!  

also on the weekend plans is a date with our office closet.  serious purge time.  i'm imagining a clean, less packed, less messy & super awesome space when i'm all done! we'll see.  stay tuned for the before & afters!

 lots to do & i'm looking forward to it! i feel the need to simplify things a bit around here...& purging will help greatly.

& i have to share this photo my Hot wheels obsessed hubster took last weekend at a car show he went to!

i think the Hot wheels rims are pretty suhsweet, myself! ;)

oh, & here's one of me showing my excitement for my new clutch made by the fabulous MadameCupcake! :)

Here's to a good weekend ahead! :)

today's ponderings

This weekend I had the best scrap time that I've had in a long time!

I love that, don't you?

I was able to create 4 projects for a guest design spot coming up! (eeek! Excited about this!) AND 2 more layouts just cuz!

Looking through one of my old (& I mean OLD-as in hello, no patterned paper & lots vellum & stickers!) scrapbooks, I found this photo of one of my favorite people, ever, my granny.  My heart beamed!  I loved that lady so, so much!  I scanned it in & immediately got to work on this page.

Crate paper PP, Hero Arts heart stamp, MME little red button, Sasafrass green scallop sticker, American Crafts Thickers & journaling pen, 2girlzstuff label, yellow ribbon & pin from etsy :)

Then, this one came to be after writing a mini "i'd like to do" list on my mac's post-it note!  All things I'd love to do. Someday! :)

American Crafts Thicker's (love them!) & journaling pen, Sasafrass flower sticker, MM mini letter stickers, 2girlzstuff label, butterfly punch from Ormolu on etsy (link on the left), jillybean soup bird PP, flower stems, dot fabric, ribbon & flower button-etsy.

To-do list this week consists of:

-walking every night after work

-continuing to drink lots of water each day

-purging our office closet

-working on the new budget (more debt has been paid OFF!!! praise the Lord!)

-sweep the hizzouse ;)

-work on some more assignments

-get lots of rest!

-try a new recipe tomorrow night (fresh pasta with grilled chicken breast & a hint of extra virgin olive oil!)

Hope your Monday has been wonderful!  I'm off to catch up on some shows & have something sweet! WW friendly of course!

oops!

Well, it was to be expected. I slipped up, royally!

Last weekend caught up with me at today's weigh in.

& because I am set on documenting the good AND the bad, I need to share that I was up 1.8 today.

UGH.

But, I will NOT let this bum me out!  Instead, I am moving on & know what I need to work on this week.

Such as...

-No more Subway 2 nights in a row (especially after a terrible food weekend previously!)

-No more "gas station coffee" (really it's cappuccino from Bellstore) 2 mornings during the week! (what was I thinking?! goodness!)

-Back to really focusing on portion control. (it's amazing how 2 short days of letting this one go can really screw your whole way of thinking up)

-Get in every point available for the day...don't slack on not eating just 1 or 2 pts by the end of the day

-Track what I eat better.  This has always been a downfall for me, but it's definitely a key part in success.

SO, it's a new week & I like that!

Today for lunch, we had homeade chicken-soft tacos & they were delicious!

Also, in our 1 a.m. Walmart grocery trip last night, I picked up some Weight Watchers candies (pecan crowns & toffee) for those moments where I just "need" chocolate! & also some Thomas' english muffins in whole wheat (1 point each!) & Smucker's (because it's made in the town we live in!) strawberry jelly for a good breakfast this week.

I am determined to be down at least 20 pounds by 4th of July!  Think I can do it?!

Also, I wanted to ask you readers...is there anyone else on Weight Watchers too?!  If so, let me know & we can share meal ideas, inspirations, etc! :)

Here's to a fresh week & no more (while tempting!) sitting my chunky butt on our new couch for hours at a time anymore! ;)

& one more thing--I've decided to snatch up the next Studio Calico kit when it's available!!  I am SO excited! Thanks for all the great recommendations a few weeks ago!

I gave in

So, remember me mentioning I didn't do so hot this past weekend on the WW wagon?

Well, I kind of didn't weigh in this Sunday like usual either.

eeeep!

BUT, I felt super guilty about not doing it, I mean...I know not every week will be good or the best...& I have to face the music.

So, I decided to go ahead & just weigh this morning, anticipating writing down a GAIN, but...to my surprise...

I was down another 2.4!!! :)

Which makes 14.8 gone in 3 weeks!!

Thank you, Lord! 

Nate & I walked last night (the heat was killer, but I still pulled through!) & I did another 30 minutes tonight on the Fit, plus moved our new furniture around about a billion times, so melt away calories, melt away! 

I don't want to jinx myself, my I must say I am proud of myself for sticking it through this time!  This is officially the longest I've stayed with the program since I lost big back in 03/04 AND the lost weight I've managed to lose at once since that time!  Praying I can REALLY do it this time & am hoping to be 30 pounds lighter by my birthday in August!  Now, THAT would be cool!

After I told Nate of my loss this morning, he turned over, all sleepy-eyed (bless his heart!) & gave me the biggest high five & "I'm sooo proud of you!" ever!  It made my day! 

Welp, its about time to be getting ready for bed, so I'm out!  But, before I go...here's one of my favorite photos right now!  My mom & Phil. Two pretty awesome people. My parents! :) I am blessed!

while katy perry is on repeat...

(I never thought I liked her music...but have to admit, I really like a few of her songs...) anyways..

While her song, 'Lost' is on repeat on the iTunes, I thought I would share a couple of my latest layouts of none other than my hubby!  I love him so :)

used some of my new labels from 2girlzstuff on etsy on this one :)

i pretty much adore that new fish paper by Cosmo Cricket & that green & white dot ribbon from American Crafts! :)

i've been noticing lately that my style changes all the time. & in almost every layout. usually a bit scattered, but a tad different.  i like it this way...i think! haha! 

happy tuesday!

yey for good things

good things like...

-going on a VERY last minute overnight trip to a favorite city: Columbus! (seriously, we talked about it, decided on it, booked the room, packed & hit the road all within 50 minutes!)

-getting a heck of a good deal on a beautiful room at the Hilton (thank you, AAA!) & having a neat view from the 6th floor :)

-sweet bathrooms with a modern touch. makes me happy! lol

-fun shopping at the best mall in cbus that result in funny photos of the hubs! ;)

-meeting up with my favorite cousin, steph & her awesome husband matt for a fun night out!

-a delicious dinner at P.F Changs! (I didn't do so hot on WW this weekend.)

-having a good husband who, even tho we have our not-so-good-times, gets me.

-a day off work.

-awaiting this beauty to come in the mail this week!

the sweet, sweet lisa (aka: MadameCupcake on etsy) did an amazing job with my custom order! if you're on the lookout for a clutch, pouch or bag, she's your girl! i cannot wait to carry it with me to the weddings next month! :)

-finally getting a new couch & oversized chair!!  our old couch has been wonderful, especially since it was free, but the poor thing has has definitely seen better days.  it has tears & holes & scratches &...the list goes on & on all over.  we found a great sale today & couldn't pass up the offer.  both pieces will be here Wednesday! I can't wait!

Yesterday was a horrible day, but thank goodness for the GOOD things that make up for it! :)

Have a blessed week!