Putting It Towards The House

I seem to have this habit that both Chris and my mom have started to notice.  Whenever I'm given a gift card, I tend to spend it on something for the house instead of myself.

Take for example a recent trip to TJ Maxx/Home Goods with mom.  We both got a couple of gift cards during the holidays and while mom was busy looking for a new suitcase, socks and a new top, I was over checking out silverware, cutting boards and food storage containers.

the new lock top containers

In all honesty, they are all things that we needed to replace.  While packing for the move I wanted to get rid of items that were well past their prime which included the cheap silverware that was starting to rust, old containers that were stained from pasta sauce, and flimsy cutting mats that were scored from countless knife stokes.  I had every intention of making the rounds over to the clothes section, but with the goal of better fitness and eating I want to hold off on buying clothes until I feel a little better about myself.  I found myself doing the same thing at Target and walked out with some new everyday plates.  I need to hold off on looking at any more home items until we get into a house and can finally unpack all of the wedding gifts that are sitting in storage.

Side note - Those storage containers above actually started a mini internal debate.  I found them half off at Home Goods, but wanted to add a couple extra to the bunch.  I found them on Amazon and spent a day debating back and forth on heading to another Home Goods or Ross to look for more or just order them at full price online.  In the end the savings of finding the 3 exact sizes that I needed in the store did not outweigh  the gas it would have cost to get there.  No tax and free shipping on Amazon? Why yes that will make the decision easier.

Anyways, back to the habit.  It's nothing new, it was around before (putting money towards the wedding instead of spending it on myself) and I'm sure it'll transition towards our children in the future.  I don't think there is anything wrong with focusing on something or someone else, but every now and then I will have to remind myself that it's OK to pick up a new pair of shoes or a new outfit for myself.

Do you find yourself putting more towards someone or something other than yourself?

2011 Photo Recap

I have to give a big thank you to Amanda over at The Fix-Its for this post.  After checking out her year in photos, I thought it would be a great tradition to start!

January

We kicked off the year sending off our wedding invites, working on DIY projects and picking out our menu for our reception.

February

We finished my beloved passport programs and received some special packages in the mail - my something borrowed earrings from Kate (Mrs. Champagne from Weddingbee) and our first wedding gift.

March

A month where I was showered with love and had an amazing night out with my friends.

April

We got married!  I also had the chance to hang out with some awesome bees in New Orleans and we headed south to San Antonio for a mini moon.

May

We honeymooned in Mexico, fell in love with all-inclusives and lived out the dream to swim with dolphins.

June

Flew to the east coast to celebrate Corinne's bachelorette weekend.

July

Found Pinterest and started to branch out in the kitchen.

August

Headed back home to Philly for Corinne's wedding and then celebrated my birthday with 24 hours in Atlantic City.

September

Discovered some local wineries.

October

Relived our childhood with Legend of the Hidden Temple Halloween costumes and dealt with car issues that resulted in a new truck.

November

Spent some time with my friends and their little ones and was thankful for the year we were having.

December

Packed up, moved out and spent the holidays with my family.

2011 was an amazing year, can't wait to see what the camera captures in 2012!

Off To A Good Start

Well something is better than nothing, right?

As the new year rolled around I knew I wanted to refocus on the fitness section of my 30 before 30 goals.  I know, I know...we all say it every year.  What is going to make this year different?  For me, I know I need to make the lifestyle change.  I've gotten to a point I'd rather not be anywhere close.

I've done it before, but the last time was almost 5 years ago.  I was living on my own and just starting the whole match.com scene.  I was able to cut back on eating out, stock up on fresh foods and work out all the time.  I lost nearly 30 pounds and was in better shape than I was in college.

Then I met this guy.

I don't blame it on him whatsoever, but all those date nights out and getting into that comfortable relationship didn't help the motivation.  And so the weight crept back.  I tired of being tired (although that probably has more to do with my low iron) and I'm ready to make the change.  Lucky for me, the whole house is in on changing for the better.  We've stocked up on fresher foods, started taking a daily vitamin, looking into better recipes and I'm feeling really motivated.  One of my goals was to work out 3-4 times a week for 2 months straight.  Weeks 1 & 2 are now down in the books.  Hopefully I reach the goal by the beginning of March and keep it going for many months after that!

What are some of your goals for the new year?

Click 366

To get in the habit of using my camera more, while testing out new techniques, I have decided to jump on the Click 366 train.

Gypsy mid yawn

I'll be uploading my daily pictures over on my new tumblr site (I've also added a tab up at the top).  I had to catch up since I didn't start until this past weekend, but from here on out I'm trying to post one every day. At the end of each month I'll share some of my favorite pictures here.

Are there any new projects that you are taking on for 2012?

A Little Bee Holiday Cheer

Look what came in the mail this weekend!

Isn't it cute?  Every year the Bees over at Weddingbee do an ornament exchange and this year the lovely Mrs. Tulip pulled my name.  Unfortunately, thanks to the USPS cutbacks which changed the mail forwarding process from the local stations to a central plant, my little bee ornament was held up until January.  But it's here now, I love it and am looking forward to hanging it on our tree in December!

Side note - there's a little taste of some of the holiday goodies I scored at 70% off.  I already have an idea for them (thanks to Pinterest) and can't wait to see it all come together later this year.

Lessons Learned In Box Building

As a final project for one of his computer classes last semester, Chris was instructed to learn a new skill.  I thought this was a little on the odd side for a computer class, but as his professor explained it in the real job world, employers will be interested in what you know and also your ability to learn new things.

After a couple of trips to Home Depot and Harbor Freight he was ready to build a storage box for his numerous video game accessories.  Thankfully we had the wood cut at our local Home Depot for free, because we learned the store closest to my parents actually charges a nominal fee for each cut.

I assisted with spray painting the gold hinges with the blog popular oil rubbed bronze paint.  Lesson Learned #1 - Don't let them dry on the newspaper that you sprayed on.

I was a big fan of how the color turned out!

While I was busy trying not to get high, Chris was busy sawing pieces of wood to assemble the box.  Lesson Learned #2 - Use the right type of saw.  Chris learned pretty quickly that the reciprocating saw was not cutting it with the thick pieces of wood.  A little drilling, wood glue, and sanding later and he was ready to attach the lid.

Chris wanted the handle on the front so he designed a notch in that piece and an extra block on the lid.

Once the lid was attached (after much cursing to get the hinges somewhat, but not entirely straight), Chris started in on etching video game symbols to add a little detail to the outside.

I didn't understand why he etched in some parts and not others until he stained it.  The staining made certain parts pop over others that were just sanded.

And now for the finished box! 

Can you make out Mario on the side?

Is it perfect?  Not even close, but we both thought that we had to start somewhere.  We learned some tips along the way and will be heading out to pick up proper tools (with tips from KillerB Designs and YHL) for our next project.  The box does it's job of holding onto all of the accessories (so glad I don't have to see cords all over the place now!), and he earned a 97 on it.  I guess the professor was happy to see something other than another presentation on changing oil.

What were some of your first tool related projects like?  Did you get better as you had more projects under your belt?

You Know You're Getting Older...

...when you get sad over a toaster.  A toaster! 

Chris and I were out at BB&B trying to pick up a couple of things that were left over from our registry and I really wanted this toaster.

Via Bed Bath & Beyond

Come to find out they only sell it online, sad face because that meant I couldn't use a coupon for 20% off.  Luckily it was on Amazon without tax or shipping, and will be heading our way next week. I was able to use coupons on more towels, mixing bowls, canisters for dog treats and a collapsible colander.   

I also hit up Target's after Christmas sale and picked up decor items for 70% off.  Can not wait to decorate for next year!

Have you done any post holiday shopping?