Simplicity

Here's what I need to practice. Check out these great reminders for de-cluttering your life.

Be More with Less -- Five Minutes to Simplicity

Oh, check out this happy video and take some tips, too!

What a difference a year makes

Well well well. I have a blog. Who knew?


Looking back was fun: seeing what my interests were, what I was doing, and what I felt I wanted to share with the world. Now, it's over a year later and I already feel like I'm in a (somewhat) different place. But! I still view this blog as a place to share whatever I'm feeling at the moment, regardless of if people read it or care!

So, what did the rest of 2012 bring for me? Well, in a nutshell it was great!

Finished my Masters of Education in Math. Didn't get to fly to Boston to attend my graduation, but John surprised me with a surprise party. What an accomplishment for me.

Finished and passed my ProTeach (the next level of certification for teachers).

Spent three days driving to Colorado with my mom, dad, and hubs. We took our time along the way, then spent a few days in and around Denver visiting relatives and seeing the sights. John had never been there and I hadn't been since I was a kid, so it was a worthwhile trip!

In August my sister, her boyfriend (now Fiance!), hubs and I took a cruise to the Western Caribbean. Some highlights include: holding monkeys, seeing Mayan ruins in Belize, placing 3rd in the Amazing Race Cozumel, and seeing a completely different landscape! We've really enjoyed cruising as a way to "preview" countries and regions that we'd like to see again.

Started my 4th year (!!) of teaching. It's my third year in the same position and I finally have a clear sense of where I'm going, what I want my kids to know, and how I want to teach a lot of the concepts. I've taken on many new roles and have enjoyed the new challenges.


So... what's next? John and I have enjoyed slowing down a bit and enjoying our cats family. I've been trying to get back to some of my unfinished DIY projects: stenciling the living room wall, decorating the kitchen, adding more personality to the house, modifying rooms I decorated when we first moved in. Can you believe we've been in our house almost 3 years?

Time is flying and I can't believe I'll be turning 27 this year. For many that seems like such a young, exciting age, but for me I am still stuck at 23! John turns 30 this year and while we're so happy with what we've been able to accomplish, together and separately, we are looking ahead and thinking about goals for the future, near and far.

Here's to 2013 being another wonderful, wonderful year!

Picky Eating

I got an email from an online support group I belong to called Picky Eaters Association. They have a YouTube channel and an email message board and website (as you'll see below). I'm not too active on it but find comfort that I am not the only picky eater in the world and I'm not even the worst one out there.



There are other shows out there, but this one kind of sums it up. I completely feel for other people who have it a lot worse than me and I feel lucky that my choices for food have been greatly expanded over the past few years. This makes it easier to hide, and that's been the most difficult part about it. You can see in the video how you get questioned about your eating and people are judgmental about the whole thing. That's completely true. I love what the second person in the video says about how "isolating" it can be. You go to great lengths to eat alone, make excuses for how you eat, etc.



This is a video from Anderson Cooper. I don't like that he makes it seem like he's "one of us" then easily pops some Brussels sprouts into his mouth. However, the two guests sum it up really well. I was completely born this way and my mom had trouble feeding me. I do think that there is some "comfort" to what I eat, but I think it's a condition that I've always had.

Trying a new food is scary to me and only under very specific circumstances will that happen. There are also very specific reasons why I eat certain bites of some things and push away other pieces, but no one else sees what I see. It can be coloring, texture, having a bad experience with the previous bite, etc.

I'm comforted by the fact that I am eating somewhat more healthy than others I know from this board and have more options. However, if I had my choice I would eat pasta, cereal, bread, and other similar things everyday. Growing up I ate so many packets of Ramen noodles (plain without the packets of flavoring, then slowly with the flavoring but with the green herbs strained out, then all the flavoring) that you would think I would be completely sick of them. That's not true, I still feel so happy eating them and I would never get tired of them.


Anyway, I think it's important to get the word out about this. I also do it to show others that I'm not crazy and I'm not alone. I hope that this becomes something that is accepted more in the medical community. Do I worry about having a healthy pregnancy someday? Yes. Do I worry about how I will be as a mother? Yes. Do I worry my kids will be the same way? Yes. So we'll see where it goes.

Anyway... Thanks for listening!

A Crossover Comparison (warning: not craft related)

Well, being snowed in has its benefits and its downsides. I have a cold, so it's nice that I can rest and relax. I also have homework and ProCert write-ups that I could be doing. And.. there's always cleaning and organizing.

But I'd rather do something more fun, which is talking about how excited I am for my new car to arrive. I spent well over a year researching cars and deciding what would be the perfect investment for me. It's not chump change to us, so I wanted something that fit all my needs and wants (and I was excited about) but also one that would last us for years.

Here is a list of my wants:

•  Sits higher (personal preference)
•  Decent gas mileage (compared to my Sable's 18-21 range)
•  Not huge - easy to maneuver and drive around
•  Ample storage for road trips/trips to the craft store :)
•  Could easily transition into a family car --> If we have it for 10 years, our kids will be, at maximum 7 or 8 years old.... So room enough for a car seat or adult passengers for now
• Updated technology --> If I was going to have a car for several years I decided I wanted to at least have the basic current technology. Coming from a car with a tape player, I wanted USB hookup, bluetooth, and navigation (depending on which vehicle I chose)

 I knew that I wanted a crossover vehicle because of appearance, versatility, and ride height. While there are some great ones at there, I wanted to stick to makes that I know get good safety and crash ratings: Toyota, Honda, Subaru, mostly. I also checked out Infiniti and Acura, at John's request. A girl can dream.

Toyota Rav4
Pros: Easy to drive, all the features I want, ample storage, top safety ratings
Cons: Stupid tire on the back, door-like back hatch (can't pull through parking spaces)

2012 Acura RDX:

Pros: high quality (well-rated), nice ride, easy to drive, good amount of story, optional "technology package"

Cons: expensive (would have to get a used one), showy, nothing "special" for a luxury vehicle in my opinion

GMC Terrain:

Pros: Exterior styling, supposedly top-rated gas mileage, ample storage, high ride height (did not test drive), good price for loaded vehicle

Cons: really low resale value, not top safety pick, possibly too big

2012 Subaru Outback:

Pros: Originally looked at the Forester, but was directed to the remodeled Outback (in 2010). This was my #1 pick until the new cr-v came out. Increased ride height, tons of storage, good price range, AWD standard, lots of legroom, good gas mileage, very reliable

Cons: Long and possibly not as easy to get around as I'd want, very "outdoorsy" reputation which doesn't fit me (I know it's silly), outdated navigation system (a small issue I was willing to overlook). 

*I still really like this car, it just doesn't give me the feeling I was looking for.

2012 Infiniti EX
Pros: Uhh, it's a luxury car, smooth ride, high quality interior, around-view monitor (top-down view of car to easily park), fun to drive, sleek modern look
Cons: Ridiculously small rear leg room, premium gas, low gas mileage, Expensive

 

2012 Ford Edge:

Pros: Exterior styling, "my Ford Touch" technology (optional), storage, supposed had mileage

Cons: Fords did not get good ratings at all (I also liked the Explorer), possibly too big, expensive

 Those were the main vehicles I had on my list, but it was pretty easy to narrow down. My mom had the 3rd generation cr-v (2007), which we also test drove:

2011 Honda CR-V:

Pros: Really easy to drive, higher ride height, know exactly where the whole car is (easy to maneuver), good amount of storage, good price

Cons: No fold-flat seats (there is a lip when you fold them that makes it difficult to put long items in flat), ride quality and road noise, exterior look was decent

Then, it happened. After the Japanese earthquake and flooding in Thailand, Honda had to postpone production of the much anticipated 2012 remodel. It finally debuted at the LA Auto Show on Thanksgiving and was released to dealerships in mid-December. Supply is still low, which means prices are slightly higher, but still a very good deal. It gets a bit of flack for not doing a huge overhaul, but why mess with the top-selling crossover?

So, what tipped me in that direction?

•  Newly designed one-touch fold-flat seats (yes!)
•  Improved interior quality
•  Better insulation to reduce road noise and improve ride quality
•   Updated technology --> backup camera, bluetooth are all standard, and includes Honda's i-Mid display (a small color screen that provides call, song, and car data)
•  Just feels right --> still really easy to maneuver. 
• Can you believe that it's 20 inches shorter than my current sedan?! Hello garage space

Pictures to go with the words...

 Still needs more coats of yellow paint to cover up the brown puff paint, but a cute addition...

Guess I could have taken this during the day. We used Frosted window film in our bathroom to give us privacy but still let in a lot of light. Not sure what I'll do with the sheers yet... Paint...? 

I Spy with my little eye...

They must be in the laundry room when I am doing laundry room. Anywhere else is too far.

Picked up the tan pillows on clearance for $10 at Target today... Maybe will go up on our bed?

Also picked up the purple one (in front) today. 

My very simple lamp re-do with scrapbook paper and mod-podge. Cute.

I re-did the canvas to look like this. Looks much better spaced out. 

Not trying to show you my toilet, just the view from the entry hall.

Oh yeah!

and we bought a car! See-ya Sable!

Old and Busted!

New Hotness!

Our (let's not kid ourselves, my) 2012 Honda CR-V EX-L Navi (in the dark gray color shown above) is scheduled to arrive between the 21st and 25th of the month! We got a good deal and I'm super happy with my decision. What a change it will be! More to come...

A few things...

Nope, I have no pictures to share today. However, I got a few projects done this weekend with more on the way... We have guests coming over this weekend so John and I scurried to get a few projects done that we haven't been motivated to do. John (finally) got all the Christmas decorations down and put away. He ended up doing some organizing in this process, which is great. I, on the other hand, just did fun crafty things.

Remember this lamp, which I re-did for my classroom?

Well, see it's naked brother to the left? He's been sitting in my craft room waiting for his time to come. And that time was yesterday. These lamps were on sale for I think $5 each, so I figured whatever happened happened. I wanted to put another lamp in our living room since we don't have a ceiling fixture, and it may still be too small, but for now it works. So, I mod-podged some awesome scrapbook paper onto the lampshade. It's a purple floral pattern and I think it's a fun little color pop next to the TV (on top of the Turquoise tv credenza).

I also completed a smaller version of this project with one of my extra canvases.

I think my canvas was 11x20 or so. I had originally penciled out a geometric pattern on it to paint, so I painted over it with some white interior paint I had laying around (to touch up all of our trim when we moved here). With that done, I went with the method that the girl above used (link attached). I bought a $3 bottle of shoe polish with a sponge tip and wrote with that. Mine turned out a little lighter, but the strategy works great because you don't have to fill up your paintbrush, yet it turns out imperfectly perfect.

I poorly planned, however, and think I will re-do it. The words I chose stopped in a weird place and ended up bunched, so... It shouldn't take me long to paint over it and re-do... But, it looks great as a pop of personality in our downstairs bathroom.

I also used puff paint on a teeny tiny canvas I had, a la:

Not sure where I'll put it yet. It's small.

The snow kept me in today (and the homework), but I plan on picking up a few things at Target and Ikea (like a bathroom rug and some drawer organizers). I also found what I think will be our entry way runner. We desperately need one, and I think this will last:

What do you think? I might look into making one, but we'll see. Not sure if it will clash with our entry chair. Which I may change out for a bench... Changes!

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.2

Design Board

So, I just wanted to share a design board that I made just for fun for a friend. I wasn't expecting it to actually come to life, I just loved seeing her new home and her style and had fun making it. If you can't tell, I am not a professional. But it's fun. I have another friend who is hopefully buying a new home and it's so exciting! I wish I could just look at, buy, and decorate houses for a living. Is that a job? Just kidding.

Other crafts in the works:

• My gallery wall is finally taking shape. After months of it sitting empty (and, admittedly, with the Goodwill pricetags still stuck to the glass) I've started filling them. A few are just random shapes and pretty paper from my Cricut. I also included a coaster from our stay at the Centralia McMenamin's, a teppanyaki menu from our cruise, our one-year-anniversary picture, and a few other do-dads. I don't want it to just be pictures, so I'm trying to find mementos from our life to share. Oh yeah, and a cat picture of course! 
• I finished building this, but still need to stain and stencil it. I'm thinking the cricut will be handy in making a stencil with my saying of choice:

•  I'd like to make a large supply of "Any Occasion" cards with my cricut and get them out more. Everyone loves a card to brighten their day!

 

•  I finally bought sheers for our bathroom and some "frosted" window film. However, attempt #1 failed. Here is what I learned: applying window film is not a one-person job. window film is not like a window cling. don't mess up; scraping the adhesive off the window is a pain. Attempt #2 will commence this weekend because I gotsta have my privacy!

•  I bought (another) credenza. It was a WHOPPER of a deal. My mom and I both gravitated to it at the Goodwill before seeing it's craftmanship. The drawers are dove-tailed, the wood is in wonderful condition, and it doesn't smell. Get this, it cost $130. Great deal, right? Wrong. It was marked down to $99. Awesome score, huh? Wrong. It was senior discount day and my lovely mother fit the age requirement which knocked another 10% off. That's right folks, I paid $80 for it. That's approximately $200 less than what I paid for the now-turquoise tv stand. Ugh! But, I'm excited because I can have one that is paintable and one that is not. This one would make a great baby dresser, or who knows what. All I knows is this girl is excited. 

Alright, shut me up. Over and out. Back with more pictures.

Wow. Hi.

I perused my blog today and realized that it has been since August since I have even posted. Here's my 2-sentence excuse (not that you were missing it), then on to other business: my job, my schooling, and my cats have kept me away from my crafts. But we're back in action! Things have calmed down on the home-front and I am only taking one class right now, as opposed to the three I just finished (Psst, I have a 3.91 gpa in my masters program!).

So Christmas happened recently and I thought I'd share some of the more relevant gifts I received. Let's start big. I'm talking Cricut big. Yep, that's right folks, my sister has come through once again... That is, my sister and her love of the home shopping network. We're suckers for a deal, and this Cricut Create was on clearance and came with 3 cartridges that should keep me busy for a while: DonJuan (a font cartridge), Stretch your Imagination (shapes for all seasons/occasions), and Picturesque (lovely geometric and floral shapes).

Not only is it super useful, but it's so much fun! I'm behind the times a bit, but I had no idea what it is capable of. You can change the size, the style (shadow, outline, stretched, etc), and even turn most shapes into greeting cards and gift tags. I am so overwhelmed by the possibility. So far I've made a few cards just to try it out and a few simple shapes for my gallery wall.

In other news, my dear sweet hubs got me some great gifts. I made it very clear that one more hiking dress exercise-related clothing item would mean the end for him. He did well, other than the "No Complaining Rule" book that he bought me. He got me a microwave contraption that makes eggs that fit perfectly into an English Muffin and cook in 45 seconds! He also got me the most expensive pair of shoes/clothing I have ever owned. He did a great job of finding a pair of boots so I can finally jump on that bandwagon. Turns out that he accidentally bought 2 left shoes... but all worked out and I'm just waiting for my skinny jeans to arrive to flaunt them.

Ecco Hobart Boot

It was a nice Christmas. And really, it was more about the wonderful family time that we always get to share in. And also, our annual Hahn family marshmallow gun fight. No one believed me so I finally got proof of just how hard a marshmallow can hit, and this wasn't even close range!

Yep. You saw it here first. Also, another notable night over winter break was our Dexter season finale party! Check THIS out, jealous readers:

I have a giveaway going for whoever can name all of our characters! Just kidding, I don't. 

Alright. Back to business. There have been a few other projects I've had going that I plan on sharing soon (as in, 5 minutes from now in a separate post). Stay tuned, I'm back in action!

Back to reality.

Well, I haven't blogged in awhile 1) because I haven't been particularly crafty as of late, 2) I'm too lazy, and 3) because my head is completely overloaded with MATH. Don't get me wrong, I love math. But, I am currently taking a week-long workshop on grades 7-10 math concepts. On top of that, I am doing two weeks worth of coursework for both of my masters class (which would really be like 4 weeks worth since there are two classes. see how good at math I am?). Now that it is Wednesday and someone else did some of my homework, I am feeling much more confident that I can complete my final papers and projects before we leave on our cruise. Which is awesome. Anyway, enough blah blah.

Here is what has been happening:

1. Kitten almost has a name. We've had her a month. John is doing this to torture me (remember, I said he could name her since she was a surprise). I think he likes my top pick but doesn't want to name her that since he's "punishing me" for bringing her home without permission. She's not growing much, and I'm okay with that. Definitely is 100% kitten mode.

2. Being more active, which includes elliptical-ing, zumba-ing (as usual), and zumba wii-ing. Also, walking. My goal is 900 minutes of walking in August. That is 30 minutes per day, elliptical included. So far, so good.

3. My gallery wall is slowly but surely coming together. Missing still are the two square frames. No photos added, but I have definitely decided I like it.

4. More cat time. Carlton is putting up with kitten more. It's cute to see them interact and follow me around all day. Carlton likes to watch me play zumba wii with his judgmental eyes. He is hoarse right now from a cold and it is funny to hear his smoker-meow. Kitten likes to follow Carlton and get caught on dresses in the laundry room.

5. Did this a while ago. Called "water marbling." Look it up on youtube. Could definitely stand to do more subtle colors next time, but it was fun to try. Since I'm so girly.

6. Long time, no see Snoqualmie Falls. My mom and I had a date and came here with our matching Black Tea Lemonade. Then we hit up Famous Footwear and scored a sweet sale + buy one get one 50% off on matching white Pumas for the cruise. and Zumba. We are so cool.

7. Home-grown Zucchinis are a success! Check out that beauty up there. This is numero uno of dos. Stay tuned on the yellow squash and corn, they have yet to make an appearance. Good job, John.

8. Used Heartsy to get this handmade, one-of-a-kind circle scarf from Tea Rex. And holy-crapoly she posted a bunch more cute ones since I bought... Boo.... Soooo. fun. Decided this school year is all about simple, flattering clothing with fun accessories! Because I'm so girly.

9. And finally, another project I haven't completed. Someday it will be stained in "Kona Brown" and will have something artistic painted on it and will hang on our landing. But until then... it doesn't.

My Social Life

Well I've had a fun past few days. On Thursday I drove up north to meet a friend and go to the Brandi Carlile concert. This is the 4th time I've seen her, and it's rare for me to see artists more than once. She grew up near my hometown and got her start in Bellingham, where I went to college. John and I saw her in 2009 the night before we got engaged, and our friends sang one of her songs at our wedding. Not super uplifting, but this song related to us being long distance, and I think it's beautiful.


The other thing I love about her is her ability to belt it out! She knows when to be soft, when to yodel (!!), and when to scream. She's awesome live.



I went with my friend Julie, who is pure awesome. She was my accomplice in the Surprise Kitten Purchase of 2011 a few weeks back. Anyway, she can make fun out of everything, see?

Thanks for all the pictures you don't know that I stole from Facebook, Julie! :) It was great to visit Bellingham again. After the concert we went to another friend's house and had a little fire. It was a lovely time, and the latest I've stayed out in a while!

I went back down to Tacoma on Friday so that John and I could attend a friend's wedding.

Then yesterday we went to a car show that John was helping with in Gig Harbor. It was one of the first years so it was still pretty small, but fun. We also stopped by the park in Gig Harbor that has a view of the Narrows Bridges.

Looking forward to my last completely free week! After this week I've got a week-long training, our cruise to Alaska, another week-long training, then prepping for school! Whew!