Any Given Day

I follow the younghouselove.com blog pretty religiously.  It's weird how I feel like I know them because I read about their lives and what they're DIYing on their blog, but obviously I don't know them.

Anyway, one of their posts was an inspiration for today's post.  Sherry (chica from the blog) posted a video of a messy house tour, which I found very intriguing.  I always wonder what people's homes are like, both inside and out.  (Plus I'm always secretly worried about being "The Ghetto Neighbors."  Just ask Jeremi...  I religiously mow the lawn every Wednesday morning because I don't want to be the ones who make everyone else look bad.  And I senselessly worry about other ghetto neighbor behaviors.  As if either Jeremi or me is the least bit ghetto anyway...)

So, back from that crazy rant, you know me, right...

I thought it'd be fun to share what our house looks like on any given day.  I didn't want to post a video because I can't stand the sound of my "electronic" voice.  (I think I sound really annoying when I hear myself on playback.)  So, I'm taking you on a picture tour of our home, giving you full disclosure, so you can see all the little weirdnesses of our lives.  These pictures are from yesterday, so it's not exactly what it looks like anymore, but you get the idea.  And just to warn ya, there are loads of pictures so it turned out to be a really long post...

Starting in the kitchen because we usually enter in the side door of the kitchen...

Kitchen overview...  Not too bad until we move in closer...

Freshly baked bread from that morning.  Plus, a few tins I keep meaning to ask Jeremi if he thinks they're suitable for tea.  (Jeremi has been on a tea kick and he surprises me about the things he cares about... like tea tins...)  And scrap wood from when we built our wardrobe doors, not sure why it's there but obviously it hasn't been put up... lol

The K cup drawer has ended up as one of the many catchall places in our house, not sure why.   There's a timer from my med school days and the 50/10 that I'm repurposing for the kitchen, a strange wood bell thing mom re-gifted to me, and a fold out fan.  So incredibly random...

Two magnetic knife bars that I don't know what to do with since the kitchen walls are wallpapered and I don't want to screw into the wallpaper.  Who puts wallpaper in a kitchen anyway?  They've been sitting there since we moved in basically.  I'm still hoping to be enlightened as to where to put them.

More random stuff on the "bar"

More stuff on the bar that needs to go in the car.

Caesar following me around trying to figure out what in the heck I'm doing.  Pictured behind him is the lamp we bought to make our mannequin light out of.  (Which we did last night! Yay!)

Picture frame on the kitchen table I need to put up...

Box of random stuff I don't know what to do with but can't part with.   Curtain rod for the huge "dining" room window that we're going to put up once I summon up the courage to spend more money on curtains.  (Why are they soooo expensive?  It's freakin' curtains...)  And a can of paint, because we still need to get permission to paint...  Just to clarify, we already had the paint.  I didn't go buy paint before I knew if we could paint...

Overview of the kitchen/dining room...

Overview of the living room...  Notice the frames without pictures.  (I'm the queen of putting up frames and leaving them without pictures for a ridiculous amount of time.  I did put pictures in them last night after these pictures were taken though.  Small victory for me!)  Also, the mannequin we turned into a lamp last night.  Pillows that don't match... I'm working on making covers for them...

Jeremi's beloved recliner that my mom covered for us.  Also, another blank picture frame on the third shelf. lol

Better view of the mannequin and unmatching (not a word) pillow.  Plus the crocheted houndstooth pillow cover I'm working on.  (Yes, I'm secretly an old lady... crocheting and baking my own bread...)

 The entertainment center that also catches random junk.  And our newest addition, the skeleton golfer man on the left is something I picked out on a Hillsville trip with mom a long time ago.  I found it in their basement when sorting through garage sale junks.  Apparently I was the only one who thought it was soo cool, and luckily Jeremi let me put it out...

Our bedroom, which is usually the neatest looking room overall.  More empty frames above the bed that I'm planning to move elsewhere... 

The old wood towel rod where we pile our clothes... Although, you can't see the towel rod anymore... And clearly, you can see my undergarments... I warned you about the full disclosure ;)

The dresser at the end of our bed, another catchall with loads of random junk, including the street sign I "found" from our neighborhood when I was in high school...  Oh, and another blank frame...  Plus me, in the mirror, in my free freshman year of college tshirt, haha...

Junk on the bathroom sink I need to put away...

The bathroom sink... Not sure why I'm including this, lol

Boxes in the bathroom I keep meaning to cover with fabric... (Why are pretty storage boxes so expensive?)

The guest bedroom/office.  (Come visit if you're our way...)  Files on the bed from medical billing joys.

The messy desk where all the joys are had...  Plus my new Steelers cup I'm ridiculously giddy about!  (I was inspired by my SIL's WVU cup so I splurged and got myself a Steelers one.  Plus, it's polka dotted!)

Well, that ends the tour.  Hope you enjoyed the glimpse into our daily life/the mess we call home and my random rantings.  Sorry some of the pictures aren't the best quality.  I do what I can...

Random things that make me Smile

Hi.  I'm Melanie and I'm addicted to Pinterest.com

I just can't help it.  It's so much visual stimulation I just don't know what to do with myself but swing around in glee.  Ok, that's a little bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point...

Anyway, thought I'd share my "Random things that make me Smile" board for this almost weekend.

Enjoy!  Hope it makes you smile too!

http://pinterest.com/melaniejoy047/random-things-that-make-me-smile/

Kickin' It Old School

I sometimes think I was born in another generation.  While I do loove my iPhone and Kindle and the internet entirely too much, I also really enjoy some "spinster" or "housewifey" tasks too.  I love to bake and crochet (thanks to Katie!).  I'd prefer to read over watching the tv and browsing the web.  I love the satisfaction of a clean house, and I honestly don't mind doing the laundry.  And I would looove to learn to sew.  (I'd probably make an awesome housewife if I didn't get cabin fever so easily and am currently desperately craving a career on my own.)

But back to the point, lately I've been feeling like we have too much unnecessary crap and that we spend too much money on the dumbest things.  (I mean do I really need another pair of shoes? Or another kitchen-y gadget?)  Also, we had a garage sale at Mom's house and it is insane how much unnecessary stuff we have!  So, I've been on a quest to attempt to live more simply and more "green."

There is such a movement to be "green" right now, which I love.  But the commercial world has also gotten a hold of the green movement, and there's a lot of expensive, earth friendly products out there.  I've been digging sites that show how to be friendly to mother earth while not spending a fortune. (www.frugallygreen.blogspot.com)

So, on my quest, I've set out to do a few things that will make life cheaper and hopefully hug the earth a little too...

Here's a few things on the list of to dos:
- Bake a loaf of "sandwich" bread.  I found a recipe to bake a loaf of bread that I'm planning to try.  (I'll try and post pictures later.)  Jeremi packs sandwiches pretty regularly and the cost of things like bread is beginning to escalate.  Plus, as mentioned, I already love to bake.
- Make curtains and curtain rods.  Curtain rods are so stupidly expensive!  Who really needs to spend $30 on a rod to hang something on?  So I found a site that shows how to turn pvc pipe into curtain rods.
- Make my own dishwasher powder and laundry detergent.  I found some cool "recipes" for washing powders, as they say.  Although, the laundry detergent is a recipe for liquid detergent.  Again, these things cost so much and if I can make them inexpensively and more "greenly,"  why not at least give it a try?
- Crochet some reuseable swiffer "socks."  It's so wasteful to keep buying those cloths for the swiffer... (Though FYI, they are great for doggie hair!)  Plus I'd be hugging earth by being less wasteful.

A few earth friendly things we already do...
- Use reusable bags at the grocery store.  I've always hated the plastic bags anyway, plus I try to buy some fun reusable ones, like my Steelers bags. :)
- Reuse the plastic bags we do get as much as we can.  We don't always remember to bring a bag, so when we do end up with plastic ones, I try to put them to good use.
- Mow the lawn with a reel mower.  This one is my favorite.  We bought a new, updated version of the older motor-less mowers that use cutting blades to cut the grass.  It's so much quieter and earth friendly.  I don't stink like gasoline afterwards and it doesn't spray grass in my face.
- Make my own dog treats.  They're so easy to make.  Plus, Caesar doesn't care if I forget about the time and burn them a little!  And at least I know what he's eating.
- Try to set the thermostat a little higher and not blast the air.  Our house stays pretty cool despite the 90 degree weather here.  So, I try to make use of the ceiling fans and not run the air so much.
- Recycle

And finally, some things I want to do in the future to make use of what we have...
- I'd love to have a clothes line in the yard!  It makes sense to utilize the sunlight to help dry clothes instead of wasting energy on the washer.  But as a renter, we haven't jumped on this one and I'm putting off asking the landlord...
- I really want to learn to compost.  It's supposedly really easy and getting fertile soil for plants would be great!  I feel like I missed the boat on this one though, so might save it for next year.
- Plant more "useful" plants.  While I love flowers as much as the next girl, it's nice to plant things that have a purpose and provide some grub.  This year we grew sweet potato leaves and tomatoes (only one of my six plants survived the move).  I also experimented with radishes and spinach that are still maturing, but we'll see how that goes.  I've love to plant more next year, especially now that we have the space to do so.
- I think it'd be fun (Yes, I used the word fun to describe...) to have a rain barrel!  Seems like a great way to make sure of the water nature already provides.

Anyway, you get the point.  Saving money and saving mother earth...

Update-y things/What's been going on:
- We had a garage sale at Mom's as I mentioned.  Got rid of stuff and made a little mulah too!
- Been starting the job search since I'm not optimistic about getting off the ABSN waiting list...
- Been canoeing a few times so far this year and already debating on when we can go again...
- Been DIYing a lot of stuff around the house.  Dyed our new couch slip cover purple.  Made a trunk coffee table.  Jeremi (and his dad) made a bed frame that will house lots of storage stuffs.  Made shelves.


What I thought while typing this:  As usual, I think about my terrible punctuation.
What I want to bake next: Sandwich bread and Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies
Favorite new song:  Take me the way I am by Ingrid Michaelson
What I'm reading:  Getting ready to start Road to Terabithia
What I've been craving lately:  Fried Chicken and Popcorn.  Not necessarily together.  Jeremi makes me popcorn on the stove the ol' fashioned way.  (Yes, he's that wonderful.)
What I'm looking forward to:  the Hillsville flea market, the St. James art festival, a possibly visit from Katie :)

Here's a few pics of what's been going on in our lives...

Caesar on our purple couch

Caesar and J.C. on a recent trip to the in-laws

Caesar and me in the basement sorting stuff for the garage sale

My parents laughing hysterically at Caesar asking permission to get on the couch, then his snuggliness

Beach Bound

The exterior of our hotel, at least according to the website...

We're heading to Virginia Beach this week for the annual VA Roofer's Convention and I have mixed emotions.  I'm pretty much always down for a good road trip, so I'm excited to be going somewhere, excited about a lil shopping, and  definitely excited about some good seafood, because let's face it, there's no denying my love affair with food.  But on the other hand, I'm not really looking forward to the beach part of it all.

I know, I can already see some of your horrified and shocked faces.  It's like someone saying they don't like chocolate. Haha!  One of Jeremi's coworkers asked if I was excited and had any great plans for the beach.  My stupid response was that I had no great plans, and I've never been much of a beach person.  I'm sure he thought I was such a weirdo and not to mention a rude conversation killer.  It's moments like those I think to myself, "Why didn't you just smile and say, 'I'm sure it'll be great.'"

Anyhow, I've never really been the type to enjoy laying out, which is what most people do at the beach.  I just don't feel comfortable laying half naked and soaking up the rays, not to mention I'm already tan.  Lol.

I do, however, love the sunshine and I'm always up for a good book, so I'm sure I won't be bored.  (Well, I never really get bored to begin with...)  Plus, a vacation is a vacation, no matter where you are and I always feel like it's more about the company and the memories...

What I thought most while typing this:  This is a pointless post, maybe I should start over...
What I'm procrastinating/putting off: Reading chapters upon chapters of my developmental psych book.  Oh, and medical billing...
What you might say to me if you saw me: Girl, you desperately need a pedicure.  Haha, or at least that's what I'd say to myself...
Book I'm currently reading: How Starbucks Saved my Life
Current obsession: Fried chicken and pinterest.com

Keep on the Sunny Side

Peonies that were in bloom when we first moved in.

I think about what I want to say on this blog a lot; I look at it as my own therapeutic voice.  I catch myself thinking, "Hmm, I should blog about that..." then I form eloquently stated blogs in my head at random times, like while trying to fall asleep or as I go about by mundane day.  Sadly, a lot of them don't make it on here because I usually forget what it was I was going to say or just don't make the time to say it.  (I know, say hello to my ADD, it's my Jekyl and Hyde, sometimes good and sometimes evil.)

Other times, I sensor myself, thinking perhaps I shouldn't say this or that, it might hurt someone's feelings or be taken the wrong way, but...  it's my blog after all, so stop reading when I offend you.  Although chances are, you'll be shaking your head in agreement and wanting to say, "Amen sister!' or at least that's what I like to imagine.

So, here's what's been on my mind lately.  I'm thinking of deactivating facebook.  I say this all the time, and I never have been a huge fan.  I'm tired of reading people's statuses that are complaining about something in some way shape or form.  Now I'll admit, it's nice to keep in touch with people you otherwise wouldn't keep in touch with and some people get on facebook to share exciting news, like job promotions, graduations and baby announcements, but I see a lot of useless complaining.

So, let's be frank.  Here's what stirred the thought within me.  There's one particular person who seems to always be complaining, whether it's the town she lives in that she hates, what people around have said or done or fed someone, or some other something.  (Yes, I'm attempting to keep some semblance of anonymity.)  Point being, why are people always complaining, and seemingly to me, usually women.  When did my generation become a generation of e-complaining?  Or has it always been that way and I just never noticed?

Anyway, I'm not even attempting to say I'm perfect or that I don't whine and complain from time to time.  But, I do try my best to keep it to a minimum.

But finally really getting to the point, when did we stop appreciating all that we have?  Shouldn't we be grateful that our kids get to eat at all, whether or not you agree with what someone fed them? And I know we can't send all our extra food to Africa or the Philippines or wherever, but shouldn't we be grateful we even have extra food to spare?

I use to keep a gratitude journal, which I've been newly motivated to restart.  We have much to be grateful for: running water, food, shelter, the basic necessities, even the right to marry those we love (at least for some of us).  I have so much more than that to be grateful for.  My birthday is coming up, and I don't have to think, can we afford to buy a cake to celebrate?  When was the last time you thought about people who couldn't afford an indulgence like a birthday cake?  Sometimes it's all in how you look at things, are you complaining about being pricked by thorns or enjoying the lovely smell of roses?

Ok, I'll try to step down a little from the soap box.  (But just a little...)  Just remember Keep on the Sunny Side...


P.S.  I just realized I wrote a blog complaining about people who complain.  Oh the irony...

Back from my hiatus and broadcasting from...

Roanoke!

So much has happened since my last post I can hardly decide where to begin.

The house we're renting in Roanoke in case you were curious.  It's small but has a huge fenced in yard for the dog! :)

We've unofficially moved to Roanoke and pretty much love it here.  I say unofficially because we're still in the process of selling our townhouse.  Also, we haven't exactly moved all of our stuff; a good bit of it is still hanging out at either my parent's house or at the townhouse.  But as they say, home is where your dog is, and the dog (and most of our necessary stuffs) reside in Roanoke.

I'm back in school after a just over two year hiatus and loving it too.  I'm currently taking pre-reqs for an accelerated (btw, two 'c's and one 'l', I misspelled it and feel like I should make a point of knowing how to spell a word that's part of the program I'm trying to get into, what would we do without spell check?) BSN program that I'm wait listed for.  I guess I was re-reminded how much I truly do love school.  I was telling Jeremi before I started how excited I was to buy school supplies and set up my desk in the other bedroom.  Yes, I'm lame and perhaps a geek too.  Nonetheless, I've learned soooo much cool stuff and hopefully I'll be learning so much more.

A few things we've been into aside from attempting to organize the house, move our stuff, and adjust to school/Jeremi's new job...

- Went to our second Michael Buble concert in Pittsburgh which was fabulous!  I included a clip because at the point in the concert when he comes to the middle of the floor, we were soo close!  Have no idea how well it'll load and what it'll look like since I'ver never done this before.  Also hit up the Church Brewery while we were there, which is one of the first "fancy" places Jeremi and I went to when we first started dating; so that was some nice nostalgia. :)

Jeremi and me at the Church Brewery in Pittsburgh.  It's a little blurry, but Jeremi's actually smiling. :)

- Finally went on our first canoe adventure of the year, which turned out to be a little crazy.  The last couple of miles of the float it started to rain, then poured the rain.  We paddled like crazy in an effort to get out of the water in case it was gonna storm.  Naturally, the rain subsided when we neared the take out.  I was plum exhausted given I have no upper body strength and had to help Jeremi load the canoe on the car.  (Yes, poor Jeremi, due to my lack of strength, he did more lifting than me.  Luckily, he's quite the trooper.)  And we're planning on going canoeing this weekend so they'll definitely be more adventures to share.

Caesar's gotten so big as you can see!  You can only imagine how much his movement rocks the canoe...

- Celebrated our second wedding anniversary!  It's crazy to think it's been two years already!  Didn't do anything too exciting since we had just come back from Pittsburgh the weekend before.  Stayed in and cooked steak and crab legs, which were super delish, and broke in our china!  I was particularly pumped because we had yet to use it and I really do love it.  (Seems weird to love china, plus it makes me feel entirely too girly.)

Sorry it's been such a long post, but wanted to catch you lovely folks up.  That's all for now, but I promise to make better efforts to post more.

What I'm reading: Four different sample chapters on my Kindle.  Jeremi, being the awesome hubby he is, offered to buy me a book (I usually cheap out and read either the free ones or the ones less than $5).  I got excited at spending as much as $15 on a book (Isn't he quite the splurger?) and haven't been able to decide what to get...
Favorite New Song: Better Man by James Morrison.  Love love love it, so it's on a constant loop in my head most of the time.
Looking forward to: Another canoe trip and my upcoming bday! 
What I thought most while typing this:  It's sad that I typed this during my 10  minute breaks (Yes, I'm back to the 50/10 if you know what I mean) and during my lunch break.
Random aside:  I would like to share my blog with more people, but I still find it scary.  I just don't see how people can post on facebook and say, "Read my newest blog entry."  I'm just not that person...  So, share with others, but don't post on facebook about it, or if you do, know that it would totally freak me out... (Yes, I know, I'm so weird...)

Al Gore's Greatest Invention

I love the internet... I know it's a strange post, but it's true.  There is a wealth of information, lovely pictures, inspiration, and all at the mere tips of your fingers...

Anyway, wasted some good quality time this morning and discovered these two sites I wanted to share...

www.pinterest.com - This one is hard to explain.  It's pretty much like a virtual bulletin board with an assortment of random stuff.  Some are themed, some are not.  Plus, you can look at what other people pin...  Cool stuff...

http://iammommy.typepad.com/i_am_baker/ - An amazing baker blog.  Plus, she has loads of amazing pictures and tutorials.  So many things I want to try...

That's how I spent my morning...  Recovering my sore muscles (I voiced Musk-kles in my head) from staining the deck via the internet, mostly the two sites above, a little clothes folding from massive amounts of piled up clean laundry, and an amazing cup of coffee...

Leaving you with this photo of our stained deck courtesy of 24 hours of serious staining... Yes, I'm a staining master now... ;)

Our Stained Deck

And now on to the joys of medical billing...