A Sunday Outfit

Several weeks ago I put together this outfit for church and I rather liked it so I thought I would share with you lovely people!

Now, I'm all for bright colors people. ALL THE WAY. But, I wasn't sure about this shirt at first. (Actually I think it's a dress, but I'm not sure if I will wear it as a dress sooooo...it's a shirt) I took a chance on it though, and I'm glad I did. I like it! I was thinking it looked like something one would wear to an art museum, maybe because it reminds me of a Vincent van Gogh painting!
 

Dress/Tunic Shirt - Goodwill - $5.50
Black Long Sleeved Shirt - Wal-mart - I don't remember, but it was on sale! Probably $3 or less.
Black Skirt - Goodwill - $2.50
Necklace - A gift

My grandma would tell me frequently that I was a model. LOL, maybe just on here! We went to church with her every Sunday for a long time and she always loved seeing what I put together for outfits. She was biased though :)

j

So for an outfit that cost around $11, I think I found a keeper. What do you think?

What is your style and what colors do you like the most? Have you ever bought something you weren't too sure about? Did it end up in the donate pile or is it still in your closet?

Cheers!

St. Valentine's Day Weekend - 2016

Hiiii peoples!

Well look at that, it's still February and I'm posting my Valentine's Day post in the same month that it happened! Am I good or what? You should be nodding. Are you nodding? Good.

This may be one of our best heart days yet! Mainly because instead of venturing out into the mad crowds of crazy people, trying to book a reservation and all that hullabaloo, we stayed HOME. 

Introvert. Heaven. *cue angelic singing*

Home is nice. It's my favorite-est place to be. A place where after being peopled out after a long week (my poor little introverted self can only take so much), I can just relax and be myself and not say a thing, if I want to. And Robert is my introvert buddy, so he understands!

We started out Saturday morning with this lovely breakfast:

GF Chocolate Chip Waffles WITH Chocolate Syrup (Mmmhmm, I did that) and Orange Slices.

 
We spent Saturday catching up on suuuper fuuuun things like dishes, and tidying up the house after the work week. Friday evening we went grocery shopping early because we didn't want to get caught in the crowds of men storming the store for last minute Valentine gifts :P Robert picked out a bouquet of flowers for me while we were there! Lol, we're such an old married couple. IT WAS a surprise! I wasn't in that area when he picked them out, BUT I did know he was going to get some for me before we left the house, cuz I hinted that there would be a better selection to choose from if we went early.  :) I HAVE picked out my own flowers before, but not until recently. It's because I'm an artsy person! I like looking at  all the different flowers and seeing what I'm in the mood for, but this time I wanted him to pick. And chose well, he did.

Are they not lovely? He knew exactly what I wanted before I did.

The spread for the next day.

Pink Moscato Champagne (Birthday present from my mother-in-law), Juniper Berry and Bay Leaf infused Olive Oil (Aldi's), Almond and Hazelnut stuffed Green Olives (Aldi's), Turkish Figs (Aldi's), Herb and Pepper encrusted Salami (Aldi's), Hawaiian BBQ and Himalayan Sea Salt Kettle Brand chips with Avocado oil (Krogers), Chocolove brand chocolate, "Spicing Up Married Life" book by Father Leo Patalinghug, and "The Vow" movie, one of my faves.

Aldi's had a BUNCH of specialty items on sale after Christmas and we stocked up for this!

 Speaking of Father Leo Patalinghug, guess who came to our church? You betcha, the man himself. HE WAS AWESOME! He came for our annual Mission and spoke at our Church for 3 nights and boy were they memorable evenings. If you haven't heard of him before, he is a chef and has a cooking show on EWTN called Savoring the Faith; he is also kind of a celebrity now after beating Bobby Flay on Food Network in a fajita cooking competition about 6 years or so ago.
 BUT THE WAY HE SPEAKS. OH MY GOODNESS. He just ignites you with a blazing fire for your faith And he's hilarious. He has published three books, and we have them all now, including the marriage one pictured above. They have recipes in them :) Including the fajita recipe he beat Bobby Flay with! Before priesthood he used to teach martial arts and self defense, and is pretty awesome at breakdancing. I mean, HOW COOL IS THAT?! Including videos below so you can get to know him:

Of course we got a picture with him! He told us we looked like we got married when we were 12 XD

Selfies with the marriage book!

Heart Strawbs, something I started doing last year. Just cut a V in the top of the whole strawberry before cutting and you'll have cutesie little hearts!

Breakfast on Sunday morning. Almond flour pancakes with strawberries hearts, part of a Pumelo (The ancestor of the grapefruit, and much better I think. Less bitter.), and pork sausage patties.

It's not a Valentine's Day post without at least one picture of us.

Champagne and Roses.

Foccacia Bread! I used the recipe in Cybele Paschal's ' The Baker's Handbook'. I loooove her cookbooks. Here is the link if you are interested in the cookbook. I added the grapes and majoram on top and it was amazing. It was hard to refrain from eating the whole thing between the two of us!

Ze romantic dinner. Complete with candles.

Bubbly in the candlelight.

So we ate our finger food, sipped the bubbly, watched The Vow, gobbled up as much foccacia as we could get away with, and it was such a nice evening, just being home together. We're realizing how precious moments like these are, so for us this Valentine's Day was more about making uninterrupted time for each other (and good food) instead of extravagant gifts. Not that I don't like extravagant gifts *hint hint*. Buuuut time is priceless and we never know how much we have until we lose it.

So cherish the people you love!

How did you guys spend your Valentine's Day??? I hope it was amazing whether you're are in a relationship or not :)

Cheers!

Tips to Help You Organize Your Clothes

Hello my lovelies,

Last month I realized something: I own way too many clothes.

80% of my clothing shopping is done at thrift stores so I don't feel that I have spent a fortune on my wardrobe. BUT. When a person has more clothes than they can possibly wear in a year, something must be done about it. I have also been hanging on to some clothes for nostalgic reasons and I tend to avoid wearing them to preserve them. (Ridiculous, I know, but there it is.) Others are just plain worn out from favoritism. I think some letting go has to happen, don't you?

So I've decided to purge! I have three clothing closets in this house. Now, now, hear me out! They are small closets and one of them isn't even filled all the way :P I also hang up most of my clothing. People don't normally hang up t-shirts, but I do 'cause it keeps them from getting wrinkled like they would be if I kept them in a dresser. I am not a fan of ironing so this is essential.
I was also very nice to Robert and let him have the biggest closet in our bedroom (and house), which fits most of his clothing. Someday I want to design my own walk-in closet, but today is not that day.
 

This is my entire t-shirt, flannel shirt, and cami collection; minus a few that were in the laundry pile.

 Today I'm going to start with my t-shirt, cami (camisole), and flannel shirt closet. I keep these out year round because I can layer long sleeved shirts with t-shirts or flannels with t-shirts, etc. Camisoles are a very important part of my wardrobe because of how thin and low they make t-shirts these days. 

I was losing my hold on the stack in this pic. My arms were sore the next day after this photshoot :D

Things to keep in mind while going through your clothes:

1. Inspect every. single. piece. Look for signs of wear such as: holes, rips, loose threads, stains, fading, and pilling (fuzzies). I may end up mending some of the above that I find, but if it's too far gone it's going!

2. Try on everything. And I mean everything. Does it fit right? Is it too tight? Too short? Fabric uncomfortable? Is the fabric stretched out? When you lift your arms or bend over, does skin show that you would rather keep covered? Is the fabric design or color going to match something you already own? Numerous times I have bought something just because I liked the style or fabric and stubbornly refused to think practically. Most of those purchases ended up being forgotten in the closet because I didn't ask myself these questions. Ask yourself questions like these, especially when you are shopping and take a friend with you for another opinion. Or simply because it's fun shopping with friends!

3. Do you need it? If you're anything like me, I tend to keep things because they have good memories attached to them. As I mentioned above, there are clothes in my closet that I no longer wear because I don't want to ruin them and am trying to make them last longer. What's the point of keeping clothing if you're not going to wear it? I don't need the shirt I was wearing when I experienced my first kiss, I have a picture of myself on that day. Bonus: I married my first kisser! I get reminders every day :)

4. Are you tired of your clothing? Do you own things that you loved at the time, but don't love now? I still have shirts that I had when I was 10! I'm 21 now, and my style has and is changing. Trends come and go, and sometimes I don't always like what is 'in style'. I do want to update my closet with some of the trends I do like and I think it's high time to part with some teen style t-shirts.When people see me, I want them to see an adult, not a teenager. (Which I often get mistaken for.) I'm keeping some of my nerd/geek t-shirts though. They is important!

5. You may be able to sell your clothing!!!! If something you don't want anymore is lightly used, you may very well be able to get money for it on places like Ebay or Poshmark. I know I've mentioned thredUP before and I've sent clothing to them in order to get credit several times. Unfortunately they are very picky about what they will take. They only accept certain brands and conditions of clothing, and last year I sent them some items that were only worn once that they didn't accept :P If you want to get the clothing back from them you have to pay $12.99 return assurance prior to sending the bag. I like buying from thredUP but I don't think the selling option is worth your while. I'm sure there are tons of other clothing buying and selling websites and options out there for you to choose from, these are just the ones I have personally used or know of.

 I'm sure there is more that I could think up, but it's time to begin the purge! I'm going to take this colossal pile of t-shirts and begin my investigation.

 Tools you will need: 

1. Needles - For mending anything you want to spend the time to mend.

2. A razor - This helps remove difficult pilling/fuzzies. Be very careful while your using this, I almost slit my fingers a few times. I also managed to make holes in a few shirts. Don't go too crazy with it or you'll end up causing more damage to the shirt than there already was!

3. Thread - Coordinating with whatever needs mending.

4. Lint Shaver - This works for removing some pilling, but it doesn't always work remove it all. Be careful with this too because if the material bunches up while using this, it will cause it to make little holes. Try to avoid going over the thread lines on your shirts because it can mess those up too. I speak from experience :P

5. Scissors - For snipping off those annoying loose threads.

6. A movie or music - To keep yourself from dying of boredom while doing this!

It's best to do this on a flat surface so that the material won't bunch up. I used our coffee table. Just lay out your choice of clothing and get to it! This does take a while. I definitely didn't do this in one sitting.

 Here is my end result! The pile on the left is to keep and the pile on the right is going away. I parted with almost half of what I started with, guys!!!! Pretty good, if I do say so myself.

I hope this helps you the next time you decide to organize your clothing! From now on I will be keeping a practical mindset whenever I go clothing shopping so I won't bring anything home that I will regret later!

Catch ya later,

Mary

New Year Goals + Life Update

Well, hello there. 

Since the beginning of January I have kept telling myself "Hey, you should really do a New Year's post for your poor neglected blogglings." I totally agreed. So here I am. With only these four last days of January to go! Yipes, where did this month go?!

Happy 2016!

So, Happy Belated New Year, guys! 2016! WOOT! So far it's been a very good year and I'm liken' that. 2015 was tough. And it showed through my lack of blogging. The beginning of the year started out really well and then a lot of not so great stuff happened during the latter part of the year and I sunk into a depression that I had a really hard time pulling myself out of. Too many things were happening that were having a negative effect on my life. Family problems on both sides of our families which was causing emotional pain and stress, physical pain from my neck and shoulder (I'll talk more on that later) that was leaving me exhausted and not being able to do things that I used to be able to do, our future plans constantly changing, and me still not being able to get pregnant after 2 1/2 years of marriage, in which we have been completely open to life. Just to name a few.

I was losing hope and having a hard time believing anything was going to get better.

I didn't feel like I should blog in the state I was in. I don't ever want this blog to become a negative and depressing place. So, I stayed away. I was taking less pictures, doing less of what I liked to do, and part of that was due to the physical fatigue I was experiencing. I just didn't feel up to anything.

I wasn't putting my trust in God, either. I'm one of those people who thinks they can handle everything on their own with little to no help from others. I wasn't looking for the good in everything. Even in the bad stuff that was happening, there were good things coming from it. I was just too blind to see it.

Well, slowly but surely, things started changing for the better.

The family issues are definitely taking their time, but there has been progress. Praying and talking to God about it definitely helps! Learning to keep my calm about it is going to take a while, but I'm willing to change for the better. I'm definitely healing though, which is good.

My neck pain is so much better now! I shall explain about that:

About two years ago now, I started have discomfort on the left side of my neck. I thought I was just getting stiff necks from the pillow I was using, so I changed pillows. Still had discomfort. We had several different pillows in the house, so I tried all of them to see if they made a difference. Not enough. The pain kept getting worse and I just kept thinking I was sleeping on my neck wrong. Then the migraines started. It came to a point where I was getting them every couple of days and my neck pain kept getting worse. I was exhausted when I would get home from work. I do a lot of manual work at my job, cleaning and such, so by the time I got home, I was pooped. I started taking naps when I would get home, because that was the only way I could cope with the pain (migraines and neck). Robert started cooking dinner because of how I was feeling and it made me feel awful that I couldn't make dinner for him. He's a wonderful cook, but I just felt guilty that I couldn't even help him. He kept telling me that I should go to a chiropractor and I kept insisting that we didn't need to spend the money. That was dumb on my part. Eventually I finally caved and made an appointment. I started going to an upper cervical chiropractor in June. My x-rays showed that my head wasn't on straight (nothing new there!), it was setting off center, to my left . My neck was slightly twisted and curving in the opposite direction it should have been, and my shoulder was having some issues as well. No wonder I felt like crap. I started out on weekly adjustments, and now I am on every two week adjustments and it looks like I'm close to moving to three. Robert has been going to the same person because it helps relieve pain from his scoliosis. It's just amazing the difference I have felt these past several months! I don't get migraines caused by my neck anymore and I feel close to being back to normal (whatever normal is)! I could just kick myself for not going sooner, but what happened, happened. And now I'm on the right track :)

As for the fertility issues, we recently found out that my progesterone levels were very low. So low, that I wasn't able to conceive. SO. We're working on fixing all that, and I'm so happy that I know what to do now. I have a chance at having children! I also have hope now, which was pretty much gone before.

So anyways, GOALS FOR 2016!

1. Worry less - I am the Queen of worrying. I just need to stop stressing out about everything.

2. Let go and let God - "Let it go, let it gooooooo!" *Ahem* Something I definitely need to work on.

3. Get up earlier -  This has been going really well! For awhile there, Robert and I were not giving ourselves enough time before work to get ready and enjoy our breakfast. Now I'm not inhaling my food every morning :)

4. Stop feeling like your house has to be perfect all the time- Because it doesn't. I feel like this is a disillusionment that young housewives have. Plus I don't have time to make it perfect so, y'know. I'll have to learn to pretend that dust doesn't bother me :P

5. Blog more! - Can I get a 'Heck YES!'? I'm also thinking about changing my blog's look, but that may take a while. I need to get my techy-ness up to date.

6. Possibly become a homeowner? - Because that would be, like, AWESOME. A house with a lot of natural light would be nice.

7. Cook from scratch more - Especially since I just found out I'm gluten intolerant :P I get to join my husband in his agony! Last year I did very well on trying new recipes, but I want to do even more this year.

I think I'll leave it at that before I overwhelm myself :P

So there you have it. You got to hear about my not so fun experience. I hope it sounded more like explaining then complaining because that is what I was going for. I remind myself every day that others have it so much worse than I have ever had. I'm just going to take one day at a time and not let myself get down anymore. Because it doesn't help at all.

I hope 2016 is treating all of you well, and that it is the best year yet!

Cheers!

~Mary

Oh Pineapples, How I Love You.

Hiiiiii!

So yesterday Robert and I decided to make kebobs. First time we've made them together since we've been married! They were soooo easy to make. Every time I've thought about making kebobs I tend to think of them being more complicated than I want to deal with for dinner. So I've avoided them this whole time :P No longer! I'm going to be making these babies all the time now. Annnnd I took a lot of pictures, as usual, so prepare yourselves :D

I've been using pineapples for my table centerpiece lately. Simple, but cute :)

Pretty supplies.

All chopped up.

Kebob-ed.

Spices.

Spiced.

Chillin' with my pineapple.

All done and absolutely delicious!

Kebobs=Happy people 

 

 

 

 

 

Yum.

Easy Pineapple Kebobs:

2 chicken breasts, chunked
1 container of grape or cherry tomatoes
1 small pineapple, peeled and chunked
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped into chunks
1 orange bell pepper, chopped into chunks
1 red bell pepper, chopped into chunks
1 yellow onion, chopped into wedges

Slide all above ingredients onto your kebob skewers and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Season with pink Himalayan salt (or sea salt), black pepper, tarragon, dill, and garlic pepper on both sides of kebobs until sufficiently covered. Grill on both sides until done (I didn't do the grilling so I don't know how long it took per side!). Makes about 10-11 kebobs. Enjoy!

 

The past weekend I made some cakes for our church festival and I love how they turned out!

Hope everyone is having a lovely summer!

Curiouser and Curiouser

Well hello!

These past two months have been crazy and exhausting, which is why you haven't heard much from my little corner of the world :P
It seems that at least one part of every year (if not more) I let myself get overwhelmed with life, which leads to me neglecting things I like to do. Blogging being near the top of the list. *sigh*

In my last post I believe I mentioned being in an Alice in Wonderland mood at the beginning of April. Well, you finally get to find out why!

I have been wanting to host an Alice themed tea party for like, EVER and I finally told my family that I would be hosting our Easter. With a twist :D

So naturally, I went all out.

Here we have the 'Drink Me' bottle which made Alice shrink, the 'Eat Me' cake which made her grow, and the key that magically appeared only AFTER she drank from the shrinking potion. Ironic, huh?

I read the 'Splintered' series during my party planning. I have to say I had high expectations for these and I was rather disappointed. There were a lot of things I liked about them, being Alice in Wonderland inspired and all, but the sexual innuendos and behavior of some of the characters made me not want to finish them. But I did, and I was very happy with the ending. By the way, I liked Morpheus better than Jeb in the end :) (I knew you'd be dying to know, Cait!) It was actually pretty tough to decide between the two, which I can't say the same for in other love triangles.

My collection of Alice books and decks of cards I found at a thrift store that reminded me of Wonderland.

THE FOOD! I made too much as usual, but it was gooooood. Lots of little tea sandwiches that Mom helped me make :)



I just made them up with ingredients I had. Here are the recipes if anyone is interested:

Cucumber Goat Cheese Sandwiches

1 loaf Gluten free or Regular Bread ,cut into fourths
8 oz. Garlic and Herb Goat Cheese (add a bit of water or milk to make it spread easier)
1 Cucumber, cut into thin rounds
1 bunch of Chives, cut into thirds
1 bunch of Dill, broken off into 1 in. sprigs

Take one of the bread pieces and spread on the goat cheese. Place the chive sprig first, then the cucumber, and top with the dill sprig.

Turkey Bruschetta Sandwiches

1 loaf Gluten free or Regular Bread, cut into fourths
1 pack of Turkey or another kind of lunch meat, also cut into fourths
1 jar of Bruschetta Spread
1 bunch of Parsley, broken off into 1 in. sprigs

Spread the bruschetta on the bread. Put the lunch meat on and then top with the parsley sprig,

Enjoy!

This was my second attempt at making petite fours and I was so happy with how they turned out!!!!!! They tasted AMAZING. I was quite sad when the last one was eaten. Definitely making more soon. Here is the recipe I used. I added vanilla extract instead of orange.

 

I found these plates, brand new and still shrink wrapped, at a thrift store a few years ago. I was saving them specifically for this occasion :)

         

I had a heck of a time finding these :P I looked everywhere EXCEPT the sugar aisle. I know. I figured they would be in the tea and coffee section but nooooo, they had to be in a logical place.



That's right, you aren't seeing things. Those are mushroom cookies, baby. A fellow blogger made a TON of Alice in Wonderland delicacies for a friend's party and she found this mushroom cookie recipe.

 

The dining room table. I made quite a mess! Also, my 'talking' flowers.



I had fun throwing them on the table :D

 

The 'Mad' Tea Party. I was so happy the weather cooperated with me! It wouldn't have been the same had I had to have inside. It was so warm being in the sun during the afternoon, that my brother actually fell asleep. At the table. I thought it was quite fitting for a mad tea party, and now I have blackmail pictures :D

 

 

My sister's contributed some of their dust collectors to complete the look :)

 

 

One of them even had this little dormouse-y fellow!

 

 

I made name place cards for everybody and I used my sister's collection of old keys to make it look cool. Did I mention some of my family dressed up for the occasion? *sigh* A dream come true!

 

 

I was Alice, of course. My sister, brother-in-law, and brother were 'cards' made from poster board. My Dad was the Mad Hatter. Mom was the Red Queen. My aunt and her friend dressed up as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. My nephew and nieces had bunny and mouse ears on. Everyone looked awesome and I'm so happy they agreed to dress up!!!! It's more fun that way.

 

 

My sweet husband consented without (much) complaint to be the Cheshire Cat, his favorite character! He even climbed a tree so I could take pictures :) I told him to give me his biggest, toothiest smile.

 

 

"I'm afraid so.You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are."

 

 

I had a mirror and a clock leaning against a tree. The roses are actually from Picmonkey since some of my siblings were in the reflection who have requested to not have their pictures shared on my blog.

 

 

I found this awesome contraption at a local boutique. It was a tea cup attached to a distressed bed post. Adorbs.

 

My red and white 'rose' bushes. I just stuck some fake ones in for the party.

Me and Chessie :D

 

 

I love these socks!

 

We ate delicious food, played croquet, set up an Easter egg hunt, had fun being crazy at the mad tea party, and basically had a smashing good time :) It was a blast.