DIY: Spring Wreath

I've disappeared again for a while – life has been busy, and this is mostly a good thing. Anyway, I meant to post this back in February when I was only longing for spring.

I put together a spring wreath completely with materials from the Dollar Tree, for which the total was about $6. I wanted to add a little color while the weather was still gray.

Now, though, we're full into spring and moving into summertime.

Grapevine wreath:$1

Two bouquets of faux flowers: $1 each

Three greenery vines: $1 each

I didn't even have to use glue or anything. Simply tuck the end of the greenery vine into the grapevine wreath, wrap around to taste, then tuck the other end. For the flowers, just cut off the flower part, leaving enough stem to stick far enough into the wreath that they'll stay put.

They should have a class for this

Lately, certain things have come up in life that I really wish I had learned in a class. In college, I remember hearing people discuss how there should be a "Life Skills" class. Certainly could have been more useful than some of the other classes I took!

Here are a few examples I've come across that there should be a class for:

• Filling out forms when starting a new job
  This always makes me feel so dumb. At high school jobs, it wasn't so embarrassing to ask for help from my supervisor. But now I feel ridiculous asking for help. Do I claim myself, do I not? What does that mean come April?
• Filing taxes
  So far I've received my two W2s from 2010. I've also been doing some freelance work (read: not paying taxes), so I have no idea how I'm going to go about filing my 2010 tax returns. Here's hoping I get some cash back this year, or at least break even!
• Insurance plans
  At my old job, I had two choices for insurance plans. When I changed jobs, I had to get an individual plan, and I was completely lost. It took me forever to understand what a "deductible" is. Seems like the descriptions of plans are more cryptic than they need to be. I just want to know what is covered!
  On a related note: I'm so thankful to be back on my dad's insurance plan thanks to Healthcare Reform!
• Negotiating pay/benefits
  I'm still not good at this and don't know if I'll ever be. Not a fan.
• Credit: what your score means, and what is good and bad for it
  Currently, my credit is frozen because I experienced identity fraud a couple years ago. However, I think I have good credit — enough to be approved for the apartment anyway. I do know that having a credit card or two is good. My car is also now in my name, so I'm sure that helps. Thanks to my parents for looking out for me and making sure I was building some credit. Just wish I knew more about it.

Did I miss anything? What else should have been covered before entering the "real world?"

DIY: Necklace holder

I've been meaning to post this for a while, but life sure has gotten busy!

Over Thanksgiving, I noticed a my mom's necklace holder hanging on the wall. She made it with wine corks glued to a wooden board — I knew I just had to have one.

I already had a vase full of wine corks, and previously, my necklaces were all hanging from one hook so I couldn't see them all.

Here is the result:

Sorry for the photo quality. Camera phone...

It's super easy to make. All you need are a bunch of corks, a wooden board, some thumbtacks, a couple wall hooks, a few nails or screws and some craft glue.

First, insert screws or nails into each end of the board. Then map out where you want each cork to go, and glue them to one side. Once the glue has had plenty of time to dry, screw hooks into the wall to hold up the nails on either end. You'll likely need one more nail or screw to go into the middle of the backside of the board to hold it an adequate distance from the wall; otherwise the corks will end up facing downward. Finally place the thumbtacks where you'd like to hand your necklaces or other jewelry.

So easy!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

When did it become winter all of a sudden? Brrr.....

Lately, I've been obsessing over how delicious the food on Kath Eats Real Food looks and sounds. So yesterday when Matt and I took a trip to Trader Joe's and Kroger, I set out to track down the ingredients for this.

Some I was unable to find, but I decided to work from the base and add in ingredients I thought would be tasty together. Here's what I came up with (for one large bowl):

• 1 large handful of spinach
• 3/4 banana (I ate the rest)
• 1/6 cup of oats
• 1 cup of milk
• 1/4 cup organic vanilla yogurt
• 1 heaping spoonful natural peanut butter

After blending, I sprinkled Trader Joe's cranberry maple nut granola on top.

Looks a little strange, but so delicious. Even Jozy thinks so...

Free Greenery

Last weekend I was dropping off the trash on my way out to run errands, when I came across this...

just sitting next to the Dumpster!

At about 7 feet tall, this faux tree probably retails for about $100. (That's just a guess, but faux plants aren't cheap. I usually buy mine from Goodwill.)

What a find! Somehow, I managed to cram it into the back seat of my sedan car (with the top hanging out the window) to get it home. I did end up ripping off a branch trying to get it out of the car (where you can see a gap in the middle), but it's not a huge deal.

We gave the extra branch to the cats to play in, so everyone's happy!

Heigh-Ho! Heigh-Ho!

It's been about a year and a half since I've been out "in the real world," "working for the man."

Immediately following college graduation, I took an unpaid internship for which I had to commute an hour each way. Don't even get me started on this economy — and yes, I am sick of the phrase.

After moving back home with my parents around the same time the internship ended, I found a full-time job working for a direct mail marketing company in the production department. While I was grateful to have a job (with a salary, benefits and paid vacation), it was never the best fit. It was a stressful environment, and I wasn't doing work that was in-line with my long-term career goals. Aside from these cons, the schedule was not at all flexible.

In July, I took advantage of a new opportunity — social media strategy for a startup internet company. I've really been enjoying the work I do there and feel more fulfilled in my work than I have since finishing college. Tomorrow I officially start full time, meaning five days a week in the office. For the past few months, I've only been in the office three days a week, plus some working from home on other days. Some "me" time is definitely what I needed after my frustrating first year out of college!

While I'm excited to take on more responsibility and play a larger role in the office, I'm certainly going to miss being able to sleep in, cuddling so much with my cats and mid-day runs. It's going to be quite an adjustment in my schedule. However, my schedule is much more flexible here — if I need to come in late or leave early, it's no big deal because I can make up hours on my own time. Plus, more hours will certainly be a good thing come payday!

Working for a startup has its own set of pros and cons, but I'm eager to see how we grow, and to have a part in it. Cheers to the future!

America Recycles TODAY

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted on here. I wanted to break my silence though as a friend/coworker pointed out to me last week that today has been labeled "America Recycles Day."

I think I've made clear my feelings toward recycling in the past, so I won't ramble on. But I wanted to share this website and its resources should you be interested in getting more information. Keep America Beautiful has lots of tips about why recycling and beautification is important and how to get started with small steps.

If you choose, you can also complete the America Recycles Day Pledge and start making a difference in your community. Here is what the pledge entails:

• I pledge to find out what materials I can and cannot recycle in my curbside recycling program.
  (Or in my case, facilities in the area.)
• I pledge to lead by example in my place of work or school by recycling.
  (I'm in charge of my office's recycling. I brought in a box and simply ask coworker to place recyclables there instead of the trash, and I take care of it when it's full.)
• I pledge to recycle my used batteries, cell phones and other electronic waste through a take-back program or e-waste facility near me.
  (Earth911.com is a great resource for finding places to recycle electronic waste. As I mentioned in an earlier post, most Target stores, now have electronic waste recycling bins.)
• I pledge to tell five friends that recycling is one of the easiest things they can do to reduce their carbon emissions.
  (That's where you come in. I'm not sure how many readers I have, but I just want to get the word out. )

I know it's impossible to be perfect. But even if there's just one thing you can do differently to help out our planet and your community, why not put forth the small effort? Happy America Recycles Day!

This and That

It's been only a couple weeks since I snipped the mint down to its roots and re-potted it – separately so it wouldn't kill my flowers in the same basket. And it's already broken the surface (pictured above)!

I'm so happy I didn't kill it. I know mint is hard to kill, but I really thought I might in the process of moving it. Success!

On the other hand, I've failed miserably at my efforts to meditate every day. I might have set my sights too high. I meditated twice in the last week, so if I can just get myself to do it more, I'll mark it a success.

Just Breathe.

As my friends and family well know – I can become stressed out easily. Stressors include a sink full of dirty dishes, my phone constantly flashing at me, a full inbox, a long to-do list, etc.

I love my cats, and as much as they can help relieve my stress, they also can cause some of it – knocking things over, getting into the trash, attacking on me when I'm trying to eat.

Getting myself to relax and not think about everything I need to do is difficult, but necessary.

I used to meditate more frequently, and it's something I intend to take up again. There's something about sitting there, focusing on your breathing and simply being.

Of course, when I try to clear my mind, I'm flooded with thoughts of things I need to do, memories, and other randoms. Never know what's going to come to me.

I meditated for a short time this morning and was actually able to get past most of my thoughts and let go. But meditation – I believe – is something that takes practices.

So this is me stating publicly my intent to meditate every day for the next week and see where I am then.

Organic Fruits and Veggies on a Budget

This morning I was watching "The Doctors" on ABC, and they were discussing organic fruits and veggies – when to pay the extra for organic.

I try to buy organic when I can, but being on a limited budget, I can't always justify it.

Turns out, some non-organic fruits and veggies have been found to contain more traces of pesticides and others.

According to The Doctors, it's more important to buy the following items (dubbed "The Dirty Dozen") organic because they usually have thinner skin and are harder to wash:

• Celery
• Peaches
• Strawberries
• Apples
• Blueberries
• Nectarines
• Bell Peppers
• Spinach
• Kale
• Cherries
• Potatoes
• Grapes

 And because it's still important to get plenty of fruits and veggies in our diets, if we can't buy everything organic, the following items (named "The Clean Fifteen") are generally less tainted due to a thicker skin:

• Onions
• Avocados
• Sweet Corn
• Pineapples
• Mangos
• Sweet Peas
• Asparagus
• Honeydew Melons
• Cabbage
• Eggplants
• Cantaloupes
• Watermelons
• Grapefruits
• Sweet Potatoes
• Kiwis

I thought that this info was pretty interesting. Though unfortunately for me, most of the produce I buy fits into the first category.

Source: The Doctors, ABC 

Herb Garden

For my birthday in May, Matt gave me a flower planter with flowers, ivy and mint in it. I'd been meaning to add some more herbs to the collection and really get my balcony garden going.

Today, I took advantage of the holiday by hopping over to Trader Joe's and picking up some basil and oregano to add.

All the pots came from my parents' garage – they were sitting around collecting cobwebs.

Since May, the mint had strangled the ivy. I didn't want it to get to the flowers too, so today I re-potted it. Hopefully it'll grow back quickly so we can continue to use it. (Great for use in Pimm's!)

We chose basil and oregano since we can see ourselves using them in cooking. I'm also looking into trying to grow spinach since we eat a lot of it – so growing our own would actually save a lot of money.

As soon as I acquire more potting soil and get the new herbs re-potted, I'll have a solid start on my little garden! :)

P.S. We decided on Maggie for the kitten's name!

Name That Cat

We got a new kitten yesterday! She's incredibly cute and sweet. A month or two younger than Jozy, they look a lot alike, but this one is slightly smaller still.

We can't come up with/decide on a name though. Here are some of the ideas we've thrown around:

• Georgia (but call her Peanut) – like from Dead Like Me (plus Georgia peanuts)
• Dylan – like Bob
• Nessie – Loch Ness, guess who?
• Maggie (I'd say Maggie Mae a lot)
• Fiona

Also open to other suggestions! Thoughts?

I think Jozy's feeling were a little hurt at first, but they've been playing a lot and even napped together. Hopefully in a few days they'll start being really good friends!

Paint Décor

I'd grown tired of having such a bland wall over the bed, so I painted a tree with leftover paint from the living room wall.

All Cats Go To Heaven

I vanished from here for a while, but it's been a tough time since my last post. Last time, I was so excited about my newest baby kitten. I was excited to introduce Jozy and Sandy so they could get to know each other and be sisters.

Unfortunately, Sandy didn't make it through the week. She was recently spayed and slightly sick when I brought her home, but she kept getting worse. I took her to the vet several times, gave the medicine she was prescribed. But her little body just wasn't strong enough.

When I took her to the vet the last time a week ago, I didn't know I would be leaving without her. I knew she was in bad shape, and I honestly worried she wouldn't make it through each night leading up to it.

The vet told it to me straight, and though I wasn't surprised, it was still difficult to hear. I knew I couldn't let her be in pain anymore, and I could tell she had given up.

It's been a sad experience. Thankfully, Jozy (who was also sick) is feeling much better. We do intend to adopt another kitten before too long. This time, though, it'll be from a person or from the vet where I've been many times recently.

As much as I'd like to try to save another kitten from the shelter, I can't go through this ordeal again. At least we have one happy pound kitty – Jozy is sleepily purring next to me as I type.

Kitties, Kitties Everywhere

I've always been an animal lover. My family has had cats as long as I've been alive, and now Matt and I have two of our own.

Top is Jozy and bottom is Sandy. Both came from the Fulton County Animal Services. We chose to adopt from a shelter — somewhere where the animals weren't already in a somewhat pleasant situation. (Jozy was 1 of 4 in her cage, and Sandy was 1 of 5.)

Adopting a pet is no small decision — they require a lot of attention and care. Vet bills and animal medicine (read: sans insurance) are no laughing matter! But when adopting, most places will spay/neuter the pet before the leave to help with overpopulation.

I'm so happy to have a couple of sweet, furry companions now!

The New Sack Lunch

It's no secret that taking your lunch to work or school rather than eating out saves you a lot of money.

I have a suggestion that will save you even more money — and reduce waste!

Many of us haven't had a lunchbox since elementary school. Sometime in middle school it became totally uncool to have what was clearly a lunch packed by your mother.

But now that we're adults, it's time to break out the old lunchbox. OK, maybe not the exact same one. There are plenty of fashionable options out there, including lunch totes and monogrammed bags.

Don't stop there! It's also important to pack your sandwich, chips, fruit, etc. in reusable containers. I got a set of two plastic containers at Target – one for my sandwich and another for chips. There also are washable fabric bags available at various places online (try searching "reusable lunch sack" on Etsy.

This takes a small investment at first, but you'll never have to buy paper sacks or sandwich bags again!

What does "natural" mean anyway?

One of the most frustrating things when is comes to buying organic and safer products is not knowing whether the products you're buying are actually what they say they are.

organic.org

The food industry has specific requirements for labeling. However, cosmetics can use the terms "organic, natural and pure" as they see fit. The only way to know a product is really organic is to look for a USDA label.

Here is a guide to USDA labeling.

You can find more information about organic products (and fake organics) here. Scroll down a little to find more about specific brands that comply with organic standards.

And as always, it's a good idea to read ingredients when shopping. Because even if, like me, you can't afford to buy exclusively organic products, you can still support those made with mostly organic ingredients and those without toxins.

Say No To Foam

I'm just as guilty as the next person when it comes to using Styrofoam to package to-go boxes. I frequently am unable to finish a restaurant meal, and most places will bring you one of these boxes to take the rest home.

One of my favorite fast food restaurants (Chick-fil-a) uses Styrofoam cups for fountain drinks. I've heard some people rave about the benefits of these cups keeping drinks cold/hot longer and absorbing condensation.

But Styrofoam contains toxic chemicals that can be absorbed by food (especially when microwaved!). Not only that, it is made with petroleum which is a major polluter. This oil based product takes at least 500 years to biodegrade!

Glass and plastic bottles are also terrible in terms of amount of time to break down, but at least they can be recycled.

So what can we do about it?

• When I go to Chick-fil-a, I take my own reusable water bottle (cause I really don't need to drink soda anyway). If you order your meal without a drink, you do save that money.
• Pay attention to which restaurants use paper products rather than Styrofoam for to-go boxes. And try to choose these if you know you're going to have leftovers.
• If you know a restaurant uses Styrofoam, plan ahead. Take a friend and share a meal. Good company and no waste!

Further Reading: Polystyrene Foam Report

I don't know about you, but I seem to collect stacks and stacks of paper. Receipts, junk mail, grocery lists, credit card bills.

Clutter is frustrating, so why not try to go as paperless as possible?

This article offers a few tips. Though mainly aimed at small businesses, some of this advice can be applied to a home office.

If you choose to store important data in digital form, I recommend a secure site online. That way if anything ever happened to your personal computer, the information would not be lost.

It's important to sort through the piles and figure out what you actually need to keep — maybe for tax purposes. That receipt from Wendy's? Not useful in any way. But before tossing it, check to see if there's personal information that needs to be shredded.

If possible, recycle useless paper.

To cut down the amount of paper, most credit cards and utility services offer paperless bill options. I take full advantage of these — it's so much easier to receive the bill via email and go directly online to pay it. No stamps, no envelopes, no checks.

Hassle free and saving trees. Now if only it were less painful to pay those bills...

Bare Necessities

I am over high water bills. I have no idea how this bill has been so high, so I've been trying to devise ways to reduce water use.

I already turn off the water while brushing my teeth. I only do laundry once per week. My main water usage weakness is showering.

Especially during the summer when I feel the need to shave my legs nearly every day.

Don't worry, my plan isn't to quit shaving.

Instead, I've started shaving my legs before showering. How do I do this without running the water and no razor burn? you might ask.

I've found that I can fill a cup with water, and use water from there to splash onto my legs and dip my razor in.

Granted this doesn't greatly reduce shower time, but every little bit helps. And I figure each little bit should add up over the month to save water and reduce my bills.