Inspiration Piece

Does anyone remember that show Room by Room  that was on HGTV in the 90's? It was my favorite show and they always talked about having an inspiration piece for a room. Well I'm happy to say that I'm taking their advice and using this painting by my grandfather as the inspiration for my living room.

My grandfather gave me this painting when I was a kid, probably seven or eight, and it's always been my favorite. I think the sunflowers are what caught my attention all those years ago (come on, who did love sunflowers are some point during their childhood.) Anyway, I wasn't sure where I was going to hang it but when we got the piano I propped it up there and loved the way they looked together. I grabbed the vases from around the house and my new Target lamp and I finally could see where I want this room to go. I have a grey couch on my wishlist which will pick up the grey tones in the barn roof in the painting.

This inspiration piece has definitely gotten the ball rolling in this room. Do you have any specific items in your home that have inspired your decor?

Practically Perfect in Every Way

Have you seen the trailer for Disney's new movie, Saving Mr. Banks? Well, if you haven't you can here. It was just released and I am beyond excited for it. It is the story behind the story. The story of P. L. Travers, who wrote Mary Poppins, as well as the story of how Disney made it a movie.

Mary Poppins has been and always will be one of my favorite movies. But, I have never read the book. I understand there is a difference between the cheerful Julie Andrews movie version of Mary Poppins and the more strict book character (or so I've heard) but I can't believe that I never got around to reading the book. Well that's going to change, while at the library today I swung through the Childrens' Department and picked up a copy. I'm excited to finally read the story and seen the difference between it and the movie adaptation myself.

What are some of your favorite stories from your childhood? Did you first encounter them in a book or on a movie screen? I'd love to hear about them in the comments.

Piano Bucket List

Do you have a bucket list? I wrote one out once and then I had this though what if I complete every item on my list? Am I then done with life? A pretty morbid thought, I know but sometimes my crazy brain goes there.

I do however have a bucket list for the piano. There are three pieces of music that I would like to master in my lifetime. Without further ado they are

1. Clair de lune by Debussy
2. The Entertainer by Scott Joplin
3. Linus and Lucy by Vince Guaraldi

I know there are easy piano version of all of these beautiful songs that I could learn how to play but that's not what I'm shooting for. I want to perfect the original versions of each piece. Also, I am in no rush to learn them because I know I will learn a lot of beautiful music over the course of my piano playing days. I do have a copy of The Entertainer and I've had it since I was thirteen. I could probably make it through the first two pages very v e r y slowly and that pace is fine with me. 

And now for your listening pleasure... my piano bucket list!

Five Things We Don't Spend Money On

First off, this post is not meant to come across as bragging. I'm hoping that by sharing a couple of things that we do without I will inspired a few others to save a some dough by cutting a few corners as well.

First up: Haircuts. My husband has short hair so I just buzz it with the clippers once a month and boom. Done. You can find hair clippers just about anywhere and they run about $15. So, for the cost of one haircut you can have lots of hair cuts. As for me, I'm lucky that my mom went to cosmetology school in high school. She's been cutting my hair for my whole life (except for a few occasions when I splurged and went to the salon.) But now that I have my own bills to pay I gratefully appreciate having her services available for free. That being said, I don't get my haircut very often and my hair is usually long enough that I can trim the splint ends myself, having a simple hairstyle helps a great deal when it comes to this.

Second: Cable TV. When we first got married we had basic cable (which was about 16 channels) when we moved we got a digital antenna and we now get about 12 channels (most are the same ones we were paying for with basic cable) for the one time $30 cost of the antenna. We just recently splurged on Netflix for $7.99 a month and we love it. We were paying about $25 for the basic cable before so our new set provides us with more viewing options for less money. Whoo hoo! Score :)

Third: Movies. Most of the time when a preview of a new movie comes out Mr. V and I look at each other and say "library" meaning we can wait till that movie comes out on DVD at the library to watch it. There are a few exceptions to this, we have our must-see-in-theaters-movies (The Hobbit, Star Trek In To Darkness and Iron Man 3, just to name a few.) But we don't normally pay to watch a movie. (Netflix adds to our movie options as well.) I am constantly putting the newly-released-on-DVD movies on hold at the library. Yes, sometimes I am at the bottom of long list but since I have a lot of movies on hold I'm usually getting a new one every couple of weeks. As far as the convinces factor goes lots of libraries now have drive through pick up windows so you can borrow a movie for free as easily as picking up a burger from a fast food joint.

Fourth: Manicures and Pedicures. Or any sort of spa service for that matter. I have occasionally indulged in this a mani and/or pedi but it was for special occasions only (like my wedding.) These activities are not part of my everyday lifestyle because I feel like the money spent on them can be put to better use elsewhere, like groceries or a date with my hubby.

Last but not least, number five. Laundry Detergent. My mom makes homemade laundry detergent every couple of months and it is most cost effective when it's made in big batches. Since she has so detergent much she shares a jug or two of it with me. This is just enough to last us until she whips up a new batch. This idea can be applied to lots of areas. Maybe you like to make homemade cleaning products that you can make in big batches and share with family members. Or if you are a member of a bulk grocery store maybe you can split (or trade) some items with other family members.

I hope my list gives you some fresh ideas for saving money by not spending it. If you are inspired by anything please share it in the comments. I'd love to hear from you :)

My Current Life

Right now I'm am currently...

Reading: You're All Ready Amazing: Embracing Who You Are, Becoming All God Created You to Be by Holley Gerth. This book is taking me a long time to read because it's challenging me. I like a good book that makes me think and I'm excited to dig into this one even more.

Watching: Top Gear on Netflix. It's actually a BBC show but the hubby started working through the seasons on Netflix and I caught a few episodes and now I love it. Yes, I've already picked out a dream car but I've learned so much. Plus, it's not just some guys standing around talking about cars it is also really funny.

Listening: Twenty One Pilots album Vessel (which is awesome)  and the audiobook of Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth by T. Harv and I am learning quite a few things.

Eating: Fourth of July feasts! I made a skinny taco dip yesterday for the cookout I went to. I found the recipe on Pinterest and I think it turned out pretty well. I served it when blue corn chips just to be festive.

Target Deals that Light Up!

Hello Hello,

Today I'm here to share with you some deals I got at Target last weekend. I don't actually go to Target that often because it's not super close to home but I happened to be there this weekend (shopping for clothes with Alex) and I stumbled upon a great find.

 

The lamp bases were only $15 each marked down from $50 a piece. The lampshade was $9 and I don't remember what the original price of it was but I think it was $20. I only found one lamp shade so it will probably be moving to a different lamp and I'll find matching shades for these two bases and hopefully a place to put them. It's not that we have too many lamps, its just we don't have enough furniture to set them on but our home will come together over time. It's the journey I'm looking forward to the most.

Black Friday in the Middle of June

When we helped my sister and her hubby move last weekend I wore jeans. Why did I do a silly thing like that when the temperature topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity was at 90%? Because I don't own any shorts that fit. I feel like I'm a ten year old girl again, trying on clothes from last year and thinking when did I grow?

So during moving day my hubby took me aside to ask if I was all right because apparently I looked as hot as I felt. He got me some water and told me to take a break. When we got home from moving day he actually arranged a shopping trip with Alex for this past Saturday. (Which was sweetest thing since he knows I'm not the biggest fan of shopping for clothes and I have a more successful trip if I've got a shopping buddy.)

I really like Old Navy jeans so I wanted to look there for shorts first. We planed to meet at Old Navy when they open, 9am on Saturday morning because they were having the $1 flip-flop sale so we thought it might be a little busy and we wanted to try to avoid the crowds as much as possible.

That was not a good idea. The place was like a Black Friday scene with a TON of people in the store. The line was so long it wrapped around the store. My poor little anxious heart that is not a fan of crowds (or shopping) was stressing out. I have been Black Friday shopping before and had a blast but I was prepared for it; this random Saturday morning in June I was not expecting so many people.

The good news is I found three pairs of shorts that fit well and were a good price ($10 to $15) a pair. After waiting what felt like forever (it was probably 30 minutes) in line I get the register and the employee said "no flip-flops?" and I looked at her plainly and said "I hate flip-flops." She laughed and said I was the first person that morning leave the store without flip-flops .

The truth is I don't wear flip-flops much because I feel like there is not enough protection around my feet. I think I might be the only person in the world who prefers wearing socks to going barefoot. Plus when I wear flip-flops then my feet get all dirty and I don't like driving in them and I'm not the daintiest when I walk so I feel like I'm stomping around even more when I've got flip-flops on.  I do own a few pairs of them for going to the pool etc. but other then that they don't get a lot of use.

But, my dislike of flip-flops was intensified but the craziness that was that store on $1 flip-flop day. However, kudos to all those out there who are pleased with scoring their shoes for a buck cause I know a deal a deal and I'm all about deals. The next stop was Target, which was much calmer. Even Alex kept saying "this is so nice" referring to shopping when it is not very busy.

What about you? Do you like shopping? Do you enjoy the craziness or do you prefer to go at less busy times?