Random Tidbits

So I watched Breaking Amish last night while folding 3 loads of laundry. What.the.heck. I have no idea why I’m so sucked into this show! I know that it’s fake, but I still like to watch it. And I really can’t stand Jeremiah. He is slimy and a tool and he needs to shower. Like asap. I do however, feel sorry for the group because of all the negative response they’re getting from outsiders. Mind your own businesses people.

I was having a moment yesterday where I wanted to chop my hair off. I haven’t cut it since right after my wedding in October of 2011, but I’ve since calmed down. I do have an appointment on the 28th for some much-needed color and to get bangs. I’ve wanted bangs for a while and I’m loving Molly’s bangs! That’s exactly what I’ve been wanting : )

I need some good recipes for dinner when it’s my turn to cook… any suggestions??

I also need to go through my Pinterest boards again. I feel like I just cleaned them out but I would love to do another “deep clean” through my boards and get rid of things that I wouldn’t use/cook/make/do.

Remember my Before Baby Bucketlist? Well I have a few more things checked off this list, and my cousin made a cute list herself!

I’m actually in a pretty good mood right now despite the gross weather outside! Hopefully it will carry on and I can have a productive day!

 

Have you ever wanted to chop your hair off?

 

xoxo

Lauren : )

What a Wonderful (and cold) Weekend!

Let me just tell you that this weekend was cold. Really, really cold. But that’s ok because it was still wonderful!!

Friday was nuts at work. Absolutely nuts. Big project, escalations and meetings. I think I lost 5 pounds just running from desk to desk. Matt asked me what I wanted to do for dinner, so I said let’s just go out and relax for the night.

So for dinner, we went to Mugsy’s which is a bar/restaurant right by our house. Two of our friends met us there, and we enjoyed dinner and drinks with them. It felt so good to just relax and unwind after a hectic day. I ordered the Margherita pizza which is pretty much my staple, along with Shock Top Lemon Shandy. It was a delish night with fun people.

Saturday was the Detroit Dragway Reunion at the racetrack, and my dad’s first time out for the year. It was freezing outside, but we all still had a good time. My dad’s best friend came out with his family, and the racetrack was packed! Unfortunately it started to rain and they ended up doing a tech card race (they use the cards the racers fill out and pull names to race) and my dad lost 1st round. Boo.

Linda, April, David, my mom, me and Lori

But other than that, we had a really good time, and my mom loved her bracelet!

Sunday my mom went home and took my Grandma out all day, and I went to the racetrack with my dad. We thought it was cold Saturday… OH MAN it was even worse Sunday. 30 degree wind chill, 30+ mph wind gusts. An all-around great day for racing (not). Dad ended up loosing 1st round Sunday too. He got a new part for his motor and he’s still trying to figure it out-I’m sure he will soon though. Hopefully we can get some good weather soon because I’m sick of the cold!

I was so tired yesterday that I missed Breaking Amish! I recorded it so I’m going to watch it today… This show just sucked me in, I wanted to stop watching but I couldn’t. I’m interested to see how this season pans out…

 

I hope your weekend was wonderful as well!

 

xoxo

Lauren : )

Yay for Friday!

Ok yes I’m like, the worst blogger ever. Sorry about that one : ) But it’s Friday, so let’s celebrate shall we?!

1. So sweet of Emily to mention me in her post! More and more I really wish that I could spend more time with them. But since we live 5+ hours away from each other, it’s a little hard. But I think we’re always with each other in spirit!

 

2. We are racing this weekend! The first weekend my dad will be out, and it’s the Detroit Dragway Reunion race tomorrow, and then a regular points day on Sunday. Should be fun!

3. Happy Mother’s day to all you mom’s out there! I’m getting my mom a Pandora bracelet… I hope she likes it. I’m going to get her the leather one because face it, she’s not girly or dainty but I’m thinking she will like it! (Any family reading this please don’t spill the beans!)

4. I have been slacking in my shop lately and I’m sorry, I was swamped with huge projects to handle this week and work and totally pooped when I came home. I should be back up and running soon!

Have a great weekend to everyone out there, and enjoy the beautiful weather!!

 

xoxo

Lauren : )

I’m Going Back…

To my most favorite place in the whole entire world!!

You guessed it, Mackinaw City!!

I can’t wait until I see that sign!

Mackinaw holds a very deep spot in my heart. I have been going up there for literally my entire life. I first went with my mom and grandma when I was a baby, and then when I got older my cousin Emily started coming. We stopped once we went to college, because we were just so busy all the time and trying to coordinate the trip just wasn’t happening.

Last year, my mom and I finally went again after talking about it for years. (See a recap here!)

So this year, we told ourselves that we are going back, no matter what. So we randomly picked a weekend, made reservations, and just like that our trip was planned!

If you’ve never been to Northern Michigan, then I really can’t describe it. It’s seriously something you need to experience on your own. It’s beautiful, magical and it’s kind of like a state of its own. There are small towns, beaches, lakes and tons of things to do. It really sucks you in, and I totally wouldn’t mind living there at all.

So… I can’t wait to go up there again! We plan on eating at the Keyhole Bar, getting pizza,

having some drinks on the beach,

and getting a nice tan.

 

Or burnt… Whatever.

Where is your favorite place to vacation?

Have you ever been Up North in Michigan?

xoxo

Lauren : )

My Weekend

Friday after work we went out and bought Matt’s new toy.

He seriously loves this grill.  Like one of those unnatural loves you shouldn’t- have- for- an- object kind of love.

Just for scale, I’ll show you how big this bad boy is:

Ridiculous.

Saturday while we were getting our new utilities installed, I decided to take Izzy out of the house to get her nails done at Petsmart. I didn’t know that you were supposed to bring a rabies certificate, so they had to muzzle her. (Which I figured would be the case anyway-she doesn’t bite but she can be nippy).  So they drug took her back, and a few minutes later while I was shopping, I got paged. They told me that they couldn’t do her because she kept trying to bite them while putting the muzzle on her. How. Totally. Embarrassing. We have “That Dog”… The one even Petsmart can’t handle. (just wonderful).

So after our very traumatic experience at Petsmart, we go to my friend Cassie’s house who recently got a puppy, Oliver. Izzy and Oliver played in the backyard for a while and then Izzy tried to bite Justin’s dad. That was our que to go home and stay home for the rest of the day. I was so irritated with her, she just needed a time out. While the Direct TV man was at the house we kept her in the backroom and she calmed down. Phew.

Sunday we decided to have the first “Family Dinner” of the year! (Sidenote: It’s not really family, it’s our friends that come over.) Everyone brings their own meat, BYOM as we call it, and usually we will split up who brings sides, chips and dessert. It’s just a nice time to wind down on a Sunday with our closest friends.

We broke in the grill with everyone’s different meat and enjoyed pasta salad, macaroni salad, chips and dessert. It was nice seeing one of our friends we haven’t seen in like, a year because they had twins 6 months ago and we haven’t seen them yet! They’re so big and they were really good the entire time. Annnnd, she had an awesome Coach diaper bag which is on my wishlist now for when we have kids : )

Before Family Dinner I had gone to Lowe’s to look for a new kitchen rug, and while I was there they had 5′x7′ rugs for only $24! You betcha I swooped one of those up for our living room! It’s so crazy a rug can make such a difference. It looks so much more home-y. If you’re ever in the market for a rug you should check out Lowe’s for sure. They have a huge selection and at very good prices. Although some of the fancier huge rugs are a bit more, it was nice to see such a good selection of prices that fit everyone’s budget! Rugs can be so expensive so seeing that great deal I couldn’t pass it up!

 

xoxo

Lauren : )

Friday!

I think this week actually went by pretty quickly which is grrrreat!

1. My co-worker and I finally finished this huge project that was due. It was a doozy and Izzy can demonstrate how I’ve felt for the past 2 weeks about it:

I was pooped.

But once the project was done, I felt a huge relief and now I can finally get some other things done!

2. We are getting  a new grill tomorrow and the hubs is very excited about it. It’s this massive charcoal grill that can cook like, a million chickens. Maybe we will have a “Family Dinner” on Sunday to break the bad boy in.

3. Speaking of cooking, I’ve been cooking up a storm! (I think I would be much more effective in a chef hat though… just saying). This week I have made stuffed Greek chicken, chicken quesadillas, baked bourbon fish and baked bbq pork chops! Matt said he doesn’t care what I make (although I know he does) and to just make whatever I want. So the next time it’s my turn to make dinner, I’m going to try out some recipes that I think I would really like.

4. I’m excited that some of my favorite shows are on now! We have Housewives of OC, Deadliest Catch, Tabatha Takes Over and Don’t be Tardy. Yes, I’m a bit of a Bravo slave and I’m not afraid to say it : ) This weekend we are getting Direct TV and I’m super happy that we will finally have a DVR so when I fall asleep like a grandma I can catch up on my shows!

5. I’m super happy for this girl! She has a house and I can’t wait to visit!

What are you doing this weekend?

xoxo

Lauren : )

My Job History

I absolutely loved this idea from my fabulous cousin Emily, about posting jobs that we’ve had in the past. So, since copying is the most sincere form of flattery, here goes : )

 

Hairstylist for Club Libby Lou

After-School Child Care aid at an elementary school

Financial Aid work study at my college

Senior Benefits Rep for one of the Big 3 – current

 

As I type this, I realize that I really haven’t had that many jobs in my past. I was very active in high school so I only worked a few months out of the year so I could play sports. After high school, I worked most of my entire college career at the college, in the financial aid department. I was lucky to be able to do that, because I was really able to understand how loans work and how they will affect me later (which would be now). Financial aid can be scary, but once you get to learn about it it’s easy-peesy.

In my junior year of college, I got my “big girl job” and moved on, which was exactly what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to graduate from college and have a degree in-hand, and no job. So I took a full-time job as a Benefits Rep, and dropped to half time for the next semester in school just to see how I could handle it. It was totally fine, so I brought myself back up to full time and finished school the next year.

More recently, I was promoted to a Senior Benefits Rep, which I’m pretty proud of. When I was first hired, I learned the 401(k) plan. I was clueless about how they worked, because I was 21 and never had a job that had a 401(k), and there’s A LOT to learn, trust me. But, just like the student loans, it’s not bad at all once you get to learn everything. I’m now cross-trained in 401(k) and Pension and I’m so happy that I was promoted. Coming from not knowing anything to giving training, taking escalated calls and doing major projects is a huge accomplishment in my book.

It’s still obviously not my “dream job,” but it will work for right now. Honestly, besides working my Etsy shop full time and designing or coordinating events, I really can’t think of what my true “dream job” would be. Professional ice cream eater? Sounds good…

 

What would your dream job be? Tell me!!

(Maybe we can start a professional ice cream eating franchise together…)

 

xoxo

Lauren : )

The Supply World of Etsy

When I purchase supplies for my shop, they’re either from Joann’s, Hobby Lobby and the occasional Walmart.

However, I’ve recently ventured into the “Supplies” section of Etsy. Oh my goodness. Fabric and zippers and patterns oh my! And at great prices! Let me break it down:

The Etsy store Zipit sells zippers in various lengths, colors and sets. One of their listings is for a set of 25, 7″zippers (you choose the colors) for only $10, plus $3.50 shipping! This is a GREAT deal. In a fabric store, a 7″ zipper is $1.99, plus tax. In Michigan, this would end up costing $58.73… I think the choice is way obvious here! Tonight when I go home, I’m totally looking through my fabric stash and buying oodles of zippers to match. I.can’t.wait.

Zippers-a-plenty by Zipit

Speaking of fabric, that’s totally my downfall. I see fabric in the store I like, I’m buying a yard even if I don’t have a project in mind. I know that I’ll eventually find a project for it. There are tons of fabric stores on Etsy. I love Amy Butler and Joel Dewberry prints, and if you do a search you’ll find many stores that carry it. The prices are a teeny bit higher than Joann’s or Hobby Lobby, but that’s to be expected which is fine. You also have to remember that most of the fabric offered on Etsy is usually by a well-known designer. Stores like Jo’s or Hoblob have signature store brands that they are able to offer at a lower price. I like to think of it as an investment and remember that I’m getting a quality product by someone who cares.

Joel Dewberry fabrics sold by Moona Fabrics

And then there’s shipping… I LOVE packaging more than anything. I’m a total sucker for packaging too. If something looks pretty at the store I’ll buy it just for the packaging. And what’s better than buying something from a seller on Etsy and having it come in such thoughtful packaging? Oh that’s right… nothing. I think that it really shows care and compassion about your product if you take the time to package it nicely. One time I ordered something handmade, and it came in a crumpled up envelope balled up with wrinkled tissue paper. I loved the product, but was totally turned off by the packaging. Some of my favorite stores for packaging are Paper and Present, who have cute Kraft paper items. Another great shop is The Joyful Cup, who sells baker’s twine and other nice items.

Check out this cute kit from Paper and Present! It’s only $17.50 and comes with all kinds of goodies!

So if you’re ever in need of any kind of supplies, remember to look outside of the box stores and look at Etsy! They have supplies for all kinds of crafting, design and diy. You might be amazed at what you’ll find there!

This is how your package will arrive if you order something from my shop!

 

Where’s your favorite place to shop for supplies?

 

xoxo

Lauren : )

TGIF

Seriously… this week has been a doozie for our nation. First the Marathon Tragedy, then the Texas fertilizer plant explosion, and then recently this morning/last night they identified and caught one suspect, and are looking for another. Hopefully things will start to turn around soon…

Let’s try to keep things on a positive note however, after all, it is Friday : )

1. I’m going to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner tonight! That’s one of my all-time-favorite restaurants and I haven’t been there in months! My favorite thing to get is the buffalo ranch chicken wrap which is a wrap with chicken tossed in medium sauce, ranch, cheese, tomatoes and lettuce. It’s comes with a side of chips and salsa and it’s super delish. I…can’t…wait.

2. This weekend I really plan to spruce up the house. It’s supposed to be a really nice weekend, and Lowe’s has mulch on sale (4 bags for $10!) and we also have grubs so we need to take care of those. I’m excited to make the house look nice and ready for spring and summer festivities.

3. Although it’s been pouring down rain, lawns and trees and flowers are really starting to look much better!

4. Now that I’ve nailed down my photography problemos, I’m excited to make some brand-new items and list them in the shop. I’m almost done with the cutest diaper bag and I can’t wait to show you!

5. I still need to take my storm spotter class, and considering it’s nearing the end of April I better get on that!!

 

What do all of you have planned for the weekend?

 

xoxo

Lauren : )

 

 

Pray for Boston

I don’t even know what to say about this…

I was having a rough day yesterday, and then I finally checked Twitter and heard about the news in Boston. Hearing things like this really puts your life into perspective. From that moment, I stopped feeling bad for myself and prayed for the people affected in Boston. There’s bigger things going on than my little life.This world can be a very scary place to be right now.

I saw a great quote on Instagram yesterday from the great Mr. Rodgers:

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” -Fred Rodgers

 
This quote really stuck with me, because it’s true. I was hearing on the news that police were there to help out right away, trying to get people to safety. In life, I really try to look for the positives, all the time. So amongst all this pain and hurt, so many people were there to help out. After I saw this, I immediately thought of 9/11. That was a horrible horrible day that no one will forget, but there were also SO many helpers during that time, and there still are!

In regards to this incident, there were some people that were crossing the finish line and running straight to the hospital to give blood. That is truly amazing to me, and it shows true character.

I’m definitely sending thoughts and prayers to everyone affected by this horrible tragedy.

xoxoLauren