St. Patty's Day Fun!

On Sunday during brunch with friends I decided it was time to throw a dinner party for St. Patrick's Day. I usually try to plan dinner parties (or any type of party) in advance so I can spend time cleaning and preparing for the event. I also love to send paper invitations, so that typically requires more planning time. However, I figured we might as well invite people over for the holiday or we will have a lot of leftovers... and I tire of leftovers quickly.

I thought I would share the menu with you: Baked Corned Beef (seasoned by yours truly... not a packet this year!), sauteed cabbage, green mashed potatoes (colored with veggies), and double fudge Irish cream cookies. A friend is making soda bread and I'm sure we will top off the night with Bailey's and coffee. I am looking forward to it!

It is a very small dinner party... we are having 4 guests over. It is so hard for me not to invite all my friends in town, but we don't have room (or time) for a large dinner party. I am not going to lie...throwing large dinner parties is one reason I want to live in a larger apartment or a house!

I dont have time to decorate, which is a shame since I even have green fabric! Well, maybe I will throw together a flag pennant... we will see!

I hope to blog more regularly again since winter is mostly over. The winter is a rough time for my depression, so I didn't want to blog since most posts would have consisted of whining, tales of sleeping too much, and more whining. If you see my husband around congratulate him on making it through the winter... I don't always make it easy, but I always make it interesting!

ps... this image was taken from http://www.flickr.com/photos/funoldnew/

I've Got a Fever: Baby Fever

*Thanks to Abbi's post for the inspiration!*

Seeing as I have 3 family members and 4 friends that are pregnant right now, Ive been thinking a lot about babies... and more specifically having my OWN baby. Just thinking about it is overwhelming but exciting at the same time! I look forward to becoming a mother someday, but that day is not in the immediate future, and the tiny part of my brain that is logical is okay with that. The majority of my brain, however, is full of baby fever.

I read a lot of mommy blogs. I am so interested in the different ways Americans raise their children! Whilst reading the blogs I tuck away the ideas and opinions that i think would work best for me in my mind for when we decide to have a baby. I also read a lot of articles on BBC and NPR about the latest studies about children, child birth and what-not. I am also guilty of perusing online children's stores for strollers and baby slings. I like to think of it as preliminary research. The more I decide on ahead of time the less I have to worry about when I actually am pregnant, right?!?!

Since I am not having my own child for a while (we are thinking 2 years), I have decided to dote on the kids already in my life. I have been very busy making dresses, bibs, boppy covers, headbands, and leggings for all my friends expecting and those that already have kids. I am so excited for my friends that are in the next stage of life, and I know that when my time comes, they will be just as excited for me!

For now, I will enjoy the moments alone I get to spend with my husband, the mini-vacations we get to take, the sewing projects I have time to complete, and the multiple naps that fill my weekend.

Actually, I think my baby fever was slightly reduced after reading that last sentence.

Something Old, Something New: A Tandem Post

While considering the question 'what is the best piece of financial advice someone has given you', I automatically started thinking about credit cards, bills, 401(k)'s, and interest rates. While I have heard tons of advice about the pros and cons of the above, the best piece of advice I had ever been given about finance was an unspoken rule in our house; don't buy something unless you really need it.

A prime example of this would be our family cars. Mom and Dad both had cars, but they always bought used (duh) and they drove them until they cost more to repair than they were worth. The local car dealership owner, Tom, once told my mom that he knows hes not going to make a lot of money off of my parents because they used the cars for all they could. Tom also had a bad habit of chain smoking in his small office. I also believe the office had wood paneling, because it was a dark, smelly place. Neither my sister or I liked to go car shopping.

Buying new furniture was also something that wasn't a necessity for our household. Our house was full of furniture bought or given to us by family members. It doesn't make much sense to spend a lot of money on furniture that you know will get stained from countless glasses of split tea and captain crunch falling through the cracks in the cushions. Now that my sister and I (okay, it was mostly me) are not living there anymore my parents are now enjoying the ownership of new furniture; and I've already spilled things on it (sorry mom).

I am so grateful for this unspoken family motto. I've saved a lot of money by adhering to it. In fact, our 'desk' that I am typing this on was from my Granny; it's actually a vanity! I love it! Our apartment is full of family members furniture, but for every dollar we didn't have to spend on a new desk, sofa, or car is another dollar going towards knocking out my college debt. There will be a time when we might have new and matching furniture and nice cars, but what we have now is more than enough. Plus, that is why the Lord invented slipcovers!

*This is a tandem post with Abbigail and Rose; check their blogs out too! Not only are they smart ladies... but hey have great blogging skillz*

Website Wednesday: Thursday Edition

Rats... I was going to do this yesterday but forgot!

This weeks featured website is If It Were Not My Home. I just discovered it today, but it is pretty neat. here is the intro:

The lottery of birth is responsible for much of who we are. If you were not born in the country you were, what would your life be like? Would you be the same person?

IfItWereMyHome.com is your gateway to understanding life outside your home. Use our country comparison tool to compare living conditions in your own country to those of another. Start by selecting a region to compare on the map to the right, and begin your exploration.

Have fun!

Turning a new leaf... again.

Over the past 2 months I have digressed in my life change. I have eaten way too many sweets, given up exercise, and have not been watching my portions. Suffice it to say i've fallen off the wagon. Is it disappointing? A bit Am I going to beat myself up over it? No. It is a '2 steps forward one step back' kind of thing... so at least ive made it one step!

Now that I am once again committed to a healthier me, I have decided to try a few different things. I am taking the advice of this article I read in Eating Well magazine and setting goals. My goal is to make it to a size 12 by losing 1-1 1/2 pounds a week. Of course my ultimate goal is to be healthy and have optimal cholesterol and triglyceride numbers, but losing weight will help me achieve that goal! I am also going to give myself a reward. When I reach my goal I will be able to go to a neighboring town to buy a cute vintage dress!

I have also just started an online journal to keep track of the foods I eat. I tend to think that if no one sees me eat unhealthy things than it doesnt count. That way of thinking has not served me well over the past couple of months, so it is time to change. By writing down all that I eat I have to face the fact that all food I eat contributes to my health.

I also need to start exercising again. Last week I walked to work all week. Doing little things like this is a goal that will help me achieve better 'good' cholesterol levels, which I need in order to be happy. Exercising also gives me more energy throughout the day.

All of this leads me back to you, my support system. I will need you to encourage me and be there for me while I get things back on track. I know I can count on you all to help me live better... you have all been wonderful so far!

Thanks!

Birds and Hypothetical Houses

Well, Christmas has come and gone once again. I had a great time in Illinois with the fams and friends. We got to see a lot of folks over the holidays and it was great! There were some friends I didn't get to see, but we did the best we could with the time we were given. The husband and I were even able to squeeze in a trip to the local museum, which was showing original prints of the paintings John Audubon created in the 1830's. For those not married to a bird watcher, John Audubon is a pretty big deal. Obviously, the husband was in heaven. I had fun too. The prints were in amazing condition and had great detail.

And I overheard boy having a conversation with his father:

Boy: Dad, that owl has BOOBS!!

Dad: [ignores son]

Boy: [Louder] Dad, that owl had BOOBS!

Dad: [unimpressed by sons observation] No, those are his feathers. His chest is just puffed out.

Boy: oh.

I can totally see the husband having a conversation with our hypothetical children like this.

I like to speak and think about hypothetical (and hopefully eventual) situations. Currently I am enjoying pretending to own a house. I fill the kitchen with fun, expensive gadgets, big chill appliances (in red), vintage canisters, and beautiful vintage table linens. I fill the whole house with decorations from the 1040's and 1950's of course. The bedroom contains matching bed and dressers, and I have my own dressing room and a fabulous wardrobe to fill the room (it is decked out with hats galore and vintage hair advertisements). My hypothetical house also has either a wrap around porch or an enclosed deck. And most importantly, connected to the house... is a garage. A nice, clean, 2 car garage. Oh how I long for a garage!

Someday, when i'm older and hopefully not so much in debt, we will have some of these things. In the meantime I will still enjoy the small, mismatched, comfy home I share with a beautiful cat and great husband.

Learning Curve

Our Apt is decorated, the tree is up, and the gifts are wrapped. Hooray, Christmas Season is finally here! I've learned a few things this year that hopefully will help me be more prepared come Christmas 2011.

• Start Projects Early - Every year I find great things to make people and every year I wait until the last minute to create them. I am a procrastinator but I do not thrive under pressure, which is very unfortunate. Mrs. Attempted Domestication, on the other hand, is a first-class procrastinator. In college she would wait until the night before a term paper was due, grab a box of cheap wine, and go to town. by 7 am she had written a masterpiece professors would fawn over.

• Take time for yourself (and your spouse if you have one) - Last night The Husband wanted to take some time and relax together, but I told him I didn't have time. After all, the floors needed to be swept and mopped, I needed to continue my sewing projects, and he had dishes to do! However, I then decided that those things could wait until tomorrow. The Holiday Season isn't about a clean floor and dishes; it is about the love that God gave us through Jesus and each other. Spending time with yourself, loved ones, and fabulous friends is not only a great gift, but it is also a necessity! So we relaxed, and it was wonderful. It gave me time to refocus, which was just what I needed!

In therapy I am learning to take responsibility for my actions and thoughts. In essence, it is up to me to change this behavior. It is hard to re-learn how to do things, but it is also empowering. I have the power to change things in my life in order to make things better! So, I am going to change this for next year. If I fail at it next year i'm not going to kick myself over it, I will brush myself off and try again.

Happy Holidays!