Math Shmath

I started studying for the GRE yesterday. I played some free rice vocab during the day and at night the husband helped me with some math practice questions. Thank goodness he is a patient guy because I had a lot of questions!

The math questions I practiced brought me back to high school and I started remembering a lot of things... not about math per se, but about how much I disliked high school and especially math. Obviously that did not help me solve the math questions at hand. I tend to make math way harder than it should be. Since I learn best by visualizing it helps to draw pictures. However, the GRE is timed so it would be most beneficial to me if I learned how to properly solve equations rather than spend 90% of my time drawing out how many combinations of toppings can be on a pizza.

I now realize that it might have not been very beneficial for me to have my friends do my math homework... oh well. better late than never!

ps... If you folks that took the GRE have any advice for me I will gladly accept it! I am taking it this summer.

Website Wednesday!!

I get almost all of my craft ideas, inspiration, and tutorials online.... here are a few of my favorite craft places to visit online!

Prudent Baby - I get tons of inspiration and gift giving ideas from this cute website. it has crafts of all types, from knitting to no-sew! It also has recipes... but ive never tried any from the site. I am currently in love with this blog in regards to cooking.

Made By Rae - Yet another blog for babies/toddlers/kids. I used a free pattern on here to make my first dress. I made it for my Neice Remi. It is primarily sewing related.

Geek Crafts - The title explains it all. lately there has been a lot of Dr. Who stuff on there, which I dont really care about... but they have cute Nintendo, Star Wars, and even periodic table of element crafts. This is the only craft website I recommend to the husband... he is a bit nerdy... being a chemist and all.

Welp, there you have it. It is now time for me to go home and decide whether I am going to take a nap, wrap up sewing projects, or clean the apartment.

Potpourri

Craft-o-rama: Ive been feeling especially crafty for the past week or so. I have been trying to take advantage of the inspiration since I have a long list of things to make. So far I have make a slew of burp rags, 8 coffee sleeves, Easter cards, and some Easter decorations! I still have to finish a boppy cover for a friend and make more hair bows, but I have no doubt that I will be able to finish them before my birthday!

Birthday Time: Speaking of my birthday, it is in 6 days! I plan on making these for Bible Study tomorrow night to start off my birth-week. I am also bringing some strawberries and dip to work on Thursday to celebrate... and the Intern that works with me is bringing her cupcake maker so we can make them here and decorate them too! I am making the icing; there is no room for store bought icing in this girls belly. And when the actual birthday rolls around on Saturday I am looking forward to hopefully seeing my parents and spending the evening at our favorite coffeehouse with friends!

Master Zobrist: The husband and I have agreed that it is financially plausible and good timing for me to go back to school and get a Masters Degree! I am still in the early planning stages, but I am so excited!! My goal is to be able to go to school in Fall of 2012. That would give us enough time to save money and for me to take my GRE and apply. Chances are I would work full time and take classes part time.Of course it is all contingent of whether or not I get in, but I think I can do it! By the way, I would be getting a Masters of Public Affairs with a concentration in Non-Profit Management through IUPUI's School of Environmental and Public Affairs (SPEA). Its all very nerve-wrecking and exciting!

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!