one week in!

Yesterday my dad told me he checks this blog everyday. I felt kind of bad seeing as though for a while I was posting about once a month. He's lucky that I have something new to write about (my spending challenge). After all, he is well aware of my shopping habits (sorry, dad)!

It's September 6. Let's just say it's been a week. I've spent $6.43 so far. Proud?

Here's my breakdown:
• Returned a dress to Target that had be hanging in my closet for a while. It's a summer dress and I'm so ready for fall fashion that I figured it wouldn't get worn. I got $10.68 back (good ole Target clearance).
• Purchased this basic cardigan for $17.11 (regularly $19.99 - 15% off coupon - 5% off Target RedCard discount + tax) ... A WHOPPING $6.43 DIFFERENCE!

Here we go, week #2! Wish me luck.

spending habit challenge + fall wishlist

Please forgive me! I know it's been months since I've last checked in with this little blog of mine. I've been busy enjoying the summer months as much as I can. With September just around the corner (how is it almost September?), I have a challenge for myself. Blogging about it will hold me accountable, right?

I spend most of my day at a computer. I guess that would make sense as a full-time graphic designer, huh? In my downtime or when it's a little slow around the office, I can't help do a little online shopping. This is dangerous for me as I end up ordering far too much—knowing in the back of my mind I really don't need whatever it is.

So, beginning the month of September I'm budgeting myself to a $100/month clothing spending limit. For some, this may be a lot. For others, it may seem impossible, but I think it's a good start for me personally. I've been getting really stressed out in the mornings trying to figure out what to wear lately. Some might blame this on not having enough to wear, but I actually blame it on having too much in my closet. It can be pretty overwhelming. I know I know, not a bad problem to have, but I want to be smarter about my spending habits from now on.

Let me break it down a bit:
• $100/month to spend on clothing online or in-stores (including shoes)!
• Gift cards are bonus money (for some reason I have a plethora of gift cards laying around).
• Any money made from selling clothes can be used as bonus money also. I'm going to try my hardest to really weed out what I don't wear/don't love. I'll try my luck at eBay or our local consignment shop.

Potential benefits:
• Hopefully this forces myself to think about my purchases more. Knowing that a $30 shirt will take up almost 1/3 of my monthly budget, I'll have to think about if that's really what I want to spend my money on or if there's something I'd benefit from more.
• If I'm able to hold myself accountable during this "challenge" and actually stick with it, I'll certainly be able to save more money. I don't even want to know what I've been spending on clothes lately.

There are a few days left in August so hopefully I don't go on a crazy online shopping spree before September hits. What do you think? Think I can do it? I hope so. I'm going to document my adventure along the way (whether I succeed or fail) so check back for some monthly breakdowns and hopefully to hear about the crazy good deals I'll score.

In the meantime, here's my fall wishlist. I can't wait for this nasty Iowa heat to go away!

1) printed pencil skirt 2) kork-ease blythe 3) southwestern cuff 4) kork-ease flat 5) linen paris tee 

studio progress!

Can you believe it? I can't. Actually, you probably don't know how I was working prior to this much needed office/studio project [that probably should have happened over a year ago]. I'd work from the dining room table (stuff everywhere) and was forced to eat in the living room all the time. I'm more than excited to use each room in the house for its intended purpose!

First on the to-do list was this insanely long desk. I love it! It was so easy to make that Ryan actually committed to helping me make another one for the other side of the room. One will be for my computer, the other for more hands-on work (cutting cards, folding cards, etc). If only I could paint the green walls a nice crisp white, but I'll work with them. Thinking all neutrals up in here: wood, white, & gold!

Nashville, TN

It's no secret I love food. All types of food, which is pretty much what our most recent trip consisted of. Ryan had never been to Nashville so when it was time to take a vacation, we pretty much knew exactly where to go. The timing played out perfectly and I got to see a lot of family while out there. And Ryan got the vintage boots he's been talking about for years (you better be really happy with them because running through that rain ruined my hair and well, I ran).

Nashville stole my heart. I think I'd move there tomorrow if I could. I even know exactly where I'd want to live, and where I'd get my morning coffee. That and my lunch, and my dessert. Okay, I have a problem. But come on, you'd have a problem too if that plate of pancakes was right in front of your face.

hey strangers!

Well hello! So sorry for not posting in far too long. I'd been having so much fun with this little blog, then life got ahead of me and it kind of got put on the back burner. The weather in Des Moines is so sad right now. It's cloudy and rainy and there's not a single bit of sun. The other day I went to the store and bought 4 new plants to try and bring more life into the house. I'll be going back again this weekend, too! I'm kind of obsessed right now. Okay, really obsessed!

I was never into plants before. Like ever! Last summer was when I took the plant plunge and bought a bunch for the back deck. Tomato plants, random flowers, succulents, and other various plants I could have swore I'd kill. I had the easiest time with the tomatoes and succulents. Well, the house is now filled with succulents. I'm really drawn to jade and always find myself picking them up. They can look a little different in color and size, but all have round same leaves, which I like. I just read that they can get white or pink little flowers—I guess my jade plants aren't that lucky (they're considered the "lucky plant").

I've been really worried about Giggs lately, though. The last thing I want is to come home to him passed out with a plant hanging out of this mouth (that's drastic, I know). I've been eyeing this print on etsy, which coincidentally is by an artist from East Nashville (one of Ryan and I's favorite parts of Nashville from our trip there last week). I'll post more on our trip soon (basically best food ever)!

I'm hoping to expand my plant "collection" and get some larger house plants. My dream plant is a Fiddle Leaf Fig. I've called just about everywhere local and nowhere around me seems to have them, which is disappointing because they're beautiful! They've been flooding the internet (well, Pinterest) and it's basically putting salt in my I-can't-have-a-fiddle-wound. Someone, anyone, buy me a Fiddle Leaf?

Safe plants for kitty cats print by Rebekka Seale

inspiration: part I

wordless wednesday*

Left to right, top to bottom:

[1] Lunch date with papa!

[2] Snowy view from work.

[3] Sunny yellow flats for a not so sunny day!

[4] My boy, Ted.

[5] Best. Tenderloin. Ever.

[6] Tenderloin shop: Smitty's!

[7] Too much dirty snow.

[8] "Wherever you  go, go with all your heart." Damn straight.

[9] Brr = chili for lunch!

All photos from instagram.

*Well, kind of. I guess the below captions count as words, huh?

diary of a fake foodie: pie

Recipe: Lattice-Top Blackberry Raspberry Pie
Original source: Williams-Sonoma (crust dough), Food Network (pie filling)

This was the first from-scratch pie I've ever made and I pretty much killed it. It's about every other day that I'm craving pie. I like it more than cake. I like it more than cookies. So over the weekend, I slaved away in the kitchen for a couple of hours and ended up with this beauty (below). I used these two recipes (above), but varied them slightly.

THE CRUST: I don't necessarily have any other crusts (that I've made) to compare this to, but I would most likely make this one again.  I added crushed pecans to the dough, which gave it a subtle sweetness and texture. The recipes uses only butter—no shortening. I specifically looked for this type of recipe seeing I'm not a fan of the aftertaste and greasiness of shortening. One of my pie critics mentioned that I should use lard next time. Lard? Yes, straight up lard. Doesn't that sounds really gross? Apparently it'll bring my crust to the next level. And now there's lard on my grocery list.

THE FILLING: I like simple pies that are sweetened naturally and don't require much extra sugar. The recipe I used was great. I added some raspberries so it wasn't an all-blackberry pie (not that there's anything wrong with that). The berries, lemon juice, and lemon zest made for a sweet, slightly tart filling.

THE WHOLE PIE: There's one slice left and I'm already planning what kind to make this coming weekend. Overall, complete success. I love you, pie.

I didn't think yesterday could get any better until...

...I discovered it was national margarita day. Really though, the only thing yesterday had going for itself was that it was Friday (that and I slept until 8:30am and somehow managed to get to work on time). But suddenly, it was a great day of celebration. I text R, who I knew saw the same post on Facebook about NMD (go with it), and just like that we had official marg plans for the evening.

Dos Rios has great margaritas and in my opinion, even better guacamole. What more could I ask for on a Friday night? Well, I guess we did still have time to make it to Costco—that just toppped off the night (not one bit kidding). All that + my car only kind of got stuck in the snow. Cheers!

nail biter no more

It's been two months since I've nibbled on these babies. That sounds really gross, huh? I've always been a nail biter—got it from my papa. I'd do it out of boredom or whenever I was nervous. Either way, my nails have always been short. So short that if/when I'd paint them, they looked like the nails of a 5-year-old and the next day I had ended up basically eating all the polish (ew). A while back, I received a nail salon gift certificate and had been putting off using it. Once I finally went in, I was bombarded left & right with "why so short" comments. Well, nail lady, I haven't bit my nails since (take THAT). Something clicked one day and I told myself "never again!" Now I'm filing them all the time (they're growing like weeds) and there are so many polish colors to choose from (you should see my new collection). Someone, anyone, feel free to teach me how to paint my right hand. By far the hardest thing I've done all week!

wordless wednesday*

Left to right, top to bottom:

[1] Ry & I with our matching sunnies on.

[2] What failing at your first dinner attempt looks like.

[3] New company logo=new coffee mug!

[4] Teddy & his underbite.

[5] Colorful carrots!

[6] Obsessed with b-sprouts.

[7] Sunday brunch.

[8] My Valentine's Day "flowers"

[9] HEY, valentine!

All photos from instagram.

*Well, kind of. I guess the below captions count as words, huh?

over the weekend!

Let's start this off with my favorite thing ever: brunch. I love brunch. That's probably the one thing you'll ever need to know about me. Brunch just makes me happy. R and I go every Sunday (it's even better when I can convince him to go on Saturdays, too). This weekend we tried a new place, which is not something we'd typically do (you can almost always find us at Mullets on Sundays—me with a mimosa in one hand, breakfast burrito in the other).

I wanted something different, though. So after a quick google search, we found ourselves at Louie's Wine Dive. It was croque madame for him and a breakfast flatbread for her. If you're from Des Moines, Louie's is in the old Iowa Bakery Cafe location. There's a nice patio and long wine list (meaning, I'll be back come Spring/Summer). Thanks for brunch, Louie!*

The rest of my weekend was spent cleaning, napping, and frequenting The Royal Mile (twice to be exact). We first went for lunch on Saturday, then my dad came to town and wanted to go for dinner. I couldn't say no. I have two absolute favorites on their menu (fish and chips + shepherd's pie)...not much better than getting both in one day. So there you have it, a weekend basically all about food. Typical.

*I'm convinced SOMEONE there had to have been named Louie.

valentine's day, so far

It's only 3PM and I've already had such a great day. To preface, I really don't like all of the clichés that most people associate with Valentine's Day. Roses are my least favorite flower and chocolate is just okay (call me crazy). So to my excitement, today I received a crate full of potted succulents and a giant heart macaron. How perfect. I also got a surprise morning chai! This girl's got it good.

Follow the rest of my Valentine's Day on Instagram!

diary of a fake foodie: spaghetti squash and cheese

Recipe: Baked Spaghetti Squash and Cheese
Original source: Skinny Taste

Earlier this week I tried my hand at the above recipe. It was actually my second time making it and it's definitely a keeper. This time around, I added chicken for a little more substance, texture, and flavor! You could essentially add whatever you'd like—more veggies, your favorite meat, etc.

If you've never tried spaghetti squash, you're crazy. Just kidding. But really, go to the grocery store now. It's very similar to spaghetti pasta noodles so you still get the sensation of noodles, but it's a VEGGIE (talk about a serious low-carb alternative). The taste is slightly different, but when mixed with what you'd usually pair your pasta with (sauce, meat, vegetables, cheese), you can't tell the difference!

(photos taken with iPhone)

wordless wednesday*

*Well, kind of. I guess the below captions count as words, huh?

Every Wednesday, you'll find 9 photos that represent bits & pieces of the previous week!

Left to right, top to bottom:
[1] My persian cat, Giggs, relaxing on the back of the couch. Wish I could do that all day.
[2] Oh, just stocking up on IZZE at Costco. It's on sale this month (so, double sale?)!
[3] Candy store visit before seeing a movie!
[4] Kitty cat sleeves.
[5] Free bagel=best bagel.
[6] New kicks.
[7] Celebrating my niece's FIFTH birthday (time flies)!
[8] New friend. Thanks, R!
[9] Skywalk view from work. Brr.

All photos from instagram.

welcome!

Hi there. In the days (weeks, months, etc) to come, you'll find me using this blog as a source to channel what's happening in my crazy life. While I hope that I can stick with it {just like I've stuck with not biting my nails for the last 44 days & counting}, please forgive me if this is slow at first!

In the meantime, you can find me on pinterest or instagram. Thanks for joining me! xoxo