I'm so proud of myself!

I havent been blogging much, but I do have something to show for it....



or I guess technically I have less to show! I was 231 on New Years day, so I have lost 15lbs just this year. I still have a long way to go, but it feels good to look back and see how far I have come.

I'm trying to figure out how to dress now that I have more options. If I have listened to anything on What Not to Wear, I think I need a dark jean that has a straight leg from the widest part of my hips. I'm really getting inspired by outfits on Pinterest. Hopefully in my next pic I'll be a bit more stylish. :) I'm going shopping at every 10lb weight loss.

My short term goal is to be under 200lbs by my birthday March 2nd. I havent been under 200 since I had my youngest daughter 3 years ago. GEESH!

I haven't worked toward something in a long time. It feels good to have a goal (especially one for myself) and I'm really proud of how far I've come already. I haven't felt proud of MYSELF in a long time! Go me!

Putting this here for my benefit-




Start weight Jan 1st. and Goal to be under 200lbs by March 2nd!

Clothes on the cheap/extend summer clothing through the cold months

First of all, "Thank You!" to the women with little girls who outgrew sized 3t-4t and were wonderful enough to donated them!

Second of all, "Sorry" to you guys for the crappy cell pics. My camera had a dead battery.

Now on to my proud haul from today's thrifting trip:


2 shirts, skirt, and leggings

I tried to get things that coordinated with each other or things she already has. Leggings under a skirt is a cute layered look and a great way to extend summer skirts into the next season.

Here she is in the yellow and navy outfit- total=$3 for shirt, skirt, and leggings


And here is what I did with the navy one- total= $2 for navy shirt and jeans


This was really easy. I just sewed the white sleeves onto the navy one. The cupcake shirt was ruined by an encounter with Ms. Thang's make-up bag. This will extend summer shirts into the next season, or summer shirts bought off season at a cheaper prices can now be used through the winter.

Here are more clothes I got thrifting today.

1 dress, 4 leggings, 1 skirt, 1 jeans, 1 shirt

She has the perfect long sleeve shirt to go under that flowered dress, and all the leggings coordinate with other outfits she owns as well.


3 shirts, 1 capri, jeans, pants

The white w/pink flower blouse and the green capris (has polka dot cuffs, so cute) are a little large. I bought those for next year.

The black glitter jeans with embroidery hearts, not my fav, but Cutecumber loved them.

Here is what I did with two of the shirts pictured above:


Again, this was super easy. The nemo "jacket" was part of a dress set, but the bottom was torn on a swingset chain (dangerous btw!)I just cut and sewed the arms onto the other shirt. The new creation is a little large, but in a month it will probably be just right. Only cost me $1 for the shirt and $1 for the jeans.



Guess who was ready for bed? lol This time I used some old leggings that were too small and used them to create the long sleeves. $1 for the shirt, and the brown pants were already hers.

The last bit from today's trip:

pjs, 1 shirt (solid black long sleeve), 1 skirt, 2 leggings

Old Navy christmas PJS (these look like they have never been worn and might end up wrapped and opened on Christmas eve, our family tradition for Christmas PJs)

**Not pictured, princess nightgown, Cutecumber is wearing that now lol

Everything is in great, to like-new condition except both blue jeans and the brown and the black leggings which are in good-used condition. A little fading here and there, but no holes or stains.

So that is:
7 shirts
1 dress
2 jeans
1 pants
1 capris
8 leggings
2 Pjs
and 3 skirts for under $25!

I just have to make some coordinating hairbows and my girl will be stylin' like the trendiest toddlers at a fraction of the price.

Cheap Art

So the other day my Honey comes back from the Dollar Tree and hands me this "home improvement" book by Ty Pennington.

This was obviously put out pre-Extreme Makeover, way before his "move that bus!" days, when he was just some cocky hot-headed carpenter on Trading Spaces. (Man I loved that show!)
Anyway, I think Honey got it for me in hopes that I would learn to depend on him less when it comes to DIY home repairs, but what he really got me was some soft-core porn and design inspirations. You think I kid...


It's full of basic repair stuff that you can find more informative on the net, but I did enjoy seeing how he redid his own house. He really does believe in leaving things natural and recycling. Simple and nice. The style was really masculine and a modernized throw-back to the rusts, olives, and harvest golds of my early childhood. The clip art before each chapter really caught my attention and I realized that it was a great color pallet for the Scientists room.

Remember this quick collage on his wall?


It's been in need of a revamp. His awards from 1st grade are now put away and saved, and his new ones are going in frames above his desk area. That leaves his bug collection and his eye chart.

Here were a few of my favorite pages, torn (with delicate care obviously) from the book.

They aren't magazine pages, they are more durable like poster board. From left to right, "outlet" , "foot print", "peg board" , "maze", and "angry beaver" lol

I trimmed them up to fit in frames I had on hand.

As you can tell, I had to lose a lot of the image because my frames were small, and I meant to uniform them all with spray paint in matching frames, but instead I used a little metallic paint and a little black gloss. I needed to use up a few cans that were "almost empty". That is how you achieve the mix and match look of a collage though. You use what you have and you make it work. I tend to be super matchy-matchy and my OCD side had to be taped, bound, and thrown into the dark closet of my mind. lol

Then I tried a few layout options.


I wasn't feeling the green page with the foot print. It seems weird to put someone else's print on the wall, but I did love the green. I modified the "outlet" page and put it on the green background. The "cord and plug" was an image stolen from a different page in the book. I also added the shelf, dino, and expanding color ball (items laying around the scientists room) to break up all the orange.

And here it is on the wall with a few ideas thrown in by the Scientist himself. By the way, love the Hercules Hooks! (Dollar Tree)

I think it's fun! I like that he can touch all of it and interact. A lot more fun than this:



And I have to say, seeing all his robots there at the end of the bed vs how it looks now:


Really shows how much his interests have stayed in the same subjects (robots, bugs, electricity, etc..) but evolved in just a year.

Thanks for reading!