Style Me Saturday's

I definitely don't claim to be a fashionista... in fact I feel like I really don't have much of a fashion sense at all.  If I had to label myself anything, I am much more of a plain jane kind of girl and I completely attribute this to three things {1} I don't LOVE to shop {2} clothes cost too much money {3} having fabulous clothes means I have to do my hair and makeup, which means that I have to wake up much earlier for work  ;o)

But... I dream about being fashionable, and having a wardrobe that my friends drool over.  I look through the fashion magazines and day dream about having a closet filled with the latest trends.  Do you have any celebrities that every time you see a picture of them you just adore their style?  My two favorites are Lauren Conrad and Lo Bosworth.  Those girls are just adorable, always looking so put together and extremely classy!!

Yesterday, I found a great new website to play on that let me pretend to shop for some expensive and amazing clothes, and put them all together in a collage.  I'm calling this Style Me Saturday.  I am going to pretend that I am walking around LA with one of my closest friends who I haven't seen in months, a Pumpkin Spice Latte in hand shooting the sh*t and looking fashionable while doing it {instead of working the ASU block party wearing old worn jeans and an ASU shirt which is what I am doing today}.

click here to see all of the elements

Fill In The Blank Friday

Do you know what day it is???  And do you know what that means.... Fill in the Blank Friday!!! This week is homecoming at ASU, so its been a lot of fun to see all the activities on campus.  But that also means that this isn't really a "Friday" for me since I will be working at the homecoming block party tomorrow.  Oh well... anything for my Sun Devils

1.  My Halloween plans this year will include   passing out candy at my parents house. It's always fun to see all the trick-or-treaters.  Also, our church is having a festival on Halloween night so we may try to check that out too!!    

2.  My most memorable Halloween costume was   being able to be a genie one year.  I don't think it's because the costume was particularly special, but more because it was the first year I was excited for Halloween.  Thats me to the left  :o)   

3.  For Halloween this year I'm going to be  nothing  :o(     

4.  I've always wanted to dress up as   Scarlett from Gone With The Wind.   Even though it would obnoxious to walk around in that costume, I think it would be so much fun to feel so pretty!!    

5.  Halloween free association!   pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin seeds, candy corn {especially the hersheys kiss kind}!!    

6.  The wors thing about Halloween is   that it has become an excuse for girls of any age to get slutty.  Seriously, I didn't want to see you in your bra and underwear yesterday, and I definitely don't want to see it today!!  Go home and put on some clothes!!      

7.  The best thing about Halloween is   watching the kids trick or treat. I love seeing how excited and nervous some of the kids are... and always how proud they are with their costume.    

Praise & Thanksgiving 2

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Its a miracle... literally!!!  We have rented Dustin's house!!  YIPEE!!!

Over the last year we have been saving money for this exact time.  We knew there would come a time when our current renters would move out and when we would wait for new ones to move in.  We assumed that with the economy, as well as our asking price, we probably would have a few months while the house sat unrented.  So we followed Dave Ramsey's advice... and prepared!!  We saved enough to cover a little over two months of all the expenses of having that house sit empty.

A few weeks ago my old roommate, Alyssa, randomly asked me when Dustin's house would be up for rent.  She knew some people looking for a place to rent.  At that point we had only listed it on Craigslist once {with just a few inquiries}, and asked a ridiculous amount in rent (about $300 more than what we currently rent at), just to see if we had anyone bite.  Fast forward to last Friday when Alyssa's friends came over to look at the place. They asked all the right questions, but neither Dustin or I could really tell if they were interested.  We walked away thinking that most likely nothing would come from this situation, and Dustin posted another ad on Craigslist.  Within the next hour we got a text message from the guy who came to look saying that they were interested and would like to sign a lease.  They would be able to move in as soon as we would have it available!!  And the best part is, we were able to rent it at what we currently rent it at so we aren't losing any money.

Our current renters will move out at the end of the month, and we will have the new renters in the house only a week later!!  PRAISE GOD!!!   This has been a huge answer to prayers for us!!  Dustin is going to most likely kill me for writing this, but he actually got a little teary eyed when he got the text and he told me how good God has been to us!!  AMEN!!  One of our biggest fears has been the thought of what would happen if we couldn't rent his house, and if we possibly had to walk the path to foreclosure.  We have been working so hard to get out of debt entirely {all except house}and really maximize our savings, and we are making such HUGE strides! And as it turns out, we will be able to continue to put money towards our an emergency rental fund and continue to save!!

God is good!!

My first 30 years

Last week I turned 30!!  Amazing -- where did the time go {and how come I can't get My Next Thirty Years by Tim McGraw out of my head?!?!}  I know this sounds a little cheesy, but I've spent a lot of time reflecting on these last thirty years, probably since this is the first time that I actually feel like an adult.   I think I will keep these fun thoughts for another post -- but I really did have something I wanted to share with you!!  At least once a month {if not more often} I am told that I look like I am anywhere from 15-21 years old.  It got me to thinking, do I really look any different?  So I found a picture for every age!!  Personally, I think I look a lot different than I did at 15.  Regardless, I have been blessed with a very youthful appearance  ;o)  Enjoy!!

Fill in the Blank Friday

It's time for Fill in the Blank Friday!!! This has been an interesting week {for lack of better words}.  Not great, not bad, just interesting.  I am so happy that this week is over!!

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1.  I am   30 years old...YIKES!   

2.  I wish   that there were more hours in the day.  There is so much that I want to do, so many things that I want to accomplish, but there doesn't seem to be enough time to get it all done   

3.  I like   that the weather is starting to cool off, and that I will probably be able to wear my UGGS this weekend.     

4.  I can   do anything I put my heart to  :o)  At least that is what my parents always told me, and I thank God that they always lifted me up and believed in me.    

5.  I hope   that we are able to rent out my husbands house very soon!!  We have someone coming to look at it today, so please say a little prayer!!  

6.  I think   that America needs to slow down a little, and spend more time enjoying life.      

7.  I was   so cold in bed last night that I almost needed to get another blanket!!!  I love AZ in October!!!  

Fill In the Blank Friday

It's time for Fill in the Blank Friday!!! This week has gone by exceptionally slow - so it's nice to have something to look forward too. If you want join in the fun, jump on over to the little things we do :o) HAPPY FRIDAY!!

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1.  Blogging is   an escape for me to write about whatever I want… important or not.It’s also a way to keep our family in Oregon updated on all that is happening with my husbands recent Type 1 diagnosis –including our journey with food therapy.   

2.  A current fashion trend I wish I was brave enough to wear is   the harem pants. I love them – and I think they look great on long and lean models. But someone who is 5’1… I’m not sure the style is made for those of us with little legs. Not sure what I’m talking about click here .   

3.  My greatest accomplishment in life thus far is    earning my Masters while working full time.   

4.  If I had to choose between a mountain or a beach vacation I'd choose   any beach, any time, anywhere!!!  

5.  A talent I wish I had is   surfing!! I’m not sure if that is a talent or if it’s a skill. Either way I wish I wasn’t deathly afraid of sharks and could get my butt on a surfboard. That seems like sheer bliss to me.   

6.  A talent I do have is   is being the best shower singer in the entire world… just trust me ;)   

7.  This week   is almost over and I am counting down the last 48 hours of being in my twenties.  

praise and thanksgiving 1

On my drive to work today, I was listening to klove and they were having listeners call in for a day of praise.  It got me thinking... what is a praise in my life, and what am I thankful for.  If I started living every moment thinking of all that was going well, I would probably be a lot happier and much more content.  Of course, there are always the obvious... I am thankful for my husband, my family, my career, my house, etc.  But honestly, those are the standard responses anyone would say.  I want to really think about the small things that make my life better each day.  I thought this would be a great place to document and share... the little things that God has given me.

Today I am very thankful for Elana's Pantry Chocolate Chip Cookies!!  My mom makes us a batch almost every week {another thing I am thankful for} and we ADORE them!!  Honestly, they are better than any other cookie out there!!!  Now this may not seem like much of anything to be thankful for, especially for those of you who don't have food allergies.  But for us... this is BIG {and yummy}!!!

2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup agave nectar
1 cup dark chocolate chips 73% cacao

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl
2. Stir together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl
3. Mix wet ingredients into dry
4. Form ½ inch balls and press onto a parchment lined baking sheet
5. Bake at 350° for 7-10 minutes
6. Cool and serve