One of my new loves (pretty sure I mentioned this already) is couponing! Seriously...I'm obsessed. Between WalMart and Dillons last night, I got close to $300 in merchandise for about $32. It's so. Much. Fun!!! I would highly encourage starting yourself! But I'm going to have to start couponing for someone else...even though I'm getting these things super cheap, I have got to stop spending money! Time to focus on the looong (and ever growing!) list of projects I have in mind.

Speaking of which:

I'm in the midst of a new crafty project, but came to a standstill when I ran out of paint. I was having so much fun, too! Lesson learned...too much is better than not enough! So I'll post pics of that when I finally get it all done. Keep your fingers crossed that it turns out like I have it pictured in my head! So now my last option is to clean. And let me tell you how appealing -that- sounds!!

So anyway...my day was spent in my mom's first grade classroom. Those kids are so funny sometimes! I haven't spent much time there this year, so not all the kids know me. One of the boys walked in today, looked at me rather skeptically and said, "Are you -supposed- to be here?" He then went on to grill me further to make sure I was an appropriate addition to their classroom. I couldn't help but laugh!

Tonight I got to go to one of my very favorite places. The Loony Bin Comedy Club here in Wichita has ladies' night every Thursday. Ladies get in free! A good friend and I used to go every week...it was our standing Thursday night date. I love love love planning, so the consistency was great, plus it's just so much darned fun! Tonight was Caroline Picard, the "Cajun Queen." The woman has no filter, and is absolutely hilarious! I would highly recommend checking her out here!!

Just call me the crafting queen!

So crafting is another of my new obsessions. I've been needing a lamp for the table next to my bed, because I was tired of getting all comfy in bed with my book and then having to get -back- up to turn off the light. (Yeah, I'm that lazy. Particularly once I get all settled!) I couldn't talk myself into spending much money on it though. So I was at Goodwill, looking for craft ideas for Christmas, when I found this:

My UGLY Goodwill find--only $2.99 though!

Fortunately for me, I'd been clicking my life away on Pinterest the night before and found a picture of an upcycled, ugly old lamp. (If you haven't checked out pinterest already, you -really- need to do so. Now. Go now. I'll wait.) So I saw this and...lightbulb! I thought, "I could totally redo that and make it cute again!"

Next stop was WalMart for trim to cover the shade (Don't judge. I was in El Dorado...my resources were limited.) I was super stoked to find this awesome pink trim for $5!!

So that, my nasty lamp, spray paint Dad already had around his house, and some fabric glue later, I got this...and for just $8!!

Ok, so I got a little carried away with the spray paint and have some spots where it ran. Totally fixable though! I just cheated them toward the wall for now. The table underneath isn't my favorite...it's one of the next things on my "To-Do" list though. Seems like that thing is always growing...anyone else have that problem??

The Smallest Things

I realized today that I seriously need to stop and smell the roses sometimes. Ok, well maybe not roses exactly, but you know what I mean. I've been in a bit of a haze for the last week. Everything has been kind of numb, and I haven't been paying attention to much. I've been crabby, impatient, and just generally not very fun to be around, I'm sure. So anyway. I've been at my parent's house for the last few days, just kind of hiding from the world. No tv, the internet connection is frustrating at best, and I can easily leave my cell phone somewhere and just forget about it. (Sometimes I really just want to chuck that thing!) So this afternoon I decided it was time to put my big-girl panties on and get back to my own house. 'Cause I kinda pay rent there, and should probably actually use the space. And it needs cleaned. Bad.

Now this is probably going to sound a little stupid, but just bear with me. There's a point, I promise.

So I'm at the stop sign on the county road leading to my parent's house, about to turn onto the highway back to my life in the "big city" when I see a turtle in the middle of the road.

He looked something akin to this. With less trees. And mountains. And scales. And tail. So basically the asphalt and the fact that he has four legs were the only common factors. But you understand.

I seriously sat at the stop sign for almost five minutes watching him. All I could think about was how long it was taking him to cross that four-lane. And how dangerous it was. (Before I go on, please know that I did get my lazy, animal-loving butt out of the car and deliver him safely to the other side.) I was thinking, "That turtle puts his life on the line just to make it to the other side of the road. How many times has he done that? What's on the other side that is so all-fired important that he would risk death by squishing just to get there?" It's probably ridiculous, but that little turtle really made me realize that I need to appreciate more things in my life. I've been so discouraged and feeling like any effort I make is wasted. I was reminded today that I'm actually pretty darn lucky. I have food; shelter; a car; I'm going back to school this semester; moving forward with my life; and bettering myself (Or so they tell me. I'm not convinced. But that's another post). Plus I don't have to inch my way across four lanes of traffic, unable to move quickly enough to avoid the tires of speeding Mack trucks! He inspired me (yes, I'm talking about the turtle) to try a little harder. To take a few more chances with my life. We're not talking skydiving (yet), but maybe just foregoing all of my ususal planning and worrying to just enjoy life a little more.

My decision for the day: Step back and enjoy each day as it comes. Stop worrying so darn much, and move forward to the best of my ability.

Please feel free to keep me accountable...but that, of course, assumes someone actually reads this thing! :-)

Hello Blogging World!

I've decided to join the blogging world. Lord help us all! I just keep finding all these wonderful blogs I'm dying to keep track of, and my bookmarks are overflowing. So I caved.

The last week or so has been pretty rough. And when I'm stressed or upset or worried, I tend to find new projects and throw myself into them. This time it's couponing and crafting. Omg, I'm obsessed!! I can't decide which I like more! Seriously. My new problem, however, is that I'm blowing all this money I've saved on new craft projects. It's a vicious cycle. There are worse things though...I've finished a good portion of my Christmas shopping for roughly a third of what I would normally spend. And I like these things a whole lot better than my normal store-bought items. Granted, they're going to cost me a heck of a lot of time, but my loved ones are worth it, right? :-)