Sara's Anything & Everything

My New Blog

2010-11-19T05:17:00.000-08:00

Check out my new blog Sara Johnson Photgraphy

If you are in the market for custom portrait photography send me an email. SaraJohnsonPhotographer@Gmail.com

Our Dining Room & Fall Decor

2010-09-27T05:53:00.000-07:00

Part three of our home tour brings us to our "dining room". We bought a ranch, which means we do not have a formal separate dining room, as ours is connected to the living room.

Here is the said dining room around the time we bought the house in 2007.

Of course I was uber excited to start decorating our first home and jumped right into bad paint colors. Most of the furniture you see is from our college days and has taken us some time to replace.

Here is the after...or the in-the-process-now.

We painted the above the fireplace and shelves a light blue to offset the blueish gray walls in the rest of the space. We upgraded our table and chose a pub style for height. The mirror we got at a flea market mall for $30 buckaroos. We stained it and promptly put it on the mantel to open the space. Painted the fireplace a dark brown for a more cohesive look.

From there we purchased three bar stools for our shallow bar top. These have a new face lift...post to follow. The rest is decor in progress.

I love having the built ins but I do not love the current look of ours. I take a "put up/out and give it a few weeks" approach to decorating. I plan to change these but I wait for the inspiration to strike.

This "table runner" is actually some fabric I got at a yard sale over the summer. I loved the colors and they were great for the season so this became its home for a few months. I've already changed this...

In other news. I've begun to change the decor to add some fall flavor as we get start the season. We are a frugal family so it's a slow and cheap process. ;)

The ceramic vase I found at Goodwill for less than a dollar, I think around .75. Spray painted the limbs, framed some fabric from a recent barstool makeover and painted the J (Johnson), vase on candle (that works) filled with cinnamon sticks and acorns, (one is from nature, the other from Hobby Lobby-you decide), the candle tray holder thingy in the middle has to go. Again, I'm just waiting for something to replace it.

I intend to paint these pumpkins but haven't gotten around to it yet. I have an idea similar to this. Another fabulous card from HB.

Pumpkin courtesy BL and candle from IKEA.
Digging the plum/purple for fall!

I probably should not be showing this picture. There are about three things wrong with it. (The lamp shade that needs replacing/re purposing, the vase, and the vase on the candle holder. What can I say, I just play around till something works...and nothing works in this!) Love the ceramic squash I nabbed at Big Lots. Any ideas where to find a cute lampshade? Possibly infuse some color?

Yes, it's a little early for Thanksgiving but the coloring in these cards is perfect. Could not pass up .99 each at Hobby Lobby. They have THE BEST cards.

The "table cloth" is a quarter yard of fabric from Joann's. Bought it a few months ago because it appealed to me, and I think it works great as a square tablecloth. Did you notice it's unfinished edges? Oh you did? Well you are good. Another to do...

I plan to fill this bowl with pine cones, I just need to find them first!

I have to show my new shutters. I got these at a yard sale for .25 total! One of those practically giving stuff away yard sales. Helps to stop on a Sunday when people are literally giving their stuff away. I initally was going to paint them, and still might, but I like the height and color on this shelf in our living room. The pictures beneath/in front of them are temporary. Like I said, I usually leave stuff in once place until the right replacement comes along. I think these shutters are great on this shelf and we got lucky finding them. Another ceramic pumpkim from Hobby Lobby. Who doesn't love that place?!?

There you have our dining room with some fall infusion.

Anyone else working fall decor into their home?

Our Updated Kitchen

2010-09-22T06:49:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our kitchen shortly after we bought it in 2007. If you notice the dishwasher to the right of the stove, we added that cabinet to house the dishwasher. Gotta have a dishwasher! The cabinets were originally a tanish color, blah, so we immediately painted them a crisp clean white!

Here she is after. We made the latest round of changes March 2009. It was a long process if you count the total time from start to finish, and if you add in the changes I still want to make! Obviously we painted the cabinets, replaced the hardware, installed a tile counter top (granite tile we got incredibly cheap!), added more cabinets and counter space, opened the room to the dining and living room, installed recessed lighting and a decorative light in the center. Also, replaced the linoleum flooring with engineered hardwood.

One of our favorite changes was opening this wall to the dining/living room. It greatly opened the flow of our house. Notice all the paint and accessories on the fireplace? That is the usual around our casa. ;) Also, the wine rack never has wine in it!

We scored this door at a builder surplus store here in town for $80! We stained that sucker and put it up right away. Someday I plan to replace the storm door with a full length light. Right now it is a bit of an eye sore. FYI, This picture is before we did made a lot of the changes

There you have it. Our remodeled kitchen! I tried explaining the color scheme to a friend and it did not sound like it worked. I've been wondering if I should repaint the walls something more neutral and replace the curtain over the sink. I've considered going with a white color scheme and incorporating color with accessories. I also have played around with the thought of crown molding on top of the cabinets to give them some height. I HAVE NOT expressed this with the hubs as I do not wish to die in my sleep tonight!

What do you think?

I see a million things I can change. The rug, curtain, paint color, add a cabinet over the fridge, crown molding on the top of cabinets...

September 11

2010-09-11T12:03:00.000-07:00

Today marks the ninth anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center in NYC, The Pentagon, and the hijacked plane in PA. A very sad day for those who lost their family and friends. They say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news.

I was in the my high school US History class when a facility member walked in and told our teacher to turn on the TV, and that a second plane had just flown into the World Trade Towers. Our whole class was frozen to the TV, and the rest of the school day was spent watching the news coverage. No one can ever forget where they were. On this day for as long as we live we will remember that moment and the fear that paralyzed our hearts.

source

Where were you when you heard? 

God Bless,

Sara

CSA Week #3

2010-09-10T16:40:00.000-07:00

In an effort to eat better and support local farmers I talked my husband into purchasing a share in a CSA. For those of you not familiar with CSA's, Community Supported Agriculture, they serve as the middle man between local farmers and the community. Instead of purchasing out of season produce, which is sometimes trucked or flown miles to the nearest supermarket, one can pay up front for a CSA share and receive a weekly amount of produce from local farms around the state. We went with the company Grasshoppers Distribution and are too early in to accurately reflect upon the program, although unofficially I'm satisfied and content.

I must mention when you buy local and usually organic you are paying a higher price, so although it does not look like a lot, the peace of mind of what we are putting into our bodies far outweighs the cost. I also feel we are preventing possible health issues down the line. Read here on more about pesticides, hormones in meat, and generically altered food.

Without further ado, here is our week #3 share with 13 more weeks to go.

Pears (Shelby Co)

Basil-(Palmyra, IN)

Winter Squash (Acorn Squash-Allen Co)

Spaghetti Squash

Garlic (Jefferson Co)

Arkansas Black Apples (Casey Co)

There is our produce for two share. If I sign up next year I will sign up for the full produce. I would have gotten tomatoes & sweet peppers as well. You can get almost everything this type of program. Dairy, honey, etc. I'm just not ready to pay the prices for real organic dairy.

Here is most of our share from last week. We are behind in the eating and preparing b/c we were out of town for labor day. We have a multitude of apples, squash, peppers, potatoes, and pears.

We got these cute little Patty Pan Squash last week.

This is not from the CSA but a tomato I have sitting in the window. I love tomatoes and will miss them dearly in a few months!

Two banana peppers I received from a co-worker. Can't wait to make some veggie burgers and include these puppies!

We have a lot of produce right now so I better get to cooking! Happy Friday. We are off to the watch high school football!

Living Room...So Far

2010-09-10T05:08:00.000-07:00

Way back here I told you I was planning on changing the design of our living room. Well here it is...so far. It is completely different from when we bought the house in 2007. Everything was white, every inch of every room was completely white. Even the carpet was off white, albiet new, still something in the white family. Being our first house I wanted color and quick! In my haste I picked some awful paint colors numerous times. You will hear more about that when I post about our bedroom.

So here is our humble abode in 2007 shortly after we moved in. This main wall looks into the kitchen and closed off the living room & dining room.

Enter yellow green! In the past I have mistakingly designed a room around a paint color. Never again! We were working with a lot of "college" furniture at this time. The bookcase against the wall my dad made me for my first apartment. This view shows you the dining room looking into the kitchen.

First we opened the wall from the kitchen to dining room and expanded the kitchen counters/cabinets immensely. I'll go more into the kitchen project later. As you can see, just opening that wall made a huge difference in "feel" of the three rooms.

Here you see that wall opened. Then we added a bar and tiled counters. We mistakenly made this counter/bar too shallow and it haunts us every day. We also still have the yellow green walls and look to the right, dark olive green starting down the hallways.

Here is our living room 2010. It still needs a lot of work but I am loving the color scheme and the pieces we currently have.

Feburary 2009 we had a pipe burst (again) and since we had to gut and replace everything, we saw this as opportunity to make some much needed changes. We replaced the carpet with engineered hardwood purchased at Lumber Liquidators on clearance, removed all the wood paneling, replaced drywall in spots, and repainted the walls. We also removed the whole popcorn/textured ceiling and replaced with drywall for a smoother appearance. I love this paint color much more! Something in the blue gray family by Porter.
It is more me. Whatever that means.

I had these wing back chairs from my first apartment so we decided to cover them with slip-covers from Overstock, and yes they are hard to keep wrinkle free, but much better than the chairs looked on their own. As you know, we already had the curtain panels (Target) and purchased the blinds from IKEA.

My beautiful rug purchased from Meijer for $100!! It fits perfectly with our colors. The coffee table I got off Craigslist for $85 and repainted; it was originally black. I love glass coffee tables. They really open a space. The dog is real and not a statue. Its our bully Wrigs!

We also got this couch off Craigslist for $90, although I love the style and structure it provides, it was an impulse purchase and I will never own microfiber suede ever again. It also is dirty so I cover it with this soft luxurious blanket we got as a wedding gift. Yes, I was deflecting from the fact that I bought a dirty couch. It's a long story. The pillows are also from overstock and I love them! Another not-so-sneaky pup lingering about. Hey, Maggie!

Originally I wanted a new TV Stand, as this is a desk, and I thought it was too high, but I really love the structure and color of it too much to move it. So I've since decided I need to figure out a solution to hide the cords. I've considered fabric along the back and a small piece for the top part that is a different color; we removed a piece and behind it wasn't stained to match.

This is our "mud room"/entry closet. This was originally a closet with an accordian door YUCK. We removed that, sand and painted, then added some hooks for coats. I want to get a leather storage piece and a different mirror or something else on the wall. Maybe a floor length mirror?

Our $100 door found at a home thirft store! We simply painted it white and we love it!!!

Here are our main walls. I plan to repaint the painting on the left with similar colors and possibly place on the left side of the TV.

So, here is where I stand in this room. I would like to get some more pillows for the couch. Just one or two for some pops of color. We need something on those walls, mainly the wall to the left of the TV, and the wall opposite of the TV. To the right are some shelves with set-ups that I'm still playing with. More pillows, wall decor, and something to hide the cords on our TV stand.

Any suggestions would much appreciated!!

My IKEA Finds.

2010-09-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

Are you dying in anticipation, clinging to your computer, waiting for this post?? No, huh..well I can't blame ya!

Oh a couple of months ago some friends went to Cincinnati, OH for our first ever visit to his home store mecca and we were blown away. I was so blown away I was a little overwhelmed and didn't buy anything huge or fancy but I got some great stuff and marked a living room necessity off my list.

What you ask did I by? See for yourself...Here's the majority of my loot in all its glory. I know, I know it does not look like much but I'm all about baby steps.

These candles were .99 and they smell great!

These ceramic vases were too adorable not to leave with a bunch!

Loving all things white!

I also love glass!

These are cute!!

Just to show you I did use most of these right away. (no my window is currently not that dirty!)

My favorite purchase of the day was some blinds for our front window.

Here is the window at the beginning. (The hubs will not appreciate his inclusion. Shhh no one tell him.)

Here they are installed. Are they not lovely?? My measurements were a little off so the hubs had to trim some off one end but you can not tell. He then threw a little stain on them to hind this procedure.

I got these for $60 total. A steal considering the cost other places. They work great against the curtains.

Here are my most recent snap shots hot off the camera!

There you have it. My IKEA finds. May not seem like much but I'm a simpleton and a cheapo!

IKEA!

2010-09-02T18:27:00.000-07:00

SOOOO...Let's just get this over with. I reaaallllyyyy stink at blogging, more like stink at actually posting on a consistent basis. sigh

I wish I could blame it ALL on laziness, granted it's at least 75% percent, and it is not that I do not log in to blogger multiple times a day, it's just that I have can not consistently maintain it all. I do the projects, albeit small ones, and take the pictures, but that's as far as I get. I always think, "ooh ooh this will be great for the blog.." and then it sits on my camera for days or weeks and slowly becoming less relevant to me.

In my ideal world I would not have to slave away 40+ hours a week in a ho-hum job, and I could put all my energy into some creative outlet. I certainly have the desire to express my creativity, I just don't always have the drive after a long day at work. I like working on my house and I LOVE all the ideas I get from following others, but alas the finances and the enormous amount of work needed to turn this drab house into a straight-from-a-magazine delicious home is...well a little overwhelming. Another sigh.

Ok, now that is off my chest. Let me dive right back into this blogging conundrum and give it another shot. The long awaited IKEA post. (insert trumpets!)

Let me just say....I LOVED IKEA! It was a magical land where nothing is a bad idea or combination, filled with luxurious fabrics and daring colored furniture. Every woman's home shopping dream...and cheap!

I had my best smile on but inside I meant business! grrrrr

My friend Angela and her momma Sheila. Doesn't she look excited!

First we looked at every setup on the second floor gallery (I can't remember the official name.)

I heart this kitchen! I really should because it is very similar to mine...only a million times better!!

But my heart did leaps when it saw this kitchen! GOR-GE-OUS! In my next kitchen I want dark wood and stainless...even though I loathe stainless! Not a bad price.

Every little girl should have a tea party table and an adorable bed with a netted canopy!

This sofa bed was very comfortable and for the whole package, a whopping $200.00! SOLD-ahh someday...

We all feel in love with this look. This picture does not give it justice but the bed is against the wall with big fluffy pillows acting as headboard. The wall behind is an enticing watermelonish color that I LOVED, but could not imagine anywhere but a teenagers bedroom. Another reason to have a girl...

This bedding ensemble made me want to crawl in and take a long, deep nap. Another bad picture but the colors in this setup were light pink and gray. (hmmm...wonder why I would love that combo) Is it wrong of me to want a completely girly room like this as my master? Should I care what my husband wanted?

I am still kicking myself for not buying one of these! (IKEA-Please do not get rid of these. I think I need a return trip just for this.)

That's it folk! There is my trip in a nutshell. I will post (I promise I will!) what I bought next...better stay tuned.

Anyone have great IKEA finds or have much love for it as I do? I can't wait to go through the seasons with this store.

We're Back On Baby!

2010-08-17T20:21:00.000-07:00

I know my avid readers, all two of you, are dying to know what has happened to me these past couple of weeks. Well I had my ancient Dell computer worked on by a good friend. He replaced the hard drive b/c it was baaaadddd. All is good now and I can't wait to fill you all in on the changes in my house and life! I haven't forgot I owe you an IKEA post!

I leave you with some great quotes. (It's late and I'm in a quote mood.)

If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin.”~ Ivan Turgenev

“Watch your thoughts; they become words.

Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.”~Lao-Tze

IKEA BOUND!

2010-07-25T16:16:00.000-07:00

Heading to IKEA tomorrow with a good friend and I am very excited to go this super store that I've heard so much about, just recently found, and see all over the blogs. Of course the main pull for me is the bargains you can get. I was perusing the online website and found all these great deals. You can even save the items on a list and print it out from the site. It's a great way to remember all the details for when you have to ask because you can't find it anywhere. I like to be prepared. It's so huge they have food court inside! (Do I sound like a small town KY girl?)

Love these outdoor pillows (above) for $4.99 and these are even cuter (below) for $5.99. I really hope to leave with at least two of these. I just have to decide on which color??

Next up is glassware/vases. I am drawn to glass. As I'm starting to collect decor and distribute around the house, I find most of it is glass or pottery of some kind. This is a problem I need to work on but for now, feast your eyes on these.

These little babies below better make there way in my bag as well. I was thrilled to bits when I saw these because I have been looking for something similar to what Giada De Laurentiis uses for salt and pepper in "her TV kitchen".

Next up is storage boxes that have sooo much personality. I have to have them in my office in white!

There you have it. Some of my wants for this little IKEA road trip.

I already posted that I hope to find a lamp and rug (although I didn't see anything on IKEA's website even remotely close to what I wanted), I am still looking for storage options for my "decor" closet and some cute little planters I can put in my window like this one, for...well plants!

Anyone been to IKEA? Any suggestions??

I hear its overwhelming. I'm hoping the list helps me. I can either go overboard or not buy anything because there are too many options!

It's Saturday....

2010-07-24T11:56:00.000-07:00

And you know what that means! Yard Sales! Today we found a neighborhood one that delivered. No, really the whole neighborhood was selling their junk or treasures. All depends how you look at it. We got some deals and I even got a new career prospect for one seller. We didn't go to many today; it was just TOO hot to be outside. 96F!

Here's our loot.

Yes, yes we bought more luggage! I couldn't resist. The big leather one was $5.00 and I talked her down to $3.00.It's Zephyr with a small tear on the housing of the handle. The lady was very nice and we talked about traveling for a few minutes. She gave me some pointers that I'm very excited about. The other bag was $2.00 and is American Tourister it is in great condition. This bag retails for $75/80. Yes we have no carry on wheel able luggage. We've always used duffel bags like the college student we are at heart. Not anymore baby!

These candlesticks were $2.00. I already have big plans for them in my living room or dining room.

Frankly this buy was iffy but we got it for .25 and I plan to paint it white. We'll see how it turns out.

Great vase for .25! This could also be a great wine decanter. Its great quality and very heavy.

Lastly, got this shower curtain for $1.00. I plan to use the fabric somewhere else in the living room as pillows or maybe a table runner in the dining room.

Total spent today was $9.50.

(The patio lights in the first picture were a $1.00, which included about five strands, which only two worked. I can still use the two outside. These would cost me roughly $10.00 a strand retail.)

Any other yard sale shoppers out there? Any good deals?

Everything's better organized!

2010-07-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

Here's my "decor closet" before...

& After (but really only mid-way through)

The after is much better than before but still needs a lot of work. I plan to hang something on the inside of the door to organize the wrapping paper. I also hope to find something more aesthetically pleasing and structurally sound for the bottom. I wonder if IKEA could have anything...

Recognize some recent yard sale finds up top?

"I love Daisies."

2010-07-23T07:57:00.000-07:00

I've been very selfish. The hubs got me these flowers last Monday and I'm just now sharing! I think my hints are paying off...(insert devilish grin)

"They're so friendly. Don't you think daisies are the friendliest flower?"

(Quote from You've Got Mail)

Yes, as a matter of fact, I do!

I'm consumed...

2010-07-21T19:55:00.000-07:00

With completing my living room. I'm trying really hard to focus on one room at a time, which helps my decorating A.D.D, but all I can think about is everything we need to buy and do in the ONE room I've devoted my mad ~~skill z~~ to.

Right this minute I have three items I feel are urgent and important to finish to help me keep my sanity!

1. Area Rug
These all hail from Overstock.com. Who doesn't love this online store. 2 bucks for shipping!! I have every hope this will give my living room warmth and character it desperately needs. Anyone digging the gold like me?

Photos from Overstock.com

2. Floor Lamp

This is a simple buy. Here are my favorites from Target and Ikea. Prices range from $29.99 to $39.99. Not to bad, eh? Another addition to add warmth as our current lighting is either full on recessed cans or more subtle ambiance lighting from the T.V.

3. Faux Wood Brown Shades
I haven't really priced these too extensively but I have range of $100-230. Blinds.com has a great selection but I'm not satisfied with their prices. Blinds will help complete the look of my picture window. With these bad boys I can keep my curtains open to frame the window rather than keep the neighbors from staring in. I want some nice dark like these...

Anyone else have house renovation on the mind?

Yard Sale Deals

2010-07-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

Have I expressed my affinity for yard sales! I LOVE THESE THINGS! If you are willing to look through some junk you can find deals. You also have to be open to something used and most likely needing some TLC, which I always am. I love feeling like I'm getting a deal even if it means I have to paint, clean, or even repair it a little. It's trash to treasure that I love.
Here are my deals from this past Saturday.

First stop...A SOFA TABLE! This is part of my "to buy" list of the living room redo. Imagine my surprise when the very first yard sale that we stop at had this baby sitting outside, and no one was paying it any attention. There loss. How much? $20...Sold!

Unfortunately this would not fit in our accord so I had to guard my buy on the curb while the hubs went to get the truck. There were A LOT of people who wanted this little baby. Maybe I could have gotten it for $15 but I'm not a very good haggler. Originally I thought I would change the color, I still might, but this look is growing on me and it does fit with my color scheme. We will see.

Next Stop...Misc. Goodness.

Travel carry on-$3 (needs repair), Car Radio-$1 (needs an adapter-wasn't sure if it would work at the time of purchase), Vase-FREE! Coffee maker-$3 (nothing needed on this one. A great buy!) Eight various sweaters for $1 each. NY&C, Victoria Secret, & Target. (All were large but if you know me then you know I love an over-sized sweater in the winter!)

Next stop was not a yard sale but a farmers market in the area. I would love to buy all our produce in this fashion but it's not our reality. We got a couple things from each vendor we spoke with. Spent $4.50 here.$2.50 for this monster tomato, $1 for all four plants (one of which has basil on it), $2.00 for 5 ears of corn.

There were a lot of yard sales in our neighborhood on our way home and of course we stopped at most of them. Got these jars and shell for $3 and the picture frame camera case for $1.25. I plan to paint the shell and frame Heirloom White. The case will be decor along with the jars...just don't know where. ;)

Happy Friday!

2010-07-16T07:10:00.000-07:00

I ran last night! It was maybe a mile and half but I'll take it! It was a struggle but it happened!

(I seriously use too many exclamation points when I talk!!!!!!!!) You think I'm excited about everything this much?

In other news I have seriously upped my water intake thanks to two recent purchases.
One of these. This was mainly to have cold water in the fridge. The filtration was a plus.

One of these. I love this cup! I now can have water with ice at work, at home, in the car...you get the idea. Before I was filling up water bottles and they get filmy looking after a while.

Maybe I have some friends out there that want to meet up this weekend? I don't know go...happy hour at the bees, eh?

My Weekend and Blog Excitement

2010-07-13T14:47:00.000-07:00

My weekend was EXCITING. My family welcomed this little bundle in the world Friday afternoon. Ava Catherine is my brother Sal's first daughter; second child.

I have short term memory and from the time I left work till I got home, I completely forgot about the baby possibly coming (she was a month early), I laid down and fell asleep. Couple of hours later my dad wakes me up, and asks me if I knew Ava was here. I jumped up off the couch and started running around the house getting ready and we raced to the hospital to see her.She is precious and I am ecstatic to have another niece to spoil!

Saturday we witnessed my brother Steven propose to his long time girlfriend at his birthday party. We all were in on the secret but she had no idea. Everyone was excited and could not wait for him to do it.

Most of Sunday Carl and I parted ways. He was putting the finishing touches on his golf scramble the next day, and I headed to the hospital to be with Baby A! Later that evening we stopped by Carl's parents to see his nephew who is in town from Fl.

Ava makes grandchild number five...on my side, and that is only between two of my siblings! I still have four (myself included) who have no babies. My parents are going to have their hands full...

As for the blog excitement. I now have four followers! They all happen to be my friends but hey, Rome wasn't built in a day! Thanks ALL ;)

Words of Wisdom

2010-07-07T18:45:00.000-07:00

I feel this is a great reminder on how to treat each other everyday! I know I am fighting a battle every single day to be content, and happy with my present and not rush to the future. I want to enjoy this life not wish it away!

P.S. I found this on Pinterest.com. It seems to be a neat way to tag images you see all over the net and keep in one place. You can make boards of every interest. I plan to pin some images from all my favorite blogs...

Living Room Redesign Ideas

2010-07-07T09:23:00.000-07:00

Our living room before. It looked like the above picture since we moved in 2007 till about 2009 when we have water damage and used it as an opportunity to remodel. It looks different now but it still has a ways to go. Here are some inspirations.

These are the closet I can come to my vision. I know what I want and will post the small changes as I go.
Love the brown accent on the windows in the first. I plan to get dark faux wood blinds and keep the current curtains. Replace our couch with something neutral fully embracing a slipcover. Reupholster two wing back chairs we already have. Purchase a loud or quiet rug, metal/glass coffee table and sofa table, dark wood TV console, floor lamp and two table lamps for sofa table, and some kinda of wall design/framed pictures/shelving combination.

Looking forward to this project!

It's Baacccckkkkk & The Green Monster!

2010-07-06T13:08:00.000-07:00

I know I said I was going to run and I still plan to but I am going to go ahead with round 2 of P90X. I actually started yesterday with Chest & Back and clean eating. I wasn't perfect with the eating, (dad's homemade potato salad, 1 slice of moms homemade pizza, and 1 airhead) all the darn homemade stuff got me yesterday, not to mention my mom's house is loaded with candy. Oh well there's always today!
As for the day after, i.e today well I am SORE! It's amazing how quick you can get out of shape with a couple of months out of the gym, er home.

On to other news. One of my favorite healthy eating blogs is Oh She Glows.com and that is where I got the recipe for the above smoothie called The Green Monster. Packed with essential nutrients this recipe is guaranteed to give copious amounts of energy. This is my first attempt and it is delicious! I will definitely make this again and again.

Check out the above website for inspiration and delicious vegan recipes.

Flowers!

2010-07-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

I love fresh flowers! The hubs ~~casually~~ picked them up while he out the other day. OK, OK! I had to throw a million little hints and these were on sale, but oh well. I got flowers!
I'm not the biggest red rose fan, especially when there are millions of colorful bouquets out there right now but again they are FRESH FLOWERS. I'll take em.

Indepence Day

2010-07-04T09:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday America! Land of the Free, Home of the Brave.

Enjoy your family, eat some yummy food, and thank the armed forces. I would like to thank my brother, Sam. Who has served this country for 12 twelve years in the ARMY. Missing his three children's births, birthdays, anniversaries with his wife, etc. Never take them for granted. These are the men and women who make this country as great as it is. Love you bro.

(Love this. Sam, Alex-(in the back), Steven-(in the red) and miss Cici.)

Yardsale Steals

2010-07-03T13:35:00.000-07:00

Today the hubs and I went yard sale shopping! It was pure enjoyment for me. He basically was along for the ride and to ensure I didn't get out of control...for good reason.
Here's some of our deals...

Anne Klein Blouse-.25 (Does have a small stain that I hope to remove and a rip on the back neck seam that I plan to fix. If it doesn't work...well its was 25 CENTS!)

Karen Kingsbury book-1.00, 2 Cd's-2.00, Magazine-Free (That's a steal! You know how many recipes I can find in a magazine??)

Two Travel Pillows-$5.00, Travel Adapter-$2.00

Ties-$1.00 each! We're talking Claiborne, Kenneth Cole, Calvin Klein, IZOD. They were inspected for flaws but we could not find any. Shoes are Alfani-$3.00. (Retail for 90.00 at Macy's.) We just need to buff them and they will work for my Carlos.

I've been wanting to hit up yard sales for great DIY project makeovers. That did not really happen. I did score the above for $5.00. I plan to put flowers in the jug and oil in the reed diffuser. The luggage is the start of nightstands in our guest bedrooms! Here's some inspiration pictures....

I can keep the individual colors or pain them and make them more cohesive. Choices, Choices.

It's Vacation Time!

2010-06-18T07:04:00.000-07:00

For the next six days, even though I will be off work longer, I plan to get into a state of total relaxation with these methods...

Sleeping too much...

Coffee in the mornings...

Wine at night...

Swimming in this...

Tanning on this...

Reading in the sun...

Hopefully learning and ~~mastering~~ some of this...

Workout, Workout, Workout!

2010-06-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

Since finishing P90X back in April I have fallen off the wagon as far as exercise. I must say, I miss it. Obviously not enough to workout, but I do miss the endorphins, the high of knowing that you are doing good for your heart.
Where do I go from here???

Well in January I made out my goals for the year. They were...
~~Pay off Debt~~
~~Finish P90X~~
Run 5 miles
Save Em~~ergency Fund~~
Buy New Car

I think that 21/2 out of 5 in six months is not that bad, huh? I do not see us buying a new car this year so I can scratch that one. That leaves running. The one thing I haven't conquered in fitness. Unfortunately its a beast of a goal, at least to me! I envy and admire those that can run marathons and such. It is not easy.

I think I'm ready to give it another go. So my goal, next to completely redesigning my house and saving money, is to be able to run 5 miles! Whewww, I'm already tired!

I'm a goals person so hopefully I will tackle this one like the rest.
Any runners out there? Suggestions for a newbie starting in ridiculous heat?

Happy Hump Day

2010-06-16T05:50:00.000-07:00

Happy Hump Day!

Three more days of work for me till I'm on vacation!

Love the above chair. I'm wondering if I can find fabric similar and reupholster similar chairs I currently have for my living room...

Debt's Gone, What's Next?

2010-06-14T19:34:00.000-07:00

So when I started this blog I knew I wanted to talk about things in my life. I had no real focus and still don’t, I’m working on figuring that out and will have something soon. I blogged, ignored, blogged again, and then pretty much abandoned ship again. At some point I wanted to talk about paying off debt and I mentioned it (here) but that was it. Then I discussed Clean Eating and featured a recipe or two here…ok two is a stretch. Here I am again; ready to commit myself to this blog but I still have no focus.

In the meantime I have to mention that my husband and I did complete a project that we have been working on for two years.

We…paid off our debt consisting of student loans coming in just shy of 90K! WOW! I honestly don’t think we realize the burden that we lifted from ourselves. This because we paid most off before our deferments ran out and no real amount of interest accrued. So we weren’t paying on them monthly until about a year into it all. By that time we were down to one or two.

Let me say that it was hard and tough and everything you imagine, BUT it was also very rewarding. Beyond imagination! We have set ourselves up for success and to hopefully be millionaires by retirement! This is a serious goal.

I would like to say that our children won’t know what it’s like to be poor, but that will not be the case. We plan to never let them in on the secret!

From here we are on to Baby Step # 3!

Ideeli.com

2010-06-11T19:52:00.000-07:00

Umm, I hate to brag, but I have found the best online shopping website in the history of mankind! OK I'm a bit dramatic. I get it, but seriously if you love clothes, and what women doesn't? Then you have to try Ideeli.com

I'm new to the show but what I can tell you is everyday when you log on there are new products on SALE for great prices all name brand. There have only been a few brands that I have actually heard of but I am not the clothing connoisseur. I'm sure they are great designer's, right?

All you have to do is create an account, and why not, it's free! Log in and, if available, buy the item you want. Easy peasy Japaneasy.

The deals range from clothing, to home interiors, handbags, shoes, etc.

Have fun!

Cleaning Savior!

2010-06-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

This handy little vacuum has saved my sanity and restored my love of hardwood floors and pups!

If you have one of the these...

and your house is showcases these...

then you’ve endured the problem of these.

OK even with out the four legged friends those pesky dust bunnies pop up everywhere but anyone with a dog curses cleaning up their floors from shedding.

Enter the Shark 2-in1 lifesaver or timesaver. I must say I was a bit of a procrastinator, I’m downplaying a lot, I was the worst when it came to cleaning our woods floors. The problem being the broom... shudder…would always push dirt around and the floors never felt clean enough. NOT ANYMORE…woo hoo!

I’m such a dork about this. Are you wondering what made the camel’s back break? We dog sat for some friends, which consisted of an English Mastiff, (or a small pony), and a Lab/Retriever mix. There was some serious shedding going on in my house, not to mention slobber. A friend recommended a hardwood vac, and Bed Bath and Beyond did not have the brand originally desired so the shark would have to do.

(I’m a compulsive shopper and once I have something in mind, I have to have it or I go crazy. I could have waited and looked at another store but I wouldn’t rest until I had something purchased ASAP.)

Also, there was some haggling with the husband whether or not the existing Dyson could get the job done. He has not had the pleasure of using it on the wood floors. (Must be mentioned that the Dyson brand is the best we’ve used for carpets.)

So we went to his mothers to play hide and seek with our niece, and then home for me to charge my new toy's battery for…24 HOURS! I did not want to wait that long and normally wouldn’t, BUT I wanted to follow instructions to ensure I got proper operating function out of my new toy. While it started charging I demonstrated how the Dyson could not pick up everything on bare floors and my husband was convinced and ~~thus sang my praises~~! Well not that last part.

Are you wondering if I waited the full 24 hours? If you know me at then you probably guessed not and you would be…CORRECT. I did wait about 2 or 3 hours and gave the little lady a test run…she’s purple after all…and although I liked…I wasn’t ready to commit. Enter disappointment. Another let down in cleaning. (Sigh) Box it up and bring out the dreaded broom.

To finish this ramble about, yes a vacuum, I decided to seek out the original desired vac while letting the battery charge fully. In the end I stayed with the Shark and now I’m in love and couldn’t imagine parting with my new found timsaver. It literally takes me 5 mins to vacuum all my hardwoods and they are CLEAN! No more dust flying as I sweep. No more me freaking out someone will show up un-expectantly and see those pesky bunnies!

Home Improvement Saturday!

2010-04-10T13:44:00.000-07:00

Quote from Old School.
Frank: I told my wife I wouldn't drink tonight. Besides, I got a big day tomorrow. You guys have a great time.
College Student: A big day? Doing what?
Frank: Well, um, actually a pretty nice little Saturday, we're going to go to Home Depot. Yeah, buy some wallpaper, maybe get some flooring, stuff like that. Maybe Bed, Bath, & Beyond, I don't know, I don't know...

Carl and I always think of this quote whenever we head out to one of these places or the like on a weekend! Sorry its funny. It's home improvement Saturday! Naturally, as a woman, I love these days. So much to do with most of the day to do it.

The picture above is of some herbs I bought and planted this morning. I'm really excited to have these fresh and ready for any recipe they call for. I got basil, cilantro, and parsley. These are the ones I use the most so its a great start. Although, herbs are fairly cheap at the store, they are often wasted in my fridge. This way I can pick what I need and not waste the rest. All in all we spent $16 for the herbs, pots, and potting soil. Not too shabby if they grow and last me the rest of year, which is what I'm hoping! They won't stay by the air conditioner...I've already moved them three separate times for sun.

Other than that we just picked the mountainous weeds that were taking over our front flower bed, mowed grass, raked the dead grass (it was ridiculously long for just being a week old), and overall straightened up. We have so many plans for our house and pretty soon we will have the funds to see those plans come to life.

I can't wait!

In other news....Easter was a great and a cheat day! The picture above is only a SMALL fraction of the bad I ate that day. Steak, pizza, and all the candy I could
manage. I was sick of candy for a couple of days at least. Here are some pics of my youngest niece Emma and nephew Sal. I love little girls and can't wait to have one of my own to dress up. Little boys are great for the excitement and adventurous spirits.

My First Blogger Award!

2010-04-02T19:26:00.000-07:00

One my good friends Shelli gave my newbie blog its first award! Shelli most recently found out she's gonna be a momma, check her out at skinnyjeansfatwallet.

The rules for this award are:
1 . When you have received this award you must thank the person that awarded you the award in a new post.
2 . Name 10 things that make you happy.
3 . Pass this award onto 10 bloggers and inform them

10 Things that make Sara Happy:

1. Carlos, aka the hubs or boo bear. As cliche as it sounds he IS my best friend. I would not want to face what the world has to offer without this man by my side.

2. The Sun. I have to comment b/c its the beginning of spring and the sun is shining finally!!

3. My niece Emma. She is turning three in a couple of days and I love hearing her vocabulary grow.

4. Making a loan payment...because I know it's going down!

5. Cheat days. I love being healthy but I look forward to these days every two weeks with a passion. (plus one is Sunday and Easter so it's basically cheat day gold!)

6. Working out. There is nothing like those endorphins raging!

7. My two best friends, Mary and Angela! For the good and the bad.

8. New clothes - I love the feeling you have when you wear a new piece of clothing! (I'm stealing this one from Shelli. I 100% agree.)

9. Home Improvement. I love seeing the before and afters.

10. My puppers. Wrigley and Maggie. You know you are loved when a being will get up from a dead sleep and follow you room to room only to lay back down. (sigh)

I'm passing this award on to the following:

mrsarh
Ashely blogs about life with her new baby boy Tyler! I have known her and her husnband for many years now. They are considered family!

chefdruck.blogspot
I stumbled upon this blog through clean eating and I love it! I hope to be as energetic and passionate about everything as this mom is. I look forward to reading this everday for the lyrical prose and heart in all the entries.

http://eatcleandiet.blogspot.com/
Of course I check this on a regular. Love to hear what's new!

healthyhotthousewife
There are some great posts to keep me excited and energized about working out everyday. I love the recipes and ideas for clean food. Her latest post is all about how she became a morning exerciser. Oh, how I envy her!

foodsofapril
Another great blog about clean eating with a high emphasis on caloric intake and lean protein! April appears to be very thin but is looking to gain muscle mass. It's all about nutrition!

Groceries from Aldis

2010-04-02T18:38:00.000-07:00

Grocery Shopping! In the pursuit of saving a buck I stumbled on Aldis about a year and half ago. Ever since then I have been mostly hooked. I go here for most of my produce and items I need a weekly-biweekly basis. I know, I know visions of nasty save a lots pop in your head, but Aldis is so much more. With clean eating I can get most staples here at discount compared to big chains.

I just love the price (read money saved) of most items....like eggs. We eat a lot of eggs for lean protein, and considering we discard half the product, the yolk, I don't want to pay a lot for the whites. Enter Aldis! Tonight I got eggs for $0.99 a carton. So I bought 8 cartons and trust me they will get ate!

I love hummus...especially on eggs. Hummus at most places is $3 to $4! Yikes. At Aldis an 8 oz tub is $1.69

Fruits and veggies aren't too bad. Right now I'm buying a lot of frozen blueberries at $2.50 but you can get them fresh for $0.99. Not too shabby! I love love love their bananas. If you can make out the bag in the back, that's about 7 to 8 bananas for $0.50. The best part about their bananas they don't go bad right away. I mean they will have some spots on the outside and be perfect on the inside. Can't be beat!

Don't think you can't get super healthy items there either. They have an abundance of nuts, whole grain items, and unusual items like steel cut oats. Plus they have something new everything time I go Tonight it was these slivered almonds...perfect for a salad or to add a healthy fat to a dish! I buy bulk chicken breast and a few pounds of ground turkey..gonna make some clean turkey meatballs soon!

So all in all I spent about $86 and this will last us a good two weeks. Not too shabby.

p.s. I have a separate list for items I need at Walmart or Kroger, i.e. almond butter, whey protein, low sugar OJ.

Happy Weekend!

2010-03-27T06:34:00.000-07:00

Take a look at my yummy breakfast! It's all clean. Hodgen Mill wheat pancakes, two tablespoons flax seed, blueberries, and Agave to sweeten the deal. (pun intended). The hubs threw in three egg whites each. Perfect combo of complex carbs and protein!
There were more pancakes-I had to share-just not pictured.

Ta ta...off to enjoy the beautiful weather. Debt update to come beginning April.

Quote Of the Day

2010-03-17T16:44:00.000-07:00

"When I sit at my desk, it seems impossible. When I go to the gym, I can really begin to visualize a better “me” months down the road."

I found this quote on a cute blog all about health from nutrition, to skincare, just about everything. There was some great information on these pages and I could have spent hours reading past blogs. One thing I took away was this quote. I think it captures the overwhelming doubt one can have when facing the possibility of overhauling your body composition. It really described my outlook toward overall health on a daily basis.

http://www.findyourbalancehealth.com/

"Clean Eating Is The Way To Be"

2010-03-16T16:19:00.000-07:00

Picture the above title to the tune of Green Acres. Got it? Ok good, because my title might seem pretentious otherwise.

Aww Clean Eating...
I feel this is where I belong. It's odd looking back because I am a self proclaimed sweetaholic and I wasn't picky. Candy, chocolate, ice cream, I love it all but there was always a part of me that wanted to eat healthy and tried unsuccessfully for most of my adult life. Early in my twenties I ate decent enough, except for those pesky sweets. What do you do when you grow up with a mother who baked all the time....ALL THE TIME! You develop strong cravings for brownies and the like...ALL THE TIME.

This past January, Carl and I set a goal to complete P90X. One night I was searching the web for inspiration of other P90Xers who have seen great progress. I need this from time to time to motivate me to keep fighting the good fight. I must mention I do this at least every week. I stumbled across (Sarah's Blog Spot http://smc1228.blogspot.com/). Meandering through this blog I was curious what she meant when she said was "eating clean". My curiosity lead me to the magazine then the official website.www.eatcleandiet.com

I was blown away by the results people got from simply eathing healthy. I started my research, but I already knew I was in. After all we had been following the P90X nutrition plan somewhat successfully for two months, it was a great platform.

Principles of the Eat Clean Diet to me. ;)
1. Ignore the use of diet and any previous negative connections you may associate with it. The Eat Clean Diet, or Principles as some call it, is simply about putting clean whole foods in your body for fuel to energize your day to day.

2. Drink water all day. I thought I drank a lot of water before, but even I had to up my intake quite dramatically. 100 plus oz is not easy. One way suggested in the book and the biggest addition for me is drinking 8-16 oz first thing every morning. I can see a difference in just doing this. One day I forgot and I noticed by 10am that I was dehydrated. I used to drink my first drop of water around noon after 1/2 pot of coffee.

3. Eat Fresh As Much As Possible. I personally think this is the hardest concept for most people. I silently chuckle to myself when I see people eating a tiny frozen meal that's barely substantial, while I'm eating my lunch of homemade spinach artichoke soup with grilled chicken breast. Have you seen the salt content of some of those meals?? This does not mean you have to slave everyday in the kitchen but preparation is key. Take a few hours a week one day, most do this on Sunday, and bake/grill chicken breast for the week, chop up veggies to have on hand. I like to make pancakes and eggs for the week. Most of this stuff only keeps a week so its perfect. When you have the ingredients on hand it makes for an easier and shorter time cooking.

4. Cut Out Artificial Sugar. This was the tough one for me at first. I am getting used to it, and still have to overcome temptation but a few weeks without helps. The good news? You don't have to get rid of sweets all together just the fake white ones. You can still have the taste without the energy zapping sugars involved. I made the mistake of eating a piece of cake just one week into clean eating and boy could I tell, for the first time, the effect that sugar had on me. I immediately starting chugging water to get it out fast! Of course this includes dumping the sugary drinks, colas, fruit juices, and (gasp) the cream/sugar in coffee! *Still haven't been able to part with cream/splenda in my coffee.*

There are great natural replacements, Agave Syrup and Sucanat are two examples. I have used both and they work great for baking or for small sweet flavor. Think in oatmeal, on pancakes, or a sweet potatoe.

5. Get Active. Get moving. Get the blood pumping. It's all around good for ya! For me that is doing P90X six days a week or something outside, whenever the weather turns!

So there you have it. My unexpected goal to attain near perfect clean eating habits this year. I've given up the bad sweets day to day and that is quite the accomplishment!
Head over to Eatcleandiet.com and check out others results. It's inspiring.

Any clean eaters out there? Struggling with the prospect of eating healthy and losing fat?

Anyday Now Spring!

2010-03-15T15:19:00.000-07:00

Where is spring? Where is the sunshine and warmth? I am always excited for spring but especially excited this year! The reasons you ask....

1. Debt Freedom! My husband and I have been busting our tail, working two jobs, an exuberant amount of OT, and budgeting for the past two years to ensure we would be debt free by May 2010. It's going to happen! We would be done before May except Uncle Sam wants his cut too. SO our two year long Johnson family spending freeze will finally be lifted...albeit temporarily!

2. Shopping! With the spending freeze lifted I can finally fill my hearts desire and expand on my wardrobe. Understand that most of the clothes I own are more than two or three years old and you can tell! No longer slobbering over my Victoria's Secret catalog or "just checking" the sales at J CREW, and sulking in the aisles of Target. Oh Target, our silent flirtation will end shortly!

Can't wait for shorts and sandals! Can't you just picture yourself walking on the beach in the above dress? Or a date night wearing this?

3. P90X & The Eat Clean Diet. The latter I am fairly new to but I am on my 10Th week of P90X and I'm fairly successful. My husband is getting amazing results but that's another story! The Eat Clean Diet is not a diet at all, but a healthy way of life that is meant to rid your body of toxins/chemicals that come from processed foods. Basically everything is healthy, fresh, and sugar free. I can see some differences in my energy levels in just the two weeks I've started. I've only lost a few pounds but that's enough!

So in the meantime I'm still plain jane whose clothes are too big and hair is flat and dull trying to work off (at least) two more pounds before May!

Debt...Ugh!

2009-08-03T08:41:00.001-07:00

OK, now that I have the first post over however horrible it was, it's time to get down to business.

Currently my husband and I are paying down our debt, which consists solely of student loans. Yes we accrued approximately 95,000.00 for our measly B.A.'s in Art and English. I should mention my husband has since earned his masters in teaching and is quite successful. I on the other hand work at a shipping company clearing shipments through customs. Exciting stuff.

We decided a year ago when we returned from our honeymoon in beautiful Jamaica that we needed to rid ourselves of this debt. It started with a website Mint.com. I put all of our accounts on there and it complied our net worth, -$170,000.00 was the approximate magic number. I freaked and my husband was relatively silent.

We decided to take action. I started compiling lists of the loans and doing budgets. We started with small figures that we thought could be feasible to pay this monstrous debt down. We figured we had about 80,000.00 in loans and the rest in our mortgage. The loans are our main focus and gradually we trimmed our budget to allow my husbands income to go directly toward this. We got second jobs at a local restaurant serving tables, which has helped immensely.

We started following the Dave Ramsey snowball method. Yep, we listed them smallest to largest and attacked. A year later and we have paid off ten loans totaling 48,159.16. We have one bad boy left and its a big one. 43,200.00.

We are pretty proud of ourselves. The motivation comes and goes but it always comes back full force. Budgeting is hard but necessary for success!

We plan to have the last loan paid off by May or June 2010. Something tells me we will do it.

Now if I can just learn to control my shopping urge...

Urges

2009-08-03T08:26:00.000-07:00

It's Monday afternoon and today is the start of a new me. As an English major in college, I hated writing, but now a couple semesters later I'm wishing I would have taken creative writing. I feel an urge for so many things in my life right now. An urge to travel, an urge to change careers-to become a professional traveler, an urge to write. What! I never ever would have thought I would ever want to do anything with my degree a few years ago, but here I am with this unfulfilled urge to write something. Anything! As I sit here drinking my coffee, more so to avoid an excruciating caffeine headache later, and listening to Pandora I'm racking my brain trying to get control my thoughts and fingers into making sense. There is so much to say. So much begging to be let loose.