The 10 Best Lessons I Learned in February...

1. Engagement Ring Settings Are Not Forever...

THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON I LEARNED!!

~ From the moment I got engaged on March 20th, 2014 the lost diamond and lost wedding/engagement stories began. At first I was okay with it...then I got terrified. Then I was absolutely petrified. Everyday when I came home from work I immediately took off my ring and put it in my lil swan boat or heart dish because I didn't want to lose it. 

Sunday Stolen Moments: A Tiny Baptism for a Tiny Baby


Today I went to something special. A tiny baptism for a tiny baby. My best friend blessed her baby girl and it was an absolute treat to be a part of it! Lil Madison didn't even cry!! I was shocked. She was a trooper and held out to the very end. It was beautiful and it reminded me of one of my hopefuls of the year. 

Instead of resolutions for 2016 I'm concentrating on a few hopefuls I have not forgotten. One of them is hopefully getting pregnant later this year.  My husband and I are not trying yet to have kids but today made me so excited for the time when we decide to start!

A Sunny Saturday Morning...



Let it be known that I'm not a morning person. I repeat I am not a morning person!! lol. But I do have a soft spot for Saturday mornings...especially when I'm the first awake like today in all it's sunny glory!

It's been rainy and dreary in New York this whole week. My money tree plant even started to wilt from lack of sun. But not this morning...I just made my coffee and out of habit switched on the kitchen overhead light. I quickly turned it off because there was no need...the sun is shining brightly and there is barely a cloud in the sky!

Friday Favorites: 10 Things that Made me Happy This Week!


Oh February...your leaving before I really got to know you and you definitely kicked my butt on your way out. This was a fast short month and I'm really looking forward to March!! 

Married Life: Communicating with My Husband


Aside from the "What are we having for Dinner?" daily debacle...there is another area of my marriage which is boggling my mind why my husband and I can't get on the same page lately. 

Communication. 

"Please Come With Me...See What I See"

 

"Please come with me,
See what I see.
Touch the stars for time will not flee.
Time will not flee.
Can you see??"
~"Ordinary Day" - Vanessa Carlton

This weekend was crazy. Ergo, I need a little more time to collect my thoughts on that type of personal blog post. I could easily write "10 ways to have a successful estate sale at your grandparents house" but it's much more than that to me. It was a personal soul searching experience that tugged too deeply at my heart. 

In the meantime, today is Monday of a brand new week!! I'm pushing full speed ahead and thinking about how I can make this week a positive experience with results.

~ Do a little bit of something each day ~ 
~ Actually do the dishes so they don't pile up ~ 
~ Make smart & healthy choices for lunch ~ 
~ Forgo mindless spending ~ 
~ Have a game plan for my super market shopping trip ~
~ Say hello to my fellow employees at work w/ a smile ~ 
~ Go to the gym ~ 
~ Plan the Florida trip once and for all ~ 
~ Be mindful in my choices ~ 
~ Do laundry ~ 
~ Try out a new recipe for dinner ~ 
~ Remember to always kiss my husband goodnight ~
~ Go for a walk in this spring like weather! ~ 
~ Continue to put my wedding picture proofs in albums ~
~ Make necessary doctor's appointments ~
~ Be prepared for the next best thing ~ 

What are Your Goals This Week?


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Friday Favorites: TV, Make-Up and Wishful Saving!!



Happy Friday Everyone!!! This week dragged and dragged, but I'm excited to take a much needed break for the weekend! It won't be too much of a break - I will be helping out with my grandparent's house estate sale - BUT I will have Sunday to relax and clean! 

Hopefully I will be able to tackle some of my walk-in closet nightmares. Donate - Keep for Next Season - Wash to Wear Now. Hopefully the Donate pile will be big...I have purge somewhere and this is great place to tackle for me.

Thank You Home Ec Class - Tribute to The Lost Gem!



So who remembers Home EC aka Home Economics Class? 

I hope the answer is Yes because it is a lost gem that taught me so much looking back on it. 
I think I should reword my question... 

Were you one of those last kids who had to take Home EC way back when? 

Married Life: Seeing a Friend's Divorce on Social Media

Hannah + Adam - Girls HBO - Returning this weekend!

So you know that couple you always see on Facebook and Instagram with the seemingly perfect life? You even know them in person and you've shared great times & happy memories with them too. A concert here or there together, a Halloween night of bar hopping, and the occasional wedding where you wish you were at the same table. My husband and I knew this couple and have those great memories with them. But unfortunately I didn't notice the hashtags on the wife's latest Instagram posts, #onedaystronger #twomonthsstrong #Icangethroughthis and I didn't realize the girl the husband's hands were draped over during the Superbowl was not the wife's. I asked a mutual friend and found out that they were in fact getting a divorce after 4 years and I think I'm still in shock over it. 

Friday Favorites: My Favorite Valentine's Day Romance Movie List!



Happy Friday!! I'm starting to just love Fridays because I'm all over the blogosphere, checking out new blogs, joining new link-ups each week, and it's really becoming my weekly goal to try to have a great post for Fridays to get the energy pumping for the weekend!! This weekend is of course Valentine's Day, which for my house translates to "The Walking Dead" is back!! Finally!!

Toots + Dill: 40 Day Challenge of Self-Reflection

Well more like 47 days... 
Lent has 7 days built in for rest...
The past few weeks have pretty much knocked me on my butt in more than a few ways and it's resulted in me stepping back to really look at my daily life a little more closely. A New Year's resolution I didn't plan on has presented itself and I'm happily about to embrace the change!

 Embracing Self-Reflection 

10 Ways I'm Trying To Be Healthier This Year!


Superbowl Afterthought: How cool would it have been if Lady Gaga came out during Half-Time to join Beyonce and they did a quick clip of "Telephone"? #couldawouldashoulda

Okay down to business...I would like to re-open the topic of my weight loss journey which has derailed into oblivion. I'm the heaviest I've been in my entire life. It's a mixture of a lot of things, but mostly I sit all day long.  I have to get up and fucking move! lol.

Friday Favorites: Snowy Run-Down of 10 Happy Things!


An unexpected lil snowy twist has catapulted Friday into that awkward "Will my job close? Will it not close? Will there be a delay?? Will I get that text from my boss? When should I try to start the tundra journey?!?". It's coming down pretty steadily in Southern New York and New Jersey so decisions will have to be made soon!! 

Thursday Confessions...

Weekly Lady of Inspiration: Tina Fey

I've been going through a little bit of a rough patch of time so I thought today would be a perfect time to join in on the Confessions Time!! I think that's why I wanted to share with you a simple DIY that wouldn't stress you out and celebrate my lil progress in finishing the wife conversion process this week. I'm stressed, but I'm a big fan of the phrase "This too shall pass" and eventually I know everything will even out. =)

Married Life: Becoming a Mrs.


One of the biggest parts of becoming a Mrs. is completing the last final steps of changing your identity. Last month I was so happy that I finally got my social security card updated and my license updated to my new married name. Here. But I have to admit...Right now nothing in my purse matches. My license does not match my bank account or checks...my credit cards are all my old name...and overall a lot of my personal info is still in my maiden name...This can't stay that way and it's up to me to finish the final steps.

Pinterest Wins: The Simpliest DIY Ever - Rustic Bow Magnets


THE SIMPLIEST DIY EVER!

Hello February!! I have officially dubbed February as #GETSHITDONE Month. A poster from one of my favorite bloggers, Monica over at The Elgin Avenue, shared a photo of a poster which really hit home for me. The poster read: GET SHIT DONE. I think this is a good mantra for the new month! There has been too many things I've put off for literally no reason except laziness and pure procrastination. February seems like a good month to push forward.

I've been organizing my kitchen cabinets, my craft drawers, my photo boxes not full of photos but junk, shredding old bills, trying to use up old candles and contemplating the next big thing. I've searched Pinterest for some much needed inspiration and stumbled upon a few DIY's for magnets and I kept coming back to similar projects. Basically, you can pretty much stick anything to a small magnet and super glue the hell out of it to make it stick. Let it dry and Viola, you have brand new magnets as personalized as you want!

A Beautiful Mess - {Pin - Source}

Other Inspirational Pins Used for this DIY: {Pin - Source} & {Pin - Source}, 

These lil handy dandy Pins has helped me out immensely! Ever since Craig got me a polaroid camera I've been a little lost what to do with the polaroid pictures. I don't want to just throw them in another photo box to create more clutter. Therefore a set of new magnets, made by yours truly is just the Pinterest Win I needed! 

I often feel like people discuss their Pins but don't let us know what pins they've actually done in real life! This might become a new series for Toots + Dill! Let's see how many Pins I can successfully do! =)

Behold a Rustic Bow Twist on the Simpliest DIY EVER! 

RUSTIC BOW MAGNETS

Supplies Needed: 
~ All Found at Michael's Craft Store ~
  1. (4) Rustic Bows
  2. Magnets
  3. Loctite Super Glue (Gorilla Glue Works too!)
Total Project Cost: Less than $4
 Three Easy Steps:
1. Place a comfortable amount of glue on the back of the bow.
2. Place a small magnet firmly onto the glue and press down.
3. Let the Glue dry! 

Finished Product! 

This is so simple and I'm excited to make some more magnets with different mediums! It was a lot of fun too because it is just that simple! Sometimes the simplest DIY can be the most rewarding!

Behind The Scenes: 
I love when fellow bloggers show the un-edited pics! 
This was my set up for this DIY! I used an old card stock sheet for background!

February Day #1: Successful! One DIY Completed!

What's Your February Mantra? 
Have any Pinterest Wins Lately?