Basketball Lessons

It's conference week. Meaning I wont see much of R and I wont be blogging.

Cue the week of auto-posts. :)

R went to the basketball clinic over Halloween Weekend. He really enjoyed one of the coaches from this year, Don Meyer. I'm going to share from some of the handouts that Coach Meyer had for them.

Live beneath your means.

Return everything you borrow.

Stop blaming other people.

Admit it when you make a mistake.

Give clothes you don't wear to charity.

Do something nice and try not to get caught.

Listen more; talk less.

Every day take a 30 minute walk.

Strive for excellence, not perfection.

Be on time.

Don't make excuses.

Don't argue.

Get organized.

Be kind to kind people.

Be kind to unkind people.

Let someone cut ahead of you in line.

Take time to be alone.

Reread your favorite book.

Cultivate good manners.

Be humble.

Realize and accept that life isn't fair.

Know when to keep your mouth shut.

Go an entire day without criticizing anyone.

Learn from the past.

Plan for the future.

Live in the present.

Don't sweat the small stuff.

It's all small stuff.

30 for 30

I'm so excited (okay, I'm full of it... I'm actually nervous) to be doing the 30 for 30 this month!

Snappy Casual introduced me to Kendi Everyday and I'm in awe of her ability to take 30 pieces of clothing (that includes the shoes) and make them into outfits for 30 days.

Mostly because somewhere, somehow, sometime,* over the course of the last few years, my idea of a new outfit is a different shirt for the day. I fell into a routine of pairing plain, boring shirts with jeans and calling it good for the day. My days of loaning out clothes and dishing out fashion advice had come to an end and I started spending morning after morning staring into my closet thinking I had nothing to wear.

I'm excited (really this time) about the 30 for 30 because I'm hoping to learn to shop my own closet. No shopping for 30 days (not that I would have been able to shop anyway!) and no borrowing from the other end of the closet. Through this, I'm hoping I'll stop missing shopping so much and start seeing what I already have in a different way!

30 items. 30 days. Here we go.

My 30

And this little diddy in white (ordered Sat. should be here this week... it was purchased with cbh money..... it will make me a human reflector. ha):

(Coats, accessories and the like are not counted in the 30. I'm thinking long underwear are a freebie too.)

PS- The process of choosing items was my 'big' project of the weekend. (But I'm almost feeling great, really I am) During the process, I filled up a big bag of clothes to pass along. If you know anyone my size (who am I kidding... most of them were too small) that may want them, have them get ahold of me! R is liking this challenge so far! :)

*somewhere, somehow, sometime is actually when we were apartment living and started planning a wedding. Money that used to go towards a clothing budget was getting kicked into the wedding fund. Once we got married, clothes money paid for vacation. then a house. then stuff for the house. Then when I tried to explain to R why I desperately needed a clothing budget, he didn't get it because I hadn't spent money on clothing over the past few years- why should I start now. So my clothing style changed dramatically. I'm taking it back (minus the money that I used to spend on it)!

Last One Before the Challenge Starts....

Tomorrow I'm starting the 30 for 30 Challenge (I'll put another post up soon). I knew these shorts wouldn't be in my top 30 but I wanted to wear them at some point this year so I was really hoping to get them worn this weekend. It wasn't looking good, as yesterday I was still bumming on the couch all day, but we made it to church today and I got to wear my pants shorts. I've really, really, really been wanting a pair of the trouser shorts that are everywhere right now but I knew they weren't a practical investment for me. I also had this cute pair of trousers that had gotten just a little too short to wear with any sort of dress shoe.

You see where I'm going with this right?

Trousers+scissors+a quick stitch to sew the hem back on=something similar to those cute $88 Anthropologie Shorts. I wish I would have paired them with a button up and a belt but when you're sick, you're sick and getting out the door becomes a feat in itself. (I am feeling MUCH better though. Just exhausted!)

So anyway. Above is my inspiration (via Anthro) and below is my version of the pants shorts. Not bad for a no cost edit.

Ruffle Shirt- Gap

Brown Shirt- Express

Tights- Old Navy

Heels- Steve Madden

Clutch- Avon. Yep. You read that right. My mom used to get all kinds of free bags and we'd fight over them. I've had this one somewhere around 8 years.

Up Next: 30 for 30!!

(Almost) Homemade Christmas

A friend asked me about crafty Christmas gifts. It made me realize she is way more on the ball than me!!!! With less than 50 days till Christmas, the countdown is on for a handmade (or at least, thoughtful) Christmas.

I searched my blog for ideas first.

Know any little ones?

These little hats are always easy, cute, and customizable. And who doesn't love em right now?

Cute onesies or little shirts require very little stitching (the shirts could even be done without stitching) and are super customizable.

My niece and nephew both love the super hero cape.

The Ugly Dolls are always cute!

Need something for a friend (or family member) of the taller variety?

Easy (and cheap) to make cake (or cookie) stands filled with homemade treats of course. Last time I was at Goodwill I wanted to stock up on the plethora of candlesticks they had that would be perfect for this project.

These ornaments are always fun to get little ones to make (as a top secret project, of course) then to give to their mommas, grandmas, etc.

Take an old window and turn it into something new. My favorite is the magnetic photo/card holder. And I get so many compliments on it when people come in the front door. It's cheap ($7.99) and people think it costs a lot more. You could make customizable magnets to go with it! (I still have a few windows from my sister's house if anyone needs one.) The smaller version of the magnet board can be made with a picture frame.

The necklace/jewelry holder is an easy craft. Every time I'm at my sister's I wish I would've made one for myself.

Do you sew? This scarf (no knitting required) got a lot of use last year. (I have a new idea for one this year but so far have been afraid to cut my fabric...)

A lot of people are getting DSLR cameras. Why not give them some bling for their camera strap?

No camera? How bout some bling for their neck? (You can borrow my stamping kit!)

A few years ago (we were either building our house or saving for a wedding- I just remember we were POOR), I took wine bottles, filled them with white Christmas lights, painted them with snowmen (and other winter scenes) and gave the decorated wine bottle to most of our family. Christmas decorations are nice because it's not something a lot of people care to spend a lot of money on and they are only out for a short time so they don't get too bored with it (and they don't feel guilty putting away your gift at the end of the season).

For my secret santa at work, I usually stitch together a corn pillow. Similar to the Wuv It- you can heat it and use it for aches and pains. I have a couple of the heat packs and love them!

Homemade goodies never get turned away. Put them on a cute serving tray or bowl and earn extra points. Last year I jarred up some homemade cocoa mix, attached the recipe and some Pampered Chef bamboo spoons (that I had 'earned' from a party) and my secret Santa was set.

Coupons are cheesy, but still thoughtful and super helpful. My cousin gave my uncle a meal a month one year. I was jealous. Maybe you aren't crafty but you can cook? Maybe you can't cook but love to clean? Maybe you don't like anything domestic but you can at least keep someone's kids alive while they go on a date night? Meal, house cleaning, and babysitting coupons aren't a bad idea.

Last year my mom got me a $5 subscription to Midwest Living. I don't get any other magazines so I really appreciate getting this in the mail (plus who doesn't love getting something other than a bill in the mail every once in awhile) and every time it comes I think of mom.

And of course I have to say that photos are always a good gift. The canvases are my most favorite right now (though not cheap or handmade) but there are less expensive routes to coming up with photo gifts. And when Shutterfly is giving away free photo books- that's a great time to get a photo book for someone.

Hopefully I'll have some new crafts after this year's Christmas.

Good luck with your handmade Christmas (or your shopping)!! Less than 50 days to go.....

This post has me wanting to host a homemade Christmas craft day! Who's in!?? :)

WBH

I don't have three outfits today. Just one. It's yesterday's. Today I'm in grey scrubby pants and a long underwear shirt (oh, you call them yoga pants and thermal tops? okay. whatever). Tomorrow, if I'm lucky, I'll change and put on an ISU shirt. So I'm just going to post yesterday's. Before I forget about it. Excuse me while I go hack up a little more gunk and crawl under the blankets. (Was that tmi?)

{worn by} heidi:

hair clip- {CB}H ({created by}heidi)

shirt dress- Old Navy- $8

belt- NY&C

jeans- Gap buy

boots- Madden Girl buy (only don't buy them online. use a Younkers coupon and get them for CHEAP!)

Not My Most Inspired Choices... but I'm posting anyway

Are you a morning person? (Or are you at least not working at some point during daylight hours?) Do you do your hair and make-up most days? If you said yes, you would be way better at the {worn by} posts than me. It's not easy being on the other side of the camera (but you probably already knew that).

(It's not easy figuring out what to wear when you feel like sleeping in sweat pants all day. And it's not easy getting a picture of what you did choose when you are trying to decide which way is the best to hold your head and not drip snot on yourself. Lovely, no?)

ahem. {worn by} heidi- third times not a charm.

1.)

White shirt- Express (You should know most of my Express buys, including this one, were picked out from the bottom of the $5 and less box during their annual sale. You should also know that I've only been to Express once since college (even though I love their jeans) so any piece from there is OLD)

Ruffle top- Banana Republic Factory

Sweater- Gap (not the outlet this time!)

Jeans- Guess

Shoes- Toms (was that obvious?)

2.)

Sweater- Ann Taylor (It was on the sale rack for $19 and I debated long and hard over buying it for that 'much.' So imagine me trying not to let my excitement show too much when it rang up for $8 because all clearance was an extra 50% off! Yippee!!)

Jeans- Kohls (I'm trying to break away from restricting the 'skinny' to boots only.... it's scary)

Shoes- Target. You probably own them in another color but did you pay $5 for yours?

Earrings- Forever 21 (most of my jewelry is from there so please don't be offended when I don't show at the lia sophia, premier, etc parties. I'd love to but have you noticed how cheap I am?)

3.)

Scarf- A boutique in Valley Junction (cant think of the name?) $3! (Well- two for $6)

Sweater- Banana Republic Factory

Tissue Tee- Gap $3.47!!!!!! (Wish I would have bought more!)

Jeans- Old Navy 'flirt'

Shoes- Gap Outlet- $8

Name That Meal...

Random post of the week....

Can anyone name this meal? Is it just called creamed eggs? (It's just hard boiled eggs and white sauce over toast.)

I remember my friend's mom making it a lot when I was younger but I don't remember having it at home (sorry mom- if you made it I just must not remember because your other food was so good). So I don't know what the technical name for it is (if there is one). R said he got the corn beef version growing up (I didn't know there was a corn beef version).

Anyway. I know it looks gross but it's good stuff.

Q and A, alternately titled blah blah blah

I love the blog world. I love the connection with real life friends that blog. I love the way blogging connects me to new blog friends. I love the outlet it provides. I love the memories it records. I love the answers it gives. (My friends blogs are way better resources than Jeeves!)

And I love the email.

Yup. I said it. Even when I'm so far behind in so many other areas of my life (enough so that I get a critical "Well then how do you have time to blog?!" scolding),* I still love it.

I started a Q&A post on my photo blog and it cut out a lot of the time I spent replying with answers (often times to the same questions). So while I love the email (you'll still send them right, even if I don't reply?), I'm doing a quick Q&A right here. Right now (cue the Van Halen).

*About the finding time to blog thing- sometimes, like this week's posts, I will sit down and kick out five posts or so and set them to auto publish. It's a great little feature that makes it look like I'm more 'functionally present' than I might actually be! :)

1. Q: Do you spend a lot of time at the outlet mall? Where do you go?

A: I don't really. Maybe once or twice a year (this year it happened to be three times) but it's where I've done the majority of my shopping over the last three years. I try to spend less than $15 on shirts so the outlet is a good place to do that. I used to be slightly obsessed with clothes (in college) so I have a lot of pieces from then that I still wear (jeans excluded..... but that's a whole other post). We try to get to MN once a year so I stop at the Medford Outlet on the way to the cities. I also want to make a tradition of meeting my cousin in KC at the Ledges! (Or at the very least talking R into stopping there on our trips south). I've been to Tanger in Williamsburg but only if we are on that side of the state for something already (I think I've been there three times?) and if we happen to vacation near an outlet, you can bet we'll be stopping. On that note- know of any good ones I need to check out?

2. Q: What treatment plan are you on for autoimmune?

A: None. At one point I was on 16 pills a day, including steroids. I found it wasn't making a positive difference in my health so I quit. Diet (ha), exercise (double ha), and low stress levels (I don't even need to say it) are the best treatment plan. I have figured out some of my triggers and it helps to avoid those (alcohol, certain hormones, &, oddly enough, too much cinnamon).

3. Q: You guys seem so happy. How do you do it?

A: Well thanks but I think it's one of those 'always greener on the other blog' type of things. It's true, R&I are happy, but only when we choose to be. When we choose a Christ focus and work hard at it, life is good. But we slip up. A lot. We're just like you. Scratch that. You are probably way better at it than us. Ha. We do have an awesome Christian counselor that we hang out with once a month (or six weeks or whenever we can get in). It's great for accountability. It encourages you to 'walk the talk' so to speak. I admit that sometimes we've spent our entire 50 minutes talking about basketball and asking about his kids so it may seem silly go have gone. But there are plenty of other times that I've shed tears, prayed for forgiveness, and learned a lot about life. And I recommend it.

4. Q: I don't know how you guys handle all that you've been through. How do you do it?

A: Ha. See question 3.

The only thing I have to add here is that I realize how good we do have it. It's true that our life has turned out much different than we ever planned, but in a lot of ways it's better because of it. There are relationships in my life that I thought I'd have and I don't. There are health issues we thought we'd never have to deal with (at least until we were 'old'). There are spiritual issues that tug on us. All that being said- I know there are a lot of people in this world with a lot bigger mountains. But the reality of it is that we are all facing our own mountains.

I think back to being 14 when my biggest problem was fitting in. Now it seems silly, but at the time it was huge to me. And really- in many ways, life is easier now than it was then.

On that note- I don't blog about life's mountains with a 'poor us' attitude. But this is my record keeper. My outlet. My blog. And I love having a place to vent, to share, and to remember. Just last week I was looking back at old posts and loved seeing how far we had come.

I don't do this blog for anyone else but us (yes, I'm selfish like that). So while I love that you hang out here, I don't expect you to read any post titled 'blah blah blah' or any others for that matter! I'm just glad to hang out in the blog world with ya!

Okay that's enough way too much for today. Thanks for all the blog love, friends!

Talk To Me

This one comes from Dillinger Family:

If you could relive one day of your life, what would it be and why?

(I'm going to add- it can't be your wedding day or any other obvious major milestone.)

My (major milestones excluded) day that I would relive is a day spent along the shore in Hawaii listening to the waves crash in against the rock wall I was laying on, R checking in with all the great stuff he was finding, reading a good book, and not worrying about one single thing.

I have a photo from that day in our bathroom and it still relaxes me when I look at it. I can't wait for another day just like it!

Okay- your turn! What would your day be?

This week you can link up here. Just copy/paste the url to your post for today so we can all come visit your day you would relive!

No Tricks. Just Treats.

Did you have a great end to October? I'm having a REALLY hard time believe October is over.

Our last weekend in October was fantabulous. R had his coaches clinic all weekend (more on that later). I love having visitors over the weekend that he's gone. Hopefully we'll continue to have visitors over Halloween!!!

Friday I ate dinner with Ang and the boys and we met my sisters and Mo&Madd at Living History Farms. Saturday (after pictures) (and a nap for Maddox) we took Maddox for some trick-or-treating in the next town over (ours was Sunday and he wasn't going to be here). When we got back, we carved a pumpkin and Uncle R had some tricks for Maddox. "All in Halloween Fun" was Maddox's favorite saying of the night. :) He LOVED his pirate-o-lantern and showed his appreciation with BIG hugs. Made me feel good considering no one else can probably tell what it is a picture of! :) I'm curious- a lot of the kids we know wore different costumes for different Halloween activities. Is this pretty common or do I just have great friends that know the importance of good dramatic play?

Hope you all had a great Halloween!

Side note:

Now that October is over, we've pulled out our November Blessings calendar again. Are you going to do one this month? Or do you do something similar year round?