$1 Wreath

Oh those Pinterest tricks get me every time!!  Someone finds an amazing way to save money and be crafty at the same time and I'm immediately sold and think everything will work out just as perfectly for me.  The truth is, sometimes you stumble across something and it works perfectly for you and maybe not so perfectly for the next guy, for whatever reason...

I've always wanted a cute wreath on my front door, like one of these:

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Yep.  Any one of those would make my front door more homey and less homely.  The problem is, I'm way too cheap to buy a cute wreath, and my only attempt at making one went something like this:

I ran across this beauty on Pinterest, and actually thought I could make a wreath for $1 total!!  I mean, hey, I had some old yard, ribbon, and fabric lying around.  All I had to buy was one of those tube things.  So the search was on.  

I thought I found the right kind of tube, but I very well may not have, because trying to get that thing into a circle would have qualified me for the summer olympics.  Or winter.  When do they do Greco-Roman wrestling??  I ended up having to kind of twist it while duct taping it while trying to hold it together.  It took at least two of us to finally get it taped together so that it was a circle, and I was still hopeful that it would all work out.  

I dug out my yarn and found a variegated brown/green number that I thought would work well.  Then I dug out some fabric to make rosettes.  When I was done with all of that, I tied on some ribbon to hang it, and didn't account for the added weight of the rosettes (so no, it's not your eyes playing tricks on you; it is hanging crooked).  

Even though it wasn't exactly how I had pictured it in my head, I still thought it turned out pretty well once I was done--definitely worth hanging on the naked front door!

After a week or two of hanging outside it had rained/snowed enough that the wreath wasn't a circle anymore.  I think it was really a combination of both the yarn and the foam tubing, but the water just held onto this stinking wreath like nobody's business!  It was looking pretty sad, so it didn't last very long (and, actually, if we're being completely honest here, I probably left it there far longer than I should have...)

So, this isn't the cutest wreath ever, and it's not my favorite project, but I still have 2 or 3 leftover tubes that I'm hanging on to.  And I really think I'll use them for something (I'm not a hoarder at all....), but it might just have to be for something less wet than the front door.  

 

Olive Garden Salad Dressing

Definitely try this one!!  I count it as a health food, because it has been making me want to eat more salad.  I don't even always like italian dressing, but this is really delicious.  

You can go look here to find a link to the recipe I used to make this via The Country Cook, but I'll put it on my page too in case you're lazy like me and don't want to go looking for it    :)

INGREDIENTS:
~ 1 pkt Good Seasonings Italian Dressing
~ 1/4 c vinegar
~ 3 T water
~ 1/2 c olive oil

~ 1/2 t dry Italian Seasoning
~ 1/2 t salt
~ 1/4 t black pepper (I used a little extra, cause I like pepper and it has antioxidants in it, and I like the idea of something fighting free radicals in my body!!)
~ 1/2 t sugar
~ 1/4 t garlic powder
~ 1/2 T mayo
~ 1/4 c olive oil
~ 2 T white vinegar
~ 1 1/2 T water

First, mix up the first set of (four) ingredients, according to the package directions.  Then add everything else and SHAKE IT UP!!!  It's as easy as that.

You could also use a bowl and whisk it together if you prefer or if you don't have a big old bottle to shake it up in.  You know those great big cups you get after having a baby at the hospital??  That's what I use whenever I make salad dressing because it has a pour spout with a lid and then I don't have to do any extra dishes.  It has made for an awkward moment or two when we've had company over for dinner and we're all pouring junk out of a "Salt Lake Regional Medical Center" mug, but when you're with us you're going to have to take it or leave it sometimes!

P.S.  I realize this salad looks boring and lame...but that's how we do it in this house unless we're trying to impress somebody.  Okay, so really we usually do it without the olives and sometimes without the cucumbers or cheese (yep, basically just lettuce).

A New Year, A New Day

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I used to hate New Year's Resolutions.  I thought it was lame that people would wait until January 1 to start trying to reach a goal.  Moreover, I didn't want to be one of those people at the gym who overrun the place in January and then are never seen again.  BUT I've come to realize that sometimes we just need a little extra push, and even if other people think I'm just another one of those reso-losers (is that a thing??), who cares?  At least I'm doing something to better myself, and who knows--maybe this time it will stick.

Last year I started running and actually stuck with it for most of the year.  When it started getting cold, wet, and dark outside I stopped, and now it's been a couple of months since I really worked out much at all.  I'm trying to convince Scott we can make room in our townhouse for a treadmill, but until that happens I need to find something else to keep me active and feeling great.

This will probably need some tweaking as time goes on, and in the Spring hopefully I'll be able to pick up running again, but for now here's my workout plan:


Monday and Wednesday--Brazilian Butt Workout (because who doesn't want a great butt, really??).  I'll be starting with 10 reps instead of 20 because I'm feeling out of shape.

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WARNING:  The website for the Brazilian Butt Workout has a lot of butt pictures.  They're not exactly naked, but close enough that I suppose it could offend some people, so I thought you deserved a warning.  I've done these exercises before (there are two parts), and my butt really does feel sore the next day, so it must be doing something for me.

Tuesday and Thursday--Some kind of cardio, for at least 30 minutes.  I have a couple of workout DVDs that I'm going to use on my cardio days.  For some variation, I'm going to the library to see if I can pick up a few more (because I'm cheap like that).  Ooo maybe I'll even hit the thrift stores to see if I can find some gems from the 80s.

And yes, I'm starting my New Year's Resolution today--I'm going play my new Dance Central game for a while since it's my cardio day.

So happy New Year everyone, and here's to New Year's Resolutions!!  Good luck with yours!

Fit Friday

We can all use a little motivation once in a while, right??

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Confession Time:  

I haven't been running since it started to snow here in good old Utah.  I could...Plenty of people do.  But hello! It is freakin' COLD out there!!!  So it's been a couple of months since I've been running consistently. Part of me misses it (a lot actually), but the lazy part of me is starting to take over again, and I find less and less motivation to even try to do anything active.  Even though I was running for the better part of 2012, it's so easy to get out of the habit and forget how good it makes you feel.

The nice thing about life is that you are constantly getting second chances to change.  No matter what your goals are, they are attainable.  You might have to put in extra time, extra work, and it might take some patience, but you'll get there.  The most important thing is that you're closer today than you were yesterday (or last week, month, year, etc)!

Alrighty then--Resolution time!!  I'll be thinking of mine, and I'll let you know after the New Year exactly how I'm planning to stay fit in 2013.

Fun-Day Monday

Hope you're all ready for Christmas!!  If not, here's an idea.  You might be up all night, knitting, but it will be worth it!

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While you're at it, I'll take one of these for Christmas, thanks!!

Fit Friday: Day Spa Apple Cinnamon Water

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I try to drink a lot of water.  Usually I hate it, but I've started drinking flavored water once in a while (my favorite are the MiO brand water drops because it's a liquid rather than powder), and it helps me get more H2O on a more regular basis.

I've heard that you shouldn't drink too much of it because of the artificial sweeteners they contain, so I always try to drink at least as much plain water as flavored in a day.  Drinking ice water helps a lot too.  If it's really really cold, I think it tastes so much better, and I tend to drink more.

The other day I saw this on Pinterest and tested it out.

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The idea is that the apples and cinnamon will up your metabolism and give you more energy...I don't know if I really got an energy boost, but I do occasionally get headaches (maybe from the artificial sweeteners in the MiO?), and I felt really good all day when I was drinking this water.

It wasn't as flavorful as I'm used to, and I definitely would not compare it to actual flavored water.  It was more comparable to having lemon water.  That being said, it did make my water more interesting for the day, and it was all natural, so that's a plus!  I'll probably do this occasionally, but the convenience of MiO still has me hooked!!  Maybe I'll try to make my own MiO mix with applejuice and cinnamon....? hmmmmmm.......

Cheers!

Fun-Day Monday

Oh my heavens.  I love Paula Deen's cooking so much.  Every recipe of hers that I have ever tried is amazing.  But seriously.  I mean, come on.  This is way too funny not to share.


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Have you ever tried Paula Deen's Gooey Butter Cake???  It is one of the best things I've eaten in my life.  I don't think I've posted about it, but I've made it multiple times and it is soooo worth the calories.  The many, many calories.

Now that I've gained five pounds by thinking about that, I better go work out.