Making a House a Home...

Over the last few months, I've had the pleasure of having one of my BFFs live with me and while she has looked for a place of her own. Well, it worked out that she's going to rent a house from my mom's friend. It's super cute and lots of potential, with a spare bedroom and a MASSIVE backyard for her dog to run all day. Added bonus is that it's close to my house! My mom's friend wasn't looking to become a landlord, so the house needs a little love, especially in the paint department. The fun part is that Lindsay got to pick out the colors herself (with a couple other friends' expert advice).

So, today we finally got started after a couple of months discussion about this possibility. We painted the ceilings in both of the bedrooms and did some spackling. We took a radio over and one of the first songs to play was "The House That Built Me" by Miranda Lambert....not obviously a direct correlation, as Lindsay didn't grow up in this house, but if definitely resonated that this is a new chapter of her life that's opening up. She was brought here for a job, but I'm excited to see my friend find her spot here and feel more at home. I can't wait for the fun times that will happen for you in this sweet little house, Linds!!

Grateful

As I'm over a week into my 30s, I am really thankful for all of the love and celebration that has been aimed at me for my birthday! The weekend before my birthday, I made the trip to Dallas with my parents for the Cotton Bowl. We had a great time and got to spend lots of time with my sister.

My actual birthday started with my friend Linds decorating my living room with balloons and streamers.....what better start is there to a birthday?! After work, my birthday was capped off with my choice of Chipotle and my parents got me a Dairy Queen ice cream cake. Mmmm!

Last weekend, I had quite a few friends show up to have a drink or two or.....for my birthday celebration. So thankful for everyone who came to hang out, especially my friends who decorated yummy cupcakes and cookies, and the ones who did decorations as well. Such a special day I'll fondly remember.

Adorable cookies my friend Kylie made....and they were tasty too!!

My birthday bakers, Kylie and Sarah. Sarah made the delicious dense chocolate cupcakes.

Me.....getting older. Thankfully.

Looking forward to my next birthday! :)

Diet Coke Update

Sooooo, 72 hours into 2012 and I'm Diet Coke free. It's been rough. Last night I had the WORST headache! Thank goodness for my friend Linds who is staying with me right now. She was super nice, even though my behavior didn't warrant it, and got me some Tylenol. So, I went to bed with a gnarly headache and woke up with a little one that has tried to stick around today, but I am finally starting to feel better!

Now, several friends have asked....what constitutes a "Diet Coke"? What size? What about refills? What about rum and Diets? All good questions....

I've decided to have 30 "Diet Coke Experiences".......so this means that if I order a Route 44 at Sonic, that counts as one. If I go to a restaurant and have 37 refills, that counts as one. I think I am counting rum and Diets in "the count", but I don't drink them but maybe a few times a year, so that's not really the main problem. Some of you might be saying, that's not so bad! She will have refills or big sodas at the Kwikshop and she'll be fine! But it is a big change for me, as I usually would do all of these things without much though.

The reason I've had to get strict with myself is because I've gotten in the habit of having one in the morning, as my morning caffeine, and that would potentially be an okay thing, but then later in the day I'll have something for lunch and/or dinner and think, "A Diet Coke would be perfect with this." So.....just really need to get away from the habitual drinking of it...some side benefits mean that I'll be drinking more water and also, some foods don't sound good to me without a pop, such as Mexican, pizza or cheeseburgers, so maybe I'll eat less of those sorts of foods. And if you glance at that list, none of those above listed really would be declared as health foods.

I would like to say I'll get to the point of not even liking it or wanting it, but I think any step toward a positive direction, is good! I'll keep you all posted on this riveting topic. :)

2.0.1.2.

My main vice in life is Diet Coke. I've made a conscious effort (without always suceeding) lately to drink less of it. A couple years ago, I gave it up for Lent. However, I've slowly got it back in my day-to-day habit and routine. Bottom line is that its no good for me and I initially thought about cutting it out completely, but I think that is a set-up for failure and too extreme for me.

Sooooooo, since I'll be turning 30, I'm going to have 30 Diet Cokes/pops/sodas in 2012. I made myself a little sign to put inside the cupboard to help me keep track. I also cut little numbered tabs at the bottom of the sign that I can tear off when I have one. Cheers to whatever goals/resolutions you make for yourself this year! I look forward to finding out what 2012 will bring.

A Look Back at 2011's Resolutions...

So, this is what I posted last January....my resolutions for 2011. And here are the outcomes...

Resolutions for 2011
1. I will remember to take my reusable bags into Dillons. I am chronically a failure when it comes to this. I will do better.
***I did better with this. Not as well as I would have liked, but better. I had to call this off when a friend started knitting with plastic bags. Hard to explain, but I got them for her.

2. Complain less. Be thankful more. Pray more.
***Definitely more prayers this year and of all things, 2011 showed me how much I have to be thankful for.

3. Keep my checkbook more balanced-ish. Used to be SO good at this but haven't been so good since vacation this fall. Should be an easy fix. Should be.
***Um, fail.

4. Be kinder to my parents and sister. Might be hard to believe, but I can be perfectly, downright unpleasant. It's true. And in my world, I'm the harshest with those I love the most.
***Depends on the day, but I would say all in all, a better year. It was a rough year that I think ultimately brought my family closer together.

5. Find a local church that I am excited about and get involved!
***I got more excited about a local church and have attended there more regularly, but haven't gotten involved outside of going to services.

6. Keep my office/craft room more organized. (It's somewhat my "Monica's closet" for you Friends fans.)
***Major headway in this department. It's been a work in progress.

7. Read more. Watch less TV.
***Bit of a setback with this one. When my friend Lindsay moved in, I got into watching "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" and have watched a bit obsessively. Hoping to start a book club or exchange this year, so maybe I'll do better.

8. Less multi-tasking. More focusing on a single task wholeheartedly.
***I'm still completely horrible with this. I usually do five things at once and think about 15 things at once.

9. Run in an official 5K race.
***Didn't get this done, but race about 5 miles in a relay race in April. It's definitely going on the list of plans for 2012.

10. Find a volunteer mission I'm passionate about....suggestions welcome.
***Epic fail. I still want to do this.

So, looking back at 2011, there was room for improvement as far as these resolutions go, but I feel like I'm not definced by this little list and overall, 2011 made me a better person and made me want to keep improving....what more can any of us ask for?