So my lovely friend Mrs. O'Connell over at And We Live Happily Ever After... has me completely addicted to http://ana-white.com/. She recently just used some of Ana's plans to make her dining room table with benches (check her blog out...she and her husband did an AWESOME job!), and she has made me want to start building some furniture for our place too.

A few projects I'd like to tackle in the future:

The Farmhouse Bed

We've been wanting a bigger bed, and it looks like it could end up being much more cost effective to make one. Plus this one is fabulous.

The Modern Farm Table and Benches


I've always loved benches instead of chairs at a dining room table. My aunt's table had a bench for one side, and I always thought it was the coolest thing. It might not be super formal, but I'm coming to terms with the fact that we're just not formal people. I've been wanting an updated dining room feel, and I think this table might be just the thing we need. Plus I think the benches might help foster a sense of togetherness and family, which will be wonderful when we have kids.

The Spa Bench


Our bathroom is way too small for a bench (or anything, really) right now, but when we have a bigger bathroom I'd like to have one of these. Not only does it provide a seat (not exactly necessary in a bathroom, but nice) but it doubles as storage, which is something many bathrooms lack.

There will be many more posts about my decorating ideas in the future :)

They will be mine. Oh yes, they will be mine.




Amazon Kindle
I love to read. I always have. I was probably the only kid in the history of the world who got punished for reading. A Kindle would allow me to have multiple books on the go without taking up too much space in my (already too-full) bag. Plus, I'd be able to lend and borrow books with other Kindle owners, so I'd save time and money, and not have to wait until a book gets checked back in to the library.

Brother XL3750 Convertible Free Arm Sewing Machine
I've wanted to start sewing for quite awhile now. I have a miniature machine that my grandma gave me years ago, but I'd like to have a full-size machine that's beginner-friendly. This one had great reviews. I'd like to eventually have a serger as well, but I figured I should wait until I'm a little better at sewing.

Amy Butler Midwest Modern 2 in Sunset: Red/Garden Maze

I'm not sure what I'd do with it yet, but this fabric is fabulous.

My birthday was last Saturday, but since I live a couple hours away from my family, we celebrated tonight. We went out to dinner with my dad, his girlfriend, my brother and my grandparents. We went to Vera Mae's Bistro, which is, in my opinion, the best restaurant in Muncie, Indiana.

So I've decided every Wednesday I'll do a post on a celebrity or TV or movie character whose style I really like, and ways to replicate it (should you feel so inclined). My own style is pretty terrible these days (I'm working on it!), so it's nice to live vicariously through fabulously dressed characters and celebs.

This week's character with style is Olivia White (played by Bridgit Mendler) from the Disney Channel movie Lemonade Mouth. I'm kind of in love with this movie...not gonna lie. I was actually watching it...again...today, which is where I got the idea. And yeah, she's a teenager and I'm not, but I think the look can work for a 20-something too (it probably helps that I look a lot younger than I am).

You could start with a cute sundress, like this Lace Trim Tank Dress in cream from Maurices for $34.00


Toss on a bright cardigan, like this Merona Women's Artist Crewneck Cardigan Sweater in Milan Purple, from Target for $24.99. I really like the little ruffle-ish details.


Add a belt, like this Perforated Western Stretch Belt from Charlotte Russe for $9.50


Throw on a pair of brown ankle boots, like these Suedette Cowboy Boots for $27.80 from Forever 21

Finally, add a fun watch, like this Swatch "Callicarpa" Purple Watch available for $50 at Dillard's


While I'm more the type to wear flats with a dress than boots, I think this is a cute casual look, perfect for Saturday morning trips to the farmer's market.

Well, I made them.

What made them healthier? Instead of the usual ground beef, I used lentils. When they were cooked, I mixed in a little taco seasoning and some salsa. I swapped the usual flour tortillas out for whole wheat tortillas. And the sour cream? Fage 0% plain Greek yogurt. I added the same shredded cheddar cheese we usually use.

The verdict?

Not too bad, from both of us. I asked Tom what he would rate it on a thumb scale, and it was in between thumb to the middle and thumbs up. He said he couldn't really taste the lentils, and that the texture was still slightly too bean-like for his liking. Upon trying them myself, I noticed that the lentils were a bit undercooked. I think they probably would have been better if they were cooked more (although for my first time cooking lentils, they didn't turn out too badly). Tom didn't even notice that it wasn't actually sour cream, though I spread it on the tortilla before adding everything else, since he usually eats tacos that way. He probably would have noticed it more if the yogurt had been globbed on top.

I think we'll try ground turkey next time, since Tom has carnivorous tendencies and wasn't over the moon about the lentils.

All in all, they weren't too bad, and we got to try something new. I encourage all of you to try a new food this week too :)

So Tom and I? Most of the time we eat like crap. We've decided it's time to change that.

We eat way too many processed foods, and I'm trying to cut down how many we consume. I read a tip that a great way to avoid processed foods is to only shop the perimeter of the store since that's where the fresh foods are. It actually wasn't that difficult. I ventured into the aisles for lentils, bottled water for Tom's lunch and some frozen veggies and chicken breasts, but other than that, everything came from the perimeter.

I started in the produce section, because I've always shopped counter-clockwise at the grocery store (I can't really explain it, maybe because I've usually parked on the right side of the store?). Tom's fairly picky about his produce (well, he's picky about all food, really), so I made sure to get some things I knew he'd like, like bananas. A lot of things I got he's going to end up eating; he just doesn't know it yet. I've learned that if I want him to try something new, I can't tell him what's in it until he tries it first.

Some of the foods he's going to be trying this week are lentils, Greek yogurt (which I LOVE), spinach, ground turkey and hummus. I got lots of fresh fruits and veggies, but some (like strawberries and blackberries) are things I like but he doesn't. (Btw, if you're around Lafayette and like strawberries, the Payless by the mall had some GORGEOUS ones on sale).

We're working on weaning Tom off Pepsi. He drinks a LOT of it. He likes juice, but with all the sugar in it, it's not really a whole lot better for you than pop. He's still got most of a case of Pepsi to finish though, so I figure we can worry about that when the time comes. Any suggestions are welcome! I, on the other hand, am trying to drink less sweet tea. The Walmart kind is really good, but it's got quite a bit of sugar as well. I'm thinking about brewing my own unsweetened tea and sweetening it with Truvia or agave nectar, but I think for now I'm going to start by slicing up lemons for the Brita pitcher.

I think we're going to try a healthier kind of taco tomorrow, but I'll let you know how it goes after he tries it :)

Today is my birthday. We received tickets to today's Ring of Honor wrestling match in Chicago as a wedding present from my husband's podcast partner, but since I'm not into wrestling like my husband is, I told him he could take one of his friends with him. Since they'd be gone today, we had a little birthday get-together with our friends here last night. Instead of cake, I made cake pops. I wasn't able to get any pictures (they didn't last very long!), but I used THIS recipe. They were SO easy to make, and they were a big hit. Instead of candy melts, I used chocolate almond bark I had lying around.

I DO, however, have pictures of the pie pops I made for wedding favors. They were surprisingly easy to make too.

Ingredients
-9" pie crust (I was able to make 10 or 11 pops from one crust)
-your favorite pie filling
-lollipop or cookie sticks (I got mine at Michaels in the cake decorating aisle)
-egg whites

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Farenheit.

Cut small circles out of your pie crust and place on a cookie sheet. I didn't have a round cookie cutter, so I used the lid to a can of cooking spray. It made the perfect size circles for the pie pops.



Put a lollipop stick onto a circle of dough, making sure to get it far enough in that it won't fall out when it's done baking. I found it helps to push down on it as well to make it stick a bit.


Add your pie filling. I used cherry and blueberry in mine. You can make your own fillings or used canned, like I did. The blueberry was a little easier to work with than the cherry since cherries are bigger. Although it may look like you need two cherries, one cherry per circle is enough. When you press the pie together, it will all come seeping out if you use too much.


Press a second circle of dough on top of the filling-covered circle. Seal the edges with the tines of a fork or another lollipop stick.


Brush the top of the pie with egg white.


Repeat with your remaining dough. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. I didn't have the sense to take a picture of the baked pies. I was too busy wrapping them up in little glassine bags.

See? Easy as pie! (Pun intended!)

I've wanted to start a blog for awhile now, but I just haven't been able to figure out what to talk about.  Most blogs seem to be pretty specific, but I'm the kind of person who's all over the place and not particularly good at any one thing.  My life is changing a lot.  I just got married, I'm going from working full-time to being a part-time SAHW, we're moving to a bigger apartment in a few months and we're planning to adopt a pet this summer.  I think it will be fun to chronicle life as I go along.

So this blog will be about life.  There will be attempts at craftiness.  There will likely be a gazillion pictures (I take pictures of everything).  There will most definitely be baked goods.

Thanks for joining me on this journey.  You might want to buckle up...it's going to be an interesting ride.