So you may remember that I was longing to cover the awful, flesh-colored walls in our living room.

This weekend? I started :)

You may have seen a sneak peek if you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, but here's a better picture.

This color is much bolder and brighter than I had originally planned (Tom picked from a few choices I gave him), but all I can say is I.AM.IN.LOVE.

It's the first step to an all-new room!

Did you watch the Oscars? If you didn't, you can attempt to piece together what went down from my tweets (just a heads up though -- I'm pretty sure 62% of them are about Adele).

As usual, the stars busted out their favorite designers (Prada, Miu Miu, and Dior, oh my!) to strut down the red carpet. And, as usual, there were hits, misses, and bores. And of course, I'm going to talk about them, because red carpet outfits kind of make my life.

The Good


When I saw her on the red carpet, I literally started tearing up. She looks so perfect and princess-like (I'm always a sucker for a good ballgown). Perfection.


With the exception of that dreadful Grammy ensemble, Adele can do no wrong in my book. She's got killer pipes, she's gorgeous, and she seems like she'd be a blast to be friends with. Her hair and makeup are flawless. I just love her.


 Now I could understand why some people might not like it (it's an awful lot of look, after all), but I love it. I think the grey is a nice, fresh neutral in comparison to the normal black or nude, and the silhouette is beautiful. The feathered skirt is dreamy, and I love that she kept her accessories simple.


Absolutely stunning. The cutout makes it modern, the metallic is on-trend, it has an interesting texture, and the silhouette is super flattering. The soft updo provides a nice contrast to the hardness of the dress.


She looks so beautiful. The dress hugs her in all the right places. It's pretty, and dreamy, and looks comfortable, which you can't really say for most of the dresses on the red carpet! I'm also digging the bangs!

I've been a huge Reese Witherspoon fan for well over a decade now, and she rarely disappoints me on the red carpet. This look is no exception. It looked darker on camera, but even photographed, it's still a very pretty color. This look oozes Old Hollywood glamor. The dress looked gorgeous on her, and the Veronica Lake waves were a perfect addition.

The Bad


I know I might get a little hate for this, but I really didn't like it. At all. She looks like she's dressing up as Alexis Carrington for Halloween and just forgot to put on her wig. And I really don't think it's that flattering on her. Yeah, the curves on the dress kind of make her look curvier, but they also kind of make her figure look more boyish at the same time.


First of all, I'm still trying to figure out why Brandi Glanville was even at the Oscars. Apparently she was a correspondent or something, but I don't understand why. Second, this dress has pretty much zero redeeming qualities. It shows too much skin, the color isn't flattering (plus it's boring), and the textiles don't go together. It's a hot mess.


Miranda Priestly would not approve. The necklace? Fab. The hair and makeup? Fab. The dress? Terrible. The color is lackluster. The silhouette does nothing for her. Her nipples now have their own twitter account. It looks like a sub-par mid-90s prom dress. She can do much better.


There are definitely elements of this dress that I like (the belt, the bow, the embellishments at the neckline), but all together, it just doesn't work. It's like when you give kids different materials to make a collage, and they put a ton of everything on the paper. It's just too much. This could be personal taste, but I think the ruffles are too dark in comparison to the dress; it's a stark contrast instead of a gradual, ombre-esque change. I like her makeup, but the hair is kind of boring.


I appreciate the story behind this gown. It was designed by a man who was born in Ghana, for the Red Carpet Green Dress Challenge. It's made of organic silk, vintage beads, and recycled materials (like zippers and candy wrappers), and was dyed with flowers. I can appreciate that. Apparently the design was inspired by a volcano. I can appreciate that. What I don't appreciate is the fact that I'm practically looking her hoohah in the eye. That slit is waaaaaay too high.

The Blah


 I love the color, and I love the makeup. The embellishment on the shoulder is kind of fun. Unfortunately, the dress is really unflattering; the fabric is bunching in all the wrong places, and the draping hits her oddly. The embellishments on the wrist just look awkward. And the hair makes me wonder if she's prepping for a turn as Tracy Turnblad (which is fine if you're onstage or it's Halloween, but it just looks odd on the red carpet). It's not the worst look of the night, but it's nowhere near the best.


Black is usually a good, albeit safe, choice, but I'm not digging this look. G normally rocks the red carpet, but this dress looks like someone took a super huge satin baby blanket and tossed it around her body. You can do better, babe.


This look isn't terrible, but I really wish she'd start wearing color again. This dress does nothing for her but wash her out. Pretty makeup though.

 
Uh, Nancy? The Miss America pageant already happened. The color is nice on you though.

What was your favorite look of the night? Least favorite?

There are several pre-made templates to choose from. You just add a photo in the photo space and edit the text any way you like. It's really that simple. I added a picture of my brother's dog from this past Christmas to a winter-themed template.
Some other things you could use this software for are invitations, labels, personalized stationery, even blog headers! The possibilities are endless!
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And if you don't win, don't worry -- My Memories is sharing a special promo code JUST for Good Girl Gone Wife readers! Use the code

Hello!

Many of you already know who I am, of course, but there have been a lot of new faces around here this week. I somehow managed to get 1200 hits the other day (I'm still not sure how that happened!) and my Wordless Wednesday link party went from 4 entries last week (its first week) to 47 entries this week! I am so grateful to everyone who linked up :)

But anyway, since I've had so many new readers this week, I thought I'd post a little bit about myself :)

I'm Alex :)

• I'm married to Tom, who is awesome. 

• We have an adorable dog named Archie Simpson (after Snake from Degrassi), who, contrary to popular belief, is not an abnormally long chocolate lab puppy; he's a full-grown Dachshund/Basset hound/blue heeler mix.

• May is an important month for us: we married on the 7th (two years ago), started dating on the 15th (three years ago), I was born on the 21st (25 years ago), and Archie was born on the 26th (two years ago).
• I'm a preschool teacher, and I absolutely love it. It can be stressful at times (2/3 of my class doesn't speak English), but it's totally worth it.
• I am absolutely terrified of spiders.
• I never get enough sleep. I was an insomniac even as a little kid, and that hasn't changed as I've gotten older. I've had some very unattractive dark circles going on over the past couple of weeks.
• We've been trying to have a baby for two years. We've gone through a hysterical pregnancy and infertility, but now that I FINALLY HAVE A REGULAR PERIOD AGAIN!!!!!!! (sorry, it might have been TMI, but it's a HUGE deal for me!) we're hopeful that this is finally our year :)
• I have two other blogs: Operation Skinny Jeans, a weight loss blog I write with my friend Jess, and Pre-K Prep School, a teaching blog.
• I love reality competitions, especially Project Runway, ANTM, The Taste, and Top Chef.
• My favorite foods are cereal, burritos, crab cakes, and cheesecake.
• I'm a total nerd. I'm obsessed with Harry Potter, love Doctor Who, am an avid Pokemon player, and have spent waaaaay too many hours immersing myself in the Elder Scrolls universe.
• I love, love, love fashion, though my wardrobe doesn't particularly reflect that. I've been too broke to buy clothes, but that's going to change.
• I have an Etsy shop where I sell digital invitations and cards.
• I love doing yoga, and when the weather stops being such a jerkface, I'm going to attempt running.
• My life-long dream of going to Disney World is FINALLY coming true this year, and I get absolutely giddy just thinking about it :)

Thank you so much for visiting Good Girl Gone Wife! I hope you kick off your shoes and stay awhile :)

Belle, Ariel, Snow White, Tiana (I made CInderella the day before!)

Link up your Wordless Wednesday posts here!

It's been awhile, but I finally have another recipe to share with you!


I wanted to do something special for my students for Valentine's Day this year. My first thought, of course, was to use some of the valentines I sell in my Etsy shop. The only problem with that is that when we moved out of our apartment about a year ago, we apparently somehow lost the power cord for the printer (that was NOT a very well-organized move). Then I decided I was going to make chocolate-covered strawberries, and I was going to write everyone's name on them with white chocolate. It was going to be super fancy and ambitious, and I was stoked.

And then I went to the grocery store and scrapped the idea.

It was going to be expensive, and it was going to take more time than I really had, and it just seemed like it was maybe not my best choice.

Then I thought MARSHMALLOWS.

My kids all love marshmallows, and they're okay for the two with celiac to eat. S'mores are pretty universally loved (unless you are my husband), and I love dessert on sticks, so s'mores on a stick would be awesome! Thus, s'more pops.

Easy, tasty, and kid-approved!


What You Need

• marshmallows
• chocolate chips
• graham crackers
• sucker sticks or bamboo skewers (I highly recommend the sucker sticks!)
• sturdy styrofoam (like florist's foam), or a tray, or waxed paper

What You Do

1.) For your sanity's sake, I recommend using sucker sticks, which you can pick up at Michael's, Jo-Ann Fabrics, Walmart, etc. (pretty much anywhere that sells cake supplies, especially Wilton supplies). I used to have some from the wedding, but I got rid of them when we moved out of the apartment. They didn't have any at the grocery store, so I grabbed bamboo skewers thinking I could  just cut off the tips and cut them in half. I did it, but it was a MAJOR pain in the tuchus. So if you choose to not heed my warning, your first step is cutting the bamboo skewers :)

2.) Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler or the microwave. I don't have a double boiler, so I used a microwave. Heat them in 30 second increments until melted, stirring in between.

3.) Crush your graham crackers. This is easiest accomplished by using a food processor, or by putting them in a plastic bag and crushing them with a rolling pin. Your hands can also be effective.

4.) Put a marshmallow on a stick.


5.) Dip it in chocolate.



6.) Dip the chocolate-covered marshmallow in the crushed graham crackers.

 
6.) If you have some sturdy foam (like florist's foam), put the stick in it and let it dry. If you don't, you can remove the marshmallow from the stick and set it down on a tray or waxed paper to dry.


7.) When they're hardened, they're done! If you opted to let them harden on a tray or waxed paper, just put the stick back in (and yes, I realize this step sounds kind of dirty, what with all the sticks and hardening going on).


Easy peasy!

For my kids with celiac, I subbed the graham crackers for a Think Thin protein bar. They love them, so it seemed like a good alternative :)

What is your favorite mini dessert?

Pros

• I really love the Cotton & Italian Mandarin scent. The Fuji Apple & Cardamom Spice smells nice too, but the former is definitely my favorite out of the four regular scents they offer.
• The fragrance mist is really easy to use, and I like that the holder (or "shroud", as they call it) camouflages most of the bottle.
• The fragrance mist shroud is available in both white and silver.
• If I want to switch fragrances in my fragrance mist shroud, I can. It's as easy as popping one out and popping one in.
• The oil diffuser doesn't need to be plugged into the wall.
• The oil diffuser also doesn't have the oil exposed. I've had reed diffusers before, and I've always been terrified that something would jostle it, and it would fall and make a mess. That's not an issue with the Glade Expressions Oil Diffuser, because all the oil is contained in a little pod that is attached to the card.
• There are limited edition spring fragrances for the fragrance mist, Garden Sunshine and Vibrant Bloom.

Cons

• Vibrant Bloom and Garden Sunshine (which sounds like something I would LOVE) are only available at Walmart, and I couldn't find them at mine (plus, I hate going to Walmart if I don't have to, but that's another story).
• I couldn't find the silver shroud ANYWHERE. It's not available everywhere, but it is available, but apparently not in Lafayette. I tried Target, all three Walmarts, CVS, and Walgreens to no avail. I like the look of the silver, but apparently it's harder to track down than Carmen Sandiego. That said, I'm not that broken up about it because...
• the silver shroud is only available with the Lavender & Juniper Berry fragrance. It sounded like something I'd like (I enjoy both lavender and juniper scents, so it sounded right up my alley), but I didn't like it.
• The oil diffusers are only available in three scents (at least at all the stores I went to): Fuji Apple & Cardamom Spice, Lavender & Juniper Berry, and Pineapple & Mangosteen (I'm still trying to figure out what the heck mangosteen is). I liked the Pineapple & Mangosteen the best, but the holder was only available in wood. While I like the idea of it being made of wood instead of plastic, it doesn't really go with my decor. I would have preferred the Cotton & Italian Mandarin, and wish it was available in the diffuser.
• The diffuser isn't hideous, but it's not really my taste. I wish they offered different patterns or something.
• The shroud doesn't entirely hide the fragrance mist bottle. That's not a big deal for me, but since the point of the shroud is to hide the bottle, it would be nice to not have that streak of color showing through.
• The oil diffuser can't seem to make up it's mind. Sometimes I can't smell it at all, and sometimes it's ridiculously strong. A happy medium would be nice.

Would I recommend the Glade Expressions Collection? Yes, particularly the fragrance mist. Am I a complete convert? Probably not. I still prefer scented candles for making my home smell nicer, but I find a spray is handy to have on hand.

What is your favorite way to make your home smell better? Any favorite scents?

I'm going to level with you here -- my refrigerator was a hot mess. It wasn't really dirty (though there were definitely a few Kool-Aid spills), but everything was just kind of thrown in there willy-nilly, and it wasn't uncommon to open the door and have something (usually yogurt or sour cream, which would then proceed to spill all over the floor) topple out. I finally just looked at the insanity it had become and said ENOUGH. It was time to do something about it. So I set out to tackle the problem.

I decided to start by taking a page out of Jen's book and making a diagram of where I wanted things to go.

Door

• Butter  - I try to avoid keeping dairy on the door, because of the temperature fluctuations. I think it stays colder and fresher on the shelf. Butter, on the other hand, is pretty hardy, so I don't mind keeping it in the door.
• Dressings, dips, and sauces - We have both store-bought and homemade dressings, and they go nicely here. I also keep dips (like sour cream and hummus) here. This is also where I'll store any sauces that need refrigeration, like pasta sauce that has been opened.
• Savory condiments - The left side of the middle shelf (you can't tell with the guard up, but the middle shelf is a split-level) is for things like mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, etc.
• Sweet condiments - The right side of the middle shelf is for maple syrup, jams and jellies, homemade chocolate syrup, coffee creamer and the like.
• Juice, non-dairy milk, and tall bottles - I'm a bit of a Juicy Juice addict (my favorites are cherry and mango), so that goes here. This is also where I'll store rice, almond, and coconut milk when I have them. Tom's pretty much kicked his Pepsi habit, but on the occasion when he does get a 2-liter, it'll go here.

Main Fridge

• Fresh produce - One of the problems we have always had with our fridge being so messy is that we tend to just toss things in, often on the top shelf. No wonder the yogurt's always falling on the floor! By restricting the top shelf only to produce, we'll be able to maintain a more orderly fridge.
• Milk/Kool-Aid/pitchers - Pretty self-explanatory. We currently only have one pitcher, which was meant for my infused water, but when Tom stopped drinking Pepsi, he switched to pretty much only drinking Kool-Aid and took over my pitcher. Whenever we get another one, my infused water will go here as well.
• Yogurt and snacks - I go through phases where I eat SO much Greek yogurt. At one point, I literally had almost two dozen containers at once comprised of six different brands. They were always spilling out. By giving them a spot (and corralling them!), it makes things a lot easier. Other little snack-y type things (string cheese, cheese cubes, etc.) go here too.
• Deli meat/cheese/quick lunch - Having sandwich fixin's all in one spot will save me time while making lunch (I usually take oatmeal, but sometimes I want a sandwich). Plus it makes it easier for Tom to make a quick lunch, since his cooking skills are kind of limited. Deli meats, sliced cheese, hot dogs, etc. go here.
• Eggs - Well, they're eggs, and they need to go somewhere. They'd fit perfectly right there.
• Leftovers - Neither of us really like most leftovers, but there are definitely some things we'll eat again (pizza and chicken and noodles being two of the most notable). Unfortunately, a lot of times the leftovers get lost in the shuffle, and by the time we find them, we kind of wish we hadn't. Giving them a dedicated spot means we always know where to put them and where to find them.
• Meat - Our favorite raw meats (like ground turkey and bacon) are all that gets to go in this drawer.
• Cans - If we have any cans of anything, they can go here. Currently, there are a few cans of biscuits in there (and also a couple of bags of shredded cheese, which I may eventually move to a glass jar. I'm still making up my mind).

So now that I shared the plan, it's time to share the good, the bad, and the ugly.

To be fair, I did warn you.

Ugh.

Yikes.

The first step, of course, was to get rid of anything the was past its prime. I was shocked by how much I got rid of. The amount of food we ended up wasting was truly shameful, and I'm going to be paying a lot more attention to making sure that I don't have to do such an extreme fridge purge ever again.

Then, it was time for the actual cleaning. For some reason, I didn't bother taking pictures of all the in-between (probably because I was focusing on organization), but I probably should have. Eh bien. I used a baking soda solution to clean the fridge, shelves, and drawers, and it worked really well; it's effective AND free of chemicals! Because of where the fridge is, getting the left drawer out proved to be quite the challenge. I ended up having to open the pantry door, open the fridge door into the pantry as much as possible, and jimmy the drawer out while repeating "please don't break" to it as I worked.

When the cleaning was finished, I began organizing. It went rather well, if I do say so myself.


The black wire baskets came from Dollar Tree, and the green plastic bins came from the Target Dollar Spot (and they also come in other colors!). So yeah, this was a $4 fridge organization makeover. Not too shabby! I do intend to start storing the produce in my glass storage, but I just haven't gotten around to chopping up the romaine yet. I like using containers to corral the mess -- it seems much more orderly to me.

I'm really pleased with the results, and it's gotten me pumped to tackle even more organizational tasks around the house! Spring cleaning, here I come!



How do you curb chaos in your refrigerator?

Linking up with Allie and Brin :)

And I'm very pleased to announce that I'm starting my very own Wordless Wednesday Linkup! Check back here every Wednesday at 12am EST and link up your posts!

Why do we feel like infertility is something to be seen and not heard? Why do we think it's okay to just sweep it under the rug and act like it's not there? Because it is there. And since 1 in 8 couples deals suffers from infertility, the odds are pretty high that it's affecting someone you know. Maybe it affects you, but you keep it to yourself. I just want to tell you IT'S OKAY TO TALK ABOUT INFERTILITY.

We have no problem discussing breast cancer, so why do we not talk about infertility? Granted, some people may not discuss cancer with someone who has it (because even though it's common, a lot of people don't know what to say and don't bring it up -- I've never had cancer, but I imagine if I did, I wouldn't want to pretend it wasn't there), but most people are okay with having a general discussion about it. Why can't we do this with infertility? Why is it such a taboo subject?

I kind of think it's because we let it be.

I know that I talk about my infertility from time to time on the blog, but I don't talk about it as often as I probably should, because I don't want to seem annoying or whiny or like I want to be pitied. Because I don't. But it's feelings like this that keep me and others struggling with infertility from talking about it with others.

I know for me personally, it's a lot easier to blog about it. As personal as this is, it's more impersonal, if that makes sense. I have a very close friend that I go out with from time to time (it's been a few weeks, actually, but we went EVERYWHERE in January, lol), and we sometimes talk about it, and I tend to get a bit choked up when I do. She has never struggled with infertility (in fact, she got pregnant with her son the first month of trying), but that doesn't keep us from having deep, meaningful discussions about it. She's always genuinely interested in how I'm doing, and sincerely hopes that I'll get to experience motherhood myself someday, and I appreciate that. She's actually one of the only people who DOES talk to me about it.

Most people just ignore the fact that we've been trying almost two years to no avail. Nobody asks when we're going to have kids. Nobody asks how we're doing. It's just not talked about (even my own family members don't ask me about it, though I sometimes bring it up with a couple of them). I imagine some of them don't know what to say, and some of them probably just don't care.

There was a time that I didn't want to talk about it. At all. It was too painful. If you're struggling with infertility and don't want to talk about it, I completely understand; it's a personal choice, and you shouldn't talk about it until you're ready. But I'm at a point now where I feel comfortable talking about it. And honestly, sometimes I want to. It's not because I want attention, but just because I can't keep everything inside all the time; it just gets to be too much.

I came across an article on Squidoo about how some people find infertile people annoying. The thought was shocking to me. I want to address a few of the things that were mentioned, just from a personal standpoint.

-Infertile people should just adopt. This is probably the most common thing that someone with infertility hears, "You can always adopt."  Yes, I could "always adopt". And one day, I hope to. Tom and I have both discussed adoption, and I decided in high school that I one day wanted to adopt older children after I'd had a few of my own. There are a couple of reasons for this.

The first, of course, is that there are SO many older children in the system, because a lot of couples want to adopt babies; I'd like to give some of those older kids who are often left unadopted a forever home. The second is that a lot of children in the system have special needs. Some have medical issues, some have emotional issues, and some have both. I figure I'll be better equipped to handle these unique challenges if I've already had some experience actually raising children.

There are people who purport that couples with infertility should adopt to help keep the world from being over-populated. And to an extent, it makes sense. But my issue with this is that they're not saying the same thing to fertile people; if it's selfish of me to want my own child, why is it not just as selfish of them?

-Infertile people hate fertile people and want to make them feel guilty for being able to have children. Trust me, that's really not the case. I have several friends who have (multiple, even) children or are pregnant (in fact, I saw 5 pregnancy announcements on Facebook last week alone). And I'm truly happy for them. Am I a little sad for me? Yeah. It's only natural to feel a bit jealous. Do I want to feel that way? No. Do I want my friends to feel like they can't talk about their kids/pregnancies with me? Of course not. I'm happy to talk with them. I make a living being around kids, and I love it, so it's not like I'm still in a place where I can't handle it. Do I want to hear about how much you hate being pregnant? Admittedly, no. It makes me a little stabby. But I'm more than happy to discuss gender scans, nursery plans, baby showers, morning sickness remedies, etc.

-If you're infertile, it means God thinks you wouldn't be a good parent. Uh, no. I'll go ahead and toot my own horn a little, because I know that I would be an amazing mom. In fact, many of the people I know who have dealt/are dealing with infertility are some of the most meant-to-be-a-parent people that I've ever met. God knows the desires of my heart, and I'm confident that I'll be a parent someday.

-Infertile people are lucky because they don't have to worry about birth control or the expense of kids, and their lives are their own. If anyone ever said this to me, I would punch them in the face. Not the most responsible thing to do, sure, but this is probably the most ignorant, hurtful thing that someone could say to me. Nobody is LUCKY to be infertile. It's a horrible, painful thing to deal with, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

If you ever want to talk about infertility, or have any questions about how to do so, I'm here to lend an ear. You can Facebook me, tweet me, email me, comment, anything. We need to stop being quiet about this. As Andie MacDowell said in those ovarian cancer commercials, we need to TALK. Infertility shouldn't be a shameful secret that we do our best to hide.

It's time to bring things out in the open.

Here's what I'm crazy about this week!