The Friday Mishmash

I have a ton of random thoughts today and so here are all the different things bouncing around my head.
1. It is hot, hot, hot. We are breaking records down here in Texas this week. For those who have never experienced a Southern summer, let me tell you it can be brutal. It has been triple digits here all week, and it is only June. July and August are going to rock my world. Fortunatly for me I like the heat and enjoy the weather, but our poor garden is dead. The constant sun and no rain has killed our once lush, strong, and healthy garden. Now, everything is dry and dying. On Monday I bought some chocolate chips for baking. I left to work out and run some errands, and when I looked at the bag I saw that it had gotten so hot in the house that the chips had melted!!!

2. Our T.V. was not working and we sent it for repairs about a month ago. They were not able to repair it so we got a refund check (thank you 3 year warranty!). P went to Best Buy and scored a major deal and now we have an even better t.v. than before. He did a ton of research and spent hours in the store with the sales rep (I think he enjoyed it) and we ended up saving hundreds of dollars with the rockin' deal he scored. Way to go P.

3. We bought a new couch. We have been looking for a couch for almost 2 years now and we finally purchased one. It is a beautiful soft greyish/brown sectional that makes our living room complete. I will try to post a picture later this week. Plus, it is so nice not having a futon in our living room.

4. All of our purchases were made with cash! They do not belong to the credit card company or to the bank. They belong to us, and we do not have to sit and wait for a bill to come in the mail! Wahoo!

5. I want our E-fund to be fully funded. I know that we just started trying to max it out, but I am so goal oriented that I want to max it out now.

6. I talked with Dave this week. I called in his radio show and chatted with him for a few minutes. It was awesome!

Ok there you have it. Hope everyone has a great Friday.

Quotes

This is a picture of my quote book. It is a journal that I keep where I record all of my favorite quotations. I have been keeping this quote journal for almost 10 years. There are some really beautiful things that so many different people have said and I record the ones that inspire me, challenge me, or remind me about something that I have forgotten.
Here are a few of my favorites
"Deliberately seeking solitude--quality time spent away from family and friends may seem selfish. It is not. Solitude is as necessary for our creative spirits to develop and flourish, as are food and sleep for our bodies."

"3 billion people on the face of the earth go to bed hungry every night. 4 billion people go to bed every night hungry for a simple word of recognition and encouragement."

"There are pot holes in the road less traveled. Some deep, some not so deep, some you dig yourself. Most are filled with mud. Many contains rocks. Once in a while, however, you will be walking along and step in one a bit more accommodating....shabby, green, and pulsing with life and it will tickle your feet like a clover."

I knew what I had to do, and there is no work too humble when you do it for a purpose.

Make the world a better and more beautiful place because you were in it.

and my all time favorite
"After a while you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul. You learn that love does not mean leaning and company does not mean security. And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts and presents aren't promises. And you begin to accept your defeats with you head up and your eyes open, with the grace of a woman not the grief of a child, and you learn to build all your roads on today, because tommorows ground is to uncertain for plans and futures have a way of falling down in midflgiht. So you plant your own garden and you decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers, and you learn that you really can endure and that you really are strong and you really do have worth, and you learn with every goodbye, you learn.

Fab Summer Fun

I don't have a weekend this weekend because I have to work, sad, but that is ok. Only a few more weeks and the summer job will be finished. It is really strange working on the weekends. I did not realize how much I get done, and how much I look forward to the weekends when I get to hang with P, visit family and friends, or just be lazy.
So because I do not get a weekend, I will just relive the festivities from last weekend, and those memories will fill me with warm fuzzes as I slave away for the next two days. (kidding!)
Last Saturday was perhaps one of the greatest days I have had in a long time. I was one of those perfect summer days where timetables and schedules are thrown to the side, and friends, family, and fellowship rule the day.
After a little sleeping in, I woke up went to the grocery store (one of my favorite things....no really, I like going to the grocery store!) and was free to shop around without being rushed, and as a bonus I scored a ton of good deals, (I got more than 20 dollars off with coupons, score). Needles to say, I came home on a slight savings high. It was great.

Then 2 friends came down, one from Arkansas, the other only lives about an hour from here, however, due to work/life we don't get to see him often. We ended up going to the river and swam and a great time. On the way home we called yet another friend who came over and we all pitched in and made an awesome dinner. Once the steaks, grilled chicken, and veggies were done, we set the table outside and ate dinner as we watched the sun go down. It was perfect. A few good friends, the setting sun, cheap wine, and great conversation made for an amazing time. Our meal ended about 4 hours after it started. No one was rushing to leave to meet a prior obligation, no one was worried about work the next day, we all were able sit together and relish the moment.
It is times like those that remind me that life is not about the things I own, it is about sharing my life with others. That experience gave me so much more than any shirt/pants/skirt/ or home decor could ever offer.
I need more nights like that. I need more time with family and friends. I need to stop and have a 4 hour meal more often. I need to soak in and relish life and all the beautiful gifts it has to offer.
So tomorrow, as I labor, I will be comforted by the memories of the weekend past.

7 Things

I was tagged by Living Simple, so here is my turn.
The Rules:
Link to your original tagger(s) and list these rules in your post.
Share seven facts about yourself in the post.
Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and links to their blogs.
Let them know they've been tagged.

1. Pancakes are my favorite food. Growing up, my mom was a working mother, but she always woke up early and made my brother and I a hot breakfast. Now, each time I go home my mom still gets up early and makes me pancakes like she did when I was growing up. Each bite is like a trip down memory lane. The smell, the taste, the whole experience of eating pancakes is one of the strongest memories I have.

2. I am really competitive, in almost everything I do. For example, this summer I am working as a housekeeper and when we make the bed I try to get the pillow cases on faster than the other girl I work with. Each room, each bed we make, I try to win, even though it is not a competition.

3. I wake up thinking of chocolate. I go through the day thinking about chocolate. I go to bed eating chocolate.

4. I am slightly OCD about wallets and purses. I got a new wallet last year, and it took me more than 6 months to find the one I wanted. Each store I go into I tend to go and look at the wallet section just to see what is out there.

5. An hour before my wedding, my veil flew out of my hair and into a tree and as the ladder was being brought out it flew out of the tree and landed right next to a puddle of mud, but there was not a speck on it! And then, I stepped on a nail, it went straight through my shoe in the middle of my foot. My brides maids tried to carry me back to the brides room, and then finally my flower girls dad (the only male on sight) had to carry me to the brides room, and he laughed and said, "I bet I am not the man who you thought would be carrying you around today." It hurt really bad and I didn't even get to dance at my own wedding.

6. I have a very active imagination. I win American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, the World Cup, the Olympics (in several sports), I am a hollywood star, I win a grammy, I win a Tony, and every other award possible. This is what I think about as I drive.

7. I get really sad when I finish a book. I read extremely fast, and I tend to finish books in 1 or 2 days and afterwards I am kind of bummed out. I want the books to go on and on, but they don't.

Ok there are my 7 things.

I tag
This is my life
Change can be a good thing
Frugal Midwest Chick
Teach her finance
Frugal Chick
Brunette on a Budget
Budgeting Babe

My Demise/An Ode

An Ode to Target
O how I long for thee
The minutes together seem to flee

Hats, glasses, clothes, and more
All of the things that I adore

You tempt me with your cheap deals
Of fun, beautiful, and fancy high heels

But o how i loath
to pay my bill

Like any addiction so bitter, so sweet,
I cannot wait till the next time we meet.

Ok so that is not exactly iambic pentameter but it will do. I am a Targaholic and yesterday I made my pilgrimage and it was sweet. But, like any sweet and seductive temptress, when I left, I felt ashamed at my lack of self control. But when I am there, something happens to me. Its like I lose all mental capacity and I cannot think about time beyond exiting the store. While there I am alive in the moment, and I relish every second we have together. (Ok I am being a little dramatic, ok alot dramatic, but I am positive you ladies know what I am talking about and how I feel.) I spent...drumroll..............drumroll..........139.67 in one shopping trip on things that I really did not need. I walked through the store and was mesmerized by the racks and racks of discount clothes, jewelry, and books. UHHH.
I wanted it and I wanted it all. HA! I wandered around the store for an hour and half, and I could have been there longer if I had let myself. I think they must pipe some sort of drug into the air in that place, because seriously, everything else just disappears.
Hopefully yesterday's events will keep me away from there for a good long while. Probably not, but I can hope.

P.S. I wrote this post while being on hold with my insurance company for 45 minutes. While on hold I managed to pay some bills, work on the budget, and file some papers. At least I was productive!

26.2

I have been toying with the idea for a while, and I am still not 100% sure yet, but I think I am going to run a full marathon in November. Last year I ran the 1/2 marathon and I trained really well for it and it was actually easy, I truly felt like I could have kept going. I am still wrestling with the idea and I have a little while to make the decision but I think it would be an amazing feeling to do a full marathon. I read in a magazine last week that less than 1% of the population has done a marathon and I think that would be such a cool feeling.
To get ready I will run a few races this summer, and I am considering doing a sprint triathlon which will be a lot of fun.
This is a big deal for me because I used to hate running. As an athlete, whenever we got into trouble our punishment was running. So for a really long time I hated to run, hated it. After college, I told myself that I was not going to run for 6 months, and I didn't. Eventually I started to miss it and I have been running pretty consistently ever since.
I really like doing races because it makes me feel strong and I really like running with others. There is such a strong feeling of comradery between the runners and there is nothing else like it.
So we shall see. At minimum I will run the 1/2 but hopefully I will make up my mind and do the full.

I'm not who I was

Last week I got a phone call from a friend that I have not talked to in almost 3 years. He was a great friend to me in high school and was a huge blessing. We lost touch while I was in graduate school, I could say it was because I was so busy, but I think it was more intentional than that. I think I chose to remove myself from that friendship because we would often talk about things that happened in high school, and at times didn't want to think about.
To be honest, when I look back at my life, I don't like who I was in high school. I hung out with the popular crowd, but at times felt like an outsider, and I hated that. I was an athlete and I was so busy and did not get close to the "popular girls" that I so longed to be friends with. They were so glossy and beautiful and thin, and while I was athletic, I did not wear make up, and most days my hair was in a pony tail. I was just different, and I think I was not comfortable in my own skin, and was not happy with who I was. So I compensated and I was super snotty and at times unkind to so many people.
And, after my friend called, I just had all of these memories of me being such a brat, and I hate that. But, it was so good to hear from him. It gave me a chance to apologize to him, and ask his forgiveness for being such a jerky friend. He was great and said it was no big deal and it was so great to restore our friendship.
As those memories came back, I would shudder as I remembered things I had done. But, then I remembered that I was made new in Jesus Christ, and while I am not proud of some of my high school days, it is ok, because I am not who I was. He washed me clean and made me new and forgave me, and for that I am humbled and grateful. What I great God that I know, love, and serve. He made me in His image.
So thank you Lord for your mercies, that are new every day.
It feels so good to say that I am not who I was!

My P

He does not know it, but I have tried to write about him several times. There are probably about 3 or 4 posts that I have started and stopped over the last few months. Whenever I sit down to try to write about P I get blocked for some reason. So ladies, I decided to dedicate my post tonight to P.
First, his name does not even start with P, that is just my nickname for him. I don't know if yall have seen the movie 13 going on 30, but there is a scene where a guy calls the girl pookie, and she responds by saying, "Pookie, you mean puky." I don't know why but when we were dating I would just randomly say that quote and we would both bust out laughing. Then I started calling him Pookie,(totally as a joke by the way), then I shortened it to Pooks, and finally I just started calling him P, and for some reason that nickname has stuck for almost 2.5 years. So that is how P got his nickname.
Well, P is amazing. He is so supportive and encouraging. He is in my corner cheering me on in whatever I choose to do. He also challenges me every day. He never lets me get by with giving anything less than my best. He constantly challenges me to think and examine what I do and say. For example, he really listens to people, and he listens to the words they say. When we 1st got married I would say I love to everything. I love God, I love this food, I love that shirt, I love that fabric, etc. One day, he brought it up to me about how much we say that word love, and what it really means. Do I really love those shoes the same way I love my parents? No. So now I am really careful of the words that come out of my mouth because words have the power to build up or tear down, and they can never be taken back. He really helped me to realize the power and effect of our words.
P is also completely hilarious. He can make me laugh by how crazy he is. He is also an amazing cook. Watching him cook is like watching Emeril. He likes to be creative and he makes these amazing meals.
I think if you were to ask anyone who knows him to describe his personality in one word it would be adventurous. He really enjoys adventure. (See here is where I would have said loves adventure, but I chose not to!). He is always up for a new adventure or a new experience. He likes the thrill of life and wants to taste all that life has to offer. He never wants to sit on the sidelines of life, he wants to be out there soaking it up. His excitement for life and experiences means life is never dull or boring.
Plus, he does not realize how completely brilliant, kind, and wonderful he is. He has the most giving heart of anyone I have ever met. He wants to help and give to anyone who needs it. He will bend over backwards to help a stranger in need.
He is so wonderful, fun, kind, brilliant, and he loves me, and his love humbles me, and it makes me want to be a better woman.

Part Time Employement

I started my summer job last week as a housekeeper, and while I am thankful that I was able to find a job for the summer, it is not something that I would want to do for the rest of my life.
The job is easy and the girls I work with are nice, but it really makes me value teaching. I don't think there is any thing wrong with being a housekeeper, but I would not want to do it for the rest of my life. As I work making beds and cleaning toilets, I realize how fortunate I am to have a job that I am so passionate about. I get to work in a job that requires me to think on my feet, and I am hindered only by my own creativity. Every day is new and different with so many challenges that it always keeps me on my toes.
The hours at the inn where I am working are good. I work from 9-3 cleaning the rooms. It is great because I get to sleep in a little, and then get home early enough to spend time with P in the evenings. I get my 1st pay check tommorow and that is going straight into the e-fund that P and I are trying to get maxed out.
One thing that I am now more aware of is how I treat people in the service industry. I always make a point to be polite, kind, and patient with people who are doing me a service, but I can tell you that many people are not, and it makes me sad. I am only doing this job for a few weeks, but for people who do this for a life time, I am sure get so frustrated. They are often ignored, talked down too, or treated as if they are personal servants.
So, if you have a vacay planned for this summer, smile at the housekeeper as she passes you in the hall.

What is your price point?

I went to the mall today to exchange something and as I was walking around I realized that I don't remember the last time I was even in a mall. As I looked around, I saw some super cute stuff, but everything was so expensive, even the sale items! UHHH.

So I left the mall without purchasing anything, and I am ok with that. I like to shop at places like Marshalls, Ross, T.J. Maxx, and of course, the mother ship--Target. When I go into those stores I head straight for the sale rack. The prices on their regular priced clothes are low, but the sale prices are even better. I have gotten to the point where I don't remember the last time I bought an item that was not on sale.

That being said, I have a really hard time shopping and buying things that are over a certain price point. I will often pick up a few things, and then walk around the store browsing while I am debating the purchases. I cannot tell you how many shirts I have in my closet that I purchased from Ross that were 7.99 or lower, and they are super cute shirts. I have a Michael Kors sweater wrap that I got for 10.00, that is normally 75.00. Today, I went to Marshalls and I bought a Nike swimsuit for 19.99 that retails for 72.00 normally.

I realized that I have a hard time buying tops for more that 10.00 and pants for more than 15.00. I just can't justify spending a crazy amount of money on clothes at the mall when I can go and get something just as great at a discount store. All of those stores have name brand labels for a fraction of the price. And, I know which store carries more of what I am looking for. For tops, Ross cannot be beat. For pants and shoes, its Marshalls, and for skirts and dresses its T.J. Maxx. The discount trifecta! I think that I am such a bargain shopper because P and I have our "fun money" which is 40.00 a month in cash for us to spend any way we choose. He spends his on eating out during the day, and I usually save mine and spend it on clothes, and because I don't have a ton of money to shop with, I want to stretch my dollar as far as it will go.

But, it extends even beyond clothes. My husband and I adore Restoration Hardware, but their furniture is so pricey. Fortunately, we live near a huge outlet mall that has a RH there and we have gotten a ton of furniture at rock bottom prices. We have a 3 drawer dresser, coffee table, mirror, book case, duvet cover and banquet table all from there. Each was around $100.00 except the banquet table, it was about 250.00. We bought each of these items at different times, but they are all from the same line. So every few weeks P and I hop into RH and browse for good deals, and it makes regular priced furniture seem so expensive.

So am I just cheap/frugal? What do yall thing? What is your price point? What are you willing to spend on certain items?