New Directions

No I am not having a Glee moment :) even if that did totally make me LOL to myself!!

With the New Year upon us everyone seems to be either making resolutions or resolving not to make any. However, I have decided to set my sights upon a few New Directions. There are changes that need to be made in my life & our home and 2012 will be the year that they will be accomplished. I know that if I have a specific list out in the www then I will be more apt to look at it often and know that I want to mark items off this To-Do-List.

I know it sounds like a cliche but in 2012 I will get healthy! I have actually got a little jump start back on November 4th when I made some changes in my diet. I now drink only water and surprising like it. I was a SweetTeaAholic and so I was worried about cutting it out cold turkey but I have had no issues at all and can tell a major different from that change alone. I am not dumb though and knew that it wasn't only Sweet Tea that made me fat so I have cut out sweets, I rarely eat anything fried and am eating more fruits each day as well. I am also cooking more dinners at home for our family which is benefiting all of us. I am adding exercise to this as well and since I can already wear jeans that I couldn't even button two months ago it is giving me the boost to know that I can be successful at this!! :)

I want to be more organized in our home. We have a small cabin which we love but it also doesn't have an over-abundance of storage space so I want to go through everything, toss out what we don't need/use and then organize the rest. I know that once things are organized that it will help our everyday lives all the better. Being Organized = LESS STRESS :) Now to get everyone else on board haha.

 I want to get a better handle on our budget. We went through the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University a few years ago and have not been very good graduates. One of the top priorities this year is to start making a serious dent in our debt and to have more of a savings for unexpected things. We know that we can do this as long as we stick to it and that is one thing we intend to do more this year.

Personally I want to explore my creative side more in the upcoming year. I received a sewing machine for Christmas and I am excited about learning to use it. I have all sorts of projects Pinned that I want to make once I can figure out how to use the machine haha. I also want to learn to quilt. I have always had a love for quilts and am looking forward to making one for our bed and for the kids as well.  I am a firm believer in doing things for others but you also have to take time to do something for yourself as well and this year I will make more of an effort to have this ME time :)

 I want to spend more time with The HandyMan and the 2E's. Sure we spend time together almost daily but I want to take more outings and such as a family. There are a few places we have not been in ages and they are on our calendar to go explore. Family is a major part of our lives and as the 2E's get older it is even more important to spend time with them. Yesterday was Emma's 13th Birthday and it still amazes me that she is already a teenager when it seems like only yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital.

These are just a few of the New Directions in which I want to go this year. There are changes in the house I want to do like a shower added in our bathroom and a kitchen cabinet overhaul to name a few. There are also more personal changes I would like to make that I have been praying about. There are some things that need to be changed in order to benefit our family as they are the most important people. Life is not a race and not a competition. You must take time for your family, your friends and for yourself there is no other way to say it -- take the time to LOVE! Your body, mind, and soul will thank you for it <3 <3

I know that 2012 is going to be a very prosperous and blessed year for us and I am looking forward to seeing what all it holds!

What direction are you headed for this year? Or will be you trudging down the same road as always?

DIY Apothecary Bottles

I have always had an affinity for old apothecary bottles. Something about imagining them lined up on the shop shelves always makes me smile. I am not sure why, I mean it's not like I have ever seen an actual Shop or anything, but all those different shaped and colored bottles always catch my eye.

*Sigh* -- HandyMan thinks I am nutty enough but imagine if I said I want to take a fieldtrip here!

We were at a roadside flea market recently and in the very first section I came across two old amber bottles. I went to get a better look and they were actually glass Lysol bottles. The vendor saw me checking them out and said "Those can be yours for $5.00 a piece." I sadly shook my head and said "Sorry I only have one dollar on me." He replied "Well I don't have one of those fancy money machine things so you can just have them both for your $1.00." Hellooo SCORE!! Plus, to make it even sweeter -- every other amber bottle of the same sizes that I saw that day was over $8.00 each!!

Once I got the bottles home they sat on our table while I decided what I wanted to do with them. Then today as I was finishing up The Apothecary's Daughter(appropriate right??!!) I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

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First I washed and dried the bottles. I adore that even though they are clean -- they still look awesomely old!!

Seriously -- a pretty LYSOL bottle?!? In--LOVE

Second I spent an hour a few minutes checking out all fabulous graphics over on The Graphics Fairy blog. If you have not visited her site then be sure to stop by. She has the BEST images anywhere and for any craft project or occasion.

Once I edited(I added some wording to both of them) and printed the ones I wanted I grabbed my trusty Mod-Podge and stuck those babies on the bottles.

I'm in loooveeee

The bottles turned out much better than I ever expected.  However every place I sat them in the house I was not happy with them so I did what any DIYer does -- I went out, gathered some twigs and stuck them in the bottles. Now no matter where I put them they have a unique look to them. :) *I am still on the look-out for some corks to fit them --hint hint H!*

BONUS: HandyMan likes them and was telling me to be on the lookout for all kinds of bottles.Then he mentioned that a glass display case would be a cool place once we acquired a few more. (Soon to be SCORE!) I see the beginnings of a new collection!

Linked Up Places
Check out all the fab projects!

What do you collect? Do you change the items at all or use as is? I'd love to hear about it.

Sidenote: If you have not read The Apothecary's Daughter by Julie Klassan I totally recommend it --Great book. Plus Amazon has the Free Kindle version -- SCORE!

DIY Date Nite -- Sneak Peek

What do you get when two friends together who are aspiring DIY home decor gals, a few free hours, various tools, and some paint?

The Beginnings to 4 new projects!

This is just a sneak peek at some of the projects that Heather from TwentySomething and I worked on today.
The full posts will be available here and over here shortly - so be sure to check them out!!

Can't wait till Friday H!!!