29 Days of Kindness: Days 2 and 3

Yesterday (Day 2) was so special.  I called my dad's mom.  I feel terrible that I'm always so busy, and I rarely pick up the phone to talk to her myself.  I usually only talk with her when I'm with my family and we call her together.  But yesterday, I took it upon myself to call her just to say hello.  She seems to be doing very well in her daily life.  My family gave her a digital display picture frame a while back, and she told me that it's sitting on her coffee table.  She absolutely adores pictures, and with the digital display, she gets to see multiple pictures in one frame.  We talked about my dog, my sister's kids, and work.  It was just a blessing to hear how happy she was to hear from me.

Today (day 3), I'm going to count something I've already been doing for a week and will be doing for another 14 days. The PTSD press up challenge. The challenge goes like this: you post a video to Facebook of you doing 22 push ups every day for 22 days straight to raise awareness to the statistic that 22 veterans commit suicide every day. Well, I want to take today to highlight the fact that it's not only veterans who suffer from PTSD. Any traumatic situation can lead to PTSD, and the recovery period can be long and brutal. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone who suffers - the struggle is real no matter how hard the struggle. The number of push ups and the number of days may represent a statistic, but the persistence that is required to complete the challenge mimics the persistence of someone suffering from this condition. You can view day eight of my challenge on my Facebook page. Peace to all the sufferers of PTSD and any other mental health struggle. Just like you, I am a warr;or. 

29 Days of Kindness: Day 1

Well. It has been quite some time since my last post.  I got out of the habit of writing in order to take care of me, but today, I am getting back into it, and for very good reason.  In 29 days, I will be 29 years old.  This is my last opportunity to make the most of my 20s.  To be honest, my 20s have easily been my least favorite decade.  More ups and downs than many; however, I am very aware that my life overall has been quite blessed.  I'm ready to round out my 20s with positivity, and I look forward to all that my 30s will have to offer.

I have been thinking about doing something big for my 30th, but with everything that's gone down, I decided to do it now instead of waiting a year in order to help me focus on the good instead of the bad.  The thing: 29 random acts of kindness for 29 days.  I know that is a lot to ask of myself, and I was definitely thinking of not doing it, but then this morning, God gave me opportunity number one on day number one.  Therefore, I decided to pick my blog back up and kick it off with a new series: 29 Days of Kindness.

Day 1:
This morning, I was walking back to my car from a friend's apartment downtown.  I had my dog with me, and I saw a lady walking behind me with a couple of large bags on her shoulders.  She approached me, asking for money.  She was obviously homeless and had a large wound on her hand that was covered with a bandaid.  She had glasses on her face that were visibly scratched on one lens.  I'm not normally one to give out money, so I usually don't carry any cash with me.  I had a small purse, and I opened it up to look inside, assuming I wouldn't have any cash, and would be able to prove to her that I didn't.  When I opened it, I had about $4, so I gave it to her.  All she asked for was enough money for a meal.  I know it wasn't enough, and I surely hope she did indeed use it for some food.  I have no way of knowing, but I did what I felt was right in the moment.  I wasn't even thinking of it as a random act of kindness in the moment, but later I realized that this was day 1 of the 29 days, and that opportunity came to me.  God wants me to see this one through.  I think it will be good for me.  I need more positivity in my life, so here we go.  There are no set plans, no set rules, and no set budget.  Stayed tuned for more updates, and may my goal of seeking out ways to make someone's day better make your day better as well.

Hand-Made Coasters to Match My Living Room

This is fun project number 3 for my home (the first was an awesome wreath, which I didn't blog about, but just put on Instagram: http://instagram.com/p/uSEVuhGtRb/?modal=true). I have now made coasters to match the color scheme in my living room/dining room. I have chosen to do a calming "golden forest" theme with blues, grey, greens, and golds. If you haven't made your own coasters before, it's pretty simple.

Step 1: Buy 4x4-inch white tiles from a hardware store. I got mine at Home Depot for 16 cents a piece!
Step 2: Cut your favorite scrapbook papers into 4x4-inch squares.
Step 3: Apply some Modge Podge to the tiles and place the scrapbook paper square on top of the tile. Let it dry for a couple minutes.
Step 4: Apply a very thin layer of Modge Podge over the paper on the coaster.
Step 5: Allow this thin layer to dry for 15-20 minutes.
Step 6: Apply more thin layers, allowing the Modge Podge to dry in between each application. Apply as many layers as you like for a good seal - I usually like about 5 layers.
Step 7: Place clear rubber bumpers or felt bumpers on the bottom to protect your surfaces from the scratchy tile bottom.

Voila - custom coasters!!! I would say these match wonderfully with my living room decor. :)

Have a great weekend y'all!

I Love Getting Crafty

That's right y'all! I'm your typical southern craft-aholic, and like most women who like to make a mess with glue, ribbon, vinyl, and paper, I wish I had more time to do so. Thankfully, I found some time today, which was wonderful. This project has been on my to-do list for quite a while, so I'm very glad that it finally got done!!! Basically, I've been wanting to use vinyl letters to label jars for baking items - sugar, flour, brown sugar, etc. If you've never done a project with vinyl before, I highly recommend it! It's super simple and can create custom works of art that look very polished. Here is what I did: 

First I downloaded the font I wanted. I recommend the site 1001 Free Fonts (1001freefonts.com). I have fallen in love with this website because (1) the fonts are FREE, and (2) they are organized by style! I chose a font called, "All Things Pink," which was in a group of fonts called "handwriting". I feel as though the handwritten font styles are so popular right now, and I adore them! 

Second I cut out my vinyl using my Silhouette machine. If you don't have one of these machines, you should put one on your Christmas list! They are amazing!!

Next, I pulled away the excess vinyl from the words, including all the tiny pieces inside the letters. Finally, I used transfer paper to lift the vinyl lettering from its backing to the containers. The transfer paper maintains the words' exact spacing. Below you will find a great 3 minute tutorial video! 

So yes, I FINALLY have my jars for all my baking goods. I like to think of vinyl as the classier version of the label maker. So for all you label obsessive men and women out there, maybe you should look into vinyl to give your labeled items a more fun and presentable look. 

I am in LOVE!

Thanks, y'all for stopping by! Happy Sunday! 

xo - Kim

The Most Obnoxious Household Pest

The award for Most Obnoxious Household Pest (in my opinion) goes to the fruit fly. They multiply before your eyes, get in your face, and are impossible to kill due to their small size. I just recently moved into a new apartment, and who knows how the first few fruit flies got in, but they did, and now I have a borderline infestation of red-eyed nuisances. Quickly I turned to the coveted Pinterest to uncover a way to get rid of these flies, and thought I would share with you an affordable method I discovered that has worked to kill 7 fruit flies so far (it's sad to think there were that many in my house, not to mention the near 10 I killed on my own!).

Here is what you need:

1. Mason Jar(s) - multiple jars if the problem has spread to multiple rooms
2. Apple Cider Vinegar
3. Dish Soap 

That's it! So chances are if you haven't just moved into an empty apartment like me, you may already have these things on hand, and if not, these things are super cheap to come by!  All you have to do is pour some apple cider vinegar and dish soap into the mason jar and mix it together - simple, right? Anyway, there's tons of other methods out there, and some relatively decorative jars that make fly trapping quite discrete, but if you're looking for something quick, cheap, and easy, the apple cider vinegar and dish soap trick is pretty handy! Another fun find for y'all!

Happy Friday everybody!

My doctor says I need glasses... so I drink wine!

Great pun from an eye doc, right?

As I sip on my delightfully tasty wine (that was delivered right to my door), I need to share an amazing find with you guys: Bright Cellars! This website is such a brilliant idea that came from the minds of wine lovers out of MIT. The concept: use science and chemistry to match quality wines to your taste preferences. You see, I've never been much of a wine connoisseur. I tend to stay with what I know because it's safe, and I don't have to worry if the wine in question is too much of something (too dry, too bitter, too sweet, etc.). However, I have always loved the idea of branching out. Bright Cellars, in my opinion, has the BEST method for trying new wines. So how does it work, you ask? Well, think of it like a cross between Pandora Radio and a wine club, but way cooler!

Basically, you get started by taking a quiz about your preferences on food, drink, and social activities. Based on your responses, the website will generate four wines that you would probably like. The four wines get shipped to your door for $15/bottle - which is a steal for quality wines from France and Italy (No Barefoot wines here!). After you have received your wines, you can go onto the website to rate the wines and write comments about them. Based on those responses, you will receive four more wines the next month that you would probably like (now do you see the Pandora Radio analogy?).

I have attached some screen shots below that will give you an idea of how the website works. If you're interested (which how could you NOT be?!) visit www.brightcellars.com to get the full experience yourself. I guarantee you won't regret it. Happy sipping ;).  

How do you like my NC State web browser?! ;) Don't forget to stop by www.brightcellars.com if you are intrigued.  

Let's Talk Acne

Okay, so if you're like me, stress and hormones do a number on your skin!  And if you're even more like me, you get cystic acne.  I've been battling these large, deep, painful nodules, that take longer than a normal blemish to heal, for over a decade! That's right - I'm 26 years old and still find myself battling the worst kind of acne.  And for all my friends and family who've told me straight to my [acne-prone] face that I have great skin, well, I thank you very much for noticing my accomplished skills in the make-up department (stick concealer and powder are my two best friends).

At one point in my life, I did have beautiful skin that I loved, but that was when I was taking Soldyn (minocycline 80mg) everyday.  However, the side effects and the inability to take the medication when pregnant made it something that could not be a long-term solution.  I took Solodyn for 2 years before discontinuing it and discovering that my face exploded once again.  And so I was back to perfecting the makeup routine, which was probably only making the situation worse.

Out of sheer frustration, I recently took to the internet in search of a home remedy... because let's face it (haha - totally unintended, yet amazing, pun!)... we all hate spending a lot of money to TRY something to see if it works.  But after doing some research, I discovered that two items found in your kitchen pantry can help these nasty zits heal more quickly.  What are these two items, you ask: (1.) Cinnamon and (2.) Honey.  That's right, just mix 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder and 3 teaspoons of honey together.  It will make a paste that you can apply over your cystic blemishes.  Simply apply over the affected area(s), cover with a bandage and sleep the night away :).   Pretty easy right?

Here is the website from which I found the information, which also includes 14 other herbal remedies for cystic acne (SCORE!):
http://www.searchherbalremedy.com/top-15-herbal-remedies-for-cystic-acne/

Some other things that may help include cutting back on the sugar and dairy (I know, I know....) and taking at least 1,000mg of quality fish oil everyday.  If you have any other suggestions, feel free to comment below!

I've also started using Rodan + Fields products, which have definitely helped reduce the number of blemishes I experience each month.  I've only been using it for 3 months and have been informed that best results can take at least six months for more severe acne-prone skin like mine.  I'm sticking with the regimen and adding the honey and cinnamon paste to larger zits that come up.  I think my skin has a bright future!

Cheers to healthy and beautiful skin! #TransformationTuesday

xo

Kim