Catchin up Part 2

The weekend after thanksgiving, Wes had received a couple free tickets from his boss in an EXECUTIVE SUITE! at a WWE Wrestling match! HAHAHA I was actually pretty excited since I have never been to one. Well, the suite was sweet, but the match wasn't a big show so it really wasn't that exciting and a co worker of Wes' had also gotten a few free tickets so I couldn't really make fun of the wrestler's because this guy wrestles too!!!! Oh lawd have mercy!

I am sure if it was one of the big matches with Fire and Cages and such, I would totally be excited, but the stands weren't even filled up!

Earlier this year, like back in February, I went on a bit of a shopping spree for my house and bought all sorts of decor. Well I had yet to hang it up so I finally forced Wes to help me! I started with the bigger pieces......

......Then filled it in with the little pieces I had actually found out at my dads. SCORE! 

I love my Gallery wall! I still have a few more items but I'm not sure if I want to add anymore to this or find other places around the house. But I am super happy with how it turned out!

CRAFT!!!!!

So I found this project on Pinterest and knew with all of the pallets that Wes has been cutting up that this would be super easy! We measured out the "branch" boards.

We started the top branch at 6 inches and added 4 inches each time ending with 22 inches for the bottom branch. The tip top is just the "trunk" board.

The project calls for decorative napkins, but I don't see why you couldn't use tissue paper. Which I found this at Target in the $1-$3 section. I friggin love that section. Seriously, that part is great. I find all sorts of treasures in there! Including Modge Podge for $1!!!!!!

I used the Matte finish instead of gloss. But they had both so I bought like 5 of each. So brush the modge podge on the branch that you want your tissue paper on, and smooth it out. You don't really have to worry about bubbles and wrinkles (or even tears) since you will be distressing it later on. I have never used modge podge before so I wasn't really sure what it was or what to expect.

I didn't really like how plain the tree would look with only one branch patterned. As you can see I just put the patterned over the others. The yellow branch is just acrylic paint as well as the brown trunk and white top. After the tissue, modge modge, and paint were all dry, (I waited a day just in case) I took the electric hand sander and just went to town. One thing I regret, is putting modge podge on top of the tissue before I sanded, it was super hard to sand the tissue paper.  I had only done that because with my luck I'd sand the paper right off. If you do not put the modge podge on before you sand it, I would suggest putting it on after you distress it. But I actually love how this turned out; very vintage, and old. I am definitely going to make a few more with different colors and patterns.

Whatcha all think? My phone was dying so I couldn't get a flash to really show all the detail and distressing. Reminds me of something that a grandparent would have bought brand new way back in like the 50's and the colors have just worn and faded. Loves!

So next time, I'll have a few recipes for ya. I'm still some what trying to stay at least healthy. But, Wes doesn't need to be healthy so when he cooks, it's not good for me. ARGH!

XOXO,
Rachel

Catchin' up Part I

So the first thing I made at my New! desk is this little sign for one of my best friend's daughter, Olive (obviously)! I am not even sure if she will want it but I was just experimenting. I think it turned out pretty well for not having anything to trace or a stencil to use. But thank goodness for pencil :)

I knew I wanted to make some neat signs and such out of pallet wood so I had already nailed a few of the wood signs together with scrapes from my Scarecrow/Snowman project.  But with this sign, I really wish I had sanded and stained it before I actually put the work on it, but again I was just experimenting. I do love the way it turned out though! I kind of like the raw wood, do you?



Next up, BRETT ELDREDGE & THOMAS RHETT!!! The concert was amazing! I just got the cheapest seats possible, but with it being at Independence Events Center, you really don't have a bad seat in the house. And I'll admit I follow Brett Eldredge on Snapchat and let me just tell you, he is friggin adorable!

Gotta have my Fireball for a big night out! Or a relaxing night in.... Whatever! I got my Fireball!

We were literally on the opposite side from the stage in the very last row! But I didn't care, as long as I was there! 

Thanksgiving.......

I have never not spent holidays with at least one side of my family. Well this Thanksgiving my Grandma Dixie had just had a bypass on her leg so she wasn't able to do Thanksgiving. She literally is the best cook. All home-made, down-home, bad for you cookin! But this year I went with Wesley to his Aunt's house and I had to bring cookies. So I made my little Acorn treats I stole from my old Manager, Lori. Thanks Lori!! These are my go-to's...

All you need is:

Caramel Hershey Kisses

Chocolate to Melt

Nutter Butter To Go Bites

(Unfortunately I cannot find these any way else than in the To Go snack section)

You really don't need to melt a lot of chocolate. I hope all of you know how to melt chocolate and I do not need to explain it...??? So, I like to lay out all the pretty (non-crooked) nutter butter's and pair it with a hershey kiss. I use a spoon and just put a dabble of chocolate on the nutter butter (not too much or it will squish out the sides). Place the hershey kiss on the nutter butter and let those all sit and dry! I make sure they are good and dry because I don't want them falling off once you flop them over on their side! Once dry, I just add a little dot to the cookie to kind of make it like the little stem!

VOILA!!

Aren't they friggin adorable??? So easy!

Once we got home from dinner I wanted to decorate the tree and put up all my decorations. I get all excited and want to watch movies, listen to music, the whole shebang! Then I start fluffing..... I FUCKING HATE FLUFFING!!!! I get so angry and frustrated and mean. I am too OCD (in that sort of department) for that shit. Lord Have Mercy! So I started downing my Mojito and chugged along!

I think it turned out pretty cute. I decided to change it up a bit this year and go more with the rustic/country feel. So I added the burlap, picked out only red, gold and silver ornaments, and Wes made the shot gun shell lights. I love them!

Well, I still have a few more things to share but this post is kind of getting long and I'd rather you finish it then give up for being too boring! So I'll continue this post in a couple of days!!

XOXO,

Rachel

Hopefully, where it all Begins!

I have finally organized as much as I can on my desk that Wes has built me out of pallets in my basement. He is definitely going to need to build me a couple more shelves, but I love it!

 

He even wired an outlet from a light bulb so I can have electricity at my desk! I Actually originally only had 3 light-bulbs in my basement  but now hes wired like 3 more lights and 2 outlets. So now with the electricity I can keep my laptop and printer down there! Finally a stationary spot for my computer, instead of the couch, kitchen table, bed, tv tray, etc.

I always look thru craft items on sale and I'd rather have too shit than not enough. So, I've ended up with quite a bit of ribbon. I decided to string all my ribbon on a rope and had Wes drill it into the desk. I will probably add some more little gadgets to this thing and such, but it is a work in progress and I am so happy to finally have a space to store all of my Shit!

Enough with the desk....

This weekend Wes and I are going to the Independence Events Center to see Brett Eldredge and Thomas Rhett. I am so Friggin excited! I am tired of missing out on fun things, so I have also bought tickets to Ellie Goulding in May and I will definitely be buying tickets to Kenny Chesney & Miranda Lambert! I love music. I listen to it when ever I can. Car. Work. Cleaning. Showering. Etc. So not only am I buying all these concert tickets; I want to travel. I love to travel! I've only ever gone on vacations when my dad has paid for them. I am almost 30 friggin years old (shhhh....), I don't need his money. I am not in High School anymore! So yea....

 FOMO?? YOLO?? Whatever... I need to start living my life!

XOXO,
Rachel

Not much to report....

I thought since I have been doing pretty good this last week on keeping up with my blog posting, I'd like to let you know.... There is not much to report! Which in a way, is good!? But boring for you all.

Let's see here... Saturday Wes and I went to my favorite restaurant, P.F. Chang's! Mm mmm...... I don't get to go there often since it is on the Plaza, and we don't really venture out of Lee's Summit much. BUT it is delicious and a plus that it is the cheapest place down there!

 Lettuce Wraps and Mongolian Beef for days!

After dinner we met up with my friend Mandy and her boyfriend and did a little bar hopping around downtown Lee's Summit. Which was nice because we stayed away from all the busy bars! Nothing crazy, but we had fun!


Then there's Hart of Dixie. but for like the past month I have been addicted to watching this show on Netflix. It is the absolute cutest show and totally makes me want to move down south and become a southern bell! But after only 4 seasons they cancelled it :( They only have season 1-3 on Netflix right now but my dumb ass decided to follow the shows twitter page and ruin the last season for myself! Son of a Jackhammer! Oh well, I am still totally watching it, especially for Wade (Wilson Bethel)! If anyone has any recommendations for shows or books, let me know!! I really do want to get back into reading. I love getting lost in books!


21 Day Fix: Although I have not been measuring my food out I am still doing really good at watching my portions. (Saturday at P.F. Chang's was hard, but I was proud of myself!) I have not lost any weight yet, but that doesn't come immediately. I can tell from just the first week that my stomach has shrunk and I already am not eating as much as I used to! I've only done a few work outs but I do not want to over due those especially when I am already sore! Gotta let those muscles heal. But I can tell in my ab (area) that they are building up!


Sorry for the random, boring post but my next one I will get back into my crafting stuff. I will have to show you the desk Wesley made for me out of pallets to put all of my crafting shit in!

XOXO,
Rachel

Spaghetti Squash? Hmm....

So I am trying to be healthy, right? Well I've seen all these posts about how amazing Spaghetti squash is, so I thought I would go ahead and try it out last night for dinner. Wes' mom has made it for him but I have never had it myself.

So I found directions on how to prepare it on Pinterest (where else?) and..... Here we go!

 The directions said to cut it length wise and gut it. This thing smelled just like a pumpkin so I already wasn't diggin it. And on another set of directions I found it said to rub olive oil on the insides and sprinkle with italian herbs (Or greek seasoning because that is all you have).

 Place the open side down in a glass dish with a cup of water and cook at 375 for 30-35 mins. Clearly I have a really old nasty oven so Wes said we should up the temp for ours to 400.

To be even healthier I used ground turkey in the sauce instead of hamburger meat.

Well once the squash was done we let it cool for about 5 mins. We were hungry so we decided to just tough it out and friggin burn our fingers "forking?" out the "noodles?" So I taste tested a noodle thingy and they were not soft like a noodle but I wouldn't say totally crunchy either. And again, already not diggin it but I moved on. So we put the squash in the sauce and sat down to eat. NO FRIGGIN FLAVOR! It wasn't bad, but seriously no flavor whatsoever, and I'm sure the ground turkey didn't help that either. And of course my phone sucks and always dies and I didn't want to go upstairs to get my charger because my legs were Jello from my workout. So below are leftovers. (FYI Pinterest pictures lie!)

Meh, whatever.... Not a fan. But it wasn't terrible. At least I can say I tried it, and I don't think I will again.

Damn you healthy food! Or maybe Damn you Bad Food for being so Good!? Either/Or.

XOXO,
Rachel

21 Day Fix!

Ok I am on day 4, WOOHOO! As I have stated many of times, I love food! And starting this I was afraid I would not get enough food to make me even feel satisfied. This is about portion control and lord have mercy I never watched my portions! Especially cheese, mm mmm I loooove Cheese! but so far it's actually not bad, I have not been Hangry yet!

In my last post I told you I am going through some major personal problems and I feel like my depression is really spiraling, blah! But doing this is kind of keeping my mind off of it. I really want this to work so I am really paying attention.

You are only allowed so many of each container a day depending on your calorie intake you are to calculate at the beginning. Veggies, Protein, Fruit, Carbs, Healthy Fats, etc. So I may add a little (ok more than a little) too much CHEESE than suggested! And yall know I love my booze! I have started at least drinking wine instead of my norm Coors Light or Bud Light. And the past couple days I've really cut down my wine intake although you are only allowed to substitute a yellow (carbs) container ONCE A WEEK for 4 OZ. of wine! HAHAHAHAHA yeaaaa.... uhmm.. How about I just drink 1 glass of wine a night and call it good!? (For now) If I do not see a change then I guess I will have to cut out the booze. BOO! But I am pretty proud of myself so far. It doesn't seem like a long time but 4 days of watching my food and it's intake seems like eternity since I have never had to.

Besides the calorie intake, the program also comes with videos of 30 minute work outs. I have done one video.... the first day.... OOPS! But in my defense it was PLYO. and whoa dude, I am still sore! But I should be good to go tonight and I will not be doing that plyo video this time. I think that needs to wait until I've gained some strength back.

The package I bought also comes with a months supple of shakeology. My little personal size blender broke so instead of adding fruits, ice, etc. I just put one scoop into a blender bottle with 8 oz. of Naked and about 4 oz. of Unsweetened Almond Milk, and it's actually not bad! It does take place of a protein serving a day but the health benefits and meal replacement of it help.

So this lovely picture of myself is after that AWEsome Plyo video!

Here is a picture of a salad for lunch I had measured out. Doesn't look to bad, eh!?

I also made my own chart to track my portions because theirs sucked!

 

This is Emily! I have not seen her since I was 16! She has always loved playing with make up since I can remember. 

Well we have since reconnected through FB and she is a Mary Kay Consultant! So she asked if she could come over and show me some things. At first I was like ehhhh... she is just going to try and sell a bunch of stuff to me, but I also know she is not that type of person. So I ended up agreeing and it actually helped me out a lot with some make up tips she gave me. She actually doesn't do your make up herself, she tells you what to do. Which is the way I learn things anyways. We had a great time, drank some wine, and chatted! I think the end result turned out pretty good. What ya think?? I think I will end up going through that catalog she gave me though. 

I will HOPEFULLY check back in a few days and let ya know how my 21 Day Fix journey is going!

XOXO,

Rachel

Part of my story??

Ok all those posts down there with me talking so positively about bettering myself and having more confidence in myself..... They clearly were all bullshit!

I have had one of the worst years of my life. I have lost friends, I have lost family members and part of it is my fault but of course most of it is the other persons fault right!? I mean duh! Oh well clearly it wasn't meant to be. They were not meant to stay in my life.

Ever since I kicked "The Monster" (Ricky) out, I have been on a downward spiral with my life. You'd think by leaving someone who mentally, physically, and sexually abused me would put me back on track and on the up and up!! No! Because of the person he is, a manipulator, a liar, a PIECE OF SHIT! People decided to take his side, as if I did something wrong? I was left in the dust. Certain people who I (thought) were close with, decided the money, the racing, the women, etc. were more important than helping me through not only having to pick myself up from such a terrible 2 year relationship but also having a cancer scare, and being laid off from my job. Thankfully I do still have supportive people in my life who have tried to help me through all of this.

With the way I was raised, I was never taught how to communicate, nor was there anyone ever there to listen to me, which not only does not help the communication deal but also I don't know what to say. Even from someone asking, how are you? how have you been doing? I either joke "Oh just trying to stay out of trouble" or "I'm fine, nothing really new." I do not know what to even say to those questions. To me anything I have to say is never important. I mean of course if its just a random person I'm shootin the shit with, I am not going to just pour my heart out. That would be crazy! And I definitely have enough of that to go around! But anywho, what do I say to someone I've known forever or a family member who doesn't know everything that is going on with me? I have tried counseling but again I don't know what to say. Probably another reason I have not had a successful relationship in my life yet.

At least I do have Wes, and he is great and he tries! We've been together 7 or 8 months and man he has put up with so much of my shit already. WOOWEE! He is such a laid back care free guy I am still very shocked that he has stuck through this with me. I can't imagine living with some one like me having anxiety and depression.

I am so irritable, I could cry at the drop of the hat, I stress over everything, I am so positive one day and the next everything hits me. When will this end? I always thought I was pretty strong and would just brush everything under the rug as I was always shown how to do and it was done. Well I guess all of this is finally catching up to me. So what is next? I never understood depression. I don't understand how you just couldn't be happy. Well depression and I have gotten to know each other pretty well lately and it is not easy. I have no reason to not be happy; I own my own home (have for 5 years now), my car is paid off, I have a great job (thankfully), and I am alive and well. Why am I so unhappy?

So the first thing I am going to start on is my health. Although I only weighed 115 pounds and have since in High School, that is my body type. I love food way to much to not eat it or waste it by barfing that up! But this past year with everything that has happened to me, I have gained about 25 pounds! Yes I know I look healthier but this body is not me. My doctor even said something to me about my weight gain. I have to do something. I have to get my body back and have confidence in myself. So with that I have started the 21 Day Fix and Shakeology program! Today is only the first day but I have heard nothing but great things about this program. So let's see if this is something I can actually continue with! But lord I hope so as this shit cost me $150!!!!

Well, now that I have bored yall with another DEPRESSING post, I will get back to the exciting ones soon! Thanks for reading (if you still are!)

XOXO,
Rachel

I'm So Lonely... So Lonely...

I am pretty much alone this Memorial weekend. My lucky bastard of a boyfriend is in Colorado until Monday, for a Bachelor Party. UGH! BUT I had the chance to go to Vegas for the Bachelorette party and decided that is not a good idea for me. Literally I would end up in the 4th Hangover movie. Negative on that one.

So I finally have some me time, although it has only been one night, it's been nice and relaxing! Not that I do not miss the crap out of him already but it is nice to have our time apart. I have learned that if you do not have that time apart and spend EVERY WAKING MINUTE with your significant other, it is not healthy! But, that is me and who am I to give relationship advice? I am almost 29 years old and have not found THE ONE yet!

So these next couple of days I am going to try and focus solely on myself. Tanning, teeth whitening, facials, a LITTLE exercise (notice the emphasis on the little), and try to work on my eating habits. Wes is non stop and never relaxes so of course he is super in shape and does not have to worry about what he eats. Now that I am getting closer to 30, I do not have the body I used to. I just do not have the friggin motivation to work out, but Wes does help me out with that. Any who, just wanted to share a healthy, yummy side dish to try! BRUSSEL SPROUTS!!!

First off.... FRESH Brussel Sprouts!

Heat the oven to about 375.

I cut the stem off, take off the first couple of layers of leaves, or any that look yucky or brown.

Then I cut them in half.

Throw them in a bowl of water to soak and wash off. Get all the bugs and such out.

Rinse them off and pat dry.

 I like to add a little olive oil, a little balsamic vinegar, slivered almonds, dried cranberries, Greek seasoning and Parmesan Cheese. But add whatever your heart desires!

 Stir them around so they are nicely coated.

Throw them on a cookie sheet.

And just depending on how you like your sprouts (I like crispy outside and gooshy middle) so I cook mine for about 10 mins flip them over as best you can, (no biggy if they all do not flip over) and cook for another 10 mins.

VOILA! 

This is an old picture when I didn't have olive oil or balsamic vinegar, or Parmesan cheese, or dried cranberries, and just used Raspberry vinaigrette. But it was still delish! This is about the colors you want when you take them out of the oven! And then the chicken, I just bake at 425 for 35, any seasonings you like!

Hope you enjoy!
Rachel

My Shelf!

OH MY GOODNESS!!!! My shelf is complete and I am absolutely IN LOVE with it!

First off here is how the whole curtain/shelf process started out. I do not know what to call these hardware pieces but if you or your significant other do, here ya go! And for the rod he used a 1 1/2 metal hollow rod thingy. I believe just to pay for the hardware was $15-20 bucks for all of it, plus the curtains ($50 for both) So I would say this was pretty cheap, minus the curtains.

These are the brackets we used to hold up the shelf and you can kind of see the wood we used.  The white brackets were from my previous blinds that were up and the black one we found in my back yard! The black is the only one you see so I wasn't too worried about those two little ugly ones.

Here is a better look at the wood. Isn't it the coolest!? Exactly what I wanted! And it was free!

And here is my COMPLETED Shelf!!! What do you think? I am obsessed!

These are wide shots of the shelf which was hard to take because of the light outside. Sorry, i just use my phone. I will take better ones of the whole eating area soon!

I still have quite a bit to add to fill this thing up but we found some old deer skulls in the woods and have put them up there as well.

Ok, so enough with the shelf. But let me tell you, Wes built this for me while I was NAPPING on the couch!! Can we say spoiled??

But any who,  I have seen succulents everywhere lately and found these pots in that little clearance section at target for $3 each! Stuck them suckers in there and VOILA! Super cute and easy to take care of. I just need to find a dish to match for the water to run out.

Wes' Gma's land is gorgeous! She has a huge pond with a creek flowing through her land to it. Little bridges everywhere, Woods galore! And some sheds with old wood ;) When we were there the other day I saw these gorgeous wild flowers everywhere and had to pick some. I love them, they add freshness and a pop of color to the area!

And here is a bundle of those purple flowers hanging above my sink. I just love it! Eventually that is what I want to do with the Sage and Lavender I am growing and put it all around the house. But for now, these will work!

More updates and crafts to come next!

XOXO,

Rachel

Get'n $h*t Done Up In Hurr!

Ok, so I left off letting you know I was single!! Yea.... that didn't last long. Hehe I know what you are thinking, moving on a little quickly aren't we? But honestly, I was so unhappy for so long that it doesn't feel like a rebound or anything. It's nice to have someone who you can tell actually cares about you. BUT, I wont continue to gush about him, so I'll get to mi casa!

I got the main areas of my house painted grey and I love it! (eating area, living room, hallways) I am not done painting trim yet but all the trim and doors will be white!  You can see the original color in this post.

 I need a new back door BAD; it's hideous and old and black and loud and ugh......The picture below, I found on Pinterest and have been obsessing over it for a while now. I eventually want to get white french doors put in but I love the idea of curtains and the shelf for the back door instead of those nasty big blinds that always fall off and break.

So here is the start of my back door!!!!! We went to Lowe's and Wes just bought some anchors and screws and who am I kidding?? I have no idea what he bought. I'll take a picture up close to show you how he made this curtain rod for cheap. 

I got these curtains at target for $25 each. I love them, they look like a potato sack close up.

So next we are going to use pallet wood to cover the anchors (or whatever you want to call them) , paint them white and add a shelf on top!

Now on to other $h*t...

First off, I just wanted to show of this old kerosene lantern Wes found on the side of the road and knowing how much I love rustic/primitive decor, brought it over for me! OBSESSED! 

I want everything pallet! While making shelves for my basement out of pallets, and a tub caddie thing (next post) he had this piece left over. Meh..... Why not!?

So we stained it dark walnut, which it came out a little darker than expected but I love it with the dark frames against the grey! EEK!

Here is just a mason jar I fancied up for my friend Vicky. She's always sending me pictures of things she wants me to make and I love crafting so there ya go! 

For this I used fabric tape on the top, and hot glue for the lace and twine. I always put a little dot of glue on the loops of the bow so they will stick up instead of just looking drab.

Sooo, decorating wine bottles is super easy, and quick. 

I use Elmer's glue to place the yarn on the bottles. I just cover a couple inches, starting from the top, and start spinning. Make sure to end each color on the same side as the others and that will be the back. I also used fabric tape in there as you can see!

Ok so I DO NOT have a green thumb whatsoever! I'm terrible at keeping plants alive, BUT I have always wanted to grow lavender. (hence the blog name) I want to dry it out and hang it in bundles around the house. Anywho, as a surprise, Wes bought me lavender and sage seeds to germinate and grow myself; along with all the fix-ins and that hanging plant as well. I am soooo excited! I stare at them everyday. The lavender is taking a while to come up but the sage is BOOMIN!

 I am sooooo happy with how my house is finally getting to where I want it. I honestly could not have done this with out the amazing support I have had these past few months! Thank you everyone!

XOXO,

Rachel