Thankful Thursdays: 1

In the spirit of being more appreciative, I've decided to create a series called "Thankful Thursdays." Sometimes it's easy to lose sight of what IS going right, what IS good in our lives - so these can be little reminders to myself that I'm pretty damn lucky.


1. My Husband: I truly married my best friend, and I couldn't be happier. He is my strength, my shoulder to cry on, my source of laughter, and of course, occasional frustration. He cooks, he cleans, he does his own laundry (and sometimes mine!), and he gets up in the morning to walk the dog so I can get more sleep. I mean, COME ON. I won the marriage lottery.

2. My Doggie: We are absolutely smitten with this dog. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but sometimes I used to cry while browsing petfinder.com for dogs that I couldn't adopt. I wanted a dog so badly, but couldn't have one in a rental. Once we bought our house, I wanted to get one as soon as possible. We finally adopted Parker in September 2010, and we love him more and more each day. He's our best pal.

3. The Weather This Week: If we forget yesterday (it was cold, mixed with some sprinkles), the PNW is having a really nice stretch of great weather. It's supposed to start warming up again today, with temperatures reaching near 80(!) degrees over the weekend. I absolutely adore the summers here- you know, when it's actually sunny and warm. Can't get enough.

4. HomeGoods is Coming to Town!: I didn't know about HomeGoods until I started reading design and decor blogs during the last couple of years. With each find and crazy deal that I saw, the more jealous I became over the fact that the nearest store was over 3 1/2 hours away. Then, about 6 months ago, I started seeing commercials for them. It drove me NUTS, because I knew there were no stores anywhere close to the market in which they were advertising. It was like they WANTED to torture me.

The other night, after seeing the millionth commercial, I decided to look up their Portland, OR location. Hey, I've never been to Portland, and this would be a good excuse. Yes, I'm weird.

Well lo and behold, there were 2 listings for HomeGoods stores IN MY AREA. I gasped. I fist-pumped the air.  And I did some quick research. I learned that both locations (Lynnwood & Federal Way) will be opening on June 24th. MY BIRTHDAY. The day that my No Shopping Challenge ends. IT IS FATE. The Federal Way store is only about 25 minutes from my house. FATE, I tell ya! I am way too excited for this. Is it bad that I'm considering taking the day off from work for this? *shifty eyes*
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I'm really glad I'll be doing this each week. I had a rather emotionally draining week at work, and sadly, that is often the case. My days off are Thursdays and Fridays, so it will be refreshing to start each weekend focusing on things that bring me joy.

Birchbox: May 2012

As I stated in a previous post, my Birchbox subscription is tiding me over while I'm doing my no shopping challenge. Imagine my delight when Zac came back from the driving range, Birchbox in tow! Normally, it arrives around the 15th, so I'm super excited that it came early this month. It's seriously like Christmas morning every time I get one!

Here's a peek at what's inside:

The Contents:

1.) Dr. Jart + Waterfuse BB Cream: These are all the rage right now. I haven't found one that works for me yet, so we'll see what I think of this one!
2.) Color Club Nail Polish in Disco Nap: This looks really fun. I wonder how sheer it'll be. Maybe it'd be a great top coat for other polishes.
3.) Blender Cleanser - make-up sponges and brushes cleaner: I looking forward to using this on my beauty blender that I got in March's Birchbox.
4.) Twistband Skinny Headband: This is really cute! It's a good thing I'm into pink now. It's bright! I think I'll try this as a ponytail holder.
5.) Arquiste Perfume: I like the dry down better than the initial scent. I'm on the fence. I'm pretty particular about the perfumes I like.

Underneath the tissue paper is a notecard sample with an envelope. I didn't see it at first, so that's why I don't have a picture. They always include a non-beauty item in each month's box. This notecard is cute!

And there you have it. I definitely think Birchbox is worth the $10 a month. The nice thing is, you can choose a monthly subscription if you don't want to commit to a full year. Do any of you have a subscription? What do you think?

Who's Idea Was This, Anyway?

I'm currently in the throes of a self-imposed no shopping challenge. And guys, it got really difficult in the middle of March, when everyone and their cousin launched their spring lines. It was especially painful on a trip to Target (which is my absolute weakness) when I wanted to buy ALL THE THINGS.

It's not that I'm a shopaholic, because I'm definitely not. But, I need to keep myself in check every-so-often. Every $10 here, $50 there, and $125 over here all adds up. My main problem areas are make-up (helloooooo Sephora), home decor, shoes, and just about anything from Target (told you I love this place).

In the past, I would have said clothes, but I've already stopped buying them as much since I started losing weight last August. I'm waiting until I hit my goal to buy new pieces. However long it takes me.

The sole reason for this challenge isn't just to save money, but it's also intended to be a lesson in appreciating and using up what I already own. I have probably 50 lipsticks & lipglosses already, so do I really need that new shade? Not so much. It's really tough sometimes, because I like to keep up on the beauty blogs and YouTube videos. I'm finding myself occasionally avoiding them, so I don't feel so deprived.

My Birchbox subscription is tiding me over, though. Each month I get 4-5 beauty samples to try, so that is currently filling any void I have. Plus, it's been fun re-discovering things I already own, but may have otherwise tossed aside.

I started this challenge February 13th, and chose June 24th as its end - my birthday. Here's to two more months of appreciating what I already have. Two more months of not giving in. I've got this.