2 Bills 2 Blow

Today, I am so excited to be a part of Nikki's Nacs blog series called 2 Bills 2 Blow. This series asks bloggers the question, "If you had $200 fun money to spend any way you want on decor for your home, how would you spend it?" 

Can you guess where I would spend those $200?  Head on over and check it out.  And while you're there, take a look around Nikki's blog and say hello for me! 

How to Save Money Shopping Online

Since I started blogging, I've had a few people ask me how we afford to decorate and do the updates in our home.  I have been a stay-at-home-mom since my first daughter was born (she is seven), so we have lived on a single income for a while now.  

I wanted to share with you today some ways to save money when shopping online.  These are things that can be implemented easily and they all really add up over time, freeing up some cash flow.

*Use Swagbucks

Swagbucks is an easy way to earn extra cash.  There are a few different ways to rack up Swagbucks, which can then be redeemed for gift cards to stores like Amazon, WalMart, and Target.  You can shop from their site, earning Swagbucks per dollar you spend at participating sites, search, participate in surveys and polls, play games, and watch videos.  Go check it out.  Click here to sign up or have a look around.  

*Use Ebates

Here again, this is an easy way to earn extra cash back on purchases. Ebates is a site where you get cash back for shopping at your favorite websites.  If you shop online a lot this would really benefit you. Most sites offer 3-6% cash back, but always check and see which sites are offering a higher percentage. That changes all the time, but you can really score some great deals.  Right now, Aeropostale is offering 20% cash back! T Mobile and Verizon are both offering between $37.50 and $95 cash back. Need to book a room for vacation?  Check Ebates to see how much cash back travel sites are offering. 

I never shop online without going through Ebates.  And I have received a few cash back checks.  You really should go check it out!

*Utilize the Target Red Card

I have a thing for Target.  The closest one to me is an hour away. I go every chance I get, and I take advantage of the coupons they offer as well the great prices and the 5% off you get just for using your Target Red Card. But since it is hard to get to the actual store, this makes the Red Card even sweeter.  

The Red Card is not a credit card. It is a debit card that you use only at Target and Target.com.  Each time you use it, you automatically get 5% off your entire purchase. Also, you get free shipping from Target.com and an extra 30 days for returns. 

So how do you make it really earn you extra cash? Open a tracking ticket through Ebates. (Right now through Ebates you get 2.5% cash back.)  Open a tracking ticket through Swagbucks. (Earn 2 Swagbucks per dollar.)  Then shop away.  Get your 5% off by using your Red Card plus free shipping.  You've saved close to  10% on your purchase!  

By the way, Target.com is having an awesome home sale right now!  Save up to 30% on home items and get a $10 gift card when you spend $50 on home goods. (Use promo code SAVE10).

A couple more things:
~Shop on sites like Overstock.com or Amazon to find great deals!  Both offer great incentives to shop their sites, like low shipping or free shipping or coupon codes. 

~Sign up for websites' emails.  I know that when you sign up on a lot of sites that you can get inundated by emails, but they often send out special coupon codes or percentages off that you can take advantage of.  I have a separate email account just for this.  That way I can better keep track of my personal emails and they don't get bogged down with all of the website emails. 

I hope this helped a little!  Do you have any more tips that you can add?  Leave a comment!


*Disclosure: Links to Swagbucks and Ebates are through referral program.

Spring Fever & Weekend Reading

There was a hint of spring one day this week.  The temperature was comfortable and the sun was warm as it shone on my face. I sat outside, taking it all in, soaking up all the Vitamin D I could get.  I watched my girls practice softball and t-ball.  I listened to my husband tinker with our lawn mower.  Enjoying that afternoon, although it was fleeting, gave me spring fever even more than I already had.  

My many Camelia trees throughout my yard are bursting with blooms, donning reds, pinks, and red-whites. I can't wait for the azaleas to follow.  

The beautiful view I had that afternoon in my back yard made me yearn to get my hands dirty planting flowers and vegetables.  I'm looking forward to my yard being as green as the pasture out back. 

As Katlyn and Ashlyn practiced ball, giggled in the sun, and played with our dog, Molly, I couldn't help but hope that spring comes sooner rather than later.  We need more days like that one.  I need more days like that. 

Maybe this weekend, the temps will rise a bit.  Maybe the sun will shine. Maybe we will get another glimpse of spring. I really hope so. 

Here is some weekend reading for you to enjoy! (Whether the weather stays gloomy and you're stuck inside or we actually have sunshine and you can read in the sun.) Just a few things I found around the web this week that stuck out. Have a marvelous weekend!


Weekend Reading:

The Ugly Truth About Bravery.
How to Preserve Boxwood
Colorful Outdoor Space from The Hunted Interior
Planting Chart for Spring Flowers
Carrie Underwood's Leg Workout

Operation Sister Share: Bedroom Update

This bedroom swap-up project has been dragging on forever now.  It always seems that there are other things to do and finish up.  Thankfully, this week I was able to get a few of my to-do's crossed off my list. I am not by any means finished, but I really like the direction the room is moving in.

I started the project off by painting over the tree mural (this was Ashlyn's whimsical room), and then I painted the polka dot focal wall. 

Then I had this blank slate to work with. The basics were there.  I just had to start adding layers to make it a cozy, complete room. 

Remember this blank slate?

I hung the DIY Striped curtains, and then was ready to start adding wall art and other touches. 

To make Monogram Wall Art, I drew out letters on scrap wood and my sweet husband cut them out for me.  I then used fabric I picked out for the throw pillows, and Mod Podged it onto the wood.  Mod Podge is my new best friend. I painted the edges of the wood white.  

I also added banners onto the headboard.  I used glitter scrapbook paper, cut out the pennant shape, and hot glued it to pink ribbon.  I'm not sure if that will stay there, especially when I get the throw pillows onto the bed.  I may relocate them, but they are there for now. 

The next thing we added was the bedside light.  I already had this IKEA light fixture and it had been sitting in my mud room for months. It was silver and I spray painted blue to bring a pop of color onto that wall. Instead of hanging it from the ceiling, Jared and I hung it with a metal shelf bracket we found at Lowe's.  The mirrored side table is not staying there. It's there temporarily until I get the nightstand refinished.  That will eventually go in the Master Bedroom. (By the way, I got it 70% off at Target. I was originally $99, and I got it for $30!)

The small blue pillows were placemats that came from Target. I opened up the side seam and stuffed them to make accent pillows. They will looks so much better when I get all the bedding and pillows on there. 

So there's what we have so far.  I am in the home stretch and am looking forward to seeing the end result. 

Shared Bedroom To-Do List:
*Paint over tree wall 
*Paint polka-dot feature wall
*Get new (or in this case, gently used) matching beds
*Order Ashlyn a coverlet that matches Katlyn's existing one
*Get new blinds
*Hang new curtains
*Make throw pillows 
*Make monogram art
*Replace ceiling fan
*Find nightstand or table to put in between beds (refinishing one)
*Hang art on walls
*Find a throw blanket, quilt, or comforter to go at end of bed and be used during colder weather
*Spray paint existing lamp and get new lamp shade.  Actually ended up using an existing light fixture.
*Paint closet doors with chalkboard paint

Weigh-In Wednesday #16

****Congrats to Dana T. on winning the Digital Design Board Giveaway!  I will be in touch soon!

Happy Wednesday! Whoop whoop!  Today is Weigh-In Wednesday for March.  In case you missed when I posted about it, I decided to start doing Weigh-In Wednesday only once a month instead of weekly. And since yesterday, I had a little heart to heart with you about my frustration, I'm going to keep this short, sweet, and to the point. 

Two weeks ago, at my last weigh in I posted about, I had lost a total of 31 pounds.  Today, I'm sitting at 32 pounds lost.  I'll take it. Even though it's slower than I would like, I'm moving in the right direction. 

I mentioned yesterday that I had my measurements taken last week.  Next month, I will be able to report inches lost as well as pounds lost. I regret not taking measurements in the very beginning, but,oh well.  (And I think that for April's weigh in, it will be time for some progress pictures.)

Spartan 30 Challenge

I did want to mention the Spartan 30 Challenge.  A friend told me about it on Facebook last night and I signed up to do it (Thanks, Ava).  It is a challenge to do 30 squats a day for 30 days.  Today is the first day of the challenge and I want to encourage you to go sign up!  (click the link above to sign up)  Let me know by commenting if you accepted the challenge!  I already did my squats for the day.  By day thirty, I'm gonna have leaner, meaner legs!

I hope you have an awesome day!  Get those squats done!

To view Weigh-in Wednesday from the beginning, click here. Links at bottom of the page. 

Don't Count Me Out

I think it's time we have a little heart to heart. Or maybe I just need a sounding board this morning. I don't know.  But, since I know you are such a great listener, I'm gonna spill. 

The last month has been really frustrating on many levels; my dreams for this blog and my home, my health, weight loss, and fitness, and learning how to say no so that I don't over-commit myself. 

Let's just talk about weight loss.  Even though, I have been consistently working out and eating within my calorie parameters, I haven't seen the scale budge much at all in the last month.  I can't tell you how frustrating that is! I know that muscle weighs more than fat.  I know that sometimes, you lose inches and not pounds.  But, even so, I still feel that the scale should show a little more than it has. I have no idea what is up with my body.  I did finally get measured last week so that I will be able to see the inches lost when I'm not seeing it on the scale, and I think that will help me stay positive.  

I teeter on the edge of being so proud of myself for what I have accomplished so far and the realization that I still have a really LONG way to go.  I swing from being more self-confident because of the weight loss and feeling great about it to insecurity.  I am terrified that I am going to fall back into old habits. After all, in the past I lost one hundred pounds then gained it all back plus some.  On one hand, I am screaming DON'T COUNT ME OUT! because I know what I am and will be capable of.  On the other hand, I am still unsure about it all. I just want the weight off!  And I want it off as quickly as possible.  Sometimes, I feel like it is suffocating me.  I have to remind myself that it will take time.  


 This past month, honestly, has shaken my confidence a bit; confidence that I can do this, confidence that I WILL succeed.  I'm battling within myself, my outlook swinging back and forth like a pendulum. 

Losing 32 pounds in less than five months is great, but that forward momentum has slowed down and I've got to push through this.  I've got to figure out a way to just keep swimming. Just. Keep. Going.  I've got to get that momentum going forward again. 

I have to persevere.  A couple years ago at VBS, one of the things my girls learned was the definition of perseverance.  That definition always stuck out in my mind:  Always finish what you started.  

I will persevere.  I will finish what I've started. I will become healthy. I will reach my goals. (I'm giving myself a little pep talk here.)

And don't count me out.  Just don't.  I know that when others see me, they probably don't automatically think of strength, or agility, or endurance.  They don't see an athlete or a fighter or someone who is brave enough to face this head on.  But I know that that is within me. I know that person is in there, slowly emerging.  I know that things that are worth fighting for aren't easy.  If this were easy, a lot more people would be doing it, as well.

Don't count me out. And I will try not to count myself out, either. 

Painted Black and White Striped Curtains

In redecorating my girls' bedroom, I knew that I wanted striped curtains and I also wanted to try to paint them myself. I'd seen that being done a lot on Pinterest to get custom curtains for a fraction of the cost.

I started with a pair of Vivian curtains from IKEA.  They are available to purchase online, and at $9.99 per pair.  That's a steal!  Also, they are 98'' tall, so if you like to hang your curtains high and wide (which I definitely prefer), they are perfect. 

I knew I wanted wide stripes, so I divided the 98" by ten to get ten stripes total.  They were spaced every 9.8 inches, roughly.  When measuring the first panel, I was meticulous at first, then started just eyeballing it.  When I got the first panel taped, I put the second panel on top and taped exactly where the first was.  I wanted to make sure both panels looked uniform.  



I then added a fabric medium to the paint per instructions on the bottle.  It enables the paint to go on fabric with a heat set so that it can be washed. 

Martha Stewart Fabric Medium

Once I had the paint mixed with the medium, I painted the stripes with a small foam roller.  It didn't take very long.  I had to paint two coats to completely cover the fabric.  

It is cloudy today, so I couldn't get a good picture of the curtains in the room, but I will as soon as I can for you guys. I will be sharing some of the DIY artwork for the room soon as well. 

So, for about $20, I have two curtain panels that look great in the room!  The are floor to ceiling and "puddle" on the floor a bit.  Great bang for your buck! 

Have you ever painted curtains or fabric before?  I can't wait to try it again with drop cloths and a stencil. 

Looking forward to wrapping up the girls' room redo and sharing on the blog.  Be sure to enter the Giveaway if you haven't already! Winner will be announced Wednesday on the Cultivate Create Facebook page.