Spring Purge: A Fresh Start

I don't know what it was..but with the first few days of Spring-like weather, I snapped out of my Winter hibernation coma and felt an overwhelming urge to "clean house". I mean really clear out. I just needed all the excess gone immediately.  I am definitely undergoing a personal transformation lately, since becoming a Mother and settling into my "grown-up" life after this past year of moving, having my husband deployed to Iraq, being pregnant/having a baby, permanently living in the same city/state and under the same roof as my husband for the first time in 6 years, and writing my thesis and graduating...

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Natural and Organic Deals and Coupons

**Hurry...most of these deal expire this weekend!** I've been eliminating as many chemicals from our food and cleaning products as possible. I was ready and willing to start paying a lot more to make the change, but I've been finding a ton of great deals or coupons for Natural and Organic products that I thought I'd share. Money Saving Mom is a great source for, well everything really, but in particular she has a number of links to some organic and natural deals. Some of my favorites: 20% or 15% Off Natural and Organic Products at Soap.com. Soap.com is a great site for natural and organic products ranging from...

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Frugal Friday: Paper Napkins

  Last week I discussed my favorite frugal tip for replacing paper towels with re-usable dishcloths. This is another, closely related favorite, but I found it required a slightly larger change of mindset...replacing paper napkins with Cloth Napkins. Now, hear me out on this one please. Because I bet you were like me and thought that paper napkins were another modern life necessity. And that cloth napkins were only for special occasions once or twice a year. Once again, I was driven not by being "green" (which it is..added bonus) but because I felt like I was throwing away money.  I'm sorry...I guess I'm a terrible person....

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My Secret

No one ever asks me "what my secret is", but if they did this is what I would tell them! Good clothes and good music! That's it! That is my secret for staying in shape. For me it is really that easy. There is nothing more motivating to me then a cute new workout outfit or some new great music to get the adrenaline going! When I get a new playlist I can't wait to go for a run just so I can listen to it! Some songs just really get my blood pumping. And you wouldn't really think clothes would make much of a difference, but for me it is very hard to get motivated when I'm trying to work out in old baggy sweats. You want to look the part! Same...

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Recipe: Chocolate Chip "Un-Cookies"

I've been telling everyone about this absolutely amazing recipe for vegan chocolate chip cookies for awhile now, so wanted to finally share.  It's the strangest things, but since going through my pregnancy my body has completely changed the type of food it craves and tolerates. Before, I used to crave anything heavy in carbs, cheese, meat, and sugar. Now, those things don't appeal to me at all. Many things I used to eat actually make me sick even. I think the main difference is that I'm more in tune with my body now and what my body is actually craving..not my mind. Deep, huh? The problem is...I don't want to and...

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Frugal Friday: Paper Towels

I've seen "Frugal Friday" around other blogs and have been wanting to start doing some posts here for awhile. I've learned so many frugal tips from reading blogs. They have really transformed the way I live my life now truly for the better. Most of what I've learned has required me to change the way I view many things in my life that I once considered a necessity. It's such an amazing feeling once you open your eyes to another way of doing things. So I want to start this week with one of my favorites: Paper Towels Paper towels are so ingrained as a necessity in our everyday lives now. It NEVER occurred to me on my own that I could live...

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DIY: Chalkboard Frame 'Love'

How cute is this?? Inspired by my crafting success with my wreath, I decided it was time to finally do something with the chalkboard paint I bought a year or so ago and had yet to do anything with... I first heard about chalkboard paint on other blogs and loved the look of crafts like this one.  To me, there's just something so 'home-y' about chalk messages. Is it just me?? You should be able to find the paint at any craft store. Would be a good thing to get with those 40% off coupons that are always floating around for stores like Michael's or JoAnn's.  You really can paint...

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DIY: Valentine's Day Fabric Wreath

I did it!! I crafted!! Check out this beautiful wreath I made for Valentine's Day! Yeah..I made that! I was inspired by the Valentine's Day wreaths in this post from MoneySavingMom.com. I loved the look and was surprised by how easy they looked to make. Inspired by those and this... Yeah...that's our new bed that my husband built completely from scratch, using techniques he completely taught himself. He even made the decorative wood trim pieces!! Granted...he is some sort of super-human that does things no normal person does...BUT, it made me realize that if he can teach himself to do that, and actually do it..in...

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10 Simple and Affordable Ways to Surprise Your Valentine

Ahh Valentine's Day.... I love Valentines Day.... Even when I didn't have a Valentine I still loved that day. Just the idea of it... a day to celebrate love. How nice. I think it brightens up the winter "blahs" a bit and gives you something to look forward to. I always like to decorate at least a little bit for whatever holiday it is, and like Britt said, I love all the clashing colors. In any other circumstance the colors together would be terrible. Pink and red together? Ew! But for this day it totally works. So I was thinking about what to do for Immanuel for Valentine's Day. Every year (and yes, I know we've only been together for 3 years...

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Martha-Stewart Syndrome

t (source) I've gotta share a part of an email from one of my best and oldest friends (the kind that aren't afraid to tell you how it is!) that was both a wake up call and a relief... "I'm slightly relieved to hear that you're human. I had to quit reading your blog for a little while, and only look at baby pictures because, as I was feeling overwhelmed and like a failure.. you had a newborn, who never cried, and had eliminated processed food from your diet, and were spending only $20 a week on groceries, and making your own furniture, and buying 100% organic, all the while always smiling and being completely in love with your husband...You're...

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