Cupcakes for Birthdays!

Two years ago, Howard bought Crumbs cupcakes home for my birthday. In all honesty, I don't think they were the greatest cupcakes in comparison to other cupcakes, but the fact that there are so many flavor combinations makes it a special treat! Plus, it was a cupcake! It just baffles me how much things can cost when purchased in the city. It's not normally something we'd spend money on, so the fact that Howard went and picked two of them for us to share over the course of two days was such a romantic gesture (especially because she picked chocolate ones!) and definitely a satisfactory treat for a birthday celebration.

Now when I make birthday cards, I feel that there's even more reason to use cupcakes on them! This cupcake was a freebie from Miss Kate Cuttables. I kept the colors the same as the sample image because I thought it was a good mix for a unisex card. Yum to chocolate frosted cupcakes!

The sentiment is from Pink by Design's set called "Birthday, Birthday." If you've been following me for a while, you know just how often I use that set! I wish there was a set like that for "thank you." I might have to place an order with Papertrey Ink to get some of the mini stamp sets that just have one simple sentiment in different fonts. It's nice to be able to choose on to fit the design of the card.

I think this simplistic card would be something my grandpa would use, so I think it really worked for this set of 4 that I made for him. 

Haul: Bath & Body Works $8 Candles

Last December on the 12th, Bath & Body Works had their $8 candle sale again. It's a sale they have only once a year. They're normally $22 each, which is a crazy price. After coupons, I typically pay $7-8 on each candle after coupons, but since the candles started at $8, I was able to pay $5 each using a $15 off $40 coupon. 

It was still crowded at the store when I went there after work. I wasn't sure if there'd still be a selection available considering this is a huge deal in the BBW world, but I was pretty sure I could grab a few. I had it planned that I'd only get 5 of them, and most of the scents that everyone loves are the ones I actually don't like because they're the sugary scents. An employee gave me a crate when she saw me carrying them in one of their bags, and I went around to smell the new candles with the sparkly lids. I was trying to narrow it down because those were the ones I had wanted, and it worked out well that the scents that were still available were the ones I wanted based on their scent descriptions.

When I grabbed my 5, I went to stand in the long line, but I didn't mind waiting. From what I remember, it was actually longer than the Black Friday line I stood in during 2013! That's kind of crazy, haha. The only difficult part about it is that it requires standing for a while holding candles that aren't the lightest things in the world. When I finally got the counter, the girl asked me if I had to wait a long time, but I said it wasn't too bad and that it was okay by me because it was worth it!

It was even better because the coupon I used was a mailer coupon, which is attached to another coupon that you're allowed to use in the same transaction. I asked the sales associate if I had to spend another $10 to use the free item coupon, and she and another girl said I didn't. So that meant I was able to grab the White Citrus body wash for free without spending anything more out of pocket, yay!

Here is my relatively small haul compared to last year's $8 candle haul:

The "Light up the Room" is the sparkling apple champagne scent. I burned it once already, and Howard and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It took a long time to pool but the throw was so strong form the start, which I appreciated because I hope that means it'll last longer. It smells like apple, of course, but not the apple that's in all the fall candles. It's lighter and sweeter. When it was burning, it smelled a little bit like a Jolly Rancher but not too sweet. 

The "Wine Down" is the pomengranate sangria. I've seen that people have mentioned it's the same as a vineyard scent from the previous year, but I remember smelling it last year and didn't like it. I might just appreciate the smell now, but I think it's still a little different. It's unlike the "mandles" (candles that smell like men's colgne) and citrus scents I already have, so it'll be a nice change in pace. I haven't yet burned it.

The last candle I chose was "Merry Mistletoe" (a flirty and festive blend of cranberries, pears, frosted citrus and a hint of holiday greenery). I don't typically buy these scents, but on that day, it just really reminded me of Christmas! It has the fruity scent to it, but it does smell like Christmas trees too. I figured I could burn it during the vacation. Of course, I ended up breaking the candle! I was upset because I liked the holder although I later learned it was just a packaging wrapped around the glass. Howard salvaged the wax for me by breaking the rest of the glass off and separating it from the wicks. Right now I have it in a Ziploc bag, and in the future, I'll burn it on a warmer after I get one. If anything, I know that it'll last better since the original holder doesn't have a lid, so now the scent is being kept in the baggie and not escaping into the air.

I'm really happy with these candles! I wonder if I'll still feel justified in purchasing candles after we move out of this apartment and don't have to deal with hallway odors or vent smells (someone who is also connected to our vent system smokes, yuck!). I'll probably still buy them once in a while, but at least now, I don't have to worry about feeling guilty about it, haha.

Bicycle Card

There's a part of me that loves it when people have some custom order requests, but then there's another part of me that kind of stresses out! I don't want to disappoint anyone, and it's not as easy to get things done when I'm in the midst of the semester and need to continue planning and grading papers. Sometimes I just want to craft for the sake of crafting, and this particular set of cards was made with that feeling instead of a anxious, rushed feeling.

A few weeks after the bake sale at church last November, my grandfather asked me for some birthday cards and get well cards. I didn't actually have much left over since I was using the cards myself to write some thank you notes to kids and parents during the first trimester of school. I told him that I could make him some, and I had some time during my Christmas break to make a few for him. 

I knew that I wanted to use some of the free SVGs that I save almost every day from Miss Kate Cuttables. I love that a freebie is offered daily, so that's why most of my free SVGs are from that site. The original image had flowers in the basket as well as the little banner, but I omitted that to simplify the cut since these are incredibly detailed. Plus, these took a little bit longer to piece together because everything was so thin. It baffles me that the Silhouette Cameo can cut these things so cleanly because my Cricut Expression would not be able to handle it without tearing.

I kept the same colors because the blue could be used for a guy or a girl. Wanting the card to be cheerful, I used a polka dot yellow paper for the background. I added the extra step of having a black mat too just because it seems to make the card a little bit more put together.

The sentiment is from Pink by Design's set called "Spring Has Sprung." I know it doesn't seem as if a bike could be related to the sentiment. Haha, it really doesn't, but I think it's difficult to make cards that aren't necessarily cutesy, so I figured anything nature-related or just general cuts would work.

I love the side view of this card because you can get a better idea of all the layers involved in making this. I mean, there are layers that aren't even too visible. For example, there's a darker blue behind the part of the bike that the pedal is attached to, but only a thin strip is seen. However, it adds dimension so the cut isn't so flat.

Because of the complexity of the pieces, I only made 4 of these cards. This is definitely not something I'd want to mass produce! I think I need to go back to making just a few of each image so that I can enjoy the detailing without driving myself crazy.

Remembering 2014

As the new year begins, I thought it was only appropriate to get back into blogging after taking a long, unintended break for a month and a half. I was clearly not successful with my plan of writing something every day in 2014, but I know that I did force myself to write down more than I did in any previous year. For that, I am grateful. I am glad to have memories recorded somewhere so that I can look back on what happened and how I felt. 

There are, however, a few things that I missed. Here are some of the more important things that come to mind when I think about 2014:

I stopped taking one of the medications I've been taking since I was first diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. 

Years ago when I first started taking the pills, my gastroenterologist talked about how he hoped to slowly wean me off the medicine and that I would get better to the point where I wouldn't have to take it for the rest of my life. I actually started cutting back on the amount I took per day just because I had difficulty swallowing them. I was supposed to take 4 in the morning and then 4 at night, but I only took the ones at night. I would wait until Howard went to bed so that I could take my time because I would have to psych myself up to swallow each one. I let my doctor know about this, and his concern was whether or not I was okay with it, and I told him there was no difference in my daily life with my cutting back the medicine. He said as long as I was okay, it would be fine. So I kind of took a risk and eventually stopped taking it entirely!

Since I was home during the 2013-2014 school year, I figured that my health would improve because I wasn't around germs on a daily basis and because I was eliminating one of the largest reasons for my stress! And what do you know! There was no difference in my life on medicine and my life off medicine. Sure, there are times when my stomach bothers me, but the same would happen even when I was on medication. My health is dependent on whether or not I feel stress (I anticipate not being in the best of health as we approach the state tests in April), whether or not I'm eating properly (too much fiber does a number on me as well as things like Chinese food), or disgusting germs from my lovable kiddos at work. Now that things have also changed at work (I'll get into that in a moment!), my health has improved in comparison to past school years too. Normally, I'm absent for the first time in October or so. I made it all the way to just a few days before Christmas break! What?! With that, I know that I should be okay without taking that medication.

I became an aunt.

Howard's sister had her baby on August 5th, so I finally got to enjoy all the perks of being an aunt! I think it's so much being able to play with a baby without having the full responsibility. It was hilarious getting to see how Howard held baby Toby since he hadn't held a baby that small in his entire lifetime. 

This little man has stolen my heart!

The other benefit of being an aunt is that I can buy things to spoil the little one! When we first found out that my sister-in-law was pregnant, I began doing some couponing for her. Whenever I saw baby deals, I snagged them so I was able to build up a nice collection of small items like baby wash/lotion, baby wipes, and spoons to put together a little bucket of goodies for Toby's birth. I would say that I stop by the baby clearance section more than I do the women's clearance section. When I'm at Target or Old Navy, I am drawn to the little itty-bitty clothes and will snag anything that's a great deal for a boy or for a girl. I think it's ridiculous just how expensive some items can be when the baby will only be wearing it for a short period of time! So I can't help purchasing items on clearance or with a coupon and storing it for a future gift. I did the same thing with some toys. That way when the next occasion comes up, I don't have to purchase things that are full price. I'm all for stretching our dollars so that for the price of just one shirts for baby Toby, I can get three instead! Howard laughed at me when I was at Target the other day buying tons of boy and girl baby clearance especially with the 20% off Cartwheel offer. I don't even shop that way for myself because my arms were literally full of items that I just grabbed in case someone else came and started doing the same. It's so much fun!

We went on a non-Disney vacation.

There are plenty of people out there who think it's strange that Howard and I continue to vacation in Disney World when there are so many other places in the world to see. But in the same way that you don't understand why we would want to stand in lines to get on attractions all day long, we don't understand the lure of laying on a beach. 

Just recently, we heard a message at church that discussed the lion and the lamb, and it definitely touched my heart so I had to choose this photo to represent our Lancaster trip!

Back in August, we finally went somewhere else and were able to enjoy a brief time in Lancaster to learn about the Amish, shop, watch Moses at Sight & Sound, and tour the Wolf Sanctuary. We will definitely do that again in the future! I started a recap of that vacation but never finished it, so maybe I'll get to it this year!

I returned to teaching in September.

After the 2012-2013 school year, I was done with teaching. I had put in 6 years and was tired of the stress that came along with the job itself and dealing with the administration. I wanted a job where I could do whatever needed to be accomplished during a regular 9-5 time frame and then go home to relax. I wanted my weekends back! I wanted to sleep at normal hours and not have my world revolve around teaching. I never fully explained what happened in terms of leaving that job and working elsewhere, so maybe I will go into details in the future. However, in short, the new job that I took was not the right fit for me. The one good thing about it (other than getting paid more) was that it showed me that I can't shake my identity as a teacher because that is what God called me to do. 

Teaching also means going back to carrying big bags to and from work!

There was no way I could have predicted that that would've happened. I did not expect missing the busyness of teaching. Sure, it has its daily challenges, and I probably look forward to days off and vacation breaks more than the kids do. But I was definitely more willing to take on those challenges than the ones at the other job. I missed my colleagues and the kids, and I felt that I wasn't using the gifts God gave me. I am extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to try something else to get a taste of the "outside world."

As mentioned above, I actually made it all the way to December without getting terribly sick. I had a cold earlier in the year, but the worst of it fell on the weekend when I was able to just stay in bed and sleep. I attribute my better health to the peace that I have in knowing I am where I'm supposed to be and because of the good changes that occurred with the new headmaster. I pray that despite the feelings of fatigue and the stress about the upcoming state tests dealing with the ridiculous Common Core, that joy in me never fades.

I began enjoying the art of taking pictures.

Okay, so to some degree, this isn't an entirely new thing for me. When my dad first got a digital camera, I used to take it with me in my bag so that I could capture whatever pictures I wanted to during the day. It was, in my opinion, one of the greatest inventions because before that, I had to pay for film and also shell out money to have the pictures developed! I'd take groups shots with my friends, and we'd take a bunch with hopes that one of them would come out! Since the digital camera was brought into my life, I rarely went anywhere without one in my bag.

Then Howard got me my iPhone the first year of our marriage. I loved it because I was able to take pictures with ease because I didn't have to dig through my bag for the camera or look awkward stopping to take a picture of something that seemed insignificant to others. Random pictures with long captions are the things you'll find on my Instagram feed, and it's just another way for me to continue capturing memories.

Well, the difference between this year and all the years beforehand is that my interest in photography has changed in that I want to start taking pictures with a DSLR instead! I still love my digital camera and my phone and will continue to use those on a daily basis. However, when Toby was born in August and then my cousin Nikki got married in October, I really understood more of why Howard lugs around a huge DSLR to these events. I don't have an idea about settings and don't really want to know about them. I'm fine with Howard setting the camera up to whatever fits the environment and then just taking it from him to shoot. He still does the post-processing, but I am so intrigued with how I can capture things on "film" the way that I see them through my own eyes. I still fully believe in photographs as a means of preserving a specific moment in time, so even if the subject in the photo doesn't look the best (ex. when Toby is making a face because he's upset and crying), I think it should be captured.

My cousin's wedding was the first time we both shot with DSLRs!

I have to say that throughout this year, there are three photos that I'm extra happy about. The first is on the first day we met Toby and I got a picture of him in sunglasses. The second one is a picture of Nikki and Dan on their wedding day during their first dance (I have to say I was so happy when Nik chose it as her new Facebook profile picture). The last one is one that I took when we celebrate Toby's first Christmas with the lights from the tree in the background (the picture I posted above).

We started attending a local church.

It's kind of strange not to be at my home church each Sunday. I never thought that we would worship elsewhere considering Howard and I met at my home church. However, for the past few months, we felt that God was leading us elsewhere. We began attending a church close to our apartment. This is definitely a huge change in our lives at the end of 2014 especially since I really detest change and am uncomfortable meeting new people and altering a set routine, but so far, we have been blessed at this new church. The pastor's messages are convicting to the point where I actually took action on something that was burdening my heart for the past two years. I know, I know. This is a rather vague description, but in the same way that I didn't quite explain everything that happened with my departure and return to teaching, I won't write more on this subject for this post either.

With a new year ahead of us, I'm a little nervous about what's in store. I know God is always present in my life, but I do hope that I draw closer to Him this year and can establish more discipline in my life with regards the big things like more consistent devotional times and the little things like getting the laundry and dishes done before it piles up, haha. I am a work in progress, but looking back at all that I've experienced in the previous year, I'm kind of curious to see what will happen! Stay tuned as I do my best to document more of the life-changing and, more likely, the mundane!

Cost of Living

One of the things Howard likes to do once in a while is do a search for houses. We're living in a studio apartment right now, and there is absolutely no space. When people ask us whether or not we're having a baby yet, we tell them we have no space. They tend to say that babies are small, and we'd only need room for a crib for the first year. We have to tell them that we don't even have room for a crib! We really don't! If we did add that, it would be smack dab in the apartment, and we would have to fly over it to get anywhere. We also tell people that we can hear arguments that our neighbors have or music/TV shows too, so that means they'd definitely hear a baby cry throughout the night.

My preference would be to move closer to my parents. I would love for them to be close by when we do have kids because I'd like them to have a close relationship. I grew up near my dad's parents, but there was a language barrier. My mom's parents were a drive away, so even though we visited often on the weekends and had family gatherings there, there was never the close bond that I know my mom will have with my kids. I think proximity provides the opportunity for a natural relationship to form based on communication and trust as opposed to the typical "grandparents-spoiling-grandkids" thing. I think my mom will definitely spoil my kids in terms of reading them whatever books they want to read and taking them to the zoo.

But when it comes to all the other things that I would like, getting a place near my parents just seems impossible. It would be nice to have three bedrooms so that if we were to have kids, they wouldn't be squished in one room. Even if that's not possible, the one thing that would be a requirement is to have two bathrooms. My parents have two full and one half, so for someone who was always sick, it was reassuring knowing that there was always an available bathroom! The price of those places isn't that great for the amount of space or the location.

However, when we change our search location to be Lancaster, Pennsylvania, instead of New York, it just baffles our minds that the same amount of money that would be spent on a small space here would get us a beautifully spacious house with three or four bedrooms and two or three bathrooms along with sitting rooms or sunrooms or offices. What?! It's insane to think that it's possible to see that same cost get so much more in a different state.

I mean, I could actually have a craft room! I wouldn't have to move stuff aside just to craft and then move my crafting stuff aside when I have to plan or grade. I'd be able to have a table designated specifically for making cards so that I wouldn't have to move projects out of the way when I need to move on to something else. The houses also have tons of windows, so the natural light entices me too since I can only craft with my Ott-Lite in our apartment right now.

The houses we were examining yesterday were even better because they are near schools that actually exceed standards as opposed to just meeting standards. I could definitely imagine having a family there. The only downside I imagine would be not being around grocery stores, but with all that space, I would insist on purchasing another freezer to stock up on things when they're on sale! I could actually be a couponer with a room just for my stockpile! Right now I just have things in the pantry (food, baby toys and clothes as gifts because I can't pass a good deal considering now we have to do Christmas and birthday gifts), in our clothes closet (shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, lotion, mouthwash, cotton swabs, cotton balls), under the bathroom sink cabinet (tissues, feminine products), under the kitchen sink cabinet (sponges, dish detergent), and under the bed (cereal and tomato sauce in storage). Once those spots were filled, I couldn't really coupon any longer! It would be crazy if we could store boxes and boxes of things like pasta and paper products without worrying about not having room to actually live!

Oh why oh why does the cost of living in New York have to be so high? We wouldn't have to think about that if we were in Pennsylvania. Plus, we'd be closer to the wolves at the sanctuary, haha.