Applying to grad school is no small feat. During the application process, I was able to reflect on the past four years of my college education. In hindsight, I recognized areas that I wish I could have improved but I also got to remember so many wonderful, positive experiences.

My favorite highlight of my undergraduate time: organizing a drive for a local orphanage. As community service chair for the student organization I was involved with, I reached out to St. Joseph Orphanage in Cincinnati to see if there were any items that they were in need of. I was nervous because I was not sure what my peers and faculty would donate. It was so humbling to see the outpouring of donations for these kiddos. We were able to give the orphanage over $800 worth of toys, clothing, hygiene products, and school supplies. We also gave them duffel bags so that the kids would have something besides a plastic grocery bag to take their belongings to when they were placed with a family. This experience was made even more fulfilling when the orphanage director told us that without the generosity of my peers and faculty, the kids would not have had anything to open in that holiday season as their corporate donor decided to go in a different direction for their holiday philanthropy.

I have been a strong student throughout my entire education and for this reason, I was fortunate to be in a position where it was note a matter of if I would get into a program but where I would want to go. For this reason, I chose to apply to three schools whereas I knew of other classmates who were applying to 10-12 schools. Not only did this save me a lot of time and stress during my applications but I literally saved thousands of dollars.

Another thing that was to my advantage during this process was the fact that I have always been someone that has enjoyed actively participating in organizations and other events. Throughout college I have held an executive position on four different student organization boards.

Keeping my GPA, involvement, and GRE scores in mind, I decided on applying to the Indiana University (IU,) the University of Cincinnati (UC,) and Vanderbilt University. I had a strong feeling that I would be offered admissions to IU and UC due to their ranking and where I stood as an applicant. As far as Vanderbilt goes, I knew I would be competitive but I didn't know where I stood because they have the #1 Audiology program in the country.

I had my applications to IU and UC submitted before the new year. I got engaged January 10th and was still wrapping up my Vanderbilt application. At this point, Carter and I discussed if I should still submit my application. Carter has been so supportive throughout my schooling and has never wanted to get in the way of my education so he said I needed to apply still so I submitted my application to Vanderbilt a day before the deadline.

I heard back from UC first in the middle of February. Next was IU at the start of March. Finally Vanderbilt in the middle of March. I can happily say that I was offered admissions to all three programs but this also meant that I had a big decision to make. I weighed out my personal pros and cons of each program to decide which school would be the best fit for me. I crossed IU off my list first. Now between UC and Vanderbilt, I started to get really stressed. I loved UC and had spent an enjoyable 3 years as a Bearcat, I knew the area, I knew the faculty and they knew me, and it has amazing clinical opportunities. Vanderbilt had been my motivation and aspiration since my freshman year when I started to look into various programs throughout the country. It's hard to deny anything that comes from a program as respected as theirs (besides maybe the price of private tuition) and Nashville is an incredible city. I was torn. Turn down a school I love and know for a school unknown in a city I have only stopped in once? Or start life as a grad student in a new city? I really couldn't see any regrets either way.

In the end it came down to this:

After spending the past four years in the same city for a few months and then apart for a few months, Carter and I are so beyond ready to be in the same city. Carter didn't want to add any opinions to my decision so I had to decide where I wanted to go to school all on my own. We are so excited to start our life together as a married couple and going to Vanderbilt would have meant starting out our marriage apart for six months. Going to Vanderbilt also would have meant more student loans because the amount of aid I was offered didn't make it comparable to UC in price plus the cost of rent in Nashville is much higher than the cost of rent in Cincinnati. 

Turning down Vanderbilt was hard. Was it the hardest thing I have ever done in my life? No, but it was saying goodbye and thank you to the biggest motivator and possibility of what if that had lived in the back of my mind for the past four years. As sad as I was to say no to Vandy, the excitement of my marriage and all the good things to come at UC prevailed. 

I know that I am going to get a fantastic education at UC, I have experience nothing by support and kindness my faculty already, and I cannot wait to meet my classmates in August! 

#Bearcat4Life

I am a college student. I am graduating at the end of the month and then I am going on to grad school (more on that in a future post.) Renting and having moved into a different place every year leaves very little desire to try and buy/make pieces customized to the space where I am at nor do I want to invest in any high dollar items. Today I want to share some of my favorite tips for decorating on a budget.

Check Craigslist out
I got this IKEA Alvine Ruta rug for $75 on Craigslist and it has held up wonderfully. I need to wash it but that won't be any time soon. My used price is much better than the brand new price of $249. I like the pattern and the fact that the rug is 100% wool.

Check your apartment building's trash area
Whenever a neighbor moves in or out of their unit, there is a good chance they will be tossing something. Carter snatched up a fan which he was excited about and I got this rug. Completely FREE!

Garage Sales
I made these underbed storage drawers using garage sale drawers. I paid 40 cents per drawer.

DIY underbed storage

I also bought my printer with scanner and copier at a garage sale for $10.00. The couple was mailed a new one from HP after this one "stopped working" after they returned from their winter home in Florida but I have had zero problems.

Check out your local thrift shops

I have found some pretty awesome little knick knacks. I love my two metal tins. The smaller holds matches, gum, and laundry coins while the larger holds headbands and hair accessories. I have also bought a lot of other great things secondhand. 

See what your family is not longer using and planning on tossing

I have gotten a lot of things this way. A dining table from my grandparents, a few carts, and my favorite: my beloved ceramic owls. All free!

See what you can borrow from family

Chances are if someone will let you borrow something because it also means they don't need to deal with storing it. I have been able to use Carter's mom's childhood desk from her parent's home. It's an adorable midcentury piece that is the perfect size for my space. It has two awesome little drawer spaces - one where I can hold my books and another for my pens. Again this is free!

Ask for things you need for your birthday/Christmas

My dresser was a gift that was actually purchased on Craigslist but I love the antique style.

See what you can DIY

Maybe some thumbacks or magnets?

I have referenced this post on how to recycle yarn from old sweaters a lot. I reference it a lot for a few reasons including that it's an incredibly cost effective means for getting yarn, I like to recycle/reuse, and I go thrifting a decent amount (but less than I used to.)

On Valentine's Day, Carter and I went to one of our favorite Goodwills on the hunt for a cast iron skillet to cook our dinner's filet mignons and since we were already there, we looked around a little. It was a good day for me in terms of what I found, including this large, lambswool, GAP, fair isle sweater (note that I just used four adjectives to describe the sweater.):

So many colors!

After dinner and during the midseason premier of The Walking Dead, I got to work on dismantling the sweater. I rolled each color into different little balls. There are sixteen different colors going on in this sweater. This means lots of fun scrap yarn to make something colorful!

One thing about wool fiber is that it felts. This is a bad thing if you accidentally toss a cashmere/wool sweater in the dryer but it's a good thing if you are recycling yarn. If you want to take the time, you can eliminate joining ends together with knots and thus weaving in ends by felting the ends of strands together. You can do this with non-recyled yarn too as a technique for adding on another skein, you just need to make sure at least half of it is wool. This doesn't take too long either. You will spend under 30 seconds going two ends of yarn together through felting. Keep reading for the how to below...

What you'll need:

- Yarn 

- Warm water

- Dish Soap

How it's done:
- Dismantle your sweater using this tutorial

- If your yarn is plied, separate about an inch of the yarn ends into individual strands

This is a 3 ply yarn!

- Overlap the ends of each piece a little bit, around 2 inches

- Taking ends you want to join together, run both ends under warm water*

- Rub your palms together with the the yarn ends between them
- If you are having problems getting the yarn to fuse, use a little more warm water and add some dish soap. The soap helps add a little more friction

These two pieces are now joined.

- I like to give a little test tug on the join. If the pieces pull apart, I restart the process. It's a pain to redo a piece but it didn't happen too often. Of all the joins I made from the 16 colors featured in the fair isle sweater, I only had to go back to the sink for one join that pulled apart as I was winding these into hanks. I would have been doing it a lot more if I hadn't tested the joins.

A little test tug. 

This took some time because all all the individual pieces in the fair isle sweater but in general for joining yarn ends together for regular skeins, this is not a lot of work!

*IMPORTANT: Don't get all of the yarn wet, just THE ENDS OF THE YARN should be. 

After almost five and half years of dating plus an extra year of liking each other, Carter and I are getting married! We got engaged in the beginning of January in a super cold and windy day. Carter popped the question on the path leading out the lighthouse in Manistee, Michigan and hired a local photographer to capture our special moment. 

In our first two months of engagement, we picked our date, church, reception site, and I even said yes to a dress. It's been a pretty crazy sixty days between all the planning and my school responsibilities. I wrote a handful of grants and submitted awards for the student organization I am president of along with preparing for graduation in a couple months. I was selected to be the college marshal for my program and it was a nice reward for all the hard work I have put in over the past four years!  I haven't had many person life moments cross over into this blog but I am excited to share my wedding planning experience and some of our DIYs to make our big day our own!

As much as the true meaning of Christmas gets distorted by our culture, I think that Lent gets distorted. I am not sure which is worse, a religious holiday being almost entirely secularized or one getting ignored almost altogether? Something to think about. 

From what I have gathered from most Catholics and Christians out there, Lent is pretty similar to the start of the new year. We either A) pick the same thing every year,  B) try to do something new and it fizzles out, C) pick something completely unrelated to your faith. I suppose these are better than D) doing nothing. 

Today on Ash Wednesday, I am going to challenge you on each of the above categories if you fit into one of them!

A) Picking the same thing every year:

If you are picking the same thing every year, I really encourage you to challenge yourself and pick something new to try. While some of the things you are doing might be great and help you grow in your faith, you should try to combine them with something new. 

B) Trying something new and letting it fizzle out before Lent ends: 

Why does it fizzle out? That's the first question. The second is what can you do to see this sacrifice through the entire forty days? Could you break this into measurable amounts and work your way into it. Maybe divide this goal into quarters and add a new component everyday? I know a lot of people want to do daily scripture readings but then they forget about them. What if they set a daily reminder on their phone to do them when they wake up, or during lunch, or a little before bedtime?

C) Picking something unrelated to your faith:

How many times have you heard that someone is giving up coffee or chocolate or junk food? Probably at least once a Lent. If you fall into this category, beyond just giving up one of these things unrelated to your faith, take the money that you would have spent on your morning coffee or junk food and donate it to your church or favorite religious charity because just giving up your morning coffee probably isn't going to make you grow in your faith. 

D) Not doing anything:

Pick something! I have heard many times you should pick three things that focus on pray, fasting, and almsgiving. In C above, I touched on how you can tie your fasting to almsgiving so then you just gotta figure out the faith part...maybe doing daily scripture readings like I mentioned in B.  

I realize I probably sounded really judgment and holier than you up there but these were my thoughts while deciding what my Lenten sacrifices would be this year. I decided to share them here in hopes that others could be inspired or think about their goals for the next forty days.

Here are my Lenten goals:

Prayer: Doing the daily scripture readings (I will most certainly need a phone reminder) and reading Rediscover Jesus by Matthew Kelly. My church gave out Rediscover Jesus at Christmas and it has been on my to read list since so I figured this would be a perfect time! Bonus: it's short...just 187 pages, plus it's forty chapters long so this means I can read a chapter a day. At the end of each chapter, Kelly includes point to ponder, verse to live, question to consider, and prayer. I will complete each these too. 

Fasting: The obvious Catholic no meat on Fridays. Also no grocery shopping beyond perishables because I already have a lot of canned goods and frozen items. In the spirit of living with less, I want to use those up before I buy more. 

Almsgiving: This one is hard. I don't want to make excuses because I am sure this is equally as hard for adults with jobs but getting ready for grad school and planning a wedding has made me hyper aware of my spending. I have a couple thoughts I want to try to implement. I got the rice box from church and I think I will put in some money for times when I "mess up" such as swearing or gossiping. 

Do you have any Lenten plans?

Between school, work, leadership roles in student organizations, applying to grad school and general life happenings, I was able to read 28 books this year. I was hoping to finish more but I am still happy to get 28 titles crossed off my never-ending list.

I originally had this post set up as just a list of the titles and authors but then my aunt posted her review of The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt on Facebook right after I got back from the library from checking it out. Ironic, huh? She had her review from a site called Good Reads so I checked it out. Turns out it is pretty nifty. You can keep a list of what you have read, leave book reviews, get book recommendations based on genres you're interested in. You can also add friends and track their reads/reviews (if you want to add me, here is my profile.)

I decided to track my books on Good Reads instead of just giving you a list. I am already on my 5th 2016 read which is putting me in a better place than last year's reading list. You can see what I read in 2015 here.

Of the 28 I read, here is my list of 2015 favorites/recommendations.

So I already told you that I failed at my 2015 goals and that I am not a fan of New Year's. For me, New Year's does not mean new start/clean slate any more than the other 364 days of the year. I don't think anyone should limit themselves to starting over and self-improvement to January 1st. While the start of a new calendar year is the easiest way to mark a change in time, I feel that change must come from within and that an internal motivation will be much more effective than a half-hearted attempt to change at the new year.

That being said, in 2016, I am not going to change. I am going to continue what I began in 2015: evolving and working towards a better version of myself. A better daughter, sister, friend, and fiancé as well as someone who is working towards a healthier, and hopefully more organized life. 

In 2016, I am going to continue to simplify- my closet, my craft supplies, etc. Last year I donated two heaping laundry baskets of clothes and I am already accumulating a new donation pile. Living in an apartment away from home for school has helped me learn to appreciate and enjoy living with less. 

Ultimately, I hope to continue to finish what I have started wether that be a book, a project, my leftovers, candles, beauty products, you name it. I'm not sure when exactly, in 2014 maybe but it struck me how much excess was in my life- even the most mundane of objects. Part of this had to do with being at school and having duplicates of things at home (beauty/hygiene stuff mainly.) I wondered what to do and then the obvious struck me- use what I have before I get more.  So that's what I have been doing with just about everything from beauty products to school supplies to craft stuff. I am not perfect, I have bought more of stuff I already had but I have seen dramatic consolidation. I could have tossed things immediately but by slowly working through things I have been able to see my progress, simplify, and save a nice chunk of change. This has also helped me to become a more mindful shopper when I do make purchases. I am simply finishing what I've started.

Do you like resolutions? How are they going?

At the start of 2015, I blogged about my New Year's Ambitions.. It's safe to say that I failed at most of what I hoped to accomplish. What can I say? Life happens. 2015 happened to be one of the most difficult years that my family has been through. A year ago, we learned my aunt's cancer had returned after being cancer free for six years. We watched her go to eternal rest at the end of September on my mom's birthday. When I reflect on 2015, I will most certainly remember it of a year of highs and lows. So much occurred that was cause for great happiness and celebration yet so much suffering transpired too. Here's to hoping for a happy and healthy 2016.

When I shared my 2015 knit list, I failed to realize something- knitting is something I truly enjoy doing and a major creative outlet for me. By giving myself restrictions on what I could make, I was essentially limiting my creativity. The knit list became a burden and I wasn't enjoying the process of making things...so I ditched the list and made what I wanted, when I wanted.

Non-knitting ambitions:

• Reading more books (25-50): Well I read 28 and of those 28, 25 were read during the summer while I was studying for my GREs and working 40 hours a week. I guess I am more of a summer reader. 
• Blogging at least twice a month: This started out strong but then kind of fizzled out. I don't get the point of blogging just to get a post out there. If others want to repost an exact/near identical replica of a recipe or craft project then by all means have at it but it's not really worth my time or yours reading to see my essentially reiterate someone else's work. I have considered maybe just sharing links to recipes I have tried and enjoyed but not modified or projects others have done that inspired me. I find it a little comical when you try a recipe from Pinterest and that blogger links the recipe source to a different blog which links it to a different blog, and so forth. If I was getting some truly original things done, then I guess I would have blogged more.
• Deciding on audiology or speech pathology: I choose audiology
• Compiling a list a grad schools: I choose three schools to apply to.
• Applying to grad schools: Done :)

How'd you do in 2015?

I finished my year of thrifting back in December and was pretty pleased with my results. I managed to buy almost everything on my list. I also bought a lot more than what is mentioned below. Shopping secondhand was not a huge issue for me but I would be lying if I said I didn't buy anything from a regular store during 2014. I can honestly say that anything that I got from a regular store was on sale and I used a gift card to buy it. All-in-all, I think this would have been much more challenging if I wasn't already used to thrifting so often.

If I had to summarize my thrifting experiences, I would say that shopping secondhand is a great way to save money and has many environmental benefits. I also enjoy the fact that thrifting allows me to add new pieces to my wardrobe more often than I could if I was limited to only shopping at mall stores. My biggest suggestion for someone who is just being their thrifting journey would be to make sure you get rid of a similar amount of items as you buy. I am not a 1 in, 1 out kinda gal but if that's what you need to do to avoid a cluttered closet, do it. When I go through my major closet clean-outs, I always take my clothes to a consignment shop and then donate whatever doesn't sell. This past year I was also able to sell some of my clothes at a garage sale. This is a great way to get your all or money back on clothes that you bought secondhand, especially if you got them on a sale day like most of the items mentioned below!

Places I thrifted while at school in Cincinnati:
 I went to the Montgomery Goodwill Boutique (yes they call it a boutique.) This one is known to have the "nicer" clothes because it is in a really nice part of town.

I also went to the Bellevue Goodwill which is about 5 minutes from campus and near the grocery store I go to. 

The other Goodwill I went to was the Oakley Goodwill Store. It's relatively close to campus. 

The Salvation Army on Park Avenue is only about 5 minutes from the Oakley store but it was really disappointing in Cincinnati. It had a huge selection but literally almost everything was priced at $7.99 regardless of condition or brand. I don't mind paying a little more for something nice...but not everything! 

Treasure Isles...a flea market because Carter really wanted to go.

The BEST part about Cincinnati Goodwills: HALF OFF DAY EVERY SATURDAY. Plus daily deals every other day of the week (but with class I could really only go on Saturdays!) They release a calendar of the deals for each month. Another perk: the Cincy Goodwills seem to get nicer stuff than the Fort Wayne ones. I guess bigger population and nicer stores down in Cincy? Finally, cheaper prices, so even if you weren't shopping on half off day, you are still getting nicer stuff for a lower price. 

Places I thrifted while I was home in Fort Wayne:

Dupont Road Goodwill
Maysville Road Goodwill
Glenbrook Goodwill
Franciscan Thrift Shop
Lima Road Salvation Army
Clothes Mentor

 You can see my original checklist I posted here.

Sandals:
Cole Haan Sandals--$15--BRAND NEW

Florida Birkenstocks--$7!!!
Purchased at Treasure Isles

Milano Birkenstocks--$7!!!
Purchased at Treasure Isles

Shoes:

Boots:
Leather Booties--$3
Purchased at Oakley Goodwill Store

Some Wooly Socks: Nope!
Now that I think of it, I don't think I would ever thrift socks unless they were brand new.

A Hat: Angora hat-$3

A Scarf: Cashmere scarf $2

A Piece of Jewelry:
Watch(es)--FREE
From a cleanout pile of Carter's Grandma
Also a necklace, seen here, $1
Franciscan Thrift Shop Fort Wayne

A Pair of Sunglasses: Nope!
I did score some Coach ones in 2015 at a consignment shop though!

A Purse/Bag:
Coach Leather Bag $30

A Belt:
Skinny Leather, 50 cents
Fort Wayne Salvation Army

Something for Outside: Nope!

Something Electronic: Nope!

A Home Item:
Drawers for underbed storage, 50 cents each
Garage sale

Something Festive:
Some family gag gifts, $1 each
Dupont Goodwill

A Piece of Furniture: Nope!

A Kitchen Item:
Tevana Tea Infusion Pitcher--$2.50--BRAND NEW
Purchased at Oakley Goodwill

A Mug: Nope!

A Book:
Books from Half Price Books

A Movie: Nope!

A Craft Item:
Yarn, $1
Oakley Goodwill

Something to Organize with:

A Picture Frame/Mirror:
Wooden Mirror, $2
Fort Wayne Salvation Army

Something on Sale:
Almost everything I had bought was on Half-Off Days!

Something Cashmere:
My Scarf plus some Cashmere sweaters ($3 each)

Something with Tags:
High Waisted J. Crew Swimsuit Bottoms--$14
Purchased on eBay.

Something Collegiate: Nope!
Carter did get me a UC football jersey NWT from the Bellvue Goodwill though!

A Raincoat:
Ralph Lauren Raincoat--$15
Missed Half Off Day :(
Purchased at Goodwill

A Vest:
GAP Red Vest--Free
Gift from Carter purchased at Salvation Army in Fort Wayne

Nice Pants:
J. Crew Khakis, $4
Fort Wayne Goodwill

A Skirt:
Ann Taylor Skirt--$2
Salvation Army Fort Wayne
Shortened

An Oxford:
Purchased from Vinted, $4

A Sweater:
Tommy Hilfiger Cardigan--$5
Purchased at Montgomery Goodwill
And another
Tommy Hilfiger Sweater--$3.50
Purchased at Salvation Army Fort Wayne

An Ugly Christmas Sweater:
$2
Purchased at Fort Wayne Salvation Army

A Cool T-shirt: Nope!

A Plain T-shirt:

This was kinda a mix between a really thin sweater/shirt so I'll go with shirt.

Banana Republic Green Sweater

Priced at $4.99. Bought for $2.49

Purchased at Bellevue Goodwill.

A Striped T-Shirt:

I love stripes so expect more striped shirts to be thrifted.
Striped Gap Shirt--$2.49

Some Shorts:
Gap Shorts $2
Bellevue Goodwill

Some Jeans:
GAP $7
Purchased from Vinted

Colored Pants:

I still wouldn't be opposed to finding some olive ones.
Gap Light Pink Khakis--$2.49

Purchased at Bellevue.

A Sundress:
Ann Taylor Tie Dyed Dress, $2
Bellevue Goodwill

A Little Black Dress/Something to Remake:
Black Chiffon Dress--$3.00
Purchased at Oakley Goodwill
Remade

Something Odd:
Lipstick and Nailpolish
Brand new for $1 each. Close out deals from local stores. Who would have thought I would resort to thrifting beauty products??

A Killer Deal:
GAP Jeans--50 CENTS
Purchased at Bellevue Goodwill


Other Noteworthy Finds:

Ann Taylor Loft Tunic

Priced at $4.99. Bought for $2.49

Purchased at Bellevue.

Lululemon Quarter Zip & Tights--$15

Purchased at Montgomery

I keep a very minimal makeup routine. If I am wearing makeup then I will only be using five products. They are effective and keep my makeup bag clutter free. Here are the five beauty products I can't live without.

1. Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine

I can't remember how I came across this beauty item but I think it was Pinterest. I added it to one of my Amazon wish lists and waited for the price to drop. I wasn't sure how I would like it but when I finally broke down and purchased it for $8 with free shipping, I was immediately glad I did. No regrets. Originally I thought that the normal list price was high at $12 but in retrospect, most lipsticks at drug stores cost anywhere from $7-10 dollars so I wasn't too far off. I was apprehensive to buy this because I wasn't sure how I would like the product. I can say that I love it. It leaves my lips soft and moisturized while giving them a soft tint slightly darker than my normal lip color. It's smells sort of like cotton candy but not too sweet and it looks very natural. This lip butter does not leave your lips feeling sticky like a traditional lip gloss. I think the little jar will last me a long time but I plan to buy more as soon as I start running low.

2. e.l.f. Smudge Pot in Cruisin' Chic

I got this on a gamble and I love it. I will say that I have only seen it in stores once but it is available online. When I run out, I will probably order some a few different color ways. It's another must have for me. It is easy to apply and looks great with my complexion, hair, and eyes. This eye shadow is thick and creamy and it stays on all day long. It's fairly smudge proof if you are one who tends to rub your eyes. I also got an application brush for $1 and so far it has held up great. e.l.f. products are available at Target, Walmart, and a few other places, including the mini mart on my college campus. I always get mine at Walmart because that's where I tend to shop but because I can't get links to the items there but the prices are identical at any store...even the mini market on campus that jacks up all their prices.

3. e.l.f. Triple Tip Waterproof Eyeliner Pen in Coffee

For $2, this eyeliner is a steal. It's way cheaper than most of the other liners I have tried and it is super easy to apply. The tip is very thin which allows me to have more control when applying it. The lines appear thinner and darker than a traditional soft eyeliner pen. This was the first product that really got me hooked on e.l.f.

4. Origins Have a Nice Day Moisture Cream

My dad got me this as a gift a few years ago and I love it. And yes, I am still using the same jar years later. You don't need a lot, just a small dollop of your finger for application on your whole face. It has SPF protection and leaves your face feeling soft and refreshed but not oily like some moisturizers. It is a year round cream suitable for daily use. When I am finished with this cream, I will go on to try another Origins moisturizer cream, They are expensive at $41 and up but I think they are worth every penny. I like the fact that Origins uses organic ingredients and environmentally sustainable practices to create their products. You can also bring previously unrecyclable makeup containers and tubes to an Origins location for them to send to recycle. You can read more about Origins here.

5. Maybelline New York The Falsies Volum Express Mascara

I tend to get my mascara at Krogers because they always send coupons for $2-3 off one Maybelline product. If I didn't like Maybelline then I wouldn't do this but I have found it to work well and it is very affordable, especially with coupons. I like to wait until the mascara I want is already on sale and then use my coupon. I usually end up getting mine for $2-3 between the Kroger's special and mail coupon.

What are beauty essentials that you can't go without?

I always attempt to do clean out of my bedroom and craft space at least twice a year. For me this typically means over my winter break and summer break. It's amazing how much stuff I am able to get rid of each time I do this. Before break, I spent some time on Pinterest looking at various blogs tips on cleaning out your craft stash. I looked at sites talking about a general craft space and sites that specifically talked about yarn. Unfortunately I was left disappointed with each site I read. Upon my disappointment, I decided to make some short notes as I cleaned through my own crafts clutter. I hope you will find these tips useful or at least use this post as a little motivation to eliminate some of the excess from your own life!

My tips for decluttering my creative space:

1. I think the single best decluttering advice I have ever heard was not to buy any storage bins or organizational devices before you are done going through all that you hope to sort through. So don't buy any organizational storage bins or boxes yes. 
2. If you already have bins, remove them from your space. Yes, it would be much easier to simply organize your craft stash and call it a day but the goal is declutter first and organize second.
3. Before you start to de-stash, make a list of everything that you intend to go through. This way you can make sure you don't overlook anything that needs attention.
4. Gather a box or bag for each of these categories: donate, sell, trash, and recycle. Set another space aside for the items you wish to keep.
5. Immediately throw away any dried up paints and glues they are useless. I don't ever buy paint but if I did this is a must-do step!
6. Recycle any paper scraps unless you immediately have a use for them in mind. I think that for most people this will eliminate at least 99% of their paper scraps.
7. Eliminate items that are not in your current hobby genre. If you never scrapbook or make cards, then why do you need a collection of card stock, scrapbook paper, stamps, and stickers? 
8. Gather all your WIPs (works in progress) and make the difficult decision about what you want to do with them. Do you still want to finish it? Is it worth the time/effort to finish it? Is it something that can be taken apart and used for something else i.e. a knit, crochet, or bead project? What you do is totally up to you but if you never got around to finishing it, then there's most likely a reason for that.
9. Now that you have decluttered your space, bring back your organization boxes and bins and organize what is left. Donate any unused organizational devices. 
10. Put your trash bag in the dumpster and recycle your recyclables. Donate your denotable items to the charity of your choice. For example, I had been given two huge tubs of acrylic yarn...seriously two of those 72 quart Sterilite Christmas storage bins full of yarn. Since I hadn't touched them and wanted to drastically eliminate my yarn stash, I decided I wanted to donate them to my boyfriend's aunt's convent because her and the other sisters spend much of their quiet time working on knit and crochet projects. If you are selling some pricey yarns I would suggest adding these yarns to your Ravelry Stash and posting them as "Will sell or Trade." I buy a lot of my higher end yarns this way tore the sell pile for your next garage sale or post items on Craigslist. 

Admire how much better your space feels and how much hard work you just did!

I am not a huge resolution maker. I don't see January 1st as any more of an opportunity to start fresh than any other day of the year. I do like seeing what I can accomplish during a year's time though. Specifically I like to set a goal for myself such as last year's Year of Thrifting (recap coming soon?)

At the end of 2014, I was thinking about places where I want to expand in 2015. For the blog, knitting is what I am choosing to focus on. Obviously I want to get more done in 2015 than just knit but this will be my main focus for the blog.

The word that I want to focus on this year would be ambition as referenced in the title of this post. Ambition can be defined as a particular goal or aim; something that a person hopes to do or achieve. Let's take a look at my ambitions for the year.

15 Knitting Ambitions for 2015*:

1. Knit a hat.

2. Knit a scarf or cowl.
3. Knit a pair of gloves or mittens.
4. Knit a sweater.
5. Knit a pair of socks.
6. Knit a bag of some sort.
7. Knit a washcloth.
8. Knit a pillow.
9. Knit a toy.
10.Knit something that is a decoration.

11. Knit something for Carter.

12. Knit matching ski caps for Carter and I.

13. Knit something with plarn (plastic yarn.)

14. Knit something with t-shirt yarn.

15. Knit something with recycled sweater yarn.

Other knitting ambitions this year:

Finishing WIPs (works in progress.)

Posting finalized pictures on Ravelry.

Sharing more projects here and on Kollabora.

Going through and deleting projects from my queue on Ravelry.

Non-knitting ambitions:
Reading more books (25-50)
Blogging at least twice a month.
Deciding if I want to go audiology or speech pathology.
Compling my list of graduate schools.
Applying to graduate schools.

*To clarify, for my knitting ambitions, I am okay with "double dipping" and crossing more than one item off the list for a single project. I.E. knitting a pillow with recycled yarn.

Let's see where 2015 takes me and you! We are already halfway through month #1!!!

I began thinking about this back in November. I was thinking of things I enjoy doing and ways to save money. I decided that thrifting was obviously my favorite way to save and shop! I thrift the vast majority of my clothing so this year I am going to try to take it a notch up. This will help me save even more money as a shop and I am also helping the environment by loving someone else's old items. I am going to try and go a whole year of just thrifting! If I need it, I'll thrift it. 

I already have two exceptions though:

1. Underwear. I already have way too much but if I get a free underwear coupon from Victoria's Secret, I will use it.

2. Running shoes, you need to replace your shoes as they break down to avoid injury so I won't be thrifting someone else's.

Places I will be thrifting during 2014:

Salvation Army

Goodwill

St. Vincent de Paul Society

Local Shops

Garage Sales

Antique shops

Consignment stores

Auctions

If I need something else, I will try eBay and Craigslist.


To make things a bit more interesting, I gave myself an extensive list of things to try to find throughout the year. I will plan to check back in at the end of every month to show off what treasures I found second hand and how much I spent on each item. 

Here is a copy of my list.
You can save or print this to take thrifting with you.

Here is a copy of a blank template if you want to make your own thrifting list.

By the way, I found the template I used here.

Good luck, go out there, save money, and have fun!

Happy 2014!

Well you're looking at part two of the motivational quote seriese. If you missed it, here is part one. I also have motivational running quotes that I have posted. I really hope that someone can use some of these quotes to get them inspire to go workout and be active and eat a little better along the way too!

You can do it!

See!

Sorry it's blurry but don't give up!

Go out there and get inspired.

Earlier I posted some of my favorite motivational running quotes. And later I plan to share round two of motivational workout quotes, but here's round one. If you find some you like, save them, print them out, use them as your computer or phone wallpaper. Put the quotes in places you'll see them often so you can get inspire! Check out motivational quotes (part 2)!

It will be! You'll feel so much more confident when you reach your goal!

This is one of my favorites!

Once you get a routine going, you'll be amazed how easy it is.

But really.

Go out and happen to things!
You aren't going to get in shape just sitting here.

And you'll feel so much more energetic for the rest of the day.

Your fitness kick may be just what a realative, friend,
 or coworker needs to get themselves back in shape.
Be an inspiration!

I hope that you found these motivating!