World According to Shia

Since this weekend is going to be a chilly one, I thought I would just post how I plan to kick it around my house.  I know some of you are going to be in MUCH colder areas so I recommend that we all stay in and get cozy!     What do you think? 

  ... to skip a day of blogging ... yep totally okay.   ... to be excited for the Super Bowl ... GO SEAHAWKS!!!   ... to secretly think that Russell Wilson can't be that nice.   ... to wonder why the heck Friday isn't here yet.  Seriously, what is taking her so long!?!?   ... that my 8 year old niece has a "cooler" phone than me.   ... to still say cooler ... right?   ... to take a break from drinking nothing but water - sometimes you need some flavor ... oh and caffeine!   ... to walk outside and think ... FINALLY Floridians have the right to say in a whiny voice ... it's cold outside ... wahhhhh!  (Currently 33 degrees)   ... to want Starbucks but drive right on past because the drive thru line is too long.     What's okay with you today?

    Thank you to all of you that read my blog and have stuck with me through all these years!    

    So it's Monday, our favorite day of the week … am I right? I thought this Monday I would share a glimpse into the madness of how I am trying to keep myself accountable for my time management since it could probably be dubbed my New Year's Resolution at this point. In the past, when I decided to manage my money, I literally posted my purchases each day on my blog to stay accountable. If I spent money on ANYTHING it was written down. Since Paul and I use our credit card for EVERYTHING I then went through the statement and made categories. Bills, Gas, Groceries, etc. This helped me see where I was wasting money. So then I gave myself a budget. When starting off, I kept track of my spending money to the penny. I tried my hardest not to go over my budget. After awhile, I got the hang of it and really essentially saved a bunch of money. {To see some related posts click on the MONEY label.} So now I need to and have incorporated this into my time management. So I started...

Thanks to the fact I needed to have a vision test done - apparently you can only renew online so many times BEFORE you have to prove you can see.  So here is the gist of what I wore to have my license photo taken.  I'm a firm believer in ... don't show too much skin because then it just turns out looking all weird in that dreaded photo.  Also, wear a dark or black top.  This will help make the contrast of your head and your body show up under that bright flash.  Some extras:  I brought a magazine to read but I walked right in ... thank you DMV gods.  Also, I rewarded myself with my FREE birthday drink from Starbucks.  I got a Venti Iced Decaf Soy Caramel Macchito Upside Down (not quite represented by the photo above but again you get the gist).  Isn't that a crazy long request?!?  I have to repeat it to myself in like about a million times so I don't forget one of the words. Happy Friday and I hope everyone has a gr...

... to wake up on Thursday super excited that Friday is tomorrow!  ... to have no opinion about deflated balls ... GO SEAHAWKS! ... to take splenda from Starbucks ... I mean chances are that splenda will go into their product so it's totally legit ... right? ... to get mad when your parking spot in the garage/parking lot is taken ~ no assigned spots but C'MON I park there EVERYDAY!   ... to already be counting down to the next 3 day weekend.   ... to just realize that I need to renew my license ... dang birthday coming up!   ... not understand why I actually have to go to DMV - online renewal can only be done so many times?  WHAT!?!?   ... to then wonder if my outfit and hair are acceptable for my new license photo ... LOL     What's okay with you today?

Pics from housetohome Americans are all about big kitchens, stainless steel appliances and granite countertops, but why? Could we embrace the European take on kitchens and still function?  Granted, I am with you 100% on the size of the refrigerator but honestly ... do we need tons of cabinets and an abundance of countertops?  I'm all about my home being mine ~ my style and my likes ~ I could totally see Paul and I taking a nontraditional take on a kitchen.  I honestly don't even like granite ... I know GASP!   As along as the kitchen is functional, chic is totally acceptable in my book ... what do you think?

When planning to pack my lunch, I turn to my trustworthy friend Google to find some ideas - only to be put off by the complicated looking bento boxed lunches. Sure this all looks great and I would love someone to pack me one of those healthy and perfect looking lunches, but let's face reality ~ I'm the one packing it and chances of it coming any close to one of those is slim to none.    Of course, p acking your lunch is healthier for you than fast food options but it is also cheaper than buying lunch everyday. So packing is a double winner in my book. So how can I get this rolling?     First, set a goal of how many days a week you want to pack your lunch. I set my goal for 4 days a week with Fridays open to have lunch with friends since there is always someone wanting to meet up for a chat and a bite to eat. Last week was my first successful week - I packed Monday - Thursday and had a great lunch on Friday with a group of friends. Also, since I hadn'...

So I got this idea from little luxury lists  ... Since we are all probably tired of wearing sweaters {some more than others}, I thought I would post some cute ones that can cheer us up from the winter blues.    How cute are those elbow pads?   

... to look for the cheapest gas even now when gas is cheap!  Seriously what is it about my exit that needs to be 10 cents more per gallon? ... to have a bed time ... yes I am an adult but I need to go to sleep when it is time to go to sleep! ... to wear your hair in a pony tail everyday this week ~ it's raining folks ... why even try to pretend my hair will stay presentable without putting it up? ... to realize that everything I complain about can be summed up with #firstworldproblems or #FLproblems. ... to be currently addicted to NPR.  Hello RARELY any commercials and I am learning stuff everyday. ... to feel smarter for listening to NPR ... LOL. ... to start sentences with the phrase ... so I heard on NPR ... ... to give eye rolls ... yep you thought I couldn't see you. ... to look at your nails and think about using a nail file but it not happening ... jagged is fashionable ... right?  {okay maybe not} ... that my husband know...

So since I have been couponing I have tried out a bunch of products that I have found deals to make them cheap and/or FREE. Here are some products that aren't even worth free ... The Oral B battery operated toothbrush only rotates on one section of the toothbrush head; however, when you push down to brush your teeth the force stops it from rotating so at that point it is just making a loud buzzing noise with no actual results.  Also, if you push down softer - it just sprays toothpaste all over your mirror - NO FUN!  The Colgate toothbrush with whitening pen is good in theory; however, the toothbrush is too bulky because the whitening pen is stored inside the base of the toothbrush, so you can't store it in a normal toothbrush holder and then it just lies around on the counter or in a drawer ... YUCK!  As for the whitening pen, I will say it works "a little" - if you put it on your teeth and try not to close your mouth it whitens - there is nothing holding t...

Downton Abbey is one of my favorite shows and Joanne Froggatt plays one of my favorite characters.  Congrats to hear on her Golden Globe! Do you watch Downton and who's your favorite character? 

I hope everyone had a great weekend.  As for being productive, I think I was about 80% solid, which isn't too bad for my first week of trying to manage my time better.   Also, I almost broke down and bought a planner ... I even looked at several online.  Then I thought about it.  My online version is working well, I can log into it anywhere without having to lug it around or fear of it getting damaged or {gasp} dirty.  So I thought ... how can I jazz up my online planner to make it cuter.  My BFF google helped me find cute fonts/washi tape/backgrounds to download.  Now my online planner is SUPER CUTE!  Loving it!! I think for awhile I am going to post on Mondays five items that I want to get done this week. Instead of trying to struggle with EVERYTHING, I am going to focus on what I deem most important for that week and work on those.  Don't get me wrong the items don't always have to be super serious but at least things that I f...

So guess what ... it was snowing yesterday in Jacksonville, FL. Yep I saw it with my own eyes or I wouldn't have believed it either. So I thought I would post what I'll be wearing tomorrow ... okay minus the MK bag but hey a girl can dream. Doubtful that I will wake up to a fresh powder covering everything but hey it did snow for about 30 mins. So how's this arctic weather effecting you?

So I have been trying to get back into being on top of things.   You know like packing my lunch, blogging and couponing.   But, honestly sometimes I feel as if there aren't enough hours in the day or at least enough that I want to be awake to get everything done.   Oh and then … I get sick and that totally knocks out an entire weekend.   Doesn't it always seem like we either have a million and one things going on or nothing {cue the crickets}? So how do I get back into the swing of things? How do I make time to get everything done and keep it rolling? Can I just type that in google and TADA all my problems solved? I think not.   I guess the trick to getting on track is to start with one task, accomplish it and then move on to the next.   Seems simple enough … right?   Well, also that whole "lack of time" issue really needs to be kicked in the butt.   What are the things I do have time for and are they the best things to be spend...

  Very cozy cute work look!   Pantone described the color as “a naturally robust and earthy wine red.”   Here are some other color combinations if you want to rock this color in 2015! My combination was geared towards No. 1.  I also like Nos. 3, 4 and 7.   What do you like this color for 2015?  Will you be rocking any of the combos above?   Happy New Year!  

How long do we think it will take me to stop writing 2014?