I believe if you could look up "Brindley" in Webster's Dictionary the definition would be a family who loves Auburn (especially football), to talk, and save every penny to the point it comes quite ridiculous. (Oh! and have premature gray hair.)
If this definition was real, I am truly a Brindley at heart.
Growing up, we weren't poor, but we weren't super rich either. Sure, there were things that I would have liked to have had, but I was never deprived in the least. Some might even consider us spoiled since we constantly got "small gifts" here and there...just like we still do today. Those "small gifts" were always things on sale/clearance. I grew up immediately going to the sales rack as soon as I entered a store's doors. To this day, I find is really difficult to buy anything at full price (no matter how inexpensive it may be), hence, the reason for my coupon addiction.
When I was little, we used to visit my grandparents' (dad's parents) house in what seemed like the most extreme weather conditions. It was either burning slap up or freezing my pa-tooties off. And it never failed: the temperature in their house was always just as extreme as the outside. I never understood why my grandfather would have 2 box fans running full blast with the windows up in the middle of summer while his brand new a/c unit was turned off. It didn't make sense to have paid so much for a nice a/c unit to only have it remained unused. In the winter, the windows would be down (a/c off as it was all year round), but the fireplace was a-blazing. I could never quite sit close enough to the fire to get warm enough. Maybe if my seat was actually in the fireplace then I would have been warm.
None of this would have been bad if we were only at their house for an hour or so, but our visits would end up being hours long...or so it seemed. You see, my grandfather was a talker: full-fledged talker about anything and everything especially Auburn. I honestly think he could have held a conversation with a brick wall, because that is how much he loved to talk. It didn't matter what the subject was; he could talk for hours on end about it, expert or not. He always had a good heart from what I can remember of him. He just needed someone to talk to.
As I age every day, I find myself becoming more and more like him. Since moving out, I have found myself turning up the a/c a degree or two in the summer and layering clothes in the winter to avoid a high power bill. I have even researched online the cheapest place to find cute brown boots so I won't overpay. And that mission was a success: a pair of brown knee-high boots from Rack Room Shoes sold to me for less than $20. Can't beat that!
And as I type this blog, I find myself becoming more and more talkative, or rather type-ative. I don't feel like I have anything too important to say, but sometimes I just need to let all of my "talking" out. I can't hold it in for too long or else I start talking to the dogs. Oh wait, I already do that. hmmm....
And I do love Auburn with all my heart. I could probably spend an entire blog just about why I love Auburn. See another talkative subject matter...
But do NOT get me started on the premature graying. One of my lowest moments in life was Mamski discovering my first gray hair at 19. ugh! It is definitely the downfall to being Brindley...if there was a downfall.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
happy 2nd anniversary to my loving husband
Two years ago today I walked down the aisle of my childhood church with only 2 hours of sleep and became Mrs. Daniel Todd. I am not saying that I was delusional when I made this decision in the least. I was very much aware of what was happening during the 9+ months of being engaged and planning the entire wedding. (How exhausting! I hope to NEVER have to plan another one of those again for...well, ever. Unless it is my child's at least 40 years from now.)
I love you, Daniel.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
why are health resoltuions so hard to keep?
I guess you could say that I am on my 3rd attempt to lose 10 pounds since January 1st. I started back up my working out today. Yesterday I bought my 2nd work-out dvd since the 30 Day Shred was kicking my tail. I ultimately gave up once I reach level 2.
Yes, Jillian Michaels, you are hard to workout with! I can't keep up with you no matter how short of a time it is. With that said, it doesn't mean that I have abandoned you completely. I just won't be seeing you every day.
My 2nd work-out dvd is a dancing dvd with Julianne Hough. I am learning the cha-cha, jive, and paso. And can I just say that I am completely disgusted with Julianne? Well, I am. There is no way that I will ever be that slinder even if I became a celebrity and did nothing but workout 24/7. Glad that is off my chest. Now on to my personal critics about my dancing...
Um, it's not good. My coordination is highly lacking, but I was able to somewhat keep up with the "proper" dancesteps with the jive. How in the world do people have their arms and legs do those things so easily?
Before I was 16, I always had a fear of not being able to drive a car since my coordination was so bad. I even remember my mother making a statement along those lines. Thankfully, I can drive pretty dang well so I am just hoping that I can "get the hang out of this" pretty soon. And don't ask Daniel to show you the recording on his phone of my first dance lesson. I am not happy about that.
I will say that I have managed to lose the 4 pounds that I gained back since the end of May so I am at net 6 since January 1. Just those pesky 4 pounds left to lose. C'mon, Julianne. I am counting on your skinny ass, flat stomach, and slinder legs to melt these 4 pounds off my flabby bones.
Yes, Jillian Michaels, you are hard to workout with! I can't keep up with you no matter how short of a time it is. With that said, it doesn't mean that I have abandoned you completely. I just won't be seeing you every day.
My 2nd work-out dvd is a dancing dvd with Julianne Hough. I am learning the cha-cha, jive, and paso. And can I just say that I am completely disgusted with Julianne? Well, I am. There is no way that I will ever be that slinder even if I became a celebrity and did nothing but workout 24/7. Glad that is off my chest. Now on to my personal critics about my dancing...
Um, it's not good. My coordination is highly lacking, but I was able to somewhat keep up with the "proper" dancesteps with the jive. How in the world do people have their arms and legs do those things so easily?
Before I was 16, I always had a fear of not being able to drive a car since my coordination was so bad. I even remember my mother making a statement along those lines. Thankfully, I can drive pretty dang well so I am just hoping that I can "get the hang out of this" pretty soon. And don't ask Daniel to show you the recording on his phone of my first dance lesson. I am not happy about that.
I will say that I have managed to lose the 4 pounds that I gained back since the end of May so I am at net 6 since January 1. Just those pesky 4 pounds left to lose. C'mon, Julianne. I am counting on your skinny ass, flat stomach, and slinder legs to melt these 4 pounds off my flabby bones.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
time for a re-do
It is time...
time for a re-do.
I have gone long enough in our bright mustard colored master bedroom. In fact, that isn't even the color that I wanted. The paint chip was definitely NOT that bright or yellow. It was quite mute compared to the paint being on the wall. I wanted something more brown. Guess I have learned my lesson in picking out paint.
My next vision for our master bedroom is something a lot more quiet and relaxing. I see either a pale blue or light tan on the walls. The comforter is going to be along the lines of ivory, khaki, or tan with some accent throw pillows. I have already ordered the euro shams from Restoration Hardware for a third of the original price. In fact, they are going to be my inspiration for the bedroom since I can't seem to find a picture of my dream bedroom. The only picture that I have is in my head and sometimes that picture can be blurry.
I am planning on making curtains for the windows instead of having valances. Our bedroom is on the east side of the house so it is bright too early in the morning especially on the weekends. I guess you can see why the bright mustard paint isn't working now. It is like waking up on the surface of the sun. My sleep mask is bearly doing it's job: keeping any hint of light off my eye-balls.
We recently upgraded to a king-sized bed (recall my stories here and then here) and felt like it is time for a more "grown-up" style. Just to be honest, I would LOVE to rearrange the furniture for the make-over, but the someone who I am married to doesn't want to do that. Now just answer me this: how can I fully complete my master bedroom makeover if I can't even rearrange the furniture as it is laid out in my head? ugh, frustrating.
time for a re-do.
I have gone long enough in our bright mustard colored master bedroom. In fact, that isn't even the color that I wanted. The paint chip was definitely NOT that bright or yellow. It was quite mute compared to the paint being on the wall. I wanted something more brown. Guess I have learned my lesson in picking out paint.
My next vision for our master bedroom is something a lot more quiet and relaxing. I see either a pale blue or light tan on the walls. The comforter is going to be along the lines of ivory, khaki, or tan with some accent throw pillows. I have already ordered the euro shams from Restoration Hardware for a third of the original price. In fact, they are going to be my inspiration for the bedroom since I can't seem to find a picture of my dream bedroom. The only picture that I have is in my head and sometimes that picture can be blurry.
I am planning on making curtains for the windows instead of having valances. Our bedroom is on the east side of the house so it is bright too early in the morning especially on the weekends. I guess you can see why the bright mustard paint isn't working now. It is like waking up on the surface of the sun. My sleep mask is bearly doing it's job: keeping any hint of light off my eye-balls.
We recently upgraded to a king-sized bed (recall my stories here and then here) and felt like it is time for a more "grown-up" style. Just to be honest, I would LOVE to rearrange the furniture for the make-over, but the someone who I am married to doesn't want to do that. Now just answer me this: how can I fully complete my master bedroom makeover if I can't even rearrange the furniture as it is laid out in my head? ugh, frustrating.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
my obsession
Some people are obsessed with various things such as shopping, cleaning (I am a "smidge" obsessed about this), eating, exercising, working, sleeping, facebooking, football season, tv, etc. I think you get the idea. The point is that people are obsessed with many things ranging in different categories. My latest obsession is saving money....otherwise known as couponing.
I might think about saving money at least several hours or more in a single day. It gets REALLY bad when it is time for my weekly grocery list. I spend about 2 or more hours just making my grocery list for the week, which doesn't seem that bad when I am saving more than I spend. I have tried to quickly go through the list without obsessing over every single dollar that might/could be saved. It doesn't work. I have to go through my list of known websites.
Here is my routine for each week's grocery list (in a brief nutshell):
-I start by looking through the Publix's ad to see exactly what is on sale and what we need. I try to think about coupons that I already have cut and filed in my coupon binder.
-Next I got to I Heart Publix and Southern Savers to look at the weekly Publix ad with coupon match-ups. They are both really good websites tell you item by item what coupons to use for each. Some coupons can be printed from another website! AWESOME!
-Keep in mind I am making my list and printing/searching for coupons from my binder as I am on each website.
-The next websites I go to really "seal the deal" as far as couponing goes. Coupons.com, Money Saving Mom, and Target (store coupons) are all great places to find additional coupons for your weekly list! And another thing: Money Saving Mom is great about listing free samples of products that can be mailed right to your door! I get roughly 3 samples (or more) each week on various items: shampoo, conditioner, hair styling products, cereal, Hamburger Helper, toilet paper, deodorant, granola bars, feminine products, lotion, shaving cream, laundry detergent, just to name a few.
-And when making the grocery list I can't forget that Publix doubles coupons (up to 50 cents if in AL) and take other store coupons including $X off a $XX purchase. Even more savings!
Now you can see where I come from every week in making my grocery list. It takes time, but time is money in trying to save via couponing. For example, this past Sunday we spent $55.33 and saved $97 (savings of 63%)! I am not going to list every single item, but we got a lot of stuff including popcorn, a frozen CPK pizza, cheesecake, produce, fish fillets, bread, 2 bottles of Complete contact cleaner, TP, shampoo, shaving gel, sandwich meat, and 6 bags of Halloween candy.
Speaking of Halloween candy, it has been my goal to not spend a dime for any candy this year. Considering Publix has had the good candy (Nestle's Crunch, Reeses, Hershey's Kisses, and Yorks) BOGO, it has been hard to stick to my goal. So far we have 9 total bags of candy (no small bags, but decent sized bags) and have spent less than $8 total. Not too shabby; less than $1 a bag. You can't even that good of candy at the Dollar Store for that price!
I might think about saving money at least several hours or more in a single day. It gets REALLY bad when it is time for my weekly grocery list. I spend about 2 or more hours just making my grocery list for the week, which doesn't seem that bad when I am saving more than I spend. I have tried to quickly go through the list without obsessing over every single dollar that might/could be saved. It doesn't work. I have to go through my list of known websites.
Here is my routine for each week's grocery list (in a brief nutshell):
-I start by looking through the Publix's ad to see exactly what is on sale and what we need. I try to think about coupons that I already have cut and filed in my coupon binder.
-Next I got to I Heart Publix and Southern Savers to look at the weekly Publix ad with coupon match-ups. They are both really good websites tell you item by item what coupons to use for each. Some coupons can be printed from another website! AWESOME!
-Keep in mind I am making my list and printing/searching for coupons from my binder as I am on each website.
-The next websites I go to really "seal the deal" as far as couponing goes. Coupons.com, Money Saving Mom, and Target (store coupons) are all great places to find additional coupons for your weekly list! And another thing: Money Saving Mom is great about listing free samples of products that can be mailed right to your door! I get roughly 3 samples (or more) each week on various items: shampoo, conditioner, hair styling products, cereal, Hamburger Helper, toilet paper, deodorant, granola bars, feminine products, lotion, shaving cream, laundry detergent, just to name a few.
-And when making the grocery list I can't forget that Publix doubles coupons (up to 50 cents if in AL) and take other store coupons including $X off a $XX purchase. Even more savings!
Now you can see where I come from every week in making my grocery list. It takes time, but time is money in trying to save via couponing. For example, this past Sunday we spent $55.33 and saved $97 (savings of 63%)! I am not going to list every single item, but we got a lot of stuff including popcorn, a frozen CPK pizza, cheesecake, produce, fish fillets, bread, 2 bottles of Complete contact cleaner, TP, shampoo, shaving gel, sandwich meat, and 6 bags of Halloween candy.
Speaking of Halloween candy, it has been my goal to not spend a dime for any candy this year. Considering Publix has had the good candy (Nestle's Crunch, Reeses, Hershey's Kisses, and Yorks) BOGO, it has been hard to stick to my goal. So far we have 9 total bags of candy (no small bags, but decent sized bags) and have spent less than $8 total. Not too shabby; less than $1 a bag. You can't even that good of candy at the Dollar Store for that price!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
September 11th
Today is the day that will live on in America's history for eternity. I will never forget that day and watching the news coverage. The images of dying people, burning buildings, and destroyed planes are imbedded in my memory as long as I live.
Today I am lifting up the fallen, their family members, and service men and women who have helped make our country the greatest place to live.
You can relive my 9/11 story here.
Today I am lifting up the fallen, their family members, and service men and women who have helped make our country the greatest place to live.
You can relive my 9/11 story here.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
confessions of a 26 year old shopaholic
Confessions:
I told myself that I would never buy jeggings. And I did today. After I told myself (last year) that I would never buy skinny jeans. And I did and currently have 2 pairs of those. So I have 2 pairs of skinny jeans and 1 pair of jeggings.
Next I told myself that I hated those bootie high heels. And I bought some of those today as well.
To make things even worse: I put them on together. And they look great as an outfit.
I just need to buy a shirt to wear with them. Now what is a shirt that I told myself that I would never buy...?
I told myself that I would never buy jeggings. And I did today. After I told myself (last year) that I would never buy skinny jeans. And I did and currently have 2 pairs of those. So I have 2 pairs of skinny jeans and 1 pair of jeggings.
Next I told myself that I hated those bootie high heels. And I bought some of those today as well.
To make things even worse: I put them on together. And they look great as an outfit.
I just need to buy a shirt to wear with them. Now what is a shirt that I told myself that I would never buy...?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)