Happy New Years! It is officially 2012 and one of my many goals, as featured on one of my boards on Pinterest (I've become absolutely addicted to it!) is to be more attentive to this blog.

I'd like to feature more on fashion, DIY interior design and of course, I don't think I could ever let go of my personal posts.

In the last few weeks my cousin and I have joined a gym and are working on making ourselves healthier, more fit and happier. We've been pretty good about going a few times a week and I can already see a positive change in myself. I feel more motivated and happier, my arms have been aching the last couple days (muscle!) and I'm amazed whenever I cross a mile mark on one of the stationary bikes!

I'm currently out of a job, but am beginning my search this week. I'd really love to get a good restaurant job so that I can save tips to help pay property taxes in April.

One of the things I'm most looking forward to is hopefully getting a SmartCar again once we've paid off the car in late spring. I miss that fun little thing and the fact that even filling it with Super, I never spent over $40 bucks on gas for that thing in a month.

Christmas was wonderful! Some of my family from AZ came out to celebrate with us and it was wonderful having that time with them.

I got a lot of wonderful gifts, a new stereo system for the car that I can finally hook my iPod directly into (getting installed Wednesday), some beautiful clothes and what I've been wanting all year, a NookColor!

The hubby, Katie (my cousin) and I spent our New Years Eve at the Mission Inn last night to see the lights and ring in the new year. It was a wonderful time and Katie came over beforehand so we could get all prettified together. She did my hair in a lovely 50's style and now I've got to buy myself a teasing brush so I can try to replicate it.

In the meantime we've been cleaning and organizing. I got the bedroom all cleaned up and rearranged, as well as the living room and kitchen. I still have so much more I want to do though! I want to get started on DIY projects around the apartment and the first place I want to focus my attention is the bathroom. Nothing too insane, but it needs better storage solutions first and foremost. It also needs a touch of excitement and some beautifying. Of all the rooms in my house, the bathroom is my least favorite place to end up in and I want to change that. All the details on that will be in an upcoming post.

A couple days ago we bought ourselves a SodaStream. Ya know, that thing that lets you make your own soda at home? I had a taste test at Costco the day after Christmas and was amazed at how close to the brand name soda's it tastes. The money savings is what is most exciting to me, oh and not having to lug bags of soda bottles up the stairs a few times a week! We bought some extra bottles yesterday and I am eager to get a couple bottles of soda going. Another great thing about it is that it requires no electricity or batteries. Amazing!

Have you bought any great, money saving items lately? Do you have any money saving resolutions for this year? Oh, and what did you do last night to celebrate the New Year? 

Whatever you did, I hope you had a wonderful time surrounded by friends and family and that this new year brings you lots of happiness and success!

xoxo,

    Gina

Rain, rain go away...

I know very well that CA needs all the rain it can get, but I've had enough of the rainy chill. I'm aching for summer to get here! And it will be wonderful as we have our pool and our eco-friendly Coolerado air conditioning system.

I'm going to do my best to post on here more often. I just get so bogged down with school, the job search, keeping the apartment clean and well... life in general.

I have a job app to fill out and take in at the mall and while visiting a cute little stationary shop in Downtown Claremont I filled out a job application there. I NEED A JOB! Me and a few million other people... but let's not go there. lol

As far as I can tell I'm keeping my grades up pretty well at school, but I am a tad frustrated as I feel like I can't focus on the "book" that I'm hoping to write, what with all the english essay stuff I have to keep up on. I need to learn to be better focused. The story I plan to write is beating around constantly in my brain and I bought a cute little journal book to write in... I just need to put pen to paper. And keep on top of my homework.

Originally this blog was to be about our decorating of our apartment and then the eventual transition into the main house and the decorating projects of that. But money is tight, and there's not much decorating one can do on a near non-existent budget. So I think this will just be a blog where I talk about everyday things, inspirational things, music I like, books that catch my fancy and eventually when money is not so hard to come by we can talk DECORATING!

Well, I'm off to more, never ending house cleaning. It's amazing how two people can constantly keep a small apartment messy, but we need to get our organizing and a daily cleaning and upkeep plan in place.
Have a wonderful, happy weekend!

Gin

Oh what a frenzy

After driving up Mt Baldy and enjoying a lovely lunch at the Mt Baldy Lodge (pictures soon) I went into major cleaning mode when we got home.

I am so proud of myself and it's such a relief when you know your entire house is spotless. We brought some of G's photographs up from the garage and hung them, which makes it so much more homey. And I've been going crazy at the market buying flowers and arranging them. I love seeing so much green and bright color. And yummy, scented candles are the icing on the cake.

G has a myriad of frames, so I was hoping he'd already have one that my new LOVE print would fit in, but unfortunately they're all too small. Tomorrow I'll hopefully get a chance to pick one up and once I've hung it I'll get to work on apartment photos and my list of to-do's.

I tried a new tea today and fell totally in love, it's called Licorice Spice by Stash...

It has a delicious, sweet aftertaste. And I love the box.

I really need to get myself a tea kettle, dropping the tea bag in a cup of water and then microwaving it doesn't seem to make the tea saturate as well. I feel like I'm tasting more water than tea.

Well, it's been a long day and I am ready to go off to dreamland. G'night!

Boring lists and fun at Home Depot

After a long nap and a quick salad snack w/ grapes we got off our duffs and went to Home Depot.


I love going into stores after 8pm, things are so quiet and you can actually get more attention/help when you need it.


We went in there with a list;


• Kitchen cabinet shelves (for the main house kitchen)
• Blinds/shutters (apartment)
• 10 door stops (main house)
• A 50ft hose
• Log lighter (main house)
• Doorbell (main house)
• Wind chime
• Hummingbird feeder


Unfortunately we couldn't find the kitchen cabinet shelves, understandably the cabinets they sell come with their shelves already. I'd love to know what the contractor the bank hired to repaint the cabinets did with the shelves, or why he at least didn't replace them? UGH.


We'll get it figured out. Anyhoo, after looking in the blinds section it seems we will have to go with the local company who gave us a estimate to install blinds because after looking at all the ones available at Home Depot, we have odd shaped windows. I knew as much, but... G insisted on trying.


Got the door stops, a Goodyear 50ft hose, the log lighter and doorbell. Then I went on the search for my wind chime and hummingbird feeder.


To my dismay, not a wind chime in the building. Or garden center. I got a coupon for 10% off a purchase at Lowe's and I know they have lots of outdoor decor stuff, so I guess I'll go looking there for my wind chime.


I did find a cute hummingbird feeder!

Avant Garden Sandy Beach Hummingbird Feeder

Since the chairs I plan to buy have a navy and white stripe, slightly nautical theme I thought it'd be cute to do the same with the feeder. I wanted to put it up tonight, but there's not enough light and I don't want to end up dropping it and breaking out, ant attracting juice everywhere. So I shall put it up tomorrow after class and I'll be sure to post a pic of it and hopefully a little birdie friend enjoying it.

I'm a bit of a magazine addict and when I saw that the new fall issue of Do It Yourself was available I snatched it up and am very much looking forward to reading through it.

Image via Young House Love

One purchase we made that was pretty unexpected was a vacuum. I've been begging for one since we moved in (July 29th) after our cheap one conked out. And we ended up going for a Dyson on sale. 

We got the DC25 Animal Vac w/ ball technology. I never thought I'd be able to afford the "ball" one, but the great sale price at Home Depot and the very obviously growing need for a good vacuum finally spurred G into getting me one. I am so pleased! My vacuum sucks, I love it! haha