30 Things

On July 24th, 2011 something happened. Something I've been dreading for years. Something that is totally unavoidable and that has caused me a great deal of conflict in my mind.

I turned 30. Yup I said it, I'm telling the world. I am no longer a twenty something wife, mother,blogger, homeowner, crafter, fire performer, concert goer,  etc. I'm all that and I'm 30. Do I have to grow up? Do I have to act my age? How exactly is a 30 year old supposed to act? Everyone keeps saying...Ah you're still so young, just wait til you hit 40. That one really hurts. Well I don't want to grow up. I just want to stay me. The girl with all the hobbies.  I can still do that can't I? I don't have to change just because I had a birthday that sent me into a different decade. (ugh). Nope I'm not going to. I've decided to create a list of 30 things I want to do while I'm 30. Some of these are fun, some will not be fun at the time but will be satisfying in the end and I'm sure some of them will force me out of my comfort zone, causing me to grow. Some will not really be measurable but i think they still have a place on my list. Hopefully by the end of my 30th year I will be able to look back and see how far I've come. 

30 Things To Do When I'm 30

1. Take a photography course
2. Go on a family vacation somewhere we've never been before
3. Master the Behind the Back Weave
4. Read 50 books. (I was going to put 30 to make it fitting, but that surely isn't enough. The date listed is the date I finished the book)                    
                     1.  The Happiness Project July 26, 2011. (Dan gave this to me for my birthday. It's 
                   great. I'll be doing a post about this book real soon)
               2. Life's too Short to Fold Fitted Sheets. July 31, 2011 (A book packed full of tips to make housework easier. One being - 10 Things you have to clean, in order, if company is coming in 30 minutes.)
               3. Orchid Blues by Stuart Woods - August 2, 2011
               4. Orchid Beach by Stuart Woods - August 6, 2011 (Just a note - If you read Orchid Blues and Orchid Beach, read Orchid Beach first. I read them in the wrong order.)
               5. Five Days in Paris by Danielle Steel - Aug 7, 2011
5. Exercise Regularly. At least 3 days a week.
6. Quit Smoking

7. Clean out my closets

8. Take a tour of the Mint. (Aren't you interested in how they make money.)

9. Take Pole Dancing Lessons. (I bought my groupon for this and I saved $580. Yahoo. Only $20 for 20 lessons. Now I just have to go.)

10. Make at least 52 crafts/projects, etc. (One a week. I know I won't do one a week, but if they average to that in a year I'll be happy.)

11. Smile at one stranger a day (at least).

12. Create a family tree.

13. Help someone in need.

14. Print the kagillion of pictures on our computer and organize into albums

15. Complete a 5K run

16. Start Photography Project 365

17. Ride in a hot air balloon

18. Go on a real roller coaster. (The only rollercoaster I've ever been on is the one at Tinkertown. I want to go on a huge, crazy scary roller coaster.)

19. Acquire a Serger

20. Start an Africa Saving Account

21. Eye Doctors Appointment

22. Annual check up

23. Be Happy!

24. Volunteer somewhere

25. Create a time capsule with each child to be opened at their wedding.

26. Learn to throw a boomerang

27. Give Blood

28. Open an Etsy Store

29. Write a Novel

30. Have Fun! (I want to remember to have fun where ever I am, whatever I'm doing. Life is way more enjoyable that way.)

Whenever I complete a task I will cross it off my list with the date and hopefully a little explanation of each task.

I just have to add that when I showed my husband this list his response was "Looks like you're gonna be busy". Yes I will be, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be worth it.

If you have a list of things that you want to do this year, I'd love to hear what you have planned.

Some Front Yard Fire Poi

I haven't posted a video of my favorite hobby yet, so today is the day.  Now it's not the best video or performance but I just wanted to get something on here for ya'll to see. I'll try to get a few more video's this summer for you. Here is me and my fire poi. I hope you enjoy it.

Things I've Learned - Dear 16 Year old me.

I came across this video today and thought it was very fitting to share, especially to those who live here with me in Manitoba.  It is soo cold here for most of the year (like snowy winter from October to April, sometime getting below -40C.), so when it does warm up the majority of us bare most of our skin to get that glowing tan.  Please be careful. One bad sunburn before your 18th birthday doubles your chances of getting melanoma. Not really worth it if you ask me.

Take a look at the video and pass it along.

Vintage Candle Holder Re-Newed

A few weeks ago I was browsing through my local thrift store when I came across an old mirror. All the different ideas on what I could do with it were running through my mind but decided against buying it. It would have been nice if there were a pair of them.

Well, as I was standing in line to pay, it kept calling my name. "Sarah, come on Sarah, take me home". So I did.

Before

Doesn't it remind you of something you would have seen in your grandma's house years and years ago.

The first thing I did was tape the mirror off. I didn't want to get any of the spray paint on the mirror.

all taped up

 Next it was time to spray paint.  I did 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of gloss white.

Don't forget to spray paint your lawn so when people ask what happened you then have a reason to show your project!

After the paint was dry (well actually it sat for a few weeks, until I got around to it again) I glued a small candle holder onto the newly painted candle holder. I first tried my hot glue gun, but that didn't work. So I got out my Amazing Goop!! This is the best glue ever (well it's worked for any test I've put it through). This is what I used to get my Garden Markers to stay on the sticks.

I hung my Re-Newed Candle Holder in my dining room. This is how it turned out.

After

I'd love to know what you think. Leave a comment below.

Thanks for reading!!

I'm linking up to these awesome parties! Check em' out!

Things I love....SOOOO EXCITED

What a great day! This will be kind of a repeat of my last Things I Love...but only better.


Today I love

and the reason I love it even more today, than yesterday is because Anjie Jaye at Crayon Freckles is the best. She sent me my very own invite!! Yahoo. Thank you so much!! You should check out her blog because she is so awesome!!

So now on to why I love Pinterest so much.

You can "Pin" things to "Boards". That means no more forgetting neat ideas for crafts, awesome quotes, recipes, anything.

Just pin it to a board and it'll be there forever. And it's a great place to go for inspiration.  If you'd like to check out my boards and see what Pinterest is all about click here.

Awesome hey. Do you see why I'm so excited :)

If you'd like an invite to pinterest I'd be happy to send you one. Just follow me (the button is over there --> on the left hand bar) and shoot me a comment to tell me you like one.

Well I'm off to go pin some more! Bye for now.

Under 30 Minutes Skirt

Here is a picture of a great little skirt I made last night which took me less than 30 minutes and cost me under $1.00. Hurray!! After telling a few people what I made it out of, I'm kinda scared to share it with the world. But whatever, I think it's cute so I'll share. Can you guess what I used?

Promise not to laugh, or make fun of me. Please.

Ok. I made it out of a pillowcase. I bought the pillowcase for 50 cents. The whole roll of pink trim was only $1.00, so it probably works out to like 10 cents for the amount I used.  And for the waist - I didn't feel like playing with zippers last night, so I just made an elastic waist casing for some elastic I had on hand.

I think for under $1.00 it's great! I hope you liked this quick and easy skirt (and that you're not laughing at me) :)


PS - Isn't the polka dot umbrella great. It actually was raining and I wanted to get these pictures taken while it was still light out.

I'm linking up to

Repurposed Shower Caddy

UPDATE!!!

I was featured on Confessions of a Stay at Home Mommy for my Repurposed Shower Caddy!! Check it out!!

A while back I was on the lookout for a new shower caddy.  I came across a gorgeous brushed nickel one with plenty of shelves for shampoo, soap, a couple hooks for facecloths. You get the idea. It says it fits standard size shampoo bottles. I think it was around $20.00. Perfect.

I bring it home all excited. Something pretty for my bathroom. I take down my old one, put up my new one. Put the soap in it's holder, then the shampoo bottles...what the. They don't fit. C'mon. It says it fits standard sized shampoo bottles, well, that's a lie.

Ugh, I was so mad. Do you ever have those days/weeks where everything you purchase (that you don't really need) is crap. It was one of those weeks.

Now I hate, HATE returning things. So this shower caddy sat for a few weeks. Then one day while trying to find a certain pair of earrings I had a thought. Check it out!!

It has a place for everything!! I have tons of room for earrings, hooks to hang my necklaces, shelves for bracelets. I love it.

What do you think? Have you ever used something for a completely different purpose. If so please share. If you have a blog, feel free to link it up here!

Check out some of the places I've been linking up! Yeah, they're awesome!

Canada Day

Today is Canada Day, and I am so ! I love Canada Day celebrations, fireworks, and being able to spend time with my family on this day to celebrate this great country we live in.

Do you have any family Canada Day traditions that you'd like to share?

From my house to yours, Have a Great and Happy Canada Day!