Weight Loss Challenge {Sumptuous Salads}

Salads aren't my favorite. When I was younger, it seemed that a salad was just like eating grass or leaves (which, I admit, I have eaten before...back in elementary school...probably due to a dare or something--ha!). Add a couple of carrots (yuck!) and tomatoes (ewww!) and eating a salad to me was just plain torture!

But as I entered high-school and later college, I learned to enjoy salads as long as they were drenched in ranch dressing and croutons. :-) But they were never something I craved, you know?

Now as an adult trying to make healthy choices as well as lose weight, salads are a life-saver! I have decided while on this weight loss challenge, that I am gonna work on making salads at home that are really yummy. No more of the lettuce and carrot sticks salad. Nope. It's time I did some research and really explore what all I can put on salads to make me actually want to eat them. And I want to branch out with my salad dressings. I want to try vinaigrettes...OR EVEN...no dressing! Gasp! I actually did that today while I was out. I ordered a delicious Cranberry/Apple/Pecan/Chicken salad from Schlotzsky's and ate it without the dressing. Didn't even miss it!

I've been pinning away on my Salads board on Pinterest. Here are a few stunning salads that I can't wait to try! Click on the pictures to get the recipes. Enjoy!



Sweet Talk Salad (spinach, cup of mixed fresh fruit, bell peppers, nuts, etc.)

Source: undressedskeleton.tumblr.com via Audrey on Pinterest

Rainbow Salad (lettuce mix, mandarin oranges, feta cheese, red peppers, celery, etc.)

Source: undressedskeleton.tumblr.com via Audrey on Pinterest

Tropical Jungle Salad (spinach, blueberries, iceberg, celery, feta cheese, nuts, etc.)

Source: undressedskeleton.tumblr.com via Audrey on Pinterest

Crunchy Cinn-Apple Salad (Red leaf, apple slices, egg, sugar-free apple cinnamon granola, etc.)

Source: undressedskeleton.tumblr.com via Audrey on Pinterest

Blackberry Salad (leafy lettuce, blackberries, tangerine slices, walnuts, etc.)

Source: undressedskeleton.tumblr.com via Audrey on Pinterest

Don't these salads look stunning?? I also want to say that I've recently tried Panera's Fuji Apple Chicken salad and Schlotzsky's Cranberry/Apple/Pecan/Chicken salad, and BOTH were absolutely delicious! With the fruit and nuts and dressings, they are a bit higher in calories; so, what I do is either just get a half-salad with a half-sandwich, or get the full salad without the dressing.

A GREAT tip I got from Marekah over at Working on the Temple is to order your dressing on the side; and as you take each bite, dip your fork in the salad dressing and then get your salad on the fork (instead of pouring the whole serving of dressing on your salad). This will drastically reduce your calories.

Hope you have fun researching your own favorite salads! Keep up the good work!

Color Blocking How To

Color blocking... It's a trend I hated a week ago, but as I played with my clothes and accessories more, I slowly started falling in love with it.

At first I thought there was no rhyme or reason to it.  Boy was I wrong!  Color blocking is all about the color wheel, and thanks to Google and Mrs. Patrick's 10th-12th grade art classes, I was able to start making sense of this trend that has made many appearances over the years.

Here is a color wheel with guide lines for color blocking.  Study the color wheel and guidelines if you would like to know how to put together a great color blocked outfit.

I pulled out a few things in my wardrobe, and tried to pair them based on these rules.  Now keep in mind, a few months ago, I was a neutrals only kind of girl.  (Boring, I know.)  I have slowly been branching out to adding more color to my wardrobe.  So I am somewhat limited in choices.

Outfit Number 1:

Complementary Colors: green and red
Shirt: Old Navy $10; Pants: Forever 21 $10.50; Red Shoes: old; Necklace: Charlotte Russe $1.99; Purse: Old Navy $5 

I was going for the green and red complementary colors here.  My shirt is actually a little greener than this picture shows, but I like that it's not a Christmasy green.

Outfit Number 2:

Analogous Colors: Pink, Purple, and Red
Shirt: Old Navy $8; Skirt: NY&Co old; Red Shoes: old; Necklace: Wet Seal $2; Belt: came off some dress

I'm not sure I love this one, but it worked for analogous color blocking.

Outfit Number 3:

Analogous Colors: Purple, Blue, and a Tealish/Light Blue
Shirt: Forever 21 old; Pants: Forever 21 $10.50; Shoes: Aldo thrifted $4;  Scarf: Charlotte Russe old;  Leopard print belt: Charlotte Russe $5; Bracelet: Forever 21 (part of set and spray painted by me)

Once again, the colors are hard to see in this picture, but in my opinion, this is a more subtle way of color blocking with analogous colors than Outfit Number 2.

Outfit Number 4:

Split-Complementary Colors:Yellow, Blueish Purple
Yellow Shirt: Forever 21 $12; Skirt: Old Navy old; Belt: Forever 21 $5; Shoes: Mossimo thrifted $4.50;  Fake Pearl Necklace: Walmart $8

One of these things is not like the other....  Ok, I forgot to do a Split-Complementary outfit.  So I whipped this up and took a quick pic with my phone.  Yeah.... the lighting is terrible.  To get a better look at the yellow shirt, check out Outfit Number 6.

Outfit Number 5:

Triadic Colors: Blue-ish Purple, Burnt Orange, and Lime-ish green
Shirt: Banana Republic thrifted old; Skirt: Banana Republic Outlet: $14; Shoes: JC Penny $10; Belt: Forever 21 $5; Necklace: thrifted $5

Outfit Number 6:

Triadic Colors: Yellow, Red, and light blue
Cardigan: Forever 21 $14; Shirt: Forever 21 $12; Black Cords: Ralph Lauren thrifted $8; Shoes: old; Purse: Old Navy $20; Necklace: Forever 21 $1.50; Skinny Belt: Forever 21 $2

If you're like me, and you only want to dabble in color blocking, try these inexpensive ways to do it.

1) Accessories- Look for earrings, necklaces, scarves, skinny belts, bracelets, headbands, purses, or whatever!
2) Thrift Store- These are the perfect place to find skirts, shoes, and shirts.
3) Nail Polish- Have fun with it!
4) Spray Paint or dye unwanted items and make them new again!

DIY Dry Shampoo for Dark Hair

I. Love. Dry shampoo. I mean, where has it been my whole life??? Actually, I've even talked about it before. I used to be a wash-daily girl, but now I can go 3-4 days without washing my hair! This has changed my life. I'm not exaggerating. I'm getting quite addicted to 4-minute showers. Plus, it gives texture and volume to my super-fine hair. I have tried several kinds, and my favorite is actually the cheap Suave stuff.

I do have 2 itsy bitsy {monumental} problems with it though. The first is that my husband literally gags and whines any time I use it, claiming it's the most toxic thing he's ever smelled in his whole life. He even told me recently that he has gone so far as looking online to find different kinds in hopes of finding a replacement for me. But alas, they ALL stink. (Though I don't think they're as bad as he does.)

But the other problem is that they all, without fail, leave white residue. Great for blondes hiding dingy roots! Not good for brunettes like me. Expensive, cheap, homemade, they are all the same. You can usually get it all out with brushing and blow-drying, but I wanted to try something else.

I have a friend who buys some powder dry shampoo from her salon that they make in-house. She told me the base ingredient was cocoa! Wow! Who knew?? So I decided to see if I could make a workable version myself. I looked around online and found that corn starch is a favorite for homemade dry shampoo. I even saw that my friend's salon wasn't the first to think of cocoa! ;-)

I used:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• A few drops of scented essential oil (optional -- I personally don't think it added anything)

You could add more cornstarch if you wanted it to be lighter. I wanted pretty dark though, so I just used a little bit to add to the absorbency power.

This is the color I ended up with:

You can see that even with just that little bit of cornstarch, cocoa powder isn't super dark to begin with.

Sprinkle into roots anywhere you want to absorb oil! Rub it into your roots and let it sit for a minute or so. I found that the best thing to do after it sits is to give a quick brush and then fluff/style with the blow dryer. I like doing this anyway, because it gives me fresh volume and smooths my hair.

For now I used an old salt shaker, but I plan to get a powdered sugar shaker like this one. I think it will be less messy and allow for light, even distribution. Plus, I use this stuff all the time, so it's worth getting something I will like and use.

My verdict: I love it!!! I'm honestly surprised at how well it absorbed the oil. It can definitely be messy, so I would recommend doing it before you get dressed just in case you spill some on your clothes. But smelling like chocolate isn't such a bad thing, right?? ;-)

If you try it, leave me a comment and let me know how you like it!

Weight loss challenge update {and an important tip!}

Just checking in to see how your challenge is going. Last week was the first of my 3-week weight loss challenge. I'm trying to lose 10 pounds in 3 weeks. Pretty big goal, and I'm not sure that I'll actually hit that number, but anything is better than nothing! I've been at a plateau for 2 months now, and last week seems to be more of the same. Today was my weigh-in day, and my scale showed no change. :-( Part of the problem is that I started my challenge a couple days before I bought my new scale (the old one was unreliable). So, I really don't know what I originally weighed! Ahhh! Maybe I did lose weight; if I did, it's probably around a pound. Who knows though...

Okay. So, I'm tempted to feel discouraged and think "why try". BUT...I'm learning to overcome that negative thinking, which has been a huge obstacle for me in the past (see my post on overcoming obstacles HERE). Instead, I realize that this is a journey. A life-time journey. No way will I give up!

Also, I know that change happens over time. I need to have patience. I did feel a change last week as I started to get back on track with healthy choices. I felt hungry at times, headachey, and sore when I worked out. Each time I felt something that I'd normally view as negative, I turned it into something positive. So, instead of focusing on how badly I felt, I told myself that this meant that what I was doing was working! Things were changing. My body was getting healthier...stronger. And I began to realize that I had more energy. I also slept better last week.

So, turning negatives into positives and focusing on those positives was a mental victory last week and today after I weighed in and saw no change on the scale. Those mental victories are what it takes to succeed!

I am hopeful that continuing on this week WILL produce results on the scale. I need to take my measurements too so that I can see results in that area. And I do need to work in some areas that I let slip last week. I didn't drink all of my water each day, didn't exercise as much as I wanted to, and even went over on my calories some. The weekends are ALWAYS so hard for me. Maybe I can come up with some tips to keep me on track for Saturdays and Sundays. If you have any, let me know!

In summary, I'd say tip #2 is DON'T GIVE UP! :-) Kind of an obvious one, isn't it? But seriously, this is a journey where overcoming mental obstacles is just as important as seeing physical changes. Perhaps, more important.


Have you learned anything so far on your weight-loss journey? Please share!


P.S. I am SOOO thankful for all my wonderful friends and family who are supporting me. They are a huge part of why I'm motivated to continue on. Thanks, guys!

Update: A good "diet" buddy of mine read my post and was concerned that I was feeling hungry and headachy. She said I should be getting my snacks in so I don't feel that way, and she is completely right! It is very important to eat 5-6 smaller meals a day, rather than 2-3 large meals. I have definitely been having my snacks, but I think if I balance my calories more evenly throughout the day I will not feel those hunger pains that I felt last week. As to the headaches...that's from sugar and caffeine withdrawals! So, just wanted to let y'all know a few more details that I didn't make clear before, and thanks to Marekah for checking on me! She just started a health blog, so go check it out: Working on the Temple!

Love you all!

{Menu Monday} Pizza!

Good Monday morning, everyone! We have some yummy food on the horizon this week. I am trying a new pizza dough for my crust this week. Does anyone have a favorite crust recipe? Share it with me! I'm always looking for something new. :-)

Monday - Beans, Cornbread
Tuesday - Burrito Pie
Wednesday - Quiche, Fried Potatoes, Fruit
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Pizza, Caesar Salad, Garlic Cheesy Bread

Linking up at Org Junkie's Menu Plan Monday and at Rachel's weekly menu linkup

Weight Loss Challenge Tip #1

*Disclaimer: I am not a health professional. Any views I share about weight loss are things I've discovered about myself and relate to me personally. 

I am now into Day 5 of my 3-week weight loss challenge, and it's going pretty good! I've definitely been hungry at times; and after working out yesterday with Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD, I am VERY sore! :-) I hope if you've decided to join me that you're sticking with it and pushing yourself even though it's uncomfortable. Just decide that it's okay to be a little hungry or a little tired or a little sore...that's how we challenge our bodies to change!

Over the next couple weeks, I want to give you small tips here and there that can, I hope, help you on your weight loss journey. This week's tip is a big one! It's time to identify and recognize your obstacles.

Quite a road block!

Tip #1: Recognize your obstacles

I have heard people who have never struggled with weight problems say that those who are overweight are just lazy. Basically, they ask in an exasperated tone, "Come on! What's the big deal? Just eat less and exercise more already!"

Well, may I just say that if I ever come across someone who says that in front of me personally, they will be receiving a punch in the nose! And I'm a very sweet person. :-) It takes a lot to rile me. But this kind of attitude definitely does! Just because YOU don't struggle with weight, doesn't mean that those who do are lazy. In fact, most overweight people are the hardest working people on the planet! They tend to be the ones who are selflessly serving and watching over everyone else, which can result in neglecting themselves.

Everyone struggles with something. For those of us who battle weight, our struggles are a bit more...ummm, obvious. A bit more public. Those who don't struggle with weight are definitely struggling with something else. So, let's not criticize people with weight issues.

Okay. Done with my soap box for now. :-) My tip for this week is for you to do some soul-searching. Really begin to analyze and figure out what has contributed to your weight struggles. What obstacles have you not been able to get past?

I believe that emotional and spiritual issues are at the root of most weight problems. It's not just about the physical. It's about the mental. I have done a lot of soul-searching over the last 6 months, and I've learned a lot about myself and why I allowed myself to gain weight. I've recognized issues, mainly emotional and spiritual (although physical bad habits like eating out/overeating/not getting enough sleep/stress/etc. have definitely contributed) that have affected my THOUGHT patterns which in turn have produced choices and actions leading to weight gain.

Many times, these issues are rooted in FEAR. Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of not performing well, fear of pain, fear of unwanted attention, fear of not getting the attention you want, etc.

FEAR is one of the greatest obstacles to success in general. It is a major part of the enemy's plan to deceive and destroy. Thankfully, it is also an obstacle that can be overcome once we expose the lies we've allowed ourselves to believe and replace them with statements/beliefs of truth.

Which is why this week's tip is to be honest with yourself. Really examine your history of weight problems. What negative things have you let slip into your way of thinking? What things in your past or present are keeping you from moving forward with your weight loss goals? Just make a list and write them all down. The following is a list of things that you might identify with...

• Growing up with bad habits (perhaps you had access to sweet stuff all the time)
• Stress (this can be a huge factor!)
• Lack of organization (which could cause poor time management and result in things like eating out fast food all the time)
• Poor time management or just being very busy
• Not knowing how to cook healthy foods
• Emotional, spiritual, or physical trauma of some kind
• Major lifestyle changes (examples: new college student, newly wed, new parent, new job, new living location, etc.)
• Loneliness
• Fear
• Pain
• Depression
• Bad examples 
• Lack of exercise
• No funds
• Perfectionism/legalism
• Addiction
• Negative relationships
• Exhaustion
• Anger
• Lack of patience
• Improper self-worth

The list could go on and on! But what's important is for you to figure out what your list looks like, because only then can you begin to untangle yourself from the things that have kept you in bondage. Try to get as specific as possible. It might take you several days to compile this list, but just keep working on it!

Recognizing these obstacles is the first step to freedom and success! Pray and ask God for help as you begin to do some major soul-searching this week. Find a friend or family member who can support and encourage you with your weight loss goals. That is so important! And don't forget that what you think affects who you are...

"...for as he thinks in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7

"...the truth shall set you free." John 8:32

Love you all!

P.S. Again, I am not a health professional. The list I made above is not comprehensive. Many people struggle with weight due to health concerns not associated with emotional issues. Things they have no control over. My list applies to people like me who struggle with weight due to a variety of factors that, ultimately, we can have control over. So, please realize that these posts will not apply to everyone. I only seek to share some of the important discoveries I have made so far on my weight loss journey in hopes that they might help someone else!

The Color Purple (AKA my first attempt at self portraiture)

Me and fashion. Well, we don't really get along. I wasn't raised to appreciate it, and it's never really made a move to attract my attention. For as long as I can remember, as long as it wasn't too holey, wrinkled, or immodest, it didn't really matter what style, color, brand, or quality. I went from a high school with a strict dress code, to college jeans and hoodies, to mom clothes without a second thought. If a piece of clothing didn't have a specific purpose to keep me warm or cover skin, it had no business in my wardrobe. Accessories?? Fuhgeddaboutit!

And then along came this Defrump Me idea. Let me just say, I feel like the one of us in most need of defrumping! When it comes to fashion and home decor, I just freeze like a deer in the headlights! Part of it has to do with being unable to pull the trigger on buying something of quality for myself. I think that's common for a lot of moms. We spend all our time, energy and money on others with very little left over for ourselves.

Unfortunately, this can take a toll on us emotionally and even physically. When you're looking frumpy, you're feeling frumpy. And yes, hubster loves me no matter what I've got on, but when I'm rockin' the frump, it's hard to wrap my mind around that. I feel much more confident and, well, sexy for him when I've put some effort into what I'm wearing and how I'm looking. And if you are lacking confidence in how you look already, chances are that it's going to be harder to make the lifestyle changes needed to get you where you want to be physically.

Anyway, last week I sold a baby sling, and I set aside that check for a thrift store shopping spree. Guilt free spending — all. for. me!! :-) Monday I grilled Amber and our friend Katie all day on what was in/out, what I should look for specifically, and what would look good on my body type. (I'm really hoping that Amber condenses what I learned down into a helpful blog post for the rest of you. It was amazingly helpful. Like she was in my head the whole time I was shopping.)

Wednesday, armed with my fashion cheat sheet, the baby, several hours, and some cash, I hit up the Goodwill (GW) and a great local thrift shop called Potter's House (PH) with a relaxing picnic lunch with hubster (in the 70 degree sunshine) at a park between shops. Can I just say it was a good day?

I tried on about 50 items and took pictures of each one and sent them to the girls for their input (Thanks again, gals!) For $53, I came away with 7 brand name tops (including Banana Republic and NY&Co), 3 pairs of jeans (Gap), 4 pairs of shoes (including some black patent 4" heeled Aldos for $6!), and a purse. That average is less than $3.50 per item. Woohoo!! Happy dance!!

So, in celebration, I am doing a post that is HIGHLY out of character for me - it's an outfit post! =O And, being home alone with 3 kids 5 and under (none of them capable or trustworthy enough to operate Daddy's dslr camera), it is also a test of my limited self-photography skills. (Warning: lots of pictures)

"Wait. Should I smile or not?"

Oops.

"Yeeaaahh, I'm not so sure about this."

 I had the hardest time positioning this silly purse! Plus, it's empty, so, yeah, now you know my secret.

Oh, and I live in a neighborhood at a busy crossroads. So people are passing by thinking, "Who's that silly lady in the heels and purse that keeps rushing between that camera on a tripod and the wall to pose all goofy?" Oh well, gave them something to think about. I just tried to look like I knew what I was doing.

On the verge of speech. But I think this one shows the outfit the best.

So, most of this outfit came from my shopping spree:

Black tank - Old Navy $2 one of their door buster deals like 2 years ago

Purple top - Forever 21 (I think), Goodwill (GW) $3.50

Lavender cardigan - NY&Co, GW $3.50

Jeans - Gap, Potter's House $5

Black purse - ??, GW $4

Pinkish-purple shoes - Steve Madden, GW $2.50

Necklace and earrings - Premier Jewelry, like 8 years old, so it doesn't count. :-)

Oh, and the flip-flops in the pics above are also Old Navy $2.50

Grand total: $20.50!! Not too shabby! Especially since it has accessories!!

Don't you want a closer look at those shoes? Yes? Good!

Yep, desperately in need of a pedicure, but at least I got some polish on those puppies!

That polish is Sally Hansen, by the way. Bought with a coupon at Walmart a while back. The color is "No Hard Feelings." And those "imperfections" are what happens when you are too impatient to let the polish dry before putting on shoes. ;-)

Aren't they so cute? Dress this outfit right up.

From around the house and errands in flip-flops, to date night in heels, gotta love a versatile outfit!

Oh, that necklace has a story too. See, it used to be a bracelet. I loved that thing! Anyway, some curious hands broke it, but it lived a good long life of 8+ years, so nobody got into too much trouble. I saved the beads hoping someone with more skill than I have could repair it. My impatience got the better of me again today. Knowing how perfectly it would go with my outfit, I set out to make it a necklace.

 I used dental floss to string the beads for its durability, the way I could point it through the little holes without a needle, and for it's minty-fresh scent! (Just kidding about that last part, but really, why shouldn't your neck smell good?)

Then, inspired by this post about necklace repair using a ribbon, I proceeded to tie some small, black ribbon to each end of the floss.

Tied it at the side - so one side is longer than the other. And took some pictures of myself in the mirror. Someday I'll get this right!

Also, you can see the short sleeves of my purple top. It will transition well into summer.

Oh, and then I thought maybe I could point the camera at myself instead of at the mirror. That's why the tie is on the other side. Smooth.

Okay, So now you get why the title "The Color Purple" (Previously "Purple Reign" vetoed by hubster.)— what do you think? Purple overload? I like the color. Think it looks good one me, and might I suggest it could be considered monochromatic color blocking similar to this?

Alright I'm done. Let me know what you think. I know I don't know enough to get my feelings hurt, so critique away!

Spice Cabinet Project Part 2 {cabinet door message board}

Remember last week when I revealed my messy, disorganized (and I could even say dangerous) spice cabinet?

I made these fun custom spice jars to remove some of the cluttering containers from the cabinet to a drawer. (P.S. If you like my labels, you can find a link to them here.) 

This week I worked on some more decluttering. I threw out a few old boxes of hot tea packets, condensed a few others, and attempted to containerize some like items. I was even able to add in some other useful things - salt carton, hot pot, and coffee creamers. Here's my progress shot:

Still a work in progress, and I've got a couple more projects planned to take care of these containers.

Today I worked on a project for the inside of the cabinet door. For months, I've had little notes taped up or wedged into the wood work - mostly spice mix recipes. But I've wanted some kind of board there on the inside of the cabinet door where it's handy but out of sight.

I did a Pinterest search and found some potential ideas here.

Source: infarrantlycreative.net via Susan on Pinterest

Here's what I had to work with. I measured the inset area and it came up just slightly under 12"x20". (Nasty grease smear at the bottom corner. What can I say? I cook and use this cabinet all the time!)

I originally envisioned cork board there, but quality cork was too expensive and the cheap options were too thin and flimsy or brittle to work with here. So I decided to go with a magnetic option.

With my limited time, budget and home improvement skills (read: impatience), I tried to come up with the quickest and easiest option. Enter...

The Cookie Sheet! Lightweight piece of magnet-friendly metal in a convenient, no-cut size!

Additional cast members purchased from Walmart today:

Small magnetic cork board $.97 (my favorite, but there was only one)

Long and narrow borderless cork board $2.97

Self-adhesive mounting squares $3.77

New measuring spoons and cups (several of mine are missing, and I started with 2 sets!!) $.88

Oh, and the brand new cookie sheet was $2.88

Just to be safe, I checked it's magnetic strength and ability to hold a suction cup. :-)

So then I took the mounting squares...

...and attached them to the corners of the back of the sheet. 

There's kind of a ridge around the edge of the bottom, so I just put it right on the edge there.

Okay, now that I've loaded and edited all the pictures and gotten this far writing this post, I've learned something, and I think it would be prudent to include here. Non-stick pans, while great for baking, are not so compatible with adhesive squares. One would think this would be obvious, but it's not. So, an hour or two after "finishing" the project, as I'm showing it off to hubster, the "magnetic message board" fell right down, nearly into our creamy tortilla soup, causing me to jump off the ground and spill a ladle of said soup. Go me!

Moral of the story: Shortcuts are great for long journeys, bad for home improvement projects. Here's what I'm going to do to remedy the situation (I'll choose one or two from this list of options):

1. Coat this pan or a cheap replacement with spray paint or mod podge or both.

2. Get a cheap pan that is not non-stick

3. Scuff the edges so that the squares will have something to stick to

4. Bite the bullet and use actual glue

Now you know...the rest of the story. Moving on...

Once I got it mounted, here's what it looked like.

I knew that I wanted space below the sheet to hang my measuring cups and spoons. I experimented with a couple of hook options that I had on hand, but I'm not happy with those. Here's an idea of what I'm going for.

I thought it looked a little too plain and, well, cookie-sheet-ish. So I trimmed a sheet of scrapbook paper that matches my spice jars and stuck it up there. Easy-peasy. I'm so impatient. 

I couldn't help a little word joke. Do you "C" it? And yes, I fully recognize my dorkiness.

Also, isn't this little magnetic cork board that you see in the corner of the cookie sheet just so cute? For $.97, I wish I'd found a couple more because they are actually solid 1/2" cork with a full sheet of magnet on the back.

You may be wondering where that other narrow cork board went. Well, I didn't like any of the possible ways it could fit in this cabinet, but I found a perfect spot for it nearby. The mounting squares seem to be doing just fine with this piece.

This nearby cabinet holds my cookbooks and paper recipes, so it's a great spot for this. 

Okay, so that's all for this installment. I'm definitely not done tinkering in this area, but I will for sure share with you whatever I come up with. If you have some handy tips for me that you'd like to pass along, I am very open to them!

Partying here: 
Five Days...Five Ways
Mom on Timeout
TidyMom
Making Lemonade
Naptime Crafters
The Shabby Nest
Happy Hour Projects
Six Sisters Stuff