This is Not a Real Post.

Hello out there (assuming anyone is still listening)!  Just like the title states, this is not a real post.  It's going to be more of a photo dump.  After more issues with my teeth and continued dealings with a sick cat, I just really haven't felt like writing.  I think about writing a lot, I even do projects and take pictures to go along with blog posts, but very seldom do I even actually feel like writing.  If there are any fellow bloggers reading this, you understand that writing a blog post can be a long, tiresome project.  I always attempt to make each post as perfect as I can before publishing, and that can take hours.  And, when I don't feel like spending hours writing/editing a post until it is perfect, I simply don't do anything at all.  And then this blog sits silent, which is boring.  Sometimes I feel like I can actually hear readers unsubscribing every day that goes by without posting.  So today I am just hashing this out, minimal editing, in an attempt to just post SOMETHING.  Hopefully it will help get me out of my "I don't feel like blogging" slump.  So here you go.

The following is nothing more than a series of pictures I took two days ago when I suddenly felt like doing something resembling actual cleaning.  They are nothing more than simple before and after shots of key areas I targeted as needing extra attention.  I used my iPhone to take them, so they kind of suck.  I really need to just start using my real camera again, but the iPhone is just so handy.  (Read: I'm lazy).  On to the pics!

Video shelf before. (The beer bottles so belong to the Tall Cute Guy.  I hate beer!)

Video shelf after.

Night stand before.  (Have I mentioned I'm a Coke addict?)

Night stand after.

Bathroom shelves before.

Bathroom shelves after.

Bathroom sink before.

Bathroom sink after.

Overall view of the clean bathroom.

Ok, that wasn't so bad.  The post is far from perfect, but if I aim for perfect every time nothing will ever get done/written.  Sometimes you just have to settle for "good enough".

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Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps

A few months ago I somehow discovered a new favorite product of mine, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps. I honestly have no idea how this stuff showed up on my radar, but I am sooo glad it did.  From DrBronner.com:

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Announcement!

Sooooo, yeah. I turned on the word verification thingy you have to use if you want to post a comment.  Sorry about that, but seeing that since my last blog post I have had 1 real comment and, oh, I don't know, 5 BILLION spam comments that I have to report and deny publication, it had to be done.  Believe me, I hate word verification as much as you do, but getting so much spam and so few real comments has really bummed me out/ticked me off.  Sorry again!

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Price Sheet Template Available for Download

Hello again dearies! As I mentioned in my last post, a reader had requested that I help her create a similar price sheet like the one the Tall Cute Guy and I cooked up to help me track the prices of items I purchase on a regular basis. I use this sheet to see at which stores I would score the best deals. TCG has a lot more spreadsheet experience than I do, so instead of me trying and inevitably failing to explain the formula he used to create the columns that generate the unit price, best price and best stores, I just turned the version I use into a blank template that you can just download and fill in with your own information. Let's get started!

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I Want an Epidural For My Face, and I Want it NOW!

I'm back-ish.  The ongoing tooth/mouth pain I've been dealing with spiraled out of control in the last couple of weeks, so here is the update on that:

I had two more back molars that were thought to be the root of all this pain, and the decision was made to have them extracted and be done with it. I had that procedure done last Thursday, and I left the office happy as a clam thinking that FINALLY I would get some much needed relief. Only, by the next day, my mouth pain was worse. Now, I have had teeth pulled before and know what the healing process is supposed to feel like and the pain I was in was not normal. I called my dentist's emergency line that following Saturday and she ordered me more pain medication to get me through to Monday when I could go see her in the office. The pain meds did NOTHING. It was pure agony. I felt like all the teeth on the right side of my mouth had been smashed with a hammer, there were electric shocks that would run through my jaw, down my neck and to my shoulder. And then there was the muscle spasms.  For you ladies who have had children, imagine labor pains in your MOUTH. For weeks. There were times I wanted to die.

Monday came and I got to the dentist (my sister had to drive me because by this point I could barely go a few minutes without having another pain attack, and I had been awake for over 24 hours due to the pain). She checked me for things like dry socket at the extraction sites, and I had more x-rays. Nothing abnormal showed up. The diagnosis was is that I have facial neuralgia, which basically means the nerves on that side of my face have gone haywire. It can be very hard to treat and is very often mis-diagnosed. The best my dentist could do for me is give me a muscle relaxant to try and calm the muscle spasms, and thank god, they are helping. As long as I take them the intense "for-the-love-of-god-kill-me-now" pain has subsided to a manageable level. The down side-they make me so tired and loopy it's hard to function. I can't drive, and I basically wander around like a zombie when I'm awake. It's actually taken me days to write this one post. There have been a few times where the Tall Cute Guy has called me and apparently I answered the phone, but he barely recognized my voice and I have little to no memory of those calls.

The upside is, there has at least been improvement in my condition. For some people, neuralgia never goes away, and it's literally known to be one of the most painful conditions known to man. It even has earned the nickname "The Suicide Disease". Other treatments can include anti-seizure medication and laser surgery.  If I don't continue to improve the next step for me will be a neurologist, but due to my lack of health insurance, that's not really an option. Fun.

Anyway, just as a heads up- one of my readers (Momma F) asked if I would please share my price list spreadsheet that I showed you in this post. Don't worry Momma, I haven't forgotten you in my pain and drug-induced stupor, and that post should be up by tomorrow.

Till then, I'll be where I've been spending most of my time lately- zonked the heck out. By the way-the title of this post is literally something I said to my dentist. In the nicest way possible of course.  

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Owie.

I. Am. In. So. Much. Pain.  It's not even funny.  For about the past 6 months I have been dealing with the seemingly never ending saga of getting my teeth fixed.  Fillings. Root canals.  Extractions.  Not fun. But, that's what happens when you don't have dental insurance and earn poverty-level wages.  I only have a few things left to get worked on, but at the moment my most pressing issues are two back molars that have already been worked on, but to no avail.  The fillings are  very deep and the nerves are very agitated.  I could get them root-canaled, but that costs about $1,000 each.  Not really an option.  Instead, I am going to have them pulled, but after having nearly gone into shock from the trauma the last time I had one pulled, I am insisting I be knocked-the-hell-out this time.  (Note: I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled with only local-anesthetic, and I did just fine, so when the oral surgeon wanted to pull my #15 molar local-only, I didn't think it would be a big deal.  I was wrong.  I left the office shaking, dizzy, sweating, and crying.  Never again.)  Because I want to be asleep with no memory of the event this time around, I have to go to a consult appointment with the oral surgeon first.  That appointment is for Monday.  If all goes according to plan, they will be pulled Friday, and Friday can't come fast enough.  In the mean time I am hurting.  Bad.  Normally for tooth pain I just take Ibuprofen  and that does the trick nicely.  If I need more help, I add on some Oragel and ice packs.  If that doesn't help, I try warm salt-water rinses.  If THAT doesn't help, it's time to call in the big guns.  My dentist gave me a prescription for Vicodin last week, and she knows that if I ask for pain meds, I must REALLY be hurting.  I almost couldn't take my first dose fast enough.  The problem is, even Vicodin isn't working.  It get a small amount of relief for about 2 hours, and then the pain is back to full-intensity.  It's miserable.  I'm miserable.  I fall asleep with ice packs on my face, and the moment I wake up in the morning the entire right side of my face starts to throb.  Plus, the pain meds make me really sleepy and wonky-feeling, so it's very hard to feel motivated to do anything.  All I want to do is lay in bed and watch Law and Order: SVU on Netflix.  I told you all of this to explain the next part of the story:

Yesterday I was in the drugstore waiting in the pharmacy line to pick up my prescription refill, looking like a hot mess.  I had no makeup on, my hair was in a messy ponytail, and I was wearing scrubby yet comfy clothes. I had big dark circles under my eyes.  The Tall Cute Guy said that he can actually tell how much pain I'm in because he can see it on my face, and it was showing in full view as I stood in that line. As I was waiting, I hear a woman in line behind me chatting on her cell phone about "if you want to wear nude eye shadow, you really need to wear fake lashes so your eyes will pop" and other such beauty-related topics.  After a few minutes I turned around to sneak a peek at her, and realized it was a girl I had gone to high school with. I immediately whipped my head back in the other direction, hoping she didn't spot me looking like such a wreck.  I mentally kicked myself for not following the FlyLady "rule" of getting dressed to shoes, including fixing my hair and makeup.  Now, there I was, looking like death warmed over in front of one of my old classmates, who of course looked completely put together and worthy of being seen in public.  I did not.  It was embarrassing.  I'm pretty sure it was situations like this that the rule was invented in the first place.  I felt like such a loser.

Normally, I DO fix my hair and makeup before going out, and I really enjoy having that confidence of looking put together while I'm out and about.  I felt like I had failed myself big time, and that pain or no pain, I should have sucked it up and put my best face forward.  But then again, maybe this kind of thinking is just my perfectionism getting in the way and I should cut myself some slack?  I don't know.  All I do know is that I'm in pain, and I feel embarrassed.  So, I'm asking you- should I have sucked it up and cleaned myself up before heading out to the pharmacy, or should I cut myself some slack?   

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Bargain Bounty Hunter

Like many people, I have certain products that I consider to be my go-to, favorite, or "holy grail", if you will. For me, one of these products is Sally Hansen Insta-Dri No Chip Top Coat for my nails.  It's the only top coat I use, and I've never had a complaint about it. Normally when I'm running low, I pick a bottle up at CVS for about $7.50.  That price runs right about what Seche Vite top coat costs (another holy grail product in the nail polish world), so I never really thought much about it.

                                                          

About a week ago, I was shopping at Drug Mart (it's an Ohio thing) and happened to notice this same top coat was priced at about $4.99. I was a little miffed at having overspent on so many bottles of this stuff over the last couple years, but I chalked it up to live-and-learn and made a mental note to purchase my next bottle at Drug Mart. That is, until I saw it selling at Target for about $3.50.  Then I was mad.  Not mad at CVS, Drug Mart, Target or Sally Hansen, but more mad at the situation that I had never even thought that I could find it for less and just kept on paying over double the price without question. This little incident sent me on a mission to find out what else I might be over-paying for.

I started by listing all the stores where I normally shop (Target, CVS and Drug Mart being my main stores, and Walgreens, Ulta and Rite Aid thrown in because sometimes I'll pop in there just to see if anything good is on sale), and then listing all the products I use on a regular basis.  Right now I have confined the list to cosmetics , hygiene and pet products, but groceries can be added later.

Next, I created a spreadsheet (with Tall Cute Guy's help) on Google Docs (Google Drive, whatever it's called now) with all this information.  The hard part was then going to all these stores and writing down the base prices for each and every single item on my list.  I'm pretty sure the store clerks thought I was either crazy, shoplifting, or both the way I kept bouncing around from aisle to aisle for about 30 minutes, then leaving without buying anything. It took a a few days to gather all my prices and enter them into the spreadsheet, but now that it's done (with the exception of Rite Aid), I can tell you it's worth it.

Click to enlarge

The two columns at the end are set up to show the lowest of all the prices I entered for a particular item and which store that price is associated with.  Then I know to buy THAT item at THAT store unless I have a coupon or another deal at a different store that can beat that price.

I added a column after the item names so that I could input a numerical code telling me what level of "need" I had for the products.  Level 1 is "in stock, don't need any", Level 2 is "starting to run low, begin to check circulars for deals", and Level 3 is "out of stock, get off your butt and go buy at the Best Store listed price NOW".  Normally I would have just highlighted the product names in green, yellow and red to tell me this, but Google spreadsheets does not currently have the ability to sort by color like I wanted.  Ergo, the extra column with the numerical code and conditional formatting to add the color automatically.  Below is what the spreadsheet looks like when I have sorted it according to "need":

Click to enlarge

A few things to mention/add:

1. I have both Target and Target Online listed as retailers. This is because some items are available in store, online, or both, and this helps me remember that.  For the most part, Target's in-store and online prices have matched up.

2. The prices shown for Target and Target Online are not what the price tags actually listed.  Because I have a Target Red (Debit) Card, I get 5% off my purchases, and always have free shipping from Target Online.  I entered my data to already show that discounted price to accurately generate my best price and best store data.

3. I ended up entering a store called Earth Fare (think Trader Joe's or Whole Foods) as a retailer mainly because I am currently in love with Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap products.  Until now I have been purchasing these goodies from Target. The other day, Tall Cute Guy and I stopped in Earth Fare just to scope it out, and imagine my surprise when I saw that they not only carried a much larger selection of Dr. Bronner products, but at MUCH lower prices than Target!  Overall, Target is winning as my "Best Store" according to my spreadsheet, and normally I associate organic/health food stores as having higher retail prices.  This was a double whammy on selection and price, so I added it to my list.

4. I did not include Walmart as a retailer.  I hate Walmart.

This spreadsheet has only been in existence for a few days and already it's helping me save money.  And, in a sick-nerdy way, it's fun sorting the sheet by brand, item, need level, etc.  I've caught myself staring at it for no reason.  It's sort of like pricing-data porn...

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Pill Popper

Hello all!  I just got home from having a root canal, so yeah, I'm feeling awesome.  (That was sarcasm.) Actually, this was Root Canal-The Sequel, since the endodontist began the job a month ago, but just as the appointment was ending and I thought I was free, he mentioned that I would have to let the medicine he injected into the roots sit in there for a month.  I was instructed to come back in 4 weeks so I could sit though everything AGAIN and then I'd be done.  Stupid tooth.  Needless to say I've had better mornings.  But, having this done reminded me that I wanted to share a new-to-me-iPhone app that I started using last month after Root Canal-Part One.

After that first appointment, I was in a LOT of pain.  Even though the nerve in my tooth was gone, the pressure of having the medication injected into the roots caused irritation up in my bone above the tooth and it felt like I had been hit in the face with a baseball bat.  I called the endodontist and he was nice enough to give me some pain meds which I was to take in conjunction with standard ibuprofen.  The addition of this new pain-management routine plus the medications I take on a daily basis anyway became a little too much for me to remember.  Putting them all on a to-do list or my calender cluttered things up too much, so I began looking for an iPhone app that was designed specifically for this purpose.

After looking at a few, I finally decided on the app "Pillboxie".

You can enter all the medications you take, enter their dosage details, set a schedule, and view your medication history.

For each medication, you can edit how it appears and make it look as close to the real thing as possible.

To set the schedule, you actually drag and drop the pills into a little pill container !

You can set reminders for multiple users.  My cat Binx is listed as a user so I remember to give him his antibiotic!

Also, you can set different music to play for each user so you know who's alarm it is when it goes off.  Mine sounds like a harpsichord, and Binx's sounds like hand bells.  Too cute!  If you happen to be busy or driving when the alarm goes off, there is a snooze function you can press to remind you again in a few minutes.  Very helpful.  

So, that's Pillboxie.  It's cute and it works, 'nough said.  It's currently listed at the price of $0.99 cents.

I'm exhausted, time for a nap.

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All Lacquered Up

Some of you may remember back in the day I wrote this post about how I was going to dedicate my Sundays to being my "pamper mission" days.  Back then I couldn't paint my nails because I was working for a living history museum, so instead I choose to paint my toes.  Well, you could say that is is one FlyLady habit that actually stuck with me all this time, only it's grown from being a once-a-week  activity to nearly a full-blown obsession.

I noticed that right after I left the museum I started painting my finger nails on a more regular basis, simply because I could.  After awhile, I started to like it, a LOT.  I felt so put-together and girly when my nails were painted, and I felt that it showed other people that I put effort into taking care of myself.  I began to do searches online for nail polish reviews so I could stop wasting my time and money on polishes that didn't apply well/would look horrible on me.  That's when I discovered the world of Beauty-Bloggers.  Holy crap.  There are a TON of them out there, and they have sucked me into their little universe of nail polish swatches, lipstick reviews, dupe alerts, etc.  I believe one of the first beauty blogs I started to read on a regular basis was Nouveau Cheap written by a woman we simply know as "G".  She focuses mainly on drugstore products which is totally fine by me and my debit card.  It was through G that I began to try products by the classic cheap-o brand Wet 'n' Wild, a line of products that I had never used even as a poor teenager because I was under the (mistaken) impression that cheap=crap.  I was soooo wrong!  I currently use their nail polish, mascara and eye shadows, and all fall into what I call my "Holy Grail" beauty products.

Now, I know this isn't a beauty blog.  I have tinkered with the idea of starting one but have decided it would just be another project that I would put a lot of time and energy into only to fizzle out and abandon.  Plus, at this point the internet is so saturated with beauty bloggers I highly doubt I would ever make a name for myself among them.  I'm not looking to be the go-to nail polish swatch and review gal.  If someone happens to come across one of my beauty-related posts during a Google search and it helps them out, well that's all I could hope for.  So-from now on my FlyLady related posts will also have a dose of girly-makeup stuff sprinkled in.  If you don't like it, I'm sure there is an unsubscribe button around here somewhere... (I'm just kidding, please don't leave me!)

I figure I will start things off by showing you whatever nail polish I am wearing when the mood strikes me.  Today is Wet 'n' Wild MegaLast "I Need a Refresh-Mint":

Despite "mint" being in the name, this color leans very blue.  Tiffany-blue to be exact.  It is one of several polishes that came out in the last few years that tried to mimic the signature Tiffany & Co. robin's egg/teal shade of blue that they are known for.  I have to say, WnW did I really great job with this one, and it only costs $1.99! You may also notice that it almost matches my blog's background color.  When I designed this blog, I tried to pick a color that was Tiffany-blueish.

I do feel the need to mention that the formula of this polish was a bit hard to work with for me- it didn't seem to want to apply evenly and would start what is known as "balding" when I began to add my second coat.  I ended up changing the brush for a smaller one from an old SinfulColors polish I didn't like, and the smaller brush helped a tiny bit with my control of the product.  I also added a little bit of nail polish thinner (not nail polish REMOVER, don't do that!) since my bottle was a little thick.

Despite my efforts, I still don't find it the easiest polish to work with, so I don't wear it that often.  I pulled it out 2 nights ago assuming I was going to struggle all over again, but for some reason the nail polish gods were smiling down on me and it ended up being one of the best polish-jobs I have ever done, in any color!  The photo was taken after 48 hours of wear.

Manicure ingredients:

1 coat CND Stickey Base Coat

3 coats Wet 'n'Wild "I Need a Refresh-Mint"

1 coat Sally Hansen Insta-Dri No Chip Top Coat.  (Don't even get me started on chipped nails.  I'll save that rant for another day.)

Oh, and since I used my iPhone to take the photo, I figured I'd also include a photo from a REAL beauty blogger and not a hack-job like me:

                                    Source: polishetcetera.blogspot.com via Chandra on Pinterest

OK, time to go, the Tall Cute Guy is going to be here soon!

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BabyStep1: Meet the Newest FlyGuy!

Hello lovelies! Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to the newest FlyLady hostage  member, and ladies- keep your hands to yourself because he's MINE.  I'll cut you.  Just kidding.  (Maybe).  Anyway, please welcome to our little cult, standing at 6'5" tall, the newest FlyGuy, "The Tall Cute Guy"!

Me convincing the Tall Cute Guy why he should try FlyLady-ing with me.

In actuality, he really didn't need much convincing.  (The above photo was taken on our second date, and we were just joshing around for the camera.)  I briefly mentioned the idea to him last week and didn't get much of a response, but then I flat out and asked him if he would do it the other night and he said yes.  Very little whining involved on my part.  Sweet.

Yesterday after work I went over to TCG's apartment and was prepared to do a little FlyLady planning session.  You know, explain the system, get signed up for the emails, yada yada yada.  Imagine my surprise when he told me he had already gone onto FlyLady.net and looked up information on where he should begin!  The following conversation went something like this:

TCG: "So, apparently the first thing I'm supposed to do is shine my sink.  I don't really get that".

Me: [Begins to prepare speech in head about WHY it's the first step and how he really needs to do it, even if he doesn't understand it, because that's how you're supposed to start FlyLady and why can't you just do what she/I tell you to do, you're already backing out of this, and , and AND...]

TCG: "So I went to the store after work and bought some bleach and Comet because that's what FlyLady said to use."  [Pulls the cleaning supplies out of the cupboard]

Bam.

Me: [Speechless]

I really didn't know what to say!  I am so used to people questioning/mocking the FlyLady system and running for the hills if I ask them to participate, I really wasn't expecting him to be such a willing and involved participant!  I wasn't even prepared to take photos of the sink-scrubbing process and didn't have a real camera with me, so I had to settle for sub-par iPhone pics.

Sink before.  He had already taken the dishes out and started to
clean when I yelled at him to stop so I could take a  "before" picture.
Doesn't he know how blogging works?

Soaking in the bleach water for an hour (I still don't understand this step).

The following video was taken as the sink was soaking in the bleach water and the Tall Cute Guy started to use his pocketknife to scrape the gunk out from around the edges (please ignore my cackling laugh):

Scrubbing with the Comet.  He didn't have rubber gloves, so he used a
plastic bag from Target to protect his hands.  Classy!

All done!  Ooooo, shiny!

After it was all over, he was EXHAUSTED!  I told him that was partially the point, IMO.  Doing all that manual labor makes you never want to have to do it again, preventing you from mucking it up so badly in the future.

Commentary from the Tall Cute Guy after the sink was shining:

1.  I am a sink Nazi.

2.  He doesn't think the bleach step really matters, either.

3.  He is pretty OCD about keeping his car clean, and he thinks trying to maintain his apartment to that level as well may be too much.  He thinks that if he has to pick one, the car will win.

4.  Ugghhhhhhmmmmmmmmpppph.  (He lost the ability to speak by that point due to fatigue.)

Before I left, I told TCG that the next BabyStep was to get dressed to shoes first thing in the morning.  Shouldn't be a problem, since he does that anyway on work-days.  Hope you enjoyed!

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Things I Did When I Wasn't Here

Hey Y'all, check it out! I ACTUALLY came back and posted the "where the heck I've been in the million years since I last posted" post.  Let's get right to it, shall we?

1.  The last time I wrote a post was July 9, 2011.  I was yammering on about the new purple clutch purse I purchased on clearance at Target and was using as a wallet.  I think that post deserves the "Most Spam Comments EVER" award.  I still use the wallet.

2.  I left my job at the living history museum.  To put it as delicately as possible, I did not feel that I could tolerate the way they treated their staff, and after 2 years I decided I wasn't going to put up with their shenanigans.  I wish I could say I left gracefully, but things had gotten so bad that it went more like this: 
 

There are days where I still miss the place and what I did there, but I had to finally stand up for myself and put my foot down. Since then (I left over a year ago), I have been working at a major university and recently started a new company with several other ex-staff from the museum. We have created our own living history programming and are now able to enjoy the work we do, which is how it should be.

3. I used to post a lot about my Mom's fight against ovarian cancer, and I'm sorry to report that Mom lost that fight on January 24, 2012. The last couple months of her life were a very difficult time involving things no one should have to see their loved one go through. It was physically and emotionally draining, and I don't care to get into detail if you don't mind.

4. There is a new-ish (6 months and still going) man in my life, and surprise of all surprises, last night he agreed to try the FlyLady system with me this time around! Yea, I have a FlyBuddy!

5. I didn't make any New Years resolutions, but I am trying to do this cute little project I found on Pinterest:

It's a cute little jar that you add little memories to throughout the year, and then on New Year's Eve you empty the jar and look at what you'd saved.

I gotta end things here, I need to be leaving for work soon! Laters!

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Ugh, I Have to Think of a Post Title?

Hello my lovelies- I just wanted to pop in and say that after another looooong hiatus, I'm planning another attempt at getting back on the FlyLady program/posting on this blog. I am so very, very glad that I named this blog FlyLady Flunky, as I completely live up to the name! I'm heading to bed in a few, I just wanted to make a few changes to the sidebar before I crash for the night. 

I've removed a few things, added some others, and am undecided about keeping/canning the Meez I have had there for years. Back in the day I thought it was cute, but now it comes across as a little archaic and creepy.  Thoughts?

Real "back on the bandwagon" catch-up post to come later, maybe tomorrow, maybe not!

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Pretty Purple Purse=Good Day For FlyLady Flunky

Ok, ok.  I didnt really stay on track today with getting things cleaned up around here.  I didnt let anything get WORSE, so I'm looking at this from a glass-half-full perspective.

Today I did a favor for my Aunt D, which involved some tooling around in the car.  At my final destination I found myself next to Target, and I realized I still had a few dollars left on a gift card that was burning a hole in my wallet...

What I really wanted to buy was a new purse, since the one I have been using for the past 2 years (day in and day out) is neither fashionable nor in the best of shape, but purses have been one of the few things Target disappoints me on.  They do have a much better selection online, but I hate choosing stuff like that without being able to get my hands on it.

I also need a new wallet, as the hand-me-down Liz Claiborne one I have also been using day-in-day-out (for 4 years!) was also getting a tad ratty.  But alas, nothing was really striking my fancy.  I wandered over to the clearance jewelry section (cause that's how I roll) and something pretty and purple caught my eye.  There, among the gaudy over sized rings and pendants was a cute little greyish-purple clutch purse, also on clearance for $3.75!  I inspected it and deemed it to have enough places for all my cards, checkbook, cash, etc. and carried it protectively under my arm for the rest of my shopping trip.  Ain't nobody gonna steal my purple purse!

(above) Wallet before.   : /

(above) Wallet after!   :)

So yes, its technically a clutch purse and not a wallet like I intend to use it, but what, are the purse police gonna come after me? I don't think so.

I also scored a pair of the jeans I like, also on clearance for $10.00!  Do you know how hard it is for me to find even one pair in my size, fit, and bootcut when they are full price?  Normally I have to walk out of the store empty handed and wait for them to hopefully get more in next time, and here they were, and 1/2 price.  Sold!

All in all I would say I had a good, albeit unproductive day.

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Reality Check Progress: Day 2 (And a Bonus Sewing Project!)

Day 2.  Today I took on the bathroom. Oh joy of joys!  I will admit now that it's clean I feel so much better.  During it's decline I was embarrassed about the mess and would actually apologize if someone other than myself had to use it.  It wasn't THAT bad, but I know how it feels to use someone elses' bathroom that isn't "company clean", and it's not fun. 

I have been in people's bathrooms that qualify to be on reality shows about housekeeping or hoarding, and that was when they knew they would be having people over.  I personally found that very inconsiderate, and here I was inflicting that on other people.  Shameful.

On to the pictures!

(above) Sink area before.  Yuck.

(above) Sink area after- yea!

(above) Gross splattered mirror.

(above) Crystal clean!

(above) Close up of sink before.  Ewwww.

(above) Sink looking all shiny and new!

(above) Storage shelf before.  Clutter City.

(above) Storage shelf after.  Much better.

(above) Glass shelving before.  Please note my "Ghetto iHome" (aka an old computer speaker) that I used to play music loud enough to sing to in the shower.

(above) Glass shelves after.  I removed the Ghetto iHome and replaced it with the (used and gifted) real thing in another part of the bathroom.

(above) Overall view before.

(above) Overall view after.  Ahhhh.

I have now officially cleaned 1/2 of my suite, and have the sewing room and closet to go.  I think I will try to tackle the sewing room next, the closet scares me a little...

On a side note: Last night after I finished cleaning I decided to try and make my own wrap from a tutorial I found on Pinterest.  It was originally posted on Behind The Seams under her DIY projects.  It involves taking 1 square yard of fabric and cutting 2 holes in it.  Simple!  I will admit that I wanted to finish the edges and not leave them raw, so I turned the hem and reinforced the arm holes with some stitching.  If I were to make another in a different color, I would possibly cut the arm holes a little closer to the folded edge.  She recommends 6 inches down and 6 inches in, but for me I'm thinking 5 inches in might give me the little bit of give I seem to need to prevent it pulling across my back like it does now. (The girl who posted the tutorial does seem to be petite, whereas I am not, so her measurements may be perfect for her but not everyone else.)  Here's the end result:

The color is actually a really pretty blood red, but the color kept washing out in the photos.  Next time I would like to try a marigold yellow if I can find the right type of fabric in that shade!

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