Crafty Me...

I just realized I haven't posted pictures of some of the crafts I have recently done so here is a collection of pictures!!

"LOVE" letters from Crafty Wood Cutouts for Valentines Day

The "LOVE" letters on the ledge in the living room

I can't take credit for these - my amazingly crafted mother made this for me for my birthday! I still wanted to show them off though!

Ok quick story - there is a wreath I saw at Tai Pan a year or so ago that is SO cute but oh my it was like $50. It was a normal, round wreath with tons and tons of gerber daisies on it. Not going to pay $50 for that though! So I was at the dollar store last week getting stuff for organizing the closets when I wandered into their artificial flower area and saw TONS of gerber daisies so I decided to try to make the Tai Pan wreath!

I took a gigantic box we have in the basement and cut it into a wreath shape - made a huge mess haha

I pulled the flowers off of the stems, used a small screwdriver to push holes in the cardboard and then pushed the base of the flowers into the holes!

I love how it turned out - and it was only $5 for the flowers!! WOOT!

On the ledge opposite of the "holiday" ledge, there is another ledge that is much longer, with a wall {obviously}. The ceiling comes to a "V" at one point, but the center of the wall is at another point, so it makes the ledge items and the shelf look not centered {see picture} - even though the ledge stuff is centered with the ceiling and the shelf is centered on the wall. It has been driving me crazy so I decided to take it down and start from scratch. 

Before

I got a gift certificate to Crafty Wood Cutouts from my mom for my birthday and they have this amazingly adorable wood set that says "Families are Forever" that I love. The gift certificate my mom gave me is the exact amount of that item, because I have talked about it for so long. I wasn't sure where to put it but since I was re doing that wall I decided to get it! And even better, I had a 40% off coupon so I still have some of my gift certificate left!! 

Paper and embellishments for project - Hobby Lobby. $3.27. I love when stuff is on sale!

The finished product! It is as long as our kitchen table, which is like 3 or 4 feet - it is GIGANTIC!

Up on the ledge, with our Willow Tree figurines on the sides of it. I LOVE IT!

Yay for being crafty and for all the awesome crafty ideas I have thanks to Pinterest! I will make sure to post pictures next time I do a craft!

Just keep going

Last week wasn't my best week. Work was great, home life was great - working on fitness and eating habits not so great. The weird part is I worked out 4 times. Usually I am so proud of myself for working out 3x so this was epic. I did Turbo Jam twice and went for a 2 mile walk/jog with Max twice. I am still doing weight watchers, but I was "rewarding" myself with food on days I worked out. I still was tracking what I ate, and I stayed within my point limits, but I was eating a lot more sweets and snacks and used a lot of my weekly points. I found this on pinterest and it totally needed to be tattooed to my forehead last week:

I shouldn't "undo" my hard work with sugar!! Dope!! But because I was staying within my points I didn't think much of it throughout the week. Sunday came and to say I went nuts at dinner is an understatement. It's way better than I would have ate before {that thought slightly depresses me haha} but I went WAY over on points and knew it and still ate 2 of the giant Smith's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies. I ate every single point I could have, both for the day and using my weekly points and had no fruits or veggies all day long. And then I was frustrated Monday morning when I saw I hadn't lost any weight last week. DUH!!!!

I ended up not working out yesterday out of exasperation but still watched my points. We went to the movies and I brought my own snacks - almonds, a cheese stick and baby carrots instead of eating a large bucket of buttery salty amazingness popcorn by myself. I did still have some popcorn - about 3 cups worth and felt like I'd had a treat and wasn't depriving myself without making myself sick.

When we got home from the movie, I got on pinterest and found this AMAZING quote - it was EXACTY what I needed to hear/see!!

I have such a tendency to quit after a bad eating day. Or to feel like because I haven't lost a pant size in a week that I should quit. And this helped me realize I'm not the only one who has those days! Everybody slips up and eats bad. At times, people set higher expectations for themselves than what it realistic and quit. Just keep going. Everyone has days they don't want to work out and they don't. Keep going. AHHHH I love this quote!!

Since finding this quote, I have a renewed sense of motivation. Even though it's 11 PM, I just finished my workout. I did Turbo Jam for 45 minutes. I was tired {being that it's late and that Turbo just kicks your butt} and I kept going. I took a weird step and twisted my ankle a smidge but I kept going. I didn't do the 20 minute Turbo - I did the 45 minute Turbo. And I am so proud of myself, which is why I am blogging about this slightly personal stuff!

So note to self - if I slip up and eat bad for a day, it's ok. Don't quit - keep going. If I don't want to workout one day, it isn't the end of the world but the next day it's time to get back to it. Exercise is the toothpaste for my body. My teeth need to be brushed everyday - my body needs exercise everyday. That doesn't mean I have I run a marathon. It could be a walk around the block or doing crunches while watching tv. Mistakes are ok. Just keep going.

The big 24

I just had my 24th birthday and it was so awesome! The day before {the 29th} we had a family birthday party at my mom & Rick's house. Brynne, Blake, Jeannene, Jackson {Jeannene's boyfriend}, Popper & my dad were able to come too! We had teriyaki chicken with rice and veggies and sushi. Oh I am obsessed with sushi these days. SO yummy. And it's still pretty good for you too! 

After we were finished with our amazing dinner, we got to open my presents. Jake & I missed Blake's birthday so we gave him his present first!

Laughing at the card - we told him we loved him even though he is a Lebron James fan

We got him a puzzle of one of their wedding pictures - they are both very into puzzles!

Then it was my turn to open presents!! I got SO spoiled!!

My face when I opened my Crafty Wood Cutouts Gift Certificate from mom!!

LOVE Crafty Wood Cutouts! 

Hunger Games from mom & Rick - in paperback! SUCH a good book!! 

A marriage book from mom & Rick - I love reading ways to make our marriage better. And it's paperback - my favorite haha

A curling wand from mom & Rick

King Vit-a-vum from Jeannene!! It's really King Vitamin, but I called it King Vit-a-vum when I was little. It's my FAVORITE cereal!

A clock that says "It's time to say I love you" from Richard G. Scott's talk in the April 2010 General Conference - from mom & Rick 

Push!! It's written by the fabulous creator of Turbo Jam - from Brynne & Blake

After presents, we stayed and talked for a while and then Jake & I came home and watched the X Games. Until 3 AM. And I needed to work the next morning haha. But I didn't need to be to work until noon so I was able to sleep in! I got up, got ready for work, make my breakfast smoothie in my new blender Jake got me and went to work to see this:

My decorated desk! Complete with cards, stickers, a happy birthday banner, bubble bath & a symphony bar of chocolate!! I love the people I work with! 

Work was really good that day, and it went by quick {thank heavens}. When I got off work, I stopped at Cafe Rio and got takeout! I love Cafe Rio. So much. It is an addiction. And no I am not seeking help to cure this addiction. We ate our food and then I took a nice hot, long bubble bath with my new bubble bath I got from Kathie, one of my managers and started to read Push, one of my new books! Afterwards, we watched a little bit of TV and then went to bed. In case you didn't know, I am pretty into low key nights and enjoy just taking it easy at home.   

Jake let me buy my own presents and I gave them to myself early haha - I got a few cardigans, 3 pairs of shoes and a new purse from Payless ShoeSource - here are the some generic pictures from their site of what I got!! 

My new purse!!

1st pair!

2nd pair!

3rd pair!

Isn't he so awesome?? I did tell him that I wanted him to get me a cute birthday card and he took that one step further - got me a perfect birthday card, a birthday card from Max, and a beautiful flower! He is the best husband ever!! 

The flower with the birthday cards leaned against it - one for wife {from Jake} and for mom {from Max}

Goofing off before dinner on my birthday

Luckiest girl ever - I love my man!!

Danny & Wendy bought us dinner at Chili's and got me a pedicure at Nails Plus in Pleasant Grove - my favorite place to go for pedicures. Wendy, Macy & I had a girls date to get our toes done together!

I didn't get pink nail polish! That is a first for me - I ALWAYS get pink nail polish haha!!

It was an awesome birthday. Pretty sure it was the best birthday yet. Really. If turning 24 was this awesome, how awesome is 25 going to be??

Oh, and the birthday present I got for myself? I lost 10 pounds in January. Still doing Weight Watchers - still kicking butt. Go me! 

I might be addicted

It's 1:40 AM and I just finished "Catching Fire". I got it today from Wal Mart and started reading around 8 PM. And I finished it. Already. That means I read both books in one sitting. In 6 hours or less each book. I think I'm addicted to these dang books!! I need to get "Mockingjay" ASAP!! I need an intervention!!

Believing the Hype

I have when people make a big deal out of books or movies - saying it is the "best movie/book/ ever" because I almost always am disappointed because I go into it with high expectations. A prime example of this is the movie "Finding Nemo". I heard from just about the entire world how amazing this movie is and I ended up absolutely hating it. I hate when people make something sound so great and then it falls short, so I have started second guessing people's opinions when they think something is so great. Everyone has been talking about Pinterest, so I decided to try it and I have finally jumped on the Pinterest wagon - I agree it is just as awesome as people say it is. But more importantly, I jumped on the Hunger Games wagon.

My mom told me a few months ago that she wanted to take my sisters and me to see it at midnight when it comes out in March. I let her know that I hadn't read them yet so maybe not so much. She insisted that I read them ASAP and got the first one for me for my birthday. I have been so involved with Pinterest that all my spare time has gone to crafting, but I have finished up all my crafts and decided to start reading it Sunday night. Jake laid down to get some rest before he went to work {Sunday nights are the equivalent of his Monday} and I curled up on the couch with Max... for 6 hours...

And finished the book. I read the entire thing in one sitting. It was SO good!!!!! It was SO worth it - such an awesome book! I am going to get the second one in the trilogy today. Hopefully I don't go through that one quite so fast though - want to drag it out a little bit and make it take longer to read them all! 

I so can't wait for the movie to come out though - oh my gosh. So yes, Hunger Games is worth all the hype it gets! 

Updates on Us

I feel like I have had nothing to eventful to blog about, but here is a combination of random stuff that is happening with the McClellan's!

Jake & I watched Real Steel yesterday. Best. Movie. EVER. I can't tell you how much I loved it. If you haven't seen it yet, watch it - such an awesome movie!! And it made me like Turbo Jam that much more, since I can "pretend" I'm boxing haha.

I have got my creative crafty juices flowing thanks to pinterest. And it's taking over my life. I have SO much things I want to do for the house - wreaths, paint walls, replace furniture, etc. And organization ideas. Oh the organizing I want to do! I am going to do a little at a time, mostly things in the bathroom right now - like putting bobby pins and elastics in their own prescription pill bottle with a cute label on it - SUCH a good idea! And storing all of those in a painted quaker oats cardboard can, with brushes and combs inside and headbands around the outside of it! My hair stuff drawer is such a mess, and no matter how many times I clean it, the unorganized mess comes back! So yay for pinterest giving me ideas!

I am currently replacing the decor on one of our walls in the living room - pictures to come soon as soon as I am finished!

I am still doing awesome with eating healthy and have been working out a few days a week also. Turbo Jam is the best. I love it. It makes exercise not suck. It definitely isn't as fun as sleeping or shopping or whatever but it's way funner than running on a treadmill! I feel a lot better, and I have lost 12 pounds since I started January 1. My highest weight I have been {no, I won't say what it is} was in July 2010 and I am down 50 pounds from that number! And the more time that passes, the more I am losing and the better I feel and the looser my clothes are getting. And I lost weight during my birthday, and during the Superbowl! Not as epic as losing weight over Christmas but still I am proud of myself! AND THE BEST PART about this is that I am only 7 lbs away from weighing the same amount as Jake!

As long as we have been together, Jake has weighed less than me. And it has always bugged me. And I didn't decide to do anything about it until this year. 7 lbs away from weighing the same as him, assuming he doesn't lose any weight haha. We decided today that my "reward" for weighing less than him is a new dresser from IKEA - I have wanted one for SO long and it is making me want to work out that much more. I almost didn't work out today and then I thought of my dresser and how close I am to getting it and I worked out! So we will need to think of a super awesome prize for when I reach my next goal, but for right now I am just focusing on how close I am to reaching my goal and the awesome dresser I am going to get!

I started my new schedule at work. OH I LOVE IT! Having last Saturday off was AMAZING. We organized our closet. Like top to bottom. Gave away clothes to DI, threw out all of the wire hangers, went through my shoes and it looks so much better! I can see my clothes so much better now! And working Monday Wednesday Friday is just great. I love it so much. I am SO lucky that I only need to work part time. Jake just rocks.

Ok that's all I got for ya - like I said, I will post pictures of the decor changes as soon as I am done!!

If the house caught on fire...

I have become slightly obsessed with a few different appliance-ish things in my life. However, if the house were to catch on fire, these appliances wouldn't be the first things I would go for. I'd grab scrapbooks, make sure Jake was awake {not under the influence of his sleeping pill} and out of the house, save Max, get our emergency kits that aren't as prepped as I would like them to be, etc. And as soon as we are back on our feet and in a house again, I would replace the following 5 appliances:

1. My Chi Straightener. I am on my second straightener in 8 years and I love the dumb thing. The only reason I had to buy another one is because my furry child chewed up the cord 2 years ago. I HIGHLY recommend this straightener - it's pricey but it's worth it and it lasts!

2. My Shark Steam Mop. The BEST cleaning weapon I have ever used. I got it for Christmas two years ago from my in laws and it is one of the best presents I have ever received. It cleans everything - tile, wood, linoleum and it doesn't use ANY cleaning chemicals - just water and steam! Natural, environment, pet & kid friendly! AWESOME mop!

3. My Crock Pot! It has a timer on it, so it will turn itself off when it is finished cooking, but stay on the "warm" setting until we eat! I absolutely love this crock pot - it is wonderful. I LOVE using our crock pot and I am so excited to find more crock pot recipes on Pinterest - I officially joined Pinterest today!! 

4. My Oster Osterizer Blender! Oh words can't express how awesome this blender has been. Granted, I have only had it for 2 weeks but I love it! I killed our previous blender last month and Jake got me this one for my birthday! I love making smoothies in the morning with frozen fruit, fresh fruit, orange juice and usually a handful of spinach. I am thinking of going to a health food store and buying some "shots" like you can get at Jamba Juice - like immunity, energizer, etc. 

5. And last but certainly not least - my Apple iPhone 4. I would like to think that if the house caught on fire, I would be so worried about irreplaceable things that I leave my phone in the burning blaze, but I would probably end up grabbing it. Either way, this is something that helps me keep my not so organized life a little more organized. LOVE my phone!! Anyone who doesn't have an iPhone should get one, in my opinion!!