Back At It & Fave Under 5

Every time I think I am going to write a blog I always think about the "The Free House". I started this blog when John and I were first married. I wanted to share all the ways I make most of what's free in life. The best and most wonderful things are free to us - ready to be taken! For me life is always about, and always will be about, enjoying the small things.

So I'm back! I'd like to make my entry back into the blogging world by sharing with you a new little list of mine.

FAVE FINDS UNDER 5 

These are my favorite finds for under $5. I love shopping. Gifts are my love language. I love a good deal. I always try to keep it simple. These are the things in my home that I'm constantly staring at and make my heart flutter when I walk by them. 

1. Foggy Forrest Coasters from Crate & Barrel - $4.95
- I couldn't believe how cheap these babies were. 6 for under 5. They make me excited for winter.

2. Bella by Illume from Target - $4.48 (clearance) 
- I'd been watching this candle for weeks at Target so I was thrilled when it dropped from 14.95 to under 5 dollars. And the mercury glass look makes my heart go pitter patter.

3. "Home is Wherever I'm With You" Picture from Target (scrap booking) - $0.25
- These little booklets are in the scrapbook section and full of gorgeous "Pinterest Worthy" prints!

4. Vintage Musical Terminology Book from Half Priced Books - $2.00
- I dug up some of John's old piano work books and felt inspired. I found this book and a few other musical treasures at Half Priced. Score.

5. Pomegranate from my local grocery store- $1.00
- I love love love using fresh food to decorate with. Plus I enjoy eating them.

6. Perfect White Pumpkin from Bloomington Farmer's Market - $2.00 
- I'm obsessed with this pumpkin. I wish I had 30 more. I love it's pure white color and perfectly twisty stem.

Those are my favorites (this week). I would LOVE to see your Fave Under 5s. It can be one thing or ten things. Just show me your favorite treasures you're enjoying that cost you less than $5.

Post them to your blog and leave a comment letting me know you've done so. I'll feature other people's Fave Under 5s periodically.
You can also post them to Instagram and use the hashtag #faveunder5 

If you look to the left you can also see my October Goals. Some are specific and some not so much. I'll update the goals monthly and even post a few blogs about how they're coming. I'd love for you to share your own October Goals with me in the comments - we can keep each other accountable!

Purple Lip Gloss and Blue Vases

As I am sure most of you have gathered by now - I'm afraid of a lot of things.

I'm afraid of snakes and wolves. I'm afraid to drive on 465 and to wear high heels.

I'm learning that growing up is not about changing the little things about myself but instead embracing them and growing into the things I am good at.

I will always be afraid to drive on 465 but I can rock wall climb.

I will always feel uncomfortable in heels but I can rock a pair of yoga pants.

So I am embracing those things about myself. I'm also discovering new things about myself. One of those things is that I love color!

Last week I painted a new blue vase for my office (tutorial blog to come). 

I purchased yellow mugs for our kitchen.

I love wearing my metallic nail polish.

And today I bought PURPLE lip gloss. So FUN!

It was surprisingly beautiful. I'm addicted.

And I'm addicted to color now.

I may never be the girl who can wear pink heels and feel awesome in them. And I will never be the girl who has a clean car.

But I can throw great parties and I can wear purple lip gloss.

So embrace who you are. Stop trying to change the things that don't matter and embrace a fun new side of yourself.

What new things are you embracing? What things are you letting go of'?



Learning to Live In My House

When we moved into our apartment 9 months ago I tried so hard to keep everything clean all the time. I didn't want anyone to walk in and see a messy house. I didn't want to decorate because we were unsure of how long we'll live in it. I kept things in their place because I thought it was what good wives do.

Some people might say I have just gotten lazy but I prefer the term comfortable. I let the food sit on the stove for a while. I don't pick up our shoes or dust every week. Or even every other week. I don't freak out when the laundry is sitting on my dresser for days. I feel comfortable in our little apartment now. But I had to learn to live here.

I had to learn that I didn't have to whisper at night because we had neighbors upstairs. I had to learn that marks on the walls come off - and even if they don't it's ok. I had to learn that it was more important to make memories than the bed or dinner.

I don't know where you're learning to live.

Maybe you're learning to live in a place of kids off at college.
Maybe you're learning to live in the place of forgiveness or constant illness.
Maybe you're learning to live in peace, or a new town, or with a new baby.

Where ever you are learning to live today I hope you take time to make memories. Learning to live somewhere can be scary and overwhelming. But I pray you take time to slow down, breathe and capture moments in your heart.

And maybe that means you don't make the bed.

12 Dates Of Christmas

John and I love spending time with each other - just like any other couple.
John and I also love watching TV and surfing the web and playing on our phones - just like any other person.

So we struggle with fighting to put our electronics away and having quality time with each other. It seems like quality time can often mean spending money. Gas is so expensive that even driving to our local park to walk seems to cost five dollars or so.

I decided to come up with a fun Christmas idea that would get us off the couch and not cost a lot of money. There are so many inexpensive and free things that you can do around Christmas time.

• I cut out 12 flag shaped pieces of Christmas themed scrap book paper.
• I hung them up with glittered clothes pins on a piece of twine.
• On each of the flags I wrote a lyrics to a Christmas song or Christmas carol.
• Each lyrics coordinated with a Christmas themed surprise.
• For example : "The three words that best describe you are as follow, and I quote, stink stank stunk" from the Grinch. For this activity I got a free one day pass to our local gym. 
• If John could the name of the song then he got the coordinating surprise.
• I hung it up on December 1st and he gets to pick one each day (sometimes 2 cause I'm a sucker for him).

Some of them were easy like - "Feliz Navidad" for a date out at Mexican restaurant.

And some of them were harder to guess.

We have had so much fun making gingerbread houses, Christmas dinners and cookies, looking at lights, etc. And it has been so fun to watch John try and guess the songs on the flags.

Other than a few supplies and one date out we have had 12 really inexpensive dates that have gotten us in the Christmas spirit!
Next year John is going to do it for me and some day we will do it with our kids.

What fun Christmas traditions or activities do you do with your family?

Keeping Up The House

John and I get really busy in the winter. It seems like we are running everywhere and we hardly see the inside of our house. This also means that cooking and cleaning go by the wayside.

I am all for having a "lived in" home. I like a little mess here and there and I do enjoy take out. However, sometimes we get into seasons where we have gone weeks without cooking a single meal and spiders have built resorts in my corners. I have found that a couple of little things (along with a really helpful husband) keep things from getting too out of control.

DO WHAT YOU CAN -
I'm only going to be home for 30 minutes. I just want to sit on the couch and catch up on Rachel Zoe.
Instead I take 5 and do what I can with that 5 minutes.
In 5 minutes I can put away the clutter on the kitchen table or load the laundry and start the dishwasher.
In just 5 minutes I can give the kitchen and bathroom a wipedown.
Take 5, take 10 - just take a little time and do what you can! You will still have 25 minutes to watch some trashy tv.

NEW SHEET SUNDAY -
I try and schedule days for certain tasks. For example - I try to wash and change the sheets every Sunday.
Monday - groceries.
Tuesday - dusting and sweeping or kitchen and bathroom.
Wednesday - pick up what you can.
Thursday - dusting and sweeping or kitchen and bathroom.
Friday - just relax.
Saturday - laundry and dishes.

This does not mean that these things get done every time or that I don't mix it up but it makes life seem less overwhelming for me. Find what works for you.
Maybe you are really organized and you would like a chore board.
Perhaps cleaning is boring and you need to spice it up making a short "cleaning playlist" with your favorite upbeat music.
I know some people that write down chores and projects on small pieces of paper, put them in a jar and then pick one out when they have a little time.

FREEZER/ PANTRY CLEAN OUT -
John and I love eating fresh produce and fresh meals. It seems by the end of the week we have run out cucumbers, salad, fruit, fresh meat and all that is left is dry goods and freezer items. It makes me want to go to the grocery early or go out to eat. So I try and do a freezer/pantry clean out. Bust out the frozen stir fry and brown rice or the quinoa and frozen veggies. It doesn't have to be a perfectly cohesive meal. Sometimes it's fun to have a hodge podge shmorgishborg!

ALMOST HOMEMADE -
I try to buy products that help me out when I'm cooking meals. I like to buy the premade turkey meatballs at Whole Foods and just add italian breadcrumbs. Cook 'em up in a pan and add some of their tomato basil sauce. It has whole chunks of basil in it! Delicous. Try the recipe on the back of a box. I finally got the nerve to try "French's Crunch Onion Chicken" recipe. It was so good and reallyyyy easy. You don't have to spend hours to cook a delicious and fresh meal. I usually cook dinner in under an hour!


Sometimes it seems like such a simple answer. And it usually is. Just take it one thing at a time and it will all get done :]

What little things do you do around your house to make the cooking and cleaning easier?

Do The Thing That Scares You

My last post was about *that room*. The room that is a junk room that you have high hopes for but just holds your wrapping paper, out of season clothes, and luggage.

I'm turning it into an office.

In order to do that we needed to clear it out. I got all these great frames to put pictures in and make a collage out of once we got married. Then we signed the lease and paid a security deposit and I freaked out about putting holes in the walls.

So I put it off for over 5 months (yes, we just celebrated our 5 mo. anniversary. time flies). I was terrified. I know it sounds silly but I would pick up the frames, obsess over them, clean them and then put them away. I had such anxiety about finding the right pictures, arranging them and hanging them so they were even. So I just didn't.

Until this week.

John helped me with this project. We traced the size of the frames on white wrapping paper and then arranged how we wanted them on the wall above the couch.

However, we didn't have any tape. So we improvised. The first week we were married John and I were unpacking stuff when I cut myself on our knives. John rushed out to get bandaids. He came back with a box of 500.

So we used bandaids to tape up the wrapping paper.

I was so excited. We got on Shutterfly and ordered some pictures. It was kind of stressful trying to figure out sizes we needed for the frames but we kept pressing forward.

Withing just a few days the pictures arrived and I started filling the frames. Then I bought the nails and picked up the hammer. I think I had an anxiety attack when I made the first hole. I hung the frame, stepped back and saw it was crooked. I made six more holes all around the same spot until I got it right. My anxiety started to melt away. I put up the next frame and the next and started feeling...good!

I know I may sound a little dramatic to some. Perhaps you are a DIY Queen and you're going to laugh at my pathetic wall. But I am not a domestic goddess or super confident in my abilities in general.

Maybe you are afraid to finally paint that one wall red.

Or maybe you're afraid to buy that eccentric chandelier.

Maybe it's a recipe you think you can't cook, a new hobby you think you can't do.

Maybe you don't want to to tap into that artist within because you are afraid that failing means you aren't perfect.

Do the thing that scares you. Nail a hole in the wall. Put up beautiful memories of your families all over your walls. Give your home life and love and in the process give yourself grace.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." -Marianne Williamson

*That* Room

John and I have an extra room in our apartment. It's the room that everyone has.

The one I apologize for when we are showing guests around.

The one I tell people "We just haven't had the time to do anything with it".

The one I call the guest/storage/office/junk room.

The one I crack the door to, throw some odds and ends in, and shut the door without looking.

I always feel so sorry for this spare room.

This fall I am finally going to clean it up and make something of it.

We decided that the best thing for this space to become was an office.

I am so excited and so nervous. I really want this space to work. We are going to try to do this on little to no money. I can't wait to get started.

 my ideal color scheme

I've got a little wooden table desk that I'm going to pain teal.

Hopefully add some mirrors, a couple prints from Etsy.

And maybe a cute printed or white leather high backed chair.

So here's to my hopeful little office. I will keep you updated as things progress.

Thoughts? Ideas? Websites? Or if you would like to donate to the "Emily Wants an Office Fund" just send a check in the mail...just kidding

:]

kinda.