Looking Up

Despite my best efforts (or so I thought), I've been kind of a downer lately. I don't think I realized it until last night when my sister, via Facebook chat, said, "Rachel, has anything good happened lately?"

Oh, how embarrassing.

Let me apologize, then, to anyone who's seen me in my figurative sackcloth-and-ashes. Life's crazy and complicated, but it's not that bad. Actually, there are lots of good things going on:

• The sun is out again.
• I'm going to Boise this weekend.
• I found two great pairs of pants at the mall on Saturday...and got them for $15 each.
• Someone left a plate of warm cookies on our doorstep last night.
• I got a perfect score on my "secret shop" at work last week, and now I get $100 (hello, new running shoes!).
• I paid off a loan last week.
• Last night I played my piano for over an hour.
• Tonight is Zumba night!

There, that feels better; I'll try not to let my personal raincloud get out of control anymore.

What good things have happened to you lately?

Kids, don't try this at home...

....that is to say, NEVER wash all of your dirty clothes when you have no intentions of folding them right then. Otherwise, they become a massive and daunting pile upon your bed, which haunts you while you are awake and drowns you while you sleep.



Take it from me.

Someday I'll be on top of things.

On a completely different note, THANK YOU to the anonymous benefactor who so kindly paid off our credit card. It was completely unexpected but so appreciated -- you've lifted a huge burden. And since I've no idea who you are, I'm throwing this out to the universe, hoping it gets back to you that we are super-grateful!

Coupons

Do any of you hate grocery shopping? I do, in the worst way. The mere mention of, "We're out of bread," transforms me into a grumpy giant -- a condition reversible only by a pint of Ben & Jerry's and an hour-long back massage. But alas, an empty fridge will never fill itself, so off to the store I go.

You know, this is a chore I've never loved, but it seems my anxiety over the task has grown over the past few months after I began "couponing." Each week I spend waaaay too much time clipping and sorting coupons from three copies of the Sunday paper. Then I get on my computer and spend what feels like an entire morning making my grocery list on this website. Then, of course, by the time I'm actually able to go shopping, I can't find half of the things I want because the other five thousand coupon-clippers in Utah County got to them first. Consequently, Smith's is always the worst with this -- they have great sales on lots of different products but you have to buy them in increments of ten. Of course I can't get everything on my list so my cart never fills up that evenly; I then wander the aisles dejectedly, searching for something that I have a coupon for and might use, just so I can get the super-sale price on everything else.

I currently have a year's supply of barbecue sauce, aluminum foil, and chili con carne.

I've only been at this a couple of months but the other night I decided I should quit. This isn't worth the time, right? I should just burn all my coupons and tell Smith's where to stick their "10-for" sales--what a liberating thought!

I was ready to do it.

But then I got to the register and something magical happened: I spent $60 on $100 worth of groceries. That reminded me of the time I spent $40 on $100 worth of groceries. And the fact that I've cut our grocery budget way down while building a pretty impressive food storage.

I think I'll give it a little longer.

Am I mental?

Some new faves

I've lost the cable that connects my camera to my computer, and now I've little desire to blog. I had so many things to show you: Rachelpologies at Christmas. The Dashboard Confessional Concert. The ugly old chairs I'm fixing up for my kitchen. The fantastic bruise on my right knee from slipping on the ice last weekend.

You'll just have to picture this all in your head for now.

While you're doing that, here are some amazing discoveries I made this week:

1. Ruche [shopruche.com]. It's like a smaller, more affordable Anthropologie. They have lots of cute stuff, and their shipping is really cheap. I'm in love.

2. I bought a new shower curtain liner at Wal-Mart on Thursday. When I put it up I realized it has little tabs on the edges with suction cups so it sticks to my shower walls. Amazing. No more stepping out onto a splooshy bath mat. Whoever came up with this is my new hero.

3. These bad boys:

No waistband=no rolling, no strange lines, no muffin top. No kidding. These nylons are so comfy I'm tempted to wear them to bed. They have changed my life.

What discoveries have you made lately? Please share!

Any Good Ideas?

I'm working on a Christmas present for my 16-year-old brother, and I could really use your help. Can you please tell me.....

What are the best/most creative dates you've been on?

What creative ways do you know of to ask/answer a date for a dance?

Do you know any fun group games?

Just leave a comment or throw me an e-mail....I really appreciate all of your help! In fact, for the friend who gives me the most ideas there just might be some sort of reward. A Rachelpologie, maybe?

Thank you!!

Twisted Sisters and Tasks Completed

What is this? This is my to-do list from today. I know, I know, it's really blurry and you can't read what any of it says....but look how much is crossed out! For some reason, knowing today was my only shot at productivity really lit a fire under me; I haven't accomplished this much in a long time! I even hung a few pictures and squeezed in a Twister death-match with my sister.





We are hard-core.

Halloween

Lauryl, you are such a smart (cute) pregnant lady....I was Medusa for Halloween!

Andrea and I had the most fun last week making our Halloween costumes -- we are so crafty. :) We made her "corpse bride" dress from what must have been an angel costume, which we found at Saver's. I trimmed and tucked, added trims and a sash, then she went at it with the scissors, dye, and dirt to make it look like she'd been buried in it. I tried to make my dress look Grecian, modeling it after some costumes I found online, and using the colorful iridescent fabric because I thought it looked maybe a little reptilian. My hair was supposed to sort of resemble this:



But of course it's a lot shorter than that, so I went a little wilder with it. It was all nasty and ratted, with little braids and almost two dozen snakes weaving in and out. I only wish I'd gotten better pictures of it. In fact, for future reference, never ask a Harmon's employee to take pictures for you. This one would have been my best shot with my co-workers, darn it:



I learned my lesson, and had Kara shoot Andi and me; now all I have to blame is my non-photogenic-ness....



Happy Halloween!