heading to jamacia

So, my week wasn't exactly the serene and peaceful one I was hoping for but, it's busyness was filled with much happier events so, I can't complain. Yesterday in particular ended up being a VERY eventful day.

• We sold our second car! This helped calm the financial storm brewing around us and gave us a little cash to place in savings (even if it is just for a short while). Just what I needed to boost my mood after my rainy day fund post this week.
• My passport arrived with my brand new (uh, 7 years old) name.
• We officially booked our hotel reservation and second flight for Jamaica.

Just 2 weeks until my sister's wedding. The excitement is beginning to build! It is going to be a fantastic celebration. I can't wait to be lounging around for 3 whole days in the Caribbean with my husband. We always have such fun together. I really can't wait ... Jamaica here we come!

new painting: paisely

A plain wooden lazy susan got a punch of personality! This paisley inspired painting was created with acrylic paints and finished with a clear acrylic coating. I made this lazy susan to match my sunny yellow kitchen. I have been keeping it on our kitchen island with a beautiful plant I received from my good friend Sara (that I can't believe is still alive and thriving) sitting on top.

Here are some other lazy susans I've painted.

rainy day fund

Around the blog-o-sphere I have been seeing lots of money management posts. I have been secretly ignoring them but, then I read Off Track? Get Reacquainted With Your Finances Again and realized I need to give this subject some genuine attention.

A description of an emergency fund according to Dave Ramsey:

Baby Step 1 - It is a rainy-day fund, an umbrella. An emergency fund is for those unexpected events that are not regularly planned for happening in life - you lose your job, there's an unexpected pregnancy, the car's transmission goes out, or, or, or. This is NOT an investment or Bahamas fund! Before attacking Baby Step 2 (the Debt Snowball), save $1,000 as a baby emergency fund. A fully funded emergency fund is 3-6 months of your personal expenses set aside in a savings or money market account; build this up in Baby Step 3.

A rainy day fund is an insurance policy against financial disaster. When you're faced with a bill you could not budget for, the money is there. A rainy day fund will help you handle the various little events that occur. Do you have one? Is it big enough to cover financial stress? Are you wondering how to build an emergency fund when you don't have any extra funds? I sure am.

I listened to Dave Ramsey's audio book Total Money Makeover back in January and talked about my enthusiasm here. I liked it, I really did. It makes a lot of sense. But, here I am ... 5 months later ... and I am nowhere closer to getting to Baby Step 1. I've pared down my budget a few times over but, I still have so far to go to really making a difference. I need to take the next step (or in my case, Baby Step 1).

Reading I like:

How to Build an Emergency Fund When You Don't Have Extra Funds | Hearth Management

21 Strategies for Creating an Emergency Fund and Why its Critical | Zen Habits

What is No Spend Month? | Small Notebook

20 Pocket Change Date Night ideas | Small Notebook

The Emotional Benefits to Becoming Debt Free | Simple Mom

lovely, enchanting, irresistible

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Lovely, enchanting, irresistible! This romantic novel in a charming setting cast a spell on me. I could not put it down. I fell in the love with the story and the characters.

jamacia

"We have no problems, just situations." ~ Jamaican creed.

That saying fits the bill this week. It's been chaotic and stressful and when I look back on this week I realize all that has happened. I am drained. The photo montage I made above portrays a much more serene outlook on the past events. Maybe that was my need for creating it; to be able to look back in a more peaceful way. My goal for this upcoming week is Serenity.

Here is a look back:

• My sisters wedding was relocated from Mexico to Jamaica due the the swine flu.
• Flight to Jamaica for us are considerably more expensive. I was heart broken of the thought of possibly not being able to make it but, we did get our flight booked.
• Then the passport debacle. I realized that I never changed my passport from my maiden name. HUUUUGE oversight on my part. I rushed to get my passport expedited with my name change. It's now out of my hands and I need to just wait for it too arrive in time.
  

On a positive note ...

• Bert & I got our wedding attire. I'm wearing a black halter chiffon dress and he's wearing a linen pants & shirt that I absolutely love on him!
• We started a chore chart for Ethan. So far this week the playroom has been cleaned regularly (not by me!), he is making his bed (and his brothers too!), he is feeding the dogs and helping empty the dishwasher. We are awarding 15 min of video game play time for each completed chore. Thanks to my friend Inessa for the idea!
• I shopped at Goodwill. This is always fun. As a teenager I shopped there all the time along with thrift stores. I like finding really interesting, affordable clothes that I knew no one else will have. I have needed a bed skirt for awhile and the one I found is absolutely perfect!
  
• I went to yoga on Thursday night. It had been about 2 weeks and I was really ready for it. In this class you stretch deeply and and hold each pose for 3-5 minutes. I love it! Yoga makes me happy.
  

Well, my weekend has fun things planned and I hope to relax and enjoy my day tomorrow. I am ready to let this week go and look forward to a serene week ahead. Namaste.

free etsy sucess e-book

Modish biz tips let me know about this free e-book today - Secrets of Savvy Etsy Sellers. I wanted to pass it along in case you may want to check out too. It was created and compiled by Julie of On the Dot Creations and features tips on marketing, packaging, customer service and more for all you Etsy sellers! I'm not selling on Etsy yet but, hope to be some day!

Download the free pdf e-book from On the Dot Creations here.

digital sketch: spring flowers

I have been playing with my wacom graphics tablet today! Here are some fun spring flowers I created to use in an upcoming Soft Flex Company E-newsletter.

bread art project

My sunflower toast artwork is on display at the Bread Art Project (and it can be rated by viewers)! The Bread Project was created by the Grain Foods Foundation to help increase awareness of the growing hunger problem in the United States. In an effort to help end hunger in the United States, the Grain Foods Foundation will donate $50,000 to Feeding America. An additional donation of $1 will be made for each piece of bread art submitted.

Click to make your own bread art. Participating in this important initiative helps make the Bread Art Project successful. Because of caring people like you and me, the Grain Foods Foundation on track to help Feeding America provide 1 million pounds of groceries to deserving Americans.

Visit the Bread Art Project

Visit the Grain Foods Foundation

To make an additional personal donation to Feeding America, please visit their website at http://help.feedingamerica.org/gowiththegrain

basil-blackberry crumble

I am currently reading an awesome book about local and seasonal food called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barabara Kingsolver. Novelist Kingsolver recounts a year spent eating home-grown food and, if not that, local. A neat feature at the end of each chapter are snippets written by Barabara's daughter Camille about her experiences and views on seasonal foods, our food industry and some seasonal recipes. See recipes by Camille Kingsolver

I came across the basil blackberry crumble recipe this week and realized I had all the ingredients needed in my home to make it so, I did. And it was scrumptious. The ingredients at first glance don't sound like they would blend together but, really they blend deliciously. Having basil infused into a dessert was really nice surprise.

A Year of Food Life
Barbara Kingsolver with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver

BASIL-BLACKBERRY CRUMBLE
Thanks to Linda Heuring for this recipe

2-3 apples, chopped (I will make these chunkier next time as I chopped them too small)
2 pints blackberries (I will cut in half next time to make them easier for my kids to eat)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 large handful of basil leaves, chopped
¼ cup honey – or more, depending on tartness of your berries

Preheat oven to 400. Combine the above in an oven-proof casserole dish, mix and set aside.

5 tbsp flour
3 heaping tbsp brown sugar
1 stick cold butter

Cut butter into flour and sugar, then rub with your fingers to make a chunky, crumbly mixture (not uniform). Sprinkle it over the top of the fruit, bake 30 minutes until golden and bubbly.

weekly reflection

Kelly kicking off the weekend with a glass of wine and her miss bachelorette sash

This time last week I had just arrived in New York for my sister, Kelly's bride-to-be weekend of celebrating. The fun began on Saturday at 9 am and we partied on until 10 pm, it was quiet a celebration! Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day and being outdoors, drunk as skunks and enjoying it with a bunch of important women in my life was awesome, just awesome.

The crew relaxing at our visit to the 3rd winery on our winery tour. After this we headed to Patty's house for the after-party!

Kelly at her bridal shower modeling her "lil bo-peep" shower ribbon and bow hat.

The bridal shower was a nice relaxing brunch at Wickers Restaurant and everyone had a lovely time. We have a silly tradition of attaching all the ribbons and bows from the gifts to a paper plate to create a ribbon and bow hat or bra (I had the bra at my shower, hahaha).

Some of the bridal party
Katie, Barbie, Kelly, Me, Katie and Jessica