Brand Snob

Recently, Jordan and I have been trying to live a little more frugal.  Not that we weren't before... I am probably one of the cheapest people on the planet... but we are just trying to cut things out that aren't completely necessary. I am not typically a brand snob.  I use the cheapest mascara on the market (great lash). I wear cheap clothes and shoes (I don't think I own anything from Nordstrom, Anthropologie, etc). I buy the store brand of pretty much everything.

But there are just some things I cannot and will not sacrifice.

Foundation.

Eye shadow.

Tortillas. These are the BEST.  Once you try these, normal tortillas just seem like cardboard.

Toilet paper.

Shampoo/Conditioner/Hair Products

Anyone else have things they just can't seem to buy cheap?

Feelin' Hot Hot Hot

No, we didn't go on another cruise where they actually sing that approximately 25 times a day... but we did go to St. George!  My parents recently bought a vacation home there, so we have been going down there every spare moment that we have.  This was our third trip down and still have at least 2 to go. Not including this past weekend where I tagged along on Jordan's guys golf trip. Yep, just me, Jordan and two of his friends.  Awesome, right?

We headed down there on Friday after work to spend the 24th with my family.  We started off the weekend by going to Tarzan at Tuacahn with just the girls. In the back of my mind, I kept thinking that I needed to bring a sweater because I would probably get cold at night. I could not have been more wrong. I think as the night went on and the sun went down, I got more and more hot. I am not lying when I say that show probably would have been more enjoyable had I been able to watch it naked.

Love Hannah's "cat" face 

The blondie and the brunette

Mom and Hannie. Like that headband my mom is wearing? Buy it here!

If you've never been to Tuacahn, you must ASAP. It's so gorgeous. I suggest going April-June or September-October. Or going naked.

And no trip is complete without my dad bringing us some prize from GenX. This year's gift? These shirts:

Black T-shirts with gold chains... and at the end of the chain, it says JABB AWOC KEEZ.  Of course my mom's cat, Stewie had to make the picture. What? You're not facebook friends with him yet? Well go ahead and add him!  And no, my mom didn't set it up for him. Yes, it is a complete joke.

Straight up Thugz.

My parents also bought a scooter to keep at the house, so Jordan and I went on a drive one night. We went out to this neighborhood that's on a golf course.  Some guy in a car seriously followed us around for about 20 minutes until it became a game and we were just driving around onto random streets. Finally, we started following him, pulled up to his car and asked him why he was following us.  Apparently, he was some sort of "security" and rudely said that he wasn't sure what we were up to and that they have had problems with kids in the area vandalizing... so he wanted to follow us around and make sure we didn't do anything. What, are we 15 and need babysitters?

Back to the cat... Jordan denied Stewie's friendship request on facebook, so he got the silent treatment the whole time.  Stewie had no desire to play with Jordan while Jordan begged for his forgiveness and tried to get Stewie to play with him. No luck.

There is a pool in my parent's neighborhood, so we attempted to go swimming. But since it was about 110+ degrees, the pool/bathwater offered little relief.  We had to keep getting out of the pool, sit in the sun til we nearly passed out and then hop back into the pool and feel the relief of the "cool" water for about .5 seconds.

On Saturday, we also split up to go to the movies. My mom and Kate saw Toy Story, Jordan and I saw Salt, Hannah saw Despicable Me and my dad opted out of the movies to go chill at home.

Finishing the trip with a little rockband. 

My gorgeous mama.

My dad really did wear this shirt out and about. Embarrassing? Yes. Hilarious? Yes.

And last, but certainly not least, my dad brought up the double bike. This was one of our FAVORITE things as kids, so you can imagine that our reunion was quite special.  Unfortunately, on our last day there, the chain broke (which wouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has experience with the double), so we are just waiting for it to get fixed. Hint, hint.

The Zoobie Date

If you've never heard of a zoobie, you're missing out. Basically, its a BYU nerd. It's hard to explain, but trust me... you know it when you see one.

Anyway... last Friday I decided that I was going to plan Jordan and I a date. We go on "dates" a lot, but usually they just consist of very last minute dinner plans followed by a dollar movie.  Along with the last minute-ness comes a lot of indecisiveness.  Well from my side anyway.

I decided to put a lot of different options into an envelope to have Jordan draw from.  I listed about 10 places to go and eat i.e. Jordan's choice, a few restaurants, a homecooked meal and a picnic.  Next, I came up with 10 different activities that cost money. i.e. a dollar movie, dessert options, going to the driving range, mini golfing, gokarts, etc.  Finally, I came up with 10 free activities. i.e. going on a walk, taking a drive in the canyon, playing at the park, etc.

When we got home, I had him draw out the different options. At this point, he probably thought I was kind of a nerd, but hey... it was a fun, planned date!

First stop: He drew Jordan's choice. Out of all the things I had planned, he chose the one that wasn't planned at all! He selected Mama Chu's - a local Mexican restaurant. Which is saying something since Jordan doesn't really care for Mexican food while I could eat it every day.

Next up: the driving range.  I definitely don't think he was disappointed about that choice.  I have never been to the driving range. Jordan would always rather just pay for a round of golf than a small bucket of balls.

Not a bad view, eh?  Love those Utah mountains

And before we left, we hit up the putting green to brush up on our skills

Third stop (unplanned): Jordan wanted to get a treat, so we stopped at Golden Spoon for some frozen yogurt.

Last stop: Star Gazing in the canyon. We used to do this sometimes when we were dating. It sounds totally nerdy, but we would bundle up in blankets, drive up the canyon and enjoy being outside during  a  beautiful night! We drove around trying to find somewhere to go. The first park was super crowded and there were people running around playing games (we definitely didn't want to get stepped on). Once we found a spot, someone told us that they had just seen some raccoons in that area. Yeah, no thanks, so we tried to move onto the next park. As we were driving up, I saw some people leaving and thought I saw their dog roaming around... nope, it was a skunk. Definitely not going to be anywhere near that thing!  So after an hour of trying to find a spot, we decided that this activity would be turned into the "Drive through the canyon" option and called it good.

The Crafting Bug

I think it has finally hit me.  This time, in the form of sewing. Ever since I have been done with school, I have had the itch to sew and craft.  I found a zillion projects that I wanted to do and have completed a few.

Its a little hard to sew in a tiny apartment, so I usually set myself up a little station in our living room on a TV tray. Glamorous, I know.  This was all made possible by my wonderful mother in law who gave me a beginner sewing machine for Christmas!  Here are my first few projects:

I made this skirt after this tutorial.  I made a few changes to help eliminate the bunching, but for the most part, its the same. Super easy, cute and perfect for summer.

Does anyone read A New Dress A Day?  I got the idea to revamp an old dress into something cute.  My friend Sarah and I headed to D.I. to search the racks for something good.  I was imagining paying like $3 for items there, but no, most stuff was between $6-$10.  I know that isn't much... but still.  I immediately saw this dress and envisioned exactly what I could do with it. It's not perfect, but I'm pretty pleased with the results. (Please don't look too closely!)

I don't have a great shot of this shirt. I feel awkward taking a picture of myself posing anyway (did you not see the above picture?)  If you want a better idea of what the shirt looks like, take a look at the tutorial. I love this shirt!  I wear it all of the time and I plan to make one in white very soon.  Except I wouldn't use a downeast shirt again... the ruffles curl up too much for my liking.

The last project is this makeup brush holder. It was the best and easiest project that I did. Seriously... so so easy.  Everyone needs to make one.

Happy Crafting!