Cheer Up Swap and Fat Ass Friday

Have y'all met Brandy from You Don't Know, yet? If not, you need too...she's awesome. She's funny, and crafty, and her little boy Grayson is adorable :)

Brandy has all kinds of excitement going on at You Don't Know, and this week I decided to join in.

First, I signed up for the Cheer Up Swap.

You should check it out if you like getting packages, and c'mon...who doesn't like packages!?!

I am also joining her for Fat Ass Friday. I actually weigh about 15 pounds more than I weighed at my 6 postpartum appointment. Seriously. Not cool. I've blogged about my weight issues a little here, but I have never really made changes that "stuck." Here is hoping that this is the time they do.

Here is Brandy's cute button for Fat Ass Friday.

And my stats:

Starting weight: Erm. My scale is broke. My best guess is 143 though...it was right around there last time I weighed myself. 
Goal weight-125Last week's weight:-
Current weight: 143-ish
Weight +GAIN / -LOSS this week: -
Total weight lost: -


And here is my 143 pounds in pictures:

And proof I have a face...and need to get my eyebrows done. And brush my hair.

Have an awesome weekend y'all and go say hi to Brandy!

Snow Day!

We are finally getting snow today! This is our first real snow storm of the season.

I am completely lazy today. I baked muffins earlier today, and that is about all I have accomplished. I still have to clean the kitchen up.

Right now, Gemma is napping and I am laying in bed with her watching Brothers and Sisters.

Lazy, lazy, lazy.

I think I like snow days.

Money, Money, Monday

I've posted a little bit on here about saving money.

Saving money is a good thing.

The problem with how I save money is usually I save money on stuff that I am buying.

Buying things isn't always a good thing.

Of course, everyone needs certain things, but truth be told, most of us do it in excess. (Buy things that is)

Personally, I have struggled because...well...I don't make much money. Goals like buying a car, getting my own home, paying off my debts seem almost impossible so...I just.don't.bother.

And I buy stuff.

It's true.

So, with a little bit of a monetary windfall headed my way (thank you, Uncle Sam!) I have decided to try to get a better handle on my finances.

I looked up my credit report for free here. I faced my debts head on. Now, they weren't as bad as I thought, but they are still bad. Ick.

I also signed up on mint.com to set up a budget for myself. It's a work in progress, but hey, now I have a budget! (Oh, and if you are interested, Mint has an android app and also an iPhone/iPod touch app.)

These are definitely baby steps for me, but they are steps in the right direction. Many young people struggle with money, and sometimes it is overwhelming to try and figure it all out...but I'm gonna try.

Someone's gotta pay the bills, right?

Do you have any advice for me as I work towards financial independence?

Calling All Blog Designers!

So, I have decided that this beautiful blog needs a new look...because that teeny tiny baby in my header doesn't exist anymore...she's been replaced with a big ol' toddler.

Plus, I have...ideas.

Secret ones.

For now at least.

I know that there are lots of blog designers out there, but I wanted to take it to my readers first and see if there are any of you who do blog design or if you know/have used a blog designer that you love and think I should check out.

Oh, and, I can pay someone this time. 

That's usually important to mention.

Happy Sunday Y'all!

xoxo,
Kacie

I Stole This

From my blog buddy Jordan at This Is My Now.

I like this so much that I made it my facebook picture.

It is exactly what I need to remind myself right now.

Thanks Jordan!

Happy Weekend Y'all!

Que Sera, Sera

So...

I mailed my grad school application today.

Holy crap, I'm nervous.

For a whole list of reasons, this is the only school that I am applying to. If I don't get accepted, it is on to Plan B.

The problem is...

Plan B doesn't exist.

I am crossing all of my fingers and toes, knocking on wood, and all that good stuff.

I want this so much it is crazy.

It's out of my hands now, so I guess all I can do is hope for the best.

By the Time I'm 25...

In 5 months and 8 days I am going to be 25 years old!

Eeek.

I keep thinking about who I want to be at 25 and how I am not quite that person yet.

So, I am on a quest for self improvement, both in and out.

I really want to overhaul my life and be the best me I can be.

I might try to focus on self improvement here for awhile. My life needs a lot of work and it sounds kind of silly to talk about these things out loud in real life...so I will let it all out here.

I want to be more patient, find inner peace, and reconnect with myself spiritually. I want to read more books, keep myself on a budget, and get more organized. I want to focus on my diet, exercise, dressing nicer, taking better care of my skin and hair.

I know I was kind of wish washy on the whole resolution thing, but I really need to make the changes I want to make like now.

After all, now is all we've got right?

P.S. 159 Days 'til I'm 25