Paper Organization and a New Journal!

I am horrible at organizing things. If you've read some of my previous posts, you will have seen that one of my New Year goals was to start getting myself more organized. I have done a few things which have made a big help in my daily life, but lately I have been trying to organize the bigger picture... namely all my paperwork.

I have a LOT of paperwork, from going to university to hairdressing school, all of my tax forms and various warranties and receipts... let's just say that I needed a better way to get everything into one place. My papers are always in various envelopes strewn between several rooms... it's not good. So, a few weeks ago I decided to try and collect up all of my paper work and put it into one super folder.

This is my super folder. I went to Staples and I found a 16 section accordion file folder. 16 sections might sound like a lot, but when you actually start to break down all the different sorts of paper you accumulate, you'll end up closer to 16 than you think! I love it because it's purple, firstly, and because it can expand quite large so I shouldn't have to upgrade to a bigger one for quite a while!

Inside, as you can see, I have everything divided up. I keep everything separate so that when I need that warranty receipt or phone bill, or when I cant remember when my next car insurance payment will come out, I have it all in a spot where I can find it without having to dig around hundreds of random things to find what I'm looking for!

This has already been useful and I only did it a couple of weeks ago! Not to mention how much tidier my room looks not having a bunch of envelopes and papers stacked up on my desk and dresser! It's awesome to know that everything in there is something I need too. I shredded everything that I knew wasn't important, so I actually got a little bit of spring cleaning done as well!

Along with my new super folder, I have also started a new special journal. Because I have decided that I need to be more organized, I have started to write things down more... and not in a fun blog/journal way, but in a personal way to try and keep myself on track and accountable to the goals I have set. Along with trying to get more organized, I've set some monetary goals to try and get myself out of debt. Going to school over the past 4 years basically non-stop has really given me a chunk of debt that I need to work on. So, I have started a debt journal!

I find it's the best way to keep myself accountable for my credit cards and my payments, and since I started it on January 1st, I'm happy to say that I have actually made HUGE progress on my debt. I write down every payment and charge made to my credit cards so that I can keep track of my spending habits, and know how much (or how little) I have paid down on my debt each month. It has been beyond helpful to write out a budget and set a goal to get that paid off. Every time I pay a little bit of money down onto my debt, I can breathe a little easier, and over the past few years that has been a very stressful part of my life. 

I hope that this new year has given you an opportunity to make some goals, and maybe you're starting to make some progress like I am! And if not, that's okay too. I don't believe in resolutions really, but in setting up a plan to make your life a little better day by day! It's so much easier to see the short term than the long term! =)

Blog, and be happy!

Kyleigh.

Hope chest: New Dishes.

Recently, my mom has been purchasing a few new things here and there around the house, such as pots and pans and cutlery and asking me if I would like to keep the older stuff for my future home to save me some money when i first manage to move out. While I'm not exactly close to finding a new place to live, I have decided that starting a hope chest is something I really need to think about, as coming up with a lot of things like dishes and other things for the home cost quite a bit of money if you don't gradually accumulate it over time.

So, today while at ikea I saw these 12 piece dish sets for only 20$. They are a cute minty green, and really, for 20 bucks, it's something down the road I won't have to worry about right away even if its only a small starter set. So, I randomly splurged on them (if you can consider spending 20$ splurging!). I'm actually a little bit excited about them, even though I won't use them right away, but the idea that my hope chest is actually accumulating a little bit of stuff makes me feel happy!

Now, all I need to do is make more money so I can move out..... I guess my hope chest has a little more time to grow!

Blog, and be happy!

Kyleigh.

Hello, 2013!

Wow, I can't believe that 2012 is actually over! What a crazy year. I'm sure everyone feels that way looking back on 12 months of life. I'm always so excited when a new year comes along - it's like a new chapter, a chance to start over, or at the very least a time to attempt to move on from the things that hurt you the year before and try to give yourself a fresh perspective.

I found this picture on Pinterest, and I think that it's something we can all aspire to do a little better! There are definitely things I would like to work on this year, I would like to eat healthier, feel better about myself, get more organized... but I think that this pledge covers more than just a resolution to do physical things... it's a pledge to change your state of mind, which is something I could really use!

I think I'm going to try and make this pledge my motto for 2013. I need to stress less, embrace the joy in my life and really take the time to enjoy every moment. 

I am lucky to live my life. I have a wonderful, loving boyfriend, an awesome family, fantastic friends, a job that I love and a life I am lucky to live. I have a roof over my head, food on my plate and spare change in my purse and if you have even half of the things that I have, I hope you feel just as lucky as I do. 2013 is going to be a wonderful year, and I am so excited to share it with you! =)

Blog, and be happy!

Kyleigh.

Gingerbread Fun!

So, as most of you know, Vancouver doesn't really get winter weather until at least the end of December, sometimes even not until January. There are many pros and cons to this... generally we don't get a white Christmas, but at least we don't have to deal with -40 degree weather. Some of us can barely handle -1! Of course, I kind of find it hard to get into the Christmas spirit without some of that white stuff on the ground... Some of the first winters I remember were up in Prince George, and there was always so much snow there! So, I'm trying to find fun things to do to get myself into the spirit of Christmas, it is only 2 weeks away now!

Today was just disgusting outside. So much rain, kinda cold... really not a day that I wanted to go out and do anything, so I thought I'd bring the festivities inside tonight and do something fun and tasty! With so many Christmas parties and different things going on, I thought I'd get some of my baking out of the way and have a fun time with Alex decorating some Gingerbread cookies. Honestly, I've never made gingerbread before, but the wonderful world of the internet lead me to some great recipes, and I was excited to give them a try! I even bought some festive cookie cutters from Michaels! =)

I really love to bake. I'm not a bad cook, (I make a pretty mean chicken lasagne!) but if I could only use my oven for one thing, it'd be baking! On a side note.. if you're looking for some great cooking recipes or ideas, you should go check out Hilary's Kitchen as she is crazy about cooking and baking and I'm always super jealous of everything she makes. (just my little blog plug of the day - go read Hilary's blog.. but finish my post first!!)

Anyway, I decided that I would give gingerbread making a try... there are so many recipes out there, so here is my take on the many that I saw - I call it:

Kyleigh's Gingerbread Cookie Recipe (made from various other recipes mushed together!)

Makes: Roughly 36.. depending on how thick you roll the dough, size of cutter and if you burn some..

2-1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 butter or margarine (I used margarine!)
1/2 cup fancy molasses**
1 egg
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

** Many recipes I looked at called for various kind of molasses.. some light, some cooking, but I found most called for fancy. It's easily found in your grocery store, I'm not really sure why it's called fancy! It's really thick, rich and sugary, so if you prefer a more savory cookie, I'd take out a bit of the sugar, but the molasses is really the only liquid holding the cookie together!

Put all ingredients in large bowl. You can use a mixer to mix everything together... I don't have one so I just used a spoon to get it all combined. Cover, and put in fridge for 1-1.5 hours. (this is actually important, the molasses needs time to kind of harden, or you're going to be covered in sticky dough!)

Preheat oven to 350. Roll out dough to approx. 1/8-1/4 of an inch thick on a floured surface and use cookie cutters to make shapes. Place on greased or parchment cookie sheets.

BAKE COOKIES FOR ONLY 7 MINUTES CHECKING FREQUENTLY!!!!! (the caps are actually necessary) I seriously burnt about 16 cookies because I left them in there maybe 1 minute too long. They are super easy to burn, especially if they are as thin as mine, and since they are already brown it's really hard to tell if they are getting "golden". Trust your instincts, but I found 7 minutes to be the magic number with this recipe!

Icing

Honestly, I'm not super stoked on the icing. It was okay, but really sticky and messy and a pain in the butt to work with... and it basically tasted like icing sugar. When on the cookie it tastes great, but on it's own it's nothing to write home about!

1 cup of confectioners sugar
Milk to consistancy (less than a 1/4 cup if you are wanting a real icing, about a 1/4 if you want more of a glaze)
Splash of vanilla (only in coloured frosting! It makes white go brown! Use almond extract for white icing!)
Food colouring. I use gel colour so it doesn't dilute the frostings I make, but if you are using liquid makes sure to consider that liquid adding into your icing!!

So, here are some pictures of the final products. As you can probably tell, we aren't exactly decorating professionals, but they taste awesome!!

Perhaps if you are attending one of the many cookie/Christmas party/get togethers that I'm going to you will get to taste one of the delicious cookies! =)

Blog, and be happy!

Kyleigh. 

My House Looks Like Christmas!

So, last week when I posted I shared a few pictures of the Christmas trees that we put up at Alex's place, but when it comes to my house, we always go a little over board! We don't live in a huge apartment or anything, but we have a lot of decorations! We also have a very large collection of snowmen. I'd say we have about 15-20 placed randomly through the house, not to mention all the little snowman ornaments on our tree! I'm not really sure where all the snowmen came from, but I love them!

We also have a lot of ornaments where Santa is wearing swim trunks, and lots of kiwi birds! My aunt and uncle live in New Zealand, and they send us a cool ornament every year from down there. It's funny because Christmas is really in the summertime there, so there are lots of Santa on the beach, and we have a bunch of traditional New Zealand things too. When I get my own Christmas tree, it's definitely going to look like Christmas in summer! My brother and I probably have nearly 20 each, and we can't really fit them all onto our little tree, but we love them because they are so unique - not too many people here have ornaments from New Zealand on their tree! =)

Since I shared some pictures of Alex's trees, I thought I'd share a few pictures of my crazy house decorations, because it's definitely looking a lot like Christmas now!

A few of our larger snowmen...

The stockings were hung on the support beam with care...

Our lovely counter garland and lights!

Even my fish got some fancy decorations this year! =) He wouldn't get into the picture!

 

Our tree isn't huge, but it's just the right size for our apartment! 

I hope that you're all enjoying the season as we get closer and closer to christmas! Only 15 more days! =)

Blog, and be happy!

Kyleigh.

Preparing for the Christmas Season...

Wow. Christmas is only 20 days away! Where did all the time go? I like Christmas. It's lots of fun, there's always something to be doing, and you get to spend time with the most important people in your life, your friends and family!

This year, I have been super bombarded with a crazy December, and this also being the first Christmas season I've worked in a salon, it feels twice as busy as it really is. Salons are always so crazy around the holidays, and mine is no exception. It's awesome because it makes it so busy and exciting, but man does it make for exhausting days!

Along with being super crazy at work, everyone and their dog (or should I say puppy?) is having a christmas party, get together or cookie exchange! I love these things too, as it's always full of laughs and it's always a good time, at least with the friends I have! =)

Alex and I also have a few little things that we like to do around the holidays, like the Stanley Park Christmas train, driving around looking at lights and getting photos with Santa. It's always nice to have small holiday traditions, and I love to do ours, especially since he goes away for Christmas, so we have to make the most of the time he is here and not in Saskatchewan!

I also suck and haven't finished Christmas shopping. I think everyone has that one person that it's just like "what the hell do I get them this year?" and that person for me is my brother. I guess I'll be going out on one of my upcoming days off to try and figure something out... I promised myself I wouldn't leave shopping until the last minute this year!!

We also decorated Alex's place last weekend which really gets you into the Christmas spirit. We wont do my house until this coming weekend just because there is so much to do and we really need a whole afternoon to rearrange the house! But here are a couple pictures of Alex's trees (yes, trees... he has two!)

I hope you are all enjoying the countdown to Christmas! =)

Blog, and be happy.

Kyleigh.

Blog Facelift and Getting Organized!

In order to try and entice myself to blog more, I gave my blog a little facelift! I'm pretty sure I haven't changed the background and layout since I started this blog a couple of years ago!

I've had this blog since the first of November 2010! I think that's totally crazy. I don't blog quite as frequently as some people I know, especially this month since it's National Blog month (or whatever that thing is called!) but I really want to get back into writing posts and sharing things. It's almost therapeutic to write down things that are great, or not so great, in your life!

So, I switched up my background, changed the fonts and perhaps I will do a little more when time permits another day.

I also wanted to include a few little things that I've been up to lately on the organization front. If you have ever seen my room, you would know I am not organized at all. I am actually pretty messy, and if you ask my mom or my boyfriend, I may have some hoarding tendencies... but it's not that bad I swear! I really only hoard books... and stuffed animals... and shoes.... and clothes... okay I might have a little bit of a problem throwing things away! But I've been getting better lately at purging and reorganizing! I'm setting a goal to try and really focus on keeping my room clean and organized. It's hard, because I suck at those things, but it's a good challenge!


Over the past few months I've been scouring Pinterest for DIY organization things, and searching websites and stores for useful hooks and hangers and trying to make my room at least slightly organized. It has proven to be a tedious task, but I have done a few things that have really made a difference in how clean and organized my room is, and I thought I'd share some with you!

Magnetic Makeup Board

This might be one of the best things I have EVER made off of Pinterest. It cleaned up my dresser, keeps everything all together, and it actually looks really cute too! For the approximately 15$ I spent to make it, it ended up being one of the biggest morning time savers too. All of my makeup is laid out in a way that it super easy to see, and it's so easy for me to take off an eyeshadow, and slap it right back up once I'm done using it!

Scarf Hanger

This is by far one of the best things I have ever found at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I am a scarf collector. I have at least 30 scarfs, and believe it or not, come the fall and winter I wear a scarf nearly every day. If you are ever looking for a Christmas present for me - scarfs are always a good idea! Being a scarf addict, I always have them laying all over the place. They end up in various drawers, hanging on hooks.. all over the floor... basically everywhere! But with this awesome hanger, they are all in one place and I can always find the one that I want! If you are a scarf collector like me, you should go invest in one. I got it for about 13$, and it has made my love of scarfs even more wonderful!

Door Purse Hanger

Along with collecting scarfs, I also collect purses. I love my purses, and I love to be able to look at my purses! Prior to finding my wonderful purse hanger, I had them hanging in my closet, and I didn't like it. I found this cool purse hanger at Bed, Bath and Beyond, and it works perfectly for keeping all my bags and purses in one place! I also didn't have to put holes in the door or wall to hang them up, as it works with an over the door hook!

So... I'm getting organized! It actually feels really good to look around my room and not be overwhelmed with clutter! =)

Oh, and one last thing - I have to share her cute little face because I just love her so much.

She's not even my dog and I just want to love her all the time! I think little Layla here might get a little spoiled this Christmas... Such a cutie! =)

Blog, and be happy!

Kyleigh.