Being on a budget means that I don’t get to spend a lot of money on clothing. So over the last couple of years, my wardrobe has become mundane and boring. Lately though, I’ve been obsessed with Wardrobe Remix, the famous flickr group where ordinary people post their daily outfits. It’s got me thinking outside the box, cleaning out my closet, mending and reworking some pieces, and challenging my seamstress skills.

Take a look at these voluptuous beauties that have inspired me lately:

Nerdy casual (that’s a compliment!)

Vintage knits

The ruffle skirt makes a comeback

A splash of red

More ruffles with a jean jacket

A spring scarf

Adorable leggings (ruled them out once, but this outfit makes me reconsider)

Pretty poppies

And although not voluptuous, I love what she did with a vintage wedding dress:

Vintage wedding remix

Do you have a favorite? Share it in the comments!

It started innocently enough. We took the boys to a birthday party at our local Chuck E Cheese, and following protocol, got our hands stamped with matching ultraviolet numbers upon entering. Since my oldest’s father picks him up on Sundays, we had arranged for him to meet us there a few hours later. When he arrived, he told the woman guarding the door that he was there to pick up his son and was allowed inside – no stamp. We decided to stay a while longer, so my oldest left with his father and I didn’t think twice about it.

About an hour later, it was time for us to go. As I neared the door and watched the woman stamping people’s hands as they entered, it hit me.

My son, who DID have a stamp, left Chuck E Cheese with someone that said they were picking up their child and DIDN’T have a stamp, and NO ONE was alerted.

I let my kids run around somewhat freely at Chuck E Cheese because of this safeguard. I know it’s not a substitute for adult supervision, but I let my guard down because it’s in place. And I trust that the person guarding the door will do their job and check to make sure the stamps match up.

Later that evening when my son was dropped off, I told his father about my realization and asked, “What did the lady say to you at the door?”

He said he fully expected that they would ask me to come up and verify that they were, in fact, allowed to leave together, but she simply said, “I trust you” and let them out the door.

“I trust you.” Really?

Considering that 76% of children that are kidnapped are taken by someone they know, can someone in charge of making sure that children leave with the adult they came with afford to allow just anyone to leave with whomever they choose because they feel they can be trusted?

I’m at fault, too. I trusted that Chuck E Cheese would do their job correctly. I trusted that the woman at the door would actually check to make sure that those that left had matching stamps. I trusted them with my child, and I won’t do it again.

This week has has been so challenging yet eye-opening and uplifting.

I started the week out with the worst cold ever. On Monday, I felt like a truck had steamrolled me. Tuesday wasn’t much better. In fact, today is the first day that I’m actually feeling almost normal. So, starting a fast on this week made it even more difficult to stay focused and committed.

By Day 4 of the fast, I was hungry, grumpy and felt, for lack of a better work, completely unsatisfied. I had lost over 4 pounds and I was thinking about meals a lot. Not good for the liver and not good for me emotionally. So, on Day 5, I added in wheat and whole-grain bread, some dairy and chicken or fish at one meal a day. I’m still caffeine-free and sugar-free, and I feel incredible.

In fact, I woke up this morning and realized that I don’t crave sugar. This is a victory in itself.

At first, I felt that by adding in a few different foods not allowed during the fast, I was not actually fasting. But I think that the levels of sacrifice are different for each individual and just giving up caffeine and sugar are daunting for me. Also, I want to make sure that I do this in a healthy way for my body and the fact is, losing too much weight too quickly is just as bad on the liver as staying at an unhealthy weight. God knows where my heart is, and that’s what matters.

I went to the library yesterday and stumbled across On a Dollar a Day, a book by Kerri and Christopher of the One Dollar Diet Project. It caught my eye as I had the realization a few days ago that because the hubby and I are on Dave Ramsey’s plan, our grocery budget is small. When Spence and I started the Daniel Fast, we had to increase the budget and even then, I felt like we weren’t eating enough. I felt hungry all the time. Then it hit me – we were used to eating cheap, energy-dense foods and by doling out the same portions in veggies and fruits, we just weren’t eating enough. For our family to eat a vegan diet long-term would require us to double our grocery budget, something we can’t afford to do. This book explores the financial issues that many Americans face in regards to food, and why parents sometimes have to choose to feed their children 99 cent tacos instead of 99 cent oranges. So far, it’s a pretty good read.

Now that we’ve made some wiggle room in our budget, fasting has made us think more about our diet in general and ways that we can add in healthier foods in affordable ways. A while back, we decided to add in more whole foods to our diet, but we can do more. It probably means that we will increase our grocery budget, and we will do that by decreasing our television package, for instance, or our entertainment funds.

Overall, I’m relieved that on Day 6, I’m starting to feel better. The headaches are almost gone and I wake up feeling alive and ready to face the day instead of like a zombie until I get my caffeine. I’m also learning what it’s like to rely on God, and I’m excited to see what He has in store for our family.

(As a side note, the kids are not fasting with us. They are still happily eating regular meals.)

I’ve spent that last two months praying about the Daniel Fast and asking God for guidance on whether or not it’s something I should do. I’ve felt that God has been calling me to do this on a spiritual level so that I will learn to rely more on Him and less on myself and my vices (which never work anyway) and I know that taking better care of myself physically is something I have to do if I want to live a long life so the fast is a good first step. But honestly, I’ve been fearful that I will do the fast for the wrong reasons, like vanity, or that my body will perceive it as another diet and rebel. After spending much time in prayer over this, I know that it’s what I should do, so the hubby and I decided last week to do it together.

Today is Day One, and it’s a doozie.

Yesterday morning, I started getting the sniffles which didn’t seem like such a big deal, but by the end of the day, my head felt like it was going to explode. Today it’s even worse. I can’t breathe out of my nose, my body aches, my head is splitting, and I have none of my guilty pleasures to rely on to make me feel better.

All I want is a coffee, or a piece of chocolate, or both.

One thing is for sure: I’m learning quickly what it’s like to rely on God instead of vices.

If you’ve done the Daniel Fast, I’d love to hear about your favorite tips or recipes. Please share them in the comments.

There’s one thing most knitters hate: swatching. It’s the dreaded step done before actually knitting a garment to make sure your gauge, or the measurement of your stitches, is correct so that the garment will actually fit. If done incorrectly or not at all, your garment might be too small, too wide or too big. It might drape funny, or it may be so snug that you’d never dream of leaving the house in it. Knitting a swatch doesn’t take a lot of time, but when you start a new project, it’s tempting to want to just jump right in.

In fact, swatching is what separates novice knitters from advanced knitters. Those who hate swatching will always stay with hats and scarves – things that don’t require exact measurements. Sometimes, they’ll even attempt a garment without swatching and end up with clothing that’s never quite right. Advanced knitters know that swatching is a crucial step because even though it’s dreaded, it saves a lot of time down the road and ensures that all the hard work and time spent knitting the garment will result in a wardrobe addition that fits perfectly.

Building your social media strategy is like swatching: everyone hates it, but it has to be done. Big companies hire folks to create strategy for them but as a small business or solopreneur, it’s up to you to create your own strategy. You can’t just jump right in. To get results, you need a plan. Otherwise, you’re creating minutiae with ill-fitting results.

Last week, I taught a social media 101 class to a group of real estate agents. Real estate agents are good at relationships, so social media is a space they should be participating in. But instead of talking about how to set up a Facebook account or the dos and don’ts of tweeting, we talked about strategy. Instead of talking about how, we talked about what and why.

If you are thinking about using social media to promote your business or services, start with what and why.

What do I hope to accomplish with social media? What ways can I provide value in the social media space? What are others currently saying about my business or my industry? Why is it important that my business participate in that conversation?

It’s not the end-all, be-all to social media strategy, but it’s a start.

If you’re struggling with your strategy, I can help. Contact me and we’ll get started on creating a social media strategy for your small business.