Yesterday was my favorite mail day ever : magazine day! Nothing makes me as excited as opening my mail box to see Vogue. What’s funny is that this issue was so huge that I wasn’t welcomed to the magazine, but to a card from my postal employee saying that my mail box was full and I could pick the items up at the Post Office. I was so excited to get this issue since Drew Barrymore is on the cover and I adore that girl, but was incredibly disappointed. The entire photo spread was only 2 pictures! Granted, the interview was good, the pictures were good and Drew looked amazing but… Come on! Lol. I got my first issue of Nylon, which I had ordered when Urban Outfitters was doing their free subscription promotion. I like it so far, but really don’t see what all the incredibly huge hype about it is. Maybe I will in time, though. Maxim came too. Ha. We ordered a subscription about a year and a half ago since it was only $8.00 USD for a year, and it just keeps coming. The past 4 or 5 issues have said, “This is your last issue! Renew now!” We aren’t renewing, by the way as $8.00 USD for a year is too much to pay for it. But, it’s an amusing read when one is bored.

My job interview yesterday went really well and I am very excited to see how things turn out! Since I don’t work until later tonight, I’m going to spend the day cleaning up around the apartment and typing up blog posts. I try to sit down and type up several entries at a time. Since it can be hard to find topic inspiration at times, I try to get as much done as I can when I am feeling really inspired. I know that this whole advertising thing can get really annoying, and I do apologize for that. I’m just trying to do whatever I can to help myself out financially right now. Once I’m able to get some better paychecks coming in from work, they will subside. But, for now, I’m doing what I have to do to stay a float financially. I’ve been thinking of re-doing my About Me section, but am unsure as to what to put there. Any ideas? I really do appreciate any kind of feedback on pages and posts here. So, please! Don’t be shy!

I don’t know if any of you are in the market for a dash kits, but give that site a quick look if you are.

I try not to do too many meme’s on here just to keep up with keeping the site less personal. But, I saw this one on J’s blog and decided to do it. It’s a seven random facts meme and it sounded like it could be fun.

The rules:
* Link to the person who tagged you.
* Post the rules on your blog.
* Share seven random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.
* Tag seven random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
* Leave a comment on their blogs so that they know they have been tagged.
Easy enough, right?

1. I love love love Soul and Motown music. Sam and Dave, Jackson 5, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding… Nothing puts me in a good mood like this amazing music. I think that the genre in general is incredibly unappreciated and has influenced modern genres more than people realize.

2. Despite my dependency on my flat iron and cosmetics case, I didn’t wear make up on a regular basis until a couple of years ago. It was a confidence thing, really. I always wanted to be girly but didn’t grow up around my sisters, and my mom never wore make up or cared about fashion. I used to go to the public library and spend hours looking at fashion magazines. I just had no one to learn about it from until I made a few really great girl friends when I was 21. I went from being incredibly low maintenance to decently high maintenance. And, you know what? I love it!

3. Peter Jennings is one of my biggest role models. I used to want to be a field reporter in Africa for National Geographic and he was my career role model. I was majoring in Geography, minoring in African Studies, and even looking into studying abroad in Africa. Paying for college myself was hard and forced me to take time off. I used that time to think and it has ended up turning into more time off than I had anticipated, but I’ve finally figured out more about myself. While I’ve now realized that a career along those lines is not for me, I’ve never lost any of the respect for this amazing reporter. Plus, I would have needed to really look into life insurance rates if I planned on going as deep into Africa as I wanted.

4. Now, I’ve realized that my heart lies in fashion. After we move back to Oregon I plan on attending the Art Institute to get my Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Marketing. Then I want to open my own boutique that will show case both well known and local designers. I also want to be a personal stylist on the side. As well as work on designing my own clothing. I’ve contemplated going to Cosmetology school in addition.

5. My favorite color is raspberry pink. A lot of people hate it, but I freaking love it!

6. I love to clean and make lists. Being organized helps me clear my mind. You know when I’m having a stressful day when the bathroom is sparkling and I’m doing random weird things, like trying to clean in the incredibly tiny gaps between the stove and the counter tops or trying to scrub underneath the refrigerator.

7. I’ve always loved to cook and bake. As a kid, my mom and I used to do all kinds of cooking projects. We’d make our own pasta, bake pies, etc. Her family is really into cooking and her parents are two of the best cooks. They used to go on Elder Hostel trips to other countries once or twice a year and would always take cooking classes when abroad. They actually have 2 floor to ceiling bookshelves that are full of only cookbooks. I think the love for cooking and baking runs in the genes.

I am tagging : Anyone who wants to do this! Just leave me a comment if you do.

Earlier today we downloaded some old arcade and Nintendo NES games onto our Xbox 360 Console. Just the free trial versions though because, honestly, those games just aren’t as great on a different system than what they were made for. So, I decided to get online and check out what a Nintendo NES or Super Nintendo would run. I came across NintendosForSale.com which sells several consoles, including nintendo nes, and a lot of games at really great prices. They carry both the Nintendo NES and Super Nintendo (SNES)! They even have a ton of games too. I was excited to see old favorites like Adventure Island, Back To The Future, Punchout, Yoshi, Ghostbusters, and all the classic Mario games. Of course, right now they have nearly 400 games for Nintendo NES alone, so I couldn’t even begin to browse all of them. Too overwhelming!

Something that is really nice about the site is that all the items, consoles and games, are checked before being sold. They are all used and refurbished. If a product does not work when it arrives, NintendosForSale.com will replace it for free. If that’s not great customer service, then I don’t know what is. Now I just need to figure out a way to figure the purchase of a Nintendo NES and some games into my budget.

For Valentine’s Day, my mom sent me a copy of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. All of the recipes look so good. I’m forcing myself to start at the front of the book and work my way through the entire thing. Not only because the recipes do get more complex towards the end, but also so that I don’t skip straight to some of the most sinful sounding cupcakes. Such as Chai Latte Cupcakes, Dulce Sin Leche Cupcakes, or Cappuccino Cupcakes filled with Espresso Creme.

I had been planning on buying this book and some baking supplies with my tax return money. Talking to my mom the other day I told her all about my plans to buy this book because I’m really wanting to get more into baking. I plan on using my future education in Fashion Marketing and tying it in with the love I’ve always had for baking. Something I’m not going to explain here but a future plan that I am really excited about. Once I have some extra cash, I plan on picking up a few things to help me with this :

+ a cooling rack, possibly with 2 or 3 levels
+ cupcake carrying case to store them in
+ a cake decorating kit with frosting bags and tips
+ sprinkles, especially pink ones
+ a heart shaped cupcake pan
+ possibly a Hello Kitty apron

Then I am going to bake my way through this book. Documenting the entire thing with photos and my reviews of the recipes here, of course. I can’t wait!

Lately, it’s really started to feel like spring. I went out the other day and took some pictures of a blossoming cherry tree in our neighborhood. It snowed back home in Oregon last week, but it’s turning into spring here. I love this time of year. Everything looks and feels so fresh and so alive. The sun’s been shining on me lately and, apparently, so has karma. If we live right by ourselves and do what we need to be good people, it will come back around to us. Considering my current financial resolutions, I don’t think it’s complete coincidence that I happened to find a $5 bill on the sidewalk while out walking today. My gut instinct had me looking for it’s owner, but there was no one around. Thankfully I carry hand sanitizer in my purse.

I was doing some online reading today about financial situations worldwide and there was a lot about Commercial Mortgage in the UK. Apparently mortgage loan rates in the UK have been cut by over five percent. For example, with this cut, a £100,000 mortgage would be decreased by £16 a month. It was done to help stimulate the economy due to the credit crunch that is going on at the moment. Since mortgage companies were getting a savings, they decided to pass that down to their customers as well. That might not seem like much but, in the long run, that’s some pretty amazing savings for those in that region of the world. This cut helps to allow loan borrowers to pay off their loans a little easier, while also making it more enticing for prospective buyers to purchase.

“Leo: You’ve got all the resources to achieve something, so now you just need to start. C’mon, what are you waiting for?”

That’s my horoscope for today. How fitting is that considering my current situation in life and my current take charge attitude? And how ironic considering that I am listening to “What You Waiting For?” by Gwen Stefani, which is one of my favorite songs. A little too coincidental if you ask me. Especially considering the fact that I’m sitting here, curlers in my hair, getting ready to go out and pick up job applications. There’s so much out there to tackle, and I’ve recently decided that I want to take on so much more than I ever thought before. It’s going to take a little bit of time and planning, but I’m going to go back to school, I’m going to start styling, I’m going to open a boutique. And I’m going to bake an awful lot of cupcakes along the way.

Another thing that I want to do is start taking steps in the preventative area of anti-aging for my skin. As you get older, you can see and feel the changes in your skin. I’m not at the point where I need to be using these products, which makes it the perfect age to start. I read about Chantal Pharmaceuticals and their products seem like a really good investment. The products are for both men and women and have been shown to help reduce the visible effects of aging on ones skin. Ethocyn, it’s main active ingredient, helps increase your skins ability to produce elastin fibers. This production naturally slows down as we get older and it’s through elastin that skin keeps it’s youthful appearance. In studies conducted, people who used this product twice a day for 8 weeks showed improvement in their skin. These results where shown in men, women, different ethnic backgrounds, and in a wide age range. It’s never too early, or too late, to get started treating your skin right.

Okay, so I’m sure that any regular readers of this blog have been wondering what’s the deal with the paid posting? I know that a lot of people think that it effects the integrity of a blog. Personally, I agree to an extent. It’s frustrating to go a site only to see paid post after paid post, with no real content actually being posted. It’s time for me to level with you all. Things have been very rough for me financially for the past several months. I’m working as much as I can, but you all know how fast basic household expenses and bills can add up. Combine those with my personal bills and, well, I’ve been lucky if I am barely breaking even each month. The paid posting is something that I am doing to try and help alleviate the financial stress that I am under right now.

As I’m sure you have also noticed, the regular posts on this blog are still the same as before. Fashion, healthy, recipes… It’s all still here! Just spaced out a bit more. The bright side of this is that I am posting and sharing even more than I was before. I’ve had so many things marked as topics to post about or recipes to post for months. This is forcing me to get in gear about posting them. I just made a long post in my LiveJournal about this. All my plans on ways to help better my financial situation. I’m through feeling sorry for myself and am determined to be pro-active about getting this situation sorted out. I thought that I would share some of my decisions here as well.

+ Made the decision to stop eating out at all. We do this extremely rarely anyways, but even those rare times need to stop unless it’s a special occasion.
+ Also decided on no more Starbuck’s bought while I’m at work. No matter how tired I am and no matter if it’s just a plain coffee. I’ll bring a water bottle, extra B vitamins, and fruit instead.
+ Saving glass jars from other products so that I can use them to freeze soups and other leftovers in. Instead of throwing away vegetables that are too close to being bad or that there aren’t enough of to make something out of, it’ll go to some use.
+ Eat more tofu instead of chicken. It’s 99 cents for a block of Tofu at Trader Joe’s. How much cheaper can it get?
+ Go to Whole Foods and buy the bulk items needed to make my own bread. My mom gave me a bread machine and I plan on using it! Besides, the average cost of a loaf of bread without any dairy is $3. Considering I eat toast for breakfast pretty much every day, that really adds up.
+ Order more free samples of products that I actually want to use. I’ve gotten shampoo, conditioner, laundry soap… They are super small quantities, but it’s something.
+ Switch to store brands on beauty products whenever possible. Sauve is now back in my shower.
+ Being strict about unplugging the electronic devices that I don’t use. It adds up.
+ Reduce my time in the shower and shave my legs using a sink full of water. We pay for our water and, again, it adds up.
+ No more clothing unless it’s a necessary item. Of course, I won’t refuse gifts.