things I wish I could tell my 15 year old self

I turned 30 a few months back, and I have to say, I finally feel like I'm hitting my stride. No existential life crisis for me. All the stuff I worried about in my 20s (OK, not all, but a lot of it) seems to be coming together. More likely, though, I'm more confident about who I am and I make better decisions because of it. Basically, 30 is the bomb.

All of this self realization made me think: if I had the chance to time travel back to my 15 year old self, half a lifetime ago, what advice would I have for her? This is what I came up with:

it's friday, i'm in love: outdoor entertaining

It's FINALLY that time of year again. Winter is letting up and we can finally - most days - get outside. Here are a few products I'm currently drooling over. I will be buying exactly none of them, because we are about to spend a gozillion dollars to get our pool up to snuff. But think of me when you're throwing around that bocce ball.

Where to buy: one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine | ten

And, once again, none of these companies pay me to say nice things about them. They just make nice things.

fab freebie: printable coupon binder index

Sometimes I like to pretend that I'm a graphic designer, and today is one of those days. As a follow up to Part 1 and Part 2 posts on saving boat laods of money at the grocery store, you can download this free PDF coupon binder index here.

it's friday, i'm in love: Young House Love + Target

Every blogger loves a good blog - can I really call myself a "blogger" after 1.5 months? - and Young House Love is one of my favorites. If you haven't checked them out, I highly suggest you hop over there (after you read up here, of course). They are a couple of DIYers that tackle some pretty awesome home remodeling projects and share their how tos. Big projects, little projects, and everything in between. They've been blogging since 2007, which in the blog world is about a million years.

They had a pretty huge announcement this week that they have designed a collection of wall storage and hooks for Target that are available online and will be on store shelves at the end of this month. Couldn't be happier that two of my favorite things have come together to create beautiful, affordable home decor babies.

I can't wait to get my hot little hands on the octopus hook up there for the boys' bathroom. Will any of these make it to your house?

Happy Friday!

Images courtesy of Young House Love.

saving BIG on your grocery bill: part 2

Last week I shared my basic tips on how to cut down your weekly spend on groceries. Did you try anything out? Are you hooked? More importantly, are you ready for more?

This week I'll share some advanced moves on grocery store savings. I'll be the first to admit that I don't do all of these every week. The "part one" stuff I can do week in and week out, but some of the tips below take a bit more time and commitment. Sprinkled in with the basics, though, they will really shoot up your savings.

Let's jump in.

it's friday, i'm in love: spring break

I've had a job since I was 16 years old, so this year marks the first time in 14 years that I've had an actual spring break. Hooray!

Amazingly the Texas weather has cooperated and we have been able to spend tons of time outside. Here are a few of my favorite photos. 

bacon jalapeño cheesy skillet cornbread

Southern girl that I am, I will tell you that the best cornbread comes from a cast iron skillet. I will also tell you that:

anything + bacon + jalapeno + cheese > everything else

saving BIG on your grocery bill: part 1

Of all of the things that people ask my advice on, this is way up there, because we only spend $100 per week on groceries for our little family of 4.

Seriously. It's true. Our grocery bill is just $100 a week. For all of us. And that's not just food. That includes toiletries, pet food, and even diapers. At this point, only 3 of us eat actual food (since Max is just shy of 4 months old). So that leaves 3 adults x 3 meals a day x 7 days = 63 meals. Our $100 bill includes things like shampoo and cat litter and other non-edibles, so it's more like $80 of food per week. That means each meal we eat only costs $1.27. And we eat well. Lots of fresh foods and tasty meals. No Ramen or Hamburger Helper on our menu. Oh, and that includes beer and wine. Remember how we have 2 small children?

And you can totally do it too. 

If you think this isn't for you because you only eat fresh produce and meat and you don't eat processed foods, to you I say:

B O L O G N A 

Even the crunchiest among you probably use at least some of these things: deodorant, soap, razor blades, rice, pasta, milk, flour, cereal, oatmeal, diapers, and, um, feminine hygiene products...just to name a few. And if you're paying full price for these, you are getting gouged.

Every single week, I save a minimum of 30% off my grocery bill. Usually up to about 50%. That means I'm walking away with between 1/3 and 1/2 of my groceries FOR FREE. If you compare out current food spend to what we used to spend before we started trying to save in this area, it's probably closer to 75% or more. I'm not joking. This is real money - an extra TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS (or more) a year - in our pockets. 

it's friday, i'm in love: vintage pyrex

So this week, we have an oldie but a goodie. The charmingly playful, colorful, vintage Pyrex. 

As I've mentioned before, I have a soft spot (ahem...addiction) to kitchen and bar ware. The women in my family share this gene, and we feed each other's habits. Try not to judge too harshly. 

st. patrick's day felt bunting garland

Top o' the mornin' to ya! 

Sorry, that was lame.

I'm not a huge fan of over the top decorations for holidays (except for Christmas...and sometimes Halloween...), but I thought the O'Lenney house could use a bit of Irishing up. 

Thankfully, I keep a drawer full of felt for just such occasions. Doesn't everyone? Well, you should. This is crazy easy, and although I used my sewing machine, this project can be done without sewing. 

Let's get started.

white wine and asparagus risotto

Risotto can be an intimidating dish. But I'm here to tell you, friends, fear not. Once you've got the process down, it's a no-fail meal that will make its way into your dinner rotation in no time. This is my go-to recipe for Risotto. I change it up from time to time, but about 90% of the time I make it just like this. Let's get started.

house tour: part 2

Photo by Emily Mulkey Photography

Welcome back! Hope you enjoyed last week's house tour: part 1. It's time to continue the Tour of Apologies on our upper floor. There will likely be far less apologizing in this tour since the upstairs is pretty close to finished. Or as finished as a designer's house can ever be.