Reflecting on a goal and some random notes

Does anyone else have some shows they miss? Take us, for example--we miss: Sherlock, Downtown Abbey (well, I do;), White Collar, The Walking Dead, (The Office :/ ), Parks & Rec., Modern Family, Survivor...I'm probably forgetting a couple. We have a lot of shows we like which is just one of many reasons we're excited for September and October.

This pic is from October General Conference 2012 (the month before I got pregnant with Tenley! :P) Please appreciate that awesome random couple at temple square photobombing us:)

We're also excited because of LDS General Conference coming the first weekend of October! If you don't know what that is, you can check right here to see! It's a wonderful time to strengthen your faith, draw closer to God, or just learn more about what Latter-day Saints believe in. It's so wonderfully uplifting whether you are a Mormon or not. If you are interested, I can post a link so you can watch it live from your computer with literally millions of Mormons across the world. It's in three weeks, so you have plenty of time to get ready;)

So a year ago, I made a goal to not buy clothes for a year. I had some valid reasons for doing so (saving money, really learning to utilize my wardrobe, I have enough clothes already...) and started off very well. The exceptions were if I got pregnant and needed some maternity clothes, if someone else gave something to me (I wasn't about to turn down gifts!), or if it was something I left behind in the store then could not stop thinking about. Anyway, I did really well for the first 8 or 9 months.

One of the easiest tricks was not going shopping. There was no temptation if I wasn't around clothes. Not gonna lie, I was put to the test mainly when my mom came to visit. She loves shopping and it was really hard not to want to look when I went with her. She told me I should still be able to shop if I used gift cards I'd received for holidays because I wouldn't be using our money and I decided that was acceptable, so I bought (very sparingly) a thing or two online with the gift cards. Then I ended up letting her get me a few things (she insisted otherwise I wouldn't have) and things were good until I got pregnant. Obviously I didn't need more maternity clothes right away (I had spring-summer ones from my first pregnancy), but I found a few pairs of cute leggings that I knew would be perfect for my fall-winter pregnancy and they were really inexpensive (like $5! Come on...) so I caved and got some. This summer was pretty difficult, but I also didn't really go shopping so I didn't do too badly. I used my birthday gift cards and was given a few things, but I really didn't cheat like I thought I might. If I were grading myself on how I did with this goal, I would probably give myself an A because I really held myself accountable to the choice I had made and in the end, I only made an exception for really great deals.

These are the $5 leggings I am referring to...they are so soft and comfortable...I wore my five different pairs of them for like two weeks straight.

So what did I get out of this experience? Well, besides saving what I'm sure would have been a ton of money wasted on clothes that I wouldn't have worn as much as I thought I would, not buying clothes taught me that I already have a lot of clothes. Granted, I've been the same size (5'0") since like 8th grade (which is the reason I had so much), I realized I could get rid of several things and not miss them. So I did. I donated several boxes of clothes to DI and gave some away for free within Wymount. It was hard at first, choosing a shirt I kind of still liked but never wore and putting it in the box, but it got easier the more I added. And not only that, but I realized after the box sat on our porch for a week or so before I donated it, that I obviously didn't miss the clothes too badly if I couldn't even remember what I'd put in there. That was encouraging and made getting rid of more stuff even easier.

I also learned that it's smart to walk away from an item in the store especially if it's full price (the exception to this would maybe be if it was really cheap on sale with only a few left) and to let it sit for a day or two. If you forget about it until a while later, it's probably better that you passed. On the other hand, if you get home and immediately regret not getting it, it's probably something you would wear often enough to be worth buying.

Like I mentioned before, the goal made me realize just how much I already have. It made me grateful when I realized how much I'd been given in just this one aspect of my life. It also forced me to look at my wardrobe in new ways and throw together new outfits from the clothes I already owned. That was really eye-opening to me, too! I realized I have a lot of great and versatile pieces that I can wear differently than I ever had before. Pinterest provides great inspiration for outfits, too. I would see a cute outfit and realize I have very similar pieces. It's fun when you re-discover your closet! I would highly recommend trying it out.

As for the whole challenge? I would totally recommend that, too! You will better appreciate what you have and realize there are a lot of things you can live without. It's kind of nice to know:) Do you think you could make it a full year?

Also, some (very) random things about me:

I like changes. I like rearranging rooms to give the space a completely new feel. I like trying new things (especially activities). I like finding easy ways to simplify and improve our home life. I like the change of seasons because it gives me something new to do and new things to think about.

I like going barefoot. I used to do it all the time. But one time, Dalin complained that my feet were basically black and I agreed that was gross. Mostly just because I don't want to hop in our bed with white sheets and black feet. Maybe that's why I don't get very many foot massages...;)

I have never dyed my hair before. Not even with that wash-out spray for Halloween. I have wanted to get highlights a few times, but I get my own natural highlights in the summer sun, getting your hair colored is expensive, and I'm lazy, so....those things combined...

I got my ears pierced when I was 19. Shortly before getting married actually, because I wanted to wear earrings. I went with my roommates to Wal-Mart in Rexburg. It was not as bad as I'd expected, though the sound of the piercing tool was like a stapler, and so that was kind of freaky. That was probably the worst part though. 

I still want a lot of kids. Dalin has not persuaded me otherwise yet. It's safe to bet we'll end up with between 4 and 7, but I'm really pushing for at least 5. However, we will trust the Lord and see. 

I love meat. I could never be a vegetarian even if I wanted to. My favorite foods are lobster, steamers, salmon, trout, steak, sausage...um, yeah. I also like fruits and veggies. That one Kraft commercial about nobody craving lettuce is a lie. I am that person. My roommates (or Dalin) could verify that. I love eating lettuce plain. It tastes refreshing and takes zero preparation. So yeah. 

Me, not being a vegetarian.

I love the second trimester. I will simultaneously mourn and celebrate it's passing (mourn because I feel the best in the second trimester, and celebrate because I'll be closer to meeting little boy of course!) 

Just a few days before delivering Tenley. (See how much rounder and higher my belly was with her?? Obviously I'm a lot farther along here, but it is still way rounder than my pear-shaped belly this time!) 

I still like the name William so much. I know like four babies under one with the name just around here, but I can't let it go. We will have to see how I feel about it after the next 4 and a half months! 

Happy Sunday!