I always want to spell it Instagraham.

I know, I still have to finish our Tucson trip and the post is almost ready! Maybe this is my way of holding on to vacation. Once I post about it, it means the trip is really over. As if having to wake up at 7am and go to school and work wasn't a good enough indicator. Whatever. Here's some Instagram photos.

Homemade paleo thin mints. Holy shit, these were the best cookie I've had, ever. I've made them three or four time in the past couple weeks. Go make them, now! And keep them in the freezer, they are a zillion times better. || Someone must have sinned pretty bad because Jesus was not happy with Flagstaff.

Roxi and I went on a run in the woods after it snowed and we both had the best of times. It was kind of magical. || Homemade raw yoghurt with frozen blueberries and a dribble of local honey.

Sarah at Yes and Yes recommended everyone buy a pair of Rockstar jeans from Old Navy because they are awesome, fit well, and go far enough up your back that your butt doesn't show, yet doesn't make you feel like a grandma. I've NEVER listened to anyones advise regarding clothes because my body is whack and doesn't fit in things right because I'm so tall and skinny, but I took a chance and bought a pair anyways. AMAZING. I need to buy more. They are normally $34, were on sale for $28, and I got an additional 15% off that along with free shipping. So worth it. I got a size up based on reviews and they are perfect! Oh, and they have short, regular, and long sizes! || Laughing is good for the soul.

Grapefruit is so dang good. || A peek at how we do our laundry using a Wonderwash and a Spin Dryer.

After the snow, the sun came back for a while meaning I could wear tanktops for a brief period!

Duh. || I had some extra juice leftover so I used it as the liquid for a smoothie. I combined frozen strawberries, homemade raw yoghurt, chia seeds and the juice that had celery, beets, carrots, broccoli stalks, kale, and Brussels sprouts. It was fantastic.

Sweet shirt I got on vacation. HP fo lyfe! || Roxi pooped on the lawn of a muti-million dollar house down in Phoenix. Then she rolled in the grass.

Another shirt I got on vacation: ZEBRAS! || Work life.

This lady at my gym. She had her shoes off, feet up, and was eating cotton candy and drinking a soda. Just go home. || New workout clothes. Thank you, Tar-jay.

Roxi guarding the door at Run Flagstaff while Vince was getting new shoes. || Warm weather means shorts for workouts!

I got my Joe Sorren trading cards and I can't wait to frame them for a future nursery! || Spring has arrived, wind and all, so I bought a new plant to add to the million I already have.

Follow me on Instagram @iffyinkling and leave your Instagram in the comments so I can follow you!

New Things

I got a tea pot with some blooming tea for Christmas and I love it, as does Vince.

I scored majorly at the thrift store and got some cute new boots, snow boots, and a sweater. All $5 each.

I also got a new glass dish that will be the perfect size for the banana custard that I make a million times a month.

Because of all my new things, I've been getting rid of a lot of other things. My old snow boots (which are really rain boots like my new snow boots but work better than any snow boot I've ever owned) have a huge whole in them so I'm finally able to toss them, I had plenty of clothes that I never wore that I happily gave away(over 40 items!), and I still have to decide which two sweaters I'm going to get rid of to make room for my new one. Most of my sweaters are girly ones that are too small for my torso and arms, so I'm happy to give those away as well.

I've been becoming more of a minimalist over time, especially after reading inspiring blogs like Becoming Minimalist, and I'm hoping to get rid of more and more stuff. My house always feels clean, even when it's not, because there's not so much stuff everywhere!

Anything new and exciting lately? Or have you been getting rid of anything?

Out with the old...

...and in with the new!

As you may have noticed, I've got a new header and color scheme. Like it? I love it. I've also updated my 'About Me' tab at the top and will very soon have a post for my 'Tattoos' section that will have pictures of all my tattoos in one place. I'm sure you're just dying to see it. Also, the 'Current Goals' section will be updated to reflect my new goals!

I also added a bit of pink to my hair because apparently I like to pretend I'm 12 years old and not a married and full-grown adult who plans on being a doctor. It's the little things in life.

(To read more details from my goals last year, click here.)

Take a picture of all the food I waste. Fail 

Ya, that did not happen. But, the good news is there was rarely any food that was wasted! Vince and I were both great about eating everything, and once we started juicing, anything that was close to going bad we'd just juice. 

Eat more whole and healthy foods. Success

Blew this out of the water. I've somewhat easily transitioned from a gluten free diet to a mostly paleo diet. (More on that below) This means the only things I eat are whole and healthy foods! 

Join/visit the local CSA. Success 

I joined the CSA for a few months, but wasn't completely happy with it. The good news is that I'm no longer curious about it, I learned from it, and I am not intimidated by it.

Sign up with Bountiful Baskets again. Success

We did! We got the organic basket for the first time. While we really liked it and thought it was great for the price, it hasn't been working out. The pickup times aren't the greatest for us and now that there is a new natural grocery store in town, I can find things for a pretty equal price. Plus, I seemed to get a lot of lettuce, which I don't like. Spinch luvver 4 lyf!

Eat less meat. Success and Fail 

Well, at the beginning of the year we ate less meat, but towards the end of the year we transitioned to a paleo lifestyle which includes tons of meat! We now only eat free-range, grass fed, and organic meat, however.

Four out of five goals completed? Amazing.

Read 48 books. I read 48 books this year and I think I can do it again!

Have a baby. 'Nuff said.

Write one sentence in a notebook every day. It can be anything. A quote, what I did that day, anything. Vince plans on doing this as well so we can review it at the end of the year. 

Do as much volunteering as I can. I have a lot of awesome things planned like some health services opportunities, the ER, and some science research. And maybe a river trip where I count animals and/or plants so it's considered volunteering. 

Apply for 15+ different scholarships. I want free money.

Be completely dairy free for one month. I am already 97% paleo, but until last week I've had organic milk in my diet. I can't seem to not drink a glass of milk multiple times a day! I've slowly weened myself off it the past week and I plan on not having any for the month. I might add it back after that time to see how I feel, but if I don't crave it, I won't do it. 

Eat what feels right. So far I've been extremely happy with the paleo lifestyle, and I plan to continue it. I do, however, want to give myself room to change. If I change my mind over the year and want to switch foods I'm eating, I'm allowed to! I just need to listen to my body so I know what it actually needs, while still ignoring the craving to eat 5,000 cherry Sour Patch Kids.

Outfit + Sedona Trip

I got complimented multiple times today on my outfit, so I thought I'd share it! I'm so excited that it's finally chilly outside so I can wear tights with my shorts and have it be normal. I don't wear shorts too often, but pants get so boring after a while!

When I got home from work Vince said I looked super cute, then immediately told me I needed to change out of it so I don't ruin it, as if I'm wearing my Sunday best. He says this anytime I wear anything outside of my normal attire! It always makes me laugh, but he says I'm bound to spill food on it, which is true.

Last weekend I went down to Sedona with part of my family and some family friends to say goodbye to a good friend that was going back home. (They aren't pictured since I didn't ask them.) It was fun to spend time with people I love and be in the sunshine.

We stopped on the way down to get some spring water!

 

A picture of myself!

This is the best accidental photo ever.

My little brother jumped up on the rock like that and said, 'Take a picture of me!' Such a little model boy!

I wasn't expecting any hiking so I wore my sandals but then we ended up hiking! Fortunately, they were way easy to hike around in. Thank you, $12 Target shoes!

So how was your weekend? Mine's been spent working, starting the first season of The Vampire Diaries, and avoiding homework!

Happenings

First off: I know I wrote a dramatic post about destroying my thyroid with radiation, but Vince and I have nixed that idea. After further research, we decided we're not comfortable with it and it can take years to balance out thyroid levels after, which means years before a baby! No thanks. A lot of people also don't ever feel 'normal' again after RAI, and I'm usually one of those people with the weird symptoms, so I'd rather not risk it. I'm not sure what's going on baby-wise, but we know we're not doing RAI so a healthy baby will come sooner rather than later. Thanks to everyone for your kind comments and emails! Much appreciated. ♥

Now that that's out of the way, here are some happenings lately.

|| I've made so many fancy quesadillas recently it's been wonderful.

I use a teensy amount of cheese (I don't actually like cheese since the last time I had the flu) to hold everything together and a bunch of veggies. One of my favorites has red onion, spinach, green onion, green chilies (we usually get a case of them from the farmers market when they do their yearly chili roast and freeze them) and mushrooms on corn tortillas. SO GOOD.

|| Speaking of green onions, I'm now growing some in my window!

They're only like 75 cents a bunch, but we use them so often (over 1 bunch a week) that it's nice to always have them around. Here's how I did it: buy a bunch from the store(I started with organic...might as well!), and use all of it except the bottom inch or two(the white parts). Put those bottoms in some water, with the water coming halfway up the bottom. Let sit for a week or so until roots start to form. Change the water on the 3rd day or so if it gets cloudy. Once roots have started, plant it in some soil. It grows about a foot a week! It's nuts. Just use scissors to cut off what you need. I potted mine in a cute little pencil holder that the wonderful Sara sent me. I poked holes in the bottom with a hammer and nails and use a teacup lid to catch the water. They grow best next to a plastic horse and lizard, fyi.

|| My husband was the cutest baby. I'm now convince we'll have the cutest kids ever.

|| Fall is here, and with it, Halloween decorations. I didn't want to mess with the fake webs and whatnot, but I got a few things from the dollar store and thrift store!

|| Oh, these pants happened. Aren't they lovely?

|| The last little harvest of the season from the garden.

Some of the mint I made into a tincture and the rest I dried for mint tea throughout the winter.

|| I saw one of my top five favorite bands ever, Rise Against.

And dear god, how I cried. For the past few years, whenever I listen to them I always think, "I'd kill to see them live!" Then for the past few months, while I've been waiting for the show itself, I'd still think that then catch myself and say OH MY GOD I'M GOING TO SEE THEM LIVE AND I DIDN'T HAVE TO KILL ANYONE! It was amazing you guys, just amazing. Oh and they're on tour for the Florence Project. Go check it out, they're doing some great stuff!

I can't think of a title.

Last night as I was putting away laundry with Vince, I took a gander through my clothes wondering which ones i wanted to take on vacation with us. After a brief glance, i realized I don't wear a lot of my clothes anymore, and some, despite owning them for over a year, still have tags on them! Most of the ones that have tags are from big 'shopping sprees' at the Rue 21 sales racks. I say 'shopping spree' because I can get 10 items of clothing for only 20 bucks and sadly lose them in our small closet. One way to fight my consumer blues is to actually wear the clothes I bought.

So this morning, I clipped the tags off this cute 'dress' I bought last year and wore it with my yellow pants. Clearly, it wouldn't fit me as a dress, but it worked great as an in-between shirt!

Do I even have to tell you how awkward it is to take your own picture? I don't know how you fashion bloggers do it...

The necklace I got for FREE at a yard sale a few years ago!

You can't even tell I've eaten half a watermelon before taking this picture.

I got these shoes at Target a while ago, and if I could buy them in every color I so would. They are so comfy and simple!

Looky here, looky here.

I cut my hair today! Here's the before & after:

I told you I'd be doing it this week, AND I ACTUALLY DID IT.

It's a little bit shorter than I wanted it, but my hair grows pretty fast so it'll be the length I want it in no time.

When I cut my hair this short last year, I used the Aveda Phomollient product before I would dry it and it's awesome. It smells good, doesn't make my hair feels greasy or stiff or anything, and it actually gives my thin hair some body! I HIGHLY recommend it. Oh, and can you tell a difference in my eyebrows? I got them done for the first time today, and all I can think of is why it took me so long! I never cared about what they looked like and thought it would be a hassle, but I tacked it on at the end of my hair appointment and I LOVE them now. (Um, am I really saying I love my eyebrows? Fucking weird.) It didn't hurt at all, though my eyes did water, so that was good.

Soooo that's all. Sorry if your friends with me on Facebook or follow me on Instagram (@iffyinklings) and you've already seen my haircut!

Fashion {or lack thereof}

My new maternity shirt! For my non-maternity body! Yay!

Sweet deal for $8.

{Ponytail!!}

I love the stretch on the sides. It's so cute!

{This picture kind of makes me look like I have a baby bump, but I don't think it looks like that in real life. Hehe.}

I also like this shirt because it covers my arm tattoo and most of my chest tattoo. I noticed that most of the shirts I bought this past weekend cover the majority of my tattoos. Sometime I just really don't feel like showing them off and talking about them, and I'm getting sick of wearing my sweater to cover them! The public is just so nosy sometimes...

It was also nice to wear a pair of cute earrings with this shirt.

I am terribly sad to say that my ears closed up over the past week, meaning no cute gauges. ='( I tried to put some earrings in this weekend and NOTHING. My gauges would not go in. I tried water and oil and my ears wouldn't budge! My left ear is maybe a size 8 and my right is is like a 12. It's weird they one closed faster than the other... 

I don't have any steel gauges right now to stretch them again, and I don't really feel like paying for them. I love the look, but not the pain on my wallet! {Or ears for that matter...} 

Because I forgot to put some gauges in the past week, I think the antibodies that were fighting my sickness made my ears close faster. I've gone a couple weeks without wearing any gauges before and they didn't close! I'm super sad about it, but I guess once the holes get back to regular size I'll continue to wear cute regular earrings that I make. It seems as if everyone has gauged ears nowadays anyways, so I'll be different...right?