Valentine's

Every year, Valentine's Day comes at a time when we have a million things going on at school. We usually just go to dinner or something pretty simple. Our anniversary is on the 24th so we usually over-celebrate then. This year it was flip-flopped. We have finals week the entire week after our anniversary so we decided to celebrate V-Day. Josh made plans and I tried to pick out presents. He took me to the restaurant that we went to on our very first Valentine's 4 years ago, Chef Lee's. Then we went to see Safe Haven. It was so great and incredibly thoughtful (brownie points to Joshua!). My favorite part however, came before that. He was so excited about his present to me that I got excited and begged to do presents on Tuesday. I got him a couple of little things and some amazon gift cards to buy a new lens for his camera. 

I thought I had done pretty good...until he gave me my present. 

He got me one of these babies.

It is a Nikon 1 and I have been wanting one basically since I saw Ashton Kutcher advertise for it. It is insanely out of my price range (because I am a cheapskate) so I just gave up on it and was looking for something else. Imagine my surprise when I opened a gift and saw that! Not only did he get me the camera but he got me a bigger lens too (additional dollars I wouldn't have spent myself). I was so shocked and a little embarrassed! After all, I got him gift cards remember? Then I started looking for a camera bag because I am so nervous to get one little scratch on this beauty. Everything I found was either cute and $150 or it was a plain ol' boring camera bag. 

If you know me, you already know that my next thought was "I can make one myself". 

I bought this purse at Target with a gift card.

Then I bought a camera bag insert from Etsy. It looks just like this one but I got it in Teal. It fits snug inside the purse so its a cute little camera bag! I like my $20 price much more than a $150 and I got to pick my cute purse too!

Then I went a little overboard and bought this fancy neck strap because who doesn't love chevron and bows?!

I already knew Joshua was incredibly sweet and thoughtful, but this was just over the top. I am one lucky girl with an amazing man and now an amazing camera. 

DIY Hair Ties

I heard about Emi Jay hair ties which are the ones that don't crease your hair. My hair creases if I even look at a ponytail holder so I was completely intrigued. I bought some that were like 3 for $10 or something ridiculous but I thought if it worked it may be worth it. I am pretty hard on my hair ties so these 3 didn't last long. I was faced with a decision: pay an insane amount for 3 little hair ties or make my own. I decided to look to Pinterest for some options and I struck gold! I made like 50 of my own for $10 (much better deal I think!)

DIY Hair Ties

Materials:

• stretch elastic (I purchased mine here) **They have a million colors so have fun choosing!
• Each yard makes about 6 hair ties

Instructions:

• Measure elastic equivalent to wrap around the circumference of your wrist, leaving an extra inch on each side
•  Cut the elastic (a sharp scissor is best to avoid fray; cut on a slight angle)
• Hold the two ends of the elastic together and wrap them around one finger. Pull the two ends through the loop. (do not pull on the edges of the elastic or it will fray)
• Enjoy your cheap cheap hair ties!

Have fun making your own and saving some dollars!

Potato Soup

I made a batch of my favorite potato soup the other day and I said something about it on Facebook and has a ton of people ask me how to make it so here it is!

Potato Soup
Potatoes  (5 lb bag with 3-5 removed)
Potato flakes (I use 1 little pouch of whatever is cheapest)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 stick butter
2 large cans evaporated milk
1 can chicken broth
16 oz velveeta
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Bacon pieces
Shredded cheddar cheese
Green Onions

Peel potatoes and cut into small cubes (the smaller the quicker it takes to boil them). Place in a large pot, cover with water and add the seasonings (no specifics just toss some in). Boil until done but not too mushy. In a separate pot, melt butter and add flour. Whisk together over low-medium heat until smooth. Add evaporated milk and stir until it thickens (about 2-3 minutes). Slice velveeta and add a couple of slices at a time (*only do a couple at a time and make sure you keep stirring! It is easy to burn this step!). Pour some water out of the potatoes until slightly covered. Add the chicken broth. Add the other pot's mixture and stir. Add the bacon pieces and ~1 cup of cheese. Stir in the potato flakes to desired thickness. Top with cheese and green onions and enjoy!

Easy Peasy! This recipe makes A LOT of the soup so you may want to half it. It reheats well so if you like leftovers this is a good recipe to eat a couple of times!