Over the Shoulder Boulder Holder

A month back, Jeni at Ponderings of a Pastor’s Wife  wrote about how she feels like a new woman because she has finally been properly fitted for a new bra!  After reading her post, I thought about my own personal experience being properly fitted for a bra for the first time in my life at the age of 30!  Why did I never share my experience?  If I can help just one woman to treat herself to a bra that fits the way it should, it is worth sharing my experience (in my opinion).

I will start out by stating that I’ve had a large chest for as long as I can remember.  I have always wanted to be part of the itty bitty…well, you know what committee I’m referring to, but that’s just not going to happen unless I have surgery (and that’s not ever going to happen).  I’m not sure how my mom determined my bra size growing up, but I know that in high school after losing some weight I was wearing a 38C.  I am not sure if this was the correct size for me, but I refused to believe my chest was any bigger than that. 

Fast forward 10 years, and I was still attempting to wear 38C’s…unsuccessfully.  I had gained weight in that time but I refused to believe my bust got any bigger.  My bras dug into my shoulders to the point that it left scars, I had a constant muffin top, the clasps rode up my back so high it was uncomfortable and I was always tugging it back down into place where it should have been.  After years of promising my mother I’d get properly fitted, I was invited to a bra party at my step-mom’s workplace.  The company is called Essential Body Wear and I absolutely love their product line!  It is perfect for big-busted women like me.  A consultant takes you into a room and fits you, gets you the size bra you need to try on, and you can either walk out the door with the proper bra size or they can be ordered for you!  The consultant was so happy with my results (I actually DO have a waist! Who knew?), she let me keep the bra I had tried on.  I was amazed at how good I felt with this bra on!  When I looked down, I could only see my cleavage because I had such boost!  Was that where my breasts were supposed to be when I wore a bra? 

Here are a few tips that I learned from the bra lady (as she liked to be called):

The Magic Number: 3

You should be fitted and purchase 3 new bras each and every year (and dispose of the old, worn out, ill-fitting bras you had been wearing).

Alternate Bras

You should never wear the same bra two days in a row.  The bra needs at least 24 hours to return back to its normal shape and elasticity.  If you wear the bra two days in a row, it will become stretched out much quicker than if you were to give it time to re-shape itself. 

Wear the Bra 2-3 Times between Washes

You should wear your bra 2-3 times between washes.  Because 3 is the magic number, this means you only need to wash your bras every week to week and a half.

When Washing: Put in a Garment Bag

I went out and purchased an inexpensive garment bag at the dollar store.  This keeps the bras in a small space which helps to prevent them from stretching.  I generally put the garment bag in the wash when I have a load of work clothes or a small load of towels to be washed.

Never Put Bras in the Dryer

When you wash your bras, hang them to dry.  This is where the 3^rd bra can save the day while waiting for the others to dry.

In Jeni’s experience, she went to Dillard’s and was able to obtain the same results with a professional bra-fitter.  I’m not sure how expensive the bras are at Dillard’s compared to Essential Body Wear, but whatever the cost, it’s worth it!  And only having to purchase 3 a year won’t break the bank!  Even me, the cheapest  most frugal person in the world, can dole out $120 for bras each year.  Especially when they make me feel so good about myself in my own clothes!  It has been a couple of years since I purchased my Essential Body Wear bras (I purchased 8 of them); however, it’s time for me to go get re-fitted.  My bras have become stretched out, one of them has a large rip, and most of them have clasps that are misshapen and hard to hook. 

When was the last time you purchased a new bra?

How do they fit?

Do you get fitted every year?

A New Member of the Family

I wrote a list of New Year aspirations at the end of last year as I do every year.  One of the things I did NOT want to do this year is to take in any new pets.  We were (what we thought) maxed out with one dog, four cats and chickens at the end of last year.  June came around and there was a dog that showed up at our back step and adopted us.  After trying to find his owners and a home for over a week, we fell in love with him and kept him.  I told Todd, “no more!” 

Fast forward to Monday, October 7^th when two gentlemen I work with come up to my desk in a tizzy saying I have to come to the warehouse immediately.  I was busy and I was going to miss some deadlines if I ran to the back, so I asked if it could wait. In unison, they said, “NO!”  I go to the warehouse to find a teeny tiny kitten in a box that was rescued from in between two pieces of metal on our loading dock.  Apparently, he had been crying all day but it wasn’t until the end of the day that the Shipping Manager realized it wasn’t just a bird squawking in the trees.  As soon as I picked the little fur-ball up and warmed him up under my chin, I declared that I’d take him home (after clearing it with Todd, who is a sucker for kittens.)

I took the little kitten home and warmed him up while Todd picked up kitten formula on his way home from work.  The kitten had no teeth, and I knew he was really young because he could barely walk.  It took us a week and a half to name the little guy (I think it’s a boy: we have tried to sex several kittens in the past and we have been wrong half the time!).  Originally, we called him Dock, but it didn’t really stick.  Then, we tried Smudge because he has an orange smudge on his forehead – that didn’t stick.  We started calling him Ewok because he looks like an Ewok, and that name didn’t stick.  The only name that stuck was Romeo.  Why would we call this cat Romeo?   Because he is a little lover boy.

We still have no idea how old Romeo is.  He may have been less than a week old when he was rescued from the loading dock at work.  Kittens are supposed to start using the litter box at 20 days old; however, Romeo just finally started to walk without toppling over a few days ago.  We have had to use cotton swabs on his bum to make him go to the bathroom 3-4 times a day.  He now has most of his teeth, so we are trying kitten food along with his bottle, but so far, he hasn’t eaten any of it.  We are also working on litter box training.

It is definitely fun to have a little kitten around, but oh my goodness, the laundry!  I was doing a load of towels every other day because he was soiling them when he slept!  It is so much fun now that he is starting to explore and he is growing out of his sea legs.  He will be neutered and up to date on his shots by the New Year, and he is definitely a keeper. 

I have a weakness for animals, especially cute fuzzy ones (they are all cute and fuzzy to me by the way.)

I believe we are completely maxed out on animals now with 2 dogs, 5 cats and some chickens.  However, if there is a helpless animal that cannot fend for itself, I’m sure we’d take him in a heartbeat.  I am so thankful my husband understands my need to help these critters. 

Celebrating a Make Believe Holiday

When my family moved to Ohio from Buffalo, NY back in 1996, there were two things that were foreign to us: JoJo’s and Sweetest Day.

Here in northeast Ohio, where Hallmark’s headquarters are located and some of the best chocolate I’ve ever tasted (Harry London’s in Canton, OH), we have a make believe holiday called Sweetest Day the 3^rd Saturday of every October. 

The origin of Sweetest Day has always been suspect. Most believe it to be a "made up" holiday strictly for big business to reap profits at the expense of perpetrating romance. Of the twelve Cleveland committeemen who planned Cleveland's Sweetest Day (pictured above) eleven directly profited from the sale of greeting cards or candy. Three were on the Board of Directors for Hallmark, four on the boards of various candy companies and four owned card and candy shops in the Cleveland area.  (Source)

It truly is a dumb holiday that I don’t always remember until my husband comes home with a box of chocolates or when I see signs the week before to pick up carnations for your loved one.  Instead of being a fuddy-duddy, I decided to take this day and make it special for me and my love.  We do not like crowds and we are frugal, so battling to get a table at a restaurant was out of the picture.  Instead, we spent the day with one another relaxing, exploring, did some shopping in Amish country and ate a nice meal (at home)!

An old abandoned house we went through.

A second old house we went through.

The loot from Amish Salvage Store: $40.35
That includes a large jug of EVOO ($16.99), 13 boxes of cous cous ($0.49/bx), grits, coconut milk, french onion soup (2), and several other items.  We go twice a year and I am always amazed at the deals we find.

We don’t eat steak very often, but I decided I wanted to have a nice meal with Todd for Sweetest Day.  Steaks, scallops, sweet potato fries and broccoli was the main course and pumpkin pie ice cream was for dessert.  It was delicious!!

Even though it was a make believe holiday, it is nice to splurge once in a while for one another, and truly enjoy each other’s company.

What did you do this past Saturday?

Did you know it was Sweetest Day?

Compassion International

Over the past two years, my husband and I have sponsored a child named Anabel from Bolivia through Compassion International.  Interacting with Anabel has put many things into perspective for me over the years and I have come to enjoy our correspondences back and forth.  The donation is $38/month to help Anabel with her schooling, food (and clean drinking water), medical care, teaching her about Jesus and anything else she may be in need of.  Do you remember when you had a pen pal back in Elementary School and would get excited to see a letter in the mail from them?  That’s me when I get a letter from Compassion International with the words, “Message From Your Sponsored Child” on the front of the envelope.  My spirits are instantly lifted, and I look forward to what Anabel has written, drawn and/or colored for me.  I receive letters from Anabel’s tutor at school as well as from her mother.  I get great encouragement from these women! 

A Letter I Received 10/12/13

  

Anabel has a baby brother who was born almost a year ago.  I recently learned that when he is registered into the Compassion International system, Todd and I will have the opportunity to sponsor him as well.  I did not know this until recently, but we are able to purchase gifts through Compassion's Gift Catalog and they will be given to Anabel and her family.  We are having a hard time deciding what they may need so we may just give the family a monetary gift.  The best part is that when we give money as a gift to Anabel and her family, 100% of the money goes to them - no administrative fees are taken out.  

The reason I am writing this post is because the cutoff for a child to be guaranteed to receive a Christmas gift through Compassion is October 31^st.  What greater gift for these children than to learn that they are prayed for, thought of and loved!  When I think about $38/month, I can’t help but think about how many children we could sponsor with the money we waste each month on going out to eat, gasoline for vehicles for unnecessary driving, not to mention “stuff” we don’t need.  $38 will make a huge impact on a child living in poverty.  I ask that you consider sponsoring one (or more!) of these amazing children, help a family become sufficient enough to grow their own food by donating seed packs or donating livestock so that a family can eat, breed and barter the animals. 

I cannot tell you how humbling it is to learn about and love one of these children.  Todd and I look forward to sponsoring Anabel’s brother (Juan Daniel) and more children in the very near future.  

Cleaning Routine: Friday, Saturday and Sunday (Relax)

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I relax with one day (mostly Sundays) of doing absolutely nothing whatsoever!  On Saturdays, I like to try to do a little bit of catch-up work like cleaning the microwave, stove, washing comforters and sheets, getting items ready to sell or donate, working on the living room and spare bedroom.  These tasks don’t require a lot of time, but I like the fact that I don’t feel pressured to get anything done if I don’t feel like it.

When Monday rolls around, the kitchen is usually a complete and utter mess and that is fine.  By Monday, I’m ready to find my clean home again within all the dust, pet hair, water spots and cluttered counters!

I am going to be completely honest with you, I am not a perfectionist by any stretch of the imagination.  As I'm sure you can see in the photos I've taken, many of the pictures are dark.  That is because I work with very little light.  That being said, when I clean, "good enough" is good enough for me.  If there is a stray hair in the sink or a smudge on a newly dusted dresser, I don't sweat it.  It will get cleaned next week.  

If you are looking for a better source to walk you through simplifying and cleaning your home each and every day for an entire month, I highly suggest 31 Days to Living Intentionally Simple.  At this point, I am happy with the cleaning routine I have outlined over the past several days.  Because I have the same morning and evening routines, it is easy for me to know what to do and to get to it without dawdling or procrastinating.  Knowing that it only takes 30 minutes to an hour each evening helps me to get motivated to complete each task.  It is also motivating to be able to come home to a clean home on Friday night and not have to worry about anything but enjoying the weekend with the ones I love.

Related Posts:

Cleaning Routine: Monday (Bathroom)

Cleaning Routine: Tuesday (Dusting)

Cleaning Routine: Wednesday (Sweeping)

Cleaning Routine: Thursday (Mopping)

Do you have a cleaning routine?

I’d love to hear about it!

Cleaning Routine: Thursday (Mopping)

This is where I start to get lax and cruise into the weekend.  I will be honest and tell you that I don’t mop every week.  I’m not sure I can even call it mopping: it is Swiffering the floors.  Whether or not I mop, I still follow my morning and evening routines.

Morning Routine

(I have an hour and a half from the time I wake up until the time I have to leave for work in the mornings.)

• Laundry (3-4 days/week)
• Make the Bed (3 days/wk)
• Dishes: If the dishes were done the night before, I unload them in the morning.  Otherwise, I put the dishes from breakfast into the dishwasher.

On this particular morning, I woke up to an 85 lb dog yacking all over the bed.  So...I had 2 loads of laundry to do first thing in the morning, and the bed did not get made.  This is how I left it for the day:

Evening Routine

• Mop
• Kitchen
• Bathroom
• Bedroom
• Family Room

• Kitchen
• Wipe down dining room table
• Dishes either washed or put into dishwasher to wait for a full load
• Put everything on the countertops in its proper place
• Wipe down counters
• Clean the top of the stove
• Empty recycle bin (if needed)
• Take out the trash (if needed)
• Laundry
• Put away clean clothes

When I got home from work, I came home to this:

A wet, muddy dog because of a downpour we had...

...and muddy floors

There was no point in mopping the floors on this day.  It can wait until this weekend when things are supposed to dry up in our area. 

On Thursdays, I take a look around at the hard work I completed throughout the week and really appreciate being able to read a book or watch a movie with my husband and fur-babies.  Everything has been taken care of, and I wouldn’t be too terribly embarrassed if someone where to stop by on a spur of the moment (even though no one ever does).  Also, it seems like on Thursday evenings, I begin to get run down from my week at work, so it is nice to just come home and relax after the evening routine.

Related Posts:

Cleaning Routine: Monday (Bathroom)

Cleaning Routine: Tuesday (Dusting)

Cleaning Routine: Wednesday (Sweeping)

Cleaning Routine: Wednesday (Sweeping)

Ahhhh…it’s so nice to wake up to a house that is not only picked up, but dust-free too!  I start to feel accomplished by this point and relaxed in my surroundings.  Today, we continue the general maintenance of our home by keeping up with the dishes, laundry, and today, we sweep the floors!

Morning Routine

(I have an hour and a half from the time I wake up until the time I have to leave for work in the mornings.)

• Laundry (3-4 days/week)
• Make the Bed (3 days/wk)
• Dishes: If the dishes were done the night before, I unload them in the morning.  Otherwise, I put the dishes from breakfast into the dishwasher.

Day 2 the bed is made!

Dishes Unloaded

Evening Routine

• Sweep all floors
• Vacuum rugs
• Kitchen
• Wipe down dining room table
• Dishes either washed or put into dishwasher to wait for a full load
• Put everything on the countertops in its proper place
• Wipe down counters
• Clean the top of the stove
• Empty recycle bin (if needed)
• Take out the trash (if needed)
• Laundry
• Put away clean clothes

Time to complete sweeping & vacuuming: 35 minutes

Time to complete kitchen: 10 minutes

Time to fold and put away towels: 5 minutes

This is how much was swept up off the bedroom floor.  Ick!

A Clean Floor!

I don’t mind sweeping but I really don’t like to vacuum.  Many weeks, Todd vacuums as I sweep the floors.  Again, we will have more square footage to sweep once the living room and spare bedroom are complete.  It is amazing how much dirt is swept off of the floors each week.  That’s what happens when you have 2 dogs, 4 cats and a productive hubby running in and out of the house pretty much all day long.  Of course, our animals are a kaleidoscope of colors: black, white, gray, red, brown and blonde.  I like to see results and I definitely see results each time I sweep the floors.

This is what happened after having the floor swept and vacuumed for a whole 5 minutes:
sunflower seeds fell all over the floor.  *sigh*  

Related Posts:

Cleaning Routine: Monday (Bathroom)

Cleaning Routine: Tuesday (Dusting)

Cleaning Routine: Tuesday (Dusting)

I like waking up to a clean kitchen and bathroom on Tuesday morning!  It makes my routine so much easier by getting these two tasks done first thing in the week.  Today, I will show you my Tuesday routine.

Morning Routine

(I have an hour and a half from the time I wake up until the time I have to leave for work in the mornings.)

• Laundry (3-4 days/week)
• Make the Bed (3 days/wk)
• Dishes: If the dishes were done the night before, I unload them in the morning.  Otherwise, I put the dishes from breakfast into the dishwasher.

 

The bed was made!!

Evening Routine

• Dusting*
• Bedroom
• Family Room
• Dining Room
• Kitchen
• Wipe down dining room table
• Dishes either washed or put into dishwasher to wait for a full load
• Put everything on the counter-tops in its proper place
• Wipe down counters
• Empty recycle bin (if needed)
• Take out the trash (if needed)
• Clean the top of the stove
• Laundry
• Put away clean clothes 

*We have a living room that is currently under construction.  We also have a spare bedroom that is in complete disarray right now.  When these two rooms get put back together, they will be added to my dusting routine.

Time to complete dusting: 20

Time to complete kitchen: 10

Time to clear miscellaneous surfaces: 20 minutes

Do you see how much dust accumulates in our house after just 1 week?!?
(I dusted the edge of the amoire to show you.)

The first few weeks, I focused on just the flat surfaces to dust.  After getting into a routine, I was able to blow through these rooms in no time.  I then started to dust the tchotchkes, picture frames, lamp-shades and getting cobwebs out of the corners of the ceiling!  I cannot believe how much dust accumulates in our home within a week!  Because dusting does not take that long, I use this time to try to pick up the rooms a little bit and put items in their proper places.

On this particular cleaning day, I dusted the air intake vent which has needed dusted for a long time (as you can see).  I also cleaned up the table next to the couch where I sit and the fireplace.  I have been trying to get our important paperwork filed, but everything just sat there by the fireplace for weeks!  

Related Posts:

Cleaning Routine: Monday (Bathroom)

Cleaning Routine: Monday (Bathroom)

Over the past month and a half, for the first time in my adult life I have been able to keep up with the (basic) cleaning around the house!  This includes keeping up with the dishes, laundry, bathroom, dusting, sweeping and mopping.  I cannot say that I enjoy cleaning but I can say that I really like the results after I’m done!

I will be posting my list along with before and after pictures of what my cleaning routine looks like each day of the week and how long it takes each day to complete.  Your times may vary depending on how many rooms you have to complete.  For me, I focus on the main living areas that we use.

Morning Routine

I have an hour and a half from the time I wake up until the time I have to leave for work in the mornings.  That being said, my morning routine is extremely laid back.

• Laundry: I throw in a load of laundry 3-4 times a week within 15 minutes of waking so that it will be ready to be hung on the line, drying racks or put into the dryer before work (hubby’s clothes only).
• Make the Bed: I would be lying if I told you that the bed is made daily.  I would say a fair number of days the bed is made per week would be 3 days.
• Dishes: If the dishes were done the night before, I unload them in the morning.  Otherwise, I put the dishes from breakfast into the dishwasher.

Because we didn't clean up at all throughout the weekend, this is what Monday morning looked like.  It took 20 minutes to clean up the kitchen a little bit before work and load the dishwasher to run before I left for work.  (There were so many dishes, there were some left in the sink for later in the evening.)

Evening Routine

• Bathroom
• Wipe down mirror, light fixture and pictures
• Clean counter-top
• Wipe down soap dish, q-tip holder, and toothbrush holders
• Wipe down walls
• Clean toilet
• Wipe down baseboards
• Sweep the floor
• Shower (Confession #1: this gets done once every 2-3 weeks! Confession#2: by Todd!)
• Kitchen
• Wipe down dining room table
• Dishes either washed or put into dishwasher to wait for a full load
• Put everything on the counter-tops in its proper place
• My purse and lunchbox goes into the baker’s rack
• Books go into the bedroom
• Sale flyers get put onto the fridge with a magnet
• Hubby’s wallet is put away
• Wipe down counters
• Clean the top of the stove
• Empty recycle bin (if needed)
• Take out the trash (if needed)
• Sweep the floor (it usually needs it after the weekend!)
• Laundry
• Put away clean clothes

Time to complete bathroom: 10 minutes

Time to complete kitchen: 40 minutes
Time to fold clothing and put away: 5 minutes

Oh, you don't have dog bones all over the place in your bathroom?
Hmmm.  That's odd...

The bathroom surfaces didn't need much work this week - just wiped down.

Phew!

For me, Mondays take some time but I also see the biggest difference on this day and it makes the rest of the cleaning schedule easy-peasy for the next 3 days!

Make it Do

I have a favorite quote that I’ve heard stated two ways:

1.)    “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without.”

2.)    “Buy it used, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

I like the second version best and this mantra is always going through my head every time my husband wants to purchase a new item.

As I walk around our home, I am constantly reminded about how we “make it do” from room to room.

For instance, our house needs the electricity rewired.  I cannot run the dishwasher and the bedroom air conditioning at the same time without blowing a circuit.  Nor can I use our small convection oven (I use this in the warmer months so that we don’t heat up the whole kitchen using the oven!) and the microwave at the same time due to this same reason.  We have plans to fix the wiring, but it is not high priority right now.  These are just minor inconveniences in my view.

Todd has wanted a king size bed for a little over a year now as our fur-family has grown.  We share our bed with 150 lbs of dogs and sometimes three 6+lb cats!  Add to that two overweight adults and I will admit it gets a bit cramped.  Please note that all the animals tend to take over my side of the bed – which leaves Todd able to sleep with his legs outstretched as I wake up curled in a ball most mornings trying to dodge animals (if you are contemplating letting an animal sleep in your bed – please keep this visual in mind!)    I keep trying to put off the purchase of a king sized bed because we purchased a nice locally made mattress just 4 ½ years ago.  I really like our sleigh-bed that Todd brought into the marriage and the mattress we have is extremely comfortable!  No matter how many times he shows me California king sized beds on Craigslist and how inexpensive they are, I am not budging on this issue until it is time for us to get a new mattress.

Case in point: Hubby is all sprawled out while I'm in the corner with 2 large dogs on my side of the bed!

We came to a compromise recently when we purchased a {used} ottoman from Craigslist for $35.  The ottoman is 48” long by 27” wide: plenty of room for a pup (or both!) and a few cats if they so choose to snuggle up with the dogs.  We realized within an hour of owning the ottoman that the color choice was not the best (beige) for animals, so we are using a camo throw on top of it to hide black dog hair and dirty paw-prints!  Voila.  Hubby is happy that he gets even more space in bed, and he has his precious Lana right there next to him at all times during the night.  Buddy, on the other hand, still chooses to sprawl out on my side of the bed, but luckily he likes to sleep at the foot of the bed, so it’s not too much of a bother.

I have a laptop that is 3 years old.  It’s big and clunky compared to what is out there in the market (and what everyone else seems to be using right now) but it does what I need it to do.  I asked Todd to do something on it for me (yes, I’m the one with a degree in Computers & Information Systems but I have to ask my husband to fix my computer!) and he said, “I don’t know how you work on that thing! We can go and get you another one.”  No, thank you.  I cannot justify getting a new one until this one dies on us.  Let is also be known that I don’t do well with change and I finally figured out how to use this laptop!

I believe we (mainly me) will always have a “make it do” mentality, but we will definitely be replacing the breaker-box in the near future as well as getting a new bed in the next 5-7 years.  We are strategically putting purchases of little importance off to continue our focus on paying down the mortgage.  Right now, we are on track to have the mortgage paid in full by October 2014!!  This goal helps us to keep our spending in line because we can only imagine the freedom we will have in one short year when we own our home free and clear.

Do you “make it do” around your home?

I’d love to hear about it!

  

Updating the Kitchen for $125

My husband and I purchased our home in 2007 at auction fully aware that it was a complete fixer-upper.  We liked the fact that we could make the home into what we wanted it to be and were prepared for it take several years to complete.  We did not have a conventional mortgage: instead, we had a personal loan with a bank that was just enough to pay for the home.  Our plans were to fix up the home so that we would qualify for a conventional mortgage.  After shelling out a lot of money for a new roof, the next task was to update the kitchen and bathroom and paint all the walls so that the house would appraise for what we needed to install a new septic system that was required within 12 months of purchasing the home (side note: a new septic in our area is the price of a brand new car! Ridicules!!).  The goal was to complete these renovations as quickly and as inexpensively as possible. 

This is a photo of the original kitchen and cabinets (please note: that is carpet on the kitchen floor!):

This is the kitchen with some extra cabinets installed, new appliances, and a buffet area that now houses our microwave and gives us great storage!

We had these beautiful new cabinets, but we needed counter-tops for them.  To save money, we used stick-on tiles that appeared fancy schmancy, stripped the grey exterior paint from the disgusting cabinets and replaced the doors with more modern cabinet doors from a salvage home improvement store.  We found out after year 2 or 3 that the stick-on tiles were not the best option because they warped and started to turn up at the edges. Unfortunately, I do not have a photo of what the kitchen has looked like for the past 5 years.

Memorial Day weekend, Todd and I went out shopping for real tiles to replace our kitchen counters.  We found a great deal on neutral colored tiles at Lowe’s for $0.57/sq ft!  For $60, we purchased enough tiles to redo our counters.  We purchased mortar and grout for pennies on the dollar thanks to damaged bags at Lowe’s (original price was over $23/bag: we got for $3/bag).  The only other expense was a tool to cut the tiles that cost $50.  So for less than $125 and a lot of physical labor, this is what our kitchen looks like today.

I absolutely love the way the kitchen turned out.  Everything that used to be on the counters (convection oven, toaster, can opener, bread box, flour/sugar jars, etc.) are now housed on either the baker’s rack or in the cupboards (thanks to some major decluttering!). 

I enjoy our kitchen so much more now than I ever have before.  We have learned one very valuable lesson with this house: quality is better than trying to do something as inexpensively as possible!  Because we did not do this when we first moved into the home, we have already had to redo our bathroom (in 2010)  and now our kitchen.  We know better now for upcoming home improvements to spend a little bit more money and make improvements that will last a long time! 

It just so happens that this improvement was inexpensive to complete and we got great deals on the supplies needed!  Win-Win!