melissasdayoff

[melissasdayoff]

I think the photo says it all – I was born to love Disney.  From an early age I was always fascinated with anything Disney.  The movies, the tv specials that they would air – I dreamed of going to the parks.  When I was about 2 my grandparents became snow birds for a year or so (snow birds are people from up North who fly down to Florida for the winter).  My mom brought me and my papa insisted we go to Disney World.  I have no memory of this but the picture above.  (cute wasn’t I?)

As I grew up I would BEG my mom to take me to Disney World, but we couldn’t really afford it and she is not a theme park person (she doesn’t like rides).  But we did get to go many fantastic plans (Japan, Ireland, Spain, all over the U.S.).  So the year we decided to go to California I had 1 goal in mind – GET TO DISNEYLAND!!  And we did – bless my mom she went and bared through going on some rides with me and spending the day there and a day at Universal.

As I got older I got another quick chance to see a Disney park – when we went to Japan for the second time.  I begged my aunt who lives there to take me and she did.  I will say this for Disneyland Japan – thank goodness for the princesses!  Fun fact about Disneyland Japan; its all in Japanese!  Only the princesses speak english and I spent all day trying to meet them.

Then finally when I was 27 the most magical thing ever happened to me.  My extended family and I planned our Disney World Vacation!  For the first time in my adult like I was going to the most magical place on earth!  Needless to say, dreams do come true!!

We spent 8 AMAZING days in the parks and I got to experience things for the first time.

I got to go on all the rides for the first time that I never could go on, I got to stay on property and drive in the magical express!

We ate with all the characters and saw all the parades – it was truly the most magical experience of my life.  If I didn’t love Disney before well it was solidified now.  There was a point where 27 year old me, may or may not have had a panic when Cinderella approached our table, hitting my cousin on the arm that she was coming (haha).

This is me enjoying a ride on the tea cups – to match pictures I have (non digital) of me at 2 in Disney World and 15 in Disney Land.  (it’s become a semi tradition).

Last May we got to go back and again it was so amazing.  I cant describe how much I love going to Disney.  I think the fact that I didn’t get to really go as a child, makes me love it more so now.  There is something about walking into Disney that first day and seeing the sights, smelling the smells.  It doesn’t get old.

This last trip I got to do a few news things, like try a Dole Whip.  (if you have never tried one and are a Disney fan, go check them out they are so good!!)  There were new rides to try out and we ate at new restaurants.  I also wore Disney shirts almost daily and matched my magic band to a theme and wore matching bracelets.  (I love a good theme!!)

  Here are some of my favorites memories from the trip:

  As we speak I am saving for some trips next year; I plan on going in February for the princess run, October for the Not So Scary Halloween Party and with my friends in December to see the Christmas decorations.  So I am really tempted by the annual pass (if anyone has one or some tips PLEASE share!).

So until then, as they say in my favorite place …. “See ya real soon!”

  xo M

  Confession of a Disney Fanatic… I think the photo says it all - I was born to love Disney.  From an early age I was always fascinated with anything Disney.  

[melissasdayoff]

So it was my birthday… and I went a little crazy.  If you saw my last post you saw all the amazing new makeup my mom treated me to (THANKS MOM!) but then I went to see my aunt and uncle who gave me gift cards to Victoria Secret and LUSH!  $50 each!  I mean what was a girl to do?  So I went shopping and got a wee bit carried away.

The gift card spree turned into me buying not just what the gift cards could supply but a bit more.  On top of that I went to Sephora (again) once I discovered I some how had 2 VIP accounts and could get MORE FREE SAMPLES!  Then I may or may not have gone by Target and picked up some more makeup that I was dying to try.

Lets start with Victoria Secret:

I got not 1 but 2(!) new makeup bags; I was planning on just the pink one and then I saw the yellow one and it just said “take me home”.  Normally I am Shelby from Steel Magnolias (pink is my signature color) but this yellow; man oh man I couldn’t leave it.  So 2 new bags it was.  I also got a pair of their yoga lounge pants that are AMAZING and oh so comfy.  As I walked up to the register with my haul I was told that if I spent just a bit more I could get the free tote.  (A note on the free tote: this is something this store does all the time, I cant tell you how many free totes I have from them.  Normally I am eh on them and wont go out of my way for it.  But when they showed me it well I realized how great it was and that clearly I needed it for a gym bag and a carry on when I go away next month and a new work bag, etc…)  SO I might have been a bit high on the spending but I wanted that damn tote so I grabbed a roller in one of my favorite scents and got my tote and was on my way.

  (I also went to target to grab another NYX matte liquid lipstick and the blushed nudes palette by Maybelline. While I was there I grabbed that bee coin purse – fun fact I love bees!)

After VS I popped into Sephora to grab my free samples and while waiting on line I saw this hand cream and thought I would buy a little something as to not seem like a crazy greedy lady who just came in for free stuff.  I am a cream/lotion freak – I have an obsession of which I buy tons.  I am a sucker for a good hand cream or body lotion.  This stuff is AMAZING!  It was so worth the $5 I spent and smells so good like heaven – totally worth it.

I also grabbed another time in a bottle because I have been loving it and got another serum birthday gift from Caudalie the moisturizing sorbet and vinoperfect serum.

On to LUSH:

Once again I was high on the shopping spree and went in with only the intention of getting some bath bombs and be on my merry way.  Then I met the lovely girl who works there and she asked me like all good sales people if she could help me.  Well I had a question about the shower cream Prince Charming and if it was good for dry skin.  I have NEVER seen someone so excited to talk to me about my dry itchy skin.  She jumped at the chance to show me some products and I actually went with one!  The Rub Rub Rub Scrub felt so good and gentle on my skin, smelt amazing and when she washed it off my hand my skin was so soft I was shocked.   She explained that it is a soap based scrub and ermahgerd I cant get enough of it.

I also grabbed a few bath bombs and a melt – my FAVORITE bomb is the sex bomb.  I grabbed a twilight and a cupid bath bomb as well.  I also grabbed a bath melt which if you have never tried, you are missing out!  Its like putting oil in your bath tub but with out the greasy after feel.

I wish I could say that was the end of my spree �� as today I went to Ulta and got a Brow Zings kit, Urban Decay setting spray and afterglow blush.  But now, now I have to stop haha.

Hope you enjoyed reading about my spending habits :)

xo M

    Birthday Bonanza Haul So it was my birthday... and I went a little crazy.  If you saw my last post you saw all the amazing new makeup my mom treated me to (THANKS MOM!) but then I went to see my aunt and uncle who gave me gift cards to Victoria Secret and LUSH!  

[melissasdayoff]

It's my party and I'll shop if I want to...

It’s my party and I’ll shop if I want to…

So it’s my birthday this week!  And I am not someone who generally enjoys her birthday, but I am sort of looking forward to this one.  First starters, my friend is coming home for the week with her daughter so I get to see them!  Plus she and our other good friend are taking me out for dinner and movie on my actual birthday too!  I took 4 whole days off from work so I get to relax and clean and…

[melissasdayoff]

So the first thing I do when I take on a new project – like a blog – is figure out how to organize it into my daily life.  In everyday I use an Erin Condren Life Planner which I am obsessed with!  I am old school when it comes to planners, I cant use my phone or tablet or technology to organize.  I need pen and paper and colors to keep my visual stimulation going.

The planner is amazing – some of the features that I love about it are the covers are interchangeable and totally customizable.  The cover I have pictured is my 2017 cover but when I bought the planner (I bought the 2016-2017 planner) I originally used another cover that I still have if I feel like changing it out.  I love that it has a month page and weekly pages as well.  You can 100% customize your weekly layouts – I have the horizontal pages but they also offer a vertical version.  I also have the black and white color scheme but they have a color option too.

With the life planner I get to stimulate my visual love of seeing things laid out – they are built around the idea of using stickers to organize your life and keep you sane.  Some people take it to an extreme of what they call “kits��� or “spreads”.  They look a little something like this:

  available here

These are stickers that are a full weekly lay out with everything from “to-do” lists to flags for the weekend and daily events, etc.

I am pretty simple, I just go basic with stickers like these that I pick up at Michaels and Target.  (they are usually really affordable and last a long time!) I decorate with seasons in mind and daily reminders to keep my planner pretty and less cluttered.

weekly layout 1

monthly layout

weekly layout 2

Here is my February layout examples, the monthly page is in the middle of two weekly pages.  I use PaperMate colored gel pens that I bought at Target.  These are by FAR my favorite pens to use.  The ink doesn’t bleed through the paper and drys SUPER fast!  The pen case I use is a pouch I got at Charming Charlie for super cheap and I love cats so it was right up my ally.

The matching case is from Erin Condren as well and holds my pen case, stickers and planner really neatly to keep it all organized.  I originally didn’t have the case but let me say I am SO SO happy I bought it for the new year.  Nothing is worse that having stickers all over the place or no place to store them in your bag.

Now that blogging is going to be part of my goals of things to do I cant wait to put in reminders and ideas in the notes sections of my planner.  I already have blog pins saved to my Etsy favorites.  My planner is my baby and my obsession (I love anything stationary) so combining the two will definitely help me stay organized and involved.

Hope anyone reading enjoyed my planner walk through – does anyone else use a planner?  What kind?  Let me know in the comments (I have a new found love of the idea of bullet journals!)

xo M

  How I organize my life… So the first thing I do when I take on a new project - like a blog - is figure out how to organize it into my daily life.  

[melissasdayoff]

I love this

[melissasdayoff]

Weight Loss Goal and me

Who among us hasn’t said one of the following at some point:

I need to loose weight I am dieting I am too fat Oh I can’t have some its not on my diet Etc

I know I have, so when I put a goal of loosing weight on my list I wanted to make it a goal but not put pressure on my self. I am a big believer in people (women especially) are beautiful at any size. And if you’re happy and healthy that’s what should matter.

So am I? Happy and healthy? Mostly. But to find out if I am really healthy (I’ve got the happy covered) I want to have a physical done at my doctor. That’s step one. Talk to my doctor and see health wise where I am at.

Based on my results of the physical I want to have I will start working towards my goals of loosing weight. Weight loss is a big thing to me for many reasons. A bit of background is that when I was younger and thinner, I felt fat. I vividly remember feeling fat when I look at old photos. Fun fact though I wasn't over weight in any way. I just felt that way. So now as an adult who weighs much more than I did I high school it's funny to me that all those years I felt heavy. For now I am working on eating as healthy as I can and being as active as I can during the day. So here's to my health and getting fit!

[melissasdayoff]

February's Food of the Month

So I decided as part of my goals to start trying new foods.  Now I could have just been like wow I have never tried fried ice cream - LETS GO!  But I am trying to take a more healthy approach to it.  So for February I picked - Brussel Sprouts!  

Now, a brief note on the sprouts.  I am not a HUGE veggie eater - I eat carrots, potatoes (regular and sweet), corn, cauliflower, broccoli and thats about it.  So for me to actively decide on a new vegetable is a big thing.  (at least for me)

So I ventured into my local grocery store and picked out some brussel sprouts. Not knowing where they would be I could only find them in a precut packaged way.  Worked for me.  I googled recipes and ways to cook them and found 1 thing in common.  People like to make them with bacon (which sadly I didn’t try) and mostly they roast them.  

I went the roasting route and this is how they came out:

I cut up the sprouts, cutting off the white ends and the halving the haves I had.  I also peeled off the top few leaves.  I use a cooking stone from the pampered chef, but I am sure they would come out good on a regular baking sheet.  

Then I cut up some garlic in half or quarters (depending on my mood) and added that.  

This time I cooked them I went for a mix and added some baby carrots - and salt, pepper and olive oil and mixed them up in the seasonings.  

Then I cook them at 350 degrees tossing them around during cooking.  I don’t time how long but I cook them until they are soft and crispy.

I went the roasting route mostly because I roast a lot of my other veggies and love them that way.  Plus every recipe I found was for roasting them.  In the end am I a HUGE lover of sprouts now?  Eh - they’re ok, I will definitely keep them in my arsenal of veggies to cook.  They turned out good they way I cooked them that I enjoyed them all 3 or 4 times I cooked them.  

Next up this month (March) lentils!  

[melissasdayoff]

Goal Spot Light - New Foods to try

So why try new foods each month?  I am what some might call a "picky eater".  I prefer a "plain eater" or "simple eater", I eat a lot of foods but I know what I like and eat those things.  I don't try a lot - its not my thing.  

So when coming up with goals for me to focus on for the 30th year of my life I wanted to go out side my box and comfort zone.  This for me is trying new foods.  Foods that in the past I would have gone BLECH ICK GROSS!  I want to give a shot, why judge that food by the cover.  

When I was little I was EXTREMELY picky about what I ate, so once I found a few things I knew I could eat and not get push back from my parents on I stuck with them.  I also mostly ate things that were plain or simple.  Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, plain pasta with butter (no cheese, no sauce), chicken cutlets, canned corn, ANY kind of potato (mashed, boiled, french fried).  Basic things, no real seasoning or flavor.  

So even as an adult I was hard pressed to start trying new things.  Slowly did I start learning to like new foods and try new things.  Sushi is a great example; NEVER would I have been like mmm sushi in the past.  Then one day my friend opened my eyes and went "you don't like fish, but there is veggie sushi!"  WHO KNEW?  Now I love some avocado rolls or sweet potato rolls.  yum yum!!  

So in picking out new foods I want to think about things that people always tell me "if you only tried I know you would like it".  So far I have a few things picked out and started in February and will keep it going.  

[melissasdayoff]

It's here!!!

Yesterday was my official 30th birthday and guess what??!? It wasn't that bad! I was dreading it for months and it's come and gone and I feel the same. Now that I am officially here I can start/continue working on my list. I wanted to put my whole list out there because I want to make sure I accomplish the things on there. So here goes: YouTube - start a channel to post all the videos of my adventures in accomplishing my list. Weight loss - this is something I've always struggled with and I want to get a handle on it. Debt free - we've talked about this and it's on going - more updates soon. Move out - this is my hardest one because it will depend on a lot of things. Car - fingers crossed I don't want to walk anymore it's COLD Ariel silk class - take a class and try it. This has always looked fun to me and I want to see what it's all about. Learn a 2nd language - no clue which one yet. Suggestions? Learn to do my own hair - I can not blow my hair out. I get frustrated and give up. Hug goal for me. Take a photography class - I have a fancy camera and I want to learn to use it with out the auto button. Try something by my self - anything. I am co-dependent in new things so I want to try something by my self. Go on a blind date - why not? I have never been on one and what's the worse that can happen? Wear makeup every day for a month - I rarely wear make up and I know I can do it and be quick. Volunteer for something - again not sure what but I feel like giving back in some way. Save $1000 just cause - not to save it for a specific goal just to say I saved it. Try 1 new food a month - already started will up date more. Cook a Julia Child meal - I got the cookbooks but have never cooked from them. Go to a Giants game - love football and the Giants. Just something I've never done and always wanted to. Read books on shelf - I buy books and they sit there. Time to read them. Pole dance class - again another class that looks like fun to try. Ballroom dance class - I want to be on dancing with the stars!!! Or learn to dance like them. Go see papa - DONE! Keep an eye out for a video and blog post. Go skiing/snowboarding - I have never skied or snowboarded and it looks fun. Why not give it a shot? Go see Michelle in Arizona - my friend lives in AZ. I have never been and I want to travel this year so I picked her as my destination. Work out 3x a week - goes with weight loss, plus I have a free gym membership. Let's use it! Skin routine - I started this one just need to stick to it. Paddle board - my mom did this last summer and I just feel like it's a baby step to surfing. Date night 1 time a month with Serda - I never get to see my friend who lives around the corner. Learn a new skill - I choose knitting. My nana was a knitter and I learned when I was little. But I wasn't that good Update blog/vlog 4x a month (1x a week) - post a blog/vlog 1x a week to keep up with it and stick to something. Do the color race and 2 more 5k/marathon runs (actually run one) - the color run is so much fun and I want to do that and 2 more races this year. Plus I'd like to actually run one. So there she is - my list. Let's get going!!!

[melissasdayoff]

More on money.

I wanted to go in a little deeper about my money…issues.  How I make my budget, what “debt” I have, what was my breaking point, etc…  

So my breaking point was several months ago, when my (very old) car died and I was not financially prepared to replace it.  By “financially prepared” I mean that I had no money to fix or replace my car and such a bad credit score that a loan wasn’t possible.  I had a break down.  To be 29 (almost 30) and have no car freaked me out.  (A side note about me; I am stubborn, like dig my heels in, gonna get my way, watch out anyone in my way stubborn.  So I was determined to figure something out, but there was nothing I could do.)  Admitting defeat was not easy, I don’t handle change or the unknown very well.  So having to go into work, life, etc… with out knowing what was going to happen scared me.  

Luckily - I have probably the best role model and mother there is.  She is my savior in life.  Not with just this issue but in general, which I don’t always appreciate and need to learn not to take for granted.  She took me out of my funk, opened my eyes and helped me find a path to solve my problems.  

With her help we took a look at my debt (mostly hospital bills and credit cards) and she basically paid them off for me.  In essence she became by debt consolidator and got rid of it fast so I can pick up my credit score.  So each time we sit down (2 times a month, when I get paid) we look at what was paid last time, what needs to be paid this time, how much we can set aside, etc… and lay it all out.  Just as example we have gotten my school loan from nearly $3,000 to about $1,800 in about a month and a half.  

With her help my hope is to get my score up by March/April and be able to get a car. It's on the list so here's hoping.

[melissasdayoff]

Money, Money, Money.... must be funny in a rich mans world

The song says it all - it must be funny in a rich man's world.  I am definitely not rich.  Not rich but not poor - I am more getting by.  Getting by is not my favorite.  As I near 30 getting by isn't cutting it.  So changes are in order.  First thing on my list of 30/30 is BE DEBT FREE!  

Now this means a lot more than just "debt free".  This means to me, have a better credit score, have no more loans, clear all credit card debt.  This is a big step towards the rest of my list and to me one of (if not the most) important on the list.  

My first step was to ask someone I trust most of all for help - my mom.  With her help I sit down bi-weekly (when I get paid) and set up goals for how much I can spend, what needs to be paid, what can be given a smaller payment before the due date, etc...  Yes I am almost 30 and I need my mommy.  But honestly if it weren't her, it would be someone, and why not pick the best.  Being financially responsible isn't my strong suit.  So if she (or anyone) is willing to help me then I am going to take that help.  

So that's my first thing off my list - well almost - be debt free in 2015!  Here we go!

[melissasdayoff]

Happy Birthday to ME! (well ... almost)

It's not actually my birthday yet, 67 more days to go!  WOW that does not seem like a lot of days....but yeah - less than two months and I am 30!  This I am not so thrilled about.  I know, I know, it's a total cliche to be unhappy about 30.  But well... I am not ready to grow up.  30 means growing up, 30 means no more pretend.  I feel like Wendy in Peter Pan on the cusp of leaving the nursery and wishing to stay "young" forever.  Where's my Peter to fly me off to Neverland?  Don't I get any pixie dust?  In a way, I guess this will be my happy magical dust to keep my spirits up.  30 is a BIG deal for me, it's something that I am not sure I want to happen yet.  To be 29 and not really know what you want in life is a major thing.  But I don't, I still do not know what I want to be when I "grow up".  Is this bad?  Is this some sort of error in my life that I need to fix?  I hope not.

While I may not know what I want to be, I do know what I want to do.  Since my birthday is so close to New Years, I decided to make a goal list of 30 things that I want to accomplish in my 30th year.  Some big, some small.  All things I'd rather be doing on my days off than going to the doctor, or doing laundry.  (Grown up stuff)  

Here I will post my experiences and write about what they are, what I felt doing them, etc...  

So here we go 67 days till by official birthday and the start of my journey. Good luck to me!