Tailor Me!

I am headed back to North Carolina for my brother and Arin's wedding next month. I knew I wanted to get a new dress for the occasion but didn't have a vision of what that dress would be. Normally I have an idea of what I think would work best, a color, something! But I couldn't decide if I wanted new or used, black or something appropriate for spring, etc.

Of course I went to my regular Forever 21 to see what they had to offer. They can always offer something cheap enough to wear once and feel it's gotten it's use and I always find something. I tried on a super cute, summery, pastel dress and fell in love with the color. I never wear sea foam green but it caught my eye and so glad it did. It also had black details and adorable daisies sewn all over. As much as I loved the dress it didn't fit right, was too short and wasn't flattering for me BUT I did come away deciding on the color I wanted to wear.

Looking rough - Forever 21 dress, sexy Active socks

I later went to an amazing thrift store down the street from my place. I found this dress in the same color, longer length and lace sleeves! It was perfect, except about 4 sizes too big!!! I got it for a steal and decided I would try to get it tailored. I fashon showed it on again at my parents' house and think it will be exactly what I wanted once it is altered. The best part is the price of the dress and the alterations comes out to less than most dresses I get for special occasions! Can't wait to see how it turns out. :)

Vintage dress, Sam Edelman heels

Volunteer Year - March

For March, I had the pleasure of helping the North Central Animal Shelter for a day. It came together after speaking to a former neighbor, Alicia about wanting to help out wherever and whenever possible. She is a dog walker and has a huge heart for all animals in need. She connected me with a woman that takes photos and writes bios for pets to get adopted. This center rescues, boards, helps and adopts out all kinds of animals to new homes.

I had been emailed about what I would be doing prior to going to the shelter so I prepped myself by viewing some social media outlets they use.  The day started at 8:30AM and was a whirlwind out of the gate! Our task at hand was to get images and videos of large dogs online so people could view available dogs to adopt. Because there is a timeline for how long a dog can be at the shelter, there is a sense of urgency to prevent any of them from being euthanized. Large dogs are added to the website once a month and the process takes a team of 6-10 people to complete the process including handlers, a photographer, a videographer, bio writers. It was chaotic but the system worked really well. Two to three dogs were brought out at a time with name cards to be photographed and videoed. I rotated between the two other bio writers and was responsible for writing down details about the dogs' personalities to make them more personal. It would include things like: young, great personality, volunteer favorite, would make a good hiking partner... Unfortunately most of the dogs were pit bulls but they were all well behaved and just want to be loved. Half the work is viewing and meeting the dogs to take notes, the second half is actually putting all the notes together and sending them in to post online. It took me two days to leisurely complete 10 bios.

It was a lot of fun and I am so grateful to be a part of such a helpful organization. I have committed myself to help out monthly and look forward to meeting more precious dogs like I did last weekend. If you are interested in a new pet, consider adopting from a shelter like North Central.

North Central Facebook page

North Central YouTube page

Find a pet in your area, Petfinder

I love the 110 freeway

Afterward, I decided to explore the area near the shelter and ended up in Highland Park/Eagle Rock. I found a cafe that makes vegan granola bars, looked at used stuff and drove over to Occidental College to explore their campus. Of course I ended up watching part of a baseball game. The weather was beautiful and it was a great day!

  

Things I Love Thursday

All desserts from Magnolia Bakery

Guavas from the Hollywood Farmer's Market

Holistic remedies

Warm weather for me and the littles!!!

My mama and niece



LA Life - I Annoy Myself!

I have gotten back into bikram (hot yoga) again. I had taken some time off due to Buster, moving, the holidays, etc. I am thrilled to be practicing again and love how it makes me feel. This past Saturday I went to the 8AM class to start my day. It was one of the best sessions I had had in a long time. Afterward I hiked Runyon Canyon in Hollywood, which if you haven't heard is extremely popular with celebrity sightings. It is entirely too crowded but a decent hike. When I got home, I made a healthy smoothie to round out my morning. It was very vegan and consisted of :

2 tbsp peanut butter

1 whole ripe banana

1/2 cup silken tofu

1/4 cup almond milk

1/4 cup coconut water

2 tbsp chia seeds



I used my new-used blender from the private estate sale as well as an old mason jar. I was so sickened by feeling like the epitome of LA life, I read a couple chapters of Proverbs then drove down to my parent's house in Orange County. :)

Things I Love Thursday

 Cadbury mini Easter eggs

(I love them but try not to buy them or else they'll be gone in an hour!)

Ladybird Dawnson's baby shower

(she is a beautiful mama to be)

Free iPhone apps that waste time

Hanging out with Jep in Hollywood, errr anywhere

Hiking Runyon Canyon



Best New Soup Recipe

I made the best soup last week and was able to enjoy it for days. It was so simple, I had to share it.

Ingredients:

(1) bag of Trader Joe's 10 Minute Barley

(3) cups vegetable broth

(5) cups water

Chopped vegetables of choice - I used broccoli, zucchini, shredded carrots

Spices to taste - I used onion powder, red peppers, rosemary, 21 seasoning salute, salt and white pepper

(1) tbsp vegetable based bouillon

Prep:

Bring broth and water to a boil

Add barley, vegetables, spices and bouillon

Simmer for 15 minutes and serve

Enjoy :)

Volunteer Year - February

I was able to serve at the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood again on the first Friday of February. There was a larger group of volunteers this time, as it took more time, food and money to organize. The team leader decided to provide a vegan/vegetarian dinner for the group (only in Hollywood!) so we offered a Mediterranean meal of salad, hummus, falafal, pasta salad, tabouli, Greek potato salad, pita bread and more. I thought our guests would be hesitant but it was actually received very well. We made plates and served each resident but they went up for seconds on their own. I was pretty excited my falafels were a success!

Since it was dinner time, we had more of a captive audience so we were able to sit and chat to get to know the residents. With breakfast, everyone had to be out of the shelter by 7AM which left us little time to really interact with everyone. Since it is the same group that stays there each night, I remembered a couple names and was able to follow up on different topics. The residents were all really sweet and appreciative of everything we did for them. It was so great to get to know them, hear their stories, talk about their childhood and just listen. We also had someone deliver a quick sermon from Habakkuk 3:17-19 then watched a portion of The 10 Commandments.

At the end of the evening, I asked the director if I could come back and assist again. It is such a humbling experience but I'm sure it is heartbreaking for those who work there daily and see the outside forces that cause them to live in the state they do, especially if someone disappears. But I do want to go back and donate my time to the church as well as build better relationships. I have a desire to and look forward to seeing everyone again.



New Etsy Store

After my private estate sale adventure, I realized I have much more than I need in the milk glass, home goods department. My kitchen is maxed out and now buy things because I know they are collectibles, not because I need them. I know there are others like me who love Pyrex, Fire Kings, Glasbake, milk glass and all the same wacky things that I freak about.

So I decided the best thing to do was to start selling the items I don't need. There is a huge market out there for people like me on independant store websites so I opened up an Etsy shop. My inventory is low still and it is really unprofessional (because I've never done this before) but it is fun. I have included the link on the left panel of my blog but here it is as well:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/PoshParsimony

I will be adding more from the estate sale as well as things I find from the Goodwill's, Salvation Army's and wherever else I go. I hope you check it out even if you don't have an unnecessary obsession with cloudy bowls and plates like I do! Here are some examples of items I am listing:

Best day ever!

In December I posted about moving to a new place and being really excited to decorate. Well it's been a lot of fun with all the painting, DIY projects and organizing. But one thing I hadn't done was get a couch. Well now I have one! I found it on Craigslist for only $50 and texted my brother to help me pick it up the next day. Based on the pictures it was perfect. Vintage, floral, long, different-so I was really hoping it would be as good in person....It was better!!! Amazing condition, in the same house for 20-30 years, vibrant fabric and dirt cheap. They were actually getting rid of a love seat as well so I came away with two couches. I let my brother keep the love seat as I didn't need it.

I didn't know what to expect when we were driving to the house but hoped for the best. The home was a large ranch house on a huge lot tucked away in an old neighborhood of north Orange County. Before we saw the couch, the two of us wondered who would be selling it and why. I assumed it was an old couple that passed away and family was trying to sell their belongings. I was right! The house hadn't been lived in for 3 years because grandparents had passed away and now the grandson was selling things off slowly. The couches were amazing while walking through the home, I saw a bunch of other things I wanted. They said they were selling just about everything so we asked if we could look. They said yes so we spent the next TWO HOURS sorting through the entire home. It was like our own private estate sale. Luckily they were very sweet and knew that we were appreciative so it didn't bother them. I looked through every single kitchen cabinet, searched shelf, linen closet, garage, the backyard and more. It was amazing and I scored some great pieces. Pyrex, milk glass, a blender, iron skillets and more. I spent $120 and got about $500 worth of goods. My brother bargained $250 worth of tools and parts.

And what is best is they are starting an organization for pet owners with medical bills for their fur babies. I, of course, told them I would love to volunteer so hopefully I will be able to support them sometime this year.

Vintage sweater, vintae Harley Davidson t-shirt, Forever 21 leggings, Zara booties

After all that "shopping" I stopped into a vegan restaurant Free Soul Cafe near the home. Best desserts!!!!

Once home, I went through all of my new prizes. The day was so great:

finally got a couch

met some new friends

hung out with my brother

scored some great home goods

ate delish vegan food

Volunteer Year 2013 - January

My year of volunteer work has started! A couple weeks ago, I tried out a new church for the first time. It was close to home and I was able to walk there. It was perfect timing because during the service, they asked for volunteers! It was an opportunity to serve food to the homeless at another local church. I signed up for two time slots: one breakfast and one dinner. Last Sunday was the breakfast and I really enjoyed it.

The shelter is at the Hollywood Presbyterian church that has a designated room for people to sleep on cots. They are also able to pack all their linens into bags that are stored during the day as they must be out of the shelter by 7AM each day. We had to be there by 5:30 which means I rolled out of bed at 5 and walked there since it was close enough. One thing I wasn't prepared for was that we were responsible for purchasing the food served. I have helped out other shelters several times and the food has always been on hand already. So the three of us pitched in to purchase grab and go items for our guests to either eat at the shelter or take for the day. Luckily one of the other ladies was able to do the shopping, I just had to reimburse her for my share. Breakfast was served until 7AM and had minimal clean up afterward.

It was a great morning and I was able to interact with a number of people. The girls I worked with were great and after talking realized we were both Azusa Pacific alums! I signed up for an evening as well which is planned for this Friday. I am looking forward to seeing the same people for dinner or meeting new ones. It was a really rewarding experience and I'm SO glad my 2013 goal is focused on others this year, instead of myself.