Monday Motivation

You already know what I'm going to say... Don't let them get in your head! If you want to do something, you're the only person that can make that something happen. Don't let someone else stand in your way or let you feel like your dream is too big to be accomplished. I'm going to try to follow my own advice. :)
Have a great week!!

aLL that sparkLeS

Wedding planning was/is possibly my most favorite thing to do. I was never the girl who planned her wedding as a pre-teen, but once it was my time, I dove head first into the process whole-heartedly. It was a lot of work and a lot of research, but every bit of it paid off. I've never felt more special in my entire life or more confidant as I married the man of my dreams. Every woman should feel as special, radiant and beautiful on their wedding day.

Monday Motivation

Today's motivation came to me from the great motivator herself; my mom. :) love you.

The parable of the pencil...

What is your DTI ratio?

I can't stand jargon. DTI is a perfect example of banker jargon. What does that even mean? I try very hard not to use any of these terms in my daily work life; so let's simplify things. DTI stands for "Debt to Income."

Monday Motivation

Better late than never...

If you wish to achieve worthwhile things in your personal and career life, you must become a worthwhile person in your own self-development. - Brian Tracy

Today was one of the best Monday's I've had in a while. I'm a happy person. I have to remind myself of that sometimes. Have a great week!

GA Foreclosure Procedures

I mentioned a few months ago that I believe another home in my neighborhood was foreclosed on. Even after speaking with several neighbors, I haven't gotten any additional information as to who these people were, or why they were foreclosed on if at all.

Thirty Before 30: Thursday Update

#5 Recipe: I slacked on June's recipe. I made healthy lasagna but sort of just made it up as I went along. I cut up an onion and sauted it until soft then added in some zuchini and spinach and layered that with the lasagna noodles, sauce, mozzerella and ricotta cheese, and some cooked up ground turkey breast. It was actually, really really good. I used whole wheat noodles as well. The only thing is I guess I didn't need to bake it very long because the noodles on top got sort of... crunchy... so! don't overbake it if you try it. I promise to do better next month with a *new* recipe.

#6 New restaurant x2 - Arelios. They just opened by my job and I tried it out with a co-worker of mine after work. It was so good! Apparently it's a chain, so see if there's one in your area. They serve Chicago style pizza. I had a calzone type pizza (they called it something else), but it was HUGE and filled with spinach cheese and mushrooms. So good! I really wanted to try one of the desserts which was listed as a half a pound of chocolate chip cookie dough topped with ice cream, whipped cream and a cherry, but I was so full after my meal. Next time, I'll know to save room. :)
I hadn't planned on going out to eat at a new restaurant again in June, but my brother-in-law's father (yes, I said that right) was in town visiting us and we decided to grab something quick before dropping him off at the airport so we stopped at The Vortex in Little Five Points. I'm so glad we did because my husband, who has a motorcycle, goes to this biker bar pretty frequently with his friends. It was so good! I had the egghead sandwich (fried egg on a BLT with cheese on texas toast) with a side of plaintains. Everything was SO GOOD. I won't tell hubby because next time he asks if I want to go to bike night, I'm going!

#9 Current mile pace: last months pace 12:58, this months pace 12:20. Actually, I run about 2 miles in each time, and the second mile is much slower. I actual finished the first mile in under 10 minutes! But I would still like to be able to do it with just running the whole time (instead of run/walk/run/walk) So, I'm still trying to get up to that.

#10 Gym: Awesome! I'm doing great with going to the gym 3 times a week. I've been going 3-4 times a week all month. Even pushed myself one day that I got home late and went at 845 at night to do my cardio and chest workout. I'm proud (and so is hubby :)


#11 Pushups: 6. Don't laugh at me. It's better than last month :)

Mint.com

As a banker, I have to tell you one of the worst things I hear people say is "I don't use a checkbook." Seriously?! Most often, this comes with some sort of complaint attached to it and somehow, their lack of record keeping is supposed to be my problem? That's why I want to suggest Mint.com for anyone reading this and everyone who has used the "I don't balance my checkbook" complaint! It's a FREE financial management tool that brings all of your accounts (checking, savings, credit cards, mortgages, etc.) into one total management product.

One of the things I want to accomplish this year is (#29) to set a budget for myself and stick to it. Through using Mint.com, I've been able to see how much money each month I'm spending at Starbucks (more than I thought) and how much money we spend on gas and electric from month to month. By logging into this website once or twice a week, I'm able to hold myself accountable for what I've spent during the month. So, if $100 on Starbucks seems excessive for the month, now I can bring it down to $25 which (in my opinion) isn't that bad and put a little extra into savings.

After you set up your user name and password for the website, it will ask you what accounts you want to import. Mint will automatically take the last 3 months of activity and categorize the transactions from your chosen accounts into the appropriate categories. Occasionally, I'll have to change a transaction that should be categorized as "eating out" to "dry-cleaning," etc., but it usually gets it right. Once you have several months of history to view, you can view a bunch of different options on there. For example, I'm able to compare what our water or electric bill has been over the past year (or more if you have it stored) or see how much you spend on a specific store for the month or several months, etc.

I hope this website will help you as much as it has helped me - I find it to be very useful in balancing my checkbook ;)

Monday

Instead of sharing one of my motivating quotes this week, I'll share the one my manager gave us at work last week. You can tell me how motivated you are after reading this...

A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions. - Proverbs 18:2

jaiMelody is on Facebook!

I'm so excited to announce that I've started a fanpage for my Etsy Shop to help me reach my goal of selling 300 hoodies by my 30th birthday!


The hoodies are completely customizable with the brides name and wedding colors. Typically I stay with white and black hoodies, but can do additional colors upon special request. They make great gifts for engagements, wearing at Bachlorette partys, and especially for getting ready the morning of the wedding.

So, if you haven't already... head over to Facebook and LIKE my fanpage JAIMELODY DESIGNS! :)