Tag Archives: 2013

Taking a Break

May 7, 2013 Pamela Stephens

It’s almost midnight on Monday, and I’ve spent the last hour and a half working on blog posts and catching up on the latest Bayou Life Magazine.

After a not-so-great afternoon, I spent most of the night cleaning and working on switching my closet over to spring (post coming soon). This Monday has been a pretty tough and exhausting one, and I really needed some time to stop for a bit.

When I finished the project I was working on, I decided to sit in my big, comfy chair and flip though the new magazine. To be honest, I really needed the time to wind down. All to often, I don’t give myself that opportunity, but today it was much needed.

Whatever you’re doing, be sure to give yourself a chance to check out for a bit. Whether you like to read, catch up on a TV series, or knit…it doesn’t matter. You deserve a chance to relax! Plus, taking a minute or two to wind down gives your mind the break it needs to come back refreshed and ready to go.

Tonight’s “time for myself” session included reading some great articles and scoping out Salt & Pepper’s presence in the magazine. Plus, be sure to notice the ad for Bayou Gypsy/Bayou Beaux. My friend, Courtney, has some precious things in her store, and you should definitely go check it out!

After taking this time for myself, I’m feeling much more capable and in charge. Here’s to hoping for a productive Tuesday!

Tuesday update: I obviously planned on posting this earlier today and didn’t. However, I still found it relevant. As a matter of a fact, I took a little extra time for myself again tonight (Tuesday). After cleaning up from dinner, I sat on the patio and painted my nails while watching the latest episode of “Nashville.” (Yes, I’m addicted!) Both my Monday & Tuesday night “breaks” have been ordinary, run-of-the-mill activities. However, they’ve both been things I don’t usually give myself the free time to do, and actually doing them has made me feel like a new person. If you haven’t planned to already, make a point to do something special for yourself this week…Pamela’s orders!

Leave a comment Inspiration & Thoughts 2013 - inspiration

What Married People Do: Buy a car.

May 2, 2013 Pamela Stephens

We bought a car! I’m more excited than usual over a new car, because this was mine and Matt’s first big purchase as a married couple.

Funny side note: Matt has learned a very valuable lesson. At first, he didn’t understand that our first of everything was vitally important…our first Christmas, first vacation, first house…I’m obsessed with it all. In the beginning he wouldn’t get very excited about all of the little firsts here and there. After about 6 months in, he realized that I want to make a big deal of all of those things. Now, as soon as I say, “Aww…it’s our first {insert random item/holiday/experience}” – he immediately follows with, “You’re right, it’s our first {repeat random item/holiday/experience} and it’s important because all of our firsts are important.” He figured it out! On a serious note, I’m very happy that my husband will play along with my silly notions.

That being said, I made quite a big deal of our car-buying process. (If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you already know this because I posted 3 pics of the process…more than I usually allow.) However, it felt like a huge deal to me. We had just made our first big decisions as a couple and worked amazingly together…I felt like celebrating!

Our car-buying strategy was a tad more elaborate than most. We spent 2+ weeks analyzing different options…Accords, Altimas, Camrys. New, used, certified. Future trade in values, mpg, insurance, down payments…you name it. If it could be considered, then I guarantee we talked it through. We even had a spreadsheet…a color-coded spreadsheet at that! After analyzing the numbers to death, we finally decided to write which car we really wanted down on a note card and show each other at the same time. (That’s how all big decisions are made right??) Luckily, it was the same car!

Why were we buying a new car? Matt is driving 60 miles round trip to Ruston everyday. Our original plan was for him to drive my car to school instead of his big Dodge with a whopping 16mpg. However, my 6′ tall husband didn’t fit so well into my little g6. So, we decided to buy me a slightly bigger car that he can drive on school days.

I think we knocked this one out of the park. We got a great car with awesome features (You can thumbs up/thumbs down your Pandora from the screen – my fav! Plus, it has back up & lane watch cameras.), and Matt driving it to school is going to save us a ton of money each month.

When I married my husband, one of the biggest draws was that I felt like we could work together through anything. This car-buying experience has shown me that yet again, we make an amazing team. Ladies, when you’re picking a husband, be sure it’s someone you can work through both little and big things with. And someone that you can enjoy the process of making these sorts of decisions with. It will make a huge difference in your overall happiness.

So here it is…the newest addition to the Petrus family – our 2013 Honda Accord EX! We love it’s long list of fun features, the crazy good gas mileage, and the fact that there’s only 3 of this color in the state of Louisiana. Plus, apparently a carseat will fit easily in the back. 🙂

4 Comments Marriage 2013 - grown ups - husband and wife

A Quick & Easy Spring Wreath

April 29, 2013 Pamela Stephens

It was past time for a new, spring wreath, so I finally reserved some time to throw something together. I snagged this green, berry wreath at Hobby Lobby after Christmas for less than $10. (It was $60 regular price.) Even though it was a holiday wreath, I immediately thought of spring when I saw it.

I decided to tie on some springy, floral fabric to spruce it up a bit. To do so, I cut a small 1″ slit and then pulled both ends of the fabric to tear long strips. I could have cut the strips, but I wanted it to look tattered and irregular. Then, I just cut 4-5″ pieces from the long strips to tie to my wreath.

I also added a burlap bow and ribbon. I used a zip tie to attach the bow, because I like to be able to take bits and pieces off and reuse them for other projects. (This bow came from my January/February wreath.) To add the ribbon through the wreath, I tied one end of the ribbon to the back side and hid the knot behind the bow. After weaving it through the wreath, I tied the other end on the other side of bow and tucked it away. After securing the bow and ribbon, I tied the strips of fabric on in alternating colors to fill the empty spaces around the ribbon. Finally, I tied a piece of spare fabric for a hanger.

And there you have it! After hanging it on the door, I think it might look a little too much like an Easter wreath. I’ll give it a week or so of hanging there while I decide if I it needs to be reworked or not. What do you think??

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Homemade Laundry Detergent: Take 2

April 25, 2013 Pamela Stephens

I’ve made a few batches of this laundry soap and decided I just wasn’t crazy about it. I liked that there wasn’t any grating or cooking involved, but I just felt like it wasn’t cleaning quite enough, and it didn’t have a prominent enough smell.

I have a few version of detergent recipes pinned (Don’t we all?), so I thought I’d give another one a shot. I sort of combined this recipe with this one to create my own version. I liked the first one because it included essential oils, which I figured would make it smell good, but I didn’t want to make such a huge batch without trying it first. So, I used the second recipe and combined the Fels-naptha soap and essential oil from the first. Lets hope that was a good idea!

Here’s what I used:
3/4 bar Fels-naptha soap
1 cup Arm & Hammer washing soda
1 cup Borax
Lemon Essential oil
2 gallons water

Here’s what I did:
Obviously, you start by gathering supplies. Sometimes people have a little trouble finding the borax. TP Outdoors carries it (and the Fels-naptha) if you’re in the area. The essential oils were equally tough to find. I finally found mine at Fiesta Nutrition. Some article suggest to not use supplies from your kitchen, so I dug a pot and grated spoon from the garage sale pile.

You begin by grating your soap. I bought the Betty Crocker grater from the Dollar Tree, specifically to make this soap, but it grated the soap too finely so it was taking FOREVER! I ended up pulling my hand grater from the kitchen and using it instead. One of the recipes suggested using just half of the bar of soap, so the detergent wouldn’t be too thick. I wasn’t sure, so I went the middle of the road and used 3/4 of the bar. However, the detergent ended up being too thick for me, so I’d suggest only using 1/2 of the Fels-naptha.

After grating the soap, you add it to the pot with one gallon of water. I also read somewhere that you have better results from using distilled water, so I purchased two gallons from TP Outdoors, as well. (Turns out that distilled water makes it thicker…that may be another reason mine was too thick.)

Heat the soap and water until the soap melts. I cooked mine over medium heat. Warning: this process took much longer than I expected…approximately 10-15 minutes.

Once the soap is melted, you add in 1 cup of washing soda and 1 cup of borax. I also added 4-5 drops of lemon essential oil. (I chose lemon because I like the smell, and because they say lemon kills bacteria, etc.) Mix these ingredients together and bring to a boil. This process took much longer than I expected too. However, when it started boiling, it almost immediately started to boil over, so I’d keep a close eye on it.

Once the mixture starts to boil, remove from heat and add the other gallon of cold water. (I put the second gallon in the fridge to chill earlier that morning.)

Ideally, your pot should be able to hold the 2 gallons of water so you can stir them together comfortably. Mine only held approximately 1 1/2 gallons, so I split the remaining water between the gallon jugs, stirred the mixture in my pot, poured it into the jugs, and shook vigorously to mix in the remaining water.

I saved the gallon jugs, so I used a funnel to pour the mixture back in to the jugs. You’ll want to do this over the sink. I made a huge mess and wasted a good bit! Had my pot not been so full, it would have been easier to pour.

So there you have it! The process was less intensive than what I imagined, with grating the soap being the hardest part. You use 1/2 cup per load of this recipe. I am doing laundry today, so I’ll hopefully have an update soon on how well this recipe works. I really like the idea of making my own detergent, so I hope to find a recipe that I like.

If anyone has a recipe that they love, please share. Furthermore, if you try this recipe and love it or hate it, please let me know how it goes!

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Musings of a Monday Morning

April 22, 2013 Pamela Stephens

I woke up this Monday morning at 3:30 am. This is NOT normal for me, as I’m the farthest from a morning person as you can get. Here’s what I thought about as I laid in bed for several hours wishing I could go back to sleep:

1. Our role: You should be the type of person that you enjoy being around. Furthermore, you should be the best version of yourself possible. There is always someone looking up to you and learning from you, whether you know it or not.

2. Outsourcing: Everything that I’ve read about being a successful, productive person says that you have to learn to leverage other people. I struggle with passing tasks off to others, and the fact of the matter is, I’m going to have to learn to delegate and let go of things that other people can help me with. This is going to be especially important as my life takes on a new look in the upcoming months.

3. This blog: A lot of times I hesitate to post things here for fear of what other people will think/say. I can only hope that other bloggers felt this same insecurity in the beginning. However, I’ve decided that this is a place for me to clear my head. It’s a place for me to share my experiences and journal my place in this life. Certainly a few people will read along, but it’s primarily a place for me. I know I’ll continue to struggle with it, but I’m hoping to make some progress in not being so afraid.

4. Life in General: I’ve come to the harsh realization that life almost never goes according to plan. The things you plan on happening, don’t. The things you don’t plan on happening, do. The people who you know won’t hurt you, do it over and over again. The dreams you never thought you’d have, suddenly you can’t stop thinking about. This life never ceases to amaze me. You just never know what to expect. As for me, the girl who always had a plan, I’m not doing that anymore. I don’t know where I’ll be in 5 years. I don’t know where I’ll be within this next year! But what I do know, is that I’m along for the ride. “What will be, will be.”

Leave a comment Inspiration & Thoughts - Other Stuff 2013

What’s Been Going On.

April 17, 2013 Pamela Stephens

It’s been a bit since I’ve posted anything, but it’s been a tad wild around the Petrus household. So, what’s been happening lately?

Salt & Pepper set up with the Monroe-West Monroe CVB — my old stomping grounds — at a show in Jackson, MS to promote shopping in our area. (Did you know Monroe-West Monroe has some of the best shopping in the state? There’s your fun fact for the day.) Anyhow, I spent the majority of last week packing, loading, and preparing for the show, and then spent Thursday-Sunday in Jackson. Our crew certainly had some fun times!

The show was a success, and we talked to lots of people about making the drive over to Monroe-West Monroe. I’m hoping to see some of our new friends soon! We sold more Duck Commander tshirts than you could imagine, and people were amazed that we were from the same town as the Duck Dynasty stars. We answered all sorts of questions like, “Do Phil and Kay really live in that trailer?” And, “Do bugs grow in those long beards?” All in all I had a great time talking about my town and making memories with old friends.

What else has been going on in my neck of the woods? I just completed my real estate class! I was rather nervous about taking the finals after being out of pocket for the weekend, but somehow I pulled it together and aced both of them! After spending 2 full days confined to my couch with my head in a book, I deserve to brag a little! =) All that’s left before I become a licensed agent is studying for and taking the licensing exams. I’m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!

Even with so much going on lately, I’ve still missed writing for My Neck of the Woods. One of my goals for this year was to give myself the chance to spend more time developing this online space, but sometimes real life gets in the way. Nonetheless, I’m not going to let myself push this project to the back burner as I’ve done for years. Now that things are a little more manageable, I hope to be back at it. Some of my upcoming projects include trying a new laundry detergent recipe and prepping for our garage sale. Keep checking back for updates!

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My Favorites: Tan Towels

April 9, 2013 Pamela Stephens

Disclaimer: This isn’t a sales pitch. If I didn’t really like this product, I wouldn’t have ordered it for my store, and I certainly wouldn’t rave about it. Even when selling things in my store, I’m known for always being honest and “telling it like it is.” I’m not going to brag on something just to sell it.

That being said, here’s my Tan Towel experience. A good friend kept raving about the Tan Towels, so I finally decided to try them. I made a new goal to not use a tanning bed anymore, so when I needed a little color for an event, I gave the Tan Towels a chance. (Did you know that tanning beds are a level 1 carcinogen…just as dangerous as smoking??!)

I’ve never been a fan of self-tanners and to be honest, I don’t usually get caught up in the hype of beauty products either. However, when I like something, I love it and will sell it until I’m blue in the face. It appears as if Tan Towels are going to be one of my new favorite products.

Here’s why I like them:

They’re easy to use.
They don’t leave streaks like most self-tanners.
You get a natural looking tan, rather than that gross orange color. It’s also a subtle change…you don’t end up with that just-got-a-spray-tan look. Yuck.

Here’s how to use them:

Bathe, shave, and exfoliate. (To be honest, I just scrubbed a little harder with my loofa. Tan Towels offers an exfoliating wipe that I’ll try soon.)
Dry off really well.
Rub the towel on in a circular motion. (While these towels don’t streak like other self-tanners, it’s still important to not miss a big spot.)
When you’re finished, wipe the palms of your hands on a washcloth.
Let dry before putting on clothes. (Only takes a couple of minutes.)

Again, I’m really not one to rave about products like this, but I was surprisingly fond of this one. I tan easily, but I haven’t had a chance to be in the sun yet this season. For me, the Tan Towel gave me just enough color to be comfortable showing a little leg, until I actually get to enjoy some sunshine. After using just one wipe, I called the next day and ordered them for Salt & Pepper. If you’re looking for just enough color to be comfortable in your shorts or sleeveless shirts, I definitely recommend giving Tan Towels a try. It’s a safe way to get a sun kissed look, without jeopardizing the safety of your skin. Plus, they’re inexpensive…much cheaper than a tanning bed membership.

Other tips:

Bathe and use the tan towel the night before you want to look tan. Then, bathe again the next morning.
Do legs & tops of your feet first. Then, do one arm, cross over your chest, and down the other arm. End with doing the back of your hands. (You can also do your trunk and face if desired. I haven’t used the towels on my face yet so I can’t attest for how they work there.)
Don’t wash your entire hands in the sink. Instead, just wipe your palms and inside of your fingers onto a washcloth.

As with other tanners, it’s best to not get wet or sweat profusely for several hours after application. (This is why I suggest using it an hour or so before bed.) It only takes a few minutes to dry.

If you want to try the Tan Towels and have any questions, feel free to ask me! I’d be happy to answer what I can. As I mentioned earlier, they’re now available at Salt & Pepper, so we have them in stock if you want to give them a try!

Leave a comment Fashion 2013 - my favorites

Spring Cleaning.

April 3, 2013 Pamela Stephens

I was reading this post about spring cleaning, and the writer challenged her readers to blog about their spring cleaning goals. At first I was reluctant because just the thought of all of the things I need to do made me instantly stressed. But, I decided to bite the bullet and thought that an actual list (and blogging it) might give me a starting point and some accountability. So here we go!

One of the most important things about setting goals is to make them achievable. So, I made an effort to really think about specific things that I felt like I could knock out this month. Here’s to hoping that this list will help me make them happen!

My Personal/Home Goals for April:
1. Build a curtain rod and hang new blinds & curtains in my closet room. (Yes, I have an entire room for my closet. I talk a little about it here. More to come soon!)

Our house had these hideous, yellowed blinds from 1940, and we’ve changed all of them except this room. I’ve had the curtains and blinds for a while now and just haven’t gotten around to changing them out. It’s time to make that happen.

2. Clean out the third bedroom.

Messy third bedroom — This is just one corner of the room. I’m embarrassed to show how messy it is!

I had to take a deep breathe before even writing this one down. The third bedroom –AKA The Dungeon — is a terrible place. I hate it’s darkness and outdatedness. (I seriously doubt that’s a word.) It has paneling walls and the most hideous carpet in the world. On top of that, it’s filled to the max with stuff. It has boxes that haven’t been unpacked from when I moved in, boxes of Matt’s things from when we got married, excess furniture, holiday decor, and loads and loads of other JUNK. You would be amazed at the amount of stuff crammed into this one space. I’m talking a couch, bookshelves, entertainment centers, two beds/mattresses, and boxes galore…that’s just to name a few. All of that being said, cleaning that room out has been on my to-do list for months. I need to make it happen now because we want to….

3. Have a garage sale.
Once I get #2 taken care of, the next big goal is to have a garage sale. We could likely furnish an entire second home with the excess stuff we have. If you’re in our area and need some stuff, come by our garage sale. There’s no telling what you’ll find.

And now for a more fun goal:
4. Switch closet over to spring.

Love these shoes! (Available at Salt & Pepper, of course!)

This is one of my favorite tasks of the year! I love getting out all of my clothes & shoes that I’ve forgotten about. Even though I love it, I always tend to put it off because it’s a hefty task. Nonetheless, spring is here and I know there’s a ton a cute sandals waiting to show off my newly pedicured toes. I’m going to knock this one out soon.

And lastly…
5. Do at least a little work on the bedroom decor.
Our bedroom has taken on a few different looks since we’ve been married…a little over 8 months now. (We’re on our 3rd comforter if that tells you anything.) On my birthday, my sweet husband surprised me with this lovely Anthropologie duvet that I’d been drooling over. He also hung that shelf and threw those decor items up there. And it hasn’t changed…I haven’t done one single thing in there. It looks exactly the same as this picture from January (except for a few pair of earrings that have collected on the shelf.) I’ve been very excited about decorating our bedroom, but it keeps getting replaced with “more important” things. This month I hope to at least make a tiny bit of progress in there.

I almost got carried away while making this list. It’s so easy for me to let my mind run wild when thinking of all the things that I need to do. However, I knew that I needed to keep myself in check. I need to finish my real estate class in the next 2 weeks. I will also need to study for/take the final test and the licensing exams. This is in addition to regular home upkeep/cleaning and my lofty Salt & Pepper to-do list. Time is a valuable commodity around the Petrus household.

All things considered, I think I’ve set some pretty obtainable goals for this month. Most of all, I’m hoping that actually making this list and sharing it with the world, will give me the dedication I need to make these things happen. (Thanks Elsie for the push!)

Maybe you should join me! What would you like to accomplish over the next month? If you have a blog, write about it and then share a link in the comments. If not, just share your goals here in the comments section. I’d love to hear about them! And maybe, just maybe, we’ll all get a little more done by creating accountability for each other.

Here’s to a productive April!

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Living Room Sneak Peek

April 2, 2013 Pamela Stephens

I plan to do tours of our home soon, but I’m still working on getting things squared away the way I like it. For now, here’s a peek into our living room.

(Photo frames: Hobby Lobby, TJ Max, and Ross. Star burst mirror: Paul Michael Company. Turquoise “P”: Hobby Lobby. Old mirror: vintage, gift. Empty oval frame: vintage from Salt & Pepper.)

This gallery wall is possibly one of my favorite parts of our home. I love random collections of things! For this one, I really like the mix of old and new.

This was my first gallery wall to do, and I must say it’s a lot tougher than it seems. Mr. Petrus and I spent well over an hour sorting through things and deciding what looked best where. (In reality, Matt gave up after about 15 minutes and came back when I said I figured in out. Haha.) Once I picked a layout, we laid down some sheets of large white paper, kind of like butcher paper on a huge roll. We traced out where the items went, and then taped the paper to the wall. We also made marks on the paper where the hangers were, so it was much easier to know where to put the nails. (I saw that trick on Pinterest.) I definitely suggest laying everything out on the floor and playing with it a bit before deciding where each piece will go. Plus, you’ll want to do something to mark where they’ll go on the wall to keep from ending up with unnecessary holes.

We installed this gallery wall before our Halloween party in October. (Of course…when else would a Halloween party be??) After several months, I’m still in love with it, so that’s a good sign!

What do you think? Do you like gallery walls?

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Easter Goodies.

March 30, 2013 Pamela Stephens

Rather than folding and putting away laundry, which was on the to-do list for yesterday afternoon, I decided to make some Easter goodies! Matt wanted to take Easter candy to the front desk folks at TP Outdoors, and I wanted to make some goody bags for our girls at Salt & Pepper.

I had an Easter pail, bags, and grass already, so I just ran and picked up some candy. Then, I pulled out some old scrapbook supplies and made tags. I took it a step further by making little eggs for each of the tags. I used butterfly stickers to attach the tags and flower stickers to close the bags. (I’ll admit that I got a little carried away…it’s what I do.)

Sometimes you just gotta blow that to-do list and do something else that strikes your fancy. Today, I fancied making Easter goodies for people we love. I think it’s worth it, especially to put a smile on someone’s face. I’ll get to that laundry next week. I hope you all have a happy Easter!

Much love!
Matt & Pamela

Leave a comment Other Stuff - Projects 2013 - DIY