redbox Etiquette

Kennedy and I rented a redbox DVD last night, (or "got a RedBox" for all you redbox veterans out there,) and had the normal conversation that usually follows. If you have been redboxing for a while now, you know the conversation.

"OMG, there was a person in front of me who was soooo slow. He went through the entire 30 pages of rentals, even the grayed out pages." (Because we now say OMG out loud in addition to typing it.)

or

"OMG, this lady read every synopsis in the romantic comedies before deciding, and then kept scanning her debit card upside down."

(via)

Yeah, nothankyou

This frustrates me usually, but last night I had an epiphany. I realized that the worst redbox offenders that I have come across are from the Block Buster generation. And this was how you rented movies 5-10 years ago.

We used to have a family tradition of going to Block Buster on a weekend night (usually after Braum's Ice Cream or something) and everyone went their separate ways to browse the rental selection. It was a great time, and it worked well for Block Buster.

Well, redbox ain't Block Buster, my friends! I have decided to compile a short quiz to help you determine whether or not you're a redbox amateur.

1. Do you know what movie you want to rent before you get to the front of the redbox line? (Yes/No)

2. Do you have the redbox app on your smartphone? (Yes/No)

3. Did you know that you can check availability/reserve a DVD before you even get to the kiosk? (Yes/No)

If you answered NO to any of these 3 questions, then you need to keep reading. If you answered YES to all, then you need to forward this blog post on to at least 5 people or you will be eaten alive after unknowingly stepping in a ground nest full of a rare wasp/hornet/ant hybrid species.

Now let's talk about redbox Etiquette. Follow these 3 easy steps and you will be a redbox Pro in no time! Membership benefits include getting hours of your life back, and feeling superior in the redbox line.

1. a) If you have a smartphone, download the redbox app. If you don't know what the 3 underlined words in that last sentence mean, take your cell phone to the nearest redbox kiosk and stand next to it. Wait for the next person who takes 1 minute or less to rent a video and they will help you download it. Trust me, they will be more than happy to help, as it is mutually beneficial to both of you.

b) If you do not have a smartphone, I'm almost positive you have a computer with internet, otherwise, how are you reading this right now? Go to the redbox website and browse to your heart's content.

2. When you decide you are in the mood to "get a redbox," open the app from Step 1 and take allllll the time you want looking at every movie that piques your interest. You can even search for specific movies! Or look at only their newest releases! And you can read plot synopses AND watch trailers! The major plus is that no one is behind you "coughing and squeaking [their] shoes so [you] know" they're there. (A direct quote from Kennedy yesterday, by the way.) And I may have completely butchered the punctuation in that quote, but I don't have time for correct punctuation! I am on a cultural mission!

3. Find/Reserve a DVD. For this, you will need to enter your credit card information. I know this makes you nervous, but it eliminates the risk of driving allllll the way over to the redbox kiosk only to find that the guy in front of you wearing a towel around his waist just rented the last copy.
Here is how you reserve from the iPhone app:

• Touch the shopping cart icon near the upper right hand corner
• Touch the button that says "Add a Movie" (or if you're renting a game, "Add a Game".)
• Touch the picture of the movie you want to add
• Touch the blue "Reserve at Kiosk" button at the bottom of the screen.
• Touch the shopping cart icon again and then the blue "Go to Checkout" button
• Proceed to checkout and the DVD will be waiting for you at whatever kiosk you chose!

Take the credit card that you reserved the DVD with to the kiosk, touch "Pick up Reservation" button, slide that card and DONE.

And THAT'S how you get a redbox in 30 seconds or less.

**I was not compensated by redbox for this blog post in any way. This is simply a Public Service Announcement from me to the world in order to make redbox lines run more quickly and smoothly.**

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Upcycling TOMS + other random things that are consuming my life

It's summer time and that apparently equals BUSY over here! But unfortunately, that hasn't stopped me from downloading Dots and Candy Crush Saga onto my iPhone and wasting every free second bent over that thing/cursing like a sailor. Those games are HARD, but I can't quit now! 

True story, while waiting for my pictures to upload to this blog post, I played 20 rounds of Candy Crush. I only stopped because I just lost all my lives. This is a problem.

I keep overhearing people (OK, I'm an eavesdropper. Secret's out.) saying "I can't believe it's mid-June already! And I totally agree with them. Where does the time go in the summer? You'd think since we have more daylight, the days would feel longer. No such luck!

I've been trying to have some sort of activity planned for me and C to do each day so we don't go crazy or sit inside staring out the windows like we did all winter. I mean, come on. I'm over that. How depressing. Hence, my lack of blogging/returning phone calls/cleaning. Me and my baby-buddy are busy, y'all!

Like, busy riding around on this tractor toy I dug out of the neighbor's trash.

This also means that when C is down for a nap, I am having down time. And down time = Candy Crush Saga this week. 

BUT, before I got Candy Crush, I actually did a little upcycle to my black TOMS. They're one of the first pair I got, and they've had holes in the toes for a couple of years now. I stopped wearing them for a while when I was pregnant and my feet grew. And it's taken a while for them to get back to normal.

Ok. Honestly, they didn't go all the way back to normal. I think they're wider than before. So that makes these TOMS a liiiiiiittle snug, and the holes started to get more and more noticeable.

Then I remembered I had some fun black fabric in my stash with white stitching across it and thought it'd be PERFECT for my hole-y TOMS.

And also, I guess I drag my left foot behind me in some weird way, because there was this hole on the back heel only. So that needed to be spruced up as well.

The first thing I did was make the holes bigger by cutting them open. I did this because I thought it might help the shoes not feel so tight with an extra layer of fabric. (I've covered another pair of TOMS before and unfortunately, after they were covered, I couldn't fit my giant feet into them.)

Cut the toes open a little bit for more room. Cut more than this for more room, then stuff the toes to the brim while gluing the fabric down,

Also, I know I should have washed them before I did this, but I didn't. I wore them to the splash pad one day, so maybe that is good enough? 

Basically, I just cut some fabric to size and glued it down, tucking it in as I went.

Then I did a bad job taking pictures along the way, but here are a few bullet points of tips to successfully up-cycling your TOMS:

• Choose a cotton fabric and make sure it is pre-washed before you glue it on. That way, if you want to wash your TOMS later, the fabric doesn't warp and peel off.
• Hem the fabric piece along one side for the toe piece and measure and hem 3 sides for the back heel patch (this helps it look more finished, and keeps the edges from fraying.)
• Stuff a bunch of toilet paper in the toes to help them keep shape while you're gluing the fabric down.
• Use masking tape or painters tape to hold the fabric in place for a few hours while it's drying. I mean, REALLY TAPE THOSE SUCKERS UP.
• For the back heel, cut a little piece from the middle to show the TOMS label, and slowly cut away more until you are showing the whole label. If you try to do this all at once, you will probably end up getting it crooked.
• After it is all glued down and dry, trim away the excess fabric with small, sharp scissors. Then, go back along the edges and add extra glue where needed, and tape it down again for a few more hours.
• Remove tape and wear!

ta-da!

The good news is, these fit this time! The bad news is, there is no bad news.

The other good news is, did anyone see this week's episode of Real Housewives of Orange County? How is it possible for me to love people who I've never met so much?

I bet anyone reading this blog post who doesn't really know me probably thinks I'm white trash.

Do you have a chalkboard wall? (How to dress it up!)

Title sung to the tune of 'Do You Know the Muffin Man?' Commence singing it in your head all day. You're welcome!

Today during nap time (Campbell's, not mine), I pried myself off the couch long enough to spruce up our chalkboard wall. Not that it needed sprucing up, but more is more in my humble opinion.

This little update was so freakin' easy, any child with lower-level scissor skills could do it. That's why I'm sharing it. For all the low-level scissor-smiths that read my blog.

DIY Contact Paper Frames

Shout out to my iPhone 4s. Thanks for taking such professional looking photos!

Materials: Scissors. Sharpie. Contact paper.

Step 1: Fold contact paper in half.

Step 2: Draw a doodly-dad in whatever shape you want your contact paper frame to be.

I call this shape "Bumps and Spikes."

Step 3: Draw the inner part of your frame. I used an oval on this one, and squares/rectangles in others.

Step 4: Cut. It. Out. (This step was brought to you by Uncle Joey.)

Step 5: Peel off the back of the contact paper and stick it up on the wall.

Ta-da!

I think it dresses it up a little/organizes the chalkboard chaos. For a while there, Kennedy was listing out new compliments to me every day. I finally had to say, "Enough, enough, I get it! You love me. Now can we just stick to one compliment at a time already?" I know. But don't feel sorry for me, he has other great qualities. :-)

My point is, now he has a designated area where he can tell me how great I am (See: bottom frame.) And I have a place/places for him, too! The bottom of the wall is still designated for C-buddy's scribbles, which, I don't think I can bring myself to ever erase. So I don't know how he plans on adding to his section.

Do you have contact paper? I have this huge-A roll of white contact paper that I got for lining drawers and shelves. I don't think I'll ever run out of it. But if I do, maybe I'll head on down to Home Depot or Lowe's and pick up some more in a funky color/pattern. 

The great thing about this contact paper being stuck to your wall is that it peels of rather easily if you get sick of it, and it leaves absolutely no residue behind. How's that for non-committal decor?

Do you have a chalkboard wall?

A chalkboard wall?

A chalkboard wall.

Do you have a chalkboard wall?

Well let's go dress it up!

Things That Are Wrong With Me

Holy Crap. I can't believe it has been one full month since I blogged, and the last thing I talked about included calling small children really ugly names. I'm sorry that was the first thing anyone saw when they visited my blog this month of May. I don't take back what I said about that kid, though.

This month has been ca-ra-zy. We've been all over the place, and I've done some things around the house and I simply have not had time and/or energy to share.

Then I started to blog last weekend and in the middle of that, I closed my laptop and took a nap. Then, when I woke up, I found out I was needed for an emergency babysitting situation 500 miles away THE NEXT MORNING. So there are my excuses!

You're probably like, alright, big deal, Sara. Now go ahead and tell me what things are wrong with you so I can feel a little better about myself.

I'll try, but I might have forgotten some of them since I first intended to write this.

1. Addicted to TV.  Addicted to bad TV.

Specifically, Ready For Love, which aired maybe 3 episodes before it was cancelled. Sad day for me. Followed by a happy day when I found out all the episodes would still be uploaded to NBC.com.

What do I love about this show? I really couldn't tell you. It's pretty damn terrible. But I'm in it til the end. I'm emotionally invested, maybe even more than the contestants, at this point. So that's one thing.

2. I can't stop painting things

(Grainy sneak peek at one of our guest rooms.)

I painted the final room that is going to be painted in our current house. GLORY HALLELUJAH. I hate painting walls. I went back and forth for WEEKS about what color I should paint this room, and finally landed on a custom paint color -- The main reason? It was FREE. The other reason? I was influenced by Nate Berkus. More on that in another post, hopefully not a month from now.

Anyway, as much as I hate painting walls, I have become obsessed with spray painting things. Here's my list of things I have recently spray-painted: This dresser in our front entry, an antique iron bed frame (for our other guest room, and that's another post, too), 2 bar stools, a bunch of mason jars...

And I'm not done, either. I still have a bunch of other things in a running list in my mind. It has gotten to the point that I am literally walking from room to room in our house thinking to myself, "would that look good with gold metallic spray paint?" and "What if that was hot pink?"

You can try and stop me, but it would be a waste of your time. I'm a spray-paint-aholic.

3a. Kennedy and I went to Costa Rica

3b. And I held a giant snake

Ain't nothing wrong with 3a, but I feel like you needed to know that I got to go to Costa Rica. Does it make you feel less jealous if I tell you I got a 24-hour stomach bug while I was there that made me miss a catamaran-and-snorkeling trip?

3b, on the other hand: what the bleep is wrong with me? That thing almost wrapped itself around my neck and torso in order to sever my spinal cord. I made it out alive this time. This time.

4. I have been wearing my hair in a french braid a la 6th grade about 85-90% of the time lately.

And no, I'm not going to share a picture.