Big Night Out in KCMO

I don't usually post a lot of personal stuff on here as I *try* to focus on homemaking...

but this is a big deal in the Free Household

So I must share.

Tuesday was the premiere of our good friends Trevor Hawkins and Justin Gardner's short film, 'We Will Make You Whole Again'.

Starring none other than Mr. Free

And some other people too.....

Who were amazing.

It was a really fun night out.

The film was amazing.

Great artistic vision and interpretation.

In those 18 minutes, it really got you thinking.

Here's some pics from the big night:

Thanks for indulging me and letting me brag on my incredibly talented friends and husband!!!

Dreaming of being a Lake Rat...

Mr. Free and I love where we live.

It's the perfect starter home and town for us.

But where we'd really like to live?

At the lake.

Why?
A lot of our good friends live there.
It is closer to our workplaces.
It is closer to our parents.
It is in a better school district.
It is like being on vacation, yet 20 minutes from a Target.

It's where we want to be.

We are planning to start looking at properties in a couple of years. Ideally find a great lot and build a home.

Am I patient?
Nope.
Have I started looking at homes?
Yup.


Here's some beauties..... which are totally out of our current and/or projected budgets.

But they're fun to dream about. ; )

Ever been to a house plans website? Totally addicting. Here's one I happen to like. If we build at the lake, it'll have to be small. Property there is $$$$ so you don't get much house for your dollar. But that's perfectly fine. We don't need a McMansion.

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P.S. Mr. Free's movie premiere was last night.... I'll update tomorrow with pics from the debut. It was wonderful! Great job to all involved!!!

Lonny....Readers, Readers....Lonny.

You *must* become acquainted with Lonny.
She is amazing.
And she is a magazine.

You probably remember, our dearly beloved Domino...

well, Lonny is here to help fill that void.

The best part?! You can view her for FREE online!

Yes, FREE!!!

(my favorite word!)

And you flip through her, like a real magazine!!!

No clutter, better for the earth, and better for your wallet!
Of course, you can still get that beautiful glossy version mailed to you if that's your style...
Here's a few pics from her first 4 editions.

So Readers....what do you think????

Do you have any online treasure troves you want to share?

BLOG GIVEAWAY WINNER!!!

Congrats to

Fun Memories

and

Sarah Durham!!!

Please e-mail me with the print you would like and your address so your print can be sent!

Thanks to all who entered!

Hopefully another giveaway will happen soon!

Thank you Amanda Eaton for your amazing photographs!

It's supposed to be a gorgeous weekend in Kansas City, so I hope you all enjoy it!

Frugalista Find: 'Oops Paint'

OK-

This is nothing earth-shattering.

I've heard this tip before.

But I always dismissed it...

Like a fool.

I have been painting my sewing table 'mint shake' (from the free paint I got during the Glidden giveaway)....and I hate it.

Mr. Free and I were at Lowe's and I decided to look through the Oops paint.

This is paint that either was mis-tinted, the wrong size or returned.

Holy cow! There are some great paint options there!

And at such a discount!

I decided to get a quart of 'Beach House' by Valspar.

The grand total? $3

Retail price? $13.98

Nice.

They had some great colors...mainly grays, whites and beigies. But a few fun colors too!

Quarts ran $3, Gallons $5 and 5 gallon bucks $25.
They had interior and exterior in a variety of finishes.

So...if you're more right-brained, like me, check the 'oops' paint first for your next project!

You just might find an awesome shade you wouldn't normally try!

And save a ton of money in the process!!!

I'm hoping to update the basement transformation this weekend. I've been using my discounted paint well!

Do you have any frugalista home improvement tips??

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ONE MORE DAY TO ENTER THE FLORAL PRINT GIVEAWAY!!!

Look how beautiful this is...wouldn't you love it in your home or workspace?!

ENTER HERE TO WIN!!!

Type 1 Diabetes Sucks: My Story

Hi.
I'm Jenny Free and I have T1 Diabetes.
For those that know me in 'real life'...you already knew that.
To my new friends....there ya go. Another tidbit about me.




Backstory:
My dad passed away from complications of T1 diabetes when I was 6.
Yeah, my hatred for the disease started then.

Fast forward 11 years.

I'm not feeling so hot, and go to the doctor.

Low and behold...
I take after my dad too much.

I too have diabetes.


Lovely.

Being type 1, you have to be on insulin.
You see, my stupid body thought my pancreas was a 'bad guy', so my white blood cells attacked and killed it. Idiots.

About a year ago, my body decided my thyroid was bad too.

So, at the mature age of 17 I began my journey.
I first started with 'multiple daily injections' (3-6 shots per day)
About 3 years into it, I decided to switch to an insulin pump (only 1 needle every 3 days...much better!)

People (as a whole) have a great misunderstanding of Type 1 diabetes. There are 2 types of diabetes. Type 1 and Type 2. Type 2 is the most common, occurring in millions of Americans. This form is brought about by an unhealthy lifestyle, where your pancreas just cannot keep up. This form can be treated through lifestyle change, prescription pills or insulin. This form is usually preventable.
Type 1 is an auto-immune disease. This type is hereditary and is not preventable.

As I've journeyed down this sugary path for 8 years, I get some interesting comments.

Here are some of my favorites....please learn from this and don't be the one to say this to a diabetic person...
* "Oh man, you must have it bad!
FYI...you can't "have it bad". There is no better or worse in the Type 1 world. Yes, I'm insulin dependent....all type 1 diabetics are insulin dependent. That makes me no 'worse' than the next guy...

* "So...you can't have children then...or it'll be like Steel Magnolias..."
Um...yes I can have kids (Lord willing) just like you. Steel Magnolias is an old movie....and it's that...a movie! Diabetic moms can have just as a safe, healthy pregnancy, delivery and baby as a non-diabetic mommy. We just have to work a lot harder!

* "So, you can't have sugar then? That stinks".
Heck yes I can have sugar! And I do!!! Here's the thing....your body processes sugar (like candy, cookies, etc.) the same as it process any other carbohydrate (like bread, potatoes, etc.). They all increase your blood sugar. But with being on insulin, I can eat anything I want...I just have to know the carbohydrates I am eating, and then make sure to give myself the appropriate amount of insulin. Just like what your pancreas does automatically. Mine is just the 'manual version'.

* "Man, I couldn't do it. I hate needles."
Duh...me too! This comment really bugs me... I had thought the same thing. But...if your super sick and know you're going to die without the needles, you quickly get over it.

* "Oh man, I can't watch you give yourself a shot!"
Get over it....you're not the one right now being jabbed in the abdomen with plastic and metal. Seeing it is nothing compared to feeling it....


All in all, I'm so thankful for the treatment options available now. It truly has changed so much even in the last 10 years! I know God has a reason and plan for me to go through this in my life. I pray that I can have a good attitude about it and turn it around to glorify Him.

But it's hard. I mean, really hard.

You have no idea how much one organ (or lack there of..) affects your whole body and well being.
It is a constant struggle. I mean every moment, of every day, forever.

Insulin is not a cure.
It's a treatment.
I get no vacation from this. (But believe me....I've prayed for it!)
I'm attached to a machine 24/7.

Did I mention how expensive it is?! If I didn't have insurance, it would cost me about $1000 a month just to stay alive. $1000 a month!

Eventually, this disease may take away my vision, my legs, my kidneys and my life.
I'm doing everything I can to prevent that.
But...this disease is a killer.
It took away my dad at the age of 38.

I'm determined to not be another statistic.

If you read all this....thank you. Please say a little prayer for all those dealing with this awful disease.



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On a lighter note....don't forget about the giveaway! 3 days left!!!

I love skinny jeans.

Even though I don't have the 'typical skinny-jean body type' I love them.

I truly believe, curvy girls can rock them too.

They are sooo stinkin' comfy.

If you dare to take the plunge, I highly recommend you check these out at JC Penney.

They are amazing.

No fly....they just pull on!

**warning: Sometimes I forget to zip up my other pants because I get so used to these bad boys...so always X.Y.Z (X-amine Your Zipper...)***

What do YOU think about skinny jeans....yay or nay??

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Don't forget the floral print giveaway!!! Click here to enter!!! 4 days left!!!

First Fridays recap...

If you're from Kansas City I hope you know what First Fridays are.

If not....

First Fridays are where the art galleries in the Crossroads district open up to the public and you can enjoy food and wine and browse the local art.

It is wonderful.

This month our good friends Trevor Hawkins and Justin Gardner had a showing of still footage from their short film 'We Will Make You Whole Again'.

Starring: Mr. Free

Here's a couple pics from the showing. (Can you spot Mr. Free???)

The premiere is just 8 days away! Here's a preview of Mr. Free on the big screen! So.weird.

Can I just say I'm so excited to go to a movie premiere?! AND be the wife of one of the stars!

When we go down for First Fridays, I always have to stop at Black Bamboo.

I love so many of their things! But they are way, way out of my price range.

I just go in to drool.

Here's some of my faves I saw this month:

Every time I see this I want it sooo bad. But, it's about as big as our whole house. Haha.

This chair is made from rubber. It smells weird, but is very comfy.

Aren't these stool beautiful?!!

So, there's my little recap. If you live in KC, you should definitely join in on the next First Fridays!!!

Does anyone in KC have a favorite gallery or store?

Non KC friends, do you have a 'First Friday' type event where you live???

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Don't forget about the blog giveaway!!! Be sure to enter! 5 days left!!

Frugal Tip: Semi-Homemade Foaming Hand Soap

Alright homemakers-

If you're like me, when Bath and Body Works has their semi-annual clearance you stock up on hand soaps (and other goodies...).

And if you're like me, you never buy enough (or have the funds to...) last the year

So...I remembered reading somewhere online about making your own foaming hand soap!

I happened to have a HUGE bottle of milk and honey hand soap, so I thought I'd try it!

Here's what you do:

Take your empty foaming hand soap bottle (it must be one of these types of bottles!!!)

Fill it half way with liquid soap

Fill the rest with water.

Shake it like a polaroid picture.

Voila! Foaming hand soap!!! The consistency is a little different...but pretty darn close!

I'm also excited by this discovery because I love the smell of the milk and honey...and now I can have it as foaming soap! Woohoo!

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I know it's a day early, but Happy Easter to everyone! Easter is such a wonderful day in remembrance of what Christ did as a loving sacrifice for His children on the cross.

I hope it's a memorable day for you and your family!

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Don't forget readers to enter my blog giveaway!!! You can enter 5 different ways!!!

6 days left!!!

First ever giveaway!!!!

Alrighty....one of my good friends, Amanda Eaton is a great photographer and has graciously offered to give away two 5 x 7 prints of her beautiful floral photos!

Choice 1

Choice 2

Choice 3

Choice 4

To enter for a chance to win, visit Amanda’s blog, and check out her photo gallery. Then, return to my website and tell me which photo/photo idea is your favorite by April 8.
For additional entries do one or all of the following, leaving a separate comment for each:
- "Follow" my blog (see right side of the page!)

-“Become a fan” of Amanda Eaton Photography on facebook.

-"Become a fan" of Jenny Free Style on facebook.
- Email a friend about this giveaway with a link, be sure to CC me jennyfreeblog@gmail.com

So there ya go....up to 5 ways to win!!!

Only comments left on this blog will count as entries. Please make sure you leave a comment for each (even if you are already a member of the facebook page and/or this site).

On a different note....Happy Good Friday to everyone...I hope this weekend is special for your family!

xoxo Jenny Free