40 Things I am Loving in My 40's

I turned 40 in September and I was more than ready for it. I think having a kid in college ages you. I think I'm really going to love this decade though. I've been thinking about all the things I'm loving right now and thought I'd put them together in a post because being 40 kind of allows you to decide what you love and it gives you the permission to leave behind the stuff you don't. That said, here are 40 things that I'm loving right now. I put a LOT of effort into this post, so I'd love it if you checked it out because coming up with 40 awesome things is a lot! I even leave you with a little challenge at the end if you care to accept it! 

0

Fashion for Moms of Teen Daughters-We Might Need a Support Group

I just want to take a hot minute to talk about fashion for moms. Is that a thing? Can I even say those three words together? I know I spent the first decade of motherhood in comfy pants wearing shirts that could be hiked up easily for breastfeeding. When I really wanted to get fancy, I was looking at Rachel from Friends for all my fashion needs. So obviously, I'm about as fashion forward as I can get. Now that I have a teen daughter with a very vocal opinion things are getting interesting up in here.

If you've been reading along for a bit you will know that the majority of my clothes are from garage sales and thrift shops. It's pretty darn common that I will spend more on my cup of coffee from Starbucks than I will on the outfit that I'm wearing. So not that you have that visual on my wardrobe lets move on. Right now I'm struggling with the fashion that's out there. Downright struggling. I took my 15 year old daughter out to the mall and I was regretting every Goodwill clothing donation I had made the past two decades. Every single thing that I wore in high school is back and I'm not quite sure that's a good thing. My daughter specifically asked me to buy her mom jeans. And because of that, I'm going to stop right now and have a silent moment because I can't even.

1

Rachel's Random Ramblings

So it's been awhile since I did a Rachel's random ramblings post. I think it's because my randomness has moved over to making Facebook live videos {if you missed them, you can see them archived here}  in the form of Wednesday coffee chats. I'm not sure if that's working though. To be honest, my coffee on the west coast is like afternoon tea on the east coast. I just can't get my poop in a group {think about it} to make it happen weekly. Main reason why... my hair. Yep, you heard me. I was literally planning the day I was going to shower and wash my hair around Facebook lives. Don't judge. So with that thought, I bring you the most current installment of Rachel's Random Ramblings {if you are wondering, there is a WHOLE drop down menu with those from years past. You can find it here.}

2

Podcasts You Should Be Listening To

I was late to the party but now I can't get enough. I had heard about podcasts and was vaguely aware of them, but hadn't listened or downloaded any. I had even recorded audio for a podcast I would be a part of but I had never taken the time to listen to any. I do enjoy listening to talk radio and as a child of the 80's I'm a big fan of background noise when I do anything mundane. I spend a lot of time in my car and the music on the radio stations was starting to get a bit redundant. I was looking for something new, so I put it out there and did what any grown woman does, I asked my friends on Facebook what their favorite podcasts were. I downloaded all of them. I spent time listening to them and weeding out the ones that I didn't really like and downloading more of the ones that I did. Really, it was all in the name of research {you're welcome} so that I could put together a list of the best podcasts you should be listening to.

1

Is Goodwill Too Expensive?

Is Goodwill Too Expensive?

I'm cheap. Like really cheap. I do most of our shopping at garage sales (check out some of my past What I Wore Wednesday-Garage sale editions) but during the winter when it isn't garage sale season, I get a little antsy. Sometimes I get motivated to head into my local Goodwill and see what I can find.

I worked at Goodwill back when I was in High School. It was such a fun job. A treasure hunt of sorts nearly everyday of working and always first dibs (or so it seemed) on most things. The inventory was constantly changing and each box was filled with something different and it was a surprise every time you opened a box.

Don't miss this post: Lessons Learned From my Time as a Goodwill Employee

Household Items at Goodwill

I know the key to finding the best deals at Goodwill is to shop often, but for me, it seems like Goodwill is just getting too pricey. I walked into the door today and found this dresser marked at nearly $200!

Don't get me wrong, this dresser is a beautiful piece. It has tons of potential, but $200? On something Goodwill got as a donation.

There were bed frames marked for nearly $600. Does that seem a bit pricey to anyone else?
This couch was marked $89. I know there are plenty of free couches on Craigslist that look similar to this one.

I also found pictures to be a bit on the expensive side. This picture wasn't anything special and it was marked $49.

I would have bought this cake stand but for $15? I could have found it cheaper on clearance.

There are plenty of household items at Goodwill, and you can often find items that are less expensive then you would purchase them retail, but you do have to shop often and watch for sales!

Goodwill Has Discounts!

Goodwill has discounts! There are often weekly tags that are marked down as well as a color tag at our local store that is often for sale for .99. Items are tagged with a color tag when they get ready to put them on the floor. They are given several weeks to sell at the store, and then the color rotation starts again. For instance week 1: red tags, week 2: green week 3: orange....you get it idea.

Often the reason an item hasn't moved off the sales floor is because the price has been set too high. If you pay attention to the discount tags, you can usually get a deal.

Can You Negotiate at Goodwill Stores?

As a general rule of thumb, no. They sometimes will reduce a price if there is a defect. Clothing items in particular are scrutinized before hitting the floor for holes and stains, but occasionally those things can be missed. If you are good at fixing an item, you can usually ask a manager for a discount. Other than that, you often can't ask for a different price just because you think their price is too expensive.

Shopping the Goodwill Outlet Stores

Items that do have defects or items that don't sell at a discount are often sent on to the Goodwill Outlet stores. This is a very different experience shopping and honestly, it's my favorite way to hunting for deals. Items are marked by the pound. 

Here are some tips for shopping at Goodwill Outlet

Target Items at Goodwill But are they Cheaper?

Goodwill started carrying items from Target back when I worked there over 15 years ago. They are called Grey Goods. When I was working there, they were donations, now I am told (by the supervisor at Goodwill) that the Target items are bought (at a reduced price) and sold at a percentage off the retail price.

Which is why this piece is new and in the box cost $12.

Or why these frames cost $6.50 (the scratches come for free!)

This shirt didn't have any tags on it showing me that it was new from Target, but it was Target's brand. You can buy it for $8.99. Really? $8.99? I know of plenty of retail stores where I could buy this shirt new for around that price.

I remember seeing this same kids shirt last week. At $5.99 it doesn't surprise me that it's still there. The $5.99 price tag is the standard price for shirts in the kids department. At least many of them that I saw.

And speaking of prices, I thought it was funny that I saw a shirt with a $5.99 price tag from Goodwill, but the clearance price was only $4.48 at Target. If the product didn't sell on clearance at Target for that, why do they think they can get more for it at Goodwill?

I actually noticed that most of the items that were from Target had red clearance stickers at one point, but many of them were pulled off so that the Goodwill customer couldn't see the retail price.

When I spoke to the supervisor she told me that they are required to mark the Target items at a percentage off of the retail price and that most of the time that price is higher than the clearance price. So why not shop at Target instead? I think I would much rather spend my time checking often at Target for clearance sales, then checking often at Goodwill for their higher marked items.

The other trend I am noticing at Goodwill now is that since they are taking in more retail items and selling more new items, that the store has less character.

Rows and rows of plaid shorts

or end caps filled with Hanes socks doesn't seem like a treasure hunt to me anymore. And really, isn't that the best part?

I love that you can still find a diverse amount of items at the store. Someone in the back must know that trench coats are trendy this season because when I walked in, I found a whole rack of them. But, I am thinking that this 1980's trench coat isn't what In Style magazine was thinking.

And at a price tag of $29.99, I think I will pass.

Shopping for Costumes at Goodwill

Goodwill is even too expensive for me to do "gag" shopping at. This jacket would have been perfect for the 80's New Years party my husband and I went to this year, but with a price tag of $8.99, no thanks!

And with wedding season upon us, Goodwill had rows of wedding dresses all lined up. There were some great dresses, but like all things Goodwill, you have to hit the jackpot with finding the right size. Then I looked at the price tag...

holy smokes! $99.99 for this particular wedding dress from David's bridal. I know I've heard the commercials for David's bridal and know you can often get $99 BRAND NEW wedding dresses at their store. I've been a bride on a budget before and know that I would have much rather gotten my dress cheap from a bridal store, than cheap from Goodwill.

I also saw this lovely shoe display. These shoes were all marked for $14.99. That seems expensive to me for used shoes that aren't any special brand.

The Goodwill I remember operated on set prices and even those seem to be getting quite expensive. Check out the prices for books. We usually get our books from the library for free or at garage sales for a quarter a piece.

So I wonder, is this Goodwill trend just in my area? Is Goodwill getting to be too commercial and too expensive for anyone else? I am not impressed.

Is Thrifting Getting More Expensive?

I think so! But there are still deals to be had! It's worth sticking with it and taking time to enjoy the hunt!

84

5 Ways to Keep the Weight Off

At the start of the year, I realized that without even knowing it, I had packed on about ten pounds. I totally understand now how people say that they have no idea how the weight creeps on. I guess if I think about it, I could come up with a few reasons, but I had no idea that my life choices had changed that much and that my normally consistent weight was not so consistent anymore. I took a few weeks to hit the restart button and I lost all of the weight, but I didn't want to get myself back into the same situation again by continuing to make the same choices, so I needed to examine what I was doing and how I could adjust my lifestyle to make better choices that would help me keep the weight off. I've been able to maintain my weight now and want to share with you some of the changes I am making to stay at a healthy weight for me.

1

Easy Snack Ideas On-the-Go

This post is written by me on behalf of Special K all opinions are 100% my own.



A wise friend once told me failure to plan is planning to fail. I think of that saying often as I try to plan my day. When the kids were younger, it meant making sure that I planned around the hours in which meltdowns may occur. It would involve scheduling around naps and making sure I packed snacks if there was a minute chance that a child may dissolve into tears over hunger, thirst or general moodiness. Now that the kids are in school, my hours during the day look a bit different. I run all of my errands between work hours and appointments and do my best to plan ahead and grab easy snacks for me so that I don't get hungry and end up buying something I don't need or will regret later. I've got a list of easy snack ideas for when you are on-the-go. That way, you can plan ahead and not fail if life throws you a curve ball.

from Sticherinny

2

Why it Matters to Cite and Credit the Proper Source on Pinterest and How to do it

Maybe this is just a pet peeve of mine that has turned into an irrational chord that gets struck every.single.time I see it, but in this digital age, I feel like this bears mentioning because maybe truly you just didn't know. I love the internet I really do. It's hard to remember what life was like when we didn't have so much visual inspiration and information available to us instantaneously. However, there are some misuses of said inspiration that requires this little PSA. Via Pinterest isn't a way to credit anything. Period. Pinterest isn't a source. Pinterest is a bulletin board of sorts. A way to keep all of the digital media pinned in one place. It's a source of inspiration BUT it isn't THE inspiration. 
There are hard working bloggers, designers, photographers, authors, and individuals that are behind every image that you see. A fellow blogger {Emily from Eleven Gables} wrote this sentiment and posted it on her Instagram account.  I'm hoping that I can explain to you why you shouldn't take images and share them without their proper source because this just adds to the cycle of image theft. And you aren't a stealer are you? 

6

Jenny Craig-Stay on Track While on Vacation

Thank you Jenny Craig for sponsoring this post. -- Get serious about losing weight with Jenny Craig!

For most people, going on vacation means leaving behind their daily routine, but that doesn't mean that you can't still maintain the healthy habits you try to incorporate into your life every single day. I had the opportunity to travel for a long weekend to Hawaii smack dab in the middle of my month long Jenny Craig reset. You see, in the matter of about six months, I packed on about ten pounds. A major car accident about a year ago left me with a limited activity level and unexplained pain that turned into chronic pain. I spent most of last year visiting doctors offices and trying to get to the root cause of the pain I was experiencing and in the process, my body slowed down to a crawl and decided to start packing the pounds on. It was only about ten pounds and I was still in a healthy weight range for my height, but I didn't want ten pounds to turn into twenty pounds to turn into thirty pounds. My clothes no longer fit and instead of buying a whole new wardrobe, I knew that I needed to hit restart, so I joined Jenny Craig at the start of the new year. I jumped head first into a weight-loss program for the first time in my life. I wasn't quite sure what that was going to look like as I traveled, but surprisingly I returned from Hawaii four pounds lighter. I'm going to share with you how you can stay on track with Jenny Craig even while on vacation.

0

Blog Anniversary Celebration with a Giveaway of a Few of My Favorite Things! Valued at $1500!

This month marks 7 years of blogging. Holy cow! What started out as a hobby for me has turned into a full time job and I am loving it! I had no idea when I started Holy Craft in January of 2010 that a blog could even become more than just a little web diary. If you've never heard the story of how this blog came to be, let me give you a little back story. In 2005, I was expecting our third child. I started a personal blog as a sort of photo album to share pictures of my kids and give a snapshot of our life to our friends and family. Most of them lived thousands of miles away and the blog became a fun way for me to share life. As my kids started to get older, I was able to start exploring some of my passion for creating again. Those creations started creeping up into my personal blog in 2009. Blogging was relatively new then and I joined in on a link party. I realized I had a lot of personal information and family pictures on our blog and directing people to it probably wasn't the smartest move. So I did what any grown-up does and asked my friends on Facebook if they would read a blog if I started one. A few people said yes and I started asking for suggestions on a blog name. Holy Craft was born. The name came from a fun play on words but I also thought it encompassed what I wanted in a blog. The blending of my holy, spiritual side with crafts and creating. There have been a lot of ups and downs in there, but today is for celebrating! I'm giving away some amazing prizes and doing it in a fun way I think you guys are going to really enjoy. Since it's my blog and a celebration of my work anniversary, I wanted to celebrate by giving away my favorite things! Any guesses what they are?!! I'm going to explode, I'm so excited!!!

172

Top Blog Posts of 2016

I can hardly believe how quickly this year flew by. I had a crazy year with a few lows {this was one of them} and some pretty awesome highs.  As for the blog, it's been a pretty amazing year. Almost three years ago, I started to realize that I could turn my hobby blog into my business and have been working towards that goal since. In the past year, I became an LLC, rebranded from Holy Craft to RachelTeodoro and have been hustling to make my blog my full time job. It's been a lot of work, but it's been so very rewarding for me.  For the past seven years, I have been wrapping up my year of blogging with the top posts from that year. It's always fun for me to look back on the year and see what I have done. So let's take a stroll down memory lane with me, won't you?

1

20 White Elephant Gifts You Will Want to Keep

I love a good white elephant gift exchange. It seems like every holiday season we get invited or go to at least one of these themed type parties. If you have never participated in a white elephant exchange, let me explain what one is. There aren't really any hard and fast rules to the exchange but there is usually a price limit that is set {typically under $20}. The organizer sometimes sets up special instructions, such as bring a gift that is funny or impractical. Most times the only rule is that the gift must be interesting. There are often other house rules to follow on the acquisition of the gift but they almost always start with the gifts being generically wrapped and placed in a pile in the center of your group. Every game is different with gifts being opened and stolen in an attempt to acquire the best white elephant gift that has been brought to the exchange.  I scrolled for hours looking for 20 white elephant gifts I thought would be fun for you to bring to your next white elephant gift exchange. Come see what I came up with. You are going to want to end up with your own gift at the end of the evening!

1

Stocking Stuffer Gift Guide

The first gifts that get opened in our house come from our stocking. The stockings are always hung on the mantle, but on Christmas morning, they are always spread out carefully by the fireplace on the floor usually stuffed full. I've put together a little buying guide for all of those people on your list so that you can stuff their stockings to the brim with gifts they are excited about.

0

Free Printable Coffee Sleeve for a Friend

Nine. That's how many coffee shops I have located a stones throw away {or under a mile...I throw stones far!} from my home. My house isn't downtown, it's not in a high rise, it's located in a neighborhood in the suburbs of what might just be considered the coffee capital of the United States. Before I moved to the Seattle area, I never really drank coffee. I actually spent the majority of my three children's infancy and toddler-hood entirely uncaffinated. I'm actually wondering how I survived! Slowly friends started introducing me to coffee and it didn't take long before I fell in love. Coffee has become a daily habit that I enjoy. Most days I brew my own coffee, but sometimes it's nice to be able to take a walk to one of the local coffee shops in my area. Some of the coffee shops are more affordable than others, which is why I ended up at 7-Eleven this morning and I was surprised at what I found. I also think sharing coffee with your friends is one of life's best gifts. I have a free printable coffee sleeve that you can add to your coffee cup and gift it to a friend.

2

How to Start a Skin Care Routine From Nothing

I mentioned before that I haven't been very good to my skin. I rarely wash my face at night and almost always sleep with my make-up on. I've been really fotunate to have smooth skin that has been fairly free from blemishes. Though the older I get the more I am noticing sun spots and sun damage on my face. I'm in my late 30's now and I know that something has to change. Which is why I was so excited to partner with Neutrogena for a 7 day rapid repair challenge in October. I ended up loving the products so much and was noticing such a difference in my skin, that I decided to continue this routine well after the challenge had ended. They say it takes about 21 days to create a new habit, and I think I turned over a new leaf in my skin care routine by using these Neutrogena wrinkle repair products, which is why I want to share with you, how you can create your own skin care routine from nothing. That's what I did!

They say the proof is in the pudding, so be prepared to see some side by side images that will convince you to give Neutrogena wrinkle repair a shot too!

9

7 Day Rapid Wrinkle Repair Challenge

I just turned 38 a few weeks ago. Through the years I haven't been very kind to my skin. I am fortunate that I haven't had any major skin issues through the years. In high school, I never had a face full of zits. Oily skin has never been an issue and dry skin hasn't plagued me. I have been faithfully using a moisturizer that contains SPF since I was in my teens but I must confess, I am not the best with reapplying sunscreen when I have sun exposure throughout the day. I rarely if ever wash off my make-up before I go to bed. Year after year I promise I'm going to start taking care of my skin and every year I sort of forget. Which is why I was so excited when Neutrogena wanted to partner with me to take a 7 day Rapid Wrinkle Repair challenge.  I needed to hit a restart on my skin care routine.
At night I would use the Rapid Wrinkle Repair line after washing my face, during the day, I would use the Ultra Sheer collection. I planned on documenting my results every night over the course of a week to see if taking care of my face and using retinol based products with a broad-spectrum sunscreen would help improve my skin's visible signs of aging, and then I was going to share with you the results.

So lets start with what those visible signs are. I've got wrinkles. Not many. I'm not that old! But I do have some fine lines forming around my eyes, around my mouth and on my forehead. I have uneven skin tone because I have been naughty with my sunscreen usage. Like I mentioned, I use a moisturizer that has sunscreen in it, but often times I don't think to reapply. If it's hot out, I sweat and I notice in those places where I am sweating {my forehead and my upper lip} that damage is worse.
Here I am, day one ready to expose myself all for the art of science to let you decide for yourself {they do say the proof is in the pudding} if you can see a difference in my skin from the love I gave it in only one weeks time. 

18

Holy Craft is now Rachel Teodoro! Come See the Changes!

Hey guys! I just wanted to pop in and interrupt my regularly scheduled posts to point out all the new changes that are happening here on the blog. I was waiting for the dust to settle a bit before I walked you through the new blog and the new look. I really hope you like what you see. I may even point out features you had no idea even existed. In case you didn't know, Holy Craft is now Rachel Teodoro. Why the change? I'm so excited to share with you a bit of the insider information!

0

Things Are Going To Be Changing Around Here!

Back in 2005, I started a blog. I was a young mom with three small children and family and friends were scattered all over the United States. I loved my littles and our adventures and wanted a platform to share them on. I used our family blog to stay connected. Once my kids started entering into school and I waded out of the fog of my postpartum depression, I was able to start exploring me.

You see, many people say that they find themselves in their 20's. In my 20's I was a young bride popping out kids every three years like clock work. I was making the necessary sacrifices that come with raising young children. Slowly those burdens started lifting. My kids became more independent and I started getting back into creating. My creations started taking over our family blog in 2009 and as the blogging world started growing, I decided to link up to a blog link party and share one of my creations.  People started reading my blog. People other than family members and friends and here I was opening up my home and my kids and my family to people I didn't know. 

So I started a second blog I named Holy Craft in January of 2010. I did intense market research {with my friends on Facebook. Take that with whatever authority you will.}, and picked the name Holy Craft based on several factors. 

0

Must Have Items for Spring

The sun has finally come out here in the Seattle area. It's crazy how a little sunshine can lift people's spirits and I immediately start to think of how I can spend the maximum amount of time outside that I can. I've collected some of my favorite must have items for spring. I've got a great book for you to read, a refreshing drink for you to try and some other fun items that will lift your spirits and get you ready for long days, warm sun and family time.

0

Must-MustHave New Car Features

About five weeks ago, I got into a pretty major car accident. Thankfully, the dog and I were the only ones in the car at the time and while I got pretty banged up and am still recovering {it's a slow process!}, things could have been much much worse. 

For the past few months I have been testing out cars. We knew that we would need to replace my twelve year old mini van that I lovingly referred to as Thelma at some point in the near future, we just weren't expecting to scramble to replace her after she was deemed a complete loss by the insurance company.

A lot has changed in cars in more than a decade since we bought Thelma so I'm glad that I had the opportunity to test out a few different cars to see what features I really liked and which ones weren't as important. I also had to give up a few of the items on my wish list because they just didn't exist in the car that we finally narrowed it down to.

Come along with me and hear about the tale of two Mazda's {they got me through the month after my accident before I got my replacement} and meet our new family car. Her name is Louise and see what my list of must-have new car features were.

2