Little Things…

Tuesdays are the one night each week that Kristen, Terry and I are all together and can enjoy a relaxing evening with dinner and some TV. Terry has class Monday, Wed, & Thursday nights till after 9:30 and Kristen is usually gone Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings. Meanwhile, I am home every night. This is very enjoyable at times while other times it can be a bit lonely.

But it is all forgotten and made right again on Tuesdays when T & K get home around 8pm and I have dinner ready (ok sometimes I order Chinese) for my busy hubby & sister and we can sit down for a couple hours and watch TV over dinner. It really makes me smile just thinking about it.

Last night I made some wicked good chili and we caught up on TV on our DVR…Bones and Chuck to be exact. Here are my peeps so happy to be eating their scolding hot chili and watching TV as a family! Just look at those smiles....you can't fake that! (And K's evil eyes....she gets crazy when I cook!)

Even with all the craziness that goes on, these moments just make me happy and so thankful for the little things and any time together we do have.

Don’t forget to enjoy the little things.



Oh, and in case you were wondering….

- Yes, that is Terry’s ponytail on his shoulder and yes his hair is longer than mine.

- Yes, those are some pretty wicked sideburns he has. (He is keeping them just a few months longer and then chopping everything off before he goes to Cincinnati as he wants a more “professional” look. Personally, I think he has the creeping mortician look going right now!)

- Yes, we eat at the coffee table in our living room. We do have a dining room table, but there is no TV in the dining room so I am sure you understand why we have no other choice but to cram around a coffee table and sit on the floor to eat dinner.

- Yes Kristen will ham it up infront of any camera….she is good like that.

- Yes all these little things that I have mentioned above are just more reasons why I loooooove my peeps so very much.

Really?! – American Idol

So the decision was made and along with Randy Jackson; the new judges for American Idol are going to be Steven Tyler and J. Lo. Yep, that is right …dawg.


Hold on for a moment whilst I prepare myself.


Deep breathe……and


COME ON, REALLY?! Are you serious American Idol, Steven Tyler and J. Lo. REALLY?! Those are your judges?! WOW. I have no idea how the heck you managed that….well besides a shit ton of money. So the Idol Tour must be going well for you, huh?

Now I am not saying they didn’t need some better judges on the show. I mean I love Ellen, but I didn’t take a damn thing she said seriously as a judge and really didn’t take it as helpful either and that other girl, well her opinion was ok…..when she gave one in between eye f&$k’n Simon. Shivers.

But really, Steven Tyler and J. Lo?

I mean first, the two couldn’t be any more different and they seem to be totally random choices. Like, did you just pull names out of a hat?! Really? Did you? Because I want to know how the hell you picked these two people. I mean, maybe you are tired of all the goofing around going on between the judges and wanted people who you thought would never, I mean ever, normally be friends so they didn’t mess around. And that is fine. But American Idol, you have managed to blow my mind. Really. Me + Mind = BLOWN. And don’t necessarily take that as meaning in a good way either.

Besides the pure randomness of your picks, I just don’t know if I care about what either of them has to say as judges. I do like Steven Tyler….you know as the frontman for flipp’n Aerosmith, not as the judge on American Idol! That is NOT rock’n roll Steven, really. That is not Amazing, it is Crazy. I feel like Cryin because being the judge of AI is not Livin’ on the Edge of anything cool. Steven Stop Messin’ Around and Walk the Other Way!!! AHHHH (See what Idid there...hehe) It just doesn’t seem cool and like something someone such as yourself should be doing. You are a Bad Boy from Boston…..please tell me you were forced as part of some 12 step program you are on. I wonder what Joe Perry has to say about this.

And J. Lo. Dear, sweet J. Lo. Sigh. What is your master plan with all of this? Get some media attention, spend time with your new babies, get some good movie deals since the last few you have been in tanked, start your empire to take over the world and get your foot in the door to replace Oprah when she leaves as someone who people can see as a host?! Really, I am serious about that last one. I just don’t get what your master plan is because being a guest judge is one thing, but you are still relevant and I really do not think this is the best way to restart your career. I honestly don’t think this is what you want to be doing for the next 6 months without you being in it for some other reason (like by Mr. Anthony)….so spill it Jenny from the Block.


Any thoughts on the new American Idol lineup? Care? Don't Care? Did you watch before? Will you keep watching? Will you watch now? Can we ALL agree that the two of them are pretty darn random?!

Is This What They Call....Irony?

Ok, I understand this is very sad, BUT I had to laugh a little not at his death but at the way in which he died.  It is a very interesting quirk of fate :)


"The Segway Company Owner Accidentally Dies Riding Segway over Cliff"

Story here & here or below.

“James Heselden, the owner of the Segway company, died in an apparent accident involving the upright two-wheeled vehicle on Sunday.

The 62-year-old businessman was pulled from the River Wharfe, in Yorkshire, England, according to police reports, and a Segway-like vehicle was also recovered at the scene.


According to a report in British newspaper the Telegraph, Heselden, who was known as Jimi, was discovered by a passerby after apparently falling from a cliff above the river. Police do not believe the death to be suspicious.


Heselden was worth about £166 million. He was a former miner who made his fortune from his company, Hesco Bastion, which developed a wire cage water containment system which was used to control floods and used in military defense.


He was also heralded for his charity work, including the British veterans' charity, Help for Heroes.


The Segway, a motorized scooter, is controlled by the direction the rider leans. It used gyroscopes to stay upright. The device was invented by Dean Kamen, who sold his company to Heselden earlier this year.”

I am not laughing at his death, but come on - the irony is humorous!  And how did he miss that cliff?

Poems to My Husband - Happy Anniversary

So yesterday T & I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary, and what I believe to be another milestone….10 years together. Phew.


So I am kicking it old-school this year and getting all iambic pentameter on his ass and decided to bombard him with the written word…..in the form of a series of poems created by yours truly!

Yep, he is a very lucky man. And I am also a very lucky women…..I mean check out my man last winter!

Ladies, please back away from the computer and control yourself. This piece of meat belongs to me!



So I have written Terry 4 poems as an expression of my love…..because that is just how I roll. These are ALL unique with no help from the inter-web, just a Thesaurus and my awesome mind.

Let’s start simple with something you may remember from grade school. It is also a great illustration of pretty much the first time we met.

Poem #1:

Roses are Red,
Violets are Blue,
You gave me a zerbert,
And then I fell for you.


Yep….a zerbert was all it took to fall madly in love with this man.

Next poem. Look out, your ass is about to get haiku’d!


Poem #2:

Just two little words.
There is no doubt in my heart.
When asked, it’s I DO.

Hope your mind isn’t completely blown, because it is time to get down with a limerick.


Poem #3:

There once was a fella named Terry,
Who fell for a girl who was wary.
After some flirting,
And love asserting,
It was fate that the two would marry.


Just a little humor before getting to the serious stuff.

This last poem is a bit personal, but is exactly how I feel at this point in my life. This poem surprisingly took very little time to write because the emotions just came out so easily and so strongly.  I don't believe in nearly all of the overly romantic stuff out there but I do believe in our relationship and believe no matter what the future holds for us that he has changed my life forever and in so many wonderful ways and to me that is an amazing and powerful thing to have in my life. 


Poem #4:

To My Dearest Husband….

It was just ten quick years ago when we first met;
Who would have known then that the pieces were being set.

Evade as I might the connection we had, made it impossible not to fall for you;
While our unique and effortless relationship was hard for others to construe.

Our relationship was our OWN with no one pushing us astray;
We did things the way we wanted, on our own terms and in our own way.

And then September 16, 2006 vows would be exchanged in front of family and friends;
Which would give me the honor to call you my husband and your last name I would pen.

From the beginning - trust, respect, love and laughter were always the keys;
As a relationship will fail without the understanding and work that it needs.

Frustration and resentment can become a destructible game;
One where nobody wins and each is to blame.

But for us good times were plentiful and fights only a few;
We carried on as individuals but also as equals through and through.

Because at the end of the day what mends the hardships, frustrations, and unnecessary bickering;
Is a relationship filled with love, encouragement, happiness, and of course snickering.

Your stories, your laugh, your straight forward and honest thinking;
Are all characteristics I admire and that make you uniquely appealing.

You help me to stop, to breath, and to slowdown;
So I can take in all those special moments around.

You accept me for who I am, even with all my crazy imperfections;
And you have never tried to change me into some generalized societal projection.

I feel so unique and beautiful when I am with you;
Because I see through your eyes what I fail to see at times too.

I love you my husband more than words could truly ever express;
It is with breath that is bated that I eagerly await what is next.

My partner, my lover, my equal, my friend;
I promise to continue to love you faithfully, honor and respect you, and cherish you until the end.




Happy Anniversary Terry.

I am ALL About the Give-A-Ways!!!

So we all know our great friend Wendy over at A Couple More Hours, right?! You are missing out BIG time if you don’t, I'm just say'n. Well she is a very talented and crafty person and she happens to be having a fun give-a-way over at her blog that I very much want to win!!


You can gain entry into the give-a-way by visiting her blog HERE.

Ooooooops, did I send you to the wrong site, my bad…..I would never  try to detour any of you from registering for this give-a-way to increase my chances of winning. That would just be evil and we all know I am anything but evil! Mwah ahahahaha.

Now, I think there are multiple ways to enter, but you don’t need to worry yourself with those details. All you need to do is stay away from go over to her blog (there is a link somewhere on my blog) and comment ONE time on her post. But just once, I don’t think she wants her comments section all filled up with your remarks….so please be mindful of that.

I really want to win and am sharing this with you all because I want 3 more entries she is a good friend who is crazy talented and I want people to see the cool stuff she makes before it ends up at my house.

So visit this crafty chica’s blog in 2 days or so! Oh, and if you want, feel free to leave your entry comment here on MY blog and I will make sure that W. gets them before 8pm on Friday. What, it is over Wednesday….oh that is my bad again.



Seriously though....GO TO HER WEBSITE!  She rocks.

Shameless Tastefully Simple Party Plug!

With the Fall & Winter months quickly approaching, now is the PERFECT time to enjoy some of the delicious, easy & new foods that Tastefully Simple has to offer! I will have a smorgasbord of tasty samples at my party that will have you drooling for more...no worries, I have napkins & we will be amongst friends! I hope to see you at my party but if you are unable to make it this time, you can browse the online store... by visiting the link below and make sure to select ME (Jenn Howard) as your host prior to checkout!




(Copy and paste this link: www.tastefullysimple.com/web/aanderson11 or just Click HERE)


Feel free to share this link with your friends and family....you are ALL invited and ANYONE can order if they want!! When ordering online there is no pressure at all, it is easy to order and the products will be delivered right to your home quickly!!


Please RSVP and let me know how many will be attending or if you have more questions about the party or products, feel free to send me an email at jennperko@hotmail.com.


Also, I am in the process of becoming a consultant in the area so if you are interested in hosting your OWN party or would like to be included on an email list when I re-order products just send me a message anytime!



THANK YOU!!

Lost In Thought

Just because you can wear something doesn’t always mean you should.



Today’s lost thought was dedicated to those who make interesting choices in their attire…..that includes you lady at the Black Swamp Arts Festival wearing a scarf, a big hat, boots, too short/too tight shorts, and one of those big colorful hemp like sweaters.

Really?! – Recipe Edition

So I am sitting at home waiting for everyone else to come home so we can finally eat the amazing smelling Pot Roast that has been cooking in the crock-pot all day. If that wasn’t torture enough, I am also watching the food network…..which I do a lot when I am hungry. Weirdo.


While watching the food network I watched something I had to blog about. Well we all know Paula Deen doesn’t really cook "healthy food" and more so cooks food that the fat & unhealthy person in all of us really loves to eat. Which is a good thing, because we all need to splurge on occasion. However, every now and then she cooks something so crazy that even that fat person in all of us becomes health conscious and thinks “Really?!  I don't think I would eat that.  I mean it is just not right”. I witnessed one of those recipes moments ago.

The episode is all about bananas. Really?!  Bananas you say?  How does Paula make bananas ridiculous?

Let me tell you.

- She greases both a casserole pan and 12 slices of white bread with what appears to be a vat of butter
- Lays 6 slices of butter bread on the bottom of the casserole dish
- Layers 8 thinly sliced pieces of lunchmeat ham over the bread
- Layers 4 thinly sliced bananas on top of the ham
- Adds the other 6 pieces of buttered white bread
- Over the entire casserole she sprinkles 2 cups cheddar cheese, 2 cups crushed potato chips, and 6 slices cooked and chopped bacon
- THEN she whisks together 4 eggs, 1 cup milk, & 1 cup cream into a custard and pours that over everything and bakes it for 45 minutes.

(I will let you digest that)
I mean come on, REALLY?! Really Paula, you would eat that? Oh wait, you just did. I mean seriously, did you just give up and let your 3 year old nephew pick items he wanted to eat? Or is it really just that hard for you to find ways to incorporate fruit into your recipes other than when it is fried or in a pie?

Now I give people the benefit of the doubt with interesting combinations of food because I, myself, like to put very odd combinations of food together (I do love a pickle, cheese, mayo and chip sandwich once every year or so) but REALLY this just sounds gross? I am fairly certain that even someone who is stoned would see this dish and say no thanks and just eat some stale saltines and chocolate syrup.

Come on Paula. Stick to the delicious fat foods we all love and keep your fruits fried up or in pies only.

Just Thinking.....

T & I will be celebrating our 4 year wedding anniversary (and 10 years of being together) next week! We typically do not get gifts or cards for each other and instead devour enjoy a small chocolate cake with white icing from Wixey Bakery (drool) and then dinner whenever we can find a free evening. We then get into our sexy comfy clothes and stare into each other’s eyes sit on separate couches and watch TV…..or at least until our food digests and we can roll off the couch to make our way to our separate DVR’s to watch our own shows. It is nice.


However, out of curiosity I looked online to see what the traditional anniversary gift is for 4 years. Well it happens to be flowers & fruit. Yes, I thought it was weird too, but it did get me thinking that this must be exactly why Edible Arrangements was created!  It is genius….flowers AND fruit in ONE! What husband or wife wouldn’t love a $40 basket of semi-old fruits in weird shapes on sticks?

Don’t be surprised Terry if you find one at NAPA waiting for you next week! I am sure you and the guys will love it.


Any favorite anniversary memories, traditions, stories you would like to share with the group?!  Keep it clean-ish folks...not for me, I am a perv, but maybe for my fellow readers :)

I Really Don’t Get It.

So I am not what one would call “fashion forward” and may not be the best judge of what is hip. Do we still say hip? I don’t really follow what is trendy in fashion/pop culture because I know most women only look good in 5% of what celebrities are actually wearing. I prefer comfort over style and hate shopping and spending a lot of money on clothes unless I can wear that piece of clothing all the time and with pretty much everything else I own. I tend to stay in the neutral color tones and am content wearing many different shades of grey, black, green & blue. I adore fashion shows, but when I watch things like Project Runway I only agree with the judges 30% of the time. And as we speak I am sitting in yoga pants, green & blue argyle knee socks, pink slippers, a red sweatshirt, and I have a multi-color piece of random fabric in my hair in place of a headband because I love it.

See, I love my fabric headband….

My point is, I get it….I am not the best judge of fashion. But I do know when something doesn’t make sense and should be removed from the stores promptly and that is why I have to say I just do not for the life of me get Gladiator Sandals and/or Gladiator Boots.

Now I know these came out a couple years ago, but I had really hoped it was just a phase and a bad judgment call by some designers and they would be gone by now and after one season we would never see them again. But they are still around and becoming ridiculous!

OK, maybe a simple and semi-understated gladiator sandal like this…

......would look good on some people (especially when worn with jeans). But I just don't get them in general, I mean isn't the idea to elongate your legs and not cut them off at the ankles? These shoes definitely cut off your legs when you wear them with anything other than jeans.  If you do not have large calves, are the right height, the right age, and have great legs these would look "good" on you. But then they (the crazy designers of the fashion world)  went from a simple shoe to a shoe that now has a life of its own.

SEE!

Now they are like part boot, part leg warmer, part sandal, part S&M shoe, part where is the rest of your shoe, and part WTF is going on with your legs?!?!?! IT IS TOO MUCH   There is a difference between cute strappy sandal (which I like) and an unfinished one that cuts your legs in weird places. Seriously, where is the rest of my shoe?! If I am wearing a shoe that in theory is suppose to come up anywhere from your ankle to mid calf I want the whole shoe that I am paying for….not just pieces of it. It looks like the shell of what could be a cool shoe but was never finished because the cobbler left for Mojitos and passed out the night before the shoes were to be displayed at Fashion Week. And now we are left with pieces of shoes that look very uncomfortable, have no arch support (which is important in my older age), and makes your calves look like sausages.

And the worst part is that even though the celebrities may be starting to move on to other styles (though someone needs to take all of the Olsen twins gladiator shoes away from them STAT) now the general public is starting to wear these shoes more often and I have to tell you…..it ain’t pretty.  Maybe because I live in a college town and I am exposed to girls who study the “show” Jersey Shore instead of studying where Jersey is on a map, I feel like this particular bad fashion is everywhere I look. And unfortunately mama isn’t there to tell Brittni she doesn't look like a greek goddess but rather the court jester; and instead she has a bunch of drunk girlfriends who are going to let her go out in public wearing those dreadful shoes and flattering her on how great they look because they saw Audrina where them on The Hills and she looked awesome.

Sigh

So my point of this post?  If you can pull the more simple ones off in a fashionable way, please do.  I guess I just do not like seeing 20 year olds squeeze their legs into these while they wear cotton shorts with BGSU on the butt, a too tight tank, and a scarf.  There are other people to get your fashion image from other than girls from The Hills.

Day 1 of Vacation….And The Verdict Is???

Not what I expected.

Today was soooooo not what I expected that I decided to share. (See I am trying to get better about blogging more so you have to deal with my lame posts now too!)



So yesterday you saw what Belle did to me within the first few hours of my vacation day. (If not read the previous post) As punishment I forced her to lie on the couch with me for 30 minutes while I cuddled her. She hated it and was very annoyed. We are now even.


So what happened today? Well I woke up with a Urinary Tract Infection. sigh Unfortunately when I woke up (due to the UTI) it was still too early to call the doctor so I just had to lay there for a couple hours in between my frequent trips to the bathroom. After scheduling my appointment and chugging a couple big glasses of water I arrived at my 9:40 doctor appointment. As soon as I arrived they told me they were very backed up and it would be awhile. Now I have had many UTI’s in the past (I blame Terry) and besides the constant pain, urge of having to pee, and slight burning; I also become very very warm. So I sat down and instantly start sweating all over and getting the urge to go. I was a hot mess. I seriously looked like a junkie looking for their next hit. I asked if I could use the bathroom now and give them their urine sample….you know since I couldn’t hold it anymore and looked like a wet dog who just got in a fight (thanks again Belle). They graciously said yes, as I imagine they were afraid of me.


After obtaining my sample I am sitting on the toilet and need to wipe off my cup like a responsible person before I lay it down anywhere. So I reach for the toilet paper and the roll falls off the holder startling me and bumping my cup which then…..you might have guessed it…..spills urine ALL OVER ME. (I will wait for the ewwwws to stop.) Yep, there is nothing like spilling urine on you when you already look and feel like crap to just make you feel that much better. So after spending way too long in the bathroom I finally emerged with half a sample, little dignity, sweaty armpits, frizzy hair, and an aroma that I imagine a 90 year old who wears depends has. I was gross.


While in the waiting room I used the restroom 4 more times and then 2 more times once I was in an exam room. I do have to say there were all women working today and they were incredibly understanding. I really felt bad both physically and because I felt like a giant pain in the ass (or urethra) but they were so kind about the whole thing and actually pushed to get me through as fast as they could….aka in 1 hour.


After that hour in the doctor’s office I then spent 2 ½ hours going to the hospital lab to “drop off” my sample (and by drop off I mean register and wait to drop off my sample), at the pharmacy getting my prescription filled, at the store getting all my special pills & juices, and in a variety of disgusting bathrooms along the way. Talk about fun. When I got home I took any and all pills I had bought, inhaled a bagel BELT from Tim Hortons (it seriously never saw me coming), and then turned the shower on extra hot and sat…yes sat…in the shower for 20 minutes just forgetting about the past 3 ½ hours and waiting for the pain to go away. Oh and rinsing any urine off me.




But fear not fellow blog readers, I have not let these events ruin my day! Since it is just me tonight I am going to bake cookies for this weekend, watch some cheesy movie, enjoy a spinach & mushroom frozen pizza, drink my cranberry juice out of a fancy cup and pretend it has alcohol in it, and enjoy an evening with fewer bathroom breaks than this morning.


Yep, it may not have been that bad of a day. Well except for the spilling urine on myself….I mean really Jenn.

This Will Teach Me

So Belle bitch slapped me today while we were trying to cram load her into the cat carrier. She hates (understatement) leaving the house and really who could blame her….it is ridiculously hot out. She just did not want to leave because she knew it was to the vet as that is the only place we take her. I can’t get too mad at her for totally clawing up my face as I would have probably done the same thing if I knew I was going to the Dr. to get my anal glands squeezed.

I have to say my vanity did come out a bit when I repeatedly asked Terry if it was going to scar as she did get pretty deep with her claws. After repeatedly telling me no, at least not noticeably (great) I then asked if I would now get toxoplasmosis and immediately Googled it to see if I had any symptoms. Yes, I asked that question and was serious….but it shouldn’t be a surprise as WebMD is one of my favorite websites. And for the record the flu like symptoms take a day or so to show up....so I am not out of the clear yet.

In other news:

I am taking 5 ½ days of work! Holla. The last time I took a long weekend like this was when we got married in 2006. T. is taking the same out of time and I must say we both need this. Plans for the next few days involve a few trips to Starbucks, a bagel belt mid-morning (possibly on multiple days), sleeping in, working on a wall décor project that I am painting, visiting people at Lakeside, going to the Hancock County Fair, sitting on the couch, messing around online, watching at least one cheesy romantic comedy, and maybe a few other things here & there. I am very non-committal about the whole weekend so we will see what really happens….well except for the Starbucks and bagel belt - that will happen.

Also, I am soooooo happy this weekend is going to be nice and cool. I love Fall and this weekend’s weather sounds perfect. We got a little hosed last year with Fall weather….summer lasted too long and fall didn’t last long enough. So I say bring on Fall weather now!

I hope everyone has fun and safe Labor Day weekends!


Any big plans you would like to share? Not that I would be bored this weekend and just pop up at your family cookouts…ok maybe I would. So whatcha doing, where you going to be.... she asked in a non-stalker way?!