Dearest NaBloPoMo....

Dear NaBloPoMo:

Well it looks like you have come and gone and unfortunately I have succumbed to your mighty power.  You, my friend, are a formidable foe.  Touché NaBloPoMo…..I tip my hat to you sir.

As I look back at this past month (queue music for sappy montage) I must say that we did have some great times together.  You saw me become a red head, you were there when I got a little serious, you laughed with me at my awesome joke, and remember when I made my own NaBloPoMo pictures….yeah, good times.  And even though I did not complete this challenge (only made it to 26 posts in 30 days) the times we did have were so special.  Aw…..such memories. 

And even though this all must come to an end, this past month has rejuvenated the spirit I had when I first started blogging…..and for that Dearest NaBloPoMo, I am grateful.  I have been worrying so much about writing the RIGHT thing, I just forgot to write.  And even though I wish you were not in the month of November (I mean come on….November? Really?!) I still thank you for the last 30 days.  I will never forget you.  Ok I most likely will forget you until someone reminds me of you next year, but do not take it personally as I have the memory of a fly.

Until we meet again NaBloPoMo.

Love Always, Jenn

  

And to all my fellow bloggers, THANK YOU! 

Thank you for all your comments. Thank you for being such a wonderful support system when sometimes I may be feeling down.   Thank you for your advice & honesty.  Thank you for laughing at my crazy jokes and stories.  Thank you for making ME laugh with your hilarious posts.  Thank you for loving pictures of my cats.  Thank you for sharing pictures of your pets & children (they truly make my day when I see them).  Thank you for giving me something to read, not just because I am bored but because I want to feel connected to friends.  Thank you for being some of the kindest, funniest, and most fantastic people I know (or sorta know). Thank you all for just being you!  I am so happy and I genuinely feel lucky to have this means of which to meet some truly amazing individuals and to be able to connect with you all on a regular basis.  Thank you.

Until 2011.....

RUSH!!!

We just found out tonight that RUSH will be playing in Toledo at the Huntington Center on April 6, 2011!

WHAT?!?!?! 

Guess who will be trying to get tickets on December 11th when they go on sale?! Yep, T & I! HOLLA

This is one of those bands I would just looooove to say I have seen.


I love this! Language for those watching at work :)

Can't Blog....Still Eating

Trying to catch up on blogs, but family is in town and Thanksgiving #2 is today!!  Yes, I am STILL eating. 

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

(I can never get him to take a serious picture!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

There are SO many things I am thankful for on a daily basis, and today is no different.



Today and Every Day I am thankful for….


Mom & Dad for being such supportive and loving parents.

Terry for keeping me grounded and reminding me to keep things in perspective.

Kristen for being such an amazing sister, friend, and confidante.

ALL of my Family for being your crazy and wonderful selves!

Men and women overseas fighting to protect our country. Please know you are being thought about and I am forever grateful for what you are doing.

The house we live in and that we have a roof over our head.

The food on our table and the family that we get to share it with.

Three ornery and adorable kitties!

Amazing friendships formed through this blog.


Hope everyone has a wonderful, safe, and blessed Thanksgiving!

Holy Crap…..I Have Red-ish Hair!

So I have wanted red hair for a long time, but my lovely husband said I would not look good with red hair.  Pssshht. I would tell him I have a very fair complexion and light green eyes so it may work with red hair, to which he tells me nope and that I don’t have the right features. Whatever.

So of course I did what every good wife does…..try to prove my husband wrong by dying my hair red!  I decided to go with a light red brown hair color from Sally’s Beauty instead of pure red. (I use Ion Color Brilliance Permanent Crème….LOVE it.)

Here is the dull mousey brown hair that I so desperately wanted to get rid of. (Blech, really bad picture! Love the circles under my eyes and crap two-tone hair....how do people let me go out in public this?!)

Here is the noticeably different Auburn hair I went with. (Very red in this picture when it is straight around my face.)

Slightly different look to the color and looks a bit better styled back like this.

It is very different, and I am still getting use to it….but I have to say I am liking it. It turned out more auburn, which is what I like and really wanted then straight up red.  I think what I like most is how my eyes seem to pop with this color hair. Seriously, I have no makeup on and haven’t changed a thing other than my hair color from the before and after pictures, but my eyes seem a lot brighter and more noticeable (especially in person). Love that!

I still haven’t decided if this particular color is the one I want to stay with or if I want something with more brownish or maybe lighter. I am up for suggestions.  But I am happy that I will not have to wear a hat for Thanksgiving this year to hide a bad dye job!!

Talk to Me – Holiday Baking

I enjoy baking a few dozen cookies every year from scratch for the holidays, but this year I want to make a bunch of different treats to pass out to family and friends as an extra holiday gift.  Every year I make the same standard cookies/treats and this year I want to try a few new things.  The good thing is that this time of year you can find many cooking magazines with recipes in it that I would like to try and of course Food Network has a plethora of ideas …..but I also want to hear what other people like. 

See, I am not picky when it comes to pretty much any foods out there, except for desserts.  I admit it; with desserts I am a bit finicky.  I don’t like cooked fruit or jams in desserts; I HATE raisins or any dried fruit for that matter in my desserts; I don’t like nuts in baked goods except for peanuts (but only in things like fudge, not in cookies); I don’t like things too sweet or really gooey; I don’t like things with too many “extra” ingredients (think simple like cupcakes, brownies, snickerdoodles, chocolate chip cookies are my favs); I can’t stand things with weird consistencies like custard or tapioca.  Ok, I could keep going, but you get my point.  So when I bake I typically just bake things I like. (My hips thank me for that)  But since I want to give these out this year I thought I should buck up and make all sorts of cookies and baked goods……so I need suggestions!  And I am talking anything….cookies, muffins, cupcakes, pastries – whatever!  So to get those creative thoughts going, here are a few questions.

1) What are your favorite baked goods during the holidays (This can be anything)?

2) Is there something you make every year that you must have?

3) Is there something someone in your family makes every year that you love?

4) What are your favorite cookies? (List as many as you want…I need ideas!)

5) What are your least favorite cookies?

6) Favorite memory or story regarding baking or desserts during the holidays?

 

Um, I Really Don’t Know What to Say About These

(Two posts today – making up for the lack of a post yesterday.  Is that how this works?!)

So Ugg Australia & Jimmy Choo have collaborated to form a new collection and it is proof that when two sexy and/or cute things come together and have an offspring it doesn't always mean that the offspring is destined to be cute.  Infact, in may be the exact opposite.

Please welcome, and try not to turn away in horror, Ugg & Chimmy Choo’s newest additions.

What the…..?!

Seriously, I am speechless (which is unusual for me) and cannot even begin to form thoughts to form words to express what I think of these.  All I can say is REALLY?!?!

So please, feel free to share your thoughts on these, because friends I am flabbergasted at the pure hideousness of these and that these two companies would think these are cute.

Finding The Happy

These little furry felines make me SO happy. 

 

 

Just look at them; all lined up and eating their dinner in an orderly fashion.  They are so well behaved.  After this they washed their dishes, did a load of laundry, and quietly laid in the living room not making a sound.See, here is Belle putting the dishes away for me. So helpful! (Yes, we washed the dishes again!)

“Where does this bowl go?!  Back here?! Look how helpful I am!”

(Yes Belle….so helpful.)

They each have their own fun personality and they make me smile every day.  There is nothing nicer than coming home after work to 3 cats sitting by the door, anxiously waiting to run amuck in the house and show off for me because they have been asleep all day.

I promise you, our cats will make people who think they do not like cats love them…..or at least love ours!

Here is my favorite picture this past week. This is Charlie chilling in our sink.

"What!  You weren’t planning on using this, were you?  Yeah, I didn’t think so.
Now please excuse me, I am napping here."

Cool Website – Geek’n it Up Today.

So I have been looking for this shirt for T (ok and for myself too) that he has wanted for sometime.

It is called “Out of Nowhere” and is of the DeLorean crashing into the Tardis. The DeLorean is of course from the movie Back to the Future and is a time machine. The Tardis is from the TV show Dr. Who and the Tardis travels through time and space…aka Time Machine. The two crash into each other; you know because they are both time machines!! HA – awesome. I am sure some of you may not understand anything I am saying as I am now speaking in geek….stay with me.

Anywho, I have been looking for this shirt for a loooong time now and have not been able to find any place on the interweb that is selling it. Well this past week on Craig Ferguson it was a Dr. Who special and Chris Hardwick*, who is apparently a huge Dr. Who fan, was on for a bit and wore the shirt we had been looking for! After some quick looking, I found on his twitter account where he got it. HOLLA! (I love the internet!)

So that is why I am here…..I had never heard of this site and I loooove the shirts they have. It is Woot.com. Click HERE.

Here are some of the other shirts.....for people who love a fun t-shirt!

Fresh Cake...In the NUDE!

5 Second Rule

The Binge

Peanut Butter and Jealousy!!

Let's Get Sauced

AWESOME.  There are a bunch more.

The shirts are $15 and my shirt had free standard shipping or next day for $5….suh-weet!  Just don't be stupid like me and leave the shirt you want to give as a Christmas gift out on the couch so your husband can find it. UGH....really Jenn?!?!



* Chris Hardwick, that name sounds familiar? He was the host of MTV's Singled Out. Oh yeah, that’s right!! He is also the host for Web Soup. Well apparently he is a HUGE nerd. WHAT?! Who would have known, not me that is fo sho. I saw him on the above-mentioned Craig Ferguson show so of course I Googled him (yeah, I am naughty). I found his blog HERE. I will now be reading this blog regularly and also add him to my Top 5 list as I do love me a geeky man!

Day 03: A photo that makes you happy.

Like I said, I am not following the rules very well with this photo challenge, but it is close. 

This one is perfect for this week because the pictures that make me happy are the ones of my siblings and one of them celebrated a very special birthday!  (insert sentimental awwwwwww)

Now many of you already know about my lovely sister Kristen, as not only do I mention her frequently because we live together and work together and act the same and talk alike and are eerily close…. but also because she use to blog.  Apparently though school is more important. Whatev. 

Pictures of my sister make me very happy, and even though there is a small gap in our pictures from when I moved away from school, we have plenty of great pictures from when we were younger that make me smile like this very sweet one…..

 ...or this awkwardly cute one....

……to pictures from more recently like the ever popular "face to face pose for the camera" picture…..

...to this where she was the maid of honor at our wedding....

These pictures make me feel extremely lucky to have such a special & unique relationship with my sister and to have had these past few years to spend together.

However, what you may not be aware of is I also have two younger brothers.  Matt who turned 21 yesterday and Alec who turned 18 earlier this month.  (That makes me feel so f’n old.) They moved down south with their dad (my biological father) and their mom (my step mom) when I was in High School, so about 15 years ago. Sad.   Unlike my sister who I have a very very close relationship too, my brothers have fallen on the opposite side of the spectrum as due to not only the distance between us but also the even bigger gap in age, I have not formed relationships as close as I would like with them.  I have not been a part of SO many things in their life like watching them at sports, sharing holidays, taking them to concerts, seeing graduations, and now I can add buying my brother his first drink to that list of things I have missed out on. Sigh.   As the oldest sibling this is kind of heartbreaking.   The last time I saw my brothers was in 2006 when T & I got married.  Before that was 2002.  Both times they were just kids….and now; well my brothers are young men. WTF?  WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?!   (Please excuse me while I cry at my desk at the thought of my wee little brothers all grown up! Breathe Jenn, breathe.)

Honestly, even though I have missed them terribly over the years it really hasn’t been an issue as what does a 26 year old have in common with a 16 year old and a 13 year old. Nothing really.  We talked and it was nice, but we were, and still are, in different places.  But now that we are all getting older (some more than others *cough cough*), it is apparent that all 3 of us wish we could spend more time together. 

Unlike the plethora of pictures I have with K., I have only a few pictures of me and my brothers since we have been apart from each other for so long.  So, of course, the pictures I do have I cherish and make me extremely happy.

This one was taken back in 2000/2001ish.  This is how I see my brothers in my head.  Just little kids.  It can be hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that they are grown up now.  But this picture does make me soooo happy.

And then this picture, which was taken at our wedding in 2006.  There were SO many reasons I was happy on this day….and to have my brothers there to be a part of it just was that extra icing on top of an already wonderful cake!

Here is my brother Matt and I dancing….Alec being 13 of course didn’t feel like dancing which was cute.  Matt, he is like me and will act goofy whenever!

Here is a picture I got of my brothers a year ago.

Anyways, these pictures make me VERY happy.  They make me smile.  They make me laugh.  They make me tear up.   They make me think about the past.  They make me look forward to the future.  And no matter what level of relationship we have, they make me thankful to have such 3 special siblings in my life that I love dearly.

Tastefully Simple – For the Holidays & Extra Rewards for Hosts in January!!

(Tastefully Simple Plug!)

So the holidays will be here before you know it and what better to have on hand but some delicious and easy to prepare foods!  Tastefully Simple has your holidays covered and can make your holiday festivities easier!  Check out the website HERE for more information on our products.

Tastefully Simple is also the perfect gift to give to your family and friends.  Who wouldn’t love receiving a basket of Beer Bread, Perfectly Potato Cheddar Soup, Truffle Fudge Brownie Mix, and Butterscotch Kisses Cocoa mix.  I sure would! *hint, hint*  Create your own gift basket or find one already made under our Gift Ideas section.  Best thing.  When you order online you can ship your gifts ANYWHERE!  Within 7-10 days your Tastefully Simple gift will be delivered right to the doorstep of whomever you want.  EASY!

It is also a common misconception, but Tastefully Simple products are also VERY versatile! Don’t believe me….check out all the tasty recipes available by clicking the link HERE.

Try the newest beverage for the holidays….Citrus Celebration! It is a refreshing blend of orange and pineapple that you can mix with your favorite champagne or sparkling wine.  Make it for the whole family by mixing it with ginger ale instead!  A perfect way to kick off the New Year.

 Are you looking to host a party?  Well good news for you, as during the month of January if you host either a tasting party or a catalog party you will receive 50% MORE in host rewards!  What does that mean for you? 50% more in free products!  You can’t beat that.  Parties must be held and closed January 1– 31, 2011. 

Rewards:

Party Sales: $200. Standard Free Product: $20. January Free Product: $30.

Party Sales: $300. Standard Free Product: $35. January Free Product: $52.50.

Party Sales: $400. Standard Free Product: $50. January Free Product: $75.

Party Sales: $500. Standard Free Product: $65. January Free Product: $97.50.

Party Sales: $600. Standard Free Product: $80. January Free Product: $120.

Party Sales: $700. Standard Free Product: $95. January Free Product: $142.50.

Party Sales: $800. Standard Free Product: $110. January Free Product: $165.

And it keeps going!  Plus you get another extra $15.00 if you have at least 15 orders!

Seriously, how can you beat this deal!  Email or call me if you are interested in hosting a party of your own in January.  If you are going to do it, now is the time!

Email: jenn.kristenTS@gmail.com  

I Understand No One Else May Care But….

I am totally pumped for this next week!! 

No, I am not doing anything special but rather it is because of two very important things coming out in the next 7 days.

First…the HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS movie comes out Friday!!  

AHHHH! SOOOO EXCITED!!!

Ok, excuse me whilst I revert back from my brief stint as a 14 year old girl.

My sister and I are pretty pumped about this, her maybe even more so than me.  It is interesting, the first movie came out in 2001 and the book a few years before.  My wee little sister was only 12 or so when this was released!  It really has been in pop culture & her life for nearly as long as she can remember. (So has the war, but that is for a different day.) It is interesting how many people have had this series in their life for so long.

Needless to say K & I will be getting to that movie as soon as we can.  We thought about going to the Thursday evening/midnight showing, but I don’t know if we can get our witches cloaks from the dry cleaner in time!  However we will get there first thing Saturday at the latest!

*Side note: Have you seen little Hermione Granger's new hair style?! (Picture above.)  It is a very very short cut and I think it looks way cute!  If I couldn't cut my hair for 10 year and had a petite frame like that, you bet I would cut it all off when I could!

Second…..My Chemical Romances new CD (Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys) comes out November 22^nd and tickets to their concert next year go on sale Wednesday…eeeek!

I looooove My Chemical Romance.  Their last album came out way too long ago in 2006 and has been holding the #1 spot in my CD rotation ever since.  From what I have heard of their new album it sounds completely different (which I like) and very awesome!!  It mixes their unique sound with a nudge to classic rock/metal songs.  Of course they play with the lyrics (as seen in the title of their first single) and make fun of many things in today’s society but still put out great music. I seriously, love this band and their music.  So unique.  And the concert just so happens to be a few days before my birthday! Perfect.  I am patiently waiting for my secret code so I can purchase the pre-sale tickets tomorrow!

Yep, it is a pretty exciting week.

Movie Review – RED

Ok, my last movie review was, how do I say….a bit rushed and not good.  I just posted it to get a post up and do not feel like it was my best work.  So I hope to do better now.

So here we go, review of the movie RED….

LOVED THIS MOVIE! GO SEE IT!

Ok, done.

That’s it.

What, you want more?!

Idea of the movie: Basically a group of former CIA agents labeled as Red (or, Retired and Extremely Dangerous) are brought back into the field through a series of circumstances.

I think the movie Red is just an overall great movie.  It was a wonderful blend of action and comedy, with a hint of romance….perfect for everyone.  However, if you are expecting hard core action for the whole movie, you will not get that exactly here.  I am actually happy about this as I am not a fan of too much violence and blood.  This was a good blend.  It has enough action to make you go “holy shit did you see that, that was awesome” but not too much that the characters and the humor get lost.  I think that is what I liked most, the personalities of the characters.   Honestly, it is a fantastic cast of actors in this movie that work really well together and I am not sure if the script was strong enough to have anyone else in the movie other than these people.  I think that it may have been too silly and lacking in areas…but the great actors pulled it off and really fixed any holes or issues with the script of the movie. 

Bruce Willis.  He was of course a badass in the movie, but in a sweet and very charming way.  I loved seeing him like this.  He was endearing but still really really tough.  (I had a bit of a crush on him while I watched the movie!)

Morgan Freeman. Oh dear sweet Morgan Freeman.  I just adore you and your voice and think you make every movie you are in better.  I just want to hug you.  In this movie you are funny and sweet….so very sweet as is apparent by your smile when you see other characters for the first time in awhile. However, we also know in the back of our mind that you kick major butt.

John Malkovich.  I ADORE THIS MAN.  He is so eccentric but that is what I love about him and the characters he plays.  He also can be scary at times…seriously John Malkovich can be one creepy man you don’t want to mess with, but he also has this charm and quirkiness you can’t help but love.  He was fantastic in this movie…..like so many of his other ones.

 Helen Mirren.  LOVED HER.  ALL female actors who want to be in action movies should take some tips from this lady.  First off Helen Mirren is just gorgeous, seriously.  She holds her own with these men and I even looked at her as being the toughest out of all of them.  There is a scene (in the picture above) where she is in a white dress, black combat boots, and shooting some badass machine type gun and the lady is not blinking. Seriously, she looks like she has done this before and you really don’t want to mess with her….all while looking beautiful and classic.  You don’t need to be one of these women in action movies that has to wear spandex and short outfits to fight, ladies take some tips from Helen Mirren as she knows how to pull it off!

Richard Dreyfuss.  I like him.  I like his voice. I like the roles he plays.  You don’t know whether to love him or hate him.  He is awesome.

Mary-Louise Parker.  I was not sure about her.  I don’t watch Weeds and have never really seen anything that she has been in.  But I liked her.  She was quirky, yes, but it fit.  I also like that while she is very pretty she is a natural beauty and therefore relatable and fit in with the other characters very well.  I wasn't sure about the relationship between her character and Bruce Willis, but they had a great chemistry and I thought it was very believable.

Overall: there is a good amount of action, there is a lot of humor, it is going to be a little cheesy at times, but you will be entertained.  These actors kicked ass and brought something to the movie that many other actors cannot do and for that I would totally see this movie again.

H-Plus Movie Review: Large popcorn with butter, Large fountain pop, box of junior mints, and share a large bag of skittles.