SO. MUCH. STUFF.

Lets talk about stuff, shall we.

I feel our house is always in disarray.  ALWAYS.  

(I should be embarrassed posting these, but it is just the way it is.  

Finding time to clean just always isn’t my priority or always easy to do.  

Granted, I should make time for it, but I don’t always do that when things get busy. This was from this weekend.)

Toys everywhere, dishes always in the sink, goldfish crackers all over the dang house, laundry always needing done, clutter stacking up.   

I sometimes get frustrated/envious when I see other people's homes on FB (who have kids) and their houses look so clean and organized.  HOW?!  That can't be real!!!  Nope. I don't believe your house looks like that...only that small corner where you took the picture.  Well, that is at least what I say to myself so I don't feel so bad about my house :)   

And while I know my house will always be in some sort of disarray because that is my reality, I do feel we have too much stuff which isn’t helping the clutter situation.

Before Henry was born we had lots of stuff and we wanted to have a garage sale to get rid of said stuff.  But we didn’t.  Why? Because putting a garage sale together is annoying and we procrastinated because we thought maybe the garage sale would just plan itself….or at the least little elves would magically get it ready for us.  Stupid elves never showed up.

So then Henry was born and we got even MORE stuff.  Too much stuff.  An amount of stuff we never anticipated.

Stuff in the living room.

Stuff in the dining room.

Stuff on the stairs.

Stuff oozing from the closets.

Stuff under beds, on beds, beside beds.

Stuff in the basement.

Stuff in the storage unit.

Stuff under more stuff that is on top of other stuff.

So much stuff everywhere.  

EVERYWHERE.

And frankly, we are tired of all this stuff.  I am tired of looking at it.  I am tired of rearranging it.  I am tired of storing it and paying to store it.  I am tired of trying to hide it.  I am tired of the fact that we have SO much stuff everywhere you look.

And Folks, it is just STUFF.  Most of it isn’t important or of any value or are things I felt I needed to keep to use “someday”....well "someday" has been here and is long gone.  You know those type of things I am talking about, right?! Boxes of papers/cards kept over the year.  Tons of clothes that either don’t fit (but some day will….right) or are outdated. Knick knacks, paddywhacks*, and other odds and ends just stuffed in boxes over the years.  Gifts that have been given that are just stored away.  Things that I have appreciated getting or felt over the years were worth keeping but are now taking up space.  Duplicate items from when Terry and I moved in together many years ago that were just put away as “back-up” items. 

But now, now they must go.

Why, because there is no room.  Our house is small and made even smaller by the apparent thousand items it takes to raise one child.  Because if we haven’t used them in the past couple years (minus a handful of sentimental items of course) then we don’t need it and it is doing nothing more than taking up space.  Because Terry and I need to declutter and simplify as I think being surrounded by so much stuff sorta brings you down and keeps your mind in a state of “clutter”.  Because even Henry doesn’t know what to play with at times because he has so much stuff and there is no reason for a kid to have more than his parents!

So we are officially planning and preparing for our FIRST garage sale together.  Which means we have eight years of combined stuff since living together and thirteen years of stuff saved as a couple.  Stuff from when I moved here and started college in 1998 through living on my own.  And at least 20 years of stuff since Terry has been living on his own.  Which means, our house is messier now that it has ever been. 

(Bags of clothes in our room waiting for the garage sale.  Yeah, those aren’t in the way at all.)

Stuff starting to pile up in the garage for the sale....want anything?!?! :-)

But to declutter you sometimes have to create a mess…..right?!?!  That is what I keep telling myself.  I will say this, whatever doesn’t sell is up for grabs and/or going to the Goodwill.  WE DON’T WANT IT.

I really think we need to start simplifying what we have in our lives.  We do not need so much stuff.  I admit, T & I are both packrats to a point and I am very sentimental so EVERYTHING has some sort of sentimental attachment….. “oh this is the pen I used to write the first love note to terry.  Or maybe it isn’t, but it could be.”  Really, Jenn.  I need to start choosing what is really worth keeping and say “see ya” to everything else.  Keep it simple and streamlined and organized and maybe the mind I feeling I am losing will become more streamlined and organized :) Well, that is the plan!!

Talk to me…..do you feel you have too much stuff?!  How do you remedy that?  And what about garage sales, do you have one regularly?!

*Read what a paddywhack is here.  Ew.

I Think We See It Time And Time Again....

....That even in the wake of such a tragedy that was propelled by what I can only see as pure evil and hate, we see pure love and kindness from the greater part of people out there.

In those minutes, the minutes where we feel all hope is lost, people come together to prove that love and compassion for our fellow man lives on and is stronger than ever.  In the tears of those that have been hurt or from the families of those that were lost forever and from all those whose lives will be forever changed from one act of cruelty, we see compassion from complete strangers who are offering to mend a wound, a shoulder to cry on, a place to sleep, or whatever support they can provide.

Whether it is because of natural disasters from Katrina to Sandy or from senseless and horrific events like the 9/11 terrorist attacks to recent public shootings and now to this bombing; we prove time and time again that no matter what religion, political background, race, or connection to those affected that we will come together in the face of such devastation to help and/or lend support however we can.

When things like this happen I think of my family. I think of my friends.  I think of my husband.  I think of my son.

I think HOW? WHY?

I think of what this world has come to and wonder where it is going.  I wonder how we can continue to live in a world filled with so much hate and violence.   I get scared.  I get angry.  I get sad.

But then I have to stop and remember that we will never understand why, nor is it in most of our nature to understand why.  Sure we can and should get angry and be sad and try to figure out why it happened.  But it is the goodness and compassion that we have inside of us that will prevail.  I know it sounds like some naive outlook, but we cannot become numb to this.  We can not accept this as OK.  And we can not let our children grow up in a world where violence towards others is the answer or the way to prove a point or get people to listen.

We must continue to help our fellow man.  We must continue to be the best people we can be and make sure our children show even more compassion than us and are better at resolving conflict than us.

Even in the midst of such a tragedy I still have hope.  I need to have hope.  Hope that things will get better and differences will be put aside for the greater good of all of us.  Hope in the good of people.  Hope in the future.  Hope in our children. Hope that these evil acts will not bring us down or tear us apart even more.

And it is with that hope, that I send my deepest and most sincere thoughts and prayers to those affected by the senseless act of yesterday.   There is nothing that any of us can say to make things better, but we are here and our hearts go out to each of you.



I wrote this blog, not to sound preachy but because I wanted to write it.  It is how I feel and want to remember how I feel.

A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That

As I seem to be having difficulty of late writing any sort of blog post interesting or otherwise, I thought in an attempt to make an effort to blog more frequently I would do a completely haphazard blog of things that I am thinking and feel like sharing. So please enjoy these few tasty morsels of randomness.



- See that little girl with me? I love her and she makes me smile.

Her name is Macey and she is ADORABLE, HILARIOUS, and SO STINK’N SMART! (So is the girl next to her…but we already knew that.) I also love her mommy very much too and was SOOOO excited when a couple weekends ago my cousin, her husband and their daughter Macey spent the entire weekend in our house!! We colored, played, watched kids shows I had never heard of!!! Having a child in the house was awesome, hilarious, eye opening, and tiring….I loved it. 

Her and her new friend Ivan!  It is hilarious watching two 3 year olds interact.

Here they are being crazy.

Basically because they wouldn't just lay there for a real picture!

And here they are teaching my sister a lesson. 

Don't worry, she was ok and only suffered minor injuries.

- So we my sister got a another cat. Another cat you say? Don’t you already have two too many? Egad…I can’t believe you would say that!! In a moment of weakness for cute kittens and so I could nurture something I agreed to let Kristen get a kitten. (For the record T. agreed too and said “I don’t care, she can do whatever the hell she wants but I am not going to f@$k’n take care of it for her. Oh and she better pick one that is cute and gets along with our cats." Translation: “I really want another kitten so of course.”) 

This is Charlie. (He is waving hello)

He is a pet of Lucifer bit of a handful, but when he is asleep and not moving he is adorable…and a cuddlier, which is purrrfect. (sorry)

This is him trying to figure out why he can now lay flat. 

It is because they just took his little kitten balls from him.

"Someone get me my evening paper, cigar, and warm glass of milk!! 

I had a hard day and wish to relax....is that too much to ask for?!"

"What about now?  Is this sexy?"

He is a little cuddle bug....I enjoy that and he enjoys how soft and squishy I am.  He can stay!f

- I bought this nail polish from Rite Aid a few backs back and I have to say I LOVE IT. It is from Sally Hanson and called Complete Salon Manicure. The idea is that all 5 steps of a manicure are in a bottle. (Base Coat, Strengthener, Growth Treatment, Color, Top Coat.) Now for the record I bought this stuff only for the color below (Fairy Teal….awesome) and I still used a base and top coat because, well I didn’t even realize it was a 5 in 1 until a couple days after I used it. Top coat or not this stuff goes on beautifully, comes in SO many fun colors, lasts a long time (mine lasted nearly 3 weeks…but I cleaned with bleach which didn’t help), isn’t clumpy or thick, and has really fun nail polish names! It also has a different design of a brush, which I wasn’t sure of at first but then thought was rather brilliant. I also got Commander in Chic which I will be trying this weekend.

Pretty

 

I heart these colors.

Funky brush but works wonderfully.

- I bought these gaucho pants at Target.com for $10! Yep, very comfy and just something to lounge around in or wear out to do errands. I enjoy them a lot. The material is a bit on the thinner side, so take that into consideration when buying them….but remember they are only $10 so you can’t beat that for lounging pants! But seriously, if you have any cellulite (and so help the person who says they do not) you may want to avoid white as I am sure it will show everything. But black and brown, like I got, are well worth it!

- These are my other cats. They saw I put something on here about Charlie and got pissed and tried to ship him to Bali so I promised I would put pictures of them on the blog if they unwrapped him from the bubble wrap….or at the least poked holes in the box.

Sebastian being fancy for the camera.

This was Belle being dramatic. 

She was laying over the steps looking down and meowing and then.....

......She pretend to fall down the step.  Drama queen.

- I have officially lost 50 pounds in a year. I am excited as it is about a pound a week, but really wanted to lose more as I still have a ways to go. Slow and steady right?! At this rate I should be at my ideal weight right before I hit menopause! But seriously, I am excited…hopefully by this time next year I will be at my goal weight.

- I have always been indifferent about The White Strips but lately I cannot stop listening to them. Their music can be rough and sound like a mess, but it is actually fantastic. I watched their documentary on Showtime called Under Great White Northern Lights that came out last year and it is awesome.  My husband also told me to watch It Might Get Loud with Jimmy Page, The Edge & Jack White.  Suh-weet.

A little random fact….their song “We're Going to be Friends” is the song played at the beginning of Napoleon Dynamite.

Ok, that is it.  I think I have bored you enough! 

I Believe.....

I have written a few (teehee, just a few…..riiiiiight) things, some more serious than others, that I believe in. FYI, it may be long but it reads quick :)



I believe if you make a product like tissue or toilet paper and it has “Soft” or “Fluffy” in the name or description it should in fact BE soft or fluffy.

I believe springing ahead and losing an hour of sleep is just mean but worth it for that extra bit of day light in the evenings.

I believe that Taco Bell will always be the perfect food after a night of drinking.

I believe that gay couples should be allowed to get married and should have every right as a heterosexual couple has under law. If a gay couple gets married it has NO EFFECT on me or anyone else, but not allowing them to get married makes a huge difference to them. If a church chooses to not marry a couple (any couple for that matter) that is one thing, but the Government should NOT be allowed to choose whether couples of legal age can marry.

I believe women should have the right to choose. But I also believe life is a very valuable and precious gift.

I believe that food brings people together and that it is very important to cook together and eat dinner together as a family.

I believe the seasons should be Fall, Fall, Spring, Fall.

I believe that the bullshit between the political parties needs to calm down. I am TIRED of people not passing or even making an effort to pass items in Congress just because they are trying to move their party’s agendas forward. It is about the people…NOT you.

I believe that a day should not go by without laughter.

I believe that a child’s laugh is the best sound in the world.

I believe that if you so choose you should have days where you eat whatever you want, stay in bed as long as you want, and/or do absolutely nothing around the house that is considered a chore.....and not feel one ounce of guilt about doing so. We all deserve a break.

I believe every stereotype has an ounce of truth.

I believe some people’s fear of God & religion molds their opinions and not in a positive way. I don’t fear God, but rather I fear people who fear God (knowingly or unknowingly) and make judgments/opinions on others based on those fears.

I believe that crying for no reason can be a form of therapy and is ok but if you are always crying you should look for help.

I believe it is ok to ask for help when you need it and to also not be afraid to take help when offered.

I believe that having Faith, praying, and being a respectful person who wants to help others is far more important than just going to Church every week solely because you feel you should.

I believe that the song "Fireflies" by Owl City should be banned from all radio stations…that includes my Yahoo Radio Station that plays it at least 5 times a day. I want to punch myself in the face repeatedly when I hear it.

I believe violence isn’t the answer.

I believe Dr. Seuss is the best author of all time. His books really speak to me….and in a rather lovely rhythmic style.

I believe I made the right choice by voting for President Obama and that he has given me no reason to think I made a wrong decision.

I believe that the Girl Scout Carmel deLites or “Samoas” came from heaven and are truly a gift from God and that is why they can only be sold once a year. Too much of a good thing is bad. (I think that is a commandment or something.)

I believe most of the people in the media are full of crap and do nothing more than release misleading or in some cases straight up wrong information to create fear to get people to watch their news. It is about ratings not reporting.

I believe in National Public Radio.

I believe cats are a wonderful pet and get a bad rap…good thing I have cute kitties and no one thinks that of mine.

I believe there are a lot of things we should NOT be entitled to and that our Government should not provide….Health Care should not be included on that list. I believe some form of universal, government funded health care should be available to those who need it/want it and it is very necessary in our country.

I believe one day, when the time is right, we will have a child.

I believe that Terry going to Cincinnati for a year is going to be incredibly difficult but I believe he is making the right decision and it will be worth it.

I believe that even though we are actually very different, Terry is the perfect match for me and I feel lucky that we found each other.

I believe it is important to listen to others, though you don’t always have to agree with them.

I believe blogging has allowed me to open up more and not be such an introvert.

I believe I love not just blogging but the people I have met through it.

I believe Sunkist is the best carbonated beverage ever.

I believe the newest version of “We Are The World” is stupid.

I believe kindness should be one of the simplest gestures to show towards others but seems to be the hardest gesture for people to demonstrate.

I believe everyone should respect other people’s beliefs, even if they are not your own.

I believe I have typed the word BELIEVE far too many times in one blog post and should stop.

What do YOU believe......

Because We Just Can’t Get Enough of Each Other

My sister K. and I have just added another dynamic to our relationship...…..coworkers.

Yep, apparently my sister cannot spend enough time with me (even though we live together) and has accepted a position to work part-time at my current place of employment. This will definitely be different for both of us, but I think it will be good for her to work for with me. It is absolutely a great job for K, and a hell of a lot better than Wendys.

K. will be doing many different jobs and under my tutelage she will become a great worker as she gets to see firsthand what an amazing worker I am. She will be my little apprentice and I, the master, will mold her into the perfect servant employee.

Yep, this should be good. I don’t think my employer knows what they are in for with having us both there. Mwah ha ha ha


I seriously am excited that we will get to work together! I left when I was 18 for college and K was only 10. Though we saw each other, we missed out on a good chunk of time together until she moved up here to attend BGSU. The weird thing is, from the beginning we have always had this strange closeness, strange in the sense that we are 8 years apart in age but are so similar. It can be truly eerie sometimes just how similar we are despite the difference in age and how long we lived apart. So in honor of her new job and because I promised to post pictures from when we were young (ok, and because I am a sap and just love love love my sister) I have posted some pics of Kristen and I from over the years. Enjoy :) And Kristen, I will see you bright and early at 8am....be prepared to work!


True Fans


Everyone needs a fancy hat!


I think I scared her with my purple short shorts, orange shirt, big glasses and amazing hair cut.


She was so small, my little doll that actually cuddled back





That was the hair style I was going for...so back off!!! You don't just roll out of bed with those bangs.


LOVE this picture.


This is one of my favorite pictures of us ever.






The traditional "First Day of School" picture


Tight curly frizzy hair + big glasses + braces = The dorky trifecta. But Kristen is pretty darn adorable!!


Bachelorette Party


Ginger Bread House Decorating Competition...I won.


No comment





Love you K!!!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TERRY!!!!

From early on in our relationship.....



...through our engagement.....



....to the moment we became husband and wife....



....we have continued to be partners in this relationship, walking together side-by-side....



.....while also remembering in this busy life to just stop and make time to be with each other.......



......so we remind ourselves of the vows we took.....



...so that even through the highs and lows, our life together will continue to be full of lots of love and laughter....



.....And I feel so blessed that I can call you my husband and that we get to share our life with each other!






Why I love you….

- Your smile and unbelievably infectious laugh.

- You never try to be anything or anyone other than yourself….you are always and around everyone, just you.

- Your hugs.

- The opinions you have that are your own and not always what is viewed as “the norm” and the way you are able to express them to people in such a logical and intelligent way.

- That when you talk to people about sensitive topics like religion or politics you are respectful of others opinions, state your own opinions, get people to listen intensely to what you have to say and though you never try to make people change their beliefs you bring in other viewpoints that make them think past the basics and really get into the heart of ones beliefs. This is such a special gift.

- Your very sarcastic and dry humor.

- That you will always be a child at heart.

- Your gorgeous blue eyes.

- That you collect and listen to records, collect coins & silver, that you love antiques and appreciate things from the past…your tastes are those of someone 30-40 years older than yourself....but that is ok!! :)

- Your eclectic taste in music - you love metal, classical, blues/Jazz, old time country (i.e Hank Williams), and Christmas Music…oh and the Spice Girls :)

- That you know how to deal with me and my wonderful mood swings.

- That we can talk for hours and that I can listen to you talk for hours on every subject from sci-fi to Religion, to politics, to food, to cartoons. (this is the thing I first fell in love with)

- Your ability to retain nearly all the information you read or hear.

- Because you truly love and care about my family.

- That you are laid-back and easy going and because of that, together we balance each other out perfectly.

- Your beliefs.

- Your collection of t-shirts.

- That we both recognize the importance of time together and time with friends and there is a perfect balance between the two.

- That you have a Godzilla toy on the dash of your car.

- That you can make me smile with just a look.

- That patience, compromise, understanding, trust, honesty, friendship, respect, and love are not just words to you, but things you believe make for a strong marriage.

- That you are going back to school so you can do something you want to do. I am SO incredibly proud of you.

- That there are SO many different layers to you and the longer we are together the more that unravel.


And for so many MANY more reasons than these is why I love you and so happy to share this journey with you! I can't wait to see what the next year has to hold.

I love you xoxoxo! *MWAH*

Year In Review '08

So I did it last year, Click here, so I thought I would do it again this year. I just wanted to write down some of the things that happened this year that have made this such a wonderful year! Please join in on my blog or your own!

*Terry and I celebrated 2 years of marriage & 8 years together

*My mom celebrated her 50th birthday….in style!

*I celebrated 1 year at my job and I am still lov’n it.

*Obama was elected President

*Buying a new King Sized bed the beginning of the year…..a bed that just so happens to be the BEST bed in all of the universe.

*New blogger friends

*Seeing all my friend’s kids turn 1 year old and start to develop their personalities

*Having the opportunity to live with my sister

*Our orange kitchen

*DQ ice cream birthday cake

*All my friends who found out they were pregnant this year, and there were quite a few!

*Getting to co-host one of my friends baby showers, which was an honor.

*Facebook

*Terry making the decision to go back to school to start a new career – I am SO proud of him.

*Having my first spa manicure….and definitely NOT my last!

*Concerts, including: Iron Maiden, Tom Petty & Les Paul

*Introduction to Polka Floyd

*My parents who are just the greatest parents ever and who do so much each year that I could never begin to express how thankful we are for them and how much we love them.

*FINALLY, getting our wedding books after a mere two years of waiting

*Another year of being healthy

*Being blessed with a wonderful family, a great husband & a stable job


I am looking forward to 2009 a lot! I am excited to turn 29 (just 4 months for those counting down), I am excited to see what happens with Terry and his school, I can’t wait to meet all my friends new babies (there will be one as soon as January), seeing what happens with Obama as President, losing weight & being healthy…for reals, my sister turning 21, and just seeing what this year has in store. I know there is a lot of uncertainty in the coming year, but no matter what I am praying that this year will represent a new start in so many different ways.

I am Just Saying….

…..I wish I had invented Post-it notes. I LOVE them. They are genius.

Post-it notes were invented by 3M's Art Fry using an adhesive developed by a colleague, Spencer Silver. Lucky bastards.

A Very Lovely Birthday

It is no secret to those who know me that I love birthdays – LOVE THEM!

Some may say, “well you are only 28, what till you get older and tell me what you think”. As of 4-22-08 I don’t believe that. (See why below) I just L.O.V.E. my birthday and, for that matter, I totally love other people’s birthdays!

So here are some highlights from my birthday weekend!

* My parents came in to town! (thank you for EVERYTHING mom & dad)
* We went to Nagoya Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Restaurant over the weekend and had an overall good dinner, sans our rice! (blog to come)
* 2 Yummy Flirtinis at the restaurant…could have had a few more of these!
* I got the following DVD’s: Sweeny Todd, Across the Universe, Little Shop of Horrors, Must Love Dogs, and Psych Season 1 – AWESOME!
* I got Carnival Games for our Wii (my arms are sore from this game!)

*K. and I played Wii for hours and unlocked all of the Cooking Mama recipes...Bring on Cooking Mama 2!
* I got a fabulous 8 qt Rachael Ray pasta pot with orange handles! LOVE IT! I also got my first, true glass pie pan, and a 3 piece non-stick skillet set! Who knows me?!

*I hung out with my family and some friends.
* I will be getting the John Barrowman’s book once it comes out. (K. you rock)
* T. got me a spa package! (total surprise to me!)
* I got My Chemical Romance Black Parade album on Vinyl
* I got a Red Velvet Cake, a DQ Ice Cream cake AND a combined Red Velvet & Ice Cream Cake! Yes, I shared with others!
* I had a Wonderful surprise lunch Monday at work. Thanks again for your fantastic sneaky surprise M., A., S., & MD.

*Had some time just for myself.
* I took Tuesday off work! Enough said.
* I got a fantastic facial (blog to come)
* T., my sister and I went to PF Changs and had a very delicious dinner.

*T. and I rented some movies and just chilled.

And most importantly,
* I had many wonderfully kind and flattering birthday wishes from my friends and family! Thank you all!

I realize that I am blessed with a great family, an Awesome Husband, and fantastic friends and I do not for one second take that for granted. The list above is not to gloat but to say thank you b/c people put so much thought into the last few days and I am truly appreciative of them and in awe of their kindness & generosity.

The thing about birthdays is that they not only make me happy but they are also a time for reflection….sure you are one year older, maybe you are not exactly where you thought you would be by that age, maybe things didn’t go exactly how you wanted that year, maybe even bad things happened, but the thing is you HAD a birthday. You are at the start of another year to live your life to its fullest with the people in your life you love the most. You have a new year to make the most of the time you DO have. You shouldn’t be sad about this because if anything your birthday should be a reminder to just live. Sure the presents are nice, and if you can spoil yourself that is a bonus, but ultimately (for me) a birthday is the time to reflect on your previous year and a reminder to just live and take whatever the new year has in store for you…b/c that is life and that is just fantastic. Yes, I can be overly optimistic (with a dash of realism) but I get one shot to live my life to its fullest, love the best I can, and be the person who I (and hopefully others) can be proud of. To me, a birthday is a reminder of the most important "gifts" in my life I have and a time to celebrate with those dearest to my heart.

Yep, that is why I love birthdays! Oh, ok…and the presents are nice too! ;)