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! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KYLEE!!

Someone very special to all of us is having a birthday today!!! (And may also find out the gender of her newest pretzel!)


Happy Birthday to Kylee over at TwoPretzels.


Kylee, I think everyone would agree with me in saying that you are one of the kindest, funniest, most creative, stylish, beautiful people we know…seriously you are just wonderful. And besides being such an awesome person with fantastic hair, you are an amazing mother and a truly wonderful friend. Oh, and your blog just rocks.

I am soooo glad to have met you that fateful day at OCC and am truly inspired by the strong, confident and amazing women you are!

Happy Birthday my friend!!



Sending HUGS to you today. Love you

Geico....You are Some Funny People

I am not a big fan of many commercials because they are just boring and I am glad 85% of the T.V. we watch is recorded so we can fast forward through commercials that are not funny (sorry commercials, I wish you were funny for both of our sakes). But I have to say that one of the few commercials I stop at and will actually rewind to watch are the newer Geico commercials. They are WHO-larious!

You know which ones I am talking about right...click here.

Does Elmer Fudd have troubles with the letter R? "Wabbits. Wabbits. Ah this director is wubbing me the wong way."

Does a former drill sergeant make a terrible therapist?...."Tissue? (Throws box) Cry Baby."

Or how about the Honest Abe commercial?! Is honest Abe really honest? "Does this dress make my backside look big? (insert uncomfortable expressions) Perhaps a ...."

So have you seen the newest one?!  Oh my gosh, I watched it four times because I couldn't stop laughing.

Did the little piggy cry wee wee wee all the way home?



Genius.  I really believe I would like the people who come up with these Geico commercials as I love funny people.  It is simple but very clever humor. LOVE. IT.

Any favorite commercials?

Terry-ism: Reason # 1,487 Why I LOVE This Man

I came home the other day after work to see Terry chill’n (yes chill'n, not chilling) on the couch watching TV. I sit down beside him and notice he is watching Bewitched circa Darrin #2 and the following conversation takes place:


Me: “Watching Bewitched, huh?”
T: “No.”
Me: “Terry I see it on the TV, what do you mean you are not watching it?”
T: “I was really watching this.” Switches to a different channel.
Me: “What is this?”
T: “Charmed. Bewitched is my back up channel for when there are commercials.”

The conversation basically ended there because all I could really do was smile. Yes my long haired, metal head husband watches Charmed & Bewitched. It has been 10 years together and he is still an enigma to me.


I love you Terry.

"Who's gonna turn down a Junior Mint? It's chocolate, it's peppermint -- it's delicious!"

(Anyone guess what famous TV show that quote is from? Mickey D. I know will get it!)


So I went to the movie theater a couple weekends ago and I was flabbergasted…yes flabbergasted to see there were NO Junior Mints being sold at the concession stand. (Pause for audible gasp from readers) Now I prefer salty foods over sweet foods, but do enjoy the occasional sweet treat…..especially at the movie theater. So when I go to a big chain theater where I pay $8 to get in during the day and see a piss poor selection of candy I feel it is my responsibility, nah, duty to my fellow Americans to point out this travesty.

In my opinion there are 5 candies that I feel are true movie theater candies and should be available at every theater AT ALL TIMES…no questions asked and Junior Mints are most definitely one of those candies. Now I do not necessarily like all these candies, but if I had* to pick just five, then in my mind these are the candies. (*Who said I had to pick just five? Me. I like lists. Preferably Top 5 lists. See High Fidelity….you will understand.)

The Top 5 Candies That Should Be Required BY LAW To Be At EVERY Movie Theater In The World.

1. Junior Mints
2. Sno-Caps
3. Reese’s Pieces
4. Gummi Worms or Bears
5. Sour Patch Kids

Now as we live in a country where it seems even our options have options I feel it should be good to also have on hand all or any of the following: Twizzlers, Sweet-Tarts, Skittles, Sweedish Fish, M&M’s, & Whoppers as they too are wonderful movie theater candy. There can be a sub-law for these candies.

The theater I went to had a few of these candies, but not all. No instead my options were some Wonka Bars…which are very delicious but NOT a movie theater candy; Cookie Dough bites…WTF are those?!; Some fancy chocolates which I will not even acknowledge as movie theater candy; and a few other jank-ass candies I have never seen before because I most likely choose to overlook them on the basis that they suck. I mean REALLY, these are the candies you are going with? I was very underwhelmed.

If I am going to pay $4 a bag for $1.50 worth of candy I don’t want any of this new age candy crap, I want the classics. Now true, I could sneak my candy in like many people but I have to say that in the off chance I do want candy there is just something childlike and nostalgic about peering into the glass windows where the candy is so beautifully displayed that makes me want to get my candy there instead of just pulling half melted candy out of my purse. However, peering into a glass cabinet seeing nothing more than some random product placement candy put there by the higher ups within this theater’s corporate juggernaut marketing department who know not a thing about what great candy is because they are too busy sipping on their wheatgrass and kissing each others arses does nothing more than make me annoyed and unwilling to compromise on my candy morals (not to be confused with candy morsels).

Overall I was very disappointed that Junior Mints were not even an option (also not an option Reese’s Pieces, Sour Patch Kids, Twizzlers, Sweedish Fish, & Whoppers), especially at a place that serves multiple flavors of ice cream, iced coffee, pizza, chili cheese fries, and a variety of other junk foods that while good are not conducive to the movie watching experience. I mean seriously – popcorn, candy and pop should be more than enough! I think that their priorities are just not right.

Sigh

So what are your favorite movie theater candies?

Movie Review – Inception

Here, is my review of Inception. GO SEE IT.


Don’t ask any questions. Don’t over think it. Don’t wait for it to come out on DVD. Just go see it and thank me later for pushing you to see it.

Seriously, I was not sure about this movie at all. I wanted to see it because it looked interesting and I like Christopher Nolan but honestly, I thought it would be a huge disappointment. But it wasn’t. I thought it wouldn’t make sense, but it did (though you really DO have to pay attention and be open to the story line.)

As simply as I can explain it…it was ORIGINAL. It was not a sequel to something, not based on a book or comic book, it was not a retelling of something else. It was simply an original movie that made you think. It may not be for everyone, but I think everyone can appreciate what this movie does and how entertaining it truly is.

I don’t want to build it up anymore so I am going to stop right here in the hopes that I have said enough to convince you to go see it.


RATING: Jumbo Popcorn w/ salt and extra butter, Jumbo Mountain Dew, your favorite candy, and share pretzel bites with cheese.

T & I have our movie rating scale. The H-Plus Rating Scale.
 

If you HAVE seen it, please let me know your thoughts in the comments. However, try not to give the end away just incase people do read the comments section.




SPOILERS MAY BE IN THE COMMENT SECTION

Is My Husband Trying to Kill Me?!

Ok, for the record I am very certain my husband is not trying to kill me, however I would not be surprised if he is trying subconsciously to have me take off a few appendages.


Last week Terry came home with a “present” for me. It was a rather large pocket knife. What I have always wanted. When it is out in its full glory it is about an 8 1/2” long & 1” wide (hey oooooooh) pocket knife that on the handle also has one of those knobby things (technical terminology) that breaks through your car windows. He said he got it for me for my safety, which I would agree with if it wasn’t for the fact that I am incredibly clumsy. Seriously, my parents call me Grace and it is actually pronounced with a hint of sarcasm over the long A and prefaced with “way to go”. So because my husband knows I absolutely can NOT walk down a hall without at least bouncing off one of the walls or objects in the hall along the way, I don’t see how he can even think for a moment that giving me a knife is a good thing. Well unless of course he wants me to take off a few un-needed appendages.

Example. Sunday I went to Rite Aid to pick up a few things for the house. While there I found a cute headband and decided to purchase said headband. When I got in the car I noticed the headband was tied to a cardboard holder with industrial strength, government approved, Area 51 tested plastic. There was no getting this headband free with my weak little hands. But wait, I have a knife in my car….let me use that. Now before we go further and to remove any unnecessary suspense…yes I have all my fingers & toes and no blood was drawn.

So, I easily opened my knife and sawed my way through the packaging and was very proud that I didn’t hurt myself…..but figuring out how to close the knife was where things got tricky. I first tried to just bend it down – nope. Tried squeezing parts of the knife thinking it would unlock it – nope. Pushed anything that looked like a button on the knife and handle – nope. Tried hitting the back of the knife on the floor of my car thinking I just needed more force – nope. Seriously, I sat there for 5 minutes thinking what the hell I should do with this knife all awhile envisioning the many ways I could cut off a finger or stab myself in my attempts to close this knife. For a brief moment I thought I would drive with the knife open and let Terry close it at home, but as quickly as that thought came into my head so did the thought that I would slam on my brakes while driving and the knife would wiggle its way out from under my purse, fly in the air, and stab me. So I quickly nixed that idea for very obvious safety reasons. I also wondered if I could try to see if someone could help me, but was afraid that a suspicious looking girl with a knife might yield a scared response and not the helpful one I was looking for. And I didn’t want to call Terry, because honestly I didn’t want to let him know I was on to his plan….it is just better that way.

So I sat in my car in the Rite-Aid parking lot just looking at this knife (in the most inconspicuous way possible of course) trying to figure out how the hell to close this damn thing. And then I see it. At the base of the blade this little piece of metal I can push in WITH MY FINGER to release the lock and then push the blade down at the same time with my other hand just like a  little finger guillotine. Riiiiight. Tricky and again just another attempt for T. to get me to chop off my fingers. But alas, I got it closed and safely put away with absolutely no bloodshed. IN YOUR FACE TERRY!

I feel more comfortable with my knife at the moment, and by more comfortable I mean comfortable for someone who is clumsy, doesn’t like weapons and is pretty certain that I will one day draw blood but not actually cut off an entire finger with this knife. My husband also wants me to take gun classes so in a year when he moves away to school I will be safe…..riiiiiight again. I think instead of gun classes I am going to start with the ancient art of Karate and just get me some nunchucks instead.  I can just practice that on the Wii.

Ok, so maybe he isn’t technically trying to hurt me either….but come on it does seem just a little suspicious.


P.S. Looked....I blogged! Seriously it has been over a month!

Talk To Me – Basil

Here is my basil plant a couple weeks ago….it has at least DOUBLED since I took this picture and it is just going crazy. (Glad to see someone is enjoying this hot/rainy weather) Now I loves me some basil. I try to use it in many of our dishes. And give me some tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, balsamic vinegar and olive oil and I am oh so happy and could eat it every day. I make a great bruschetta with those ingredients and also make some good pasta dishes with basil. But I must say that I have SO MUCH basil growing FAST that I am having trouble keeping up with it in the cooking department and coming up with new ideas for my basil.



So I ask; what are some of your favorite recipes with basil?!


Also, does anyone have a pesto recipe they love?! I am looking for a great recipe but I do not do pine nuts or walnuts. I have tried a couple different recipes but they seem to be either too oily or way to strong. I just need to know a good combination of ingredients!


P.S. I am not kidding when I say that I could eat a caprese salad EVERY DAY and not get tired of it. Sooooooo good.

Beware…This Post May Make You Drool!

So over the years I have realized how much I love cooking and how much better I have gotten at it.  When I first started I called my mom to ask how to boil an egg.  I also have thrown many a dinners away because they did not turn out.  But it has always been relaxing to me, even through the disasters and now I love it. Not to gloat, ok to gloat a little, but I think I am a pretty darn good cook. I have started now making up some of my own recipes and experimenting with different foods. (Insert cheap joke: yes, I am experimenting with different foods…Terry doesn’t mind though because he participates sometimes as well.)


I have over 20 cookbooks, subscribe to 3 different food magazines for a few years, and watch tons of cooking shows so I have many recipes at my disposal that I can cook, however, I tend to not try anything too far out of my comfort zone these days for fear it won't turn out. That changed last month. For mother’s day I decided to do a fun pizza lunch for our mom. I made my own pizza dough from scratch and then made 3 delicious pizzas that didn’t contain any pizza sauce or traditional toppings. I made a margarita pizza (basil, mozzarella & tomatoes), a spicy sausage pizza with caramelized onions and feta (sweet & spicy!), and then my own creation of red onions, chicken, corn, pancetta, smoked provolone cheese, and then slices of avocado after it came out of the oven. Are you drooling, I am and that is why I didn’t post pictures of these. These three pizzas were delicious! I actually loved being creative and trying something new so I decided that one Sunday a month I am going to prepare something new and slightly out of my comfort zone.

Fast-forward to last night and the Thai food spectacular my sister and I made! I bought ingredients I have never used before like fish sauce (which stinks but in food tastes great) and did a bunch of research on authentic flavors and spices. I had so much fun using different spices out of my cupboard and buying new ones! I also very much enjoyed all the great ingredients out there that I have only seen on TV.

This was the dinner:

Chicken and veggie curry. – AMAZING. Look at it. Nuff said.

Spicy (could have been spicier) Beef with veggies and Mint. This had red peppers, onions, flank steak, mint and basil. Very good, but I left a lot of spice out just incase it was too much, but it could have been a lot spicier.

Turkey Larb - "Larb is most often made with chicken, beef, duck, turkey, pork or even fish, flavored with fish sauce, lime juice, and leaves" (we used mint). We put ours in lettuce wraps. Not spicy at all, very refreshing with all the acid from the limes and lemons.

Jasmine Rice – I think I like it better than regular rice

Naan Flatbread – I bought the mix and made it from scratch! These are wonderful and would just make them to eat plain.

Drool

Can I just say the entire dinner was amazing! I think it is so FUN and exciting to experiment with different foods and different ingredients. I knew it may not turn out and I know what I may change next time I make these dishes, but it gave us all the chance to try something new. I am going to keep doing this at least once a month, or when I feel like it, and I have to say I am really look forward to this! Anyone need a party catered?!?!?

Have you made any food out of your comfort zone? How did it turn out?

Picture of The Week - Add Your Own Caption!

So my friend who lives in Chicago took this picture and posted it on her facebook. It made me laugh and was such an awesome picture I had to share! I mean, who doesn't carry around a sword?! 

I have added some of my own captions, please feel free to share your thoughts on this picture!

"Business man by day; dragon slayer by night."

"Do you think this will get through the metal detector at the airport?!"

"I should have gotten a bigger bag for this sword."

"Because CARRYING a sword is too much work. I need a really small rolling luggage carrier instead."

"I am He-Man!!"

"I look so freak'n cool right now."

Gettin Crafty With It

So awhile back I decided I wanted to try some new craft projects. I have a bit of craft ADD and love to try new projects, even if I am not done with the 16 other projects I have started.


One of my friends had mentioned she wanted a board to put on her desk to display a few pictures but didn’t want to pay the $20+ it cost for some of the pre-made boards she found. I told her that I could make her one, even though I had never done one before. I did not have any instructions and just went based on what I had seen in the stores. I soon realized these were super easy to make, took very little time, and even better cost less than $13 to make (even less if you had many of the supplies already or made multiple ones).

This is what I made! I love it and have since made about 7 others as gifts for friends and family.

So I thought I would share how you can make them too. (or maybe I will start selling them....hehe!)

What you need:

- 11x17 Cork board (no trim) $4.99 at Hobby Lobby. (You can go bigger if you want)

- ¼ - ½ a yard of your favorite fabric. I paid $1.45 at Hobby Lobby

- A regular roll of matching ribbon about a 1/2” or so wide depending on your preference. $0.99 at Hobby Lobby

- A large staple gun and staples. Already had. (If you do not have a staple gun you can try a hot glue gun)

- 1 can of spray adhesive. We had this but it is $2.99 at H.L. (Note: You don’t have to use this, but I like it because it gives a little extra support and helps keep the fabric from wrinkling or bunching up. Plus the spray will last awhile if you do more of these.)

- 1 box of Extra large thumb tacks. I paid $1.99 for 65. But you only need 5 per project so if you do multiple ones these will last you for a long time.

- 1 pair of scissors.

Start up cost for the first one: $12.41. Each additional board: $7.43 ...seriously what a deal!  These are about $20-$30 in the stores.



How to:


Start with your cork board. Measure & cut out the amount of fabric you need, leaving a couple inches extra on each side to fold over.

Go outside and lightly spray the top of the cork board and the back of your fabric and stick together, smoothing and pressing down for a minute or so. (make sure you have something to cover your face or stay away from the adhesive fumes, I didn’t do that the first time…oops!  And keep away from pets - see picture below! Belle always wants to help.)

Pull tightly and cover the fabric on the board, making sure to smooth out any bunched up material on the front. Fold over the extra material on the back and spray a little adhesive to make sure it sticks.

Using your staple gun, make sure the material is securely stapled all the way around on the back. I may have went a little crazy with the stapling, but I wanted to make sure it was secure!

Your board should now look like this and be secure.

Now take the ribbon (Don’t cut the ribbon until you measure first) and starting at the top left go to the bottom right. Staple the ribbon on the back. Now take another piece of ribbon and go from the top right to the bottom left and staple on the back. You should have a giant X.

                                   

Take some ribbon and start in the center left and go to the center top (follow green X's and trace the blue lines). Staple. Then center top to center right. Staple. Center right to center bottom. Staple. And finally center bottom to center left. And staple. It should look like the picture. (Basically a giant X with a Giant diamond on the inside.....sorry if it doesn't make since, but do you like my amazing paint shop work!)

                                    

Close up of the ribbon.

Take your extra large tacks and place in the center of where the ribbon meets on the board.

Like this.

And you are done. BEAUTIFUL!

These are a couple others I made.

So there you go!  Hang on a wall or put on your desk with a few of your favorite pictures. Ok, so have fun if you want to make these!  Or, if you want me to make you one I would love too!!!

Damn You Waskly Wabbits!

I wanted to put up a picture of one of my lovely Lilies growing outside my house because in a couple days it will have been eaten by the many rabbits, deer, and other furry woodland creatures that live near our house. I planted these last year and within a week the beautiful orange lilies had been all chewed up and looked horrible due to some hungry animals in our neighborhood. We learned and now keep our basil and mint and anything else we want to plant up high and away from the ground, but figured these were a lost cause and wouldn’t be back this year as animals have already started gnawing on the stems and leaves. But yesterday the lilies started coming back to my surprise and delight!  (Even though I am fairly certain I will be posting a picture in the next week of half eaten lilies. Grrrrr)


But until then, I will enjoy my one lonely yet beautiful lily and share it with all of you on this lovely Friday!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

If you won $10,000, but had to give it to a charity, which charity would you give it to?

That is very easy, The National Multiple Sclerosis Society. This is something that is VERY important to me. Want to learn more about MS or donate? You can do so here.

Also, Wed., May 26 is World MS Day. Learn more here and sign up for a free newsletter to learn more about MS and what is going on in your area and how you can help.

One of my goals in the next couple years is to do the MS Bike to the Bay. More information is available here if you too are interested in participating in this in the future.

Ask me anything

The Wonder That is a New Purse. A Story by WK

So I do believe I am not alone when I talk about the feelings one gets when you buy yourself a new purse. Up until a few weeks ago I had not bought a new purse in a couple years, but when you find one you love it can change your life. (A slight exaggeration? Possibly.) This is the story of my new purse. This is a Dramatization. (aka, I have an overactive imagination, nothing to blog about, and too much time on my hands.)



A few weeks ago I was at the store looking for a few gifts for friends. Now typically I loathe shopping, but this day was a little different. I was in a good mood, the store was nearly empty, I had a gift card that I was anxiously awaiting to use, and because of this there seemed to be a slight skip in my step (mainly due to the fact that I had tripped coming down the steps earlier that day) and so I decided at that moment I would do a little looking for myself. Now shopping for myself can always be a bit of a risk if I am not in the right mood because if I am shopping for something particular and do not find it or find it but it doesn’t fit I get in a funk, but looking is just when I do a quick once around the store and if I do not see anything I like I leave and I never feel disappointed. It works for me.

So as I was looking I started with the things that always seem to fit me best, jewelry and hats. After perusing that section for no more than 2 minutes (seriously that is how long my attention span is when shopping or looking) I found myself walking past the purses. As I made my way through the purses I giggled at some of the ridiculous styles of purses available and tried to imagine the type of person who would actually buy that purse. Of course imagining that person made me LQTMS* just a little more. After a good chuckle I started to head out of that section as I didn’t want to stay too long and risk the possibility of running into another individual in the store. Seriously, being around another person when at the store is a total buzz kill. However, as I began to leave something caught my attention. I glanced over and saw a purse sitting on the shelf behind a bedazzled clutch and metallic hobo bag. I walked closer, intrigued by what appeared to be an awesome purse, but skeptical that this could be the purse I have been looking for. I grabbed the purse, being careful to hide it from potential onlookers because I did not want them to see the gem I may have just found until I had a chance to look it over. Upon further inspection I become giddy inside thinking that the purse was, infact, everything I have wanted and absolutely perfect. It was the perfect style, the perfect color, it hung off my shoulder like it was designed for me and me alone, and I knew that this is the purse I was destined to be with forever (or until trends change in 2011).

I looked at the price tag knowing full well that the tag would be the only thing that would keep me and this purse apart. As I turned it over and glanced at the numbers I was filled with disappointment as I could not pay that much for a purse, even if it IS the best purse ever. Sadness filled my body as I reluctantly started to put the purse back on the shelf….but wait. This is Kohls. Kohl’s always has a sale and never sells anything at full price. What was I thinking? So I began to look around for the sale sign that will subconsciously say to me “hey, you deserve that purse so let me give you and only you a sweet deal.” And there it was, the deal I was looking for – 60% off …..SWEET!!! I could justify the purchase as not only was it on sale, but I also rationalized that this purse will be an investment and not just an accessory because I would use it forever-ish. I took the purse to the register smiling the whole way and looking at what I was about to purchase in absolute disbelief that this would soon be mine. I proudly displayed the purse on the counter so that the associate could see the purse in all of its beauty and then waited. I waited for them to acknowledge this wonderful item because even though I liked the purse I must also have the approval of a complete stranger to help validate this purchase. And then I heard those magic words “wow, what a cute purse” and internally I was exploding with joy. I nonchalantly talked about my new “investment” for the 2 minutes it took to seal the deal and as I finished and walked away I hoped that the girl at the register thought to herself, “what great style she has”.

As I drove home I thought about all the great things I was about to do with my new purse and how I could not get home soon enough to start this journey together. I got excited thinking about cleaning out my old purse and organizing my new one, I thought about the first time I would take my purse to work and all the compliments I would get, I thought about how much money I saved which means I could stop and get a latte and a scone on my way home, I thought about how I will never have to buy another purse again as this one is so perfect (well at least one in this style and color), and I thought about the conversation I would have with Terry when he would see the new purse:

T: “Another purse, don’t you have enough of those?”
Me: “Well having enough of anything is relative so I guess it depends on what “enough” really is?”
T: “Well you can’t argue with that logic. Enjoy your new purse it is beautiful.”
Me: “I will thank you!”
T: “No thank you for being so awesome. Would you like me to rub your back and play with your hair? I also made dinner and did all the dishes for you while you were gone.”

........Or something like that.


Anyways, it was a good day and I am very happy with my new purse. I have a feeling she will be around for a long time or at least a long time in purse years!

Here She Is!

Here she is doing the dishes.

Here she is getting ready to vacuum.

Here we are watching TV.

Yes, I understand I have way too much time on my hands. Terry was in Cincinnati, I blame him for leaving me alone with a camera and the interweb.

If interested, feel free to read my other purse posts HERE and HERE….don’t worry not as long as this one.

*Laughing Quietly to My Self.

Run To The Bell…..For A Bag Of Doritos

We saw a commercial for Taco Bell and apparently you can get a $2 meal deal that includes a beverage, a burrito/taco option, and a bag of Doritos. Yes Doritos. No tortilla chips and cheese dip, but rather a bag of nacho cheese flavored Doritos.


I think if you go to a Mexican eatery, even a pseudo Mexican eatery, you should get Mexican, um, Mexican-American like food. Doritos are for sub places, you don’t see KFC giving Sunchips with their Double Down. Taco Bell I feel the Doritos are a huge copout and I shake my head at you in disappointment.

Comment to Taco Bell
Dear Taco Bell, just because Doritos say they are Nacho Cheese flavored it does not mean they should be sold at your Mexican-American like food establishment. I go to your place to eat cheap and bad for me food and if I wanted Doritos I would go to Subway where Jared could sell me a healthy footlong sub. Please reconsider your actions because I fear you are just a few steps away from selling a lunch meat taco or a $5 footlong ham and provolone burrito.

I think we should plan a blogger get-together. I want to meet all of the wonderful peeps I've gotten to know through the blog-o-sphere. If we did a get-together, would you come?

YES!! I AM IN! Though I feel I may be much more interesting on the computer than in person so can we bring our laptops and meet somewhere they have free wireless?! That way we can watch each other from a safe distance while on our computers before actually trying to interact in person! ;) Any takers?!?!

Ask me anything

Guess Who Will FINALLY Be Going On VACATION?!

US!!

T & I, my Sister, Mom & Dad will be going to Hilton Head next May! Ok, yes it is a year away so why am I so excited?! Well because the last vacation we took was in 2004 to New Orleans and before that, I honestly have NO clue. So when you have taken only 1 vacation in at least 10 years (most likely longer) you are going to be a little excited! Plus, this will be the summer Kristen graduates BGSU (fingers crossed), Terry graduates Owens, and right before Terry moves to Cincinnati for a year to go to school. So we all agree that this will be a nice treat for all of us!

We got a 3 bedroom condo that is only a couple minutes from the beach. We will also be making a trip to Savannah for a little site seeing, which I am really looking forward to.

Seriously, you have NO IDEA how much all of us are looking forward to this and I think how much we need this. I promise I will not be talking about it any more until we get closer, but as it became official today I had to share!


So let me ask, any vacations planned for this summer (or if you are like us….next summer) that you are looking forward too? What was the best vacation you have ever taken? Where are places you would like to go that you have never been?


So if just getting healthy in general wasn’t enough of a motivation for me to lose weight, you can bet this just added to my motivation!

formspring.me

Right back atcha: If you had part of a day that was YOU time (no sister, no significant other, no chores, no work, no responsibilities) how would you spend that time? In other words, what things do you like to do for just yourself? by AmberLS11


I would cook something that I have never made before but that I have always wanted to try (please note I would NOT do the dishes), I would watch a romantic comedy (most likely staring any of the following or combination of the following: John Cusack, Kate Hudson, Kate Beckinsale, Hugh Grant, Julia Roberts), would do a few crafts and maybe spend some time at Hobby Lobby if I infact decided to put something other than PJ's on, and would take a shower until all the hot water ran out. Yep, that would be lovely.

Ask me anything

http://formspring.me/WrestlingKittie

formspring.me (Of Course I Did)

Yeah, I did it. I can't seem to think of much else to blog about the past few months....maybe this will help. Plus I love jumping on bandwagons.


Oh who am I kidding, I know you ALL want to know more about me!
 
Ask me anything
http://formspring.me/WrestlingKittie

P.S. If you are doing this let me know and I will follow you!

Have You Seen This Show?

Private Chefs of Beverly Hills, on the Food Network

Because if you have not then you must start watching it, RIGHT NOW! Well actually whenever it is on again, because the probability that it is on TV at the very moment you are reading this blog is highly unlikely, though of course not improbable so go check right now! I will wait……

Seriously, this show is great. It combines my love of cooking shows with reality shows with crazy snobs with funny and hot chefs. OH MY GOSH…..it is PERFECT! The premise is a bit complex, it is about a bunch of Private Chefs who cook in Beverly Hills. See, you would have never guessed that. And by combining the eccentric and snobby clients of Beverly Hills with these chefs just means crazy antics will ensue!! LOVE IT.

There are six chefs, all of which are pretty great. Click here to learn more about them. Chef Jesse is my personal favorite. He is HILARIOUS. I want to be his friend. You may also know him from the show Workout. Personal trainer and chef – awesome! I also love Chef Brooke. She has this cute voice and is pregnant and does the coolest things with food. I heart cute, pregnant and creative people. 

And then there is Chef Stuart….delicious Chef Stuart.

I have a huge crush on this Irish hunk. Sigh.  He has an accent, he cooks, he is gorgeous, he is funny, and he is shy.  Perfection.  (He could stir my stew any day. He could knead my biscuits whenever he wanted. He could cook pot roast in my oven every day. He can squeeze my melons all the time.)

I know my opinion matters. And my opinion is that this shows ROCKS.


(He can baste my white meat any day. He can melt his butter in my frying pan all the time. He can poach my eggs every day. He can whisk my heavy cream until soft peaks form. The sad thing is I could really keep going….)

It Is All About Support

So incase you didn’t know I have a weight loss blog that I would LOVE for people to visit when you have a chance! Weight issues have been something I have dealt with all my life and I am really taking positive steps to make a change in my life. (I have lost 40 pounds since August) I have taken a few weeks away from the blog and diet, but really am coming back full force and any support for us bloggers losing weight is a great help! Plus any tips and suggestions would be most appreciated!


Now, speaking of support what brand or style bra do you like to wear when working out? Do you wear a regular bra or a sports bra? I have not owned a sports bra since 1998. I have a love/hate relationship with them, but think maybe it is because I just haven’t found a brand that fits right and that I find comfortable. What I mean by this is I want my girls to stay in place but don’t want them to feel squished and I want a bra that breathes so I don’t have sweat all over me.

Suggestions?!

WHAT?!?!

All the Adam Lambert tickets are sold out for his appearance June 8th in Toledo?! They just went on sale Saturday, how can this be?!?! I really needed to get my fill of pop/rock glam music, fake leather, fingerless gloves, sequins, platform boots, gel & aquanet, fishnets, and blue eye shadow.


Sigh

I am truly sad now.



(YES this is no joke, I really wanted to go to this concert…..I am cool like that.)

Just Thinking....

Why after I paint my nails do I feel the need to do something that will ultimately destroy my freshly painted nails? Every time I paint my nails I do something that ruins one or more of the nails I just painted. I will even plan to do my nails and nothing else but then after I paint them I will feel the need to do anything, like clean the toilet or something.


Take tonight for instance. T. and his brother went to see a movie so I am home all evening doing nothing. I decide I have tons of stuff on the DVR to watch so why don’t I paint my nails and watch TV. I even go to the restroom before (made that mistake a couple times), got myself a drink and snack and was all prepared to sit and watch TV. But after a few minutes of sitting on the couch, in an attempt to let my nails dry, I decide I need to straighten up the living room….. which by the way when I was home all day by myself while T. was in class never once thought “hey you should clean the living room today” but apparently now that I have nice nails I have the itch to clean. Now had I not painted my nails, I would have stayed on the couch for hours and not even thought about doing anything except eating snacks. I also know full well my nails aren’t dry but think maybe if I touch them they will magically be dry and I will be released from the confinement of my couch. I of course touch them and leave a nice little finger print on not one but two of my newly painted nails. Yes, I did not just touch one but two…hoping that it would yield a different result. I believe that may be Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity…which is appropriate for me.


Is it more about patience or is it like when we were kids and we knew we were not suppose to do something like touch the hot stove or jump on the bed because we would get hurt but do it anyways because we want to test fate. I think the latter.

A Self-Indulgent Post About My Birthday…It Is Just How I Do It At 30

Wixey Red Velvet - yum!

 

So my 30th birthday has come and gone and to my astonishment, not much has changed! I was expecting when I hit 30 all sorts of things would happen to me: like I would be wiser, more mature, and have a whole lot of insight into the world and the meaning of life…..yeah - not so much. I have, however, started getting into my nightgown at 5:45 p.m. instead of getting into my nightgown at 6:15 p.m. like I did when I was a spry 29 year old. I also have a hankering to watch Murder She Wrote on Netflix, once I figure out how that dang Netflix-thingy works. And for some reason I seem to be adding Metamucil to my morning coffee. But really, nothing besides my bowel movements (yep I said that) has changed!

So I have been unofficially celebrating my birthday since April 10th (yep, you read that right). I didn’t want a big party as I do not like all the fuss and attention. (I almost typed that with a straight face) Honestly I am more of a “lets celebrate my existence in small spurts but for as long as possible until reaching the cusp of ridiculousness” type of girl. It is different, believe me.

Since K’s birthday is about a month before mine, my mom and dad got us both a massage and manicure to use together. We be stressed. So on April 10th, my sister and I got AMAZING massages at Gallery Salon in BG (ask for Abby) and then we got manicures. It was so fun and K & I had a hard time not laughing the entire time as we cannot go too many places together and not crack up. You should see when our parents are with us; yep we are a hoot together. For the remainder of the weekend I was in a massage coma and nothing you could say or do to me would anger me. It was awesome for me and very awesome for Terry who took full advantage of the situation.

The following weekend was when my parents came into town to celebrate the day of my birth. This was a great weekend. It started Friday when my mom took my sister and I to get our hair did. (Insert more laughing and fun)


Here was my drab looking hair before:

And here it is after!

I got about 5 inches cut off and caramel highlights. I have to say I do love the difference. My hair was WAY too long and lifeless and though I do really love my longer hair, I think this length has much more shape and looks better on me at the moment. It is a good change.

(K&I with our new hair!!)

On Saturday my mom, sister, and I went and saw Wicked at the Stranahan. UM, LOVED IT! I never read the book (seriously, as if) but I love the Wizard of Oz and was so excited to see this musical. It was seriously AMAZING. I was in awe of the cast, they did such a wonderful job and sounded fantastic. My favorite part was actually the costumes. I. LOVED. THE. COSTUMES. I want that job of creating costumes. They all looked beautiful. I want to see this one again. And possibly again after that. Saturday we also went to dinner at P.F. Changs….delicious…..and then came home to eat these little wonders.

Coldstone creamery cupcakes. GASP! I have to say these things were pretty darn tasty. A chocolate shell with cake and ice cream and fudge and whip cream. Hold on, I need a moment.

So after sharing a very fun and relaxing weekend with my family (thank you!!), it was on to my actual day of honor. I took work off on Thursday as I figured it would not be right for me to show so much cheerfulness and enthusiasm at my place of employment, plus it would not be right of me to make each of my co-workers tell me every 30 minutes how awesome I am after they sing the Chi Chi’s version of Happy Birthday. I am kind like that. I just recorded it on my phone anyways and set the alarm to go off every 30 minutes…it was nice. I ended up taking Friday off as well. Mainly because I am not as young as I was when I was 29 and needed some time to recover from all the excitement.

Thursday night while T. was in class, my sister and I went to the melting pot for some FUNdue!

I thought it was delicious, who would not love a hot pot of melted cheese?! We also got a FREEEEEE chocolate fondue, which is really the epitome of indulgent…kind of like this post. I do have to say, for a full meal I may not choose this place but it is a fun place for a drink and cheese or chocolate. I also may not be fancy enough for places like this either (seriously, where do you put the peanut shells after you take them out of your purse…not on the floor that is for sure) and my clumsiness and goofiness is why we usually can’t go to nice places. Luckily I only made a fool of myself a few times, which was good! For me, I think this was one of those fun and trendy places to go to when you want to do something different and interactive with some friends, but not a regular place to go and eat. But that is just me and it was still very delicious!

HOT fundue!

mmmmmmm

I also have to show you what T. got me for my birthday….he got my filthy and disgusting car professionally cleaned!!! It looked BEAUTIFUL. I do not think it has ever looked this clean before. I loved it but was also extremely embarrassed at just how dirty my car was. Seriously, gross. This was a wonderful surprise! Now no one is allowed in my car without a hazmat suit on.

It is BEAUTIFUL!

SO clean!

Sincerely, I joke but this was the best birthday ever. It was relaxing, fun, and full of the thing I love more than anything else…presents MY FAMILY!! I feel so incredibly lucky to have the best family in the world (this is not debatable). And if ALL this wasn’t enough, I got loads of wonderful birthday wishes from family and friends. I have been in a funk the past few months, not because I was turning 30 but just life…..and this really helped me put into perspective a few things in my life. Sometimes I can be negative and focus on the wrong things and forget all the wonderful people I have in my life and it makes me mad when I forget how blessed I am. Take away everything from my birthday, the special moments and laughter I shared with my family were truly the best moments. It has been awhile since I have laughed as hard as I did the past few weeks. I truly truly needed that positive energy and time with my family.

Hmmmmm, maybe turning 30 did give me perspective! Then again, maybe it is just because I am gassy and it is affecting my brain…dang Metamucil.

THANK YOU T., K., Mom & Dad for EVERYTHING!!!  I love you all SO much!  And thank you my friends for your thoughtful birthday wishes!!  Plus thanks to any of you who made it through this post without rolling your eyes :)

Be Warned.....

......I am about to bombard your inboxes over the next 24 hours with comments. I am seriously coming at these blogs like a spider monkey all jacked up on Mtn. Dew*...so look out. I FINALLY have a few minutes to catch up on blogs at lunch and this evening. Seriously, this funk I have been in is taking up precious blogging time and is ridiculous.

I have a couple blogs to post as well, but will most likely not be blogging much until after my birthday (April 22nd) as I like to celebrate for no shorter than 2 weeks but preferably at least 3 weeks, when it comes to my birthday. (Unnecessary 30th birthday plug – inserted) So if my blog posts and comments are far and few between after today or maybe completely random and stupid please know that I will be giving my blogs and your blogs the attention they deserve when I am 30, as then I will be far more mature and responsible and able to focus on the blogs.
 
 
*Can anyone tell me why Mountain Dew now has their name stylized as "Mtn. Dew" on their cans?!  Seriously, it looks SO stupid. Your product is MOUNTAIN DEW, two words, do not abbreviate it...not everything these days needs to be text-message shortened.  At the rate we are going kids are not going to be able to spell anything because everything has to be shortened.  Even the words NO or YES are going to be hard....they will just write the letters N or Y.  So please feel free to udate the style but spell out Mountain Dew on your cans for the sake of our children.  Plus it looks like generic pop and makes you look a fool.