Grab Your Popcorn, This Movie is for Real!!

I am not going to lie, movies made by the Sci-Fi channel (I still hate that it is Sy-fy so I am not calling it that) are pretty awesome.  Mediocre acting, a plot that is not in the realm of possibility, and some form of an animal (or combination of animals like in the thrilling 2010 Sharktopus) that is just huge and pissed off!!  What is not to love?!

Last month Sci-Fi scored big with their hit Sharknado.  Even heard something about it on NPR.

Well following in the steps of, what I can only guess was an Oscar worthy movie, Sci-Fi has done it again with the new movie Ghost Shark!!

The premise.  “A great white shark is tortured and killed by a fisherman, then returns from the dead, exacting vengeance on all humans.” Yeah, it is a shark.  That comes back from the dead.  As a GHOST.  To kill people.  

I mean, really.  Does it get more genius than that.  I think not.

See the trailer HERE.  

No really....GO NOW!!  

I will wait.......

I know, right?!?! AWESOME!

Did you see the girl washing the car and the shark came from that tiny bucket?!?!  Who knew?!

Screw a classic like Jaws.  Sci-Fi is taking the shark movie to a whole new level.

I for one know what I will be doing on August 22nd.

I smell flop Oscar!!!

Who ya gonna call?!?!

Could You Please Pass The Giant Gummy Bear?

One of the things Terry got me for Christmas was a 1 pound package (two half pound) of Reese’s peanut butter cups. These things are HUGE, half pound huge at that.  A few years ago he got me ½ lb Sugar Daddy candy bar that is still sitting in the kitchen. (Seriously, the thought of eating that makes my teeth hurt.)

Now, there is a part of me that would really like to dig in to those peanut butter cups but I wonder (1) how will they taste being that the ratio of peanut butter to chocolate in a standard cup is near perfection and have they recreated that ratio in these cups? and (2) how do you even begin to eat one?  Do I cut it like a pie?  Just take a bite out of it?  I seriously don’t know which way seems less ridiculous and which is the least glutton-ess way of eating these.

In general, I don’t know how I feel about this whole giant candy craze that seems to be going on, and yes I realize that the person saying this is currently in possession of two ½ lb peanut butter cups. 

At Christmas giant marshmallows, giant gummy bears, and other giant sugary products were really popular gifts (hence me receiving my peanut butter cups).  But what do you do with a giant 5 lb gummy bear?  (Buy it here from Amazon for a mere $26.95 is what you do) Would I take that into work and sit it on my desk and whenever I am in the mood for some Cherry flavored, red dye, high fructose corn syrup deliciousness just lean over and take a bite out of my bear, whose name would be Sam by the way.  It just doesn’t seem right. 

 Or how about serving up a 2lb gourmet marshmallow at your next dinner party. (Buy one here for $28.)  Nothing says you love your friends and family more than putting them in a sugar coma after eating a slice of gourmet marshmallow.  

These giant treats just don’t seem right, and are the epitome of the type of overindulgent society we currently live in. Or maybe it is just a representation of our desire to always be a kid at heart.  Or maybe it is just people who figured they can make a quick buck off gimmicky items such as these.  Or maybe, just maybe, Willy Wonka is real and he is letting us know. 

Now pass me a knife and a large glass of milk, I have a 1/2lb peanut butter cup to eat! 

What to Blog About, What to Blog About…..How About YOU Pick!

In the past I have always kept a list of things I wanted to blog about.  Lately that list is getting smaller and smaller (especially after over 4 years of blogging) and so I am spreading my posts out to make that list last longer.  Basically, I feel like I am slowly running out of things to blog about. 

So in an attempt to add some new topics to my post list it got me thinking, how about I ask YOU what you would like me to blog about!  Yep, the posts for this blog are under your control and I will post about anything you want!

I thought this may be fun, especially as over the last year or so I have had the privilege of meeting some fantastic new people on the blogs who may want to know more about me. (I mean, who wouldn’t.)  Do you want me to post a funny story, is there anything you would like to know about me, questions you have been curious to ask, do you want to talk politics, science, religion, want to talk about my thoughts on ANYTHING….seriously I am an open book and loooooove to talk about all that stuff! 

See I like to talk about pretty much anything, but don’t always do it for fear to offend someone or because people may find it to be boring.  But I honestly like to know what my friends who read this blog enjoy reading about! So let me know!

Yes, it is a bit of an unusual request…..but hey, I am a bit unusual!

And if no one really has anything they want me to blog about, that is cool too and I will not take it personally.  I will just assume that my blog is that cool and maybe write a post about how cool me and my blog are!

So share your thoughts!!

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!

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.

Now That's What I Am Talking About.

SNOW!!!!!

Today's activities include: finish wrapping gifts, bake cookies, (a little laundry), listen to Christmas music and enjoy how wonderful it looks outside!

Um, Christmas is less than a week! YAY!

I’m Sorry I know You Are At Lunch, But….

An open letter to all coworkers everywhere.

I know I can not be the only one who hears this statement A LOT at work. “I know you are at lunch but” …….followed by……”I have a question, here is a file, can you do this for me, do you have a minute” etc.

We do not have a lunch room and as I do not have time to leave for lunch (and also have nowhere to go) I stay at my desk and mess around on the interweb for a bit. During that 30 minutes I like to pretend that I am all alone in a locked room with no distractions; just me, my microwavable lunch and the computer. Of course actually achieving any solitude is impossible when you sit in a cubicle right by the door and at the center of the office, but I strive to at least pretend that I have some morsel of privacy for a few minutes each day. I have managed to block out the constant drones around me; the beeping of the copier, the ringing of the phone, the annoying chatter that echoes through the entire office and I have to say I am fairly good at doing so. Well, I can block out just about everything except loud crunching. (Why people WHY must you crunch loud?!) Yes, I manage to block out all of the office hullabaloo that takes place around me, that is until my fleeting moments of peace are interrupted by those dreaded words, “I’m Sorry I know You Are At Lunch, But…”.

Let us take a moment and just dissect this phrase if we can, because I find a number of things that are wrong with a person saying this phrase to me.

First: “I’m Sorry”. Are you? Are you really sorry? Are you sorry that you are disrupting my “me time” or are you just saying that in an attempt to make yourself feel better for the unnecessary question you are about to ask me and the interruption to my lunch you are about to cause? I am guessing if you thought long and hard you are not really, that sorry. I’m sorry, I’m just say’n.

B: “I know you are at lunch”. Had you just started talking and then said as you saw me take another bite of my 4 cheese penne Lean Cuisine “Oh I didn’t realize you were at lunch” I may have forgiven you for simply be unperceptive to the activities taking place within my 4x6 area. But noooo, to come out and acknowledge the fact that I am at lunch and you know it and yet you still just have to talk to me right at that very moment is unacceptable.

3rd: “But…” This is where I believe you make your fatal mistake. When walking up to me and noticing that I was infact partaking in lunch you could have made that phrase above a statement and just said “I’m sorry, I know you are at lunch.” (period) And leave and I will come to you when I am done. But no, you choose to add a but at the end of that phrase and that but is not what I want to hear while trying to enjoy my 30 minutes of serenity during my otherwise crazy work day.

I guess I shall say this. I get 30 minutes for lunch. 30 quick minutes where I am stuck in the office. I understand things happen, but (and this is my but to you) unless there is a fire or someone is hurt or I am in grave danger…please give me my 30 minutes of attempted peace and quiet and I promise if you do that I will not dream of throwing my half eaten apple at any of you or dream of paper cutting you with our file folders ever again. I know I am nearly not that important that 30 minutes of not talking to me will cause chaos to ensue and the company to crumble. But I guess I should be happy you all think that highly of me.

Thank you,
Jenn

A Little Thirsty, Perhaps.

So after work today I decided I was in the mood for something to drink other then the water I drink all day long. I went over to Sonic to try some of their fun drinks I have heard so much about. Now I have only been to Sonic a couple times, so I am not really familiar with all the drink options available to me. Since I was not familiar and this was a spur of the moment trip (Had I known I would have totally done my research at work prior to going) I felt I was under some pressure to see how quickly I could skim their selections and order a drink so to not be THAT person who pulls up to a drive through, has no idea what they want, and takes forever.

So after just a mild delay from rushing so the line of cars behind me didn’t get angry, I opted on the Strawberry Limeade*. After I ordered they said that I could upgrade my drink for free; I wasn't paying attention as I was still going through all the drinks available on their menu and said sure. However, had I known what I know now, I would have passed on their very generous offer. Seriously, THIS is what they handed me, a 44 ounce vat of strawberry limeade…straw included.



WHAT?!?! Do people really drink all this?

I can not believe how flipp’n big this is, ridiculous.

So when I got home I lugged the 36 of the 44 ounce beverage I bought to the kitchen counter and I began to think of all the things in my kitchen that are similar in size….just to give an idea of just how big this drink is.



A 64 ounce container of Pickles. (Why do we have so many pickles, because we loves them!)



A 48 ounce container of Vegetable Oil.



A gallon of milk.




A 64 ounce container of Ketchup (not to be confused with catsup).




Even Belle who loves to get into everything, didn't know what to think about this gigantic foam container!

So consider this your warning. If you are parched and in the mood for a beverage, this is probably your best bet. But if you are just a little thirsty, perhaps you just want to wet your whistle, I would go with the small.

*The strawberry limeade was good, but a little too sweet for me. I will try another one next time I go. Any suggestions?

Just A Mindless Blog for a Friday Afternoon

Remember when you were younger and you would take the big JcPenny’s or Sears catalog and go through and circle everything you wanted from it? I loved doing that then and at the age of 29 I still enjoy doing that. When I get magazines in the mail I totally enjoy going through and marking everything I want. I know I may never get anything I circle, but it is fun to dream and have my very own wish list of things that one day we may buy.

So that is what I am doing in this post today, "circling" my favorite items from one of my favorite store as i just felt like sharing...and as my husband tells me sharing is caring :) My inspiration comes from the email ads from Williams-Sonoma I get every few days and their magazine I get every other month. I LOVE this store, even though I think I only have ever bought one or two small items from them. It is one of those places when I am in there or looking at the magazine I say; “I wish I had that, I want THAT, I NEED that”, on every other item I come across. I do have a strong LOVE of all things kitchen/dining related. Terry would say too much of a love as we have no more room for anything kitchen related.

Here is my “wish list” IF we had the money to splurge (you know from the lottery we are going to win). I didn’t put any kitchen gadgets as I want every gadget I come across.

MY LIST

Lausanne Flatware, I LOVE this flatware! A great oversized flatware done in a European style. I love nice, heavy silverware and this looks very simple, sturdy and stylish.




Espresso Cups. I have wanted a nice set of Espresso cups and saucers for awhile. Not like I am drinking espresso a lot, but we do have an old espresso machine and it is not the same drinking espresso in an 8oz coffee mug! Plus these are just simple and cute.

Grated Cheese Server!! Um, what do I need to say about this other then it is for CHEESE! Seriously, I want this. You can easily pass cheese around the table then scoop it out with the cute little scoop, Awesome. This is too perfect.

Glass Tea Pot. I saw this and fell in love with it. This partly hand-blown traditional tea-pot allows you to see your tea steeping. “Once it reaches the desired strength, press the plunger of its infuser to instantly halt the brewing process, preventing the tea from tasting bitter.” Very cool.

Frozen Margarita Machine – Um, did you see this thing?! So I ask, why would you NOT want one of these. It is just really really really cool.

Pancake Fan. I know you can get one similar at Big Lots for $19.99 (and I actually might just get one) but I just think these are great and I would love one. I even wrote a blog about these awhile back. Mini pancake puffs is just wonderful enough, but then you can fill them with chocolate, fruit, or cream – amazing.

Copper Dutch Oven. I am a big fan of the look of copper in the kitchen. We want to get a copper backsplash in our kitchen and I would love some copper pots one day to go with that. I am a big fan of this style.

Soup Tureen. Ok, this is going out there a little bit for me but I am strangely attracted to it, birds and all. My taste in dinnerware and serving dishes is very simple. All our stuff is black and white. I like the simplistic look of food on uniquely shaped white serving dishes mixed with a few black ones. However, this hand painted piece of art is just gorgeous and interesting to look at, and who wouldn’t want to serve soup in a flipp'n tureen like this at their next dinner party?! I for one would LOVE to.

Ok, these are my favorite things, just as I would have circled them in the latest Williams-Sonoma Magazine!

Dear Bugs and Other Creepy Crawly Critters:

Since we have to exist in this world together and since it is impossible to keep you out of our house I would like to suggest that we come to some sort of living arrangement. So may I propose the following?

That when you are in our house that you stay out of and away from items we use regularly, such as towels, wash cloths, blankets, near any food related items, or the inside of toilet paper rolls, and rather stick to places we do not frequent like vents, behind the stove/refrigerator, or in the back corners of the basement. I know the house isn’t that big but considering your size our house is like a state to you. Therefore, I believe that you should be able to find plenty of small nooks and crannies to settle down in without having to invade our main living space.

What is in it for you? Well for starters I won’t kill you or let my cat kill you making your already incredibly short life even that much shorter. Um, do you really need more of a reason than that?!

I know that we need to cohabitate and I know God put you on this earth for a purpose and I respect that. And believe me, I do not like killing one of God’s creatures (mainly because it is just gross), no matter if you have a ridiculous amount of legs or you are gross looking or you just freak me out even though you are smaller than a quarter. But when I am taking a shower and reach for my wash cloth and you come crawling out of it, or if it is 3 in the morning and I am half asleep and go to the bathroom and you are hanging on the toilet paper roll and catch me off guard I have to say that I will NOT think twice about crushing you. At that point it is just self defense.

In summary, stop scaring me and stay away from me and the things I use in my house and stick to the dark yucky places and then we won’t have to kill you. I really think this could work and I know you will do the right thing.

Best Regards,
Jenn

P.S. Belle wanted me to tell you that she 100% disagrees with this letter and is mad that I wrote it because she actually enjoys when you come out and visit as it gives her something to do.

Wine On The Go!

So T & I went to the store Saturday night, yeah that is how we spend our Saturday evenings at 9:30pm, grocery shopping at Meijer….pretty wild, huh?!

Well we were just killing time and perusing items, as we didn’t feel we had enough junk in our cart yet, and that is when we found these wonderful things! Mini handheld boxes of wine. Brilliant!

These little boxes of wine hold 3 servings, er…really 1 serving as it is probably just 2 glasses of wine. They can fit easily in your refrigerator, cooler, purse, or beverage holder in your car. They also have an easy to swill from, closable top if you just don’t feel like dirtying a glass. They are also great if you want to go to a party, but just don’t feel like sharing with others. (Sorry, get your own handheld box of wine.) Actually it would be the perfect amount of wine if you just want a couple glasses at night (or hey, chug straight from the box), but don’t want to open an entire bottle of wine because then you will drink the entire bottle of wine. Don’t tell me you don’t do that either.

So if you are looking for a convenient, easy to hold (see how easily it fits in Terry's hand), box of wine to take with you on the go, then I believe this product is for you!

Seriously, absolutely brilliant!

Where did you go Chapstick Brand Spearmint Chapstick?!?!

Three months ago I went to the store to pick up my usual monthly supply of a few tubes of Spearmint flavored Chapstick brand chapstick. I loves me my chapstick and go through it really fast. Over my now 29 years of life (take away a few in the beginning as I was not concerned with the prevention of chapped lips and locking in moisture), I have found the one & only chapstick that I adore and I truly do not like to use anything else. So it was a bit of a surprise when I went to the back of my local grocers and didn’t see the Spearmint flavored Chapstick in its usual spot. I actually reached out to grab it and it was gone. After a mildly frantic look through ALL the chapsticks on the rack, I came to the reluctant conclusion that it wasn’t there. I then thought maybe they were out in this section of the store and so as I made my way to the checkout I casually perused each checkout aisle, as that is a good place to find the chapstick, but nothing. “WHAT?!” After another brief panic attack I composed myself and picked up an original* barf chapstick just to get me by.

Now for the last 3 months I have been keeping an eye out for my favorite chapstick when I go to different stores and for the last three months it is no where to be found. I have gone to my usual grocery hangouts: Rite-Aid, Meijer and Walmart but alas no Spearmint flavored Chapstick brand chapstick anywhere. They have original*, cherry, vanilla, vanilla mint, strawberry, even the pink breast cancer tubes of chapstick (I wonder what flavor that one is) – but the spearmint is gone. As I have now become very worried about this I decided to go to their website and see if they had (dare I even think it) discontinued that flavor! Well, as of 1:34 p.m. on this Thursday, May 7, 2009 it is still on their website…phew!!!

But that still doesn’t explain the unusual disappearance of the product off the shelves. I do have a couple theories, though. Like maybe Terry buys out all the spearmint chapstick in Bowling Green on a weekly basis as some cruel practical joke to play on me because I like to schmear this stuff on my lips and then when Terry kisses me he gets mint flavored chapstick all over his lips. I don't see the big deal, his lips need moisture too. Or maybe it is some government cover-up because that particular chapstick contains something supernatural that the government doesn’t want us “common folk” to be exposed too. Or maybe there are some little chapstick trolls that have taken a liking to this flavor and now they are out taking all of them off the shelves at night. Whatever it is, I am on to yous and let me say this…I need it man, I am jones'n and need that spearmint flavored goodness.....now!!! (just breathe Jenn)

I still have a couple more stores to check out in BG, but if still nothing I am going to be expanding this search into the greater Perrysburg/Toledo area. However, IF you are out and at a store or checkout and just happen to see the lovely Spearmint flavored Chapstick brand chapstick (pictured above) PLEASE tell me which store! I have been trying some of the other flavors and they do not even compare to the awesomeness of the spearmint. Maybe I will take out a Craigs List add to find my chapstick. That might work.

UPDATE: As of 7:46 p.m. on this Thursday, May 7, 2009 it is still on their website. Again, PHEW.


*What kind of flavor is original?!?! Original isn't a flavor unless they are referring to the fact that it is the "original" flavor of this wax product. I don't like it, you can't have a flavor called original.

Look Out Folks, I Got Me A "Sexy" Voice

So I totally have Phoebe's "sexy singing voice". I was belting out some songs on my way home from work and stopped for a moment and was all like "Damn girl, you sound awesome". Seriously, I could sign a record deal tomorrow and you would all think I was amazing. Hacking cough, sneezing, mucus filled eyes and all. It is an image I am currently working on. I think it would sell.

A Necessity For Me.

I would first like to say I am not the most graceful of creatures. Even years of dance when I was younger could not help my inherent clumsiness. And it is just not about tripping or running into walls on a daily basis, it also happens when I eat or drink or stand in place. I am sure I am even clumsy when I sleep.

So one can see why I feel like I can not go anywhere with out my Tide to Go Stain Pens. I probably spill something on me at least once a day….probably more. My biggest challenge is learning the proper "drink to mouth technique" so that I do not spill stuff on me. (i.e making sure cup is fully up to my mouth before tipping, making sure you do not talk while trying to drink, making sure you do not tip cup back too far...things like that) But this little Stain Pen makes it OK to be a bit on the clumsy side. I have spilled coffee, pasta sauce, & soup on me (not all at one time, but I wouldn't ever count that scenario out) and just a little scrub with this pen and PRESTO - gone!

I seriously love this pen and it goes anywhere I do. If you are a bit on the clumsy side and tend to spill things on you regularly, you too should have one of these within close proximity at all times.

Nearly Perfect Mac & Cheese!

It is no big secret that over the years my relationship with cooking has evolved from something I do OK but do out of necessity to something I am pretty good at that I enjoy doing to something that I am experimenting with to create my own dishes and find truly relaxing.

So you will understand why I have been frustrated that I have never been able to get the right consistency for a simple mac & cheese dish. So imagine my absolute delight when last night it finally happened, I perfected the consistency of my mac & cheese. YAY! I know this is a weird thing to be excited about but I have been trying for awhile now to get a nice thick cheese sauce. And though mine always tastes fine, it has been a bit runny :(

So what was the trick.....well I mixed the butter and flour and cooked it (like I always do), then added half broth and half milk and then here it is - I turned the heat up to med/high! Perfecto! Typically i leave it on low once I add the liquids thinking if I turn it up it may ruin the milk ...but alas, I went out on a limb and realized it was infact the heat that makes the sauce nice and creamy! I really did not know this and most recipes I have come across do not mention to turn the heat up.

I would like to say that I do understand that it is a bit sad HOW excited I got about finally getting my mac & cheese to the perfect consistency, however if you would have tried some of it I am sure you would have been JUST as thrilled as I was.

Now that I have it to the perfect consistency, I am going to try to perfect the entire dish so that it tastes fantastic! First attempt, broil the mac & cheese so it crisps up the top - YUM!

I Just Want To Be Liked

So I have mentioned before, some long while ago, that our neighbor doesn’t really talk to us. Most wouldn’t think it was a big deal but we have a condo and share a wall with this lady (duplex style condo) and therefore as we practically live together I think it is good to be friendly to our neighbor. Maybe I am needy….ok I AM needy, but maybe I want her to know we are nice people so if we have a really loud party she won’t call the cops or maybe I want her to like us so in case she decides that she wants to set her house on fire and collect insurance she will think twice because she really likes us and knows our house will be affected as well. Who knows really why I seek acceptance from complete strangers, but I do.

So after 2 years at our house I noticed I was finally getting a pleasant smile from our neighbor, the occasional “Hi”, and on rare cases even small talk….I mean it is like we are practically BFF’s. But imagine my surprise when T. tells me he has had numerous conversations with our neighbor for more then a year now. WHAT?! I mean not the long conversations that involve politics, religion, or the meaning of life but standard neighborly type conversations.....I wouldn't no exactly becasue I was not apart of said convo's. He actually referred to her by name in a conversation the other day. He was all like, “Yeah Cindy asked if we were having problems with our cable” and I was all like “who is Cindy” and he was all “Um, our neighbor”. Yeah, I had NO idea these two were on a first name basis! Now the jealousy is not because I am worried about my man talking to another women without me around – HA, as if....I mean have you met me. (I almost got that out with a straight face.) No the jealousy is because he somehow won her over and I didn’t. Dang nabbit, what’s up wit dat - I am likable.

Now I am aware of my pure awesomeness, and understand it can be intimidating to be around me at times, but that is my burden to bear and people should not feel uncomfortable around me. So as far as I am concerned it is on like flys to shit….I am going to make her my new friend….more so then Terry. Step one learn each others names. Hmmm….I just so happen to be making some homemade cookies this weekend and I think I will have to share them with my lovely neighbor. But only the sugar cookies, I don’t like her well enough to share the really good cookies – I mean honestly.


Should I talk to someone about my competitiveness and neediness – nah, it is just as healthy as my ego is....so I am fine. ;) heehee

“Well if you don’t want our kids you don’t get us.”

So once again I should probably preface this post by saying that T & I do not have kids and maybe my thoughts are skewed a bit when it comes to what happens to a person once they have a child. Though I will say that I hope I am not SO wrapped up in my child that I forget about how important it is to spend grown up time away from my kids and with my husband and friends.

So here it is. When Terry and I got married we made the decision to not have young kids at our wedding. We had some teenagers there, but decided that we wanted to have an evening where there were no worries about what kids were doing or not being able to dance because of kids (we have been to those weddings) or worrying about the open bar or having to walk around running kids. We wanted people & parents to have a nice and fun night out for a few hours and many of our friends at the time did not have kids anyways, so this decision only affected a small group of people. So when my cousin & his wife said “well if you don’t want our kids you don’t get us” it caught us a bit off guard. Our intention was not to offend anyone, it was just our choice because it was OUR wedding.

So over the past two years many of our friends have started to have kids. Though this isn’t a part of life we are ready for at the moment, we love our friend’s kids very much and think it is fantastic. We even understand that things change and know we may not be able to do certain things with our friends like go to the bars on the weekend, have spontaneous nights out to dinner, or long nights of Euchre and wine like we use to be able to do. But I will admit...we really miss these things.

Now I know some people who have kids say, well we have kids now and you need to be respectful of that, my priorities have changed. (I have been told this) But in turn, I feel that just because we choose to NOT have kids people need to be respectful of that decision as well. I feel as though we are looked at as outsiders when we are with some of these people because we are not in their little “we have kids” group (as they call it).

So, we wanted to have a Christmas party this month. We told a few of our friends who have kids about the party but that it was for adults only. We explained why in a nice way not to hurt feelings....like I guess we did at our wedding. It has been 2 years since our wedding and this is the FIRST time we have asked to do something sans kids. A couple loved it and were excited for a night with the adults. However others were not so open to this decision we had made and said they will not be able to attend. They did not even say we will have to see, it was flat out we will not be there without a second thought. I feel bad they won't be there, I really do, but I don’t feel that I was wrong in saying that it is an adult only party. For one, our house is NOT child proof at all. Marble tables with hard edges, open electrical outlets because we are remodeling rooms, an open door to the basement so the cats can get to their box, cords everywhere, tons of collectible and breakable stuff…I could go on. Our house is just not safe. Plus, our house is not big and when you add a bunch of people and a bunch of kids it leaves little space. And plus, if those were not the most logical reasons, we would like one day…..just one flipp’n day alone with our friends and not their kids. We want to talk about grown up things with them again and not about teething, what food the child eats, if they are walking, who walked first, and so on….we listen to that all the time and we don’t mind because we love our friends and their kids. But just to have ONE night a year where we can have fun without the worries of kids and talk about the things in OUR life as well that are not related to kids would be fantastic. I really do not think that is too much to ask AT ALL. Infact, I am honestly a bit hurt by the whole thing in that it seems they don't even want to make an effort to be with us.

I think we just feel out numbered at times and like we don't really know what it is like to be in their "situation". Maybe I am wrong and so I know many of you have kids and this is why I ask these questions. Is it wrong of us to say no kids to something we do once a year? Is it wrong of us to ask our friends to spend time with us without their kids, even if it was more then once a year? Isn't it healthy to take even a couple hours away from your kid and work on your marriage and friendships by being with other people? Any thoughts on this?

bareMinerals – I Can Not Say NO To You Any Longer

So it has happened…I will soon be the owner of my own set of bareMinerals products. I have been persuaded to buy them…..of course this sweet deal also had a lot to do with it!




Click here for the special deal. (It said I saved over $145 when I checked out – um, awesome!)

Only 2 payments of $29.99(plus S&H)


Your bareMinerals Get Started Kit includes:
2 shades of bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation
Mineral Veil finishing powder
Warmth All-Over Face Color
Flawless Application Face Brush
Handy Buki Brush
Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush
In-depth How-To Guide that details every product and how to best apply your bareMinerals

4 FREE Special Bonus Gifts:
Limited edition refillable Mirror Compact with cover
bareMinerals Bisque for concealing imperfections
Precision Concealer Brush
Leslie's Get Started DVD

As a person who likes make-up but does not like the feel of things on my face or spending a lot of time putting make up on, I have been told by a very reliable source that this is for me! I can’t wait to try it…should be arriving in the next couple weeks!

There Is No Turning Back Now.

Dear Sister;

I know this weekend you will be moving in with us - sucker. I will admit that I am very excited but I think it is only fair that I give you some words of advice, bits of knowledge before you move in about this transition and what to expect. Please consider all that I am about to say to you as your only warning.

1) First, I want to say we are not your parents and we want you to enjoy your college experience exactly like you would if you were living with your friends. Of course we (I mean, I) do expect you to do whatever we (once again, I) say.

2) Rent is due the first of the month. We WILL make you sleep in the basement if rent is not paid on time. And for every day late it is we will add on a $50 service charge. Oh, we would also like our $1200 non-refundable deposit paid by this weekend. We will take cash, all in $20’s.

3) I hope you realize this is your home now too and that you should feel comfortable to do what you want. Of course I use the phrase “do what you want” loosely…I really mean if you want to do something in our house ask us first and then it is up to our discretion on what we will allow you to do. Chances are we will say no to everything that does not benefit us.

4) If you would like to invite anyone over please make sure you fill out the Request to Have House Guests Form, which will be located in the basement next to the washer and dryer (don’t worry, you will become very familiar with this area and will be down there frequently). We will need three weeks notice for a request as well as a $20 non-refundable transaction fee. The fee is due when you turn in the RTHHG form. We welcome your friends, however I don’t see how you will have time to have a social life with all the stuff you will be doing for us (me).

5) Please be aware that Terry likes to walk around in the nude. To avoid any uncomfortable moments please make sure that before you enter a room you yell 3 times “Kristen is entering the room. Please lock and load any loose valuables.” You will either get an all clear from Terry at which time you may enter, or if there is no response it really is at that point a “enter at your own risk” scenario.

6) We do like to use the bathroom facility and leave the door open. Please follow the rules for #4 when walking near one of the bathrooms. Also, it would be in your best interest to keep away from these “danger” areas as we call them if you know T is taking care of business, as the toxic waste radiating out could smell very bad and bring tears to your eyes. People have also been known to pass out.

7) Any therapy you may incur due to your stay with us is not covered under our lease. Sorry for any inconvenience if you go crazy but honestly, maybe you should have thought out this living situation earlier.

8) Please do not eat the food T&I buy from the store, but if you have anything that looks good you will have to share with us & any of our friends.

9) There will be a chore board for the entire house. You are expected to complete ALL chores in a timely fashion. If there is a problem completing all the chores then let us know and we would be happy to sit down with you and talk about your time management skills….or lack there of.

10) The cats pretty much can do what they want in the house. If they want in your room - let them. If they drink out of your water cup - then you shouldn’t have left it unattended. If they want to meow all night and annoy us - we will lock them in your room. On the hierarchy list, they are above you.

So now that the formalities are out of the way I am sure we will have a blast living together!!! It should be fun, right?!?! You excited!!

Love Always,
Jenn