Something to Crow About

Book Review–Bossypants

2012-01-15T15:30:00.001-08:00

From Goodreads:

In her acceptance speech for Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, Tina Fey announced that she was proud to make her home in "the 'not-real America'." It is perhaps that healthy sense of incongruity that makes the head writer, executive producer, and star of NBC's Emmy Award-winning 30 Rock such a cogent observer of the contemporary scene. Bossypants, her entertaining new memoir, shows that strangeness has been her constant companion. Fey's stories about her childhood in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania are only appetizers for LOL forays into her college disasters, honeymoon catastrophes, and Saturday Night Live shenanigans. Most funny read of the month; the best possible weekend update.

My Thoughts:

I loved this book. I knew a little bit about Fey's background but I learned a lot about her from this book. It was really neat to see how she's worked her way up to where she is now. I think her sense of humor came across really well in this book.

I’ve always been a fan of Fey (not a mega fan really just a fan) and I love how she was such a big part of SNL and now with 30 Rock – she shows that a woman can totally be funny and in charge in entertainment. I liked getting to read about that part of her life but I also really enjoyed reading about her marriage and motherhood. I don’t have a child yet but I sort of feel like the way she feels about her child and being a mother is similar to how I will feel someday. And I loved when she was talking about all the things she was having to do during the week she was getting ready for her daughter's birthday party – I thought she was very funny in explaining how major all of these events were in her life while showing the humor of “yes, I know this really isn’t important to anyone else".”

I really hope Fey writes another book someday. And I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a fun and funny read.

Run Dancer

2012-01-09T04:00:00.000-08:00

This was in the comics section of yesterday’s paper and it made me crack up because it is so me. There’s a reason I don’t have any Broadway songs on any of my gym playlists – I would totally do this.

In My Mailbox 1/8/12

2012-01-08T16:16:00.001-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. It is an opportunity to share any books I have received this week in my mailbox, on my nook or in my hands.

Library Books -

Madame Tussaud – Michelle Moran

The Paris Wife – Paula McLain

His Excellency – Joseph J Ellis (this is for the Presidential Challenge

We also have a large pile of wood working books as Doug is getting into this hobby. Some of them look pretty cool.

Friday Five 1/6/12

2012-01-06T18:48:00.001-08:00

1. I’m so glad it is Friday. We’ve had mandatory overtime at work this week and it has really worn me out. I pulled 10 hour day today and then ran around for 2 hours running errands (with more to do tomorrow) and I am so beat. But I’m trying to stay awake to hang out with Doug tonight. I think it may take more tea…. Also, since I’m so worn out, the rest of this post will be mostly photos.

2. This is what I’m reading right now. I am really loving it. So good!

3. This was one of our presents from my parents. I drink a ton of tea (see #1) and it is so handy to have this to make a quick pitcher of yummy goodness.

4. This is one of my favorite zumba routines. We haven’t done it in a while but my instructor brought it back Tuesday night which made me very happy. I have no idea who any of these people are but the routine is basically the same one we do.

5. Tweets and pictures are starting to pop up on Twitter from some of the IndyCar drivers I follow about getting ready for the upcoming season. This makes me very happy! The season (and the highlight –May!) isn’t all that far away now!!

Apparently I’m 12

2012-01-03T18:53:00.001-08:00

Those would be Powerpuff Girl gloves. And that would be my hand while pumping gas after zumba tonight. Yeah, I still bust out my PG gloves every so often. What can I say, I’m a kid at heart. Also, it was like 25 degrees out.

Start Something That Matters Winner

2012-01-02T18:20:00.001-08:00

The winner of the Start Something That Matters giveaway is Crystal!

Crystal said...

I want to open a Bookery - a bakery/book store - and would help support literacy

Crystal send me your address and I’ll get your book to you!

I used random.org to draw the winner for this giveaway.

I was given 2 copies of this book as part of the Books for Bloggers program – one to review and one to giveaway. This book is written by Blake Mycoskie who is the founder of TOMs shoes. All thoughts expressed about this book are my own.

2012

2012-01-01T08:11:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and fun time last night and is looking forward to a great 2012!

I thought I’d share some of my goals for 2012 (I don’t like the word resolutions) just to give you an idea of what I’m hoping to accomplish this year (and to keep myself on track!).

My goals for 2012:

- Read 100 books (I ended with 76 in 2011!)

- Read 12 books for the Presidential Challenge (more on this soon)

- Read 12 classics in 2012 (again, more soon)

- Get our finances in order

- Organize and deep clean our house and keep it that way

- Get my camera out more and become a better photographer

- Continue to go to Zumba at least 2x a week while also expanding into other types of workouts (I’m looking at you NROLFW and C25K!)

- Write more (including blogging)

So, that’s my list of things I plan to do or focus on this year. I may add more throughout the year as things come to me but I think that’s a pretty good start!

2011

2011-12-30T22:10:00.001-08:00

I thought I’d do a quick post of some of my favorite things from 2011. I hope everyone has a happy and safe New Year!

Favorite books - I read quite a few very good books this year, so here are just a few of my favorites:

Favorite album – Wasting Light by the Foo Fighters is by far my favorite cd of the year. My favorite songs are off this cd too – Rope, Dear Rosemary, and Arlandria.

Favorite movie – As if there was any question

Favorite workout – I adore zumba. I’m so glad I started going this year!

Favorite trip – Indianapolis. I adore this city.

Favorite recipe – Peanut Butter and Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake. Trust me.

Television show – I still adore The Big Bang Theory. I’m really loving Amy Farrah Fowler.

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-24T17:00:00.000-08:00

Hope you all have a very merry Christmas!

Immigrant Stories Challenge Wrap Up and 2012 Challenge

2011-12-21T04:00:00.000-08:00

So a funny thing happened when I went to write this wrap up – I realized I never finished the challenge. d’oh! For whatever reason I thought that I had signed up for the lowest level of the challenge and that I was good with the 3 books I read earlier this year. But then I looked back at my post about signing up for the challenge and realized I needed at least 1 more book. Whoops. Luckily I had purchased a suitable book during the Borders sale so I was able to pick that up and read it. Good thing I started to write the wrap-up early!

So what did I read?

Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America – Firoozeh Dumas – Read in January – 5 stars – I think this is one of my favorite books from this year. It is funny and insightful all at the same time. I loved reading about the author trying to get used to life in America while still being surrounded by her very traditional family. I’m also glad I read this because one day at work something about Farsi came up and no one knew what Farsi was – except me

Stealing Buddha’s Dinner – Bich Minh Nguyen – Read in January - 4 stars – I read this right after Farsi so I went into it expecting the same humor so it took me a bit to get into the right mind frame for this book. I thought it was very well written and very interesting.

Laughing Without an Accent: Adventures of an Iranian American, at Home and Abroad – Firoozeh Dumas – Read in January -4 stars – I liked this book. I thought it was funny and it was nice to see the way the author wrote about American things. I liked this one just a little less than her first one but still thought it was really good.

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents – Julia Alvarez – Read in December - 4 stars – I thought this was a very good book. The story was really interesting and the characters were very engaging. My only complaint is that I got a bit lost with the timeline and had to keep stopping to remember the year and the ages of the characters.

2012 Challenge

I’m so excited that Books in the City is bringing back the Immigrant Stories Challenge for 2012. I’ve already signed up and have decided to really go for it and try to reach the Fully Assimilated level which is 6+ books. Hopefully I won’t forget what level I picked this year! Anyone have any suggestions for books I should read?

Book Review & Giveaway: Start Something That Matters

2011-12-19T04:00:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I was selected to be part of the Books for Bloggers campaign for Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie. You probably know Blake best as the founder of TOMS shoes. If you know me in real life you probably know that I adore TOMS. I bought my first pair earlier this year and they barely left my feet all summer. I’m already planning on getting a second pair this spring. So when I first heard about this book I was intrigued. I’ve always had a bit of a desire to start my own business and I think that TOMS is a great business – especially because it is grounded in such a great charitable act. So I was really eager to read this book.

So when I heard about the Books for Bloggers program I decided to enter. I never figured that I would be picked. But I was! This means that I was given a copy of the book to read and review (and keep). I was also give a copy to give away to one of my awesome readers (that would be you!).

My Thoughts:

I thought this book was really interesting. I loved getting an inside look into how TOMS was started and a look at the other businesses that are mentioned in the book. I loved that the idea came to Blake in such an organic way: he saw a problem and formulated a way to fix it. I love that he talked about the bumps they had along the way and let the reader into some of the funny situations they dealt with (passing the phone around to interns to pretend to be higher ups for instance). I also liked seeing how the company started out in such a small way and has grown so much. It is really inspiring to someone who is thinking about starting a business to see that you can start small and eventually become bigger.

Even if you don’t think you want to start a business I think you’d like this book. It is inspiring just to read about the charitable acts that others have started. It really inspired me to want to do something for others. Seeing what these people have done makes you realize that you can do something to help as well.

I think one of the best parts of this book is that it wasn’t preachy at all. It never felt like Blake was saying “look how awesome I am.” It felt a lot like you were just having a conversation with him. I definitely recommend this book. It was a quick read and full of great information. Definitely a winner.

To win:

So, want to read this? All you have to do is leave a comment telling me about a business you want to open or a charitable act you’d love to be able to do. You can get a second entry by following Something to Crow About. Just leave a second comment letting me know.

A winner will be randomly picked on 01/02/12. I may even throw in a little something else as a post holiday treat.

So leave a comment below! Good luck!!

Open to US residents only. Sorry international folks!!

Friday Five 12/16/11

2011-12-16T14:38:00.001-08:00

1. As of yesterday I’ve officially hit my new, lowered, book goal for the year. 75 books done. The highest total I have on goodreads is 78 so I may try to match or beat that amount.

2. This was not a very good week work-wise. I got put back on an assignment I was on in July and it was just as frustrating now as it was then. I even took a half day today because I was so stressed out on Wednesday that I found the first available time this week (which was today) and took it. Then of course they put me back on my regular work an hour before I left. Oh well.

3. A bright note thought from work is that we had our department holiday gathering (not a party) and our manager gave us cards that she had written a note in to us. My note was about how I’ve come a long way since joining her department last year (she hated how shy I was), how proud she is of me for how well I’ve done since getting the promotion, and how she thinks I can go very far in this company if I want to. I’ve never gotten this type of praise in a workplace before. It’s pretty awesome.

4. I need one more thing and I am done Christmas shopping. Then I just have to wrap it all. I am not a good wrapper so I put it off until I have a huge pile to tackle. Doug wrapped some for me the other day so that’s a big help.

5. I have something cool coming for you guys next week. I’m pretty excited about it and I think/hope you guys will like it. So stay tuned!

Friday Five 12/2/11

2011-12-02T19:40:00.001-08:00

1. They moved a bunch of people around to different desks at work today (they like to do this every so often for some reason) and while I didn’t move they did move my buddy away from me. I didn’t know her before I moved to my current spot last fall but we got to be good work friends and I’m so sad to see her move - so I was not a happy girl today.

2. I’ve decided that since there is no way I am going to meet my goal of 111 books in 2011 that I’m going to aim for 75. That is still way better than the 35 I read last year and with my promotion to the more demanding job and the stint of having 2 jobs I’ll be pretty happy with 75. That means I need to finish 3 books by the end of the year. I’m about halfway through a book right now so I think I can have that done by the end of the weekend. I think I’m just going to have to choose very carefully for the last 2 books.

3. Speaking of books – I’ve been thinking about my reading goals for 2012 lately and while I haven’t decided on a number or picked any challenges yet I have decided that 2012 will be the year I finally read Gone With The Wind. It has been sitting on my shelf for about 4 years now and I’ve just never picked it up. That will change.

4. I went back to my usual Tuesday/Thursday zumba class with my favorite instructor for the first time since I started the part-time job last night. I missed that class so much and it was one of my deciding factors for quitting the job (yes, I made a Rory Gilmore-ish pro-con list – and zumba was on it). It felt so good to be back. The Saturday morning class I tried had a different instructor and it just wasn’t the same. My usual instructor is so upbeat and encouraging and FUN. I missed her! She through out a “welcome back Kayla!” into her headset during one of the first songs. I felt so special

5. I read something tonight that sort of annoyed me – apparently having an interest in cars is not something that is typical of girls and is therefore somehow masculine or a “boy” thing. This bugs me to no end. I spent a lot of time growing up running around with my car loving dad. My mom worked during the mornings and my dad worked second shift to cut down on the time I was with a sitter so I was always with my dad when he would run out to his friend’s house to look at a car or when he would run to the auto parts store to pick something up. Also we’d usually run out to the gas station/towing company place a friend of his owned on Sunday mornings to say hi or get something and we’d look at the cars that had been towed in on Friday and Saturday nights. (My dad was a genius – that is the best “don’t drink and drive” lesson ever.) I learned a lot about cars hanging out with my dad on those trips and just hanging around his garage. He is also a huge NASCAR fan and I have been to more than 1 race track in my day. If a family vacation had us somewhere near a track you bet your bottom we were going. I think Daytona was my favorite. And finally some of my favorite toys growing up included my bucket of Hot Wheels and my plastic car track.

And now, as an adult, I’m a huge Indycar fan. We actually just went to Indianapolis Motor Speedway a few weeks ago to check out the Hall of Fame museum. One of the reasons I’m hesitant to get rid of our upper channel package on our cable plan is because I want to keep Versus so I can watch races. My Twitter feed is full of drivers, bloggers who follow the sport, and a few of the sportscasters for races. I can tell you statistics, I can tell you about the cars, and I will tell you why certain drivers are the best (and why some aren’t) until I’m blue in the face. I also love the show Top Gear – both the British and American editions. I like learning about the cars, seeing what they can do, and basically just watching them go around the track really fast (it helps that both shows are really funny). I don’t spout off facts about cars off the top of my head but I do notice really cool – and really horrible – cars when I’m out and about and I have been able to have some more in-depth conversations about cars because of this show.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame

So, basically, I like cars. And I don’t see how this makes me any less of a girl. Maybe my parents ruined me by letting me play with Hot Wheels and not forcing my to stick with Barbie (which I also had and played with a ton). Maybe they never should have let me ride around a racetrack in a van with a bunch of fellow tourists decked out in shorts and t-shirts with cameras around their necks and sensible shoes on their feet. Maybe I’m just a little weird. But I know I like cars. And I’m quite sure that I’m a girl.

Sorry that got a little long for a Friday five post, but I just saw this recently and it really bugged me.

Friday Five 11/25/11

2011-11-25T19:20:00.001-08:00

1. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I think it is the foodie in me. We spent the day with Doug’s parents and grandma at his grandma’s house. After we ate father-in-law worked on some to-do list items and then we all set about putting up grandma’s Christmas decorations. Then tonight I made Doug & I are own little Thanksgiving because we wanted to have leftovers to eat for a while. I made a ham, corn casserole (mother-in-law's recipe), green bean casserole (Doug’s request), and mashed potatoes and gravy (my request). Plus we had oatmeal pie and my mom sent me home today with an entire pumpkin pie. Thanks mom!

2. I went to the mall this morning way after the crazy people had been there and gone. I don’t really do Black Friday but there were a few things that some people on my list wanted to I ventured out around 10 a.m. and got every thing I wanted. I saved over $90 at JcPenny today. I think that’s pretty impressive!

3. We put up our outside Christmas lights today (I’ll have to get a pic) and I’m glad we did. I really had not been feeling the Christmas feeling this year, not sure why really. Luckily digging through the boxes of decorations and seeing the house all lit up has helped.

4. I worked overtime every day this week. I even worked a 9 and a half day on Wednesday including working a shift 2 hours later than what I usually work so we had coverage until closing time. It sucked a little but it got me brownie points and overtime paychecks are very nice!

5. I stopped by my parents’ house today (when they sent me home with pie) and my dad said he had a Christmas gift idea for me. He disappeared down the hall and then came back with a very beat up 8 track. He said that it didn’t really play anymore (yes, he still has a player) and said he would love the album on CD if I could find it. Then he warned that it would probably be impossible to find. I told him I’d see what I could do. Then after he’d left the room I told my mom I’d get it no problem. I logged on to Amazon and found the cd in about 2 minutes. My dad doesn’t really know much about Amazon or online shopping, can you tell? lol. I was happy because I had a different lighting deal item in my cart and had 12 minutes to go find the cd. Go me!

Breaking Dawn Review and What’s In My Mailbox

2011-11-20T15:28:00.001-08:00

Source

Sarah and I saw Breaking Dawn today. It was just as cheesy and silly as I expected but it wasn’t horrible. I don’t want to post any spoilers but I’ll just say that the parts that I thought would be really cheesy were and the parts I thought I might like were ok. I thought the acting was about the best in this one compared to the others and I didn’t totally hate KStew’s acting this time. I’m glad I saw it and we will definitely go see part 2 next year.

One thing that Sarah and I did not understand was how many people brought their young kids to the movie. We had three kids right in front of us and at the sexy parts the mom actually told them to cover their eyes (I don’t think that’s too much of a spoiler). This made me laugh because they could still hear everything and who is to say they didn’t peak?

We did hear a few people in line say that they’d never read the book and we sort of wanted to sit by them and see what their reaction would be. At one point toward the end (if you’ve read it or seen it you can probably guess) someone yelled out “really?!” – it was funny.

So, overall not horrible but definitely cheesy.

In My Mailbox

I actually got some books this week so I thought I’d do an In My Mailbox post.

The Library

I picked up Beauty Queens by Libba Bray and What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen. I just finished Beauty Queens Friday and started What Happened last night. I loved BQ and am liking WH so far.

Mailbox

I love getting books in the mail – even more so when they are free! I won Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close on a blog contest and am really excited to read it. I saw a preview for the movie a few weeks ago and thought it looked really good. And I love Tom Hanks, so there’s that.

I also got Start Something That Matters because I was chosen as one of the bloggers for Books for Bloggers program which means that I got a copy of the book to read and review here on the blog. What’s that? You see 2 copies of the book in the photo? Oh that’s right – the program also sent me a copy of the book to give away! So keep watching for a post about the book which will include the opportunity for one of you to get your very own copy of Blake’s book.

Friday Five–Birthday Edition 11/18/11

2011-11-18T16:37:00.001-08:00

1. Happy birthday to me! I’m actually not all the gung-ho about my birthday this year. After my freak out last year I’m sort of over the whole birthday thing. I used to be very “hey everyone, today is my birthday!” but I really haven’t mentioned it much this year. Um, except here I guess.

2. Doug got me the Breaking Dawn soundtrack for my birthday. As corny and awkward as the movies can be I think the music is always really good. I’m bummed that there isn’t any Muse on this one though. I think the cd is really good though. And I must admit there were a few times when listening to it that I went “wonder what part this song plays during?” Sarah and I are going to see the movie Sunday, so I guess I’ll find out then.

3. I bought a bottle of Essie Little Brown Dress today with some of my bday money. I’ve loved this color for a year or so now but could never bring myself to spend the money for it. But Doug encouraged me to get it if I wanted it so I went to Walgreens today and got the last bottle they had. I just painted my nails with it and I have to say that I now understand why people pay so much money for for polish. I usually buy the cheap $1-2 bottles at Walmart and I can so tell a difference between the cheaper products and Essie. The coverage is so much better. And I love this color. I was afraid I wouldn’t like the brown on but it is gorgeous.

4. One of the highlights of my day was finishing Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. I think I’ll probably review it on here but I absolutely loved it. I thought it was fantastic.

5. I went to a local clothing store today to try on some jeans because my mom wanted birthday and Christmas ideas for her and my grandma and they like to buy me clothes and all I really need this year is a new pair of jeans. But I had no idea what size I need now. So I went out and tried some on and I’m down another size! Happy day, indeed! I tried on the size I’ve been wearing (which I knew was too big) and the next size down and the smaller size is perfect. I’m very happy and I’m going back to zumba now so I see this trend continuing. Go me!

Friday (ok, Saturday) Five 11/12/11

2011-11-12T17:48:00.001-08:00

1. Yeah, ok I missed Friday again. This week was crazy again. I worked my two nights at Second Job and then worked over time at my main job the other days. I’m so tired. I guess I looked like it Thursday night because my coworker offered to switch weeks and sent me home early Thursday night even though it was my turn. She told me to go home and rest. So now I’ll stay late next week. So next week will be a crazy week too. blah

2. I went to zumba this morning. I haven’t been since I got the Second Job since I now work when my usual class is going on. It felt so great to back even though it wasn’t my usual teacher. Class totally kicked my butt. I seriously thought I was going to have to stop for a minute. I’m almost afraid that I may have to go to the doctor to see about an inhaler again. I was diagnosed with exercise induced asthma as a kid but haven’t had an inhaler in years (um, wasn’t much exercise going on there for a while). But I loved class. I think I’m going to try to get into the one class my fav instructor does when I can go. I miss her!

3. I’m watching Eclipse as I type this. It is cracking me up. It is so very cheesy. Seriously. Sarah and I will be going to see Breaking Dawn next weekend so I figured I ought to finally watch Eclipse. Sarah and I were never able to make it to the theater to see this one and we were never able to find a time to watch the dvd together. So I’m finally just watching it on my own. It is so awkward.

4. This morning at zumba I ran into the mom of a girl I went to high school with. After class she was talking to me and said she thought it was me but wasn’t sure. She told me that I looked really good and goes “didn’t you have knee problems?” and I said yes and she goes “well, you look really good. Really.” I said thanks and was really happy with the compliment….and then I started wondering – just how bad did I look in high school? lol

5. I watched the preview for Snow White and the Huntsman and I think it looks really good. I’m not a huge Kristen Stewart fan but apparently she’s said some great things about this movie and it does look really good. So I may have to see it.

Friday (um, Sunday) Five 11/7/11

2011-11-06T17:42:00.001-08:00

1. So I sort of missed posting my Friday Five on Friday. Whoops. Last week was crazy. We’re totally swamped at work so I worked overtime there the days that I didn’t work at Second Job. It was a long week.

2. My birthday is coming up and Doug has to work the late shift that weekend, boo! But I’m off on my actual birthday so we’ll hang in the morning and go to breakfast or something. And then I think Sarah and I will go see Breaking Dawn sometime that weekend.

3. Also, pretty sure Breaking Dawn = train wreck. But we’ve put this much into the series so can’t stop now.

4. I am not going to hit my book goal of 111. I’ve realized this and come to terms with it. After my horrible total last year I’m content with where I am now, so anything extra is just great.

5. A lot of my friends are doing NaNoWriMo right now. I thought about it but I knew November is always such a crazy month for me and had a feeling that it would be worse with my new position and Second Job (looking like I was correct) so I didn’t do it. I wish this happened in January or February when I’m stuck at home due to cold and snow with nothing to do. Maybe I’ll do my own NaNo then.

Friday Five 10/28/11

2011-10-28T20:15:00.001-07:00

1. I was off work again today and Doug has been on vacation all week, so we took a little trip up to the bigger city to visit a state park, eat lunch, and look around. We managed to buy a couple of Christmas presents while we were there. We also decided that it seemed too early to be thinking about Christmas and that just the mere thought of all the work involved in the holidays made us tired. So expect to see a little less Christmas spirit in the STCA household this year.

2. I’m not a huge baseball fan but I do love the Cardinals, so I’m fairly excited by the World Series. However I’m mostly annoyed by a coworker’s facebook statuses the last week. She doesn’t like the Rangers but she hates the Cardinals so all of her status updates have been cheering for the Rangers and bashing the Cards. She’s driving me nuts.

3. Speaking of sports, it has been a rough season to be a Colts fan. But last weekend was painful. Painful. Still a fan though and excited to see how the city handles the Super Bowl.

4. There was a post on my online book club this week that basically said girls read books and boys like technology. This made me laugh as this week I’ve: 1. picked up my new (blue) iPod that I won in a charity raffle at work and 2. have started reading a book about Richard Hammond – who is a co-host of the BBC’s Top Gear television program (a show about cars) who talks about cars (and car accidents). And I’m loving the book. So does this mean I’m a boy?

5. I’ve turned Doug into an Adele fan. I love this. He listened to Rolling In The Deep from my suggestion and then Set Fire to the Rain and fell in love. We were talking today about how awesome she is. I absolutely love that he likes her stuff now and she’s something we can listen to together. Also, since we’re both big music people it is so fun to introduce each other to new artists and then see the other one really start to like them. The last one I got to introduce him to was Mumford and Sons. I heard Little Lion Man on the radio and knew he’d love it, he did. At one point I sort of wanted to go into A&R as a career, so maybe this is just a little taste of that. It’s kind of like when I was growing up and I introduced my friend to ‘NSYNC. I’ve always been so helpful, lol.

Friday Five 10/21/11

2011-10-21T20:39:00.001-07:00

1. We went to Indianapolis today. I love it there, such a cool city. We went to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway museum which was awesome. Then we drove through downtown Indy. Apparently there’s a big FFA convention there this week. There were kids in FFA jackets everywhere. Still loved the town though. I really want to live there.

2. Speaking of IMS – Indycar driver Dan Wheldon died last weekend in a big wreck at the race in Las Vegas. I’ve been sadder than I feel I probably should have been consider I never met the man. But everyone who met him just talks about how nice he was. Plus he has 2 young sons. Such a sad story.

3. We had a big fundraiser at work this week to raise money for a local charity. Part of it involved us getting raffle tickets for doing things like going to a meeting about the charity. You could put your ticket in to win prizes like a TV, an Xbox, an Ipod, etc (we do have to pay taxes for the item). Apparently I won the Ipod (I was off today but a coworker texted me). Yay! I’ve been worried that mine is on its last legs and this one is an 8 GB so I can add more songs.

4. I’ve already started thinking about Thanksgiving. I want to make a pumpkin spice cheesecake and I’ve been thinking about this sweet potato recipe I saw last year on Annie’s Eats. I’m trying to hold off talking to MIL about Turkey Day since I know not everyone plans ahead as much as me.

5. I got called mommy and ma this week at my job at the gym daycare. Apparently both kids call everyone mommy/ma but it was still pretty funny. I also got a nice “hello” from one of my little buddies – when her mom put her down on the floor she came running around to where I was standing and flung her arms around my legs. It was so stinking cute.

Friday Five 10/14/11

2011-10-14T20:17:00.001-07:00

Some of my blogger buddies do Friday Five posts, so I thought I’d give it a try.

1. I got a promotion at work last week and officially started the new job this week. I was one of two people to get this new spot – I had to go through an initial evaluation, 2 rounds of testing, and an interview to get it. I was up against people who have been at the company since I was in middle school. So I was a wee bit surprised I actually got it. But I really like the work so far. It’s more of a challenge than what I was doing and I’m kind of excited about that.

2. I put myself on a book buying freeze after my overspending at Borders (which I still need to tell you about!) and Waldenbooks (and one book from Amazon) last month. Well, I ordered a cd from Amazon for a road trip we’re taking soon and I sort of, kind of, may have added a couple of books to the order. In my defense I’ve wanted these books for a while now but had resisted.

3. I got a part-time job working a few hours a week in the childcare room at our gym. I’ve only been there a few weeks but I really like it. I’ve already made a couple of little buddies in there and I have so much fun playing with them. A couple of them loooooove me, which makes me very happy. I love little kids so this is such a great gig for me.

4. My mom is apparently getting her holiday shopping (and my bday shopping) list in order as she texted me today to ask what size I’m wearing now. I got to tell her a size that is quite a bit smaller than what I told her last year

5. I’m obsessed with the show Top Gear – both the UK and US versions. My dad is a major car guy so I grew up around cars (weekend outings used to include driving by his friend’s car lot/gas station to see what kind of wrecks he had picked up over the weekend) but I was never really a car person myself. But Doug discovered the UK version on BBC America and the hosts are so funny and interesting that we’re both hooked now and have the DVR set to record the show the 65951446 times it is on during the week. We’ve also been watching the US version on the History Channel and love it just as much. I love me some Tanner Faust so that makes it even better. Seriously, even if you aren’t a car person these shows are so funny I think you should give them a try.

Book Review: The Help

2011-09-10T12:16:00.001-07:00

I recently won The Help from Madame Bookworm and could not wait to read it. In fact I literally ripped open the envelope, pulled out the book, and started reading. I’d heard so many great things about this book and the movie previews look really good, so I was excited to read it. And this book did not disappoint.

Overview

The Help is about 3 women from Jackson, Mississippi, who join together to do something completely daring, unheard of, and illegal: write a book about what it is really like to be a black woman working for white people in 1962. In Mississippi. If you’ve taken an American History class you should have an idea of why this is such a major undertaking. The women, Skeeter – a white recent college grad who had grudgingly returned home and who dreams of being a writer, Minny – a maid known for her sass – which is not a good quality in a maid, and Aibileen – also a maid who has been thinking a lot about her life following the death of her son.

Together these women convince other maids in the town to tell stories of what they’ve seen while on the job and Skeeter, armed with a lucky break of a contact in New York, works on putting the stories together and sending them off to the big city. However once the book is published the trio goes from worrying about the book being published to worrying about what will happen once the women they’ve written about read the book.

The Help tells the stories of these three women and of those they encounter in their lives – both the other maids and Skeeter’s childhood friends who employ them. Throughout the book the women begin to view their lives in different ways and begin to think about the way things are and how they would like them to be – both on a personal level and in the greater scheme of Civil Rights and human interaction.

My Thoughts

I thought this book did a great job of getting you to think about what these women were going through and what was going on with the Civil Righters movement without ever feeling as though you were being preached at. I really enjoyed how historical events (such as JFK’s assignation) were mentioned in the book – they helped to keep you aware of where you were in time and gave you an idea of what was going on in the world around these characters.

I thought all the characters were very well developed and incredibly interesting. Even the characters who were less important to the plot were very well thought out. I grew incredibly attached to these characters and was so sad when the book was finished. I really wanted the book to keep going so I could see what happened to the characters.

I definitely recommend this book. It is well thought out, has great characters, and is incredibly well written. I cannot wait to see the movie as I’ve heard it is a great adaptation of the book. Overall I think this book is definitely one you should read.

In My Mailbox 09/04/11

2011-09-04T16:40:00.001-07:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. It is an opportunity to share any books I have received this week in my mailbox, on my nook, or with my own hands.

Today’s IMM post actually has some books that came in the mail (shocker)! Plus I made 2 trips to Waldenbooks this week (the 2nd trip was to get something for Doug that I didn’t grab the first time).

In The Mail

The Help by Kathryn Stockett – I won this book from Madame Bookworm last month and was really excited when it came in the mail. I’m liking it so far.

A Bone to Pick by Charlaine Harris – my cousin Heather convinced me to sign up for paperbackswap.com recently and sent me a credit and this is what I decided to get first. I’ve already read the first book in the Aurora series.

With My Hands

These are all from Waldenbooks. Trip one:

I Drink for a Reason by David Cross (this is for Doug)

I’ll Mature When I’m Dead by Dave Barry

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty (read it and loved it but didn’t own it)

I cleaned the store out on Diana Gabladon: Outlander 20th anniversary edition, Dragonfly in Amber, Drums of Autumn, Lord John and the Private Matter. I’ve read all except the Lord John book.

I almost cleaned them out of Jen Lancaster also: Bright Lights Big Ass, Such a Pretty Fat, My Fair Lazy, If You Were Here. All they had left after I was there were 2 copies of If You Were Here. I’ve read all except If You.

I also got Doug a big guitar magazine for $2

Trip Two:

I’m Dreaming of a Black Christmas by Lewis Black

In Fifty Years We’ll All Be Chicks by Adam Carolla. This is for Doug.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen

At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. I love Dahl growing up (my favorite childhood book is Matilda) and I know I didn’t have a copy of this. So when I saw it for $2 I decided to get it for our phantom future child….ok so maybe it is just for me

I also bought 2 Borders reusable bags for 80 cents each. My reusable bag obsession is almost as bad as my book obsession.

Dog Days

2011-08-27T19:20:00.001-07:00

Apparently yesterday was National Dog Day – I had no idea! So here’s a belated happy dog day to my little guy.

In My Mailbox–August 21, 2011

2011-08-21T16:14:00.001-07:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. It is an opportunity to share any books I have received this week in my mailbox, on my nook, or with my own hands.

This is my first IMM post though I’ve read a ton of them on other blogs. I feel like I have some good books to share so I thought I’d give it a try.

With My Hands:

These are the books I got yesterday from Waldenbooks’ going out of business sale (we don’t have a Borders).

IT by Stephen King – my online book club is reading this for our Halloween book

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares – I used to own this but lost it at some point

Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares – haven’t read this one yet

Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris – this is part of the Sookie Stackhouse series. I’ve read this but I borrowed it at the time so I’m trying to fill in the series

Familyhood by Paul Reiser – I loved his other two books so I was really excited to see this.

And I didn’t get these yesterday like the ones above but these are other recent purchases from Waldenbooks:

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris – another book to fill in the Sookie series

Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris – this is the newest Sookie book and I actually haven’t read it yet. I’m re-reading the series right now to brush up on what all has happened before I start this one

Awakening and Struggle – Vampire Diaries # 1 and 2 by L.J. Smith – I haven’t read these but have heard a lot of good things about them so since the book was already on sale and then on clearance and ended up being $2.99 I had to get it

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez – I’ve only heard a little about this book but I’ve heard that it is good, so this is another one that I picked up because it was such a good price.

We’re planning to take a trip up to Chicago next spring so I also picked up two travel books: Access Chicago and Not For Tourists Chicago.

On My Nook:

The Dave Grohl Story by Jeff Apter. I’ve been on a Foo Fighters kick since watching them via Livestream from Lollapalooza so when I saw that this was available for the nook I jumped on it. I don’t know a whole lot about Dave Grohl outside all his bands so I’m finding this pretty interesting.

I put all the books away before I decided to do this post, so I promise next time there will be pictures!

30 Day Song Challenge Days 21-30

2011-08-13T05:30:00.000-07:00

Day 21 – A Song That You Listen to When You Are Happy – Radioactive by Kings of Leon.

Day 22 – A Song That You Listen to When You Are Sad – Break Free by Dave Matthews Band.

Day 23 – A Song That You Want to Play at Your Wedding – Linus and Lucy from Charlie Brown. We had this as our recessional after the ceremony. No one knew about it except for us, the piano player, and my father in law who somehow randomly guessed it. My dad has always been a huge Snoopy and Charlie Brown fan and it rubbed off on me (I had a Charlie Brown ceiling fan growing up) so when we were trying to pick wedding music and needed something for the recessional (I HATE the traditional wedding march – I came in to Canon in D) this popped into my head and Doug loved it. Thankfully our piano player had no problem with it so this it what we did. One of my favorite memories from our wedding is heading up the aisle hearing people whisper “Is this the Charlie Brown Theme?”

Day 24 – A Song That You Want Played at Your Funeral – Bartender by Dave Matthews Band.

Day 25 – A Song That Makes You Laugh – King Tut by Steve Martin. Classic. We saw him in concert in June and he closed with this. It.Was.Amazing.

Day 26 – A Song That You Can Plan On an Instrument – American Overture. It has been a while but this was my favorite concert band song ever so I imagine I could probably still play it after a few minutes alone with the sheet music and my old clarinet.

Bonus – My Favorite Things jazz version. When I was in high school we always played this song in jazz band. Hand me the sheet music and a tenor sax and I think it would come back.

Day 27 – A Song That You Wish You Could Play – Ain’t No Sunshine.

Day 28 – A Song That Makes You Feel Creative and Inspired – One Day by Matisyahu. Mostly because it was the song in the commercials for the last winter Olympics.

Day 29 – A Song From Your Childhood – Time of My Life from Dirty Dancing. Honestly one of my favorite movies growing up. Pretty sure I about wore out the VHS and the cassette tape.

Day 30 – A Song That Makes You Want to Help the World – Raven by Dave Matthews Band.

Cho-Omg

2011-08-12T14:26:00.001-07:00

Look what I found at the local Wal-Mart.

Chobani!! I was grabbing some other yogurt and looked up and – BAM! – there it was. I only let myself get 2 just in case I didn’t like it. I got strawberry and strawberry-banana – which I tore into as soon as I got the groceries put away. And oh goodness gracious is this stuff good. I’m in love.

Dear Chobani, thank you for coming to my neck of the woods.

30 Day Song Challenge Days 11-20

2011-07-30T12:55:00.001-07:00

See days 1-10 here.

Day 11 – A Song From Your Favorite Band - Recently by Dave Matthews Band.

Day 12 – A Song From a Band (musician) That You Hate – ET by Katy Perry.

Day 13 – A Song That is a Guilty Pleasure – My Humps by Black Eyed Peas. It’s on my gym playlist,

Day 14 – A Song Than No One Would Expect You to Like – Numb/Encore by Jay-Z and Linkin Park.

Day 15 – A Song That Describes You – No Such Thing by John Mayer.

Day 16 – A Song That You Used to Love But Now Hate – You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift.

Day 17 – A Song That You Hear Often on the Radio – The Way You Lie by Eminem and Rihanna.

Day 18 – A Song That You Wish You Heard on the Radio – Give a Little by Hanson.

Day 19 – A Song From Your Favorite Album – Hunger for the Great Light by Dave Matthews Band from Live at Fenway.

Day 20 – A Song That You Listen to When You’re Angry – What You Are by Dave Matthews Band

Harvest

2011-07-23T19:54:00.001-07:00

I was out in our garden tonight picking the first batch of green beans. It is a fairly small collection but I found tons of little buds just starting that will be ready shortly. We also have 1 pepper starting to grow and one nice medium size tomato. Not bad for our first attempt!

Oh and I had a little helper tonight too. I had Grux out in the yard with me and I was keeping an eye on him to make sure he didn’t get into the basket of beans. Well one time when I looked up he was sticking his head in the basket and there was something green in his mouth. So I told him no and chased him away from the basket and went back to picking. Well, when I picked up the basket to come inside I looked down and there next to the beans was a long blade of grass. Grux wasn’t eating the beans, he was adding his own harvest! Such a silly little guy. Doug and I have determined we have our own little farmer on our hands.

Harry Time

2011-07-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

My source

Lift It

2011-07-11T15:42:00.001-07:00

So I’ve been trying to ramp up my gym routine a bit lately. Other people are starting to notice the results of my work (woohoo!) and I’m totally encouraged to keep kicking it up a notch. I’ve been wanting to start lifting weights and hitting the weight machines but I never really know what to do.

So I got this:

I’m a little scared.

I’ve seen this book on quite a few healthy living blogs and finally decided to give it a shot the other day when we made an Amazon order. I haven’t started it yet since it just came in the mail but I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.

30 Day Song Challenge–Day 1-10

2011-06-19T07:46:00.001-07:00

So I started doing the 30 Day Song Challenge on facebook and I thought I share my picks here. So here are days 1-10.

Day 1 – Your favorite song: Crush by Dave Matthews Band. This way hard because I love so many songs but I really, really love this one. So it wins.

Day 2 – Least favorite song: Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus. I hate it so much I refuse to go find the video.

Day 3 – A song that makes you happy: My Sharona by The Knack.

Day 4 – A song that makes you sad: Wind Beneath My Wings by Bette Midler. No video – no sadness here!

Day 5 – A song that reminds you of someone: Crash Into Me by Dave Matthews Band. Reminds me of my awesome husband

Day 6 – A song that reminds you of somewhere: Two Step by Dave Matthews Band. From Deer Creek. I adore Deer Creek (Noblesville, Indiana – it is the Verizon Wireless Center now but it’ll always be DC!).

Day 7 – A song that remind you of a certain event: Monkey Wrench by Foo Fighters. My first rock concert was Red Hot Chili Peppers with opening act Foo Fighters. I’d been to country music concerts before but this was my first rock show (and my first show with friends and not my mom).

Day 8 – A song that you know all the words to: MMMBop by Hanson.

Day 9 – A song that you can dance to: Canned Heat by Jamiroquai.

Day 10 – A song that makes you fall asleep and feel relaxed (more the relaxed part): Break Free by Dave Matthews Band.

Happy

2011-06-04T12:51:00.001-07:00

Happy Saturday! Grux is loving this summer weather we’re having now. We were out watering the garden (more on that soon) and he was chilling in the shade. I walked over to try to snap a picture of him rolling in the grass and he popped up right as I snapped and I caught this. It is so very Grux.

I Am Weak

2011-05-29T13:45:00.001-07:00

See those? Those are the Kendal Knot Wedge by American Eagle at Payless. Those are not my usual shoe. I’m a ballet flats, Toms, running shoe kind of girl. I’m klutzy and have a hard enough time walking in a straight line barefoot.

So why am I showing these to you? Because I love them. I first saw them on a fashion board I visit – they were posted by someone as an option similar to Kate Middleton’s wedges she was wearing the day after the Royal Wedding. For some reason I fell in love with Kate’s shoes – and my wallet fell for this (much) cheaper option. But I resisted. Clearly I could tell that these shoes were not for me. I mean just looking at that wedge makes me feel wobbly. So I tried to push them out of my head.

But it didn’t work. I didn’t run right out to Payless – mainly because I almost never go to the mall. But they were still in my head. So yesterday after Doug had gone to work and I was heading out to the grocery store I decided to stop by the mall and try these on – fully thinking that I’d try them on and realize it just wasn’t a match made in heaven.

So I stopped. And then I hunted for a shoe that would fit. Apparently I’m losing most of my weight in my feet – this is the second time I’ve had to try on a smaller size. It’s so strange! Anyway I hunted through the racks and at first it looked like I wasn’t even going to be able to try these on. But then there they were – in an 8 1/2 – which is apparently my new size. I put them on and –huzzah! – they were perfect. The were comfortable, they made me feel tall, they looked awesome – crap.

I walked around in them longer than you’re probably really supposed to, just waiting for my feel to start to hurt – they didn’t. Then the salesgirl mentioned how cute they are – thanks, hadn’t noticed. So then I tried my standard test – asking myself if I would regret leaving them in the store – I realized I would. Then I tried to figure out where I’d wear them – work and anywhere slightly dressy this summer since I don’t really have any dressy summer shoes any more. Oh and did I mention they were on sale? Sigh.

So…. I spent yesterday afternoon walking around my house trying to make sure that I won’t fall and break my neck wearing these to work. And I’m amazed to say that they feel great and I seem to be ok in them. It’s been a long time since I’ve worn heels or wedges. High school actually I think. These feel like grown up shoes to me, much more mature than the skater shows I’ve been wearing. So much for my willpower.

Photo source

Blogs for Dogs

2011-05-25T17:56:00.001-07:00

So I think that Brie from Brie Fit is an inspiration when it comes to healthy living. But today I think she’s an inspiration as an all around good person.

As a fellow Midwestern girl I share Brie’s pain when hearing about the devastation in Joplin. And as a fellow pet lover I share a love of animals and a feeling of sadness when I think about all the animals impacted by the storms. Personally one of my first concerns when the weather turns is Grux – is he home alone? is he freaking out? is his leash handy? And I know that I would want to know he was taken care of if anything were to happen if I wasn’t around.

And that’s why I think it is so awesome that Brie has put together Blogs for Dogs. She’s set up an Amazon wish list for the Joplin Humane Society. It is so easy – just click here, look at the wish list, pick an item, pay for it and Amazon will send it right to the Humane Society. It takes no time at all! And the items on the list have been requested directly so you know they’ll be used. There are multiple price points on the list so there’s something for everyone.

And even if you can’t afford to buy something you can help out by spreading the word. Tell your blog readers, your Twitter followers, and your Facebook friends. The animals of Joplin deserve it!

This is the link to share -

http://tinyurl.com/blogs4dogs

Rapture Day

2011-05-21T08:44:00.001-07:00

Lesson Learned

2011-05-09T19:03:00.001-07:00

You know what stinks? When you’ve just spent the last hour and a half photographing your best friend’s son’s birthday party and you know you have some good pictures and then when you go to pull them onto your computer – poof – they’re gone.

Yeah. That sucked. My SD card totally corrupted. I tried a couple of photo recovery programs and they couldn’t find anything. The camera said the card wasn’t formatted to the camera and when I finally gave up and tried to format it (knowing the photos were already gone) the camera wouldn’t do it. So I guess my card is totally dead.

So I have a new rule – only use name brand cards. I was unknowingly using a no-name brand card. Never again. I’ll gladly pay more – even if the only thing that does is buy me a little peace of mind.

Why

2011-04-29T17:57:00.001-07:00

Why don’t we wear awesome hats like this here in the States? I would totally have rocked this look at Easter!

Umm, yeah, maybe not.

Source

Earth Day 2011–Tips

2011-04-23T19:19:00.001-07:00

So I meant to have this up yesterday (you know, on Earth Day) but we’ve been hit my severe storms multiple days this week (it’s actually pouring and thundering right now) so I’ve been forced away from the computer a lot (and into the hallway under a blaring tornado siren at one point). But better late than never, right?

I’m not going to do a long post that goes deep into details and statistics – I know a lot of blogs covered all of that in great detail yesterday. Instead I thought I’d just list some of the things we’ve done to work toward a green lifestyle. Like I’ve said before, we have a long way to go until we’re as green as I would like, but every little bit helps. And if you have any tips please share them!

*Use reusable bags – This is the first change I made. I started with one bag from CVS and now have a nice little collection of a wide array of bags. I have everything from that first cloth bag to an insulated Trader Joes bag to a foldable Envirosax. You don’t have to spend a lot or really search much for these – just take a look near the checkouts next time you’re at the store. The first time I used reusable bags for my big grocery trip I was amazed – what would normally have been probably close to 10 plastic bags full of groceries fit into 3 reusable bags.

*Use reusable water bottles – This is another easy change that’s great for the environment and your wallet. Buying bottled water adds up – both on your grocery bill and in the amount of waste you have. But buying a reusable bottle and filling it up yourself is so easy, cost effective, and cuts down drastically on waste. And you can find bottles almost anywhere in a wide array of prices.

*Hang your clothes out to dry – The clothes line in our backyard is one of my favorite thing about our house. I use it a lot in the summer to dry towels, blankets and random other things (no underwear though, I’m not that green). I really cannot wait for it to warm up enough to start using the line again. It’s so great to be able to bypass using the dryer.

*When you have to dry get some dryer balls – Dryer balls are one of my newest purchases. I think they are great and really do work – I’ve noticed that our towels dry a lot faster now than what they did before – which means less energy being used – yay! I got mine at CVS but you can find them in a lot of places, and you can get the wool ones on Etsy.

*Recycle – You knew this already I’m sure. Our town has been slow to embrace recycling but there are now bins just down the street from us. Although life would be so much easier if we had curbside pick up here. Maybe some day. But Doug did build me an awesome cart to sort my recycling. I’ll blog it soon.

*Grow a garden – I plan to blog this more when we get our garden up and going but what’s more green than local food? And what’s more local than your own back yard? Plus there’s no packaging from garden-grown food which means no waste!

*Plan your errands – We don’t have public transportation here and riding a bike isn’t an option, so I try to plan my errands so that I’m not running all over town and instead can group all my errands by location. This is an even more enticing plan now that gas prices are rising!

*Use green cleaners – This is one area where I definitely have a lot to learn still but I have been trying to use vinegar more to clean. I also have started using green cleaners from the store – such as dish soap – but I still have really limited options here. I can find some Seventh Generation items in one store and our CVS has some store brand green cleaners (I use their disposable wipes to clean my desk at work). I really want to do some more research into this topic though.

So those are my main tips and tricks that I can think of right now. But since trying to be more eco-minded isn’t just something that I think about on Earth Day I’ll probably have more posts about my efforts to go green in the future.

Earth Day 2011–Books

2011-04-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

In honor of Earth Day I thought I’d share some of my favorite eco-related books. I definitely recommend Sara Snow’s book, it is really helpful. You can click on the books to see the Goodreads page for each one. And remember: the most green option when it comes to books is to check them out from the library!

Earth Day 2011–Resources

2011-04-18T04:00:00.000-07:00

I thought for Earth Day this year I’d do some posts on the ways that I’m trying to go green and the resources I use. I’m far from being totally green (or even as green as I’d like to be) but Doug does call me his Hippie Wife sometimes, so I guess I’m doing something right.

I thought I’d keep it easy and start with some of my favorite resources in case anyone was looking for ideas for Earth Day on the 22nd.

Eco-lovers on Twitter

Sprout’s Green Family

New York Times Green Blog

Green Mamas Pad

Reverb

Jen and Joey Go Green

Green Mom Mel

Blogs – A lot of the blogs I follow are mama blogs. I’m not totally sure why this is. Probably because I found one (Valley Girl) and then just found the others by following blog lists and links from one blog to the next. But they have tips and tricks anyone can use, and if it is something just baby/kid related I just file it away in my brain for future use.

Jen and Joey Go Green

The Eco-Friendly Family

Naturemomsblog

Groovy Green Livin

Valley Girl Has Baby Goes Crunchy

Sprout’s Green Family

The Green Phone Booth

*Special note – my buddy Jenny at What The Blog? just did a great post about cloth diapering her trio. I definitely marked this one for future reference. And check out the money saving math she did – amazing!!

Web sites

National Geographic – The Green Guide

1 Month Soda Free

2011-04-09T14:16:00.001-07:00

Yep, you read that right. Me, Mrs. Drinks-Soda-Like-It-Is….um, Water hasn’t had a Diet Coke in a month, actually a little over a month. Go me!

I didn’t blog about going soda free because it was a spur of the moment thing and I wasn’t sure how it would work out. I initially starting skipping the bubbly brew because I’d been having some stomach aches and was starting to think that my constant attachment to the metal can was the cause. I think I was right. Within a few days of sticking to water and tea the stomach aches were mostly gone and I was feeling a whole lot better. I even noticed a difference at Zumba.

I definitely think that the increase in water intake has something to do with why I’m feeling so much better. Soda is not good for you while water is, makes sense that they can both make an impact on your body.

I don’t really plan to stay away from soda forever – I love root beer too much – but my plan is to have it be more of a treat instead of an every day occurrence. I do have to say though that the grocery bill is loving that soda isn’t on the list every week now (Doug still has a few cans a week). Soda is expensive! Water, however, is a lot less painful (turn on tap, fill up bottle).

What do you drink most often? Water, tea, soda?

Song of the Week (3/7/11 – 3/11/11)

2011-03-10T18:03:00.001-08:00

Song Of The Week – Little Lion Man by Mumford & Sons. Did you see this one coming? Because you probably should have. This song is incredible. I love everything about it. The voices, the arrangement, the instruments. Though it makes me laugh when my radio station plays it and it goes "I really (silence) it up this time” – silly radio edits.

I’m pretty sure you’d have to be living under a rock not to know this song, but in case you are the guys from that insurance commercial – go listen to this one. It’s great.

Song of the Week (02/21/11 – 02/25/11)

2011-02-24T18:46:00.001-08:00

Song Of The Week – Someone Like You – Adele. Just go listen to this now. Seriously. Go.

Song of the Week (2/7/11 – 2/11/11)

2011-02-12T06:55:00.001-08:00

Song of the Week – Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) by Shakira. This is another song from Zumba that we actually just learned this week. I’ve done it twice now and love it. It may be my favorite routine we’ve learned. And it is so darn catchy. I’ve had the song stuck in my head since Tuesday. The routine our instructor taught us incorporates a lot of the moves from the video which is really funny. Definitely check this one out!

Youtube

Source

My First Vlog – The Accent Vlog

2011-02-03T14:10:00.001-08:00

Oy, I cannot believe I finally did a vlog. But I keep seeing this accent vlog around and I really wanted to do one. So, here you go.

If you want to see what it is that I’m trying to say:

Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught

What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?
What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?
What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
What do you call gym shoes?
What do you say to address a group of people?
What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped
body and extremely long legs?
What do you call your grandparents?
What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry
groceries at the supermarket?
What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
What is the thing you change the TV channel with?

So, what do you think? Pretty typical for a Midwest girl?

And what do you think of vlogs? Yay or Nay?

Oh, and that’s my lovely bookcase in the background. Anyone recognize anything on that top shelf?

111 in ‘11 Progress: January

2011-01-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

So I think I got a good start on my 111 in ‘11 goal this month. I’m aiming for 10 books a month because I realize that some months are busier so I may not have as much reading time. So if I can get a bit of a head start in these cold winter months when I’m trapped in the house it will hopefully keep me from having to try to rush to hit my goal at the end of the year.

What I read in January

Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace With Marriage – Elizabeth Gilbert. I didn’t love this nearly as much as I liked Eat Pray Love but I thought it was pretty good.

Reshaping It All – Candace Bure. I had heard a bit about this around the end of December and decided to give it a shot, even though it is very different from what I usually read. I thought it was pretty interesting (I loved Full House and think that Candace is really inspiring) and there were some really helpful tips and some delicious sounding recipes.

My Fair Lazy: One Reality Television Addict’s Attempt to Discover If Not Being A Dumb Ass is the New Black; Or, A Culture-Up Manifesto – Jen Lancaster. I loved this. Though I have pretty much loved all of her books, so it really wasn’t a huge surprise. What did surprise me though was the fact that I really related with what she was saying at times. This book fueled me to try to stick to my goal to turn off the TV and made me really want to get out there and experience new things. Definitely read this.

Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America – Firoozeh Dumas. I read this for the Immigrant Stories Challenge and totally loved it. I actually laughed out loud at so many parts of this book and read a couple of chapters to Doug – who also laughed. I definitely recommend this.

Anna and the French Kiss – Stephanie Perkins. I loved this book. Yes, it is considered Young Adult but I don’t care. I loved it. It reminded me a lot of the Sarah Dessen books I loved and that is a very good thing. I read this in about 2 days and was so sad when it was done, but I just couldn’t put the Nook down! I had to keep reading.

Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food - Jessica Seinfeld. Yes, this is a cookbook. But I’m counting it here because there are a lot of tips and tricks throughout the book and I really did sit down and read this whole book. I wasn’t exposed to a lot of different veggies as a kid, so I think these tips are pretty good. Plus I ended up getting this book for like $3.00 a couple of months ago, so it was a great bargain.

You Grow Girl: The Groundbreaking Guide to Gardening – Gayla Trail. Doug and I have started making plans for our garden and I’m really excited (and yes, I plan to blog it!) so of course I had to go and get some library books right away. I wasn’t blown away by this one but there were definitely some neat tricks here. If you’re thinking about planting a garden this year definitely see if your library has this.

Stealing Buddha’s Dinner – Bich Minh Nguyen. This was the second book I picked for the Immigrant Stories Challenge. I was very different from the other book – and I don’t think I realized that when I picked it. It didn’t have the laughs the other one did but I thought it was so interesting. I’m definitely glad I read it.

The Backyard Homestead – Carleen Madigan. This is another book I picked out once we started planning the garden. I actually saw it in a seed catalog that Doug had (yay for a husband that went to school for horticulture!). and thought it looked neat. It is definitely way over what we are planning to do – I won’t be planting grapes and making my own wine any time soon – but I thought it was really interesting and neat to see what all one can do themselves with the space and time.

The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook Presents: A Magical Christmas Menu Sample – Dinah Bucholz. This was a free Nook book that I got since I love Harry Potter. It was neat and I really liked how the author gave you the text from the books showing how each recipe was used.

Bookstore Lore – Tom Lichtenberg. This was another free Nook book. I’m glad it was free. I love reading about dumb things people say but it was a bit much.

5 of USA’s Best Trips – Lonely Planet. Another free Nook book. This was kind of interesting to read. Doug and I have always loved to pull out the old “what’s one place you want to visit?” game (mine is always New York) so I liked getting some ideas for other places to add to the list.

Song of the Week (1/24/11 – 1/28/11)

2011-01-27T17:21:00.001-08:00

So for this week’s song of the week we’re venturing into the land of Zumba. My Tuesday night Zumba class to be exact.

Song of the Week – Broken Sorrow by Nuttin But Stringz. Upon first listen this may not sound like a traditional Zumba song – but my instructor uses it as the cool down song. The moves are nice and slow and flow-y (and stretch-y!) and I feel just like a ballerina doing them (childhood fantasy alert!). I love this song so much I ended up asking what it was and then searched iTunes for it. It is that good!

I think it helps that I’m a sucker for string instruments. I have always wanted to play the violin (childhood fantasy alert!) and adore songs that aren’t your typical style for the sound of a string instrument. And the fact that this song has such a crazy intense beat to it makes me love it even more. So definitely go check this one out (Youtube). Oh and some of you might actually recognize these guys – they placed third on season 3 of America’s Got Talent.

Source

Song of the Week (1/17/11 – 1/21/11)

2011-01-22T12:15:00.001-08:00

Song of the Week – Watch Over Me by Hanson. From The Walk album. I love this song I really, really do. I love the lyrics and the melody. And it is really easy to sing along to at the top of your lungs. Which is always nice. I really like joining in on the “hey, oh” part. Though sometimes I have to check myself to make sure I don’t do it at work :P

So definitely a song I recommend. I think even people who don’t think they like Hanson would like this one.

Image source

Song of the Week (1/10/11 – 1/14/11)

2011-01-14T15:58:00.001-08:00

This week’s song of the week marks my first country song for these posts. I grew up listening to country because my mom is a big fan (I listened to classic rock too thanks to my dad). But I outgrew country back in my boy band days. However every so often I catch a song and really like it.

Song of the Week – Little White Church by Little Big Town. I just happened to flip by this song the other day and was instantly hooked by the beat. It’s a kicking country song and really catchy. Definitely give it a listen (or catch the video, it’s good too!). I think you’ll like it.

Source

Bliss

2011-01-09T14:55:00.001-08:00

This is how I spent a big chunk of my day today. That would be Grux all curled up on my lap, my Nook with My Fair Lazy by Jen Lancaster, and that container on the left has dark chocolate covered peanuts and cashews (just had a few of those). It has been a great day.

Song of the Week (1/3/11 – 1/6/11)

2011-01-07T13:39:00.001-08:00

Ok first it still feels really strange to write ‘11. Second sorry for no SotW post last week. Between it being a short week and me being sick and taking another day off plus either not having my headphones on or being in such a cold-medicine fog I didn’t realize there was music playing I really didn’t have a song last week.

But now I’m back with the first Song of the Week for ~~2010~~ 2011.

Song of the Week: Break Free by Dave Matthews Band. From Live Trax Vol. 6: Fenway Park. We’ve talked about my DMB love before (here – here – here – here – and, of course, Grux). So it’s no surprise that I picked a DMB song – the only surprise is that it took this long! This has not been the best week ever – post-holiday blues, still trying to shake the last of my cold, and stressful days at work – and it all has had me running for my ear buds to get lost in some good music. And I’ve seriously been craving this song. I know that sounds really odd but the other day I just had to listen to this. And you know what? It helped. This is one of my all-time favorite songs – by the band and in general. I love the lyrics. I love the instrumental sections. I love the tempo changes. I love, well, everything about this song. I’ve never gotten to see this one live (maybe someday) but I know it would be wicked awesome. It is on YouTube though and there are quite a few videos to pick from.

So, there you have. The first Song of the Week for the year. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Zumba

2011-01-05T18:33:00.001-08:00

So last night was my first Zumba class…. and I loved it! Seriously, at one point I caught myself smiling --- SMILING while working out. The old me didn’t realize that was possible.

It was such a great workout. I left there sweaty and tired but feeling great. And it totally kicked my butt, I was ready for bed by 8 last night. I was a little worried that since it has been years since I took a dance class and I’ve never taken a fitness class before that it might be too much but it ended up being fine.

The instructor was great too. Before class started she did a little head count and discovered that I was the only newbie (lovely). So she explained quickly what the class would be like and told me that I didn’t need to worry about getting everything right away and to not even worry about doing any arm movements at first, just focus on the steps. And during the class at various points she showed options for some moves based on how intense you wanted to be (basically beginner, middle, and Fitnessista level lol). I thought this was so helpful and kept me from getting overwhelmed – plus I noticed that I wasn’t the only one doing the simpler moves.

I did end up doing a lot of the arm moves though. At many points they just came naturally to me – especially in the hip hop section (I LOVE hip hop dance). I didn’t want to miss out on the arm workout and really it only took a second to get most of the footwork, so it wasn’t a big deal.

And everyone in the class was really nice. A couple people in the class go every night it is offered – so they are Zumba-ing it up 5 times a week. One lady who talked to me during a water break was saying how she loves to be able to come and have fun and get in a great workout surrounded by other people instead of sweating it out alone. I think I agree with her. Class was way more fun than the treadmill ever is.

I do need to admit that I definitely feel it today though! I woke up thinking “not too bad!” but as the day has progressed I am feeling it more and more. The front of my hip hurts and kind of along the side thanks to lunges I think. Plus I definitely feel the arm moves we did in my shoulders. But I love it because it’s just a reminder that I’m moving my body and discovering muscles I forgot I had.

So I will definitely be sticking with Zumba. I’m signed up for Tuesday nights for the rest of the month and actually kind of wish I would have signed up for Thursdays too. And I will be signing up for next month too (my gym does monthly sign ups). I’m not sure if I’ll stick to one day a week or do two – there’s another dance class I’m thinking about taking. But I’m really excited to keep going with this and can’t wait to shake my tail feathers next week.

Image source

Turn It Off

2011-01-03T17:06:00.001-08:00

So I know in my inspiration board post I sort of said that I am not doing actual resolutions this year – I’m horrible with resolutions, I rarely succeed with them. So instead I have some goals I would like to work on. A number of them are on the inspiration board but one that isn’t involves the big screen in my living room.

I’ve always been a TV junkie. I spent way too much time watching television growing up. I mean, I did read a ton and I played with toys/friends a lot but the TV and I spent a lot of time together. I remember being allowed to fall asleep with the thing on in kindergarten (I watched Nick at Nite – Bewitched was my favorite). Looking at it now I don’t think any kid needs that much TV time.

Heck, I don’t think any 25 year old needs that much time. I’m really not a big fan of television any more. I’m totally aware of how much it sucks me in and how much time I waste sitting there starring at it. The book I’m currently reading, Reshaping It All by Candace Cameron Bure even asks the question of whether you turn on the TV to watch a show and then turn it off or if you surf through the channels. Sadly, I tend to be a surfer.

There are really very few shows that I like: Big Bang Theory and Mike and Molly being the main two. Doug and I watch Dirty Jobs and Deadliest Catch together and I enjoy that, especially since I find those shows fascinating and at time educational. But really, do I need to watch a rerun of Gilmore Girls for the 105489265 time at 4pm on a Wednesday? Especially when I own the whole series on DVD? No, I don’t (even if it is my favorite show ever). And I certainly do not need to watch a TV chef deep fry butter or an evil bride call her bridesmaids fat.

I have better things I could be doing. Like going to the gym, reading a book, playing with Grux, cleaning my poor messy house, or writing. So, one thing that I want to work on is turning off the television and actually doing something. I realize that this is one habit that is completely ingrained in me – when you’ve been doing something for 20 some years it can be hard to make a change. But I know that if I can stop looking at Oreos as an every day food or stop thinking of breaking a sweat as a bad thing then I can stop reaching for the remote the second I get home. And besides, the couch will welcome a chance to lose the imprint of my backside.

photo source

2011 Inspiration

2011-01-01T13:38:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great holiday and is ready for an awesome 2011! I was inspired by The Fitnessista to create an inspiration board for my goals (well, some of them) for the year. So this is what I came up with:

So the main theme of the board (which was made on the cardboard box from Amazon that Reshaping It All by Candace Cameron Bure came in – it seemed fitting, lol) mainly focuses on fitness. I really want to focus on getting healthy and fit this year – we have the new gym membership and I’m signed up for my first month of Zumba class now (!) – so I’m off to a good start. I’m really thinking about taking the yoga class at our gym too.

I also want to start eating better – I know that the better I eat the better I feel. I do pretty well with fruits – it is getting in all my veggies where I have a problem. So I hope to work on that this year.

I want to do a better job of actually looking put together this year. We can wear really casual clothes at work and sometimes I fall into the jeans and fleece rut, but I’m a big follower of the saying dress for the job you want, so I am going to try to develop more of a personal style this year.

The camera lens is because I really want to get better with my new camera and move away from the auto setting.

The Mrs. Meyer’s soap represents my desire to keep moving to a more green-minded lifestyle. I got off to a good start last year so I’m hopeful I can get improving.

And of course the dog represents my Grux. Such simple things make him happy, a nap – his blanket – a squirrel, and I admire that. I want to find more pleasure in the simple things too.

So, they aren’t exactly resolutions, but these are the things I’m working toward this year. And I plan to blog about them all. Oh and the Fitnessista will be posting her inspiration board and others that are submitted to her on Monday, so check them out!

12/29/07

2010-12-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

Three years. So much has happened in three years and I couldn’t think of a better person to have by my side for it all. I’m a lucky, lucky girl. <3

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T15:34:00.001-08:00

Hope you all have had a very wonderful holiday filled with family, friends, and good food and that Santa brought you everything you wanted. This tree (same tree just night and day) is from Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. We saw it last month on our vacation – it is gorgeous and at night it has a light show timed to music.

Merry Christmas!

Songs of the Week (12/20/10 – 12/24/10)

2010-12-22T18:03:00.001-08:00

Since Friday is Christmas Eve I thought I’d post this early this week. I also decided that since this weekend will include a lot of Christmas celebrations for people that I would show what holiday tunes I’ve had on my iPod – just in case anyone is wanting some last minute ideas for songs to play. So, here is my list of songs that power me through all the wrapping and baking. Merry Christmas!

Songs of the Week – Christmas version

✓ Sleigh Ride 2:41 Spice Girls Sounds Of The Season '98 Holiday
✓ Christmas Time 4:13 Backstreet Boys Sounds Of The Season '98 Holiday
✓ Song For A Winter's Night 3:48 Sarah McLachlan Sounds Of The Season '98 Holiday
✓ Santa Baby 3:58 Everclear Sounds Of The Season '98 Holiday
✓ Christmastime In Tinseltown (Again) 4:30 Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Sounds Of The Season '98 Holiday
✓ What Christmas Means To Me 3:39 Hanson Sounds Of The Season '98 Holiday
✓ The First Noel 3:38 Brian McKnight Sounds Of The Season '98 Holiday
✓ Good King Wenceslas 3:19 Loreena McKennitt Sounds Of The Season '98 Holiday
✓ Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer 2:30 Meredith Brooks Sounds Of The Season '98 Holiday
✓ The Happiest Christmas 3:08 Michael W. Smith Sounds Of The Season '98 Holiday
✓ Carol Of The Bells 3:25 Deana Carter Sounds Of The Season '98 Holiday
✓ Winter Song 4:27 Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson The Hotel Café Presents Winter Songs Holiday
✓ Baby, It's Cold Outside (Glee Cast Version) 2:46 Glee Cast Glee: The Music - The Christmas Album Christmas
✓ O Holy Night (Glee Cast Version) 5:02 Glee Cast Glee: The Music - The Christmas Album Christmas
✓ I'll Be Home for Christmas 3:28 Kristin Chenoweth A Lovely Way to Spend Christmas Holiday
✓ O Holy Night 4:40 Jackie Evancho O Holy Night - EP Holiday
✓ Christmas Time 4:02 Christina Aguilera My Kind Of Christmas Dance & House
✓ This Year 4:14 Christina Aguilera My Kind Of Christmas Dance & House
✓ Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas 4:03 Christina Aguilera My Kind Of Christmas Dance & House
✓ Angels We Have Heard On High 4:11 Christina Aguilera My Kind Of Christmas Dance & House
✓ Merry Christmas, Baby 5:44 Christina Aguilera My Kind Of Christmas Dance & House
✓ Oh Holy Night 4:50 Christina Aguilera My Kind Of Christmas Dance & House
✓ These Are The Special Times 4:31 Christina Aguilera My Kind Of Christmas Dance & House
✓ This Christmas 4:02 Christina Aguilera My Kind Of Christmas Dance & House
✓ The Christmas Song 4:25 Christina Aguilera My Kind Of Christmas Dance & House
✓ Xtina's Xmas 1:32 Christina Aguilera My Kind Of Christmas Dance & House
✓ The Christmas Song (Holiday Remix) 4:01 Christina Aguilera My Kind Of Christmas Dance & House
✓ Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow 2:02 Jessica Simpson Rejoyce: The Christmas Album Dance & House
✓ The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) 4:04 Jessica Simpson Rejoyce: The Christmas Album Dance & House
✓ O Holy Night 4:11 Jessica Simpson Rejoyce: The Christmas Album Dance & House
✓ I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus 3:09 Jessica Simpson Rejoyce: The Christmas Album Dance & House
✓ What Child Is This 3:57 Jessica Simpson Rejoyce: The Christmas Album Dance & House
✓ What Christmas Means To Me 3:02 Jessica Simpson Rejoyce: The Christmas Album Dance & House
✓ Breath Of Heaven (Mary's Song) 5:40 Jessica Simpson Rejoyce: The Christmas Album Dance & House
✓ It's Christmas Time Again 3:11 Jessica Simpson Rejoyce: The Christmas Album Dance & House
✓ Hark! The Herald Angels Sing 3:12 Jessica Simpson Rejoyce: The Christmas Album Dance & House
✓ The Little Drummer Boy 3:42 Jessica Simpson Feat. Ashlee Simpson Rejoyce: The Christmas Album Dance & House
✓ Baby, It's Cold Outside 2:50 Jessica Simpson Feat. Nick Lachey Rejoyce: The Christmas Album Dance & House
✓ Silent Night 3:42 Mariah Carey Merry Christmas R&B
✓ All I Want For Christmas Is You 4:01 Mariah Carey Merry Christmas R&B
✓ O Holy Night 4:27 Mariah Carey Merry Christmas R&B
✓ Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) 2:36 Mariah Carey Merry Christmas R&B
✓ Miss You Most (At Christmas Time) 4:33 Mariah Carey Merry Christmas R&B
✓ Joy To The World 4:20 Mariah Carey Merry Christmas R&B
✓ Jesus Born On This Day 3:43 Mariah Carey Merry Christmas R&B
✓ Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town 3:24 Mariah Carey Merry Christmas R&B
✓ Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/Gloria (In Excelsis Deo) 3:01 Mariah Carey Merry Christmas R&B
✓ Jesus Oh What A Wonderful Child 4:27 Mariah Carey Merry Christmas R&B
✓ Carol of the Bells 3:15 Jessica Simpson Happy Christmas Holiday 1
✓ My Only Wish 3:56 Jessica Simpson My Only Wish - Single Pop
✓ Merry Christmas Baby 3:13 Hanson Snowed In Pop
✓ What Christmas Means To Me 3:43 Hanson Snowed In Pop
✓ Little Saint Nick 3:34 Hanson Snowed In Pop
✓ At Christmas 5:18 Hanson Snowed In Pop
✓ Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) 3:20 Hanson Snowed In Pop
✓ Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree 2:39 Hanson Snowed In Pop
✓ Christmas Time 4:00 Hanson Snowed In Pop
✓ Everybody Knows The Claus 4:48 Hanson Snowed In Pop
✓ Run Rudolph Run 3:12 Hanson Snowed In Pop
✓ Silent Night Medley: O Holy Night/Silent Night/O Come All Ye Faithful 5:27 Hanson Snowed In Pop
✓ White Christmas 1:50 Hanson Snowed In Pop
✓ Donde Esta Santa Claus? 2:21 Guster Donde Esta Santa Claus? - Single Alternative

Song of the Week (12/13/10 – 12/17/10)

2010-12-17T17:59:00.001-08:00

There was a lot going on at work this week so I didn’t have the iPod on as much as usual. When I did have “my ears” (as it is said at work – as in “do you have your ears in?”) I just had it on shuffle mostly, so some different songs popped up that hadn’t gotten a lot of play. Which is how I fell in love with this week’s song, which I randomly downloaded after listening to the clip because I liked the title (and yes, I judge books by their covers also, lol).

Song of the Week: Crazy Beautiful by Hanson (from the album Underneath). Yep, another Hanson song already. I really am liking their stuff. I’m bummed that I didn’t listen to them for a while, their stuff is very well written, the melodies are great, and I love all of there voices. This song has great melody lines throughout. I love the changes in it. And there’s actually an acoustic version too that they did in concert that is incredible (here it is on YouTube). I just think this is a groovy little song and definitely worth the 99 cents.

Album cover. Source

Christmas song of the week – Donde Esta Santa Claus? by Guster. First of all, I LOVE Guster (if you don’t know who they are – look here). Guster is such a great band (and they put on an awesome live show) and this is such a fun little song. Definitely look it up on iTunes, you’ll find yourself singing (and shouting) along with it in no time.

Source

Immigrant Stories Challenge 2011

2010-12-16T19:24:00.001-08:00

So I’ve been toying with the idea of joining a book challenge for next year to try to get my number of books read for the year back up. I did really well last year but feel like I barely read anything this year. And now that I have a Nook (yay!) I feel like this should be easier. But I just had to find the right one.

Books in the City’s Immigrant Stories Challenge 2011 sounds like it is going to be a good one. It helps that the requirements are really low but my main reason for joining is that there are some awesome books I’ve been wanting to read on the suggestion list. So I think I’m going to go with the This Land Is My Land? option which is 4 to 6 books. I can always go up a level if I want.

So, I’m not for sure yet what I’m going to read for this but I’m hopeful that the books I pick will be really good. And I promise to tell you all about them. Now – I have 2 weeks to pick my first book.

Song of the Week (12/6/10 – 12/10/10)

2010-12-10T14:06:00.001-08:00

Welcome to Week 2 of Song of the Week (I did something 2 weeks in a row, go me!). Anyway, a few songs found themselves on repeat this week. The two from last week were still feeling the love, but there was some new blood too.

This week’s song continues the Glee theme. It’s actually from last week’s episode where the went to sectionals. I love Santana, totally adore her – she’s so delightful and evil. And has a killer voice. But if I could have anyone’s talent I would want to dance like Brittney. I love to dance but I’m not very good – but would love to be able to dance like in Valerie. Seriously, loved the music and loved the dancing. So, with all of that, Valerie is this week’s top song.

source

Christmas song of the Week – I haven’t been listening to Christmas music as much this year as I usually do. But one song I have been listening to is Jessica Simpson’s version of Carol of the Bells. She does a good job on it and I think it’s pretty enjoyable.

Song of the Week (11/29/10 – 12/3/10)

2010-12-02T16:01:00.001-08:00

So I had this idea last night for a new series of blog posts (yes, I realize my track record with posts like this, so let’s just see how this goes, lol). Anyway – I listen to my iPod almost the entire day at work. I am surrounded by people at my new desk and it can be very loud. So I crank up my music to tune them out – otherwise I end up listening to the conversations around me and get really distracted.

So with listening to music the entire work day - plus at the gym, while in the kitchen, etc – that’s a lot of music. And I tend to have a bit of an obsessive personality – meaning when something strikes my fancy I hit it hard. As in, when I’m really into a song or artist I tend to listen to it a lot.

So I figured this post would be a good idea – I can share what I’m digging at the moment and hopefully you guys can share what you’re listening to – I love to get new ideas. I like pretty much everything musically, so be prepared for some random items. Like the 2 songs I’ve been feeling this week :)

Songs of the Week:

Song number one I’m sure a lot of you know: I’m Singing In The Rain/Umbrella mash up on Glee. That’s right, the episode featuring Gwyneth Paltrow. My Glee love has faded a little bit this season but I really like this song and it has seen a lot of love on the ole iPod.

Song number two: And I Waited by Hanson. Wait! Don’t leave and/or die laughing at me! Let me explain. Ok so the other day I was adding some Christmas songs on iTunes and I went to see what was on the old Hanson Christmas cd. Well I saw that they had a new album and, since I was bored, decided to listen to the clips of the cd. To my surprise, I really liked what I heard! So I downloaded one song, listened to it a lot, and then went back and got the whole thing. I listened to it at work Monday and instantly fell in love with And I Waited. I love the beat, I love the words, I love the rhythm, I love the vocals (I think I saw somewhere that it is the youngest brother (Zac) singing).

And I ended up doing a little Google work and discovered that I’ve missed a lot with Hanson. They no longer look like this:

They now look like this:

Um, what? When did that happen. (Also, they all have really hot wives. It’s kind of weird).

So, while I know I just lost some musical street cred (heck, I lost some with myself, lol). I’m really digging the music and will definitely continue to rock out with it. So, judge if you will but if you’re brave enough you should go check them out on iTunes. (And on a serious note, check out all their philanthropic efforts – very impressive.)

So readers, what songs have had you rocking out this week?

25

2010-11-18T15:56:00.000-08:00

I turned 25 today. 2-5.

This blows my mind. I told Doug last night that I have no idea where the last few years went. I remember turning 21 but to now be 25? It doesn't make any sense.

I'm not exactly handling 25 well. I'm actually kind of freaking out. I've been calling it my Quarter Life Crisis. I'm not totally sure how I feel about this big number, so that will definitely be a future blog post.

Now it's off to make my birthday dinner. :P

Prayers

2010-11-03T16:35:00.001-07:00

Saying a prayer and sending major stay-in-there thoughts to a friend and her three little buns in the oven tonight.

One thing that still amazes me about the internet is the fact that you can become so attached to friends that you've never actually met in person. My stomach dropped, my heart stopped for a second, and tears came to my eyes when I saw that this friend was in the hospital and the little ones were possibly trying to make a break for it early. I was so happy when she found out she was pregnant - she and her husband totally deserve to have this family - and I want everything to be ok. I may never be able to actually hug my friend or babysit for her, but I'm still praying just as hard as I would for my neighbor.

Stay in there babies - you aren't done baking yet!

Happy Birthday Grux!!

2010-11-02T13:21:00.001-07:00

According to our vet today is G’s birthday. It is just a guess really since he was a rescue, but it is at least in the ballpark. So today we celebrate little dude’s 3 birthday (or 21st if you prefer dog years).

Happy birthday Grux!

November

2010-11-01T15:17:00.001-07:00

I love November. Love it.

The weather, football, Thanksgiving, having the anticipation of the holidays without the overwhelming holy-crap-I-only-have-x-number-of-days-left feeling, letting my inner nerd out to make Thanksgiving menus and plans and lists of everything Christmas related. I love it all. Plus it helps that I have a lot of time off scheduled this month. While so many of my coworkers were using their vacation days when it was 90 degrees out I’ve been squirreling mine away to use this month. Yippee!

There’s also my birthday. Typically I would be like “17 days left! woohoo!” but this year I’m kinda freaking out about turning the big 2-5 so it is more like “only 17 days of being 24? ::sob::” I’m having what I’m calling a Quarter Life Crisis, but that’s really a topic for another day.

But even with the bday conundrum I’m still really happy that it is November. Anyone else love this time of year?

Happy Halloween!!

2010-10-31T09:51:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween from the mullet-wearing shark-dog!

Professional Blogger

2010-10-23T20:30:00.001-07:00

My laptop died recently. I was so sad, I bought it in college and wrote numerous papers (and blog posts) on it. But I must say I do like my new laptop. Especially because it came with Windows Live Writer already set up.

A lot of the blogs I follow talk about Live Writer and how much they love it, so I’m really excited to finally have it. Hopefully it works really well and encourages me to post more.

Decorating: Fall Wreath

2010-10-01T16:01:00.000-07:00

This is a wreath that I made for our front door. Please ignore the odd windows on the door, it came with the house :P

I made this wreath in about 15 minutes using a stick wreath (not sure what the technical name is), green/brown/white/orange ribbon, and some leaves in different oranges. They're all from the Better Homes and Garden line from Wal-Mart. The total cost of this less than $10, the leaves were only $1!

I just wound the ribbon around the wreath and then made a bow at the bottom. This was a big deal for me because I suck at making bows! I'm very proud of this bow! And then I just tucked the leaves in between the branches.

Have I mentioned that I'm really proud of this wreath? :P

Decorating: Fall Decor

2010-09-18T15:59:00.000-07:00

Some of the newest additions to my Google Reader have been decorating blogs. Now that the house is pretty much all in order I'm really excited to finally get to decorate. And since Fall is my favorite season I'm loving all the fall decorating posts that have been showing up. So I thought I'd join the trend and give you a look at what I'm doing to make the house look good during my favorite months.

My in laws got us some lovely decorations toward the end of last fall when they went on vacation. I adore this little pumpkin - for some reason I get a Cinderella's pumpkin coach vibe from it. The little candle inside is a little battery operated tea light. The back side of this actually have a turkey image on it (I'll get a pick when I put out my turkey day stuff - promise), so when November gets here I'll just turn it around.

I actually picked this up at a garage sale a couple of weeks ago for $1.00. The little old lady who it belonged to was really happy I was getting it - she actually said "oh good! someone is buying my planter!" Cute, right? I saw it as soon as we got out of the car and loved it right away because to me it looks pumpkin-ish, so I had to have it. I think I want to get some small gourds to put in it but I haven't had a chance yet.

These are also from my in law's vacation last year. I love them, I think they are so cute. They are a deep orange color with a little bit of a black-ish tint to them. I have them on this awesome window-shelf we have between our kitchen and living room (I need to show you all this!) so you can see them from all sides.

I got this a few weeks ago when Doug and I went shopping. It's from Prairie Gardens (I think this is a Midwest chain maybe?) I loved this as soon as I saw it. It is such a simple, clean item and a new take on using a pumpkin as decor without it being the traditional item. That's actually a deep purple (formerly raspberry scented but too old to smell) candle inside that I've had forever. I wanted an orange candle at first but already had the purple, so I just went with it.

I actually just got these today - from the Dollar Tree! The plan is to take something at least - either the 2 small ones or the bigger pumpkin (it's a candy bowl) to work to decorate my cube. A couple girls were decorating yesterday and told my friend and I about the great finds they got from DT - so I had to check it out when I went out that way to grocery shop today. I might take all 3 to work and just see what fits and then decide. And whatever doesn't go in the cube will find a home as my casa - I can't have an orphaned pumpkin - I love them too much!

So that's a quick look at some of what I've got. I'll have more coming soon - including some incredible pieces made by my very own in laws!

Blog Journal Day 9: Something You Are OCD About

2010-09-17T18:19:00.000-07:00

The shorter list here might actually be "What are you NOT OCD about?" Seriously at times I really do think I have OCD - I'm that bad. I once saw a silly little online graphic that said "my OCD is so bad I have CDO - cause that way the letters are in order" - yeah, that's me.

But, I decided to make myself follow the rules tonight and just give one example. So you're getting the one I'm the worst about - checking to make sure doors are locked. I will check the back door 10 times before I go to bed - I even shake the handle just to be sure.

Issues? I haz them.

Image source

Blog Journal Day 8: A Photo You Took

2010-09-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

For those of you who looked at the actually Blog Journal list I posted in the first post you may have noticed that I skipped a post. The first one I skipped is "a photo that makes you angry/sad" - I'm skipping this because I have no desire to spend energy thinking about something that I know makes me unhappy. Plus I fully plan to skip any other posts I just don't feel like doing. My blog, my rules - right?

Blog Journal Day 7: A Photo That Makes You Happy

2010-09-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

I took this photo when we were on our honeymoon. It's the sun setting over the Mississippi River. It makes me think back to the fun that we had on our trip.

It also makes me think of all the other "sun setting over ____ body of water" photos I've taken over the years. I could probably fill an entire photo album with sunset over water pictures. Photography is a major love of mine and I love getting to snap these pics, as it is an opportunity I don't really have here at home. I can't wait for the first time I can take the new camera somewhere and snap some pictures.

In The Bag

2010-09-02T15:16:00.000-07:00

I stopped at the store on my way home from work today to grab a couple of things. The store I was at has these little cards you can get and have scanned whenever you use a reusable bag - for every so many times the card is scanned you get a dollar in store coupons.

So the girl asks if I have a store discount card and I say "yes and I have the bag and card too" and point to the bag and card and put it on the counter. So she scans my items, my discount card, and my shopping bag card. Then she goes "did you want this stuff in the bag?"

Seriously? Um, that's kind of the point, isn't it? Yeah, I do.

Anyone else hear questions like this when they use reusable bags?

Happy Fall!

2010-09-01T06:01:00.000-07:00

In my head September 1 = fall. So happy fall!

Bring on the pumpkins, apples, college football, and cool weather!

Blog Journal Day 6: 20 Of My Favorite Things

2010-08-31T17:43:00.000-07:00

Welcome to blog journal #6 :P

I have a feeling picking 20 things may be hard (we all know that picking 1 has proven to be difficult for me!)

So, here we go! (I totally say that like Mario from the Mario Brothers Wii game I have, lol)

1. My husband and my dog. They make every single day great.

2. My family - by blood, marriage, and friendship.

3. Reading. You should see my poor bookcases, I have issues.

4. Magazines. I realize they aren't exactly eco-friendly but I love reading them, looking at them, holding them. I wanted to write for them growing up, so I think that explains the love.

5. Sweet tea. Yum.

6. Pumpkin.... anything. Love it. Want it.

7. Sewing. It is my newest hobby and I adore it.

8. Decorating. Also a newer hobby now that the house is in order. Also, I've discovered that a little more room + actually having a few bucks after paying bills = decorating being more fun.

9. Babies/toddlers/little kids. Not in a creepy way. I love kids. I have issues with talking to adults, I freeze up. But give me 5 minutes with a youngin' and we'll be bffs in no time.

10. Gilmore Girls and Big Bang Theory. See earlier posts.

11. Dave Matthews Band. The only band I'd ever consider throwing away my life and following around the world.

12. Yoga. Nothing describes the feeling of finally getting a new move down. And they're all new to me.

13. My ipod. Putting in earbuds and tuning out the people around me = bliss.

14. My new dSLR. Photography is a not-so-new hobby for me but one that I absolutely love.

15. Baking. Love is making cookies for your favorite people. Satisfaction is hearing them go "ohhhh my goodness" upon their first bite.

16. Writing. My outlet. My passion. My love. And I love that no matter how much I ignore it I know it will welcome me back with open arms.

17. Learning. I wish I could go back to school. I want to go. Right now. I adore learning new things and hope that is something I can pass on to my children. And the more obscure the thing I'm learning the better. Have I ever told you that I learned how to load a canon when I was 5?

18. Blogs. I have to know what is going on with everybody at all times, I'm annoying like that. I want to know what is going on with you - yes you! So blogs give me that window into other people's worlds that I so crave.

19. Fall. Love it all. The cooler temps. The breezes. The beautiful leaves. College football (Ill-ini!!). Pumpkins! Apples! Mums. Halloween. Thanksgiving. My birthday. Love.it.all.

20. My online buddies. You all are awesome :P And inside jokes among online buds = perfect.

Blog Journal Day 5: Favorite Quotes

2010-08-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have a ton of favorite quotes, you have been warned.

"Celebrate we will. Because life is short but sweet for certain." Dave Matthews Band

"Always walk where you like your steps." Dave Matthews

"Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them." William Shakespeare - Twelfth Night

"A room without books is like a body without a soul." M.T. Cicero

"Without music, life would be a mistake." Nietzsche

"A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous." Ingrid Bergman

Blog Journal Day 4: Favorite Book

2010-08-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Again, no chance of picking just one.

Blog Journal Day 3: Favorite television show

2010-08-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

Current:

Ever:

Blog Journal Day 2: Favorite Movie

2010-08-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

This one was another hard one! Unlike the favorite song post I just could not pick one answer for this one. I'm sure there are more movies that I could count as a favorite, but these are the ones that came to mind.

Blog Journal Day 1: Favorite Song

2010-08-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Nothing like starting off with a hard question! There are so many songs that I adore that it is so hard to pick a favorite.

If I had to pick one though I'd have to go with Crush by the Dave Matthews Band (shocker, right?). I adore this song. I love the words, the melody, and the video. It is a gorgeous song that I never get tired of. It is on my ipod about 4 times and I never get tired of hearing it. Plus it is a blast to sing along to at a concert.

Click here to see the lyrics.

Hello, Again

2010-08-17T16:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry for being gone recently. We've been really busy working on a ton of projects around the house. After a year of being in our house we've finally tackled a ton of things on our never-ending to do list. Pictures coming soon, promise!

In the meantime, I recently saw this 30 day blog journal over at The Domestic Princess and thought it would be a fun way to get back into blogging more. So look for these posts soon!

1 Year Ago Today

2010-08-02T16:46:00.000-07:00

One year ago today we adopted Grux! It has been the best year ever - adopting him is the best thing we have ever done. I strongly support adopting a shelter or rescue dog - I swear it is like they know what you've done for them and love even more for it.

Seriously, he is the best thing ever.

A Little Monday Laugh (10)

2010-07-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Grux suddenly wishes that he had thumbs so he could open the door and go inside too.

A Little Monday Laugh (9)

2010-07-19T16:32:00.000-07:00

Doug's parents went camping a couple of weeks ago. We went on a drive around the park to look for deer. This was the first one we saw. The deer is checking us out and Grux is trying to climb out the window to check out the deer. That would be Doug's mom holding onto Grux with a death grip to keep him in the car.

A Little Monday Laugh (8)

2010-07-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

What are you looking at?

A Little Monday Laugh (7)

2010-07-05T13:43:00.000-07:00

Hello in there. We got a new camera last week and G wanted to see what was going on inside the lens..... when he wasn't turning his back to us and acting like a diva.

A Little Monday Laugh (6)

2010-06-28T13:36:00.000-07:00

Where's my plate?

A Little Monday Laugh (5)

2010-06-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

Grux thinks my laptop makes a great pillow. And he especially loves putting his nose wherever I'm trying to put my fingers.

I'd Rather Be

2010-06-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

The Dave Matthews Band is in Indy this weekend ---- and I am not. We've gone to see them there the last two years - but this year they moved the show to June instead of the end of July like it has been the last two years. And it just so happens that Doug is in a wedding here at home this weekend. So that means no trips to one of my favorite places, no dancing around with a few thousand of my closest DMB friends, and no singing like an idiot to every song (again along with a few of my friends). Instead I'll be spending this evening watching the wedding party figure out how to look like a wedding party and then tomorrow I'll get to be the third wheel along with Doug's parents all night. Fun times. I'm still thinking about adding an "I'd rather be at a Dave show" pin to my dress this weekend.

Oh and in case you haven't heard. DMB announced that they're taking next year off - so no summer tour. Saying I was bummed is an understatement. So, to cheer myself up let's look back at last year's shows.

A Little Monday Laugh (4)

2010-06-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

The newest jungle plant: spotted dog butt.

This is the corner of Doug's parent's backyard. Grux is obsessed with it. Four yards meet in this corner and two of them have dogs. So G loves to crawl back there and sniff around, I'm thinking it's like a doggie message board: they all leave little notes for each other so they can keep up on the latest doggie gossip.

But with all the rain we've had lately the plants in this corner have gone into overdrive, so it becomes a pretty decent hiding place. And of course you know G made sure to leave his mark on everything in there.

Swoon

2010-06-09T14:50:00.000-07:00

So I just got done watching yesterday's Glee and now cannot get this song out of my head.

I didn't like Glee when it first came out but right before it came back I Netflixed the first episodes and am slowly making my way through them. And I have to say that I am now a very proud Gleek :)

And I adore this song. Love love love love it. And you're welcome if it's stuck in your head now.

A Little Monday Laugh (3)

2010-06-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

A Little Monday Laugh (2)

2010-05-31T14:04:00.000-07:00

That's Grux trying to carry a stick that is longer than him. And he's trying to carry it vertically, so he keeps getting it jammed into the ground and he can't figure out why he keeps suddenly being stopped.

G has a major thing for sticks. He LOVES them. You can throw a toy and a stick for him and he will always go for the stick. Torture for G was watching me pick up a bunch of sticks one day after a storm and put them just outside the fence - he wanted those sticks! At least he's easy to please.

A Little Monday Laugh (1)

2010-05-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

That's his leash up over his ear. He sat like that for quite a while until I finally pulled it down. What a dork.

Green Blankets

2010-05-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

I just started using the clothes line that we have in our backyard. I like that it's good for the environment and our utility bill: the dryer would have run forever to dry these two blankets. Instead the sun and our lovely 80 degree windy day did it for free. I put these out yesterday with a little help from a certain little furry one.

These are the blankets that Doug and I use to curl up on the couch. Grux thinks they are his (he especially loves the Harry Potter blanket), so they totally smelled like a dog. (Speaking of, do you see G?)

Grux wanted to help.

"Hey! Why are my blankets in the air?!"

He's such a good helper.

So readers, what do you do to help the green movement?

Booknerd Habits

2010-05-13T13:02:00.000-07:00

I saw this on confessions of a bookaholic and thought I'd play too, especially since I haven't posted about books in so long.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favourite reading snack:
Not usually

What is your favourite drink while reading?
I don't think I really have one, whatever sounds good at the moment

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
The idea horrifies me. I've been tempted to mark typos but I just can't do it.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
I have a ton of bookmarks and would rather use something random (tear-out from a magazine or a receipt for instance) over dog-earing.

Fiction, non-fiction, or both?
Both

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?
I prefer to get to the end of the chapter and if I'm close I really feel the need to, but I can stop anywhere.

Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?
No, but I've been tempted to a few times ::cough -Breaking Dawn- cough::

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?
No, I can usually figure it out.

What are you currently reading?
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

What is the last book you bought?
Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler

Are you the type of person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?
I can read more than one.

Do you have a favourite time/place to read?
I can read anytime, anyplace. I like to read curled up on the couch.

Do you prefer series books or stand alones?
I like both. It's nice to get lost in a series but it is also nice to be able to read one book and have the story be done without it dragging on.

Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?
The Outlander series. Love it.

How do you organize your books? (by genre, title, author's last name, etc.)
Right now they are sort of split by genre. I have comedy books all together, travel books together, etc. But otherwise they are just throw together.

I'd love to hear your answers!

Wicked

2010-05-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

This post is totally for my friend Jcam. She's the one who taught me how to incorporate the word 'wicked' into my daily vocabulary. And for that I am grateful.

When I was at the store this weekend I was looking for stuff to decorate my new desk at work and stumbled upon the teen decor area - which included some skater inspired items. Including this:

it's a magnet that says 'wicked' (the upside-down one says 'gnarly'). I didn't get it (yet) but it made me smile and think of my favorite (um, and only?) Red Sox loving pal.

Oh, and I am still looking for some things to spruce up the new desk, it's so boring right now. So what do you have on your desk? I'm up for suggestions.

Pretty Plaid

2010-05-08T19:20:00.000-07:00

My newest loves.

I was looking for sandals and I found these. I loved them from the first second I saw them, pictures don't do the green justice (and the black line isn't so bold in person).

They were $5.00..... at Wal-Mart.

Sunshine

2010-04-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

on my shoulders makes me happy......

Oh, sorry :)

I've been loving the awesome spring weather we had here recently: perfect temps, lovely breezes, and tons of sunshine. It's been wicked awesome. And to make it even feel spring like here on the bloggy, Breanne at Bella Vita - aka my running partner with the adorable daughter - has bestowed upon me the Sunshine Award (I like to use fancy words like bestowed when I think the English major Bre may be reading, lol).

The point of this award (as I understand it) is to pass this along to a blogger (or bloggers) that you check in on frequently who bring a little sunshine into your life. Sweet, right? So, with that in mind, I would like to pass this pretty little thing on to:

Jcam of my freakin awesome blog. Besides the fact that this girl ad I share a deep love of DMB and books and she taught me to say "wicked" as an adjective, she's also incredible funny and now has a totally cute baby bump to boot.

I'd also like to pass this on to Jenny at What the blog? for being wicked funny, sarcastic, smart, a major book lover, and for teaching me what a snarf is.

And to Meredith at Balance for MEre for being such an awesome source of inspiration. And for having such a cute dog.