Snow!

We got 9 inches of snow at my house and lost electric for 4 hours. Needless to say, it was a kinda boring weekend. But here's a snow picture for you to enjoy. It was taken from my back patio looking back to the garage.

Uh, hey Winter. What up?

First of all, I'd like to thank Fall for sticking around all of about 2 weeks this year. Wish you would have stayed longer ...

Second of all, and the main topic of my post today: hey Winter, what's up? I wasn't expecting you so soon.

This may seem strange to those of you living in the South, but I busted out my winter coat last night. The current temperature (at 6:45 AM EST) is 35F. It is legit not supposed to get above 50F until TUESDAY. Yes, Tuesday. When they say that in PA we design our Halloween costumes (for kids) to fit over snowsuits, they aren't kidding you. Trick-or-treat night is Monday. It'll be a balmy high of 44F for the day. Probably hovering around freezing for Trick-or-treating.

Ohhhh yeah, Winter is here. Best part? We're supposed to get snow tomorrow. According to the Weather Channel, 2 to 6 inches to be exact. Don't believe me? Google that shit. We're getting snow.

So, in Pennsylvania, snow means:

• everyone drives like idiots
• everyone runs to the grocery store for bread, milk, and eggs. Apparently they all plan on eating nothing but french toast. Me personally? I grab pizza, wine and other assorted liquor. If I'm going to be stranded in my house, I'm going to have a good time. :)

That being said, if we *do* actually get the snow, I'll be sure to take lots of pictures for you. Enjoy your weekend!

TV Talk ...

This is my first time linking up for Boob Tube Babble ...

My 3 Favorite shows that were cancelled too soon:

1) My Boys - a great show about a girl with her guy friends. TBS cancelled it after 4 seasons. I loved this show. I highly recommend watching it.

2) Swingtown - this show takes place in the 60s and is about 3 married couples and "swinging". A lot of people complained about the show and it was canceled after the first season, but I loved it.

3) What I Like About You - Oh, Amanda Bynes. You are one hilarious chica. I love when ABC Family and other channels show re-runs.

My 3 favorite current shows (and these better NOT get cancelled!):

1) Big Bang Theory - my love for this show is widely known. I've blogged about it before. It IS my college life. In fact, I miss my nerds.

2) PanAm - I love everything about the 60's - the clothes, the music, everything.

3) Grey's Anatomy - even though McDreamy is being a bit McDouchey, I still love this show. It is the second reason (TBBT being the first reason) why Thursday night TV is my fave!

Eff, Marry, Kill

My "Eff, Marry, Kill" is boy-band themed. Oh how I loved my boy bands in the 90s.

Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys

Justin Timberlake of N'Sync

Justin Bieber

I would EFF Nick Carter, in a heartbeat. I would marry JTimb because he seems like he'd be fun, and he's good to look at. And I would totally kill the Biebs, no questions asked.

Who would YOU Eff, Marry, Kill?

Is OK?

It's OK ...

... to speak in LOLCAT. Is OK, promise. (Hubby and I do this ALL the time - especially when we "make" our cats talk. Sad, right? PLEASE tell me other pet parents do this ...)

 ... that I can only do a mile at a time right now, and that's on the elliptical where it is less impact on my back. However, it is NOT OK that of the 2 local orthopedic doctors I've seen, one recommends surgery and one does not ... and guess which is the orthopedic surgeon. I'm apparently "too young" for the surgery ... but my question to them is "What are you waiting for? Me to hit 30 and not be able to move??"

... that I'm taking another class next semester, even though I don't need it (the topic is interesting, and my company pays for it ... so why not?)

... that I asked hubby if I could decorate for Christmas ... I am SO ready for Christmas! I'm even half-way done shopping for hubby!

... that I'm excited for my work dinner on Saturday, because I'm being recognized for my 5 years of service and I get my gift (which I got to pick out, so I already know that it is a Vera Bradley purse!)

... that I am BEYOND wiped out after hitting the gym BEFORE work, but it works best for me because then I don't spend all day rationalizing about not going after work.

... that I feel like a blog-swap-whore because I'm signing up for like every blog swap I see because I LOVE them! I love shopping for other people, and I love getting snail mail! :)

Target Tuesday!

This is my first Target Tuesday ever ... which is really freaking surprising, because anyone that knows me KNOWS that I LOVE Target! So without further adieu ...



I call this my Target Christmas List.
hear that mom and hubby? lol, just kidding ... sort of ;)

My kitchen accent color is red, and I NEED this red microwave!

I also need a new crock pot, so why not red!

I'd also like a pair of these for our living room, please ;)

and this table matches our other furniture in the living room and would look amazeballs in between the two chairs above. See? A set! :)

Link up your own Target wish list with Tara!

I caved ...

I finally caved and bought an Erin Condren planner. Initially, the $50 price tag freaked me out. But then I realized that $25 coupon codes are ALL OVER THE PLACE. If you need one, just ask on twitter. Someone nice will usually help you out! I haven't started obsessively checking on it yet - but they said it wouldn't ship until November 1st.

I ordered this one in red. Red is my favorite color.

I hope y'all are right and these planners are as sweet as you say they are! I LOVE all office supplies. I love cute pens and notebooks and papers. My favorite days at work? When my Staples orders arrive. Sad, right?

I've been entering giveaways like crazy lately - people are just giving away such cute things! Like the Purse Bling over at Little Miss Momma's blog ... I promise y'all, once I get to 50 followers, I'm going to have a sweet giveaway. So help a sister out! :)

Figuring out dinner ...

Let me preface this by saying that neither my hubby or I are picky eaters. Yes, I rarely eat meat, but that usually just involves me picking the meat out of whatever I made, or making a slight adjustment so that my part of the meal has beans or something. I don't make 2 meals, and I don't force hubby not to eat meat.

Generally speaking, I LOVE to cook. If I know what to make and it sounds good to me.

Figuring out what to make for dinner is TORTURE. I can't tell you how many times I've asked hubby "What do you want for dinner tonight?" and gotten the response "I don't care.". BUUUUUUUUUUT then I suggest something, and he's all "Eh, that doesn't really sound good tonight". ARGH!!!

So what's a wife to do? Settling on takeout is not an option. I'm trying to limit our "eating out" to once a week. A) It's not healthy for your body
B) I refuse to get something at a restaurant that I can make for myself (which severely limits what I order)
c) It's not healthy for your bank account. (I don't know about y'all, but in my opinion, it is VERY disappointing when I spend money on a dinner that just disappoints me).

I bought a magnetic dry erase calendar from Target that rests on the front of my refrigerator. Every week, about Thursday or Friday (I just did it last night), I sit down and plan out my meals for the week.

Then I search my pantry, fridge, and freezer and add groceries to my list. I've found that this helps with 2 things:
1) Always having what I need for dinner
2) I stop overspending at the grocery store. I keep enough stuff around for 2 "backup" meals, in case neither of us is in the mood for what I have planned, but that's it. I'm really trying not to waste food.

This week's menu (a rough note from work):

How I find ideas:

I subscribe to tons of cooking magazines - Kraft Food and Family, Food Network, Paula Deen, Rachael Ray, etc
I have hundreds of cookbooks.
I google recipes for things that I've seen at restaurants, etc that I want to try.

When I find a recipe that I've made and we like (or one that just looks good), I save it. If it is in a magazine, I rip the recipe out and file it in my accordion file. If it is in a cookbook, I use the little Post-it tabs to mark the page. If it is online, I print the recipe and save it in my accordion file.

My accordion file:

I have categories for each "pocket" - breakfast, one-dish-meals, chicken, beef, seafood, family recipes. If I can't figure out what to make, I hand the file over to hubby and make him choose. This really helps when there are pictures with the recipe. For him, it's like ordering off of a menu. For me, it's nice to not have to decide what we're having for dinner.

What do you do to figure out what you're having for dinner?

It's OK!

Thursday is one of my favorite days of the week ... a) it is Big Bang Theory night ... and if you haven't read this post about how I feel about BBT, I recommend it. In short, it IS my life. b) it is almost Friday and c) I love linking up for It's OK! with Neely and Amber. So without further adieu ...




It's OK ...

... that my posts this week have almost entirely dealt with this little sweetheart. but can you blame me? 24 hours after his surgery, he was rolling around, jumping around, and pouncing on toy mice. This little man is a fighter, and I am endlessly happy that my husband and I saved his life.

Bandit getting head scratches from hubby. You can see the huge bandage on his injured paw (no, it's not blood ... he put it in his food dish by accident - my mom is taking him back to the vet today to get it changed) and the bald spots from all the smaller cuts they stitched up.

The little guy curled up in my lap ... he just LOVES cuddles! and he has Puss n Boots eyes!

... that I have been GLUED to my new iPhone since Friday.

... that I cried when my iPhone wouldn't activate on Friday (and I may or may not have yelled at my husband at the same time), but returned to normal as soon as Sprint managed to activate it.

... that I cried almost non-stop Saturday night when we found little Bandit because my heart hurt for all that he had been through.

... that I cried almost non-stop Monday, worrying about Bandit at his vet visits.

... that I started making my Christmas list on Pinterest. It makes shopping so much easier for my husband, even though he really doesn't need the help.

... that I caught myself driving 80 MPH on my way home from work yesterday because I was singing and dancing along with the original Footloose (I dug the CD out of my collection) - good news! no cops! :)

... that I am excited for November because it means: cooler weather, craft fairs, Thanksgiving, and Christmas decorating!

update, award, and Halloween costumes

First up: Bandit update. My sweet little brother Bandit. (Back story here and here.) Bandit had to stay another night at the vet, just for observation ... but I stopped to visit him on my way home. He was purring, snuggling, eating, taking a bath. He was a happy, healthy kitty, although slightly injured. He'll need to have the bandage on his paw for 2 weeks, but he should have a full recovery and have minimal trouble walking. My mom is picking him up and taking him home (her house) today, so hubby and I will visit him tonight after dinner. I must say, I'm a little sad we can't keep him - but at least I know he's in a good home.

(I promise these kitten updates will stop soon. I told hubby last night that we need a human baby STAT because I'm turning into a Crazy Cat Lady)

Second up: I've been given my first award! yay! The sweet Meggie from City Girl, Country Heart has given me the Liebster Blog award.

So here's how this award works...

The Liebster Blog Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. Liebster is a German word meaning dear, sweet, kind, nice, good, beloved, lovely, kindly, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.

To keep this award going and pass it along to other new deserving blogs, the recipient must now recognize five other bloggers with less than 200 followers that have really stood out in the crowd.

The rules for the Liebster Award are:
1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top five picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love too!

In no particular order, I'm giving this award to...


1. a sweet Twitter friend: Amber at Glitter and Dirt
2. a fellow PA blogger: Kate at Dancing in the Minefields
3. a fellow animal lover: Julie at Smitten Mintons
and 2 bloggers I've recently packed up blog swap packages for:
4. Carolin at Lawton Lane
5. Vanisha at Vanisha's Life in ... Australia

Now that business is taken care of, I NEED YOUR HELP

Hubby and I have a Halloween party to go to on the 29th. It starts at 8PM and it is a costume party. I have a dinner for work at 6PM, so I'll have to go right from dinner to the party. Any recommendations for costumes that a) I can change into quickly, b) I can tranform my dinner outfit into the costume c) anything else you can think of. I figure hubby can go as Steve Jobs. I'll have him wear a black mock turtleneck under a sweater for the dinner, and all he'll have to do is change into jeans from his dress pants and put on sneakers. Simple, but he'll love it.

So any suggestions for MY costume will be GREATLY appreciated!

Kitten Update

Thank you all for the kind thoughts for the kitten. To read the back story, either scroll down 2 posts or click here.

Kitten went to the vet yesterday. Not surprisingly, he had worms, ear mites, and fleas. He's been treated for all of those and should be fine. (yes, Kitten is a HE, and he is about 6 weeks old - so a little older than we thought).

He had a pretty nasty cut on the top of his head and one on his left rear paw. As for his bad paw, the vet said that it looks like wire or something got wrapped around his paw and cut off the circulation. Unfortunately he needs to lose the paw. This is where I began to cry hysterically. Y'all, I have been crying almost non-stop since Saturday about this little guy. He's been through so much in his short little life, but he is STILL such a loving, trusting kitten.

Vet #1 (where I took him yesterday around lunch) quoted me $1300 for the amputation and said that they needed to take the whole leg, not just the paw. So after a lot of tears and talking to my wonderful, supportive husband (who would have paid that bill in a heartbeat), I picked him up and took him to Vet #2 (always get a second opinion for something so serious!)

Vet #2 quoted me ~$300 and said that they only needed to take the damaged part. The $300 sounded more reasonable to me because it is the cost of 4 paw declawing, which isn't too much less than what they had to do to this little guy. Vet #2 also gave me a discount because he said that he could tell that my husband and I were good people for rescuing this little guy and taking him to the vet for care when most people would have just ignored him.

I feel like Vet #2 will give kitten the best shot at a normal life, so right now, kitten is at Vet #2. They fed him and are cleaning him up and stitching up his cuts and taking such good care of the little fella. I should hear from them around noon with an update and they said I can pick him up after work tonight.

An update on the home front though: My parents have named him Bandit, which I assume means they're taking the little fella. When they're taking him just depends on what care he's going to need after this surgery.

So thank you all for your sweet thoughts and prayers - they really seem to be working!

Halloween Blog Swap

I recently participated in this blog swap with Star and Rachel. I was paired up with Carolin from Lawton Lane. Girl can put together a package!

stuff for my kitchen - 2 towels (which will be used for decoration only!) and a sign

Some stuff for warmth - 2 pairs of socks (I'm wearing the green ones today!) and a wrap

I just noticed when I went to upload the pictures that one of the pictures that I *thought* took didn't. It was a candle holder and 2 adorable signs. Sorry I forgot the picture. :(

Some amazeballs candy ... this may or may not already be gone.

I LOVE doing blog swaps!

Rescue ...

Today I was planning to post all about how I got my new iPhone on Friday and how much I love it (which I do) ... that was until Saturday night happened.

Hubby was outside washing and waxing the cars when he came to the door and yelled in "Can you come here a minute?". So I put on my shoes and went. He had the tiniest kitten sitting with him. This kitten can not be more than 4 weeks old. And it has an injured paw. Like seriously injured. I'm taking it to the vet today, and I'm afraid the vet will tell me they have to amputate. It seems like an old injury, because kitten gets around very well and doesn't seem to be in any pain. Kitten is eating and drinking and playing and taking baths and using the litter box.

Whatever it tangled with, it survived. This kitten is a fighter. AND a lover. All this kitten wants to do is be held and nuzzle. If you pick it up, it immediately starts purring. This kitten is IN LOVE with my husband. We joke that he's the Cat Whisperer - he's never come across a cat that wasn't completely in love with him.

We haven't cleaned up the kitten yet because I don't know what is dirt and what is scabs, and I don't know what is protecting wounds from infection.

The sweet little thing has no name yet because we don't know if its a boy or a girl. My parents and husband joke that cats must know what houses to go to. Maybe they see our fat, happy kitties in the window.

So anyway, I'm leaving work at 10:30 today, going home, and picking up this little one for a vet visit. My cats did not appreciate having a house guest, so I am REALLY hoping that my parents will take this little one. If not, I don't know what I'll do ... but I can't abandon an injured animal.

So wish me luck at the vet and wish me luck that my parents will take this little one.

Favorites!

First of all, I just want to welcome all of my new followers! I hope you'll enjoy reading my blog. I never expected when I started this that I'd have 10 followers, let alone 33! So welcome everyone - I appreciate each and every one of you! If you comment, make sure to include your e-mail - I like to respond to comments!

I see fill-in-the-blank posts all the time, and I think they're a great way to learn about a blogger. So I'm creating my own today all about my favorites. I hope some of you will share some of your favorites too!

My favorite weekend activity: Cuddling with my hubby, then going out for Mexican

My favorite color: red (and purple and pink)

My favorite smell(s): men's cologne (but not overpowering), cranberry candles, pumpkin spice anything, baking bread

My favorite food: right now, I can't get enough eggplant parmigiana. however, I am totally addicted to Mexican and Sushi.

My favorite thing about blogging: the amazing people I've met. No one that hasn't blogged can ever BEGIN to imagine the amazing support system and friendships that exist in blog world. I am so thankful to each and every one of you - you've touched my life.

My favorite blog post (by me): probably one of my funniest: My eyes are minty fresh or my sappiest: Perfect

My favorite blog post (by another blogger): This is a hard one. I could have gone easy on myself and just not included it - but I think it's important to celebrate my fellow bloggers.
Megan's Truths about Marriage - Sister speaks the truth about marriage.
Ashley's Dad-io - You can see the love that she has for her dad (and her family and friends) through her posts.

My favorite book: No brainer. The Harry Potter series.

My favorite movie: Haha, same as above. The Harry Potter series.

My favorite song: I could take the easy way out and be all sappy and say my first dance song ("This Never Happened Before" by Sir Paul McCartney), but I'm totally into songs that make me dance. Such as ...
"Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj
"Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot
I'm also loving Adele, Christmas Music, and Michael Buble right now.

OK, so I cheated and rarely left one item answers. So what are some of your answers to these questions?

It's OK ...

It's OK ...

...   that I am obsessively tracking my new iPhone 4S. Can't. Wait. Until. Friday.

... that because of said iPhone 4S, I will be counting my pennies for the next month, because I spent all of my "free" (i.e. available) money for the next month. Looks like I'm on a self-imposed spending freeze ... but it will be totally worth it.

... to have already started Christmas shopping

... and to have said Christmas shopping organized in an Excel spreadsheet by person, with each item listed and the price listed (it really helps when you set limits)

... to think that you have the most amazing besties ... and one of them is a blog bestie!

... to be secretly counting the days until Thanksgiving because it means that I can start decorating for Christmas. :)

... that I buy packs of hair ties specifically for Einstein, because it's his favorite toy and he loses them daily and after work I'm too tired to go searching for them.

This was when he was a kitten. He's now tripled in size.

A touch of OCD

For anyone that knows me, this may not be a surprise. I have a touch of OCD. Need proof? Look at the insides of my purse in yesterday's post. Everything has a place and it annoys me when people touch my things and move them. I like my things just so.

Some examples of my OCD?
      * I have folders in ALL of my inboxes (work, gmail, yahoo) and I abhor having e-mails in my inbox. Once I deal with them, I file them.
      * I count things. Sometimes it makes me feel better. My "magic number" is 5. I like things in multiples of 5, but I'm not crazy about it. Otherwise I'd be freaked out that my wedding day 3/31/2007 is not a multiple of 5, that my married name Jessica Lynn Slish is not a multiple of 5, even though my birthday 7/10/1984 and my maiden name Jessica Lynn Kiscadden are both multiples of 5.
      * I don't like having papers on my desk at work. I realize it makes it look like I'm not doing as much work as other people, but I like to have everything in it's place. I have hundreds of file folders in my desk - one for each project.
      * My iPod (and I'm sure my iPhone will be the same once I get it Friday! :D) is crazy organized. Every app is filed into a folder, except for the ones that I use the most.
      * I compulsively clean my desk at work. Maybe it's the fact that I work in a lead environment, but I clean my desk almost daily. I also won't touch anything inside the plant without gloves.
      * I keep my Christmas shopping list in an Excel file. I track costs (so I don't spend too much on one person and don't forget what I got, etc) and cross out items once I buy them.

What's in my bag?

I see these posts all over the place, and since my bag is full of crazy stuff, I figure it'll make for an entertaining post. :)

The bag. This thing holds a TON of stuff, which can be a bad thing.

The insides.

Top row: 2 Thirty-One mini pouches (contents below), my camera (in a Hello Kitty case), and my day planner.
Bottom row: Notebook, Hello Kitty pouch (with my Hello Kitty earbuds inside), pink bag, asthma inhaler, antibacterial gel, sunglasses, my Thirty-One wristlet, and my checkbook (in a Thirty-One soft wallet).

This bag is one of the best things I've ever bought. Perfect for a Farmers Market.

It unfolds to a pretty decently sized bag.

The pocket is inside the bag, so there's nothing to lose.

 Inside pouch #1: assorted lip glosses and chapsticks, tweezers, ELF Zit Zapper, nail file, Hello Kitty brush/mirror, and gum.

 Inside pouch #2: contact drops, hand lotion, Tums, tic tacs, Hello Kitty bandaids, Tide-to-go pen, wet naps, and my security card for work.

The pouches are a time saver. They make it easier to find what I'm looking for inside my purse, and they make purse changes a snap.

p.s. Can y'all tell that I LOVE Hello Kitty? :)