Happy Thursday!

Happy Thursday y'all! You know what Thursday means ... it's almost Friday ... which means that it's almost the weekend! Fair warning ... this may be random.

First of all, I want to wish my big brother a Happy 39th Birthday! :) I love you Joey!

My brother, his wife, and my nephew - at my wedding 5 years ago

Second, is anyone else pretty disappointed that all of the prime-time shows are in re-runs right now? I feel like I have nothing to watch at night, and I'm too tired to do anything else. Looks like I'll be getting extra sleep ... lol


Third, now that I've cleaned out and organized all of my clothes, I have this crazy desire to clean out and organize my entire house.  I cleaned out my freezers 2 weeks ago. That was scary! I found stuff from 2008. My pantry is pretty well organized. I feel like I can't think of anything else to organize. Maybe I'll reorganize my kitchen. Because you know, nothing makes the husband happier than not being able to find anything in the kitchen. :)


Fourth, I am in a cooking slump. I'm trying to try new things, but when I get home from work, I'm just too tired and hot to do anything. (It's been in the 80s here all week, and inside the plant where I work it is closer to 100) I need to find more new recipes, but I can't figure out how to find them on pinterest. I mean, I can see what everyone else has pinned recently, but I don't even know what to search for to find yummy recipes!


Anything you want to get off your chest?

Oh How Pinteresting

I was introduced to The No Brainer Wardrobe by The Bargain Blonde way back in January ... I mean seriously? Who else would? It's got Lindsey written ALL OVER IT!

I recently got around to reading it (which I highly recommend - I mean, the ebook is only $8! Bargain!). One of the things that is recommended is to pin outfits that you like. Look at the outfits that you have pinned, and determine what you like about those outfits and use that to determine your style. I started doing that last week.

The second step is to purge your closet of everything that does not fit or does not fit into your style. I did that this weekend. As I type this, I have 5 bags of clothes to drop off at Goodwill after work.

Since today is Pinterest Wednesday, I thought I'd share some of my pins so that you can see "my style". I like to consider myself preppy-casual.

Source: Uploaded by user via Jessica on Pinterest

oh yes, I did buy this cardigan after seeing this pin. Ooops!

Source: pinterest.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: img2.timeinc.net via Jessica on Pinterest

and I think we ALL know that I have a girl crush on Kate. Who doesn't?

Source: polyvore.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Jessica on Pinterest

After checking out those pins, do you see a distinct style? Do you have a pin that would fit my style? Let me know what you think ... and if you have any "fashion staple" items that you recommend!

Sometimes and Always

Sometimes ... I miss my husband and feel like we've gotten a little disconnected.

Always ... A relaxing weekend (especially a 3 day weekend) makes everything better and reminds me of how in love we still are after 5 years of marriage.

Sometimes ... I want to go shopping.

Always ... I look around my closet and bedroom and I realize that I have far too much clothing already. (case in point: the 4 bags of stuff for Goodwill that I got out of my closet this weekend)


Sometimes ... I feel like most of my friendships are one-sided - I'm always the first to call or text.

Always ... I'm thankful for my real friends. I especially love Meg and Ash. You two are two of my best friends! :)


Sometimes ... I don't feel challenged at work, and it depresses me.

Always ... I'm too chicken to talk to my boss about it. and yes, I am well aware that nothing will happen unless I talk to my boss about it.


Sometimes ... I feel like a bitch at work.

Always ... it's for a good reason. Especially now that I'm a supervisor - I have to put my foot down and he's got to understand how things work.

Land of the Free

Happy Memorial Day!

Since we are the Land of the Free BECAUSE of the Brave, I'm dedicating my blog today to thank everyone who has or is fighting for our freedoms. Thank you!

Friday's Letters

Dear Husband, It's been yet another week that I'm sick and/or in pain. Thank you for taking care of me. I hope this will all be better soon.

Dear Sally Hansen, I think I really like your nail strips. How about lowering the price so I don't feel so guilty?

Dear Einstein, Thank you for the cuddles, even though your shedding fur gets all over my face. Now if you would please stop beating up on your sisters, mommy would be very happy.

He does this to me, but I don't have any pictures of it because as soon as the camera or phone comes up, he's up and posing for a picture.

Dear 3-Day Weekend, I love you. Can't you stay every weekend?

Dear Mittens, Waking mommy up with your crying at 4am is not nice. Especially when mommy panics just to find that you're playing with your toys.

Dear Callie, STAND UP FOR YOURSELF! Stop letting Einstein beat you up when you play.

Dear Autumn, You are by far the best behaved. Thank you.

Dear CA and FL bloggers, I'll be in the Tampa area the week of the 4th of July and possibly in San Francisco the last week of August. If anyone is interested in meeting up, let me know!

Dear Husband, I love you more than words can say and I'm super happy we get a 3-Day weekend together, vacation in July, and maybe travel for your work in August.

7 Sins of Beauty

Sami, over at Sami's Shenanigans had this little survey posted on her blog yesterday, so I thought I'd take part.

Greed:

What is your most expensive beauty product?

Without a doubt, my Clarisonic Mia. Love her though! She was well worth every penny!

What is your least expensive beauty product?

This isn't even a fair question, because most of my makeup is from E.L.F. so you KNOW it's under $3! And I'm not gonna lie, my ALL TIME favorite least expensive beauty product is my 10 ELF mineral eyeshadows that I got last year for FREE for spending $30. Sassy is my favorite shade, but you really can't go wrong!

Wrath:

What beauty product do you have a love/hate relationship with?

Without a doubt, eyeliner! I am eyeliner challenged. Putting it on my bottom lashes? Great! Top lashes? No friggin way. Not unless I want a line that's 1/4 inch thick!

What beauty product is the hardest to get?

Foundation that perfectly matches my Casper-like skin.

Gluttony:

What is your most delicious beauty product?

My EOS balm. Delish!

 

Sloth:

What beauty product do you neglect due to laziness?

Basically ALL makeup on week days. I wake up, wash my face with my Clarisonic, moisturize, and I'm out the door! I'm sorry, y'all, but 5 AM is EARLY for makeup.

Pride:

What beauty product gives you the most self confidence?

When I wear it, all makeup. However, it also gives me some pride to know that I can still look good even without makeup. As my husband once put it - "Makeup and padded bras are false advertisements".

Lust:

What are your favorite attributes in the opposite sex?

I am much more drawn to personalities than looks, not gonna lie. Brains are probably my favorite. I dated too many hot jerks. I never met a hot guy that wasn't a jerk. The nerdier guys? GREAT boyfriends and my favorite nerd is now an AMAZING husband! :)

Envy:

What is your favorite beauty product that you like to receive as a gift?

I would love to say the Naked Palette here, but we all know it would be a waste since I hardly wear makeup. So I'd like to say that I'd like a super nice face wash/moisturizer/etc 

If you do this, leave me a comment so that I can go check it out! :)

Random Wednesday

Good news is ... I'm starting to feel slightly better. Bad news is ... now that I'm not concentrating on not being able to breathe, I'm recognizing my back pain more. I swear, if I want my back not to hurt, I just need to be sick. Apparently I can only concentrate on one illness/injury at a time.

So ... I realize that I never updated y'all on all of my back troubles. I believe that the last time I talked about it I explained that I have 4 (yes, 4) stress fractures that will never heal in my lower back (the ends of the fractures healed over on themselves rather than healing together), arthritis where those fractures are (because they've formed pseudo-joints), AND a herniated disc from all of the instability in the area, which is causing numbness and tingling in my left leg. 2 weeks ago tomorrow, I had an epidural steroid injection to try to reduce the disc and the pain. DID. NOT. WORK. In fact, since my injection, I have been in more pain and the numbness/tingling has also spread to my right leg. Next month (June 5th, to be exact), I have an appointment with a Neurosurgeon to see if surgery is my next step.

anyone else hoping that THIS is my neurosurgeon? ;)

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. I mean, any time you mess with your spine, it's a little scary. But after being in pain for more than half my life (I'm 27 and this started when I was 12 - in the 7th grade), I'm ready to not be in pain any more. Not to mention the fact that hubby is hesitant to start having babies with my back the way it is - he doesn't want me to be in even more pain when I'm carrying an extra 15+ pounds.

Now, on to my random thoughts today:

- How do I always manage to slice my finger on the foil lid under the plastic lid every time that I open sour cream, cream cheese, icing? Seriously ... it has GOT to be one of the dumbest kitchen injuries ever.

- Getting the motivation to clean out my closet is seeming to be impossible. A couple Sundays ago, I got a random bout of "must clean everything" and cleaned out my dressers in the bedroom (y'all would be AMAZED at how much clothing storage we have in our bedroom - our closets are tiny! In fact, my husband has the closet in the bedroom and I have the closet in the spare bedroom because I get up way before him). I'm thinking that I just need to have another random cleaning energy day.

- Trying to find a 0 calorie drink that I like is like trying to ... I don't know ... but it's not happening. Obviously I'm trying to save my daily calories for yummy food and not waste it on drinks. But I can't stand the taste of artificial sweetener! It is just too sweet ... and the aftertaste! So I basically just drink water and unsweetened iced tea.


So what are YOUR random thoughts today?

Sometimes and Always 5/22

Sometimes ... I get really frustrated with my job and certain jerk co-workers.

Always ... something happens and I like it again. Like one of my favorite people coming back to the company after 2 years somewhere else!



Sometimes ... I get so tired and depressed by my back pain and other things that aren't going well in my life right now.

Always ... I remember that I'm on the final stretch with my back (I have an appointment with a neurosurgeon in 2 weeks! Hopefully he'll be a McDreamy!) and that making it through everything that is being thrown at me will only make me stronger.



Sometimes ... I miss my blog friends, even though we've technically never "met". eh, who am I kidding? I

Always ... miss my blog friends! :)



Sometimes ... I want to try new recipes.

Always ... I make something different and either hubby doesn't like it (like last night's mac-n-cheese) or I can't remember exactly what I did (because I honestly don't follow recipes very well - I'm much more of an eyeball-and-dump cook).



Sometimes ... I really want to eat healthy.

Always ... I end up craving something that is not healthy ... and buying it. Yep, such is my life.

Sour Patch Watermelons - one of my favorite candies. and I got it and my local grocery store for only $2.99!

$1 ice cream cone from McDonald's ... We live about 7 minutes from our local McDonald's, and you can bet that I can finish that cone on the drive home ;)

The Sickies

The Sickies ... y'all know what they are. The day starts off and you're feeling fine ... and then BAM! you're out of commission for days. Well, they got me.

Thursday morning I got up like normal and went to work. Then somewhere in the middle of my day, my throat just HURT. Like raw, scratchy, not-even-medicine-helped HURT. That continued until Friday night close to bed time. Then out of no where, BAM, I got sinus congestion, body aches, coughing, sneezing ... the works ... the next morning. and that's where I still am. I'm sitting at my desk (but I'd much rather be home ... if only we had sick days ... I loathe the thought of wasting a vacation day to go home sick), and I swear, my office is like 400 degrees. Hopefully I'll make it through until 3 o'clock when I can go home and curl up with my kitties.

Hope y'all had a good weekend ... and hopefully I'll feel better soon so that I can get back to my regular blogging!

I believe ...

My Facebook feed is filled with political comments - so many that I've blocked some peoples' updates. There are too many people in this country that do not educate themselves on the facts before they go out to vote. Below are my opinions. I know that not everyone will agree with what I say below, but I ask that you respect my opinions and my point of view. If you have nothing nice to say, please don't say anything.

I am a Republican. I am registered to vote Republican in the state of Pennsylvania. This does NOT mean that I agree 100% with the "Republican point of view", but simply that I agree with most of the Republican POV.

The Republican I most closely align myself with belief-wise? Meghan McCain, Senator John McCain's daughter. If you have not read her book Dirty Sexy Politics, I recommend it. You can also follow her on twitter.

• I believe in abortion in extreme cases (harm to the baby or mother, incest, abuse, rape, etc), but I do not believe that abortion is OK if you messed up. If you didn't use protection (or use it properly), then you should live with that decision. Put the baby up for adoption if you can't keep it, but please don't kill an innocent child. Especially when there are SO MANY women in this country that cannot have children and would do anything to have a baby.
• I do not believe in hand-outs. I have worked hard for everything that I have, and I will continue to work hard. There is NO WAY that I could just sit at home on my butt and collect unemployment without looking for a job, food stamps unless I really needed it, welfare unless it was needed. That being said, I have to pass a drug test to keep my job to make money. I believe that people on welfare should have to pass a drug test to receive their benefits.

Those are two of my biggest beliefs politically. They are mostly Republican POVs.

I do not have a problem with gay marriage. Yes, I'll admit, I don't necessarily want to see a gay couple making out in public - but I also don't want to see a straight couple making out in public either. If you want to get married, you should be able to marry whoever you choose and whoever you fell in love with. It is my personal opinion that gays will not ruin the sanctity of marriage. Celebrities did that a long time ago. So did the American general public when they chose to stop fighting for marriage and to give in and divorce.

Sometimes and Always

Sometimes ... I feel lonely.

Always ... kitties cuddle, husband cuddles, blog friends text or send cards ... and I feel loved.



Sometimes ... I really wanted an assistant.

Always ... the boy is annoying the bejeezus out of me. I'm sure it'll be better once he's trained ... but right now he's like a puppy, following me everywhere I go.



Sometimes ... I just want to sit around and read.

Always ... I get distracted ... kitties request attention or my husband requests attention.



Sometimes ... I just want to get away.

Always ... I get excited for our upcoming vacay to Florida! We'll be staying north of Tampa, but we're planning to spend at least a couple of days in Orlando.

Monday Mashup

As y'all already know, I'm about as random as they come. Couple that with Mrs. Monologues' new linkup and the fact that I hardly slept this weekend because I was in so much pain ... and you have my new regular Monday post.

TV
- Grey's Anatomy - can't wait to see the finale Thursday ... I've been trying to figure out who dies. Originally I thought Derek because last I heard he hadn't renewed his contract. However, my husband, knowing what is REALLY important to me, looked it up and he DID renew his contract, but not for a full season. His theory is that it is going to be an "original" character because at the time they wrote the finale, a lot of them hadn't renewed contracts. I hate to suggest it ... but could it be Bailey? I think I'd cry.

- PanAm, GCB, and Make It or Break It (all shows that I loved, but I was especially attached to MIOBI) ... not renewed. Sadz.

Things around the house
- my yard. We have an acre of land and I have absolutely ZERO desire to do anything outside. It is dirty and there are bugs. I wish I had a garden, but every time I've tried to grow one, everything gets the plight. and yesterday, I seriously offered to pay my mom to weed our flower beds.

School
- Even though my thesis was approved a month ago, everything has finally been processed as of Friday. So my transcript has been updated and my diploma should be on it's way soon. Can't wait! It has been a looooong 3-ish years and I'm glad to be done. As much as I'd like my PhD or another Masters, I just don't think I can handle any more school.

My back
- y'all - I have had just about all I can take of my back. I am STILL in pain. The doctor said that it could take 1-2 weeks to work - if at all. Thursday is 1 week. I go back to my regular ortho doctor tomorrow, so we'll see what she says. However, I'm not hopeful that this is going to work. Today is Day 5 and I'm still in more pain than I was before my injection.

Friday's Letters

Dear Husband, Thank you for taking such good care of me yesterday. I was miserable and in pain, and you were wonderful. You're going to make a good father one day. Dear Blog Friends, I love you, and I can't tell you how much your texts and tweets and cards mean to me. You may be some of my best friends in the world (and for a certain two of you, you DEFINITELY are). Dear Dr. Park, Dude, those steroid injections hurt like HELL yesterday. They better work after all that pain. P.S. Still in pain. Thanks buddy. Dear Summer, I am ready for vacation, so if the end of June would just hurry up, I'd appreciate it. (Especially if a certain blog friend and her hubby decide to join us on vacation!) Dear Einstein, you, sir, are adorable. Mommy was in pain last night, but you wanted to cuddle, so you laid ON me but were so careful to avoid where my back hurts. I love you, little man. Dear Mittens, You may be cute, but busting the bathroom door open while I'm in the shower is not appreciated. I don't have fur and it's cold out there. Dear Callie, Start sticking up for yourself, girl. If you don't want to play with your brother, tell him. Don't let him beat you up. Dear Autumn, I promise I'll open some windows for you tonight, it was just too cold last night! Dear Husband, I love you more than you can ever imagine, and I am so thankful EVERY DAY that I get to spend the rest of my life with you. Oh, and it was super adorable how you called me off the couch last night (while I was recovering) to show me the beautiful rainbow.

99

I've seen this floating around and thought I'd give it a go ...

99 Things (those I've done in bold)


1. Started your own blog


2. Slept under the stars


3. Played in a band


4. Visited Hawaii


5. Watched a meteor shower


6. Given more than you can afford to charity


7. Been to Disneyland (Disney World)


8. Climbed a mountain


9. Held a praying mantis


10. Sang a solo


11. Bungee jumped


12. Visited Paris


13. Watched a lightning storm


14. Taught yourself an art from scratch


15. Adopted a child


16. Had food poisoning


17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty


18. Grown your own vegetables


19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France


20. Slept on an overnight train


21. Had a pillow fight


22. Hitch hiked


23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill


24. Built a snow fort


25. Held a lamb


26. Gone skinny dipping


27. Run a Marathon


28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice


29. Seen a total eclipse


30. Watched a sunrise or sunset


31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise


33. Seen Niagara Falls in person


34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors


35. Seen an Amish community


36. Taught yourself a new language


37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied


38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person


39. Gone rock climbing


40. Seen Michelangelo’s David


41. Sung karaoke


42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt


43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa


45. Walked on a beach by moonlight


46. Been transported in an ambulance
 
47. Had your portrait painted


48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person


50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris


51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling


52. Kissed in the rain


53. Played in the mud


54. Gone to a drive-in theater


55. Been in a movie


56. Visited the Great Wall of China


57. Started a business


58. Taken a martial arts class


59. Visited Russia


60. Served at a soup kitchen


61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies


62. Gone whale watching


63. Got flowers for no reason


64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma


65. Gone sky diving


66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp


67. Bounced a check


68. Flown in a helicopter


69. Saved a favorite childhood toy


70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial


71. Eaten Caviar


72. Pieced a quilt


73. Stood in Times Square


74. Toured the Everglades


75. Been fired from a job


76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London


77. Broken a bone


78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle


79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person


80. Published a book


81. Visited the Vatican


82. Bought a brand new car


83. Walked in Jerusalem


84. Had your picture in the newspaper


85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve


86. Visited the White House


87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating


88. Had chickenpox


89. Saved someone’s life


90. Sat on a jury


91. Met someone famous


92. Joined a book club


93. Got a tattoo


94. Had a baby


95. Seen the Alamo in person


96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake


97. Been involved in a law suit


98. Owned a cell phone


99. Been stung by a bee

35/99 ... not great, but there are a lot of things that I'm just not interested in doing that are on this list.

Oh how Pinteresting

Linking up with Michelle for Pinterest Wednesday ... just a few things that I've found that I LOVE!

Source: obaz.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: 28.media.tumblr.com via Jessica on Pinterest

and I really need to use these two to organize my freezer and pantry:

Source: bhg.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: amberlaneliving.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Sometimes and Always ...

Linking up with the always fabulous Megan.

Sometimes ... I get depressed - like crawl back into bed and cry depressed.

Always ... I don't, because life goes on and I have to work.



Sometimes ... I feel like things are never going to go our way

Always ... I try to look for the bright side, even when it's hard.



Sometimes ... I wonder why I can never find my hair ties.

Always ... I search under the fridge and I find that a certain klepto kitty (Einstein) has stolen 17 of them!

and yes, after I took this picture, he stole one right back.

Sometimes ... I feel like I should be more active - so I try running or I golf with some of my co-workers (which, by the way, I'm pretty bad at).

Always ... my back decides to hurt and I have to stop.

the gorgeous running trail near my work.

absolute genius

I know what you're thinking ... two posts in one day ... and so close together. Am I crazy? No. but I just found this picture and it is an absolutely freaking genius idea and I just HAD to share it.

Nail files

Linking up again for the Nail Files ... I thought I'd update y'all on how my nails are doing since I've had the acrylic removed - almost 2 months ago!


In my first post about removing my acrylics, I mentioned about trying different strengtheners. I gave up on that in less than a week. My nails are 100% just my nails.

My nails have bent and broken and torn ... so I've learned to keep them shorter. They're still growing out - I can see the ridges where the "nail that never had acrylic" meets the "nail that was ground down for the acrylic". A few more weeks though, and that ridge will be gone. (you can probably see that ridge on two of my fingers in the picture below)

However, my nails look 100x better than they did when I first had them removed, and I will never go back to acrylics.

So what am I finding out now that I have 100% real nails?

• my nail polish chips A LOT easier now. probably because my real nails are much thinner than the acrylics were and they bend and crack the polish
• I can't keep my real nails as long as my acrylics were - once they get much past my finger tips, they really start to bend, and when they bend, they develop tears
• I need to learn how to take care of my cuticles

A real hero

Last year, one of our young sheriff deputies was killed in the line of duty. His partner, a dog Jynx, tried to save him and saved several other officers. Jynx is up for a Hero Dog award. Please take 30 seconds of your time, read the story, and vote for Jynx.

The story (taken from the website):

On 6/29/11 Berks County Deputy Sheriff K-9 Handler Kyle Pagerly was shot and killed while attempting to execute a warrant.

Upon arrival the suspect’s girlfriend did not inform the officers that he possessed a high-powered rifle and was prepared to die. As they ascended the mountain, Pagerly and his
K-9 partner Jynx, came upon an elevation in the terrain. The suspect, who was dressed in full camouflage with multiple weapons, lay prone on the ridge. Jynx alerted to the suspects position and ran up the hill forcing the suspect to abandon his cover. As he stood, his rifle was pointed at Pagerly. He ignored an order from Pagerly to drop his weapon. Gunfire was exchanged and Pagerly was struck.

Pagerly’s K-9 partner Jynx, attempted to pull Pagerly down the mountain and out of harm’s way. Jynx also attempted to pull another officer to safety that was rendering assistance to Pagerly. If it would not have been for the actions of Jynx, many other officers would have lost their lives that day.

Jynx and Kyle performed several hundred demos throughout the county. They had a very special bond that will never be forgotten by the citizens. Jynx continues to carry on that legacy making appearances and warming the hearts of many.

Jynx is now retired and continues to live with Kyle’s wife and their new born baby girl. Kyle’s wife was only a few weeks pregnant with their first child when he died. Kyle was only 28 years old.

Sometimes and Always ...

Sometimes ... I use tools at work.

Always ... there is some reason I shouldn't.

Me, putting together the desk for my new assistant. Yes, my uniform is hideous. My finger was an unrelated incident - I pinched it in pliers.

Always ... I wonder what my husband loves about me.

Sometimes ... I actually ask him. Like Thursday night when we were watching Rules of Engagement. The first thing he listed? My sassiness. Apparently he likes the fact that I don't take shit from anyone. Good to know, good to know.


Sometimes ... I don't want to get out of bed. Like this morning - I was woken up at 3:30 AM by a thunderstorm and a giant Maine Coon trying to be my scarf. Adorable!

Always ... I drag myself out of bed because homegirl's gotta work.


Sometimes ... I don't like our house. Especially in thunderstorms because our bedroom is on the corner and there is nothing around the house, so when there is lightning, the ENTIRE room lights up. Scary!

Always ... it's our first house together and I love it. We're renovating it into what we want. (and when we finish the 2nd floor, our bedroom will be up there).