is this one of those war flashbacks?

The other night around 2:30am, I was sleeping soundly and comfortably in my bed. Alas, this was not going to continue for long. I started hearing, "Hey, B! Wake up! Wake up NOW!" in a loud whisper. I pulled myself out of my slumber and awoke to see my husband standing next to my side of the bed holding his gun.

*sigh*

Me: "What the hell are you doing?"

Him: "There's someone out there!"

At this point, I'm really confused and rather startled. I didn't hear any noises or anything, so I asked him to clarify. He said he had gotten up to use the bathroom and saw lights in the window (our bathroom window looks out onto the street). He said it was a loud truck and it was driving really slow. After he got back in bed, he started hearing noises behind our house. He said it sounded like construction equipment.

*Side note: They're building the rest of our neighborhood behind our house, and they have all kinds of equipment back there and they make a ton of noise all day long.*

He was afraid someone was messing with and/or stealing the equipment. Made sense to me because I know those people wouldn't be working at 2:30am on a Friday. So I got up and followed him into the living room.

Him: "Me and Jers are going to go in the backyard and see if we can see anything."

Me: "You're not taking my dog with you."

He mumbled something about me babying her. I ignored him. He had a gun; she didn't. So out he goes to the backyard. I still haven't heard anything. After a bit he comes back in and says he saw lights behind the fence and it looked like flashlights. I cocked an eyebrow.

Me: "Is this one of those war flashbacks?"

Him: "I hate you."

He went to the front door and told me he was going to go down to the construction road and look. Out he went. I waited a bit, got bored, and went out front. I didn't see him, but I hadn't heard any gunfire so I was pretty sure everything was cool. Then a truck with a huge flatbed trailer pulled out of the construction road. Shortly thereafter, my warrior came back down the street with his gun tucked in his basketball shorts.

He said it looked like they weren't able to get anything. He had me Google the sheriff's office phone number. He called. The guy sounded less than concerned. We went back inside. The dog was snoring on the couch. We went back to bed. The end.

That was our big adventure for the other night. Too bad we didn't bust any bad guys. That would have been cool. And I would have taken all the credit :)

Other than that, it's been the same old story. Last night we went to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch Monday Night Football. It was me and a bunch of guys. I got a margarita and a trivia game pad. After awhile, TJ jacked the game pad from me because he decided I wasn't pushing buttons fast enough. I got out my phone and played Solitaire.

I was then informed by one of the guys that I should be paying attention to the game. The others agreed. I had no clue why they cared. They said I needed to start watching ESPN and learning about all of the teams and stuff. Again, I was baffled. Apparently, they've decided I need to help them pick teams so that they can bet on the games. They told me that "chicks were good at that kind of stuff."

I said that the Bears would always win cause teddy bears were cute. They quit asking me to watch the game.

Well, I have to go take the dog to the gun range. She's gotta learn to shoot so she can accompany TJ on his neighborhood stealth mission next time.

xoxo

i'm such a slacker

No more promises and pretty words about how I'll write more and all that jazz. I mainly suck and I'll write when I write. How's that for brutal honesty?

Although, at this point it might actually increase. Life has been crazy lately, but things should be settling down in minor ways. Here's a recap:

I had my step-daughter, Kylie, for the last 3 weeks of June. We had a blast doing girly things, watching movies and eating popcorn, playing in the sprinkler, and watching the Disney channel. She's never, ever boring :)

The weekend of July 4th, I drove her back up to Ohio and spent the holiday with my in-laws. A few days after the 4th, I drove from Ohio to Texas to spend a few weeks with my parents. A few weeks turned into a month, and I arrived back in Alabama on August 9th. It was so, so, SO nice to be able to spend that much time in Texas though. I hung out with my parents a lot, and spent tons of time with my BFF, Stacy, and her daughter, Kaitlin. I went to a few weddings, reconnected with some old friends, and generally enjoyed myself.

After I got home, I had to tame my lawn, go through a ton and a half of mail, and do all the little projects that needed doing before TJ got home from his "vacation". The days took years, but finally he arrived stateside! He will have been back for 2 weeks on Thursday. We've been having a blast hanging out with friends, doing stuff around the house, and just being together (cue the sappy "awww").

He went back to work today, so it's my first day home alone after all the togetherness. I'm finding it rather lonely. I'm supposed to meet him at his unit at 4:30 so we can go grill shopping. After that we're going back to the unit to use the gym there. He's been offering to be my "trainer" for years now, and I finally took him up on it. Mostly because I'm not working. Now I have the time and energy to make myself really get in shape. He promises I will meet my abs for the first time in years. I remain skeptical. Either way, it's better than some gym trainer cause I don't mind looking stupid or whining in front of my husband :) Poor guy. He's going to realize that I wasn't kidding all those times I said I really, really HATE the gym.

In other news........we are trying our darnedest to get pregnant!!! :) I got the itch really bad this summer while he was gone, and he's ready too. So here goes nothing! Hopefully it won't take too long. We're on a tight schedule. The military doesn't much care about our baby making, so we have to plan around those pesky TDY's and deployments. Plus, it requires precision because I would actually enjoy it if he could be here for the birth. This is going to be some very structured procreating.

TJ has taken to saying the word "impregnate" because I hate it and I get really mad. He's also convinced all of the guys at his unit that our child should be named Mick. He rationalizes this by saying it would be really cool if we could call him "Mickey G". He had all the guys toasting to "the Mick" the other night at a party. He gets sick pleasure out of making me crazy.

On that note, I'm out. Gotta eat some lunch and take a shower before I have to appear at TJ's unit at the designated time for Operation Cookout. I say things like that because he hates it. I get sick pleasure out of making him crazy :)

xoxo

take a ride on the rain train

So, if you'll recall, in my last post I ranted about the plight of watering our lawn. In my quest to make my life easier (this is never ending, BTW) I found a genius invention called "Rain Train". This fantastic gadget drives around the lawn while watering. You never have to move the sucker because it moves itself! Why do I not think of things like that??? Anyway, my very own Rain Train should be arriving today via the United States Postal Service. I can recall few times in my life when I have been this excited.

How cute is that??? There was one that looked like a John Deere tractor and I really wanted that one cause it was way cute, but it got really crappy reviews. So I went with the original. Apparently it's cast iron and weighs 22 lbs. As long as it cruises around and waters my grass, I don't care if it's made of cookie dough. I will be sure to post action shots as soon as it makes its maiden voyage.

In other news, my step-daughter Kylie is visiting me for 3 weeks. We've been having little adventures. She now wants to take a trip to the American Girl store in Atlanta. For those of you who don't know what American Girl is, here is a brief description: a money-sucking, wallet-draining piece of plastic in the shape of a doll. They do it up big - there's a doll hair salon, an ear piercing place, a restaurant that serves you and your doll, and a huge store with thousands of accessories (think beds, pets, clothes, jewelry, etc.) You can get dolls that look like you or choose one of their historical characters. Those come with their own series of books about the time that they're from. I had one when I was younger, and they are lots of fun. Plus you get the whole experience.

Anyway, I told her I'd have to talk with TJ about it because they were really expensive. So he called today and I told him about it. Here is how the conversation went:

TJ: The way you said that makes me think it's gonna cost me.

Me: Well yeah...a doll with the basics, lunch, hair styling, and ear piercing are going to be pushing $250.

TJ: Holy shit! That is ridiculous! For a doll? A DOLL? Insanity!

Me: I know, but that's the deal. It's the experience too. But that isn't counting like an extra outfit or accessories. And it's pre-tax.

(I'm going to interject with an explanation...Ky got accepted into a program at her school for excellent students. It's a separate class she goes to once a week and they do cool things. We have told her we were going to take her to do something fun to reward her for working so hard. She wanted to go horseback riding when TJ got home.)

TJ: Well, lay this out for her: You can get an American Girl with the BASICS or you can do horseback riding. If you get the doll, it's your congratulations gift.

Me: Ok, I'll tell her. But what if she wants an extra outfit or something?

TJ: Then tell her she can't have lunch with the damn thing!

At this point I started cracking up. Tears were streaming down my face. Just the way he said it...all outraged and incredulous. It was hysterical. For those of you who know TJ...I'm sure you're laughing too.

And one last bit of news...I saved up for some patio furniture to go under the canopy that the in-laws got us. I ordered it and had it delivered to the store and I got an email yesterday that it was ready for pick-up! So we're going to head over there and pick it up. Then we're going to assemble it. What will likely happen is I will assemble it while Ky plays in the sprinkler. Oh well...I get furniture!!!

So now I'm off to shower after our incredibly hot, sweaty run (me and Jers)/bike ride (Ky) this morning. Then it's destination furniture!!!!

xoxo

vote for jess now!!!

Ok everyone, I need for you to visit this link and vote for my friends Jess & Carl so that they can have new wedding photos! Believe me, they deserve it!!

Go vote for Jess & Carl now!!!

hayley scares me...

So, I've been given a blog award by my love Hayley. With it she included a sharp and pointed reprimand: "Heaven knows you don't deserve it since you haven't posted since MARCH!" Talk about a sharp kick in the you-know-what! But it also works out, timing wise, because I have recently quit my job! So now I'll have time to post again! I know there are cheers going up all around the country.

I quit my job because it sucked. Not the job. The boss. And that's all I'm going to say. Basically, I was incredibly unhappy and life is just to short to dread waking up every morning. Plus, since TJ is gone so much I like to have the freedom to visit friends and family if I so choose and I can't do that when someone expects me to be somewhere at a certain time everyday. Inconvenient. So now I am in the beginning stages of starting my very own business. A work from home venture that will be portable. And being a military wife, needing to be portable is just a fact of life.

I'm dipping my toes into the world of Virtual Assistance. Basically, I'll be providing office and administrative support services from home. This saves the business from having to pay the overhead that an employee would generate (office space, equipment, supplies, etc.) because I provide all of that myself, as an independent contractor. Also, I wouldn't require benefits, sick pay, vacation time, retirement plans, and things of that nature. And since I'll work on an as-needed basis, they will never have to fill 40 hours a week for me.

I went to the county probate office today to file for my LLC. Once that comes back, I can really get in gear and get everything set up in my business' name. I'm also working on my website at the moment. I purchased my very own domain name yesterday, so I'm super excited about that! This has been brewing in my head for a few years now, and I am so glad that I'm finally able to give it a go.

Now, let's all pray frequently and fervently that I don't fall flat on my face. Ready? Go!

Anywho, I'm sure you've noticed that my blog has undergone some changes. I decided a face lift was in order. And I am no longer "Tile Me Beautiful". Sad, sad day. That was hard for me to take down, but with everything on my plate right now, I just don't have the time for that. So now it's just little old me.

Anyway, back to the blog award from Hayley....

Rules of the Award:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award.

2. Share seven things about you.

3. Pass it on and let the recipient know.

So, thanks Hayley! And seven things about myself...I'll try not to bore you with stuff you already know.

1. Watering our immense lawn has become the bane of my existence. However, if my husband arrives home from "vacation" and our lawn is brown and dead, it will not be pretty. So I drag out the front and back hoses and move the sprinklers a total of 15 times over about 5 hours. Unbelievable.

2. Being an official Alabama resident isn't nearly as painful as I anticipated. I have the driver's license, car registration, and I own property in the state and I'm still breathing. Don't tell me miracles don't happen.

3. I have recently become a vitamin/supplement addict. I now take a total of 16 pills a day.

4. My new guilty pleasure is tuning my TV to HGTV, turning the volume down low, and drifting off to sleep on the couch in the middle of the day. I only allow myself to do this about once a week.

5. I was totally gung-ho about painting my new house when we moved in. Now I look at the walls and cringe at the thought. That doesn't stop me from spending at least 30 minutes in the paint section every time I go to Home Depot though.

6. I have horrible, awful, traitorous knees. They hurt incredible amounts from just sitting too long. Heaven forbid I'd do something like walk...

7. I plan on being the first person ever to own a dog trained in Shiatsu massage.

So, that's that. And now, I'm going to pass the award on to someone I truly, truly adore...

Angela!!

She is one of the sweetest, most entertaining, most dedicated bloggers I know. She always has super cool pictures and stories that make me want to live in her life! Plus she makes me smile and laugh and just feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Mainly I just stinking love her! So go check out her blog. It's guaranteed not to disappoint :)

Gotta go move the sprinkler now...should be the 2nd to last time. I started at 6 and it's now 10. Hopefully I'll get to sleep at some point.

xoxo

random pictures that i feel the need to take...

There's something about having a camera phone that makes me take the weirdest pictures just because I have a camera convenient. Some I send to my sister (because she understands and shares my weirdness) and sometimes I show my husband. He's good about nodding and acting like he cares. Bless him. However, my phone memory only has room for so many of these pictures. I was deleting pictures the other day and thought these needed to be share. Mostly because it makes me sad to delete them. I am that strange.

Anyway, without further ado, I present my randomness.

This is a picture I took from my front yard. The guys that are in jump school on the base are practicing. Their drop zone is right behind my street so I get a front row view of the little parachutes floating down. My crazy husband does that.

This is my super cool thermos with a sweater. I was admiring it one day in a Starbucks and a few weeks later my husband surprised me with one. I take it to work with me everyday. It keeps my water sooooooo cold!!

This is a random sign that hangs over the road on my way to work. There are like 3 lines of these in a row and they all have a big red "NO" sign on them. I want to know what the "NO" is for! It's not over a turn lane to signal there's not left turn there. It hangs over the side of the road I'm driving on, so it's not to indicate that you're driving the wrong direction. I haven't the slightest idea what they're for.

We were grocery shopping and I saw this sign for kumquats. I had never seen an actual kumquat before so I was excited. Plus, kumquat is fun to say. Kumquat, kumquat, kumquat!

Ok, the sign is kind of hard to read...But I was driving somewhere with TJ, and on the way there we saw this sign and laughed our asses off. So on the way back I told him that he had to slow down so I could get a picture. The sign says, "STRIPPERS. Need we say more?" and it has two little drawings of girls on poles on either side. Talk about direct advertising...

This picture and the next one are from brochures in the military clinic. When TJ tore his Achilles tendon during Ranger school, I had to drive him to the doctor cause it was his right foot. So we were sitting in the exam room waiting for the doctor and I saw this brochure. The pictures are backwards and I can't make them move and I'm too lazy to delete them and re-upload them, so the bottom one is the front of the brochure. I laughed so hard I cried. The little cartoon people look so disgruntled and you can just tell how serious they're trying to be. But really..."nothing to rave about"??? Hahahahaha!

This one makes me miss my hubby :( I love, love, LOVE Krispy Kreme donuts! I always get excited when the light is on because it means that there are fresh, hot donuts - straight out of the oven. YUM!! So one day he was driving by without me and snapped a picture to send me. The message attached: "IT'S ON!!!!!" I adore my husband :)

This picture was taken in College Station, TX on the way to my sister's graduation from Texas A&M University (so proud of my baby sissy!!) Anyway, we were sitting at a stoplight and there were THOUSANDS of birds sitting on the power lines. I have never seen so many birds in one place. I couldn't even get them all in the picture. They were behind us and on either side of the road too. It was insane. Why do they all sit there? Crazy.

I took this one the night that TJ and I went to see "A Christmas Carol" in 3D. We were rocking those glasses!!! Plus we were wearing matching colored shirts. Not on purpose, I swear!

Hahahahahaha! This one was sent to me by the lady who owns the daycare place that Jers goes to everyday. Yes, my dog goes to daycare. Get over it. Anyway, they were taking cute Christmas pictures so they could make ornaments, and Nancy thought that Jers was hysterical. She looks so stinking pissed off. Like she's screaming, "You fricking idiots!" in her furry little head. Classic Jersey. I love my puppy.

So I hope you enjoyed my random pictures. I've already started replacing these on my phone. It's a sickness...

xoxo

i'm baaaaaaaaack!

Not that I really went anywhere in the technical sense. It's just been really busy and I've been spending time with my hubby. However, hubby is now gone again on an extended vacation. The sand, the sun...lucky man!

Anywho, I pretty much won't have a life for the foreseeable future. That means I'll have time to blog again and to work on something I'm very excited about! I'm going to start another Etsy store. I really, really miss selling on Etsy. It's not just a place to sell stuff, it's a whole little community. Kind of a lifestyle, even. It was a ton of fun and I felt so accomplished. I just don't have the time to make enough of my tile stuff to keep a store stocked. Each piece takes days, and I just have too much other junk going on right now.

Plus, in the next few years (years, people, years...don't get all excited...you know who you are!) we're going to try to have a baby and I want to be able to stay at home with him/her and still bring in some money. So I'm going to begin building a new store. Something that takes a little less time per item than my old one. I am going to turn another one of my obsessions into a business. I'm going to make bath stuff!

I'm more than a little nervous. Failing miserably is never a fun experience. But even if I bomb, at least I'll have a whole bunch of yummy bath stuff in which to drown my sorrows.

I have yet to choose a name. This is will probably be the hardest part of the whole process. If there are any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

And cross your fingers for me cause hubby left the credit card here and I just bought about $250 of various supplies...

snow makes the state go into lockdown

It supposed to snow tonight. It'll probably be more like nasty slushy sleet. Ugh. I'm watching the news and they're scrolling all the closings of schools and businesses across the bottom. Pretty sure half of Georgia is going to be closed tomorrow. Holy crap people. It's not a blizzard. I think we can all make it. Unless my boss lets us off for the day...then it's impossible to get there and it would be much safer if we all just stayed home.

I feel awful for my poor husband who is sleeping outside right now. It's a horrible time to be in the field. It's been getting down in the teens at night, and now it's supposed to sleet/snow bad tonight. Poor kid. It breaks my heart to think of him freezing his ass off out there.

In very exciting news, I got a letter from TJ today!! YAY!! I've read it like 812 times. It's so good just to hear from him and feel like we're talking. I've been sending him letters everyday, even though they don't get them until the end of the phase. I want him to have a nice stack of mail for those last few days. He's supposed to get his 8 hour pass on the 22nd. I can't wait! After that, I'll get to talk to him once three weeks later and then he'll graduate on March 5th. Cross your fingers that he gets straight through and doesn't have to stay longer to redo any phases!

I'm thinking about getting new faucets for our bathroom. all the doorknobs and light fixtures and stuff are that oil rubbed bronze finish. Then they cheaped out and made the faucets shiny silver. It looks stupid. I looked online last night to see how much faucets are. I figured they wouldn't be too bad. Do you know that there are faucets that cost like $800??? Insanity. I have to buy two of the things. Maybe three if I decide to go ahead and do the guest bath too. Which I probably should. I really want to get a bronze kitchen faucet where the sprayer thing is the actual faucet and you just pull it off. But if bathroom faucets are that expensive, I'm a little afraid to look at the kitchen ones.

What you might have deduced from all this is that if I get new faucets, I'm going to have to install the new faucets myself. This isn't strange, as my husband is gone a whole lot. I'm used to doing things for myself. I've never installed faucets before though. It could be quite and adventure. I'm rather excited. I'm not sure if that should worry me or not though.

Does anyone know of any at home workout programs or videos that really work and are somewhat fun? I want to surprise TJ and get in really good shape while he's gone, but I have a problem paying to use a gym. One, it's un-Godly expensive and two, I use like 3 of the machines. So not worth it. So, if anyone has any suggestions for at home stuff, I'd love to hear it. I really like kickboxing. I don't want anything too complicated. I don't want to get pissed and frustrated cause I can't do the stupid dance moves. Something that is kind of a short, all-in-one, whole body deal would be awesome. In other words, find me the perfect workout. Haha.

Well, I need to write my sweetheart and get into bed. Vaya con Dios.

xoxo

it's scary in my head

I was attempting to entertain myself today at work. Some days are really slow and boring. So I started a letter for TJ and just kind of rambled like a loser. I was boring myself, so I decided to just write down some random thoughts that maybe I could write about later. Not all of them made it into the letter, but without context they're pretty amusing. So I decided to share.

- That Frito Lay truck is driving erratically.

- I really hate motivational posters.

- That stupid alarm guy messed up my brochures.

- Goldfish are much healthier than Cheetos.

- The Nissan Cube: worst idea of the century,

- I sure love being lectured like a 5 year old.

- Who names their kid Brighty?

- I wanna drive a Bobcat.

- Holy hell just let me make the damn key.

- I want a McDonald's cookie too!

- Could the homestead exemption be more vague?

- That bird needs a sweater.

- Damn you, brick breaker!

- Dial the number your own damn self.

- Jose Cuervo, you are a friend of mine.

- Apparently manners are hard to come by these days.

I miss my husband's voice. Boo for not talking for weeks at a time. Hopefully it goes quickly though. If all is good he should graduate in early March. Then, of course, he up and leaves for deployment not too long after that. I try not to complain though. I've really been working on concentrating on good things and being grateful. I am grateful that we have each other and that we have a happy and full life. I'm grateful for wonderful family and friends. When I look at it that way, it doesn't seem quite so bad. We'll see how long all this positivity lasts...

xoxo

long time, no blog

I have a good excuse: we didn't have internet! You see...we were borrowing internet from an unknown source in the neighborhood. Great way to endear ourselves to the new neighbors, I know. Anyway, it suddenly disappeared right after Thanksgiving. TJ was gone at that point, and he deals with the DirecTV people. I tend to say rude things when they're involved. So I waited till he got back like a week later to schedule a tech to come out and install our internet. But then I realized that in about another week we were leaving for a long while to drive across the country (like 2 weeks) and I didn't see any reason we should have it installed and pay for it when we weren't going to be here so I rescheduled it for this past week. That was a very long and possibly confusing run-on sentence.

Anyway, DirecTV homeboy came last Tuesday and installed our internet. Then on Thursday we left for Atlanta for our big New Year's party. We got back Friday and TJ left yesterday. So, I've been without internet, out of town, or spending time with my hubby before he left for two months of no talking to him and no seeing him (grrr). Some damn good excuses, if I do say so myself.

The point is, now I have internet access and time to kill so buckle in folks. Here's a quick synopsis of the recent holiday season:

Dec 17-22: Houston, TX for my baby sister's college graduation (go Lins!!) and Christmas with my family.

Dec 22-Dec 27: Christmas in Ohio with TJ's family.

Dec 31-Jan 1: New Years in Atlanta.

Lots and lots of road trip fun, much exhaustion, and a little bit of a head cold.

My brain is still recuperating, so I'll leave you with a re-posting of something that used to be on my MySpace page (which has been long gone for a long time). A friend asked me about it the other day, so I thought I'd put it back up. Mostly because I'm just so, so wise (ha). Here's is my list of things I've learned along the way...

* People are not nearly as interested in you as you think they are.
* You will turn into your mother.
* People who are mean and hateful are usually just jealous.
* Everyone, every single person you know, will let you down at some point. You'll let them down too.
* Never say anything about someone behind their back that you wouldn't say to their face.
* People rarely do what you expect them to.
* Sometimes you have to suck it up and do the shit work cause no one else will.
* There are very few people who will stick by you no matter what. Do not, under any circumstances, let them go. Ever.
* No relationship is perfect.
* You can never please everyone so its pointless to try.
* It's easy to mistake something more for something better.
* Sometimes getting what you want really sucks.
* It's ok to wear the same jeans for a week straight cause you don't feel like doing laundry.
* Something good always comes of something bad. It just might take awhile.
* Having your heart broken makes you a better person.
* Some people are just determined to be miserable, no matter how hard you try.
* Don't waste your time on anyone who makes you feel less than wonderful.
* You never really know someone till you live with them.
* One day you will thank your parents for all those rules and restrictions and all the other seemingly horrible things they did to you growing up.
* If it won't matter in a year, it's not worth worrying about now.
* The first time you're a victim, but the second time you're a volunteer.
* Self-respect is much more satisfying than instant gratification.
* If it's worth having, it's worth waiting for.

* Never start it, but make sure you finish it.
* Just because there's not something big going on in your life, doesn't mean its boring.
* People are always going to have opinions. The only ones that matter are the ones you like and the ones that come from people who love you.
* The times that life isn't fair will balance out with the times that it is.
* People are generally selfish. It's human nature. You're no different.
* Not everyone is going to like you, but you probably won't like them either.
* It's ok to be old-fashioned.
* Your problems are no bigger or worse than anyone else's.
* If it doesn't affect you, it's none of your business. Stay out of it.
* Everyone should know how to two-step.
* The more you drink, the less tequila affects you.
* When you're hunting, pee before you get in the stand.
* Before you drink a flaming shot, blow it out.
* Fishing makes me cry. I think fish are gross, stupid, and smelly, but I can't stand to see one on a hook.
* Boys don't notice what shoes you're wearing, and even if they do, they don't care.
* Don't ever shoot better than a boy when he's present.
* Sticky notes are way better than a planner any day.
* Always know where your water shut off is. Not the one under the sink, cause sometimes that one is useless. The big one. For the whole house.
* Know how to use tools. All of them. Sometimes a boy won't be around, or you just won't like him at the moment.
* For God sake girls, know how to check your oil!
* Everyone should own a dog.
* You are the only one in control of your feelings and attitude. If you start blaming someone else for that, its a cop out.
* Just because you don't feel butterflies every time you kiss, it doesn't mean you love him any less. It means you're past the stage where love and lust are the same thing.

* Never try to change a man. Not because he can't change, but because you'll hate yourself if he does.

* Learning how to say you're sorry will serve you better than almost any other skill in life.

* Love does not remain the same. Love changes and grows. If you don't change and grow with it, you're going to regret it.

Love and kisses and all that jazz.

xoxo

i don't think oprah would like me very much

I have a new guilty pleasure – the Oprah channel on XM radio. My lunch break is planned around the Gayle King show. I sit in my car and eat while I listen to the show. Loser-ish? Totally. But I love it. Then, on my 25 mile drive home, Dr. Laura Berman teaches me all about sex and relationships. It’s like radio crack and I love it.

Sometimes they play old Oprah shows. One that I caught the beginning of today was about living your best life. I’m all about living my best life. Sounds cool, so why not? But I’ve come to the conclusion that Oprah would not like me very much. She does all these shows on spiritual awakenings and being in touch with the universe and blah, blah, blah. She reads books like “Eat, Pray, Love” and “A New Earth”. It’s all kinds of new age mumbo jumbo. And to this I say, “Massive eye roll.”

Perhaps this makes me unenlightened, but so what. I believe in good old-fashioned common sense and hard work. I don’t seek some deep spiritual or philosophical meaning in everything. Here’s what I think: as long as what you’re doing is working for you and the people you care about, keep on trucking. If it’s not working, fix it for crying out loud. I listen to these people talk about meditation and past life regression and being one with the universe, and I just wonder who the heck has the time for that. You spend more time thinking about life than actually living it. I can’t think of a single instance in which over-analyzing has done anyone any good. This could be why I’m so sucky at yoga.

Anyway, not sure why any of that matters. It just occurred to me earlier as I was stuffing my mouth full of McDonald’s double cheeseburger and listening to Oprah radio. I’m sure that’s not helping me live my best life. Oops.

I got my Real Simple magazine in the mail today. I love that freaking magazine. One, it’s thick. So I feel like I’m getting my money’s worth. That’s lots of shiny pages of joy. Second, it has great advice and ideas and the articles are actually interesting. Third, and most importantly, it’s pretty. It’s the little things. Tonight I read an article and there were a few things that stuck out to me. I’ll leave you with them…

These come from the article “10 Truths I Wish I’d Known Sooner” by Amy Bloom

“Events reveal people’s character; they don’t determine them. Not everyone with divorced parents has terrible relationships. If two people are hit by a bus and crippled for life, one will become a bitter shut-in; the other, the kind of warm, outgoing person (cheerful despite everything) whom everyone loves to be with. It’s not about the bus, and a dreadful childhood is no excuse. You have the chance to be the person you wish to be, until you die.”

All I can say to that is, “Amen!” I can’t tell you how many times this has proved itself true in my life. There have been times that I have questioned whether you can truly know another person. I’m not sure that you can. Because sometimes people you thought you knew, people you thought you could freely love and trust do such horrible things that seem so out of character. The truth is, though, that they aren’t out of character. It just wasn’t apparent before. I’ve learned a lot about myself and other people in the past year. It’s been a year full of pain, heartbreak, tough realizations, and cold reality. I have one friend in particular that rocked my thoughts about relationships and trust and the goodness of people in general. Think of the worst thing that someone very, very close to you could do. She did that to me and then some. It changed who I am and how I look at other people. It was one of those defining moments in my life. I truly think that tough times make you a better person. Although it hurt me more than I could ever explain, her lack of character only added to mine. For that I am grateful. I have never believed more strongly that circumstances reveal a person’s true character, and that that character will remain unchanged because it is part of the fabric of who they are.

That got longer than I intended. Just brings up some still fresh and very painful parts of my life. But never fear, I made it to the other side. Although I’m not unscathed, I am better for it. Anyway, here’s the other part of the article that really spoke to me:

“Mean doesn’t go away. Some people get better looking with age; some don’t. Some people soften’ some people toughen up. Mean streaks tend not to disappear. A person who demeans and belittles you and speaks of you with contempt to others is probably going to be that way for years. The first time it happens, take note. The second time, take your coat and go.”

xoxo

smooth criminal

I got fingerprinted today. Apparently it's Georgia state law that anyone employed by a mortgage company has to be fingerprinted. Random. Especially since they did a background check. What are fingerprints going to show that a background check wouldn't? I guess maybe my aliases.

Funny story about aliases...When we lived in NC I worked for an insurance company. In order to do quotes we had to order a tier score. Tier scores are based on credit scores and give you that kind of info without putting a hit on your credit report. So you don't get your actual credit score, you just get another number based on it. If that makes sense. Anyway, I checked my tier score shortly after I started working there; just for giggles. According to the report, I had an alias. WTF??? The only other name I've ever had is my maiden name, but it sure wasn't that. I don't recall exactly what it was, but it was something way off. Like Katherine Ann Jones or something random like that. I had to call the people and get it taken off. Crazy.

So I wonder if my mystery alias will show up on anything. No one has ever asked me about it, so I suppose it doesn't. Anyway, the place that you get your fingerprints done at is g-h-e-t-t-o. I was slightly terrified. In the middle of the day...I felt like I was getting booked. For someone who has never been arrested, that's an odd feeling. Especially when I didn't even do anything wrong! I went straight to my car and busted out my hand sanitizer. I love hand sanitizer. I have multiple bottles so that they're accessible wherever I may be. One in my purse, one in my car, one in my desk at work, one at all the sinks in my house, and so on.

I just ate a lot of goldfish and now the top of my mouth is all raw. I don't just chew up my goldfish. I have to suck on them till they get mushy and then I eat them. Totally random and pointless, but it's how I eat them. That means the little salty dudes get smashed up against the roof of my mouth and rub it raw. Fun fact for the day.

I wish I had something more exciting to say. I'm trying to get back into the habit of blogging, so even though I was totally boring tonight I wrote anyway. Now I have to get in bed cause I'm way sleepy tonight. I've been sleeping without my sleeping pill though!! I'm proud of myself :)

In other news, the husband comes home tomorrow. He's been in Florida for the last week. He was in Vegas two weeks ago. Funny how the military trips are always somewhere "vacation-esque". I'm starting to doubt the actual amount of work that gets done on these trips...Oh boys. I'm glad he's coming home. Mostly because I missed him, but a lot because we're having everyone (and I do mean everyone - his mom, dad, brother, brother's dog, Kylie, my mom, dad and sister) here for Thanksgiving and we need to get ready. I'm only just a little neurotic and freaked out about the whole thing. Just a tad. First time I'm hosting Thanksgiving...no biggie. How hard can it be to have 6 extra people and 1 extra dog in your house and get them all entertained and fed? Cake.

Yeah right. I'd be delusional to think that. It'll be fine though, and I cannot wait to see everyone!! Ok, ok I also can't wait to show off my new house :) Now I'm really going to bed. I wore a semi-itchy sweater today and it's starting to morph into a majorly itchy sweater the longer I wear it. PJ's and Ghost Whisperer re-runs here I come!!

xoxo

using cliff notes is not cheating...

I don't even know where to start. I've been a bad, bad blogger. There has been soooo much going on lately! I barely have time to breathe. Then when I think about catching up on everything y'all have missed, my head feels like it's going to explode. Then I caught up with my blogging friend Angela on Facebook the other night and I began to miss this badly. I miss catching up on everyone's live and I miss writing about mine.

Angela is a doll and she made me some cliff notes of her life for the past month or so. It was so awesome! I love her for reasons just like that. But she inspired me, so now I present the cliff notes version of my life recently.

Last time I wrote I think TJ was in the first part of Ranger school. It's called PRC (Pre-Ranger Course). He was there for two weeks and we only talked a few times. Stupid. He was supposed to come home for a weekend after that and then leave directly for Ranger school. That's 2 months of absolutely no talking (minus two weekends that he has phone privileges). His class date ended up getting pushed back to January 4th, so he didn't have to leave.

During all that I was job hunting and house hunting. I found a house and made an offer. Shortly after it got accepted, TJ got back from PRC. We closed on our house on October 28th. We moved that weekend because TJ had to leave on Saturday (Halloween). He went to Las Vegas for a week. Before he left we got everything to the house. I worked on unpacking and organizing while he was gone.

He got back the following Saturday. He had a few days off and we spent them doing finishing touches on the house. Hanging stuff, setting up knick knacks, etc. We also went to a ball that Thursday. It was my first military formal! Ranger Ball was a BLAST! Good friends and food and drink :) Plus I got to wear a stunning dress that a friend was nice enough to let me borrow. I felt like a princess.

On the day of our closing, our mortgage guy offered me a job. I had to get all kinds of background checks and junk, so that took awhile. I just started the job this Monday. On day three, things are looking good. The people are sweet as can be and the job is pretty ok. It's a lot to learn since I could fit everything I know about mortgages on a post-it note. In big handwriting. I think it's going to be good though.

In miscellaneous news: we had mice in the house. I caught 3 while TJ was gone and when he got back we caught another in the garage. This was quite traumatizing for me because I think they're actually really cute. Here's the story of my first mouse-catching experience that I posted on Facebook:

i met the mouse. gosh but he was cute! i snared him in a little trap thing. it said it would kill him, so i get home, check the trap and the release is tripped. i picked it up. it didn't feel any heavier. i thought maybe it tripped itself cause it's touchy. so i slowly pulled down the hinge. mouse head! i screamed and dropped it. he got trapped by the squishy thing with his little head sticking out. we made eye contact. i thought "crap, i can't kill him now." he was just a tiny little thing. his head was all cute and furry. he kinda looked like a mini-hamster i had once.

he started squeaking. i grabbed the trap and ran to the car. i was barefoot and didn't take my purse because i was so worried that he was going to die if i didn't get him out of that thing stat. as i was backing out and closing the garage door i realized i left the door from the garage to the house hanging open. oh well. no time for that now. there was a life hanging in the balance.

so i drove him about 3 miles away, opened my car door, placed the trap on the ground while staying safely in my vehicle, and opened the trap door. he scuttled out into the grass. although i'm sure he has internal injuries and won't survive very long, i feel better since i set him free. my husband is going to kill me...

So yeah, there you have the mouse story. That's all the highlights I can think of at the moment. My brain is fried from being a grown-up working woman. It's been about a year since I worked, so I have to get back in the swing of things. I'm quite put out that I have to be somewhere at a certain time and I can't do whatever I want. I sound like a brat, but it's true. It'll be nice to have the extra cash money though. At least that's what I tell myself at 6:30am when my alarm goes off.

I don't know how much time I'll have to do Spoonfuls now. I'll do them when I can. I'm thinking of doing something more like a featured store/artist kinda thing. It'd be more detailed and involved on a particular artist, just less often. We'll see. I definitely don't have time to make tiled stuff anymore. That makes me infinitely sad. I can't express it. But I'm back to the real world now, and I just can't balance a full-time job (with a 25 mile one way commute) and my tiling. The process is much too involved and time consuming. I'll have time for some here and there, but not enough time to maintain a shop. It breaks my heart. I found a lot of myself in my work and I'm devastated that I can't focus on it as much anymore. But such is life, right?

Here are some links to my Facebook pictures, if you want to see the house and some other stuff.

Ranger Ball

House Pics

Updated House Pics

Ohio Visit

Okey dokey; the cliff notes of my life lately. Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear. Show me some love so I keep coming back :)

Missed you all massively!

xoxo

let the sugar be your guide

I grind my teeth at night. My mom says that she used to check on me at night when I was a kid, and I ground them so hard she could hear it from the hallway. I still do it, especially when I'm stressed. Lately I've been waking up with a pounding head, sore jaw, and aching temples. Sometimes it's hard to open my mouth in the morning. I've been battling a headache all day and it's really wearing me down. I can't rub the muscles because they either lock up or send sharp shooting pains down my face and neck.

I'm stompy and grumpy today. I'm lonely and stressed and I'm barely sleeping at night. I'm getting really frustrated about not being able to get a job. I feel like a deadbeat. I'm college educated, I have excellent references, and plenty of experience. The problem is that they make you apply only online anymore. They specifically say "don't call, don't fax, and don't come in". They just want your resume and/or cover letter in an email and that does it. I despise it. I can't look someone in the eye and convince them that I am an intelligent human being and I will do the required job and excel their expectations. I rock at the interview, and now it's virtually impossible to get to that point anymore. UGH!

I'm trying not to pig out. All I do is sit around and job hunt and house hunt on the Internet. Therefore I am hungry all the time. Because I have zero willpower where food is concerned, that means I eat all the time. Krispy Kreme will be my downfall. I'm just not very motivated to cook for one. It's so much easier to hit McDonald's. It happens to be the closest fast food restaurant to my house and I adore the double cheeseburgers. And fries. And apple pies. And Oreo McFlurries. And yes, I order that all in one trip and then eat it. To my credit, I drink water at home. No soda. Although that's like trying to plug the Hoover Dam with your pinky. Pointless.

Now I really want McDonald's. And I'm in such a bad mood I'll probably go get it. Food makes me feel better. It makes me happy. That is a downward spiral. Food that's bad for you just tastes so much better too.

Anyway, I found our house. It's incredible. I am in love. But it's a "For Sale By Owner" place and the lady is way difficult. She doesn't want to deal with agents, but I don't know enough about this to do it myself. I have no clue what to look for or what to ask. I don't want to end up getting screwed because of my ignorance. So my agent is going to try to convince her to deal with him. If she won't...well then I guess there are other houses. It would be a huge let down though. I'm trying not to get my hopes up at all, but that's almost impossible. Let's just say I haven't stopped looking yet.

My Spoonful word for today is lantern. I saw some in the store the other day and had to drag myself out of the store without buying them. I have no idea what my deal with lanterns is, but I am incredibly fascinated.

Paper Lanterns from Foamy Wader, Magical Night from Like Deco, The Lantern from Escape Monotony, and Lantern from Tekstila.

The style of these hoop earrings is awesome. I love how the hoop goes all the way around back into itself. The beads are such beautiful colors. The wire wrapping is flawless; each bead is perfectly spaced. They're decorative and dainty. They have something going one without being too much. I think that's a fine line to walk.

These star shaped lanterns are handmade. HANDMADE! Can you believe that?? I have never seen anything so intricate and gorgeous! I think they're so incredible. How cool would these be in a baby's room? It would be like a mobile. Plenty for mommy and baby to look at and adore. Check out the other items in the shop and I swear you'll be amazed.

The green color on the building in this photograph is so gorgeous. I now have to duplicate that for my house. The amber lanterns really go well with it too. I've found a whole new color scheme! The lighting in the photo is perfect for the subject matter. It enhance the picture and doesn't distract or take away from it.

Pillows, pillows, pilllllllllows! I am in love! I already love pillows in general, but I saw this fabric and almost died. It is so gorgeous! I love the simplicity of the pattern. It's so different from anything I own. It's so trendy looking. There are other colors and sizes, and I must have them all! So, so, so cute!

I'm going to try to not eat McDonald's now. I walked the dog twice today and she's still sitting at the door begging. She is KILLING me!! I don't know what the heck she wants. I walked her, played with her, took her on a car ride, and filled her chewy ball with treats twice. It's never enough. Neeeeeeever enough.

xoxo

sugar and spice

I got my Real Simple magazine in the mail today. Oh wait...I got the COVER of my Real Simple magazine in the mail today. It had a note attached to it from the good ole USPS. It said that the rest of my magazine had been damaged in transit. I was so pissed! First of all, that's my favorite magazine ever and second, it's freaking expensive! Argh. Just so irritating. I ripped the cover up into little pieces. Stupid USPS.

That's how I'm dealing with my problems lately. Ripping them up into little pieces; figuratively and literally. I'm so bored and I feel like a deadbeat cause I don't have a job, but I go, go, go all day everyday job and house hunting and running other various errands. But I feel like stomping and yelling a lot lately. I'm stomping in my head right now just thinking about it.

I got my hair done today. I needed it bad. It was getting long in the back, so my super cool asymmetrical haircut was just starting to look uneven like a drunk person had cut it. So that was nice. I found someone I like here, but it's not the same as Laura. I miss her!! The lady that cut my hair today was asking who did my highlights because they were perfect and looked awesome. I almost cried :(

Tomorrow I'm getting my toes done. I need to do something besides looking at jobs and houses online and driving by houses. Otherwise, I will lose my mind. I might have lost it already. Hard to tell.

The apartment was smelling musty today, so I lit a candle. TJ and our roommate LB are surprisingly obsessed with candles. They burn them nonstop. Probably because it always smells like boy in here. Ugh. But anyway, I like the candle LB picked out and it inspired my Spoonful. The candle is cinnamon stick, and I really don't like it. It's a bit too heavy for me. I'm not a fan of the spicy smells. I like clean cotton and fruity stuff.

Anywho, it got me thinking about spices and then I was thinking about sugar and spice and then I realized that would be a cute title because I'm having trouble coming up with new ones. So, in case you haven't guessed, the word is spice.

Pumpkin Spice Pillow Cover from Nestables, Sugar and Spice Trinket Box from Fun Wall Art, Pumpkin Spice Cappuccino Solid Shampoo from In a Lather, and Spice Market Earrings from Wrist Candy Creations.

I'm really digging the orange thing lately. I think when we get our house, I'm going to do the office area in browns and oranges. Yum! This pillow cover is absolutely beautiful. The shade of orange is perfect and it's so simple. The pattern is awesome. I just love it!

I'm going to have to acquire some trinkets to put in this darling trinket box. Or one of the gazillion other ones in the shop! There is SUCH cool stuff in the store, you have to check it all out. There's something for every taste, and they're all adorable.

Ok, I know I said that I'm not into the spicy scents, but this shampoo bar sounds glorious! Maybe it's the cappuccino scent that grabs me. I think it would be an awesome combo. The rich smell of the cappuccino would balance out the pungent spicy scent. Plus it looks so smooth and soft. I want to touch it.

I loooooove me some earrings! These chandelier style earrings are so gorgeous! I love the detail on the actual hoops and the colors of the beads are a perfect match. I also really like how the actual earring part that attaches to the hoops has a little character with the ball on the tips.

Well, I have to get some pictures together to send to my personal jewelry designer. I'm feeling the urge for some more earrings and bracelets, and she always does such a fantastic job on my custom orders! Love you Dian!

xoxo

sweet lovelies

I learned something incredibly horrifying today. The dirtiest place in your bedroom is your pillow. *gag* I'm something of a pillow freak. I wash my pillowcases obsessively. I always buy like 4 sets so I always have a clean one on hand. I will not, WILL NOT, sleep on a dirty pillowcase.

The only things allowed to touch my pillow are my clean face and my clean hair. Period, the end. I do not lay on it with make-up on. If I happened to sweat that day, I wash my hair before I go to bed. Even when I'm falling-over, puking-my-guts-up drunk I wash my face before bed. My husband is not allowed to lay on my pillow. If the dog gets within a foot of it, forget it. Heaven forbid it should touch the floor.

So just now I was reading my Glamour magazine and it has a little article in it about how nasty pillows get. The actual pillow. This is what it says, "It hosts a miniature ecosystem of human skin cells and dust mites (microscopic bugs that eat those dead skin cells - yuck!), plus up to 47 different types of fungi." Oh. My. GAWD! Bugs that eat my skin cells. I'm on the verge of dry heaving. I went directly upstairs, grabbed our pillows, and put them in the washing machine. Hot wash, hot rinse. Extra soap. Lot's of bleach. Some baking soda for good measure. Probably 2 or 3 drying cycles, just to make sure those bugs have been sufficiently nuked. I'm washing TJ's too because I don't want any of his shit-nasty bugs jumping onto my pillow. *shudder*

The article also suggests that you get a zippered pillow cover to put under your pillowcase as an added layer of protection. Wal-Mart will be getting a visit from me later this evening. I'm actually wondering how many of those thingies I can put on my pillow and still have the pillowcase fit...

Ok, I have to stop talking about it now. Blah, blah, blah. Change the subject. I used the word mammals in my post yesterday. Anytime I hear that word, I get that song (you and me baby ain't nothing but mammals...) stuck in my head for like 3 days.

Today my Spoonful word is lovely. I was watching House Hunters (doing my research, Ang!), and this British couple was looking for a house. They said lovely like every 3.5 seconds. Lovely this and lovely that. So it got stuck in my head. Here are my lovelies:

Josephine from Jasper Hilburn, Recycle Me Lovely from PixiSette Jewelry, Lovely Heart from The Wheel And I, and Lovely from Spa Goddess.

I am loving this necklace! The colors are awesome and the eclectic design gives it so much character. It would look awesome with a solid colored shirt. It's made to be a focal point in your outfit.

I adore the simplicity of this bracelet. It would go with anything. The glass beads are recycled, so they have a rough worn look that really give it a unique look. Read the description the seller wrote. It makes the bracelet feel very adventurous.

I can see this bowl on my kitchen counter filled with fresh fruit. Ok, ok I don't really buy fresh fruit so it would most likely hold candy or something equally as unhealthy. But it's a beautiful piece. I love the color. It looks like metal to me, but it's clay so I thought that was pretty neat.

Spa Goddess is one of my favorite bath product makers. I have purchase numerous products from the shop (bath salts, body scrubs, shower steamers - DIVINE!!!), and I have absolutely loved every single one. They always smell awesome and are the highest quality. The seller has answered a great many questions (many stupid) with patience and incredible knowledge. I guarantee you will love anything you get. I'm going to get this milk bath. It sounds just like the name - lovely. Creamy and soft and sweet. Yum!

I'm feeling random lately, so here you go:

Did you know that they have this new thing called Le Whif? It allows you to inhale chocolate mist. That way you get the taste of chocolate minus all the calories. You puff on this thing and it has like super concentrated chocolate junk in it. Weird. Talk about addicted to chocolate. I wonder if they can make a puffy thing that tastes like ravioli or cheeseburgers.

I hope everyone has a lovely night :)

xoxo

p.s. What do we know about short sales in real estate? I know what they are, but I'm not sure how open the bank is to negotiations, etc. Is anyone familiar???

crazy makes me crave sugar

I am crazy. Insane. Certifiable. Seriously. I'm buying a house while my husband is gone. For 3 months. Like gone gone. Incommunicado. No talkie. I know people buy houses everyday, but not Michelle. Michelle has never bought a house before. The pressure of picking a house that both of us will like is beginning to wear on me. We've never disagreed on anything in that area. We have the same taste and the same ideas and stuff. But I start second guessing and thinking about things too hard. I actually wondered today if the granite in this one kitchen would be too shiny for him. Like he would care. It's supposed to be shiny. Who worries about shiny granite? Me. I do. Because I'm losing my ever-loving mind.

This is what happens when I'm all alone. I have lots of time to think and research and look and get a whole bunch of details that do not matter. TJ is my sounding board. I bounce things off him and think out loud. He grounds me and calms me down. I'm what you might call high-strung. I get really worked up about things and then I get all obsessive.

But find a house I will because we're trying to take advantage of the tax breaks for first time home buyers. Seeing as how he won't be back until mid-December, that job falls to me. Not to mention the packing and moving and all that junk. It's all me. Luckily his being in the military gives me a wide range of boys to choose from to do my bidding. Rally the troops, if you will. And rally I will. I have no shame. And no way to lift the couches by myself.

I'm also looking for a job. I think that contributes a big chunk of crazy to my crazy.

So my days have been filled with job hunting and house hunting. I'm trying to do a drive-by on all the houses. That sounded really bad. I'm not shooting anyone. I'm just trying to make sure I like the area before I drag our agent out to look at a house. I'm trying to get familiar with a new area and decide where we want to live. I found the PERFECT house the other day. Then we went to look at it. I would be scared to walk the dog. Who puts brand new houses in places like that??? Someone does, cause there it was. Its perfectness mocking me. Do I want the perfect house or do I want to live through my first night in my perfect house? It's a toss up...

I've done my house recon for the day, so I'm taking a break. I'm not allowing myself to look at jobs or houses online for the rest of the night. I need a reprieve.

TJ left Sunday for Ranger school. Yippee. It's going to be 3 fantastic months with zero communication (minus 2 weekends when he can use the phone between phases). Well, you can write letters, but I doubt he'll have a chance to actually write me. He'll be too busy being in the suck. Must be a boy thing because you couldn't pay me enough money to do something like that. He's been gone before. Once for 8 months (which is nothing compared to the 15 months that some people have to deal with), but talking on the phone makes a huge difference. The silence is deafening over here. On the bright side, I have a General Power of Attorney, which means I can do just about anything I want to in his name. This kind of power gives me a little bit of comfort. I like being the boss.

Anyway, my Spoonful word for today is crazy. I was having a hard time finding anything I just loved until I came upon these cards. So today my Spoonful is 5 things from the same shop. It's the "Crazy Love Card" series from Up Up Creative.

These cards crack me up. The two big ones are my favorite. I'm going to be such an angry pregnant lady. I will be the lady in the delivery room cursing a blue streak and screaming, "Look what you did to me!" at my husband. Forget my ice cream and it would be over for you. And have you ever tried natural peanut butter? Cause that shit is nasty. Like really, really nasty. I have yet to figure out how peanuts can be so delicious and natural peanut butter can be so utterly disgusting.

I love them because that's how I talk. I'm not all sappy and weird like some cards. If you ask me, this gets the sentiment across a lot better. And anyone who really knows me (i.e. my husband) would be fighting back tears if I gave them one of these. They made me smile and laugh a little and I couldn't pick just one, so I thought I'd just use them all. Cause I'm the boss and I can do that.

And as an added bonus, the products are all eco-friendly!

A few random things before I go:

I saw a sign on base yesterday that said "Tank Crossing" and it had a picture of a tank. It was incredibly awesome. Next time I'm on that road I'll remember to slow down and take a picture.

Did you know that the human eye has more visible sclera (white part of your eye) than any other mammal? I had never really thought about it, but we so do. Most other mammals only have the colored part of their eye showing. Craziness. Really random, but I thought it was interesting.

Everyone must try Planters NUT-rition Energy Mix. It's got almonds, honey roasted sesame sticks, peanuts, dark chocolate covered soy nuts, walnuts, and pecans. The soy nuts are superb, but the whole mix is way yummy. I don't feel so bad when I eat the whole container of something healthy while I sit in front of the TV.

Ok, that's all. I promise to be around more. Thanks to those of you who noticed I was gone and even more thanks to those who actually missed me :)

xoxo

here i am!

Oh how I love my Angela! She missed me :) I missed you too!! I'm back now. We were in Ohio for a few weeks. Now I'm back in Georgia and TJ leaves on Sunday for 3 months. So never fear, I will once again have no life and do nothing but shop online, play on Facebook, and post to my blog. I'm going to get a job, but this is a minor detail.

In other news, I'm sick. Ohio always makes me sick. I have no clue why, but I have yet to visit when I haven't gotten sick. It's unbelievable. I thought I was going to make it out ok, but yesterday (driving home day) I woke up feeling like butt. I had felt it coming on because I had a stuffy nose, cough, etc. for a few days before. I was just hoping I would get out of actually feeling sick. Not so much though. I'm propped up in my bed with my puppy and we're being lazy and mopey.

TJ has to work till like 11pm tonight. No really, it's cool. He's just leaving Sunday for 3 months. Oh and he's not allowed phone or Internet access, so the only way I can talk to him is by letter. If they decide to give him my letters and/or time to write me. But go ahead and have him come in to work until all hours of the night this week. I really didn't want to see him anyway. Stupid military. They make me real mad sometimes. Ugh.

But now I have to shower and deliver some stuff to base since he needs more junk for tonight. Yay.

xoxo

crabs are creepy and have weird beady eyes

I really, really don't need any more TV shows to be addicted to, and yet I have another. Oh Deadliest Catch, how I adore thee. There's something about men screaming curse words and getting injured that draws me in. TJ keeps saying he wants to be a skipper. Lord. I told him he only got one make-me-lose-sleep-at-night career per lifetime.

We're headed to Nashville tomorrow. I have yet to decide what we're going to do. We'll probably just end up wandering around and finding somewhere cool to eat. We have to drive to Ohio on Friday and get there in time to pick Kylie up from school, so that means that we have to get up at a decent time. That means I can't stay up too late. Well, actually I could since TJ is my chauffer. That's gonna be so nice. I had to drive myself freaking everywhere for the past 6 months. No thanks. So in theory I could sleep the whole time. That could be pretty awesome.

I'm bored out of my ever-loving mind. I need a job. Or at least a distraction. Tonight TJ was telling his mom about how crappy it was sharing a closet with me. She was saying that of course my wardrobe is bigger than his because he wears a uniform to work everyday (thanks Leta!!), and he was saying that I don't have a job right now. She said I did and I will, and I needed outfits for work. Any my smart-ass husband says, "Those aren't work clothes. Unless she's working a corner." TO HIS MOTHER! Thanks, hon. I'm feeling the love and respect. Ok, so I was actually laughing pretty hard, but the story is better when I make myself sound all scandalized and mad. Right now I'm watching him wash and fold my hooker clothes. That's what I'm talking about.

I was going to do a Spoonful, but now he's stomping around telling me it's bedtime and we need to go upstairs. Such a crybaby. It's probably a good thing he doesn't read this.

Anyway, I really do need to get in bed since we're being slackers and not packing till tomorrow morning. Sleep tight!

xoxo

sugar with a flourish

I finally got my closet organized today. I'm not used to sharing a closet with the hubs. I booted him into the guest room in our last house. But for the moment we only have one bedroom, which means one closet. I have a ton of clothing. Seriously. I had to purchase 150 hangers. I started out with 40, thinking that would surely be enough. HAHAHA. I am such an idiot. Then I had to buy extra shelves to put on the floor so I could fold the rest of my clothes on them. In my defense, I currently only have one drawer in the dresser and it's underwear and socks. But today I got my shelves put together (took me forever to find the right ones!!) and I got the rest of my clothes settled in. I'm rather proud of my closet organization skills. I done good.

TJ is laying next to me in bed reading. He's got a lot of tattoos. I was looking at them and he goes, "You can lick them. They're flavored." I rolled my eyes and punched him instead. He actually used to tell girls that his tattoos were flavored. Some of them believed him. I can just picture the ones who did...*shudder*. I told him I was writing that in my blog. He said he'd deny everything. Like that's gonna do him any good.

I'm on a bracelet kick. I just got the most gorgeous one EVER from my good friend Keirsten over at Lune Designs. Check this baby out...

How awesome is that?? The picture barely does it justice. It's incredible. I get so many compliments. And because she is so very wonderful and knows how much I love earrings, she included a matching set for me! LOVE HER! Plus it makes this awesome clinky sound when I move. I walk around twisting my wrist back and forth to make it clink. Anyway, just excited about that and wanted to send some love Keirsten's way. She has some gorgeous stuff over in her shop (Etsy and Artfire) so go check her out!

Anyway, tonight's Spoonful word is flourish. I'm excited about this word because I've been having trouble thinking of good words. Probably because my brain is fried with packing, moving, unpacking, and organizing thoughts. We're leaving for Nashville and Ohio on Thursday, so there's going to be more packing. Oh boy, oh boy. Just what I want to do. Again. Here are the picks:

Flourish from Ara 133 Photography, Green Flourish Magnetic Display Board from Sentimental Stones, Flourish Medallion Throw Pillow from Asmus Home Interiors, and Ginger Spice Sugarcude Body Scrub from Flourish Bath & Body.

Again with the tree prints. I can't help it. They call to me. This is just beautiful. The little pink flowers are awesome. This shop is a must-see! There are some incredible photographs. So much variety and color. I adore almost all of them. That's rare because usually I find one or two prints in a shop that I like, but this one is awesome. Such an eye for pictures.

I love this little magnet board. Green is one of my favorite colors and the design on the board is so classy and elegant. It would be awesome set up on a plate stand in your kitchen. A cute little place to keep reminders and photos.

I love pillows. I think that's been established. I probably need to branch out, but this is the kind of stuff that catches my eye. That blue is the color of my living room. I can't wait to have all my furniture back so I can decorate! The colors are awesome together and the pattern is noticeable, but not too busy.

Bath products. I'm so predictable. But how yummy do these little bath scrub cubes look?? I could eat them. I had so much trouble deciding which one to use for my Spoonful. The colors are so awesome. There are some unique scents too, so be sure to check it out.

Okey dokey...I need to go to sleep so I can start getting up at a decent hour. TJ is twitching violently in bed beside me. It's hysterical. I don't know how he gets any sleep. I'd wake up every time. I'm going to turn on our new 32" LCD HD TV :) It was our present to ourselves since our other bedroom TV passed on not too long ago. I don't do a TV-less bedroom. I adore it.

Oh and real quick, I learned how to drive a stick shift tonight!! I knew how logically, but I've never been good at the execution part. So tonight we were on our way home from dinner with friends and I said, "Pull over, I want to learn to drive your car." So he did. TJ is a very patient teacher and it didn't take me too long to get the hang of it. I even drove the rest of the way home! I was very proud of myself. I only killed it once :)

Ok, off to bed! Sleep tight!

xoxo