i heart giveaways

A lovely friend and fellow blogger over at Rumsey's Ramblings hosted a giveaway for an array of Boudreaux's products and I actually won! The prize game in a cute little gift bag and I was very excited to see how much stuff came in it.

Sadie's little tush will be rash free for a long time to come thanks to all this butt paste. Thanks Michelle for hosting this giveaway!

Me & the road

There is something so beautiful about the world as you run by it. Catching little glimpses of peoples day as you swiftly pass them by.

Soothing music blaring into your ears as you smile at a dad playing catch with his son in the front yard. Sweat beading up on your forehead and sliding down your back, you can feel the stresses of the day melting away with each drop. Waving to your neighbors as they arrive home from work. Your feet creating that steady beat on the pavement and your heart pounding in your chest. That refreshing feeling and sense of accomplishment.

It's just you and the road. Free to focus on what matters most to you or to clear your mind completely. Something I have been lacking lately and was so happy to rediscover today.

My legs might feel like jello now. And there just may have been a few times when I thought I was going to see my lunch again. BUT I feel incredible now and definitely ran away a lot my stress and negative emotions tonight.

Now I just hope I remember this feeling at 5am when I wake up for work tomorrow...

Meet Greta!

She's pretty right? I sure think so.

A few hours at the dealership and a couple of free t-shirts later and she is all mine :)

She's not all looks either, she's also pretty smart. She is great with directions and doesn't even need a key! Fancy. Well that's really all. Greta just wanted to say hi :)

Absence

Let me point out the obvious, I have not been writing much lately. But I am going to be completely honest with you all in telling you that I have not written for all of your benefit. The thing is, my mind has been completely and utterly occupied with only one repeating thought. The inner workings of my brain have gone a little something like this over the past couple of months:

"baby. baby. baby. i really want a baby. when will it be our time? baby. baby. am i pregnant? my boobs hurt, that must mean i am pregnant. baby. baby. cramps. negative pregnancy test after test. baby. baby. baby. why is this so hard for us? i must be pregnant. these hormones are killing me. i am two weeks late why are all of these tests negative? baby. baby...."

I think that pretty much sums up the loop my mind has been stuck on. And in case any of that was misleading, no I am not pregnant. The whole process has really taken its tole on me as of lately. My optimism takes a beating each month as my hopes rise and fall so rapidly. I am finally feeling all of that stress I had building up and it's just making me so tired.

We are still trying and I am doing my best to just relax and let things happen. It's just hard for me to think of anything else at the moment but I am working on it. Bare with me.

I can read your mind

And I know that you are thinking: "where the heck have you been girl?"

I wish I had an awesome answer for you like "Oh, sorry I couldn't blog but I was on a European vacation" or "I have been just so busy winning the lottery and spending millions that I forgot all about the internet." Unfortunately my reasons are much more simple and boring. Work and my sicky husband have occupied most of my time. And the other small percentage that isn't taken up my those two things is dedicated to household things, like laundry and dishes, or sleep.

I think things might be getting back to "normal" now. A little less work, a little more fun, a lot more blogging :)

BRB

Whew. The past week has been a whirl wind. Christmas cheer was spread, parties were had, family was celebrated, and there was a bit of disappointment sprinkled in there as well. There is so much to share about fancy champagne breakfasts and baskets full of love, but not today. I have been running on empty and today I just need to recover. And by recover I mean eat some chocolate, drink some wine, fold laundry and watch Lifetime Christmas movies.

After a pregnancy false alarm that teased my poor fragile heart and some other issues with my body I just need a little break. I will return after Christmas (which is only a few days away. eek!) with lots of stories and pictures to make up for my absence. I hope everyone has a lovely holiday week and a very Merry Christmas!

Make-up Challeneged

In high school I started attempting to wear make-up. I started with powder (easy enough) and unfortunately thought it was cute to glob on some eye liner under my eyes (it wasn't by the way). Then, some time at the beginning of my freshman year of college, one of my roommates (the one with the drug dealer boyfriend who asked to hide weed in our air vents... a story for another time) showed me how to put on eye shadow. And a short while after that I finally perfected applying a straight line of eye liner to my upper lids.

Still to this day I do my eye shadow only the way she showed me and although I have since discovered mascara and concealer I consider myself challenged in the make-up department. No matter what I try, it always ends up looking the same. Not only do I lack the knowledge of how to apply it properly but I also don't even really know what to buy.

I currently want to punch my mascara because it comes out all clumpy and makes my lashes look like tarantula legs, which is not at all what I am going for. And my lipstick does a disappearing act a short twenty minutes after application. This is where I ask you all for help. Suggestions on which make-up to use (budget friendly, of course!), advice on how to apply said make-up, tips, tricks, anything!

Although I suppose if your tips don't work I could always switch to markers. They seem to work for her:

I think she might be on to something here. Maybe I'll even try the scented ones?

Emmys 2010

The Emmy Awards were last night and while I only made it through the comedy awards before getting bored (which is the first section) I did watch the red carpet event. And let's be honest, that's the best part anyway.

There were so many gorgeous dresses but one caught my eye more than any other. Ms Claire Danes was looking mighty stunning in her shiny strapless gown. If only I had a reason to wear such a gown... and the money to buy it.

Of course the red carpet wasn't all shiny goodness. There were plenty "what was she thinking"s. The worst one being the True Blood beauty Anna Paquin. I wasn't aware that bedazzled football pads were appropriate for award shows? Bleh.

The hunt

Back at the beginning of April I left my job as a nanny of two in order to pursue a "career." I planned on taking a month off to collect myself and recover a bit from the emotional stress I had been under and in the meantime search for a new job. For those of you who are terrible with math, it is now almost five months later and I sit here still searching for a job, forget about a career.

I have a degree in Elementary Education but have been struggling with whether or not that is still the path I want to take. A lot about me has changed since choosing that career path and I am just not sure if it is for me anymore. Not that it would matter since teaching jobs are some of the most difficult to find right now anyway.

So I have been applying for other jobs. Like secretary type stuff. And some teaching jobs at private schools. Front office positions. Anything that doesn't require the phrase "would you like fries with that?" or "our tank tops are two for twenty dollars!" Me and retail don't get along and I would rather not work anywhere that required a hair net and gave me (even more) pimples.

Five months into the job hunt, dozens of resumes sent out, and only two interviews. Awesome. One of those interviews sent me away as soon as I walked in. Not because my appearance frightened them but because they had just filled the position. The second one went wonderfully. But I didn't get it.

Being a SAHW (stay at home wifey) isn't nearly as respectable as being a SAHM. So the hunt continues. And the hunt? It's not so fun.

In the meantime, I will be locked away in my sewing room, pretending like it pays the bills :)

Celebrity Crush

Everyone has one. In fact, most people have more than one. The hubs and I like to tease each other about these crushes. We will find unflattering pictures of the others crush and giggle and make lame jokes when their marital status changes (which happens often). So I thought it would be fun to share our celebrity crushes... enjoy the eye candy!

My Celebrity Crushes

Wentworth Miller ::swoon:: He sure is dreamy isn't he? I first discovered him on Prison Break and it has been a sweet love affair [in my mind] ever since. Try not to drool all over your keyboard ladies! He may have gained a little weight and is rumored to be gay but that's irrelevant.

My girl crush is the lovely Mandy Moore. She is super pretty and always provides me with great hair inspiration! I like her music and most of her movies (How to Deal = combo of bad acting, hair, and wardrobe).

The Hubs Celebrity Crushes

Jennifer Love Hewitt. This crush obviously goes back some time. She may have fallen a bit from her "hot girl" status due to blabbing about break-ups and some unflattering beach pictures but the hubs still adores her. To both their credit she's looking a lot better lately!

Ok, so the hubs didn't actually admit to having a guy crush but it's pretty obvious. Chad Ochocinco. For those of you who don't follow football, he is the Cincinnati Bengals no. 1 wide receiver... and my husband loves him. We all have his jersey (including the dog) and we watch every game and show he appears in (including Dancing with the Stars). He's pretty crazy so it's always entertaining to see what he's going to do next. Plus, he's not too bad on the eyes either ;) (pretty sure that's not why the hubs likes him though)

Chocolate lovers come on in!

I heart chocolate. There really isn't a better way to say that. You can imagine my excitement upon discovering pretzel m&m's. Oh my goodness, if you have not already tried them, please do, they will change your life! (or at the very least they will change your scale but that's beside the point). After finishing off multiple bags the hubs and I decided to temporarily ban them from our house since we apparently cannot control ourselves around them (pretty sure there are traces of crack in them, it's the only way to explain why they're so addictive). I have been doing so well too even though the hubs can't seem to quit them. Then I discovered another chocolatey gem while waiting in line at Joanns today... peanut butter pretzel sandwiches dipped in milk chocolate. The culprits:

Irresistible right? I am trying to save some for the hubs because I know he will love them but they are slowly disappearing... At least I ran today right? I run for my chocolate :)

Wittle Ducks

Lucy's eggs hatched the other morning and I got to watch it through our screen! Pretty neat to see. So meet the little ones:

I took it upon myself to decide that the two with the yellow faces are girls (because they are cute and appear to be wearing eye-liner) and the two with the brown faces are boys. It's my disney-esque situation so I will decide whatever I want, hmph. And yes, I named them even though I can't tell them apart and once they get bigger I will have no idea which ducks they are among the many that live around the lake but again, my backyard, my rules.

And in case you were wondering, I purposely did not include Lucy in this picture. She is a bit on the scary side and I don't want you all to hate her. Plus I am in denial that these adorable wittle ducklings will turn out to be big ugly black ducks with strange red bumps on their faces. Ew.

You're Super!

Remember that little bit in my last post when I mentioned something about workout videos and biking? And how I was going to start doing those things? Well it's possible that instead of doing those workout videos, I sat on the couch watching America's Next Top Model. And that whole biking thing? It may have been replaced with half a box of thin mints and a nice cold glass of milk (hey, at least is was skim right?).... oops.

The hardest part about getting into a workout routine after doing absolutely nothing for almost two months, is getting started. Once I establish a routine I'm good to go but getting to that point is something I always struggle with. So I decided to seek out some inspiration to help get myself on track. Who do you go to for inspiration regarding any kind of workout?

Duh, who else?

See he even thinks I'm super, he's already inspiring me! I mean if that face right there doesn't make you want to jump up from the couch and pop in that workout video than I don't know what will.

Hopefully Richard here will get me on the right course to my new workout regimen. Starting today, of course. I will leave you all with an encouraging quote from Mr. Simmons himself:

"I've been going to shopping malls since I was on General Hospital"

oh wait, wrong quote (he just has so many insightful ones).

let me try again:

"Energy is that amazing feeling that comes to life inside of you when you're happy and believe in yourself"

Dear Aunt Flo,

Your arrival is much anticipated in our household right now, although I see no sign of your visit happening any time soon. I realize we do not have the best relationship and I am typically not too thrilled to see you but I promise you this time I will jump with joy. Hope to be graced with your presence soon.

Sincerely,

Your extremely impatient friend