Keepin' it real

A Poll of Sorts:

2012-02-10T09:08:00.000-08:00

A few burning questions I have in regards to the wedding. Wanna help me out a bit, Internet?

-To register or not to register? On one hand I don't want to register because I don't want people to feel like they have to bring gifts. Really, they don't. What's most important is they come and enjoy themselves. On the other hand - I know how most people are - they wouldn't NOT bring a gift - and would it make it easier for them if we register? I think buying presents for a second wedding is tough because most people who are a bit older have all the housewares, etc. that they need. What do you think, Internet?

-Have the Bride and Groom pictures taken the day of the wedding or a week ahead of time? On one hand I would like to get them taken about a week before hand - BUT that would mean that Bob would see me in my dress before the wedding. Also, what if I get the dress dirty? Or Bob gets his suit dirty? I don't want to have to worry about dry cleaning BEFORE the wedding. On the other hand - it's kind of a pain in the ass to schedule everything just right and make the pictures work on the wedding day, don't ya think? I mean, we're going to have about 2 and a half hours between the ceremony and the reception but I was thinking I could use that time to make sure everything is set up "just so" for the reception. What do you think, Internet?

-What part should I have Jeffery play in the wedding? I definitely want him to dress up like the rest of the guys (Bob, Carter and my Dad) - because we'll be doing family pictures... But I'm not sure what part to have in play in wedding. Definitely something - I don't want to leave him out because he's an important part of my family. I was thinking he could help seat people - but the ceremony will be pretty informal so I'm not sure that will be necessary......I guess I could have him stand at the sign in book? Is that pointless? Any ideas, Internet?

And I guess those are all of my burning questions. I'd love your input and advice!

Oh, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend! We're laying tile in the bathroom - woohoo!!

{amanda}

Tuesday Conversation

2012-02-07T09:32:00.000-08:00

I picked out my dress on Saturday.
It was the second one I tried on.
I L.O.V.E. it.
There are NO sequins, NO rhinestones, NO bits of lace or flowers.
It's just simple and pretty and EXACTLY what I was looking for.
I chose ivory. It's such a pretty color.
A bit over budget - but totally worth it.
It will take about four months to get here.
Once it's here we'll alter it a bit - we're removing the train.
I don't want a train.
It's in a smaller size than I thought it would be.
Woohoo!
Maybe by the time it gets here we'll have to alter that size down a bit, too.
Wouldn't hurt my feelings. Not one bit.
In other news - the bathroom reno is starting this Friday.
Hello, {almost} new and improved bathroom!
Demo is on Friday, tile goes in on Saturday.
Paint will be bought on Saturday and we'll get started painting later next week (after all the grout, etc. is done).
Hello shopping for a shower curtain and two more old wood boxes.
This past week I gained .4 pounds.
Less than half a pound.....but, still.
Gaining is gaining and that's not good.
The super bowl party we attended probably didn't help my efforts.
My lack of exercise didn't help either.
Last week was a busy, busy week. Honestly, there were several days when I absolutely could not squeeze it in.
But this week will be better, I just know it!
Well, Internet - back to work for me.
I hope you're having a wonderful Tuesday.

{amanda}

Observations:

2012-01-31T09:20:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been spending quite a bit of time at the thrift stores in search of jars and vases and pretty dishes for my reception.....and I am continually amazed by the crap people buy. I mean, sure, they probably think I'm buying crap, too. But at least my crap isn't a ballerina elephant figurine.
Just sayin'.
I have recently observed (as of last night) that I have a bit of a neck waddle.
I just hope it doesn't swing back and forth when I move my head.
This whole work thing is really getting in the way of all of my crafty endeavors. How's a girl supposed to get all her stuff done AND make a quilt when she has to spend 6 hours a day at work?
Ok, that was a little out of line. I guess I should just be happy that I only work 6 hours a day.
Speaking of my quilt - at this point it looks like a 5 year old's first sewing project. NONE of the seams match up. But the fabric is pretty. Does that count for anything? Thank goodness this project is just for me - it'll be like a memory of my first quilting project. Something I can compare future projects to and see how far I've progressed.
Yea, that's it. That was my plan all along!
Ya know, I really don't like making crappy projects. It pretty much KILLS me when I can't immediately succeed at something. It's this little problem I have. Ask Bob. Poor guy has to listen to a helluva lot of whining.
Last night Bob and I went out on a date. We ate Olive Garden and then went and saw The Grey. It was good. Not great - but definitely good.
I love that Bob still opens car doors for me. It's very sweet - especially on a date night!
I am SUPER excited for Saturday's wedding dress appointment. I hope I find a dress I love.
I am also super excited to get together with the Linsenmann's to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday. We haven't spent much time with them lately - and I really miss them!!
And, that's it, I guess.

{amanda}

The Big Two Five.

2012-01-31T08:54:00.000-08:00

As of yesterday evening I have officially lost Twenty Five pounds. This past week I lost 1.8 pounds and that put me past the 25 pound mark.

Woohoo! GO ME!

25 down - 10 to go.

Or maybe 15 to go.

Not sure on that one, yet.

-As of right now I'm fitting into a size of pants that I haven't worn since high school. And their baggy!

-As of right now I feel awesome - it's amazing how much better you feel physically when you lose weight, you know? I mean sure, I definitely feel mentally better - excited, motivated, proud - but the physical feeling is what I really notice. It's just nice to be lighter. Easier on the knees, the joints, everything!

-As of right now I'm completely motivated to lose the last of this extra weight and then maintain my goal weight.

-As of right now I'm as happy as I've ever been. Happy with myself. Happy in my relationship. Happy with life in general.

Happy Tuesday, Internet. I hope you're having an awesome day!

{amanda}

Friday Conversation

2012-01-27T09:40:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday, Internet.
Today I am feeling bloated and just.....yucky.
I'm wearing my biggest, baggiest sweatshirt for added comfort.
So I look bloated, too.
I wish I could go home and do.....something.
Not sure what - but something.
Anything but work.
I scheduled my official "wedding dress appointment" for next Saturday. Hopefully I'll find something perfect!
I invited Bonnie, Laura and Lupe to go with me.
I know I can trust all three of them to give me honest opinions!
I'm leaning towards ivory or a really light blush color for my dress.
I'm kind of an albino so I think stark white might not be the right color for me.
Plus, as you know, I've been married before.
I don't think you're supposed to wear white if you've been married before.
Isn't that a rule or something?
Today I'm doing a little housing cleaning on my blog list. I have a ton of my list that I never read - so I'm deleting, deleting, deleting.
This way I can stay caught up with my favorites.
My Mom's Birthday was yesterday.
I hope she had a great day.
Actually, I talked to her. I think she did.
Bob and I sent her a box full of Mary Kay goodies.
It's always fun to get something girly for your birthday, right?
Tomorrow morning Lupe and I are going thrift store shopping.
I've been picking up tons of fun stuff for the wedding.
We usually meet up at Starbucks for coffee and then head to the thrift shops.
It's always a fun way to start a weekend.
I'm also planning tons of craftiness.
Some scrappy projects for ETM.....
Some paper flowers for the wedding....
Possibly finishing up my FIRST quilt......
and maybe I'll make some scrappy stuff just for me, too.
How about you, Internet?
Any fun plans for the weekend?
Whatever you decide to do - I hope you have an awesome weekend!

{amanda}

Some Pins For Your Wednesday:

2012-01-25T08:52:00.000-08:00

Before I start on my Wednesday Pinning I'll give ya a little Weight Watchers update. This week I gained .2 pounds. What the hell? I know that gaining only .2 is basically just staying the same - which I guess is better than gaining 2.2 or something. But, still. Last week I worked hard. Exercised a lot. Stayed away from processed foods and focused on eating less. And it didn't really work. I think the salty pretzels I ate on Sunday evening had a little something to do with it. Sunday morning when I weighed in all was well - I was down a teensy bit - Monday morning? Not so much. Damn those pretzels! See how I screwed myself over, internet? Note to self - no salty foods late at night. Especially the night before a weigh in.

Ahem.

Moving on.....

How about some lovely links?

Home Decor:

I really like this photo wall via Cup of Jo. Her bedroom redo was awesome. I especially love the cute mirror down low on the wall by the dresser.

Source: joannagoddard.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

And look at this pretty brick wall. I wish I had a brick wall somewhere in my house.

Source: weheartit.com via Amanda on Pinterest

And check out this floor:

Source: google.ca via Amanda on Pinterest

And these rugs:

Source: houzz.com via Amanda on Pinterest

And these lamps:

Source: vivaterra.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Food:

Doesn't this look yummy?

Source: skinnytaste.com via Amanda on Pinterest

And this: {i love pecan pie}

Source: justataste.com via Amanda on Pinterest

And this salad? mmmmm

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Amanda on Pinterest

And how about this drink? I think it would be SUPER good for my reception.

Source: dessertedplanet.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Bathroom Plans:
(we're remodeling next month and I'm super excited. think dark greyish brownish tile floors, light gray walls with white trim, a white pedestal sink and a framed mirror - we're thinking dark rustic brown for the frame. i really want to mix some modern grays with some rustic(ish) brown wood decor for a fun, clean and modern look. i promise i'll snap some before and after pictures to share when we're all done.)

First off, since we're going with a pedestal sink I wanted to create some sort of storage solution above the, uh, you know. Toilet. I didn't want a cupboard. Or one of those toilet shelf thingies. I wanted something COOL. This weekend I'm shopping for some vintage crates and we will be installing them like this:

Source: abeautifulmess.typepad.com via Amanda on Pinterest

(ignore the pallet below - we aren't doing that part. Also, we'll be storing hand towels in the boxes, not full size ones - I think I want to go with more shallow boxes. I'm thinking one box with hand towels rolled up, one box with jars for q-tips and cotton balls and soap, one box that will have a basket of toilet paper and one box for something cute. not sure what yet. we'll attach the boxes directly to the wall. LOVE this idea. It'll be exactly the modern/rustic look that we're going for.)

I'd love to get one of these shower curtains:

Source: westelm.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Really cute, right? If I get the first one (with the bamboo along the bottom) I could get a funky rug like this:

Source: westelm.com via Amanda on Pinterest

This dark gray one looks pretty awesome, too:

Source: westelm.com via Amanda on Pinterest

And how cute are these jars?

Source: westelm.com via Amanda on Pinterest

And these! These would be perfect as the "something cute" for the extra box that I don't know what to do with!

Source: westelm.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Well, that's all I've got for today, Internet. I hope you're having a great Wednesday!

{amanda}

The Big Day {The Venue}

2012-01-23T09:10:00.000-08:00

Picking the venue was absolutely the most stressful part of my wedding planning adventure thus far.

First off, most places are really expensive. Second, you are on a limited amount of time if you go to an event center. Third, a LOT of them are cheesy. Think white curtain walls. Ugh. I know, I'm rude. Hey! I just call 'em as I see 'em here, people. Another problem for us was finding a venue that allows alcohol. Not that we want our wedding to turn into a raging party or anything - but we would like to have wine and beer to enjoy with our friends and family.

There were also some definite pros when it came to renting an event center - they set up and clean up. Bonus! A lot of them provide linens, etc. Another bonus! They can also do all the decorations (not sure if that's a bonus or not - I'm pretty picky, you know).

BUT. I'm not sure if the extra expense was worth so few benefits.

Also, most of the venues (that actually did allow alcohol) were booked for our date. And here I thought I was starting early! Ha!

SO.

We are really taking it DIY.

Our ceremony will be held at a local park at 4pm on August 11th. We haven't picked where just yet - but we plan to narrow it down within the next month. There are some really pretty parks in Idaho Falls - some right next to the river. So we're thinking white chairs with an isle down the middle. Flowers at the end of the isle of either side....and that's pretty much it. Simple. Pretty. Not too much fuss - which is exactly what we want.

As for the reception? We're taking the money we would have spent on renting an Event Center and we're landscaping our back yard and building a deck. We have a really large back yard so it'll work out perfectly! We're going to rent a big white tent and string lights and set up round tables with pretty linens. The reception will start at 7pm and go until....whenever (another bonus of having it at home). We can have all the wine and beer we want. We can clean up on Sunday. There will be a place for the kids to play (or even go inside and watch a movie). The benefits just keep on piling up.

Landscaping the back yard has been on our "to-do" list for a while - so this will be a great two for one bonus. I think it's much easier to fork out a couple grand if we're actually going to get to enjoy the fruits of our labor (and all that money) for more than one day.

So, that's the plan. We're both super excited about it, and, I have to say, this seems like the option that is the most "us" - if that makes sense.

{amanda}

Friday Conversation

2012-01-20T09:06:00.000-08:00

This morning I found myself singing along with a Brittney Spears song.
I think there might be something wrong with me.
It's January 20th and we have NO snow in Idaho Falls.
No snow.
No snow!
How is this possible?
If winter just gets started in February and lasts as long as it usually does I'm going to be pissed.
I'm sure Mother Nature and Old Man Winter really give a shit about my pissed-off-ness.
Dontcha think?
Do you ever have someone you know (and really don't like) call or text you and - BAM - instantly your blood pressure goes up?
Just wondering.
Sometimes I have that problem. I hear from someone like that and I can just feel my heart start beating faster.
My hands get shaky.
I'm instantly pissed off.
I really hate that feeling.
Ahem.
Taking a deep breath over here.
Have you checked out Heather Armstrong's blog lately?
Tough stuff, over there.
I'm definitely keeping her in my thoughts.
Maybe you could, too.
Thank God it's Friday. This week has been insane at work.
It'll be good to have a weekend at home.
We've got lots of fun plans.
Thrifting.
Lunch with friends.
A possible road trip.
Fun, fun!
Have a great weekend, Internet!
I hope you do something fun!

{amanda}

The Big Day {The Photographer}

2012-01-17T08:35:00.000-08:00

So, I thought I'd break up all of the fun (and potentially boring - to you) wedding posts into categories. Today's category is:

The Photographer

This was an important decision for me. Maybe not so much for Bob. He just wants pictures. I want beautiful images that will stand the test of time and bring back memories of our wedding day. It was also important to me to find a photographer that was willing to provide a disc of high resolution images so that I could print them myself. Having done photography myself (on a much lower, less professional scale) I know that a lot of profit for a photographer comes in the form of print, canvas and book orders. And while I want my photographer to make a profit - well, I also don't want to spend a ton of cash on something that I could order myself.

Cheap?

Why, yes. I am cheap. Why do you ask?

Anyway. Here's what I was looking for in a photographer:

Someone who can take beautiful images.
Someone who is nice to talk to and makes me feel comfortable.
Someone who is reasonably priced and willing to provide a disc of high res images.
Someone who is willing to tailor a package to fit my needs.

While at the Bridal Fair a few weeks ago I met Michelle Heaps. She had a super cute booth (which I know has nothing to do with photography) and lots of great photos on display. She was also really nice. Check, check. When I checked out her prices I was excited to see that she was very reasonable and that she had some packages that just included her time and the disc - no prints, no books, no anything else. Score!

After lots of online research into pricing, image quality, etc. Bob and I decided that Michelle was our best bet. When I spoke with her on the phone she customized one of her packages just for us (which got us into a less expensive package - bonus!). Needless to say I'm excited to have her photograph our big day. We're planning to have her do pre-wedding pictures for us as well. Bob and I will meet her at an undetermined (as of yet) location about a week before the ceremony and she'll take our bride and groom photos - which will take so much stress out of our wedding day - and will also allow us to control the location and lighting.

If you're looking for someone to snap your pictures you should check her out. Actually, you should check her out anyway - just to let me know what you think!

Michelle Heaps Website

Michelle Heaps Blog

Michelle Heaps on Facebook

So, there you have it - we've picked a photographer! One thing down a million and one to go!

{amanda}

P.S. This past week I lost 5.2 pounds! Holy Moly, Hallelujah! After last weeks crappy weigh in I took a little advice from my Weight Watchers leader and decided to steer clear of most processed snacks. No more Fiber One brownies or Weight Watchers sweets. No more low cal. ice cream and baked chips. I stuck with healthy snacks - like yogurt and fruit smoothies and fruits and veggies. Obviously it made a huge difference. This makes my total 24.6. Woohoo!!

Pushing the Season.

2012-01-15T15:41:00.000-08:00

Err - holiday.

Whatever.

I have officially put up our Valentine's decorations. It was too boring without some sort of holiday decor in the dining room - so I spruced things up a bit.

Now love is in the air!

{amanda}

A Conversation With The Internet {In Bullet Points}

2012-01-13T08:45:00.001-08:00

I think I might be the valedictorian of keeping up with my blog, huh?
Way to keep your goals up, Amanda.
We're only 13 days in.
What can I say? I excel at everything I do.
{Insert sarcasm here}
Speaking of 13 days, did you notice that today is Friday the 13th?
I'm not worried about it or anything. Just thought I'd let ya know.
So, we're making a little head way in the wedding planning department. Kind of. I think I'm having some sticker shock. Everything is SO expensive. It's hard to justify spending a ton of money for just one afternoon.
But, then again, you only get married once.
Er, twice.
Ahem.
Anyway.
I really do plan to do a wedding post here soon.
I'm sure you're waiting with baited breath.
We've narrowed down the venue (I think).
And the photographer (I think).
Those are the two most important things as far as getting our date set. Once that is officially done I think I'll relax and actually have a little fun with the planning.
We picked August 11th, by the way. Have I told you that already?
August 11th will be the 2 year anniversary of our first date. It just so happens to fall on a Saturday this year - so we figured it would be the perfect day to get married.
Anyway.
This weekend is a three day weekend.
Yahoo!
I'm kind of getting used to this whole three day weekend thing.
Pretty sure we should all go to a four day work week.
I'm much more productive with home projects on that third day. Think my boss cares?
Probably not.
I'm going thrift store shopping with Lupe tomorrow. I'm pretty excited to start looking for some cool wedding decor. Old books. Pretty plates. Mason jars. Pretty bowls and dishes.
Plus we're going for coffee. I'm always up for some coffee.
I'm also planning to finish up some scrapbook projects, sew some more on my quilt and practice some photography with Carter. Oh, and clean. And maybe bake something that I can stare at but not eat.
Monday Bob is home and so we're going to all three go and do something fun.
Not sure what. But it'll be fun.
What are you doing this weekend, Internet?
I hope it's something fun!

{amanda}

P.S. Weight Watchers did not go so well this week. I gained two pounds and I'm pretty pissed off about it. Last week was the week where I doubled my exercise efforts and really focused on the plan. Apparently that wasn't a good plan? I'm hoping this week will be much better. I'm still doing double the exercise and am now focusing on no processed foods (and, of course, focusing on the plan). Lets hope it makes a difference.

Some Pins For Your Sunday.

2012-01-06T08:57:00.001-08:00

Remember how I said "hello to being a better blogger" earlier this week?

Yea. That's really working out well, isn't it?

I've been trying. I've even opened up a new post every day this week - but then I couldn't find the time to actually type anything in.

Things are busy around here, people. Good busy.

Anyway, I thought I'd share a few pins today - I've been finding lots of fun inspiration online lately and it's been forever since I shared - so, here goes!

Home Decor:

I love this couch (minus so many pillows) - it has fairly clean lines and still looks pretty comfy -

Source: workingwomansguidetodomesticsuccess.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

LOVE the beams in this bedroom. And the tone on tone color -

Source: achicaliving.com via Amanda on Pinterest

This is a cool idea - if I had a bigger house with an unused corner I'd totally try something like this -

Source: ohhhmhhh.de via Amanda on Pinterest

Also, I want this bath tub -

Source: havealittlefaithinme.tumblr.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Wedding Stuff:

{speaking of wedding stuff - I'm just now starting to plan the wedding and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed and undecided. expect a post all about this on Monday. i think I need your advice, internet}

This is a fun little DIY favor -

Source: stylemepretty.com via Amanda on Pinterest

These flowers are pretty -

Source: reformedsororitygirl.tumblr.com via Amanda on Pinterest

And so are these -

Source: weddings.theknot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

I will definitely have something like this mixed in with my centerpieces. So pretty - and cheap - and easy -

Source: weddinggawker.com via Amanda on Pinterest

I also think this is a super cute idea for a "guest book"

Source: marthastewartweddings.com via Amanda on Pinterest

DIY & Craftiness:

Ashley Ann did a super cute bathroom update - love the suitcase cupboard -

Source: ashleyannphotography.com via Amanda on Pinterest

This is pretty awesome -

Source: google.com via Amanda on Pinterest

I think these are really pretty -

Source: factorydirectcraft.com via Amanda on Pinterest

And how cute is this -

Source: sjarmerende-gjenbruk.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

This would make a super cute gift for a Mom or a girlfriend -

Source: delightfully-tacky.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Food:

I L.O.V.E. Texas Roadhouse rolls - don't these look yummy?

Source: eatcakefordinner.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

This makes me hungry. It also makes me wish I weren't on a diet (for the rest of my life!) -

Source: lisaiscooking.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

I'd like to try this out - maybe for a Super Bowl party?

Source: tastykitchen.com via Amanda on Pinterest

And maybe this, too -

Source: the-girl-who-ate-everything.com via Amanda on Pinterest

I'd love to learn this icing technique before my wedding - wouldn't those be cute on my dessert bar?

Source: iambaker.net via Amanda on Pinterest

Happy Pinning, everyone. Like I said before, if you need a Pinterest invite just let me know - I have a few that I could use up!

{amanda}

Hello 2012!

2012-01-03T09:30:00.000-08:00

-Hello to Weight Watchers and hitting my goal weight this year!

-Hello to wedding planning! (lots and lots of wedding planning)

-Hello to re-doing the guest bathroom and master bedroom of our house.

-Hello to blogging more. {maybe}

-Hello to exercising 5 days a week!

-Hello to trying new healthy recipes!

-Hello to lots of new sewing projects!

-Hello to more scrapbooking projects than last year.

-Hello to brushing up my photography skills and giving semi-professional photography another go.

HELLO 2012! I'm super excited that you're here!

I'm really looking forward to 2012, people. Good things are going to happen in 2012.

I'm going to become Mrs. Fair in 2012!

WOOHOO!!!

How about you? Are you excited for the new year? Are you setting lots of new goals?

{amanda}

P.S. I lost 1.2 pounds these past two weeks. Weight Watchers was closed last week and so I didn't weigh in. It was a little rough with Christmas and New Years thrown in there - so I'm happy with my 1.2 loss. This week I'm really focusing on exercising more and hopefully it'll pay off at next week's weigh-in. Wish me luck!

Woohoo!

2011-12-20T08:40:00.000-08:00

As of yesterday I have lost 20 pounds!

Hooray for weight watchers! Hooray for chicken and salad and tomato soup and brown rice and fiber one brownies. Hooray for feeling better - and feeling better about myself. Hooray for exercising (after it's done, of course) and hooray for will power.

I'm excited that I met this goal before Christmas - as of right now I would like to lose another 13 pounds and then we'll see where I'm at. The more I've lost the harder it's gotten - so I'm pretty sure these last 13 will be tough - but I'm also pretty sure I'm up to the challenge!

{amanda}

Busy, Busy

2011-12-19T10:55:00.000-08:00

So, things have been pretty busy at our house. Lots of Christmas activities, shopping, baking and wrapping.

Yesterday was the big baking day - I baked from 7am until about 2pm and then spent the rest of the afternoon wrapping the treat plates up. I was exhausted by the end of the day - but happy to have it done. I'm excited to start handing them out tonight!

We've been doing a different activity every day this month (the advent calendar tells us what to do). We've gone to a Christmas movie, made treats and cookies, watched Christmas movies at home and read Christmas stories with hot chocolate next to the Christmas tree. We went to see Santa, went to the tree-lighting in downtown Idaho Falls and we also went to the Old Fashioned Christmas display at the museum (it's free - if you live in IF you should check it out). Other things we've done this month - made cards, made ornaments, wrote Santa a letter, received an email from Santa (via portablenorthpole - it is AWESOME!), bought gifts for an elderly person via the Angel Tree program, went on a sleigh ride, shopped, shopped and shopped some more. I know we've done some other stuff too - but I can't think of it right now. Good thing I've saved all the little notes in the calendar so that I can document it all later, right? Today's activity is to deliver neighbor gifts - should be fun. Later this week we're making cookies for santa, putting together a gingerbread house, wrapping presents (Carter will wrap his Dad's), going to look at Christmas lights, opening one present on Christmas Eve and watching a Christmas movie. Jeffery is staying the night at our house on Christmas Eve and I'm sure excited for that, too. It's going to be an awesome Christmas for our little family.

So, what have you been up to this Christmas Season, Internet? Anything fun? I sure hope so!

{amanda}

It's Christmas At My House!

2011-12-08T10:40:00.000-08:00

How about yours? Are you all ready?

I'm ready in the decorating department - but that's about it. All of a sudden we only have two weekends left until Christmas and all of a sudden I feel as though I have A LOT of shopping to finish up. And here I thought I'd be ready early.

Anyway.

I thought I'd share some pictures from around my house this past weekend - there are lots of little bits of Christmas sprinkled throughout the house. These pictures aren't too great - but that's OK, right?

When it comes to Christmas I'm a traditional girl. I like the red and green. I like hanging up the ornaments that Jeffery and Carter have made. I like putting up decorations that were in my home as a child and I especially like adding to my collection a little each year.

Here's the tree.

And the mantle. I hung up some candy canes....got the idea from Pinterest.

Here is our new addition this year - a pretty 2011 Hallmark ornament. That's going to be a tradition for us - a new Hallmark ornament every year.

I also bought this cool wooden star. It was only, like, two bucks. How could I pass that up?

This is the Advent Calendar that I made for Carter (well, all of us, really). Each day Carter gets to open a drawer and find out what Christmas Activity that we'll be doing each day. He loves it.

Here are a few other little Christmas bits from around the living room.

I love the Christmas display in the dining room. The green tree is something that Bob's mother gave him a long, long time ago. The Santa on the rocking horse is something my Mom put out in our house every year (thanks for passing it on to me, Mom)...and the banner, of course, was made by me. Fast and easy for this holiday.

Santa is hung by the door.

And he also hangs out in the kitchen with a fishing pole. (Bob's contribution to Christmas)

There are lots of other little odds and ends around the house, too. As a matter of fact, Carter has his very own tree (completely decorated by him) in his bedroom. He loves it.

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, my Internet friends. Posting will be light around here as I'm going to be enjoying the season and focusing on family.

{amanda}

P.S. I lost another .6 pounds this week at Weight Watchers. Not really what I was hoping for, but oh well. I'm at an even 17 pounds and I'm hoping for another 2 pounds gone this week!

More of the Same

2011-11-29T12:59:00.000-08:00

More Family Pictures! I'm getting them all developed today (there are a ton more) so that I can decide what ones to send in Christmas cards and what ones to print for the house.

In other news, yesterday was weigh in day at Weight Watchers and I lost another 1.6 pounds - thats a total of 16.4 in 8 weeks - woohoo! I'm so proud of myself for losing and not gaining over Thanksgiving break.

{amanda}

Family Pictures!

2011-11-28T14:22:00.000-08:00

Jessica dropped off my family picture CD and I am so happy with the results! Here are a few:

Thanks so much for doing such a great job, Jessica!!

{amanda}

P.S. Obviously I've made a bad outfit choice - the sweater got a bit wrinkly and didn't look to flattering - but I'm trying to be OK with it.

A Very Merry Christmas

2011-11-28T09:10:00.000-08:00

So, this Christmas I have big plans. Big, HUGE plans. Plans to keep things simple and low stress. And fun.

Like most people, when I think of Christmas I think of STRESS. The money, the hard work, all the time.....most of us don't think about the fun and the opportunities to give and the simple moments that can be shared with family and friends.

But this year? This year that's the stuff I'm thinkin' about. Here's my approach.

First off, I ditched the whole "December Daily" idea. I love the idea - I'd love to do it - but I just don't want something added to my "to-do" list right now.

Second, no home made Christmas cards. That's right, people. I've made home made Christmas cards for years and this year I bought a box of cute Hallmark cards and those are what are getting mailed out.

Third, no home made gifts. Besides the goodie plates I'm making, that is. There will be no Christmas craftiness at my house this year.

Fourth, no fancy gift wrapping. I'm not worrying about whether or not all the gift wrap coordinates. I'm not worrying about tying everything up with yarn and putting an ornament on top. Nope. It's going to be store bought bows and fun, festive, non-matching wrapping paper at my house this year.

Fifth, I'm going to be done shopping EARLY. As of now we are about 75% done. I just have to get a couple more things for Carter, a couple more things for Jeffery and then I need to buy for Bob. And that's it.

Sixth, all wrapping will be DONE by December 20th. No exceptions. I do not want to spend Christmas Eve frantically wrapping presents.

In looking at this list I can see all the time I'm freeing up. Sure, it might not be as fun to give out goodie plates as it is to give out a super crafty, pretty gift. But it's still something home made and something that I put a little bit of thought and time into and I'm sure all of the people who receive the goodie plates will appreciate that. I know I do when I receive goodie plates. And sure, the gifts under my tree won't coordinate and look perfect.

But you know what? That's ok. No one really cares about all that silly stuff but me. And it's about time I started letting some of those obligations that I put upon myself go. I think we all should, really.

So, the question is - What am I going to do with all this extra time? Well, first and foremost, I'm spending it with my family. We're going to hang out. Sit by the fire and enjoy some hot chocolate and Christmas lights.

Also, I finished up Carter's Advent Calendar and instead of just giving him a piece of candy every day we're going to do an activity as a family. Some days will be low key - we'll just read a Christmas story by the Christmas tree - and some days we'll go and do fun stuff - go to the movies, go buy something to donate to Toys for Tots, go watch the tree-lighting in downtown Idaho Falls. Doesn't that sound like fun? And like what Christmas should be? I think so.

So that's the plan, people. This Christmas is going to be Very Merry. This Christmas is going to be fun. This Christmas is going to be the start of lots of fun and simple traditions.

How about you, Internet? Do you have any big plans for this Holiday Season?

{amanda}

P.S. My house is all decorated for Christmas - woohoo! I'll try to post pictures later this week!

Wedding Inspiration

2011-11-22T13:00:00.000-08:00

First off, a quick weight watchers update - this past week I lost 3.8 pounds!! Woohoo! That's a total of 14.8 pounds in 7 weeks. I'm really hoping I can keep up the good work and hit the 20 pound mark before Christmas. Wouldn't that be awesome?!

Today I've been spending some time over at the Style Me Pretty blog and I've found some amazing inspiration. Even though our wedding is quite a few months away I'm excited to start planning and squirreling away fun things to use as wedding decor. I'm doing all the decorating myself and so I'll definitely be doing lots of planning and thrift store shopping, too!

As of right now the plan is for an outside, evening wedding with lots of twinkle lights hanging from trees and lots of candle light. We're spending our money on a catered dinner, an open bar and a really great photographer. And, of course, I'll be spending my own money on the dress. Otherwise I'm going to DIY everything - doesn't that sound like fun?!

One of the biggest things I'm stressing about is the dress. I want something pretty but not too fancy. Something that's age appropriate - not too young looking - but not too "old lady" either. I'd love something simple with some sort of sleeve or strap or lacy thing in the shoulder area - my arms are terrible and I don't really want to show them off a ton. Anyway. I browsed around Style Me Pretty and put together this mood board:

Notice how they are ALL sleeveless. Strapless. Whatever. Do they even make dressing for people with fat upper arms? I know that I have lots of time to tone up - but I just don't see myself with toned and skinny arms come this summer. Or ever. That ship has sailed, people.

Anyway.

I also REALLY love this one. We're going to more of a casual, intimate wedding - no bridesmaids, no wedding line, just us. I think something like this would be really fun and pretty - and a little different from the norm.

Source: dollycouture.com via Amanda on Pinterest

I love that it has the pink band around the waist - and I love that it has the lace on the shoulders and that its a bit old fashioned. Also, I love the length. Perfect for a not-so-formal wedding. I would say the dress above is the favorite that I've seen online so far. LOVE IT!

I also really like these JCrew dresses (the two on the left are my favorites)- and some of them are priced fairly reasonably - which I find surprising.

Now - for the flowers and the colors. I'm thinking lots of cream on white and light pink with a little bit of darker pink thrown in for good measure. I'd like a little green - but only in the form of flower stems and greenery, etc. No green fabric or balloons. :o)

This is what I'm thinking for flowers and colors.

Pretty, right?

I'm also planning to make my own desserts - we'll have a variety with a small cake for Bob and I to cut. No big cake - just a bunch of small yummy treats for everyone to enjoy. I'm excited to plan this out too. Check out all these cute dessert buffets:

The Internet has so many great places for inspiration and DIY ideas - I'm super excited to start planning and buying and making stuff for our wedding. After Christmas it's Game On with the wedding planning.

So, what are your thoughts? What dresses do you like? What did you love about your wedding? I'd love your input and advice!

{amanda}

P.S. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving full of family and friends. And turkey. :o)

Monday Bullet Points:

2011-11-21T08:48:00.000-08:00

It's snowing this morning. And it's making me feel all Christmasy.
All of my Thanksgiving shopping is complete. Woohoo!!
Got ALL of my cleaning done this past weekend and its so nice.
All Moments projects are done as well. Yesterday I was pretty productive!
Still don't have my Christmas cards or Advent Calendar started. Hopefully I can get started on those tomorrow night.
Took the Linsenmann family pictures yesterday. It was FREEZING and they were mostly in short sleeves. CRAZY! Gotta edit those tonight so I can check that off my list before Thanksgiving.
Did some Christmas shopping on Saturday. Somehow I just ended up buying decorations and no presents.
Amanda! Focus on present buying - you'll never be ready for Christmas otherwise!
I bought the Michael Buble Christmas CD over the weekend and I really love it. It's making me feel all Christmasy too.
We're having friends over for Thanksgiving this year - let's all say a little prayer that I don't burn the turkey, OK?
I'm having tons of fun browsing through all of the wedding inspiration on Pinterest. I'm planning a link post tomorrow.
Have I mentioned that I'm REALLY excited to plan my wedding?
Carter's pretty excited for the wedding, too. He thinks its super cool that he gets to hold the rings.
Also, he's excited to get to have another Mom. Which is very sweet - and I'm really excited to get to be his "another" Mom. He and I talked about how lucky he is to get to have two Moms. We're both pretty lucky, actually.
He's also excited to have lots more Grandmas and Grandpas and a big brother named Jeffery.
He definitely thinks Jeffery is the coolest.
Today is weight watchers. Wish me luck!
Somehow my average went from almost two pounds a week to way, way less than almost two pounds a week. Guess that's what happens when you gain weight one week.
This week I'm back on track.
Hopefully I can survive the Thanksgiving feast with no additional rolls or jiggles.

And....that's all I've got. Happy Monday, Internet!

{amanda}

One hand or The Other.

2011-11-17T08:45:00.000-08:00

Is it just me or are the holidays coming up too fast? While I'll admit I'm excited for the holidays this year I'll also admit that I'm not ready at all.

At. All.

On one hand I'm really excited for Thanksgiving (hello - four days off work in a row!!) but on the other hand I'm feeling a teensy bit stressed about it because I haven't done any Thanksgiving shopping - AT ALL. Tomorrow Walmart and I have a date. I have a feeling it's not going to be fun. Not only am I shopping for Thanksgiving, I'm also shopping for our regular groceries. I see two shopping carts in my future. Ugh! I'm also worried about how this will effect my diet. I do have a game plan, though. I'm not going to deprive myself of my favorites - but I am going to eat a filling breakfast on Thanksgiving morning and I'm also going to go for tiny portions of the most fattening things in the Thanksgiving buffet. I'm also planning to make low-fat versions of a few of my most favorite things. YUM!

On one hand I'm also excited to have guests over for Thanksgiving - but on the other hand I'm not too excited for all the cleaning and making the house look perfect that goes along with having holiday guests. Also, do I make place cards? That would be cute - but what if people don't want to sit where I put them? See? I'm making things harder than they need to be. It's kind of my thing.

On one hand I'm really looking forward to decorating the house for Christmas (as a matter of fact, I was considering doing it before Thanksgiving) but on the other hand I'm dreading (and putting off) checking the basement to figure out what I will need to buy to decorate the outside of the house like I want to.

On one hand I'm excited to make a bunch of Christmas decorations for the house but on the other hand I'm wondering when I'll find the time to do all the actual making. I have a few projects that need to get done within the next week or so (Christmas cards, advent calendar, yarn and felt wreath and a holiday bunting for the dining room) and I'm feeling quite stressed about getting them done before I put up all of my decorations.

On one hand I'm excited to make a bunch of neighbor and friend gifts but on the other hand I can't quite seem to narrow down what I want to make. It's kind of hard to shop and plan if I don't know what the heck I'm doing!

On one hand I'm really excited for a cozy Christmas with my sweet little family but on the other hand I'm feeling stressed about getting everything done early so that I can actually enjoy the coziness. Shopping, crafting, baking, wrapping, mailing. I want to get it all done within the first two weeks of December so that I can actually enjoy the rest of the season.

On both hands I'm looking forward to the holidays.

Tonight my big plan is to make a list of what needs to be done by what date and then I'll start checking things off. Hopefully that'll help to alleviate the stress and procrastinating so that I can start all the ENJOYING!

Devil Woman, OUT.

P.S. On the weight watchers front - I gained a whopping .2 pounds last week so as of Monday. I've lost a grand total of 11 pounds in six weeks. I really tried to be good while we were out of town - but the Friday night engagement and dinner and wine and champagne really screwed me up. I'm not too worried about it - this week is a new week - and this week is going to be awesome!

Guess Who's Getting Married?!

2011-11-14T09:54:00.000-08:00

ME!!

Last Friday Bob took me out to a super fancy dinner in Salt Lake (we went for the long weekend). I'm talkin' fancy. Like, we had to have reservations and everything on the menu was in Italian and we had no idea what we ordered. Fancy Shmancy.

Anyway.

We go to the restaurant and they seated us at a cozy little table in the back corner. We ordered and everything was pretty normal until the waiter comes out with champagne and he starts telling me about how honored they are that we chose their restaurant and also about how Bob had something important to ask me. At this point I was kind of freaking out - on the inside, anyway. Bob proceeded to get down on one knee and tell me how much he loves me and how he wants to spend the rest of his life with me and about how he would love it if he and Carter and I could be a family. Then he asked me to marry him and he gave me this GORGEOUS ring.

(pardon the bad pictures - these were taken with my phone)

Of course I said YES! How could I refuse such a sweet proposal - and, you know, the fact that I love him SO much might have a little to do with my answer,too!

Here we are after dinner - the waiter was kind enough to take our picture with my phone.

It was the best night - Bob made me feel so special - and we are both SO HAPPY!

The wedding will be sometime this coming summer - I'm thinking outside in the evening with lots of twinkle lights. Something casual and laid back with friends and family - no big wedding lines or anything too formal like that.

Eeeeek! I'm so excited - and so very happy!

Devil Woman, OUT.

2.4 Pounds - And Some Changes.

2011-11-08T08:54:00.000-08:00

Last night I weighed in at Weight Watchers and I am 2.4 pounds down from last week - which makes for a total of 11.2 pounds in five weeks. I'm on my way, people. The 20 pound mark is in my sights - maybe by this time next month I'll be almost there! I'm not sure of the final goal yet - I've got to sit down with my Weight Watchers leader and assess where I want to be - so I guess we'll see. Initially I was thinking 20 pounds - but now I'm thinking more along the lines of 30. So I guess we'll just have to see.

In other news - as I said yesterday I was thinking about moving the ol' blog. But I'm not sure if moving it will alleviate some of the issues that I'm having - because, after all, moving it will still make it so anyone can view it. Which is cool for the most part - actually, I l.o.v.e. the fact that it's here for all to see - but sometimes that can cause issues. And, frankly, I'm just sick to death of those issues. At this point I'm either going to quit blogging (which I really DON'T want to do) or else I'm going to switch to a private blog. I'm leaning towards the private option. I won't switch it for another week or so - and I'd love it if you guys would still be on board for reading once in a while.

Soooooooo - leave me a comment and I'll send you an invitation when I'm ready to switch to private, OK? Or else shoot me an email. You can email me at amandagibson0 at gmail dot com. The name in the email is amanda gibson zero - that's not an O at the end - it's a zero. Geez. That's kind of confusing. You can also click the "email me" link on my sidebar - that would probably be easier. OR you could just email me at my regular email if you have it. Either way I'll get it - the one I've listed above is forwarded to the main email.

Anyway.

Elizabeth - I know you switched to private a while back - how do you like it? Are you glad you made the switch?

Devil Woman, OUT.

A Lovely Weekend.

2011-11-07T11:17:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was AWESOME! After 14 straight weeks of working weekends, Bob's schedule has finally switched back to weekends off again - woohoo! He still works every other Sunday....but the prospect of having him home ALL weekend every other weekend is pretty great. Another great thing about him having weekends off is that he has every Saturday off - so that frees up Friday nights for date night again - another big WOOHOO!

This past Friday we had our family photos taken by my friend Jessica - who takes amazing pictures (and I can't WAIT to see them). Here's one of Jeffery:

She was kind enough to send it to me quickly so that I could email it off to his school for the yearbook. Thank you, Jessica!

After pictures we headed home to drop Carter off with a babysitter and then we went out for a date! Let me tell you, it is awesome having a reliable babysitter just two houses away. Not only is he a great kid - but his parents are right down the street for back up. Plus Carter likes him a lot - so it's a double bonus. Anyway. Bob and I went to dinner at the Olive Garden - Bob's favorite - and I had a nice glass of red wine with my dinner. Talk about YUM! (and no cheating on the diet, by the way - I had wheat noodles with marinara and a salad with oil and balsamic vinegar. Yummy and it fit right into my diet - I had been saving my extra points all week - just for date night!). After dinner we went to the mall - I was going to return something but I left it at home - so we just wandered around and then looked at magazines at Barnes and Noble. We were home by 9:30. I know - we're exciting, right? Even though we didn't do anything spectacular it was still an awesome night - it's always fun to have a night for just the two of us.

Saturday was a great day as well. We went shopping in Rexburg (at the snow mobile store and the craft store), then we all went to lunch and to the Idaho Falls thrift and antique stores. We ended the day with some rented movies and a nice dinner at home. It was SO nice to have a weekend day with Bob at home - and I'm really looking forward to a holiday season with him home on the weekends.

Yesterday was back to work for Bob....Carter had a friend over to play and I cleaned and put out the Thanksgiving decorations.

And that was my lovely weekend. How was your weekend, Internet?

Devil Woman, OUT.

P.S. I'm thinking about moving to a new Internet home. If I decide to create a new blog, would you be interested in the address? I'm not sure that I want to publish a link to it here - so I think I would probably email you the link. What do you think? Would you forget about me if I decide to move?

Christmas Pins:

2011-11-07T08:42:00.001-08:00

Let me tell you - linking up with Pinterest is SO much easier than the way I usually do it. Hopefully you guys can still click through and view the links. Let me know if you can't. Once you hit Pinterest you should be able to click on the photograph - that should take you to the website or blog.

I'm feeling kind of Christmasy right now so I thought I'd share some recent pins on my "All Things Christmas" board......

This would be perfect for all those random pickle jars I've been saving. I just knew I was saving them for SOMETHING!

Source: mensvita.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Something cute to put with neighbor gifts....

Source: twopeasinabucket.com via Amanda on Pinterest

I'm going to try simmering some of this yumminess on my stove as soon as the Holiday Season is officially here.

Source: make-it-do.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Wouldn't this be super cute for a mantle? I'm thinking greenery on the ledge and then these hanging below....cheap and cute! My two favorite things!

Source: craftrookie.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Don't you think this would be cute as a centerpiece? With lots of candles and greenery clustered with it? I do!

Source: s151.photobucket.com via Amanda on Pinterest

I'm lovin' this yarn wreath....I need to make a new one for Christmas and I think I'll try to make something like this. Pretty and simple.

Source: vintageindie.typepad.com via Amanda on Pinterest

This is a cute and low cost decor idea, too. I have a couple of these tall glass thingies and I think it would be fun to fill them with things I already have in my Christmas stash.

Source: d30opm7hsgivgh.cloudfront.net via Amanda on Pinterest

And, lastly, 50 DIY days of Christmas. Fun!

Source: thepapermama.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

By the way, do you Pinterest? Do you need an invite? Let me know if you do - I'm pretty sure I have a few that I could send out!

Today is weigh-in day for me - wish me luck - oh, and Happy Monday!!

Devil Woman, OUT.

Yet Another Wednesday Update

2011-11-02T09:05:00.000-07:00

-First off, I lost another 2.4 pounds this past week - so that makes for a total of 8.8 pounds in a month- woohoo! I'm hoping for another 2 this week. I'm super excited that this seems to be working. If I can keep it up I'll hit my goal before I know it.

-We're doing family pictures on Friday. My friend Jessica is doing them - she does SUCH a good job - so I'm excited. It'll be all of us - Me, Bob, Jeffery, Carter and Andy. Hopefully Andy is cooperative. Hopefully every one's clothes semi-coordinate. Hopefully I don't look like a total dork. Just a semi-dork like normal.

-Oh, and hopefully it doesn't SNOW. Please, Lord, don't let it snow, OK?

-Friday night after pictures? It's DATE NIGHT! Woohoo! Bob is taking me to dinner and a movie - he just doesn't know it yet. I'm excited. He's had 14 weeks of working weekends and I'm really happy to have him around on the weekends again.

-A fun time was had by all on Halloween. The class party was lots of fun - and Carter got tons of candy trick or treating. We carved pumpkins the night before and watched The Great Pumpkin. Pretty sure that'll be an annual tradition.

-I made cake pops on Saturday. They sucked. The LOOKED cute. But they tasted like crap. Carter liked them - so I gave them out anyway. I figured the kids might like 'em. I also gave away chocolate chip Reece's Pieces cookies and coffee cake as consolation gifts for the shitto cake pops.

-I don't know if I made them wrong or if they just don't taste good. The candy melts just made it all too sugary sweet.

-I probably made them wrong.

-Also? I didn't give them out to trick or treaters. Just to unsuspecting friends. They know that it's a 50/50 shot that what I cook will be crappy. So I didn't feel TOO bad giving them out to them.

Well, I'm outta here, Internet. I hope you are all having a great week so far!!

Devil Woman, OUT.

December Daily

2011-10-28T11:46:00.000-07:00

So, have you seen Ali Edwards' December Daily project before? Here's the link.

She also has a kit for 2011 here. The kit looks amazing.

Every year I've admired this project - but never participated because...well, there really wasn't anything to write home about each Christmas. Sure, they were nice. But, as many of you know, the holiday traditions kind of go by the wayside as kids get older. With boys, anyway. That's how it's been with Jeffery - so I'm assuming that's how it is with most teenage boys.

But this year? This year I have a little one who LOVES to do holiday stuff. Just loves it. So this year I'm thinkin' about making my own December Daily book. Although I would LOVE to purchase the Studio Calico kit linked above I don't think I will. It's just too expensive. Well, not really - I would say it's definitely worth the money...but for someone with a HUGE scrapbook stash at home? Well, I just can't see spending that much money. I think I'll head out to the craft store and pick up a few new Christmas papers to add to my current stash....and I think I'll use a three ring binder as my album. Something simple and durable that will last for years to come. Wouldn't it be fun to have a stack of these albums to put out every year?

I think so!

So, how about you? Are you doing a December Daily album? Are you buying that amazing kit?

I'll post pictures of mine when it's done. Probably not for a few weeks because I have a few projects to finish up first. Definitely before the first of December, though.

Devil Woman, OUT.

P.S. Happy Weekend - and Happy Halloween!!

To Do:

2011-10-27T13:33:00.000-07:00

Today is the day where my To Do list begins....and maybe never ends?

When did holidays start coming with lots of stuff to do? Wouldn't it be fun to be a kid and have all the fun holiday stuff just magically happen?

Yes, please!

Actually, that's a lie. I really do love making (and doing) fun stuff for the Holidays - Halloween included. I'm kind of getting a kick out of having a little kid around again - for this reason and lots more, too. Jeffery hasn't been really "into" any holiday for.....well, years and years. But Carter? He's all about celebrating the holidays!

Starting this evening (and throughout the weekend) I need to:

-Make some Halloween Cake Pops for daycare, neighbors, friends and such. I'm going to try to make the pumpkins and ghosts in this post. I'm pretty excited to give them a try....and if they don't turn out I'll....well, I'll figure something out.

-Print out skeleton faces and get candy skeleton packets ready for Carter's Class Halloween Party on Monday (Bob and I are both volunteering).

-Put together goodie bags for said Halloween Party.

-Check to see if my old (old, old, really old) Halloween CD isn't too scratched up to use for musical chairs at said Halloween party.

-Make Halloween tags to go on friend and neighbor Halloween treats.

-Take Carter to the school carnival on Saturday and also possibly Boo at the Zoo with Bonnie and her girls.

-Carve pumpkins. I'm thinking we'll do this on Sunday evening since Bob is off work.

-Clean the house (hoping to complete this tomorrow night so my weekend is free of cleaning).

-Make coffee cake. I have buttermilk that's going bad and a really great coffee cake recipe that'll use it up. Also, we need a thank you gift for one of Bob's friends who helped fix some stuff for him. So I'll just do a double batch (one for Bob and Carter and one for the friend) and we'll call it good.

-Make the Page of the Month and two recipe kits for Kim at Express the Moments.

-Exercise. I've got that penciled in for today, tomorrow, and Saturday (plus I exercised Monday and Tuesday - so that'll make five days this week - woohoo!).

Plus the usual making dinner, helping with homework, stuff like that.

Geez. I think maybe typing it all out was a bad idea. I'm starting to feel stressed!

I hope all of you have a wonderful and safe Halloween full of lots of treats - and some tricks,too. If you're into that sort of thing!

Devil Woman, OUT.

Wednesday Update {and some pins, too}

2011-10-26T08:54:00.000-07:00

Not much goin' on around here lately. Just work and life. You know, cooking, cleaning, helping with homework, cleaning some more. Cooking some more. Adding in the occasional craft here and there. The usual.

Such is life.

-Today Jeffery and I are going to a college fair. I'm kind of excited. He's all freaked out about the deadlines so it'll be good to see what those deadlines actually are and to start the process of applying, etc. I didn't go to college so this is all pretty confusing to me. I should have gone to college. I wish I could go back and tell my 18 year old self to GO TO COLLEGE! Thankfully Jeffery IS going to go. I am so thankful that he's worrying about it and not just thinking he'll figure it out later. You know how kids can be.

-Next Friday we are having our family pictures taken and I am SO excited. Finally we'll have pictures of ALL of us together - Me, Bob, Jeffery, Carter and Andy.

-This past Monday I weighed in at Weight Watchers and I lost another 2.2 pounds! Woohoo! That's a total of 6.4. I'm on my way, people. I'm hoping for another 2 pounds this week. Wish me luck!

So, do you Pinterest? I do. I kind of love Pinterest! It's so awesome to have all the cute stuff I find on the Internets all in one place. And it's really awesome to have it on my phone, too. I love it! I thought I'd share a few of my recent pins with you today.....mostly because I have nothing else of interest to say.

Let's start off with my "All Things Christmas" Board - you know, since it's almost Halloween. I'm being festive early.

I thought these would be a fun addition to the treat plates/tins I'll be making for neighbors. Something that actually LOOKS festive. Usually candy and treat plates look yummy - but not necessarily Christmasy.

Source: flickr.com via Amanda on Pinterest

I think this will be really pretty in my dining room windows this Christmas. I'm thinking more traditional Christmas colors - but these are really pretty, too.

Source: myhomeideas.com via Amanda on Pinterest

I think this wreath is pretty. I don't really decorate in silver and gold for Christmas (I'm more of a traditional girl) - but I do love this wreath. I think it would be really pretty without the bows, too.

Source: deckthehalls-christmas.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Now for some pins from my Crafty Goodness board:

I think I'm going to have to make some of these yarn colored letters:

Source: etsy.com via Amanda on Pinterest

And aren't these jars pretty? Now I know what to do with all those pickle jars I've been saving! Wouldn't a grouping of these as a table centerpiece be pretty?

Source: annabooshouse.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

This is a fun way to document family road trips, don't ya think?

Source: marthastewart.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Ok, now for my board marked simply - YUM:

A toasted ham, cheese, pickle and potato chip sandwich? Where do I sign up?

Source: joythebaker.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Or how about some turtle bark? YUMMMM! {do you think it's fat free?}

Source: bakersroyale.com via Amanda on Pinterest

I think I'm going to make these for Carter's daycare friends. I love daycare because you can actually send home made treats - as for regular school? No such luck.

Source: None via Amanda on Pinterest

I also think this autumn chopped salad looks particularly yummy.

Source: espressoandcream.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Lastly, my board marked Home Decor:

Love the gradient colors on this chest of drawers:

Source: norskeinteriorblogger.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Check out this cool home made shelf.

Source: None via Amanda on Pinterest

Isn't this color and pattern combination pretty?

Source: decorpad.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Aaaaaand - that's all I've got for today. Happy Wednesday, Internet!

Devil Woman, OUT.

Holy Crap.

2011-10-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

Today Jeffery is 18. My cute little blond boy with pretty blue eyes is all grown up.

It kind of makes me a little teary eyed just thinking about it.

The first thing he did this morning was go open his own bank account that isn't associated with mine or his Dads. This was his own idea - and something he was excited to do. He picked a different bank based on location and FREE checking.

What a grown up, huh?

Tonight we're going to dinner and we'll give him his gifts and.....that's it, I guess.

It kind of seems like turning 18 should involve a little more fanfare - but that's what he picked.

I cannot believe he's 18. I kind of want my cute little boy back. God, he was so cute and little.

Devil Woman, OUT.

P.S. Andy did NOT pee on the floor at Carter's school today. All my prayers must have worked. :o)

My Life Lately.

2011-10-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

In Bullet Points:

Jeffery's birthday is this Friday. He's going to be 18. EIGHTEEN. How is this possible?
I think that probably makes me old.
Tonight I'm making cupcakes for his birthday - but I won't eat any - not even one.
It's like torture.
I'm reorganizing my closet this weekend. Holy Moly is it out of control. Half is for clothes - which is fairly organized - and the other half is for scrapbook supplies - and it is NOT organized at all. Wish me luck with that, OK?
My new big thing is cleaning my house on Friday afternoons.
I know, exciting right?
It actually IS exciting - because then I don't to spend any time during the weekend cleaning.
I kind of love that.
Carter has decided to be a fireman for Halloween. The costume has been purchased - pictures will be taken this weekend.
Bob really wanted Carter to be something scary, but it was a no go for Carter.
Tomorrow Andy goes to Carter's class for show and tell.
Let's all say a little prayer that Andy doesn't pee on the floor, OK?
He IS potty trained - but he is NOT fixed - which means he likes to mark his territory.
God, I hope he doesn't pee on the floor at school.
Andy really wants to be a chicken for Halloween, by the way. There's a costume at Pet Smart......I just have to go pick it up.
I tried to talk Carter into being a giant egg (you know, to go with Andy the Chicken) but that, like the scary costume, was a no go.
The other day I made this coffee cake for Bob, Carter and some friends and it was a serious hit. Really easy to make and from the one little bite I took....well I could tell it was yummy.
Carter had the stomach flu last weekend. I forgot how crappy it is when kids get the stomach flu. Poor kid. He's feeling much better now, though.
Bob is currently digging random holes in our back yard looking for the lid to the septic tank so that we can get it pumped.
Our back yard kind of looks like the golf course in Caddyshack.
I really hope he finds that lid soon.

And that's what's going on around here. How about you? Anything exciting lately?

Devil Woman, OUT.

Ahem. Tuesday Links.

2011-10-14T09:02:00.000-07:00

I started on these links last Thursday - then work and life got busy and I am just now finishing them today.

Don't ask me what I've been busy doing. I'll let ya know when I figure it out.

Before we get started on the links I'd like to say that I lost .8 pounds this past week. Not quite a pound - which is kind of sucky - but I guess a loss is better than a gain, right? That means I have lost a total of 4.2 pounds in two weeks. Not too bad. I'm upping the exercise this week and so maybe I'll have better results. Hopefully.

Anyway.

Links!

Home Decor:

-Head on over to Little Green Notebook and scroll through the past week or so - she's been doing an awesome home tour. I got side tracked over there for about an hour yesterday. Fun!

-15 Ways to add Chevron accents to your home.

-This is a pretty awesome transformation - a little stark in the end - but still really amazing. That wood wall is awfully pretty.

-Love this bedroom makeover.

-Check out this home tour over at dooce.com. So pretty and chic.

Halloween:

-Lots of ideas over at HGTV.

-Halloween crafts for kids.

-Some VERY cute printables - if you're having a Halloween party you should check them out.

DIY / Craftiness:

-Check out these super cool bar stools. I love idea of using stencils on fabric - wouldn't that be a fun way to dress up some plain (aka: cheap) pillows?

-This is a fun way to make your new books look old and display-worthy.

-I really love the look of the red hand quilting on this pillow. Maybe if I ever get a sewing machine I'll make one, too.

Yummy Food:

-Is it just me or does this look RIDICULOUSLY delicious? And possibly not on my Weight Watchers menu? Ha! You should make it and eat it because I can't.....

-I made this Broccoli, Cheese and Potato soup the other night and it was SUPER yummy - I have had it for the past few nights and I still love it - even after several nights in a row. If you do Weight Watchers - or if you are looking for good, healthy recipes, then you should definitely check Skinny Taste out.

I'm thinkin' this looks pretty yummy, too. Although very intimidating - bread type stuff (like this) always intimidates me. Pretty sure I'd screw it up.

-These Ranch Potatoes look really yummy. And fattening. Why does everything yummy have to be fattening too? It's one of the great mysteries of the Universe, people. Let me know if you figure it out.

Other Stuff:

-I bought this book {design sponge at home} this past weekend and I am LOVING it. Lots of wonderful ideas and inspiration - plus that pretty cover looks really nice on my coffee table. :o)

-I think I'm going to subscribe to this magazine. I'm a fan of HGTV - and I picked up their first magazine yesterday - and, ya know what? I really like it. Lots of great tips and ideas. Plus - 10 issues for $15? Can't beat that.

Well, that's it for me today, Internet. Happy Wednesday!

Devil Woman, OUT.

3.4!!

2011-10-11T10:29:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to my second Weight Watchers meeting and I am down 3.4 pounds!

Woohoo!!

I guess there really is something to be said for trying something new, eh? This week I'm kind of setting my sights low - because I'm switching from the Monday evening meeting/weigh in time to the Friday morning meeting/weigh in time. Friday mornings just work better for my schedule. Anyway, since I'll only have 4 days between weigh in days then I would be happy with about a 1.5 pound loss. I would LOVE it if it were more -but I don't want to set myself up for disappointment so I guess we'll just see.

In other news, I've been doing tons of no-picture scrapbook pages lately. Mostly because this month's theme was Halloween and I have no Halloween pictures as of yet. I decided to just make pages that I can add photographs to later. The only reason I'm sharing them without photos is because I really liked this month's Moment's kit - lots of fun papers and embellishments and good stuff. Here's what I've come up with so far:

(picture photographs on the blank photo mats)

And here is the ETM page of the month kit this month. I am super proud of this layout - because NONE of these papers are Halloween themed - or even matching, really. It was a challenge to think of a way to make everything work and I really like the results!

So, have you been doing any scrapbooking lately, Internet?

Devil Woman, OUT.

It is October 6th.

2011-10-06T09:42:00.000-07:00

And it is snowing here.

Snowing.

Like, white stuff. It's flying through the air.

Day before yesterday it was seventy-something degrees.

Today it's snowing.

SNOWING!

And it's only October 6th. Not even Halloween.

What happened to Autumn? I want Autumn!

{And that concludes today's whiny post. Tune in tomorrow for more whining. }

Devil Woman, OUT.

Back on the Wagon.

2011-10-05T12:33:00.001-07:00

So, Monday I re-joined Weight Watchers. I made the decision that I cannot do this weight loss thing on my own. It was kind of a no-brainer, really. I've been on a roller coaster with my weight lately - up and then down, then up...then down. Dieting, then not. Exercising regularly, then not. The only thing that's been really consistent is my frustration level - and the fact that I feel crappy about myself (for my weight and for my inability to stick with something and meet my goals).

So. Weight Watchers it is!

Weight Watchers has really worked for me in the past - as a matter of fact, it's been the ONLY thing that's really ever worked for me. Sure, I've pretty much maintained my weight loss for a few years - and sure, I'm still active - but I haven't been able to lose more weight on my own. I just can't seem to do it. I was even tempted to try out a new vitamin/weight loss/meal substitute thing a few weeks ago - just so that I could maybe lose some weight....but when it came time to sign up I just couldn't do it. Shakes or meal replacements are just not the way to go. At least for me. While they might be great for a short term, quick fix - I worry about what happens when you go back to eating real food.

Anyway, like I said, Weight Watchers is a realistic approach that has worked for me before - so I'm going to give it another try. I'm actually really excited about it. The whole program has changed since the last time I was a member - so it's kind of fun to see what will work for me this time around. Wish me luck, people! I'm setting my goal at 30 pounds - we'll see if it happens.

(i think i can....i think i can....i think i can....)

Devil Woman, OUT.

Video Monday

2011-10-03T10:48:00.001-07:00

Not that I'm starting some sort of "video every Monday" thing - because that would be too ambitious. I don't want to make any commitments I can't keep or anything.

Anyway.

Today I am proclaiming it VIDEO MONDAY - and I'm here to share some videos. For your viewing pleasure. So, scroll down and pause the music on my playlist....and then sit back, relax and watch a video or two.

Dooce shared this one on her site today and I thought I'd jump right on that bandwagon - because it's pretty hilarious. And David Beckham is pretty stinkin' hot.

I saw this commercial on ESPN yesterday. Don't ask why I was watching ESPN - I'm still not sure.

Bonnie shared this one with me on Facebook a while back and it is AWESOME.

And one more Jimmy Fallon - just because.

In other news - Bob and I watched Bridesmaids last night. Have you seen it? It was pretty funny - I would say overall it was so/so - but the scene where they're trying on the bridesmaids dresses? Totally makes the movie worth watching. I laughed my ass off. I think Bob thought maybe something was wrong with me. I think maybe he's too mature for poop jokes.

Wait. Are you ever too mature for poop jokes?

I think not!

Devil Woman, OUT.

Some Links For Your Friday:

2011-09-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

I haven't done links in FOREVER. Mostly because I've been working really hard to earn the "crappiest blogger" award and I didn't want to screw up my chances by doing an informative post.

That's me, striving to do my crappiest since 1977. Or maybe just since 2011. Whichever.

Anyway, hows about some links, people?!

First off, a few blogs that have caught my eye lately:

-Here's Lookin' At Me Kid. This is a daily read for me, not only do I love the look of her blog, I also really like her style in home decor and fashion.

-The Daybook. There's lots of awesome style over there - and also, quite possibly the cutest pregnant lady ever.

-The House of Smiths. There's always something fun and cute going on over there!

-A Cup of Jo. This is a daily read for me - but this week she's been featuring all sorts of cool New York stuff. Which kind of makes me want to take off for New York immediately.

Home Decor:

-Go check out this super cute striped table.

-I think this is a great idea - look how great these spray painted door knobs turned out! It's little things like this that really give your home an updated look. At least I think so.

-Look how cute this little boy's bedroom is! I love the color combination.

Things to eat:

-I really want to try these Pumpkin Spice Muffins. They look oh-so-good,

-I think this Pumpkin Cornbread looks yummy too. I guess the Fall air has me in the mood for pumpkin-y stuff.

-Anyone up for a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks? (yes, please!)

-How about these brown sugar cookies? How yummy does that sound? Brown sugar and cinnamon and ginger. Yu-um.

-Don't these Buffalo Chicken Tacos look good? Mmmm-mm.

Stuff to Make:

-How cute is this Cupcake Party Kit? What a fun gift for a Mom or maybe a pre-teen girl, huh?

-Look how cute this frame is - and wouldn't a Halloween version be fun, too? Love it!

-I found this little project through Tina's pinterest board - and I am SO excited. I have my great grandfather's pocket watch and I've been trying to figure out how to display it for....well, forever. Anyway, I just so happen to have one of these little divided shadow box thingies and now I know just how to use it. I'm sure mine won't turn out much like this - but just finding this picture is a great inspiration to add my great grandfather's pocket watch to my home decor. Fun!

Halloween:

-Look at these cute painted pumpkins. I have a feeling I'll be paintin' some pumpkins next weekend. Fun!

-Or how about this cute Halloween Printable over at Sissyprint - it's free! (and cute, too)

-More cute {free} Halloween printables. Wouldn't it be fun to have an area of your house where you have a photo frame collage that you update for every holiday? Like, an entry or something? I would love that.

-I think this is a fun idea - cover your pumpkins with cute nylons! The best part is that you can take the nylons off after Halloween and then use the pumpkins as decor for Thanksgiving!

-How stinkin' cute is this home made pumpkin? Great for fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving decor!

In other news - I made this cute little fall wreath last Saturday - it was super easy and quick and I love the results - it looks like fall without a bunch of leaves stuck together. Many thanks to Miss Bonniebell for teaching me how to make rolled felt flowers.

Hope you are as inspired as I am by all these fun links. Happy Weekend, Internet!

Devil Woman, OUT.

Sittin' on the Fence

2011-09-27T09:09:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday was the big face x-ray day. It went pretty OK.

No bad news to speak of, I guess.

No good news either.

There is a spot that looks like a snowman on the left side of my face (on the inside, of course). Right where the bone that was taken out/mutilated by the tumor has been growing back. Anyway, the spot could either be just an odd spot in the bone regrowth or tumor regrowth.

I vote for option one.

Tumor regrowth is not really an option here, people.

Anyway. The doctor said he's about 70/30. 70% he thinks it's bone. 30% he thinks its tumor.

I know. Kind of keeping things up in the air, huh? Before you start thinking I have a crappy Doctor let me just tell you that the treatment I had for my tumor was very unconventional. Like, I'm one of 100 people who have done it. So we really don't have anything to compare to or measure by. My Doctor is amazing. Where most Doctors would have dismissed my concern, he immediately did the x-ray and really looked for anything strange.

Anyway, he told me that he could cut into my inner cheek and cut out a piece of bone and send it off to have it tested.....or we could wait and check it out again in three months.

I opted to wait.

I know, I know. Why wait, right?

Here's the thing. The last time I had this tumor we did a biopsy within a week of the x-ray. After the biopsy the tumor multiplied in size. By, like, ten times. AT LEAST. Probably more. It got huge because it was a vascular tumor and once we messed with it the bleeding wouldn't stop - which means the tumor just grew and grew and grew - and fast.

If I wait then we can watch it. See if it looks like it's growing. It does look slightly bigger than my last x-ray (almost a year ago) - so if it IS the tumor its growing back really slowly - which is a good thing. If we see that it's growing and not being filled in by bone then we know it's tumor - which means we can go in and just take it out and not have to take a small piece to test first. It'll be a one time deal. Which is why I'm choosing to wait. I'm avoiding a surgery that I might not have to have.

So, I go back in three months to check it again. Then we'll check it again three months after that. If it gets bigger then the Doctor will remove it, along with the bone surrounding the area. If he can get the tumor out without exposing any of it (as in, remove the tumor and all bone around it while keeping the tumor encased in bone) then I won't have to do the Interferon treatment again. If that's not possible then I'll have to do the Interferon crap again, which will suck. But, I guess you do what you do, right?

So. Now I'm just kind of sittin' on the fence. Not sure if I'm going to jump off one side or be pushed off the other. Going on with life as normal. Trying not to worry. Now that I know that even the worst case scenario isn't as bad as the first time around it's a little easier not to worry so much.

So, what do you think? Would you wait?

Here's to a great week, Internet! Now that I've gotten that behind me mine's going much better!

Devil Woman, OUT.

Fall DVR Lineup:

2011-09-22T08:42:00.000-07:00

So, as of Monday, my DVR is starting to fill up. I'm recording lots of good shows and I'm so excited to have something good to watch again! No more boring summer TV!

I love Fall TV. Love the new shows out - love getting back to the old shows that I've missed. I think maybe I'm one of those boring "TV" people. But, the thing is, having a show to watch is much better than mindlessly just flipping through channels. Plus, I usually don't get to sit down and relax until about 9pm - so having all my favorite shows all ready to go whatever time I want them is a huge bonus.

Anyway, here's my DVR schedule so far:

Monday:

-American Pickers. I love this show. I love Mike and Frank - especially Mike. He get so exciting about everything. Everything. I also love learning about all the old stuff they find - usually it's the biggest, rustiest piece of junk that's worth the most. If you don't watch this show then I recommend that you check it out at least once - I have a feeling you'll be hooked, too.

-Two And A Half Men. I know, I know. Maybe a lot of you don't like this show - but I, for one, am super excited about the addition of Ashton Kutcher (because, you know, he's all hot and funny and cute and stuff) - plus, that kid? Allen's son? He's hilarious. I'm glad Charlie's character is gone,though - what was funny in the beginning of the series was beginning to get old and not so funny in the past few years. At least in my opinion. I actually skipped last season just for that reason.

-Castle. I love this show. Have loved it since the very first episode. I love the relationship between Castle and Becket. Plus, Castle is pretty cute, too. In the looks department for sure, but mostly his cuteness comes from his loveable personality.

Tuesday:

-New Girl. I watched the first episode this week and loved it. Zooey Deschanel is very quirky and cute. (so far pretty much everyone is cute - apparently "cute" is the word of the day).

-Body of Proof. I liked this one last year so I thought I'd watch this season, too. I wouldn't say it's my very favorite show - but it's definitely entertaining - and so I DVR and watch it when I can.

Wednesday:

-Survivor, South Pacific. I'm a Survivor fan. I haven't watched every single year - mostly because it falls on a Thursday,and Thursday's were my busiest DVR days in the past - and so I just couldn't squeeze this one in. This year, it fits. And I really think this is a show that Bob and I can enjoy together. Never mind the fact that I forgot to start recording it last week, when the show premiered. I'm going to pretend like it started this week and watch it with Bob tonight.

-Modern Family. By far my favorite show. I {heart} Phil Dunphy. This show literally makes me laugh out loud every single time I watch it. I love it.

-The X Factor. I haven't actually watched this one yet - I'm hoping to get to it tonight. I have a feeling I'll like it - mostly because I think Simon Cowell is hilarious.

-CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. This is the only CSI I watch. The red headed guy in the Miami show freaks me out (by the way, is that one still even on the air?) and I never got into the New York edition. But the I've always liked CSI in Vegas - it's entertaining, interesting and sometimes gross - and it's definitely a show that guys and girls can enjoy together.

-Revenge. I watched the first episode this morning before work and I liked it. I like a little bit of a soap opera type show every now and again.

Thursday:

-Grey's Anatomy. Ok, this is my favorite show. Favorite drama, anyway. If you don't watch this show you should. It's good. Really good. I really like all the relationships, and all the drama, and all the McSteamy.

-Prime Suspect. This is a new one just coming out that looks really good. I'm excited to give it a try!

Friday:

Nothin'. If I'm home I usually try to catch 20/20 or Dateline - but that's about it.

Saturday:

The Pioneer Woman. I'm a fan - what can I say?

Great Rooms. Meg won Design Star this year and I really like her - and so I'm excited to watch her new show. Watched it last week and really liked it, by the way. Lots of fun ideas.

Sunday:

Pan Am. This looks really good - have you seen the previews? I'm excited to watch the pilot this Sunday!

So, that's the schedule so far. Pretty exciting, eh?

There are a few shows I used to watch that I'm not this year. Here's my list:

-The Office. I didn't watch it last year for lack of time - so I'll probably just watch the DVD's and then decide if I want to watch this year's DVD next year. Sometimes it's fun to be a year behind....that way you can watch them all at once on DVD.

-Desperate Housewives. I stopped watching about a year ago. It just wasn't as interesting anymore, I guess. I'm kind of sad to miss the last year - but not sad enough to jump back in without catching up first.

-How I Met Your Mother. I have a feeling this one will get added to my DVR list - Barney is too funny to miss.

-The Big Bang Theory. I'm not sure why I'm not DVRing this one - it's definitely funny - but I haven't watched it in a few years and I guess I don't miss it much.

So, there you have it. A post all about TV.

What are you watching on TV this year? Do you like any of the shows I'm watching? Is there something I should add to my list?

Devil Woman, OUT.

Oops!

2011-09-21T09:02:00.000-07:00

Guess I forgot I had a blog for a week or so. I'm sure you've been super disappointed that I haven't been around. Right?

Anyone?

Anyone?

Bueller?

Work has been INSANE...and, since I do my best (and only) blogging during my lunch break....well, the blogging hasn't been happening.

Anyway, this is what's happening in my neck of the woods this week:

Fall TV. Woohoo! I have a TV post all thought out - hopefully it'll get started, finished and posted tomorrow. Maybe.
Smoothies! This is my new lunch of choice. I combine one or so cups of ice, 5 frozen, unsweetened strawberries, one banana and a cup of Dannon Light and Fit Vanilla yogurt and - VOILA - lunch! It's super filling and healthy and lowfat. I have it with a string cheese and some raw almonds - and the three combined make for a yummy lunch.
Laundry. Cleaning. Cooking. Same old boring crapola, different day.
The Dentist Appointment. That went fine - but his x-ray machine doesn't x-ray the area of the mouth with the lump - so I'll just have to wait until Monday for my appointment with the Oral Surgeon.
Morning's with Mom's. It's tomorrow morning at Carter's school and apparently we'll be eating a 7am breakfast and then heading to his class for some reading. Should be fun - he's really excited about it.
I'm also volunteering in his class every Monday morning. I am helping the kids with their sight words and after working with several kids I noticed that Carter really is ahead of the pack in reading. Not that I'm biased or anything.
Pumpkins. They will complete the fall decorating in my house. Carter's confused as to why we're putting them out so far ahead of Halloween.
Jeffery shot his first animal with a bow this past weekend. He's super excited about it. Bow hunting is a tough sport because you have to be pretty close to the animal in order to get a good shot. While I don't like going hunting I know that he LOVES it. And, really, how can you fault a kid for spending time hunting and fishing instead of getting into trouble? He's coming for dinner tonight, so I'm pretty excited for that.
Toe nail painting. I painted mine red last night - since it's Fall and everything - and also since I noticed a chip on my big toe nail yesterday.

And I think that's about it. Pretty fun and exciting, huh? What have you been up to this past week, Internet?

Devil Woman, OUT.

More Bullet Points For Your Wednesday:

2011-09-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

Bullets points are the new paragraph.
Kind of like ombre is the new......hell, I don't know. What was the old design craze that has been overtaken by ombre?
Yea, that!
Anyway. Bullet points. It's the new big thing.
You heard it here first.
You know what's irritating? When you click a link on one website and it opens a new internet window instead of just a new tab in the browser you already have opened.
It kind of pisses me off.
Also, I'm WAY to lazy to right click on the link and choose "open in a new tab".
That's a lot of planning ahead, people.
Planning ahead isn't my strong suit.
Well, it kind of is. If it's something fun.
Opening a new browser tab thingy doesn't qualify as "fun".
Anyway.
Last night I made mashed potatoes for dinner.
You know, the REAL ones....not the ones from the box.
Anyway. They were the BEST. EVER.
I did not actually enjoy said mashed potatoes with MY dinner - I had brown rice.
But I did lick the spoon after I got done whipping them up.
And they were the BEST. EVER.
My secret? Ahem.....two and a half sticks of butter.
You heard it here first. Butter = tastiness. Butter also = what makes Amanda's thighs rub together.
Which is why I ate brown rice.
I don't need any more friction in the thigh area.
I don't want to start a fire or anything.
I didn't clean my house last weekend.
It's kind of killing me.
The big plan was to clean on Monday - but that didn't happen.
And it didn't happen yesterday.
It will be happening on Friday. In the mean time I have at least dusted - because I couldn't take seeing a week's worth of dust on my furniture anymore.
I think I might have an OCD cleaning problem.
Or maybe not. Otherwise I would have cleaned last weekend.
If you came to my house you'd never know I didn't clean last weekend. The house looks clean. Everything is put away. There are no dishes in the sink.
But I know.
See how the bullet points make it look like I have a lot to say when all I really have to talk about is bullet points, mashed potatoes, my dirty house and the potential fire my thighs might be starting?
This is why bullet points are the new.....thing.

Devil Woman, OUT.

P.S. I just read on the good old Internets that there are ONLY 102 shopping days left until Christmas. Why don't you just kill me now and get it over with, Internet? Bullet Point.

Tuesday In Bullet Points:

2011-09-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

My life has been a bit busy lately. Don't ask my why - but I feel like we'll never get back to our regular, boring routine.
I'm really ready to get back to my regular, boring routine.
Bob had the stomach flu yesterday. It was no fun at all.
Let's all keep our fingers crossed that Carter and I don't get it.
I think there's nothing worse than a kid with the stomach flu.
Anyone been watching Design Star this year? I'm excited that Meg won - I really like her.
Speaking of TV- I think most new shows start next week or the week after.
Yahoo!
What new shows are you looking forward to? I need to surf the web a bit to see what's coming out and what might be DVR worthy.
I put up our Fall decorations a week or so ago. I'm on the hunt for some sort of Fall wreath to hang on the old window that's above my mantle.
Oh, and some pumpkins. I need some pumpkins, too. Then it'll really seem like Fall at my house.
Except for the 80 degree weather outside.
And all of the flowers still blooming.
We went to the fair last week. I took, like, two pictures. But they're not on this computer so I can't share today.
I'm sure you're disappointed, aren't you?
I went and watched "The Help" with Laura the Saturday before last. I loved it. It kind of made me want to read the book again. If you haven't read the book you should. It's really, really good.
Any of you people been watching The Pioneer Woman's cooking show? I have been and it's pretty great! I'm dying to try out that mac and cheese that she made week before last. Too bad it's not on my diet!
Bob got a promotion at work today. I'm so proud of him - pretty sure I'm going to have to whip up some sort of chocolate pie (one of his favorites) for dessert tonight. He definitely deserves a special treat!
For those of you who came to my Pampered Chef party a while back....the bowls that were back ordered are finally here - I'll be delivering them this week! {thank you for your patience}
I go to the dentist next Thursday. Have I mentioned that I hate the dentist?
Shortly after I go to the dentist I'm headed back to my Oral Surgeon to have my face x-rayed. Hopefully there is no tumor regrowth. There is a suspicious bump in my cheek/face/upper mouth - but I'm hoping it's just scar tissue.
Really, really hoping. Keep your fingers crossed for me, OK?
Today I am mailing out Bob's Mom's scrapbook (it's her birthday on Saturday) - and, you know what? That is the first scrapbooking I've done in FOREVER that hasn't been an assignment. And you know what else? It was FUN!
And......that's all I've got for today. Hope you all have been having a great week so far!

Devil Woman, OUT.

More Pictures:

2011-09-06T13:10:00.000-07:00

Some scrapbooking that I did this past weekend:

(obviously, ETM's theme this month is "back to school")

The birthday cake:

It's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I found a cardboard centerpiece at the party store and just used the pieces that I wanted for the cake. It's no professional job but it's definitely not too much of an embarrassment. A little lopsided, maybe. But definitely edible (mostly because of the cream cheese frosting).

Carter's very first sleepover:

The sleepover was part of the birthday celebrations for the weekend. First they ate dinner, then Carter opened his presents from us, then we went to get ice cream and they finished the night with a movie, popcorn, skittles and airheads. Thankfully no little boys got sick from all that sugar - and they both had a blast.

And here's our picture from Bob's birthday.

Yea, I look like crap - I had just finished working out - so I was not looking so great.

And here we are at West Yellowstone a few weeks ago:

As you can see, we were hangin' out with a big painted buffalo.

In other news - Friday afternoon I got MY HAIR CUT!! It's short again - and I am so much happier. I look better....I feel better about myself. And all is right with the world once again. All because of my hair.

Devil Woman, OUT.

Just a Few Pictures....

2011-09-02T12:04:00.000-07:00

I'm getting some pictures developed today and I thought I'd post them here. Nothing too exciting.....

Carter's first day of school:

He is super excited to be in the first grade and so far he's doing really well. I think riding the bus to daycare might just be the highlight of his day.

Carter's last day of swimming lessons:

He wasn't quite brave enough to jump so he got a little "help" from one of the instructors. Help = being picked up by the hands and dropped off the diving board. Despite all the "help" he loved it.

Bob and Carter at the baseball game the other night:

Here's a news flash for ya - kids aren't really interesting in watching a whole baseball game. They are much more interested in begging for cotton candy, pop, hot dogs, dessert, and cotton candy. Oh, and cotton candy. Did I mention the cotton candy?

And here's Carter on the swings the other day at the park.

Believe it or not, he'll be seven on Sunday. He's a tiny little squirt, isn't he?

So, that's what I've got for today, Internet. I hope you enjoy the holiday weekend!

Devil Woman, OUT.

The Cutest:

2011-08-31T09:50:00.000-07:00

Just had to "jot" this little memory down before I lose it - it's definitely scrapbook worthy.

Carter's birthday is on Sunday. He's turning 7 and he's super excited. His birthday is going to end up being, like, a 3 day celebration I think. Friday he's taking store bought treats to school (can I just tell you - I hate taking store bought treats - but that's all they allow) and home made treats to daycare. Sunday is his birthday and we are having a little mini celebration at home. He's having his first sleepover - his friend, Zach, is spending the night and we're having a dinner of Carter's choice and then we're going out for ice cream. When we get home he'll get to open his presents from us. Tuesday is the birthday party. We waited until Tuesday to do it because this weekend is Labor Day Weekend and we didn't want his friends to miss out on the party if they had family plans for the weekend. Anyway, we're going to a Pizza place and we'll celebrate with pizza, cake, ice cream and lots of friends and family. It's going to be a Mickey Mouse party and I am currently on the hunt for some Mickey figurines so that I can put them on top of his cake. Hopefully the cake won't be a disaster - I'm going to try to make a 9x13 layer cake - because I think we'll have quite a few people at the party and I don't want to be short on cake. I'll post pictures if it turns out cute. I'm crossing my fingers.

Anyway.

Carter is convinced that on his birthday he is going to grow taller. His cousin, Emory, turned 8 this past Monday and his comment was, "She is SO tall now! I'll never be as tall as her!" He has repeatedly told us that the can't wait to grow on his birthday - "I'm going to be so tall!"

It's really the cutest thing. We haven't corrected him.....because it's just so dang cute! I told him we'd take a special picture of him on his birthday so that we can see how much he's grown - and he's super excited.

Carter is one cute kid - and I'm excited to help make his birthday a special day. I've really missed the kid birthday thing. Jeffery just usually wants to go to dinner - and, of course, open presents. No fanfare for him.

Do you like throwing big parties for your kids? I think every other year is good enough for the big parties (by "big" I mean - at a party place or whatever). Otherwise I think it's good to keep it simple at home with just a few friends. What's your opinion?

Devil Woman, OUT.

The Daily Routine:

2011-08-30T12:49:00.001-07:00

Kind of like the Daily Report - only a lot less interesting and not really a report.

Anyway, yesterday's post got me to thinking about how we are back into a semi-regular routine and how I am semi-loving it.

Well, not just semi-loving it. Really loving it, actually - but I had to throw in the semi because.....well, it just seemed like the right thing to do.

Anyway.

We are in a routine now with Carter back at school. Bob is on his weekend work rotation - so we're in a schedule with that too, but that's changing later in September. So our routine should change as well. But not by much. My point is this - we're back in a routine and I'm loving it. Today we have an "un-routine" activity and I have to admit, it's kind of throwing me off a little.

Here's what my day to day, week to week life looks like right now:

6:45 - wake up, take the dog out, get Carter up and get his breakfast. This is also when I pack Carter's lunch.
7:00 - eat my breakfast,
7:15 - send Carter off to get dressed, make his bed and brush his teeth
7:15 - on Thursday and Friday this is when I take a shower - on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday Bob takes Carter to school and so I don't jump in the shower until 8.
7:35 - Comb Carter's hair and send him on his way.
OR
7:40 - Take Carter to school in my pajamas with wet hair. Yes, I'm one of THOSE ladies.
8:00 - water flowers outside, then take a shower (on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday - if it's Thursday or Friday I use that time to....watch TV or something. maybe load the dishwasher too)
8:15 - Get ready for work. Think about whether or not I should cut my hair back off (seriously, I think about this DAILY)
9:15 - head to work.
9:30-3:30 - work, work, work (with some occasional blogging thrown in for good measure. oh, and I eat lunch at some point in there, too)
3:30 - 4:00 - run errands. Whether it's going to the grocery store of picking up some scrapbook stuff from Kim - it seems like I ALWAYS have a stop in town before heading home.
4:15 - Pick Carter up
4:30 - Arrive home and have a snack - I'm usually starving when I get home. This is when Carter starts his homework, too. We usually work on homework until about 5:00. Usually that's all it takes to get his homework done.
5:15 - Read with Carter for 20 minutes. His teacher requires that he read at least 20 minutes a day. So Carter usually reads a few books to me and then I read one to him.
5:40 - 7:00 - Do laundry or scrapbook or clean or hang out with Bob outside or sometimes go for a bike ride. Sometimes I exercise during this time, too - depending on what needs to be done around the house.
7:00 - Cook dinner
7:30 - Eat dinner
7:50 - clean up from dinner, get Carter in the tub (Bob usually does that)
8:00 - exercise - if I can squeeze it in. sometimes I don't do this until after Carter goes to bed - it just depends on when dinner is finished.
8:30 - put Carter to bed, read him another story.
8:45 - take another shower (you know, cuz I just got done exercising) or else go exercise and then take a shower.
9:00 (or 9:15, or 9:30) - relax. hang out. FINALLY!
11:00 - either go to sleep or read for a while until I fall asleep.

Weekends are totally different - we still do the same main things around the same time (get up, get ready, have dinner, put Carter to bed at 8:30) but otherwise I use the bulk of my time to clean or work on crafts or to meet up with friends or even maybe go on a date or go for a drive (if Bob is off work). The usual weekend stuff.

It's an exciting life I lead, right? Most days feel busy, but not too busy. Some days feel hectic and then some weekend days feel as though I don't have enough to fill my time (especially the ones where Bob is at work).

The point is - I'm kind of loving my schedule right now.

Tonight we have free tickets to go to the Chukar's baseball game.....and we're going. It'll be fun - it's actually something we've been wanting to do all summer - but our schedule will be all sorts of messed up. Dinner will be earlier. Carter's bed time will be later. I doubt I'll have time to work out. And it's kind of throwin' me off and making me feel stressed.

Do you ever feel that way? Do you like having a schedule? What's your schedule like?

Devil Woman, OUT.

Top Ten

2011-08-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I cleaned the house. Late breaking news, right?

I clean my house every weekend. Because I lead an exciting life. And I like my house to be clean.

Anyway, this weekend when I was doing all this cleaning I was just itching - ITCHING - to put up my Fall decorations. All of a sudden I went from hanging on to Summer with every last breath in my body - to wishing it away. All because I want to put up some new decorations.

It's a whole new kind of crazy around here, folks. Cleaning somehow equals decorating which somehow equals wanting seasons to change IMMEDIATELY. There might be something wrong with me. In case you didn't already know.

Anyway, I talked myself out of the redecorating - but this Thursday? This Thursday is the beginning of September - and, by God, this coming weekend I will be putting up my Fall decorations. I really don't care that it's 90 degrees outside. It's going to be fallish and cool and cinnamon smelling in my house. I'm going to pretend like it's harvest and maybe shuck some corn too.

This leads me to my newest Top Ten List. And by "newest" I mean "only".

Top Ten Reasons Why Amanda Loves Fall:

The colors. Love all the pretty leaves and the yellow fields.
The cool, crisp air. As long as that cool, crisp air doesn't lead to snow I'm happy.
Wearing long sleeves. I have a much better fall/winter wardrobe than I do a summer wardrobe. Basically, I want the weather to change so that I can wear cuter clothes. What's wrong with that?
Back to school. I mean - I'm not going back to school. But there's definitely something to be said for the kids going back to school. And getting back into a regular routine.
Fall decorations. I love decorating my house for fall.
Baking. Why do I think of baking when I think of Fall? Who the hell knows! Maybe it was because all I had for lunch was a LARABAR, an apple and a yogurt? At this point I'd like to eat anything that has been baked with brown sugar and butter.
The smells. Doesn't the air seem to smell different in fall? Except for when the farmer's burn the fields - it's a nice smell. Plus I always try to burn some sort of cinnamon smelling in my house during fall.
The coziness. I don't know why - but Fall always means "cozy" to me. I think they'll be lots of fires burning in my living room fire place this Fall.
The Fair. I kind of like the fair.
Football and Hot Tea and Corn Mazes.

So, are you ready for Fall?

Also, what are your favorite things about the season?

Devil Woman, OUT.

A Little Scrapbookery

2011-08-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

Last week I finished up my Moment's projects for Kim - and so I thought I'd share.

I made this to put up in my house this Fall. I love how it came out - simple and cute and very fallish without too much orange. This is a crappy picture - but you get the idea:

I'm kind of just a little bit addicted to the doilies.

This is Bob's great niece. She's a real cutie. I'm making Bob's mother a scrapbook for her birthday and so I made a duplicate of this layout for her book. I love it when I have enough leftover product to make another page!

Here's Bob with his pretty blue eyes. I would have to say that Bob's eyes are his best feature. At least in my opinion. They are the prettiest shade of blue - and he has what I'd call "kind" eyes. All of his niceness just shines through in those pretty blue eyes.

Lastly, here's a layout I made using the photograph I framed for Bob's birthday. The sign that Carter's holding says "We Love You". This picture took about three hundred fifty seven "takes". Andy wasn't too cooperative.

And......that's about all I've got today.

Have you guys been doing much scrapbooking lately?

Devil Woman, OUT.

A Whole New Kind of Freak Out

2011-08-25T10:39:00.000-07:00

Remember a couple years ago when I was freaking out about how my hair was falling out?

(I'm not linking back to one of those posts because I'm too lazy. Plus it wasn't fun then and I'm sure it wouldn't be fun to look back on now)

Anyway, I was freakin' out. Every day more and more was falling out and I finally resorted to a super short haircut to disguise my thin hair / scalp.

Thankfully my hair has filled back in and it's as thick as it has ever been. (thank you, thank you, thank you - losing your hair really makes you appreciate it when it's grown back in)

Well, yesterday was a bad hair day for me. B.A.D. Bad. We were having a water heater issue and I had to take a cold shower, which, in case you didn't know, is also a FAST shower. Cold = Fast. Unless you're a polar bear or something.

I am not a polar bear.

So, I get out of the cold shower and comb my wet hair. It seemed like it was a weird texture and I couldn't get the brush through it very well - but I persevered. I figured it was because I didn't use conditioner (too cold to add that extra step!). Once it was time to dry my hair I noticed that it felt yucky. Like, it had something icky in it. Kind of waxy feeling. Like your hair might feel if you have a TON of product on it and then it got wet. I figured that I didn't rinse very well and just went with it - because I was NOT getting back in that cold shower, dammit!

Today I woke up and took another shower - and really made sure to wash really well and condition a little longer than normal.

Guess what? Today my hair STILL felt like it had a bunch of gunk on it.

So I took another shower - used different shampoo - and washed my hair TWO more times.

And it STILL feels like it has gunk on it!

Let's just say that Amanda had a teensy tiny bit of a freak out in the bathroom this morning. Thank God Bob wasn't home - because it wasn't pretty. (or very mature)

Now I'm kind of freaking out. What happened to my hair? It's ALWAYS been soft and silky. Not it's fuzzy and gunky. I haven't had it died recently (maybe a month and a half ago?) and I haven't used ANYTHING different on it. I called my hair salon and the girl I spoke with said to try Tea Tree shampoo and that it would probably strip off all the gunk. So I'm headed to buy some after work.

In the mean time I'm freaking out and thinking - "what if my hair is always this way?" and "what if I have to cut it all off again?!"

Has this every happened to you, Internet? If so,what did you do?

Devil Woman, OUT.

Wherein I Decide Whether or Not to Be a Blogger:

2011-08-24T09:56:00.000-07:00

Yea, so I'm on the fence, here. Obviously my heart hasn't been in this blogging thing for a while now....which makes me feel guilty (you know, because I feel guilty about EVERYTHING)....and it makes me question whether or not I should keep this space.

On one hand, I love blogging. I love posting things I like, sharing fun music, discussing books and keeping track of my day to day life.

But on the other hand - is it just one MORE responsibility? One MORE thing to worry over? One MORE thing to take up my time?

Well, yes. I guess it is.

But it is fun, too?

Sometimes. A lot of times!

So I'm on the fence. Just sittin' up here. And it's getting kind of uncomfortable. These fence posts aren't too wide - they're kind of making my butt hurt.

If I quit then I'm a quitter. Also, if I quit and then I think of something I want to say - where do I say it? Is it as much fun to share something with ONE person instead of.....well, two? (Cuz, you know, only two people probably read this thing.)

Also, if I quit will I miss it? If I quit will I just start again in a few weeks because I'm bored and think I have something important to say?

What do you guys think? Do you ever get in a blogging slump? Do you ever think life will be more fun just reading blogs instead of writing one, too?

Come on, two people who read this thing, give me some insight here!

Devil Woman, OUT.

{8/17/2011} Wednesday Update:

2011-08-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

*I started this post on Wednesday - finished it Monday. Today - but I'm pretending like it's Wednesday so the title still applies*

So, Wednesday Update. This past week I lost two pounds. Woohoo! I'm on a roll and I'm feeling really motivated so hopefully I can come in with another 2 pound loss next week. That's the goal.

I pretty much did the exact same thing I did last week. Avoided junk food and focused on protein, nuts, fruits and veggies. And lots and lots of water. And, of course, I exercised. I've been doing Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred. I love that I can knock out my workout in 30 minutes, then take a shower and only have used up 45 minutes to an hour of my evening. Gotta love that. I did mix in a long bike ride over the weekend - which was fun and I'm pretty sure I'll do that again this weekend, too. The whole running thing kind of went out the window when I started getting shin splints again. Oh well.

I have nothing much else to say today - life has been crazy busy and I'm hoping this week will be the week where we get back into our regular routine. Carter has started school. Swimming lessons are over. I have no scrapbook assignments due (today, anyway). We have no BBQ's or birthday parties or......well, anything really. Oh, and my house is clean. For a day or two anyway.

So, maybe things will get back to normal this week and maybe I'll post on my blog more.

I'm sure you guys are all waiting with baited breath.

Devil Woman, OUT.

The Fear

2011-08-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

{remember how i was posting links today? yea, well, that's not happening. obviously. since when do i actually follow through and do what i say i'll do?}

Ahem.....anyway.

Today I am posting my top five "fears". Don't ask why - I was going to the bathroom a minute ago and it just came to me. Also, don't ask why it came to me while I was headed to the bathroom. My mind works in mysterious ways. Also, I like to share too much information - as one very nice blog commenter pointed out to me several years ago. Blog commenters are the nicest people I know. Especially Holly - who just yesterday said I have great taste in music. Which also reminds me that I need to update my playlist.

{also, i think i've used up my "also" quota on this post}

Back to the subject at hand: Amanda's top five fears:

Spiders. Oh, how I hate spiders. Tiny spiders, big spiders, black ones, red ones, gray ones, house ones, killer ones. All of them. I.do.not.like.spiders. I cannot function with a spider around. I am even to scared to kill them myself. Poor Bob. He signed up for a life of spider killing / hysterical spider freaking out and he didn't even know it.

Things jumping out at me. Here's a little hint for ya. Never plan a surprise birthday party for me where all the people jump up and yell "Surprise!". I'm sure you were totally planning that for next year and I just blew your plans, right? Well, it's a damn good thing - because the results would be less than desirable. Pretty sure I'd freak out - and not in a good way (by the way, is there a good way to freak out?). Lots of years ago I was held up in a bank robbery and since then things that jump out and scare me? Pretty much freak me out. I am the girl at the haunted house who screams the entire time. Like, at the top of my lungs so that my voice is gone at the end. But I am also the girl who still goes to the haunted house. Cuz I'm smart like that.

Spiders / Snakes in the porta potty. I have this really, really big fear of me sitting down on the toilet and then getting bit on the butt by a snake or a spider. First off, I hate porta potties. Everyone hates porta potties. Second, I am NOT going to check the bottom of the toilet seat for the spiders. No way, no how. It's bad enough that I have to sit/balance myself in mid-air above the stinkin' thing - I am not going to see what's under there. Because I'm sure it's not good. So, basically, when I really have to go - and I resign myself to the porta potty - I go in blind and just hope for the best. "Best" being - no spiders or snakes.

Moths. I have this "thing" about moths. Even just thinking about them makes me shudder. {fyi: i just shuddered} I know they can't bite you - I know they don't sting. But they fly around your face. And they land on you and flutter their creepy little wings. And they're brown. And they hang out on the ceiling by the lights. And they could potentially fly in your hair. MY hair. If you want to see a good show then just send a moth my way. I do the "Elaine" dance when there is a moth present. You know, Elaine from Seinfeld? She's got some MOVES! And so do I. Trust me, it's not pretty.

Pretty Much Anything That Flies. I guess this one kind of goes with the moth thing - but, seriously. I hate it when birds, butterflies, bees, moths, wasps, bats or anything else that flies - flies by me. Hate it. It freaks me out and I end up doing the stupid duck and shimmy dance. Ducks! If the ducks fly I don't like them either. Anyway - I don't like stuff flying around me. I will move to an entirely different location to avoid flying things. Maybe I'll even go inside. Let's just hope they don't follow me.

So, there you have it - 5 of my fears. Sure, I have deeper fears, like death and losing someone and being alone forever. We all have those.....these are just my silly, everyday fears.

What are you afraid of, internet?

Devil Woman, OUT

P.S. WHAT is up with all the weird spacing on blogger lately?

This is the Part Where I Forget I Have a Blog.

2011-08-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

Apparently.

I guess I've been sort of busy. Too busy to blog and to get my scrapbook projects for Kim done, apparently.

Can you tell I'm sorta feeling guilty?

Here's the deal. Last week was busy - and this week will be more of the same - BUT tonight I'm finishing my scrapbooking and this week I'm going to make more of an effort to blog. We'll see how it goes.

In other news........last night I finished The Book Thief. Oh my gosh, you guys. You NEED to read this book. It was really, really good. Probably the best book I've read in....well, a long time. I would say it was better than The Help - and that's really saying something, because I loved that book. Anyway - go buy / download / check out The Book Thief. It's really wonderful and I think you'll like it as much as I did.

In other, other news - we watched Unknown last night. It was a good movie - and I totally didn't suspect the big twist at the end. It's nice to rent a movie that's actually good. We've watched a few dud's lately.

Today I think my Pampered Chef stuff will be in the mail. At least I hope so. I'm so excited to get all my stuff and deliver orders! One less "to-do" on my list.

Speaking of "to-do's" Carter's birthday party is officially on my list. It's on September 4th and I think I'm going to start planning now so that I don't have a bunch of last minute stress. Oh, who am I kidding? There will be last minute stress no matter what!

Also, last week was officially our (meaning Bob and me) one year anniversary. Last year, on August 11th, Bob and I went on our very first date. What an awesome year it's been. Every day I count my lucky stars to have found him. Not very many girls are as lucky as I am. He is just the kindest, sweetest, cutest, most honest and reliable person I know. I really do love him and am so thankful for our time together this past year.

And......that's it for today. Watch for links tomorrow.

Oh! What book should I read next? I'm getting reading to consult my "summer" reading list....but do you have anything to suggest in the mean time?

Devil Woman, OUT.

{8/10/2011} Wednesday Update:

2011-08-10T11:56:00.000-07:00

This week I tried hard.

This week I was diligent.

This week I didn't cheat. Well, maybe once at Bob's birthday party....but otherwise? NO CHEATING.

Honestly.

{sometimes I lie to myself about the cheating - which is really just silly - i mean, really, how do you rationalize that a cookie is NOT cheating?}

This week I exercised 5 days. Some days I even did TWO types of exercise on one day - thanks to a little helpful prodding from Bob. Not that he was forcing me to exercise.....more that when I asked him if I should do a "cop-out" type of exercise (ie: going for a short bike ride or walk) or else do my Jillian Michaels torture festival video he said something along the lines of "why not do both?".

You know - sometimes it's nice to have someone around who is willing to give you a bit of a reality check. Sure, I could have gone for a walk or a quick bike ride and called it good.....but then I kind of would have been cheating myself. Here I am trying to make all this "effort" while also trying to take the easy way out at the same time.

The mind is a tricky thing, isn't it? Well, my mind is, anyway.

Apparently I'm really into half-assing stuff and apparently Bob is trying to be helpful by not letting me.

AND GUESS WHAT????

This week it paid off. Big time.

This week I lost a whopping 5 pounds!!!

Ok, so two of those were probably water (as I mentioned last Friday), but the other three? The other three were the result of hard work and EFFORT. Real effort - not the half-assed kind.

Today I am feeling motivated. Today I am feeling good about myself. Today I am feeling like I can really make the effort for a whole 'nother week.

Hopefully it'll pay off and I'll see more awesome results next week. Realistically, I know another 5 pound loss probably isn't in the cards......but two pounds?

I think I can do that.

Devil Woman, OUT.

{note: some new things I've tried this week - raw nuts. raw nuts for snacks after work when i'm craving snacky stuff. light lunches. i've gone for more fruits and veggies at lunch and really been diligent with the water - which helps me feel more full. later dinner. i know, i know - i just said i was eating earlier a few weeks ago - but last week there were a few days when i had to eat around 7:30 and i really noticed a big difference in my snacking and cravings later into the evening. i guess i'm just learning as i go}

Monday, Monday.

2011-08-08T13:03:00.001-07:00

I think I am going to start doing all of my blog posts in bullet points because I don't think I have enough interesting things to say - lots of interesting things constitute a paragraph. Not very many interesting things only rate a bullet point.

How was your weekend, Internet?

Mine was fine. Busy.

Got all of Carter's school shopping done. He's super excited for school and also super excited to have his name and initials written on everything.

Also, he's super excited to have lunch-ables in his lunch box.

Really, who doesn't get excited for chopped ham, crackers and cheese?

Jeffery's school supplies are all bought.

School clothes? Not so much? Jeffery's school clothes cost, like, a million dollars. So I'm going to wait a week or so on that. Don't have my million saved up quite yet.

Yesterday I watched "When Harry Met Sally".

Do you know what? I've never watched When Harry Met Sally before. I have no idea why, because it's exactly my kind of movie. I loved it.

Yesterday I also baked a cake, made home made icing, home made ice cream and cupcakes. And, you know what? I didn't eat any of it.

I will confess to licking a spoon or two....but that's it.

Go, me.

Why the cupcakes and cake and ice cream, you ask?

Well, because Bob's birthday is TODAY.

Today Bob is 42.

When I took Carter to daycare this morning he asked me how old I was. I told him 34.

So he goes in to the daycare lady and says, "You know what? Today my Dad turned 42. And Amanda is 43!"

Nice.

Carter is officially grounded for the rest of his life.

Just kidding.

Maybe.

Tonight Bob, Carter and I are going to dinner to celebrate his birthday.

We already gave him his presents this morning, and he loved them.

Tomorrow we will continue the celebration with a BBQ with friends. Fun, fun.

It's fun making a big deal over Bob's birthday.

He doesn't expect it.

Which makes it that much more fun!

Today Carter starts swimming lessons.

He's a Polliwog.

He's excited for that, too.

Lots of excitement around our house.

Except from me.

I'm still pissed about being 43!

Devil Woman, OUT.

P.S. Blogger keeps spacing my bullet points wrong. It's totally bloggers fault. Not my fault at all.

All Sorts of Stuff:

2011-08-05T10:57:00.001-07:00

I have been avoiding my blog like the plague this week. Mostly because I gained 3 pounds (THREE FREAKING POUNDS) and I am pissed off and upset (at myself) and also having a pity party.

The pity party is totally monopolizing my time so I have had no free time to blog.

I'm back on track today. Hopefully. Two pounds down from Wednesday (obviously, those two were water) and hopefully on the right track to lose the other by this coming Wednesday.

Bob and I had a nice chat last night about what I can do to motivate myself to do better at this. He didn't bring it up or anything. I did. Mostly I was whining and so I asked him - "what are your thoughts on this?" and, of course, he started off by asking me WHY I want to lose weight. He was concerned I wanted to lose weight for him - and he is happy with me just as I am.

Have I mentioned that Bob is the best boyfriend ever?

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. I explained that of course I'd love to be that skinny, beautiful girlfriend for him - but, really I just want to lose weight to be happy with myself. If I'm happy with myself I'm happy in lots of other areas of my life, too.

Once that was figured out he said that whatever I need to do - well, he's behind me 100%. If I need to leave Carter at the babysitter longer to exercise, well, that's OK. If dinner needs to be moved, that's OK, too. We both determined that it's all about willpower and motivation, etc, etc. You know the story. Same shit, different day. Now I just need to DO something about it.

So, basically, I'm where I was at before - only with hopefully less whining. Maybe.

Side note: We also both decided that I am always grumpier when things don't go my way on the scales - and life is always better with less grumpiness. Hopefully I can think of that the next time I'm tempted to eat a cookie or a tortilla or something equally not good for me.

In other news - Bob's birthday is Monday. The shopping for said birthday is done - I took Carter with me and he is SO excited. He's really having a hard time keeping the secret. Last night when Bob got home from work he went on and on about how he has a secret and about how it's not about Bob or anything.

I'm not sure the kid can make it until Monday. He might spill the beans before then.

Nancy asked me for some "feel good" book recommendations the other day and, you know what? I haven't read a good, easy, fun book in what seems like forever. So, Nancy - here are my recommendations. First off, I've heard really good things about Bossypants by Tina Fey. It's on my library list. Right now I am reading The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak and I love it. The subject matter isn't very fun or lighthearted but I love the way the book is narrated - and it really comes off as an easy read - not too heavy or depressing. I really, really like it so far. Lastly, I'd recommend the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. There are seventeen of them - so you could stay busy for a while! If you're looking for something fun, funny and easy to breeze through then these are your books. They're silly and fun, for sure. I've read them all but the last and I've honestly laughed out loud several times each time I read one of these books. I love her portrayal of New Jersey.

Hmmmm - let's see what else. Um, Andy seems to be over his butt, eye and mouth problems. Thank God! He's been acting like himself again and we love it!

Back to School is fast approaching. Carter is super excited. Jeffery, not so much. Carter and I are getting all his clothes and supplies this weekend while Bob works - Jeffery and I will probably go buy clothes next weekend - I've already gotten his supplies for the most part. I love Back to School. I love that it means Fall is right around the corner. Fall and pumpkins and the Fair and leaves and pretty colors.

Bob and I enrolled Carter in swimming lessons this week - he starts on Monday. He's excited and so are we. I always loved swimming lessons when I was a kid.

Can you believe that as of next week Bob and I will have been seeing each for a year. Holy Moly - time flies when you're having fun! We aren't doing much to celebrate because he has to work that day - but once his work schedule switches again (to weekends off) we are planning a weekend getaway - just the two of us. I can't wait!

The weekend getaway will be in the Fall - just one more reason for me to be excited for Fall!

Well, that's it for me today, Internet. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Devil Woman, OUT.

Rainy Monday

2011-08-01T11:00:00.001-07:00

Today it's rainy here....and I'm kind of loving it. What I really wish is that I were at home enjoying this rainy day and not working.

I guess I can't complain too much - I do get off work at 3:30.

As of right now the big plan for my rainy Monday is to get off work, swing by the store to buy apples and bread, stop and rent a movie, go for a run, make dinner and then VEG OUT in front of the TV. Hopefully I can find a good movie to rent - that always makes vegging out in front of the TV way more fun.

In celebration of this rainy Monday I thought I'd share a little "slow jammin'" with ya. Here you go:

Have I mentioned that I love Jimmy Fallon? Nobody slow jams the news quite like Jimmy. Oh, wait. Nobody else really slow jams the news at all, do they?

Huh.

Devil Woman, OUT.

Friday Links. And Some Other Stuff, Too.

2011-07-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

First off, I'd like to thank all who came to my Pampered Chef party last night! It was tons of fun, we watched an awesome {yummy} cooking demonstration, and it was great getting to spend time with some really great friends. So, thanks ladies! My party was a great success thanks to you!

My Pampered Chef host, Deborah was nice enough to write it all down for me - and I thought I'd better share with all of you - because it was GOOD. Definitely the hit of the party.

Artichoke Dip
(via Deborah Prince and Pampered Chef)

1 can artichoke hearts in water
8oz block cream cheese
1 pkg Knorr vegetable soup mix
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 cup sour cream
Juice of half a lemon
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese (about a 1/2 cup)

Mix the drained artichoke hearts, cream cheese, vegetable soup mix and garlic in a bowl and microwave for 3 minutes.
Add sour cream and lemon juice and mix well.
Place all ingredients into a baking dish and sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese.
Microwave for 2/4 minutes OR heat in a 350 degree oven until bubbly and Parmesan is melted and brown around the edges.

Serve with chunks of french or sour dough bread.

All I can say about this dip is.....YUM. We used fat free sour cream - you could use low fat cream cheese as well and make this a pretty low fat appetizer.

Second, I would like to say that my poor puppy, Andy, is havin' a rough go this week. Poor little dude has an infection under his eye, on his mouth and.....on (in?) his butt. Basically, he's got all the pertinent infection points covered. As of now he's on antibiotics, pain killers and an antibiotic ointment for the eye (thank goodness not for the butt!). Last night he acted more like his normal self that he has in.....well, probably a week. I finally got to see those giant gremlin ears perk up a bit - and he was in the mood to play. Thank goodness! I hate it when he's not feeling well. Mostly because he's my baby. And he's going to live forever. Which make antibiotics and eye ointments and butt cleanings (by the vet, thank God) a must. I think he and I are going to have a little photo session this weekend. He just got his hair cut and he is stinkin' cute. His ears always look super huge right after a hair cut and, in my opinion, there is nothing cuter than a puppy with giant ears.

Now - onward to the links!

Here's a pretty new (to me) blog that I found today: Oh, Hello Friend.

Anyway....

For the Home:

Look at this pretty nursery tour over at Lay Baby Lay. I really love that color combination.

House of Turquoise has a pretty home tour up today. You should probably swing over and check it out.

Don't you just love the basket that hangs on the wall above the bed in this post? I have to tell you, The Lettered Cottage NEVER disappoints. I love their style.

For the Printer:

Some cute holiday gift tags over at Today's Creative Blog. I know, I know, they're for CHRISTMAS - but they're cute! And definitely worth saving a link to for when the holiday's roll around.

Here are some summer ones, too (via Eat Drink Chic). There. Now I've redeemed myself.

Creature Comforts has some cute tags - for just about anything you'd need a tag for. And they're free. I love free.

And look at these pretty cards over at The Handmade Home. Aren't they SO cute? And they're free, too.

For the Tummy:

Joy the Baker has lots of yummy salads posted this week. I love salads in the summer. Actually, I love salads all year long.

I think this Lemon Garlic Spaghetti over on I Nom Things looks super yummy. I'll bet you could use some wheat noodles and maybe add some spinach and make this a healthy, yummy dinner.

I think that Pioneer Woman's Crash Hot Potatoes look SO good. I think I want one right now. Do you think they're fat free?

For when you're feelin' crafty:

I think I'd like to make something like this for Halloween this year. Isn't it simple and cute? I'm thinking of doing cream canvas instead of burlap and hanging it on the fireplace. We have too much brown in the living room to add burlap, I think.

Also, wouldn't these be cute for Halloween? Pretty sure I even have a few fake pumpkins downstairs - so this would be cute, cheap and easy. Sadly, I have no link for this. I found the picture on pinterest and it took me...nowhere. So, if you made these pumpkins and I'm not giving you credit I'm sorry. But, still - cute, right?

Well, Internet - that's all I've got for today. I hope you have a great weekend - pretty sure I will!

Devil Woman, OUT.

{7/27/2011} Wednesday Update:

2011-07-27T09:42:00.001-07:00

Well, this week was pretty.....OK, I guess.

I did great in the exercise department - I either biked or ran every single day except for Saturday, when we weren't home. At this point my goal is to get back to running regularly. This is the exercise that seems to make the most difference in how I look. Which is the ultimate goal. Biking is fun, and I'm definitely sticking with it - but it won't be my primary type of exercise until winter hits again.

As far as eating goes......I did pretty OK. I sucked it up on Friday night for dinner and all day on Saturday. But the rest of the week was OK.

If I'm being honest here (and I am) then I will tell you that I only put in about 75% effort every other day of the week. Here I am, desperate to lose weight and feel good about myself - but somehow I am sabotaging all my efforts. What the hell? Let's take Monday, for example. I started off great, had plain oatmeal and one piece of whole grain toast for breakfast....had a cup of brown rice and some peas for lunch......had an apple and some cottage cheese for a snack.....and then had a chicken salad for dinner. Not too bad, right? Not too bad until you add in the chocolate chip cookie and the hand full of m&m's in the afternoon and the "skinny cow" ice cream and weight watchers chocolate treat right before bed. What was I thinking?! I can't eat right before bed! I know this! It ALWAYS shows up on the scales the next day. Always.

So, yesterday was a bit of a reality check for me. I woke up and weighed myself. I was up one pound from last week. So then I started feeling sorry for myself. I'm fat. My hair sucks. My clothes don't fit. You know the story. I'm sure we all have days like that. I'm sure it's not just me. Is it just me?

After my little pity party I asked myself - "Why am I not doing something about this?!"

So, you know what? Yesterday I ate good. Yesterday I didn't have a cookie or an m&m or any snacks before bed. Yesterday I ran an extra half mile. Yesterday I treated my body the way that I should. And, guess what? This morning I weighed and I was two pounds down from yesterday morning. Now, I know this was likely just the food I ate late on Monday NOT sitting with me anymore....but, still.

It made me feel good.

It made me feel like my efforts were really getting me somewhere.

Today I really hope that I can keep the momentum going. I obviously have the tools that I need to lose weight - I know what to eat and I'm not afraid to exercise. Now it's just a matter of DOING it. Now it's just a matter of REMEMBERING how good it feels to look at a scale that shows I've lost weight. Hopefully the next time I'm tempted to eat late at night or shove a yummy cookie in my mouth I'll remember that same feeling.

I know I can do this.

I'm excited to see where a whole week of doing what I did yesterday will get me. If not a lower weight, at least a better attitude, right?

Devil Woman, OUT.

P.S. How was your week?

P.P.S. My overall weight loss for this week was two pounds - so I guess I lost the pound I gained last week. Whew!

The Weekend:

2011-07-25T10:46:00.000-07:00

I'm sad to say this weekend is over....because as far as weekends go, this past one was pretty nice.

Friday night Bob and I had a bicycle date - we rode our bikes down some country roads and ended up at the Mexican Restaurant in Shelley. After dinner we rode around town a bit and then headed home. I must admit that the Mexican Restaurant was pretty crappy - but, you know what? The date was still awesome! I love getting OUTSIDE and doing something different than our normal dinner out, you know? I have a feeling we may have more bicycle dates in our future. This week I'm thinking of riding bikes to the lake and having a picnic. Doesn't that sound fun?

Saturday we woke up early and headed to Massacre Rocks with Lance and Laura for a day out in the boat. Bob and Lance fished all day and Laura and I hung out and relaxed. Well, Laura fished. I read my book and turned into a lobster. I always turn into a lobster when water and sun is involved. But, good news.....I only got blisters on my nose and ears! I think the burn that I got on my arms and legs is going to turn into a tan! It's a miracle! Amanda might have a tan!

Sunday Bob worked and I hung out at home. Got up early and had breakfast....then went back to bed and watched So You Think You Can Dance and Friday Night Lights all morning while carter watched The Smurfs. We were lazy. It was nice. Once I was up I did a little cleaning, ran a few errands....and spent more time being lazy. I did manage to cook dinner and bake some home made chocolate chip cookies for Bob, too. I finished the day with a bike ride and a movie. We watched The Lincoln Lawyer and we both really liked it. Have you seen it? If not, you should. Mathew McConaughey is in it. Need I say more?

How was your weekend, Internet? Did you do anything fun?

Devil Woman, OUT.

P.S. Did you watch the final episode of Friday Night Lights? Are you as sad as I am that the show is over? I love that show! Bob has never watched it and I'm thinking of renting Season 1 so we can watch it together. It's definitely worth re-watching.

Friday Links:

2011-07-22T08:32:00.000-07:00

I would like to start off by saying that I think this has probably become the most boring blog....ever. I'm not exactly sure how to change that.....so I guess I'll just post a few links. When in doubt, post links.

Maybe something exciting will happen this weekend - and then I can post about it Monday and then it won't be so boring around here.....but I highly doubt it.

Anyway.

Links!

Blogs I found this week (that I think you should check out):

Eat Drink Chic. Super cute!

Kara Paslay Designs. Check out the display window she created for Anthropologie - so pretty!

Little Green Notebook. Fun home decor ideas!

Home Decor:

Check out the windows in this house that House of Turquoise posted today. I l.o.v.e. those windows!!

Here's a few fun home tours (via: Apartment Therapy) that you might want to check out. I really just want that dog. Do you think Andy would love a bulldog as much as I would?

Check out this awesome before & after over at Design Sponge. What an amazing transformation, huh?

Food:

This cinnamon roll recipe over at Bakedbree.com looks EASY and YUMMY. And much easier than the last cinnamon roll recipe that I attempted.

Hello yummy drink that Laura and I are just going to have to try sometime soon. Chocolate Margarita's via Tasty Kitchen!

Tasty Kitchen also has a super yummy {looking} post all about home made ice cream. Yum!

DIY / Craftiness:

Check out these cute free downloads over at Eat Drink Chic. I'm doing some party decorating next week and I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to use these.....

There is a cute little crepe paper flower tutorial over at Hip, Hip, Hooray that you should check out. Simple and c-ute!

Hop on over to the Make It and Love It blog - she's got all kinds of fun stuff happening to flip flops this week!

Other Stuff:

Ashley Ann is giving away a spot in her first SnapShop online class - I would LOVE to take this class!

There's another fun giveaway over at Kevin & Amanda today as well.

Today I'm going to use one of my Barnes & Noble gift cards to purchase The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. Have you read it? I've heard really good things.

Check out all of the super cool temporary tattoos over at Tattly - they're so fun!

Devil Woman, OUT.

{7/20/2011} Wednesday Update:

2011-07-20T10:56:00.000-07:00

This week I don't have lots to report. I've still been trying....well, for the most part. I kind of threw the whole "diet and exercise" thing out the window for a few days last week - specifically my birthday and the day after. And maybe the day after that, too. Hey! It was my birthday!

'Nuff said.

Anyway, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday I tried....I really did. But over the course of the last week I still gained a pound. So, two pounds down the week before last and one pound up last week. It's OK. I'm not freaking out. This week will be good - I can feel it.

I did try a few new things this past week. Brown rice and veggies for lunch most days....this helped me feel full clear until dinner. Also, I had eggs and toast most days for breakfast instead of the usual cereal. I have found this has made a huge difference in keeping me full all morning long. I switched from low-cal bread to a hearty whole grain - more calories per piece - but it definitely helps with the snacky cravings that I was having before lunch - so it's saving me calories overall. I think. Also, I have been trying to switch up my dinner salads a bit - with chicken instead of tuna and peas instead of apples. Just for a change. I've also managed to eat earlier almost every night - so even if I did gain a pound I still feel like I'm making changes for the better.

As far as exercise goes....well, I didn't on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. And Monday. Man, what the hell happened? Life, I guess. We were gone quite a bit on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, too. And Monday I was exhausted from staying up half the night reading. Anyway, I rode the bike on Wednesday, Sunday and on Tuesday. Also ran on Sunday. I guess three days is better than nothing...but still not where I want to be.

Overall this week was pretty good. How was your week, Internet?

In other news I thought I'd share a few pictures of our road trip on Saturday. I didn't take many pictures - basically I took a few at our first stop at the lake and that was it. As a matter of fact I didn't even take ONE picture of the lake! Well, not the hole lake, anyway. This is just a little inlet (is that what you'd call it?) that's on the edge of the lake. It was my favorite view. (by the way - the lake we drove to is called Anderson Ranch)

And here are some pictures of us on the bridge.

(don't ask what Carter is holding onto in the picture...my bra strap maybe? how did I not feel that? also, he is not wearing shorty shorts - he's wearing regular shorts all rolled up because he was playing in the water)

My hair is getting longer, eh? It's ridiculous. I am getting a cut and color tomorrow and while we won't really do any major cutting hopefully we will shape things up a bit so it's not so stinkin' straggly.

Anyway, hope you all are having a wonderful Wednesday.

Devil Woman, OUT.

More Bullet Points:

2011-07-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

I have no less than 10 bug bites from our little trip to the lake last Saturday. One of them is on my EYE.
Having a bug bite on your eye is not very attractive.
My eye is huge. And it hurts. And I look like someone punched me in the eye. Only without the bruising.
Despite all the bug bites Saturday was lots of fun. The lake was really pretty - I should have some pictures to share later this week.
Starting this week I'm doing a "to-do" list for home. Since I'm working shorter days I have a couple extra hours at home every day - and I figure I should use them up rather than spend them watching TV or something. This weeks to-do's involve cleaning out Carter's dresser drawers (checked that off the list yesterday), cleaning the fridge, grocery shopping, starting on Bob's Mom's birthday present, make decorations for the Pampered Chef party I'm having next week - you know, stuff like that.
Did you guys watch Diane Sawyer's interview with Jaycee Dugard? I watched the encore this past Saturday and I have to tell you - it was riveting. The attitude that Jaycee Dugard has despite all of the things that have been done to her is amazing. If you haven't watched the interview you should. One thing I was particularly surprised about was the ineptitude of the parole officers and sheriff's dept. Holy crap - it's hard to believe that the government is paying these people good money to do pretty much NOTHING. At least in this case.
Speaking of kidnapping, I am reading the book Room by Emma Donoghue. I bought it last Friday and I'm pretty sure I'll be done with it by tomorrow. Not fast by some standards - but considering the time I have allotted to read every day, pretty fast for me. This book is really interesting - it's told from a 5 year old boy's perspective - a boy who is born in a room where his mother is being kept by a kidnapper. He's never known anything but this room and he speaks of the room and every item in is as if it's a person in his life. It's sad and shocking and, well.....just interesting. Anyway, if you're looking for a good book you should check it out.
Last Wednesday I tried baking snicker doodle cookies for Bob. They're his favorite and I usually try to have some sort of baked treat hanging around the house for him to snack on since he loves them so much (it's either that or junk from the grocery store - which is good, but not home made). Anyway, they were good - but too hard and crunchy, I thought. Do any of you have a good snicker doodle recipe? I prefer the moist and chewy ones - and even though Bob ate the hard, crunchy ones just fine I think he'd prefer the moist and chewy version as well. Anyway, if you have a good recipe leave a comment with the recipe or a link! Thanks!!
Sunday I rode my bike three and a half miles and then ran for one and a half. And it was HOT. But, man did it feel good to get a really good workout. I think I'm going to do the same tonight - only a little later so it's not so stinkin' HOT!

Well, that's all I've got for today, Internet. Tomorrow will be a Wednesday Update and then Thursday more links! Hope you're all having a great week!!

Devil Woman, OUT.

Friday Bullet Points:

2011-07-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

I have a new shift at work. 9:30am to 3:30pm. I kind of love it. Now I can have all my house cleaning done BEFORE I go to work and now I can get all my extra projects (scrapbooking, baking, making stuff) done earlier in the day. Now I can exercise earlier. Now I can have some designated down time with Bob every night. Yea. I kind of love it.
Never before in my adult life would I have loved a shorter shift at work. A shorter shift means a slightly shorter paycheck. Not good by any means....but now that I am in a steady, secure relationship with a steady, secure man who shares equally in household expenses...well, it's just not so bad. Have I mentioned how lucky I am lately?
Because of this wonderful new shift at work I'm already done with my Moments projects. They are done in less than a week - go me!! Here are a few of them:

I threw together this super simple bunting for next 4th of July - it would be cute hanging from a table of food at a BBQ, dontcha think?

(ignore the funky chair pads on the front porch chairs...they were FREE. we are in the market for some new ones....but I want to wait 'till all the summer stuff goes on clearance this fall before I buy any. cuz I'm cheap like that.)

My birthday was AWESOME! We had cake at work, I received lots of very nice presents, lots of sweet birthday wishes on facebook, and had a very nice dinner with Carter and Bob which was followed by a walk around the greenbelt. Oh, and did I mention that Bob surprised me with a dozen roses when he got home from work yesterday? Also, have I mentioned how lucky I am lately? Cuz I really am! Anyway, Jeffery had to work late last night so he missed dinner, but that's OK - according to Bob we are celebrating my birthday all weekend so Jeffery will have dinner with us on Sunday.
Tonight we are having dinner with Lance and Laura - Carter is going to a baseball game with Bonnie and her girlies (thank you Bonnie, for offering to babysit - what a wonderful birthday gift!).
Tomorrow we are going on a "Camero drive" with Lance and Laura. They have a new Camaro too, you know. We aren't sure where we're going yet....but wherever it is - it'll be fun.
Sunday is down time for everyone - it'll involve house cleaning, lawn mowing, sprinkler head fixing, possibly some mall shopping....and relaxing. Lots and lots of relaxing. And maybe a bike ride.
What are your plans for the weekend, friends? I hope you are doing something FUN!

Devil Woman, OUT.

P.S. Thanks for all the birthday wishes on facebook yesterday, you all made me feel very loved!

{7/13/2011} Wednesday Update:

2011-07-13T13:22:00.000-07:00

After lots of reflecting (and whining to myself) last Wednesday I have decided to DO something about this issue I have. Not just write about it or whine about it.

And I'm trying. Sometimes really hard - sometimes not hard enough at all.

I will say that I have lost 2 pounds since last Wednesday. Hopefully not just two pounds of water. This past week I have tried to LISTEN TO MY BODY. "Am I full?" That's what I'm really trying to hear. Those of us who struggle with weight know that being full doesn't necessarily mean that you stop eating. Trust me. I've also got a few new strategies that I'm going to try this week - and hopefully by next Wednesday I'll see results on the scale.

Strategy #1 - EAT DINNER EARLIER. On the days when Bob works at his "regular" job he doesn't get home until after 7. Which means we don't eat dinner until 7:30, 7:45 or even 8:00! That is WAY too late for me to eat. It just isn't good to fill up on dinner and then go sit on your ass all night. Well, it isn't good for me, anyway. So, here's my strategy (for the rest of the summer, anyway): To eat dinner earlier! Duh! Since it's summer and since Bob's job is REALLY hot he isn't always hungry until quite a while after work (ie: 8 or 9 at night). Apparently the heat makes him not-so-hungry. I know, I know. What does this all mean? Not hungry? Just because of heat? Yea. He's a skinny person. Apparently skinny people are just that different than the rest of us. Anyway - my big plan is to make dinner for him early and then put it in containers for later. Right now he eats leftovers for lunch and leftovers every other night for dinner (it's just too hard to try cooking small meals for just him and Carter so we do the leftover thing). Usually I make some sort of pasta or soft tacos....or pasta. So those things reheat really well. So, I'll make dinner, Carter and I will eat (Carter will eat the fresh dinner I just made and I'll eat my usual salad or vegetable/rice mix or tuna fish sandwich) and then Bob can reheat dinner whenever he feels like it. What sucks about this plan is that we miss out on family dinner time. I don't like this - but I guess it's just part of summer. Everyone's schedules are messed up...and I don't want to force Bob to eat dinner when he's not hungry just so we can eat together, you know? Once fall comes this will have to change, we'll have to get back on schedule, but for now this should work just fine.

Strategy #2: ONLY ONE COFFEE PER DAY. I'm an iced coffee lover. I could drink it all. day. long. But I need my 8 glasses of water every day. I'm good about drinking water....for me, it's either coffee or water - no pop or juice or whatever.....but lately I haven't been good about drinking ENOUGH water. So I'm going to really focus on that.

Strategy #3 - FOCUS LESS ON LOW-CAL PACKAGE FOODS AND MORE ON ACTUAL HEALTHY FOODS. Having lost so much weight on the Weight Watchers plan I have always focused on calories, fat grams and fiber. Not on carbs and other not so healthy ingredients and now I'm going to really make an effort to do just that. My plan is to eat healthier, more filling foods so that I'm full longer and won't be as likely to shove a bunch of shit in my mouth because that 100 calorie pack just didn't do it for me. I'm going to eat more nuts, whole grains, beans, etc. No more 45 calorie bread - maybe I'll try an actual whole grain instead. No more cereal in the morning - I'll have eggs and toast. You know, if you make scrambled eggs with only one egg yolk and two egg whites they really aren't so fattening. And they are SO much more filling. Anyway - this will be something new for me - and I really hope it'll help me eat less junk. What do you think on this one? Ever tried this?

Strategy #4 - RIDE THE BIKE. I love riding my bike, so this isn't really a hard one. I have a good 7 mile loop that I can take right from home - so I'm making it a priority to just GO. Since we aren't eating dinner so late I will have much more time to go for a quick bike ride.

And.....that's all of my strategies for now, I guess. I'm takin' it slow. Trying things that I think will actually work.....and I guess we'll just see how things turn out.

How about you, Internet? How was your week?

Devil Woman, OUT.

P.S. Any input or advice that you guys have on this subject is GREATLY appreciated. :o)

P.P.S. Tomorrow is my birthday - wish me luck on not over indulging on birthday cake or something, mmkay?

Tuesday Links:

2011-07-11T08:06:00.000-07:00

So, how was your weekend, Internet?

Mine was good....I'm afraid I really can't say "ours" was good because Bob had a horrible toothache all weekend long. Poor guy. And he had to work Sunday....from 7 to 7. Kind of sucky, if I do say so myself. BUT - my weekend was pretty good. Very laid back - I think I only left the house a couple times - once on Saturday to take Carter and three of Bonnie's cute girlies to the movies - and once Sunday to go to the dreaded Walmart. Otherwise I stayed home and cleaned, did laundry, baked (a co-workers birthday was yesterday so I made her a cake, and I made these for Bonnie, Bob and some neighbors), scrapbooked (almost done with my July Moments projects), read (finally finished The Passage - which I loved and am really hoping there will be a sequel to - he kind of left me hanging there at the end), enjoyed one dinner date with Bob on Friday night, watched a few episodes of So You Think You Can Dance and also watched the season premier of Flipping Out (do you watch that show? I love it!), washed my car....and I think that's about it. Nothing too exciting - which was really kind of nice.

Anyway, last week I was kind of a crappy blogger so today I'll try and make up for it by doing a link post - I know you guys usually like those. So, here goes:

First off, a few blogs I think you should check out - in case you don't already:

A Cup Of Jo - this is one of my daily reads.

Pacing the Panic Room - another daily read for me. Go read yesterday's post. It's pretty amazing - I hope his wife knows what a lucky lady she is.

This one isn't really a blog, more of a website, but have you checked out What Kate Wore? It's hard to believe that the people who run the site have the time to research each piece that is worn.....and every time I swing by the site I start to roll my eyes at how in depth each post is, but then I start scrolling down anyway. I mostly just look at the pictures. Kate is pretty. She wears pretty clothes. 'Nuff said.

Sugar and Charm - this one is fairly new to me - and it's super cute. Cute blog design, cute posts, pretty pictures and fun recipes and ideas. Can't beat that.

Craftiness:

Cathy has a really cute free template for all of you digital / hybrid scrapbookers out there. Go here to check it out.

Thirty Handmade Days has a fun idea for a new neighbor gift. I thought it was cute. Now - I just need a new neighbor to give it to! {not very likely in my neighborhood}

How cute is this quilt over at Lorajean's Magazine? Love it.

Craftberry Bush has a fun tutorial on dyeing glass jars. Super cute. I might just have to give it a try.

Ucreate has some fun craft tips to share.

Yumminess:

Joy the Baker has a fun post with a bunch of summer recipes. They all look yummy.

This turkey burger recipe over on Our Best Bites looks SUPER yummy - I'm definitely going to try it. The only kind of ground meat we eat at our house is turkey - no regular burger for us.

Head over to Sugar and Charm for a fun Italian Soda recipe. YUM!

Home Decor:

I am definitely printing out the FREE map collage over at maybe*mej. It is PERFECT for my house. If you swing over to her site you'll see there are lots of cute freebies.

Love this lamp DIY over at Design Sponge. As usual, something cute from Ashley Ann.

And....that's all I've got for today. Happy Tuesday!

Devil Woman, OUT.

The Weekend in Pictures:

2011-07-06T13:49:00.000-07:00

Let's start off with our drive to Sun Valley. Here is the Salmon River near Challis:

We stopped to stretch our legs and, of course, to snap a picture or two.

Next stop: Redfish Lake. If you have never been you NEED to go. It is gorgeous. The water is so blue and the Sawtooth mountains so big and beautiful.

This is a stream that's right along the road to the lake - isn't it pretty?

And the lake:

I couldn't get over how beautiful it was (is). I wish I could capture what I see with my eyes on "film". In no way do these pictures do the lake justice.

(I couldn't help playing around a bit in photoshop.....)

Once we left the lake we drove up Galena Summit. The view of the Sawtooth mountains at the top of the summit is amazing.

After we snapped a few pictures of the mountains we headed to Ketchum and Sun Valley. Where I took NO pictures. Nice. By the time we got there we were all hungry - so we ate first. By the time we were done everything was closed - so we just walked around a bit and then headed towards home. They did have a few antique shows that we stopped at - which was really fun - but, once again, no pictures. I am an awesome memory keeper, aren't I?

Moving on......to the Fourth of July! Not many pictures on that day, either. We started off at the parade - here's the kids (and Bob with some strangers in the background):

And here are the fireman. I like their bagpipes.

And Bonnie's baby girl. Isn't she just the cutest, chubbiest baby ever? I just can't get over that cute bottom lip. I could literally just squeeze her and kiss her until...well, I don't know when....but definitely for a long time......but she won't let me - as soon as I pick her up she cries. She is definitely a Mama's girl.

After the parade we just pretty much hung out at home - and in the evening we went to the fireworks. Here's Bob and I:

And here's Carter. He couldn't be bothered to get up and have his picture taken.

And that's it for our weekend. In pictures, anyway.

Devil Woman, OUT.

{7/6/2011} Wednesday Update:

2011-07-06T07:57:00.000-07:00

If I'm being honest here (and I am) then I will tell you that for the past month or so I've been really struggling in the diet / exercise department. Longer than that, really. In reality, I think I've been struggling for a LONG time - but somehow all of my struggles didn't translate to pounds on the scale. Until lately. Lately it's totally translating to pounds on the scale. 5 pounds to be exact.

I know, I know. 5 pounds. Big whoop. Well, it is a big whoop. A really big whoop to me. Because 5 pounds turns to 6, which turns to 7 and then 8 and so on and so forth. Trust me. I was freaking out about a two pound gain and look where it got me.

So, here's the deal. Right now I am in a relationship with a wonderful man who is happy with me just the way I am. He doesn't care what I weigh - he thinks I'm beautiful. 5 pounds up or 5 pounds down. Which is awesome. I really do love that about him. BUT (and it's a really big but) no matter what Bob thinks - I KNOW I need to lose weight. I know that in order to be happy with myself I need to lose weight. It may seem superficial....and I guess it is. But it's a fact. I won't be truly happy in any area of my life unless I'm happy with myself - inside and out. This is a fact of life, people. It applies to everyone - not just me. Everyone's happiness requires something different - for me one of the things that makes me feel happy with myself is weighing less than I do right now. For you it might just be something entirely different. I really hope it is.

Because of this shitty 5 pounds and the consequent not feeling happy with myself I've been feeling sorry for myself a lot lately - which kind of makes me sick. I hate it when I'm like this. I just keep thinking to myself -

"I'm NEVER going to just be able to eat and live and not think about every damn thing I put in my mouth. Never. Ever."

And, you know what? That really sucks.

And you know what else? It's absolutely true.

I am not blessed with the genes and natural good metabolism of a "skinny" person. I have to work at being a thinner, healthier version of me every single freaking day. And I hate it. I mean, I like it. I like the results. I like the feeling I get when I look and feel healthy. But I HATE that I have to work so hard at it. I HATE that I have to think about it all the time. I HATE that I have to deprive myself and think about every single thing I put in my mouth. Hate it. I also HATE that if I don't have time to exercise I feel guilty and lazy. Even though every second of my day is full and I spend NO time sitting on my ass......well, I still feel lazy. I feel like I should have somehow made the time.

For me, being thin(ish) and healthy is such a mind game. I constantly berate myself for doing something "wrong" (like skipping exercising or eating a cookie).....and I know I'm going to do this - I know I'm going to think badly about myself if I do these things - but I do them anyway. See? Total mind game. Something is wrong with me. Why do I think this way and do this to myself? I know a lot of women are the same way - I know I'm not the only one playing these mind games - and I really wish I knew how to fix this problem.

Do you know what else I wish? I wish that I could be happy and self confident the way I am right now. I wish I could be happy with the person I am - no matter how I look. But I know that that is a slippery slope. If I let myself be happy with my current weight then I'll get comfortable - and then my current weight won't be my current weight anymore. It'll go up. And up and up and up.

So, where do I go from here? How do I get back in the saddle? Honestly, I have no idea. I know that I need to eat healthy - not only for my weight but for my health in general....but I also know that I need to LOSE weight. And that means depriving myself. Which is fine - I know I can do it - I've done it before.....but how do I make myself do it? How do I walk away from the cookies and the cake and the yummy food at the BBQ?

Any ideas?

As of now I'm just takin' it a day at a time. Today I am making a commitment to myself to NOT put any junk in my mouth. Today I am making a commitment to myself to go for a bike ride with the gears turned up so I can burn calories and feel as though I've accomplished something today.

As for tomorrow....well, I hope to do the same. I guess we'll just see what tomorrow brings.

Devil Woman, OUT.

Tuesday Update:

2011-07-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful holiday weekend - which started off with a Friday night date. Dinner and a movie. We ate at Italian and then went to see Super 8. I liked it.....Bob not so much. It was a cute show - kind of a throw back to The Goonies or ET. I wouldn't say I loved it - but I liked it.

Saturday we woke up early and drove to Sun Valley, ID. We made a stop at Red Fish Lake - which was beautiful. I'll have pictures to share tomorrow.

Sunday I cleaned house, Bob did yard work, we grocery shopped, I cooked baked beans and I baked two chocolate cream pies and then we went to a BBQ at some friends. (Jeffery went too - woohoo!)

Yesterday we went to the parade with Bonnie and her pretty girls - then we hung out at home and ended the day with fireworks down by the greenbelt.

All in all it was an awesome holiday weekend. Tiring, but awesome. I'm kind of looking forward to this weekend so that I can just RELAX.

In other news, this morning I received a call from a friend who subscribes to our local newspaper and she congratulated me on getting my photograph published on Sunday. I had no idea! Last week I saw an ad in the paper to submit your "cool" Idaho photographs - and so I did. I submitted this one:

And apparently they chose it for the Sunday paper. Pretty cool, huh? I'm off to pick up a copy of the paper after work today. I'm pretty excited to show it off to Bob and whoever else I happen to run into in the near future. ;o)

Happy Tuesday, Internet. I hope you all had a great Holiday weekend!

Devil Woman, OUT.

Read.

2011-07-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

So, how's the summer reading going? Remember a while back when I posted my Summer Reading List? Well, guess how that's coming along?

It's not.

Well, it is. But it's not. If my list were ONE book then I'd be coming right along. But my list was WAY more than one book - so I guess I'm suckin' it up. So far I've {almost} read ONE book. Yep.

ONE.

But its a really long one. And I'm kind of busy. I guess when you only have about 5 minutes a day to read it's hard to read a bajillion books over one single summer. I think I might have set myself up for failure on this one. But, you know what the cool thing about books is? They'll still be there in the fall....winter....spring.....and next summer, too.

So I guess I'll just keep adding to my list and making time to read when I can.

Here's the book I'm not done reading yet:

The Passage by Justin Cronin

I've got about 150 pages left, I think - and I have to say I've really loved this book. It's totally not my usual kind of read - but I'm glad that I took a risk and added it to my reading list. If you've got, say, a month or so free then I highly recommend this book. It's good. Interesting. Different. It'll suck you in, for sure.

Speaking of books......the other day over at Pioneer Woman Ree had a contest for a Nook - and she asked what your favorite childhood book was.

So, I'm curious - what was YOUR favorite book as a child?

I could list off tons - the Nancy Drew Series, Sweet Valley Twins, Amelia Bedelia and so on and so forth - but my REAL favorite book as a girl was Tom Sawyer. Probably a weird choice for a little girl - but I must say that I L.O.V.E.D. that book. Loved it. I must have read it over a hundred times. I loved reading it out loud - using my best southern accent, of course (and, trust me, I could really master the southern accent, until I was ten I was raised in the south, you know). I loved to just lose myself in Tom's world - I always thought he was so tricky conning those other kids into white washing his fence.

I can't wait until Carter's old enough to read this book - or for me to read it to him. I hope he'll enjoy it as much as I did. I tried and tried to get Jeffery interested in reading it but it was a no go. He's not a reader - he liked for me to read to him when he was little - but mostly only books with pictures.

Anyway, for now Carter's sounding out words and trying to read books like this:

Today - Diary of a Worm.....Tomorrow - Tom Sawyer!

Ok, I think I got off the topic, here. Books. I like to read them. I don't have enough time to read as much as I'd like - but reading has and always will be one of my very favorite things to do.

Devil Woman, OUT.

Today

2011-06-30T14:17:00.000-07:00

Today I read this post over at Miss Britt's blog - and I really can relate. I thought you guys might be able to relate, too - so I'm linking up to her post.

This summer Bob and I are planning lots of road trips and things to do around town - this will be what makes up our summer "vacation". We are planning to NOT have a plan. For example - this Saturday we are driving to Sun Valley, ID. We don't know what we'll do when we get there - which, to me, is the best part. We'll just play it by ear and do what sounds good at the time. My very favorite thing to do on "vacation". I've had vacations where every second is planned - and, let me tell you, it's more stress than fun. Harder on your pocketbook, too - which really sucks the fun out of everything - at least I think it does.

So, I'm curious - are you a vacation "planner"? Do you pack fun into every second? Or do you prefer to just go with the flow and see where the day takes you?

Devil Woman, OUT.

P.S. Most of my "vacation" words are in quotes because we aren't technically taking a vacation this summer - we're just enjoying what free time we have - which is kind of like a bunch of mini vacations, I guess.

Progress.

2011-06-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

So, slowly but surely we are making progress in the house. As far as any actual DIY type projects (or more painting, etc) go - we are done until Fall. We've had enough of the house work for a while and are taking the summer off. But the decorating is progressing right along.....and the ideas are coming along as well.

Let me start off by saying - most of these pictures are really crappy. I'm terrible at taking indoor pictures - and I couldn't use my flash - and it was really sunny outside - and......those are all my excuses.

Anyway, so far here's what we've got:

The Kitchen:

(quote above the sink reads: "What I love about my home is who I share it with")

Basically, all we've done in the kitchen is paint the walls and ceiling and replace a light fixture. Oh, and we added some curtains in front of the sliding glass door. This is exactly how the kitchen will be staying until at least next spring. As of now I'm keeping the country-ish rooster decor that was in my old house because the counters are green. Not a crappy bright green - as far as greens go I guess it's our best option - BUT - next spring the green will be gone - and so next spring I will probably rethink the decorations, too. As of now the roosters and maroon compliment the green quite nicely. :o) Also, once the counters are replaced we will be painting the top molding on the cabinets a nice rustic black. I think.

The Dining Room:

(the vinyl on the little wall beside the front door reads: "make yourself at home")

As you can see - when you walk in our front door the dining room is on your right and the living room is on your left - so it's basically a big open space - which is nice.

The doorway off the dining room leads to the kitchen.

So far our improvements to the dining room are paint (before we painted the inside of the built in shelves were white - I'm glad we chose to paint them the wall color and keep only the trim and shelves white) and the light fixture (which my Mom gave me - thanks, Mom!). Oh, and blinds! Remember those awesome wood blinds I told you about? We have those on the dining room windows - and they compliment the dark wood on my dresser quite nicely. And yes, I do have a dresser in my dining room. It's awesome for holding all those holiday serving dishes that we hardly ever use - and table linens - and other stuff, too. Anyway, we have some plans for the dining room, all of them being decor stuff - so that will just happen as time goes by:

Here is a look at my little seasonal decor area in the dining room. Come fall there will be seasonal decor throughout the house - but for seasons like summer or spring I just pretty much stick up a banner and that's it.

(the banner says "summer" in case you can't read it - also, my wall really isn't green - that's my awesome photography skills at work)

The Living Room:

Yes, my TV is giant. And no, we don't watch it much. BUT I was not going to let my ex have it (cuz, you know, it was the only thing he really wanted and I'm really bitchy that way) - so here we are with a giant TV. It's awesome for movie nights - so that counts for something, right?

(the vinyl above the couch reads: "this is the life")

You can get an idea of the size of the room in this picture:

Not too big, not too small - perfectly cozy. This room has been completely redone. Well, sort of. We painted the ceiling and walls, re-carpeted, replaced a light fixture, replaced the blinds and totally redecorated. I love the carpet - it's soft and a nice mix of colors so it won't show stains. {hopefully} We decided to go without curtains in here (and the dining room as well) because I wanted a clean look in these rooms. Not necessarily masculine or feminine - and I think I've achieved that - so far, anyway. The cool trunk next to the giant TV was my great-great grandfather's (on my dad's side) - and the black and white picture above the couch (you can't really see it in these photos) is of my Grandpa's (on my Mom's side) winning horse (it's a picture of the photo finish - it's SO cool). We are planning on bringing up Bob's childhood baseball mitt and one of the trucks his Dad bought him the year he was born and put them up on the plant shelf - I have the perfect spot up there. Every picture in the house has been taken by me (except for the one of the horse and one of Jeffery) - we have a mix of people photographs and landscapes. I love that the decor is really "us". Things we've seen - places we've been together.

Right now when I look at this room it doesn't seem to have enough personal "stuff". We're workin' on it -things like that take time - especially if you want everything in your house to be meaningful and special, right? Anyway, here are the plans I have for this room:

I asked Bob to make me something like this to put in the spot behind the chair - he said yes but I'm not 100% sure that it'll look good. So we wait. I definitely don't want to hang a picture there - that would be weird with all the pictures above the couch....and I don't want to just lean a tall mirror there because I already have a mirror over the fireplace.....I was thinking maybe an old door...but I don't know. The ladder thing that I linked above might be cool because I could hang a throw on it and also maybe put a book or two hanging over the rungs (kind of like a hanging magazine rack). I could just tear the covers off of the books and then they'd be a light color against the wall. Anyway - that's a spot I'm not sure on yet so it'll be empty for a while. I don't want to just stick something up just to have the space filled. I'd rather wait until I find something that looks and feels right.

So, there you have it. That's our house remodel / redecorating so far. So far so good, I think. It's nothing as fancy as all the "perfect" you see all over the internet - nothing like what you'd see in a magazine, either - but we like it - and it definitely feels like "home" to us.

Our plans for the fall are to paint and re-carpet our bedroom and probably Carter's, too. I love that everything is a work in progress - this way we get to do everything together and make our house more "us" than just his or mine.

Devil Woman, OUT.

Monday Links: {on a Tuesday}

2011-06-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

*Please note that I started this post yesterday - but apparently I cannot complete a post in only 24 hours - so let's all pretend it's still Monday so that I don't have to retype everything, mmmmmkay?*

Hooray for Monday!

No, really. I mean it. Hooray for Monday because that means that I am one day closer to the upcoming THREE DAY WEEKEND! And, also - Bob and I both have all three days off, so yea. Hooray for Monday - and Tuesday and Wednesday and so on and so forth.

I know, I know, I'm wishing my life away. Not really - I will enjoy today. And tomorrow....and every other day leading up to the glorious THREE DAY WEEKEND. I promise.

Anyway - how about some links to brighten your Monday?

First off, Bob bought me this bike this past weekend - as an early birthday present. As my ONLY birthday present. Got that, Bob? I want nothing else. Nothing but maybe a nice dinner with you, Carter and Jeffery. That and some sort of fat free cake that doesn't taste fat free at all.

Anyway, I love the bike. It's comfortable and fast and....I love it! So far I've been on two bike rides - and I have plans to go again after dinner tonight. I'm thinking that maybe next Friday night Bob and I will have a bike ride/picnic date - doesn't that sound like fun? I think it does.

Craftiness:

Did you see that it's craft week over on Ashley Ann's blog? Woohoo! I love her crafts - and today's craft definitely doesn't disappoint.

Everything Etsy has a fun post with 100 sewing tutorials for summer - so if you're a sewer you should definitely check it out!

These little tin magnets are super cute - and I'll bet you could find some of these tins for super cheap at thrift or antique shops! I, for one, will be on the lookout!

Yumminess:

I think this cake over at Tasty Kitchen looks SO rich and yummy. I think I might try to make it for an upcoming BBQ that we're having.....

Check out this fancy pie edge over at Martha's website. I might just try this the next time I make a pie. Let me tell you - the crust on my pecan pie a few weeks ago left a LOT do be desired. And it was a freakin' pre-made crust!

I think this recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup (over at Our Best Bites) looks super yummy - AND relatively healthy, too. Pretty sure I'd use low fat cheese, low sodium chicken broth, no avocados (even though I love them they aren't the most fat free) and baked tortilla chips instead of fried. Also, some kidney beans might be good to add as well. I think I'm gonna try this sometime soon!

Our Best Bites also has a yummy Hawaiian Turkey Burger recipe. I love Hawaiian burgers - so I'll be sure to try this, too!

Oooooh - Our Best Bites has lots of fun and easy recipes - look how cute these pie jars are - those would be super fun for a BBQ or picnic - don't ya think? I'm thinking I could make some fun cupcakes in those little jars, too.

Decor:

Check out this kitchen remodel over at Two Peas and Their Pod. Amazing. I sort of have a "thing" for white subway tiles - and I love that they used them as their kitchen back splash.

Living with Lindsay has a great tutorial on how to make your ceiling edges straight when painting - man, I could have used this tip a few months ago!

Go check out the bathroom in this post over at House of Turquoise. Holy Moly! Also, that little girls room isn't too shabby, either.

Head on over to The Lettered Cottage to learn how to make your own super cool DIY mirror. Very cute - and pretty easy, too. At least it looks that way.

And.....that's all I've got for today (and yesterday, too).

Happy Monday....errr - Tuesday!

Devil Woman, OUT.

Someone at my house is VERY happy.

2011-06-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

This someone, in particular.

This someone SO deserves to treat himself to such a nice car. This someone is the hardest working, kindest, sweetest, most thoughtful person I know and I am so very excited that he finally got his dream car. Trust me, he's been wanting one for quite a while - as a matter of fact, until just a few weeks ago he had the 1996 version of this same car. Once it sold it was time to start shopping for a new one - and check out this beauty:

It's a 2011 Chevy Camaro SS2 (whatever that means) - bright red with black stripes - 426 horsepower (which, apparently, is a lot - according to Bob) - manual transmission (which equals FUN!). All leather with tons of bells and whistles - including the coolest heads up display in the windshield (and trust me, in this car you need it to keep your speed under control and not get a ticket).

And, guess what?! He let me drive it, too!

Didn't I say he was a sweetie?

We both can't wait to take LOTS of road trips in this baby - and there's just enough room for Carter in the back - so lots of fun will be had by all this summer.

Congratulations on the new car, Bob. I can't think of anyone who deserves to treat himself more than you. I love ya!

Devil Woman, OUT.

Ugh!

2011-06-23T08:47:00.000-07:00

I have a cold.

AGAIN.

I am just disgusted.

Sunday Carter had the sneezes and sniffles. No fever. No sore throat. No headache or earache or any other sort of ache. But apparently he has a tiny bit of a cold.

Tuesday I woke up with a sore throat.

Wednesday I woke up with a sore throat - which progressed to a headache, earache and neck ache (which is usually the first sign of a cold for me - my neck is always achy when I have a cold).

Today I feel like shit. I have a cold. A summer cold.

We FINALLY have nice weather and I get a cold. I am FINALLY taking up running again and I have a cold.

Aaaaaaaah! Pisses me off. I'm not going to let it stop me. As of right now I'm sitting at my desk at work. Tonight we are grocery shopping. Tomorrow night we have dinner with friends. Saturday will involve bike shopping and possibly a movie. No cold is going to ruin my first taste of summer! {hopefully}

In other news - here are my other two scrapbook layouts for ETM:

First off, some pictures of my Grandma Vann. I love old pictures.

Second, Carter and his cousins.

Can't even tell they're made with the same kit, can you?

Well, I'm off to pout a bit more about being sick......and to work.

Hope you all have a Happy Thursday!

Devil Woman, OUT.

P.S. I have a new post up over at the ETM blog in case you're interested.

Pictures!

2011-06-22T08:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the pictures that I took during last weeks "vacation":

Virginia City:

(I only took ONE picture the entire time we were in Virginia City - mostly because it was raining, I guess. Trust me - it's very pretty there. If you're ever out that way it's definitely worth a stop.)

A fuzzy picture from the BBQ at Lance & Laura's:

(It's the only picture that I have with ALL of us - so I'm printing it - fuzzy or not.)

A stop in the road on the way to Swan Valley & Jackson Hole:

Swan Valley (and square ice cream cones/cups):

Jackson Hole:

On the way home from Jackson Hole:

(And no, he doesn't have on lipstick - his lips are just that pink. By the way, he thinks wearing my sun glasses is so cool.)

Here in Idaho Falls:

Father's Day at the Charcoal Kilns:

Our House pretending like it's summer when it's really only, like, 45 degrees:

And, lastly, the view from our front porch:

Wow! That's more pictures than I've posted in FOREVER! Guess that means I'd better get outta here - I wouldn't want to post a lot of pictures AND words......then I'd be a blogging overachiever. And we all know I'm no overachiever.

Hope you all have a great Wednesday!

Devil Woman, OUT.

P.S. - No, we don't wear the same clothes everyday - all sweatshirts were "jackets" since summer in Idaho is apparently only about 45 degrees. Also, please ignore all of my bad hair - it's in the awful growing out stage and I hate it.

Random Tuesday

2011-06-21T09:23:00.000-07:00

This morning I made myself the BEST iced coffee. Last night I brewed a big pot of coffee and then poured it into a pitcher and refrigerated it all night long. Then this morning I poured it over ice, added some fat-free half and half and two sweet-n-low's. Talk about YUM. Starbucks has nothin' on my homemade iced coffee!
As of yesterday I have sprayed myself in the face with our hose no less than 10 times. You'd think I would have learned not to set the damn thing down with the spray part touching the ground after....I don't know, the third or fourth time? What can I say? I'm a genius. Also, I'm buying a new spray thingy for the hose. One that doesn't spray me in the face with all of it's defectiveness.
I ran again yesterday. Still no shin splints. I'm wearing my old, old running shoes - maybe that's what's making the difference.
Today the weather is BEAUTIFUL. All I have to say about that is that it's about freakin' time.
I wish I could get off work early today and do something OUTSIDE. Unfortunately that won't be happening.
The flowers on my porch are blooming nicely. I'm working on editing a few pictures today and {hopefully} later today I'll post them - they include a few pictures of our house. I can't wait for you to see what summer looks like outside my door!
This week I plan to finish my summer banner. I have a little spot in the house to hang seasonal banners and I must say that the spring banner is kind of bugging me.......you know, because it's the first day of summer and all.
Dad bought me a George Foreman Grill while he was here. I love it - so far I've cook chicken breasts and some hamburgers on it...and they were all YUMMY! Thanks, Dad!

Now, back to editing pictures for me - happy Tuesday, everyone!

Devil Woman, OUT.

Catch Up

2011-06-20T07:50:00.000-07:00

Last week's visit with my Dad was tons of fun -we spent lots of time together doing fun stuff - and, as always, whenever I spend time with family I don't see much I end up wishing we lived closer together. But I guess that's one of the reasons why our visits are always so special and fun - because we don't see each other as often as we like.

Anyway.....last week while Dad visited we:

Drove to (and explored) Virginia City and Nevada City, did a little shopping at the candy store and ate lunch before heading home.
Drove to Jackson Hole, walked around and ate dinner.
Stopped for a square ice cream cones in Swan Valley.
Went bowling with Dad (it's his favorite past time).
Went to the Bodies exhibit at the museum.
Ate out for dinner at Outback Steakhouse (Dad's favorite).
Went to Lance and Laura's for a BBQ.
Ate out for lunch way too much.
Drove around Idaho Falls so Dad could see how much it's changed since he lived here in 1994.
Hung out at home watching Sports Center (well, mostly Dad watched - Bob napped and I read).
Spent lots of time with Jeffery - which was cool. He really likes my Dad.
Ate dinner at home three times - I made this lasagna, this alfredo, and enchiladas (which are my Mom's recipe and super yummy). I also made a homemade pecan pie (Dad's favorite) and a red velvet cake with cream cheese icing for the BBQ at Lance and Laura's.

And that's about all we did while Dad was here. Like I said, it was a fun and busy week. I'm excited to go to Nashville again this fall so that we can hang out again. I'm hoping that ALL of us can go to Nashville - Me, Bob, Jeffery and Carter, too. We'll just have to find a good babysitter for Andy. And, of course, a good deal on plane tickets. We'll have to see on that one.

In other news - last week I seriously sucked it up on my diet. Man, it's hard to eat right when you are on "vacation". Even though I still worked half days last week I still consider it a vacation. Cuz, you know, we did vacation type stuff. Anyway, I ate bad last week - I tried to be good when I could....but sometimes it's hard. Especially when you eat out so much. I did manage to exercise three times last week - which is good. I did the exercise bike one day, Jillian's torture DVD one day and then I ran (gasp!) a mile and a half one day. And, guess what? No shin splints! My plan is to ease back into it - I'm going to try and run every other day - and just keep it at a mile and a half for now. I am happy to report that I ran the whole way with no breaks - and considering that I haven't ran for....oh, at least six months.....well, I'm pretty proud of myself.

I also did a couple scrapbook pages for ETM last week (I have a couple more to start and finish tonight). This month's kit was very heritage looking so I did an old school layout of my Dad:

And then this one of Carter - he's such a cutie.

Oh - and yesterday was Father's Day. I didn't get to spend it with my Dad since he left on Saturday - but I did get to spend it with Bob and Carter and it was pretty great. Carter woke up at 5am wanting to give Bob his presents - but I held him off until 7, thank goodness. We got Bob some new Nike running shoes and Carter made him a mug with his picture on it (to hold pens on his desk). Oh, and we all made him cards (Carter, Andy and me). After the present opening (and some being lazy around the house until about 9am) we went for a drive to the Charcoal Kilns and then kept driving to Leadore for lunch. Leadore has ONE restaurant - it was busy and the service sucked but we still had an awesome day together!

I'll have lots and lots of pictures to share tomorrow - but for today I'm outta here. Hope you all had a great weekend!

Devil Woman, OUT.

Thursday Links:

2011-06-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

I'm still not "back". Dad is here and we're having fun hanging out and seeing local sights and visiting - so posts will still be sparse this week. Obviously. I started this post on Monday and am just now finishing it today.

I hope you all have had a couple of great weeks since I've been away! I know I have - busy, but still great because I've spent lots of time with some of my favorite people.

Anyway - how about some links?!

A few blogs that I've found lately - I like them - maybe you will, too!

-I Go By Katie.

-Bye Bye, Pie.

Food:

The other day I attempted to make these Cinnamon Rolls. Key Word being attempted. The dough did not rise. I thought it would be OK anyway (cuz I'm a cooking genius) - so I continued with the recipe. And while they looked OK after I baked them - they didn't taste so OK. Fail. But I'm not giving up! I'm going to try again! Like - maybe in a week or two. I need to get over my cinnamon-roll-failure-devastation first.

I also attempted to make this pecan pie - and it was a success! Really, really yummy. I only had a teeny piece - but what I tasted I really liked. If you're a fan of pecan pie you should try this recipe - it's really yummy - and EASY!

Go check out the Dear Lizzy blog for a fun "cake jar" tutorial - cute and yummy! Can't beat that!

Craftiness:

I think this candle holder is so cute - I need to make one! Maybe not with the nests - but definitely with the paper modge podged on!

Here is a fun download that you could use for your cricut (or silhouette?). Or you could just print the PDF and use it as a template!

This would be really fun to make as neighbor Christmas gifts or something. And, of course, I'd make some for myself, too. Follow Traci's link for the full tutorial.

Christine has a cute idea for sprucing up your summer flower pots - and I think this would be super cute for inside flowers and plants, too!

Home Decor:

How pretty is the front door on this house? The rest of the house is really pretty too.

Go check out this awesome porch re-do by the Lettered Cottage. They really do amazing things with the spaces they work on.

If you have the right decor, this would be a fun way to fill in some space in your home. I think it's pretty cool, myself.

And....that's all I've got for today, friends. I'm off to make a cake and some of these baked beans for a BBQ tonight. Have a fun weekend - I'll see you Monday!

Devil Woman, OUT.

Just a Tiny Little Break

2011-06-06T12:54:00.001-07:00

Life is busy, busy this week. I will be "out" most of this week. I've got lots of stuff on my to-do list - plus work is busy (yay!!) so I won't be around much this week. Here's what we'll be doing:

-Getting the guest room ready for Dad's visit
-Planting flowers
-Cleaning the basement
-Re-organizing the holiday decorations (this goes hand in hand with the basement cleaning)
-Packing / donating the leftover garage sale stuff
-Washing windows (fun, fun)
-Weeding flower beds
-Hanging curtains in the kitchen / laundry
-Cleaning the house top to bottom (not that it's really very dirty - but you know how it is when you have guests coming - it's nice to have everything PERFECT).
-Scrapbooking my projects for the ETM Moments kit
-Exercising
-Figuring out how to make home made pecan pie. I found a recipe that looks pretty easy on Pioneer Woman's site.
-Birthday / Father's Day shopping

And I think that's it. I hope that's it.

So, anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful week. I'll try to pop in with a link post in a day or two.

Devil Woman, OUT.

{6/1/2011} Wednesday Update:

2011-06-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

So, this week was pretty good. I lost two pounds - and then gained one back be eating spaghetti last night. Spaghetti made with turkey and low carb noodles, but still spaghetti nonetheless. That pasta is a real killer when it comes to weight loss. Usually I don't partake - but last night I did.

Oh well.

I've stuck with the exercise plan - Jillian and I tortured ourselves for 4 days - not the 5 I originally planned - but a last minute visit from my Mom put a kink in the 5th day. Which is A-OK by me - I love my Mom and don't get to see her as often as I would like.

In other news - this past week we've really been working hard to get ready for the big garage sale this Saturday. The garage is PACKED with stuff to sell - and these next few evenings will be spend pricing, pricing, pricing. I figure I'd better have EVERYTHING priced since I'll be running the show all by myself. It'll make for much less confusion on my part. If you're garage sale people - then leave a comment with your email address and I'll email you my address. Everything that doesn't sell is going to the Humane Society Thrift Store. Can I just say - I am SUPER excited to get rid of all that stuff - it's nice to have plenty of room in the basement - and it's nice to be organized as well. That junk was an unorganized mess that took up WAY too much room.

The rest of my plans this week involve exercise (me and Jillian are takin' it to level two - ready or not!), a possible date with Bob on Sunday (I need a date with Bob. I need a break from the regular day to day), getting a haircut, flower planting, flower bed weeding, grocery shopping, getting the guest room ready for my Dad's visit, cleaning, garage sale-ing, buying curtains for the kitchen, scrapbooking, sewing, and jumping on the trampoline with Carter (Carter and I have been having FUN on the trampoline - I've been showing him some of my wresting moves).

What are your plans for this week, Internet? And how was your last week?

Devil Woman, OUT.

OPINIONS NEEDED!

2011-05-31T14:38:00.000-07:00

So.....today I am having the WORST hair day. The worst.

I guess I'm kind of shallow because I can't really get my mind off the bad hair. It's embarrassing.

I just want to go home.

The problem is that I've decided to grow it out. Which is awful and no fun at all.

I don't want to get stuck in a rut with the same old hair all the time. And maybe long(ish) hair would be fun for a while?

BUT - I think I'm wavering.

The thing is, I've really liked my short hair. I feel a bit more "put together" with short hair. I've gotten a ton of compliments on it. Some people have said that it even makes me look younger (every girl loves that kind of compliment - am I right?)

So, anyway - now that I've had this horrible hair day and gotten a glimpse into the future of my hair growing out experience I'm thinking.....maybe I should just have her cut it back to short?

What do you think, Internet? Short or long? Should I grow it out or leave it short? Am I boring with short hair?

Please leave a comment - I'd love your opinion!!

Devil Woman, OUT.

For Your Viewing Pleasure....

2011-05-31T14:15:00.001-07:00

Or maybe just mine - here are some pictures that I pulled off the camera today.

First off, Carter with a pencil in his ear. He thought he was soooo cool with the pencil in his ear. So cool, in fact, that it warranted a picture.

He's a cutie.

Next up, Lance and Laura being the goofballs that they are on a road trip that we took a while back.

I love those two.

Here's Bob and I on the same road trip - not being nearly as fun and goofballish as the Linsenmanns.

Please note the crutches in the background. Bob had THE TALLEST crutches I have ever seen. The armpit rung thingies hit my forehead. Bob is tall. Also, please note that it was a really windy day and so part of my hair is all freaked out and HUGE. Really, I don't wear all my hair on one side of my head. And my hair isn't quite THAT big. Also, also - I look huge next to Bob's skinny self. It's kind of depressing - but I still love him anyway.

And, we'll close with the picture that I took at Carter's class program. Check out the little boy next to him (who just so happens to be Carter's best friend):

Yes, he's picking his nose. And yes, I do believe this is the ULTIMATE little kid class program picture. There's always some kid picking his nose. Or dancing. Or not paying attention. Or....just dinking around being a kid. I thought it was pretty funny.

Happy Tuesday, Internet! I hope you had an awesome weekend!

Devil Woman, OUT.

Three Day Weekend Links:

2011-05-26T12:11:00.001-07:00

In celebration of the three day weekend I'm posting some links. They really have nothing to do with three day weekends at all.....but, doesn't "three day weekend links" sound so much better than just "links"? I think so.

Basically, I think if you add "three day weekend" to any phrase or sentence it sounds WAY better than it did before.

I love three day weekends. I love having three days - IN A ROW - off of work. Love, love, love.

Anyway, how about some links?

First off, a few new blogs I've found this week (well, not "new" blogs - but "new to me" blogs):

-Our Best Bites (yummy food and some craftiness, too!)

-Urban Weeds (I love seeing people who have interesting style - and I love that the photographer puts a little quote from each subject as well) Kinda cool.

-Icarus & Occident - a very cool pairing of photographs and music. Also a good source for some new and interesting music that I haven't heard before.

Home Decor:

-20 Low-Cost Kitchen Updates. I love this kitchen. Love the cabinets....and how cool is that sink?

And look at the polka dot bowls in this kitchen (it is featured in the same article as above)! Holy Moly - I want to move in!

-Go check out this little link party - all about summer mantle's. I must say, The Lettered Cottage always has the cutest mantle ideas. Love that big wood sign!

-How cool is this painted Sisal rug? I would LOVE this in my house.

-I've decided that I want to spend my Memorial Day Weekend here. On that porch. In the sun and the heat. As opposed to here. In Idaho. With the cold and the rain and the crappiness.

Food:

-Go check out these cute Father's Day cupcakes. They are super duper cute and if you have about 8 hours to dedicate to cupcake making then I say GO FOR IT!

-I'll bet this is really, REALLY yummy. And probably fat free, right?

-Here's a recipe for those super yummy, super naughty, Red Lobster biscuits. I love those biscuits - they are SO good.

-You know that super pretty porch (above) where I'm spending my three day weekend? Well, I've decided that I would like this to drink while I'm enjoying the beautiful view. And the sun. And the heat. Doesn't that look yummy? And like summer, too?

Craftiness:

-I think this is a really fun way to give a book as a gift! It's, like, the perfect combination - a book, a book mark and a cute library card to tuck inside!

-Look how cute Ashley Ann made this Target dollar bin bracelet! Not too shabby!

Other Stuff:

-I really want to get one of these books. It's like scrapbooking and journaling - only easier! Plus it's a cute book!

-Check out this cute PDF - that you can print for FREE! I love it - and I think it will be very pretty framed in my bedroom.

Well, Internet - I'm outta here. I hope you all have a wonderful long weekend - doing nothing but exactly what you want to do!

Devil Woman, OUT.

{5/25/2011} Wednesday Update:

2011-05-25T08:25:00.000-07:00

This week has been pretty good. Except for the fact that I gained two pounds. Ugh!

I have eaten good almost all week - lots of veggies and fruits and sugar free oatmeal. I ate bad (bad, bad) on Friday night and Saturday night, too - but when I weighed myself on Sunday morning I was still the same as last Wednesday. Since then I've been GOOD with my eating - no crap. I've also done Jillian's hellish workout.....and I still gained two pounds!

It's OK, though. Hopefully by this time next week I'll be back to normal - especially since I plan to stick with the workout plan and the salad eating.

Just a comment on Jillian's 30 day shred? It's totally kicking my ass. I can keep up with the workout easily - but, man, are my muscles sore! As in, hard to walk - don't touch me or I'll scream - kind of sore. It's a good feeling - I know the workout is doing the job I want it to. BUT - it's not such a good feeling when I'm trying to walk up or down stairs. Or sit down. Or stand up. Or bend over. Or carry something. Or breathe. I have muscles hurting that I never even knew I had in the first place!

Did you know that you have muscles on the inside of your elbows? Well, ya do. Just go check out Jillian's workout and you'll find out - the hard way.

So, how was your week, Internet? Good? Bad? I hope good - and hopefully this next week will be another good one! (three day weekend!!! how can it be bad?!)

Devil Woman, OUT.

30 Day Shred

2011-05-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

I'm doing it. I'm taking the challenge.

Well, not that there was an actual challenge issued......but, still.

Wait. Maybe I'm challenging MYSELF.

Yea. That's it.

I'm challenging myself to do the 30 Day Shred.

I bought the DVD last weekend - and I tried it for the first time last night....and, guess what? I L.O.V.E.D. it. Loved it.

I'm not 100% sure what I think of Jillian - she definitely motivates. I definitely like that about her. But the one thing I am 100% sure of is that I like her workout. Like that fact that it doesn't take a lot of time.....but that I can FEEL that I worked out. My muscles are sore today. My arms and legs and abs. They're sore. And I'm not complaining! It's been a LONG time since I've had this sore muscle feeling. Even when I was consistently running I didn't have this feeling. And you know what? It's about freaking time.

Now, I don't necessarily think I'm going to lose 20 pounds in 30 days like the cover says. But I do think maybe I can tone up a bit and lose some of that extra fat around my thighs that is making my shorts fit not-so-great. I do think that. I also think that saying I'm going to do this workout 7 days a week is unrealistic. I'm shooting for 5-6. Really, I'm pretty sure that I can squeeze a half hour for ME in five to six days a week! And if I go for a walk or a bike ride on some of those days, too? All the better!

So.....have you guys tried Jillian's 30 day shred? Did you like it? Did you see results? This inquiring mind wants to know!

Devil Woman, OUT.

P.S. I have a new post up over on the ETM blog today if you want to check it out.