a weekend update

This weekend had its ups and downs.... Literally.

Ups:

I got new glasses.

These are the old:


I know what you are going to say... "Mrs. G, did you really make that face every time you wear your glasses?" Yes. I did if not on my face in my soul. These glasses were troopers though. You can see on the right lens what appears to be dots... yeah no those are teeth marks. Made by my fur baby. She also did a number on the ear piece, but I had to work with what I got. Then It came the time to get new ones! I was so excited. I even looked on the Lens Crafters website and found some suitable possibilities. I was feeling a little daring and decided I wanted a splash of color to adorn my face. I went with these...

They are Violet... at least that is what Prada says... I say they are purple. Probably why I don't work for Prada.

Downs:
My MK party, my very first one was canceled due to weather. Damn winter!

But an Up is that is was rescheduled to this weekend, which means I will have my complete demo set, and inventory.

My literal down was our effing couch broke.

My mom, Hubs and I were on our couch and I leaned back and all I know is I heard the sound of snapping wood and the next thing we all know is we are all a little lower to the floor and leaning a little too far back for comfort. Funny this is Hubs and I went to look at sofas today just because the mood struck him... Karma is a bitch. Our sofa knew we were cheating on it. So she "broke" up with us. HAHAHAHAHHAHA! Ok, lame joke but you have to admit it was funny.

So this will be in our living room as soon as we get our tax return check back.



It's big, it's comfy... and not that expensive.

That was my weekend. I am about to go downstairs and make dinner for tomorrow. We are crock potting it for a while. Until next time.

DEUCES!!!!!

I am so screwed.

Hubs and I filed our taxes and to our surprise were getting money back.



So what did I do? I checked the where's my refund? thing on the IRS website like a hawk. I got the email saying it had been accepted and the date for disbursement didn't change. To much convincing I went ahead and placed my $600.00 plus dollar MK order and put it on our already bulging credit card as to not miss out on the big promotions. Hubs even asked me if I was sure we were getting the money back on the 9th and with out hesitation I said yes. Well, today when I checked again there is no info available for me now. Which means more than likely there was something wrong and we probably aren't going to get as much as we were planning on back. I just had to place that order...



Hubs is going to kill me.

Gooooooooooooood Morning!

Random thoughts and musings:

I am feeling a little tired today. I was up watching one of my new guilty pleasures....

16 and pregnant.

Don't Judge me.

Yesterday was a really good day. I found out that CSCC is going to take 45.00 credit hours from my stint at Hocking. So basically what that means is, I will only be in school for a little over a year. BAM( insert Mary Kathryn Gallagher leg kick here) !!!!! I meet with my Academic advisor next Thursday, pretty excited about it.

Well the whole healthly life challenge has been put on hold until I can get some things figured out. I did however loose 10lbs and have maintained it this whole time. So once school is in session and my schedule gets worked out it is on like DONKEY KONG!!!!! Plus, I am getting tired of walking in my living room, looking out the window and just getting the ho hums from the weather. I am usually not this cranky when it comes to winter but but I got places to go and lbs to drop. Plus I really miss fresh air, is anyone else with me? I mean yesterday I said my house smelled when is all actuality it is just musty from being closed up all winter long.

I burned my pop corn this morning. I know what you are thinking "Mrs. G, popcorn? In the morning?" Why yes I say. The hubs ate the last of the cereal and the whole going with out breakfast thing is sooooooooooooo not worth it. I am not even sure how I did it all those years. So I went to the pantry this morning and found t packet of 100 calorie pop bag, so what if it tastes like cardboard...

My closet needs a serious face lift. I have a mixture of clothes. 1. stuff that fits 2. Stuff that fits when I wear SPANX (or as my mother in law pronounces them Span-ex... I love it!) 3. stuff that hasn't really fit me in about 3-5 years that I am hanging on to. Sadly most of my closet actually consists of sections 2. I just want to be able to wear clothes ya know, and not sausage myself. I am still behind SPANX 110 %, this little (and I do mean little, I mean you get them out of the package and you don't think there is any possible way on this green earth your butt is going to it in them) piece of spandex fabric changed my life and the shape of my butt.

well that is really all that is on my mind for now. Tootles!!!!!!!!!!!!

on a much much lighter note

Thank you for bearing with me yesterday. I had to vent and feel loads better. Thanks Loves!!!!

I know today is Tuesday, and some Tuesdays I will share with you a recipe but today I am going to share with you a product. That is Ah.Maze. Zing! (like how I spelled that, I hope when you are reading you say it just like that)

Today's product was brought to my attention by a very lovely lady, Jen and Who's Poop is This!?!?!? She is also on a quest to find her inner skinny and found these:

This is called a Vita top ( in deep chocolate). Ladies this thing of beauty is only 100 calories! You read right 100 calories! They have 6g of fiber, 1.5 grams fat and have 8g of whole grain. I had my first one about 30 min ago for breakfast and was flabbergasted at how amazing they tasted. This is a dieters mecca, it tastes amazing and they come in a wide variety. They are from Canada and are just catching on here in the states. You can order online or use the store search on there website to find where they are near you.

weekend recap

This weekend was the bad end to a bad week.

During the week 2 of my 3 everyday bras broke, I blew out my last pair of jeans, work sucked, weather sucked... it was just an off week. Then I get a lovely call from my Dad on Saturday which pretty much set the tone of the weekend.

A little history of my Dad and I's relationship:

I have Father Issues. My Dad in general is a good guy, but on the Dad front.... kind of lacking. Our relationship has been strained my entire life. I never felt like I was accepted for me with him. I was never my Brother (the prodigal child) and my Dad didn't know what to do with me. My Dad is a fan of the facade he is a good Dad when people are watching, when he can get a pat on the back from his friends or they can oooo and ahhhh and how great he is. Barf! When behind all the fake I couldn't get an ounce of support or respect out of him. I am not going to lie, there have been good times but sometimes it is a fight to see it through all the crap.

A few weeks ago something happened with my Dad, that I won't get in to on here, but I can tell you that I am still angry and disappointed with him and his wife.

Last week we talked and he keeps trying to make excuses for what happened and quite frankly I am sick and tired of his excuses and He said that he hoped no one had hard feelings towards his wife. I said that I would clear the air and told him that we, being my Grandma and I, weren't mad at his wife we were just disappointed in both of them. To which he told me that we are human. I told him that if I would have been in his situation, he would be disappointed in me too. He said that he would have to think about that....

Fast forward to Saturday and he says that he wants to talk to me about our conversation. I thought, wow he may have actually thought about it and may want to talk about it. Ha! Fat chance. Instead he starts to lecture me on how he didn't appreciate me belittling him with my opinion, and that when a family is in crisis you need to support them, not talk down to them and make them feel small.

I. was. Livid.

First of all, how the hell does he have the balls to dare lecture me about being supportive? I mean every single time I turned to him about a hard decision I had to make, advice on an issue, or just wanted a shoulder to cry on he didn't skip a beat giving me his 2 cents, usually about how I was wrong. How am I not being supportive? I mean I am the one that took his 81 year old mother down town, I came and saw you the day after, and I mean how is that not showing support? I could have turned my back and left him there but no, I didn't, I showed up.

Secondly, how dare you tell me how to feel about this situation. I mean the only reason he was so defensive about what I had said was because he didn't want to hear it. He didn't want me to have an opinion on the situation, too bad I will because I was dragged in to it.

Ugh.

I am just so done with his bull shit. My Dad has said (jokingly) that he is an alcoholic, a bad father, and so on in the hopes that we won't expect anything from him because he is those things. That I shouldn't have expected him to write some kind of speech for my wedding, you know being as he was the father or the bride, so instead he pulled a speech out of thin air and basically thanked my mom for having sex with him to make me and then he proceeded to thank my new in laws for sleeping together to make my Husband. Nor should my brother expect my Dad to write him while he was away at boot camp, go to the air port when he left, or go to his graduation or even call him the day he graduated and say congrats. No, No he has already put it put there that he is a bad father so we can't expect him to do anything or give anything. Whenever he says those things he wants us to stroke his ego and say "Oh No dad you are an amazing father.” Belch! Yeah right.

He keeps saying that he is Human. I understand that we all are, and what comes from being human is the vulnerability to make mistakes. But what separates us from the poo flinging primates is our ability to have a conscience and the ability to learn from our mistakes. But he doesn't, won't and didn't. What happened should have sent up a red flag that some dynamic in his life and/or marriage is way off. But he can never be wrong. All he learned was to stay away from hard liquor. All I can say is that, if he doesn't take the time to learn and get help, he isn't going to be in my life anymore. I know I showed up to support him, but I am not going to sit here and support an unhealthy relationship and an out of control problem. I just can't. And he can't expect me to. I am tired. Tired of putting time and effort in to our relationship and not getting anything back because he expects me to be there, and love him. How is that fair?

Decision Made?

I have no idea where I am going with this post. I just need to get my thoughts out of head.... think of the pensive in Harry Potter... even though that was memories... just bare with me.

The current jumble I am working on right now:

If you know me, read this blog you know by now that school is very important to me, and for reasons that were out of my control (because I was out of control) or because of extenuating circumstances it just never worked out.

I know that I want to go back to school. Getting my degree for me is something that I really want to accomplish, I haven't really finished anything since high school, so that part of my life and self esteem is seriously lacking. I am not saying I haven't accomplished anything because I have, but finish something.... nada.

I am not sure how to say this next part without sounding like a complete ditz but here we go.

I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up! I know, I know I am 23 going on 24, and I am basically grown up, and this can totally be considered back tracking but an issue I have is that everything is interesting to me, I don't think I could pick just one thing to study. I mean I want to study theater, music, art, history, poetry, classical mythology, philosophy, psychology, photography, American sign language, dance, religion, literature, culinary arts, pastry arts... just to name a few. How do I choose what to do if I haven't even done it yet?

Ok not to sound hypocritical but there are 2 very sure things I know what I want to do with my life.

I want to raise a family and make a beautiful home for them too. When ever I think about this it just feels right, I know this is what I am supposed to do. But then I come back to reality and realize that until some certain economic climates change, I will probably be pregnant behind a desk and back six weeks later pining for my new born. I can dream can't I?

Another problem that I have is that I am good at what some people see as hobbies, what I mean to say is that I am not good with Math or Science, No I am good at things like music, drama, culinary arts. All of which I know I could make a career off of but it would be one filled with stress, not knowing if I am going to get the part, where my next pay check is coming from, or what odd hours I am going to be working.

The things I am good at I don't want to do for them for a paycheck. I think it would take some of the love I have for them if I am depending on them to make my ends meet. I know you are probably thinking I could be a teacher, best of both worlds. But I have never really wanted to teach, I don't know why I don't have that in me, I guess it is because I saw how the teachers that taught outside the guidelines were handled.

So what to do? I have 2 degrees that I have started and not finished, one in Theater (which was probably the biggest waste of time. The program was horrible, so horrible they shut it down last year) and my culinary arts degree.

Should I continue or start over completely?

Bradford is the school I went to for CA degree and I can tell you, how they have handled my reentry in to the program has been ill managed. From calls not being returned, ignored emails, and pushing back my start date; I was getting pretty fed up with the situation as I feel anyone would. I finally had to write a letter to the dean to get a phone call about financial aid. I come to find out financing my education will be a lot harder than before and the school only takes money from Federal loans, Sallie Mae, and Wells Fargo.... uh last time I checked money was money and if it is green it is accepted everywhere.... yeah well not at Bradford. Anyway, long story short I found out how much it actually costs to go to Bradford, are you ready for this.... $27,000! Ok, I know it is school and I shouldn't be so surprised but I was in shock when I saw that number. I mean I knew it was expensive but come on. It is a 22 month program, it would have cost me about the same to go to J&W and I would have left with my Bachelors Degree.... my loyalty is starting to wavier. I called my friend Stacy, who was in my class when I started and talked about my predicament. She said and I quote "if I could go back, and this is just me, I would have just gotten a job a restaurant." She went on to say that yes she like being in school and did acquire some knowledge but nothing she could have learned with experience in a kitchen.....

Well crap!

Sitting here yesterday I pondered and I pondered and ran a few ideas past Husband. When I told him the actual dollar amount for school he said "why would you pay that much for a certification from a not so awesome school, when you could go to J&W and get your Bach. Degree for the same amount?" I mean it was a valid question, and I had already asked it myself. I told him my idea.

I said, "Well, I have one more option."

Option 3: Columbus State Community College

I told him my idea. I could go there for a quarter of the cost of Bradford, get my Associates of Arts Degree and find out what I really want to do. I can take a religion class, a culinary class and a philosophy class all in the same quarter and really see what I am good at. I can break away from what I know I am good at and find something new. I limit myself that way. I know what I am good at and stay under it, like a nice warm security blanket. Well, I want to break free!

To my surprise (because he loves what I cook in class) he said that he wants me to go with option 3. I can still take culinary classes while I am there, but still see what else is out there.

Can I say that when we came to this decision a huge weight felt like it had been lifted. I sighed and started looking up what to do to get started and felt all warm and gooey on the inside.

A little weekend recap for you

Well hello lovelies!

I hope you all had an awesome weekend. Mine went a little something like this....

Friday: I know this isn't a weekend day but I got to leave at noon from work to go to a financial aid meeting at school. For those of you that are avid readers you know that I have been trying to get back to school for sometime now. I had been waiting and waiting, getting a start date and then another one, waiting for emails and phone calls. Last week I had had enough and sent a, can we say bitchy, email to the dean stating my predicament. Not 5 minutes after I sent said email I got a call from Financial aid wanting to set up an appointment. So I went and found out that being married, although great for me is bad for my schooling. I found out what I have to do and what loans to apply for, now that I am a Mrs. and I am being optimistic. It is very very nerve racking asking for money....

Friday Night was my first Mary Kay Event as a Consultant! It was a lot of fun helping get everything set up and answering questions. Nadine (who is my director) is adorable and so stinkin supportive! She so genuinely wants us to succeed, I am so excited to work with her and my team.

Saturday was an early one. Well let me tell a little story on my friend Jen at "Who's poop is this". Friday on my way home from the MK event, which was at about 10:30pm, I called Jen asking if she still wanted to be my face for the event I had on Saturday. She said very sleepily yes and I told her that I would call her when I got home with directions to the beauty center. I get home and call her and she says she is ready for the directions and as I am reading them to her I realize that she is taking them down really fast, so I ask her if she wants me to text them to her and she says no, so I continue and say that we will see each other in the morning. Fast forward to about 8:50 Saturday morning, I call Jen and ask where she is. She says, "In my living room." I tell her it is almost 9am and she says " I know, but you never called me back last night." I had to laugh, I filled her in on our conversation last night and we both got a really good laugh out of it.

Saturday's event was good, I booked an appointment and got to meet a lot of people. Then there was MK training and when you train you can't help but leave there pumped up. I was ready to paint the world pink! Anyway, when I got home I didn't realize how tired I was. I got home, changed ate dinner and then passed out. I didn't even mean to fall asleep, I took a really hot shower and just wanted the heat to radiate through me, wearing a skirt when it is 20 degrees out side is never a good idea. I didn't wake up until almost 11pm when hubs came looking for me.

My Valentines day was was comfy cozy. After running around so much on Friday and Saturday I didn't really feel like going out, which hubs was ok with. So instead of dinner out we decided to have a crab and shrimp boil at home..... IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!! After dinner it was cuddle time where I read and Hubs watched tv. Then we hunkered down, dreading the eminent snow that is heading for us.

I am so freaking done with snow. I think it is funny beause the farmer's almanac said that this year would be a dry and cold winter..... DRY MY FOOT!

Anywhoozer! I am done for the day. I hope you all had a great weekend!

Feeling S.A.D.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression or winter blues, is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or, less frequently, in the summer,[1] spring or autumn, repeatedly, year after year.

I swear this weather could make the perkiest of perky pull the covers over their head and wait for spring.

I love cooler weather, especially after a scorcher of a summer. But, I am so tired of this, so tired of having to completely gear up with a coat, hat, gloves, scarf, big golashes to take my dog out. I dream of the days I can just walk out side and feel the warm breeze and feel the sun on my face.... le sigh.

Sorry I have been MIA. I really have been kinda of down in the dumps and I don't know why. It is like an itch I can't scratch, I know something is wrong but I can't put my finger on it.

My Bro's Graduation was great. It was really cool to hear the cadences as they marched on stage, to see the video of them going through training. I could see something was wrong with my SIL but when I asked she gave me a nonchalant answer of "I am fine." My Brothers family day was canceled on Wednesday because 4 guys from his PLT thought it was a good idea to tie some sheets together and then repel from their window down to the females barracks. So we had to wait to see him until after the graduation, and then we only got a few hours. It was very bittersweet.

I have been enthralled in a new book series called House of Night . It is going to be a 12 series collection, with 6 in stores and one ready to hit the shelves in April. It is a vampire -based fantasy / romance novel and they are pretty good. I have read about one a day since I started reading. They are a lot more far fetched then Twilight, not that Twilight is believable but this has more fantasy to it. It is about a 16 year old Zoey Redbird, your typical teen with typical teen issues, who's biggest worry is her big geometry test and her boyfriend Heath until she is marked one day at school and from there on her life changes dramatically. From running away from her broken spirited mother and Step Loser Dad , leaving behind her friends and boyfriend, and having an out of body experience at her native American Grandmother's lavender farm. Where she sees the Goddess Nyx. She enters the House of Night boarding school. This isn't your ordinary boarding school it is a school for fledglings (young vampyres).

I recommed picking up this book.

Anyway. I am meeting with Bradford today to see about starting school in a few weeks, fingers crossed all goes well.

hittin the road

Well today is the day, my Mom, SIL and my self are packing up and heading out to Ft. Leonardwood and I couldn't be more excited to see my brother .

Getting to see my super pregnant SIL is going to amamzing, seeing my Iowa family will be amazing. I only wish hubs could come with me.

Anyway. I am outta here until Friday!

Lot's of pictures will be coming your way this weekend so Look out!

The Healthy Life: Tastefully Tuesday!

Well My chickadees after my last weight in I am down my 7.5 lbs!!!!!!!!

I couldn't be happier! I know it took longer than 4 weeks and that was due to my lack of exercise, but now I can focus more on my work outs. Eating healthy is becoming a second nature to me and some of the recipes I have tried are awesome. So, as promised here is my first Tastefully Tuesday 2.0

Portobello Pizza:

A delicious recipe that substitutes a portobello mushroom for a pizza crust....yummo! Just like any pizza take this basic recipe and make it your own.

What you need:

1 large portobello mushroom, stem removed
1 tablespoon spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 tablespoon sliced black olives
4 slices pepperoni sausage
1 clove garlic, chopped

What to do:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Place the mushroom on a baking sheet, and bake for 5 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from the oven, and spread spaghetti sauce in the cup of the cap. Top with cheese, olives, pepperoni and garlic.
Bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and golden

Calories: 235

Tips:

don't rinse off your mushrooms. Use a damp cloth to wipe them off instead. Mushrooms are so absorbent that if you rinse them off your pizzas will turn out watery and runny.

okay, the rules for this little cutie are:
a. post 10 things that make you happy
b. try to do at least one of them today

10. Reading blogs. It is like reading the morning paper.

9. Sleeping/Napping. This has become one of my favorite past times, weather it is in bed, on the sofa, noon or night I just love doozing in to nice snooze.

8.Dot: She loves to do whatever I am doing, Sleeping, eating, working out. She just likes to be involved. She is my partner in crime.... that is until Hubs gets home... then she becomes a trader.

7. Laying on the vent: I know this may sound really weird but I have been doing it since I was really little. I take a blanket (0ne big enough for me to fit under completely), and a pillow and find the nearest floor vent and as soon as the heat kicks on it is like your very own tent of warmth. Hubs face the first time he witnessed this was priceless. I suggest if you have floor vents the next time your heat turns on to give it a whirl.

6. Summer time: There is nothing like hot summer days and nights, the kind where you can be outside from Dawn til Dusk because it is just that beautiful out.

5. Storms: I. Love. Thunderstorms. where the lightning lights up the sky and the thunder shakes the ground.

4. crafts : since making my home with hubs I have fallen in love with crafts. There is just no end to what you can do in a craft store.

3. cooking: I try for at least one new recipe a week. I love trying new thing and them being great. I love the yummy sounds that come out of my friends and family, it is like a pat on the back.

2. singing: I do this every single day. It is my ultimate dream, my release, my escape from everything.

1. spending time with my loved ones: this one speaks for itself.