Back yo.

The computer is still acting up at home, but at least I can sneak a post in at work when its slow. However, after two days off, work has been a little busier than usual, so I'm just getting around to popping into the blogesphere. I have so many posts of yours to read, I can't wait for some free time to see what you've all been up to.

Operation Skinny Bitch. Not going to call it that anymore, just going to log in here with my progress spuratically. The site just has chics "check in" every Wednesday, so I'm not really inspired, nor do I like to whine about when I haven't lost. I doubt you'll care either way. *snort*

So - on my journey to be cruise ready, I lost two pounds this week. Wahoo! I know, not a huge loss, but a loss nonetheless. Even got a little exercise in this week. Tuesday J and I both had off together, so we went walking at the conservation park by our home and also did a little exploring in the woods behind our house with the Mini Monster. I think it was a treat for all of us, especially since its been too cold lately to want to be outside at all.

Got a few new lovelies in the shop yesterday:


















Going to put up more. I have them all photographed, but finding the time to sneak it in at work is unlikely.

Stay tuned, I've got a cd from my friend of wedding pics. I realize I've never posted any on here, though I do have them posted on my myspace and facebook. And no, they are not the photog's photos. Don't get me started on them. Its been months since the wedding and we still haven't received everything from them. So, I'll be posting my friend's pics, hopefully sometime today.

Oh and on the weight loss front - my dear husband quit smoking, oh about 5-6 weeks ago. I posted before about the effects quitting has and he's around the point in time where his appetite is coming back. And its in rare form. I love it! There is nothing more gratifying to me than to bake and prepare stuff for my husband, whether it be for dinner or to bring to work. Last weekend I baked sweet cinnamon apples and banana nut muffins for him to bring to work. Now I'm on a mission to make something new for him this weekend. Any suggestions? (It must fit in his lunchbox and not need a microwave.)

See y'all soon. Miss you like crazy. :)

I'm not lost.

Having computer problems. Grr. Today J and I are off and will probably take our sick kid (read computer) to the shop. I can't live without it! Anyways, that's the reason for my absence, along with being off yesterday and today for Mardi Gras.

I miss reading everyone and miss your visits and witty comments. I'll be back soon!

Aww shucks.

Running in Stilettos gave me the Love Ya Award. I've received this award before, so I'm feeling quite loved these days. If you haven't checked Ms. Stiletto out, you must!

Rules do accompany this beloved award, and they are:

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award!"

Because of their charm, humor, friendship, and inspiration, or because they've cared enough about me to have been reading my rambling for so long, I choose the following 8 fabulous bloggers to bestow this Love Ya Award to:

Lori

Rox

Tina

Tookie

Jo

Nicole

Veronica

I could have chosen more but I'm trying not to double up on my tags and flood my faves. But, right now each and every one of these ladies fills a reading need for me. HOWEVER - do not feel like you have to post this tag. No pressure, just know I hearts you all!

Don't you know me at all?

I copied off of you Rox. I'm in a blogging slump today and thought this was cute. Go on and take it. I made it real easy for ya.

Take the Quiz

The beginning of the end

Apparently it is for me, anyway.

Yesterday I pulled in to the gas station, lined up to the first open pump. Stepped out of my car and FELL TO THE GROUND.

Y'all. I have no idea how it happened. In one moment I was raising up to get out of the car and in the next, BAM my butt was on the ground. It may have been my heel that caught on something, I don't know. But I fell. And I fell hard.

J had pulled into the same pump on the other side to fill up. When I fell, he didn't see (though I'm sure everyone else did). So I'm just sitting there on the filthy ground, in my heels and work clothes in between the pump and car. I feel embarrassed and ridiculous but cannot get up.

All I can think about is the people driving past the station. How they probably saw, in passing, the girl who disappeared suddenly behind her car.

"Baaabeee..." I whine loudly, peering around the pump. He finds me and I can tell he can't decide whether to laugh or be worried.

"I fell." I say. He says he can see that and What happened? And of course that led to us laughing and me giving him the pouty, wounded bird look.

Anyways, skinned my knee up and my hip and leg are both crazy sore this morning. So yeah, 30 is the new 80. Before you know it, I'll be needing a hearing aid and cane.

Because he is my muse...

... I am sitting here typing a blog post at 9:30 at night. It's time for bed, but it hardly feels right without him in it with me.

He's in the shower, washing his boy smell away. How I adore that boy smell. A day of work mixed with traces of his cologne. Mmm...

After work and supper, a mad dash to my parents to pick up a jewelry order and off to my sister's for a jewelry showing.

I return to a very elaborate display of affection. A competition of attention, if you will, between my husband and puppy dog.

"Early bed time?" He mumbles into my shoulder as I drop my bag of jewels on the table.

"Yes, just as soon as I package something for tomorrow," I reply. I don't notice the disappointment in his brow.

He follows me into the hall where I drop my bag off. His arms wrap around me and as I turn I see our bedroom, filled with the glowing light of a dozen candles.

A late Valentine? A minute too long of missing me? What ever it is, I'll take it. And more of the same. Forever.

Spring Cleaning?

What ever you want to call it, I'm in the mood for a sale.

Today only, I've got 5 jewelry pieces in my shop marked down up to 35% off. Check out the DEALS OF THE DAY section of my shop.

I also have tons of seriously marked down items under my CRAZY SALE section. Up to 70% off original prices.

And today only, if you purchase 2 or more items, you get FREE SHIPPING. Just message me (jillrylove@gmail.com) or leave a comment with the items you want and I'll create a listing just for you with free shipping. (My items are all one of a kind, so the first person to contact me with these items for the shipping discount will receive the items.)

Happy shopping! Now, I'm off to Etsy for a sale of my own...

Smitten

With him. As always.

Baber surprised me at work with a beautiful bouquet of my most favoritest flowers: Stargazer lillies mixed with roses. I was completely surprisd. He knows how much I love being surprised. *sigh*

















And below, this pretty little heart charm dangled from the red vase my flowers were in. You KNOW what I'm going to do with this, don't you?












And for him, I made a love bucket cake. As most of you know, we call each other a bazillion pet names, Love Bucket being one of many that I call him. A friend of mine learned how to make this cake through a cake decorating class. I just had to mimic! It looks like a bucket of love, doesn't it?

His favorite cake is inside - red velvet. If you want to mimic too, its really easy. After you ice the double layered cake, simply break kit kats and line around the cake. The icing will hold them. Dump one bag of M&Ms in and wallah!

See how pretty it is inside? I'm pretty darn proud of myself. Well, I'm proud of both of us this year. :) Its our first Valentines Day as a married couple after all!

And he got a little extra candy. He's such a sweet eater. He loves his sweets, which obviously, is why he married me. (Cuz I'm so sweet, get it? Heh heh. Nevermind...)

My other surprise was a picnic lunch but those plans were destroyed. His brother and SIL to be's wedding shower was on V-Day, which somehow killed 6 hours of our little love day. Hey, we were just glad it wasn't us this time.

We did, however, go eat some yummy breakfast at Cracker Barrell that morning and saw a good friend there too. If you're reading today, Hey Laura!! *gigglesnort*

As a friend of mine would say, it looks like Valentines Day threw up on our table. But the fragrance those lillies put off... man! It smells delicious in our kitchen.

How was your Valentines? Who was your Valentine? And what did you do?

If you answer all three questions in the comment box, you get... nothing!! Bwahaha! I'm just nosey and want to know. Thanks! :)

I'll be around to visit all my lovelies throughout the day. We were spurratically without internet all weekend, but its finally fixed. Woo hoo!

Bird is the Word

This camping trip post is long overdue. To be completely honest, I had planned on posting yesterday but was seduced by the 2nd book of the Twilight series, New Moon. (I'm already half way through it too.) As I walked in the door from work I immediately saw the big puffy mailer and knew my love had arrived...

As Jason would say, I'm ate up with it.














First day at Camp Livingston, about to hit the trails. That's Baber and me and my big swishy cheeks.














We pretty much had the campsite to ourselves. Thank Jebus we had the camper. After an evening of riding on those dusty trails I wanted nothing more than a semi-normal shower. We heard later that the crew in tents were taking half ass baths from water out of the drums they brought. In the freezing cold. Yeah, not my cup of tea.

Me with my dirty hair and holey ten year old shirt cooking my boys breakfast. I love that camper.

One of the kids that came with us, 18 year old TJ, just happens to be the butt of most jokes. For some reason J and his buddy DJ are relentless in messing with him.

That's J in TJ's tent. Just before this photo J drove around the campsite picking up these abnormally huge pinecones...

... and filled TJ's tent with them. (Grr..blogger is twisting the photos around again, but you get the idea.) Hey, it was a lot more innocent that some of the other stuff they were coming up with to do to him.

My take on an abstract artistic camping photo. Bud, the beer of choice for riding.

My Baberlove. Stop squinting! You're going to get wrinkles!

Before I go I have to share the reason behind my post title. Does anyone watch Family Guy? Well, its a favorite for me and J. One of the most recent episodes was stuck in my head that weekend, one where Peter is obsessed with the song Bird is the Word. Below is a clip from that episode.

I'm warning you, like we struggled all weekend, you will too. The song will not leave your head once you see this clip.

Its not you, its me.

Well its Wednesday. And you know what that means. Time to post about my success (or lack there of) for Operation Skinny Bitch.

Let's just say, its not working out for me. Its not OSB, its me.

If you remember, my resolution for this year was SIMPLICITY. I've learned over the years that by trimming off the nonsense I'm able to focus more on the things that are most important to me. Meaning health. My jewelry. Family. Etc.

But honestly, its more than that. I need simplicity to function properly. Its seems that while I'm pretty good at multitasking, I tend to let myself fall by the wayside. I forget to do the things important for me: exercise, baby my skin, go to sleep early, cook healthy meals from scratch, spend quality time with my husband.

My jewelry business has been doing great, most likely because I'm nurturing it more than ever, but I've noticed that my love for cooking has lessened. I'm preoccupied with orders and sketching designs for the two weddings I'm making jewelry for and I'm simply too busy in the evenings to cook. Or, I'm just not feeling it because my focus is elsewhere.

What does this have to do with OBS?? *sigh* I simply have no energy for healthy meal planning, cooking or exercising. It takes work! But, I'm aware of it. I guess that's the first step. Admitting your problem.

That said, I haven't gained or lost any weight. I have been consistent with my morning exercises around the house, but not much cardio is being done. I have a date one evening this week to jump on my nephew's new large backyard trampoline with him. That should burn a few, right?

How about you? How is your journey with OBS or health in general going?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have a little curiousity about advertising. Within the last few weeks I've had a couple people email me about posting ads on my blog. Never really thought about it before, but now I'm starting to think it could be a fun addition.

Is there anyone else interested in this? I may do a trial run for a month, see how it works out. More than anything I would love to be able to support fellow Etsians. I so love Etsy and everything handmade, it would just make sense.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last but not least, Cheryl posted about the contents of her purse. I commented on her post and shuddered at the thought of what could be in mine. She prodded me a little. FINE Cheryl, twist my arm. ;) But I'm warning you guys, its not going to be pretty:

1. Bright turquoise wallet
2. Cell phone charger
3. Journal (a must because my thoughts are out of control)
4. 2 blue pens
5. Keys
6. Current NY&Co coupon
7. My dead iPod
8. Old crumbled post its with reminders
9. 4 pack of Sudafed with one pill remaining
10. Bank deposit receipt
11. Bed Bath & Body Warm Vanilla perfume spray
12. Ancient Dooney & Bourke cosmetic bag with wild berry chapstick, 2 Cover Girl Strawberry lipgloss, powder, eyeliner, mascara, tweezers, eyebrow brush, 2 berry colored lipglosses, 1 red lipstick, and 2 almost unusuable eyeliner back ups. I get frantic if my eyeliner disappears, which it does often. Having back up is necessary for my sanity.

And just so you know Cheryl, these are the contents of my SMALL purse. I wouldn't have shared if I was toting my big ole gaudy giraffe print hobo!

Treasurey

UPDATE: A local who reads my blog checked out the treasurey below and purchased the Sunrise in Cabo earrings for his wifey for Valentines Day. Yay! Thank you!

Look! Someone picked me for their treasurey on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=38993

How cool is this? I'm not sure if I've been picked before as I don't browse the treasuries that often, but she's the first that has sent me a notice. Earthly Treasures picked my Sunrise in Cabo earrings.

If you aren't on Etsy and are like Huh? A treasure-what? A treasurey is basically a collage of another Etsian's favorites or picks for a certain theme. This one, Valentine's. It gives a lot of exposure to your shop as well. So, woo hoo!

I'm tickled pink!

So, what are your plans for V-Day? I'm being surprised!

Frugal Living

I saw this little article on the AOL homepage the other day and thought I'd share with you. I'm frugal at heart but find I'm less so now that I'm married. Thinking about getting back into it because man does it feel good to save.

http://www.walletpop.com/economizer/your-frugal-tips

My own personal money saving tips:

• Coupons, coupons, coupons. It's free money, people. Check to see if that item is already on sale and you get serious savings.
• Before running to the nearest fast food joint because you simply don't have anything at home to eat, check out your cupboards and get creative. Pasta+shredded cheese+can of black beans=Mexican Delight! Or bread+sliced cheese+butter=Grilled cheese! And you can put practically anything in a pot and call it soup or stew.
• Save those plastic grocery bags and use them for your mini trash cans.
• Drink tea instead of soda. One family size box has 48 tea bags. One tea bag makes a huge jug of delicious, antioxidant filled tea. Do a little math and try to figure out how little that cup of tea costs! Meer pennies my friends!
• Don't buy the expensive makeup and creams. If you have sensitive skin like me, know that Neutrogena has fantastic products. My daily face lotion with SPF costs only $10 and last forever. Also, I buy inexpensive blush, lipgloss and powder, but treat myself to good foundation. And check the Sunday paper - in my area, Max Factor always has $2 off coupons for their mascara!
• Use your crockpot. Ladies, I cannot stress this one enough. If you have one, you're probably nodding. If you don't, go get one! Not only can you pour a bag of beans, seasoning, water and STEP AWAY (as in not stand over a hot stove for hours cooking) you can make a larger meal. Meaning leftovers! But hey, don't gag your family with stew 5 days in a row. Do a swap with your friends or neighbors or simply put half away in your freezer for another time.
• Turn off those lights!! When I lived alone, I stayed in the dark. Usually the blue glare of the tv was the only light I lived by. But in doing so, I had an energy bill of around $80 or less every month. Now, I'm not saying to bump around in the dark but if you aren't in the room, turn off the light.

If you have a frugal living tip, please share! How do you save?

I'm so vain, I'll probably think this post is about me...

If you guys tag me anymore I'm going to become a serious narcissist. Who doesn't love talking about themselves, right?

The lovely Barbie over at Chasing Dreams tagged me with this one. This one has a different spin to it so I really enjoyed doing it! Now, I started this before the weekend, so a few things may be off a little.

Here are the rules:

1. Respond and Rework - answer the questions on your own blog, then replace your least fave question with a new one, and add one more question of your own.

2. Tag 8 other un-tagged bloggers!

Here we go:

Q. Make a list of things you can see without getting up.
A. My computer, Mango Manderin body lotion from Bath & Body Works, my DDP, printer and ugly lamp.

Q. What are you wearing right now?
A. Old Navy Flirt jeans in dark wash, fushia tee with a brown cordouroy jacket and brown boots. And my Love Sparrow necklace. *sigh*

Q. What's the last thing you read/are currently reading?
A. Twilight. And completely obsessed with it.

Q. Do you nap a lot?
A. Not anymore. Babers and I napped a lot on the weekends when I was still in my apartment. Had a lot less responsibility and more time on our hands then. Best naps I ever had. *sigh*

Q. Who is the last person you hugged?
A. Babers, just this morning. Three times before he left, as usual. (Because I'm OCD about goodbyes with my loved ones.)

Q. What is your current obsession?
A. A tie between Twilight and blogging.

Q. What was the last thing you said aloud?
A. Was that my girl? Thanks.

Q. What websites do you visit when you go online?
A. My list of favorite reads on Google Reader, my email (AOL), my Jillry shop, Facebook and Twitter.

Q. What was the last thing you bought?
A. Groceries for camping this weekend. Hot sausage (you have permission to go there), grapes, eggs, hashbrowns and BEER.

Q. What is your favorite weather and why?
A. Fall or Spring. In the heat of summer I am so ready for Fall... by the time Winter is halfway through I'm begging for the light warmth of Spring. The mild temperatures and beauty of nature is what makes me love these seasons.

Q. What time do you usually get up?
A. Well, it depends. I aim for 6:15 but the SnuggleMonster is hard to resist. Sometimes 6:30, sometimes as early as 5:45.

Q. What is your most challenging goal right now?
A. I'm with Barbie. Weight loss and exercise. I just can't seem to commit to a consistent plan. And yet, I never give up trying! :)

Q. Say something to the person who tagged you.
A. She's cute as a button (what does that saying MEAN anyway? Are buttons really cute?? Anyways, she's cute!) And always has something interesting to say. Plus she's my bud on OSB!

Q. If you could have a house - fully furnished and anywhere in the world - where would it be?
A. Right here in in my hometown, but somewhere a little more country (read more land, less traffic, outer skirts of town). I love being near my family and friends and would not trade that for the world. Not even for a fully furnished house. Wait. Does this mean I get to pick what's in the house? On second hand... Ha, just teasing.

Q. Favorite vacation spot?
A. I've always loved Orange Beach but they lack one thing: Cajun food. They have endless supply of seafood but you can't find a restaurant that can serve a perfectly seasoning plate of seafood pasta to save your life.

Q. What is your favorite item of clothing?
A. The Flirt jeans I have on right now give me the hint of a backside, so I should say those are my fave, but I still think I'm going with my pajama pants.

Q. Name one thing you can't resist, no matter how bad it is for you?
A. Pasta. Pasta, pasta, pasta.

Q. Favorite pair of shoes you keep going back too, over and over?
A. Do slippers count as shoes? If not, my New Balance tennis.

Q. What is your favorite restaurant?
A. Ooh that's tough. Gino's Italian Restaurant for their Tortellini Carbonara or Mike Anderson's for pretty much any CAJUN seafood. Mmmm....

Q. What is your biggest pet peeve?
A. Got a few, you got a minute? Interrupters. HATE that. Chics that go to ridiculous measures to get attention from men (read skimpy clothes, sticking body parts out, etc.). Unruly children and the parents that don't discipline them (high five on that one Barbie). Thoughtless people. Texting me back with just "Ok". And last but not least, waiters that ask if you need a refill and then TAKE YOUR DRINK away from you mid-chew. Bring me a new glass dummy, how am I supposed to eat without my drink? (Note: I used to be a waitress, so I am allowed to gripe about this. I never took drinks away. What if my customer CHOKED??)

Q: What are you most excited about right now?
A: About going camping this weekend!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - New Question:

Q. If you had your dream dinner guests over, what would you serve them?
A. Hands down my Shrimp Fettucini with some spicy cheesy crescent rolls (recipe from the fabulous LillyElla) and salad with my homemade Green Goddess dressing. Now. See why I wrote what I did about my challenging goal? Lol!

Who do I tag? This has circulated to most everyone by now, but if it hasn't and you are reading this right now and would like to participate, please consider yourself tagged! I love love love reading all of your answers and getting to know you more, so I do hope you play along.

Manic Monday & Randomness

The camping trip was fun, as usual. I'll have a post up soon about our weekend along with some photos.

Manic Monday

What is your favorite candy?

Sour patch kids

Name one thing that you'd want to receive as a gift for Valentine's day.

A trip to Hobby Lobby with my Babers to pick out a huge canvas to paint together for our living room.

Can we truly love someone who loves another?

I've never been in the situation, so its hard to say.


Randomness

In honor of Valentine's Day, answer the following....

1. If you could have any Valentine you wanted, who would it be?

My sweet husband, of course!

2. What is your idea of a romantic date?

Any scenario in which J's eyes and mind are completely focused on me, on us. It could be anywhere; the power of chemistry is romantic to me. Also, any act of thoughtfulness on his part would be incredibly romantic. And I love surprises. So yes, that too. And... just kidding...

3. Do you prefer chocolates or flowers on Valentine's Day?

I prefer flowers. (Not big on chocolate.) J will give me flowers once a year with maybe the occasional picked rose from his mother's garden. Flowers are romantic, but knowing how much they cost refrains me from wanting them.

4. What is your favorite romantic movie? romantic book?

Pride and Prejudice, hands down. *le sigh* Does Twilight count as a romantic book? Hee hee.

5. Do you like those 'conversation hearts' or do you think they taste gross?

They taste like chalk, bleh.

6. Who is your Valentine this year?

The husband!

Wanna play? Click the titles for links! Happy Monday! I'll be around to read my bloggy friends shortly. :)

Be still my heart.

** 15% off all items in my shop beginning today until midnight February 13th. This includes items already marked down. Enjoy!**

Just a few goodies that I've put up for Valentine's Day. Hey guys, hint hint. If jewelry isn't your girl's soft spot, surely flowers will make her melt. ;)

All of these are available in my shop. From the top: Sunrise in Cabo earrings, She's Come Undone bracelet (named after one of my new favorite reads), Blue Hibiscus Cameo, New Orleans Lady earrings, Bella earrings (inspired by Stephenie Meyer's Twilight), White Hibiscus Cameo.

We have a winner!

Midwestern Mama is the winner of the latest giveaway! Congrats C!

I'm on my way out this afternoon for my camping trip, but if you leave me a comment with which piece you want - I believe you posted three choices - I'll send off your goodie first thing Monday morning. :)

Have a great weekend everyone. AJ, as requested, I'll hug a tree for ya hun! *giggle*

No I will not pee in the woods.

Apologies in advance for the title. I'm in one of those moods.

Going camping this weekend. Totally psyched about it. However, 2 weeks ago I was NOT totally psyched.

See, I'm more of a girlie girl than a tomgirl. I know! Hard to believe right? *smirk* So when J said we were camping in tents, I felt the dread immediately creep up my spine. You mean, no camper? No running water? No toilet? No privacy?

I told him I wasn't going. And I meant it. And that was that.

It wasn't until another one of the guys mentioned taking his camper because he wanted his girlie girl wife to go that J decided to bring his for me.

Bitter much? Yeah. Still am.

I hold grudges. This one is still steeping.

Anyways, we ARE going camping. To make up for the rant I just had because I DO sleep in the same bed as my husband, I'll list some reasons I love camping. (And duh, because I adore lists.)

1. Fires. The crackle. The warmth. I could sit in front of a fire and gaze at it, be mesmorized by it for hours. No need to talk. Just sit and sip your margarita/beer/hot chocolate and stare.

2. Being one with nature. I'm SERIOUS! Quit giggling. Its so incredibly peaceful at night while camping. I mean, at least it is once everyone else passes out. Sure, it'll take hours and a few cases of Bud, but its worth the wait.

3. The sky. I no longer live deep in the city, so I get to see the stars now. But on a campground the sky is so black and rich with stars. A perfect setting for dreaming. I plan on bringing my camera.

4. J loves it. Yes, I like going camping because J likes going camping. I like being around a man who is in his element and well, that's what J is all about. He admits one of the perks of his job is to be outside and not in an office. He's great with his hands (quiet girls, settle down) and is a natural in this setting.

5. We get to 4 wheel! Man, I sound country don't I? I adore 4 wheeling. I'm not an adventurous person, so this is pretty much my limit.

6. The food. Its fun cooking around a fire. Grilling up burgers, cooking breakfast for everyone in the morning. Plus, anything you eat while camping is calorie and fat free. No really, it is.

7. A different setting. Just like getting away for a mini-vacation.

Hopefully I'll have some good pics and stories to share come Monday. For now, I'll share a slide show of our first camping trip together. Enjoy!

Lunch with my friend.

It was so great to see her. She looks exactly the same, was rocking an envy-worthy bag and got a kick out of an old photo album I brought. We talked about old times, laughed at some memories and asked how each other were doing. It was just as comfy as being around her ten years ago. But now, there's something about her I can't read anymore. A sadness in her eyes. I could be misreading that, she has a busy life and we all know tiring that can be.

She brought a gift for me, one that I mentioned in my last post. Guess what it was! A gigantic box of beads that were cataloged by type and color! We beaded a lot together when we were younger and she said she no longer had the need for it anymore.

I sat in parking lot of my office when I got back from lunch, opening each lil drawer and touching all the beads. Bead heaven. I sat back and remembered a craft show we did once. Just got to hang out all day and sell our jewelry for charity. We were young and didn't sell a thing. Lol. But it was fun just hanging out together.

Anyway, I think I'll leave this topic be for now. An hour for lunch wasn't long enough. *sigh*

Tomorrow I'm pulling a rabbit, err, a name out of the hat for the jewelry drawing. If you haven't entered, you still can here. Good evening, for now.

OSB, Sidebars & Old Friends

**** UPDATE: You still have time to win a piece of jewelry from my shop. Click here to visit Jillry & pick your favorite. Click here to leave a comment for the giveaway. Be sure to read the (2) rules and to mention which piece you would like to own! Good luck! ****

~~~~~~~~~~~~

OSB (Operation Skinny Bitch) - this week was a frustrating one.

I'm a stress eater and I put too much on my plate this week. (Excuse the pun.) So in the midst of the stress of too much to do, I found solice in eating jambalaya with my husband instead of Lean Cuisines, and had a slice of king cake as well. And with no exercise to speak of.

On top of that we received a late wedding present from some relatives; a scale we had registered for. While I love its sleek red look, I hate the new numbers it provides me with. Numbers that throw the whole OSB thing off for me.

Besides that, my lady friend came to visit. And I'm going camping this weekend. We all know what happens when you camp. You eat burgers, hot dogs and hashbrowns cooked over an open fire for breakfast.

Excuses, excuses, excuses. That's what I do. I'm hoping for some yet seen motivation this weekend, enough to move me to choose mustard over mayo, and to eat meat without buns.

*giggle* That was a funny sentence. Say it outloud. DO IT!

_____________________________________

I know I asked for new blog reads. And I got them. (Thank you, thank you!) But man, the process of adding them to my feeds and sidebar is exhausting. And I finally switched over to Google Reader with the help of a nudge from Rox and we all know how long that takes. FOR. EV.ER. Now that is done, I'm slowly uploading my new faves to my sidebar. Its going to be monsterous! But I love it, because it represents my daily reads. *rubbing hands together greedily*
_____________________________________

Today I'm meeting with a dear old friend for lunch. I haven't seen this friend in years. The last time I saw her, I was in a grocery store parking lot listening to the uncertainty in her voice as she wished me luck and happiness. I had just accepted a marriage proposal from a man that was not my soulmate. She knew it just as I did.

We were the BEST of friends growing up. I took pride in telling people we had been friends for 20+ years, since kindergarten. Our mothers taught together at the school we attended K-12.

We both shared the same silliness (that I can't seem to get rid of) and were complete opposites in every other way possible. She was awesome in any sport you threw at her, a tomboy at heart. I couldn't catch a ball to save my life. She had curly short hair, mine straight as board down to my waist.

Sometimes I wonder if we could have worked harder to keep our friendship alive. Sometimes life just gets in the way. Maybe that's what happened with us. Who knows. I'm just thankful for the opportunity to catch up with her.

There are so many memories we share. We caught up with each other in Facebook and she told me she had a wedding present for me. Something we purchased together. A million pieces. I cannot for the life of me remember this "present" and I'm nervous I'll well up with tears when she gives it to me. (I'm a known blubbering idiot when it comes sentimental stuff. You should have seen me at my wedding.)

In return, I'm bringing an old photo album of us. Well, technically its an album of my high school years; she just happens to be on almost every single page.

I leave here in an hour to meet her. There's a weird churning in my belly. Anxiety? Fear? Excitement?
__________________________________

One last note for the day. I'm reading Twilight. I'm a bookworm at heart but have been entirely too busy with my jewelry business lately to justify the time spent reading a book. Much less, one about vampires.

Someone mentioned buying the book Multiple Blessings by John & Kate (plus 8). Well, we all know how much I adore them, so that was the breaking point for me. I would make time for Kate. She is everything awesome about motherhood mixed with some real and raw outbursts of ugly. Love her.

Anyways, I get on Amazon to buy this book. I'm tingling with excitement as I click the Add to Cart button. And in the corner of the page I see a line about Twilight. Eh, what the hell. Add to Cart.

Y'all. I cannot put the damn book down. The first night I read 100 pages. And another 100 pages last night. For a busy girl with hardly the time to file her fingernails, that's crazy talk.

I can't get enough of Edward and his vampire sex appeal. Well, no sex involved (yet) but the way the writer talks about his piercing eyes and the way he looks at Bella, it just melts me. I want to be looked at that way. (hint hint.) I want that kind of unshielded passion. (hint hint. JASON put down the remote and STARE INTO MY EYES.)

Okay, I'm done. That wasn't meant to be another paragraph or five about Twilight. I just couldn't help myself.

Catch you guys later. I've got an old friend to meet and a shrimp po-boy to eat. (Ugh. I hate myself.)

Excuse me, am I blushing?

Cause I'm feeling awful special these days. I've got a few awards to share with my bloggy loves, and, to give to bloggy loves. But first off, I'd like to thank the academy...

Receiving is so easy, but giving? Its so tough! I hate leaving people out. *sniff* Forgive me if I do, this is a hard task.

Tookie Tails (aka Mama, for me) gave me this Fabulous Blog award. Aww shug. Your blog is fabulous too!

So this one goes a little like this: I have to tell you of my 5 addictions and blogs I am addicted to. Easy peezy.


My 5 Addictions:

1. Sweet tea (with sweet in low!)
2. Jewelry making
3. Blogging (as if that's not obvious...)
4. Etsy (so much eye candy inspiration! This stays open pretty much all day.)
5. Twilight. *sigh* Yes. Its a new addiction though. Got it in the mail yesterday and read 100 pages so far. Now its all I can think about. But that's another post.


My 5 Blog Addictions

1. The English Muse - I've written about her before. She posts tons of uplifting, colorful, fresh new images on photography and such. And she supports my jewelry line so she's automatically one of my fave girls. ;)

2. Funky Fresh Cool - one of my dearest crafty friends (IRL). She's got mad skills on scrappin'. Love to see her newest pages and updates on her life.

3. C aka Midwestern Mama - This chic is hilarious. And real. She posts frequently, which is a good thing for me! And her writing sucks you in so that you can actually visualize her talking to you. I bet she talks with her hands a lot. :)

4. Orchestrated Destiny - Her posts really get you thinking. She's deep, insightful and always has interesting topics. She's one of my newest addictions.

5. Confessions of a Twenty Something Year Old - Another new read. She's raw, she's funny and crazy sarcastic. And I love those qualities. Not for the faint at heart. Go see her and you shall laugh.
________________________________


Stacie at This is a Test wants to hear a few honest truths' about me. Heh, you asked for it Stace... ;)


1. I've always had this heightened fear of being attacked or raped. My first time living on my own, this fear was so alive in me that I kept the tv on all night and put a chair under the knob of my double locked from door. A knife stayed on my nightstand, hidden under a book. I often refer to that time as The Year I Didn't Sleep.

2. I'm obsessed with thoughts of my weight and health. While I'm more comfy with myself now than ever, I still think about the calorie content of every piece of food I pick up. I give myself guilt trips if I don't exercise when I planned on doing so. Its EXHAUSTING and I'd give anything to erase this truth about me.

3. I can't live without chapstick or lotion. I have both on me at all times.

4. Sleeping on my stomach is the only way I can fall asleep at night. I often wonder what I'm going to do about sleep if I become pregnant.

5. I adore lists. Lists, lists, LISTS. The feel of pen on paper. Getting all my to-dos and wants and ideas out on paper in numeric order. Scratching things off my list. So incredibly satisfying. Hmm. Probably why I'm enjoying this post so much right now too.

6. This chic is a HUGE snuggler. I adore cuddling with J or my Mini puppy. Sometimes Babers and I will go to bed early (read 8 o'clock) just to get some extra snuggle time in.

7. COOKING is one of my passions. There's nothing better to me than chopping and mixing ingredients together, seasoning and babying a pot of yummy comfort food. Or creating new dishes. And I love nothing more than to cook for my loved ones.

8. I would love to paint something on a very large canvas for our living room. The reason I haven't is simply because I'm afraid of failure. What if its not good enough to hang in the den? What if J says it is, but in reality its embarrassing?

9. I'm a pessimist at heart. The worst always creeps into my head. Sometimes I scare myself with it, thinking of things that could happen to me or my loved ones in certain situations. Another truth I wish I could erase.

10. I used to have a box addiction. Boxes that appliances come in? Could not and would not throw them away. I stored empty boxes in my closets. And I purchased decorative boxes like they were crack to me. We don't have as much closet space now, so the addiction has lessened a great deal.

And now I shall tag:

Chasing Dreams, Asthmagirl, She's Come Undone

(Feel free to do this without being tagged. I would love to know more about all of you!)

____________________________

Next,

Midwestern Mama gave me this cute lil award:

I'm not sure what this award means but if C is giving it out, its gotta be cool! So here we go with the rules:

1. You must link back to the person you received the award from.

2. You have to nominate 10 bloggers who are deserving of this award.

I'm sure we all like lemonade, so here's some for these hot friends of mine:

Kitty, Tookie, Mona, Christie, AJ, Rox

Now, I know that's not 10 but as I was picking out bloggy friends for this refreshing award all I could think about was throwing chics in the mix that I could actually imagine having a day of sun and lemonade with. Chics that would all get along together. (And all have great stories to share too!)

Manic Monday

I got some love here! <--- Check it out peeps. I sponsor one of the coolest chics. Her site is Automatism. In return of my sponsorship she gave me a plug and I so very much appreciate it. She's another one that is full of inspirational posts. Mainly pictures, which is what I'm all about. Lots of color, loads of life.

~ Before you read on, be sure to scroll down and join in my Jillry giveaway! Pick anything from my shop to win! ~

By the way, I am up to my eyeballs in new good reads. *woot woot* I'm on Cloud 9 yo. Oh and I thought I'd be able to update my sidebar blogroll last night but after uploading new jewels and adding newbies to my bloglines, it was all I could do not to fall asleep with J's laptop in my yap.

And is it just me or do you also have a hard time cleaning out your bloglines? (Or whatever site/program you use to keep up with your reads.) I'm putting it off until lunch because I can't (just yet) delete blogs that no longer update when I've been reading them since I started blogging. I mean, WHAT IF they pop in again? Start up their clever and I go and miss it? *sigh*

Alright, alright. Here's my Manic Monday. Play along if you like. You know you wanna.






What's the most embarrassing song on your iPod (or music collection)?

I have really raunchy rap music on my iPod for workouts. Besides Disturbed, there's nothing better to run on a treadmill to than booty shaking rap music.

Is it embarrassing? Yes. Does it keep me pumped enough to run? Yes.

How much time do you spend each day in your commute? (Or if you don't work outside the house, how much time do you spend in your car or other preferred mode of transportation?)

My drive to work is about 25-30 minutes every morning and every evening. I live in a more rural area called Central. My office is in the "city", which is close enough for work but far enough that I can enjoy the calm quiet of a small town, without all the traffic and hubbub.

Its funny, just five years or so ago I just couldn't WAIT to live in my own apartment in the city. Lived there alone for 4 years and loved it. But when I started dating J, suddenly things changed. It wasn't just my family wishing I was back in the small town I grew up in, it was myself as well wishing away for it. And now I'm back. (And wondering why the hell I left in the first place...) I'm a country girl at heart.

What's your favorite wardrobe item and why?

If you know me the least little bit, you know I ADORE pajama pants. They should be considered business casual so I can wear them to work.

But I know that's boring to most, so I'll amuse you. My second favorite would probably be my new black (faux) snakeskin heels. They go with everything and aren't your every day boring black heel. I can wear them with my LBD in the evening or my slacks by day. They are love to me.