Tuesday, November 30, 2010

5 Things - Birthday Edition

No, it's not my birthday yet. But it is two weeks from tomorrow. And Christmas is just around the corner. So there may be people out there searching desperately for something to buy me. haha Hubby and mom have an easy time since they see me or talk to me every day. But not everyone is fortunate enough to see me all the time (you poor souls). And last year my blog helped a family member out with her Christmas shopping so I'll help out again. :) I'm only thinking of making it easy for my family. Really.

5 Places I Could Do Serious Damage With A Gift Card

  1. Let's just start with Sephora. You might as well put a kid in a candy store for the way I feel about them. There's the eyeliners I featured in last week's wish list. Then there's a Too Faced set with lots of goodies. I pink puffy heart their eyeshadows. Oh, and some DuWop lipstick. Because they know how to do lips.
  2. Moving right along to Old Navy. I check them out frequently, whether in the store or online. I don't have this exact pair, but I LIVE in my Rockstar jeans from there. Skinnies, flats and a cardigan is perfect for work. Speaking of cardigans, this cable knit one would be lovely. I think my heart skips a beat for cable knit. And scarves. We mustn't forget scarves.
  3. One word: Target. Love of my life #99 (go ahead and laugh James). We kind of decided that any Target gift cards we get will go toward a new television. But that doesn't mean I can't want things like these perfect boots. I need a gray pair. For my skinnies that I live in. And I know I don't live in the wettest climate on the planet, but I would seriously love some zebra print rain boots. Seriously. This hat is also the cutest thing ever. And yes, I would wear it.
  4. Next up is Joann's. LOVE Joann's. Mom and I didn't spend three hours there last Friday or anything... Over vacation I may actually get time to sew! And bake! So if I'm going to keep frosting cakes, I'll need a turntable to make it easier. Not to mention the amount of fabric, patterns, thread and other crafty things I could get there.
  5. Last place of choice? Victoria's Secret. But I'm not about to post what I'd buy. Because that's just none of your business. So there.

So glance at some of the things I love. I'll have a new gift list for you tomorrow. Haven't really thought of who we're shopping for yet, but I'll decide at some point today. For now, decide what you want to gift your favorite blogger with for her birthday. :)

Happy Tuesday!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Monday Coolness

This is some of the coolest coolness I've seen in a LONG time. Some guy times his Christmas lights with a program to the song "Raining Blood" by Slayer.

Yeah, I like Slayer. Deal with it.

You don't even really have be a Slayer fan to appreciate how cool it is the way he pulled this off. It's flat out amazing. My jaw dropped the first time I watched it. I laughed at the coolness of it all. And I may or may not have watched it several times since Thursday night.

Witness the coolness for yourself.




Happy Monday!

Friday, November 26, 2010

Friday Photo

So does everyone have a turkey hangover? I controlled myself so I'm not too bad. But I do have leftover pie... hmmm...



So it's Black Friday and I'm actually out shopping as this is being posted (yay for posting ahead). This is a strange thing for me. But actually, I made my first shopping trip last night. Old Navy baby. Mom and I went and she knocked out a LOT of presents. I started one. And now we're off this morning. Hopefully to get some good stuff.



But you're not here to hear about my shopping adventures. You're here for a picture. So let's get to it!



I took this on day one of my vacation. We had some great storms blow through the valley last weekend. So I decided to pick up my camera and go for a drive out near the bluffs. And here's one shot that I got over an orchard. I played with the color a little. I love it. I wish it were this cloudy again right now.



Instead it's freezing. And I'm out with the masses.



Happy Friday. If anything good happens while I'm out I'll be sure to let you know. ;)

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone is able to be with friends and family today and share some good times and good food.

I have so so much to be thankful for this year. My husband has a great job. I finally have a great job that I worked hard to prepare for. My family is happy and healthy. Hubby and I are able to live in a house now where we feel infinitely safer than we did at our old apartment. I have an amazing church group that I work with. My friends are the best anyone could ask for.

Take a minute today to remember what you're thankful for.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Wednesday Gift List

Ohhhh I had fun with today's list. I could have added tons more things. But linking everything takes a lot of work so I decided to stop here.

Today I though I'd make a list for your girly girl. Your friend, niece, or sis who loves makeup and dressing up. (Hint hint: I'd gladly take any and all of these items under my tree.)


I am in LOVE with this dress. I don't have anywhere to wear it at the moment, but it's just fabulous and begging to be worn by me. (via Ruche)


And this coat? With the giant buttons AND a bow on the collar? So super cute. (via Ruche)



These gloves are just pretty. I love their long length and their buttons. And they're red. Which is actually really pretty with just about everything. Including the lovely coat above. (via ModCloth)


These tights are pretty. I'm not 100% sure I would wear them. I almost wonder if I'm too old for them already. But I would definitely try. (via ModCloth)

This necklace would go with several things in my closet. Without even putting much effort I just planned a whole outfit around this necklace. I love it. (via ModCloth)

Now comes the dangerous part for me... makeup. Sephora has been tempting me with their holiday catalog and emails again...

This set would actually be pretty awesome. There's a TON in it. And it's a really good price (again, hint hint Santa).


I rarely wear lipstick because you need a mirror to put it on and it takes some precise application. Lip gloss? So much simpler. This set would do nicely.
And last year I wrote about some an Urban Decay eyeliner set that I was loving. Hubby bought it for me. It's pretty much my FAVORITE EYELINER EVER. So hopefully this set makes its way to my house this year. It would make my year.

So there you are. Some great gifts for your favorite girl. All three sites I shopped have a ton of stuff besides what I posted. So enjoy browsing.
Happy Wednesday!!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

So Far...

Let's just review what I have done on my vacation so far...
  1. Snuggled under a blanket and caught up on soap operas.
  2. Bought a table at the Goodwill. WOULD be sanding and painting except the rain has the air too damp to paint. :/
  3. Bought picture frames at a couple different thrift stores. Same story with the painting.
  4. Killed my Game Boy batteries playing an old Zelda game.
  5. Saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. *squeeeee*
  6. Woke up too early and read while listening to the rain.
  7. Did some laundry.
  8. Finally saw Inception. Good, but don't ask me to review it.
  9. Priced artificial Christmas trees. Decided that we'll be getting a real one again this year.
  10. Lived in skinny jeans and boots. I plan to the rest of vacation as well.

In store for today? Drive to sissy's. Hopefully bring home a little manlet. Clean my sewing room? More Zelda. Glee. Watch the ugly weather.

Happy Tuesday!

Give Me a Moment

Okay. I tend to stay away from seriousness and divisive subjects on this blog. I never enjoy when people talk about something just to get a reaction. And I have unsubscribed to blogs that constantly get political/religious/controversial. If I wanted to read angst and uproar I'd subscribe to our newspaper.

That said, there's been one topic that has come up several times recently with a few different people. And after hearing about someone who is living with some of the issues... well I just decided I wanted to throw my two cents in there.

So if you're uncomfortable or in a judging mood, please go away. I'm not asking you to validate my opinion, but I'm definitely not asking you to attack it either. It's called an opinion because it's not the same as everyone's. And it's MY blog, so I'll express MY opinion.

We're gonna chat a bit about homosexuality. Or rather, how people are reacting to homosexuals.

Now I know a lot of people have covered their own thoughts and feelings on the subject. There has been national attention on the tragic stories of young people who decide that ending their lives is an answer to how they feel. Glee has addressed the subject of bullying with a couple episodes. But as I said before... just my two cents here.

This has always been a weird area for me in some way. I was raised Christian. I call myself a Christian to this day. I attend a Christian church. I teach at a Christian school. Maybe it's just how fortunate I am, or maybe I was raised around more tolerant Christians, but I never heard any "gay-bashing" from anyone. I am fully aware that there are some Christians who can't even talk to someone that they know is gay because "it's just wrong. God didn't make them that way. They're choosing to sin."

Well, I'm not here to discuss why or why not people end up being gay. But I will say that Christians with that attitude make me sad and embarrassed. Gay or not, God DID create them. And gay or not, He DOES want us to love our neighbors. It's not up to us to do any judging.

Hubby and I know a lesbian couple and while talking to hubby one of the women expressed anger at how she and her partner were treated recently. She talked about the dirty looks, about being asked to leave a store (I don't know the whole story here, but it doesn't sound right from what I do know), and just the meanness sent their direction. Why is any of that necessary? Why people? Because they have feelings for someone of the same sex? I've seen how some couples feel about each other and I promise you, their feelings for each other are the same as the feelings between my husband and myself. Being the same gender doesn't make their relationship fake or less legitimate than any other couple.

I stand by my own beliefs. I DO follow what the Bible says and I don't think God approves of homosexuality. But I also don't think He wants us to make homosexuals feel out of place, shunned, or even in danger as so many do feel. I will never "unfriend" someone on Facebook simply because of who they are attracted to. I will never tell anyone that they are a sinner. Because guess what? We all are to some degree.

So if anyone ever displays that kind of ignorance in my presence, I will call them on it. And if they do that to someone I consider a friend, I WILL make sure I call them on it good and loud. I don't put up with bullies.

*end rant*

Okay then, I feel slightly better having said all that. I hope I didn't crush any toes with my stepping. And if you can respectfully disagree (or agree) then feel free to pop in with a comment. But know that I WILL be monitoring them and I WILL take anything down that sounds hateful or mean. I hope everyone can have a happy Tuesday. And maybe I'll be back later with something more light and fluffy later. :)

Monday, November 22, 2010

Monday Coolness

Just watched this video last Friday night. Did you know the Six Flags in New Orleans was abandoned after Hurricane Katrina? This video is eerie and gorgeous at the same time. I would kill puppies to get in there and take some pictures.




Did you watch all the way to the end? They're DEMOLISHING it in January. I actually shouted, "NOOOO!" at my computer when I got to that. I know it doesn't make sense to leave it there... but jeez.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Friday Photo

It's Friday!!! Hallelujah! I'm ready for the week to be over. I was exhausted all week - more so than usual, but I thought nothing of it at first. Then yesterday I felt ROTTEN. Turns out my body has been fighting something off the whole week and finally got tired of fighting. But I'm good enough to finish out the week. And then sleep in tomorrow. :)

Anyway, I have a picture from last weekend when Tad was over. We went to mom's (of course).

We did some serious tomato harvesting. He loves it. Even though he doesn't like tomatoes. I just love his little hand in the bucket. And the pretty red of my mom's tomatoes! Aren't they beautiful? Hopefully the little manlet will be around next week for a night or two. I haven't talked to my sis yet.

Happy Friday everyone! And if you're a teacher like me, happy Thanksgiving break!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

For Your Thursday

Some randomness...
  • I feel like I buy a new (and rather large) pack of bobby pins twice a year. So where are they all disappearing to??
  • If you're a fan of UFC, hopefully you are not a fan of Josh Koscheck. The guy's whining is just killing me on Ultimate Fighter right now. Local boy or not, I just can't like the guy.
  • I had to explain the name "Typhoid Ashley" to my pastor last night. Did I ever tell you guys where that came from?
  • Talking to my pastor last night (I guess he's not MY pastor, he's the children's pastor and I work with him), he started a blog and mentioned he didn't get any comments on it yet. I told him, "Welcome to blogging."
  • I swear I feel ready for bed before ten o'clock most nights. This is most depressing to me. It will be worse if I feel this way over vacation.
  • 99.9% of all Thanksgiving projects are handprint turkeys in some shape or form. This is too typical for me and I still want to find something better... before tomorrow.
  • We are now less than four weeks from my birthday. I like sparkly things and glitter. Just sayin'.

Anything random on your mind you care to share with the world? Post it here. I guess it really won't reach the whole world, but it will get to a decent assortment of people.

Happy Thursday!!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Wednesday Gift List

You only have six Wednesdays (counting today) until Christmas.

Did I scare ya? Because I totally scared myself.

Last year I did a couple gift guide things. So I thought since we're already entirely too close to Christmas I would start those up again. So today let's start with the men in your life.

So I don't think you've been living under a rock, but there's this sport called baseball. And the Giants won the championship. It was kind of a big deal. And Sports Authority has their parade shirts (which hubby totally wants).
Bass Pro has a turkey fryer. I don't get the whole big deal about frying your turkey up, but apparently it's this big thing. And hubby would totally be willing to try it if he had a fryer. So if there's a man around who is also interested... here ya go.

Bass Pro also has smokers. Which (again) my husband wants badly. I guess I shouldn't complain, at least he likes to cook for me.

And at a store completely unline the two mentioned previously, Sur la Table has fun cooking stuff. Like this nifty little deal to make sliders. I love sliders. They're just better than a big burger. We make them a lot over the summer.
And this. Okay, maybe this one is more a want for me than hubby. Anyone make jalapeno poppers? Stuffed jalapenos? You can totally be manly and do it over the grill now.

By the way, if Santa is reading and any of these end up at my house, I'd be pretty happy.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

5 Things

Wow. I am so super tired. I was falling asleep on the couch at eight last night. Hubby had to wake me up for Adventure Time. How lame am I?? I think I'll be catching up on my sleep over our little Thanksgiving break next week.

Wanna know what else I'm doing? Well, I'm so glad you asked! haha

5 Things I'll (Hopefully) Be Doing During Break
  1. Seeing the new Harry Potter movie!! *squeeeeeee* I'm so excited for this. For reals.
  2. Spending time with my Tad. Doing fun things.
  3. Baking. I dunno what. But it's been awhile since I baked just because I felt like it.
  4. Crafting. Maybe. No, definitely. Something for myself, then possibly some Christmas presents. Because I found some super cute ideas online.
  5. SLEEPING. I know I mentioned it before I got the list going. But it's important. And it will be happening. Oh yes. Especially with my super soft and cozy blanket. *sigh*

I know not everyone has the luck to have next week off, but it's one of the perks of being a teacher. And I'm going to celebrate that perk to the fullest!

Happy Tuesday!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Monday Coolness

It's Monday. Blaaaah. But I did have a little visitor this weekend. We did fun things like go to my mom's, shop, paint a birdhouse, and play with my webcam...


There are much weirder pictures, but I didn't want to freak you out too much first thing in the morning.
Happy Monday (or as close to happy as a Monday can get).

Friday, November 12, 2010

Friday Photo

I didn't forget today!!

Today you get an old one (about a year old) but it's an amazing one. It's the little manlet of course...


Can't you just hear him shouting, "Let the wild rumpus start!!" He's actually howling for me because I'm howling at him.

Last fall my dear, dear friend Steven agreed to take some pictures of my little wild thing at the park. They are, quite simply, the most fantabulous pictures I have seen. I could be a bit biased, but... seriously. This is only one of my faves. I may end up with a gallery on a wall at home. They are that outstanding.

So enjoy my Tad. I will. I have one picture as my desktop at home, I may have to do the same at work. The pictures just make me smile.

Happy Friday! Have a wild rumpus!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Wednesday Wish List

Been awhile. But I was feeling some serious cuteness on Etsy.

Like this headband? Are you in love? Because I am. I definitely don't love the price though... (via leatherblossoms)

Oooh, and this one. I actually might buy this one for some photos coming up soon. Or I could just make one. Because we all know I'm capable. (via thecrazycraftlady9)

I can't knit or crochet though. But this orange beret would make my day. The bow! The orange! It would make me happy. And berets totally don't crush my hair. (via TravisTreasureBox)

And this scarf. Probably not the warmest thing in the world, but I love scarves. And it's November so it's technically acceptable to wear them ALL the time. (via Textilemonster)

Want some news? It's conference week at school and I have SEVEN conferences today. SEVEN. But tomorrow is Veteran's Day so there's no school (yay!). I'll be recuperating by doing a fat lot of nothing. Along with some car shopping. Because hubby and I are totally looking for a truck. I'm just waiting for the Blazer to start in with a death rattle. :/

Monday, November 8, 2010

Hey

I'm lame. I know.

Things got crazy and I seriously just FORGOT to blog. Report cards were due today, conferences started, I had an unsuccessful DMV appointment... ugh.

So how are you doing?

We're trying to stay sane here. Hubby got our dryer fixed and now we're just enjoying having it again. Rain yesterday, now it's just cold. So winter is definitely on its way.

Sorry for the disappearance. I'll try to make it back here.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

5 Things

WOW what a weekend. Shall we just jump on in? Let's shall...

5 Things About My Halloweekend (And Last Night)
  1. So let's begin with the important stuff... GIANTS WON LAST NIGHT! 'Scuse the language, but yeeeeeah bit*&es!!! We were a little tense, then mucho excited around these parts. And playing Journey during their little montage at the end? Y'all know I'm a weirdo about that song. That so made it.
  2. So back to Halloween... Friday night we headed up to Hollister to see the always amazing Mighty Mites (a.k.a. Cousin Tony and friends). They played an amazing show. And I was pretty proud of our costumes. It was just a great time. Then there was the random dude, our new friend Juan, who decided to pay for our drinks the rest of the night. He was there alone. The waitress said he does that all the time. Shows up alone, shares his table with a group, and ends up buying their drinks. Thankfully some of hubby's cousins speak fluent Spanish so we were able to communicate a little. Because Juan definitely didn't speak English.
  3. Hubby wore a dress. Evidence to come later this week.
  4. Our party ended up being super small, but whatevs. Those who showed had a good time. So y'all who didn't come missed out.
  5. Sunday was super fun. Our neighborhood ROCKS Halloween. Across the street our neighbors set up a haunted house for the trick or treaters to go through. So of course we took the kids through. I found out Tad is like hubby, he laughs when he's scared. He stared and laughed the whole way through. Then there were plenty of other houses handing out candy. I think we live in the right neighborhood. When we look to buy, we're looking around here. FO SHO.

How was everyone else's weekend? Hopefully good? I don't know how the week will compare now. I woke up congested yesterday and wiped out. Gotta take the bad with the good, huh?

Monday, November 1, 2010

Monday Coolness

Halloween is over. That gives me the sads. But I can still enjoy my pictures. I'll give you one today. But I have to introduce it properly...

WHAT TIME IS IT??????

AAAAADVENTURE TIIIIIIME!!!!!

haha Yes, hubby and I totally dressed up as Finn and Princess Bubblegum from Adventure Time. And even though a whopping four or five people knew who we were, I still LOVED our costumes. I made hubby's hat and backpack. I also seriously altered my shirt to give it the puffy princess sleeves. Dad took care of my crown for me (thanks pops!!). I kind of want to wear it to school for my kids now. I told them what I was going to be on Friday afternoon and I'm pretty sure it gave me hero status.

Happy Monday. More pics and fun things to come later this week.