I've got a bird on my foot!

Yes, you read that right. There is indeed a bird on my foot. I got my tattoo done on the 19th and it looks fantastic! I did, however, find out that I'm allergic to A&D ointment a few days later. That sucked. My foot swelled up horribly, broke out into hives and turned an angry, painful shade of red. Petroleum based products are not my friend evidently. I stayed doped up on Benedryl all weekend (i.e. I slept) and switched my lotion to Cetaphil and things have calmed down. I still have a few hives hanging around, but nothing I can't deal with. We're going back down to the shop on the 9th for Wendi's consult and another session on Tif's sleeve. I think I might make a consult appointment to start expanding my back tattoo while we're there. These damn things are addicting! It's not the greatest photo, but there it is - 

Hmmmmm, what else has happened since the last time I posted? We had Hotluck, which went great! My Korean chicken drummies were a hit! Looks like I'll have to make them more often. Justin Hale's Band was playing last weekend at J.R. Phinickey's and it was awesome as usual. We also hit up a new restaurant that just opened in town called Adam's. It's gotten fairly good reviews, but I wasn't particularly impressed with the entrée I chose. I sampled a bite of Evan's smoked chicken and Mario's pasta bake. Both were pretty decent, so I'll give it another go and see how it fares next time. And finally, I had my cousin's baby shower on Sunday. What can I say about this? It was a baby shower; I think they're pretty much all the same. Pregnant lady, food, presents and cake. Yep, that about sums it up.



News Article/Current Event -

• Pole dancing for Jesus! - YUP! It's an actual thing, thought up by devout, church-going women. Apparently, Christian music is perfect for pole dancing to!
• A lot can happen in 3 days - Gov. Dennis Daugaard stated "I hope that women who are considering an abortion will use this three-day period to make good choices." Really?! Sometimes it's not about "choice", but someone with a penis might not understand that. South Dakota is being governed by an ignorant moron.
• Granny's got a gun! - It's not like she was asking for tongue or anything! Well, maybe she was, who knows?! Don't mess with her; she'll cap yo ass.
• Rebecca Black: The Most Hated Person on YouTube - I can't imagine why.... must be all the people with bleeding eardrums.

Current Obsession - This week it's a food item; Cabbage Crunch Salad. It sounds weird but it is SO good!! I had a taste of this salad at my cousin's baby shower last weekend and have been thoroughly obsessed ever since. I scoured the internet for a recipe and found the one above. It was pretty much exactly the same thing, but I changed some things to suit my tastes and to be Weight Watchers friendly. I made a big batch and have been eating it for lunch throughout this week. Veggies and a little bit of protein make for a filling lunch. I think I might add snow peas to the mix next time I make a batch of this. This salad will be perfect for those summer dinners outside on the deck. Try it and you'll love it - I promise!

Cabbage Crunch Salad

'Crunchies'

1 tbsp sesame seeds

½ cup sliced almonds

1 package Top Ramen Noodles; uncooked & broken (any flavor will work; discard seasoning packet)

'Salad'

1 large head green cabbage; shredded

1 cup matchstick carrots  

8 green onions; chopped

2 grilled chicken breasts; chopped

'Dressing'

3 packets of Sun Crystals

1/4 cup vegetable oil (I use slightly less)

1 tbsp sesame oil

1/4 rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Directions:

Spread the sesame seeds, almonds and raw ramen noodles on a baking sheet. Spray lightly with Pam and bake at 350˚ until golden brown (watch closely). This can be done ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the dressing ingredients together and stir well. Before serving, toss the dressing into the salad, mixing well, and top with the crunchies. If you plan to make the salad in advance, don’t add the crunchies until just before serving, otherwise, they will get soggy.

Makeup Haul of the Week - 

• Lancome Lipstick in Wannabe
• Buxom Lip Gloss in Dominque & Lena

What I'm Looking Forward to in the Week Ahead - 

We're heading up to Chris and Wendi's again on Friday night for carne asada and booze sorbet. That combo pretty much guarantees a good time! I love our Friday night get togethers! Low key, but always a hoot. 

Other than that, I think we might have a free weekend. What?! It probably won't end up that way, but I'm going with it for now.

My girlfriend, Leah is doing the Susan G. Komen 3 Day walk this year. Her mom passed away at age 42 from breast cancer, so this is a very important event for her. She needs to raise $2,400 in order to walk, so if you're feeling generous and would like to help out, click here. Thanks!!

Weight Update - Well, the new tattoo has put quite the kink in my weight loss. I haven't been able to put shoes yet so no working out for me. :( I haven't gained any though; still just hovering right around 50lbs lost. Hopefully, my foot will heal quickly and I'll be back to losing next week.

Neato Quote of the Week - Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow. - Mary Anne Radmacher

Texts From Last Night "Text of the Week" -

(910) Had dinner with my ex husband. The box of wine is gone and I'm laying on the floor in my wedding dress. Where are you?!

And Finally, My Gripe - This week it's the weather. It's seriously NEVER going to stop raining here. EVER!! I still haven't gotten the garden rototilled or my peas planted. UGH. I'm glad it's spring finally, just wish I could get outside and enjoy it.

Sick People are EVERYWHERE!

Not too much to report on from the last couple of weeks. I spent the weekend before last taking care of a very sick Mario and then he turned around and spent last weekend taking care of a mildly sick me. He's now convinced that I've given the sickness back to him. Ugh. As a result of our combined illness and non-stop Jersey Shore watching, our house was a disaster and we had no clean laundry. Spent the week cleaning, sanitizing and doing laundry. I also dedicated quite a bit of time last week to bargain shopping at Value Village. I love, love, love it!! I found some pretty awesome everyday clothing as well as the most AMAZING outfit for our upcoming 80's party. We're going to head to the costume shop this weekend and get all the accessories for the finishing touch. Pictures coming soon!

Last Friday I managed to get out of the house and met up with Stacy at The Cheesecake Factory in Bellevue. I finally got to meet Tyler! He's so cute; you know, if you're into chubby guys that drool. And he's surprisingly quiet; just the way I like my babies. Ha! We had a great time just catching up and we'll definitely have to do it more often. She took a picture of me holding Tyler as proof that I like babies. I'm not convinced. LOL! I'm surprised I could even see him over all of my double chins. 



News Article/Current Event -

• No ears, but tons of charisma! - Animals are so resilient. I'm glad someone was able to help this little guy out! Here's an update to the story - he's going to a good home!
• Is there anything that you can't put advertising on? - Apparently not. I'm not sure how effective this particular form of advertising is however... 
• You just can't make this stuff up - I'm sure a lawsuit will be following shortly!
• Thinking about an abortion? Do it and go to jail - Ridiculous!!! 

Current Obsession - JERSEY SHORE!!!!! I'm hooked. I friggin' hate the state of New Jersey with a passion, but I love this show!! It's a train wreck and I can't look away! Mario and I have now spent two FULL weekends watching this garbage and have now started working the lingo into our everyday conversations. And now we have the tivo set to record every episode. Will the Ronnie and Sam domestic violence saga ever end? Will Snooki ever find a juicehead gorilla to take home and smush? When will Pauly and Mike realize that their beer goggles are terrible and stop bringing home grenades and land mines?! So sad. 

Makeup Haul of the Week - 

• Japonesque Eyelash Curler
• Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Eyeliner Set
• Z Palettes x 2
• Sleek Eyeshadow Palettes - Storm, Bad Girl & Sunset
• Sleek Rose Gold Blush
• MAC Kohl Smolder Eyeliner & Pro Longwear Concealer
• Revlon Lip Stain in Passion, Flame, Crave & Gothic

What I'm Looking Forward to in the Week Ahead - 

We're heading up to Chris and Wendi's tonight (Friday) for hotluck! Hotluck is an annual event where every guest brings a spicy or "nicely seasoned" dish. Think jambalaya, bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers, spicy curry chicken divan and cheesecake with a raspberry-chipotle sauce. Beer and creamsicles are handy to cool the burn. I'm making this - Dae Ji Bool Gogi; except I'm using chicken drumsticks instead of pork roast. I think it'll be easier for people to eat that way. Going to be a great time as usual!

Saturday is shaping up to be an awesome day!! Andrea from Slave to the Needle called last weekend to let me know that she had a cancellation for Saturday. When I made the appointment she was booked so far out that I ended up with July 22nd. I took the opening and I'll be getting my leg/foot tattoo at noon! So excited!! After this one is done, I think I might have her start adding onto my back tattoo. I eventually want it to spread out across both shoulder blades. Tif and Wendi have taken to calling it my "upper back tramp stamp". Great. :)

Saturday night we're heading over to J R Phinickey's here in Monroe to see Justin Hale's Band play. I've never been to this bar, but I've heard things... should be camo and mullets as far as the eye can see! Sadly, we'll probably be the classiest ladies in that joint. 

Not sure what is going on Sunday yet. Mario has his VW XXX meet at 10am, but I'm not sure if I want to go to that with him or head out and work in the yard. It's supposed to be dry and as we all know around here, you have to take advantage of it! I managed to catch a break in the rain today and got the vegetable garden weeded and laid down steer manure and fertilizer. I wanted to get that all rototilled in, but the weather didn't want to cooperate. So, hopefully on Sunday I can get that done and the peas planted. 

Weight Update - The workout room is up and running, but I've just been holding steady for the past couple of weeks. I think between being sick and having so many evening errands to run, I just didn't work out enough to put a dent in it. On the bright side though, Tif joined Weight Watchers this week! I have a partner in crime! So excited!! We also have a top secret WW group on Facebook with a few of our other friends - we have meetings without actually having to go to a meeting. I love it!

Neato Quote of the Week - Many a person has held close, throughout their entire lives, two friends that always remained strange to one another, because one of them attracted by virtue of similarity, the other by difference. - Emil Ludwig

Texts From Last Night "Text of the Week" -

(573) I found them on a couch next to the sidewalk screaming at cars with a megaphone. Kevin chased the mailman with a jello shot.

And Finally, My Gripe - Nothing to gripe about this week!! Woohoo! Since I don't have a gripe this week, I'll post a highlight.
My sweet, sweet baby bird, Marvin. He's a momma's boy and I love him to pieces! Even though he's mostly a gremlin. How could you not love that face (a face covered in sloppy oatmeal)?!