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Wednesday, March 30, 2011

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.

Friday, March 18, 2011

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 -

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 - 

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)?!

Monday, February 21, 2011

I'm not dead! Lucky you.

Alright, let me jump back into this! I've been AWOL on the blogging for a few weeks, but don't worry, you didn't miss anything. Not too much going on lately. Highlights below!

Tif and I had appointments to see the new MAC Wonder Woman collection last Friday. They did makeovers on us using the new products, which are VERY bright. I ended up looking like a hooker; complete with blue eyeshadow, glitter and bright red lip gloss. The picture doesn't do the look justice. There was stripper dust EVERYWHERE!

Tif somehow managed to look pretty good after all was said and done. We had fun and that's all that matters! And for once she outspent me on a makeup purchase. Amazing, but true. I did add a few new pieces to my ever expanding makeup collection though. I made a new section on the blog for my weekly makeup hauls; it'll be easier to see everything that way. :)

Last Saturday we all got together for dinner and games at Wendi's house.  Adult beverages and a rousing game of Apples to Apples. We had a great time! This Saturday we did spaghetti dinner and "Get Him to the Greek". Love that movie; so funny! Who could be afraid of a Jeffrey?

And finally, my girlfriend Stacy and her husband Tobbie had their baby on the 8th! Yes, my partner in "no-baby" crime had a friggin' baby. Tyler Jay arrived at 3:25pm weighing in at a whopping 7lbs 12ounces. She's officially one of "them" now! It's alright though because he's pretty damn cute. I think he might be a keeper.


News Article/Current Event -

Current Obsession - www.allcosmeticswholesale.com. It's a seriously amazing site if you're looking for brand name, authentic cosmetics on the cheap. Especially if you're trying to find something rare or discontinued. I've been spending at least 65% of my day surfing this site. I've yet to place an order, but my shopping cart is getting pretty full!

Makeup Haul of the Week - 
I also have some Sleek products being delivered, but they're coming from the UK, so who knows how long they'll take to get here. I'll post some pictures when they arrive!


What I'm Looking Forward to in the Week Ahead - 
Not a whole lot going on this week/weekend. On Thursday night, Tif and I are heading down to Slave to the Needle for a session on her sleeve. I just go along for entertainment. Until April 9th anyway, I'm getting my foot tattoo done finally. WOOHOO! 

Friday night I may drag Mario out to Benjarong for some won ton soup. I never would have thought a Thai restaurant would have such amazing won ton soup, but they do! It's excellent! 

I'm sure we'll end up doing something fun as a group on Saturday, just not sure what it is at the moment. Maybe games, dinner and a movie? Maybe bowling or rollerskating? Rollerskating sounds super fun; I think I'll try to get everyone out to do that! Drinks before hand couldn't hurt either....

Weight Update - I'm down .6lbs this week for a grand total of 45.8lbs lost. I lost some, but have hit a major plateau. Things went horribly, horribly bad for me this weekend; it's a wonder I lost at all. Let's just say it started with a Dick's Deluxe and ended with strawberry swirl cheesecake. I got the guest room emptied out and the exercise equipment set back up last Sunday, so I'm gonna keep working on it and just focus on keeping the nutrition balanced and working out every night. Hopefully the added exercise will jump start the losing again!

Neato Quote of the Week - A woman whose smile is open and whose expression is glad has a kind of beauty no matter what she wears. - Anne Roiphe

Texts From Last Night "Text of the Week" -
(513) Today the house voted to defund Planned Parenthood but continue funding NASCAR. I fucking hate everything.

And Finally, My Gripe - No real gripe this week other than the weather guys. Why do we even have weather guys in this region?! They NEVER know what's going on, even as it happens. This week we're supposed to get 4"-6" of snow. I'll believe it when I see it, but here's to a possible snow day! Yay!

Monday, January 24, 2011

Best weekend EVER!!

I'm a week behind, so here's last week's rundown -

Holy crap - BEST. WEEKEND. EVER. This was the weekend that I was not at liberty to discuss in last week's blog post and it was amazing!! The whole weekend was to celebrate Wendi lady's BIG 4-0 and celebrate we did! Her husband Chris surprised her and rented a 4200 square foot log cabin out in Sequim. He then filled it with all of her favorite people; including her sister, Mandi who flew out from Michigan to help celebrate! We started off the weekend by pre-funking on the way there in Wilson (Chris & Wendi's motor home, for those who haven't already met him.) 

This time it wasn't me barfing, it was Mario - before we even got there! Thank you, Pete!! He spent the first three hours of our weekend on the motor home bathroom floor. Very nice! The rest of the weekend we all spent drinking, riding bikes, ziplining, playing extreme air hockey, soaking in the hot tub and listening to Justin Hale's Band (minus the band. LOL!) play some awesome music. It was such a great time! Not a whole lot of pictures were taken as most of the people with cameras were drunk and otherwise engaged, but here are some pics that made it.

Prefunking in the motorhome on the way there!
Wilson and the super amazing cabin.
Wendi's 40th bday decor.
Justin Hale's Band
Tif and Evan trying on hats.
SHOTS!
Mandi & Anja looking awesome in their hats!
Tif and I. Not sure what we were doing or why....
Mario napped and Chris did dirty things to him.
She was done for the night!
It's true. LOL!
Hats in the bathtub.

Oh! And I got a new hair cut and color on Friday. I've been wanting something new and different, so I went with long layers and super dark. Here's what I ended up with. I'm kind of digging it; it's sassy!!



News Article/Current Event -

Current Obsession -  Ecotools brushes are this week's obsession. They're cheap and awesome and I'm missing the eye brush set. How could this be?! And I need another foundation brush so I can rotate when I wash them. That brush takes forever to dry!

What I'm Looking Forward to in the Week Ahead - 
Not too much going on this week. Tif and I are going to hit the mall on Wednesday. Hopefully, Wendi and Missy will be able to join us. Tif needs a new shirt and I'll be shopping for makeup. Big surprise! Last week we hit the mall and both picked up a new MAC shadow in a color called "Club". It is AMAZING! Because it's a duochrome color, you can create a smoky eye using just one color. Watch how to do it here.

We don't have any big plans for the weekend either. I started emptying out the guest room this weekend so I can get my exercise room up and running. The guest bed and our big chair-and-a-half + ottoman are seriously holding up my flow. I'm going to try and get those out of there next weekend and get them into storage. I have my treadmill, recumbant bike and health rider to set up and depending on how much room is left, I'd like to add a rowing machine and elliptical. I miss working out!!

Weight Update - Last weekend did me in - I'm up .8 pounds. No matter; it's a new week and we're back on track! Will weigh in again this Friday. On a slightly related note, Mario and I signed up for The Warrior Dash along with some of our friends. I'm pretty sure we'll die while doing it, but at least we can say we tried!

Neato Quote of the Week - I am more and more convinced that our happiness or unhappiness depends more on the way we meet the events of life than on the nature of those events themselves. - Alexander Humboldt

Texts From Last Night "Text of the Week" -
(910) So just in case you wake up on the couch wondering how you got there - you came home at 7am, put ice in a cup, then you proceeded to put the cup in the microwave to melt it because you "wanted water". You then, fell down the stairs while saying "you don't know me", then crawled to the couch.

And Finally, My Gripe - OH, the flooding!! Every damn year. Hwy. 203 was closed today due to "water over the roadway". UGH. It took me over an hour and a half to get to work last week since I had to go ALL the way around the valley to get to Redmond. This is a little sample of what we've had to deal with up here in rural Snohomish county this year. Here are some pictures of the 2009 flooding - the worst I've seen since we've lived up here.

The only other bridge across the valley -
this one is the first to flood and when it does,
I know it's time to head home from work! 
This is the bridge I drive over everyday to get to work.
The river normally only runs in the right 1/4 of this picture.




Thursday, January 13, 2011

What a lame week....

So, BIG NEWS!! Well, it's big news to me anyway. I finally got my hands on the Urban Decay Naked palette!! I've been trying to get this damn thing for months and months, but it's been sold out everywhere. It's amazing! I have found that some of the colors have a delayed glitter fallout, which makes it look like a stripper sneezed on me. It's fine though; Leah likes it. She says every time she looks at me it's like looking at a disco ball. Cool! I also bought some Benefit Highbeam highlighter. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet, but it has potential. Next purchase on the list is the Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Eyeliner Pencils. They will be mine!


News Article/Current Event -

Current Obsession -  Nacho Doritos. Mario brought home a giant Costco sized bag of them and they're tormenting me. They're just out in the kitchen, sitting in their crunchy little bag, just calling out to me to nibble their tasty little corners. BUT NO!! I cannot.

What I'm Looking Forward to in the Week Ahead - 
We have a BIG weekend planned, but I am currently not at liberty to discuss it. Pictures will be posted next week. Well, the clean ones will be posted. I'm sure they'll be far and few between though. Stay tuned!

Weight Update - I weighed in last Friday and was offically down 44lbs, but yesterday I ate 22 points worth of chocolate cake and caramel ice cream for Amy's birthday. I'm guessing my weigh in this Friday is not going to go so well. Time to get my big butt back on the treadmill! On the upside, when we went snow tubing last weekend I hiked up the hill all six times. Last year I made it up once and literally almost died. What a difference 44lbs makes!

Neato Quote of the Week - The two most common elements in the world are hydrogen and stupidity. - Harlan Ellison

Texts From Last Night "Text of the Week" -
(603) I don't know what kind of drugs you were on last night, but you kept trying to highlight my face because you said I was important.

And Finally, My Gripe - Wow. Self absorbed people from high school are this week's gripe! As you all know, friends find it fun to get their scanners out, scan in embarrassing pictures from junior high and post them on Facebook. We've all been there. I know; I've been tagged in plenty. Do I care if other people see them? No, because that's who I was and what I looked like. I find it pretty hysterical really!

Just tonight one of my friends posted a picture of me and two of my other friends from what appears to be our 6th grade Canada trip. It's unflattering, involves hypercolor t-shirts and wave bangs - it's amazing basically. Well, just minutes after it was posted, I get a frantic Facebook message from one of the other girls in the photo. She was appalled that anyone would post such a horrific picture of her and was in a genuine panic over who might have seen it. We went back and forth for a while (I was trying to be nice. FAIL!) until I finally told her to get over herself and grow up. I'm such a peach. AND I'm pretty sure I'm getting un-friended. I may not survive.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Another exciting year is upon us! Yeah, right.

Last week was uneventful. Thursday night was cold and clear so we went up to Chris and Wendi's and had a bonfire. Good way to get rid of those Christmas trees and wrapping paper! Did some shopping and pho with Tif and Zoie on Friday - Nordstrom Rack was CRAZY!! The line was literally around the entire building. On the plus side, I found out they carry women's shoes in size 11-13! YEAH!

Spent New Years Eve with the hubster, eating pizza and watching movies. We're wild and crazy like that! The rest of the weekend was housework and weekly planning. Trying to get back into my Weight Watchers/exercising groove! I made several resolutions this year and I'm really, really going to try and stick to em'.

  • Spend less time on the computer and more time reading books.
  • Eat more food grown on trees and plants and less food manufactured in plants.
  • Sleep more!! 5 hours a night is NOT OK!
  • Be active four days a week, for at least an hour. 


News Article/Current Event -


Current Obsession -  I'm not super obsessed with anything in particular this week. I have been very, very into several songs though. I think I'm wearing the tracks off of my iPod. Kenny Chesney - Somewhere with you / Bruno Mars - Grenade / Jarrod Neiman - What do you want / Sunny Sweeney - From a table away / Far East Movement - Like a G-6 / Duck Sauce - Barbra Streisand. I'm one of those people that can listen to the same song over and over and over and over without ever becoming tired of it. Just one more reason I'm weird. Oh, and I find Bruno Mars oddly sexy. Just thought I'd throw that in there!

What I'm Looking Forward to in the Week Ahead - 
So far, the week ahead is looking like a fairly quiet one. Wednesday, Tif and I are headed back to the mall. I bet you'll NEVER guess what we're shopping for. MAKEUP!!! Who'd have thought? Here's what's on my list - Bobbi Brown Gel Liner, Smashbox In Bloom paletteMAC Select Moisture Cover Concealer, Benefit Girl Meets Pearl and possibly the Smashbox Master's Class Files. Good thing Mario bought me that train case for Christmas! But, too bad it's already full (until I get my Z palettes that is!) I have a Kohl's card to use also, so maybe I'll pick up some clothes while we're there.

Saturday, I've gathered up the gang and we're heading up to Snoqualmie Pass to do some night snow tubing. We did it last year and had a blast! I figured it would be a fun family friendly activity since everyone has their kids this weekend. Well, except us since we don't have any. LOL! It's a good excuse to do "kid stuff" without feeling like a creep. I'll post pictures next week - but here's a taste of last year.

Oh Mario and Evan!
Tif and Zo
Evan and I waiting for the rope tow
Mario gets all the ladies!
Everyone warming up by the fire

Weight Update - Well, I gained back two pounds over the holidays. I'm not going to worry about it too much though. I'll get my ass on the treadmill and be back to losing in no time!

Neato Quote of the Week - Waste your money and you're only out of money, but waste your time and you've lost part of your life. - Michael LeBoeuf 

Texts From Last Night "Text of the Week" -
(603) Dude I got a text from you at 1:30 last night and you didn't use any vowels.
(1-603) Haha, I didn't want to buy any.... we're in a recession, you know.

And Finally, My Gripe - UGH. Whoever the jackass is in the neighborhood who's all of the sudden decided to listen to music at all hours of the night. I'm UBER sensitive to noise and nothing makes me more crazy than that incessant thumping of bass. Tomorrow I shall track whoever it is down and write them a strongly worded letter. If that fails, I'll call the cops. Yup, I'm THAT neighbor. HA!