go. here. now.

http://kindredly.blogspot.com

Pod-a-roo

My co-worker has recently turned me on to Podcasts.  I've had an iPod for a million years, and I've yet to download my first podcast.  Truthfully, I had no clue what they were and didn't care.

There is a WORLD of knowledge in this podcast thing...for instance, some of my recent downloads...

Does your dog really love you?..well, if you're a dog lover and have dogs and treat them like they are humans, you might not want to listen to this podcast.  It's 40 minutes of two people, who sound like they are pretty indifferent to all animals, talking about how dogs really don't understand love.  So, you're telling me when Marley-the-Beagle comes over and lays his head on my shoulder that he's not saying "Mommy, hold me please..I wuv you"?  Because he is.  He loves the shit out of me.

(that podcast can be found under Stuff You Should Know - Stuff To Blow Your Mind)

How Does Cremation Work?...uh..yeah, I don't know.  It's interesting?  Actually, it is very interesting because I've always wondered what they did with the bones.  Truly, the whole deal is pretty gross, and apparently, families have the option to come watch.  Didn't know that.  Won't be partaking in that when the time comes.

This podcast stuck with me so much that I dreamed last night that I was a courier who had to deliver a dead body.  It was terrifying.  

(this one found under Stuff You Should Know)


What's the Scoop on Lady Poop?...it speaks for itself.

(this is found under Stuff Mom Never Told You)

Some fun ones I haven't listened to yet, but sound amazing...All of these are found in Stuff You Should Know.

How Deja Vu Works
Do animals have a sixth sense?
Can you control your dreams?  Because if so, Alexander Skarsgard will star in mine every night.
How Body Dysmorphic Disorder works.
How do dogs perceive time?  aka can I leave them overnight without feeling guilty?
What is a hangover, really?  I think I've had enough of these to have an idea...
How food cravings work
How Tourette Syndrome works
What makes a serial killer?
How Traffic works
Why ticks suck
How Antiques work
Do you stay conscious after being decapitated?  just wondering.

Have you guys jumped on the podcast bandwagon?  I'm interested in hearing what some of your favorite ones are.  Do tell...

Starbucks, it's not you, it's me

It's funny that one of my Anon commenters recently PISSED me off with the the comment about living outside of my means.  While I want people to comment on my blog, I'd rather people who do not know me lay off leaving insulting comments behind the safety of anonymity.  Either way, the comment came at the best time.  In living within our means and making more of them, the husband and I have implemented some money saving ideas.  Everyone would like to have a little more money in their bank account, and every time I swipe my debit card, I cringe a little.  I  thought it might be fun to blog our ideas as we go and watch our savings build.

We're taking a few tips from this article on Dumb Little Man.  We don't believe in completely depriving ourselves of fun, so we're implementing some of these easy adjustments to our daily spending.  Don't worry, I'm not going Extreme Couponing crazy on this (although, if someone could give me a crash course that doesn't look more exhausting than my 8 hour work day, I'm game).

First up:  Making my own coffee

You may remember the post when I was de-scaling my Keurig and discovering cheddar cheese popcorn?

After that project, the Keurig was never the same.  I couldn't get the vinegar taste out of the coffee, and I tried EVERYTHING Google suggested.  Over the course of the last month and a half, I've spent too much money on lattes, and decided it was time to start making my own again.

really, I'm sorry...

I remember a friend telling me that Bed Bath and Beyond replaced her Keurig when it malfunctioned...she'd had it for a while and no receipt, box, etc.  I figured it was worth a try since at this point it was only taking up space.  I took it up and explained what was going on, they looked up my model number and saw that it was within the warranty period, and replaced it with a new one!!

I never get this lucky.  I'm always coming up a little short in these situations.

So, our first money-saving effort has been put into place without having to spend money on a new coffee maker.  Now I just have to figure out to to successfully de-scale this thing when the time comes.

Next up:  More cooking at home.  This is something the husband is heading up.  We're sitting down for our first planning meeting this week.  You know you love the total commitment here.  I'll keep you posted...

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of you mommies out there!  

And...Happy Mother's Day to my mommy!  I love you!  

 image via  - mom the kitty love is for you :)

dilemma

I won an award at work.

It was an award for being awesome at doing my job, and I'll take it...I've not worked this hard in years. 

The award was a $250 American Express gift card.  So, I decided, with my first work award, that I would buy myself the Michael Kors watch that I'm about a year behind...or more...getting.  I do not wear a watch, and I could use one - especially running all over the building grabbing candidates and taking them to meet their interviewers. 

But then....I got a speeding ticket.

I am queen of those.  My foot is made of lead naturally...I got the ticket on April 19, and it hasn't posted to the website yet - maybe he "forgot" to report it...I know I don't have that good of luck. 

My dilemma is this:  Do I use my award to buy myself the watch I really want?  OR do I pay for my ticket (or pay myself back with my award)? 

I'm feeling like I should probably suck it up and pay for my ticket with this money...but Macy's does have a Friends & Family sale happening now, and I'd get $64 off....I'm just sayin'....

hmmm....

Ohhhh, little blog friends....

I'm torn.  Do I stop?  Do I start over?  Do I make a new site?  Will I be able to keep it up?

Work is currently in rehab for it's crack addiction.  Sometimes it gets a little wacky from habit, but for the most part, it's reflecting on life right now. 

Moral of the story - right now I can maybe blog...but probably not in two months...or one month...or one week. 

I don't think I need to rehash my various commitment issues - but I just don't know how focused I can make myself after a long day's work...

It's on my mind...and that is all.

An Update of Sorts...

There is no excuse for my absence...except that life is crazy.  Work is nuts, and honestly, all recreational internet browsing is saved for online shopping. 

I can update you with photos of how fun/busy/crazy life has been since my last post...

 Charleston with the girls.... here we are at Taco Boy

 "sight seeing" with bikes and cocktails makes for an amazing girls weekend....

 and riding in random old school limos....

two favorite friends celebrating their wedding...

friends and their bambinos...

 a freakin' canoe trip...

 pre-seriously painful sunburn...

 with my canoe partner, the resident expert and also my husband.  this makes whining easy and acceptable. :)

 Finally...celebrating an old friend's 30th birthday...

with one of my favorite people....we'll be celebrating together when we're 80.


In between all of these fun weekend activities is, of course, work, and I'm still loving it like crazy.  Everyday definitely presents a new challenge, but I'm still drinking the kool-aid.

I have shared with some that blogging is not on top of my priority list, so posts will happen as I get a wild hair...until next time...

An outfit for my Kindle

If you know me at all, you know my new Kindle must be outfitted in the most perfect cover.  I don't do plain.  

Because my new book is, in fact, 1400 pages long, and I have another book to go right after it, I have plenty of time to find the right cover. 

I've started my research now and come up with a few favorites.  I will say that I have a major problem spending what the Kindle cost on it's outfit...but of course, all the outfits I like cost as much as the damn Kindle.  Typical...well, not really...

I've compiled a few of my favorites and maybe you guys can help me narrow them down and psycho stalk them until they go more on sale....

1.  Great Expectations cover by Kate Spade on sale for $69.99

2.  bookworm cover by Rebecca Minkoff on sale at Nordstrom for $99.90 - down from $125

3.  Juicy Couture - can't find price anywhere...

4.  The Great Gatsby cover by Kate Spade $69.99

5. M Edge-Go Crackled Gold $39.99 (totally do-able and very chic!)

6.  Diane von Furstenberg Kayley Canvas $89.99

7.  Kate Spade canvas cover - price unavailable

8.  Diane von Furstenberg limited edition Kayley Canvas - price unavailable

While doing some research on the prices/names of the above selection, I came across a crapload of options on Ebay...happy me. 

Right now....

This weekend was spent cleaning my disgusting house, spending some much needed QT with my hubbaroo, and trying to figure out how to "descale" my Keurig...

For months, I've said I was going to start some home projects.  As it turns out, my weeks are so exhausting that my weekends are spent taking the breather I need to gear up for the next week.  Maybe I'll eventually get used to going on no sleep, but my gut says probably not.  I'm definitely not complaining, but I guess I'll just have to get creative with how I prioritize my time. 

My girlfriend, Chrissy, is staying at our house Thursday night.  The idea of having guests throws me into tizzy of obsessive cleaning and redecorating.  Chrissy is literally coming here after work on Thursday, spending the night, and waking up at the crack of dawn Friday to leave...she will have no time to notice the small very large imperfections in the guest bathroom paint job or lack of seating in the living room.  Still - everything must be perfect. 

I de-cluttered the guest room and got rid of the bookshelf covered with every single book I've ever read - I threw the books into the middle guest room, and my plan is to keep the door shut until it all magically disappears.  I'd seen these shelves used as bars in dining rooms, so I went that way instead of the way of the trash...the shelf is old old old and needs a new paint job, but I thought until I could make that my next project, I'd put it in the room and test it out....

behold:

Of course, we have no barware, so if this stays, I'll have to go out and actually purchase things to make it more of a "bar" and less of a random shelf in the dining room.  The new table and chairs are really quite big...and I guess the shelf off in the corner maybe throws off the symmetry as seen here...

 

Gah!  I swear the walls do not look like this in person.  Good grief.  Also, pardon the mess on the table... I'm going to have to have you all over to prove it because every photo looks like Disco Dining Room.

Although, I do have to say that the shelf is a great size for the space - the table and chairs AND a buffet really may be way too crowded.  My goal was to get a buffet, add some lamps on each side and have something not so bar-like in the room since neither myself or the hub are big liquor drinkers, but I'm not a huge fan of the buffet that matches the table.  I'm also not a huge fan of matchy-matchy...but if I wait for the perfect one, we could be like this for years... we'll see - I could go back and forth all day.  Not to mention, a new, dimmer capable chandelier is most needed. 

After I moved furniture and painstakingly cleaned every last corner of the house, I made the husband take me out for Mexican where I ate an entire plate of nachos by myself - in addition to the complementary chips and salsa, a margarita and more wine at home.  I guess I really felt the need to reward myself.  This is why I have yet to see the results from the four to five days a week at the gym...I eat that many calories over the weekend.  Gross.

Today I tackled the "de-scaling" of my Keurig.  I've had this thing for three years and I've never cleaned it.  I know...not only terrible but amazingly disgusting.  I noticed that my coffee tastes terrible, so I figured a good clean could help. 

This is what my Keurig looks like now...

uh....how are we not done yet?

I have to let it sit like this for four hours before I can run a fresh water brew cycle and hope that this week's coffee doesn't taste vinegar-y.  This is very complicated.  I'm sure they could make some money employing technicians who come out for a yearly tune up. Not only that, but I'm intrigued by this water filter brick they sell at Bed Bath and Beyond near the Keurigs.  I think this is as apart it will come, and I see no place for a water filter.  Somebody help me.

Until that works itself out, I'm just munching on this..(and blogging)

Cheddar-freakin-cheese popcorn.  Orville Redenbacher is a man after my own heart.  What did I say again about gross weekend calorie consumption??


Yay for tomorrow being my Tuesday!  I took Friday off so that Chrissy and I could ride out early for our weekend trip to Charleston.  Morgan will be joining us (and I think Leslie will also come out since we're invading her hometown), and our plan is to relax, wander around aimlessly, and drink wine.  It's a much needed and spontaneously planned trip for all of us.  More on that later...

Love This Junk

How is it that I named this blog Love This Junk after my many Love This Junk posts on Kindredly, but don't have any Love This Junk posts here?  Weird...well, here is a list of some junk that's made it's way into my good graces...

My good friend and fellow blogger, LK, introduced me to OPI's axxium gel polish.  In 2010, I became a manicure junkie.  Each week, you'd find me at my local Beauty Nails gabbing it up with one of the technicians.  I suffer from not enough time and little patience, so I was always messing up my nails soon after leaving the salon.  First of all, it's just not possible for three layers of wet polish to completely dry within one hour.  What is dry to the touch is definitely not dry to the impact of slamming your nails into something, which is what will no doubt happen right after a mani.  So, I tried axxium at Lily Nails in Atlanta.  None of the salons in the burbs were on the gel nail bandwagon...unless you were talking about the pink and white claws, which I was not.  After a successful two week stint with axxium's bubble bath, I took it to my local salon to be soaked off. 

They had no clue what walked through their doors.  They were filing, trying to get all scary with that electric file thing...the whole time I'm trying to get "there's an easy way to get this off" translated into Vietnamese because I was certain they were going to file my nails down to nothing.  They made a few phone calls, and began the process of getting the polish off.  The soak off process is a bit tedious.  Especially if you don't have much time on your hands.  Also, if you're like me and have super sensitive hands and feet, this can be kind of painful if they get to digging all in your cuticle.  After getting a few weeks of normal manicures, I asked Beauty Nails if they'd begin carrying the gel polish...and now they do!

 

I've had Bubble Bath, You Don't Know Jacques, Lincoln Park After Dark, and Dulche de Leche from OPI.  Bubble Bath and Dulche de Leche were a bit "naked" looking.  Especially DdL - super naked, don't get it unless you want to look like you have super shiny naked nails.

 My local salon also purchased this line which I am currently wearing in a pretty pinkish-glittery color.  It's not love, but it's not hate.  I will say the application process is much easier with this line.  My salon hasn't found their comfort level with just using brushes from their current inventory, so she has to painstakingly clean the OPI brush from base coat to color coat, which again, takes time and makes me fidgety. This particular brand of polish is more in line with what they are used to, which results in a much better manicure for me.

I ran into two displays in one weekend holding Sally Hansen's nail polish strips.  I figured for $8, I'd give it a try.  It claims to be super easy to apply and last for two weeks...I purchased the below pattern, Misbehaved.

 image via

Application is actually super easy, and for my first time, I thought it looked pretty professionally done.  I wore it to work the next day, and my co-workers were all pretty impressed.  Fishnet fingernails are not exactly the most professional of things, so because of that, I only wore them for one day before getting my Lincoln Park After Dark axxium mani.  I recommend...there are several different colors and prints to choose from.  I think next time, I'll just try one of the metallic ones...

So, springtime tanning efforts went into effect in January.  My co-worker told me about L'Oreal's Sublime Bronze lotion, so I got it.  I picked up my trusty Neutrogena spray, but I'm not getting anywhere with that, so I tried this.  I love it.  One problem, it wears off like a spray tan...splotchy looking skin.  So, my suggestion is to keep building the tan. Use this as often as you can get away with.  Of course, it's a bit hard for me because I usually hit the gym before work...sleeping in tanning lotion, then going to the gym and sweating...I just envision streaks and a brown sports bra - gross. 

 

And finally....I love my Kindle.  I got it for my birthday, and I'm in love.  I'm kind of annoyed that I have two books on my nightstand that I must get through before I start using my it, but it's all ok.  I can use this time to find the perfect case because you know it can't be plain.  

So, what are some of your recent favorite finds?  Please share....

Let's see....

Well, happy Monday!  Welcome to what I hope will be a week of normal for me. 

Last week was craziness.  For starters, I went on my very first business trip with my new company.  We flew to DC and back to Atlanta in less than two full days while conducting a training, doing a little high end shopping and eating more meals than one should in such a time frame.  I had Wednesday to get work done, have lunch with a long lost friend and get more work done.  Thursday we did the same training for a group in Atlanta, and finally on Friday I took the day off because I did not want to work on the first day of the last year of my 20's...make sense? 

My sweet mom took me out for a day of fun.  We went to see Just Go With It at AMC Fork & Screen for lunch, then after that, we did a little shopping and got pedicures.  My pedicure goes great with this 70 degree weather we're enjoying. 

The next few weeks are going to be a little more low key.  I have a dinner with my girlfriends Thursday night, but every other night me and the hub will spend some time together.  Our springtime weekend activities are gearing up, and due to less than thoughtful planning, we'll be apart two weekends in a row.  Boo....

Other than that, I have to say that everything is good.  My goal is to blog normally.  So many of you on my blogroll  do it, so why can't I?

spring feels like it's officially here!

image via

the 29th

Guess who makes time to post on her birthday?  ME!  That's right.  I'm 29 today, and I'm out celebrating with my mom.  My sweet husband is coming back to town tonight just in time to take me to dinner...can't wait! 

can we say awesome?

image via

I guess I can't promise normal blogging any time soon.  This week was on crack.  I hope to put down some thoughts soon, but who knows...

Rules, they are made to be broken...

I didn't necessarily make it a rule to write more...Lord knows, I don't need to put one more thing on my plate right now.  Life is just so busy right now. Work especially.  It's 8:30, and I'm just now shutting down the computer for the day.  At least I'm still enjoying it! 

I have a couple of ideas for posts coming up.  Maybe I'll get it all down soon.  Bear with! 

hello? Helllllllo???

Woo!  A new post - for those readers still out there...

Let's see...what's been going on since January 25th in the life of me?...

• I had my first emotional breakdown over work - yeah, that was fun.  Lucky for me, I was working from home that day - and truthfully, I think the all day crying fest was really due to the lack of sleep from the night before.  
• The night before I attended my very first legit country music concert - Jason Aldean and Eric Church.  Yes, I know - I'm country.  My new co-workers unfortunately think I'm a deep-down redneck, which if my old co-workers knew this, I think they may be appalled (or at least they better be).  I'm the farthest thing from a redneck, but it just so happens I live in the country, and my first PTO was taken for a country music concert where we tailgated and did it up hillbilly style.  What can I say - I'm learning to embrace situations, so I embraced the country-ness of Jason Aldean's return to his hometown.  The husband really embraced it.  He embraced it so much that he threw up the next morning.  What a champ.
• The guy I hit with my car (I hit his car, btw) last May decided to come back and sue for damages...he and his passenger.  Nothing is more embarrassing than being served papers on your front porch when you have nosy neighbors - nothing is scarier than a cop banging on your door when you're home alone and don't know it's a cop.  Does the movie Strangers ring a bell...because that's all I could think about.  
• The husband gets mad at me when I say "I'm being sued"...so just in case he's reading, my insurance company is being sued...(whatever)
• My insurance company appointed attorney called me today and scared the bejesus out of me..."when this goes to trial"...."during your deposition..."  I thought these things settled out of court.  Then she mentioned something about a "six month discovery period" and I just stopped listening.  If this is going to take six months, just wake me up in August.
  
• I'm traveling to DC this month for work.  I feel so happy and important.  I get to meet the people behind my emotional breakdown my counterparts in Greater Washington, and I'm really excited to finally put a face on my dartboard a face with the name. 
  
• The husband and I finally bit the bullet and got new furniture.  See photos...

Our iridescent dining room.  For the record, the walls do not look like that in person - it's just a nice shimmer.  We did this paint job with Ralph Lauren Candlelight.  Annnywaaay - this is the new table and chairs.  The husband picked it out.  I picked out a more contemporary set - he didn't seem sold, and truthfully, the tables available just didn't look right.  We purchased this loot from our local JC Penney Outlet. They were doing 10% off everything and 20% off upholstered furniture - um..can we say awesome?  Some may hate on JC Penney, but I'm sitting here at this table now, and it's a sturdy little piece.  We're very happy with it.  The pink in the chair is my laptop bag, by the way...So, the deal is this - they have the same stuff that's in the catalog or in the stores, but this is supposedly "irregular".  You know how much I love TJ Maxx and Marshall's - irregular merchandise doesn't scare this sister.  I stumbled upon this table and it was perfect.  After fishing through every chair they had, we plucked six perfect ones.  The husband pulled the trigger and said we should definitely get this set, so we did...and here it is!  Of course, we still need an area rug, a new chandelier, and an updated centerpiece (that's right, Sandyn), but at least the biggest part is taken care of.

Next up is the living room.  We wanted a darker colored couch - with a chaise.  Despite the tall ceilings in our living room, the room is sort of small.  It would look super cluttered if we had a love seat and a couch, so we've been happy with our couch/chair combo. Until Sunday afternoons.  On those days, the husband and I are fighting for our nap spot on the couch, and we end up in a tangled mess, covered with beagles.  With this new gem, one of us can curl up on the chaise and the other on the couch...it's perfect.  I felt like the couch was going to be too big for the room, but as it turns out, we'll easily be able to add an armless chair in one corner (for company and decor) and a recliner (that doesn't look like a recliner - I've scoped several out) for the husband.  We got the couch for a cool $430.  Can you believe it?  It sits way better than our other one, and I'm super impressed with the quality.  This way, we don't feel bad splurging for the custom recliner from Haverty's. 

 nevermind the random sock in the middle of the floor

So, this is what's been going on.  So far, I'm in love with 2011.  Everything is so great - except the all day crying fest, but we won't make those a habit.  I hope you dear readers continue to bear with me while things are slow.  I'll try to make more of an effort to keep this updated, but you're going to have to comment.  I mean, seriously, the last three posts were duds and do nothing for positive reinforcement. 

I am very active on Twitter, so if you're missing me, just come over to @ashgillespie and say hello.

That is all. 

I think you're all tired of the I'm-too-busy-to-blog post, but I'm too busy to blog.  Sorry.  Work and the gym are killing me. 

Be back soon....I hope.

re-do

I didn't have much time to blog about anything last week.  I was too busy setting little fires around the office and causing all kinds of trouble. 

There are just some days you're off...how about I was off all last week.  And I don't mean off work, like out of the office.  On Friday, three major eff-ups revealed themselves in a two hour time frame.  This came after my "mid year" (two month) review which was glowing...uh, can we keep the review and just blame this week on the vacation my brain took without me?  Luckily, my boss was totally understanding and all affected parties like me enough at this point to laugh it off....thank you, Lord.

Needless to say, I've learned to bone up on my process.  When things seem too easy, that's because something's missing. 

I'll go into details later.  It'll make a funny blog post.  I just need to pull my tail out from between my legs...still feeling like a total idiot today. 

gamer

I think the husband and I are going to waste some money on this...

We're going to sell our Wii and Wii Fit.  Our Wii is busted - once we figure out what's wrong with it, hopefully we can fix it without coming out of pocket too much, or I might just throw all of our games, the Wii Fit and accessories into a bundle and sell it as is with the disclaimer that the Wii needs some fixin'.  It just stopped working - we didn't drop it or hurt it, so my feeling is that it's an easy fix...

Why do I want this new XBox 360?  Well, for Zumba...

and...

 

 

"Evacuate the Dancefloor" is totally on my workout playlist, so imagine my excitement when I saw the commercial with this fun dance on it...



how fun is this!?!?!?  Also, how hilarious would it be to pull this out when we have people over?  After a few drinks, everyone thinks they can dance, so the competition would be fierce. 

Of course when I suggested we get the new XBox, I was met with "let's go get it!" from the husband.  Getting a new gaming system is always an easy Yes from husbands. 

Yipppeeee!!! 

Smashion!

Thanks, McMel, for the Smashion tip!  I've listed all of my Ebay items here. 

I have a fun closet post for you guys once I'm finished with my little project.  So, keep checking back here...and keep checking my store on Smashion for new items - I have a feeling I'll be adding several more pieces. 

It's goin' down!

The final season of Big Love comes on tonight on HBO. 

This show is seriously one of the best shows ever, and I can't wait to get this drama started.  From what I can gather from the trailer, Bill and the wives are headed for rough times.  I think we're going to see the family fall apart.  Bill is one stubborn SOB. 

I think this series has only been five seasons long, so if you haven't been a Big Love believer, it's not too late to become one.  

fitted

I'm biting the bullet and jumping on the leggings trend.

 

Don't I wish I looked this good in them?  

I did not buy the white ones...

Yesterday, while allowing my nails to dry at the nail salon, I flipped through the latest Victoria's Secret catalog.  These leggings, the Daily Leggings, were on sale for 2 for $30.  I also really liked that tube top (I live in stuff like this in the summer - sans the leggings - with fun necklaces), which was also on sale 2 for $30.  I made a mental note to order them from the website after consulting with a friend who has recently joined the masses and started wearing leggings. 

Here's the thing - everyone loves them.  Once you decide to jump in and feel like you're baring all, it becomes one of those situations where you say "why haven't I been wearing these all along?".... Apparently they are so comfortable, and once you find the ones that work for you, you're sold.  My girlfriend who recently joined the trend, bought similarly priced leggings with the same cotton/spandex ratio (95% cotton, 5% spandex).  She says they are amazingly comfortable, and she's lived in them this week during our snowpocalypse. 

We shall see... Where do you buy your favorite leggings? 

P.S.  None of my junk sold on Ebay.  Actually, the Steve Madden gladiators sold, but the chick wanted them by this Friday - and this was Monday, and I was iced in.  I had to let her know that it wouldn't happen and refund her money.  I guess I should probably post a disclaimer on my items to let these bidders know that I'm not carrying everything around in my car, and I work for a living, meaning the items aren't going to go out the same day the bidding wraps up unless it's a weekend.  So, I guess the fact that nothing sold either means I have terrible clothes or everything was priced too high.  If any of you missed the junk - or for those of you who think it was priced too high - I'll let you know when to check back.  I'm taking some of it to Plato's Closet, but the stuff with tags or the ones I've never worn will go back to Ebay. 

yup, I'm still here

snowpocalypse!!!

Well, if I have to choose.

More on how the world is totally ending in another post

I know what you're thinking - super creative post title, right?

There is no better made up word for what we're dealing with here.  DAYS of being ICED in.  I made excuses for our condition - Southern states don't have budgets for snow covered roads; therefore, it will take a bit longer than usual to clear everything up..................... three days later, I'm slowly retracting my comments.  Today the husband and I ventured out for lunch.  I'd had enough.  After three days of being captured in my house, all I want to do is redecorate.  A trip to Ikea is HAPPENING on Sunday (I suggested we do that for our "date day" this week - more on that later). 

Tonight, while I say my prayers, I'm going to throw in a plead for work to happen tomorrow.  I MUST get dressed and report somewhere for my sanity.  I thought it'd be really funny to take a picture of day 1, day 2 and day 3 - we could all have a chuckle about how all the stupid white stuff is still there.  I can finally see some grass in our back yard.

The problem with all of this is today everything started melting, but all the melted snow/ice will freeze again tonight.  Tomorrow when I need to leave the house at 7, I'll be super scared because I don't know how to drive on ice.  I don't even know how to walk on it, so this could get interesting.  Wish me luck.

hard to kick

how pretty is this pink glow?  image via

I'm snowed iced in.  ICED in.  There's a nice crispy layer of ice on top of the snow piled up in our yard.  Pretty?  Maybe for a little while - approximately one hour for me - but then it becomes annoying.

Right now?  Approximately 15 hours after I woke up this morning, the husband is wearing a ski hat, with his ears poked out like an elf, and he insists on making me watch every play of the National Championship...he's quite hyper (as am I for 11pm), and I'd just like to blog...in peace.  This is the result of us being cooped up inside our much too small house for the entire day....alone...together.

So, what have I done today?  Well, I worked for the bulk of it, but our office was closed so the workload was light.  I drooled all over Urban Outfitters new spring catalog that prompted me to go to their website and stock up on this spring's wants/needs.  Once I was finished shopping for more clothes I don't need, I moved to shopping for a new house we need (not really) but can't have....I shopped inside the perimeter (i.e. closer to the city) because after today, I need a house where some kind of entertainment is within walking distance.  Even though we are not house hunting, I know every single house in our price range and some out of our price range in the desired area of our hood that we'd like to move.  My justification is that I am just one of those who likes to know what's out there.  Once I was finished shopping for my new East Point or Decatur home (East Point has several winners - I was almost in tears at the adorableness), I shopped for the furniture the husband and I will definitely be purchasing as soon as I log off urbanoutfitters.com. 

Old habits die hard.  Hey, at least I don't pull the trigger on all these purchases...

I'm like the Airstream Song by Miranda Lambert - never satisfied....and that's annoying.  This is what an ice day will do to me.  I'm entirely too high strung to spend this many hours, feeling perfectly healthy, cooped up inside my house.  The better news?  Tomorrow will play out the same way, and there's an even dirtier rumor that this mess may not clear up until Saturday.

If that's the case, I'll be a force to be reckoned with.  I'm sure the husband will have taken his chances by then and escorted me out to the civilization known as the mall or at the very least, a Mexican dinner. 

I know some of you readers live up north, but you have to know we southern dwellers are not equipped for driving in ice or even handling such temperatures coming in contact with our skin.  Misery.

So, if you don't hear from me over the course of this week, you'll know someone has actually died of boredom.

Ebay Update

If anyone's interested in buying some of my random gently worn clothing, it's posted on Ebay under seller name, ashgillespie.

I'm thinking I might have some of it priced too high - I don't know how this works...but considering some of it still has tags, I'm gonna see what I can get. 

Let me know if you have issues locating it!

Cleanse

Tonight I'm working on going through my wardrobe and pulling out the clothes I shouldn't have purchased (because I haven't worn them) and putting them on Ebay. 

I fell victim to Lauren Conrad's book, Style, while the husband and I were killing time in Target.   I actually might go back and buy it because it looked like it offered some good tips - - even if I think Lauren Conrad is annoying.  Somewhere it mentioned only keeping what you wear and getting rid of the pieces you constantly pick over... it's obviously a simple concept that many people already have in place.  I'm a full fledged hoarder when it comes to my closet.  I like it more when it's busting full of stuff, but I've decided to move on and only keep what I love. 

As it turns out, so much of my stuff is barely worn, if at all, so I'm going to take the chance to see if anyone wants it.  Once everything's up, I'll tell you guys how to get to it if you're interested...


ahhhh...Ebay. 

day two

We're in Day 2 of the New Year, and I'm already starting to feel the pressure of my unspoken resolutions.  So many of my "resolutions" are unspoken because I'm certain that in two weeks, I won't be able to remember them - or I will have already miserably failed in following through with them.  i.e. today on our daytime date, the husband and I were forced to settle for fast food because we were so hungry we were about to scratch each others eyes out.  Fast Food = New Year No-No, but here I am on day two eating curly fries.

I've "de-Christmased" the house, and I'm not feeling as sad as I thought.  I'm happy to be rid of the clutter, and the constant mess the fake tree somehow produced on the rug (probably due to the zoo of dogs constantly brushing past the tree).

For the moment, curly fries aside, I'm feeling optimistic and excited about the plans I have this new year.

We'll see.

welcome, 2011

image via

Happy New Year, dear readers! 

Cheers to a fabulous 2011.