Horrible Blogger...with a SECRET!!

Hi.  Yes, I know I've been an atrocious blogger.  Yes, I know, I totally suck. 

BUT, I have an excuse for most of the time I've been absent.  The beginning part, well that was just moving, so I don't have a good excuse; but....drum roll please.

I SUCK!

I am so very sorry for being gone so long.  To my followers and the other people who I know who check in regularly (you really should be followers too!), I am truly sorry.  Moving, a promotion, and new job opportunities for my husband have all made me unbelievably scattered and when it came down to it, unpacking was a lot more necessary than blogging.

Anywho, to make it up for you lovely people, sometime this weekend I'll be posting a huge post with a boatload of pictures of the house and what we've done with it!  And if for whatever reason I don't, post a ton of comment on this post so that my inbox yells at me as a constant reminder to make the picture post. 

Until then, please eat some sweets in my honor (hubby and I have given them up until our first anniversary at the end of October)

Updates!

I am so sorry for being a blog abandoner.  I've had at least one reader tell me they check everyday which makes me feel horribly guilty; but, can't we please cut a first time home buyer some slack?  Because I really am going absolutely bonkers over here.  We were hoping to close by last Friday but that didn't happen, now we're hoping to close by this weekend or early next week.  We already had to reschedule our move once, I'm really hoping we don't have to do it twice. 

Anywho, hubby and I have been having some fun weekends to keep us busy and I thought I'd share that with you guys!

Google+

I've been hearing about Google+ for the last week and I've been hankering for an invite.  However, I didn't know anyone who had it so I was quite the sad panda. 

Yes, I was this sad!

Buying a House (Or Why I'm Getting Awesome at Signing My New Name)

So, you know that house we put an offer in on?  You guessed it, they did in fact accept our offer.  We don't have keys yet; but, we've done all the escrow paper work and signed a boatload of documents and now we're just waiting for all of our loan stuff to go through.

It's a smaller three bedroom, one bath house, on a quarter acre one town away from where we currently live.  It's in excellent shape and looks so adorable.  There will be a few things that we need to do before we move in, but really it's not much at all.

So Tired

I am so, very tired.  I'm not physically exhausted at all, I'm just so emotionally exhausted that I've actually gone to bed before 10 this week.  Quite unnatural for me.

It's all because we put an offer in on a house.  We had been planning to buy maybe the end of this year, or early next year; but, I always keep my eye on the houses for sale in the area and there was a house that was cheap enough that I felt we at least needed to check it out.  We checked it out, and the amount of work it needed just wasn't worth the price.  A friend of mine is a Realtor though and mentioned that there were some houses near her house for sale.  The first one we walked in, we fell in love with.  At least I did; hubby took a minute.  It was smaller, 3 bed 1 bath, but it was two lots so it had a huge yard.  It was well maintained with new carpet and paint, and it isn't a foreclosure which is even better.

Books 6-12

So, it's not like anyone has noticed, but I haven't done a book blog post in quite some time.  Oops.  I promised to do one for every five books I've read, unfortunately I haven't.  I've read more than 5 books; but, it kind of got daunting having to do a review for 5 books.  I have now decided to do one for every book I read.  I haven't read as fast this year so it's not like it would be ten a week or something crazy, so that's what it'll be from now on.  Now carry on for reviews for books 6-12. 

Light Up Shoes

Confession: I may or may not have bought light up shoes today.  Oh, let's be honest, I totally bought light up shoes today.

I have been blessed with small enough feet that I can wear kids sized shoes.  I am also of the opinion, that sometimes, kids shoes are a lot more fun than adult shoes.  They are also, frequently, much cheaper.

Today we, hubby and I, ventured out to get a juicer and dog food and along the way we stopped at Payless because I had received a 20% off coupon at the grocery store last week.  Adding sweetness to the deal was the fact that Payless was having a buy 1, get 1 half off deal.  I'm a girl, I had to look, and ever since I found out I could still wear kids shoes a few months back, I always look at their shoes first.

The Good, The Bad,...and the Burrito?

Let's have a recap of the last few days.

I prefer to go against form and start with the bad.  I ALMOST DIED WHILE RIDING MY BIKE BACK FROM WORK TODAY!  And for once, I'm not exaggerating. First off, I realized that my front breaks were cater wonky.  My back brakes were fine, but my front brakes were too tight.  Whenever I braked with my front brakes they would stay tight even when I released the grip.  Then they would stick to the tire and made a god awful noise.  At one point I couldn't get the noise to stop so I called the hubby to come and get me but no answer.  Which was a bummer because the death defying incident started just a few moments later.

I got the brakes to suck a little bit less and got the noise to stop.  I just knew that I had stay away from my front brakes for the rest of the bike ride home.  I made it over the pedestrian overpass that is my half way point at which point I safely entered a roundabout.  Ahead of me I saw two cars waiting to enter the roundabout and slowed down so that the first one would have room to enter.  The second car didn't have room to enter so usually they would wait their turn, but this one came right in.  It was way too close to me so I had to slow down and steer my bike into the no car zone.  Well, at this point I realized that this person must not have seen me because they bring their car into the no car zone (so they are a bad driver in general to boot).  Anyway, longer story short, I finally screamed when the car was within 6 inches of me.  The driver just stared at me and stopped while everyone at the cafe shop across the way stared at us.  I was so angry I just rode away without hollering at them.  I made it home safe and sound, but it wad definitely unsettling. 

Now for the good:

Sweets: 1 Gina: 1

So, I have officially decided that sugar and I are in a love hate relationship.  I currently love sweets but they apparently hate me what with the havoc they have directed at my self control.

See, we started out okay, me and sweets.  I gave them up for Lent and made it a FULL 46 days without them.  I didn't even cheat a tiny bit.  Even when presented with bite sized cupcakes.  I pretended I was Wonder Woman and used my bracelets to reject the cupcake onslaught.

Alas, Lent ended and I decided that sweets and I could be friends again.  I WAS WRONG!!!!   Sweets are apparently very bitter that I gave them up and are working hard to remind me that I can't eat just a little bit.  I need to eat more, and more, and MORE, and MORE.  I write this after eating 2 bowls of ice cream.  Yes, I will be honest.  The most frustrating part is that sweets are really the only thing I'll binge on.

And thus, I have made my choice.  Sweets and I have broken up for the time being.  There may be the occasional relations for holidays and other special events; but, otherwise me and my waist line are saying SUCK IT! and we're looking to start seeing fruits more seriously.  

The end.

Triple Cookie Cupcakes

My 46 days without sweets has officially ended!  During that time I lost 5 pounds, learned my sweet tooth isn't as bad as I thought, and didn't bake because when I bake I have to try what I make (duh!).

So in my crazy head, I decided to bake on Saturday so I would have (hopefully) delicious cookies ready in time for having sweets again.  Let me tell you, it's really, really, ridiculously hard not to lick frosting off your hand when it gets on you.  At one point the loving husband stared at me as I sprinted towards the sink to spit the frosting out that I had accidentally stuck in my mouth.  Didn't make that mistake again.

Anywho, I combined a couple different recipes to make what I'm going to call my Triple Cookie Cupcakes.  Those 3 cookies?  Chips ahoy, Oreo, and last name: Monster, first name: Cookie.

Click the jump to admire their awesomeness!

Feeling a Wee Bit Lost

Disclaimer: this shall be an emo post.  If you do not wish to infect your happy spirit with my rambling melancholy, now is the time to click the back button or the Stumble! button.  You have been warned.

Grandma Janie

I aspire to be my grandma.  No, I don't aspire to be a 70 year old woman, that would be weird; but, I do aspire to be like her.  In a lot of ways I'm already like her.

My grandma was only 47 when I was born, so she's relatively young for the "typical" grandma and we have always been close.  (In fact, I really need to give her a call.)  When I was in preschool my mom went back to work and every day after preschool my grandma would pick me up and I would spend the afternoon at her house.  Whenever my parents went out of town, I would stay at Grandma's house.  Whenever my parents went out of town, Grandma would buy me presents too!

Adventures

Something I love: Getting dressed up and looking pretty.

Something I dislike: Getting dressed up for just a few hours and then having to change because I have nothing left to do.

Let me just say, I don't dress up often.  I'm a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl.  Or, at most, a dress with some leggings and knee high boots kind of girl.  It's due to my job mainly.  Can't be flashing any bits to the kids.  Can't be having them lifting my dress and getting scarred for life.  Can't have the boobs in people faces.  Etc. etc.  You know, the usual.

Back! With a stockpile!

I've been gone.  Not for any particular reason.  A little bit of nothing to write about, a little bit of frustration about my imagined sense of blogger manner, and a little bit of being lazy.

I am back now though.  That's what matters!   And, what better way to come back then by showing off my new little hobby.

COUPONING!! Click the jump :)

Oh Hey Willpower, I Didn't Know I Had You in Me!

I have completely defeated the sweets so far!  Before this little adventure, I had assumed that I didn't have willpower.  That perhaps I just didn't have it in me to ditch the sweets.  But, I so, totally, do!  I rock!

Granted it has only been 5 days so far; but, rumor has it that the first 10 days are supposed to be the worst.  I've also learned a bit since this little diet change started.

Delicious "Breadsticks" and A Sweets Fast

I made a delicious new recipe for garlic bread sticks this weekend.  I got it from Cheeky Kitchen and oh my goodness were they heavenly.  They were also super easy to make! 

You need:
2 cups of water
1/4 cup sugar
A packet of yeast
3 +/- cups of flour
1 tsp. garlic power (I double that but we <3 garlic)
1 tbsp. sea salt
1 stick of butter
&
a bit of fresh parsley if so inclined.

Home Again, Home Again

I've been absent this week due to being in a funk.  Yes, a funk.  Not the super fun James Brown kind, but more of the I don't want to do ANYTHING kind. 

Why you ask?  My hubby has been out of town for a week!  Before this week we'd spent all but maybe a handful of nights apart since we became a couple.   Suddenly, I was on my own for a week and of course I missed him, but I was on high alert for the last week.  Especially in the evenings.  Because, I'm a scardey cat.

A Melting Pot with a Lot of Potatoes

When you're in grade school you learn the term "melting pot".  America is always referred to as a melting pot.  A rich amalgamation of different races, cultures, and creeds.   America was the land that took in the outcasts of society or, in some cases, were sent the outcasts of society.  You could practice the religion of your choice in America, you could get a better job in America, and you could live under a Democracy in America.  People flocked to this country as it was just beginning to toddle about.

Now, if ever a person epitomized that melting pot idea, it might very well be me.  I grew up knowing that I was Irish and Italian, at least.  My grandmother's father was Lawrence (actually Lorenzo) and my grandmother's mother was Susie, a fair skinned woman with red hair.  I was blessed to know both of my great-grandparents and I have fond memories of delicious pesto and some not so fond memories of getting my chubby prepubescent cheeks pinched.  Because I knew them, I knew that tiny bit of heritage.

Disney Hipster Meme

Most memes I don't take any notice of; however, I love Disney and mocking hipsters is another favorite past time so I felt the need to share some of my favorites of this new meme.


Click the jump to go exploring!

Changing my Name

I really like being married.  I mean it.  Being married is basically the same as when we were dating (since we already lived together and had joint accounts almost as soon as we got engaged), only now I get to say "my husband" and we have the same last night.

But let me just say, changing your name is the biggest pain in the ass!  Nobody ever tells you that.  Of course, if you're like me, you don't think it's going to be a walk in the park, but no one tells you exactly how much of a pain it's going to be. 

30 Day Shred!?

So, I need a bit of a boost with this whole workout thing.  I have NO motivation.  Mainly because there are so many other things I would rather be doing than working out (read, sleep, watch TV, internetz, and even clean).  So I'm thinking that I might try 30 Day Shred.  Shred is done by Jilian of Biggest Losers fame.  You know, the crazy woman who perches on machines like a vulture and "motivates" the contestants. 

A Real Life Love Story

My husband and I have only been together two years and three months.  Now, that may not seem like a long time; but, when you begin to hear the rest of the story, it starts to make sense.

Household Work

When I was a super fly preschooler, I spent every afternoon with my grandma.  My grandma is an amazing person and easily one of my favorite people in my life.  Because I spent so much time with my grandma I've inherited a lot of traits from her.

1.  I don't leave the house without makeup

2. I love looking at houses.  (We always used to look at model homes together.)

3.  I aspire to have a beautifully clean house just like hers.  Seriously, my grandma's house might be 18 years old, and it might have white carpet; but, it's still completely SPOTLESS!

2011 Books 1-5

My goal this year is to read 50 books.  Now that might seem like a lot, but I read A LOT!  I read during commercials while watching TV, I read during the nap time at work, I read before bed, and I read while eating breakfast.  I love books.  I also love to read all different kinds of books.  

Briano (the hubby) and I actually use our dining room as a mini-library.  And, since we have so many books, he's responsible for picking the books I read.  My only requirement is that I alternate fiction and non-fiction. 

My plan is to do a blog post with reviews after every 5 books.  So here are books 1-5.

Yay Google!

It's the stupidest thing to be excited about, but this blog is now officially searchable on Google.  Yes, I know I'm a dork.  It's okay, the first step is acceptance ;)

Anyway, I think I'm slowly going crazy waiting to find out if my husband got a raise or not.  He's a computer programmer and at the first of the year his company was bought out by a subsidiary of Boeing.  They were told that during the first quarter of the year they would be evaluated and then receive a "salary readjustment".  Since the hubby makes about 8,000 less a year than the average employee at the new company, we're hoping for a fairly decent boost.

Sleep, How I Love Thee

I love sleep.  Like a lot.  I think it's my best friend, well, at least it is if I don't count husbands, people friends, puppy friends, or inanimate objects.  Which I don't, for right now.

You know that moment when your alarm goes off, the sun is slicing through the blinds, and it's time to start your day.  I HATE that time!  In fact, I never accept my alarm clocks first ring.  I scoff at it, tell it I have five more minutes, and roll over.  "You don't own me" I send over ESP waves. 

Delicious Chocolate Brownies

Tonight, I made some delicious chocolate brownies that I stumbled upon last night on another person's blog.  Although she posted the recipe, it's based of an old Nestle recipe.  (I'll post a link to her blog at the bottom of this page :)

Exercise Blues

I don't mind physical activity.  I enjoy hiking and running around with my students on the playground.  I like walking the dogs and rollerskating.  Things like that, I really do enjoy; but, only when I don't have to do them on a schedule.

As soon as I try to set up some sort of workout program or schedule for myself, I start to hate whatever exercise I'm doing.  It becomes the bane of my existence and I'll last about a week before I become horribly resentful that I have to do this stupid workout and take time out of my day that could be spent cleaning, cooking, or reading.  I become like a toddler in the "no" phase.   A few days after the resentful phase kicks in, I stop the workouts cold turkey.  Who needs stupid workouts anyway.  It's so much easier to be lazy anyway. 

I Love Lipdubs

I love music.  I love people being silly.  I love well planned productions.  What do you get when you combine it all?  Lipdubs.  Which I really, really, love.  They always make me smile and I could probably sit there and watch them forever.

So, I decided to share my 10 favorites, in no particular order.  I hope you enjoy and get as much joy from them as I do.

Working on my Fitness

Before my wedding, I dropped 10 pounds.  As much as I told myself that I wouldn't gain it back that didn't really work out the way I planned.  Almost three months, a few gallons of Starbucks, and a ton of Slurpees later I've packed back on everything that I had lost.  The worst part was, I sat and watched my weight climb.  It didn't creep up on me.  I weighed myself at least once a week and I just let it happen.

Haircut = Life Revitalization

Sometimes, all you need in this world is a haircut.  Those of you who have ever had an A+ haircut know what I mean.  Your head feels lighter.  Your hair starts to fall perfectly again.  It takes less time to style it.  You feel amazing.  (I reiterate, this does not apply to bad hair cuts.  Those make you feel like crud.)