Friday, March 27, 2009

On vacation!

A little announcement: I will be on vacation from the 28th-4th. YAY! Unfortunately this means no new posts :( I am hoping that I will be able to check my email from my cell when I have service since I realized I entered a couple of fabulous contests that end while I am away. What will I do if I am too late!?!
Have a wonderful week! I'll catch up with ya'll when I return (with lots of pictures and hopefully lots of fun stories) and announce the winner of my birthday giveaway. Tootle-loo till then!

Monday, March 23, 2009

Today is someone's birthday, wonder who it is!?!

It's me!!
Yes, a mere 26 years ago I was celebrating like this:I believe the googly eyes belong to cookie monster and that a mere five minutes after this photo was taken my face was covered in blue icing. I was a cute little bugger, eh?

And in celebration of my special day I want to give something to my readers. The only thing is, I am not 100% sure what it will be yet. So are you up for a surprise? My wonderful parents are taking the Surfer and I on a cruise next week and I am hoping that I find something fun to give away. But if I don't it will most likely be a gift card and maybe a few of my favorite things: samples!

So how do you enter? Just leave a comment on this post telling me the best thing you've ever received for your birthday OR what you wished for the last time you blew out your candles. Easy peasy, right? And it may help if in that comment you say something nice about me, but you don't have to. It would just make me feel super awesome! And please remember to leave your email if it is not linked publicly to your blog.

Rules and such:
A random winner will be chosen April 5th and emailed. You might want to check back in case the email does not go through. (It has happened!) Winner will have 48 hours to contact me with a mailing address so I can send your winnings or a new winner will be chosen. Sorry, this is only for those in US and Canada.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

As close to a safari as I will ever get

Unless I am really lucky that is. And can get over going potty sans toilet in a hole that I dug myself...which as most of you know is unlikely!

So the hubs...henceforth known as the Surfer (see first paragraph of this post)...and I took a trip to our local Cabella's this weekend. And by local I mean we drove about 65 miles to West Virginia. It is funny how I can search for summer sandals everywhere and then find a pair in the first 5 mins of our visit.
It is also funny how the Surfer hated every pair of sandals I picked out everywhere and found a pair oh-so-similar to them and loves them.Must be the atmosphere!

Friday, March 20, 2009

Its time to party!!

Today is the start to the Ultimate Blog Party 2009! Wooohoooo!!! So get on over to 5 Minutes for Mom and check out all the awesome party happenings...and GIVEAWAYS! Who doesn't love that?
So if I win, my top three prizes would be:
  • Afternoon Tea in a Box (RefreshMom)
  • A surprise box filled with goodies from Monkey's Momma I love surprises (and my bday is coming too!)
  • $50 to target
And if I don't get any of these the following would be awesome too!
#19,22,86,95,91,26

So be sure to get in on the action! There are so many prizes and you DONT have to have a blog to win...we all need readers, right?
Ultimate Blog Party 2009

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

I guess I'm not the best hunter?

Job hunting stinks.
PERIOD!
It has been three months now and I haven't heard a thing. No bites. No nibbles. Nothing!

So now I am asking you, dear readers: Do any of you know any companies that would hire a recent graduate with her MS in Biology? I am very interested in doing environmental work, specifically field assessment and remediation. Do these jobs even exist anymore?

I went to a job seminar recently where I heard that one in six college graduates ends up working in a non-professional field. Isn't working as a professional what we've paid big bucks to earn? I hate to think of getting "just any job" after spending so much time and effort in earning my master's degree. It is frustrating and depressing...Why don't counselors tell you these things before you go to school?

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Pledge to end hunger


If 5000 people pledge today by 12 pm CT, Tyson will give enough food to feed 560,000 children! How great is that!?! And all you need to do is sign you name and pledge to volunteer, give, or share. Easy peasy!
Please help Elevenmoms end hunger by signing the pledge today. You can check out skimbaco lifestyle for more information or just click below to sign the pledge.
Important! Please use the specific link designated for Elevenmoms so they are able to track their clicks:
http://tr.im/sxsw5k

Lookie what I won!!!

A HUGE thanks to the SITStas who participated in the Spring Fling. It was tons of fun to check out everyone's blogs and the bonus was winning fun stuff. I was SO surprised on Saturday to receive a half apron that I won at Tiffany's blog Eat At Home. She has some fabulous looking recipes that I hope to try soon including Tilapia in a Crockpot (!) and Cheddar Muffins. Mmmmm!
The apron was made by Robin and she sells so many cute aprons in her Etsy store! You really need to check them out! I love the fun fabrics she uses in her aprons, don't you?
And without further ado: me and my new FABULOUS apron!Sorry for the strange picture. It is hard to take a photo of yourself! And the shiny thing about my head is my halo...heehee. No its a banner that says "Happy St. Patrick's Day!" And here is a closer view of the apron, and much less of me :o)
So thank you Tiffany and Robin for doing such a great giveaway! Now I can cook fabulous and look fabulous at the same time!

Monday, March 16, 2009

No Doubt 2009 Tour Widget

Help a friend

So I have this friend from HS and she is obsessed with No Doubt.
She has entered this contest with the widget you see on the sidebar there. So to help her get into the top ten and win some coveted No Doubt prizes, could you grab the widget too? You can add it to facebook, twitter, blogger, google...pretty much anywhere. You can always delete it later...Thanks so much for helping!

My contribution to the family St. Patty's Day bash

My (wonderful!) mother-in-law cooked us a lovely St. Patrick's Day meal on Saturday. She has an eye for decorations and made the centerpieces (as she has ever since my husband was little). I'm picking up on this a little at a time, but I wanted to show you how cute her decorations were.
First, she made these centerpieces. See the little leprechaun?The other centerpiece did not have a leprechaun. We were told that he was "hiding" in the "tiny leprechaun trees" (AKA broccoli) and if we were lucky we might see him. I wasn't lucky enough to spot the other leprechaun, but I did get my own wee pot-o-gold!
The hubs even won $20 on his lotto ticket! Funny, the men at the party all won something, but not the women. We just got to clean up after!
For dinner MIL made corned beef, cabbage, carrot pennies, fresh green beans, scalloped potatoes, broccoli with optional cheese sauce (YES please!) and rainbow jello. I told you she always goes all out! And what was dessert you ask? My Gramma made my favorite pistachio dessert (with pudding, cool whip, pineapple, and mini marshmallows) and MIL brought THREE pies and an ice cream cake.
My *small* contribution (besides providing the house and helping with the cooking...don't want to sound like I did nothing) was making chocolate covered strawberries. Yum! So we had a wonderful feast on Saturday to celebrate. Did you do anything fun for St. Patty's? And just for the record, my MIL's motto: Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day!

Monday, March 9, 2009

Woo hoo!

Today my order from Close to my Heart arrived. Oh my goodness I am in card maker's heaven right now. I decided to splurge a little so I could get a hostess pack at 50% off. This was SO worth it. Look at all the stuff I got! And this isn't even including the stamp sets I ordered and/or got for free! I am so inspired that I am overwhelmed. Add to this the great swap I received on Saturday (more on that later) and I will be one crazy craftin' lady by tonight. Weeeeeeeeee!


Look, even Buttercup wanted in on the action!

Update!

The cats now have their own blog space! Check them out here! Little Bear, Oscar, Buttercup, and Bunnie can't wait to share their antics with you.

Friday, March 6, 2009

Friday's Five

For some reason, I've been wanting to blog about clothing trends that drive me crazy. Perhaps it was the post that I read the other day regarding the trend of PJ pants in public. I am so sorry I can't remember where I read it, and I have searched and still can't find it. If it was you, PLEASE tell me and post a link to that post. Thanks!
And here is where I claim to have NO fashion sense what-so-ever, so please realize this. I do not claim to know anything about what people should wear.
So here are the top five things that irritate me when I am out.
5. Going along with aforementioned post, Pajama pants. I love to wear them around the house, but not to the store OR to dinner. Even I get dressed at some point during my day!
4. Clothing that costs extra for bleaching, wearing, tears, etc. Why in the world would you pay extra for holes in your pants?
3. Uggs with sweatpants. Who the heck started this trend? IMHO it looks sloppy and terrible. Put on some real pants if you need to wear your Uggs.
2. Boys who wear their pants too big or too small. Either way I end up seein' your butt when you bend over. There may be someone who would enjoy this. It. is. not. me. Save it for that person.
1. Thongs with low riders. NO ONE wants to see your cheeks when you sit down. Especially not when you are trying to eat. Again. Save it. PLEASE!
So there ya have it. Any trends that really irritate you?

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Oh JOY and RAPTURE!

So I was reading the Mom Nerd's blog today and was feeling quite down. Like MN I feel lonely when no one comments (yes, this means you MOM!!!) and it makes me feel, well, sad. I like to know that what I say made someone smile or that they can relate to what I am feeling, you know?
And as I signed in to blogger today, what do I see?? THREE comments by some new friends I made yesterday on Wordless Wednesday. You have no idea how much your comments made me smile. So to my new commenting friends here is a big bloggy-hug!
Here's to sharing blogs and many (many) more comments!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am feeling SO thankful for the weather, which promises to get better this weekend. I am thrilled to see the temperature rise to the 50's and 60's. Especially after the days that have been in the teens. I plan to fully absorb this warm weather all weekend long. I will be going for a few walks in the park and perhaps planning my garden space for this year and deciding what to plant. Oh the promise of Spring!
What are you thankful for today?

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Wordless Wednesday


When Bunnie started grooming his head, DH realized maybe it was time to switch to a non-catnip containing hair gel.