Saturday, March 12, 2011

Always a Mystery

When packing my toiletries for vacation these were two of the items that were necessary....






A perfect example of this crazy season of my life.

This has been quite the pair for the past 10 months.

A mystery every month.

Kinda funny, right?

I chuckled a little as I stuffed them in the bag.

Seriously.

Sometimes you gotta just laugh.




PS
This is my first post using my new iPad 2 so I have no idea how this is going to look! And the whole iPad story is a post of its own for another day!



PPS {or is it PSS??}
Don't forget to Spring ahead!!

Monday, March 7, 2011

Bathing Suits and Butt Cracks

Our lovely tropical vacation to the islands is quickly approaching,
and the bags are starting to be packed and special new articles of clothing are being purchased.
And the 30 Day Shred quickly turned into the 3 day shred.
Seriously, this time I am going to complete it....
St. John is the perfect motivation....

but not really.

Anyways, as if shopping for summer clothes in the winter isn't bad enough-
hairy legs, pasty skin and some extra flub that was created in order to stay warm, naturally. 
As if bathing suits aren't bad enough to wear in general. 
And you've got to love that material that is made to be tight, even in the larger sizes. 
In addition to lack of material in order to expose even more.

Through all the "ewws" and "definitely not!"
Through all the sighs. 
Through all the "thank goodness it's not really summer yet and I have a couple months to really fit into these clothes",
I discovered something new today.

First of all, for those who don't really know me....
the Lord has so graciously blessed me with an abnormally high butt crack. 

::Are you feeling like this friendship has gone to a whole new level?::

Anyways, I choose my pants and my shirts carefully in order to not be mistaken for any type of plumber. 
It's not always easy though. 
Anyone else with a high butt crack can tell you that. 

Some people are extra tall and need some extra fabric in the length of the pants.
Some people are extra short and need some fabric removed.
And some people need to have pants with extra fabric on the backside, but it's extremely important to no give the appearance of wearing "mom jeans". 


It's hard to find. 
And btw- I need the extra short and the no butt crackin'. 
Imagine the difficulty.

Oh and PS if you haven't seen the SNL skit about mom jeans. 
Do it.
Seriously.

But this post isn't about jeans...
this is about my recent experience with bathing suit bottoms. 

I now have to choose extra butt cheeks or butt crack.
It was really hard to find a middle ground.
And of course it needs to be able to match the top so you can't just choose any normal bottom.

This is the most modest image I could find to demonstrate any type of visual.
via
Yes, there are other options. 
I could do a skirt bottom, but it can't be too long or too short or it doesn't look good. 
I can't do the boy short bottoms because my thighs and my booty are too big.
So if I was to get a bottom, with a majority of my options today....
 it's cheeks or crack.

Ya'll that is an very difficult place to be in. 
Which I guess in the end of the day I should be thankful that that is the most difficult choice I have to make. 
But we do need to take into consideration that this decision also affects anyone around me.....

{Sidenote: I originally had "effects anyone" then I googled it to see if it was right, and it was wrong. I will never understand the difference between those two, I thought I did...but obvs I didn't! I finally have "then" and "than" down though, so that's good enough for now.]

Needless to say, I am going back out tomorrow with hopes of finding a wider bottom.
Bathing suit bottom, that is.

I obviously don't need a wider bottom.

And I guess if I am on the search for a wider bottom, that says something about my bottom.
You would think that would be some motivation for the 30 Day Shred, wouldn't you....

To cheek or crack? 
That is the question.

Although I know we would all prefer none of the above.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Steammmy

Well, the results are in....


I am very pleased with my steam mop.

Our floors look so clean and new!

It's a little hard to tell because our tiles have natural blotches of dark in them, which comes in handy when you hardly clean your floors.

But that won't be necessary anymore, now it's actually kind of annoying because when it is really clean it still looks a little dirty. 


I've been a fan of steam mops because I love how well it cleans with zero chemicals. 

It's amazing.

From what I researched this Eureka one gets quite a bit hotter than the Shark and the Bissell therefore not just cleaning the areas, but disinfecting them as well. 

It's super easy to use.

It dries so quickly, no need to make sure no body {or paws} walk on your just cleaned floor.

I didn't notice any streaks.

The water lasts about 15 minutes- which is great for our place since it's not very big. 



At the moment, my only negative is that it's not too great at getting the corners. It just takes some extra finagling {I can't believe I spelled that right on my first try}.

All in all Mr. B and I were very impressed and we love our clean floors.



We also learned some lessons along the way.

Like don't leave the mop standing on the wood floors while vacuuming an area real quick.


That whole "the steam is so hot it kills germs" thing...it is also so hot it takes wax off the floor.

This was in the manual btw.

I read it. 
Mr. B didn't. 

You live and you learn.

I also wish I took a picture of the cloth, maybe I will post it another day, but ewww.

It was once white and quickly became black. 

So the moral of the story- if you are looking for a steam mop, but still a little unsure, I would get this one. 

It is only $68 so it's not completely breaking the bank.

It definitely works and it's super easy to use. 

And you will enjoy your brand new looking floors.

Unless of course you melt them. 

Oh and I have never had to say anything like this, but I know other people say it so I will too just to be safe. I am not being compensated for this review, although it would be really cool if I was.  This is just a product that I found and love and felt the need to share :)

And here's a really dumb video.  This area took a couple minutes to get this area real clean because it was so dirty. Those are little scuff marks from some wheels on a an island. And also please ignore the drip marks all down the wall. My rootbeer spilled one day....apparently I forgot to clean the wall. But this gives you an idea of how it works. 

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Happy Day

After almost two years,

I am finally getting a steam mop and it should be arriving any moment.


No, it hasn't been in the process of shipping for two years.

That would be crazy.

I have had my eye on getting one ever since I got sucked into one of those super-convincing-gotta-have-it-how-have-I-been-living-without-it-infomercials.

I convinced my mom to get one.

I convinced my mother-in-law to get one.

And now my time has come.

Of course, after two years, some minor details have changed like which steam mop I have chosen to grace our household with.

It's not the Shark like Mama Grace.

It's not the Bissell like Mama K.

It's surprisingly the Eureka Envirosteam.

Less expensive than both of those.

And supposedly works a lot better.

Now I feel kind of bad for them.

But it's fleeting because I am too excited for mine.

Maybe I will post some before and after pictures,

if I get the results I am hoping for.

Our kitchen is in major need of a steam mop makeover lift.

I don't think that makes sense, I think those two words- makeover lift-  are an "either/or" situation but I am sure you get my drift.

Do any of you have a steam mop??

Which one?

Love it?

Hate it?

Well, I keep checking the tracking for this wonderful mop and it has been in my city since 6 AM.

So I now keep checking out the window.

It's still not here yet.

Any moment....

It's the little things in life :)




Update: 5 minutes after I publish.....
She's herrrrrre.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Tuesdays Thoughts

Wow, it has been a whole week since my last post and after all those days I am returning with the same type of post. 

Lucky you! 

I tell ya, these blogging ruts- they getcha all the time.

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Our friends got married on Saturday. Wooot wooot! Congrats to Josh and Emily! It was such a beautiful wedding, and they said their own vows {something Mr. B and I would never have been able to do! We were shaking enough repeating after the pastor.}, but it was really the sweetest thing. I am so bummed though because I didn't take any pictures! I didn't even bring my camera. What was I thinking?! We only have two very very poor quality pictures from a phone. 


I got alot of comments on my dress and my hair. And this is all I have to show. Awesome.
 It's not very often I get all dolled up like this so it's pretty unfortunate. I didn't get any pictures of the bride or groom either, but I know there will be a bunch on facebook soon. That's all that really matters anyways, right? Right.

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I had Mr. B measure me again so that I can see the results from Shredding. I still had my paper from when I did it last year.
Yeah...kind of wish I didn't.
According to our calculations, I am the same measurements in everything I was my first time around {pre-shred} with an additional 2" on my junk in the trunk. 
Cool. 
Lovely.
Awesome.
Encouraging.
Wohoo.
Sarcasm.
Yeah.

Let's just hope those numbers decrease as quickly as they did last time. 
Preferably within the next two weeks before vacation.

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I totally live a "grass is always greener" life.
I say that like I am proud.
 I am not.
But it's a hard habit to get out of.
 Anyways, I don't know why but I still have the weather for where we used to live on my phone and I like to look at it and compare the weather to here. You know,  just to water that grass even more. Lift my spirits, all that good stuff.  So pretty much on a daily basis I am extremely perplexed as to why I couldn't wait to move back to NH. I know I have mentioned this in a post before, but seriously....I do not understand. What in the world is wrong with me?!




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I am slowly starting to get back into the groove of buying things on sale and stocking up the pantry. It feels so good. I love finding good deals and seeing everything lined up like a little store in my house.

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Roxie is driving me nuts at the moment and keeps barking while the baby is sleeping. 
That is so annoying. 
I wish I could let her roam around in the backyard, but with all the melting snow she has rediscovered the dirt and bushes. Which are not ours, but our landlords.
I am pretty sure he doesn't appreciate all the holes and torn limbs.
Nor will he appreciate the mounds of poo that will magically appear when all the snow is melted because I have been too cold and lazy to bring her her spot.
So we are trying to devise a plan.

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I bought the new Yankee Candle, Fluffy Towels. I am kind of thinking it smells like old lady perfume/deodorant. Kind of disappointing.

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I had one more thing I was going to post, but decided I will just save it for tomorrow since I can't think of anything else to write about.
Super duper suspenseful, I know. 
I just felt compelled to add some excitement to your Tuesday. 
Hope it worked. 

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Tuesdays Thoughts

After seeing Never Say Never, I have officially caught the fever. The Bieber Fever.
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It seriously felt like a concert at the theater. Huge line, crowded area, running to save seats, the shirts, the shouts, the energy, the annoyingness. It was a bit ridiculous. Never mind all the crazy screaming. Newsflash little teeny boppers...Justin Bieber is not actually here. It's probably safe to say, I have a low grade fever. Because this I just could not understand....





And yes, those super cool glasses are because we saw him in 3D. Jealous?

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We have 25 days left until vacation!! Can not wait! I need a palm tree and warmth {what's that? I had that for a year while we lived in Florida and complained on a weekly, sometimes daily basis?? Oh, my bad.} So of course with 25 days left, that leaves -5 days for the 30 Day Shred. Not that I have ever done 30 days. ever. And I have lost count of how many times I have restarted this workout. But the results really are quick and amazing and I am going to try my best to stick with it until vaca. I know it will be worth it. I have already completed 2 days!



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I had a wonderful Valentine's weekend! I know this holiday is overrated and a lot of people hate it, but I love it. I enjoy feeling extra special.  Mr. B bought us tickets to Kenny Chesney's tour this summer. I am soooo excited!!! I have been before, but I have always wanted him to come with me. He said the only concert he would go to would be Kenny. He took last summer off, but how perfect that he will be there this year! Mr. B held true to his word...now the next miracle will be if he actually dances with me like all the other sweet boyfriends/husbands I see at these concerts....

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Roxie felt the need to give us a massive gift for Valentine's as well. This gift didn't come straight from the heart...more like straight from her stomach. While we were enjoying our nice dinner. I have never seen a pile of throw up so big.
Of course, I did take a picture.
It was a possible blog opportunity.
But I will spare you.

So gross.

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The weather was so nice yesterday. Legit nice. Like 50s. It's back to the 20s but the rest of the week is a little warmer too. It felt so good. I can not wait for spring!! It's right around the corner!!!

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Those are all my thoughts at the moment.
Pretty lame, I apologize.

 Time to go read some more of "One Thousand Gifts.
 Is anyone else reading it?? It's really good and challenging! 

Have a wonderful Tuesday! 

Friday, February 11, 2011

Little Sisters

Sometimes I am extra thankful for little sisters because it gives me the opportunity to see some shows and or movies that might typically be called "not normal" for my age. It allows me to watch/listen to shows and music that I might be embarrassed to do on my own. Like going to a Cheetah Girls concert or seeing the Jonas Brothers Concert in 3D for example. Okay, Okay....let's be real, I don't take them to such things just so I can be The Best Big Sister. It's very possible I might have an ulterior motive for my own entertainment and viewing pleasure.  It allows me to still watch Full House, dance to Justin Bieber and of course still eat at my favorite pizza place, Chuck E Cheese {although, I had my 20th birthday party there w/o the little siblings, so I guess I can do that on my own}without anyone knowing that I actually enjoy such things .

The Biebs is all the rage right now.
My little sisters have caught the fever.
They needed someone to take them to his new movie,
and they practically got down on their hands and knees begging me to go.


I am pretty embarrassed to be a part of such childish things,
but because I love them so much I decided I would put my pride aside and take them.



I think I can handle two hours of complete torture for the sake of being a cool big sister.

If I have to.