Stephanie S - A Day in the Life of a Grad Student's Wife

All Good Things Must Come to an End.

2010-12-31T15:26:00.000-05:00

It's about that time!

I'm wrappin' up 2010 in a big way today. My husband and I dug out the predictions we made for 2010 on New Year's Eve last year; he was 8 for 10, i sucked big time scoring 4/10 (I guess I'm no Sylvia Browne - but apparently, he is.) One big thing I did predict correctly has had quite the impact our lives and my blog! You see, we had an agreement when making our annual predictions that neither of us would try to predict if he found a teaching job, where it would be, how far along in his dissertation he would be, etc. Basically, we completely strayed away from making any predictions that might "jinx" him/us. We are so superstitous. Well, I did it anyway:

As you can see, I wrote my prediction, breaking our rules - but then, I decided to draw a line through it, as if that would some how prevent my rule breaking from jinxing our entire lives. Weirdo. Like, "I did it but didn't do it", right? Well, I did. And I completely forgot about writing it. So you can imagine my surprise when we took our little pieces of paper out of the safe and started reviewing them. I think i made that prediction in a sort of desperate, hopeful way; I honestly didn't believe that we would actually know where my husband was going to teach and where we were going to live prior to New Year's. Here we are, on New Year's Eve, getting ready to make our predictions for 2011... most of which will have anything and everything to do with New York. We're living proof that in the end, things always work out and everything will be o.k.

All of this leads me to this blog: my 'baby', my gateway to creative expression and newfound love of social media, my little project that's become a big (and fun) part of my life. I've discovered some crazy talented writers and graphic designers, read about the lives of amazing mothers, wives, and loyal girlfriends, found new recipes and a ton of much-needed cooking tips, and spent a little too much $$$ at etsy shops owned by my favorite bloggers. I've even met some of my favorite bloggers in person, which helped me realize that the time and effort I put into blogging is well worth it. Most of all, I am constantly inspired to continue growing and building my blog as all the little pieces of my life grow and change.

Today, I'm saying good-bye to the Life of a Grad Student's Wife. Tomorrow, I'm saying hello to A Day in the Life of a Professor's Wife, and I look forward to you joining me! I will start the new year off by describing exactly what you can expect from PW (which of course will include your favorite Grad Student Wife material, in addition to some new "stuff"!) I can't wait!

To the loyal readers who have inspired me and have highlighted the past 9 months with blog comments, facebook messages, and tweets:

I will not be deleting this blog, so it'll always be here if you'd like to revisit some of your favorite posts or want to recommend something to a friend. I can't throw my baby in the Blogger trash bin, that just wouldn't be right!

With all of that said, I want to wish you a safe & happy New Year!

See you in 2011 at:

http://www.aprofessorswife.com

Christmas Clearancing

2010-12-30T08:00:00.001-05:00

So, have you had a chance to... you know...

Well, have you? 'Cuz I have! I love this time of year at Bath & Body Works. The post-Christmas and June "Hello, Yellow!" sales are awesome because the savings is bananas and shelves are stocked with the Signature Collection Classic fragrances. I believe the sales associate gals at my local store keep all of the Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin for themselves, but there's always plenty of Exotic Coconut and Brown Sugar & Fig on display!

This time around, I had our move to New York and a new home in mind as I stocked up on my favorites. I'm happy to say I've added a tremendous amount of Twilight Woods self-foaming hand soap, Brown Sugar & Fig shower gel, and loofah sponges to my BBW stockpile. I want to make sure I have my favorites on hand the very first night I spend in my NY home! It's comforting to have 6 bottles of your favorite hand soap on hand when you're living in a brand new place, you know... Anyway, the best part of my BBW shopping spree is that I purchased all of my goods with a gift card courtesy of my husband's grandma! 3 bottles of Classics shower gel, 1 bottle of I Need a Margarita shower gel, 1 large candle, 3 loofah sponges, and 6 bottles of hand soap for less than $50 - I saved nearly 60% off the original price! I'm one happy (soapy) girl.

Crate & Barrel "Joy" Coffee Mugs
$2.95

There's another sale this time of year... and it's my absolute #1 favorite sale ever. The Crate & Barrel Winter Clearance totally rocks my socks, and I scoop up all of the cutest Christmas decor and entertaining items at 50-75% off the day after Christmas. GOOD TIMES! It kind of feels weird, buying a bunch of new Christmas pretties the day after Christmas, but I love it when it's time to put the tree up each year! Especially next year - once again, I shopped my new NY home in mind. Snowmen pot holders, snowflake-shaped soap and handtowels for the guest bathroom, Glittery red and green mixing bowls, and a red glass "kissing ball" to hang from the ceiling - I think I'm all ready for Christmas 2011!

I know I missed out on a ton of other great sales, but I had my priorities set long before this week - this girl knew long ago that she wanted a surplus of Twilight Woods foaming hand soap in her bathroom and Cute Coffee Cups to sip from next Christmas!

Did you find any great deals this week? What are your favorite items to stock up on?

* * *

Aprofessorswife.com officially launches Saturday! Head over now to follow via Google Friend Connect, Twitter, Facebook, and email!

Post-Christmas CHAOS

2010-12-29T20:33:00.000-05:00

Before I get into whining and complaining about how long it took for my husband and I to get settled back in and organized after the long Christmas weekend in WV, I must continue promoting the new blog:

http://www.aprofessorswife.com/

Don't forget to visit my new blog, aprofessorswife.com, and follow via Google Friend Connect, Twitter, Facebook, and/or email subscription - Saturday is the big day!

Thanks to all that have already started following - I need you to hold my hand through this big change! On Friday, I'll be giving you a little preview of what to expect from A Professor's Wife during the month of January. It's going to be a very special month, and you're going to get to know me and my little life story very well. I want to open with a bang - you will not regret subscribing! You should stock up on coffee and blog reading treats, like, yesterday.

And now, it's time for me to moan and groan a little. I haven't stopped moving, thinking, anything, since last week! Of course, we were all busy during the holidays. Just hear me out:
The hubs and I got lots of fun gadgets for Christmas. We also got some of our yearly favorites, like new clothes, Fiestaware, gift cards, etc. We barely escaped the WV Christmas snow storm from a not-so-Christmasy place on Sunday, and returned to Athens late in the evening. After opening our presents to each other and the cat, it was time to play with all of our new things. Except, I had work the next day! CRAP! I set up my husband's Keurig coffee brewer and rearranged the kitchen a bit. Before I knew it, it was time to go to bed.

I think Monday and Tuesday were the hardest days at work ever! It was so hard for me to get motivated - I so could not get it together. Thankfully, my supervisor gave me the thumbs up for taking Thursday off (in addition to Friday, a regularly scheduled work holiday), so I was motivated to focus and work hard today. All of the major projects that have been hanging over my head at work the entire month of December are now finished, the monstrous amount of laundry my husband and I managed to dirty over one weekend is now washed and ironed, and all of our new Christmas gifts are now organized/set up/ready to go. Whew... it feels so good to just relax and blog! I have a ton of blogs I can't wait to catch up on - Google Reader is going to be my best friend for the next few hours; I've missed my blogging buds! Did anyone else have a hard time getting going this week?

Tomorrow, I'm blogging about my post-Christmas shopping (gee, somehow I had no problem finding time for that this week!) I should totally be ashamed for spending $$$ after having such a wonderful Christmas, but what the heck - I can't say "no" to the Crate & Barrel Christmas Clearance, or the Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sale!

Tonight, I'm going to start visiting all of my followers and leaving them a little message, begging them to follow me at my new blog. If I leave you a "please please please visit my new blog" comment and you've already joined up, just ignore me. :)

I really do appreciate those who've already jumped on the Professor's Wife train - you all make blogging so worthwhile, and I am very grateful for your readership!

aprofessorswife.com (It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life...)

2010-12-27T15:14:00.000-05:00

It's time for me to begin my shameless, week-long plugging of my new blog, Aprofessorswife.com!

Things are nearly 100% set for the big day; the last "Grad Student's Wife" post will be on New Year's Eve. I will post the "official" welcome message @PW this Saturday, January 1st. The good news is, you can check it out ahead of time and subscribe so you don't miss a single thing!

Google Friend Connect is available for my regular readers who keep up with their favorite blogs via Google Reader
"Like" A Professor's Wife on Facebook to keep up with all of the hot gossip
Follow me on Twitter for blogging updates in addition to random tweeting (ok - so, you're not on Twitter yet? You totally need to do something about that!)
Subscribe via RSS Feed and receive A Professor's Wife updates, delivered straight to your personal email inbox (I'm a huge fan of this - it's so easy to keep up with my #1 fave blogs!)

You're probably wondering, "What's different about A Professor's Wife blog?" or, "Why is she switching over to a whole new blog?" First of all, there won't be a whole lot of content difference between 'A Day in the Life of a Grad Student's Wife' and 'A Professor's Wife'. The only thing that will be different will be the quality of content - better writing, better pictures, and more chocolate. Secondly, I'm switching over to a whole new blog because it's a new year, my husband has a new job, and we will be packing it to upstate in NY as soon as he graduates with his Ph.D in June. There, he will begin his career as a college professor (and I'll adapt to the life of a Giants, Knicks, and Yankees fan! I need some training!)

Now, it's time to share some sneak peeks!

Screenshot of www.Aprofessorswife.com

A Professor's Wife Facebook Fanpage

A Professor's Wife on Twitter

Now you know what you're getting yourself into! If it looks good to you, please head over to A Professor's Wife and let me know by following. I'll try to keep you entertained as I have here, at a Grad Student's Wife. We'll have some fun, I promise!

Have a great week! Where the heck did December go, exactly?

White West Virginia Christmas

2010-12-26T07:00:00.002-05:00

I hope you had a very merry weekend!

I will be heading back to Athens on Sunday afternoon. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a safe trip out of the WV mountains!

Just a brief Christmas Recap:

~My husband celebrated his 29th birthday and the new job with the fam. When we arrived at his parents' house, "Happy Birthday" and "Congratulations" balloons and banners were hung all over the walls, and he received his official collegiate hoodie and his first NY Yankees hat as b-day gifts!

~Christmas Eve was spent doing a little bit of everything a little bit of everywhere. Hubs received the Keurig Coffee Brewer from my parents, and mom helped me add to my Fiestaware collection - I can never get enough! We spent the evening visiting and being entertained by the cutest 16 month old baby girl ever, as we hung out with my hubs' fam. Santa even stopped by!

~On Christmas morning, I found a Dell Netbook waiting for me under my in-laws' Christmas Tree. Blogger-on-the-go heaven! I'm in love. :) I also received my first official New York Yankees tee. I loved it so much, I wore it to my mom's house for dinner. I swear, I put the shirt on, and something happened... suddenly, moving to New York became very, very real. (EEP!) I must say, I sported the blue quite nicely! I spent the day lounging at my mom and step dad's house, eating dinner, and visiting with my brother and his wife. I ended the day by watching Rocky IV - it's totally one of my faves, like, evah. Seriously.

And now, some gorgeous pics from the super snowy, wild and wonderful mountains of central West Virginia (taken from my parents' back yard):

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you have safe trips if you're traveling, and a great last week of December!

3 Days of Celebration in the Mountain State

2010-12-22T13:28:00.000-05:00

Image via Charleston Gazette;
http://www.wvgazette.com

I hope everyone's last minute Christmas related errands, preparations, and plans are coming together! My husband and I are packed and ready to head to the snowy West Virginia mountains for Christmas; we will be hittin' I-77 and I-79 bright and early tomorrow morning. This evening, he and I are having dinner and watching Black Swan as a little way to celebrate his 29th birthday (which is tomorrow! Thisclose to being a Christmas baby!)

My husband's Birthday kicks off Christmas festivities with our families in a big way. His family and my mom and step-dad will gather together tomorrow evening at my in-laws' house, where we will all officially celebrate his birthday and the big new J-O-B! We are so excited to head to WV and see everyone - the past couple of months have been a whirlwind with the job market thing going on, so it's going to be so nice to celebrate the present and the future, and of course, breathe a collective sigh of relief!

I'll be busy with family gatherings at various houses on Christmas Eve, opening gifts at my in-laws on Christmas morning, and spending Christmas day at my mom's house (dinner! And she made those thumbprint cookies, HOLLA!!!) I'm planning to head to church w/my mom on Sunday before heading back to Athens. When the hubs and I return to our Ohio home on Sunday, we'll exchange gifts - it's a great way to end the weekend! We've had the same Christmas routine for the past five years, and it seems to work out really well for us. I'm sure our routine will change a bit next year, since we will be living in NY (YAY!) so I'm going to try to enjoy this year as much as I possibly can.

Next week, I'll begin shamelessly plugging my new blog. I will be posting here until New Year's Eve, but then the Days in the Life of a Grad Student's Wife will come to an end. A Day in the Life of a Professor's Wife will begin, and I hope you will join me! If you like, head on over now to follow via Google Friend Connect, email, Facebook, and Twitter. All is ready to go on January 1st, 2011! I can't wait to share my new journey with you all!

[via]

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas! I'm going to give blogging a break for a few days, as I'm sure most of you are, too. I hope you have a wonderful weekend with your families, and I look forward to reading your Christmas recap posts on Monday!

Oreo Truffle Tease

2010-12-21T07:00:00.001-05:00

On Sunday night, I turned my little kitchen into a sugary chocolate zone and made the always fun, always easy, always sticky and slimy Oreo Truffles. You know 'em - the little round treats made of three ingredients that will make just about anyone's day: cream cheese, oreos, and Baker's chocolate squares. I got artsy, my husband got a little worried, but in the end my truffle photo shoot turned out well.

You might need a nice cup of coffee to go with this post - get ready to eat your computer screen!

Oreo Truffles:

1 8 oz. package of softened Philadelphia Cream Cheese

2 pkgs Baker's semi-sweet chocolate squares (16 squares total)

1 pkg Oreo cookies

assorted sprinkles and fun things :)

Toss all cookies but 9 into blender; chop into a fine oreo "dust".

Pour into large mixing bowl, mix together with softened cream cheese.

Continue to stir/fold/mix until oreo and cream cheese are throughly blended.

Melt chocolate squares in microwave, a few seconds at a time - take out between intervals, stir, replace in microwave. Continue doing this until chocolate is completely smooth, but be careful not to "cook" it!

Roll oreo/cream cheese mixture into 1" balls and coat with melted chocolate. Place on wax paper. Do a few at a time, decorate.

Refridgerate. (Makes 3-4 dozen.)

*Try to wait at least a couple of hours before devouring all of them - they're way better cold.

Oh, and don't forget to clean up (why do i enjoy running soapy water through my blender?):

Ok, you got me. I just wanted to show off my awesome blender and lime green toaster!

Stuff my Stocking!

2010-12-20T11:48:00.000-05:00

It's time to hop back onto the "25 Days of Christmas" train with Jmo and Star! There are only a few days left, and the topics that remain are aimed at the last minute tasks we have to tend to before Ol' Santy shows up. Today we're bloggin' about stocking stuffers under $10 - and boy, do I have plenty. The only problem is, when doing a little online browsing for this post, I ended up picking items out for myself more so than others. Ah, well - I'm so awesome, these stocking stuffers will obviously be winners with just about everyone on the list. And by everyone, I mean females. I kinda left the dudes out (unless guys like snowman spatulas - and they could, I guess...) - sorry, guys!
Remember, all of these fabulous finds are under ten bucks, and can totally and completely fit into the average stocking. First off, my personal must-haves:

SMENCILS, The original "Gourmet Scented Pencil" (6.99.)
During Thanksgiving, one of my relatives was peddling Holiday scented Smencils for her school's fundraiser activity. I had to have 'em, but had no cash on me - so mother-in-law came to the rescue. I'm sure she thought it was kind of strange for her 27 year old daughter-in-law to want Smencils so badly, but she did the right thing. And I've been using them at the office every single day since! They are made of recycled paper, are non-toxic, and will stay smelly-good for 2 years even if they're left out of the protective plastic tubes. Each pack contains five scented pencils in Christmasy scents like Gingerbread, Cinnamon, and Sugar Plum. Find 'em at Michaels Arts & Crafts and Perpetualkid.com.

JVC Gumy earbuds (9.99)
When I'm at the gym, I sweat like Sylvester Stallone in a Rocky movie montage. The white Apple iPod earbuds will not stay in my ears (I know, I'm gross but how I can recommend something without providing a tried-and true review of it?) I rely on JVC Gumy earbuds as a means to keep my music in my ears. The jelly-like covering helps earbuds stay in your ears like glue! Gumy earbuds are available in every color of the rainbow, and are updated each year to match the new generation of Apple iPod colors. A perfect stocking stuffer for all of those sweaty gym rats!

A baking-themed stocking? Yes, please. Crate & Barrel makes it easy with the above kitchen gadgets, which are all under $10: silicone spoon and jumbo cookie spatula (7.95 ea.); snowmen spatula (9.95); HOHO cookie cutter (3.95); silicone measuring spoons (8.95); holiday sparkle mini-bowl set (8.95); rolling pin (9.95).

What would a Christmas stocking for your favorite gal be without a little Bath & Body Works action? My personal stocking-stuffing favorites this season include: cat shaped massager (4.50), travel size body butter and Shea hand cream in Twilight Woods ($6 ea.), chrome tree-shaped wallflower plug-in and winter-scented bulb (4 for $20/6 for $24 mix & match), 4 oz. Slatkin & Co candle in Vanilla Bean Noel (9.50), Ready.Set.Jet travel-size set with tta-approved clear zip-up plastic bag for liquid items ($10).

C.O. Bigelow Lip Tints and Glosses (buy 2 get 1 free) These three lip products get the official "Stephanie Stamp of Approval", (if that means anything at all to you!) C.O. Bigelow's Mentha Lip Shine in Spiced Latte, Glossy Lip Balm in Green Tea, and Mentha Lip Tint in Ginger Mint have kept my lips shiny, soft, and sweet all season long. All three have a menthol ingredient that keeps your lips cool and your breath fresh. The Mentha Lip Shine and Lip Tint both have some sparkle, which looks great layered over your favorite lipstick. Find 'em at C.O. Bigelow and Bath & Body Works stores.

So there you have it - my favorite stocking stuffers, $10 and under! When all else fails, iTunes music cards, and gift cards are great - I don't believe in the whole "gift cards are so impersonal" thing - I'll take one any day!

Merry early Christmas, ya'll - only a few more days! Have fun preparing this week!

An Empire State of Mind... and a New Blog!

2010-12-17T06:38:00.000-05:00

It's time for the big news, bloggin' buds!

This week, my husband accepted a position as an Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Composition at a college in upstate New York!
The wait is finally over - but really, the wait wasn't that painstakingly long. The fact is, we were pleasantly surprised with an early opportunity; to have all of this wrapped up before the New Year is a blessing and believe me, we are going to appreciate every single day with peace in our minds and hearts. His teaching contract will not begin until fall 2011, so we will get to enjoy our little home in Athens, Ohio, for a few more months. We couldn't be happier!

Hang on a minute. There's more.

You had to know it was coming! I will write my last post for "A Day in the Life of a Grad Student's Wife" on December 31st. January 1st will be the official launch date of my new blog, 'A Professor's Wife', and I hope you'll follow me there!

http://www.aprofessorswife.com has proven to be a bit of a techie challenge, as I'm making the transition to a self-hosted Wordpress blog. I carefully weighed the pros and cons, and decided to take this challenging blogging road. I will install the Google Friend Connect widget so that you will be able to easily follow my new blog in Google Reader. You'll also be able to subscribe via email, too - so if you're not a Google Reader user, it's totally cool.

Of course, I can't completely delete all of my days of being a Grad Student's Wife, so I'm leaving this blog alone - it'll still be here after the 1st for your reading pleasure! You never know - you may feel the urge to revisit some of those Chocolate induced posts.

So basically, I'm still the same girl. With the same writing style, and the same personality. But PRAISE the LORD, I'm completing the phase of being a Grad Student's Wife! It's been a long 7 years! (I had to celebrate some how!)

As always, thanks for reading my blog. I will continue to post here up until the new year, so don't go anywhere just yet!

Have a terrific weekend, all! Go ahead and start planning your trips to Albany, NY!

'Now I've been happy lately, thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be, something good has begun.' - Cat Stevens

A change in the life of a Grad Student's Wife

2010-12-16T11:06:00.000-05:00

Fancy Jelly-Filled Thumbprint Cookies (thank you, may I have another?)

2010-12-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

Today, I'm sharing my favorite Christmas cookie ever. Like, forever ever. Forever and ever and ever. They're beautifully sweet, light and buttery, bite-sized treats sent straight from cookie heaven. My mom was generous enough to share this recipe with me, even though she knows it's one of the reasons I come home for Christmas every year! I enjoy making and giving these cuties. They are perfect for cookie swaps, and look gorgeous resting on a bright platter!

Fancy Jelly-Filled Thumbprint Cookies

Cookie Dough/filling:
3/4 C. sugar

3/4 C. butter (softened)
2 tsp. grated orange peel
1 3oz. block cream cheese (not the full size (8 oz.) package)
1 egg
2 1/4 C. All-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 C. seedless red raspberry preserves (or seedless jelly/preserves flavor of your choice)

Glaze
1/2 C. white chocolate chips (melted)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat cheese, sugar, and butter together; add egg and orange peel, blend. Add dry ingredients; blend well.

Cool cookie dough in refridgerator for easier handling.

Shape into 1" balls and place 2" apart on cookie sheet.
Using the rounded end of a wooden spoon handle, gently press a "hole" into each ball, being careful not to poke all the way through to the surface of the sheet.

Fill "holes" with 1/4 tsp. preserves

Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until firm to touch.Melt white chocolate chips; drizzle glaze over cooled cookies.

Makes 2-3 dozen. Enjoy!

Great Gift Ideas for the Stumped Shopper

2010-12-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

Still searching for the perfect gift? Yep, most of us are. Time is running out! Most online orders need to be placed by the end of this week to ensure timely delivery for Christmas, so you may want to get to mouse clicking lickety split - or haul your rear to the mall before all of the great gifts run out! Continuing with the 25 Days of Christmas, here are my gift picks for both girlies and guys - some of which I may have actually purchased for special loved ones of my own!

Shop books at Anthropologie

My absolute favorite items of the year are the fresh-cut clothbound literary classics by Penguin. I stumbled upon these at Anthropologie, but unfortunately, I had already shopped for the bookworms on my Christmas list! I'm definitely keeping them in mind for friends and family - and for myself, too - for future gift giving occasions. The brightly colored and classy embossed canvas covers accompanied by a color coordinating thin satin ribbon bookmark and thick, shaggy-edged pages would look great stacked on coffee and end tables, and bookshelves, of course! Choose from great works like Jane Austin's Sense and Sensibility, Brontë's Wuthering Heights, and Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. These gorgeous books are also available in Children's classics such as Peter Pan and Huckleberry Fin.

And now... some of my other favorites! Get a pen and a piece of paper, and take some notes!

1. Silk Tie ($60) and 2. Collar Stays ($12.50 for 8), Banana Republic; 3. Power Stretch Glove, $30, The North Face; 4. NFL Training Camp for Nintendo Wii, $100, NFL Shop; 5. "Assistant to the Regional Manager" Michael Scott and Dwight Schrute bobbleheads, NBC Universal Store; 6. Showtime's The Tudors complete series DVD collection, $129, Barnes & Noble; 7. Charcoal keg-a-cue grill by Wincraft (available in all NFL teams), $109, NFL Shop; 8. Picnictime football cutting board, $30, Bed, Bath, & Beyond; 9. Kobalt utility toolbox ($30), long-nose pliars ($9), hammer ($8), and screwdriver set ($20), Lowes.

1. Tree Coin pendant necklace, "Live the Green Life" collection ($28), Fossil; 2. C.O. Bigelow Lemon-Lime body care, $12-$16.50, C.O. Bigelow; 3. Year of Cookie Cutters (set of 12), $25, Crate & Barrel; 4. Peppermint Hot Cocoa mix (8 servings), $6, Starbucks; 5. Martha Stewart Collection non-skid mixing bowl set, $17, Macy's; 6. Knit muk-luk slippers, $15, Old Navy; 7. Boyfriend lounge pant, $40, Pink by Victoria's Secret; 8. "Love" print socks, $7, Gap; 9. Ragtime throw, $50, Coldwater Creek.

...I'll take one of each, please! Happy Shopping!

Christmas Cards & the Winter Wonderland Sign Winner!

2010-12-13T07:00:00.001-05:00

I hope all of my snow bunnies are staying warm after the big snow storm this weekend! I thought of all my Minnesota bloggers as I watched the footage of the Metrodome caving in - Stay safe and cozy, girls!

After a fun week of hosting a giveaway for the "Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland" wooden sign I hand-painted as part of a Christmas craft blog post for 25 Days of Christmas, we finally have a winner! Random.org chose lucky #62 out of 84 total entries as the winner. I will be mailing the sign to Jessica @ My Simply Complicated sometime this week! Jessica is currently in school full time and runs her own graphic design business as well. She attended the SITS girls' Bloggy Boot Camp earlier this fall (which I am so jealous of!) Make sure to check out her gorgeous blog and try the Bacon-Cheddar Pinwheel recipe she recently posted!

Quotable Cards

It's already day 15 of Star & Jmo's 25 Days of Christmas - I cannot believe it! December is flying by, but my shopping list is 98% complete and all of my cards have been given to/sent via snail mail to friends, family, and co-workers.
Today's topic for 25 Days of Christmas is "Christmas Cards". This year, I purchased three designs: a UNICEF card featuring deer in a snowy field for close family and friends, a fun and lighthearted glittery snowman note-sized card for co-workers, and a clean, colorful, pop-inspired square card featuring a fun quote by Walt Whitman for the blogging buds I've swapped mailing addy's with over the past few months. I carefully choose Christmas cards each year; I understand that it would be a lot easier and way more cost effective to head to the local dollar store and buy a few boxes of the same exact card for all of my recipients, but that is zero fun! I take pride in signing each card and addressing the envelope with pretty handwriting. As I fill them out, I take a minute to actually think about the person I'm sending or giving the card to. Preparing Christmas cards to give to my friends and family is one of my favorite hobbies during the holiday season. If you get a card from me, just know that it is sent with love and warm wishes! Really!

Cards by UNICEF.

I chose these UNICEF cards for the close friends and family I exchange with every year. I thought the design was very wintry and peaceful. The light glittery iridescent shimmer isn't visible in the photo to the left, but it - along with the sweet and simple wording inside ("Wishing you beautiful winter moments, Happy Holidays") - sealed the deal on my purchase. Yes, I'm one of those "Happy Holidays" card senders. I believe it's the simplest way to acknowledge all of the holidays that one may celebrate during the winter season. When I send or give a card that says "Happy Holidays", that is exactly what I mean. Whatever it is you're celebrating, whether it be the New Year, religious holidays, or in my case, family birthdays, have a happy time! 'Tis the season to be jolly, ya'll!

Notecards by Artworks, available at B&N Stores.

I love being part of a workplace that is all about celebrating the season. We enjoy great food and fun mingling during our annual luncheon that's held in December, and share our favorite dishes and swap gifts during our Christmas potluck and gift exchange. Most of us share more personal gifts and treats with each other as Christmastime nears (which reminds me - I have a huge batch of Oreo Truffles to make! Hello cream cheese!)
I absolutely love the first day of December, when I stick Christmas cards in everyone's mailboxes at the office. They always tease that I'm "on the ball" or "too early!" but I know they love the cards - they display them ASAP! This year's "co-worker" cards are definitely the best yet - I actually think the envelopes were almost as cute as the card itself!

Hallmark Contest Winner
Jen McQuinn, Cincinnatti, OH

Become a Hallmark Star!
This past Spring, I took advantage of a really cool opportunity and entered Hallmark's "That Says Christmas" card design contest (read about my experience - and being named a finalist - here!) Although I wasn't chosen as a winner, I had a blast networking with the other Hallmark fans and Hallmark staff on facebook. I made a few cool buds and now, when I'm out card shopping for a specific person, I only choose the Hallmark Contest winners' cards! I'm sure you've seen 'em around. Check out the winners for this year's "That Says Christmas" contest - and if you're looking for a single card to suit someone on your list, show my Hallmark friends some love and choose one of their designs!
If you're into photography and/or illustration, and think it might be neat to see your very own design in Hallmark stores and card displays across the country (and win a few hundred dollars, too!), I highly suggest entering Hallmark's card design contests! Visit http://www.hallmarkcontests.com to get the scoop on upcoming events, details, how-to's, and past winners.

That's it for this snowy and blustery Monday! Dress cute and cozy, use plenty of moisturizing balm underneath and on top of that long-wearing lipstick, and get those Christmas cards out if you haven't already!

Week Long Wrap-up

2010-12-10T13:54:00.000-05:00

Friday is finally here! How was your week?

This past week has been a whirlwind (in a good way); a whole lot of loved ones are checked off my Christmas shopping list, including my husband. I still have some odds and ends to take care of, but the bulk of shopping is complete and I'm not broke! Can I get a "woot woot"?! I spent some time in Columbus and showed Easton Town Center who's boss. Armed with coupons for Coach, PetSmart, Crate & Barrel, Banana Republic, and Bed, Bath, & Beyond (thanks Lindsey!) I found several high quality gifts at drop-dead awesome prices for my lucky recipients. I love a successful shopping trip!

Just because you blog doesn't mean you're a creepy voyeur. I know this for a fact, because I took advantage of my short time in Columbus to meet up with some fellow blogger gals for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory! They weren't weirdos, and I didn't feel like I was in danger for one second. We've spent months reading about each others' lives, so it was only right to make an effort to get together. Nine showed up for the gathering, and our time was filled with great food and conversation about nearly everything - from personal stories to blogging techie-type stuff, we got to know each other even better! I made sure to set near the middle so I could chat with each girl during dinner. In the end, it was clear that we're all 20-something women with a wild creative streak and a cheesecake craving, trying to make a living, reach goals, and blog about it all. In the end, we were so much alike. In the end... spending time blogging is perfectly O.K. I've sometimes questioned whether I should spend so much time and put so much effort into my blog, but after solidifying friendships with 8 other ladies from central Ohio, it became obvious that blogging is much more than writing; it's fun, fulfilling, and there are terrific, interesting writers that are great to know and develop relationships with! Until next time, girls!

Enjoying dinner (it flew by!)

From L-R: Lindsey, Shannon, Molly, Me, Brittany, Lindsay

(in Front) Holly, Jenny, and Emily

Without revealing too many details, I can say that my husband is well on his way to obtaining a position as an assistant professor somewhere. The "interview season" officially kicked off with some fun air travel complete with lake effect snow and delays out the woo-zah earlier this week. Interview Season is kind of like the NFL Scouting Combine - you go and show 'em what you've got. And hope and pray that someone likes you and wants to pay you to move there, work, and make 'em look good. And win a SuperBowl Trophy... oh wait, no - not quite like that, but you get the picture. In other words, IT'S ON NOW. Am I anxious? You betcha! I'm also fearless and totally ready to move on up to the next thing, to the next place.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for the Winter Wonderland sign I hand-painted earlier this month! Tomorrow is the last day. I'll randomly select the winner on Sunday, so be watching for an email from me!

This could be yours! Click here to enter!

Have a great weekend!

Techie Tips for Bloggers!

2010-12-09T15:44:00.000-05:00

Imagine you are checking your email, and you click on a new message from a reader who has just left a comment on your latest blog post. The comment is personal, polite, interesting, and may even have a great question or two in it. You click reply and happily begin responding to the reader, eventually ending up with a paragraph - or two. You move your cursor to the "SEND" button, and... WHAT?!?!? The reply-to email address is "noreply-comment@blogger.com" ?!?!? That's right. You've just spent 10 minutes composing a detailed response to a fantastic reader of yours, only their email is lost... in cyberspace. You have no clue what it actually is. Well, shoot.
This has happened to me several times, and although I eventually learned to check and ensure that there is an actual email address in the "To" field before composing my reply email message, I still slip up a time or two.

If you're a blogger who leaves comment after comment, but receives no replies back via email, then you are one of them; you need to set up your blogger account with an email address so your favorite bloggers can get back with you after you've left a comment! By doing this, you'll increase your number of faithful followers and build on blogging buddyships. To learn how to do this and more, check out Lauren's post on Blogger "housekeeping" tips! I - and other fellow bloggers - will thank you for making these all-important adjustments to your account settings! Because after all... we all love our readers and we especially love our commenters - and we wanna let you know!

On several occasions, I have been asked about the ultra fab-O fonts I use in all of the graphics I create for my blog. This short tutorial for windows users will explain where to find unique fonts, how to download and install them for use in computer programs such as Microsoft Word and image editing software like Photoshop, and a brief summary of how to create a custom image of your own, using your brand-spankin' new and super neat-o font! I'm sure I'm probably committing some type of blog designer crime, but I don't see any wrong in helping others to learn how to create gorgeous graphics on their own, for free. Ya ready?

Step 1: Google "free font downloads". Several sites will come up; my personal favorite is http://www.dafonts.com. Search the website for tons of fantastic fonts (hint: you can download as many as you like!) Once you have found a font that you love, click "download":

(I'm going with "English Essay" for this tutorial.) After you click "Download", you will be prompted to "open" or "save"; click "Save".

Next, you will choose the location where you would like to save your new font. This isn't a big deal; just choose a place you'll remember. For me, it's always "my documents". Select your location of choice, then click "Save". Your font will instantly download. You'll hear the little Windows "chirpy" noise when it completes, which is usually less than a second or two.

Next, go fetch your new font! Open the location where you saved the font. Once you're there, you should see a Zip folder with the font name underneath.

Double click the Zip folder to open it; you will see a single file that's unable to be opened. You need to "unzip" all of the individual files. In order to do that, click the font file to highlight, then click "Extract All Files" on the left hand side of the screen.

The Zipped Folders Extraction Wizard window will pop up; simply click "next".

The next step of the wizard is to choose where you would like to save all of the extracted files. Again, it's important to save these where you can easily find them. Choose your location (it's also o.k. to go with the default that's already there for you) and click "next".

Ensure that the box beside "Show extracted files" is checked and click "finish".

After the extraction wizard finishes doing it's thing-a-ling, a window will automatically pop up displaying the extracted file(s). Some fonts have several files, others have only one - what you're looking for is the actual font file, which looks like this:

Right click the font file and click "copy".

After copying your font file, you need to locate the master "Fonts" folder to paste it in. To do this, Go to "My Computer". Locate the Local Disk (C:) drive, and double click to open it.

Once you are in the C:drive, select and open the "Windows" folder by double-clicking.

Locate and open the "Font" folder.

Right click anywhere between the font files, where there is white space. Click "paste". Your new, totally cool font is now installed and ready to use!

You can now use the new font in your computer programs. For instance, in Word:

And now, a brief summary of how to create graphics using your new fonts:

1. Open up a photo editing program like Photoshop or Microsoft Paint.
2. Create a new blank file.
3. Insert a text box, type using your new fonts (which are completely formattable - color, size, etc.)
4. When you're finished creating your graphic, save as a JPG file.
5. Use your graphic like you would any other photo!

For further detail on uploading custom graphics for blogging layouts, I recommend Googling or using your blog hosts' help feature. - those are the ways I've learned the ins and outs. I'm STILL learning.

Finally, in the spirit of the ongoing 25 Days of Christmas hosted by Star and Jmo, here is a quick list of my favorite Christmas activities:

1. Eating Food. Nom. (Chocolate and other sugary treats are my #1 priority!)
2. Drinking Hot Cocoa with peppermint. I cannot drink this after Christmas for some reason.
3. Listening to Christmas Tunage. Check out http://www.softrock933.com for Christmas Songs broadcast live 24/7 from Columbus, Ohio!
4. Decorating. Pretty lights, gorgeous ornaments, glittery accents - I love it all!
5. Wrapping Gifts. For some reason, I love this way more than the actual shopping! It's stress relieving.
6. Sharing Gifts with others. I'm way more into giving than getting - honestly!
7. Hangin' with the fam. For good laughs, good stories, good times, good memories.

That's it (finally!) for today! Happy *almost* weekend!

Holiday $hopping Tip$

2010-12-08T17:20:00.000-05:00

Over the years, I've learned some great tricks of the trade when it comes to Holiday Shopping, via trial, error, and complete success. We're well on our way to Christmas, and most are probably well on their way to finishing up shopping, but what the hay - if you're like me and you just started, you may benefit from these little tips:

1. Make a frickin' list. And stick to the frickin' list. Write or type all of your little friends and family members' names, and beside their names, jot down a gift idea, where to find it, and the estimated price. How do you know all of this info already? Hopefully you've searched the web up and down for ideas. Now take your completed list to the mall and get to work - and mark 'em off, one by one. Once a person is marked off, he or she is D-O-N-E done!

2. Budget, ya'll. Know how much you can comfortably spend during the holiday season, and do not overspend. When buying a gift for someone who may be gifting you in return, keep in mind how much they're likely to spend on you. This will prevent any awkwardness when you swap gifts: you don't want to spend $100 on a scarf for your friend while she purchases an $18 Bath and Body Works travel-sized gift set for you. Just plain awkwardness.
Also, if you're sticking to your list and your budget, you're not going to feel that awful guilt when you get home and start wrapping gifts ("did I buy too much? Not enough? Oh no, will she even like this gift? Or did I actually like it for myself?") Stick to list. Stick to budget. Plan, my friends!

3. Purchase One Great Gift. Not a crap ton of tiny crappy craptastic ones. You will save money, trust me on this: I'm guilty of committing the crime, "Just one more thing... oh, just another little thing, ohhh she'll love this extra little thing!" Can we say, "Cha-Ching"?! Don't do it. One great thing. Which is what I'm doing for the peeps on my list this year - my husband and I are all about simplifying this holiday season, as our life is slightly chaotic and out of balance with the rest of the world, with the dissertation/job hunt and all. I can truly speak from experience and TRUST me - the gifts I remember are the great ones, which weren't even that all expensive. Just great gifts - that were useable, thoughtful, and from the heart.

Join us!

Have any great shopping tips you would like to share? Link 'em up at the 25 Days of Christmas!

It's not too late to join up - and don't even worry about trying to play catch up, just hop in with tomorrow's topic: "Favorite Christmas Activities"!

Happy $hopping!

I've Found Another Chocoholic

2010-12-07T06:38:00.005-05:00

On this 9th day of the 25 Days of Christmas countdown, I'm sharing my favorite thing about the holiday season. The gorgeous decor, bright lights, awesome tunes, cozy weather, and visiting with the fam are near the top of my list, but comfort foods and treats that make me jolly and warm my belly are at THE top of the list. That's right... ooey, gooey, rich and chewy, warm and cozy, sugary and sweet - if it involves any or all of those, it's right up my alley. And fortunately, I've found someone else who has the same feelings!

We all know I'm a chocolate addict. Kameron from My Dog Ate My Blog discovered this and described her own obsession with chocolate. So kick back, grab a Dove chocolate or ten (and don't forget to read the wrappers!) and enjoy a little guest post from Kameron, then head over to My Dog Ate My Blog and show 'em some love!

Confessions of A Crazed Chocoholic

My name is Kameron, and I am a chocoholic. Bordering on insane. Crazed, if you will. You see, I don't just like chocolate. I absolutely need it to function. Like some people will kill for a cup of coffee in the morning, I would commit heinous atrocities for the sake of my chocolate fix.

I didn't always used to be this way. I enjoyed small treats as a child; a Hershey's Kiss here, a Mr. Goodbar there, if I was being extra good. But my parents did not want me to overindulge in sweets, and so I was forced to consume healthier snacks to grow up and be big and strong.

I grew up, not particularly big, not very strong, and continued in my tedious existence with few pleasures to enliven my dull existence.

Until that fateful day. My friend and I were chatting, and she offered me a small bit of chocolate. Smooth, creamy milk chocolate from Lindt. I accepted, thinking it due time to indulge myself. I bit into the hard light brown bar, chewed, savoring every single second as the morsel slowly melted in my mouth, bursting into ecstasy as I swallowed.

I was hooked immediately. I needed chocolate in my life, all the time. I had deprived myself for too, too long. I asked my friend for more chocolate. She said she was saving it for later, but that I could have another chunk or two. As we sat talking I slyly broke off a couple more pieces. As she left the room to get something I ate the rest of the bar, feeling more content and fulfilled than I ever had. I hid the wrapper in my purse. She returned, and later in the conversation asked where the chocolate had gone, perplexed. I replied that she must have forgotten that she had already put it away.

From there my chocoholism only grew. I discovered more and more brands of chocolate, waiting to be taste tested, and quickly found Dove dark chocolate bars to be my go-to when I needed a quick fix. It truly is an addiction – when I find myself at my most irritated and moody a bite of chocolate or two (or three) always seems to right what is wrong in my world.

Sometimes I'm a little embarrassed at my habits. At the doctor's office the other day they had a bowl of chocolates at the receptionist's desk. I help myself to a couple little mini-bars. As I was leaving, I grabbed a handful (ever so slyly, I'm sure) as I was leaving and stuffed it in my purse.

I am a chocoholic. Chocolate is a significant part of my life. And I love it.

Kameron Lo is a guest blogger for My Dog Ate My Blog and a writer on accredited online universities for Guide to Online Schools.

The Best Christmas Gifts and a Giveaway!

2010-12-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday!
I hope everyone is having fun Christmas shopping, filling and mailing out cards, and decorating! We're well on our way to December 25th. I love the most wonderful time of the year!
WIN IT! - Don't forget to enter the giveaway for the "Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland" wooden sign hand painted by moi! I created the sign as part of the 25 Days of Christmas, and featured a tutorial in yesterday's post. Click on the icon at the right hand side of the screen for more details!

You may have noticed that there's been a bit of a wintry change around here. I'm gradually phasing into a new look and feel for my blog, and working toward the format of aprofessorswife.com. (Notice how the composition notebook graphic shrinked? That's because my husband's adventure as a graduate student is coming to an end.) Loving that font? It's "Another Typewriter", and you can download it for free here! As for the cute tree graphic, it's all mine - a wing it attempt at free-handing on Photoshop. The snowflakes come courtesy of Crate & Barrel (check the ornament page), and the snowy pine cones were found at Microsoft Office Clipart online.

It's time to kick off a new week of Star & Jmo's 25 Days of Christmas; the topic for Day 8 is "the best gift you've ever received". I simply can't pick one, so I picked a couple of the best gifts from my childhood, and a few from my adult life.
I'm sure most of the gals out there remember the magic that Happy Holidays Barbie brought on Christmas morning! I collected these throughout my childhood; now that I'm blogging about them, I wish I would have continued to collect them! My favorite Happy Holidays Barbie is from 1990, which is the first doll on the left:

As i grew out of Holiday Barbies, I grew into a tomboyish phase. The Chicago Bulls Starter Jacket I opened on Christmas 1997 was my favorite gift as a teen. Sorry there isn't an image; the only one i could find on Google was a pic of the jacket hanging on a fence post. Yeah, I didn't understand it either.
My three favorite gifts as an adult are still being used/worn/admired on a daily basis. My in-laws hooked me up with an engraved lime green iPod Nano and JVC dock for my office. Two years later, the iPod is completely full. It's my best friend!
My husband gave me a framed print of Marshall University's Joan C. Edwards Stadium, matted in green. It was a complete surprise, and I will always have it hanging in my home as long as I live!
There's always a jewelry gift involved in "the best gifts I received", isn't there? For me, it's definitely the Tiffany & Co Bar pendant/necklace my husband gifted me last year. It's my first piece of Tiffany, and I wear it every single day. Timeless, classy, elegant, simple - perfect for me! And the best part? He picked it out all by himself!

What are the best gifts you've received? Blog a little about it, and link up!

Catch up on my 25 Days of Christmas:
Day 1 - Christmas Decorations
Day 2 - Christmas Traditions
Day 3 - My dreambook (Wishlist)
Day 4 - Favorite Christmas Movies
Day 5 - Favorite Christmas Songs
Day 6 - Dresses for the Holiday Season
Day 7 - Christmas Crafts

Winter Wonderland Wooden Sign

2010-12-05T07:00:00.001-05:00

Occasionally, I like to get a little artsy and crafty. This week, I completed a new project especially for Day 7 (Christmas Crafts!) of the "25 Days of Christmas", hosted by Jmo and Star:

**the Winter Wonderland wooden sign**

You will need: 1 wooden board, a few different shades of acrylic craft paint, craft paint brushes, word stencils and a relaxing workspace with good lighting. For this project, I used a 26'w x 7"h pine craft board and Ceramcoat brand acrylic paint in Metallic Silver, Pearl Finish, White, and Ultra Blue.

Board Prep: Paint with brown base coat - I use cheap interior/exterior paint, because one coat is all that's needed, and it dries quickly. Any type of paint or varnish can be used.

Paint Prep: I blended Ceramcoat White with Ultra Blue to create a creamy blue hue that is used for some of lettering on the sign.

Begin by painting the background design. I free handed snowflakes using Silver and Pearl Finish paints, and alternated shapes and sizes until the entire board was covered:

You can't really mess up a snowflake design; I always start with a circle in the center, and work my way outward with a variety of lines, circles, and curls -use your imagination! You can always google "snowflake clipart" for inspiration.

You don't need to spend money on pre-cut stencils; create your very own custom designs on any word processing program, print them out, and "trace"them onto the board. Simply lay the design on top of the board and trace around the edges with a thick ball point pen or dull pencil, applying pressure as you trace. When you remove the paper, you will see the design etched into the board. Simple and cheap? I think so!

I filled in the first row of "etched" letters with the creamy blue paint I mixed when prepping for the project. The blue stands out nicely against the silver and pearl snowflakes. (Can you guess what the bottom row of words will be?)

I free-handed the phrase "Winter Wonderland" with white paint; I opted to use my own handwriting and paint directly onto the board rather than trace a design in, as I wanted to add a personal touch (you will find out why at the end of this tutorial!)

To hang the sign, I decided to use two "loops" of sturdy craft wire (one on each side of the board) rather than a bracket. The board I used for this project was thin (1/4") and light enough to be supported securely by the wire. A bracket can also be used. I carefully measured a few inches inward from each side of the board and drilled small holes toward the top.

I cut two 7" pieces of craft wire, which i then folded in half and threaded through each drilled hole. I left a "loop" in the front, and twisted the wire tightly on the backside of the sign so that the wire hangers would be secure.

The sign can easily be hung by two nails - gorgeous!

Isn't she lovely? You may recognize the typewriter font - I use it frequently when blogging! As for the free-handed "Winter Wonderland" lettering, I felt it was necessary to add a completely personal touch - I want to make sure that whoever wins this beauty receives a one-of-a-kind, uniquely "Stephanie" piece of work!

Oh yes - I said "win". WIN, as in, I'm giving the "Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland" hand- painted wooden sign away to one of my awesome readers!

Enter to win:

1. Let me know that you'd like to win the sign by leaving a comment (1 entry)

2. Follow the blog! And if you already do, AWESOME. Leave a comment either way. (1 entry)

3. "Like" A Grad Student's Wife on Facebook (see Right column) and leave a comment letting me know. (2 entries)

3. Blog it! And leave a comment with the link to your post. (3 entries)

4. Tweet it! Make sure to mention @herdfan in your tweet. (3 entries)

5. BONUS ENTRY: What's your favorite thing about Wintertime? Comment and let me know!

The winner will get to enjoy the sign for months to come!

**Giveaway ends Sunday, December 12th at 12:01am**

Dress You Up in My Love (Holiday Edition)

2010-12-04T08:00:00.001-05:00

Dress up w/us!

Today we're getting dressed up for some holiday fun! Let me be straight with my readers: I'm from rural appalachia, central West Virginia to be exact. At this point in my life, I'm not exactly attending ritzy soirees or Black Tie Christmas parties (although I would love to - who doesn't want to sport a fab sparkly dress and feel amazing for an evening out?) My schedule consists of family get togethers and casual parties at work, so short n' sassy dresses and minis with a lot of glitz are kind of out of the question for me this season. On this 6th day of the 25 Days of Christmas, I've selected pieces that I would realistically buy - and wear - for an occasion during the Holiday season. You're going to love every single item, so go ahead and print 'em out - Happy shopping!

This is how a Grad Student's Wife dresses during the Holidays:

Michelle dress, Abercrombie; Kacy Suede Wedge Boot, Anne Taylor LOFT; Hathaway studded tote, Fossil; ribbon & shine necklace and rhinestone bracelet, Aerie.

Ruffle bib dress and leggings, Gap; strappy sandal, Colin Stuart for Victoria's Secret; party clutch, J.Crew; sparkling headband, ForeverXXI.

Double-breasted shirtdress, Anthropologie; beret, White House Black Market; "Laura" satchel handbag by Melie Bianco, Piperlime; Owlet pendant necklace, Barberry & Lace; signature scarf, Coach; "Linzy" pump by Kelsi Dagger, Endless.com.

I dearly love all three ensembles and would happily sport any of them this time of year. What's your fave?

Ding-a-ling-along-ding-dong-Ding!

2010-12-03T08:00:00.001-05:00

Count Down w/us!

Day 5 of the "25 Days of Christmas" is one of the main reasons I decided to participate. I really...dearly... freakishly... LOVE Christmas music! Two months ago, while everyone else was doin' the Monster Mash, I was ready to listen to my jingly-jolly favorites, but figured someone would check me in to the Athens Lunatic Asylum if I tried. Thankfully, it's December - and I can listen to as many *ho**ho**ho*s and *ding* *dong* *dings* as I please!

To get my Christmas music fix, I tune in to 93.3 WLZT-Columbus the entire length of every single workday. Their playlist is extremely long with tons of variety, the DJs have vibrant personalities, and they give away tons of prizes throughout the holiday season. (Last year, I won tickets to see Mariah Carey!)

As for favorite songs, "Sleigh Ride" by the Ronettes is THE one. It must be the Ronettes version. Must. Fast-paced, retro, and fun, it makes me want to go frolic in the snow! I have it set as my ring tone, and lucky for you, I found a less-than-decent video with decent sound quality on Youtube. Please, listen. And feel free to get up, dance around, and smile - it's a totally normal response to this super happy holiday tune!

The following songs round out my top 10 Christmas tunes list:
2. Wham! - Last Christmas
3. Carpenters - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
4. Vince Guarauldi - Christmastime is Here (aka Charlie Brown Christmas)
5. Burl Ives - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
6. Bruce Springsteen - Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
7. Elvis Presley - Here Comes Santa Claus
8. Michael Buble - Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow
9. Jackson 5 - Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
10. Carrie Underwood - Do You Hear What I Hear?

Mariah Carey's version of "Christmastime is Here" - ya know - the Charlie Brown tune - is absolutely amazing, and can be purchased on itunes from her newest album, "Merry Christmas II You".

I'm going to sign off with a fantastic video of my family singing a classic tune originally released by the Dixie Cups in 1964 and later recorded by the Ronettes. Enjoy my fam's version of "Chapel of Love", performed last week on Thanksgiving Day!

25 Days of Christmas and Mom's Pitchforks

2010-12-02T07:00:00.002-05:00

Join in the Fun!

On the 4th day of the 25 Days of Christmas, we're blogging about movies!

I have to admit, I'm not a big Christmas-themed movie watcher. I love them, but hardly ever take a time out to enjoy watching one during the holiday season. The movies I tend to gravitate toward this time of year "take me back" a decade or two. Not all of them are Christmas themed, but still carry that holiday-cozyish spirit; many of them were my favorites as a kid, and I would spend my entire holiday break(s) watching them over and over. My Christmastime faves:

And of course, who can forget Shrek?!?

I was a late Shrek bloomer; I didn't watch any of them until after the Third came out on DVD! I totally jumped aboard the bandwagon when I received the Shrek boxed set of three as a Christmas present in 2007; I watched all of them in just a couple of days. I'm totally hooked. And I totally love Gingy the gingerbread man.

What are your favorite Christmas movies? Er, movies that you like to watch around Christmastime, if you're a weirdo like me? Blog about it and join up at Star & Jmo's 25 Days of Christmas!

Earlier in the week, I mentioned that I got a chance to sneak around my mom's West Virginia home and take a few pics of her decor while I was visiting for Turkey Day. I must share her style, because it's chic-country-cozy. She pulls it off, and with lots of effort. You can't just slap a barn star on the wall and call it "country" - you've gotta be like my mom, put lots of thought into it, and search high and low for new pieces to add here and there:

Of course she has the collegiate flags! (This pic was taken earlier in the fall.)

The backyard: It's spitting snow! The swing was put up for winter.

My favorite part is the fire pit.

Mom's had this for years - it's my favorite piece of wall decor! And appropriate - the room it's hanging in is definitely a cat nap cozy kind of room.

You know what they say: "A house is not a home without a pitchfork".

Kitchen pic #1

I know it's dark, but dim lights are a big thing at mom's house.

So are antique popcorn poppers! (Be Merry!)

You know... the necessities. TV, CD player, Spice rack, Peppermints.

Currently burning: Cranberry Woods Candle by Slatkin & Co.

One of my favorite items - the Grand Central Station clock!

You can write on the rooster with chalk! Cool!

There are many a skinny cabinet in mom's home - in just about every corner :)

Fiestaware and a pitchfork! Goes together like a charm, who would have thought?

It's not uncommon to find Mac sleeping in the bathroom -

or anywhere else, for that matter!

The gorgeous tree - which she is planning to replace with a tall, "skinny" tree next year. Of course, she says that every year - for like, the past five years.

Now that you've taken a little tour of mom's West Virginia home, it's time to relax in at the "Cat Nap Inn".

As you can see, it's impossible to not feel cozy when visiting this home in the mountains of central West Virginia. I spend most of my "visiting" time in a sleepy, lazy daze! And the magic that happens in the kitchen? Let's just say that mom's brownies keep me coming back to WV.

a Christmas WISHLIST

2010-12-01T07:00:00.007-05:00

Join in the fun!

Wishlist. Everyone has one, right? If not written down, then wandering around in the brain somewhere - which is where I keep my wishlist. I wouldn't say that I miserably waste my life away, wishing I had this or that all the time; I've simply held off on several purchases for extra space/husband's school/income/we're moving really soon purposes. But on this 3rd day of the 25 Days of Christmas countdown, I get to share my little wanties and needies, so brace yourselves - it's quite a mixture of things, and most certainly is not on an "official 2010 Christmas wishlist" - I think i would be greatly disappointed on Christmas morning if I actually asked for these items.

1. The Electrolux Washer and Dryer with pedestal drawers (in Turquoise Sky)

I don't care if I have to sit in the floor, stare at the wall, and stand to eat, this washer and dryer duet will be my first large purchase when I move; every time I stick a coin in a washing machine, I think of these babies!

2. The Blenko Glass Marshall University Collection (made in WV)

Blenko Glass is made in Milton, West Virginia just outside of Huntington.

3. Domino Three-Piece Sectional Sofa by Crate and Barrel

Simple, modern, classic, roomy, clean, and sturdy - my kind of couch!

4. Apple MacBook Air, 13"

Lightweight and powerful, for all of the techie fun I like to have on a daily basis.

5. Fiestaware Disc Pitchers in every shade

A must for this avid Fiestaware China collector! "What on the planet would you do with all of these", you ask? Why, line them up in a rainbow, on a single shelf across the top of the dining area wall, of course! A dining room needs to be fun.

6. Land's End Goose Down Baffle Box Comforter

I want hotel-style bedding. It's comfy and clean, and I love white bedding!

6. Nikon D5000

Who doesn't want a nice digital camera? The reviews of this Nikon model are fantastic, and the cost isn't too over-the-top.

7. Sephora by O.P.I. 18-Piece Nail Colour Set

A great gift set with every single shade a girl could ever need.

8. Personalized Felt Stockings and Tree Skirt by Pottery Barn

What would a Christmas wishlist be without Christmas-related items if you're a Christmas fanatic like my Christmasy self? I've loved these for years - timeless!

Usually, I make a wishlist at all of my favorite online retailers for friends and family to shop from, but this year my head just isn't in it. My head is in husband's job market adventure, which keeps getting more and more interesting! I did manage to find these two items online - I do believe Santa is going to hook me up, too. I just know it. ;)

Sequin Tote, Gap, shown in Navy Blue (I asked for it in plum!) and

Professor "Feel good" Cable Crewneck, Land's End.

What's on your Christmas wish list? Blog it and link up at the 25 Days of Christmas!

Godly Gal Creations and 25 Days of Christmas (Day 2)

2010-11-30T07:00:00.002-05:00

Artist Carrie Lawson

Carrie Lawson is extremely busy this holiday season. A visual artist from West Virginia, she works long hours every single day and night, striving to please each of her customers with the highest quality product she can possibly give them.
Carrie and I are both from the Mountain State; we also grew up in the same county and graduated from the same high school. As Carrie continues to post more of her work on her Facebook page, Godly Gal Creations, I continue to become more intrigued by her artistic talent and passion. I couldn't resist featuring her fabulous spirit and artwork on my blog! Read on for a Q&A session I had with Carrie, and make sure to swing by her Facebook page!

S: Tell a little about yourself. You can be as basic or as detailed as you like.
C: I'm a wife and stay at home mom to 4 boys. I was born and raised in central WV, left for a long time, but returned home and haven't left since. I am from a HUGE family...my grandparents had 10 kids and I take a lot of pride in the fact that we are happy to see each other and greet and leave w/ hugs and kisses. I love God, I love my hubby and kids, my extended family, I love to travel, I love food, I love to laugh.

Moment with Mom #4, #14

S: How long have you been interested in art? Give a short history on how you grew to love and practice art.
C: My mom was an artist the early part of my life. I have lots of memories watching her paint. My brother also was awesome at pencil portraits. I have never had an art class past grade school... I basically learned from them and on my own, but have always loved art, and creating it.

S: What are your favorite mediums/techniques?
C: I have always loved charcoal and pencil; I started using acrylics two years ago....and am learning it pretty good...lots to learn yet though! I also love to dabble in photography...which to me is also art.

S: What are some past and recent projects have you enjoyed working on the most?
C: The "pickling rock" is my favorite. I am still shocked I actually did this! It was one of the few items this woman had from her mother after she passed...and had always worried it would be discarded as a river rock. I painted it with memories of pickling items and the jar her mom used; It really meant a lot to her, but I think it blessed me even more. Still does.

S: What/who inspires and influences your art?
C: In the past i would say bad moods...and troubles in life. but now that God delivered me from all of that, he shows me the beauty and treasures in life...in rich colors.

The first in the Abstract Moments Collection

S: Tell me a little bit about your "Abstract Moments" collection.

C: That was actually a surprise. I had finished a project and had a lot of leftover paint, and just created the first one. I really liked it, and thought others might, too. So I posted a pic on Facebook with a price, and it sold within 20 minutes. Now lots of people seem to love them 'cause their orders have turned it into a series.

S: What are some of your artistic goals?

C: I just wanna create....and be able to bless people, all the while making some extra spending money. Any artist dreams of seeing their art go big....which i do...as long as i can stay home, lol. God comes first in my life, my husband, and kids after that, so I don't have the time it requires to pursue the big stuff in the art world and that's not a bad thing. I love what God has blessed me with.

S: What is the best part about being an artist?
C: Touching other people's lives, selling art that is affordable to anyone, and hearing my boys say,"mom you painted that!" when they see it somewhere else.

Abstract Moments Collection: Moments with Mom

And, for fun:

S: Who is your favorite artist(s)?
C: M.C. Escher. I love how real it looks, yet is surreal in a way...but he used math to do it all...(i don't like math.) There are others I like...but he's my fave.

S: Do you prefer to listen to music or work in silence? C: I Definitely prefer listening to music. Kari Jobe is my favorite at the moment, but I listen to everything from Hillsong, Toby Mac, Lecrae, and Red, to Switchfoot. LOTS of faves, as long as they're praising God.

S: Briefly describe your idea of the "perfect" day.

C: Everyday I wake up. It's a gift.

S: 3 things you couldn't live without.

C: The only thing I can't live without is God. Everything else is just a bonus from him. Some of my favorites are my family, my iPod, and good coffee.

Top: Moment with Mom # 9, Family Moment #2.
Bottom: Family Moment #1

S: Do you have any quick advice for those who are thinking about pursuing art?

C: Create because you love to create. If you do it for the money, you will never be satisfied.

Carrie can be contacted via email at clawson5104@yahoo.com. Her Facebook art fanpage, Godly Gal Creations, includes daily updates and photos of the latest finished pieces! Stop by and become a fan!

Jmo & Star's 25 Days of Christmas continues today, and we're blogging about Christmas Traditions! My family and my husband's family live only half an hour apart, so when we travel to WV for the holidays, things are pretty easy (with the exception of driving back and forth in the mountains with snow and ice all over the place.) Ever since we married in 2006, our traditions have rolled like this:
Dec. 23rd - Hub's birthday: leave Ohio in early AM, arrive in WV around Noonish; have cake and ice cream with the whole fam. Stay the night at in-laws' house.
Dec. 24th - Christmas Eve: Drive to mom & step dad's house in the AM, do Christmas-evey stuff all afternoon. Visit Husband's aunt who lives nearby in the evening, snack. Head back to In-laws' house for Christmas eve fun and fare all PM. Stay at in-law's.
Dec. 25th - Christmas Day: Open presents at in-laws' early in the AM; head back over to mom and step-dad's house to eat dinner, relax, visit, and spend the night.
Dec. 26th - Head back to Ohio!

So there are my traditions in a nutshell - very rigid, very predictable, but fun nonetheless! I can't wait to throw a little curveball in the next few years, when I introduce a baby into the mix - new traditions will be added to the old and I cannot wait! I think Christmas will feel like less of a whirlwind, with me blindly wandering here and there and everywhere. Or, maybe, it will be even more whirlwindish. Either way, I look forward to being a parent and experiencing the kids rip-roaring through wrapping paper and boxes, and having Christmas morning breakfast in my own home. Maple Syrup in my baby girl's hair, husband and son fighting with inflatable boxing gloves... ahh. I get excited.

Traditions. They're nice to have - but nice to break every once in a while.

Tomorrow's topic is "WISHLIST", and ohhh man... do I have a wishlist. Let's just say I look forward to being a professor's wife. He's so gonna get slammed with my wishlist. SO gonna get slammed. SOOO soooo slammed. Poor fella :)

25 Days of Christmas

2010-11-29T09:50:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday! I spent a few days in WV and ate way too much, too many days in a row. I made time in between the face-stuffing to sneak around my mom's house and take a few pics of her cozy decor, which I'll share later this week. Trust me, you'll want to visit her and stay awhile!

Today kicks off the "25 Days of Christmas" hosted by Star and Jmo. If you're a Christmas fanatic like I am, then you're sure to love the daily blog topics Star and Jmo have chosen! The first topic of the countdown is: Christmas Decorations.
Currently, my Christmas decor is a jumble of things - a little bit modern, a crap ton of glitter and sparkly things, a childish piece here and there, and some folksy primitive style weaved through. Does it work? Ehh... I make it work. For now. My tree is definitely a keeper; however, I plan to phase out the remainder of the decor and gradually replace it with pieces that are clean, cheery, and modern. Since I will be living somewhere completely different next year, I want a fresh, new look for the Holiday season. Here are some examples of holiday decor that are currently inspiring my future "Christmas Decoration Revamp":

Marimekko Bedding Collection, Crate & Barrel

Ornaments, CB2

Fiestaware in Christmas Tree Pattern, Shamrock,
and Scarlet, Homer Laughlin China Co.

Vintage inspired ornaments and glass bead garland, Restoration Hardware

Can you tell that I love Crate & Barrel?

Vintage inspired garland, Restoration Hardware

Outdoor decor, Pottery Barn

Ahh... how's that for cheery holiday inspiration?

You can check out my Christmas tree here.

Tomorrow, I'll be featuring the work of a super talented artist, Carrie Lawson. She and I grew up in the same small county in West Virginia, and graduated from the same high school. For someone who has had no formal training, Carrie produces phenomenal, powerful artwork that is keeping her very busy this holiday season. I can't wait to share her positive spirit and talent with you!

Have a great Monday, and be sure to come back tomorrow for Day 2 of "25 Days of Christmas"!

I'm Thankful for... (Day 4 - last one!)

2010-11-25T06:00:00.001-05:00

you!

I'm very thankful for everything blogging has to offer - especially all of my readers who've become buds! I'm thankful for your time, your comments, and your blogs, too.

May your holiday be blessed with lots of family, fun, love, and laughter (and food!)

I made this geeky Turkey fella' just for you. Enjoy!

I'm Thankful for... (Day 3)

2010-11-24T10:39:00.000-05:00

the fam.

My mom, my brother, my step-dad, my in-laws... I'm thankful for all of 'em!

When I married my husband, I got a couple of extra cool grandparents - L & J are pretty awesome and make an extra special effort to keep up with all the grandkids' whereabouts - which is pretty much almost impossible these days. They are loving, caring, and FUNNY. My father-in-law, mother-in-law, and sassy-sis-in-law are just plain GREAT. They always have my back - they're a protective group of peeps that support, spoil, love, and care to no end. And they love the Marshall Thundering Herd, too! My F-in-L and M-in-L both serve their local community by volunteering a crap ton for various organizations, festivals, and local schools. My sass-in-law goes to Marshall - yes, she carried on the tradition! She's super mega smarter than me, but I still love her. I think we all have a silent agreement that she's definitely the genius of the family.

My mom and step-dad are the most gentle people I know. Step-Dad loves college football, and is a huge Nebraska fan (of course, he roots for Marshall and the Ohio Bobcats, too - he's bound by the whole step-dad thing.) He's a great cook and makes the best pasta salad and baked steak in the world - seriously! Mom is a Home & Garden Party/antique addict, so you never know whether the chair in the corner is for real or just decoration. The last time I visited, she'd added a 11 ft. barn ladder in the dining room as decoration. There it was, leaned against the wall, and I'm like... "where does that go to?" She also has a collection of antique pitch forks, scythes, and other "items" that look like they came straight off the set of SAW, which she has managed to stylishly arrange in a fabulous wall grouping. My future children are going to have to be really careful at grandma's house!

The one thing I like about my brother and his wife most is how cool they are when we visit. We only see each other a few times a year, but there's never a big production about how long it's been since we've seen each other, or a big hug and sob fest goodbye when we part ways. We pick up right where we left off before, and it feels like we haven't seen each other in 6 days, rather than 6 months. Hellos and goodbyes can make me uncomfortable if there's a lot of emotion involved, but i never have to worry about that with those two - they're just cool about things.

Last but definitely not least is my husband. You read enough about him to know what he's up to, but let's just say this - for one of those reading/writing/researching "professor types", he's really too cool for school. He's not what you expect - certainly not like the English professor you may have had in college, or the sleazy ones you see in movies. He's a stylin' little dude who has fun taste in music and movies, and probably spends too much time playing and not enough time being "scholarly" by most academics' standards. He's just plain "neat", and I'm just plain lucky.

L-R: Grandpa L and Grandma J, F-in-Law, M-in-Law, Claire the cat, Sassy-in-Law, Charlie the kitten,
Husband, Diego the cat, Stephanie, Mom, Mac the cat, Tootsie the cat, Step-dad, Brother, sister-in-law, their cats.
All of us love the Marshall Thundering Herd; APPARENTLY WE ARE ALL CAT PEOPLE.

Tomorrow's the last day of my "I'm Thankful for" series; be sure to swing by before you fall into a Turkey Coma!

I'm Thankful for... (Day 2)

2010-11-23T14:56:00.000-05:00

my furbaby.

He's warm, soft, big, and super lovable. My sweet little orange tabby, Diego, has grown into a huge 30 pound sack of cat over the years, but has still maintained the little boy face with the sweet pink ears and nose - oh, and his Cindy Crawford-esque beauty mark!

His eyes are always so bright and lively, even when he's just woken from a long sleep. He's pretty simple-minded as far as finicky feline needs are concerned - you know, food, soft bed, some water, and catnip toys to chew on. He can still play a mean game of "rat-receiver" (jumping in the air to catch toys we toss to him), and really loves this time of year because he totally digs laying on top of the gift wrapping paper I've carefully measured and cut.

Diego can sense our moods/emotions better than most humans - seriously! He knows when we're upset, and can distinguish between "mad" and "sad" (if I'm mad, he runs and hides, if I'm sad, he curls up near me and purrs.) He can also sense happiness, and tries to butt in by mewing excitedly when my husband and I are chit-chatting and laughing. Silly cat... thinks he's human!

I'm a crazy cat lady, I admit it! I'm thankful for Diego, and although he doesn't do too much, he warms my heart and makes me smile - even when his litter box is a disaster (he's a large cat that can produce large-scale disasters, If ya know what I'm sayin'!)

Diego having a serious conversation with his humans. "When do the Ohio Bobcats play again? I wanna go!"

Do you have a pet that you're thankful for?

Show him/her some love by giving an extra nuzzle today.

I'm Thankful for... (Day 1)

2010-11-22T15:58:00.000-05:00

my education.

There isn't a day that passes without me being consciously aware of how much my education from Marshall University has benefited my life. I took a huge leap of faith when I moved to Huntington in the Fall of 2002; I moved 3 hours away from home and chose to attend a school where I'd never received a formal campus tour. I left behind a home on the mend, as my mom, brother, and I were still in the process of picking up the pieces and moving on from the untimely death of my father. Little did I know, Marshall University would FIX me for life.

It's where I moved on, overcame grief and shock, and grew up. I began dating my husband there, learned the concepts of hard work and team effort, and found a real sense of belonging in this big crazy thing we call "life". I really became my own little woman in the city of Huntington, discovered a serious need for challenges and adventure, and developed the beginnings of a ruthless attempt to live life to the fullest. I became brave. "What's the big deal?", you ask - "it's just Huntington, it's not like it's New York City or anything." For me, it was! I grew up in a town of 3,000 in rural West Virginia, scared to go anywhere and do anything. The four years I spent as a student at Marshall University were all I needed to realize that I can do anything. (OK, not anything. But lots of things.)

My education also benefited me employment-wise. Moving to Southeastern Ohio doesn't exactly guarantee a large pool of job opportunities. No, I'm not a lawyer. Or doctor. or dentist. I'm definitely nowhere near having as much money as I would like, but I have a sweet office inside the building of a non-profit organization that most would die to have. I work with fantastic co-workers that have become friends. Most importantly, I found a sense of belonging as a working person in a college town that is basically made up of the college and various pizza chain restaurants, and have been able to live happily and fully with my husband and our little fat house cat.

I earned a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice from the Marshall University College of Liberal Arts in Criminal Justice. The confidence and sense of accomplishment that I feel is still overwhelming, even after 5 years of sporting the cap and gown and shaking president Kopp's hand on stage as the late Senator Byrd looked on from his seat. It's not just a piece of paper on the wall; it's my love life, my work life, and my entire future. It's a great past, an unforgettable experience, and a tradition for my husband, sister-in-law, and I. How could I not take time out to be thankful for something that resembles love, livelihood, and special bonds that will last forever?

What is one thing that you're thankful for today?

(Go Herd!)

O' Christmas Tree (part II)

2010-11-19T07:00:00.003-05:00

Hey, you.

Yeah, YOU. The one who's been trashing people like me who like to start celebrating the holiday season a little early via Christmas decorating. I'm not talking about those who simply do not put a tree up until after Turkey day because it's tradition. I'm talking about the ones who are RUDE, NAGGY, and JUDGMENTAL. It's time to grab yourself a cup of coffee and get comfy, ya ol' crank!

My first initial reaction to early Holiday celebrating haters is: "WAHHHH! WAHHHH!!! Just leave me alone!!! Let me enjoy my Christmas tree in peace! boooo hoo hoooooooo..."

but then I start thinking about how screwed up it is to give someone serious heck over a house decoration, and my thinking gets a little less simple and starts getting a lot more crazy.

Is it a crime to be emmer effin' happy?!?  It just so happens that my fake 6.5 ft. department store pine Christmas tree makes me kind of EXTREMELY happy. I collect ornaments throughout the year, always looking for them when I travel. I think the tree's gorgeous. It's fun, and so is silly cute Christmas Music. I smile, I get excited, I enjoy every single day leading up to Christmas (awww, good for me!) Those days begin around the first week of November for me, when radio stations start blasting Christmas tunes 24/7 and I decorate my Christmas Tree.  If trees and music don't make you happy prior to the month of December, fine. To each their own.  But instead of raising total not-so-Christmasy hell over those who actually do enjoy the excitement several days in addition to the 25th, why don't you... peacefully turn the radio station to something else? Yeah, that would do. Playfully teasing the people who are already hanging up stockings about how Christmas ridonkulous they are is cool, too. But please, do not resort to anger, or name calling. Or, how about this - don't accuse fanatics like me of "not being very Christian". That's being very judgmental, which is not very Christian-like. ("BOOM. Roasted.")

Thanksgiving. I'm thankful - a very thankful person. I enjoy a few days off from work, I travel to WV to see the fam, I enjoy not one but two dinners - one with my in-laws, one at my mom & step-father's house. The food is great, we visit, we watch football and laze around, we laugh. Occasionally, someone gets choked on a piece of turkey and nearly dies at the dinner table. It's a great time had by all, and I usually conclude the whole she-bang by helping mom decorate her own tree, and going shopping on Black Friday. I go right along with the majority of consumer-happy Americans and hop head first into spending way too much dough at the mall, drinking unhealthy gluttonous amounts of Starbucks out of the red cup, and wasting entirely too much energy trying to achieve that perfect bow for that perfect present for that perfect sister-in-law. So what if i decide to start decorating before all of the Christmas chaos hits?   I'm not decorating because I'm a Turkey hater. It's all because i enjoy it.

Some have repeatedly said, "I can't believe your tree is up. I cannot believe your tree is already up." Ok, fine. You can't believe my tree is up. Yay.

Others have repeatedly snarked around about how wrong it is to put up a tree before Thanksgiving. Wrong? Define "wrong". And by whose standards? THEIRS?  Is there a direct correlation between the number of days that I insert a fake decorated pine tree into my living room prior to Thanksgiving and the percentage chance that I may have committed some kind of religious crime? Um, no. Seriously. SERIOUSLY. No.

"It's just wrrrooooonnnng", someone whined the other day.  How much critical thinking fueled that comment? According to my calculations, a big,fat,empty, round ZERO.

I'm cool with friends and family lightheartedly saying "wow, that's early - you're crazy!" or, "man, you're on the ball with that!" or even "I don't think I could stand staring at the tree that long". I understand, smile, say something dorky like, "welp, whatever floats your boat!" and go one. However, I stop playing along when someone tells me I'm wrong. Instead of brushing it off, i BLOG. I am so badass.

If Christmas lights before Thanksgiving really make you sick, then turn your face in the other direction. If the Christmas gift card display at Wal-mart angers you, drop the act and just buy one for me already. If you really feel pent up aggression and rage about those who choose to start the celebrating a little bit early, you should just succomb to your fears and frustrations, join in the madness, and get to HO-HO-HO'in - you'll be a much happier person without all of those personal "Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving is the devil!" feelings bottled up inside, I promise.  If nothing else, please don't measure my level of spirituality on your Christianity thermometer, based on a Christmas ornament and the tree skirt my cat took a huge dookie on last year. No measuring, no judging, no hate. Just peace, live and let live, love, and smile. Those concepts are way easier on the heart and the mind.

Oh, and a $25 Walmart gift card will do just fine.

Dear Kanye

2010-11-18T09:26:00.001-05:00

R.I.P. College Dropout Bear

Is there a celebrity you would like to write a letter to? Do it, then link up at Mama Kat's!

"Power" artwork and bear graphics, google.com; Lyrics by Kanye West.

Swap Goodies and Winnings!

2010-11-16T10:51:00.000-05:00

My blogging buddies are really amazing. Today, I'm taking some time out to thank two fellow bloggers and tweeters (and both are Jennifers!) - Jenny M. and Jennifer M!

The Monday following my birthday, I came home to find a USPS box full of fun goodies from Jenny, my preppy Christmas swapper!

Oodles of fun stuff!

Each and every item was wrapped, which obviously made for a lengthy prezzie-opening fest! My husband watched in amazement as I continued to pull another - and then another- and then another wrapped item out of the box. Good times!

Inside the box:

MISTO Olive Oil Sprayer, Vigar Dishbrush, Orange Kitty Heat Resistant potholder, Six pairs of socks (one of my favorite things - cute socks!), Lettuce Shears, Julienne Peeler, and a Skinny Dip moisturizing candle in Peppermint!

Thanks, Jenny! I'm enjoying all of my new gadgets.

Who knew a dish brush could be so fun?!?

And now, the second Jennifer:

The timing of JMO's Christmas ornament giveaway couldn't have been more perfect. She selected the winner last week, when I was gearing up to decorate my home in full force for the holidays! My winnings arrived in the mail just a couple of days after I assembled the tree and turned my little home into Christmas heaven, so the ornament was easy to stick right in with everything else.

Thanks again, ladies - I truly enjoyed all of my goodies! My husband can't believe all of the stuff that keeps coming in the mail - I think he's getting suspicious, wondering if I'm shopping all the time! I have told him, "it's from a bloggy friend" too many times to count. You are all so awesome!

O' Christmas Tree (part I)

2010-11-15T16:16:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, I spent an entire day on one project that most probably won't bother with until Thanksgiving or after. Most may only spend an hour or two; I spent quite a few more than that. Some think I'm crazy; others think I'm awesome. Are you excited to see my Christmas tree? Or are you rolling your eyes?

Truth be told, I know i'm ahead of the game. I'm aware that I should be sticking turkey-bird decorations around my kitchen, because that's what the calendar tells me to do. The only problem is... Wal-mart is telling me otherwise! Seriously, though - I put up my tree a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving each and every year, because I leave town during the holidays. I skip out of Athens for 4-5 days during the week of Thanksgiving, and again for a few days surrounding Christmas. Since I'm missing out on my home and Christmas decorations for 10 days or so during the holiday season, it's ok to put up my tree a week or two prior to Thanksgiving, right? Right.

In O' Christmas Tree (Part I), I'm going to share my magical tree and all of its' wonder with my readers. Some of you have been waiting for a while now, so today you're welcome to visit my home and check out some of my favorite ornaments!

O' Christmas Tree (Part II) is going to be a little less cheer, a little more rant. Anti-Christmas Decor before Thanksgiving-ers, take note - it's a blog post especially for you. Only I'm not welcoming you into my home - you can stand on the doorstep, in the cold! I might offer you some hot cocoa, though - I'm not that mean. (Part II comes later this week.)

And now, it's time to get Christmas-y!

"The Story of my Christmas Tree"

by Stephanie S.

'Twas the morning of putting up the Christmas Tree, and all through the town of Athens, not a creature was stirring- except for the lady at Starbucks who made my Peppermint Mocha at 9:00am. "Whipped Cream?" she asked - "Hell Yes", I answered. Ok, not really. I just said "yeah, thanks." But "Hell Yes" sounds way cooler. Anyway,

The Fake tree branches were separated with care, in hopes that gigantic millipedes wouldn't fall out everywhere. True story. Last year, a 3-inch long millipede camoflaged itself in my tree, then inched its way across my floor and onto the couch. You never know what you're gonna find in the rolling hills of Southeastern Ohio...

500 Clear Lights were nestled all snug in their fake tree branches, while visions of anger and frustration danced in my head as i attempted to un-tangle 3 sets of gold beads. Gold bead garland is a tradition in my family, as they were my brothers' favorite tree decoration growing up. So I shoved a candy cane in my mouth and continued on, because I love my brother. :) ... and out on the coffee table, I laid out all of my ornaments - well, they were on the floor, too. And everywhere else. Because I'm ridiculous. And weird. I sprang up and down the tree, strategically hanging the ornaments so the tree wouldn't tip over and make a loud clatter.

OK, enough of the Night Before Christmas thing - it's getting difficult and stupid and you're probably losing respect for me.

Basically, following the lights and gold beads, I added blue. My dad's favorite color was blue, and for some reason, my tree lacked blue in years past. This year, I purchased some new additions - Carolina blue snowflakes to tuck deep into the branches, and a few darker hued blue bulbs featuring glittery wintry/deer scenes. And so the ornament hanging had begun!

I collect Marshall University ornaments, ornaments that look sweet, sugary, and edible, and I dearly love Hallmark Keepsake ornaments as well. As far as a color scheme, I don't really keep one running - I just like things that are shiny and bright. The shinier and brighter, the better! When choosing new items to add each year, I make sure that they represent something personal - about me, my family, my life, the things I love. Places we've been, teams we cheer for, my favorite candy, and our favorite tv shows are represented on the tree. Example: Why would you hang a Twilight Zone TV ornament that lights up and plays the theme music? - A. Because it represents the 8 New Year's Eve Twilight Zone Marathons on Sci-Fi that I've watched with my husband since we started dating.

Of course, this little fellow was on hand to help in between cat naps. Surprisingly, he's not the type of kitty to climb and/or tear down trees and destroy ornaments. He's not a chewer, but he likes to rub his cheeks against the bottom branches. Occasionally he will throw a lazy jab at a bulb - he's just too fat and tired to do anything else.

I finished the tree just as it was beginning to get dark outside. My husband and I went out for a nice piece of fresh grilled salmon and veggies (aka I got my cholesterol-lowering game on), and ended the evening by snacking on some peppermint patties while admiring my tree. Zero gifts are underneath it - and I'm going to keep it that way for a while, I think. Partly because - well, I'm not quite ready to start shopping for and wrapping gifts yet. But mostly because Diego likes sleeping underneath it.

Below are some of my favorite "parts" of the tree - enjoy!

Have you put up your tree yet? What is its' theme?

The Waiting Game

2010-11-10T06:38:00.001-05:00

It's been two months since I blogged about the beginning stage of my husband's academic job search. It's time to blog about phase 2, which is a total killer for some as impatient as yours truly!

The hubs submitted 40+ applications via online and snail mail this fall. OVER FORTY. Excellent opportunities in his field came up every week, and he couldn't pass them up! He totally hit this thing hard - and with me cheering him on, we decided together that we might as well go big or go home! Energy through the roof, I'm telling you!

...

And now, we're waiting.

he's received some feedback from schools already, such as requests for more information/documentation. Which is Great! But still...

It's hard. We wait. We wonder. We never worry, but we wonder... where will we live this time next year?

Everyone else is wondering, too. Our families and our friends. My co-workers. His colleagues. We're all just one big ball of waiting excitement. It's gotten to the point where this is affecting Christmas a great deal, because I keep wondering - will we know by then? Or will we still be waiting? Chances are, we'll still be waiting and wondering.

This experience isn't something that anyone can fully understand unless they've lived it. I would have to say that this is comparable to the NFL draft - I'll be waiting in the wings, willing to move wherever my husband goes, whatever "team" chooses him in the end. Will he be a first rounder, picked in early December? Will he be a steal for some lucky school in early January? Or will he be picked late in February, after a long, pain-staking wait that will all be worth it in the end because he gets to pursue his dreams?

I don't whine or whimper to anyone. We're alone. Me, and him. We have our families' support, and believe me, it's amazing - but do they feel what we feel? We are ecstatic about all of the job opportunities. Every school, every town, every city - we're in love with all of them. We avoid sharing the full extent of our enthusiasm with our families, because how in the world can we explain to them that we would really love to live in the cornfields? Would we be able to convince anyone, seeing as how we've lived in the Appalachian mountains our entire lives? Yeah, probably not.

My biggest fear, the one that "scares me right out of my pants"? Breaking hearts. Trying to explain to my mom why we would rather be Oklahoma Sooners than West Virginia Mountaineers. Or move to Tallahassee Florida for a temporary post-doc rather than settle down in Bowling Green, Kentucky. All of this depends on actual offers and time - both out of our control. But still, I fear a difficult decision. I accept it, though - it's all a part of the game.

Have we had discussions about the possibility of making a hard decision? Well - yes and no. Yes, because we've both agreed that this is probably going to end up being very difficult in the end. No, because it's impossible to plan which school he would choose seeing as how we're not far enough along in this game to know what the offers are going to be.

And so, we wait!

A Criticism of Anti-Intellectualism

2010-11-09T12:21:00.000-05:00

"Hey, can I read the first two pages of chapter 5 to you?", my husband asked me on Sunday evening.

I growled in response. His dissertation,which was all fun and games in the beginning, has become an increasingly complex, perplexing monster that I have proofread, chapter by chapter (proofread - as in, for spelling errors, dropped words, and oddly formed sentences - certainly not for the actual content) over the course of the last six months. I invest some serious energy, attention, and time to reading and checking over his work (why in the heck would I want to hear it out loud, too?)

I eventually gave in, and he began reading the fifth chapter to me - just to see if i could understand the concept he was writing about. If so, success! - his writing is clear and concise. If not - then, maybe it needs some more work. I didn't listen very closely. Therefore, I didn't understand. Before you judge, please realize that I'm not trying to be mean... I just didn't feel like trying to "get it". This is just one of many examples of me being the "anti-intellectual" that my husband accuses me of being. He doesn't get angry or upset with me, he laughs. He shakes his head and moves on, accepting that while his life forever exists inside the ivory tower, mine exists in, well, a little bit of everywhere (the mall, my job, TV, etc.) Some days, I'm energetic about thinking critically and exploring new ideas. Some days, I can totally stomach discussions about politics and religion. But some other days... I just can't hack it. On those days, I have a Bath and Body Works sale, or a pair of new shoes, a tasty piece of cheesecake or Edward Cullen on my mind. That's right - some days, my mind is preoccupied with consumerism, pop culture, and unhealthy food: three no-nos if you're trying to be all intellectual and crap.

My husband's fave reads
(Karl Marx vomited in my apartment.)

But wait a minute. If i feel like "being" intellectual sometimes, am I really an "anti-intellectual"? I'm certainly not a proud "non-reader" like Kanye West. I have a college education and I read on a regular basis, so am I still "anti-intellectual"?

Wikipedia defines anti-intellectualism as hostility toward and mistrust of intellect, intellectuals, and intellectual pursuits, usually expressed as the derision of education, philosophy, literature, art, and science, as impractical and contemptible. Anti-intellectuals usually perceive and publicly present themselves as champions of the common folk, proposing that the educated are a social class detached from the everyday concerns of the majority, and that they dominate political discourse and higher education.

I admit it - when I'm tagging along at a conference in an effort to learn about my husband's field, listening to someone's presentation (see! Intellectual brownie points there!) and the audience starts asking questions, I roll my eyes. I feel that a lot of "intellectuals" ask questions simply just to hear themselves talk, not because they really wanna know anything. As they talk in circles, asking a question, then answering their own question, then asking about the answer they gave their own question while the presenter stands at the front of the room looking utterly hopeless, I feel my eyes practically sticking inside the top of my head. Oops, I'm "anti-intellectual" now.

Some of my book collection - Twilight, Russo, Sparks, and Shoe Addicts Anonymous
(but give me credit - I read a biography of MLK and I loved it!)

But then, i take a stroll through the campus I'm visiting. I stop by and admire the sculptures outside the student center, take a minute to check out the student art gallery. I am NOT "anti-intellectual" then, am I? I don't mistrust those who are educated - I am educated.

Do I see myself as a champion of the common folk? Well... nah. I'm not really a champion of anything unless it's knowing quotes from the Office or lyrics to Britney Spears songs. Do I feel that those who are educated are a social class among themselves, estranged from the "common folk"? No - it isn't that simple - although I've certainly met individuals who think of themselves in that regard.

I truly love my husband's work - his research is interesting, he has more determination and desire to pursue a career in academia than anyone I've ever known. I'm super supportive, easy-going, and ready to rock and roll to whatever school, whatever conference, whatever college town, whenever, wherever. I'm game. I love talking to him about the future, and I enjoy the discussions we have about his work - but just not all the time. My life is consumed with this stuff, and I sometimes just need to take a break and rest my mind a little. I sometimes wonder where people get the energy to fight-fight-fight all the time, whether it be about politics or child-rearing or whatever... serious discussions about serious topics give me a headache and scare me away! I guess it depends on your passion - which, for me, is the importance of Facebook and using a good quality hand soap. I could go on and on about those two topics for hours on end.

Where do you stand? Do you consider yourself "anti-intellectual"? Or are you like me - a mixed bag o' everything?

My Birthday was bangin'! (That's what she said)

2010-11-08T13:31:00.000-05:00

Before I get into the weekend wrap-up, I have to say "THANK YOU!"to everyone who left all of those super sweet birthday wishes for me over the weekend! Thanks for swinging by and checking out my 27 favorite blogs; I hope you visited them and found some new reads that you'll be following regularly!

I'm now going to answer the #1 question, "What did you do for your birthday?"

Thursday evening (my B-day Eve), my husband and I went to our very last Ohio Bobcat home football game - it was the last home game of the season, and our last visit to Peden Stadium. I was a little bit emotional... the Bobcats played a fantastic game and won, I watched the Marching 110 perform their amazing field show for the last time, and found myself reflecting on football seasons past. It was a cold, cozy game full of excitement for the present and anticipation for the future; when I let myself wonder "what stadium will I be sitting in next year?", I got a little teary-eyed. I grew to love Ohio, and for that I'm so thankful - it's been a great place to be. I am, however, ready for the next place (more on my husband's job market adventure in a later post.)

Friday was totally bananas-awesome-Birthday-riffic! My morning started off with ultra-caffeinated gifts from co-workers: 2 large bags of m&ms (one dark chocolate, one milk chocolate), and a Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks, which happened to be my very first one ever. I'm in L-U-V. I was bouncing off the walls the entire day, and by the end I was completely exhausted, but the coffee & m&ms were a fun birthday experience. I don't think my body can ever take that again!

My husband and I had dinner out at a local Italian restaurant, Abrios Brick Oven. I also spent a Bath & Body Works gift card (gift from my mother-in law!) and bought a ridiculous amount of 3-wick candles, hand soaps, and wallflowers. The bag was ridiculously heavy. My hubs ended the day by giving me the exact things I wished for - a DQ Ice Cream Cake, an Ohio Bobcat Snuggie, and The Office Seasons 5 & 6 on DVD! Yeah, no mushy birthday gifts for me - I like what I like and want what I want. What I wanted was an Office marathon for my birthday, and that's exactly what I got - only it lasted most of the weekend! I eventually took a break from Dwight Shrute to go on a little shopping spree on Saturday, courtesy of my in-laws who spoiled me with American Eagle and Victoria's Secret gift cards (I totally still think American Eagle jeans are the bomb! If you disagree, then, like, WHATEVER!)

Birthday in Photos:

Sunday was the first of many days that I spend transforming our apartment into Christmas Central. The final step is my magnificently magic mega sparkly and fun Christmas tree, but I like to spend a few days building the anticipation for my favorite holiday tradition. The tree will go up on Thursday, and you can be sure that I will blog the entire experience! I spent Sunday sorting through Christmas decor and got things in order; I even put out a few little odds and ends to get started.

My decor is a collection of various odds and ends that family and friends have bought me over the years. Some things are kid-friendly, some pieces are primitive, some old-fashioned, some modern. I always use nearly everything, just to make things seem "fuller" and more festive. My favorite pieces are glittery/snowman/candy related. The more glitter, the more sparkle, the more color, the more I love it. Obviously, my favorite decorations that are actually put out as of now are the yummy candy jars - i could never get sick of staring at red and green m&ms or York Peppermint Patties!

I'm hoping I can stand the wait until Thursday... I'm excited to share my tree with everyone! Each step tells a story - the colors of the lights, the beaded garland, the tree topper, and the ornaments have meaning. Or, I'm completely Christmas-crazy.

Yep, Christmas crazy.

If anyone else is planning to put their tree up soon, please, BLOG it! (With lots of photos!) I want to hear all about your tree, your traditions, and your favorite ornaments.

Have a wonderful Monday!

Celebrating my Birthday Blog Style!

2010-11-05T09:04:00.000-04:00

If you were physically here, eating birthday cake with me - well, that would be awesome, wouldn't it? I'm sorry I can't share my birthday cake with you - the best I can do is share my 27 favorite bloggers with you. I know it's not cake and ice cream n' stuff, but hey - I cannot hog all of these wonderful blogs to myself!

1. One of my two super favorite Southern belle bloggers, Julie @ Brown Eyed Bell posts gorgeousness every day. Her blog is a breath of fresh air and is perfect when I'm in the mood to see "pretty". Her photo tribute to Julia Roberts and Eat, Pray, Love is one of my all-time BEB favorites.

2. Just when I thought I was the only girl who cared about the Cincinnati Reds making it to the MLB playoffs this season, I read City Girl's take on the situation. She cared, alright... in a slightly different way. She had to purchase playoff tickets in Have You Seen my Baseball?

3. I feel like I owe my entire blog to college friend and fellow Marshall alumni Jennifer @ Crazy Shenanigans. She was my source of advice, and the one who said, "start blogging!" Thanks, JMO!

4. Miranda, another fellow Marshall girl, and West Virginian-turned Hawaiian shares her life @ Hangin' Loose with the Tucci's. Bonus points to Miranda for creating gorgeous blogger themes and templates!

5. My other favorite Southern belle blogger and super cute mom shares her adorable thoughts, ideas, and life experiences with a lil' bit of classy twang @ Flip Flops & Pearls.

6. I discovered something very pretty and dangerous... an Etsy shop that has become my favorite, hands-down! Learn about Leigh Ashley's Etsy shop, Barberry and Lace. Her blog is beautiful, too!

7. I opened my very first Scentsy warmer, Faith, and knew within seconds that I loved the quality. 10 minutes later, my apartment smelled like pumpkin roll heaven and I have Amanda to thank! She introduced me to the world of Scentsy, and blogs about her life as a student and Scentsy consultant @ Life According to Amanda.

8. I've been reading about Heather's life for a few months now, and I know without a doubt that she is totally awesome. How do I know that already, you ask? Well... she fed my Bath and Body Works addiction this week by sending me a bottle of self-foaming hand soap in Twisted Peppermint for my birthday! You should check out her blog, Life with Heather, but I can't guarantee that she'll send you goodies, too... 'cuz I'm SPECIAL!

9. I knew when I first started reading Amber's blog, Life on a Stick, that she was super intelligent, a hard worker, and a terrific mom - I love her, and her daughter is a total cutie pie!

10. Jenny from Jenny XOXO is a super sweet Minnesota Vikings loving gal. My favorite post of hers, and quite possibly one of my favorite posts out of all my favorite blogs to date has to be when she Photo Blogged the lyrics to Katy Perry's Teenage Dream this summer!

11. Never forget your house keys. Ty tells us why in her hilarious blog, Rants, Raves, Ridiculous! I'm totally stuck on this law student's take on daily life. You will be, too - I promise!

12. Brittany took me under her wing, introduced me to a bigger blogging world, and has been my blogging buddy since the beginning!

13. Lindsay @ Designer Wife is one of my other Marshall girls. She's a great foodie/healthy living blogger, and like me, she's an orange tabby "kitteh" lover, too!

14. Susie, one of my favorite bloggin' mommas and she is the brain behind the Blog Gang! Visit Motherhoot and become a blog-ganger with the rest of us cool kids, and be sure to read some of Susie's awesomely funny writing.

15. Ashley, my favorite Oklahom-ian blogger and a Carrie Underwood FAN-A-TIC, is nothing short of a sweetheart. Her blog post made me cry all over my keyboard one day... because she posted this music video. One of my favorite blog memories ever!

16. I've enjoyed Katie's blog ever since I started following her - she just loves her football! She made me laugh so hard when she shared photos of her Halloween Costume!

17. Rebekah's blog is a comforting, calming, and super sweet - I want more than anything to just hang out with her, enjoy some coffee, and maybe a slice of homemade pie - she's just that cozy!

18. I knew Aimee was going to be one of my favorite bloggers when I read this post way back in early summer, and discovered that she, too, was a sports fanatic!

19. I love Kerry. Just love her. And all of her FOOD. She blogs about rich and indulgent treats like this, which makes me wish she was my neighbor!

20. Faith. Oh, I love Faith! She's been married one year (tomorrow! Happy Anniversary!) and documents her newlywed adventures almost daily. She melts my heart with her gorgeous wedding photo flashbacks!

21. I just recently (and i mean, recently - like, a week ago) started visiting Kelley's Break Room, and Ohhhmygosh she is HILARIOUS. If you head there, for goodness sakes, PLEASE swallow what you're drinking before you read. Her writing is super entertaining and she is laugh out loud funny!

22.The Green Eyed Lady is a totally stylin' babe - and shares my love for the NFL! I always love when she leaves comments - they're always so meaningful!

23. Of course, we all love Mama Kat - her writing workshop has saved our blogging butts a time or two!

24. Just when I thought I was the only person dying to hear Christmas music this week, I find out that fellow Ohio Blogger and huge Buckeye fan, Lindsey @ Lovin' my Life, is dying to hear it as well! We're 70 miles apart, but listen to the same Columbus Radio station, 93.3 WLZT, and are SO excited that the station made its' official switchover to Christmas music - today, on my birthday!

25. I love my sports and I love my collegiate hoodies, but Sunny & Star's Blog reminds me that it's O.K. to be totally girly and totally feminine!

26. Another blogging gal that you can count on to bail you out when you have a case of writers block is Beth! Beth's Friday Fives are always a go-to fun time on Fridays! If nothing else, visit and "ooh n' ahh" over her brand new nephew!

and finally... #27. Number 27 is coming soon. "A Day in the Life of a Grad Student's wife" will soon become "A Day in the Life of a Professor's Wife", at http://www.aprofessorswife.com. I will launch my blog when my grad student husband makes the transition to Mr. Professor later this year - but I've already purchased the domain, I'm beginning the slow transition to Wordpress, and I cannot WAIT for you all to join me as I grow and adapt to a new phase in life!

Thank you for taking the time to "visit" my blog on my 27th Birthday! And thanks for providing me with wonderful writing, traveling recaps, thought-provoking ideas, delicious recipes, humorous tales, gorgeous photography, and everything and anything else that you post on your awesome blogs!

Have a terrific weekend, guys! As for me? I'm planning to dive head-first into a 16-inch Dairy Queen Ice Cream cake in less than 8 hours - so I think its' safe to say that I'm gonna have a great one!

My Birthday Billboard #1's

2010-11-04T13:00:00.000-04:00

In honor of my 27th birthday that is TOMORROW, I'm digging up some Billboard archives and listing the 27 songs that were #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on my birthday, from the years 1983 thru 2010.

Do you remember these?

1983 - "Islands in the Stream" - Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton
1984 - "Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)" - Billy Ocean
1985 - "Part-time Lover" - Stevie Wonder
1986 - "True Colors" - Cyndi Lauper

1987 - "I Think we're Alone Now" - Tiffany
1988 - "Kokomo" - the Beach Boys
1989 - "Listen to your Heart" - Roxette
1990 - "Ice Ice Baby" - Vanilla Ice

1991 - "Cream" - Prince & the New Power Generation
1992 - "End of the Road" - Boyz II Men
1993 - "I'd Do Anything for Love (but I Won't do That)" - Meatloaf
1994 - "I'll Make Love to You" - Boyz II Men

1995 - "Fantasy" - Mariah Carey
1996 - "No Diggity" - Blackstreet feat. Dr. Dre
1997 - "Candle in the Wind" - Elton John
1998 - "The First Night" - Monica
1999 - "Smooth" - Santana feat. Rob Thomas
2000 - "Come on Over" - Christina Aguilera

2001 - "Family Affair" - Mary J Blige

2002 - "Lose Yourself" - Eminem
2003 - "Baby Boy" - Beyonce feat. Sean Paul
2004 - "My Boo" - Usher & Alicia Keyes

2005 - "Gold Digger" - Kanye West feat. Jamie Foxx

2006 - "My Love" - Justin Timberlake feat. T.I.

2007 - "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" - Soulja Boy Tell 'em
2008 - "Whatever You Like" - T.I.
2009 - "Fireflies" - Owl City

and... this year, the #1 Billboard Hot 100 song is...

2010 - "Like a G6" - Far East Movement -

which is totally disappointing...(thanks a LOT for the horrible birthday song, BILLBOARD!) I even stuck this on my iPod in an effort to try to "feel its rhythm", or whatever, but IT AIN'T HAPPENIN'. Not even on the treadmill. Which is surprising, because almost anything can keep me moving on the treadmill. This song makes me cringe - worse than Cream by Prince & the NPG.

My dear husband, when you read this, I know you're going to want to listen to "Like a G6" and dissect the rhetorical pedagogy that is used in the lyrics. Er.. something. But please... PLEASE spare your wife the mortification. It's horrible! I am ashamed! Kesha is WAY better, just take my word for it!!!

I can honestly say that I enjoy listening to just about every song on my list of birthday #1's... but the top three would have to be Fantasy by miss Mariah, Smooth because I love Rob Thomas a ton and a half, and Gold Digger - not because I can relate or anything, but because I love Kanye West's music!

Last night my hubs and I watched Woody Allen's "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" at the small theatre in town. Tonight, we're going to freeze our faces off at the last Ohio Bobcat home football game of the season. Which will be the last Ohio Bobcat football game I ever attend at Peden Stadium in Athens. I already predict that I will be a little emotional when the game is over! When I moved to Athens, I was a die-hard MARSHALL THUNDERING HERD fan that wanted absolutely nothing to do with the Bobcats. I gave them a chance. And now, I love 'em. I'm gonna miss them! GO CATS!

I hope you all are having a wild and wonderful Friday-eve. Join me on my Birthday tomorrow - I have an extra special post planned, and I definitely want you to stop by!

The Big 2-7. In 2 Days.

2010-11-03T15:50:00.000-04:00

That's right. The celebration has already started! My momma kicked things off by sending me this via Macy's:

The ck one "blockbuster" gift set - which will last me a long while! ck one is one of my all-time favorite scents; I haven't worn it in years, and mentioned something to my mom a few months ago about going back to the old faithful sometime soon, as I was running out of Abercrombie "Fierce" (that's right - I like to smell manly when I'm not doused in Bath & Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel or Twilight Woods!)

Anyway, continuing on with the celebration:

Today was my "party" at work - my co-workers are too awesome!

Gotta love my co-workers for decorating the hallway by my office door! "Bears"... haha!

A gift from my supervisor! She knows me well!

Cream-Cheese Pumpkin Bars

Blackberry Cobbler

Triple Fudge Cake

If you're wondering, I had a "my eyes are bigger than my stomach" piece of each dessert!

And finally, the card from my crew:

My Birthday was celebrated at the office a couple of days early due to "important party guests" not being able to attend tomorrow and/or Friday. And you know, I'm the baby of the bunch... so of course they've all gotta show up at the baby's party! OR ELSE!

I wrapped things up by doing a little something special for myself. Prepare yourselves - if you thought I was crazy before, you're really going to think I'm crazy now. Hate all you want:

It's Christmastime in my office! YAY!

I hope you all are having a great week! I'm a bit busier than usual, but it's my birthday week so i'll be back to party both tomorrow and Friday! And YOU'RE invited!

Stay tuned!

Welcome, November!

2010-11-01T12:37:00.000-04:00

So, what are your plans for November? Enjoy the month, have fun planning holiday visits with the fam, and get ready for some chilly, long days and longer, darker evenings!

Social Network Support

2010-10-29T12:31:00.001-04:00

My brother has had Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, a form of supraventricular tachycardia (irregular, fast heart rate) for 30+ years; he has been able to control the condition with medication, and has lived an active lifestyle with pretty great health. This past weekend, the meds stopped working, and he was transported to a WVU-Ruby Memorial for abrasion treatment, which "zapped" the extra "abnormal" pathway. 5 days after being rushed to the ER, his heart is now beating normally for the first time in his life, he is resting at home, and his little sister is breathing a major sigh of relief. Thankfully, family members and friends were there to keep him company when things were scary and uncomfortable during the hospital stay.

Facebook made things so much easier. A virtual world that most have given in to but some, unfortunately, still view as a shady place for creepers and weirdos, enabled me to keep in contact with my brother, my friends, his friends, and the rest of my family so easily. We could keep tabs on each other at all times of the day, and ensure that the correct information was getting out regarding his condition. Our friends and family were on the same page, they knew where to go to check up and see how he was doing, and the overwhelming amount of support was totally unbelievable.

I'm finding that so many non-FB users are misinformed about the social network; contrary to their belief(s), it can be a positive environment where people can easily communicate with one another with a few clicks of the mouse, or a few taps on a smartphone. I've heard non-users say, "who cares what someone had for dinner?", "why would you want to tell everyone when you're going to the restroom?", and, "why would I want all of my personal information all over the internet?" My answers to the questions are as follows: I WANT to know what people are having for dinner because it just might give this horrid cook some new ideas, I have yet to actually see someone post when they're taking a #2, and users can easily control the privacy settings of their "personal information". If someone's taking a potty break, I'm definitely "liking" that status update.

If you feel that Facebook isn't the site for you, fine. If you've encountered a nasty situation while on Facebook and it influenced you to ditch the site, totally understandable. If you're dissing the monstrous social network but have never, ever logged in to it or researched it, please... stay away from me! Facebook can be good. There are negative aspects of it (I've been involved in and have even instigated a "Facebook Fight" or two), but there are positives, too. You have to learn how to use it in a way that best suits your needs and wants. I need to let my Facebook friends know what I'm doing, how I'm feeling, what I'm reading, where I'm shopping, and how much chocolate I'm eating. Why? I'm just a social media whore. I want to know what my friends are doing, how they're feeling, what they're reading, where they're shopping, and how much chocolate they're eating, too. I'm interested in their lives - call me queen nosey.

I needed to know how my brother was feeling this week. I wanted him to know that while i was three hours away from the hospital and could only be there Sunday and Wednesday, I was easy to find and communicate with. I needed to know that my mom was handling everything OK, and I wanted to keep her company when she was at the hospital, worried about her son. She needed to know that I was there for her to talk to, and she wanted to keep her entire church family informed of how things were progressing. Through a series of Facebook private messages, status updates, and comments, all of this was possible - and easy - and quiet - and effective.

The night before my brother was rushed to the ER, my husband and I watched The Social Network. I know the story was Hollywood-ed to death, but still - it was inspiring. I am a Facebook user. I'm proud of that, and I would defend the site to no end. I understand that there are negative consequences to using Facebook irresponsibly or carelessly, but I also know that there are numerous benefits to being a registered user as well.

End rant. Enter... Happy Weekend!

Have a good one, sweethearts! And please - find me on facebook and send a friend request. I promise to fill you in on the type of m&ms I'm eating each and every day.

30 legs of TERRIFYING

2010-10-28T10:36:00.000-04:00

Count 'em. 15 Pairs of legs.

Now imagine spotting this creature climbing all over your solid white walls at the speed of light.

I spot one at least twice per week during the late Spring, Summer, and early Fall months; if the temperature is above 70 degrees and the humidity is high outside, my home is fair game for these buggers...

I'll never forget the first time I spotted a house centipede, just a couple of weeks after my husband and I moved into our Southeastern Ohio home in Summer 2006. It was on the ceiling. I screamed, I cried, I laid in bed and writhed in fear and had a serious case of "the shakes". I had no idea What the EFF the creature was, what it was doing in my home, and wondered if there were more. The S.O.B. was a total pain to kill - my husband, standing on a chair and equipped with a Nike Air Jordan in his hand, was no match for Mr. Centipede - the bug scurried away, laughing at my husband's numerous attempts to kill it. Eventually, the hubs succeeded. "It" was dead. And both of us had the heeby jeebies all night long.

I couldn't resist googling the ugly effer, and much to my surprise, I found that it was actually beneficial for homes because it ate other possibly dangerous insects. How in the Hizz-ELL could something so scary looking be beneficial? I also learned that they thrive in humid climates, especially in wooded areas. I thought critically for a moment: I lived on top of a hill, in the woods, in Southeastern Ohio where the humidity is like 14700% in the summer. I knew I hadn't seen my last house centipede.

If I've ever come close to having a heart attack, it would have been on a warm, humid summer morning during the week that our central air was being repaired, just a couple of weeks after "the first encounter". At 6 a.m., I sleepily stumbled into the bathroom with towel and washcloth in hand, pulled back the shower curtain, and there were THREE. Hot Mama, Big Papa, and Teenager Centipede. I was frozen, as were my centipede friends.

Enter my then 5 month old super spunky, sharp-clawed tom house-cat.

In total desperation, I tossed my orange tabby into the bathtub, and he annihilated the centipede family one by one. He clawed and squished each bug so quickly, so easily... then proceeded to bat around the piles of legs and goo that remained. I cleaned up the mess while my cat pranced around proudly. I. was. traumatized.

Over the years, we've encountered these 30-legged freaks pretty regularly. An exterminator comes twice per year, but there are always a few bugs that manage to survive, and stumble out of their hiding places, confused and bewildered. Up until around a year ago, my cat enjoyed preying on them... now he just sits and stares, lazily. A part of my regular cleaning regimen is inspecting our white walls for splotches of bug remains. Every single morning i hesitantly pull back the shower curtain. And there have been a couple of instances where one was hiding in my damp towel basket, and i "found" it when doing laundry. On a positive note, we never have ants or spiders, so HOT DAMN - they really must feed on other insects! To my knowledge, a centipede has never touched my bare skin (although it's possible that i've swallowed one or two while sleeping.) House centipedes keep to themselves and stay on the walls, near the ceiling - so if you happen to encounter these scary creatures, don't worry - they're not hunting for you.

As part of the blog gang hosted by Susie, I thought I would share my creepy, ongoing battle with house centipedes. If you are craving a little bit of hair-raising entertainment this Halloween, go ahead and google centipede images - you're sure to be in for a scare!

2010-10-25T22:26:00.000-04:00

I recently took some photos of the gorgeous fall leaves when I was out and about, wandering around Ohio University's campus - enjoy! (and Go Bobcats!)

Weekend jeans & sneaks - doesn't it feel nice?

Ellis Hall

Blinding late afternoon October sun

Looking on toward Alden Library

Headed to Court Street, for a movie and some food!

Hope you're soaking in all of the October color while it still lasts!

Happy Tuesday!