Week Long Wrap-up

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!

  

Headin' to WV

Happy Friday, all!  It's OCTOBER!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend planned, whether you are tailgating at the game, hanging around the house with your fam, or taking a mini-trip somewhere fun. Just a few things:

If you're going shopping, buy me something pretty.  And if you're eating out, please indulge in something rich and sugary, and think of me!

Why I like LOVE October:

And now, for my weekend plans:  I'm taking a break from the football stadium and heading to the West Virginia mountains to see my momma! We're traveling to Beckley on Saturday morning, where I plan to browse a beautiful place called Tamarack.  It's a gorgeous cultural/arts/food/crafts/shopping location where you can find all things West Virginia!

The first week of October is American Craft Week, so there's sure to be a ton of special displays, presentations, and new items in the store. As you all know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month - and Tamarack is taking part in raising awareness. I'm looking forward to seeing the "world's longest pink ribbon scarf", which is draped throughout the concourse of the building. You can learn more about Tamarack here, and read more about the world's longest pink ribbon scarf here!

My husband and I both need some quality family time before taking on the remainder of this month.  October is going to be fun but busy - my husband will be mailing out 30+ job applications to various schools across the country (from Portland, Oregon to New York and everywhere above, below, and in between!), we have plenty of football games to attend, there's a trip to Louisville, KY stuck in there somewhere, and HELLO?!? - it's Halloween time! I love it!

Have a great weekend, my friends! And enjoy those Pumpkin Pie Blizzards from DQ!

Watch out for Rufus!

We made it! It's FRIDAY!

As I read blog posts early this a.m., I sensed a lot of excitement for the weekend - I hope you all have a great one!

As for me, here's what's up for the weekend. Yes, it involves that brown leather ball thing:

vs.

The Ohio University Bobcats will visit the Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington, WV for the "Battle of the Bell" and 2009 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl rematch against the Marshall Thundering Herd!

My new home vs. my old home, my husband's current school vs. our alma mater, a team I've grown to love vs. a team and a school I'll love forever.

It's going to be one of those days when I look up at the sky and say "ain't God great!?!?!?", because the football heavens has blessed me with a football game that is a win-win situation. There will be no tears at this game - I get to kick back with my m&ms, my camera, and enjoy w/the fam! I can't explain how much I'm looking forward to this! 

I just need to make sure that I watch out for this guy:

RUFUS.

You know, the guy that did this last weekend:

Yikes. 

Run, Marco, RUN!!!

In addition to the football game (which on Saturday evening), I'm hoping to get some lunch at the Marshall Hall of Fame Cafe, grab some Cold Stone at Pullman Square, and hit up the Marshall bookstore.  I love weekends in Huntington with the fam! And my sister-in-law has a new yellow-tom kitty, Charlie, that I cannot wait to meet.  I'm a sucker for cats!

My husband is hanging out with scholarly folks on campus all day and evening, so when I'm finished with work, it's pretty much Stephanie/girl-time!  I need to take advantage, so I'm going to plan some blogs in advance, read some more of Sparks' Safe Haven (I'm trying to take my time with it! Sparks only comes but once a year!), and snuggle with my kitty.

Have a wonderful weekend! And if you have any recommendations as far as how I should spend my girl time, please - shoot 'em at me!  

Last day for the B&B works giveaway! and super fast weekend round-up

I will be notifying the winner of my Bath & Body Works 'summer isn't over" goodie bag giveaway tomorrow, so make sure to enter by midnight! For details, read the official giveaway post.


I've had a super busy but awesome weekend!  I visited my fam and hung out in Huntington Friday evening thru Saturday Morning, for the Friends of Coal Bowl.  Marshall lost to WVU in OVERTIME!  It was a complete heartbreaker, and I totally whimpered and cried about it.  Aside from the WVU fans who sat at home and watched it on tv, then harassed me on Facebook when it was over, it was a great game - so great that the WV governor renewed the Friends of Coal Bowl contract for another 10 years!  It's going to take me a whole year to recover from that experience.  My husband still has a sore throat and no voice, two whole days later!

 

Saturday evening we hopped off our home on the hill, down to Peden Stadium and watched our Ohio Bobcats play the Toledo Rockets.  I was completely moved and teary-eyed when the Bobcat football players came running onto the field carrying an American flag before the game started.  September 11th has touched everyone in a personal, emotional, mental, or even physical way.  I must mention that I really enjoyed everyone's September 11th memorial posts this weekend - I didn't get time to comment on them, but I loved them all - especially the "where were you?" posts.  Great writing!

September 11th Memorial
Marshall University Campus

Today is a lazy NFL Sunday.  I just watched my Tom Brady with his flowing hair, and the rest of the awesome Pats team beat the Bengals!  I also ate an entire box of Great Value brand chocolate filled cupcakes and two mini sized Edy's ice creams (i'm super PMS-ing, ok?!?) I'm feelin' a little rough, I've watched way too much football, and now i'm ready to read, write a little, and perform my duties at the ironing board.  


I'm looking forward to the VMAs tonight!  I hope you all had a great weekend!

Another West Virginia Weekend

As usual, visiting the fam in West Virginia was a good ol' time! The hubster & I drove in on Friday evening, and I spent hours upon hours with my mother & sister in law and aunt, setting up our "yardsale" at a local community building.  We worked from 8pm until nearly midnight - I've never seen so much junk in my life!  It was a hoot, looking at each other's crap.  Good times...
Saturday morning was the actual sale, and I kicked things off with a generous sized chunk of Grandma J's homemade peanut butter candy along with a 16 oz cup of vanilla cappuccino from the local gas station - this turned me into a chatterbox, which was nice because a lot of old friends stopped by the sale to visit!  We made a little bit of $$$, and took the remainder of our junk to Goodwill.  
On the way to visit my mom and step dad, I stopped by the local visitor's center, where some of my WV wooden signs are being sold! 

This is one of the displays in the store, and the sign in the pic is a favorite among my WV peeps:

These were what my visit with mom was all about:

Some of of the BEST brownies I've ever eaten!  Nothing like a mother's touch ;)  She knows what makes her daughter the happiest! And yes, the part that's missing is what I ate within the first 20 minutes of my visit.  I proceeded to eat another row before the day was over.  And no, I did not barf up brownies all night long!  My body is used to this kind of abuse!

Sunday morning, my step dad and I did a little bird-watching - ok, not so much, but we got excited when we  saw some large birds flying high in the sky because apparently there is a bald eagle hanging out in the mountains and valleys of Webster County! He grabbed the binoculars and we watched for a little while, but no bald eagle. BUMMER.

  

Eventually, it was time to return to my in-laws house for my mother-in-law's fiesta-themed surprise birthday party!  We ate a ton of homemade Mexican dishes, and of course, i dove head first into the Reese's Peanut Butter Ice Cream and birthday cake - like, YUM!

We had to wrap things up and head back to Ohio in the afternoon.  On the trip back, we stopped at Hallmark - Ornament Premiere Weekend, HELLO!  I only picked up a few (the rest of my favorites will be sold in stores beginning in October, so this was a "light" ornament premiere shopping experience.)  

I'm glad to be back in Athens, and I'm ready to do some serious bloggin' this week! Wild and wonderful weekends in Webster County, WV are always a good time, but there's no place like my home in O-H-I-O!  

Speaking of living in Ohio, did anyone know that Cinci Bengals Wide Receiver & DWTS contestant Chad (Johnson) Ocho-Cinco has a reality dating show on VH-1?!?!?!  I'm watching now, and it is HIL-AR-I-OUS!

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! :)

The Weekend Review

This past weekend:

My mom and step-dad came to Athens for a little visit!

We did a little eating out, browsed the farmer's market, enjoyed some downtime just hanging around and chatting, and of course, mom and I hit up and tore up the B&B Works Sale! We had a great time, and this will probably be one of the last times they come to visit Athens, since we will be moving sometime next Spring.

I listed a couple of new items on Etsy!

 I feel like I'm getting better and better at this sign painting thing.  Taylor Swift inspired one, while the other just came straight from my creative little mind (and green is my favorite color.)

P.S. - I sold my first item! Hot Dog!!! It's so nice to know that others enjoy my creations - that's what makes it all worthwhile. (Thanks to the buyer - you're a wonderful little woman!)

I'm currently brainstorming for some ideas that aren't wooden signs, but would be a fun, nice addition to my shop.  I'm headed toward paper products, specifically stationary/greeting cards and chick friendly art prints.  Any suggestions?

Other Tidbits:

• I watched Dear John for the first time since seeing it in theaters - and this time, I teared up way more, almost as much as when I read the book. AND, I was ironing while watching! (maybe the ironing is why i cried so much...)  Am I the only one that is more saddened by Mr. Tyree's character (John's father) than the actual love story between John and Savannah?  Richard Jenkins did an amazing job as Mr. Tyree.
• My iPhone is doing exceptionally well.  Just thought I would update you on that.  I think i'm going to give it a name - after all, it's kinda like my new best friend!  I will happily take name suggestions.
• I'm enjoying every second of the cheerful, cute, and stylish "Shoe Addicts Anonymous" - and, considering I found it on the bargain shelf at Borders, I'm extremely satisfied :)  I think I want to try out some Sophie Kinsella... I know that when I do, I will never look back!  Which Sophie book should I read first?

I hope you had a great weekend, too!  Happy MONDAY (seriously!)

M&M themed bathroom?!? And a visit from the in-laws

I've been up and stirring since 6 am, getting things ready for a short visit from the in-laws and grandparents. I always get a little anxious/nervous, because this only happens once a year - if it was more often, I probably wouldn't get antsy, but here I am, a little jittery and trying to stomach a bowl of Strawberries & Cream oatmeal.  It's supposed to be like the hottest day of the century, and we're taking grandma and grandpa on a mini-tour of Ohio University's campus because they've never been. Note to self: take some bottled water!


While browsing my favorite junk catalog, ABC DIstributing "Harvest 2010", I came across something really amazing, really childish, but Oh-My-Gosh I am SO in love:




Eh... it doesn't need a description.  My favorite part has to be the rug, and the shower curtain hooks - only, I wish the rug was GREEN!  If it was, I would be getting it at least.  Instead, I'll just stare at its' page in the catalog for a couple of days.  What's weird is, it's totally not my style - I love more modern, clean looks.  This is one of those times where I wish I had an extra bathroom and a kid, so I could pretend like "it's Stephanie Jr's Idea"...  


You can read more about my m&m addiction here.


I hope everyone has a super Saturday - I know I will.  I love the fam - I'm lucky to have such terrific in-laws! 


I'll be back tomorrow with a short recap.  Until then, have a fantastic weekend, and as always, thanks for stopping by!

Friday Free-Write #4

YAY for Friday! And a super YAY for it being the last weekend in May - which, for me, is the start of the summer season. Hot Damn! (literally! It's been HOT outside this week!) I apologize ahead of time - I'm not feeling real humorous or creative today. So this will just be a quick run-down of my fantabulous week:

It has been an off-beat week for me, which started off with a Monday night sushi feast at a friend's house. Most of Todd's friends from grad school are heading out this summer, starting new jobs, getting married, etc. Monday night's little event was a sort of send off, as many of them will not see each other for a long time. I avoided the sushi, because I have strange issues with consuming raw food (I wash raw veggies for like ten minutes under running water before eating them.) Todd enjoyed the sushi, though - and I tried wasabi coated peas for the first time - HOLY SMOKES. They have a crap ton of zing to be so little! After the visit, we returned home where I caught the end of the season premiere of the Bachelorette. I love Ali! (but I think my favorite Bachelorette of all time has to be Jillian.)

Tuesday kicked off the judging of the Hallmark Card Design contest I recently entered, which participants could track on Facebook - this carried over into Wednesday as well. Super exciting stuff! Read the details on it here. Tuesday night was a total bust - my cable and internet went out 10 minutes into the Dancing with the Stars Finale, and came back on 17 minutes after the show ended! WTF??? I was NOT happy. So i did what any other depressed female would do - I popped in the Notebook - which, as is usually the case with Nicholas Sparks movies and books, made me a little sad. So I tried to read - and the current book I'm reading really sucks so far. I gave up and went to bed!

Wednesday was CPR day... My supervisor and I team-teach Red Cross CPR and First Aid classes for the agency, to keep our employees current on certification. It's a nice break from the day-to-day office work, and the students can be a total hoot! I particularly enjoy wrestling the dummies (Red Cross calls them "Manikins", but whatever... they're dummies) when setting up and tearing down the trainings. They're great - they never talk back! I also like wearing the surgeon-like rubber gloves... I feel smart and scientific with them on.

Wednesday Night's American Idol Finale was awesome - tons of surprise performances and shocking moments - especially when Bret Michaels came onstage and performed! I almost fell off the couch. He didn't seem well at all on the Apprentice finale on Sunday night, following the serious illnesses he's just recently suffered from. Everyone I know on the planet gave Janet Jackson's AI performance (and haircut) hell, but I enjoyed it. "She sounded like Michael, it was creepy, wierd, blahblahblah"... I think that may have been the first time several people ever heard her sing a slower song or something - she and Michael sound so much alike when they sing softer, slower ballads. I've listened to both of them ever since I was a silly little girl. I never thought it surprising that they sounded or even danced alike - both were coached by daddy Joe!

Anyway, all the time not spent at work or watching tv this week was spent doing laundry and getting ready to visit the fam in West Virginia this weekend. I will be taking tons of photos and blogging all about the weekend when I return to Athens, so stay tuned - you know you want to!

I also have to add that this weekend is the "Webster County Woodchopping Festival" - all of my hometown pals are super stoked for the annual event, and I hope you all have fun! I don't know if i'll be going to the festivities - not sure I'll have time, but I hope to see some old friends around town while i'm out and about.

As for Diego, he'll probably party with all of his cat friends in Athens on Saturday night. Just look at him - all fat and happy. Don't you wish you could be like him? Not a care in the world... except for a clean litter box, plenty of cat nip, and a surplus of food.

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! Enjoy spending time with your family, relaxing if you have some time off, eating good food, and playing outside. And wear sunscreen, for the love of God! The UV index feels like a 432 most days (but they say it is only an "8". Whatever. 432!)