PMA

It's the second week back to classes and I've decided that my number one goal for this semester is to stay positive. With a rough start back (my car is broken and I'm just getting over an intense stomach flu), that is proving to be a little bit of a challenge, but you can't hold me down!

As dorky as it is, I love this stuff. School, that is. And everything I'm learning right now is so exciting to me. Javascript, jQuery, mobile jQuery, Phonegap, more PHP and more MySQL! It's just a shame that I have spent so much of my school career being grumpy from all of the stress.

I quit Facebook for a few weeks to try to get rid of the excess, unnecessary stuff in my life. And it helped a lot. I've returned now because my birthday's coming up and I wouldn't want anyone to forget it (See birthday wishlist below). Also, I realized that no one would read my blog if I didn't share it on Facebook. So there's that.

But I think it's something that everyone should do. If not indefinitely, then at least for a few days. I just needed that time to straighten out my priorities. And read books. And cook dinner. And build block towers with Maylene. And whatnot.

I have grown up with social media. First it was AIM (sugarNspikes458.. lolz), then it was MySpace and LiveJournal. Now it's Facebook and Twitter and Tumblr and BASICALLY IT NEVER ENDS. I let it consume my life. And define me. If people on Facebook like my pictures, then that means I'm a great person, right? Totally wrong! I wasn't happy with myself.

Anyways, I'm cutting back significantly because my time with my family is precious and they deserve my attention more than an acquaintance of mine liking my status. That doesn't validate who I am.

But! I'm always looking for more friends or for acquaintances to turn into friends, so if anyone would like to call me up or hang out. I'm down! I'm really missing having some friends to talk to in my life. Maylene likes friends, too!

End rant. On to my birthday wishlist (in no particular order):
1. InDesign
2. New sneakers.. mine are worn out and giving me mad blisters :(
3. A hair appointment for my roots to be done. Man, they look awful.
4. An infinite amount of gas for my car
5. My car to be vacuumed and shampooed.

By the way, Jason bought us internet! He's the greatest! It's very surreal.

And I'll leave you with this conversation that I just heard.....
May: "You can have one of my marshmallows!"
Jason: "Thank you for sharing! You have a great heart."
May: "You have a great head!"

Ho, ho, ho!

I can't believe it has been almost 4 months since the last time I blogged. Shame on me. The semester has come and gone and, even though I whined about it a ton during Finals Week, it went super fast.

I'm a senior now. And I can't believe it! Granted, I feel like I have been in school eternally, but ever since May was born, time goes much too fast.

It's my favorite time of the year.. although, I wish Christmas could be in the summer and/or we lived in Florida, because I don't-need-no-snow to be in the holiday spirit. I'm pretty bummed that it came so fast and that I had to waste so much time doing end-of-the-semester projects, however, I am DETERMINED to pack a whole lot of holiday fun into the next 9 days. Just me and May, baby. And, on his days off, Jason too!

It's a bummer that I am the poorest I have ever been in the history of ever. But that's not going to get in my way. We're gonna do cheap, fun holiday things. I'll let you know how it turns out.

My plans:

• Cookies
• Gingerbread houses?
• Be more creative with Noel, our Elf on the Shelf
• Candy Cane Lane drive
• Decorate the tree
• Pinterest crafts
• Wine
• Watch Elf
• Watch Miracle on 34th Street if I can find it at any store, anywhere!!!
• Prepare for Maylene's Monster's University/Inc. themed 3rd birthday party 2 days after Christmas! (She just HAD to be a Christmas baby...)
• This is totally unrelated to anything holiday-ish, but we also really wanna go to that new glow-in-the-dark mini golf place at the mall!!!!?!!!

Just wanna mention that the only things on my Christmas list are 1.) the Frozen soundtrack and 2.) internet at my house. I would like to point out that I have been moderately good this year and that it is kind of a miracle that I, as a web development major, have made it this far without, well, the web. However, it's not really fun or ideal so getting internet would be fabulous.

Back to School

Who knew at 23 I'd still be talking about going back to school. Don't worry, I will be continuing to do so for at least another year and a half. I am, definitely, the eternal student. While I'm dramatically bitter about going back to school and spending MORE money on MORE notebooks and MORE parking passes, I'm just going to let go of that for a few minutes to be thankful and reminiscent of the wonderful summer I had with Maylene and Jason.

We went to Knoebels. I wasn't really surprised at all that May didn't even hesitate to get on some pretty scary (to me) rides. But then again, I'm a wimp. And I used to throw up in the car on the way to amusement parks before we even got there. That really happened.


We went to the beach. Man, I wish we lived by the ocean. I'm thoroughly convinced I'd be a better person if we did. I'd be happier, at least. There's just no way you can't be when there's a constant ocean breeze telling you to chill out and relax, life's not that bad. I have the attention span of a goldfish--I need that constant reminder.

We went on picnics. What's better than eating food with the people that you love? Answer: absolutely nothing at all. Picnics are my favorite. We enjoyed some beautiful days with blue skies above us and green grass beneath our picnic blanket.

We went to the pool and had swimming lessons. Watching May improve at swimming this summer was one of the biggest highlights for me. Especially since she can already swim better than I can. The sad thing is that I'm hardly even exaggerating. I think that swimming is such an important skill to have and I'm so thankful that my mom got lessons for the girls. Being around water with small children can be pretty terrifying and stressful.

May went to the movie theater for her 1st (and 2nd and 3rd) time! Her favorite out of Monsters University, Despicable Me 2 and Planes was Despicable Me 2, quite fitting! And now she's obsessed with minions. We all loved Monsters University, though. Planes.. not so much. It was no Cars.

One of the best things that I did this summer was becoming a Pinterest addict. First of all, it gave me something to sit and stare at/scroll through while I was at work every week. And more importantly, it gave us SO many great recipes and crafts to try. Some failed miserably and some tasted absolutely gross. The Calming Jar worked for two days, by the way. But we also found lots of really tasty and fun things that we'll be making again and again.

Now that I'm getting (even more) depressed about summer being over, I will share what I saved for last. My Grandma Howey always said, "best for last!" But that was more fitting back when I was the youngest child.

Anyway. Our top ten favorite ice cream/froyo joints this summer:
1. Bruster's (Sunset would have been first had it been open, but Bruster's is a very close second)
2. Cups and Cones in OBX
3.Eder's
4.Sweet Frog
5. Ben and Jerry's snuggled up on our couch
6. The Old Mill at Knoebels
7. Sky High
8. Dairy Queen
9. Swirly's
10. Burger King.. they were 50 cents!

My Wishlist:

Today, I feel like crafting a wishlist of all the things I would like if I had an infinite amount of money. Some of which are more in the realm of possibility than others.. but that, of course, is why they call it a wishlist. Just for the record, I am not totally greedy or materialistic, these are just some really neat things!

1. "Do nut worry" mug. I love to collect coffee mugs. This is the cutest. And I need more. 

2. Iced strawberry dream shower gel. C'mon, it sounds heavenly. 

3. Volkswagen iPhone case.

4. A swimming pool.
Few things are more peaceful than sitting poolside.




5. Anything that comes in one of these boxes.
Literally, anything. I'm not picky when it comes to Tiffany's. 

6. A porch. Any porch.
Ocean view would be ideal but not necessary.

7. A kitchen like this. Gorgeous! I just wanna bake, bake, bake in this!

8. Pink Forge women's comfort bicycle.

For Rails to Trails adventures!

9. Anything and everything Hello Kitty. Namely, this microwave.

Tell me popcorn made in this guy wouldn't taste so much better.

 

10. These Vans.

11. And these Vans. 

12. These sheets.

Cute and comfy. And we need new ones.

13. Pink Kitchen Aid. No other brand mixer compares.

And no other color compares to pink, obviously.

I think I have been pretty good (so far) this year.

xoxo,

me

Things I'm Thankful For:

This week has been tough.. it's funny how preparing for relaxation (next week is vacation!) can be so overwhelmingly stressful! I read somewhere that to keep a positive outlook (PMA!), you should write down five things that you are thankful for everyday. Instead of five, I'm just going to make a big ol' list today, because I have tons to be thankful for!

In no particular order:

• This weather! Love the heat, heat, heat! Thank the LAWD for no more cold!
• Caramel vanilla cream k-cups.
• Having Fridays off at work.
• Our special boat trip on the Hiawatha tonight--excited! Hope May loves it! Also hoping that we don't get sea sick.
• The fact that Maylene got ready for school with no problems this morning,
• The fact that Jason did the laundry AND the dishes! And we're almost all caught up!
• My manicure and pedicure appointment for tomorrow. First time ever getting one, thanks to Jason's Mothers' Day gift! I can't wait to see my best friend Bethie! And to get a little pampered.
• Having my own desk at work.
• New tires on my car. It is no longer a death trap.
• Tumblr. It gets me through the slow work hours.
• A Series of Unfortunate Events. They also get me through the slow work hours.
• I lost 12 pounds!
• Coffee.
• Iced coffee.
• Water.
• Boom boom sauce.
• Jason, for being very good at pretending that I am not completely insane.
• Maylene, for literally being the funniest and most sarcastic 2 year old I have ever known.
• Garlic powder.
• My Mom.
• My Dad.
• My family.
• My working car.
• My job.
• The big tub of strawberries in our fridge.
• The Great Gatsby soundtrack.
• The fact that we're leaving for North Carolina in two days.
• My health.
• My family.
• My family.
• My friends who have always been there for me no matter what.
• Books.
• Instagram.
• Inspiration.
• My semi-decent tan. Hoping it will keep me from getting burnt at the beach.
• Our apartment.
• Music.
• Having nice co-workers and bosses.
• Being in love.
• Being a mommy.
• Being alive.

Summertime drivin'

Mommy planks!

Peanut Butter Chicken

Yesterday, Maylene told me she was going to make supper:
May: "Mommy, I cook dinner for you!"
Me: "Oh yeah, whatcha making?"
May: "Chicken."
Me: "What kind of chicken?"
May: "Peanut butter chicken just for you!"
She knows me too well--combining two of my favorite things! Growing up, I actually did have friends who made a peanut butter chicken recipe all the time. Gonna have to look that up!

I had a pretty rough afternoon yesterday. May didn't take a nap and let's just sum it up by saying that she literally ran to the other side of Wal-Mart while screaming bloody murder. Then, when she threw a fit because she didn't want to sit in the cart as we were checking out, a stranger behind me in line loudly told another woman, "I just hate when people let their kids cry!" If only you knew, lady!
Anyway, I couldn't help but giggle when we were on our way home and I looked in the rear view and saw a sleeping Maylene, with her sunglasses on upside down.

Later, we were driving in the car again. Chatting and what not. I didn't realize that 'I Love It' by Icona Pop was playing quietly on the radio, but Maylene did because she said, "Mommy, she drive her car into a bridge and she don't care. She don't even care!" She was very concerned.
Looks like we'll be listening to Mozart and Singing in the Rain show tunes from now on...

Last evening, we went for a four mile walk on the Riverwalk with Emily. Go us, right?! It was perfect right by the river, nice and breezy. So, Em asked May if she likes any boys yet and May responded, "I not allowed to like boys!" Good answer, missy! She IS learning something from me.

I Created a Meal!

Today, I cooked. This is kind of a big deal for me. I enjoy cooking but I tend to throw it on the bottom of my priority list. We like to go to Subway for dinner and I call it a day.

Okay, I guess I didn't really cook since it was a crockpot meal and it didn't require me to really do anything other than throw a bunch of things into a bowl. However! I did have to deal with one of these:

A squash. My first thought being what in the hale do I do with this thing. I then proceeded to peel it. During the peeling procedure, I managed to peel off a full layer of my thumb skin. I'll spare you the graphic photographs and just skip on over to the end result.

Turkey with wild rice, squash and cranberry. Actually pretty delicious! And easy! I truly outdid myself. Maylene wouldn't eat it and Jason is working late so I ate it alone. But that's besides the point.

Also, tonight when I snuggled May before she went to bed (yes it is only 7:30 and she is already asleep.. it was a long day) she softly whispered in my ear, "Mommy, you big and strong."

The 'big' I could do without. But, strong? I can dig it.

xoxo