need a new mascara option?



You could always try painting a house. It only takes about 10 gallons of primer, and 6 hours later, voila - new white mascara.

We're almost there. The past three evenings I've been high as a kite from either the smell of primer or the fumes of spray paint, but I'm very aware that we are a week away from moving into our new house. And that's a feasible, doable, realistic thing. That's what blows my mind. We've set silly little timetables for the past several weeks, and now I can actually believe this one.

Tonight was a good, productive night, too. My wonderful friend Marquita came over to help me pack. I didn't anticipate getting as much done as we did, but boy did that feel good!!! Things are feeling emptier here at Kyle's parents' house, and the impending change is exciting.

Thanksgiving was a wonderful event, as it has been the past few years. It's odd just spending it with my in-laws and their friends, but I still do feel at home. Thanksgiving without my family makes me miss them even more...I'm always prompted with questions like, "So what does your family cook for Thanksgiving?" which opens up the floodgates of memories with my folks. The non-traditional Turkey day meal, with a little bit of of Filipino food and a little bit of American tradition: Lumpia and deviled eggs, potato salad and fried rice. Mmmmm.

Even better, was the fact that I did not go shopping on Black Friday. Yupsiree. I stayed in bed, bought a few presents online, ate, and took no part in the madness that is Black Friday. Last year's Black Friday event at Best Buy showed me I do not have the heart to do that ever again.

I also experienced the joy of witnessing the Hogs beat LSU. That was a very, very, nice experience as well.

I have no witty ending for this post, but a few pictures of two newly primed rooms at the new house. Enjoy. =o)

Living Room - Before


Living Room - After


Laundry Room - Before


Laundry Room - After

christmas gift links.

I haven't anything brilliant to say, but wanted to post something. It's been pretty busy between professional work and working on the house (both containing that miserable word, "work") so rather than fill this blog full of either subject, just thought I'd share some fun interweb links.

Uncrate & Outblush
I don't quite remember how I stumbled across these websites, but the inner shopaholic in me (although I can be quite frugal) goes absolutely insane over every little post. And stupid as some of the items may be, I want to buy all of them, either as gifts or for myself.

Elsewares
Candleholders, vinyl record bowls, and Coca-cola rings? Yes, ma'am.

Thinkgeek

This is just self-explanatory. For reasons such as this. And yes, I do have a wishlist there.

Sephora
If you have ovaries, you should already know about this website.

Etsy
Lots o' cute handmade stuff. Bags, mittens, buttons, stationery...and even Tetris earrings. Support your fellow craftsy folk!

CB2
An off-shoot store from Crate & Barrel that's intended for the not-so-spensive and much-so-thrifty in mind. Stuff for living, eating, decorating - in short - stuff for our new house!

Okay, time to go interweb Christmas shopping. Enjoy. ;)

PS - OneRepublic finally came out with their new (and first) cd. You must buy it. iTunes & Best Buy: $8. So go. Like, right now.

chivalry ain't dead.

There are a lot of lifestyles and choices people make that seem to be the norm in our society - going to college, getting married, having kids...I've got two of these three life choices nailed down, but by no means am I a die-hard advocate of all three. I don't believe everyone should go to college. (Though I loved my higher education) I don't believe that it's in everyone's future to get married, and I certainly believe that not everyone is meant to have kids.

But I would love to offer my opinion to those women out there who believe that chivalry is dead and that a good man is hard to find...Just date a nerd.

A geek. A dork. Whatever you call him. (For example, "Turd Ferguson" is a nice little made-up synonym from yours truly)

Yeah, I said it, and I'm absolutely fine with it, because I married one. Kyle and I were talking in the car on the way home from dinner about where we would be if we didn't have each other. Okay, "we" weren't really talking, "I" was really going on and on about how I'd probably be stuck with some loser whom I only adored because he gave me 5 minutes of attention on some day I was depressed, and he would probably have 4 baby mommas and shiny gold teeth.

That was an exaggeration. I think I have a little more self-respect than that, but I'd honestly be lost in the dating world nowadays, just like I was back in high school. At any rate, I have many reasons why I suggest dating a nerd - other than the fact that they make great husbands. Some of the following reasons may just be particular to Kyle, but he is the biggest nerd I know. =o)

1) They're sweet.
They're kindhearted, yet manly in a "I'm-not-REALLY-that-sensitive-but-secretly-AM" kinda way. They're sentimental and remember special things, like the day of the month when they first asked you out, or a line from your favorite movie. It's cute.

2) They're good at tech stuff.
This includes setting computers, TVs, DVD players, consoles, microwave ovens, and the like. And if it's got some sort of wiring or electrical parts and they've never attempted to fix/set it up before, they'll learn and master it, or at least die trying. (Okay, another exaggeration)

3) They don't do anything halfway.
It could be a house-project or trying a new recipe...among other things. They give it 100% ;)

4) They're loyal, and let you know it.
Any doubt that you're the only one for him? None here.

5) They're funny. Sometimes in an awkward way.
It may be witty banter about Apple vs. Microsoft or a silly sci-fi character impersonation. But still incredibly cute.

6) They're smart.
At least mine is. And he can do more than just simple math. This guy made me mad in school because I had to study my butt off for tests and he just remembered everything - even if it was from my notes.

Okay, I've only got 6 reasons in this post, but there are plenty others. I think the more I write about it, though, the more I lean toward who Kyle is more than nerds all over the globe. But still. Just wanted women out there to know...Chivalry ain't dead. It just comes in the form of a geek. ;)

what a beautiful day.

This post recognizes two things:

1) I shouldn't be blogging at work (although I've hit a dead spot as I'm waiting on some revision notes on an edit to come in)

2) I shouldn't be videotaping while driving

But I'm blogging, and I did some shooting (on my cell phone) while I was driving. This morning's drive to work was absolutely gorgeous. I love the fall.



Music: "Home" by Josh Verdes (myspace.com/joshverdes)

feliz lunes

I have to admit it's been one of the best Mondays I've had in quite some time. Work went well - there was no kicking and screaming (such is the case oftentimes when our boss goes out of town), we all were productive, cracked several jokes and made fun of each other, and no one had to stay late. Aside from an 8-hour wave of nausea, today was good.

This evening we made some more progress on the house, along with my father-in-law's help. I opted for wearing my "cow poo" boots instead of the norm (tennis shoes) and found them to be much more durable when working on the house. Normally when I wear my boots for more than 4 hours my knees and legs automatically give out and I crumple to the floor in a giant blob. This was not the case tonight. Kyle and Brad sanded while I ripped up plastic covering from the floor, cleaned up leftover popcorn ceiling and climbed on the kitchen counters to clean the top of them with the shop-vac. It was pretty gross up there - mixed in with the giant chunks of popcorn ceiling were roach droppings, dead bees, and spiders. Yuk.

I only had a few hiccups tonight: the flood light and the vacuum cleaner did not like sharing the same source of electricity and I blew the breaker twice. Then I kept accidentally running into the chandelier in the formal dining room.

But I was productive, and the things I needed to clean tonight were cleaned. I've had several people ask me when our final move-in date on the house is, and we've changed it a few times. So I'm tempted to just put a giant "TBD" sticker on my forehead. ;) Sometimes I'm optimistic about the house - other days, I feel as though we're never going to move in. I guess I just need to keep in mind how lucky we are to be in a place where we don't "have" to move out right away. Move-in, however, may not be this weekend, or the next...

But it will be before 2008, that I'm sure. If not then, send a search party, we may be buried underneath popcorn ceiling and spackling-dust.

rainbows.

Aha, an afterthought. I was clearing some pictures off of my cell phone and thought I'd post some pictures of rainbows from several days ago...



where do we draw the line?

I have a hard time understanding why people do what they do. I'm no different - even I am inescapable underneath my own magnifying glass.

I'd like to think that I have a basic understanding of seeing all aspects of someone's character...but I've had one of those types of weeks where I found myself throwing my hands up in the air in exasperation shouting, "Why?! What is wrong with you?!" Okay, I really didn't do that, and my reaction was actually pretty close to cursing, but that's beyond the point.

This particular week, I was the unfortunate recipient of some _very_ undeserved disrespect. It was stupid and childish and yet, even though I should have left it at that, I remained bothered by it until I received an apology.

I think as adults, we tend to blame a lot of our own little quirks, tendencies, and discrepancies on a multitude of things: upbringing, a neat-freak mother, a control-freak dad, day-to-day stresses, other interpersonal relationships, etc. So of course, with this apology, came what I saw as an "excuse." This excuse covered a broad range of things - residual anger from an argument with another person, personal stresses, and it all sounded like a bunch of nonsense to me.

But where do I draw the line? On my end, where do I draw the line between being bothered and unaffected? On his/her side, where do I draw the line that this "excuse" was valid or a bunch of crap? I may sound forthright, open, and have a lot of nerve at times, but I'm in fact a very sensitive person - anyone who knows me understands this. Sometimes I take things to heart - yes, even the stupidest of things - and this is where I scrutinize why I react the way that I do.

I was very, very, tempted to accept the apology but chew this person out about their unprofessional behavior (I was disrespected in the presence of a client _and_ a coworker), immaturity, general lack of self-control in stressful situations, but that's where I had to draw the line on my end. That's where I have to have grace.

Yeah. I suppose I need a lot more of that.