I would like to say that fall is officially here! Today a cool, comforting breeze filled our house (through the open windows, of course) and it made me smile. I love fall time, I love the weather, I love the colors outside, the clothes you get to wear, just about everything. So when I ran errands today, I opted to wear my Uggs (love them!) and a cute dress my mom bought me :) Wearing Uggs also officiates the beginning of fall. My sweet grandma decided to send some sweet potatoes up my way via Mom and I wanted to make something with them before I forgot that we had them and they went bad. So of course I made none other than sweet potato casserole! Mmmm so delicious, it just tastes like Thanksgiving. I'm going to have to admit that I have not always been a lover of sweet potato casserole, I judged it at first...turned my nose up and would walk away, UNTIL a few years ago I figured I would give it a try (being in college just makes you want to be so open minded). And hello, I fell in love! Good thing that both of these JKs love sweet potatoes, so there will be many more dishes to come in our future. I also made a blue cheese and bacon dip that my cuzzie Emily made us last December. The first time I tried it I thought of the other JK because it was filled with all the things he loves most...bacon and cheese. Em so lovingly posted the recipe on her blog today and since I had no ideas for dinner at the time I decided to fix that too! Both of those are very fall-festive dishes (or at least I think so). And what better way to begin fall than with fall-like food dishes! (come on people, I'm a food addict here)
Other than fall festivities, today was pretty eventful around the JK house...I was awakened by someone banging on walls around our house. I knew that the plumber was coming but I was confused by the banging. I got dressed and walked around until I found JK and he told me that a pipe had busted and they were going to have to tear part of our living room ceiling off to fix it. (insert my heart sinking here) Now if you have been keeping up with posts you know that my house was officially clean, festive, and enjoyable as of yesterday and now my whole (house) world is upside down again! Every time I could hear them drilling or knocking out a chunk of ceiling my heart sank a little farther into a deep pit in my stomach...our house will never be normal. Enough sappiness, I have to go write some letters and send a package to my niece that can crawl now! Yay, go Anna! Have a great night everyone!!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
weird monday
Today was a strange day. My Mom and Cis left this morning after I dropped the other JK off at school. It was really sad...but you know how sometimes when you go through a lot and sad just seems to be a normal feeling? That's when you feel numb (I know, wah wah). So I guess I felt numb when they left. However, I had things to do so that was a good distraction. When they drove off I promptly walked upstairs, wrote down directions and went to the doctor for my yearly check up. After trying to find the hidden doctor's office sign (grrr) I finally got there (10 minutes late...because I couldn't find the dang place). Anyway, everything checked out fine and it proved to be pretty uneventful. I came home surprised to see that the other JK had taken the bus from school to home and was hanging out here.
After lunch and reading I decided that I wanted to nap (partly because I didn't want to paint, partly because I was sad/numb and partly because my eyes were burning a little and wanted rest). JK was being sweet and completely understood my nap mood, he told me he was leaving and would be back later (for some school-something...he went to a presentation and then ate there afterwards) which left me to an afternoon alone napping, reading, and watching TV. It was a fun time, I tell ya...it really was as fun as you can get being by yourself.
So when the other JK came back we hung out and watched our Monday night shows, his is Terminator: The Connor Chronicles and mine is Jon and Kate plus 8! That was fun and here we are watching a football game. Now that you all are completely updated on our lives (you're welcome)...its time to leave ya! Good thing for you, I'm leaving you with some pics that we took before the sistas left me today. Don't mind me looking rough...it was a weird angle, I just showered and look like crap, please excuse it.
After lunch and reading I decided that I wanted to nap (partly because I didn't want to paint, partly because I was sad/numb and partly because my eyes were burning a little and wanted rest). JK was being sweet and completely understood my nap mood, he told me he was leaving and would be back later (for some school-something...he went to a presentation and then ate there afterwards) which left me to an afternoon alone napping, reading, and watching TV. It was a fun time, I tell ya...it really was as fun as you can get being by yourself.
So when the other JK came back we hung out and watched our Monday night shows, his is Terminator: The Connor Chronicles and mine is Jon and Kate plus 8! That was fun and here we are watching a football game. Now that you all are completely updated on our lives (you're welcome)...its time to leave ya! Good thing for you, I'm leaving you with some pics that we took before the sistas left me today. Don't mind me looking rough...it was a weird angle, I just showered and look like crap, please excuse it.
saturday and sunday
I said I would post day by day, but that might get a tad redundant. So here's Saturday and Sunday...Saturday we had (you're welcome Mom) woke up, hung around the house for awhile and then carted ourselves over to the original Primanti Brothers restaurant. Primanti Brothers is this great place in Pitt...it's a huge deal here...therefore I decided to take two of my fave food lovers to go with me and try it. Their signature thing is to load fries and slaw onto the sandwich, which we decided that if you have TMJ, it will not be an easy meal for you. But it was wonderful and we loved it! If you come visit us, I will gladly take you there :) While we were leaving Cis decided to buy a few pieces of baklava from an old lady on the street, needless to say it was the best me, Mom and Cis had ever had!
After that we went to South Side Works, which is a great shopping area, and we spent most of our time in H&M!! I love that store, it is so wonderful...great fashion and great prices! After we had logged in some hours at SSW, we headed home and Mom pointed out a flaw of mine (they are hard to come by, since I have so few). She says that I put the word "had" in a sentence when it isn't necessary. For example, "Mom had told me to make some cookies" when you can just say "Mom told me to make some cookies." They accused me of speaking like LaSarah (a comedic act we enjoy) which I gladly accepted and had kept on saying had...ha! That night we made wonderful appetizers and enjoyed wine and good conversation, wahoo...my kinda night!
Sunday we woke up and made a great breakfast, hit up a few stores...went to a wonderful dinner at Bravo! and came back to set up some things around the house before the other JK arrived. As I said, they brought things to fill the house and make it feel more "homey" and they also bought us some fall decorations, so sweet...thank you very much! I actually enjoy sitting around our house now...now that it is straightened and clean, looks normal and is festive with fall decor. Love ya'll!
Our festive fireplace, compliments of Mom and Cis :)
weekend update
Well as most of you know, I had a ladies' weekend in Pittsburgh with my mom and my aunt Cissy. John went to a friend's wedding in TN and left the house to us, yay! It was a wonderful weekend, like I really needed to tell you that. To make the posts shorter and more easily "readable" I will do a different post to update you on each day of our fun time together. Beginning, this will be the Friday post.
I woke up early frantically cleaning whatever was left over from the night before, helping JK get out the door to begin his TN trip, and cleaning myself and getting ready so Mom and Cis could see the "new me" all done up. This really means, me with a shower and my hair dried and straightened. Once they got here we all hugged and yes, maybe we cried a little...tears of excitement, duh. I helped load all of their stuff inside, which were a lot of gifts for me (yay!). We went through the gifts which were new dresses from Mom, a basket filled with things to make baked goodies (including Paula Deen's Christmas baking edition magazine), stuff to fill my home with from Mom, and books and various goodies from my cousin Emily. It felt like Christmas!
I showed the ladies around our clean house and they loved it! We then went to eat at none other than Chick-fil-a and went for an afternoon of shopping (duh)! After all of our feet were hurting and we were growing weary we came home, refueled with coffee and went to a late dinner at Church Brew Works where they were having Oktoberfest and three generations of German singing men were dressed head to toe in what looked like a yodeling costume, they were drinking beer, walking around the entire restuarant while singing and playing their loud instruments...it was interesting to say the least. We came home and hung out for awhile then went to sleep.
I woke up early frantically cleaning whatever was left over from the night before, helping JK get out the door to begin his TN trip, and cleaning myself and getting ready so Mom and Cis could see the "new me" all done up. This really means, me with a shower and my hair dried and straightened. Once they got here we all hugged and yes, maybe we cried a little...tears of excitement, duh. I helped load all of their stuff inside, which were a lot of gifts for me (yay!). We went through the gifts which were new dresses from Mom, a basket filled with things to make baked goodies (including Paula Deen's Christmas baking edition magazine), stuff to fill my home with from Mom, and books and various goodies from my cousin Emily. It felt like Christmas!
I showed the ladies around our clean house and they loved it! We then went to eat at none other than Chick-fil-a and went for an afternoon of shopping (duh)! After all of our feet were hurting and we were growing weary we came home, refueled with coffee and went to a late dinner at Church Brew Works where they were having Oktoberfest and three generations of German singing men were dressed head to toe in what looked like a yodeling costume, they were drinking beer, walking around the entire restuarant while singing and playing their loud instruments...it was interesting to say the least. We came home and hung out for awhile then went to sleep.
Friday, September 26, 2008
busy bee
Hello dedicated readers, sorry its been a couple of days. We've been really busy getting our house ready for our weekend visitors! But needless to say, our house looks great! Wahoo! It makes me really happy to live here, I love when things are clean and neat, and as they should be.On to other news, The Office was great last night! I won't give away details because I have readers in other countries who can't watch it until they get back (Allison...its supposed to be pronounced like when you get in trouble in elementary school, like Allisonnnnnn), but it lived up to all of my expectations. I love The Office! Whoop whoop!
Well my long awaited guests will be here shortly and I'm imagining that I'll be busy shopping, eating, drinking, and talking all weekend so I may not post again until Monday...I know, try to push through. And John is getting ready to leave for TN, his friends Ben and Ashley are getting married this weekend! Yay! I'm sure it will be a beautiful wedding. Have a great weekend everyone!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
delightful evening
I forgot to fill you all in on our weekend. Well this past weekend was filled with homework for John, football games (Go Pack!) and fixing the house up. We were invited earlier that week to come over for dinner at our realtor's house and eat with her and her husband. So we went over Sunday night and had a wonderful time! She made steaks and some delicious veggie side dishes, we really enjoy her and her hubby. We were blessed to have such a wonderful realtor and now a good friend!
So I felt sorry for the other JK since he was stuck doing homework all weekend and since my abilities are limited in the electrical engineering category I decided that I would make him one of his fave things to eat...sausage cheese balls! I began making them yesterday (around dinner time) and decided that we should just eat them for dinner with some leftover side dishes. I also decided that I, too, needed a treat and tried out a Hershey bar pie recipe (compliments of my Leanie). JK devored his sausage cheese balls and I enjoyed a wonderful chocolate-filled pie...just a piece, I swear! (don't worry Mom and Cis, I'm saving some for you two) Needless to say we were both delightfully full after our "treat dishes". Anyway, the pie was incredible, thanks Leanie for the recipe!
After that we did none other than...that's right, house touch ups! JK is a caulking machine, he filled in every hole, nook and cranny that could possibly be in our 80 year old house. Hopefully that means no sneaky little mice will find their way into our warm home this winter! Anyway, today I have to go and paint over all of the caulked and spackled parts (I just knew that you all were dying to know about my exciting life).
I also have a pleasant surprise, my allergies have some how sneaked up here with me to the burgh. I think it may be the change in weather that's sparking the lovely sniffling and itchy eyes...hopefully it will go away soon. I thought I had left them in pollen-filled NC, grrr. One last glorious thing...we finally had our car inspection approved! After having to replace this and buy that, etc., which means no more Midas trips...thank goodness!
So I felt sorry for the other JK since he was stuck doing homework all weekend and since my abilities are limited in the electrical engineering category I decided that I would make him one of his fave things to eat...sausage cheese balls! I began making them yesterday (around dinner time) and decided that we should just eat them for dinner with some leftover side dishes. I also decided that I, too, needed a treat and tried out a Hershey bar pie recipe (compliments of my Leanie). JK devored his sausage cheese balls and I enjoyed a wonderful chocolate-filled pie...just a piece, I swear! (don't worry Mom and Cis, I'm saving some for you two) Needless to say we were both delightfully full after our "treat dishes". Anyway, the pie was incredible, thanks Leanie for the recipe!
After that we did none other than...that's right, house touch ups! JK is a caulking machine, he filled in every hole, nook and cranny that could possibly be in our 80 year old house. Hopefully that means no sneaky little mice will find their way into our warm home this winter! Anyway, today I have to go and paint over all of the caulked and spackled parts (I just knew that you all were dying to know about my exciting life).
I also have a pleasant surprise, my allergies have some how sneaked up here with me to the burgh. I think it may be the change in weather that's sparking the lovely sniffling and itchy eyes...hopefully it will go away soon. I thought I had left them in pollen-filled NC, grrr. One last glorious thing...we finally had our car inspection approved! After having to replace this and buy that, etc., which means no more Midas trips...thank goodness!
Monday, September 22, 2008
likes and dislikes
Here are a list of my likes and dislikes for the day:
1. Like: The new book I've started (yes, I'm a bookworm)...it's called Little Altars Everywhere by Rebecca Wells, it is the same author who wrote The Divine Secrets of the Ya-ya Sisterhood. It's really great and I'm enjoying it a lot.
2. Dislike: Elderly women who think just because they are old they rule the grocery store and have some divine right so that they can push past sweet people like me on their way to the meat section...grrr.
3. Like: The Office season premiere is this Thursday! Wahoo!
4. Dislike: Automobile shops...I hate the dirty stale waiting rooms, the creepy auto workers, the nasty food that is available in the waiting room when you're stuck there from 12-3 so you're forced to have to eat "lunch" there, and the thought that they could be scamming me and making me pay extra on some engine transmitter thing. I'm done with them, tomorrow is the last time I'll have to visit one for awhile...I hope.
5. Like: I have decided to break out the overalls up North. I have officially worn them 2 out of the past 3 days. This is one of the things that commemorates the beginning of fall for me. Eat your heart out Northerners!
6. Dislike: Under the Tuscan Sun, I watched this movie last night and I'll have to say it was a waste of time. Sorry if you like, I just didn't...there were times that I, as a woman, was slightly embarrassed to be watching such a cheesy chick flick. To say the least, I don't recommend it.
By the way, I am SO excited that my mom and my aunt Cissy are coming to the burgh on Friday! Wahoo, I'm so excited!
1. Like: The new book I've started (yes, I'm a bookworm)...it's called Little Altars Everywhere by Rebecca Wells, it is the same author who wrote The Divine Secrets of the Ya-ya Sisterhood. It's really great and I'm enjoying it a lot.
2. Dislike: Elderly women who think just because they are old they rule the grocery store and have some divine right so that they can push past sweet people like me on their way to the meat section...grrr.
3. Like: The Office season premiere is this Thursday! Wahoo!
4. Dislike: Automobile shops...I hate the dirty stale waiting rooms, the creepy auto workers, the nasty food that is available in the waiting room when you're stuck there from 12-3 so you're forced to have to eat "lunch" there, and the thought that they could be scamming me and making me pay extra on some engine transmitter thing. I'm done with them, tomorrow is the last time I'll have to visit one for awhile...I hope.
5. Like: I have decided to break out the overalls up North. I have officially worn them 2 out of the past 3 days. This is one of the things that commemorates the beginning of fall for me. Eat your heart out Northerners!
6. Dislike: Under the Tuscan Sun, I watched this movie last night and I'll have to say it was a waste of time. Sorry if you like, I just didn't...there were times that I, as a woman, was slightly embarrassed to be watching such a cheesy chick flick. To say the least, I don't recommend it.
By the way, I am SO excited that my mom and my aunt Cissy are coming to the burgh on Friday! Wahoo, I'm so excited!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
The Shack
This blog will occasionaly be posting book reviews, this is the first. I just (literally 5 minutes ago) finished a book that I recently picked up, The Shack. I've heard a lot of great things about it so I decided that I would have to see for myself, and I'll have to say that it is incredible! This book is really great and I would highly recommend it to anyone, whether you belive in God or not, young or old, whatever your lifestyle...its great. It gives you a fresh, new, comforting breath of life. I thought that I was doing just fine but when I picked up this book I realized how confused I was on different issues and thoughts...and The Shack really cleared up some things for me. It is a fictional book and some may think it is controversial, but I think you should read it with an open mind. So some of you may be getting this book pushed on you or receiving it as a gift from me...so you may actually just want to go and buy it yourself. Because when I find a great book I think it is my duty to society to push it on them and tell them how wonderful and eye opening it is.And to end, here is a quote from the book:
"Marriage is not an institution. It's a relationship." Jesus paused, his voice steady and patient. "Like I said, I don't create institutions; that's an occupation for those who want to play God. So no, I'm not too big on religion," Jesus said a little sarcastically, "and not very fond of politics or economics either." Jesus' visage darkened noticeably. "And why should I be? They are the man-created trinity of terrors that ravages the earth and deceives those I care about. What mental turmoil and anxiety does any human face that is not related to one of those three?"
-Wm. Paul Young
Saturday, September 20, 2008
darn you yoplait!
Ok this is a quick late at night post, so it may not make a lot of sense. So I had a craving for something sweet (thanks again Lail side for the sweet tooth) and of course we don't have anything...ahh! And I'm not about to look crazy and leave in the middle of the night to get something I'm craving (like I did in college)...because let's be honest, I'm a grown woman now and the other JK would give me one of those "seriously" looks. Anyway, desperate times call for desperate measures...I remembered that I had bought some tasty yogurt flavors for the other JK earlier this week. I don't like yogurt, I've hated it since I was a child. To be honest, I had a yogurt overload when I was a kid...just ate too much of it. So when JK wanted yogurt I said hmm "I'll buy some for you but I'm not eating it." And guess who ate the first one tonight...me. I had the pineapple upside down cake flavor and it was delicious! See, when I decide to hate something I don't let up on it...you can say I'm a stubborn person, I say I just hold tight to what I do and do not like. So it pains me to admit something that I'm stubborn against, for instance hating yogurt and now I really enjoy it...or from my earlier post, making fun of Michael's shoppers and then loving it. What is happening to me!? What is my world coming to?
I'm watching Golden Girls, one of my fave shows, and I just want to say "thank you for being a friend" haha. Goodnight!!
I'm watching Golden Girls, one of my fave shows, and I just want to say "thank you for being a friend" haha. Goodnight!!
Friday, September 19, 2008
I heart Michael's
I went to Michael's today because we need a teeny tiny paintbrush to fill in some places that were left out on the walls...and the candles were $3. Candles are one of my obsessions and I just can't say no to a fall smelling candle that is $3, who could? Anyway so I used to kind of judge the shoppers at Michael's..."oh my gosh, look at those crafty people being all crafty and getting all their crafty stuff blah blah blah". Well I admitted to myself today that I was just jealous because "those people" can probably put together some really awesome creations, and I am not capable of such a thing. See I was born without an ounce of artistic ability in my blood. My sister seems to have stolen all of the creative genes that my mother was passing down and she didn't give me a chance to get even a little bit!
Well of course I was then drawn to the Christmas section, duh, I LOVE Christmas! See, I'm what you would call a "Christmas Crazy". My sister is one as well and we were just discussing this topic yesterday. Us Christmas Crazies are a rare breed (we'll call them CCs from now on). We have been brought up by other CCs (even though they don't own up to it now...Mom). We love all things Christmas...decorations, cookies, traditional Christmas foods, smells, underwear, tacky shirts, everything. Yes, we wear Christmas underwear all year round, and socks too, for that matter. Katie was being bullied by Mom the other day for wearing Christmas underwear when its not Christmas time...my response to this: You wouldn't buy them for us, lady, if you didn't want us to wear them all the time. AND on top of that Mom knows of our disease/blessing that is being a CC, so she is well aware of the wearing of Christmas apparel throughout the year, for years she has poked fun of my wearing of Christmas socks in October or February. Its ok Mom, I forgive you and yes I will be buying you some Christmas socks this year so that you can share in the fun.
Ok back to Michael's...I was drawn to the Christmas section...and my heart melted at all of the Christmas crafts that there were. I mean you can paint ornaments, or paint little wooden reindeer, they even had signs you could paint and hang up that said "Joy, peace, and happiness"...and even a foam manger you could put together! Ahh! (Ok, ok, I know this stuff has existed forever but please note that I never stepped into a Michael's willingly until it was wedding time--yes it is a wedding warehouse in there) So as I dreamily walk up and down the Christmas aisles (there are only 2) I think of how I can make all of these beautiful, ingenius crafts this year. Then I am reminded that again, no artistic ability...we'll see where this leads us. We could either be investing in major Christmas decorations that will eventually look like crap or I will realize before we invest money that I will not be able to create something as beautiful as one of the previous Michael's shoppers that I judged.
But to end this post, my heart is still very happy with the thought of: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Wahoo! And I'm giving a special shout out to all of my fellow CCs...Merry Christmas!! (in a couple of months)
Thursday, September 18, 2008
its official, i'm boring
Ok so today while I was painting, duh, I was thinking what can I post about on my blog? Nothing. That's what I came up with. I am officially a boring person. But don't give me too much of a hard time, I don't have much to feed off of. I mean come on people I'm at home all day painting or watching TV while JK is at school. The only two slightly exciting things I have to say about my day are:
1. I have finished our dining room walls! I started priming them yesterday and I finished putting on the 2nd coat of paint today, I'm starting the trim in a matter of minutes. (pics will be posted later)
2. I'm really enjoying the book I'm reading now, The Shack. Its really good and its definitely one where you need to pay close attention to what's going on because its really deep stuff (well to me), so I cannot have distractions or I end up reading the same sentence 11 times, which is annoying.
Update on my life: My mom and Cissy will officially start their treck to the burgh a week from today! Wahoo! They'll end up arriving next Friday and spend the weekend with me! Yay! I'm so excited and I'm trying to make the house look like normal people live here.
Ok, now onto two things to complain about:
1. I hate the new/getting old real quick Swiffer commercials...where they trade their old mop and use a Swiffer mop and that stupid "Baby come back..." song comes on. Ugh, they get on my nerves. (Note to self, you are officially a TV junkie when you start to hate specific commercials.)
2. The other day I attempted at making a yearly check up appointment with a gyno in the burgh. Well apparently you have to be having a baby or having some medical tragedy to get an appointment before the beginning of November around here! Grrrr (insert frustrated tiger-looking face here). I called 5 doctor's offices that we're covered under before I could get a reasonable appointment, don't worry its in a week, so I'll be fine.
And I have no quote for the day because I'm so boring (wah wah). This is my get out of jail free card for the day.
1. I have finished our dining room walls! I started priming them yesterday and I finished putting on the 2nd coat of paint today, I'm starting the trim in a matter of minutes. (pics will be posted later)
2. I'm really enjoying the book I'm reading now, The Shack. Its really good and its definitely one where you need to pay close attention to what's going on because its really deep stuff (well to me), so I cannot have distractions or I end up reading the same sentence 11 times, which is annoying.
Update on my life: My mom and Cissy will officially start their treck to the burgh a week from today! Wahoo! They'll end up arriving next Friday and spend the weekend with me! Yay! I'm so excited and I'm trying to make the house look like normal people live here.
Ok, now onto two things to complain about:
1. I hate the new/getting old real quick Swiffer commercials...where they trade their old mop and use a Swiffer mop and that stupid "Baby come back..." song comes on. Ugh, they get on my nerves. (Note to self, you are officially a TV junkie when you start to hate specific commercials.)
2. The other day I attempted at making a yearly check up appointment with a gyno in the burgh. Well apparently you have to be having a baby or having some medical tragedy to get an appointment before the beginning of November around here! Grrrr (insert frustrated tiger-looking face here). I called 5 doctor's offices that we're covered under before I could get a reasonable appointment, don't worry its in a week, so I'll be fine.
And I have no quote for the day because I'm so boring (wah wah). This is my get out of jail free card for the day.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
my sister is a fox!
So Stacy, Katie's senior pic photographer, posted a few of Katie's senior pics today! Yay! Its just a tiny taste of all the ones that she took and I cannot wait to see the rest! Katie looks incredible, it amazes me every time I see her or pictures of her, I somehow forget how amazingly beautiful she is and she always catches me off guard. And I was right, with her beauty and Stacy's talent the pictures came out wonderfully! I'll admit I choked up a little bit while I scanned over them approximately 10-15 times, but since I was on the phone with Mom I had to hold it in (I don't want to have too much of a soft heart, right Katie?). She just looks so great and grown up, as I look at the pictures I still see her sweet little face from when she was 3 years old. Where did the years go? How is it allowed for my little sister to be all grown up? How in the world am I going to handle her graduation if I tear up just writing this?? Gosh, Kate you made me get all nostalgic and emotional...but with no further ado (I think that's how you write it)...here they are, eat your heart out:
http://swankphotostudio.com/blog/
I love you Kate, you look beautiful and I'm so proud of you!
quote of the day: "You are so beautiful to meeeeee, can't you seeeeeee" love ya sis!
http://swankphotostudio.com/blog/
I love you Kate, you look beautiful and I'm so proud of you!
quote of the day: "You are so beautiful to meeeeee, can't you seeeeeee" love ya sis!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
tuesday, tuesday, ba da ba da da da
Well we knew today was off to a good start when we were awakened by a jackhammer next door. That was a lot of fun and very loud, of course in my half asleep stupor I thought "how can they be so inconsiderate!? people are sleeping, they should have to wait until a normal hour!". It probably was a normal hour, I didn't check. Not having a job just keeps up the good ol' college routine of staying up late and sleeping late. The other JK always wakes up before me. However he admitted tonight that he actually "pretended" to be getting up and went downstairs and slept in our quiet, dark basement a little longer (that little sneak!). And yes, our basement is finished, its not a creepy thriller movie basement.
We then just did stuff around the house, I dropped my child...I mean husband off at school again and then visited the friendly Midas people one more time to get our inspection approved and completed. To make a story short, they still didn't find the car acceptable (idiots) and the other JK was pretty heated because he went through hell and high water Monday to get it all fixed. I love it when JK gets upset at other people like that, because my nature is to say "ok, whatever" and he gets angry and usually the people on the other end of the deal do something/give us a discount or something free, etc. Anyway I made it back home and remembered that I had forgotten to have my morning coffee, so I had some at 2 in the afternoon. I love buying yummy creamer to put in my coffee and this time around its Cinnamon Bun, yum! Its really delicious and only like 35 calories, which is fine by me!
Now onto a more exciting part of the day, some new friends of ours invited us to dinner tonight and we went to Church Brew Works & Restaurant. This is a really cool place, it used to be a church and has now been turned into a brewery and restaurant. Its so pretty inside and somewhat peaceful. The food was great and we had a wonderful time! If you come and visit, we'll take you there. Some people may be uncomfortable with the thought of a church turned brewery, but I think its a cool spin on things and as long as you're not doing anything crazy or bad, its all good. Anyway, one of our new fave places to go. :)
Well as much as I loved my college days and loved even more how that schedule somehow fit my natural schedule (stay up til 3am and sleep until noon) I need a job. I want a "job schedule"...yes it makes me a little sick that I'll have to do that because getting up really early is not my forte, but I want a job. So anyone who wants to lift up a little prayer, that would be much appreciated. I have some contacts but it just seems as if everyone else is on slo-mo time and its taking forever (thanks Mom for passing down the impatience, I really appreciate it). And any prayers about what church the Lord wants us to be at. Because we really need friends and community. We're just picky about churches, we want the right fit (even though I'm really desperate and I'm willing to go almost anywhere).
The last thought of the post (and something to tie in the daily quote). I love that new (maybe a little old now) Hershey's commercial where the chocolate melts and its two people in a car driving on melted chocolate (?). Anyway what I like most other than the obvious (chocolate) is that it plays one of my fave songs..."I'll stop the world and melt with you"...its such a cute song, it just makes me smile :)
We then just did stuff around the house, I dropped my child...I mean husband off at school again and then visited the friendly Midas people one more time to get our inspection approved and completed. To make a story short, they still didn't find the car acceptable (idiots) and the other JK was pretty heated because he went through hell and high water Monday to get it all fixed. I love it when JK gets upset at other people like that, because my nature is to say "ok, whatever" and he gets angry and usually the people on the other end of the deal do something/give us a discount or something free, etc. Anyway I made it back home and remembered that I had forgotten to have my morning coffee, so I had some at 2 in the afternoon. I love buying yummy creamer to put in my coffee and this time around its Cinnamon Bun, yum! Its really delicious and only like 35 calories, which is fine by me!
Now onto a more exciting part of the day, some new friends of ours invited us to dinner tonight and we went to Church Brew Works & Restaurant. This is a really cool place, it used to be a church and has now been turned into a brewery and restaurant. Its so pretty inside and somewhat peaceful. The food was great and we had a wonderful time! If you come and visit, we'll take you there. Some people may be uncomfortable with the thought of a church turned brewery, but I think its a cool spin on things and as long as you're not doing anything crazy or bad, its all good. Anyway, one of our new fave places to go. :)
Well as much as I loved my college days and loved even more how that schedule somehow fit my natural schedule (stay up til 3am and sleep until noon) I need a job. I want a "job schedule"...yes it makes me a little sick that I'll have to do that because getting up really early is not my forte, but I want a job. So anyone who wants to lift up a little prayer, that would be much appreciated. I have some contacts but it just seems as if everyone else is on slo-mo time and its taking forever (thanks Mom for passing down the impatience, I really appreciate it). And any prayers about what church the Lord wants us to be at. Because we really need friends and community. We're just picky about churches, we want the right fit (even though I'm really desperate and I'm willing to go almost anywhere).
The last thought of the post (and something to tie in the daily quote). I love that new (maybe a little old now) Hershey's commercial where the chocolate melts and its two people in a car driving on melted chocolate (?). Anyway what I like most other than the obvious (chocolate) is that it plays one of my fave songs..."I'll stop the world and melt with you"...its such a cute song, it just makes me smile :)
Monday, September 15, 2008
another manic monday?
Hello blog lovers, I hope you're all doing well. There hasn't been a whole lot to post about (in the past day) and I've had a few concerned readers...ok my mom wanted to know why I hadn't posted, so here's to you Mom, you've inspired me to sit in our comfy office chair and send out my message to the world.
Ok as I had said, not much is going on here...we've just been, yep you guessed it...painting and fixing up the house, which I must admit gets pretty redundant and boring when that's all that is on the agenda all day, everyday. But I guess it pays off to know that I painted this hallway and did that trim and that bedroom (and yes the other JK has done a significant amount as well...his is more touch up paint and caulking and hammering, etc.). However, I managed to squeeze away from the lovely house work and go shopping, I mean errand running yesterday :) Target was first on my list and I browsed because I wanted to visually put a potential fall outfit together and they have such great dresses and skirts this fall! You should really go check them out. I think I found 5 dresses I want and 1 skirt, and I always need a new pair of jeans. I talked myself out of it until a little later, when its actually feeling like fall weather (and hopefully they'll be on sale by then). The shoe selection is ok, not so great...well they didn't have what I was looking for, but had a few other good choices. The one "luxury item" that I did buy was a new book, The Shack, which comes highly recommended by a few of our good friends. I'll fill you in later on what I think of it.
Today while I was painting I decided that I would post about a few things that I've discovered I liked in the past few days (or had a renewed appreciation for):
1. We watched Secondhand Lions the other night and it was such a great movie! I'm always up for a movie that's not filled with cursing, sex, etc. Its really a good movie, the story just kind of pulls you in, I almost started crying at one part (duh, because I'm such a movie-crier, I really am), so that's how you know its good. But its funny, sweet and pulls at your heartstrings. The only downfall is that Haley Joel Osment stars in it (I'm not big on kid stars, like HJO or Dakota Fanning) but he does a great job in his role (sorry Katie, I know this is a big let down to you, since we share the same loathing feeling towards child stars).
2. Take The Cake (American Idol inspired ice cream) by Edy's. Of course the other night I had a sweet tooth (lovingly inherited from the Lail side of the family) and the other JK did not, so I coaxed him into walking to the grocery store with me to find some ice cream. We looked and looked and could not decide among all the delicious flavors, should we really spend $4.39 on Ben & Jerry's? Or if we're spending that much should we go for Haagen Dazs? OR should we get a little more for the same price and get Edy's (which ofcourse is still good but is NOT B&J's or HD). So we went for Edy's (we're so economical) and decided on Slow Churned (1/2 the calories and 1/3 the fat, or the other way around...wahoo!) Take The Cake ice cream. And I'm telling ya what people, it lived up to the my needs. It was very delicious and we have definitely enjoyed eating it, its a must have! (at least try it!)
3. Coco Chanel, the movie. Lifetime had a great idea to make a movie about Coco Chanel, the incredible fashion designer, and what a great idea! I've been looking forward to this movie since this summer when they started advertising it, not only because its a movie about an infamous fashion guru but Shirley MacLaine was playing Coco! Hello, anyone! I loved her in Steel Magnolias (only the BEST movie of all time, and I'm willing to argue that point to my death) as Ouiser (pronounced Weeza) so of course I had to see her in this! Double the pleasure double the fun, anyone?! Ok, I'm getting too excited. But it was a GREAT movie. Even if you don't love fashion (its ok, I don't really understand you...but I will not judge you) you will love this movie, it is so inspiring and empowering, especially for women. After I watched it I went and painted trim and I was like "heck yeah I'm painting white trim in this room! and it looks darn good" (all cocky-like). What can I say, I get really excited and inspired by made for TV movies. Its great, watch it, I think it comes on again at 8pm tonight.
4. Homemade chocolate chip cookies. So wonderful! My stomach growls just at the mention of them. I was in domestic homemaker mood the other night after our awesome crock pot meal and decided that we should have homemade CC cookies (insert sweet tooth craving here) so I made them! And really they are so easy to make if you have all the stuff (don't roll your eyes at me, I can feel them rolling as I type this). But they were good, worth the 20-25 minutes of work that went into making them and we're still enjoying them, yum!
Ok, well that is the end of this post. I will leave you with a few pictures to look at. (You always have to post some kind of pics, it makes the post more exciting) The pics are, respectively, HJO, the real Coco Chanel, and Shirley (best known as Weeza) all dressed up.
Ok as I had said, not much is going on here...we've just been, yep you guessed it...painting and fixing up the house, which I must admit gets pretty redundant and boring when that's all that is on the agenda all day, everyday. But I guess it pays off to know that I painted this hallway and did that trim and that bedroom (and yes the other JK has done a significant amount as well...his is more touch up paint and caulking and hammering, etc.). However, I managed to squeeze away from the lovely house work and go shopping, I mean errand running yesterday :) Target was first on my list and I browsed because I wanted to visually put a potential fall outfit together and they have such great dresses and skirts this fall! You should really go check them out. I think I found 5 dresses I want and 1 skirt, and I always need a new pair of jeans. I talked myself out of it until a little later, when its actually feeling like fall weather (and hopefully they'll be on sale by then). The shoe selection is ok, not so great...well they didn't have what I was looking for, but had a few other good choices. The one "luxury item" that I did buy was a new book, The Shack, which comes highly recommended by a few of our good friends. I'll fill you in later on what I think of it.
Today while I was painting I decided that I would post about a few things that I've discovered I liked in the past few days (or had a renewed appreciation for):
1. We watched Secondhand Lions the other night and it was such a great movie! I'm always up for a movie that's not filled with cursing, sex, etc. Its really a good movie, the story just kind of pulls you in, I almost started crying at one part (duh, because I'm such a movie-crier, I really am), so that's how you know its good. But its funny, sweet and pulls at your heartstrings. The only downfall is that Haley Joel Osment stars in it (I'm not big on kid stars, like HJO or Dakota Fanning) but he does a great job in his role (sorry Katie, I know this is a big let down to you, since we share the same loathing feeling towards child stars).
2. Take The Cake (American Idol inspired ice cream) by Edy's. Of course the other night I had a sweet tooth (lovingly inherited from the Lail side of the family) and the other JK did not, so I coaxed him into walking to the grocery store with me to find some ice cream. We looked and looked and could not decide among all the delicious flavors, should we really spend $4.39 on Ben & Jerry's? Or if we're spending that much should we go for Haagen Dazs? OR should we get a little more for the same price and get Edy's (which ofcourse is still good but is NOT B&J's or HD). So we went for Edy's (we're so economical) and decided on Slow Churned (1/2 the calories and 1/3 the fat, or the other way around...wahoo!) Take The Cake ice cream. And I'm telling ya what people, it lived up to the my needs. It was very delicious and we have definitely enjoyed eating it, its a must have! (at least try it!)
3. Coco Chanel, the movie. Lifetime had a great idea to make a movie about Coco Chanel, the incredible fashion designer, and what a great idea! I've been looking forward to this movie since this summer when they started advertising it, not only because its a movie about an infamous fashion guru but Shirley MacLaine was playing Coco! Hello, anyone! I loved her in Steel Magnolias (only the BEST movie of all time, and I'm willing to argue that point to my death) as Ouiser (pronounced Weeza) so of course I had to see her in this! Double the pleasure double the fun, anyone?! Ok, I'm getting too excited. But it was a GREAT movie. Even if you don't love fashion (its ok, I don't really understand you...but I will not judge you) you will love this movie, it is so inspiring and empowering, especially for women. After I watched it I went and painted trim and I was like "heck yeah I'm painting white trim in this room! and it looks darn good" (all cocky-like). What can I say, I get really excited and inspired by made for TV movies. Its great, watch it, I think it comes on again at 8pm tonight.
4. Homemade chocolate chip cookies. So wonderful! My stomach growls just at the mention of them. I was in domestic homemaker mood the other night after our awesome crock pot meal and decided that we should have homemade CC cookies (insert sweet tooth craving here) so I made them! And really they are so easy to make if you have all the stuff (don't roll your eyes at me, I can feel them rolling as I type this). But they were good, worth the 20-25 minutes of work that went into making them and we're still enjoying them, yum!
Ok, well that is the end of this post. I will leave you with a few pictures to look at. (You always have to post some kind of pics, it makes the post more exciting) The pics are, respectively, HJO, the real Coco Chanel, and Shirley (best known as Weeza) all dressed up.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Delicious dinner!
All my fellow chefs get ready for a delicious recipe! One of our wedding gifts was a Fix it and Forget it (lightly) Cookbook, its a great book. If you didn't catch it from the title, its a crock pot cookbook that has healthy, low fat recipes. My kinda cookbook! So as I was browsing through it and the grocery sale papers a few days ago I came across this recipe that looks really great. If you're someone who loves meat and potato meals or you cook for someone who enjoys them, this is a great one for you and when I read the recipe I envisioned eating the meal during a cold, snowy day. However it is warm, muggy, and off and on rain here in Pittsburgh but that didn't affect the taste. Alright, here it is:
Hamburg, Cabbage, & Potato Dinner
1 lb. extra-lean ground beef
6 medium potatoes, quartered
1 medium-sized head of cabbage, cut in chunks
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 cups water
1. Brown ground beef in nonstick skillet.
2. Layer in slow cooker potatoes, cabbage, and hamburger. Sprinkle seasonings over each layer.
3. Pour water over top.
4. Cover. Cook on low 7-8 hours or until vegetables are tender.
Makes 6-8 servings. Per serving: 250 calories, 6g total fat.
Here are my tips for it, stir it occasionally so that some cabbage and beef doesn't get over cooked if its resting on the edges. If you're cooking for 2 you may want to half the recipe because it makes a whole lot!
There have been a number of flies around our house today, but lucky me, I'm married to a man who has some odd gift at killing flies with one swat. Who ya gonna call, Ghostbusters...I mean, John Kelly!
Hamburg, Cabbage, & Potato Dinner
1 lb. extra-lean ground beef
6 medium potatoes, quartered
1 medium-sized head of cabbage, cut in chunks
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 cups water
1. Brown ground beef in nonstick skillet.
2. Layer in slow cooker potatoes, cabbage, and hamburger. Sprinkle seasonings over each layer.
3. Pour water over top.
4. Cover. Cook on low 7-8 hours or until vegetables are tender.
Makes 6-8 servings. Per serving: 250 calories, 6g total fat.
Here are my tips for it, stir it occasionally so that some cabbage and beef doesn't get over cooked if its resting on the edges. If you're cooking for 2 you may want to half the recipe because it makes a whole lot!
There have been a number of flies around our house today, but lucky me, I'm married to a man who has some odd gift at killing flies with one swat. Who ya gonna call, Ghostbusters...I mean, John Kelly!
Friday, September 12, 2008
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GINNY!
Today, yes, today is my best friend Ginny's birthday!! Wahoo! Go Ginny! Ok, so maybe I love her a little bit, and by a little I mean a whole heck of a lot! Ginny is an incredible friend, she is so patient (most of the time), so giving and sweet, but best of all (and this is what truly connects us to each other) is that she has a lot of attitude and sass. Ginny, that's a great thing to have. I hope that your birthday is more than wonderful, you deserve it! And your present is coming...how could you ever expect a gift from me to be on time? Here's a pic of me and Ginny on her 21st birthday (2 mere years ago). I love you!
Today is also mine and the other JK's two month anniversary! Wahoo! :) We've made it this far...ain't no stoppin us now! Its really hard to believe it was two months ago that we got married, some days it feels as if it was just yesterday and some it feels like it was years ago. And here is a pic from our wedding, one of my faves:
Copyright SwankPhotoStudio.com
Today I ventured out and attempted the license plate drama again. Except that today it was rainy, making it even harder to read signs and concentrate, however I had ventured these roads once before so that helped a little. After spending a good 1 1/2 hours at AAA filling out stuff and waiting and talking the ears off of my 60-something agent that was helping me, I had a license plate! Next task on the list: go get our car inspected at Midas..."trust the Midas touch"...and I did, I trusted as I waited for another 1 1/2 hours. I felt very accomplished and pretty darn proud of myself, and YES I figured out how to get back with no problems (I only had to turn around twice).
My sweet, beautiful sister Katie got her senior pictures taken today! (sniff sniff) I'm very anxious to look at them because with the combination of her beauty and Stacy's (our wedding photographer) skills, they will turn out looking magnificent! It just makes me sad that my baby sister is actually old enough to have her senior pictures taken...I told my mom that I may cry whenever they're posted online and I look at them (hey, I have a soft side). But to remind us of a younger, more simpler time in Katie's life, I've decided to post a few pics:
Ok, so they're not that much younger, but all of my pics with Katie as a little thang are not on the computer and let's face it, I am not the JK that is technically savvy enough to know how to scan pics (I will learn one day). And maybe I just wanted to post some festive/slightly embarrassing pics of her :) Love you sis!
And my last comment for the night is dedicated to my cousin Emily: everybody's working for the weekend! (please envision the Zoolander scene here)
Today is also mine and the other JK's two month anniversary! Wahoo! :) We've made it this far...ain't no stoppin us now! Its really hard to believe it was two months ago that we got married, some days it feels as if it was just yesterday and some it feels like it was years ago. And here is a pic from our wedding, one of my faves:
Copyright SwankPhotoStudio.com
Today I ventured out and attempted the license plate drama again. Except that today it was rainy, making it even harder to read signs and concentrate, however I had ventured these roads once before so that helped a little. After spending a good 1 1/2 hours at AAA filling out stuff and waiting and talking the ears off of my 60-something agent that was helping me, I had a license plate! Next task on the list: go get our car inspected at Midas..."trust the Midas touch"...and I did, I trusted as I waited for another 1 1/2 hours. I felt very accomplished and pretty darn proud of myself, and YES I figured out how to get back with no problems (I only had to turn around twice).
My sweet, beautiful sister Katie got her senior pictures taken today! (sniff sniff) I'm very anxious to look at them because with the combination of her beauty and Stacy's (our wedding photographer) skills, they will turn out looking magnificent! It just makes me sad that my baby sister is actually old enough to have her senior pictures taken...I told my mom that I may cry whenever they're posted online and I look at them (hey, I have a soft side). But to remind us of a younger, more simpler time in Katie's life, I've decided to post a few pics:
Ok, so they're not that much younger, but all of my pics with Katie as a little thang are not on the computer and let's face it, I am not the JK that is technically savvy enough to know how to scan pics (I will learn one day). And maybe I just wanted to post some festive/slightly embarrassing pics of her :) Love you sis!
And my last comment for the night is dedicated to my cousin Emily: everybody's working for the weekend! (please envision the Zoolander scene here)
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Shoes, handbags, designer coats, oh my!
After the frenzied car ride yesterday, once I arrived at my errands location I decided that I would finally tackle Filene's Basement. FB is a store that has anywhere from J.Crew to Prada (yes, I saw Prada, yay!) clothes, handbags, shoes, etc. and its all "discounted". My mom and sister fell in love with this store when they visited Boston and I've heard only good things about it so you can imagine how much I freaked out when I saw that one was just 5 minutes away from my new house!! However it is a very large store and for you ladies who get overwhelmed, you may not be able to experience all that is Filene's, but lucky for me I was blessed with discount, warehouse shopping genes. Yes, I CAN be that woman the day after Thanksgiving yelling at people in the parking lot (its not my fault that they're dumb and can't park) or playing tug of war over a cashmere sweater at an unbeatable price (thanks Mom for passing those genes down). I've learned that they are hard to come by and I'm happy that I have them. So Filene's was nothing to get anxious over for me, I walked in took a breath of fresh retail air and dove right in! First of course, I was drawn (almost as if I were magnetized) to the handbag section. Crazy, I know. And you know how you feel when you first fall in love, in those first few months of puppy love...your heart just gets all fluttery and you have a big goofy smile? Well, that's me everytime I'm in a huge handbag or shoe section of a store. Do any of you ever get that way? I know I'm not the only one...Mom, Abby and Emily Nance you better be raising your hands right now, because I share a common love of retail with all of you. As I grazed over the handbags I found none that were in my budget, mind you I just bought a new bag mmm maybe 3 weeks ago and I don't even have a budget because my budget right now is for home repairs and groceries. Which is fine, I need limits :) So after I was mildly dissapointed at the handbag section (partially because I didn't have a lot of extra dough and the prices weren't low enough...no offense to Filene) I "made" myself go upstairs to the shoe section. Can we say a little piece of heaven, anyone?! It was so fun to be looking at all of the shoes and I came across a new love...I'll have to be honest when this type of shoes first came out I didn't like it at all, I was repulsed by it but its growing on me and now I kind of like them a lot (kind of how my relationship with Uggs developed) and I'll be looking for a reasonable priced pair. Here they are:
I may like this one more:
Ok, now some of you may think, "wow she's so crazy about clothes and retail" but I mean I got started young. I can't even tell you how many pairs of Sam & Libby's I had by the age of 5. (Thanks again Mom, I loved those shoes!) And now I have a reputation to keep up, I can't tell you how many friends I've helped with fashion advice and I mean, people look to me as somewhat of a fashion icon (haha ok, now I'm just trying to convince myself that I'm Sarah Jessica Parker). But seriously, I love shopping and since I went to college (having limited funds) I've learned how to be a great window shopper and a dreamer.
And the appropriate quote of the day for this post is from a Friends episode where Monica buys new boots and they are killing her feet:
Monica: They hurt so bad, I can't even feel my feet.
Rachel: You can feel your feet? Oh, I haven't felt mine in years.
I may like this one more:
Ok, now some of you may think, "wow she's so crazy about clothes and retail" but I mean I got started young. I can't even tell you how many pairs of Sam & Libby's I had by the age of 5. (Thanks again Mom, I loved those shoes!) And now I have a reputation to keep up, I can't tell you how many friends I've helped with fashion advice and I mean, people look to me as somewhat of a fashion icon (haha ok, now I'm just trying to convince myself that I'm Sarah Jessica Parker). But seriously, I love shopping and since I went to college (having limited funds) I've learned how to be a great window shopper and a dreamer.
And the appropriate quote of the day for this post is from a Friends episode where Monica buys new boots and they are killing her feet:
Monica: They hurt so bad, I can't even feel my feet.
Rachel: You can feel your feet? Oh, I haven't felt mine in years.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
living on a prayer
A special thanks to all of my friends and family who have told me how much they looove my blog and how funny they think it is, this has given me a little confidence boost and has encouraged me to keep blogging (as if I would stop anyway). So sorry to all of those out there that aren't enjoying it as much, there is no end in sight.
Ok, now to today's drama. My blog should be named "The Adventures of Jessi Kelly, young woman lost in a huge city". The other JK sent me on a mission today, to get Pennsylvania license plates...eek! Well anything that has to do with the city is always somewhat of a hassle, so I was kind of prepared. Ok, so here I am, showered and ready (trying to look like I'm an adult and not a 16 year old) and I'm off to get our car inspected! Then I get there and I don't have the correct "blah blah blah" so I had to go to AAA and then I needed something else so I went to another service station and got some number or something approved, then promptly reported back to AAA (the woman working there had eased off the meanness since 10 minutes before when I was dealing with her) and then I don't have some other paperwork (which I'm assuming is jumbled up somewhere in our house)! How frustrating, I had been to two service stations, and to AAA twice and all the while I was squinting at every unreadable street sign to figure out where to turn next, while cruising around in the "not so great neighborhood". After my final AAA visit I decided I was done with all of that crap and I'm going to do my other errands (that are close to our home). Well, either mapquest had failed me or I missed a street or something but I ended up somewhere in Pittsburgh that I had never been before. For those of you who have never been in a car with me when I'm lost, I get a little frustrated, and by little I mean a lot. I get very anxious and nervous and every time I turn a corner I act like the road is about to drop off a cliff or something. So I was a pretty sight driving around the burgh today. My face is all squenched (yes, its a word) up and my eyes are narrowed from trying to focus on road signs/praying for God to let me recognize a road/in between prayers saying a few choice words at the roads/wondering why the heck did JK trust me to do this?! So I keep turning and driving on roads that just "feel right". That's what I always do when I'm lost, I go on one that just feels right to me. All this time my stomach is knawing at my insides wanting to be fed because somehow a bowl of Cheerios didn't hold over for longer than 4 hours. God bless the instructional road signs in the burgh, they tell you to go straight or turn to get to certain neighborhoods. And FINALLY I see a Beechwood Blvd. sign (the road we live on) and maybe I blew a kiss to the sign while I was at the intersection (don't judge me). I was so relieved! Well for you non-Pittsburghians, Beechwood is a long windy-turny road that goes on for miles, it can be tricky but I figured that as long as I stayed on it I was in good shape. And then I got into familiar territory, praise God! Seiously, I did a little prayer shout out to Him and thanked Him. Well I found my shopping center and finished my errands and here I am back at home, ready to work on trim! Wahoo! I'm just happy not to be lost :)
Ok, now to today's drama. My blog should be named "The Adventures of Jessi Kelly, young woman lost in a huge city". The other JK sent me on a mission today, to get Pennsylvania license plates...eek! Well anything that has to do with the city is always somewhat of a hassle, so I was kind of prepared. Ok, so here I am, showered and ready (trying to look like I'm an adult and not a 16 year old) and I'm off to get our car inspected! Then I get there and I don't have the correct "blah blah blah" so I had to go to AAA and then I needed something else so I went to another service station and got some number or something approved, then promptly reported back to AAA (the woman working there had eased off the meanness since 10 minutes before when I was dealing with her) and then I don't have some other paperwork (which I'm assuming is jumbled up somewhere in our house)! How frustrating, I had been to two service stations, and to AAA twice and all the while I was squinting at every unreadable street sign to figure out where to turn next, while cruising around in the "not so great neighborhood". After my final AAA visit I decided I was done with all of that crap and I'm going to do my other errands (that are close to our home). Well, either mapquest had failed me or I missed a street or something but I ended up somewhere in Pittsburgh that I had never been before. For those of you who have never been in a car with me when I'm lost, I get a little frustrated, and by little I mean a lot. I get very anxious and nervous and every time I turn a corner I act like the road is about to drop off a cliff or something. So I was a pretty sight driving around the burgh today. My face is all squenched (yes, its a word) up and my eyes are narrowed from trying to focus on road signs/praying for God to let me recognize a road/in between prayers saying a few choice words at the roads/wondering why the heck did JK trust me to do this?! So I keep turning and driving on roads that just "feel right". That's what I always do when I'm lost, I go on one that just feels right to me. All this time my stomach is knawing at my insides wanting to be fed because somehow a bowl of Cheerios didn't hold over for longer than 4 hours. God bless the instructional road signs in the burgh, they tell you to go straight or turn to get to certain neighborhoods. And FINALLY I see a Beechwood Blvd. sign (the road we live on) and maybe I blew a kiss to the sign while I was at the intersection (don't judge me). I was so relieved! Well for you non-Pittsburghians, Beechwood is a long windy-turny road that goes on for miles, it can be tricky but I figured that as long as I stayed on it I was in good shape. And then I got into familiar territory, praise God! Seiously, I did a little prayer shout out to Him and thanked Him. Well I found my shopping center and finished my errands and here I am back at home, ready to work on trim! Wahoo! I'm just happy not to be lost :)
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
wahoo!!!
Ok, so my hands may have blisters on them from death-gripping the paint roller handle, I may have lower back problems from reaching those "hard to reach" places and cleaning paint rollers & brushes, and I may have blood red paint all over my body looking like I have a million cuts on me but I HAVE FINISHED OUR BEDROOM WALLS!! Wahoo! I honestly feel like I have conquered some small feat! As I was rolling the last few little spots I was imagining "We are the champions" being played in the background. It may sound a little dramatic, but you put primer on walls and then 5 coats of paint and come back to me and let me know how you feel once you're done. After I was finished I turned (no, I didn't twirl...well maybe a little) around the room with my arms high in the air reveling in my glory. Can I get another wahooo!? Ok, so now I'm coming off of my painter high and realize that tomorrow I must begin trim, but that is (to quote Ross Gellar) fine by me! (thanks Teresa for helping me out with the daily quote) Its looking good people, we're almost done, with our room. We still have 4 rooms to go, and trust me they will get painted. Well I'm off to pick up JK from class and then to relax for the night :)
PS-Pics will be posted later of before and after.
PS-Pics will be posted later of before and after.
Monday, September 8, 2008
just another manic monday...
This will be a random post, just to warn you all.
I just finished putting yet another coat of paint on our walls (the 5th, to be exact). Well the 5th on part of the room, see the other JK was in charge of bedroom painting last night and he decided to go in sections, so right now one wall has a 5th coat, another a 4th coat, and two others a 3rd coat. I will complete the coats tomorrow (hopefully it will all be done by the end of tomorrow). But don't forget that once we're done with the walls the trim must begin. Oh how I wish I had my Uncle Darrell here with me, he's a really great painter and I'm not.
Secondly, I think its clear by now that this is a single JK blog, the other JK isn't participating in posting, which was the original plan. That means there will be a lot of my thoughts on here, likes, dislikes, and who knows what else. But I will definitely keep everyone informed of anything going on in our life together and anything specific to the other JK.
Third, my cousin Emily is getting married in TWO MONTHS to this day! YAY! I am very excited about this day, it will be a great wedding, I love her and her fiance Tommy very much! And we get to travel back to NC for the wedding, yay! I'm excited to celebrate Emily and Tommy and see the fam, a great time will be had by all! Hoo haa (this last brief statement is dedicated to Katie and Cis)!!
(hope you don't mind me posting the pic Em)
Fourth, while painting you think of a lot of random things. I thought about people, books, songs, movies...really anything and tonight I decided that I would inform all my readers about one of the best authors in the world: Celia Rivenbark! She is one hilarious, sassy, Southern woman. I was introduced to her works by the women in my family, it was a combination...I think my aunt Donna gave my mom one of the books, my aunt Cissy lent Mom one of the books and then Mom passed them down to me. Now it takes a lot for me to laugh while reading a book, and Ms. Rivenbark has had me rolling in laughter through each of her books that I've read. The books that I've read of hers are: "Bless Your Heart, Tramp", "We're Just Like You, Only Prettier", and "Stop Dressing Your Six Year Old Like a Skank!". Some of you may have already read them because I've pushed them on you (you're welcome) but for those of you who haven't, go buy one or check one out at the library! She is a great writer, whether you've lived in the South your whole life, part of your life, or you're wondering what in the world is so weird/wonderful about those Southern women, she explains it all. I love her hilarious sassiness, she's somewhat of a role model for me :)
To respond to a comment my sweet sister-in-law made on a previous post...Heather, I'm going to attempt to quote different songs, movies, and people. The quote on the previous post was from none other than Tony the Tiger. Thanks for holding me accountable though :)
And lastly, I want to comment on how great old "crooner" music is. That was my music choice of the night while painting and for some reason whenever I hear old love songs by Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin I always think of Thanksgiving and Christmas time, and big cities. So we'll have to see how that pans out this year since we'll be in a big(ish) city at those times of the year. This type of music also reminds me of what a hopeless romantic I can be (wah wah). Well, I'm off for the nightly watching of TV with the hubby.
I just finished putting yet another coat of paint on our walls (the 5th, to be exact). Well the 5th on part of the room, see the other JK was in charge of bedroom painting last night and he decided to go in sections, so right now one wall has a 5th coat, another a 4th coat, and two others a 3rd coat. I will complete the coats tomorrow (hopefully it will all be done by the end of tomorrow). But don't forget that once we're done with the walls the trim must begin. Oh how I wish I had my Uncle Darrell here with me, he's a really great painter and I'm not.
Secondly, I think its clear by now that this is a single JK blog, the other JK isn't participating in posting, which was the original plan. That means there will be a lot of my thoughts on here, likes, dislikes, and who knows what else. But I will definitely keep everyone informed of anything going on in our life together and anything specific to the other JK.
Third, my cousin Emily is getting married in TWO MONTHS to this day! YAY! I am very excited about this day, it will be a great wedding, I love her and her fiance Tommy very much! And we get to travel back to NC for the wedding, yay! I'm excited to celebrate Emily and Tommy and see the fam, a great time will be had by all! Hoo haa (this last brief statement is dedicated to Katie and Cis)!!
(hope you don't mind me posting the pic Em)
Fourth, while painting you think of a lot of random things. I thought about people, books, songs, movies...really anything and tonight I decided that I would inform all my readers about one of the best authors in the world: Celia Rivenbark! She is one hilarious, sassy, Southern woman. I was introduced to her works by the women in my family, it was a combination...I think my aunt Donna gave my mom one of the books, my aunt Cissy lent Mom one of the books and then Mom passed them down to me. Now it takes a lot for me to laugh while reading a book, and Ms. Rivenbark has had me rolling in laughter through each of her books that I've read. The books that I've read of hers are: "Bless Your Heart, Tramp", "We're Just Like You, Only Prettier", and "Stop Dressing Your Six Year Old Like a Skank!". Some of you may have already read them because I've pushed them on you (you're welcome) but for those of you who haven't, go buy one or check one out at the library! She is a great writer, whether you've lived in the South your whole life, part of your life, or you're wondering what in the world is so weird/wonderful about those Southern women, she explains it all. I love her hilarious sassiness, she's somewhat of a role model for me :)
To respond to a comment my sweet sister-in-law made on a previous post...Heather, I'm going to attempt to quote different songs, movies, and people. The quote on the previous post was from none other than Tony the Tiger. Thanks for holding me accountable though :)
And lastly, I want to comment on how great old "crooner" music is. That was my music choice of the night while painting and for some reason whenever I hear old love songs by Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin I always think of Thanksgiving and Christmas time, and big cities. So we'll have to see how that pans out this year since we'll be in a big(ish) city at those times of the year. This type of music also reminds me of what a hopeless romantic I can be (wah wah). Well, I'm off for the nightly watching of TV with the hubby.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
potato pancakes
Not a whole lot has been going on at our house today...it feels like a typical Sunday here. And that means there's not a lot to post so here is the recipe from the previous post:
Potato pancakes
Potato pancakes
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 6 medium potatoes, peeled and shredded
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- In a large bowl, beat together eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Mix in potatoes and onion.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. In batches, drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the potato mixture into the skillet. Press to flatten. Cook about 3 minutes on each side, until browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
A thorn in my side
Let me begin the story by saying that painting our master bedroom is a pain in the butt. So far we've stripped chair railing, stripped wallpaper, spackled, sanded, re-spackled, re-sanded, washed the walls (twice), put primer on all the walls, and put two coats of paint on the walls...ahh! And they don't look great yet, but we must keep pushing through because we HAVE to have a normal bedroom.
The new thing that I hate the most is (drum roll please)...a paint roller. They take forever to clean out...I swear that they have at least a half gallon of paint stored up inside of them after you're through painting! I stood in our front yard today for like 30 minutes spraying one clean and yes it was cool and there was a breeze and the water from the hose sprayed my clothes until they were stuck to me. So there you have it ladies and gentlemen...I hate paint rollers, officially. During all of this the other JK is being very productive by cleaning and sorting through our messy basement so that we can have somewhat of a decent house (thanks!).
The great thing is that I decided to do a Southern-type dinner tonight (yes, of course I, we both, miss the South). And we had one of our favorite things to eat, these delicious potato pancakes. They are incredible! Yes, a little fattening, but when you want to splurge they are awesome! I'll post the recipe later. Mmmm....mmmm!
But to end this post, after the frustration of the room and the paint roller, I'm sitting here with a glass of wine and watching My Best Friend's Wedding, and it seems pretty great right now...and after all, to quote one famous Southern belle, tomorrow is another day.
The new thing that I hate the most is (drum roll please)...a paint roller. They take forever to clean out...I swear that they have at least a half gallon of paint stored up inside of them after you're through painting! I stood in our front yard today for like 30 minutes spraying one clean and yes it was cool and there was a breeze and the water from the hose sprayed my clothes until they were stuck to me. So there you have it ladies and gentlemen...I hate paint rollers, officially. During all of this the other JK is being very productive by cleaning and sorting through our messy basement so that we can have somewhat of a decent house (thanks!).
The great thing is that I decided to do a Southern-type dinner tonight (yes, of course I, we both, miss the South). And we had one of our favorite things to eat, these delicious potato pancakes. They are incredible! Yes, a little fattening, but when you want to splurge they are awesome! I'll post the recipe later. Mmmm....mmmm!
But to end this post, after the frustration of the room and the paint roller, I'm sitting here with a glass of wine and watching My Best Friend's Wedding, and it seems pretty great right now...and after all, to quote one famous Southern belle, tomorrow is another day.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Nobody puts baby in a corner!
Ok so picture this, me in scrubby paint clothes, on my tippey toes, on a stepladder reaching into the crevices of our walls with a paintbrush all while trying to dance to the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. Yep, that was me yesterday and today and I'll have to say that the DD soundtrack made painting (and re-painting) the walls not so bad. I discovered this new found sassiness (as if I needed more) while I listened to it and attempted to dance in our hallway and bedroom. It was quite a sight I'm sure, hopefully we don't have any peeping toms or if we do we all know that they had a great time yesterday. DD is such a great movie, I have a lot of fond memories from watching it with my mom and sister (by the way, the quote in the title IS the quote of the day and it is dedicated to my sister, Katie). All in all, if you haven't seen the movie (and I don't know why in the world you wouldn't have seen it) you need to watch it and then buy the soundtrack because I think next to the Grease soundtrack it is the best one out there, I promise. Much love to Baby and Patrick Swayze.
Another thing to add onto this wonderful day of mine, we bought a new mattress set on Monday and it was delivered today! Yay! And it feels like you are laying on clouds in heaven :) So of course, for those of you who know me well (and know about my hobby of napping) I had to christen the bed with a nap. And don't worry ladies and gentlemen, it feels as great as it did when we tried it out in the store (no, we didn't nap in the store). A special thanks to my husband for being patient and understanding my need of a nap (especially on our brand new bed) while he was cleaning/doing something productive. Man, do I love him! Well have a great weekend, I'm going to leave you with pictures of some of my favorite scenes from Dirty Dancing!
Another thing to add onto this wonderful day of mine, we bought a new mattress set on Monday and it was delivered today! Yay! And it feels like you are laying on clouds in heaven :) So of course, for those of you who know me well (and know about my hobby of napping) I had to christen the bed with a nap. And don't worry ladies and gentlemen, it feels as great as it did when we tried it out in the store (no, we didn't nap in the store). A special thanks to my husband for being patient and understanding my need of a nap (especially on our brand new bed) while he was cleaning/doing something productive. Man, do I love him! Well have a great weekend, I'm going to leave you with pictures of some of my favorite scenes from Dirty Dancing!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Hello again, I have some exciting news! (NO, I'm not pregnant...that seems to be the only thing people think these days when I say "guess what" or "exciting news") Ok, so as some of you may know since the 9th grade I've had a huge attachment to my long hair. I always wanted long hair on my wedding day (because my Mom had long hair on her wedding day) but since my wedding day is over I've decided that I need something new! The length just started getting on my nerves and I wanted a new look, I guess. So here it is!
OLD ME
NEW ME!
PS-I know you all enjoyed the David Bowie tribute in the title...I think I'm going to try and put some kind of quote or song lyric in every post, whoa, I know it sounds ambitious but we'll see.
OLD ME
NEW ME!
PS-I know you all enjoyed the David Bowie tribute in the title...I think I'm going to try and put some kind of quote or song lyric in every post, whoa, I know it sounds ambitious but we'll see.
Its only the beginning...
Hey everyone! So we started a blog, yay! I always said that I would never start one, but you just get bored in a big city where you only know the person that you live with. And I thought it would be helpful for all of you that love us and want to know what's going on with us, that way we can post pics and tell stories...just like you were here with us! I'll probably post things I like, don't like, anything that is going on with us and everything in between. I know that you're all just sitting on the edge of your seats for this blog to be up and running, so here you are...and awayyyyy we gooo! (name that quote).
By the way, any true Grease fan would've known that quote :)
By the way, any true Grease fan would've known that quote :)
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