Living Blossoms

+ I went to the dentist today and for the first time in a very long time, I had no cavities and they said my gums look pretty good! We didn't have to schedule any periodontal follow-up or fillings. Woo-hoo! Of course, I have done absolutely nothing different this time than the previous times, so who knows if it'll last, but I'm happy.

+ I turned down the promotional modeling gig this Saturday. Turns out it only pays in makeup, and as much as I'd like that, I also realized I'd be standing nonstop for 3 hours in tall heels, and then I plan to go to Contra for 3 hours? Um, no. I would die. (And I'm not skipping Contra!) Dude, I was only standing in heels for about 2 hours for the fashion show in the spring and my feet were KILLING me the rest of the day.

+ The Humane Society emailed me a survey about our experience with them. I took it because I usually like to give feedback like that. Well, turns out if you take it they surprise you with a $10 off any purchase coupon for their thrift store! Looks like I'll be heading over that way again one of these days. A gift card for a thrift store. Wow. It's like heaven.

+ Nala is killing me with Extreme Puppy Cuteness. She tosses her toys out of reach so she can pounce on them, and then repeats that several times. Last night I saw her eyeing my toes (I think the polish makes her notice them or something) so I wiggled them and moved them closer to her slowly. She pounced on my foot. LOL. Thankfully she didn't bite my toes once she captured them. She pounces on moths and lizards outside, which, every time, looks just like Simba's pouncing lesson on The Lion King. The other day I brought her into my room so I could get ready for the day and still keep an eye on her, and she discovered socks. When I took away the dirty sock Isaac left on the floor, she started pulling socks one by one out of the laundry basket and dodging me. Too funny! Oh, and when my grandma met her the other day, Nala kept her ears back for a long time because she was getting loved, and Grama said, "I don't think she has big ears." I told her that's just because they were pressed down. Finally Nala heard a noise and raised her ears, and Grama started laughing. Nala thought that was a strange sound too, so she raised her ears even higher, which made Grams laugh more, which made Nala move her ears again, which made Grams laugh more, etc. It was hilarious. *I* was cracking up at the two of them. Last night Isaac was sitting in a dining room chair when he realized she had her mouth around the leg of it. He looked down at her and she looked up at him - mouth still around the chair leg - and gave him the exact look that the Madagascar lion had on his face when he bit the zebra's butt. LOL!

And how cute is this? He was saving her from the vacuum cleaner.So, yeah. You could say we're smitten.  =o)  Oh, yeah - and she had no accidents in the house yesterday or yet today! WOOHOO! I'm sure she will still have some because she's so young, but it's been awfully nice.

+ I think I'm allergic to winter. Okay, not really, but during winter I get frequent inexplicable sinus headaches that come and go as they please, and are usually without any other symptoms. Just another reason to be glad for resuming normal high temperatures tomorrow. We set a record low last night. I'm glad to be done with that for a while.

+ The 1940s photo shoot has been scheduled for this Tuesday! (Apparently in my world photo shoots only take place on Tuesdays.) I'm going to have to wake up EARLY. I have to be in St. Augustine by 7:30am, and it's an hour drive! Plus I have to do my makeup and stuff. Oy. I love modeling, I love modeling, I love modeling... At least I can probably go back to sleep between that and work - although I won't want to mess up my '40s hairdo! Hehe. I'm excited about that. I'm hopefully going to borrow some curlers from a friend at church.

+ I was bad today and gave into a craving for my favorite thrift store. *sheepish grin* I'm glad I went, though, 'cause I hit the cashmere jackpot! I got two 100% cashmere sweaters, one from Ann Taylor ($5) and one from Banana Republic ($6). The A.T. one is identical to this one, except it's pink. I was thrilled to find another of those, because it's the softest cashmere I've ever felt. I found another cashmere sweater that was a turtleneck that wouldn't fit over my head, so I left it for someone else. I also got 2 totally cute skirts (Ann Taylor & Express), an adorable white BCBG sundress, and several tops (including one from American Eagle with the tags still on!). I had a budget I stuck to, which was sad because it meant a lot of great stuff had to go back on the racks. Ah, well. I can hardly complain.

+ I heard "The Motions" by Matthew West on the radio the other day and just loved it. Halfway into the chorus I realized why: it could be a Backstreet Boys song. I can absolutely hear them singing that song - only, if they did it, it would be better because there would be beautiful 5-part harmony woven through it. Ah, how I miss the glory days of boy bands, back when hit songs weren't all about sex.

+ Oh! TLC has finally announced an air date for the Duggars' trip to El Salvador on 17 Kids and Counting. For those of you who don't know, my church takes a small team to El Salvador twice a year to minister in villages, schools, and orphanages near the place we stay. My husband and I have been there twice. 11 of the Duggars were there in December (when 3 people from my church were there), and their camera crew came with them. We who've been there are so thrilled about this, because now people will get a better taste of how we minister down there. (I've already been thinking of E.S. a lot lately. I miss it. This will only make it worse, I think.) Anyway - it will air February 17 from 9:00-10:00pm (Eastern). You should watch it!

+ We're going to some friends' house for dinner tonight. It's been ages since we hung out, just them and us, so I'm excited. I guess I ought to go water the plants so I can head home.

+ Happy Christmas Eve Eve! I've only wrapped two presents so far. I keep meaning to, and then other things come up - like today, when Mom called me and asked if I wanted to go to SnS for lunch. How could I say no?

+ I've been a crocheting fool lately. My first attempt at making the hat I mentioned somehow went haywire and I ended up with a slightly concave doily. LOL. So I tried an easier one and it turned out pretty darn cute. It's a little small, but it will work for my purposes. I may make another just because I am empowered by my success. Today I began working on a lacey scarf, which will be gorgeous when finished. It'll take me a while though - it's quite intricate.

+ Thank you to all who've sent Christmas cards. I've put them up on the part-wall between our living and dining rooms. I fully intended to send some of my own this year, but I didn't even get any out to relatives. I really do like sending Christmas cards, but oh well. Maybe next year. So yeah, if you were waiting for one from me, don't worry - it's not you, it's me. Hehe.

+ I went to CVS at midnight Sunday morning to get all the free stuff before it was taken. (Then yesterday I learned they offered rain checks for all of them. Heh.) That should've been quick and painless (and it was kinda fun CVSing in the wee hours of the morning; if only Angela was here to go with me!), but I was not the only person with that idea, and the cash registers were acting up. At least everyone was in a good mood. I got so many goodies. I gave some of my loot to my family Sunday night - that was cool. And I managed to get two bottles of laundry detergent, which weren't even on sale, for $1.50. Nice.

+ I keep forgetting to tell y'all my thoughts on the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner. The shower certainly isn't sparkling (and we've been using it for about a month now), but it is definitely cleaner. I like knowing that it's cleaned and disinfected every day. I would say don't pay the asking price, but if you can get a good deal like I did, go for it. It's worth it to have to scrub the shower far less often.

+ I think we're going to spend the night at Mom & Dad's tomorrow night. We'll watch movies, eat some caramel corn and Doritos, and sleep in the living room. After breakfast we're going to go to the beach (it's going to be 80º and sunny!) and then probably go see Bedtime Stories. Then Dad will get home (he's working in the afternoon), we'll open presents, and eat dinner. Sounds like a great Christmas to me.  =o)

+ I think my dishwasher has officially died. It's been acting screwy lately, and after the last wash, which I had to cajole it into doing, none of the dishes were clean. Well, I suppose 2 1/2 years for a countertop dishwasher isn't too bad of a lifespan. I wish we had the money to redo our kitchen and just put in a real one.

+ I hate doing laundry. I usually put it off till we have a humongous pile. Today was just a medium pile, but I got it done. Bleh. I don't know why tags on cashmere sweaters say to dry clean only. I've washed all of mine in cold water on a gentle cycle, and they come out clean and even softer than when they went in. I hit a thrift store on Saturday and found my 2nd thrifted cashmere sweater ever. It's a lavender one from Ann Taylor, and it is so gorgeous and soft. It's one of my favorite sweaters now - not bad for $4. I also found a totally cute casual dress from Banana Republic for $2. I may wear it on Christmas, just because I can.  =o)  I went to the Ann Taylor and Banana Republic sites to find out the average price for those things, and basically I got them at at least 98% off original retail. Rock on!

+ Does it annoy you guys when I write about my thrifted finds, or do you just skim right through? I just realized the other day that it may come across as bragging, but that's not at all how I mean it. I'm usually just thrilled that I found such great stuff, so I want to tell you about it. Still, I could stop it if it bugs you.

+ Well, I'm gonna go keep crocheting and watching Supernatural season 2 with Seth and Isaac, and then it is off to bed sooner rather than later. I've had a sinus headache all day, and sleep is the only way to put an end to it. In case I don't get on here again in the next few days, I pray you all have a fantastic Christmas, celebrating the birth of the Savior!

+ The copier is making a strange noise. I've never heard it make this particular noise before. Pleeease don't be a bad sign. *hopes*

+ I walked to work today. Well, actually, I walked to Chick-Fil-A, which is 1.5 miles from my house, and then to church, which is .4 miles from that. This morning we walked 1.5 miles to the mechanic to pick up Isaac's no-longer-a-death-trap car. Walking is not high impact, but it is cardio. The days have been so gorgeous lately, too - perfect walking weather. I like to think I'm saving on gas money too, but with gas at $1.79/gallon, I'm really not saving much. (But I am NOT complaining about gas being cheap again!) Still, it will hopefully help shrink my hips. (Chick-Fil-A, however, will not. LOL. Though I did barely manage to resist their new Peppermint Chocolate Milkshake...) I've walked about 7 miles in 3 days. Not bad.

+ How was your Thanksgiving? Mine was fantastic. Seriously - one of the best in many years. We woke up early (sad), and decided we wanted cinnamon rolls (happy). So, we walked to Winn-Dixie and got some Pillsbury ones. Seth's friend Justin is staying with us, and Seth spent the night that night, so we shared with them. *glares* Hehe. We went to AAAC's around noon for Thanksgiving dinner. This was the first time Ange has hosted it (and the first time they've had a house to do it in) and the girl seriously outdid herself. It was amazing. Absolutely fantastic. My whole family was there except NN&J (who live in Indiana), and so were Ange's half-sister, and her brother, his girlfriend, and their two kids. In all the years I've known Ange, I had not met her brother until yesterday.

After lunch we watched the Lions game till we couldn't take it anymore (for the non-football-inclined, the Lions are having the worst season ever. They have not won one game, and it looks like they will not be winning any at all. And who did they play yesterday? The team who's only lost one game! Oh, it was so sad. BUT - I thought they were only going to score 3 points, but instead they scored 10. The score was 47-10. That's not even as bad as a Gators game, so I didn't have to cry. LOL.), we went for a walk around a nearby reservoir, where we saw an alligator! I had never seen one in Jax before. There are lots of them in the lake at WOL FL, but I hadn't seen one since we moved from there. This was a little one - 4 feet at the most - but it was so cool!

After that we played a bit of Rock Band, and then Ange and I wanted to hit CVS for their amazing free stuff. Ashley and Tanya were curious how we get so much free stuff, so they came with us. CVSing with other people is so much fun! I had always done it alone. Though with 4 people, 2 of whom were n00bs, it took forever. They were so lost at first but quickly got it down. We had amazing cashiers, too, who were bored till we got there, and then they had 4 cute girls to entertain them. LOL. Ashley and Tanya were totally floored at how much they got for hardly more than their initial buy-in of $5.98 + tax. I got a ton of stuff, too. I had to pay $3.68 because I only had 27 ECBs, but I got 47 ECBs back, plus all my stuff, so it was worth it! What a great time!

When we finally finished cleaning up at CVS, we went back to AAAC's. We ate leftovers for dinner, played a few rounds of Pass the Pigs, and then Isaac and I went home to join Seth and Justin for a viewing of Hancock. I liked it, but I'm kinda glad now that we were never able to go see it in the theater. I tell ya though, there was a twist I totally did not see coming. Tonight we're going to watch Kung Fu Panda! It's nice having 3 Redboxes within a block away. Heh.

+ This morning we woke up early to go out for breakfast at a restaurant near our house (yep - we walked to that too) with most of Ange's family, and Mom and Grams. Then we hit the thrift store, where everyone found multiple things. Yes, we all did our Black Friday shopping at the thrift store. LOL. There was no one camped out there. Go figure. ;o)

+ Seth said he wants to see Twilight, so yay - maybe I won't have to see it alone after all! We may go tomorrow. I think it's hilarious that Seth - a teenage college guy - is willing to go see it with me, and Isaac - a long-married man - is not. Hehe.

+ Wow - apparently the days of Long Bethany Posts have returned. Oh, the memories. =o)

I have come to the conclusion (either recently or a while ago) that...

+ If you have one pair of jeans that fit you well, you are set. Especially if they are dark jeans.
+ Every day should be free iced coffee day.
+ I love when people say thrift stores and used clothing are gross, because it just means more for me.
+ I can't believe Mandy is definitely 12 now (we don't know when she was actually born, but it was probably between April 15th & May 15th) and I'll be 25 in a week and a day.
+ I will be flying somewhere every month from April-July. And Mom has been talking about taking us to Michigan in August, so maybe it is from April-August.
+ All white chocolate macadamia nut cookies should be stinking huge and dipped in white chocolate, like the one I had after lunch today.
+ I am sooooo much like my mom. (But Isaac will tell you he's known this for years now.)
+ Anyone who knows what "melon farmer" means, without my having to tell them, is totally cool.
+ Marriage is FUN. But probably only if both the husband and wife are dorks.
+ I am a dork.
+ So is Isaac.
+ Fuzzy navels are almost as good as margaritas.
+ Scrubs is one of the funniest shows ever on television. (But it's not always kosher...)
+ I am not a very good homemaker.
+ Sometimes I come across as very harsh and know-it-allish. I never mean it that way, but it seems to happen quite often. I'm sorry!
+ Having new young couples at church is awesome. I can even forgive them for having a kid. (Especially since the kid is only six months old, and totally adorable.)
+ Amanda totally should've won Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites over Parvati.
+ You all live too far away.
+ All teenagers have at least a few moments of utter stupidity. Except my friend Cindy, who has always rocked.
+ If you hardly knew someone six years ago and you haven't spoken to them since, you should not add them on Facebook now.
+ I eat way too much pizza.
+ Boys can be very silly.
+ One of these days it might be fun to out every hypocrite I know. I hate blatant hypocrisy, and dishonesty. (And no, I'm not saying I never sin, but you know what I mean.)
+ Netflix should put more DVDs online so we (read: I) don't have to wait so long (2 days) to get another.
+ It's been too long since I've ridden a rollercoaster.
+ I don't read nearly enough these days.
+ One of these days I'm just going to go out and buy everything we need to nearly finish decorating. It's been 3 years in this house as of July, people!
+ Rich people literally do not understand being thrifty.
+ I need to get better about calling people.
+ Isaac is the most amazing husband ever.
+ It's been far too long since we had a good thunderstorm.
+ Friends who are willing to drive 4 hours to see you are amazing.
+ My long hair itches my back.
+ I need donuts.
+ E.T.A.: Dunkin Donuts hazelnut syrup for their iced coffee tastes like popcorn. Not sure I'll make that mistake again. (Yes, I'm on my 2nd free iced coffee of the day, but at least this one's decaf!)