i'm the kinda girl | weekly wednesday: week 14

...would rather eat out than have to cook   ...believes in always being open minded   ...never says 'no' to an ice cream craving   ...likes a simple life   ...buys a million lipsticks but only wears make up twice a month   ...prefers dive bars to fancy wine bars   ...changes into yoga pants right after work   ...(speaking of yoga pants) wears athletic attire regularly, but only works out when my favorite jeans get snug #healthy   ...always has a project going or one in mind   ...never stops thinking- it takes me at least an hour to fall asleep every night   ...doesn't want to think too hard on a Wednesday, so my list ends here- now if only I could have some post work champagne      and because I want to keep up with my weekly Wednesday:

• how far along?
  14 weeks.
  
  
• baby is the size of a:
  lemon.
  
  
• total weight gain/loss:
  down 10 lbs.
  
  
• the bump:
  I think there is the tiniest of bumps forming- wondering if the weight gain will be starting soon.
  
  
• symptoms:
  one day of terrible morning sickness- I thought I was done with this!
  
  
• food cravings:
  just salty french fries!
  
  
• anything that makes you sick or queasy?
  all forms of meat and cheese.
  
  
• sleep:
  sleeping like a little baby minus the 3x I get up to pee during the night!
  
  
• what I miss:
  champagne.
  
  
• wedding rings on or off?
  on :)
  
  
• belly button:
  innie!
  
  
• any names picked out yet?
  still Jack for a boy and undecided on the girl name.
  
  
• gender:
  we will find out at the end of next month!  after weeks of debate, we have chosen to find out.
  
  
• movement:
  can't wait to feel that first little kick!
  
  
• maternity clothes:
  none yet, but I have a feeling the pants will be happening sooner rather than later!
  
  
• labor signs:
  hopefully none of those for a looooong time.
  
  
• best moment of this week:
  we ordered the furniture for the nursery and I am so happy that part is done!
  
  
• what I am excited about/looking forward to:
  BOSTON- one more week!  and an appointment the day before we leave to hear that sweet little heartbeat!

here is a picture of the amazing crib we ordered from restoration hardware!  we also ordered the dresser to match and can't wait for it to get here!

 

happy valentine's day.

happy valentine's day!   I am so thankful to have my husband as my valentine this year, but can't help but think about what our valentine's day will look like next year with a six month old- YIKES!  

I have never been big into valentine's day.  it's not that I hate love or have a bad attitude towards it, I just don't get into it.  I am not your typical hopeless romantic girl.  yes, I have an obsession with lipstick and all things cute clothes related but I would rather drink beer and watch a game somewhere over a fancy night out.  I like going to baseball games and love to tailgate for any and all sporting events.  my husband proposed while we were playing golf and I couldn't imagine it any other way.    that being said, I will 100% be that mom that goes all out on valentine's morning to remind my kids how loved they are.  every valentine's morning growing up, I woke up to a valentine's day gift bag sitting on my bathroom counter waiting on me and a breakfast cooked special for me.  I can't remember a single time in my life that I was sad about not having a valentine or sad about not having a boyfriend to buy me love gifts.    when my husband asked if I wanted to do anything, I said something along the lines of, "I figured we could order pizza or thai food and just hang out at the house.  don't worry about getting me a card or gift." and he replied with, "is this a test?"  no, it's not a test.  truth be told, I ordered myself a pair of new sunglasses a few weeks ago and justified it by saying, "well this will just be my valentine's gift."  oops.   one thing I do think is important to remember on valentine's day is to remind the people you love that you do indeed love them and give them a few reasons why you appreciate them.  I promise that will always mean a thousand times more than any gift you could buy them.  people love to be loved!  

 

four years | why we work | the longest post there ever was

when I read the title to the "why we work" link-up, I immediately thought it would be about why I worked.  you know, at my job.  guess that is the tiny workaholic in me.  but then I read what the actual link-up entailed and loved it.  I feel like it should be a series.  I could write about so many different people.  why my husband and I work.  why my best friend and I just get each other.  I could also write about why I don't work with some people, but that is a different story for a different link-up.  but yesterday, out of nowhere, it hit me who I would be writing about this time.  

  by the time you enter your twenties, you usually know what it feels like to lose someone close to you.  yesterday marked four years of losing my granddad and somehow it still feels like it was yesterday.  some people are close to their family and some people aren't.  I am an only child, so growing up my grandparents were a large part of my life.  we spent most weekends going to see my grandparents because there was nothing else to do and my cousins were there a lot for me to play with.  I am not much of a writer, which made me wanting a blog make zero sense, but I have one paper I wrote in my college career that I didn't make a D on am actually proud of.  we were told to write a memoir of sorts.  it could be about ourselves or someone else.  I decided to write about my Pepa and for whatever reason, I felt the need to share this paper with y'all today.  I promise I will get to the point of this link-up soon.  it's lengthy- sorry.  but I guess the best explanation of why I chose such a strange subject for this topic is that sometimes my family just gets it.    we work.     I won't go as far to say that there weren't hormonal teenage days that I yelled, "YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND!" at my parents.  but the older I get, the more I realize that they get me.  I think I owe that partially to biology, I mean we do share blood and they are my blood relatives.  but then if that is the only reason why we work, what about the people who are united with our families by marriage but feel like they have been there since day one?  I think it is the legacy left behind from those who leave this world before that unites us and makes us work.  would I have ever in a million years met my little cousin who is into farming, roping and being the best dang cowgirl you have ever met had she not been my cousin?  maybe, but probably not.  but who did I text yesterday about missing my Pepa because she is one of the few that understand?  my little cousin.  because we work.  she gets me.  because of the legacy he left behind and the memories we shared with him.  we both strive to be the best people we can be and although I don't consciously consider what he would think in every situation, I know his voice is there.  he helped shape me into who I am today.  that's why my family and I work.  we were shaped by some of the same people and share memories and experiences no one on the outside could understand.  we work because we know each others' weaknesses and love each other anyways.  we work because we support each other not only in the good times, but also in the bad.  we work because we get each other.  I can't explain to anyone else that didn't know my granddad why it was so important for my boyfriend at the time to meet him before he died.  maybe because I secretly knew he was the one and he is now my husband.  yes, my Pepa was ill and wasn't himself.  but, my husband met him and for that split second he saw one of the most vulnerable parts of me and got tossed into this insane family of mine.  I said I would save the why my husband and I work for a different post so I am stopping myself here.  now that you've fallen asleep twice- I will quit rambling today.  I put my paper below, feel free to read it if you are still awake you feel like reading my college paper.  (yes I know there are grammatical errors in this whole blog in the paper, my professor kindly marked them with bright red pen.  but everyone likes the original, right?)    don't forget to link up with Life of Bon and The Daily Tay and maybe if you're into romantical valentines stuff, you will write about how much you oolala love your significant other and not be a freak like me and totally screw up the link-up.       

Final Essay

 

I remember my Pepa saying, “Be careful eating that, make sure you don’t swallow any of those watermelon seeds- you might choke! Or, even worse, it will make you grow a watermelon in your belly like mine!” I was five years old at the time, and proceeded to not eat watermelon until I was ten because I was terrified of a watermelon seed somehow implanting in my body and causing my belly to grow as large as a six-month pregnant woman’s. Little did I know fifteen short years later this silly moment would play through my brain as if it was a scratched records playing over and over. From the watermelon incident up until I was in junior high, my weekends were highlighted with these trips to my grandparents and being my Pepa’s little “dude”. My Pepa would take me to My-T-Burger, and despite my complaints about his slow driving, he never pushed the gas over 23 m.p.h. in his red, Ford truck because he “wasn’t in any kind of hurry, the way your daddy drives is going to make me peel you off the highway someday”. But nonetheless, he let me order half the menu, knowing there was no way my little seven year old stomach could hold a burger, an order of nachos, AND a milkshake for after. He would take me to help feed his cattle, drive me through pasture to find the longhorn, only for me to get scared and refuse to get out of the truck. But some of the moments I cherish the most are the million games of dominos he would play with me, sharing his childhood stories time after time.   Through junior high, I thought I was “too cool” for sitting on my grandpa’s lap, or listening him tell me the same story for the millionth time. Unwelcomed, these memories seem to burn through my mind as well. I was fortunate enough to have a birthday exactly one week after my Pepa’s. It wasn’t until high school and probably after about the tenth birthday cake we shared that I realized what a man of integrity my grandpa was. It was around this time that my grandpa, a farmer for all of this life, decided it was time to retire. It seems like his retirement resulted in my Pepa seeming “old” for the first time. I had never realized just how easily he bruised, or how thin his skin was. And, had those wrinkles on his face always been there? It seemed that every trip to Wellington we took, another wrinkle was added to his face. Pretty soon, the realization of my grandpa’s aging really hit me. What about our last birthday party? It was my sweet sixteenth birthday and his seventy-fifth. Seventy-fifth? Was he really seventy-
five? I still have the picture we took stored in my memory. I plopped my sixteen-year-old body right on his knee and we held up our cake to take the picture always requested by my mom and my grandma. It was always the same routine, a birthday cake would be ordered from our favorite bakery. It was to be split down the middle, decorated with our (mostly mine) individual requests on each half. Pepa never had specific requests; the things he loved were very simple. He loved his family, he loved the color red, and most of all, he thought Ford was the only company capable of making a reliable car and he thought John Deere made terrible tractors. My mind runs back to this picture every time I think about the birthdays we shared. I always wanted to sit on his lap, it made me feel young again. It wasn’t until his surgery that I found out about his bad back. Bad back? But I just sat on his lap last time I visited, that cannot be possible. Nevertheless, it was possible and he would be having surgery within the next few weeks. Routine surgery, although recovery would be difficult due to his age. His age? How old is Pepa? My Pepa was over ten years older than my Nena (my grandma). After the surgery, things slowly went downhill. We all tried to blame it on recovering from surgery. None of us would admit that maybe this surgery was too much for his body to handle. Things got worse, and worse. He was unable to attend my high school graduation. I refused for him to not be a part of that special day, so I snuck my phone backstage and called him minutes before I walked into the auditorium. I told him I was about to graduate, and he told me I wasn’t allowed to do anymore growing up until he said it was okay.   Summer passed, he continued to hurt all over, but taking him to the nursing home was out of the question. The care they provided in the small town, nursing home down the street was inadequate. It was decided that my grandma would take a leave from her job to care for him in the home. Soon after, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and dementia. It became too much for my Nena to handle, and there was no other option but the nursing home. We moved him in, decorated his room with numerous pictures of all the things he loved: pictures of his family covered the room, red curtains, and of course, his favorite cowboy, John Wayne. Pepa was so popular. His dry sense of humor, and sarcastic remarks put him in the running to be any nurse’s favorite. But, between all the decorating, visiting, making sure he was comfortable in this space, none of us realized he had lost all his strength and could not do anything on his own anymore. He did not have the strength to walk, and we urged him not to try without someone there to help. Then the phone calls started to come. Although the phone calls seemed to come in handfuls, often one after the other, I can still hear the first phone call play over and over in my head. My mom called, “Pepa fell, his head is gashed open, it’s bleeding everywhere.” I had never heard my mom cry. I had never heard my mom so upset, and unsure. This would be the first of many hysterical phone calls my mom and I would share over the course of the next couple of months. Several staples in the back of his head later, he proved to be the fighter we all knew he was and fight through the accident. It wasn’t until a few months later until things would get serious in a matter of a few doctors trips. Pepa was having stomach problems, this required many trips to the doctor to try to alleviate the situation. But one special trip changed it all.   Pepa had been taken by the nursing home van, over to the clinic. Another doctor’s appointment with no answers, and he was sent back to the nursing home with hopes of this new medication working. The woman responsible for driving him back in forth loaded him into the van, and began to drive to the nursing home. “Pepa’s hurt, and in the hospital. His wheelchair tipped over in the van when the driver turned a corner,” my mom cried into the phone. Trying to process what had happened in my head led me to a million unanswered questions. “What’s hurt on him? His wheelchair tipped over…how does that even happen?” Come to find out, the driver forgot to strap him into the van properly. I’m sure he wasn’t the first she slacked off on, and probably not the last. But, this was MY grandpa. You don’t just forget to strap in MY grandpa. Within weeks of this accident, his lungs began filling with fluid.   My Nena, such a strong woman and never wanting or needing anyone’s help, called my mom around two o’clock in the morning during one of the biggest snows we would have all winter. My mom immediately woke up my dad, and relayed all the information to me as they set off around two-thirty, “They think this is it, we are going to lose Pepa.” I was devastated. There was no way I could get there. A one-hundred mile drive through a blinding blizzard on back roads would be impossible at this hour; I would have to wait until the morning. This was our first scare out of three we would have over the next two weeks. I finally found a weekend to leave town, and drove to see my grandpa for what would be my last time. I was warned he wasn’t talking at all, and his coloring was bad. That trip is so surreal in my mind, and such a blur. All I remember is kissing his head telling him how much I loved him before I left. I made sure he knew it was me, his little “dude”. A week after my visit, my grandpa passed. I remember the day he joined the Lord so distinctly. It was a Friday morning at nine, I was sitting in statistics class. My mom had told me the night before that the death process had started settling into his body. He was “mottling”. I had no idea what that meant, so I pulled out my phone in class and began to Google the death process. I texted her to ask how he was doing, and tell her that I read up on “mottling” and that he would live at least twenty four hours after this process set in. It wasn’t but two texts later, at 10:14 that I looked at my phone and got the text. “He’s gone.” I immediately called her, and repeated over and over that this was for the better. I repeated it, not only for her sake, but also for mine. That day seems like so long ago. The service was a blur, but so many people shared their special moments they had with my Pepa. Nothing could compare to the moments I shared with him. On the day of his service, I had a moment alone with my grandma, “I hope to someday find a man that loves me as much as my Pepa loved me and find the relationship the two of you shared.” She simply replied, “Your Pepa was so good to me, and you will find someone just like him. Don’t rush it, just let it happen. The right one will come along in the right time, it can’t be rushed.” In that moment, the sun peeked out from the clouds. He was smiling at us. He was telling us it was all going to be okay, to not rush. It seems that he lived his whole life, in his own time, never rushing.   Today, I find myself thinking of him at random times. Randomly coming across things he loved, such as the Texas Rangers game on tv, make me smile and remember all those special moments I shared with him over the years. What a blessing it was to have shared twenty years with such an amazing man. I look back on that first memory, and still feel all the love my Pepa had for me in his heart. I was his favorite, or at least that’s what I told him. He would only reply, “that’s a matter of opinion.” It things like this that make me smile and have that warm feeling in my heart.  

weekly wednesday: week 13

this weekend we were out of town so this week of pregnancy flew by, to say the least.  we spent the weekend in Pagosa Springs, Colorado on a ski trip with friends.  I had talked to my doctor before we went and she was okay with me snowboarding a little as long as I promised to take it easy.  the snow was insane in that area so I took full advantage!  unfortunately, I got a horrible upper respiratory infection complete with running fever for three days and coughing my little lungs up during the trip so I couldn't enjoy the rest of the days.  but here is a little picture on the mountain of a friend and me surviving the ski day with the boys!     

 

• how far along?
  13 weeks.
  
  
• baby is the size of a:
  peach.
  
  
• total weight gain/loss:
  down 9 lbs.
  
  
• the bump:
  starting to notice tiny differences in my tummy and thinking the bump might be on it's way- YIKES!
  
  
• symptoms:
  none this week!
  
  
• food cravings:
  vanilla milkshakes, gummy worms and Wendy's french fries
  
  
• anything that makes you sick or queasy?
  still just melted cheese.
  
  
• sleep:
  sleeping like a little baby!
  
  
• what I miss:
  this week I was missing Nyquil.
  
  
• wedding rings on or off?
  on :)
  
  
• belly button:
  innie!
  
  
• any names picked out yet?
  still Jack for a boy and undecided on the girl name.
  
  
• gender:
  still not far enough to know and still can't decide if we want to find out! 
  
  
• movement:
  can't wait to feel that first little kick!
  
  
• maternity clothes:
  none yet, but I have a feeling the pants will be happening sooner rather than later!
  
  
• labor signs:
  hopefully none of those for a looooong time.
  
  
• best moment of this week:
  getting over being sick!  we had our first after-hours phone call into the doctor this weekend and I am so thankful to know I can have an expert on the line in just one phone call whenever something isn't right!
  
  
• what I am excited about/looking forward to:
  our little mini birthday vacay to BOSTON.  two more weeks!  I think I can, I think I can!

 

 

weekly wednesday: week 12

I decided tracking my pregnancy weekly would be something for me to look back at when this experience is over.  so if pregnancy posts aren't your jam, I completely understand if you don't read this one!  I plan on taking progress pictures but for now, there isn't much to show and I forgot to take one.   

• how far along?
  12 weeks.
  
  
• baby is the size of a:
  plum.
  
  
• total weight gain/loss:
  still down 8 lbs.
  
  
• the bump:
  only a food baby at the end of the day at this point! I try to convince myself it's a baby bump- haha!
  
  
• symptoms:
  still a little tired- so ready for my energy to return!
  
  
• food cravings:
  thai food. ice cream. ya know, the healthy stuff.
  
  
• anything that makes you sick or queasy?
  waiting too long to eat. melted cheese. pizza.
  
  
• sleep:
  sleeping like a little baby!
  
  
• what I miss:
  champagne!
  
  
• wedding rings on or off?
  on :)
  
  
• belly button:
  innie!
  
  
• any names picked out yet?
  if it's a boy, we are naming him Jack.  if it's a girl, she might come home as "Baby Girl Hudson" because we can't agree on anything!
  
  
• gender:
  not far enough along to know.  J-Hud wants a boy but I have a feeling it's a girl.  we are still undecided if we will find out the gender or wait until baby's arrival.
  
  
• movement:
  can't wait to feel that first little kick!
  
  
• maternity clothes:
  none yet, but I have a feeling the pants will be happening sooner rather than later!
  
  
• labor signs:
  hopefully none of those for a looooong time.
  
  
• best moment of this week:
  finally getting an appetite back.  brainstorming for the nursery and names with our families.
  
  
• what I am excited about/looking forward to:
  so ready for that first little kick and our next appointment so we can hear that sweet heartbeat again.

 

we have a problem.

I had all these plans for blogging in the new year and really getting serious and focusing on my blog.  but then, a few things happened along the way to change things.    let's start with December 4th.  the reason I remember the date so well is because we had laid my great uncle to rest the day before and on this day, two of our friends announced to us that they were pregnant.  one set of our friends texted us the news and the other set took us to dinner that night to tell us.  I really have no idea what I said at that dinner because this was our first time receiving pregnancy news.  what I do remember is having zero appetite and being completely lethargic and my newly pregnant friend questioning me if I was also pregnant.  I chalked it up to being tired from the funeral the day before and the shock of the news I just heard.    a few weeks went by and my monthly friend still had not made her appearance.  this was completely normal for me and body is usually out of whack more times than it isn't.  but I decided to just take a test to get my husband off my back.  negative.  whew.  I live to see another beer.  so I threw the test back in the box (not sure why I didn't throw it in the trash- I guess I am 16) and went along my merry way.  a few days after that, still nothing.  my husband was gone and I thought, "I have one more test in the box, I will just take it and see what it says."  so I took it, and waited and the next few minutes went something like this-   ok, wait- I thought the control line went the other way. where are the instructions? where is that other test? (grabs other test from box) wait, why does it have two lines...it had one line last time. whatever. its probably because it's been sitting in a box. (back to current test) shit, is that another line coming up? no, your eyes are just playing games with you- quit being paranoid omg. that's a plus sign.   then I rushed out and did what any normal human being would, I purchased a digital test and then bought the test that had the weeks estimator.  because it was obviously a more reliable test.  turns out all these tests came back positive and the one I had taken and thought was negative the day before was also positive...I just didn't wait the full 3-5 minutes.    my husband got home after what seemed like hours and I go, "so uhh..we have a problem" ... he stares at me and responds, "you're pregnant."   so, SURPRISE- the newest addition to our family will be arriving August 2014!  more details to come on the pregnancy so far.   

   

twenty fourteen.

I always get a little giddy with excitement on New Years Eve.  there's something about knowing you get a fresh start that seems to give hope to everyone around me.  I always try to make resolutions but am part of the majority who rarely stick to them.  I made it a goal for my resolutions (can you do that?  a goal...for a goal?) to not be about weight loss this year.  instead, I want to focus on different aspects of my life since I constantly obsess over my appearance.  (see also: I am OCD about getting my hair colored)  there are a few of my resolutions I can't share publically for various reasons but here's a few things that are on my plate to improve on this year!  

• attend a small group at the new church we are interested in joining
• cook more | eat out less
• save more money
• blog more :)
• live in the moment

those are just a few things I have been thinking about recently and hope to apply them to my everyday life! 

 

for New Year's Eve, we went to dinner with another couple then headed back to their house to play games until it was time for the ball to drop.  I am ashamed proud to say we were back home and in bed by 12:30.  I think that qualifies us for the "old married couple status" and I am completely okay with that! 

 

yesterday, we went to see the movie "Wolf of Wall Street" and I will have my review of the movie here tomorrow- there's LOTS to talk about with that movie!  have any of you seen the movie yet?

 

the boys behind the blog link-up!

I decided participating in this link-up could be fun and it would also stop J-Hud from constantly asking me if I have posted about him- such a diva.  so, here we go-  

1. What is your favorite cereal?

Crispix

seriously? who chooses Crispix as their favorite when there's so many more cereals that include fun colors and marshmallows? were Corn Flakes next on his list?

2. Pancakes or waffles?

 

Waffles

 

funny story about this- when we got married, we got this really great waffle iron.  this certain waffle iron was everything I dreamed of- it made what I call "skinny waffles" instead of Belgium waffles.  I know, I might be the only person who hates Belgium waffles.  anyways, I decide to make homemade waffles one night from scratch- not from Bisquick and J-Hud gets all excited.  he ends up loving them and requests them a few more times.  when I cook, he usually cleans the dishes for me, so one night he requests them and  I make the glorious waffles and it comes time to clean up.  I tell him I will wash the plates and the dish we heated the syrup up in if he will clean the waffle maker.  he starts cleaning it and declares that "we will NEVER make waffles again- DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD THIS THING IS TO CLEAN?"...UH YA I am usually the one who cleans it.  moral of the story- we don't make waffles much around our house anymore.

 

3. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

 

Watching A Christmas Story

 

no one tell him- I've never seen the whole thing...

 

4. Finish the sentence: All I want for Christmas is...

 

I don't know

 

I know who isn't getting Christmas presents this year- just kidding, we actually booked a trip to Boston for our birthdays coming up and decided that was our gift to each other.

 

5. What was your best moment of 2013?

 

Wedding/Honeymoon

 

I am guessing it was actually just the honeymoon, because let's be honest- I doubt very few guys would choose the wedding day over the honeymoon to do over.

 

and that's a wrap- J-Hud's first spotlight post on le blog.   

 

 

       

the time I was featured in cosmo.

so I wasn't exactly featured in cosmo, BUT erin created this fun "blogmopolitan quiz" and it looked too fun to not participate!  

 

download this quiz over on erin's blog and be a celeb for the day! oh, and don't forget to link up with glossy blonde and karly kim!

 

 

 

twilight zone.

last night I took a trip to the twilight zone and today I am thankful I for the blog world because I can talk about it.  thank goodness my blog's name is shameless.  

  anyways, J-Hud and I decided to go try out a new sports bar and grill that just opened.  we got there, chose a seat at a really long bar and talked about what a great space it was- very industrial which is right up my alley.  after about thirty minutes of talking, I realize we are sitting right next to one of my ex's brothers.  I didn't think much about it and didn't say hi since this was an ex from high school and that is ancient history.  plus, I have this theory that a high school ex shouldn't even count because we all know our hormones were making decisions for us then.  you didn't make questionable decisions in high school?  just me?  ok.  moving on.   we continued watching the games that were on and then the worst thing about living in the town you grew up in happened- my shouldn't even count ex walked in.  this not ex was my first long term boyfriend and not to ruin the surprise but it didn't work out and we went our separate ways tried our best to avoid each other at our small high school.  we literally never spoke again after the break up phone call.    fast forward eight years and here we are sitting side by side at a sports bar and grill.  I wasn't dressed cute and hadn't washed my hair in days so this was bound to be a really great "OMG haven't seen you in years...you look great homeless"  I politely said my normal, "hi, how are you?!" and then carried on with conversation with J-Hud.  a few minutes later I went to the restroom and when I walked towards our table I saw my husband + shouldn't count ex catching up on their old church camp days.   

 

so I channeled my inner-miley and came in like a wrecking ball.  just kidding- that's I lie, I just wanted to say that.  what really happened is I walked over to the table and we proceeded to hang out with not ex for the next two hours.  it wasn't as awful as I thought it would be and I survived to tell blog about it.  and now that I have written it out, I'm not even sure if this is a story good enough to blog about. 

 

"I guess you had to be there."

   

pioneer woman fail.

last night I ate dinner with a friend while my husband went an indulged on homemade stew made by my momma.  I don't like stew and I don't cook things I don't like so the only time J-Hud gets stew is when my mom makes it.  anyways, after dinner with my friend I decided I needed dessert so I decided to make these beauties.  

 

the recipe seemed pretty simple so I decided I could probably get these whipped up before my husband got home and look like a domestic goddess.  when it came time to take them out of the oven, I was pretty pleased with myself because they looked how they were supposed to so I popped the little candies in the middle and then took a picture of my masterpiece to show my friends. (ignore the horrible quality, I didn't plan on this being a blogworthy topic)

 

 

see!  they look like the picture for the most part.  anyways, J-Hud got home and was obviously pleased with my work and the cookies had cooled and Reece's had melted at this point so then it came time to pop them out of the pan and enjoy.  this shouldn't have been too difficult because I was a good little Pioneer Woman and I sprayed my pan before.  WRONG.  these little beauties did not come out of the pan perfect for me to put on a cute little stand.  they did taste good but we had to eat them from the mini-muffin pan with a spoon.  since we are fat kids, we were not above eating them with a spoon and enjoyed them.  BUT- I had planned on using Pioneer Woman's Thanksgiving Turkey recipe for my very first time to cook the Thanksgiving turkey and now I'm all stressed out she will fail me again.  I even tweeted at her to make sure I bought the exact right ingredient. (apparently she has more important things than my Thanksgiving turkey because she never responded)

 

the best part of the night was when I had about 10 little min Reece's left over and I thought to myself, "I will save those little treasures for tomorrow night because I already feel too guilty about eating cookies with a spoon tonight."  I put them far back on the kitchen counter so our dog wouldn't get into them and went to bed.  foreshadowing- this was a fail too.  remember that precious little 80 lb lab puppy we have?  she decided that while we were getting ready for work this morning that she needed a little peanut butter treat for breakfast this morning because dog food is so not the rage anymore.  since she is human sized, she was able to somehow help herself to about 7 of them before we caught her.  I guess her doggy paws wouldn't unwrap the wrappers because we didn't find any.  so instead of ten of these little gems, I only have three now and my dog will be pooping gold foil for days.  

 

 

I bet the Pioneer Woman's dog doesn't eat all her left over candies.

 

happy halloween!

well, hi! remember that time I promised I would blog more when I finally got a real blog design?  well that day has come and I could not be more excited!  I have the fabulous Erin to thank for how perfect things look.  anyways, I have a lot in store for November and can't wait to attempt to be a "real blogger"- but for now I leave you with a little Halloween greeting from my little 7 month old self (ignore the fact that my daddy clearly dressed me that day- I promise I am not a boy)  

   

the best lipstick ever.

i remember spending time with my grandmother when i was growing up and i would beg to wear her lipstick.  she would allow me to put a little on before she took me to swim lessons and i think that's where my love for lipstick was born.  although lipstick wasn't a part of my regular makeup regimen until about a year ago, i now i feel naked when i'm out with friends with no lipstick.  while we were at my bachelorette party, my best friend-makeup artist-maid of honor introduced me to stila's stay all day liquid lipstick.  y'all, im the first one to call bullshhhh..(hi grandma!) on products that last "all day"- but this product is practically permanent.  i'm talking- tailgated all day and went out on the town that night then woke up the next day and it was still there.  so blogland, meet the lipstick of your dreams!

i currently own two shades, but am definitely going to purchase a few more shades next time i am at ulta!  the one pictured is fiore (bright pink) and i also own beso (bright red-perfect for Texas Tech gameday!)

i usually wear these lipsticks with a lipliner because they can tend to feather without one.  when you apply it, the applicator is similar to a normal lip gloss applicator and can be messy.  to avoid this, i wipe the applicator off really well on the sides of the top of the tube (does this make sense?) before applying.  i also try to have a couple of q-tips handy with one end wet and one end dry.  if i happen to get outside the lines of my lipliner, i take the wet end and wipe the mistake off while following immediately after with the dry end.  i should also mention that this lip color is not moisturizing and very matte.  i don't have a problem with dry lips, but if you do i would recommend either moisturizing for about thirty minutes before applying with a chapstick then applying or using a chapstick after the liquid lipstick has dried.  anytime i have tried to put on chapstick right before applying, it didn't go on well.

do you have a favorite lipstick?  i love growing my lipstick collection and am always up for recommendations!

-HH

*excuse my horrible iphone pictures- I have a big fancy camera but keep forgetting to charge it!  i plan on whipping it out this weekend!

things i learned from orange is the new black.

my husband and i did the worst thing for our productivity known to mankind- we resubscribed to netflix.  i guess we have been living under a rock and never knew our nintendo wii could wirelessly hook up to our internet.  after some friends told us how to do it, we ran home like five year olds and hooked ours up with the intentions of me getting on the "breaking bad" bandwagon.  my husband was obsessed with the show and i was sick of not knowing what was going on- but instead we watched the entire first season of "orange is the new black."

when we first started watching this, i can honestly say i really didn't know what to think.  it's definitely one of the more different shows we have watched and i wouldn't recommend it to anyone who is uncomfortable with nudity and cursing.  it didn't bother us too much except for the occasional comments from my husband asking, "is this a porno?" and me swearing several friends had recommended it.  after the first couple of episodes, the nudity wasn't as bad and we started getting familiar with all the characters.  i'm usually not good staying involved in shows with too many characters because my attention span is about as long as our lab puppy's but this show does a really great job of introducing the characters to the viewer and sharing their background/why they are in prison.  another major help was helene's post about how this show is similar to mean girls, and who doesn't like mean girls?

now onto the important life lessons i learned from the show should i ever end up in prison:

never bite the hand that feeds you.  but seriously- don't insult the food especially if you have a head cook like red who will put unspeakable things in your food and/or starve you.  on second thoughts- it could make for a really good diet? 

don't go to prison if you look horrible in orange.  it takes forever for your khaki uniform come in and you wouldn't want to go all elle woods on them.

make sure you can use a maxi pad for any situation prison life may present to you.  this includes shower flip flops and a face mask to block germs.  but, if you want to avoid those creative situations all together- make sure you send your commissary money before you even go to prison to make sure it gets there on time.  because without that money, you can't buy things to trade to get your roots done.  and we all know that's something maxi pads cannot fix.

now that i have probably forever ruined your desire to go to prison watch "orange is the new black", i need a new show to get addicted to...any recommendations?

-HH    

october goals.

i really cannot believe it's already october.  every thanksgiving day since 2010, i run a 5K race called the turkey trot.  i look forward to it every year and this year, my in laws and husband have committed to joining me for the race.  i am so unbelievably excited to share one of my favorite traditions with them and the fact that it is our first thanksgiving as a married couple makes it that much better!  with that being said, i figure i have about two months to get my 5K time down not look like this.

 

i really want to improve from last year.  i also have made it a goal to run a half marathon on my birthday (it's march 1st, just in case you want to start searching for the perfect prezzie!) so, most of my october goals are based around fitness- but i figure if i write them down, i'll be more likely to do them right?

• run at least one mile a day for the whole month of october
• strength train at least three times a week
• decrease alcohol intake
• save money
• eat at home more
• eat healthy during the week
• blog at least 4 times a week

do you write goals down?  i don't usually so this is a first for me- let's hope it works!

-HH

crazy dog lady.

as if having a chocolate lab puppy wasn't enough- we went and got ANOTHER puppy.  my husband and i had been tossing around the idea of getting me a puppy since the chocolate lab was the puppy he wanted, and he finally agreed gave into my begging and said if we found the perfect puppy (is there a puppy that's not perfect?) then we could get it.  i guess the stars aligned because the perfect situation landed right in our laps!  my mother in law's best friend's mom (are you still with me?) got a yorkie puppy and, for reasons unknown to me, had to get rid of him.  her friend told us about the puppy and carefully selected us as his new adoptive parents!  we are absolutely in love with our new bundle of joy!  so blogland, meet sam!

this little furchild weighs in at a whopping 2 pounds.  it's crazy to think we have a dog that weighs 75 pounds and another weighing 73 pounds less than that.  so far the two are getting along great, but we have been monitoring play time since addi forgets how big she is sometimes.  below is the picture our furchildren sent to their aunt & uncle for a birthday card.  and in that moment, my instagram went into puppy overload and i became that crazy dog lady.

in other news- my lack of blogging lately is mostly due to the fact that i'm sad about not having the perfect blog design yet.  but, i'm making it a goal to blog more in october since i am also making it a goal to get back in the gym and start my half marathon training!  i figure everyone loves a good story about a chunky non-runner trying to run any sort of long distance and get fit- so tune in for my training progress!

-HH

pinterest success!

this weekend, we worked on a few projects around our house- one being a pinterest project... (J-Hud's favorite.)  i rarely have successes with pinterest projects but this weekend everything went perfect!  we recently bought a new house and it has taken us me a while to really figure what i want it to look like.  i finally found something on pinterest for a large wall we have in our living room and decided to recreate it!

the original pin:

original pin source

how we created this look:

first, we used paint tape to decide how big we wanted our pieces to be:

then we bought 6 eight foot long 1x6 boards from Lowe's and cut them to different lengths.  then we stained them so we could get a different color.  here is the stain we used:

the stained boards:

then we screwed the boards into the wall- the finished product:

i really love how this project turned out and can't wait to search for fun pieces to decorate it with!  it was fairly inexpensive (i think we spent around $80.00) and way cheaper than other things of this size i had looked at for this space.  i am mostly happy that i finally had a pinterest success after all my fails and my husband doesn't hate me after my lack of patience when waiting for the stain to dry.  

-HH

bring your dog to work day.

happy FRIDAY friends!

while today may be like any other Friday to anyone else, it is a very special Friday for a chocolate lab in Texas.  namely, this one-

ignore the awful iPhone quality picture.  Addi is in doggy heaven for her first day at work.  she usually stays in her crate while I am at work because she can't be trusted to roam around the house by herself yet.  if you have never owned a lab- you should know that they are unlike any other puppy.  everyone says they make the best dogs.  dogs being the operative word there.  they are the most wild puppies, but we love her anyways. 

as I was getting ready for work this morning, she was being extra cute and I thought today would be a good day for her first day of work.  especially after she looked up at me with those big eyes and said, "Iz will werk 4 milkbonez mom."  okay, my dog can't talk but if she could I think that's what she would say.

so, happy bring your dog to work day!
HH

happy early birthday, kliff.

the youngest and hottest coach in the BCS turns 34 tomorrow.  yes, the head coach of Texas Tech University's football team is only 34.  happy birthday, Kliff.   

photo courtesy of Texas Tech Athletics

not only do I love Texas Tech football, but I love the excitement Kliff has brought back to the Red Raider community.  the fact that he is a former Red Raider only solidifies my crush on him!  with all the hot weather in Texas, I am more than ready for fall weather and football season to see where Kliff takes our team this year!  now if only I could convince J-Hud that $300 for cute Frye boots is an investment in my football season future.

guns up,
HH

three reasons i don't watch the bachelor/bachelorette.

let me start this post by saying that I have multiple friends that watch the show and love every second of it.  I used to be one of those people during the Trista-Ryan era of the show.  I blame that couple for keeping the tradition alive because they are one of the few couples who actually stayed together and gave everyone hope that this show is legit.  anyways, onto my top three reasons I don't watch the show:

1. it's unrealistic.

I mean seriously, when is the last time your date picked you up on a helicopter and flew you to a remote island for the day?  it's unrealistic for your first five dates to all take place in different countries.  I would absolutely never have an off day if I knew that I could be on a different continent by the end of the week frolicking around on a beach or zip lining through a rain forest.  when I watched the show, I caught myself saying, "I bet in real life..." BOOM. this is not real life. 

2. they rarely stay together.

according to my Wikipedia research (which is always 100% true according to my college essays), roughly 18% of the couples featured in the final episode have stayed together.  don't get me wrong, I do think they fall in lust/love during the show but then the show ends and they go back to the real world with real world stress and things get difficult and that person turns into "someone they don't know." well, duh.  this person is now back at their job instead of riding in vintage convertibles around the Italian countryside.

3. the crazies.

I know girls like Tierra obnoxiously fill up my twitter feed make for a dramatic show, but it's straight up annoying.  ABC claims they have no hand in who the bachelor/bachelorette chooses to stay/send home, but c'mon why else would they keep these crazy people?  I mean, let's be honest ABC is in the business to make money.  crazies tend to get everyone talking about their show and that's what they want.  maybe I just read too much into things.

and that my friends, is why I choose to not watch the show.  but that doesn't mean I don't watch my fair share of reality television (or that I won't be your friend if you watch the show.)  I told someone I would probably never make a blogland bestie because I don't love the bachelor/bachelorette...please don't hate me blog world. 

to each their own,
HH Follow my blog with Bloglovin