Oscars Review

Hey ya'll!  Sorry this post is a bit late...I came down with my quarterly sinus infection on Saturday and finally got to the doctor today.  Yay for antibiotics and heavily medicated cortisone injections!  Anyway,  I did watch the Oscars and while I was overall underwhelmed, (I'm sure the designers are losing sleep over this) I did have a few favorites that struck my fancy.  In no particular order....

Kristen Wiig. 

I am 1000% girl.  And this particular girly girl loves anything with tiers and ruffles.   I think my favorite part is the color of the dress against the dark nails and dark hair.  It seems so glam to me.  And I am SO glad she didn't overdo the bling!! 

Milla Jovovich. 

Another thing this girlie girl loves?  Shine.  (Glam shine, not gaudy shine just to be clear.)  This is exactly how a movie star should look at the Oscars.  Glamorous and gorgeous.

Rose Byrne.

I don't know if this was completely Oscars appropriate, but I still really love the look.  The hair, jewelry and makeup worked so well with the dress.  It was fun and polished without being over the top.

Octavia Spencer.

 Fabulous.  Her whole ensemble was perfection.  And the bonus? She WON.  (Of course, most would probably say winning was her highlight but this is a fashion post so I'm going with the dress as the highlight.)

 Jessica Chastain.

The Oscars is no time to be boring.  I love the originality of this dress; it was absolutely stunning.  And I love that she wore her hair loose and wavy.  I think an updo wouldn't have worked as well.  Overall amazing.

Stacy Keibler

Gorgeous.  This may be my favorite look of the night. I realize this is not everyone's cup of tea but this, for me, is pure glam.  Where else could you possibly wear this?!  Love, love, love.

Confessional Friday

Today I'm linking up with Leslie from Blonde Ambition for Confessional Friday.  Let's get to confessin' ya'll....

**Last weekend I had to deal with the whole bank account fraud thing.  The most annoying thing about it now?  I don't have my debit card number memorized.  Which makes if very inconvenient to shop online sitting on my couch.

**I secretly don't mind being woken up at 3am by the pups because I can justify that extra Diet Coke or Starbucks the next day.  I forgot how much I love Skinny Grande Caramel Macchiatos...

**As much as I love warm weather, I'm not ready to give up my boots and long sleeve pieces yet.  So while people are relishing in the 75 degree weather we've had lately, I'm thrilled when it drops 15 degrees the next day.  I really do live in the wrong state. 

**I was supposed to go to Pure Barre Wednesday night but I cancelled.  Why, you ask?  Because I felt guilty for leaving the pups.  That's right ya'll.  I had pet parent guilt.  Does such a thing really exist?? (To be fair it was a really busy week and I was at class Monday night!)

**I was supposed to have a week full of meetings next week but they all got canceled due to our VP's schedule.  I'm secretly relieved.  I love all my buyers but I'm supposed to run those meetings and they still stress me out even after a year and a half of doing them.  I'm happy to have an extra week to prep!

**My blood sugar (I'm mildly anemic) has been all over the place for whatever reason this week.  I know I'm supposed to drink orange juice when I get shaky but I took the opportunity to eat gummy bears and peanut M&Ms instead.  It's so much easier to rationalize junk food when it's obviously for the sake of my health. :o)

 I hope ya'll have a fabulous weekend!

GENIUS Idea...

...that I can't take any credit for. But that's okay! After writing my last post, I started to think about the days I spend only at the office and at home. I don't go to the drive thru every day (Thank God!) and I don't always get home in time to walk the dogs. SO for the days that are busier than others, I'm going to do this..

via http://ginawithlove.blogspot.com/

Goody bags for the homeless! No matter what kind of day it is, I'm always in my car. And I always drive past at least one homeless person whom I usually don't have anything to give.  Instead of giving whatever change I have in my car, I'm going to pack a smaller bag of stuff like this. The things most people take for granted. Things like a bar of soap, a granola bar, small toothpaste and toothbrush, deodorant (if you know me well, then you know I carry deodorant in my purse), chapstick, sunblock, mints, etc. Most of these you can get in the $.99 travel aisle at Target.  If I can give baggies of 3 or 4 things, then that's a very good $3-$5 spent in my opinion. 

I'm so excited and I feel like this is really what meant Lent is supposed to be about. While I understand the concept of sacrificing something you're used to having, I think I get much more out of doing good things for others I wouldn't normally do. Kind of a "pay it forward" idea. To each their own, right?
Thank you Pinterest and Gina with Love for the amazing idea!

Lent

**DISCLAIMER: This post is not meant to be offensive. It's simply a more humorous take on the commitment of Lent. If you take religion seriously, do not read!!**
Do ya’ll practice Lent? When I was growing up, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday were just about the most traumatic days ever.
I vaguely remember stomping out of the house at 15 years old yelling “I am NOT Jesus! Why do I have to give something up?!” when my mom told me I couldn't have a Diet Coke after school. Uhmm..yeah. I’m pretty sure my seat in hell is still reserved after THAT comment.
I have noticed in the past 10 years or so, Lent has become much more about adding goodness to life rather than taking something away. The past 2 years, I’ve gone to church every Sunday during Lent. I’m not an avid church goer like I should be and really hoped that getting into a routine would make it easier to go the rest of the year…you get 2 guesses as to how that worked out.
I don’t really see the point in attempting it again this year since I’ve failed twice already...and I think technically you’re supposed to do something new every year anyway. (That doesn’t mean I won’t go…I just won’t count it as my Lenten commitment.) I woke up today thinking of a few things I could give up…Diet Coke? I would be grumpy for 40 days and 40 nights. Wine? (My logic is Jesus drank wine so he clearly would not approve.) I even thought about giving up shopping. It's just not realistic.
I think there can be a danger in Lent…you give something up and then it’s like a free-for-all on Easter Sunday. The repercussions of no diet coke, wine and shopping are just too great to even consider those seriously.
So here I am back at square 1. I really like the idea of adding something to life. Something I don’t do on a normal basis. Even if it’s something little like paying for the person's meal behind me at the drive-through. Or walking my neighbor’s dog because I know she’s busy with work. Or sending goods to the local animal shelter who need supplies.
I am not rich, so I’ll have to watch it with the spending. But I really like that idea rather than giving up Diet Coke, which really only affects me and does nothing to strengthen my bond with God.
What are ya’ll doing to celebrate Lent?

Little Video

Let me tell ya'll something...it is NOT easy to get good footage of these little rugrats. (Yes, Toby is included in that statement.) The video itself isn't terribly exciting but I thought it was cute so I wanted to share! Enjoy :o)

Dance Party

In my world, there is nothing a dance party won't fix. No matter what kind of day I've had, there is nothing I love more than cooking dinner dancing around my kitchen.
I found myself driving to work today singing Reba McEntire's "Consider Me Gone" with the windows down, wind blowing in my hair and I didn't care who saw me. Granted, it was 30 something degrees outside so the windows were down for 2.5 seconds BUT it automatically put me in a good mood. I love when that happens!
While Reba's song is high on my list (it's my new mantra), there are a few others that make me have a dance/sing-a-long party no matter where I am. (Some of these songs are not quite dance-partyish. But that doesn't mean I won't sing them as best as I know how. If I'm in public, I simply mouth the words. It's my gift to the people around me.)
Please don't judge me...I will know if ya'll don't love me after I post this.
Some favorites include:
*Whitney Houston "How will I Know"
*Jason Derulo "It Girl"
*Pitbull "Go Girl"
*Fall Out Boy "What a Catch, Donnie"
*Clint Black "Desperado"
*Brad Paisley "Old Alabama"
*The Beach Girl 5 "Lay A Little Sunshine"
*Michael Jackson "Man in the Mirror"
*Whitney Houston "It's Not Right but It's Okay"

What are ya'lls favorites? And don't act like you don't have them! I gave you my embarrasing list...now spill! Please :o)

And just because I know you've missed them...here are a few new pics of the babes...
Proud boy after stealing sister's bone

This little Princess loves to pose (stretching? I don't think so...this little girl is definitely pushing brother out of the pic)

Oh, Wednesday

I learned something about myself today...I have a new pet peeve.
My longstanding #1 pet peeve has always been cockiness. I cannot stand anyone who thinks more of themselves than they should. The guy who thinks he's cool wearing sunglasses when it's dark outside? I want to kick him. The girl who's loud and obnoxious because she thinks everyone wants to hear her conversation? Well, she's loud and obnoxious and I want to spill my drink on her. The person who always compliments themselves? Can I look through your rose colored glasses to see what you see??
Anyway, you get the point. My new #1 pet peeve? (Actually, this ties with cockiness. So now I have two #1 pet peeves and this is really not the direction I was hoping to go in with my life.)
My new #1 pet peeve is people who take things that aren't theirs to take. Long story short, I've been dealing with the bank because of fraudulent activity on my account. I've always joked that if someone got my debit card, I'd feel bad for them because they won't get far. Haha, joke's on them!
I never thought about how angry I'd get at someone for trying to take something I work for. This is my hard earned money, not yours. Who the hell are you to try and take it???
I have also been dealing with my cable people who never fail to get my blood boiling. I love how I'm told what my monthly bill will be and 3 months later, I have yet to pay that amount. It's been roughly double that since I moved. Don't you love when that happens??
I realize this is everyday, normal life stuff that won't end the world. I just blog about it because if it's happened to me, chances are it's happened to someone else who got just as angry and frustrated and probably cried in the Chick-Fil-A parking lot like I did earlier. Thank you Lord for my Mother who can calm me down, large Chick-Fil-A Diet Cokes, 3 loving pups at home and the promise of wine after work. :o)

HAPPY WEDNESSDAY!!

It's A....

My bestie Lesli is due in July. She is the first in our group to be preggo so she and her hubby have a few excited Aunties on their hands!

Les and Whitey hosted a Mardi Gras/Gender Reveal Party Saturday night complete with Whitey's homemade gumbo, homemade wine, lots of good friends and of course, a massive box of balloons in the appropriate color.

Drumroll please.....
IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!
*You know, just in case you couldn't tell from the balloons :o)

One very proud Mama and one very excited Auntie!

Baby Girl N, you are so loved already. I absolutely cannot wait to meet you in July! Love, Aunt Jen

TIME TO START SHOPPING!!

A Busy Weekend

It has been QUITE the weekend around here!
Saturday I got my foster puppies.:o) They are so cute and entertaining and literally, puppies. As in 7 weeks old. We don't adopt out until they're 12 weeks (and fixed) so if you or anyone you know wants to add a four legged furball to their family, please tell them to contact me and I can give them all the details.
I got to name these cuties and I took this job very seriously. Googled "best puppy names" and everything. :o) The one in back is a boy now named Billy. The one in front is a girl I named Brinkley. (We're working on name recognition.) This pic was after their bath which is why their fur looks a bit weird.
Hungry furbabies

Me and my (less than thrilled to be in another picture) foster babes.

These two got attached to me quick, which I love. There is nothing more heartbreaking to me than a scared dog! My friend Lesli was very sweet and let me bring them to the gender reveal party she and her hubby were hosting. The furbabies did great with everyone, which is important when trying to adopt them out.

"Hey humans, who is this beast? Ya'll gonna do anything about this?"

Randomness

Since this week has been a bit slow, I decided to combine a bunch of nothingness into one post and spare ya'll the boringness.
1) I have a new obsession. It's called Pure Barre and it's a Pilates/Yoga/Dance inspired workout. I went to my first class Monday night and I'm STILL sore. I'm either really out of shape or the class was just that good. (I'm gonna go with the class was just that good.) This new obsession may very well cost me an arm and a leg but at least it'll be a fit and fab arm and leg. :o)
2) I've had breakfast for dinner 2 nights this week. Did ya'll know Bisquick can go bad?? I didn't and thankfully just ate a bite of pancake last night before I realized they were just not good. Yuck.
3) This week has been about work and finding another foster dog. I was at the mall on Saturday, just minding my own business, only to walk by Saks 5th Avenue and a few of the cutest dogs wearing "Adopt Me!" vests. Really?? If that isn't a sign then I don't know what is. I didn't walk away with a dog BUT I did walk away with a volunteer opportunity and a new rescue group to foster with, yay! Win-win.
4) Just like clockwork, every day this week at 3:00, my head and throat start to hurt. Weird? I think so. I'm waiting for it to turn into something but so far no go. Stupid throat and head.
5)I think Toby is having nightmares. The past 3 nights, he's woken up around 2:00 and started walking in circles on my bed. And I only know this because he's stepped on my head every time. Only me.
6) I woke up this morning thinking it was Friday and realized (after I put on my Friday jeans outfit) that it was, in fact, Thursday. The bad news? Duh, it's Thursday. The good news? TOMORROW is Friday!!

WOO-HOO! (How's that for looking at the glass half full??)

Why are you Single?

For the love of my sanity, I want to know...when did it become appropriate to ask anyone this question? I know I don’t walk around asking married people why they’re married! Seriously, who gave anyone the impression that this was decent human behavior? It’s like asking a woman who just gave birth when she’s due! Or asking a fat guy why he’s fat. Or asking a bitch why they’re a bitch. (I could go on but I’ll spare you.)
I had jury duty on Tuesday and after about an hour, the guy sitting next to me struck up a conversation. 10 minutes into the conversation…”so Jen, why are you single?” Sigh. I thought about saying I accidentally left my wedding ring at home. I thought about asking him why he was married. Instead, I said, “I don’t know, guess I haven’t found the one yet.”
EW. I cringe at the thought of it. Since the guy was nice enough to learn my name and a bit about me before he insulted me with the most ridiculous question known to woman-kind, I let it slide.
On my way to the office (woo hoo, no jury duty for me!), I decided if I’m going to be tortured with the ridiculousness that is this question, then I’m going to have some fun with it. Instead of the generic, “gee, I don’t know,” I’m going to answer this question from now on with ridiculous (but not insulting) answers. I don’t want to offend anybody…I just think a stupid question deserves an equally stupid (if not classic) answer!
I told my mom about my epiphany and she was so entertained by the idea she hopped on Google. A few of the answers she found:
*No one has been smart enough to ask me yet
*Actually, one of my personalities, Jane, is married. But Mary has too many issues, Sue is a commitment-phone and Sally, well, she’s too independent.
*Just lucky, I guess
*I accidentally fell in love with my half brother and we can't legally marry
*I can't decide if I like men or women
And my favorite…
*I mail ordered but he hasn’t shipped yet.
I swear to ya'll, I will use these. AND I want to know if you have any good ones too! Let me know and I will do a follow up post with the best answers and let you know the reactions I get with them. :o)
And guys who are reading this, if I ever find out ya’ll do this to a woman, I will hunt you down myself and smack you. Don't EVER ask a woman this. IT IS NOT APPROPRIATE HUMAN BEHAVIOR!