Seester!

When my sister was born, I told my parents that it was a good thing she was a girl. Because if she had been a boy I was going to trade him in for a puppy.

My sister was born singing. Singing in the tub, singing the in backseat, singing while playing goalie for her soccer team. She would sing even if she didn't know all the words. She would just sing what she did know over and over and over.

My sister is bigger than life. She has a smile that rivals the sun. She has a laugh that is contagious.

My sister was meant to be on the stage. Sometimes I think she should have been the Leo in this family. I always feel so proud to watch her perform.

My sister is a goof ball. She is just about the only one that I can be a total goober with. The two of us together usually equals very LOUD silliness that leads to crying from laughing so hard.

My sister is fearless. She is a world traveler. She is a go-getter. She makes her own path.

Now that we are older, my sister is my secret keeper. There are many a conversation that ends with 'don't tell Mom' (Mom, we usually end up telling you...when we are ready). My sister is my fellow fashionista. It's not unusual to get and send picture texts from dressing rooms. She car dances with me. We swap recipes and animal care tips. She is my best friend..my Seester.

Happy Halloween!

On My Radar

1. Western Style Ankle Boot
2. Victoria Secret's Tease
3. Worthington Skirted Pea Coat
4. Ruffled Suede Pump
5. Menswear Pump
6. Black Bootie

100 Truths

WHAT WAS YOUR:

1. Last beverage: coffee

2. Last phone call: My seester

3. Last text message: My husband..'Where are you'..he had lost me at the book store

4. Last song you listened to: Something by Metallica I'm sure

5. Last time you cried: Last week.

HAVE YOU EVER:

7. Been cheated on: Oh, I'm sure

8. Kissed someone & regretted it: Yes

9. Lost someone special: Yes

10. Been depressed: Yes

11. Been drunk and threw up: Only once

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLOURS:

12. Purple

13. Pink

14. Green

THIS YEAR HAVE YOU:(2010)

15. Made a new friend: I've met quite a few new people but none of them are to the point of friend.

16. Fallen out of love: No

17. Laughed until you cried: Yes

18. Met someone who changed you: No

19. Found out who your true friends were: Yes, yes I did

20. Found out someone was talking about you: No but I'm sure they have

21. Kissed anyone on your friend's list: Yes

22. Done a stupid crazy thing that had you smiling for weeks: No..I'm boring like that

23. How many kids do you want to have: At this point I'd take one

24. Do you have any pets: Oh yeah, two dogs and three cats

25. Do you want to change your name: No

26. What did you do for your last birthday: I had a big ol' party and it was GREAT!

27. What time did you wake up today: 8:45

28. What were you doing at midnight last night: Sleeping

29. Name something you CANNOT wait for: Next weekend

30. Last time you saw your Mother: A few weekends ago

31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life: I wish the litter box cleaned itself and the dust bunnies put themselves in the trash

32. What are you listening to right now: Me..typing, Lola..huffing, Squeak..cleaning himself

33. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: Every day at work

34. What's getting on your nerves right now: Christmas cards

35. Most visited webpage: Facebook

36. What's your real name: Virginia

37. Nicknames: Jinny, VivJ, Seester

38. Relationship Status: Very married

39. Zodiac sign: Leo (with stage fright..crazy, I know)

40. Male or female?: Female

41. Elementary: I went to two, one is closed now and the other was a Catholic school

42. Middle School: Named after an astronaut and the building is round

43. High school/college: High school campus was huge..over 40 acres..1000 kids in graduating class. Went to college online.

44. Hair colour: Brown

45. Long or short: Long

46. Height: 5'something

47. Do you have a crush on someone: Yeah, a big one

48: What do you like about yourself: I don't know. I'm pretty normal, nothing stands out.

49. Piercings: Ears

50. Tattoos: Just two..for now

51. Righty or lefty: Right

FIRSTS :

52. First surgery: Laparoscopy in 2006

53. First piercing: Ears

54. First best friend: Vanessa, Amy, Jennifer, Brandy

55. First sport you joined: T-ball

56. First vacation: I dont know. Probably California when I was a baby.

RIGHT NOW

59. Eating: Nothing

60. Drinking: coffee

61. I'm about to: go run errands..boo.

62. Listening to: Didn't I already answer this? Jeremy flipping through our recipe book.

63. Waiting on: nothing.

YOUR FUTURE :

64. Want kids? Yeah

65. Get Married? Done

66. Career? Done, unfortunately

WHICH IS BETTER

(on who?)

67. Lips or eyes: Lips

68. Hugs or kisses: hugs

69. Shorter or taller: Taller, but it doesnt have to be by much

70. Older or Younger: doesnt matter, its more about the maturity level

71. Romantic or spontaneous: Both?

72. Nice stomach or nice arms: arms

73. Sensitive or loud: Sensitive

74. Hook-up or relationship: Relationship

75. Trouble maker or hesitant: Why hesitant? Why not 'mature' or 'responsible'?

HAVE YOU EVER:

76. Kissed a stranger: No

77. Drank hard liquor: Yes

78. Lost glasses/contacts: No

79. Sex on first date: No

80. Broken someone's heart: Probably

82. Been arrested: No

83. Turned someone down: Yes

84. Cried when someone died: Yes

85. Fallen for a friend: Yes

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

86. Yourself: Sometimes

87. Miracles: Yes, even though none have been thrown my way lately. I still believe they happen.

88. Love at first sight: Yes, although it never happened to me.

89. Heaven: Yes

90. Santa Claus: Yes, in a fashion

91. Kiss on the first date: Sure

92. Angels: Yes

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:

94. Had more than 1 girlfriend/boyfriend at a time? Yes

95. Did you sing today: In my head

96. Ever cheated on somebody?: Yes

97. If you could go back in time: I would go back to when I was eleven and punch him in the face.

98. If you could pick a day from last year and relive it: I probably would. I don't remember a specific day.

99. Are you afraid of falling in love: No, no one should be.

100. Posting this as 100 truths? Yes.

Muzzah!

A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands. But a mother's love endures through all. ~Washington Irving


For a long time now it's been just me, my sister, and my Mom. She raised us up from scratch into the fine women we are today. I've blogged about my Mom a few times before. And I can't really add much more to those posts. They sum up everything I feel about my Mom and my upbringing.
Soooo..here are some fun, random facts about my Mom!

~ My sister and I call her Muzzah when we are being silly
~ I call her Momma the rest of the time
~ She HATES onions
~ She sings in the church choir
~ But she pretty much sings anywhere (life is a musical in this family)
~ She is the fourth child out of seven (I think..lol. Watch me be wrong)
~ She is a fixer (like me!)
~ She is a worrier (llliiikkee me!)
~ She loves playing Farmville
~ She doesn't drink beer
~ She enjoys going to the movies
~ She makes the best banana pancakes

As for my Dad...well, I've blogged about him too.

First Love

I really like to think that Jeremy was and is my first TRUE love. I mean, we've been together since I was 17. How could I possibly have been in love..the 'I'm going to be with you for the rest of my life for reals' kind..when I was that young? That doesn't mean that I didn't feel deeply for the other guys I have dated. So, in that vein of thinking I thought back through my 'dating' years. Me and boys have a long, bumpy, slightly infamous history.

I would say the relationship that first brought me near the edge of love was Nathan Frazier. We dated through out my 8th and 9th grade year. His phone number is still penciled inside a heart on the leg of my old dresser (which now belongs to my sister). This was the first relationship in which I started to understand what it even meant to be in a relationship. This was really the first relationship in which I wanted to be a better person for him. At the time that meant going to his church, which was a baptist church..much to my catholic mother's delight. It was also the first relationship in which I started to understand how my actions could really hurt someone else. We broke up at the start of our 10th grade year (the year I met my future husband). And for a long time he was really mad at me. I tried to be his friend, I wanted to be his friend..but he was too hurt..too mad..and he wouldn't even talk to me. I remember being sick, just sick with the fact that he wouldn't even be my friend.

That's been so many years ago and now he and I keep up with each other on facebook (of course). Or I keep up with him, I'm not sure how much he keeps up with me. And that is totally ok. I just hope that he knows how sorry I am that I did him like that. I'm sorry that I couldn't be the person that he needed me to be, the person that I was obviously not ready to be.

What's In A Name?

When I started this blog I wanted to call it something catchy, something easy to remember. But I also wanted it to be something that reflected who I was..who I am.

I'm not a mommy blogger. Not a foodie. Not a fashion blogger. Not a political blogger. Not a travel blogger.

I am nothing so pin-pointed as all that.

What I am is a normal girl.

I work a very boring desk job...and have for the last twelve years.

I am married to the love of my life..and have been for the last ten years.

I live in a cozy little house that always needs some work.

I have bills to pay.

Hairballs and animal hair are a regular part of my reality.

Most of the art work in my house is self-made...that's about as cultured as we get.

I am simple, but very real.

Grocery shopping and dinner at my in-laws is sometimes as exciting as it gets around here.

So, what does all that mean? What is something that can summarize all of that? A Girl in the Real World.

If they all jumped off a bridge...

Tons and tons of blogs have been picking up this 30 day blogging challenge. There are simple themes for each day for the next 30 days and you blog about that theme every day. Easy, right? But I am terrible at these blog every day for 30 day things. lol. So, I'm going to try it out. But I'm not looking at it as a challenge...more like an idea generator.

On to Day One....an updated picture and 15 facts about me.

Here I am in all my no make-uped, air dried hair glory.1. I was in girl scouts for many, many years. That's a lot of sold girl scout cookies, people!

2. I've never been out of the country...across the border to Mexico doesn't really count (back then you didn't even need a passport...or ID..now that I think about it).

3. I have terrible stage fright.

4. I played soccer and softball, I wasn't very good at either of them. I've never been that competitive so I didn't have a lot of drive.

5. I was in choir for several years. I liked to sing but never excelled at it..please see #3.

6. I have only lived in one town my entire life (so far).

7. I'm a little claustrophobic. I freaked out in a full elevator once (ok, maybe twice). And then this other time my sister and husband had my legs pinned under the bed covers...I wigged out then too. And, because I'm so short, if I'm in a large crowd I sort of start hyperventilating because I can't see anything but other people. Ok, maybe it's more than a little.

8. I have a sister, a half brother, a step brother, and a step sister.

9. I've only been sick from drinking once..I'm looking at you Mike G.

10. The only thing keeping me from being a TOTAL shopaholic is our itty-bitty closet.

11. My favorite classes in high school were Art, Photo Journalism, and Creative Writing.

12. I flunked Algebra I. I had to take summer school.

13. First date with Jeremy...Men In Black in the theatre. I paid for the tickets.

14. When I lived at home, I kicked a hole in the wall in my bedroom. My friend Desarae taped a piece of envelope over it. My Mom didn't find out until I moved out when we re-painted the room for my sister to move in there.

15. I want to write romance novels.

Not So Newly-Weds

I found this cute questionnaire over at A Blonde Bride (go read her blog, she's funny..you'll like her). She is very newly married...by months. Were as I have been married for years and years. But we still FEEL like newlyweds. So I asked Jeremy to answer these questions to see how well he's been paying attention over the last ten years:

1. She's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?

Jeremy:You mean like none of my shows are on, can't find nothing to watch? HGTV
Me: I think what he means is..there are shows that I watch. Biggest Loser, America's Next Top Model, Destination Truth. But, if none of those shows are on then the default is usually HGTV.

2. You're out to eat, what kind of dressing does she get on her salad?

Jeremy:Either light Ranch or light Italian

Me: That's if I eat a salad at all.

3. What's one food she doesn't like?

Jeremy: Peas

Me: Yuck

4. You go out to eat and have a drink, what does she order?

Jeremy: Margarita on the rocks with a salt rim.

Me: Yes, please.

5. What shirt size does she wear?

Jeremy: Large

Me: He's good. I didn't think he would know this one.

6. What shoe size does she wear?

Jeremy: 7 1/2

Me: Ok, not THAT good. lol. I'm in a 6 1/2.

7.What's her favorite type of sandwich?

Jeremy: Chick-fil-a original chicken sandwich

Me: Clever man. I automatically thought of something you made at home and I don't really eat sandwiches at home so I didn't think he would have an answer.

8. What would she eat everyday if she could?

Jeremy: Chocolate Ice Cream

Me: If it's Ben & Jerry's it would be even better.

9. What is her favorite cereal?

Jeremy: Doesn't really eat it, but when she does usually fruity or cocoa pebbles

Me: I do love me some fruity pebbles. But he's right, I don't eat a lot of cereal.

10. What would she never wear?

Jeremy: A thong bikini, I think?

Me: LOL. If I had the body for one I might....ok, probably not.

11. What is her favorite sports team?

Jeremy: The Dallas Cowboys, my fault, I know.

Me: If I had to pick a favorite team..it would be the Cowboys. I have a pink jersey!

12.What is something she does that you wish she wouldn't do?

Jeremy: Worry

Me: I'm a woman! I can't help it.

13. What is her heritage?

Jeremy: German

Me: German-Texan..and dang proud of it.

14. You bake her a cake, what kind of cake?

Jeremy: Chocolate

Me: MMmmm..chocolate cake.

15. Did she play sports in high school?

Jeremy: No

Me: But in junior high I did..soccer and softball

16. What could she spend hours doing?

Jeremy: Sitting in front of the computer, or reading

Me: Wow..that sort of sounds bad, huh? I do spend a lot of time staring into this box.

17. What is the unique talent that she has?

Jeremy: Beating me at everything

Me: I laughed out loud when I read this. It IS a unique talent, because I don't MEAN to do it. It just happens.

18. What is her type of coffee?

Jeremy: The kind I brew her in the morning, but she likes Starbucks too

Me: He makes the coffee every morning, I don't even have to worry about it. That's love right there.

19. What does she like to read?

Jeremy: Romance novels. Lots and lots of romance novels

Me: It's all I read. I LOVE them. What can I say..I'm a die hard romantic.

20. What is her favorite perfume?

Jeremy: Sugar

Me: Close..it's called Pink Sugar. And I think it's his favorite too ; )

Things that annoy me

You know what I love...on demand pay-per-view.

You know why...because my movie doesn't get interrupted by fingerprints or scratches.

Stupid DVD rentals...waste of money.

CLEAR!

I got my first 'spam' comment ever this morning. Besides "robot" advertisements that I use to get forever ago, I haven't really had a problem with troll like comments being left for me. It was quite entertaining. So thank you crazy anonymous person for making my morning.

In other news, our fridge had a near death experience this weekend. I went from being mad to being sad to being in a dark black despair.

Mad because I actually spent my Friday night cleaning the thing. That's right, I could have been doing so many other things...much, much more entertaining things. But no..I decided to show my fridge some love and THIS is how the stupid hunk of plastic repays me?! See if I ever clean you again!

*ehem*

That, and we had JUST bought two weeks worth of groceries.

*groan*

And when I wasn't mad I was begging the thing NOT to die. Please don't die, fridge. Don't go into the light. We love you. We need you. We'd miss you! I might have even hugged it...

Then I would fall into that dark, dark despair of which there was no end. We are going to have to buy a new fridge. OH the agony..AGONY!!! You see, when we moved into this house we had to buy the smallest model we could find to fit into our kitchen. I mean, we don't have a pee-wee fridge. It's 'normal' size..just the smallest 'normal' size we could find. It was the only thing we could fit into the designated 'fridge' space in our galley kitchen that didn't stick out so far as to block the door to the carport. But, we bought our fridge eight years ago when we moved into this house and I just knew, that with our luck, no one would sell that size fridge anymore. I'm not blind, I see the fridge trend..and it has leaned more and more to big and bigger.

The appliance repair man came to see us Monday after work. As we were filling up coolers with ice and our two weeks worth of groceries, he took one look at our fridge and knew exactly what the problem was. And he could fix it...right then!

*que the angels singing...heavenly light shining down in my kitchen*

In about an hour he had our fridge up and running again. So, now my fridge has a second chance at life. It was like fridge CPR.

To a hammer, everything looks like a nail

I am a fixer. I am fully aware that I am a fixer to the point of being blunt and sticking my foot in my mouth. I'm also aware that I cannot fix everything...even though I wish I could.

I also consider myself to be extremely empathetic. To the point of making my heart hurt and feeling slightly depressed. I'm aware that no matter how much I think I might understand what someone is feeling, sometimes there is no possible way for me to fully comprehend.

And sometimes my mind will start to wonder about this big world we live in and all the bad things that happen..and all the sad people in it..and all the innocence that is lost..and all the negativity that could be avoided.

Sometimes its like I'm being crushed by it all. Because I can feel it...but I know that I cannot fix it.

YAY for new makeup!

Have you ever heard of E.L.F Cosmetics? I've seen ELF mentioned a time or two on some of the message boards I like to visit. I even went to their website and checked out what they had to offer. They have a very decent selection of inexpensive cosmetics and tools. And I will be honest, the price ('are you kidding me' cheap) made me a little leery. I mean, I had always thought you get what you pay for (which always seemed to mean 'an arm and a leg'). So I never tried them out until now.

I decided to order Essentials Brightening Eye Color in Day 2 Night, Essentials Brightening Eye Liner in Black, Essentials Hypershine Gloss in Blossom, Complexion Perfection, Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder in Warm Tan, and Shine Eraser sheets. That is six things and WITH shipping it cost me less than $15.00. No, I am not kidding. But the real question is, are the products worth it? How do they stand up to other, more expensive cosmetic brands? Well, let me tell you.

The eyeshadow is a four color quad. There is a cream color, a dark purple color, a dark green color, and a taupe color. I will say that the colors on the website don't match exactly, but I can also say that the colors look much better in person. The pigmentation is very rich so a little goes a long way. I used a combo of these colors at my best friends wedding and it all stayed put and didn't fade all night. For only $1.00, you read that right...just a buck, you can't go wrong with the eyeshadow.

The eyeliner is the same. Black is black, but it did go on very easily. No tearing of the eyelid, its very creamy in texture so it blends very well for that smoky eye look. AND, it comes with a sharpener. Another steal at just $1.00.

The lip gloss is a nice soft pink color. It's still a little sticky as far as lip gloss goes, but I've never run across one that ISN'T sticky..no matter if they advertise to the contrary. It does last and it smells good. Can you guess how much it costs? $1.00, that's right. Are you seeing a trend here?

The Complexion Perfection compact is suppose to help even out your skin tone and absorb oil. In the reviews some people mentioned that it made their faces too pale or left a white powder on the face, but I didn't have a problem with that. I'm not sure if I can say it evens out my skin tone but it does make my face feel very smooth. And, the whole absorbing oil thing? Oh yeah, baby! I would buy this again for that quality alone. You see, I'm a very oily girl. It's the bane of my cosmetic existence. But this product certainly helps keep it to a dull shine (hardy har). This baby is actually $3.00, but worth every penny.

I don't know what to make of the bronzing powder. It's the first time I've used a product like that, even though I see that it's been the latest rage for a while. It probably has more to do with my inexperience with that type of makeup then the product itself. There isn't anything wrong with it really besides the fact that I can't tell a difference when I put it on. Maybe that's the point? Maybe I'm not wearing enough? *shrug* Who knows? At only $1.00, even if I don't end up using it very often it's still easy on my wallet.

And finally, the Shine Eraser sheets. There are 50 sheets in a little cardboard envelope. I LOVE these things. Between these and the Complexion Perfection compact I have finally stopped blinding people with my shine. Ha ha..ok, maybe that's a little dramatic. But honestly, it's how I felt sometimes. So, I carry these little babies in my purse so they are with me where ever I go. Another very worthy expense of only $1.00.

Overall, I was more than pleased with my purchase. The price CANNOT be beat and, surprise, the products actually perform just as good as other cosmetics that cost five times as much (if not more). I'm already planning my next purchase...can't run out of those Shine Eraser sheets.

How Did This Happen?

Me: Dolly, come give me a hug. I missed you.

Dolly: I missed you too, Jinny.

Who is this little person! Wasn't she still a baby just yesterday?

A Peek Into My Closet

Ever feel like you are being watched...

It's coming! *SQUEEEEE*

I don't share

So, maybe you've heard of a little show on TLC called Sister Wives. You haven't heard of it? Well, you can read a little about it here. I try really hard not to harshly judge people that live differently from me. I mean, as long as everyone is consenting and of age then to each their own. But while I have tried to understand this way of life, I can't seem to really wrap my brain around it.

I'm curious about what sort of vows a husband says to a woman that is a first wife, when they are both aware that more wives will be coming..or to the second, third, or fourth wife. I know my wedding vows spoke of forsaking all others for my spouse. What does he vow? That he will forsake all others...unless its one of his other wives?

I haven't watched a full episode yet and probably never will. But the little bit I have seen of the show it just seems that the other wives are having to deal with their emotions of adding yet another wife. He, on the other hand, doesn't really have to deal with much of anything. This is same ol', same ol' for him..and he gets to have sex with a new, younger, cuter wife...and it's not cheating! Wait...I'm judging, aren't I?

All I know is, if the whole point to plural marriages is to have more babies to populate the world (which is what I am assuming..I'm not all that studied on the theory) then the women should be able to have multiple husbands as well. Right?! I mean, then the chances are even greater for more babies. RIGHT?! No? That's not how it works? That's not what "God" said? Oh, I see.

I'm judging again. Dang.

Seasonal Nothingness

I have nothing to blog about. I am too tired. I blame the seasons. It's that time of year, the transition from summer to fall. Even though most people will tell you that there is no such thing as fall in West Texas...we do have a period of change. The mornings seem much darker and are notably colder. It's harder to get out of bed in the morning. It seems to get darker earlier with the days growing shorter. It's a time of heaters running in the morning and air conditioners running in the afternoons. It takes its toll on a persons body. At least, that's the story I'm sticking to.

So, instead of blogging about something interesting I'll leave you with this photo:

How did I get so stinkin' lucky?

I have a man that loves me.

I have animals that entertain me.

I have friends that get me.

I have a family that always backs me.

I have the best bunch of kiddos to be an aunt to.

More Pumpkins!