Wordless Wednesdays #26- A Tomato A Day... ??

You can see other people's entries, or join in the fun, at THIS site!

Friday Fill-Ins #21

1. It's cold and wet outside!

2. There is nothing quite like some fresh garden tomatoes.

3. My favorite health and beauty product is the AVON Clearskin line right now! It's done wonders for my uhh... let's just say *blemish-prone* skin. ;)

4. I wouldn't really enjoy a nice long ride. Hey, at least I'm being honest! The car is NOT my favorite place to be...

5. Well, first of all get your facts straight! Do your own research, don't just follow everyone else like a sheep... BAHH :)

6. Hubby, me and an ex of mine; those were the cast of characters in a recent dream and it was naughty, I'm not gonna lie! That's all the info you will get out of me...

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to chilling with my fam and hopefully squeezing in some workout time, tomorrow my plans include relaxing at home with nothing to do for the first time in weeks! and Sunday, I want to grocery shop, do the chores, and prep for the week. Also hopefully get outside for a bit with the ruggle, all this rain has been killing us!

You can join in on the fun, or see other people's entries, by visiting THIS site.

Wordless Wednesdays #25- "Helping" with Dinner

You can join in on the fun or see other people's wonderful WW entries at THIS LINK.

Friday Fill-Ins #20

1. Moving is a big time pain in the butt, but worth it!

2. I have been getting tons of stuff for free. (By using these two blogs- Hip2Save and Money Saving Mom- as my guide, in conjunction with printable internet coupons from coupons.com and sites like it!)

3. My best quality is my ability to be optimistic and look beyond the struggles.

4. Sometimes, you don't want the details.

5. In nearly 10 years, I hope to own a home, have more children, have moved up in my career, and my daughter will be in middle school. YIKES!

6. A pampering spa day is what I need right now!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going out to eat with my family, tomorrow my plans include bringing the Bend to Nashua to return my parent's stools (which we WILL finish tonight, I promise!) and Sunday, I want to relax, clean up, do some cooking/ baking and hang around the house! Monday? BBQ with my in-laws at their house! :)

You can view other people's entries, or join in the fun yourself, at THIS LINK.

Wordless Wednesdays #24- Funny Faces

You can find other people's entries, or join in the fun yourself, at THIS LINK.

(Mostly) Wordless Wednesdays #23- Rain Dance

Rain, Rain...




Go Away...





Come again another day...





Ilyana wants to play...

Rain, rain, go away.

You can see other participants' entries in Wordless Wednesday or join in yourself at THIS LINK.

And since I didn't totally follow the rules this time (I put the words to the song), here also is the link to the MOSTLY Wordless Wednesday headquarters. I followed her rules! ;)

Random Tuesday Thoughts Numero Tres

You can participate in Random Tuesday Thoughts by visiting Keely at The Un-Mom and signing her Mr. Linky. Or not, since today it's broken. You should just leave your link in the comments, like she told you to. Don't you read directions?!?

You should also visit Kia at Good Enough Mama and say hi, since she's the one who turned me on to this meme. Or you could just stop by and fling some poo, since she's going on vacation this week and we're not. And that is shiteous. It makes me a little green with envy, to be sure.

BUT- she's going to Florida and not to Disney. So that makes me a little less jealous. I can forgive her for her vacation as long as she's not going to that most magical place on earth that I have been feening to go for months, where everything goes right and you smile all day and everyone tells you to "have a magical DAY!" and goes out of their way to make you happy.

Now then. On to more randomness.

*Over the past few days, Ilyana has taken to saying "Oh MY GOOODDDDNESSS!" at the most random of times. I am pretty sure she heard me say this at some point and it stuck in her brain. It's the cutest thing when she says it, though. I am just thanking my lucky stars that she didn't pick up one of my less-PC phrases. I'd probably shrivel up and die if we were out shopping and she said "Dada is a dinknose." OR "HAHA, MOMMA TOOTED!"

...Yes, I've said both of those things. And?

*I am becoming coupon-cutting crazy. I can't stop. But please, no interventions. I figure any addiction that actually allows me to shop AND saves my family money is a blessing in disguise. Last weekend I stocked up on cereal, and I still have more to buy. We had to convert our extra hutch into a pantry to hold all the reserve food I was able to snag! Boo-YAH!

I have even gotten things for FREE! It's crazy. There are two blogs in particular that I follow to find the BEST deals and internet printable coupons- they are

Hip2Save
and
Money Saving Mom

But if you do decide to check them out, don't say I didn't warn you. You will most likely end up at the sites multiple times per day. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I even found a deal from Hip2Save that got me a pair of $65 LEATHER flip flops for this summer from Deckers and only paid $12 with FREE SHIPPING! They came yesterday and they rock. Oh, and they have a lifetime warranty, so if they ever break, they'll be replaced. Yeah, I could go on about the deals. They are great. Just check the sites. You won't be sorry.

*I am seriously looking forward to Memorial Day weekend. I think we are just going to hang around the house and plant things and clean and catch up on rest, but a relaxing LONG weekend at home sounds fantabulous right about now. I think it's been MONTHS since I had more than two days at home in a row.

*It's Ilyana's birthday party (well, actually, parties) this weekend. I am so not as organized about it as last year, but I'm thinking that's okay. I'm not doing a meal this year, like I did last year, I'm just going to have snacks and cake and ice cream and balloons and all that regular birthday jazz. She's really excited about it, though :)

*I got to finish my shopping for her party last weekend. It was amazing. A beautiful day out, and I got to borrow my Mom's convertible to drive around in, since my brother was supposed to take a look at my brakes for me... Driving around all day, top down, shopping, BY MYSELF?! Nirvana.

*I just love my family. They are wonderful.

Couples Meme

I stole this from Issa over at Issascrazyworld, who stole it from Mothergoosemouse, who stole it from someone else, who... Yeah, things get stolen a lot around this 'sphere. But it's always with permission! :)

THE COUPLES MEME:

What are your middle names?

Mine is Paige, and his is... Irving. He would hate that I told you that, but I think it's sweet, since it's after his grandfather.

How long have you been together?

Since June 4, 2000. Got married last January, but I don't count that as our anniversary...

How long did you know each other before you started dating?

Erm, not that long. We had met previously, but he wasn't interested. I think it was like a month later that we actually started "going out".

Who asked whom out?

He asked me. Actually, it was brought on by my little brother... Who kept coming upstairs and bugging us when we were hanging out in my room. He finally came up and said "Mom wants to know if you guys are going out yet." I was MORTIFIED! But Will looked at me and said, "Well? Do you want to?" (I know, he's articulate. heh.) And the rest is history.

How old are each of you?

He's 28, I'm 25.

Whose siblings do you see the most?

Depends on the month really... We see his brother a bit, because he only lives about 20 mins away, and we get along well with him and his wife... Plus his son is two days younger than Ilyana. But we also see my brother Mitch a lot :)

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?

I would probably say financial stuff is the most consistently hard on us. Doesn't everyone fight about that crap? Especially lately?

Did you go to the same school?

Nope, not even in the same state!

Are you from the same home town?

No. I was born in Dover, NH. He was born in Nashua, NH.

Who is smarter?

I'd say we are equals... We are each smart about different things, and we keep each other balanced. :)

Who is the most sensitive?

hahaha ok... Well I am the most sensitive about things going on in our life, I think... But he gets teary-eyed over a LOT more than I do on TV and stuff... I think it's because he has to be all manly-man in his life, so that sappy emotional TV is how he lets it all out. lol.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?

hahaha, what's THAT? Eating out as a COUPLE? lol. For real though, I don't know if it is the place we go the most, since it's not close by, but Silo's in Merrimack, NH is our FAVORITE place to eat.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?

Disney World in Florida.

Who has the craziest exes?

I don't think either of us has *crazy* exes. We have a couple of exes who have done crazy things... but since we've been together since I was 16, there aren't too many exes.

Who has the worst temper?

He does. I nag more, and yell more probably. But he is the one who gets more pissed when it comes down to it.

Who does the cooking?

Me.

Who is the neat-freak?

I care more about neatness than he does, for sure.

Who is more stubborn?

Hmm... I am, I think. I have the hardest time admitting I'm wrong. In fact, sometimes I'll just sit and stew because I KNOW I'm wrong, but I can't bring myself to say it. What can I say, I can be pigheaded...

Who hogs the bed?

Neither of us hogs the bed, we pretty much stay on our sides... but he TOTALLY hogs the blankets! I always have to wake up and YANK my portion back over to my side.

Who wakes up earlier?

We usually wake up at the same time. We commute together.

Where was your first date?

We went to see "Road Trip" at the Strand in Dover with my brother and best friend Merry. Our first "date" alone was at my house, we watched "10 Things I Hate About You".

Who is more jealous?

Me.

How long did it take to get serious?

It just kind of happened, I don't know when... He claims in the beginning he didn't think it would last, but he had moved in with my family after a couple months of us being together...

Who eats more?

I don't know... I think about the same? He eats more than I do at night, but he never eats his lunch, and I eat mine. :)

Who does the laundry?

Me. If I waited for him to do it, I'd walk around nekkid.-- I second that, Issa. And though he probably would want me to always walk around nekkid, that's not something I'm planning on doing. heh.

Who’s better with the computer?

He is. He knows all kinds of code and programming and more photoshop than I do, and web design. He wants to work with computers... And I just want to play on them.

Who drives when you are together?

I do. All the time. He just sits in the passenger side and tells me what I'm doing wrong. lol.

ETA: Of course, any one of you who would like to grab this meme and play along is welcome to! I would love to read about you and your hubbies- or wives, for those guys out there! Let me know if you do and I'll be sure to pop on over and comment :)

Wordless Wednesdays #20- Most Uncomfortable...

You can view other participants' entries or join in yourself HERE.

Friday Fill-Ins #18

1. Why do we have to drive places? Could be rephrased as... Why can't we teleport like in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?

2. Checking my Facebook and Twitter are now habits.

3. I have tons to do, but not a lot of time! HELP! ;)

4. I had never heard the phrase "it really twerks my butt" and it sort of caught me off guard when my boss said it to me! lol...

5. I'm gonna go with the flow and try to have fun, the way I always do.

6. How was I to know that we'd have to cancel Will's appointments to go to our niece's birthday party this weekend? Oh yeah, that's right... I wasn't supposed to know, because when I asked HUBS when the party was, his response was "Oh, sometime in April, I'll ask him later..." Then we came home to a note on our door the other day saying it was this weekend! LOL! Not that I'm complaining, Chuck E Cheese sounds a lot more fun to me than sitting in the waiting room anyway! :)

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to heading to Manch- for an interview Will has, shopping, and dinner- then to Mom's overnight, tomorrow my plans include party for our niece in Manch and Sunday, I want to visit my Dad's family, see Nana for the first time in months, then rush home to prep for the week, make muffins, and pack! AHHHH! This is definitely going to be a PACKED weekend!

You can see other participants or join in on Friday Fill-Ins HERE.

PS: Happy FIRST DAY OF SPRING, everyone!! :) Hoo-RA!

1. When I look to the left, I see the sink and cabinets here in my office.

2. The living room is the room that has the best view in my home.

3. Let it work when you need it to.

4. Delicious dinner? done dirt cheap!

5. The education of our children is a responsibility that all qualified citizens must share.

6. If you have any photography advice feel free to share with me. Like how do you manage to remember all this stuff about aperture, f-stops, who-dizzles and what-dangles?? I have read a couple of different books on the subject, but apparently my brain just doesn't want to hang onto that information...

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing and reading some Stephenie Meyer, tomorrow my plans include visiting Mom and Mitch for their birthdays and Sunday, I want to get ready for the week and pack! Only 2.5 more weeks to go till we're in our NEW apartment! woot woot

Oscar Meme

Oscar Meme on a Monday...

I stole this from MamaDawg, who stole it from MAW. I guess there's been a lot of snatching of this meme going on.

Here's the idea. You bold (or color differently, or italicize... however you roll) the movies that you've seen. Of those listed. Which are all ones that won Oscars. Get it? Got it. Good.

Let's see how I do. I claim I love movies... Hmmm....


1980. Ordinary People, Coal Miner’s Daughter, The Elephant Man, Raging Bull, Tess

1981. Chariots of Fire, Reds, Atlantic City, On Golden Pond, Raiders of the Lost Ark

1982. Gandhi, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Missing, Tootsie, The Verdict

1983. Terms of Endearment, The Big Chill, The Dresser, The Right Stuff, Tender Mercies

1984. Amadeus, The Killing Fields, A Passage to India, Places in the Heart, A Soldier’s Story

1985. Out of Africa, The Color Purple, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Prizzi’s Honor, Witness

1986. Platoon, Children of a Lesser God, Hannah and Her Sisters, The Mission, A Room with a View

1987. The Last Emperor, Broadcast News, Fatal Attraction, Hope and Glory, Moonstruck
1988. Rain Man, The Accidental Tourist, Dangerous Liaisons, Mississippi Burning, Working Girl

1989. Driving Miss Daisy, Born on the Fourth of July, Dead Poets Society, Field of Dreams, My Left Foot

1990. Dances with Wolves, Awakenings, Ghost, The Godfather Part III, Goodfellas

1991. The Silence of the Lambs, Beauty and the Beast, Bugsy, JFK, The Prince of Tides

1992. Unforgiven, The Crying Game, A Few Good Men, Howards End, Scent of a Woman

1993. Schindler’s List, The Fugitive, In the Name of the Father, The Piano, The Remains of the Day

1994. Forrest Gump, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Pulp Fiction, Quiz Show, The Shawshank Redemption -Guess this was a good year for me! lol...

1995. Braveheart, Apollo 13, Babe, Il Postino (The Postman), Sense and Sensibility

1996. The English Patient, Fargo, Jerry Maguire, Secrets & Lies, Shine

1997. Titanic, As Good as It Gets, The Full Monty, Good Will Hunting, L.A. Confidential

1998. Shakespeare in Love, Elizabeth, Life Is Beautiful (La vita è bella), Saving Private Ryan, The Thin Red Line

1999. American Beauty, The Cider House Rules, The Green Mile, The Insider, The Sixth Sense

2000. Gladiator, Chocolat, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Erin Brockovich, Traffic

2001. A Beautiful Mind, Gosford Park, In the Bedroom, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Moulin Rouge!

2002. Chicago, Gangs of New York, The Hours, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Pianist

2003. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Lost in Translation, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Mystic River, Seabiscuit- I put Master and Commander in green because I never finished it. We thought it sucked- hard- and shut it off about a half hour through. I don't know if that counts or not... haha

2004. Million Dollar Baby, The Aviator, Finding Neverland, Ray, Sideways

2005. Crash, Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Good Night and Good Luck, Munich

2006. The Departed, Babel, Letters from Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine, The Queen

2007. No Country for Old Men, Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, There Will Be Blood

2008. Slumdog Millionaire, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, The Reader


Not too bad... Considering I was a young'un for most of these years... Born in '83, so really you can't fault me too much for missing a lot of those early ones.

What about you? Have you seen a lot of Oscar winners?

Friday Fill-Ins #16

1. I'm funky, I'm fresh, I can blog just like the best!

2. Why do I have a Scion and not a family car?! (I ask myself this every time I have to HOIST that little girl up into her seat while the front seat slides dangerously back into my legs and butt, almost taking me out. It's not a lot of fun. But I know the answer... Because I chose it, and now I'm stuck with it! At least for a while... *sigh* At least it's a reliable car, and cute, to boot.)

3. How does this silly document protection crapola work, anyway? (I ask myself as I try and complete some more training for work...)

4. Every morning, I put perfume on my body... Clothes were such the obvious answer, I had to think of something else.

5. I consider myself lucky because after eight and a half years, my husband is still my best friend, we are still in love, and we are blessed with an amazingly intelligent and beautiful little girl, who completes our life.

6. One day we’ll see Europe on a dream getaway together.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to maybe stopping by a friend's house to say hi and then going home to chill, tomorrow my plans include working out, cleaning, dancing with my girl and starting to pack and Sunday, I want to do more of the same!

You can find other Friday Fill-In participants HERE.

Wordless Wednesdays #18- Around The Park Plaza Hotel...

You can find other Wordless Wednesday participants HERE.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

...You know, because I'm not random enough as it is. Ha. Ha.

...oooh man, I crack myself up.

*Illy is going through a phase right now of discovering her emotions. She has been doing a lot of the fake whiny-whiny lately. The kind where she sits in the backseat (or next to you on the couch, or hanging off your leg) and goes "ehh.... weeeeehhhh.... meeeehhhhh...." until you look at her and ask, oh so nicely, "Honey, what's wrong?" And then she has nothing to say. Or tells you something like "The train stopped." ...Uh... Really? No way.

*She hit her elbow the other day and hurt it, so I called her over and said, "Come here and let Mommy kiss it and make it all better"... So she came over, I kissed it, we agreed it was all better... Then she ran over to her Dora trike and slammed her elbow down on it again. "Ouch Momma, ouch, make it better" and came back for more magic kisses... and again... and again.... and... yeah... you get the point.

...Not that I am complaining about any of this. It's pretty cute to see her figuring these things out. Although, the fake whiny whiny? I'm not a big fan.

*I am baffled at her verbal prowess. Yes, you read that right. She has prowess. Of the verbal sort. She blows my mind all the time, coming out with words I didn't even know she knew yet, making whole sentences. The other day she said to me in the morning as I was busily packing lunches- "What you doing, Momma? You makin' the foods this morning?" Did I mention she's not even 22 months old yet?!?! Is it too early to declare my child a genius?

She also came home from day care the other day singing Mary Had a Little Lamb, which we didn't teach her. Of course, she did learn "Boom, boom, aint it great to be- CRAZY!" From me. Cuz that's how I roll.


*I need new undies ass covers and bras tit slingers. Thanks for reminding me, Kia....

*We went to give our new landlord our deposit for the duplex. They are soo nice and they really like Illy. I have a really good feeling about this place... I hope for this to be the last time we move until we buy our own house :) That would be so nice. Moving ever year (or more) is really no fun. Seriously.

*Our new TV came. Boo-yah. And I actually don't feel guilty for treating ourselves to this right now, even though it's not the best time... Because we just spent thousands paying back debts we've owed for years to improve our credit scores. So I think we deserved it.

*My husband does feel guilty. They just laid off two more people at work. The same day our TV came. He said he felt like a shmuck, even though he knows he shouldn't, because it's not his fault... and we did need a new TV and deserve one. It's just hard to enjoy something special like that when (a) you're worried how much longer before it's your job being let go and (b) you know there are TONS of people out there right now just worried about making ends meet.

*I have a banana today, but I forgot my peanut butter. I don't think I'm going to eat it. Plain bananas are not nearly as exciting as PB ones.

*My little tweet-bird (yes, another nick name for her, I know) didn't want to let me go this morning. She was clinging to my legs and hugging me with all her might... she didn't even want to get down and play with her best friend or go to her Dada. It made my heart break into a bunch of little heart-shards. :(

That's all I got right now. If you liked this, or have some random thoughts of your own to share, visit The Un-Mom to grab the button and play along!

I Heart Faces Week 7- B&W

I have seen this group all around the blogosphere, and a few of my friends are playing along... Let me just start by saying:

I LOVE it.

And since I totally flaked on that one word challenge I promised myself I wouldn't flake on... *ahem* I know... I know... I suck. I always flake. meh. I figured I would try and join up on this.

Since it's awesome.

So you should go, right now, GO and check out I Heart Faces because there really are some amazing photos there. And it makes you look at your own face- and those of everyone around you- in a whole new way...

So now, on to the entries.

This week's theme is black and white. How I love black and white photos! I was already considering joining this group/ meme because I love to look at the entries... But then I saw this week's theme and figured it was meant.

This, of course, is Ilyana. I just love how she's laughing and has that sparkle in her eye! I was so glad it translated well into B&W.

My little brother Mitch. Isn't he handsome?

PS: I have no idea why that text at the top turned small on me. I can't get it to go back, I've tried about ten times. So... I'm sorry it's tiny, but you'll have to deal with it. I'm not up to fighting with finicky blogger this afternoon.

Friday Fill-Ins #15

You can find the other Friday Fill-Ins participants HERE.

1. Give me some awesome new recipes and I'll make you dinner AND cinnamon rolls.

2. Whenever I think about Weezer, I think "If you want to destroy my SWEATERRRR..." Yes, that was a very random thought.

3. I wish we could buy a house now... but since we can't, I am wishing we will at least get this much nicer apartment. It's a step in the right direction.

4. A creme de fleur from Au Bon Pain was the last thing I ate that was utterly delicious. (Yes, I treated myself this morning... and am now regretting the ridiculous amount of calories ingested before lunchtime. But it was good.)

5. To live in this world is a gift.

6. Other than this one, Good Enough Mum is the last blog I commented on. She makes me giggle. She talks about genitals. hee.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to dinner and maybe Wii and some cleaning, tomorrow my plans include not sure yet, think I might be visiting my Dad and Sunday, I want to finish the cleaning, prep for the week, grocery shop, and hang with my fam!

Friday Fill-Ins #14

And...here we go!

1. It seems like just yesterday that I was preggo.

2. Put the toilet paper back when you're done, please?

3. If I thought you would buy me a house I'd do just about anything for you!

4. How you could just make my heart explode with love is what I think of most when I think of you.

5. To me, Valentine's Day means showing the appreciation we have for the people we love, when we might not take that chance on any other regular day.

6. Your hugs and kisses gives me strength.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to our potty training party!, tomorrow my plans include catching up on cleaning and maybe watching a movie and Sunday, I want to prep for the week and snuggle with my buggles!


You can find other Friday Fill-In participants HERE.

Wordless Wednesdays #17- Treadmill at the Park Plaza

You can visit other Wordless Wednesday participants HERE! :)

Friday Fill-Ins #13

A Luxury Weekend to Remember!!

This is a small part of the huge presidential suite we'll be staying in this weekend with my Mom, Stepdad and brothers. The room has a $3000 dollar a night price tag (no, we didn't pay for it- we just get to be special and priveleged this weekend cuz my Stepdad is just that cool) and every President since 1927 has stayed in this suite! Can I just tell you how (ohmygoshIcan'tbelieveit) excited I am?!?! So my Fill-ins this week are mostly related to this FANTASTIC trip :)

1. Please don't tell me that it's going to snow!

2. Can you jump on the big fluffy beds with me in the morning?

3. The color yellow makes me want to dance!

4. I have a craving for japanese food... Jae's, here we come. Yum, yum!

5. If my life had a pause button, I'd pause it this weekend so I could more fully enjoy this amazing, once-in-a-lifetime weekend and the Ruggle at her cutest, most fun age so far!

6. Eyes are the most honest part of the body. (You thought I was going to say "windows to the soul", didn't you?)

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to out to dinner alone with my man in Boston and spending the night in the amazing presidential suite at the park plaza hotel with my awesome family, tomorrow my plans include park plaza, aquarium with the girl, out to eat and maybe some shopping... woot woot! and Sunday, I want to maybe grab breakfast with my fam, then drive home and prep for the week- gotta squish laundry, muffin-making, grocery shopping and lunch making into half a day- yikes!

You can find other Friday Fill-ins participants and the weekly prompts here...