An Interruption To Your Regularly Scheduled Programming

Sorry but I'm skipping Wise Words of the Week this week. Why? Well because this week has sucked to say the least, and I can't find any quotes I like. I usually try to be pretty positive on my blog, but ya know what? It's my space to do what I want and today I don't feel like blogging about rainbows and ice cream and other happy stuff.

It's cold outside and I don't think it's ever going to get above freezing again. Like seriously, you know it's sad when you get excited because the high temperature of the day is supposed to be 18. Ugh. I normally like the winter but this is just getting ridiculous. My feet and hands never get warm and it snows like every other day and the dogs poop on the floor because they refuse to go outside and then you step in it and it sucks.

Know what else sucks? 40 hour work weeks. I am exhausted when I get home and all I want to do is put my PJs on and drink hot chocolate because I'm so tired and cold, so that's what I do. When it's dark at 5pm and the temps are subzero, you really don't have much other choice.

I am sick of all the food I normally eat. I'm normally a pretty picky eater on top of the fact that I don't eat meat and lately everything looks and sounds super gross. I think it's because we eat the same meals week after week because they are fast and easy to prepare when we get home from work but yuck, I need quick, heatlhy, non-gross dinner ideas. Help a sister out, please?! Also, I take the same food for lunch every day and it's getting old: coconut greek yogurt, string cheese, pistachios, and a lara bar. Blahhh

Also, I hate when people bug the crap out of me and say "vegetarian" (or vegan, because they're misinformed) in a condescending, or worse, teasing tone. You know what? I make my own food choices and I don't make fun of yours or question them endlessly so don't make fun of mine. Just shut up.

Speaking of food, I feel gross lately. I am not going to step on a scale because I'm scared, but I'm sure the number isn't pretty. Like I said, I don't feel like doing anything after work and I go to bed at 9 and I'm just soooo tired all the time. I wish I could be a runner, but there's just no way. I never have been even when I was super in shape for high school soccer and every time I start C25K I give up after Week 2. Plus there's that whole "it never gets above 5 degrees" thing.

You know that saying "God will only give you what you can handle." I think that's crap. Because if that were true my family would have stopped getting "stuff" while ago. Long story short, my brother is going through some stuff and it's super stressful. Also, Taylor has been extremely sick the past few months, as in, in and out of the hospital and on homebound for school sick. We are just looking for some answers and they are really hard to come by. If you have a few extra seconds or minutes in your prayers tonight, my family sure could use them. I think God gives us more than we can handle so that we turn to him in hard times, but honestly, it doesn't always make it better. I wish it did.

So this post pretty much turned into me being a big old whine-bucket. Also sorry about the overuse of someecards. #cantstopwontstop I hope to return to your regularly scheduled programming on Monday. Have a good weekend people, and make sure to eat lots of good Super Bowl food.

P.S. Don't forget to sign up for the Local Products Love Box Swap. Also, I have one Silver ad spot left for February, get it for only $2 with code FROSTY.

I Need To Get This Off My Chest

So I need to talk about something pretty important today. I have mentioned it on twitter in the past, but I think it's time to put it all out there and finally get it off my chest. Whew, okay, here goes... sometimes.. I get, well, there's no better way to say it... sometimes I get.. hangry.

Yup, I'm ashamed to admit that I suffer from hanger. And by sometimes I mean almost daily. Urban dictionary defines hangry as follows:

When you are so hungry that your lack of food causes you to become angry, frustrated or both. 

An amalgum of hungry and angry invented to describe that feeling when you get when you are out at a restaurant and have been waiting over an hour to get the meal that you have ordered.

"Damn! Where is that steak I ordered? We've been waiting for an hour and a half here. The service here is terrible! I'm starving! I don't know about you, but I'm starting to feel really hangry!"

And yes, I seriously get angry when I'm hungry. Brian has learned to pick up on my symptoms over the years, but there's really nothing he can do to get rid of my hanger except GIVE ME FOOD. If we are at a restaurant and we've been sitting there for 5 minutes and our server has never come over to us yet, I GET MAD (I used to be a server so I know). I start getting super b*itchy and snarky and he literally can see my blood start boiling and my temperature rising and *woop there it is* the hanger has emerged. As soon as the food comes out and I have about 3 bites worth, the hanger subsides and all is right with the world again.

Do you or someone you know suffer from hanger? Do you want to start a support group with me? Maybe we should get our blood sugar tested... 

How to Keep Warm!

Soo this winter has kinda sucked temperature-wise with these polar vortex's and ish. I like winter (cold weather = no sweating!) but I have the coldest hands and feet ever. So my Sidekicks and I decided to come up with some tips for keeping warm this winter.

My tip: Get a heating pad and put it on your feet. It'll warm you right up!

Hi I'm Kelli and I blog over at She Crab Soup! I'm a beach bum so cold weather and I don't get along, the best advice I have for staying warm is to make a nice steaming cup of hot chocolate laced with your favorite french vanilla flavored coffee creamer (thanks for the tip Jess)! Not only does hot chocolate warm the insides, wrapping my hands around the cup is my favorite way to thaw out.

When Jessica asked us to share our favorite tips for staying warm in the winter, the first thing that popped into my head was: keep your ass indoors. Pictures of myself outside in the winter are extremely rare and considered to be collector's edition. The one shown here is the closest I could come (inside of a car) without using one that dated back to childhood. To be clear: those white flakes are indeed snow and not dandruff. Winter and I... we don't get along... and I enjoy giving it the (wait for it) "cold" shoulder (BAM!). Catch up on projects or crafts, find new shows on Netflix, drink hot cocoa, pin until you have carpel tunnel syndrome, snuggle up with your significant other/child/fur-baby, work your way through a list of classic books... whatever... just hibernate. Jack Frost is a jerk, you guys. Hide yo' wife, hide yo' kids. -- Amanda at Voyage of the MeeMee

I don't know what it is about my store, but it has been a cold store all winter. So to stay warm while working my scarf collection has grown as well as my cardigan/sweater collection. I usually pair a solid color shirt with either my gray or black cardigan, and a white shirt with my colored cardigans, then add a scarf. Most of my scarves are multiple colors so they match just about any color combination I put together. Some days I wear my skinny pants and boots so my feet stay warm also. On this particular day I chose all black with my bright pink scarf. How do you stay warm at work?       -- Jessica at Dream Mo(o)re

What are your favorite ways to keep warm in these frigid temps?

Come One, Come All!

It's finally here! What is here? you ask. Sign up day for the Local Products Box Swap that Kelli, Miranda, and I are hosting! Local products are the super awesome and we thought it'd be fun to have a swap where you and your partner get to exchange stuff that you can only buy locally. 

In case you missed the announcement, here are the details:

Important Dates: 

- Tuesday, January 28th- Sign ups begin TODAY and continue until *February 6th*
- February 6th- Matches are announced! Woop! 
- February 6th-20th- Talk to and blog stalk your partner, become BBFFs, you know the drill.
- February 26th- Boxes must be mailed before this date so everyone gets it in time! 
- March 5th- Link up with Kelli, Miranda, and me to share the awesome stuff you got!

The Rules:

- Open to US and Canada residents only. 
- Make sure you email your partner within 48 hours of the match-up.
- The items you send must be new, and local to your area. If you find that this proves to be extremely difficult, at a minimum get products made in the USA (or Canada if you're from Canada). 
- Get a tracking number when you ship your box. 
- Include a note to your partner describing each item and why each is special to your area. 
- Please spend at least $15 (before shipping) on the items. 
- Grab a button and link up with us on March 5th with a post showing the awesome stuff you got in your box! 

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!!!

Let me know if you have any questions! You know you wana join us! 

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Ducks in a Row

I'm not even going to get into how sad I am that's it's Monday already because you already know how I feel. Getting adjusted to the 9-to-5 Monday thru Friday is much harder than I ever expected.

Friday night Brian and I went to the Melting Pot to celebrate our anniversary. To say I left there full is an understatement. The cheese course and obviously the chocolate is definitely my favorite part! And umm the love martini and the bottle of sparkling wine. I wish we could find it at the liquor store because ahh it was so delicious, but we couldn't boo!

Saturday morning I got my hair done and though I wasn't sure exactly how much I loved my new cut, everyone's compliments on Instagram helped a lot, thanks guys! You can't tell in this pic but it is seriously sooo short in the back. The rest of Saturday was spent at Target, my parents' house, and making soup.

Sunday we went to Aroogas with my friend and her husband, and Brian watched his Devils lose in the outdoor game, he was not happy. We also started getting our ducks in a row (weird saying but it works) for possibly buy a house in the near future. We found one pretty close to where we live right now that I LOVE, so fingers crossed but I'm not getting my hopes up. Any tips for first-time homebuyers? Anyways, I will leave you with this hilarious picture that my sister sent me this weekend. Sorry if you saw it on twitter already, but I just cannot stop laughing at it!

Wise Words, Week 2

Yay it's Friday! I am so excited for Melting Pot to celebrate our anniversary tonight that I can barely stand it. We just love that place and have gone each year for our anniversary. I can't wait to be a glutton with liquefied cheese and chocolate, yum!! If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram (or if we are snapchat friends) you know you will be seeing pics of some yummy food this weekend. And maybe also me with foil in my hair because I have an appt for highlights and a cut tomorrow, woop! Thanks to those of you on Instagram who helped me decide on the cut I'm getting! But now, it's time to stop fantasizing about blonde hair and strawberries dipped in chocolate (that might have been the weirdest sentence ever typed), because it's time for Wise Words of the Week!!

"Life would be easier if I were just a bagel"

I bet you know who said this... Yes, Taylor, life probably would be easier if we were all bagels, though maybe not. I've been known to devour delicious NJ bagels, so nobody, nowhere would be safe. 

"As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. let us pay more attention to the content of one's character than the color of one's skin."

Dr. Ben Carson tweeted this and it rings so true. I wish this was the kind of world we lived in.

"I'm over everyone's blogging 'rules,' it's your blog do whatever you want!!"

A-freaking-men. Kelli's tweet was so spot on. I started my blog on my own terms, with my own rules for myself and what I want to get out of the experience. If one more person tries to tell me or the "blog world" how I should be running my own blog, I am going to lose my mind (or, to quote Kelli a second time, "need a broomstick to ride on not sweep with). 

Have a great weekend guys! Don't forget to consider signing up for our Local Products Box Swap!!

Four Years!

Today Brian and I have been dating 4 years! Yup, I started dating Brian as a senior in college back in January 2010. Read the story of how we met here. I am so happy and so lucky to have such an awesome guy in my life!

Our first picture ever together, we look like babies!!

Aww they were so little, and they love Brian so much!

One of my favorite pictures of us!

Another one of my favs

Our most recent family pic.. sorry for the grainy quality

Thanks for being the kind of guy who takes care of me when I'm sick, brings me flowers for no reason, picks up my prescriptions and candy at the pharmacy, and lets me convince him to open our anniversary presents to each other a day early (yup, got my presents last night! The cutest kangaroo Pandora charm and a jewelry organizer I've been wanting!) I love you, Brian :-)

Valentine's Day Food & Fun!

Happy Hump Day everybody! It's like -2 degrees outside right, I'm still getting over my sickness, and I'm trudging my way to work today in all this snow, so I asked Steph from A Time For Seasons to take over for the day. She always has awesome crafts and recipes on her blog, so definitely check her out!! Thanks again Steph :-)

I have always enjoyed Valentine's Day. The kid's get to enjoy parties and swaps at school, and the adults get to enjoy chocolates, flowers, dates and more. Looking back over the years I have always enjoyed making my own Valentines and fun foods. Today I want to share some of my favorites:

Heart and Arrow

Ingredients:

Block of Cheese

Uncooked Spaghetti

Boiled Hot Dogs

1. Slice the Hot Dogs at an angle and reassemble so they look like a heart.
2. Cut cheese block into arrow shape
3. Assemble with spaghetti.

Strawberry Mouse

Ingredients:

Strawberry

Sliced Almonds

Mini Chocolate Chips

Black Icing

Twizzlers

1. Cut a small sliver off the strawberry so it will sit flat
2. Cut small slices into the strawberry and add 2 sliced almonds for ears.
3. Using icing: attach the mini chocolate chips as eyes
4. Using icing: add a nose to the tip of the strawberry
5. Add a tail made of Twizzlers.

Cupid's Arrows

Ingredients:

Red Heart Gummy Candies

Pretzels

Small Candy Bag

Printable

1. Use  the candies and pretzels to assemble 3 arrows per bag.
2. Add to candy bag
3. Fold printable in half and staple to bag.

If you're looking for something easy, you can always use heart shaped cookie cutters to make cookies, fruit (melons work best), and other easy crafts. I hope these ideas can help you get started planning your Valentine's Day celebrations!

***

Steph Seibert is the WAH, homeschooling, mother of 3. After several years of missing seasonal activities, her family started making seasonal ‘bucket lists’. She posts about these adventures, crafts, DIYs, recipes and more at A Time for Seasons in hopes of helping other families get the most out of each season.

Local Product Box Swap

Boy do I have an exciting announcement to make today! We bloggers are from all over the country and world, which is great because we get to see what life is like all over the place, but it's so sad we can't teleport and visit each other. So until I can build a teleportation machine (don't hold your breath), Kelli, Miranda, and I have the next best thing: a Local Product Box Swap! Kelli had this AWESOME idea and I hopped right on board. Local products are the BEST (I live near the Amish so we have the best stuff!) and we thought it'd be fun to have a swap where you and your partner get to exchange cool stuff that you can only buy locally.

Important Dates: 

- Tuesday, January 28th- Sign ups begin and continue until Sunday, February 2nd
- February 6th- Matches are announced.
- February 6th-20th- Communicate with/blog stalk your partner.
- February 26th- Boxes must be mailed by this date.
- March 5th- Box reveal link up goes live!

The Rules:

- Open to US and Canada residents only. 
- Make sure you email your partner within 48 hours of the match-up.
- The items you send must be new, and local to your area. If you find that this proves to be extremely difficult, at a minimum get products made in the USA (or Canada if you're from Canada). 
- Get a tracking number when you ship your box. 
- Include a note to your partner describing each item and why each is special to your area. 
- Please spend at least $15 (before shipping) on the items. 
- Grab a button and link up with us on March 5th with a post showing the awesome stuff you got in your box! 

<center><a href="http://pleasandcarrots.blogspot.com"/><img src="http://i872.photobucket.com/albums/ab288/kelgal77/LocalProductBoxSwapButton.png~original"></a></center>

A Bunch of Blah

So this was my second crappy weekend in a row, all because I'm sick again! This time I have a sinus infection and strep throat so that's fun. Pretty much the whole weekend was spent laying around, drinking smoothies or hot soup, and whining about how bad I feel. I had to venture out for a fancy work dinner on Saturday night, but came home feeling worse, boo!

Anyways, I was going to update yesterday about operation #itsybitsyteenyweeny, but one, I felt like sh*t, and two, I don't have much to update. Basically, I've lost a few pounds (I think about 4, woop!) but I really should be doing a better job at eating healthy. I didn't exercise much last week, but I felt awful most of the week before I finally went to the doctor on Friday afternoon, and he told me to take it easy and not do anything for a bit. As soon as I get better I have to get my butt back in gear, but for now it's, Gatorade, slurpees, and soup for me. If you have off work today, I don't like you anymore am super jealous,

Is it Friday yet? No? I am excited for Friday though because Thursday is actually mine and Brian's 4 year anniversary and Friday we are going out for fancy dinner yay! Here's to hoping this week flies by! Have a great Monday guys. P.S. Tomorrow Kelli, Miranda, and me have a super exciting announcement to make!

Wise Words, Week One

Today is a happy day! It's FRIDAY and it's the first week of Wise Words of the Week.

In case you didn't read my post last week, here's the gist: Each Friday, I am going to share my favorite serious, funny, ironic, important, or annoying quotes from the week. They could be quotes from ANYONE, so if you come across something during the week you think is share-worthy, feel free to email me! Anyways, let's get this party started (it's super random, just a warning!):

"I might be dying, this is probably the last of my days!"

This was Brian when he wasn't feeling well earlier this week. Man! I should have included this in my Sh*t Men Say post. Guys are so dramatic when they're sick haha. Don't worry, Bri is all better now :-)

"Don't lay down with halls in your mouth. I guarantee that if swallowed, your life willll flash before your eyes. I speak from experience."

Words of wisdom from the tweet of a 15 year old. You guys didn't think I was going to have a list of the best quotes and not include Taylor, did ya?!

"I stand with Anna."

If you watch Downton Abbey, you know who Anna is. Kate wrote an amazingly brave post and reminded us all of some very valuable lessons about rape. It is a post definitely worth reading, even if you don't watch Downton Abbey. 

"I wasn't going to choose a word for 2014, but one just kind of fell in my lap yesterday. Reliance. This year, I'm RELYING on God. Every day. "

Miranda is one of the best people I know. She is an awesome and brave writer and a great friend with amazing faith. This tweet of hers earlier in the week is a reminder that we can always rely on God, always, any time, anywhere.

Have a great weekend everyone! 

So What If..

... I don't wash my hair everyday. Baby powder all the way, people.

... I had to make a spreadsheet to keep track of all my shows I'm watching this season. Also, I call them MY shows. Here's my list (don't judge me): Revenge, Betrayal, The Good Wife, The Bachelor, Pretty Little Liars, Ravenswood, Twisted, The Goldbergs, Trophy Wife, Baby Daddy, Super Fun Night, Nashville, American Horror Story, Parks and Recreation, and Parenthood.

... I hate having to go and fill up my gas tank (maybe I was meant to be a Jersey girl). It is just so gross and I never remember what side my tank is on (I only fill up like once or twice a month, I hate driving remember?) When I still lived at home, I would bribe my siblings who could drive with food to go fill up my gas tank. *Little known fact- the arrow next to the little gas tank symbol in your dashboard points to the side your tank is on. My mind was blown when I found that out.*

... I wish it was still Christmas. I even tried to watch a Christmas movie the other night but Brian denied me. I SOOO would have watched it if he hadn't called me out, I'm not ashamed, nope.

... I use an excessive amount of exclamation points, parentheses (like seriously, it's just how I think!), and emojis. I also love snapchat.

... I still love the Hump Day camel commercial no matter how annoying people think it is. I just don't care, #sorrynotsorry. And whenever I get excited, even if it's not Wednesday, I yell "Hump Day, yeaaaaa!" Try it out sometime, I bet you'll feel the same. It's cathartic, kinda.

Anyways, Happy Hump Day people! May the Geico camel always be with you!

Is Ozzy Osbourne the guy from Oz?

The men in my life really do say some hilarious stuff, so when I saw this "Sh*t Men Say" link up that Danae and Amanda started I just had to participate. 

Sh*t Brian says:

- "Math is my life." Yup, once I caught those words coming out of Brian's mouth. Now I think it was in the context of him complaining about homework in college, but still, can you said Nerd Alert?

- "I want an owl so bad! I never realized how bad I wanted an owl before." This was a random outburst while he was on his computer. Never had he mentioned before how badly he wanted an owl, and it hasn't been mentioned again (okay, except for when I make fun of him about it).

- "Pillow wrap-around thingies" On Brian's shopping list for his apartment a few years ago, in reference to pillowcases. His mom and I got a kick out of that.

- "This isn't weird. It's not what it looks like." As he rode on our exercise bike in jeans while trying to use the computer. And yes, I made it into a gif!

- "Our DirecTV bill isn't that expensive... No, you can't see the bill." Uh huh, we have DVR (that's for me), NFL Sunday Ticket (for Brian) and NHL Center Ice (also for Brian), so I can pretty much guarantee our bill costs more than my car payment haha. Oh well, we all have our things ;-)

Sh*t my brothers say:

- "Where is the mantle? Is it in the back room?" My dad built my mom a new mantle for the fireplace in their finished basement, and my 23-year old brother Cory wanted to see it. He went down the basement and yelled that. We let him figure that one out on his own. He later told us he had to Google the word mantle hahaha.

-"Isn't Ozzy Osbourne the guy from Oz the Great and Powerful?" Nope, not even close Mitch, but good try.

Thanks Danae and Amanda for the link up, it's such a great idea!!