Pumpkin Painting Project

Happy Happy Friday everybody!! I am excited about my plans for this weekend (apple picking anyone?!) but if you need something to do on a lazy Saturday afternoon, I have a pretty easy and awesome craft idea for you! If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you know that my family and I painted pumpkins on Tuesday. We got so much great feedback that I figured I'd do a quick little tutorial so you can paint away this weekend til your heart's content.

Supplies:

-- Pumpkins (whatever size you want)
-- Sharpie Paint Pens (we preferred the water-based over the oil-based big time!!; the orange one is 
    oil-based and was a real pain in the you-know-where)
-- Circle stencils (we used lids of spice jars)
-- Scissors
-- Pencil
-- Scotch tape
-- Ribbon
-- Lettering (we printed some off Word and free-handed the rest)
-- Master shine clear gloss coat

 

Directions:

-- Make sure the pumpkins are fairly clean. Usually one side is dirtier than the other, and if that's the case, just face that side towards the back and no one is any the wiser (unless they are inspecting the back of your pumpkin, to which I would tell them to buzz off). 

-- Outline whatever letter or words you want to paint onto the pumpkin. The pencil doesn't actually show up on the pumpkin, but it makes indents you can see for when you paint. I used my first initial, Brian's first initial, and the word boo. My Mom used the first letter of our last name, FALL, and Est. 1987 for the year they got married. Mitchell also did boo, and Savanna did Welcome. 

-- Follow the instructions on the paint pens to get them to work, then turn the pumpkin on its side so you can fill in the letters (this way the paint pens are always vertical-- they work better this way). You can outline the letters in a different color if you want, like my Mom did, or not. It's totally up to you however you want to do it! 

-- Once that paint is dry (it's pretty fast), stencil on your polka dots, stripes, or whatever else you want to cover the rest of the pumpkin, then fill those in with paint as well.

-- Once the paint is completely dry, take the pumpkins outside on a flat surface. Make sure the area under them can get a little messy, because you will miss with spray and get it on the ground.

-- The Master Shine says spray in vertical strokes onto the pumpkin from about 12-18 inches away, but honestly I was only about 6 inches away because it blew all over and missed the pumpkin if I wasn't. 

-- Let it dry, then see if you missed any spots. I ended up spraying a whole second coat, to be sure. 

-- Once fully dry (not that long, like 20-30 minutes), tie on a ribbon in a bow, and voila!.

-- Show off to all your friends and family and make them jealous that you are so awesome! 

*Tip* If it's hot outside, keep them inside or at least out of the direct sun because they will melt and you will cry and no one should cry in October, it's the best month! Have a great weekend everyone!

October Goals

So before I get into my October Goals, I just want to tell you that I utterly failed at my September Goals, so bad that it's not worth doing a recap. It was a rough month emotionally, but let's just say that I did not lose 10 pounds, I did not get a job (full or part-time), and I did not even attempt to knit (it's hard guys!). Yikes, but welp here are my goals for October:

One. Lose 10 pounds. Let's try this again. I am going to severely cut back the carbs and sweets and keep on taking the dogs on their half-mile walk everyday. It sucks that lettuce really really upsets my stomach, so salads are almost all but cut out of my diet at this point!

Two. Get a job. I am also attempting this one again, and it is going to remain on my list until it happens, duh. Bar results come out NEXT WEEK, so if I pass it should hopefully be easier to get a job, but who knows. The job market is blah, so yea, and I just love finding "entry-level" attorney job postings that require 3-5 years litigation experience.. uhh what?

Three. Purge my closet. This will happen, it has to. I will say this for my side of the closet though, it is organized (by type of shirt and in rainbow color order)--hey, I like to know what I have! However, I am so good at getting rid of crap in every other area of my life, but I get sentimental with clothes. I have shirts in there from 2002! It is time, and if Brian thinks he is exempt from this he better think again, because that guy has shirts in there from the 90s! Can you say clothes hoarder?!

Here's to hoping that I am better in October; it's one of my fav months, so maybe that will motivate me!! What are your goals for this month?

Helen Virginia

Today would have been my Grandmom's 80th birthday. She passed away on January 4, 2009, and I miss her everyday. I miss the way she used to call us "angels" and how she was always ready to shop. I miss how she used to call everyday and how she used to ask where we were eating for lunch, even at 9am. I miss how she used to make enough food for an army anytime the family came over to eat, and how she used to yell "yoohoo!" I miss how she made the holidays so special, and I miss apple picking. I miss her perfume (which I still go smell every time we go in a department store) and her laugh. I miss how she used to bring us little treats anytime she went to the store, and her QVC addiction. 

I miss how, even after she had a massive stroke, she had the strength to live for 4 more years even though the doctors thought she wouldn't make it through the night. They said she might never talk again, but she also amazed the speech pathologists because her speech almost came back completely. I miss how every week when we visited her in the nursing home after the stroke (we wished she didn't have to live there, but she needed extensive therapy and dialysis every day, and was paralyzed from the waist down), her face would light up and she'd say "Hey Hon" (she was from Baltimore hehe) and she would be so entertaining and happy to see us. I miss how the nurses would tell us what a joy she was to have as a patient, and how sweet of a person she was. But mostly, I miss hugging her and hearing her voice and seeing her. 

Happy Birthday Grandmom, we love you and miss you everyday and know you are celebrating today in Heaven with taco bell and pumpkin marshmallow peeps!

We thought of you with love today,

but that is nothing new.

We thought about you yesterday

and days before that too.

We think of you in silence,

we often speak your name.

All we have are memories

and your picture in a frame.

Your memory is our keepsake

with which we'll never park

God has you in His keeping,

we have you in our hearts.

Children of the Corn

Monday, we meet again. I had a pretty relaxing weekend and didn't take many pictures. Friday I got my hair done, woop! and Friday night Brian and I went out to eat and played trivia (I won, duh) and I had this yummy strawberry daiquiri (sorry it's so blurry.. my phone has been misbehaving horribly, blah!)

Saturday morning we went to Mitch's soccer game, then Brian went down to Baltimore for his two-hand-touch office football game, but I stayed back to go to a fall festival in town. 

I bought lots of books for 50 cents (I got 12 okay, I'm a nerd), had a smoothie for lunch and fries and a chocolate covered pretzel and my mom and I entered into a silent auction and won (it was for cupcakes and we are cutthroat). Then we went to a farm and bought some corn stalks, which made for an interesting ride home, to say the least. [Funny story. When I was 7 we used to walk by this corn field and my parents told me that the children of the corn lived in there, thinking I would think it was cute, like the Cabbage Patch Kids. It backfired, I freaked, and couldn't sleep until they told me it was a movie. I watched that movie a few years back, and my fears are real. Have you ever seen that movie? umm freaky Malachi!] Anyways, my dad drove me back to my house (a whopping minute away by car) and he and I took Hansel and Schnitzel for a nice long walk.. I really love living so close to my family because of days like Saturday :-)

Saturday night Brian brought me home some flowers (aww), then we made apple cider sangria, ate leftover taco soup which is the best ever, and watched some tv. 

Sunday was a lazy football day for Bri and a lazy Lifetime movie and baking/cooking day for me. Then Sunday night Revenge and Good Wife came back, so I was a happy girl! 

If you need a smile this Monday morning, start your day with this 6 second video from Vine that never fails to make me smile (I've watched it like 8 times already today.. somebody stop me!).

The 7 People You Meet..

..on the Highway to Hell. Today is my 50th post (woot woot) so I have a surprise for you... Brian is guest posting! In case you don't know, Brian commutes down to Maryland for work everyday. His commute should be about 35 minutes, but thanks to traffic, it usually ends up being closer to at least 50 minutes! Anyways, he's here to tell you about the 7 different types people he comes across each day on his commute. Take it away, Bri:

Ah yes, the morning commute. I swear I'm a decent person with above-average patience on a normal day. But what happens when I turn the ignition and back out of the garage? Something takes over and all bets are off.

When I'm caught in the painfully slow bumper-to-bumper stuff, it's all about playing mind games to retain some of the sanity that I have left. Of course singing loudly (c'mon we all do it) and using the steering wheel as my personal drum set helps. So does playing the license plate game, where you find as many different state's plates as you can (my record is 11 in one morning commute).

But lately I've been keeping calm by taking note of the many interesting characters out on the road. Sometimes you just have to laugh at these people (er, laugh with them).

Grandma
There's no worse feeling than tailgating a slow car, getting frustrated, possibly letting a few four-letter words fly, finally getting around them only to realize the driver is a sweet 90 year-old lady. 

It's not her fault! She is certainly in no hurry. Plus I'm convinced they can't even see over their dashboard ... must be hard to drive that way!

Bro
Probably the antithesis of Grandma is the Bro. He weaves through traffic like he's in Fast and the Furious 17 (that must be how many movies there are). He sports the RayBans, leans back with one arm on the wheel, tinted windows, and a dumb spoiler on the back. I saw plenty of this Bro growing up in New Jersey, but now he's been showing up a lot in PA!

Truck Driver
I do feel bad for the truckers out there, because living on the road with these other crazies must be maddening. But you think they would be tired of all the bad driving out there and try to set a good example for the rest of us! Not so much. Check out this scene from my afternoon commute yesterday (no one was seriously hurt, I checked):

iCantDrive
I think we're all looking forward to the day that cars can drive themselves, so that we can text all our buddies on the road. Until then, get off your iPhone fool! These texters usually get a thumbs-down from me (no joke) as I zoom past them.

To-Go Meal
The fun part of the morning commute is seeing what people try to get away with on their way to work. Obviously a coffee for the morning drive is essential. I've been known to grab a Pop Tart or a Nature Valley bar (crumbs everywhere) for the road.

But I've also seen people reading newspapers, eating breakfast while driving with their knees (how the heck?), and applying a full set of makeup. I guess you might as well be productive while you're stuck in traffic!

Policeman
This guy is the bully on the block. It's actually pretty funny to watch everyone slow down and switch lanes in fear when he shows up. Even Bro and iCantDrive pretend to act like saints. 

Of course, the rules do not apply to Johnny Law! I have witnessed him turn on those flashing lights to get by traffic, only to turn them off when he's through it. There must have been an emergency call at Dunkin Donuts (sorry I had to).

Throw-shit-at-you-out-the-window-guy
Finally, I will introduce you to my sworn enemy of the road. On a typical bumper-to-bumper afternoon commute home, I had the pleasure of following this clown for a long stretch of the highway. Apparently I was too close for this guy's comfort.

He proceeded to CHUCK HANDFULS OF CHANGE out of his window at me! We're not talking a few pennies, but handfuls of quarters and dimes. If I wasn't in complete shock I would have tried to catch some. And of course he had a kid in the back seat. I hope he wasted all of his change on me and couldn't pay the toll! 

Okay but in all seriousness, be safe out there people, and keep your eyes out for crazy drivers!  --Brian

Isn't he awesome?! Don't you feel like joining his commute? When he first told me about the change-chucker, I was so angry I wanted to track that jerk down! I love Brian for making that crappy commute everyday so he can live with me in PA :-) Have a great weekend, I'm off to get my hair done! Leave Brian some comment love so he wants to come back and guest post for me again soon. 

What's in my Makeup Bag?- Body Edition

Welcome to the Final Edition of What's in my Makeup Bag? This week, I'm going to talk about moisturizers and other body products I like. This post is a bit shorter than the others, since I really don't use a ton of "body" products. Make sure you check out the hair, face, and eye editions I did the last 3 weeks! *By the way, all pictures were taken by me, that way you know I have actually tried out and used these products! This is not a sponsored post, just wanted to share some stuff I've tried! These are merely my opinions and should not be taken as fact.*

Moisturizer and body wash. I recently decided to try out this Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer. I like that it is quick and easy to use, even upside down, but if I really need deep moisturization, like after I've shaved my legs, I always revert to Bath & Body Works cream or lotion; it always does the job well and smells awesome in the process. I also always use the shower gel. I honestly have not used anything else in years! Pink Chiffon is my FAVORITE scent, followed by Rome Honeysuckle Amore (is it just me or does the smell of honeysuckle bring anyone else back to their childhood?). For fall I love and always use Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin, and for winter I always use Vanilla Bean Noel.

After Shave. Alright, I hate talking about this but it needs to be said. After I shave my bikini line, lotion just doesn't cut it. I've used Bikini Zone for years with okay results (there really isn't much else out there so I've always stuck by it). But then one day I bought Brian some of this Neutrogena Men Triple Protect Face Lotion to use after he shaves his face. I forgot my Bikini Zone one time when we went to the lake, and resorted to using Brian's Neutrogena Men Face Lotion, and oh boy, I loved it! It is perfect for the bikini line and is way better than Bikini Zone. Little does he know, I steal his all the time now!

If you have any questions about anything I said, please comment or shoot me an email :-)

What are your favorite body products? Have you used any of these with different results? Let me know in the comments! I hope you enjoyed this mini-series!

Just a Quick Wednesday Pick-me-up

If you need a laugh today, you NEED, yes need, to watch this video. What could be better than a video where Ellen calls 88-year old Gladys who "loves Jesus, but drinks a little"? haha enjoy!!