Susie Homemaker in tha House!

Left: Spinach, Carrot & Orange.
Right: Strawberry,  Orange & Spinach

PSH. Yeah. Right.  But, I didddddddddd get a professional grade juicer for Christmas.  I've been obsessed w/ buying juices from WholeFoods pretty much daily, so it seemed pretty logical to invest in a juicer myself.  MOST OF THE TIME I try to eat/drink unprocessed foods, organic produce and absolutely NO dairy.  I hate all the chemicals they put into food, along with all the preservatives.  I have a super sensitive stomach and all the 'add ins' seem to turn my insides!  That's whats so great about juicing!  I get healthy juice w/ NO additives!  My fave things to juice are oranges, strawberries, spinach, romaine, mint, lemons and carrots.  Sometimes separate, sometimes together.  What's also great is that when I'm finished I have a huge bag of leftover pulp, which makes a yummy healthy snack for the dogs.  Its fiber-packed and has lots of nutrients that dogs actually need in their diet.  Although Buddy hates it, Sampson LOVES it!  Another plus:  I finally have something to do w/ all my leftover mason jars! 

Resolutions {TAKE 2}

Whoopsies, I totallllllllllllllllllllly forgot to mention two very important resolutions for 2012!

a.) I want to cook more!  I've been pinning recipes on pinterest, fool!  I've already tried 2 dishes and they were PRETTY AMAZING!  I have like 6 million cookbooks, but they aren't as cool as pinterest and I like to use them as decor only in the kitchen.

b.) I want to look mega hot in a swimsuit this year.  I've lost a whopping 15 pounds from my heaviest point, and this very well could be my last summer before kids, which will most certainly ruin my bod.  So yes, I want and need to look GOOD this year.  Plus, I practically LIVE at the pool, so it's not good to be scaring everybody off.  Well, it kinda is, bc I like the pool to myself.

Okay thats all.  Those two rezzys seem pretty manageable.

Resolution Time!

AY YI YI okay it's high time I do a little update on LIFE!  The new year is quickly approaching and I have to decide on 2012's resolutions!  CLICK HERE to read last year's!  Looking back on last year's, I realize that I didn't do all that I planned. Dammit.  As far as going to church more, that one we DID! (That's probably the most important...phew, I don't feel like a total failure.)  Don't get me wrong, we DIDN'T go as often as we should, but we did go AND I watched a lot of sermons at home.  Check!  One of my resolutions for this year is a TOTAL repeat of last years!  .... So HOPEFULLY in 2012 we can pay off Jake's student loans!  *womp womp* I didn't anticipate starting a business this past year, so that kinda threw a wrench in my plans.  {That's what I'm using for an excuse anyway!} 

SO. 2012 ~ What's in store??

* I resolve to pay off Jake's student loans by paying a whopping $1600 each month. OUCH. That's painful.

* I resolve to continue to be charitable this year.  If I can help those less fortunate, sign me up!

* As always, I will be nice to homeless people.  Although, I havn't seen a homeless person in over 6 months......

* I resolve to make a better effort at seeing family and friends. (MUCHO important!) 

So what other changes can you expect to see in 2012??

We hope that Jake will be starting a brand-spakin'-new-job. { The cat's out of the bag, I suppose. }  This means more money, less commute, and a fresh new environment!  YIPPEEE!  Lots of new-ness which will keep him on his toes!

We also hope that my business continues to grow so that we figure out what direction to take next!  Expansion in the cards?? WHO KNOWS!?!

As for our home-life we want to.... BUY A NEW HOME!  We will hopefully start looking in June or July so we can be in a new home sometime after August 31st.  I'll be heartbroken to say goodbye our first beautiful home, but we need a little more room for......................BABIES!  Eventually anyway!  ~ That's the 'final' step in realizing our dreams and completing our family, so we hope that sometime soon after we will welcome a new family member to add to the Sample clan!  That's still quite a bit in the future though, so there's still LOTS of time to get used to the idea and GET READY!

Christmas Upcycle

Today the hubs and I got our CHRISTMAS SHOP ON and POPPIN'. We are alllllllllllllllmost finished.  That's right, we got it done in ONE day folks!  We still haven't bought anything for each other, but whatevs, neither of us NEED anything. 

So last year after I spent grueling hours meticulously wrapping a ton of presents I thought of a pretty cool idea.  I figured I would save ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL my shopping bags throughout the year to use as gift bags for xmas.  Actually, I was GOING to cut them up and use them for paper and be REALLY crafty, but lets face it, I'm lazy. Plus that seems like yet another idea that ISN'T quite as easy as it sounds.  So anyway, not only am I pretty much done shopping, but wrapping was a breeze as well, so I'm almost done with that! BOOYAAH!  I'm actually going to make some wrapping paper bows to go on each gift as well, but I must say...so far I think the gifts look pretty cute!   Plain, mayyybe, but shopping bags make me SMILE!

Pajams

I just realized that I'm wearing Jake's my gray PJ pants in like every photo I've posted in all my most recent posts.  So YES, I admit that I do wear these things daily, but don't judge!  And sure, maybe I wear them to the grocery store and out to eat and basically every second of the day that I'm not at work.  But, hey, I wash 'em every now and then so they're good. :) 

That is all.

Don't walk & eat.



The side of my hip/butt/upper thigh..Ouch.



So yesterday was quite eventful. I found 90 calorie snickers ice cream bars and was particularly excited!  I've been counting my calories every day for ALMOST a whole month now, and have been really sticking to my 1200 cal limit! *high-fives self*  I am a junk-food-aholic so when I find sweets that are low in calories it's definitely a big score.  When I tore into my snickers box last night though, I was left with disappointment.  The snickers bars were FUN SIZED.  So thatssss why they're only 90 calories.  I'm still unsure why they're even called 'fun' size because I find that it's more tease-sized or sad-sized.  But whatevs, ice cream is ice cream amiright??  So I was laughing to myself and was clearly in a snickers zone because as I opened the package I slipped while walking and BUSTED MY AZZZZ.  My ice cream went a flyin' and I slammed my head, hip, knee and somehow my ring finger.  Luckily my husband and dogs were at my side in .06 seconds to make sure I wasn't paralyzed or anything.  Falling in adulthood is similar to getting into a life threatening car accident.  It's pretty serious.  I blame this whole thing on my stupid snickers ice cream bar, and after my fall I decided to go on strike.  No ice cream for me.  But today is a new day, and I plan on eating one very soon; although this time I will sit down and not walk while opening the package. 

Clearly, yesterday was not my day... apparently everything went downhill fast starting with my solo trip to the grocery store. Let's hope my week improves!

DIY does not equal EZ

What I was ATTEMPTING to make..

So if you're remotely cool at all you've at least HEARD of pinterest.  And if you're super-cool like myself, you're mega obsessed w/ pinterest, pinning like a mad woman.  Pinterest has like 6 billion DIY crafty projects that all look oh-so-easy.  I'm all like YEAHHH what a great idea, and MAN so simple???!  But, uh, no.  I've been thinking I may try something crafty-craft as xmas gifts for people I don't know what to get. (i.e. Jake's family.)  I'm really into those cute little mason jars with foodie type goodies inside.  So tonight I decided I would scour pinterest for a little late night 5 minute project.  I decided I would make jars of peppermint stick cocoa, mocha chip cocoa and chocolate chip bread.  I headed to the grocery store around 10 p.m. and that's where the nightmare began.  As I've said before, JAKE does ALL of our grocery shopping.  So not only do I not know what a lot of the ingredients even ARE, but I sure as hell have no idea where to find them.  After carefully scanning each isle for my mile long list of groceries AND calling/texting a few people in my phonebook for help, I decided I could only find all the ingredients for ONE recipe, not all three.  I went with the peppermint stick cocoa ONLY.  Even with only one recipe, I still had to just guess on ingredient substitutions since I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for, and was getting quite bored already.  My phone died, and my shopping cart was shocking me about ever 2 steps.  Plus, there was a man with one of those floor buffers chasing me down every isle and the loud hum was extremely annoying.  So, $36 and and 90 minutes later, I was back home and ready to get to work.  So, did you know measuring dry ingredients is quite messy??  Annnnd, did you know trying to pour them INTO mason jar is even messier??  Uh, yeah. It is.  They also fail to mention on pinterest that it is REALLY FREAKING HARD to get everything to stack up evenly.  Maybe even impossible.  The last layer of crunched up peppermint was a b!tch and a half too.  I figured I'd put them in a ziplock baggy and hammer them.  Peppermint EVERYWHERE because it can puncture the bag very, very easily.  Awesome.  So, all in all I made 3 jars of questionable cocoa and a mess from hell. 

This will be fun to clean up

For realsies, I feel bad for whomever ends up with these "gifts!"  I've also decided that I would MUCH rather just purchase Christmas gifts from here on out.  No more DIY stuff for me, I want people to DIT (Do It Themselves).

Finished Product

Christmas Countdown

Hello All!

17 more days until Christmas!  EEEEK!  I literally have not done an OUNCE of Christmas shopping.  Well, except for our FAVE server at our fave restaurant, but his gift was easy:  {Christmas card + $50, yeehhawww}!  Although the holidays totally put me in the GIVING mood, I soooooooooo don't enjoy Christmas shopping.  Jake doesn't really like shopping bc he thinks I overdo it and want to buy something for everyone, which is DUH! True.  Anyway though, I refuse to shop on the weekends because I despise crowdsssssssss.  Blech. So, maybe next week.  Jake will be off, so I can drag him with me. :) I'm sure I'll regret it though.  Well, adios amigos, I gotta finish cleaning house before my handsome little hubby gets home!  ahhh.... I love that man. <3

Wrappin' ~ and I ain't talking xmas presents!

WHOO! Adios FAT!

Wraps... WORK!  No lie, I've always been a skeptic, but since my cousin is some kind of wrap distributor I decided to try this body contouring wrap that she swears by.  Typically, in your first wrap you're not going to see a HUGE difference; Most people will see a difference in pics after their first wrap, but may not see any inch loss.  Now --- If you do 4 treatments in one area you should experience pretty MAJOR inch loss!  You can do it on your tummy, gut, love handles, thighs, arms, ANY problem area apparently.  I figured I'd give one a try, and if my skin seemed smoother, flatter and less fatty then I'd order a 4 pack. Welllllllllllll, I'm happy to report that I lost a little over an inch!  I'm stoked!  The temporary smell of bengay and the constant shift from ice cold to burning hot was welllllllllllll worth it!  My tummy 'pooch' is definitely smaller, and its a visible difference in clothing as well!  I am for sure ordering more!  BTW, in case your wondering -- inch loss from wraps (at least the one I used) is not causing you to lose water weight, its actually breaking down the toxins in the fatty areas where you've lost weight, but have NOT lost enough inches.  The results are permanent as long as you're taking care of yourself.   I figured I better include some photos so yall can SEE the results. (and yes. I'm mortified that I am about to post photos of my midsection.)  Enjoy! ;)  Also, when you take the wrap off it continues to work for 72 hours breaking down fat.  These photos are taken directly before application, and then the next morning following.  I should probably do one more set of photos so you can see the FINAL result.. I'm VERY VERY VERY happy with it!!!!!! I still have a long way to go, but I think I may just see a light at the end of the tunnel!

Front: Belly has less roundness and waist is more contoured. Maybe Jake's PJ pants weren't the most flattering ideas for bottoms.....

Side: This is where I've noticed the biggest difference. My tummy is nearly 100% flat! (excuse the preggo look of my before belly!)

I don't know how to say this but. .

I had an epiphany today.  I just realized that I have officially crossed over the high maintenance line.  {A line I always rode pretttty darn close}.  It dawned on me as I was winding down my day and doing some beauty-ish stuff.  I saran-wrapped on my body contouring wrap (goodbye gut!)... applied my latisse (hello long lashes!)... put on my 3D white strips (these teeth WILL glow in the dark)....rolled my hair in a sock bun for curls tomorrow (thanks, pinterest!)....and gave myself a mini-facial.  Since when did I need so much upkeep??!  Maybe it's because I'm getting older??!  Desperate times...??  Eeeek, I may need an intervention.  Or maybe it's alllllll just part of a little plan known as Operation: Get Hot for New Years. 

Well, If I don't look good by then, then I'll just give up on it...

.....until summer........

Happy Thanksgiving! (Yes. I'm a day late.)

Well, thanksgiving this year w family + friends was a total success! The hubs and I had a perfect day seeing a lot of people we love dearly! As always though, time flies and the next thing you know, it's time to head home.  I definitely MISS the days when I could stop by my parents house every single day. I feel so incredibly fortunate that I have such awesome parents--parents that are healthy, happy and STILL married after 30 years.  My mom and dad are so fun to be around, and even my friends enjoy hanging out w/ them!  Also VERY thankfully, my husband loves my family so much that we get to see them on every holiday. (If you're married, you know what a big deal this is not to have to fight over the holidays!) 

This year, we celebrated Thanksgiving with my family, and also our sweet friends RJ & Emily, and THEIR family.  What an awesome time!!!  I'm thankful to have them in our lives, and thankful that our parents have buddied up too!  {It's really cute!}   I definitely foresee lots of get-togethers and celebrations in the future!!

Thanksgiving is always a day to reflect on and count your blessings.  Words cannot describe how fortunate and blessed I feel to have such amazing people in my life.  Great Family. Best Friends. Pretty-darn-close-to-perfect Hubby.  Sweet doggie-children.  This year has also been a blessing; Starting my own small business was once just a dream.  Now, six months in, I cannot believe the growth I've experienced!  I'm no longer stressed out, and LOVE MY JOB!  Jake's work-life has also been great!  He's been getting in lots of training lately and has been on days for the whole month of November!  He's been given wonderful opportunities at work, which makes me so happy/proud of him.  I'm always known his potential and how amazing he is, but it's great to see other people recognizing that too. Sigh. 

As far as jobs and finances go though - I'm truly just happy that we are afforded the luxury of HAVING and keeping a job.  We have a roof over our head; A beautiful home.  We have a love-filled marriage and stability.  We have all of life's necessities and then some.  These things serve as a reminder that we are LUCKY. VERY BLESSED. And forever THANKFUL! 

I wanted to share pics from turkey day, but only have time for ONE right now.  Here's a pic of me and my FAVE BABY EVER, Halley.  This is Emily + RJ's adorable daughter, and yes, she's been pictured on here before, and YES, I like to pretend like she's mine. :)  I'll post the rest of the pics SOONNNN!

Sweet Munchkin.

No time for blogging

At least not right now because I have a new obsession (addiction?) called...pinterest! I've told Jake at least two times per day how much I love it. I can't stop telling clients about it...and tweeting about it... Yup, it's love.

So... I'll blog when I'm not busy pinning or looking at everyone's boards!

Fall Cleaning

I had the day off today, and the hubs is @ worky, so what's a girl to do???  OH EM GEEE!  I deep cleaned like 5000 square feet of house today!  I know what you're thinking.. man, you're house must be gigantic!  Well, its not.  I had to make the rounds in each room like 3 times.  I'm sure I've told many of you how awesome our new floors are compared to the carpet we used to have.  I probably even bragged about how much easier they are to keep clean.  Well, this is true and false.  They don't hold all the dirt and nastyness of carpet, but they can definitely accumulate some filth!  Today I had to sweep them. then vacuum. then shopvac all the room edges + floorboards.  then mop.  then disinfect.  Serious cleaning, yo!  I even cleaned the ceiling fans for the first time ever! (ew, i know, i know.)(that was a b!tch for reals.)  I don't know if I've EVER deep cleaned the house this good!  I also did ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL the laundry in the house, which wasn't so bad bc I did that a few weeks ago.  Our entire house is looking spiffy!  I also decided it's time to make some changes around here too.  What does this mean??  I'm ready to......decorate.  At least a little!  This is also in part due to my recent joining of Pinterst. aka my new obsessh! 

This is my TO DO list for the next month or two:

-Re-do the spare bathroom (hang new shower curtains)

-Get new living room furniture.

-Put accent chairs + table next to fireplace.

-Get new entertainment center that hides the tv.

-Get new tv.

-Put SOMETHING behind the couch: tapestry OR curtains

-Get window treatments for living room window

-Paint the dining room.  Or bathroom. OR SOME ROOM IN OUR HOUSE.

-Make Buddy's kennel look cute somehow & matchymatchy w/ our bedroom stuff.

-Get new throw pillows for the couch.

-Find a way to convert our dining room to a half-office.

-Make a crafty side table.

-Get rid of bookshelf/turn it into storage for the garage.

THE END.  Wow, that's kind of a lot.  Maybe it will take longer than I thought.  I'll keep yall posted if I'm able to cross ANY off the list.  Well, I'm off to make the luckiest-hubby-in-the-world a yummy dinner!  I'm trying to show him what life would be like if I was a stay-at-home-wife.  HAA yeah right!  :)

Skinny Time is Now.

Operation: Get F-ING Hot for New Years is in FULL EFFECT people!  No more bs-ing and eating bad-for-me food!  For the last two weeks, Jake has been working days {with no end in sight!!} which means lots of dining out together. (uhh, try every. freaking. MEAL!)  That combined with NO time to grocery shop means I've been packing on the lbs!  Or at least it feels like it anyway... and can hoohoos get fat, because I'm pretty sure mine JUST might be.  Ew.  For the next two weeks I'm doing my "cereal diet".  This means you eat cereal at every meal and consume a max of 900 calories a day.  Cereal is so tasty that it's mega easy to eat 24/7 - The downside is that by day 3 {today} you will be starvin' like marvin'.  Seriously. I'm hungry as hell and my stomach is talking non-stop. feeeeeed meeeee. This kind of diet is only meant for a short term weight loss, so after two weeks I'll start incorporating real food again, hallelujah, amen!  On the 28th I start my next fitness bootcamp, and I'm super excited to be getting my booty kicked again!  I loveee me some bootcamps!  Well.. love/hate.  Whatever.  I'm just on a MISSION, PEOPLE!  I still need to find my NYE dress though. Looking for lots of sequins, sparkle, glitter, blingity bling!  I want to look like a giant {skinny} shiny disco ball!     

Feeling All Brand New!

True Love.

Well howdy there folks!  If you notice a lil extra country twang its because my hubs and I just got back from our weekend vacay to the middle of NOWHERE!!!!  It was totally beautiful, relaxing, FUN and just plain ole' cool!  This particular trip to Bluff Dale, Texas has been planned for some time..two years, I believe!  But after this weekend, we decided it absolutely MUST be an annual trip.

We arrived Friday night and realized after driving for like an HOUR in the middle of nowhere, that we prrrrrobably should've brought more then just alcohol with.  Whoopsies.. We figured out pretty quickly that there wasn't going to be any restaurants within a 40 mile-windey-unpaved-very DARK-road-radius.  So after we arrived to our adorable cabin, we checked out the view, got all settled in, and then turned around to venture back out for a grocery store!  We ended up in Stephenville, and our friends showed us where they first met (awww) and we had dinner/drinks @ one of their old stomping grounds.  After dinner we bought a ton of groceries and headed "home."  We spent the next 3+ hours drinkin' in the hottub, under the stars and playing cards... pretty awesome right?!  Saturday we cooked breakfast together and headed into Granbury to do some shopping on the square!  We had a great time browsing and checking the town out.  After lunch we ended up all four getting Pedis together.  No BS, this was the best pedi of my freaking life.  It lasted for an hour and 45 minutes and they used the hot stones and OH EM GEEE my feet were feelin the love boyyyy!  Saturday night we had a beauuuuutiful sunset and lots of visits from the ranch dog, Roscoe.  We grilled out and played a million rounds of bullshit, SPOONS and catchphrase.  This night also ended with hours in the hottub!  The weekend was full of laughs, peace/quiet and a total disconnect from the real word.  No internet, or phone service, just good times with great friends!!!  We caught a glimpse of lots of 'wildlife' -- a HUGE pig, llamas, deer, horses, goats... you know, all the ranchy stuff! (thats RANCH-Y not to be confused with raunchy.)  I am a sucker for beautiful scenic views, especially during the fall.  I'm sad the weekend passed so quickly, but definitely looking forward to next year.  Here's just a few pics from the weekend, enjoyyyy! 

The gang + Roscoe!

Charming, isnt he?

Montanas!

A Must: Porch Rockin'

November

So yeah, November is going to be realllllllllllllllllllllllllllyyyyyy exciting and busy for the Sample fam.  First, the obvious: DUH, Black Friday! (bet you thought I was going to say Thanksgiving, huh?!)  Jake and I L-O-V-E Black Friday, and have been participating every year since we've been together.  I love the rush of getting up at 3 am and finding some kick-ass deals!  The last two years we go w/o anything on our 'must have' list so we usually and up with stuff we didn't really NEED, but none-the-less, the deals are entirely TOO good to pass up.  Can't wait to blog about all the cheapy stuff we pick up this year! I'm hoping for a big fancy camera! :)  And maybe a new TV for our living room... (is it just me or are 42" tvs the new 27"??) 

Next on the list... THANKSGIVING!  I seriously cannot wait to see our family and friends!  And I love me some turkey!  Mmmm.. and more than anything I absolutely love spending time w/ the people that I unfortunately don't get to see enough of!

Next up:  Our camping trip!  Maybe I shouldn't call it camping, considering we're staying in a cabin..??  This trip has been planned for going on TWO YEARS so I hope it doesn't fall through.  Should be a total blast!  I'm definitely ready to have some fun and take a break from everyday life -- Gotta love some outdoorsy stuff in the beautiful fall weather! 

Our family is hoping for some change in the next year and it hinges on this oneeeeeeee little(potentially big) thing happening THIS MONTH!  I won't elaborate a whole lot yet, but will definitely blog about it when/if everything happens the way we hope.  So be on the lookout in December or January for an update!  We're just keeping our fingers crossed and hoping for the best!

Yup, I have a feeling November is going to fly by.  I hope everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving ~ Be thankful for all of life's blessings!!! 

When a Married Woman Gets Hit On.

Let's be honest here... if you're married...or single...or old...or fugly.... or WHAT THE F EVER, it feels pretty dang awesome being hit on.  Isn't it totally flattering??? I'll answer that for you: Hell to the YES! For me, getting hit on is getting further and fewer between (okay, more like never) which is a little (okay, a lot) depressing.  During my glory days (ages 15-pretending-to-be-18 through about 22) I got hit on like everywhere and ALL the time.  I'm not trying to sound cocky, I'm just sayin'.  I was either smokin' hot or super easy looking, but whatever it was, it was definitely working!  Just this week, I was shopping at Express and a sales clerk came over to tell me I was the most beautiful girl that had been in that day, and he just wanted to say thank you for coming in.  I thought that was SO NICE that this guy went out of his way to approach me, ESPECIALLY considering some women would roll their eyes and be like 'uhh..ew, get away from me weirdo'  {which may or may not have been how I responded in my younger days when I didn't realize the value of a compliment.}  Maybe it was a realllllllllllly slow day at Express and maybe this man was totally lieing and he thought his compliment would make me spend an assload of money on shit I would regret buying 20 minutes later, but STILL.  It was nice and made my day, true or not.  I couldn't wait to tweet about it, tell ALL MY FRIENDS, the hubs, and every person who would listen.  [Sorry that this is the 17th time a lot of you have heard this story, but DANG, can't a girl be flattered and enjoy the moment for a few days?? Geez.]  Don't get me wrong folks, my husband throws compliments my way alll the time, but it's nice to hear something from a total stranger sometimes.  Husbands HAVE to say it, strangers don't.  Just last night my husband said "You have the body of Jessica Simpson."  and I said "Uhh.. she's like mega-pregnant?!!?"  and he said "I know..."  - See my husband is a total sweetheart and always knows just what to say to make a girl feel good.

Now, the only time being hit on is a horrifying experience that makes your self-esteem plummet to rock bottom is when the man hitting on you is really freaking unfortunate looking. [AKA pedophile glasses, crooked teeth and bad body odor.]  It's super embarrassing because it either means this man thinks he's in your league, or worse...he IS in your league.  Yeah, not a good situation.  This particular sitation has also happened to me, and I questioned my clothes, makeup, hair, choice in hangout and LIFE for like a week after.  Dang boys, if a girl is too hot for you, you betta recognize! (pronounced 'recunize' with 3 fingers snapping mid-air in a Z). Now.. don't get me wrong, we still want a compliment, we just don't want to get the vibe that you think you'd have a shot in hell.  Just say: "I think you're the most beautiful girl in here, but you are SOOOOOOOOOOOO out of my league."  In fact, you should say this even if you are way out of OUR league, it's just good etiquette and it makes us feel better.  Bottom line: White lies are OKAY if they are to boost a girls confidence. End of story.

My Blog is Private!

But not exclusive or even that juicy... so send me your email addy so I can add you to the approved list :) 

And actually, it was private, but now I'm making it temporarily UNprivate because if it was still private you wouldn't be seeing this. You follow??  So if you wanna continue to read this and all of my super fabulous posts (ha!) send me your email addy ASAP {in the next day or two} and I'll send you an invite!  PLEASE & THANKYOUUUUUUU.

In the mood...

Too much?

For implants.  Seems like everrrrrrrrrrry year about this time I get the itch for a boob job.  I guess because I think it would make a pretty damn good Christmas present, if I do say so myself.  If I could only convince the hubs, who totally refuses to even discuss the topic remotely.  I just can't understand his logic, because I would say it's a win-win?!  I mean, mayyyyybe I would dress totally whore-ish occassionally, but not like, ALL the time.  And sure, maybe I'd let random people see/feel them, but what's the harm in that??! 

Well, at this rate it looks like I'll have to go yet another year w/o fake tatas.  I guess I should be thankful that my hubby loves my bod just the way it is.  {Either that, or he's just being a total cheapskate}.

TMI: Annual Exams... *shudder*




Is this a great photo or what?!

 Does anyone else absolutely hate, hate, HATEEEEEEEEEEE going to the Gyno as much as I do???  Thank God you only have to do it once a year.  I dread it BIG TIME. I go to my regular Doctor once-a-freakin-month {Hypochondriac much?} and I love my every six month dental cleanings!  But Gynos... Ughhh.. I think it's awkward and horrible and THE WORST THING EVER.  Except the boob check part, that's like a free mini-massage and it feels pretty great.  So anyway, I have to be ready and "in the mood" to go to the gyno--like if I get the ballsies to call up and make an appointment, then I'm wanting to get in the same day.  Once the moment passes I'm totally over it, who knows when the mood will strike again, ya know?!  All the factors have to be just right:  the right mood, the right time of the month, shaved legs, fresh brazilian, and matching clean socks.  Trust me, those things don't happen in unison very often.  I called my doctor's office just the other day to schedule my annual exam and was hoping to get in ASAP.  I had just given myself a particularly perfect wax so I figured I should up the ante from my usual one and only visitor (Jake, duh) and let a professional take a looksie.  (Do doctor's even care about that? Probably not but I assume they appreciate the extra effort.)  So anyway, the receptionist told me I MUST wait another full month before coming in because it had not yet been a year.  I told her that was okay, I didn't mind and I was ready to come in NOW.  She said NO and explained it like this: "Think of it like getting your oil changed...You wouldn't want to do it just because, you'd wait until you hit 3000 miles". 

Ohhhh, I get it now -- Apparently I need to put a few more miles on my vagina. . . Thanks for explaining it like that lady, much-o appreciated!

Cuteness

My husband has this habit of saying "Long story short" before telling practically every story.  The problem is... he NEVER gives tells the short story!  I find it super cute/hilarious.  Case in point, today he got home from work and said this:  "to make a long story short, last night I was going on this call and I met with the suspect and did this(insert the exact play-by-play here) and then I had to meet with the victim so I went here and did this(again, insert the whole play-by-play) and then I decided I might need my cell phone, and I never use my cell phone at work so then after meeting with the victim I realized I didnt have my phone on me so I must have left it in the car. But then, when I was driving I looked down and realized it wasn't in the cup holder where it's always at and so then I had to restep my earlier steps.  I went here, then there then {blah blah blah} and then I figured it must truly be lost.  So then I was telling a co-worker about it and she decided we should restep my steps again even thought I thought it was pointless so we went here, then there, and it turned out it was in the middle of the road all along!"  -- All the while I'm thinking damn, if this is the short story I'd SURE hate to hear the long story.  I'm pretty sure Jake doesn't understand what "long story short" means.  Otherwise the story could've been:  "I lost my cell last night but crazy enough I ended up finding it in the middle of the road."  Oh well...Love this husband of mine, and his very detailed lengthy stories!!

So sickly.

Sad face.  ICK. I'm so freaking sickkkkkkkkkk :(  I woke up this a.m. feeling like total poop.  For realsies.  Sore/swollen throat, achy back/neck, FEVER, all clogged up, horrible earaches... no fun, basically.  As most of you readers already know, Jake has been SO.FREAKING.SICK. for what seems like forever!  Thank God he is finally feeling a little better and is back to work. {although, he goes to work no matter what anyway}.  He seems to always get way worse before he starts to get better bc he refuses to take medicine until he feels like death.  I, on the other hand will take medicine as soon as the slightest onset of illness hits me.  I load up on meds and lots of vitamin C, and it usually does the trick.  So, LITERALLY just yesterday morning on the way to work, I was thinking about how friggin awesome my immune system must be since I seem to stay so healthy.  Should have knocked on wood, apparently.  I will say though, it seems like every time I do get sick its on my days off.  I have not decided if that's a curse or a blessing.... Phew, okay, just wanted to throw myself a pity party, but moving right along!

Today I went to the State Fair and had a blast despite feeling so crummy.  Gotta love fresh air, or possibly pollution, you know, whichever.  Idk WHY the state fair in Dallas has to be in the freaking HOOD.  At the MLK stoplight some creeper/possible gang member approached my car window all scary-like.  I pretended to not hear or see him which was a little awkward because he was like TOTALLY all up in my face and we were practically making eye contact.    My dad said I should just run people over that approach my car.  I feel like I could get in trouble for that, no? Anyway though, I had my "yearly" funnel cake and it was delish.  They sell some pretty healthy sounding stuff likeeee.. Fried pineapple upside down cake, fried cake balls, fried mash potatoes, fried beer, fried queso, fried biscuits and gravy, and my personal fave: fried gilled cheese.  That's no typo on my part, that's LITERALLY what the sign said.  If anyone knows what gilled cheese is, please help a sista out!!!   I can't believe the things that people think to fry up @ the fair -- it's pretty incredible//gross.  There was a stand that sold $1.00 hot dogs which seemed very questionable considering NOTHING at the fair is under $8.00.  All in all though - I had a great time today!!  I'm happy it wasn't overcrowded and that the weather was perfect.  Looking forward to going back next year...maybe. :)

Book Review

Before I head out for the night I wanted to write a quick review on my latest read.  (A couple of you have texted and asked about it!)  It's called Created to be His Help Meet.  The title is pretty self-explanatory huh?!  I read this book because:

a.) I like books based on Scripture, 

b.) I wanted to read about marriage from a biblical standpoint, and 

c.) it had a ton of controversial reviews. 

Seemed like people either absolutely LOVED it or absolutely hated it.  I ended up falling somewhere in the middle.  A lot of the info was outdated and entirely too old fashioned.  Definitely sexist when it comes to a woman's supposed "role".  Also, where Scripture was quoted it was taken completely out of context and even misinterpreted a lot of times.  When you marry, you are vowing to love, honor and respect your husband no matter what..."even if he cheats, beats you, molests your kids, etc." --I disagreed with the author's standpoint on these particular issues.  Yes, I vowed my committment, but for ME, I have to draw the line somewhere!  It says a woman's house, children and even yard work are ALL her responsibility.  It advised against having girl friends.  And against getting your children vaccinated.  (Last time I checked these were personal beliefs!)  I believe in an equal partnership with total mutual respect.  However, with that being said your husband IS supposed to be the leader of your family and you were created to be his helper.  This book also broke down the 3 types of men, and how to best approach whichever man you have and how to get the best results with him.  This book challenges you to to choose joy and thankfulness no matter the circumstances; I can attest to the power of positive thinking, so I loved that part of the book!  There was a lot of great advice that will help deepen your relationship, tried and SO TRUE.  There were some strong positive messages and even though they weren't refuted via Scripture they are still helpful and practical.

All in all this book made me realize how lucky I am to have a man that lightens the load of my wifely duties and most importantly who treats me as an equal. I won't ever be my husband's doormat (Thank God he'd never want that anyway!)  He leads our family, but not without my input, respectively.  I would say this book is for people who aren't too impressionable and who are willing to take it with a grain of salt; take the good with the bad(<--and lots of it.)  This isn't verbatim from the Bible and shouldn't be treated as such.  It's not a how-to book. (well, it is, but only SOME parts are accurate!)  If you happen to read it, let me know what you think!

Well adios for now folks, I'm late late lateeeeeeeee for my girls night out!!!!!!!

The Stars...

MIGHT just be aligning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Fingers. Crossed.  And reminding myself that what's meant to be WILL be.

Work Flood

Yup, that's right, I have some MAJOR time off right now. Well, maybe not major, but 5 days worth total!  Apparently over the weekend my suite at work experienced some flooding, due to a pipe leak in the men's bathroom.  (I knew it could be bad being so close to the bathrooms!)  THANK THE LORD only clean water leaked, but nonetheless, there is some damage to my room + stuff.  I haven't gone to survey the damage yet, but I'm headed up there this afternoon so I can take a look around.  Then I'll be hitting the road to go buy replacement stuff!  Last night was a little chaotic...calling/texting/emailing clients who were booked through Wednesday - and during the Cowboy game at that.  But, I have almost everyone rescheduled, so I'm feeling pretty good about it.  Other than that, I should be able to resume normal operations on Thursday.

Now, a pessimistic person could see all this as some horrible catastrophe and have a total "why me?" pity party/meltdown - but, NOT I.  I genuinely feel very calm about the situation.   This is one of the things I talked about in a previous post - something I cannot change.  Stomping my feet and bitching about how inconvenienced I am will get me nowhere.  I'm not sour about the 3 days worth of lost income or the associated cost of refurnishing my place.  I figure everything happens for a reason, so as random as this seems it must be for something.  Maybe to teach me patience, maybe to give me a little break from work.  Maybe so I can spend some time outside in this perfect weather w/ my puppies!  This morning I woke up with a severe headache--the kind I haven't had in months.  I'm VERY glad that I was able to sleep in, and not have to work through it!  Phew.

Well, I'm off to leisurely get dressed and enjoy my day! AND the next 3 days off -- Wishing EVERYONE a great week!

My Right Now MUST Haves

Amika Treatment Oil {$34.00}

LOVE this stuff!!  I USED to use MorrocanOil, Argan Oil, and basically any time of de-frizz serum I could get my hands on.  Here's why I made the switch.  Most hair oils that I've used in the past seem to soak right into the hair and then disappear.  Amika oil soaks into the hair, but I wouldn't say it disappears.  You can feel smoother, softer, shinier hair even a day and a half after each use.  You can even still smell the fresh scent!  This stuff makes my ends look freshly cut and undamaged.  I use this on dry hair, just prior to using my straightening or curling iron.  You only need a few drops.. (REALLY). A little bit goes a LONG way!

Retinol Anti-Wrinkle Facial Serum {$10.99}

I bought this stuff on a whim because I wanted to use something vitamin-a infused, and you cannot beat the price.  Plus it had awesome reviews.  The product description says you will notice diminished lines and wrinkles after only two weeks.  Long story short?  It REALLY does work.  My skin is super moisturized and more even-toned. My pores are even smaller!  I didn't have any deep wrinkles to begin with but the lighter ones seem to be completely gone!  Definitely a keeper and worth trying yall!  I can't wait to try other products from this line!

Best Shampoo+Conditioner (to strengthen):

Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Wild Ginger Shampoo + Keratin Cream Rinse {$45.00}

I've been using this sulfate-free set for a while now and I love it!  It has a light scent and leaves my hair feeling stronger and healthier, I think due to the keratin.  Great for people who have damaged or color-treated hair AND safe for people who get the Brazilian Blowout like myself!

OTHER Best Shampoo + Conditioner (to moisturize):

MorrocanOil {$50.00}

I've been using this stuff for years, and its definitely my go-to shampoo and conditioner, especially in the summer.  The scent is all sweet and beachy. MMMmmmm. This set is also sulfate-free and REALLY moisturizes your hair and does a great job w/ cleansing too.  LOVE it!

Okay. Thats all for now folks!  Try these things if you're looking to try something new and life changing!  (okay..maybe it won't change your life) but whatever, it's the stuff I love..RIGHT N O W.

Give Thanks! [Life ain't that bad!]

So I'm reading a new book right now and although there is a LOT for me to disagree with in it, there is also a whole lot that I've learned from it.  In my 'QUEST' for constant self-improvement, one of the most important things to me is to improve in the area of being a wife.  This is the single MOST important "job" in my life and something I absolutely refuse to fail at.  Jake and I are very fortunate that we have a happy love-filled marriage.  However, it will always take working at to keep it that way.  So anyway, back to the book!  Something I've been striving to improve on is giving thanks a LOT more often and for the smaller things in life - especially as they relate to the hubs.  The book also says to SMILE more often -- seems simple right?  It is!  It's freaking WILD how much this approach has improved our relationship already.  Smiles are contagious...If I'm in a happy joy-filled mood, Jake is too!  I've also been striving to keep a positive attitude on things that I cannot change.  It's much more uplifting and stress-free to go with the flow and not let things get me down.  I always think: Things could be SO much worse.  Plus, misery may love company, but negative attitudes just drag everyone down, and WHO freaking wants to be Debbie-downer!!??! Gotta keep things in perspective.  As long as I have my hubby beside me then nothing is THAT bad--not the end of the world anyway.   

{ Today or any day you say an unkind word- Think of someone who can't speak. Before you complain about the taste of your food- Think of somenone who has nothing to eat. Before you complain about your husband or wife- Think of someone who's crying out to God for a companion. Today or any day you complain about life- Think of someone who went too early. Before you complain about your children- Think of someone who desires children but they're barren. Before you argue about your dirty house someone didn't clean or sweep- Think of people who are living in the streets. Before whinning about hte distance you drive Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet. And when you are tired and complain about your job- Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job. But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another- Remember that not one of us is without sin and we all answer to one MAKER. And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down- Put a smile on your face and thank GOD you're alive and still around. }

Loved this so thought I should share! 

Let's talk about Milk

Oh my Jesus, I learned something pretty crazy yesterday.  (p.s. I don't consider that using Jesus' name in vain because I'm not using it in vain.)  So, I was doing a little reading up on breastfeeding, and...{are you ready for this?}  like, ANYONE can do it.  I'm not talking pregnant women, and mothers and grandmothers (duh) I'm talking people who don't even have kids OR who have ever had them. (Or even MEN according to Jill!)  Is that not freaking wild?  Am I the last person in the world to learn this??  All it takes is a little 'stimulation.'  Soooo you can pump a few times a day and BAM you will be a milk-producin' lady.  I find these facts so nuts that I had a full-on discussion with Jill last night to full discuss the process, and the possible negative side effects, because YES I would totally consider doing it just to freaking see if its true.

On the upside, pumping milk COULD make your tatas bigger.  Amen to that!  Also, it burns calories, and pumping milk sounds a whole lot easier and a lot less sweaty than cardio!  Another plus: I hear you can sell your milk on ebay or craigslist.  Do I hear the sound of another on-the-side-business???  (that made no sense.  I mean, what would that 'sound' even sound like??) Hmm... I am challenged.

NOW.. lets discuss the downside.  EVERYONE knows that b-feeding will F up your nips/tatas.  I'd love a set of big boobs, but I do NOT want ugly saggy big boobs with oddly shaped nips.(no offense to those who have 'em).  Let's also talk about leakage.  Sounds kiiiiinda messy.  And also sounds like they'd have to be off limits which wouldn't be much fun. 

Lets face it, the tradeoffs are NOT worth it, AND more importantly everyone would think I was a total freak..you know, for pumping breast milk FOR NO DANG REASON other then to prove the internet wrong.  Who even does that if they don't have a baby??? *DISCLAIMER* the sad drawbacks to breastfeeding would totally go out the window if I did have my own baby.  I'd give up my boob-vanity. 

In other news, I used the word moralty yesterday.  Except it's not a word.  In my mind, it was like using 'morality' but a shorter, better and cooler version.  Great, is cooler a word?  Or should it have been more cool?   I don't know,  I need help.

Staycation, 2011: Recap

Twisted Root!

Yup. Delicious.

So, the hubs and I had some major time off together this past weekend, and it was pretty much..uhhh...amazing!!  I love when we get lots of quality alone time in to totally relax and reconnect.  Before it all went down we{I?} had to set a few ground rules.. no work talk + an open mind + NO asking/worrying about how much $$$ we were spending (ahem, JAKE).  We thought it'd be fun to do something different and get out of the house a little more then we usually do.  Yeah, we're totally homebodies.. 

 

IPic/Heaven

On Friday I surprised Jake w/ a total full-on date day. We had Twisted Root for lunch (he'd never been) and then shopped around @ the shops at fairview. {LOVE that area!} It couldn't have been a more pretty breezy day! After all that we went to Ipic Theatres for the first tine...let me just say - amaaaazing! Imagine your own little private area w/ plush fully reclining chairs, free gourmet popcorn, complimentary pillows & blankets, huge assortment  of cocktails/food/beer, (NOT complimentary)...it was like watching a movie in bed! You know, if you lay in bed w/ whiskey and popcorn... I rate this part of the date as: WORTH. EVERY. PENNY.  Lord help me if I ever have to go to a 'regular' theatre again.

Saturday we had another fun day! We started at Best Buy and each got something at random that we wanted. I got a pen for my iPad, (AMEN) and Jake bought.....a quesadilla maker. Yes, you read that right. Lol, so well see how that works out.  Since we had so much fun the day before at Shops @ Fairview, this time we went across the street and hit up the Shops @ Allen (it's toooo pretty to not be outdoors!)  We went to Cheddars for lunch - and if you haven't been there, you SO need to go.  Cheap food, cheap drinks, SUPER yummy... DO IT.  We seriously shared a million different things off the menu. Cue food baby!



All Smiles!



Man + Baby = Cuteness



And SPEAKING of babies....Sunday we went and visited our parents and friends Emily & Rj!  We loveeeee being outside watching football, and even MORE-SO w/ fam + friends + alcohol.  We also love Em & Rj's adorable, sweet baby: Halley.  She is THE cutest thing, and she's started smiling, like ALL the time. :)  What a happy baby!  Jake is so good with her, and for some reason when your hubby holds a baby its such an "awwww" moment!  We just adore seeing this little child.  I spend some time playing w/ Emily's fancy camera to take a bunch of pics of Halley, and decided that I MUST become a photographer.  You know, when the hubs stops being cheap and lets me get a real camera. 



Seriously. How good are my photog skills??

Note to self: shut bathroom door

So there I was..in the midst of our awesome little stay-cation(I'll explain that later)- Soaking up a nice relaxing bubble bath...jamming to the 60's on pandora... Feeling all squeaky clean. I sat up and in plops.... Sampson's front two legs. I tried to push him out but he was pretty set on lapping up as much water as he possibly could. In comes leg#3 and it was time for reinforcements - cue super husband.

All he could do was laugh and point out that it was cute. Not funny, husband.

Well Looky Looky



My fortune yesterday. Perfect, no??



Who's got the weekend off!  Thats right ---> THIS GIRL! <---  Can't be ALL work and NO play!  Jake is working all weekend, which is sad for me :( BUT that means I can get lots done.  I plan on deep-cleaning the house again (sigh), getting a bunch of sleep, finishing the laundry, and MOST importantly visiting "my" purse at Norstrom.  I havn't decided if I should totally splurge and treat myself or not, so right now it's alllllll about visitation.  I'm typically SO not the kind of girl who goes for brand-y purses.  I think its absolutely ludicrous to spend a ton of money on a freaking bag that just carries your junk and sits on bathroom floors, yet I may be willing to make an exception!  And let me point out that there is nothing more hideous [to me] than coach purses with their obnoxious "C"s.  Well, that and any brand of handbag with a stupid logo that is duplicated repeatedly to create a print.  Yuck!  I feel like they SCREAM pretentious, and besides that, they are the MOST faked.  Who wants to carry around a cheap imitation??  They bag *I* want is solid tan pebbled leather.  Its basic, but lovely.  I don't really know why I'm so intrigued by this bag in particular but I love it!  Maybe because it's simple, but luxurious.  Ahh... idk.  We will see if it ends up making the cut, and if I make this crazy purchase that I will surely regret....   Well, cheers to the weekend!

I love. . .

"Friends" that only call you when they need and/or want something. Um, NOT.

Don't I look like an ANGEL?

I chew on giant rocks.

Look what I did to mom's exercise ball



Another deceiving face



The only time we're ACTUALLY good.



Subliminal Message #2

Something verrrrry peculiar is going on the Sample household.  First, the hubby burns dinner,{get up to speed here} and now, today, I realize that we have . . umm . . NOTHING to eat in this house.  Usually I'm over exaggerating when I describe anything, but as proof that unfortunately there is no exaggeration this time, I have evidence:  A photo of our fridge. 

My superstar hubby not only cooks but he also does the grocery shopping.  This means I don't get anything that I want, but it also saves me the stress and hassle of going to the store.  Plus, grocery isles distract me and I always end up with a bunch of sugary stuff that looks good, which ends up being expensive, AND which ends up in the trash a year later when it expires because I forgot about it.  Total waste!  I also hate to pushing the germ-ridden busted-wheeled grocery carts that refuse to travel in a straight line.  In fact, that's one of the reasons I knew Jake was "THE ONE", he hates walking beside the cart, and I hate pushing it. DING DING DING: match made in heaven!  But anyway, I'll save that story for another day. 

So, here I am, starvin' like marvin and there is not a thing to eat in this house.  So either:

• A.) Jake has not grocery shopped in the hopes that I'll do it, start doing it ALL the time, and like it. [Doubtful.] or
• B.) We're even poorer then I thought??!  Hmmm.......