My Honest Opinion: Saving Memories with Us

Photo books are all the rage right now.

Shutterfly and Snapfish have sales almost every single month.

Everyone I know is doing it.

I don't remember it being quite so popular when we started doing it back in 2008.

I don't like to take credit for things, but it had to catch on somewhere, right???

Nah.

We got the idea from someone else, too. 

I'm nothing if not unoriginal.

But we all know that, right?? 

Anyway... 

We have been doing family year books for the last 5 years.

Yep.  Just like school year books. 

Only better.

But I should probably clarify.

Because technically, we did it for 3 years and are in the process of finishing the last 2 years.

This is what a move mid-year and halfway through a pregnancy will do to you.  

Put you years behind in your photo commemorating. 

If it makes you feel better, I am all the way up to March 2011.

At this rate, I should be caught up...never....

But I digress....

Photo Books....

I have used almost every program out there for making them.

Snapfish, Shutterfly, Artscow...

And our personal favorite - Blurb.

Not that I don't love the other programs.

Snapfish has some of the most adorable page designs ever.

And Shutterfly has not only awesome page designs, but absolutely precious embellishments.

And Artscow has a little bit of everything, and the price is absolutely right, but it ships from China, so be prepared to wait for a small eternity.

Not an option when Techy is involved.

Although at this point...

But for our year books, we always, always, always use Blurb.

For large books, Blurb's price is considerably lower, while maintaining the quality and care that we can't do without for something this meaningful.

For example, 2010's year book was 160 pages and cost us 59.95.  (before shipping and taxes)

  

The same book at Shutterfly would have cost us at least double that.

Snapfish has a preset limit of 150 pages, so....

Yeah.  

My point?  

Other than the fact that we are completely awesome for creating family year books every year???

And other than the fact that the cover of 2010's photo book features my bad hair day?

Can you believe my husband would immortalize 2010 with my BAD HAIR???  

I digress...

Again...

My point, CLEARLY, is that for big books, you should probably look into Blurb.

And save pretty Shutterfly and Snapfish books for your 20 page my-kid-just-sneezed books.

But that's just my opinion...

Take it or leave it.

My Honest Opinion: Our Perfect Imperfect Home

Our Georgia home is anything but perfect.

I mean...

It's ORANGE....

And it's can be kinda hard to find....

But on the upside...Techy loves all the privacy...but seriously.

All the naked time is starting to get to me.

And the deck is kinda oddly placed on the side of the house rather than on the BACK of the house facing our lake.

And the dining room chandelier is older than I am.

But people...

THIS!!!!

I know.

All you see is the orange wall.

But what I saw was gorgeous plank ceilings...

And the mantel that I have waited FOREVER for....

And then I walked into the kitchen...
(don't mind my mess...I am still in the process of cleaning up Christmas chaos)

And yes.

The kitchen is most definitely tan on tan on tan with a black stove thrown in the middle of it.

But OH.THE.CABINETS.

There is so much space.

And so much food prep space.

Someone really thought that out.

Like way more than a fake dead girlfriend...

And then when I realized that I could stand at that cabinet and look out at the lake...

I didn't even have to see the rest of the house to know that I could live here.

FOREVER.

Nevermind the fact that it was on almost 3 acres of land.

Or that yes, we own 1/4 of the lake in our back yard.

Or that it is one of like 2% of houses in Georgia with a basement.

I don't understand that at all, people.

No one here has basements!!!

HOW.DO.YOU.LIVE?

WHERE do you put your STUFFFFFF?

And seriously, haven't you seen Wizard of Oz.

Where do you go????

(Sidenote: tornado's are like my biggest fear.  Right next to that alien from the Flintstones - what is creepier than aliens invading prehistoria - and a mullet-comeback....  Terror, people, TERROR.)

But yeah, the icing on the cake was the bathroom.

Ok, so I'll admit the wall paper is HIDEOUS

But the bathtub...

AND THAT VIEW....

SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGH

This is my own personal heaven.

Makes sense, right???

Now, when are you coming to visit me??

My Honest Opinion: The New Year Cleanse

If you haven't been around here long, or you haven't been digging through my archives, you probably don't know that I am completely and TOTALLY obsessed with my weight.

It's a problem, I admit, but one that I try to keep a firm grip on.

(For all those who are wondering, I have a whole section of posts dedicated to fitness and 3 sections of posts dedicated to my weight maintenance, my most recent posts can be found here.

But for those who know me best, it's probably no surprise that my dedication to get the rest of this baby weight off (in case you don't know or forgot, I had a baby last February, blew up like a house and have devoted the past year to working it off, yada yada) I decided to start my year off with a cleanse.

Because, I assumed it would help me shed some of that holiday weight faster.

And because I wanted to kick start my metabolism into thinking, "THIS is the year we let her wear a bikini!"

But mostly because, you know, I wanted to be healthy and stuff.

Alas, I have flaws that could possibly inhibit my ability to complete said cleanse:

1.  I like food ALOT.

2.  I can't survive on a no-indulgence-for-weeks-on-end schedule.

3.  I tend to believe that the key to healthy weight is exercise and not diet.

Knowing that, I realized pretty quickly that I couldn't be dedicated to anything food/diet related long term.

Now, rest assured extensive research was done before choosing what cleanse I chose, i.e., I googled "healthy 3 day cleanse", saw Dr. Oz's name, remembered that my mother in law once called him "the King of Poop", thought, If he's the King of Poop, surely his cleanse will get me to where I want to be. Then printed it out and headed to the grocery store.

Because that's how I roll.

S-T-U-P-I-D

I had to make some substitutions.

And being me, I planned to workout at least 2 of the 3 days.

I know.

Stupid.

But that meant I would have to supplement, since Dr. Oz's idea of protein was 1 tablespoon of almond butter a day.

And then I had to substitute strawberries for raspberries when my grocery store didn't have them in stock.

And lemons for limes that my 2 year old apparently dropped out of the grocery cart.

The long and short of it - I cheated left and right.

But here is the plan I (mostly) followed:

Day 1, I followed everything by the book.

Or as closely as my lame attempt at buying groceries could get me.

And gagged my way through all 3 shakes.

The lunch time shake was seriously a come to Jesus moment.

The consistency of kale, cucumbers, celery and coconut "oil" (think crisco) is pretty much the most detestable consistency known to mankind.

Think vegetable flavored blubber.

Mind over matter, people.  Mind.over.matter.

Day 2, I chewed the celery and blended everything else.

If anything, it got worse.

By day 3, I was willing to chew it all, but opted to chew the celery and cucumbers and blend everything else.

I still gagged through it (something about the kale is really, really awful) but at least the flavor was better.

The dinner shake isn't too bad, if you blend the kale up very finely, and breakfast can be yummy if you add enough stevia to it....

I will admit, the cravings were rough.

Lunch time was horrific.

Watching my 2 year old munch chicken nuggets, knowing that I had to chug almost 40 oz of gelatinous vegetables is enough to bring Chuck Norris to his knees in tears!

And believe me when I say, I looked forward to the protein supplements everyday.

Only partially because they taste like chocolate and are actually the consistency of liquid.

Somehow, though, I survived it.

It wasn't fun.

Or easy.

The headaches were HORRIFIC.

But I only had those on the days that I exercised.

I have heard several people who drink caffeine say that they attributed their headaches to the lack of it, but since I don't drink caffeine and still had headaches, I can only assume that was due to the lack of calories while my body was trying to make up for what I had burned during my workouts.

Did I mention how stupid that was??

All in all, it's over.

For those of you who are wondering if you should do a cleanse, or if you should do this cleanse, here's what I have to say:

1.  Don't expect to lose gross amounts of weight on this cleanse.  I lost a little over 2 lbs.  Not bad for a 3 day cleanse, but nothing compared to what I was hoping.

2,  This cleanse is full of alot of water!  What little weight you will lose will probably not be in solid form.
King of Poop is a very loose term based upon this cleanse.  I'm really not sure their shouldn't be a coup in the land of Poop.  Just sayin'.

3.  If you are looking for a quick cleanse, I would give this a shot.  But I would also recommend chewing alot more that sipping.

Post - Script:
It's too soon to tell what improvements I will see after having completed this, but I will try to follow up on this next week.   Feel free to let me know what you have tried and what impacted you most about it!

My Honest Opinion: Kindle FreE-books

Let's see a raise of hands for all of you out there who have smart phones?

And now those of you who have an iPod Touch or iPad?

Or a Kindle?

Ok, you can all put your hands down.

Now, a raise of hands for all of you who have been intelligent enough to download a Kindle app for your device (if your device isn't a Kindle)?

Um, seriously, ya'll.

This is life changing stuff.

Like the first air freshener.

Or the first electric blanket.

No.  Seriously.

It's amazing.

Have I talked about this before???

Because if not....

That was CLEARLY a mistake.

Cause this happens ALL THE TIME.

And although I would have once said, "There's a reason that book is free..."

I have found that a bunch of these free scores end up being amazing reads!

BUT, there's almost always a catch!

Like when I discovered a book....

A free book....

That had sat in my Kindle library for about a year, due to having a stupid title.

But I was desperate.

So, I decided to read the first chapter.

And I was hooked.  

And finished the book in like 4 days.

And then I made the mistake of telling a friend about it. 

And you know what she told me???

"Oh, I just looked it up - there's like 5 books in that series!  Looks good!"

Cue the needle scratching off the record

It just figures.

And I go look up all the other books and they are all like $10 a piece for the Kindle.

And now, the original book is $9.

My point?

Download the app.

Score free reads.

While they are still free.

And then don't brag to your friend about them so they can burst your bubble by telling you the rest of the series is only going to cost you 2 boxes of diapers.

But that's just my opinion!  

And we know what you all think of that, right????

Free Purex Samples

You know how much I love my Purex Samples!

And now it's your turn to try them out!

Head on over here to get your free samples now!

I Want to Make a Political Statement, Too!!!

To all you people who spend all day, every day posting updates about the latest panicking news that may or may not affect your favorite candidate....

Please stop.

Especially if your candidate isn't even really in the running.

You're fighting a losing battle.

Take one for the team and find SOMETHING to endorse the front-runners for.

Because realistically, if you don't support the President, you only have so many other options....

And there can only be one winner, so....

You do the math, mkay?

Your guy is in the background already?

Just let it go!

My Honest Opinion: Jockey Sports Bra and Purex Crystals

Over the holidays, I got an extra gift.

From my friends over at Purex.

And these guys:

I know, right?

Exciting!!!!

They sent me this:

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A new sports bra!

(I know.  It really was confusing there for a minute - couldn't tell if they sent me a Rachel Berry, or new towels, or an iPod, right?  Glad I cleared that up for you?  You can thank me later....)

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand more of my FAVORITES - the Purex Crystals!!!

Which made me extra happy.

Because:

1. I'm still working out regularly.

and

2.  My "girls" are so pregnancy-ginormous that I don't fit into any of my workout clothes - including but not limited to my sports bra.  I literally had to "wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, yeah" in order to get into it.  It was sad.  And even then, it was a one boob at a time situation.  Not pretty.  Or comfortable.

and

3.  Have I mentioned how much I adore the Purex Crystals?  And they sent me the one scent I hadn't tried yet - Tropical Splash - which is pretty much amazing.  And brings tears to my eyes as I'm folding my laundry...happy tears, of course!

Upon receiving that box of goodies, I may or may not have wet myself out of excitement.

And I may or may not have jumped around the house like a chihuahua chasing a Taco Bell Taco.

And I may or may not have run to my bedroom to immediately try on said sports bra and take it for a test run *ahem* workout - because let's not kid ourselves about the possibility of me running at this point in time.

That's a laugh.

But I did hit the elliptical hardcore for a good ole fashioned sweat-a-thon.

And you know what I discovered???

This sports bra is pretty much the cat's meow!

I mean seriously.

It's vented.

As in, there are these breathable mesh panels that help you stay cool.

And the fabric is super quick-wicking, keeping you from feeling too icky.

Which, let's face it, is almost impossible as a pregnant workout-a-holic.

And something else that I noticed, but haven't yet found the opportunity to take advantage of?

An awesome little key pocket where I can tuck my car/house key when I finally do start running again.

But that's not where my little test ended.

Not even close.

I wanted to test the entirety of this package like a 4th grade math teacher wants to drill long division - COMPLETELY.  I mean, to it's breaking point!

So what did I do next, you ask?

I guess you are probably referring to AFTER I plopped on the couch and watched an episode of Glee while my breathing levels regulated and I stopped sweating like a pig in heat???

I went to bed, of course!

I know.

Gross, right?

No shower or anything???

I have to work on that....

But anyway, the NEXT DAY, I got up and threw a load of laundry in the washer, along with my sports bra and a cap full of the Purex Crystals.

Did you know that typically, it isn't recommended to use fabric softener on "performance sportswear"???

Yep, the oils from the softener typically coats the garments and prevents them from being able to wick properly....

Which is probably why I have had so many sports bra's end up in the trash so fast.

But not with Purex Crystals!

The Crystals don't contain oil and therefore can be used on all your laundry.

And yes, they totally leave your laundry feeling soft and smelling fresh for every bit as long normal laundry detergent, and maybe longer....

The next time I needed my sports bra to wick away some moisture, it totally followed through for me.

So, just ask me...

Am I happy with the results of my test package???

I think this is a good enough answer, don't you?* **

If you need an actual answer, that's a yes.

Duh.

*I really stink at photo shop, and actually, all I know how to use is Paint, so you know....


**This is obviously not a picture of me, since I am obviously, very, very pregnant.  I hope you didn't get too confused by my amazing head-matching skills....  Also?  I don't have an iPod, so that COULDN'T be me.  Although, I would really like an iPod...

My Honest Opinion: Purex Ultrapacks Laundry Detergent

I think we all know how much fun laundry time is, right?

Especially when you have a baby.

Or a toddler.

Or even better?

A sick toddler and a sick hubby who are constantly infecting everything in the house with their germs.

Not that this has EVER happened to me.

And most certainly not that I have been living in a world SWIMMING in germs for what feels like a small eternity now.

But I digress....

Laundry is my topic of conversation for today...not germs....

And more specifically, the massive amounts that I have done since we got home from our visit to the North over the holidays.

I have done more loads of laundry in the last 2 weeks than I've done in the past 2 months.

And it hasn't been nearly as big a hassle as it sounds.

And only partially because my washer and dryer is on the same level of the house that I live on, I admit.

And partially because I came home to find a little present from Purex sitting on my front steps...

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I didn't have to worry about measuring any soap or making a mess with any kind of liquids while trying to quickly throw my laundry into the wash.

Because Purex has done it yet again.

Remember when I introduced you to the amazingness that is Purex Crystals Fabric Softener?

Well, hang on to your boot straps, Betsy, 'cause we are about to take that awesomeness one step further.

Because soon, (mid-February, 2012, to be exact...) you are going to see this little guy sitting on the shelf at your local grocery store.

And I know, initially, you are going to think, "Oh, that's not so new..." and you'll be thinking of this guy:

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But you'd be thinking completely wrong.  

Tide's packets are stain BOOSTERS.  

Not to be confused with little packets of Bippity-Boppity-Boo in covered in Pixie Dust.

I happen to know, because I happened to have tried to use the Tide Stainboosters that way one time.*

And ended up with a full load of greasy, not-quite-clean laundry that had to be rewashed.

Lucky me.  

So you can imagine how I felt when I opened my bag of Purex Ultrapacks. to see these...

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"Less than confident, but slightly hopeful" would probably be a good term.

"Skeptical" for you less-wordy people.

Kinda like the feeling a skydiver feels just before he gets pushed out of the side of a plane.

Drastic, I know, but I really despise redoing laundry, so....

Joking aside, I was a little leery, but I have only had positive experiences from Purex in the past, so I gave it my best shot.

I threw the little blue blob in my washer, covered it with a load of snot-covered, ketchup stained kiddy clothes, set the temperature to eh, whatever, and hit start.

Correction: I also added in a handful of the Purex Crystals, because hey, who doesn't like their snot covered, ketchup stained clothes to come out of the wash smelling like hawaiian hibiscus???

And then I started the wash.

And the results?

Awesomesauce, I tell you.  

Like clean awesomesauce.

With a side of sparkle.

I was shocked.

Happily shocked, of course, but shocked all the same.

I was sincerely expecting at least one dank ketchup stain with residual fallout.

But nada.

Now, I will admit to you that as awesome as these Ultrapacks are, even they were powerless against the black ink pen that exploded all over the load of laundry in my dryer last week. 

But we all know that the dryer sets stains, right?

So really, I'll let that one go.

Now for the things you might wanna know about these magical little blue miracle workers?

• Each Purex UltraPack contains powerful 2x concentrated  

 liquid detergent, giving each UltraPack double   

 the cleaning power in every drop**. 

• Purex UltraPacks dissolve quickly once the washer is  

 started—even in cold water. 

• Purex UltraPacks are formulated and safe for all   

 machines, including high-efficiency (HE).

And some helpful hints:

• Dry your hands before handling the UltraPacks – water  

 dissolves the film.

• Put (1) pack in the washer before adding clothing 

 (the more time they spend in the water, the faster 

 they dissolve). For larger or heavily soiled loads, use 

 an additional pack. 

• If you have a front loader, make sure to put the pack  

 directly into the drum, not in the drawer. 

And the really good news?

You can give them a test ride yourself!

Purex wants consumers to know they can prove it to themselves with the idea being “Don’t take our word 

for it. Take your word for it.” 

So beginning in mid February 2012, FreeSamplePurex.com will be back up and running, giving you the opportunity to get your own free sample of Purex UltraPacks and prove it to yourself. 

*Note: Tide Stainboosters are good for what they are intended for - use IN ADDITION to your normal detergent.  

My Honest Opinion: Liebster Award Edition

Despite my failure to post of late, I have managed to receive notoriety this week in the form of this puppy:

Credit

Which I assume means that someone ELSE'S opinion of my blog is total AWESOMENESS.

And when I "Googled" it to verify said awesomeness, this is what came up:


The Liebster Award is to spotlight up-and-coming bloggers with less than 200 followers.

And since I totally buy into this kind of thing, I am more than willing to pass it on.  


So today's (note: yes, I realize it is a day late, loyal fans...THURSDAYS are SUPPOSED to be MHO days...I have mentioned the fact that I am pregnant, right???  Considering that and the fact that I am probably somewhere dancing ridiculously/pregnancy style to Pit Bull, you should really give me some lee-way here...)


As it turns out, my award was bequeathed (presented, dedicated, given...but really, I like lofty terminology, so BEQUEATHED it is for today...) to me by my awesome friend, Amber at Bumber's Bumblings. (You may remember her from that time that she posted about her open adoption in my "Grow Your Family Series".)  She's pretty awesome as a friend, mommy, and running buddy.   The best part?  She's a Georgia girl...meaning, she's coming to visit me soon!!!  Or so she says.  WINK!


Anyway, as part of this award, I am supposed to pass this on to 5 blogs, which IN MY OPINION, are equally worthy of receiving an award.  (What this means to you:  5 blogs who dispense entertaining and/or inspiring posts on a regular basis....)


1.  Debt Dumper's Anonymous.   Pretty much a given as #1 on my list - she's my sister and I will likely get beat up if I don't list her first....  No.  But forreal.  If you are a) frugal and b) obsessed with shoes, you will likely learn something worthwhile from her. 


2.  Home at the Happy Hills.  Written by my former (I miss Ogletown Baptist Church!!!) pastor's wife, who is constantly finding a way to craft with something that she got for $1 at the Pottery Barn Outlet.  Her posts are a constant reminder that home decor and crafting CAN BE ACHIEVED ON THE CHEAP!


3.  Don't Mind Me, I'm Just Talking To Myself.  Written by one of my best friends from college, Angie.  Don't Mind Me is an honest representation of life as a stay at home mommy of 2.  The good, the bad, the ugly, and the honest.  It's all there.  And it's always very entertaining.  As of today, it's snowing where Angie lives, so you can be aware that there will probably be some very scary "SAVE ME, I HAVE DIED AND GONE TO A FROZEN ETERNAL DESTINY" posts coming very soon.


4.  No Such Thing As Normal.  Another contributor to my "Grow Your Family" series, Taryn keeps it real discussing life and the challenges that she faces with her little family.  But it doesn't take long to fall in love with her family and it didn't take long to become awesome friends with her.  Be warned, she went to the beach this weekend, so if you tune in to her blog next week, you are sure to be taunted by pictures of the gorgeous Gulf Shore.  I know, I know.  I'm completely green with envy.  But you can bet, I'll be reading the post and drooling over one of my favorite beaches in the world next week....


5.  I would totally marry me if I could, totally.  Last but CERTAINLY not least.  Christine (AKA. Ceej) and Pioneer Woman are basically the reasons I started blogging.  Christine is an old friend of a friend, who eventually became a friend, who just happens to have one of the awesomest (read: most interesting) personalities ever.  She makes me laugh.  Alot.  She makes me think.  Alot.  And then she makes me read books that I would have never even thought about picking up.  She's pretty awesome like that.  I love her.  And you should read her.  She keeps it real.  Which may or may not mean PG-13 & R-rated at times, but I promise you will laugh.  Alot.  


I hate having to cut this off at 5, because there are so many other awesome "Up & Coming" blogs that I know of (ahem, my new office-mate pretty much had me rolling with this post the other day), but since that's the rules of this game...


Wait.


WHAT has become of me!?


Following RULES???


We all know I am nothing if not a RULEBREAKER!


That means that I am officially passing on this award to 6 - NOT 5 - up and coming blogs. 


I know.  They will probably tear my crown away from me, like Sandra Bullock did in Miss Congeniality, but what do I care???


6.  FatSpot.  Seriously.  What could be more entertaining than the musings of a self-proclaimed "Fat" (we all know I would never, NEVER use that word), football loving, wife-adoring (he tries to put on a tough face, but man, does he love his girl) totally NOT-pc black man.  I adore him as an office mate and his blogs always make me scratch my head in wonder.  


So there you have it.  My top 6 Liebster Award worthy, up-and-coming, awesomesauce bloggers.
I know you are so happy to know about them.
You can thank me later.


*Technical rules of the Liebster Award that I didn't exactly follow because of my tendencies to break rules can be found here.  In case you are interested.

My Honest Opinion: Renuzit Fresh Accents

Remember that time I picked up and moved 800 miles away from a house and THEN put it on the market?

Yeah, that’s also known as now?

Well, the other day I had someone ask me what we were going to do about cleaning the joint.

AKA.  The house we used to live in.

You know, since we are currently not living, i.e., not cleaning, there.

And you know what my lame brain answer was?

I’m not doing anything yet.

But that’s not to say I didn’t do anything BEFORE.

I know, that sounds a little cryptic, right?

I’m getting there, I promise….

Did you know that approximately 50% of your perception of a thing is based upon its scent?

And as it turns out, Renuzit swooped in to save the day!

They sent a few samples of their new Fresh Accents Fresheners my way, and I fully took advantage of them!

Now, I know what you are thinking.

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And you and I both know those little plastic cones can put out some serious stench-masking delightfulness!

(P.S. Did you know that you can now create your own cone cover to mesh with your personal style taste?   It's true, ya'll.  Check it out, here!  I'm pretty sure I'm not getting anything else done this afternoon, thanks to this website....) 

But alas, that is not the case….

Because someone at Renuzit came up with the ingenious idea to create this pretty little snowflake container.

Winter Berry

Festive Snow

And yes, I know it was a little early to put out snowflake containers, but…

Momma was SO excited about these scents, that I simply ignored the holiday stigma and set those puppies out in my bathrooms.

And I’ll just be honest, I love both of the scents….

The Winter Berry smells amazing – like the holidays in a nutshell.  Absolute deliciousness! 

On the other hand…

The Festive Snow scent contains all the freshness of a horse-drawn sleighride through a snow-laden Christmas tree farm without the offensive odor of horse poo….

You know what I’m talking about right?

If not, then your Christmas tree farm experience is way lackluster in comparison to mine.

Just saying.

Nothing says Christmas tree shopping quite like horse poo.

But I digress.

As usual.

I think I may have ADHD! 

But that doesn’t surprise you, right?

What was I talking about again???

Oh yeah, these little lovelies!

 

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To say I am satisfied is quite the understatement.

I love them.

And for less than $2.50, the price can’t be beat! 

And that’s my honest opinion!

No, FORREALS.

SEE?

-   Renuzit brand provided free samples of Fresh Accents air
freshener so I could review them. However, all of the opinions
expressed here are my own.



You can't deny it when it's bolded AND in red, right??

Nevermind, just go out and get some for yourself. 

I think you will be one happy customer!

My Honest Opinion: I Gotta Get Back In the Southern Swing of Things

I have been living in Georgia for 2 weeks and 4 days.

(Approximately....  It's not like anyone's counting, right?)

You know what I noticed almost immediately?

Everyone...

And I mean EVERYONE...

Says "Yes, Ma'am" or "Yes, Sir" when they are talking to you.

No matter who you are.

Or where you come from.

Now, don't get me wrong, it's not that the people in Delaware are rude....

But I forgot what this level of respect and politeness was like.

I hope I catch on again soon.

Cause right now, I feel downright rude, ya'll!

My Honest Opinion: What I Miss Most...

Adjustment isn't easy for anyone.

And it may surprise you...

But if you have been reading this blog for any time at all, it probably won't.

Because...

Of all the things that I miss most from the move, the loss of some things have left me feeling far more disoriented than others.

Like this...

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And this...

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Nevermind the rest of this that I didn't get to finish...

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And with or without Michael Scott, I NEED these people!

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And Leslie Knope is running for office???

How can I even BEAR IT!!!

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And, hello???

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And yes, even this...

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Because if a girl can't have her reality BFF's, she should at least be able to count on her non-reality ones!

My Honest Opinion: Moving Edition

For those of you who are wondering how I am holding up...



Moving may be the death of me.

The End.

My Honest Opinion: Subway Sandwich Edition

Wow.

How excited are you that this opinion is not a movie or book review?

Sorry about that.

I get a little carried away when I get wrapped up in cinematic tales of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

(No, Will Smith, that is not a YOU reference.  But hey, give a girl some comment love and maybe I can make a YOU reference happen, K?  I mean, it's not like I didn't enjoy "The Pursuit of Happiness", it's just that I couldn't see the screen through my tears for like 95% of it.  That's all....)

But this week, I have something that I really need to get off of my chest.

Something that bothers me on a regular basis.

I don't know if I have mentioned it or not, but I am pregnant.

(sense the sarcasm, people...I mention it every day...all day long...)

And as such, I have regular, routine cravings for certain types of foods.

Most specifically subs.

More specifically Subway subs.

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Even more specifically - 12" Italian subs on a 7 grain roll with pickles, peppers, lettuce, tomato, and a nice sized dollop of mayo to top it off.

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But lest you get all - Oh, but Leah, you CAN'T have subs - think of the Listeria dangers!

I say, my doctor has totally given me the go-ahead to have subs from Subway.

Or any other sub shop that has a solid reputation of keeping their meats fresh.

My doctor is way cool like that.

Sometimes, we high five. 

But only before she gets down to business. 

Cause otherwise, that's just gross.

Thank GOD for her coolness in regards to lunchmeat, though, 'cause this girl would die if pregnancy cravings could not be squelched with the deliciousness that is a 12" roll topped with all the good stuff.

(Go ahead, you Michael Scott fans...say it.  That's what she said...yeah, yeah...hardy har)

But it is my solid opinion that Subway really needs to develop a drive-thru window.

Like PRONTO.

You see, I have a toddler.

Meaning, we are not Subway friendly.

I mean, who wants to stand in line at Subway behind the chick who is screaming her order over the toddler who is repeatedly screaming "I Wanna COOKIE, MOMMY!!!!"

I'll tell you who.

No one.

That's who.

Seriously.

It's obscene.

And Subway, when you implement your drive thru window, I would prefer if you could install one of those awesome touch-screen computers that I can tell exactly how to make my sandwich without shouting it through a speaker 7 times.

Even if it does mean that I have to sanitize before I hand my kid his juice out of the floor for the 5th time in 2 minutes.

It is WORTH it to me.

Because seriously, there is nothing worse that coming home after a long day at work, and thinking "I want Subway for dinner" only to realize that you would never be able to enjoy Subway for dinner due to the awesomeness that is the toddler in your back seat.

My Honest Opinion: The Adjustment Bureau vs. Source Code

You should feel so lucky.

Because my social life is killer, lately.

Meaning, my movie seeing has totally picked up.

Last weekend, Techy and I took time out to watch 2, YES TWO, movies.

No, neither were in the theater, but both of which, I recall having been interested in when they were in the theater.

Saturday night we watched "Source Code".

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And despite the excitement of living life in 8 minute intervals to save people's lives, Jake Gyllenhaal put me to sleep.

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Literally.

Snoring.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The story line was pretty good.

I think.

But the whole relive every 8 minutes until you find a bomb and save the girl and say goodbye to your dad thing....

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It was all just too much for this baby cooker, and out I went.

On the flip side....

Matt Damon, I mean, "The Adjustment Bureau" had me from, "Hello".

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Aw, heck, let's just face the facts, Matt Damon does it for me.

He's a little (read: ALOT) adorable.

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He's a pretty decent actor.

(Did I mention he's a cutie?)

But combine all that talent (and beauty) with a storyline in which he is defying all odds to find the girl of his dreams and keep her?

And throw in this guy.

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In a hat.

Not to mention, this guy.

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In a hat.

And man, do you have a movie that's worth seeing.

But that's just my opinion....

Oh, and for the record, I am totally buying Techy a hat like hat. 

MMMMMMMMMM

My Honest Opinion: The Help - Movie Version

We all know how much I loved reading The Help, right?

And, as always, I was a bit more than excited about seeing the movie.

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And this past Sunday, I did.

With more people in tow than John and Kate when they went to Hawaii to renew their vows.

We were giddy.

We were exstatic.

We were armed with full rolls of toilet paper to douse our tears!

I mean, the story line is pretty much legendary.

And the cast was amazing.

So?

The real question is...did the movie disappoint?

Was this another one of those cases of a less than amazing portrayal of an amazing storyline?

cough, cough...ahem...

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I don't need to point any fingers, do I???

My point, OBVIOUSLY, is that this movie DID NOT disappoint.

Even though I had read the book.

And yes, despite the fact that they changed some minute details of the book for the movie.

All the important stuff was still there. 

And the changes made the story that much more movie-friendly.

Aibilene is still just as beautiful and courageous a soul as ever.

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Minny is perfectly sass-mouthed.

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Skeeter was exactly how I imagined her - right down to her "man shoes".

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Constantine was more loveable than I could have ever dreamed.

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Mrs. Walters was PERFECT. 

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And Hilly was positively wretched.

(Did you know she's the same girl who played Victoria in the 3rd Twilight movie?)

If you haven't seen it yet, you need to.

But take your Kleenex, because if there is one thing I can promise you, it's that you won't leave the theatre with dry eyes.

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But I promise that your heart will be warm, even while your eyes are wet.