How To Develop GOOD New Year's Resolutions

When it comes to resolving to do something during the New Year, it’s safe to say that the bulk of us fall into one of two categories:

A) You believe that New Year’s Resolutions are … nice. They are a formality that everyone does because it’s "what you do." You believe that resolutions hold very little water. They are something people hit full force for the first month (okay, three weeks) of the year and then they are forgotten once life starts getting in the way.

B) You believe that New Year’s Resolutions are great! You think it’s a fantastic opportunity to better yourself and your life. You really believe that when you look back at the end of the year, you’ll see yourself as someone that’s just a little bit better.

Can you guess which one I am? I’m in the latter category. I’m a pretty big resolution maker. I’ve been making them since I was a kid. In the past, I’ve resolved to be a better sister, daughter, girlfriend, and friend. I’ve also resolved to be more organized, less messy, and more in shape.

Do you see a problem with these resolutions?

They aren’t realistic! At all!! They are way too lofty, they lack specificity, and there is no way at the end of the year, I’ll ever be able to tell if I really accomplished anything. You should never, ever make resolutions like these.

I have the secret to developing good resolutions* and I wanted to share. As a pretty staunch optimist, I believe that resolutions are good. I think that the New Year is a great time to start fresh and tackle a new goal. And I think that, if done right, at the end of the year, you can look back and see a lot of personal growth.

So, the secret. It’s simple, really. Resolutions must be three things: observable, attainable, and specific. Otherwise, you’re bound to fail. Here’s the skinny:

Observable. Your resolution must be something you can SEE. If it’s something too grandiose, it’s not that you’ll never accomplish it (necessarily) but you’ll never KNOW if you accomplished it. Please, don’t make a resolution like this:

This year, I will manage my finances better.

I know it looks nice on paper (or on your Facebook wall) but it is soo not something that you can ever really say you’ve accomplished because you can’t observe it. Try this instead:

This year, I will keep $7000 in my savings account.

Now that’s something that, at the end of the year, you’ll be able to tell you accomplished.

Attainable. Resolutions need to be realistic. Here’s an example of an unattainable resolution:

This year, I will be a better daughter.

As someone that’s made this resolution in the past, I don’t even know what it means. An attainable version of that resolution would be something like this:

This year, I will visit my parents at least once a month. 

That’s totally attainable.

Specific. Finally, resolutions must be based on criteria. It must be clear what you are trying to accomplish. Here’s what a resolution looks like with NO criteria:

This year, I will do more yoga. 

How much more? One more class than last year? 100 more classes? Who knows? Here’s a resolution with criteria:

This year, I will go to yoga an average of four times a week (208 classes). 

Doesn’t get any more specific than that.

So there you go – a how-to guide for coming up with New Year’s Resolutions. If you’re interested in seeing my resolutions for the New Year, scroll to the top of this page and click “Resolutions.”




* My logic for developing resolutions stems from same logic involved in developing sound learning objectives, which I learned about in my Training and Development graduate class. The textbook is available here. Thanks, Dr. Beebe. 

DIY Project: Cork Board

Whew! This week has been both invigorating and exhausting. I love that it's been a priority of mine all week to post. I love that you guys are reading the posts. And I love reading the comments and the affirmations that people are going to take these ideas and run with them.

I'm rounding out this week with one more DIY that I can't really take credit for. This idea was the brainchild of a Sunday brunch and too many bottomless mimosas. But, it was really all Ray. Sure, I collected the corks but it was Ray that went to Hobby Lobby and got the rest of the materials. Super sweet, I know. I came home from work one day and Ray was on the floor making it.

Here's what you'll need:

- Corks. I know, so obvious. But you'll need a lot of them. I had a pretty hefty collection on my own, but I had also gotten a bag from a wine bar AND from the brunch place.
- A chalkboard. The one Ray used was approximately 2' X 3'.
- Craft glue. (Don't use Mod Podge here, use something that's good with fabrics and things like that).
- A knife. 


After that, you just kind of have at it. You obviously want to show the names of the wines. One of the things Ray did was cut some of them in half to vary things. If you're a red wine drinker, you'll like this because you can showcase the parts of the corks that are dyed red. Also, if you happen to fancy prosecco or champagne (for those brunches where you just can't leave the house), use those corks too. You can cut them short-ways and incorporate them.

Here's the final product:

You like? 

Now, Ray didn't count the number of corks before getting started but I had a ton to start off with and they were all used. And we didn't have enough to finish it off. But, what's cool is that it's a chalkboard underneath and that space can be used to write something cute and quippy. I've also started another collection and have the option to fill it in soon.  I'm not sure what I'll do. 

Welp, that's that. I've had a good time writing these and I hope you guys have fun reading them. Happy Holidays! 

DIY Project: Melted Crayon Art

So, the first thing I ever saw on Pinterest was melted crayon art. Melted. Crayon. Art. This is another one where I was like, "Who comes up with this stuff?!" Whoever they are, they are craft geniuses.

So, here's the primary list of what you'll need:

- Crayons. Lots of them. If you plan on having some of the same color, you'll obviously need to invest in multiple boxes, like we did for some of these creations.

- A canvas. 
- Hot glue gun. Some tutorials say just wait for the crayons to melt and they will stick by themselves. But, gluing them to your canvas first is the way to go, in my humble opinion.
- An oven. Yep. The thing in your kitchen.

Now, almost every tutorial on the web says use a hair dryer. But that seemed painfully tedious. (Not to mention we tried to see how long it would take to melt just one crayon and my hair dryer sparked and shut off.) So Sarah said, "What if we just put the canvas in the oven, and set it to broil?" Recipe for disaster? Nahhh... 

So that's exactly what we did. We covered my oven in foil, used a loaf pan to angle the canvas (so it'll drip in a certain direction), and waited for the magic to happen. Here's the magic starting:

Do you guys see that frightening red-hot heating element? Terrifying. 

Here are some finished products: 

Life is better in color. This is hanging in my living room / dining area right now. I can't get enough of it. 

Merry Christmas, Marissa. 

And Merry Christmas, Leigh. 

P.S. A big thanks to Sarah. She was really the one that thrusted her hands / arms in and out of my oven and I couldn't have done it without her. 

P.P.S. She was also the one that helped wave the smoke away from the smoke detectors that went off more times than I can count. 

DIY Project: Paint Sample Coasters

Happy Hump Day a.k.a. Christmas Eve-Eve-Eve-Eve!

In honor of Christmas Eve-Eve-Eve-Eve, here's yet another super easy, super fun DIY: Paint Sample Coasters!!

I made these for Britnee and Lindsay, and Sean. And myself. I made a set of EIGHT for myself. I have no idea why. I have never had eight people in my apartment. EVER. I have a problem.

Now at first glance this DIY seems kind of random, I know. I mean, who would think, "Let's go to Lowe's / Home Depot and grab some ceramic bathroom tiles. Then, let's hover around the paint section trying to look inconspicuous as we rifle through all the paint samples." Apparently tons of people. Step-by-step instructions were all over Pinterest.

Here's some pictures of what they look like. I will apologize in advance for the blurriness. I don't know what was going on last night. I expect more from my iPhone. Come on, Apple. Get with it.

I am obsessed with the fact that the top color is "Crab Bisque." 

Middle color = Country Club. 

The top color is "Hot Chocolate" and the bottom color is "Molasses." Hehehe. 

And here's the whole motley crew from my place.  

If you're trying to be thrifty, this is the DIY for you. Here's what you'll need:


- Ceramic bathroom tiles (10 cents / each)
- Mod Podge (about 6 bucks (but it'll last forever))
- Clear acrylic gloss coating (it's sold in the spray paint area of your craft store)
- Felt ($1 / four pieces)
- Paint samples (free as can be!)
- Scissors
- Hot glue gun

Now, I did not take any pictures of the process, but here's the step-by-step instructions I used.

A couple tips:

- Make sure to find ceramic tiles that do NOT have beveled or rounded edges. It will make life more difficult because the paint sample will be reluctant to lay on the tile flat. They should look like this:

No ... that's not a glass of wine. Nope. Not at all. 

- Use the felt to make a backing for the coasters. Just use your hot glue gun to affix the felt to the back of the tile.


I totally recommend this for your friends. They'll love them.

DIY Project: T-Shirt Scarf

Yesterday, I told you guys I’d be posting quick, easy, do-it-yourself projects that you can make as last-minute gifts for your friends and fam. Yesterday, I posted about frosted wine glasses (that I gave to my dear friends Eddie and Mario). Today, I’ll be posting about how to make your own scarf … from t-shirts!

My lovely friend Maggie was the recipient of this gem.

What’s great about this scarf (besides it looking really nifty) is that it requires NO sewing. I am nobody’s seamstress so this works out especially great for me.

All you need to do is go to your local Hobby Lobby (I've fallen in love with that place lately) or a thrift store and grab two XL t-shirts. It'll cost you less than ten bucks. Also, I think that you don't have to use solid shirts. In fact, a patterned shirt or shirt with a print on it would probably look pretty sweet. The only thing you should try to avoid is a shirt with a seam down the sides of the torso. Take the shirts and lay them out on a flat surface. It's helpful to have a relatively large, flat surface. Since I don't really have one in my apartment, I opted to work on the floor.

Clearly, there's a slight, furry problem with working on the floor. At any rate, the next thing you'll need to do is cut each shirt off at the armpits. It'll leave you with two squarish pieces of material.

Then, cut the bottom hem off the shirt, if there is one.

Now, you want to cut inch-wide strips from what's left of the shirt. You'll be cutting left to right because what you want are inch-wide connected bands of fabric. Don't fret if it's not perfectly straight. We're going to do something that will make your crooked cutting virtually unnoticeable. What you'll want to do is take the strips and pull them with all your might.

Doing this will make the t-shirt material curl into itself and you'll get these cool, tubelike pieces of fabric. The end result looks something like this:

This is Maggie's preferred way of wearing a scarf, but I'm more of a looper, like this: 

Now, if you're looking closely (but ignoring the massive litter box in that pic, you'll see a braid in the scarf. To make one of those, pick three of your pieces, cut them so they will come undone, and braid them. Then, tie the ends back together and reincorporate it into the scarf. 

The last thing you'll need to do is band all the pieces together. Grab the hem from one of the shirts that you cut off and use it as a tie. Don't use the whole thing, just enough to keep things in one piece. 

This scarf doesn't take long at all to make and it's the kind of thing that can be worn with a plain top and really make your outfit more exciting. 

I have a feeling like I'll be making more (for myself) soon! 

P.S.: Meet Sean. There was no way I could leave this pic out. 

DIY Project: Frosted Wine Glasses

So, Christmas is a mere 6 days away. And, believe it or not, I (with the help of Pinterest) got into the Christmas spirit. I have a handful (okay maybe two handfuls) of close friends and I wanted to do something nice for them. And, I wanted an excuse to go Pinterest-crazy. So, (almost) everyday this week, I'll showing you a quick, easy, and fun do-it-yourself project that you can put into action if you need a last-minute gift for someone. These are all super-easy. Trust. If I can do them, you can do them.

Today's DIY is frosted wine glasses. Here's what you'll need:

• wine glasses (I bought some for $5 at Walmart) 
• rubber bands ($1 - Hobby Lobby) 
• frost spray paint (This I bought from Lowe's for about $7.) It looks like this: 

So, this whole DIY cost about $13 dollars. Not bad. 

Here's what you do: 

1. Grab your rubber bands and a clean wine glass. Also, make sure that you have clean, non-greasy hands.

2. Then, wrap rubber bands all over the wine glass, however you want. Here, you can tell that I'm wrapping them and overlapping them all over the place. However, from experience I learned that horizontal lines, with no overlapping, works best. 

3. Then, you spray. You MUST do this outside, so do it when there's some light still. This will help you spray evenly and thoroughly. I decided to do two coats, just to maximize the frostiness. 

4. This spray paint says give it an hour before you handle it. But, once that hour is up, grab some scissors and (carefully) cut off the rubber bands. Then, brush off the excess spray paint. Give them a good wash (inside especially so that you don't poison your friends) and gift them to your bestest buds. 

I'm ashamed to say I don't have a closeup of these glasses but I gave two to Eddie and two to Mario. Here they are: 

Look how cute they are! (The boys aren't too bad either!) 

Again, great DIY. And if your friends happen to be more of a beer drinker, it's all the better. Make them some always-frosty beer mugs! 

The Kitties on Sandwiches and Teen Mom

Last week, in a blog about my return to yoga, I talked about how I wanted to write a cute blog that involved my cats being well, cute. Well the long-anticipated day is here, folks.

This blog is two-fold. Let's start with Paisley.

So, the other day, I went home for lunch and grabbed food on the way. So, I'm sitting on my couch watching my usual MTV / Bravo awfulness and Paisley starts doing this:

I know. Presh. What in the world could he be looking at? This:

My half-eaten tuna sandwich from Subway. What a cliche thing for a cat to do. Well when I get back home at the end of the work day, this is what I come home to: 

Someone realllllly wanted that sandwich. What a little shit.


Now, we all remember Augie, right? Well here he is stink-eying me later that same night:

"You're ridiculous. Why are you even humoring yourself? You're so not going to be productive right now. Do what you always do and watch more MTV." 

So I did. I watched the Teen Mom premiere. And even though Augie told me to, this is what he looked like at about 3 minutes in to the show:

This is him at about 15 minutes in:

Again, presh.

I love this guys.

Three Songs That Are a Little Too Cool for Me (But I Still Love)

I have a confession: I wish I had "cool" music taste. What is "cool" music taste, you ask? It's a love of non-mainstream, kind of indie, first-discovered-at-a-music-festival music. It is not Train, Lee DeWyze (of American Idol fame), or Lil Wayne. (Those three currently dominating my "Top 25 Most Played" playlist on iTunes.) 

At any rate, I really wish that I had cooler music taste. But, thanks to the wonder of Spotify, (and an unrelenting itch to find anything to get me out of doing actual work at work), I get to discover new music while I sit at my desk and "work" daily. And I've found three songs that I really, really like. So, I present another list. This is a list of non-mainstream, cool-guy songs that aren't really in my musical ... wheelhouse, but I love anyway. This is list is appropriately titled,"Three Songs That Are a Little Too Cool for Me." 

1. City and Colour - The Girl 

I'm not 100% sure, but I think I caught a little bit of City and Colour's set when I was at ACL (the Austin City Limits Music Festival) this past September. I wish I had heard this song live, because I bet it was awesome. This song's lyrics are just so sweet. I love hearing about simple, unadulterated, un-put-upon love, and that's what this song is really all about.  Also, I like this song's (lack of) instrumentation. About halfway through (2:20 or so) it has a surprising tempo change that's fun. This song makes it into the "too cool" category because of it's obscurity and simplistic nature. It is the type of song that really could make it mainstream, but it would no doubt get all synthesized and commercialized in the process.

2. Ghostland Observatory - Sad Sad City 

Oh Ghostland. Ghostland might win the award for "cool guy bands." In fact just yesterday, when Sarah and I were out and about, this song came on and we couldn't name the group, but we knew it was one of those bands that you "should" know. And, if I know anything about Ghostland fans, they would protest that Ghostland has other songs that are muuuuuuch better than this. But, this song reminds me of about 9-10 months ago when I was still living in Austin. Living in Austin meant going out in Austin, which also meant dancing to cool songs like this one. I'm sure there were other Ghostland songs playing, but this one is really upbeat and fun. It has an infectious beat that sticks in your head all day. 

3. Kings of Leon - Soft 

I know, I know. Kings of Leon had a chart-topping song like a year ago, they are soo mainstream now. But, listen to this song because it's so not the "Use Somebody" Kings of Leon we came to know and love (and get burned out on). I have a very distinct memory of hearing this in my friend Steph's car, years ago. And, it was upbeat and catchy, and so very scandalous. I don't know if Steph remembers this but one day I was like, "What the crap is this song about, Steph?" Her response? "I think it's about trying to had sex when you're high on a bunch of drugs." (Hope the title makes sense now ...) This song makes the list because the average person hasn't ever heard of it and doesn't know this version of Kings of Leon, but hardcore music fans, have know about this song for years. 

Well that's that. Do you guys have any "cool-guy" songs that you love? Or, do you have any proposed "cool-guy" songs that I ought to take a listen to? Is so, PLEASE send them my way! 

It Started with a Scale: My Return to Yoga

So, I had this super-cute post planned for Food & Wine Wednesday, but I didn’t get to it last night. It’s really a shame because it involved Paisley being pretty darn cute. As cute as a 16-pound cat** can be, that is. But, now it’s Thursday and that post will have to wait for another day. But here’s a little story: 

Ray is extremely thoughtful and generous. Ray also knows me really well – well enough to know the things that I need and / or want but would never remember to buy. Well on Tuesday, Ray told me a surprise, non-Christmas gift was about to be delivered. And Ray also said, “When you open it, do not think I’m trying to tell you something. I’m not sending you a subliminal message with this. Don’t worry.”

“Oh, shoot.” pretty much sums up my feelings as I open up this huge Overstock.com box. What was in the box you ask? A scale.

Right. My thoughts exactly.

I love Ray, a lot, and the scale is really, really nice (super thin, greenish glass top), but geez!

So, I do what any normal girl would do. I open it, promptly stand on it and prepare to hear the bad news. The news = 107.2 lbs. I know, I know. I suck. But let me say this when I was in the midst of my Bikram Yoga Challenge, I was about 6 pounds lighter. But, since I finished the challenge, I’ve … embraced the following:

• Wings from Hooters
• Sleeping in
• Copious amounts of alcohol (beer, liquor, and far too much red wine)

(I think we’ve found the source of the extra poundage, people.) 


So, (after whining and asking for assurance that I was not “plump”) I went in my room and packed a bag. I was going to 6AM yoga the next day. And you better believe on Wednesday morning, I was there. Terrified (I haven't been the entire month of November), but bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. And this morning, I went again. Less terrified, but also much less bright-eyed. During those two classes, I realized that I miss it a little bit. So, now, I present to you ... 

Five Things I’ve Missed About Bikram Yoga

1. Having more energy. Now, I know that a couple paragraphs ago, I whined about feeling plumper than usual. But, the real reason that I started yoga / being physical was for the extra energy. When I don’t work out, it’s noticeable harder for me to get out of bed. Doing Bikram also keeps me from eating super crappy, which helps with the energy level too.
2. The warmth. Earlier this week I posted about how cold it was and how much I loathe being cold. Well, a Bikram yoga room is heated to 105 degrees, give or take. And when it’s 28 degrees outside, it’s heaven. Heaven in a very stinky room, but heaven nonetheless.
3. Feeling accomplished. On the days that I go to yoga, I feel like a badass. I feel like a badass because I’ve gotten so much done. I’ve woken up, worked out, and I make it to work on time. And that’s before 8AM. It’s awesome. Nothing beats it. Seriously. If you can get over your alarm going off at 4:50 AM, then you should definitely consider switching to early morning workouts.
4. Every day is different and every day is the same. During a Bikram yoga class, regardless of the teacher, regardless of the time of day, you do the exact same 26 postures (asanas). It never fails. They are even in the same order. And, as a person that gets anxious about uncertainty, I love this. I love being able to know what’s going to happen next. I also love the that every day is different. Some days, I am a rockstar. I’m not kidding! Like, I’m just moving through each posture, like it’s a breeze. But there are some days that I look drunk or something. I can’t keep my balance, I can’t focus, it’s brutal but I still love that the class has that novelty, after all this time.
5. The mini-triumphs. Bikram yoga is full of mini-triumphs. Almost every class I go to, there will be something that I do really well. On Wednesday, I rocked this posture out, and was super proud of myself.

(photo courtesy of Bikram Yoga San Antonio) 

On Thursday, this is one that I did excellently, if I do say so myself.

(photo courtesy of Bikram Yoga San Antonio) 

So that’s that. To sum it up, I got a scale and then I went to yoga. And then I reminded myself about how I actually really love and miss this feeling: 

This picture was taken after I finished my 60-day challenge. I got to sign the wall. Doing so filled me with this unwavering feeling of accomplishment and awesomeness. 

** The reason I know how much Paisley weighs is because, after weighing myself, I picked him up, weighed him, and then did the math.


He was not happy with me.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside (And I Want to Sit on My Couch and Watch TV All Day)

I can’t stand being cold. I cannot handle being cold. I turn into a 26-year-old baby in the cold. Like, I’m cranky and whiny and I let everyone in my office know that I am cold. Including the company call center, because that’s who you have to contact to initiate a work order to get the thermostat adjusted in my office. Believe it. Someday I will blog about the ridiculous of working in corporations.


That being said, I resist the urge to take a picture of my car’s thermostat, or screenshot the weather from my iPhone like this:

I resist the urge because it’s cliché. I also resist the urge to post status updates like this:


“insert picture of my car’s thermostat”
“insert statement about how flippin’ cold it is today”


Those are becoming cliché, which is no good either.


I think about it and I feel it in my heart (and my frigid hands) but I resist.


So I will take a few minutes to tell you, my wonderful blog readers that I’m cold. And that I really hate being cold. And that, come lunchtime, I will be getting in my car and blasting myself with delicious car heat on my way to wherever I decide to eat today.

It's Been A Long Time ...

I’ve been gone.

For a long time. (Long Time In Blog World = 12 days).

For my few, but greatly loved, readers (who are mostly my friends that are obligated to read my blog), my bad. Don’t give up on me yet.During my hiatus, I was busy. Like really, really busy. Busy thinking, busy smiling and giggling, busy oscillating between family and friends, and my love. And, while part of what I’ve been doing wasn’t all that extraordinary, part of it truly was amazing and awesome.

Let’s just talk about the amazing and awesome stuff today.

Now, if you’re working off of the notion that a woman that lives with two cats, consistently takes pictures of said cats, occasionally blogs about her cats and shares her ice cream with her cats is a cat lady, and you believe that the definition of a cat lady is a single, sad woman, you may think that I am in fact a cat lady. Sorry to burst your bubble, but I am not a cat lady (at least by that definition).

I am … engaged!! How amazing is that?

Anddd, how amazing is this?!

The reason I have not talked about my relationship to date is for two different reasons. First, it’s because my other half wants / needs to remain anonymous. It’s for their work. It’s for their safety and our security. It is what it is.

Secondly, if you’re even a semi-loyal reader, you know that this blog has been kind of all over the place. I never know what to write about. Music? Kitties? Food? Crafts? While I usually never know exactly what to write about, I know that that I didn’t start a blog to talk about my relationship and all things lovey-dovey (all the time). I wanted a place to come to talk about my interests and activities, my likes and dislikes, and my random meaningless / meaningful thoughts. That being said, there are days and moments in my life that are irrevocably colored by my relationship, so much so that it seems so artificial and fake to never talk about my relationship here.

Overall, my blog is just that. It’s mine. It’s for me. The person I’m with doesn’t have an interest in capturing every microscopic and macroscopic going-ons of their day. That’s all me. Now, I struggled a lot on how to maintain the anonymity of my fiancé.

So, here’s what we’ll do:

- Hereafter, my fiancé will be called “Ray” for all intents and purposes. It’s short and sweet, and if you know me / my fiancé, I’m sure you’ve already cracked my brilliant code.

- “Ray” will be around, clandestinely*. If you’re lucky, you may even catch a glimpse of “Ray.” It’ll be very How I Met Your Mother-esque.

(For those of you that don’t get the reference, the show has been on for years and you never actually see the mother, you just hear about her. All you get to see are like pieces of her … I think one episode they showed her ankle or something. It was a big deal**).

Whew. Glad that’s out of the way. I feel a lot lighter now. Now, next week, when I’m back on my blogging game, I can share snippets of what happened with me and Ray over this few days. There was the engagement, Thanksgiving, and more! There are pictures, there are recipes, and it’s all a really good time.

* I absolutely love the word clandestine. I think it’s so pretty. It
sounds almost like a name. Clandestine is just a fancy way to say
covert or sneakily.

** I’ve never seen one full episode of HIMYM but I remember the ankle
thing being a big deal. I did employ my savvy Googling skills – some
sources say it was an ankle, others say it was the entire foot.

A Dead Battery, A Pet Violation, and an Awful Trip to the Dentist

This Tacky Tuesday was NOT a tough one to write. I have enough material from Monday evening / Tuesday morning to write for days. But I won't. Instead, I'll tell you about the events, and the silver linings within each of these events.

Let's get started:

1. I killed my car battery by leaving it on for three hours after my lunch break on Monday. I also didn't know that a jump is not an automatic fix. That is, if you're like me and your car has the same battery that it's always had when you bought it, it probably will not survive this unfortunate event. But, rest-assured AAA will eagerly come to your rescue and give you a fresh new battery (once you hand them $99.

Silver Lining - I learned something about cars. And, Tony, the AAA guy, was super nice and made the entire event far less painful.

2. When i finally got to head home from work, I found a "pet violation" notice on my door. Wondering why? Well, my apartment charges $300 PER PET. This is not refundable. More than that, that is just wayyy too much money. When I moved in, I figured I'd make sure Paisley and Augie kept a low profile and all would be well. Nope. The pest control guys came to my apartment last week when I was at work and sprayed. I'm assuming that the cats were all over them and they told the front office. And today, I got the pleasure of writing a $300 check to them. The other $300 is due at the beginning of next month. Ugh. (Now I'm out $400 in case you're keeping track.)

Silver Lining - My cats can go outside for a bit without fear they'll be found out. Every cat loves a little grass from time to time. And, they could even meet the Siamese stray cat, that I know they've been dying to be friends with.

3. Bright and early this Tuesday morning, I got to go the dentist. Yay. Please note the sarcasm. It blew. Now, I'm not being a baby. This wasn't your run-of-the-mill filling, or even a root canal. This shit makes grown men cry. It also made me cry. It's so gruesome, I won't share it. But, know that it's all better and hurts far less than it did while it was happening. (If you're still keeping track of my finances. The dollar amount mentioned above more than quadrupled.)

Silver Lining - Today was one of the best days ever. Something happened to me that made my mouth immediately stop hurting. It made me know that everything, from this point forward, was going to be okay. It was going to be better than okay. It was going to be amazing.

(Blogger's Note: I apologize for the cryptic nature of that last bit. If you know me, you know what the last silver lining refers to. If not, ask and I'll probably tell. I'm still working on how to maintain someone's anonymity and bare my soul on the World Wide Web.)

Three Songs That I'm (Semi)Embarrassed to Admit I Know Every Word To

Right this second I’m sitting in my car, with the seat scooted all the way back, typing my Media Monday blog. Why you ask? Because I am a scatterbrained, absent-minded soul who leaves her lights on when returning from lunch. My battery is dead. Like dead-dead. Like I paid AAA $99 dollars for a brand-new battery.

If we’re being honest, I inadvertently left them on because I was having wayyy too much fun singing “Hey, Soul Sister.” I’m not even lying. I was jamming out.

With this extra hour of time on my hands, I’ve decided to write about music for today's Media Monday. Specifically, I decided to bare my soul and tell you about three songs that I am semi-embarrassed to admit that I know every word to. EVERY. SINGLE. WORD.

1. Barenaked Ladies – One Week (http://youtu.be/fC_q9KPczAg)

Back when this song came out, I thought it was so cool. I had just crossed over from the R&B channel to the Top 40 station and I thought that I was “hardcore” and listened to really cool “alternative" music. While I loved it at the time, in hindsight I don't know why I would think any group that came up with these lyrics was even remotely cool:

Chickity China the Chinese chicken

You have a drumstick and your brain stops tickin' ...

... Like Harrison Ford I'm getting frantic

Like Sting I'm tantric

Like Snickers, guaranteed to satisfy ...

... Gotta get in tune with Sailor Moon

'Cause the cartoon has got the boom anime babes

That make me think the wrong thing ... 

2. Dixie Chicks - Goodbye Earl (http://youtu.be/Gw7gNf_9njs)

Now this song was my foray into the country world. And, man, I thought these chicks were cool. They were the best of friends. The type of friends that would literally kill the dude that hurt their friend. That is so hardcore. And ballsy. They killed the dude. With poisoned black-eyed peas. (Then, the went and opened up their own roadside stand. They sold Tennessee ham and strawberry jam, in case you're curious.)

Take a look at this gem of lyrics:

... Those black eyed peas
They tasted alright to me Earl, 

You're feelin' weak?
Why don't you lay down and sleep, Earl
Ain't it dark, wrapped up in that tarp, Earl?

See what I mean? Ballsy. 

3. Christina Aguilera - Ven Conmigo (Solamente Tú) (http://youtu.be/INVNRxbjp1k)

This ... Is the Spanish version of "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)". Allow me to explain. Back in 1998ish, I bought the CD single of the previously-mentioned hit. Back then, you buy the single for two or three bucks and you get like four different versions of the song. One of which just happened to be in Spanish. Now, the song, in English, is great. It came out during Christina's prime (before the Dirty album, before the baby, before messing up the National Anthem, and before the chunk).

So, for some ungodly reason, I took it upon myself to learn the song, in its entirety, in Spanish. (I guess I don't really have an explanation after all ... ) At any rate, here is one of my favorite excerpt:

Es hoy la ocasion
Tengo listo en corazon, vienes tu, oh
Ya la fiesta comenzo
Bailaremos sin control, oh, oh

Roughly translated, I think Christina is trying to say: "Today is the day. My heart is ready. The party is starting. Let's dance all crazy."

Not bad, huh? That's where four semesters of college Spanish will get you.

If you are bold enough to share your semi-embarrassing tunes, please do so. Don't make me embarrass myself all alone.

Sunday Sumday: Glass, the Dentist, and Way Too Much Mud

Weird title, huh? Allow me to explain.

I love my blog. I've posted 10 whole blogs over the past month and a half or so. (Please hold your applause for that massive accomplishment.) While writing those blogs, I realized that it's really hard to come up with blog topics, especially if you're feeling a little "blah" and / or feel like "nothing interesting if going on." And, I remembered that I'm the kind of girl that likes structure and order. My apartment may not drive this point home (because at this very moment it looks like it's been ransacked), but I really love certainty and plans and things like that.

So, with the help of a couple of my best buds, I came up with blog "themes", if you will. Here goes:

• Sunday Sumdays - These are posts devoted to writing about the highlights (and inevitable lowlights) of the past week. 
• Media Mondays - Here will be blogs focusing on the movies, music, and TV shows I'm currently obsessed with. 
• Tacky Tuesdays - The plan here is to post blogs that discuss things deemed tacky (e.g. annoying, lame, sucky, etc.) 
• Food&Wine Wednesdays - This is simple enough, I'd say. Just blogs and posts about recipes, delicious bottles of wine I've tried, etc.
• Fab Fridays - This is the antithesis of Tacky Tuesdays. Here's where I'll talk about things (anything) I just love and can't get enough of.

You'll notice Thursdays and Saturdays are left off the list. These are freebie / free-for-all days, meaning that some days I may be blogging about random stuff that doesn't fit any of these molds or I'll be taking the night off from blogging entirely. A little "me" time goes a loooong way, people.

Now that that's out of the way (if you're still reading) here's my first Sunday Sumday post:

The first thing that comes to mind is WARRIOR DASH, which was this past Saturday. I briefly mentioned it a couple posts ago. I believe I said something about how I petrified of the race. Believe me I was. I won't get into it here because there will be a separate post on the Warrior Dash soon, but here's a little teaser: a picture of me. After I crossed the FINISH line.

Believe it.

Last Thursday, Britnee and I went to the glass-fusing place. It was her first time to go but I've been before. That experience was documented here. We made a Christmas-esque creation this go-around. Here's the "before" shot of mine:

You like? I like. The final product will hopefully be ready for pick-up in a few days. 

Last Tuesday, I got to see my friend Laurie. TWICE. This is a big deal because we don't live in the same city. Laurie is one of my very best friends. I've know her since my sophomore year of college. We lived together for three years. We were in the same sorority. And we are the kind of friends that have maintained our friendship throughout all of the undeniably growing you do from the ages of 19-26.  

Oh I almost forgot, I also went to the dentist this week. Yay. And dentists have an uncanny way of making you feel like a pretty crap human being because you maybe don't floss regularly, and maybe you have a tendency to eat sweet stuff before passing out for the night while watching Season 2 of Grey's Anatomy. (It happens to me about 5 times a week. No judgment.) Bitches. Anywho, they handed me a hefty "treatment plan" and an even more hefty (heftier?) bill. Sigh. Gotta love it.

Well, I'm soo pumped about this coming week. It's a short work week. There will be lots and lots of food. And I get to see my family, which I don't do enough.

And, I have a visitor that should be touching down in San An in circa 36 hours. This visit is way overdue. So pumped.

Pasta with Bacon, Mushrooms, and Chicken

I have an obsession. It’s a relatively new obsession, but it’s been hitting me pretty hardcore. That obsession is … mushrooms. (Insert joke about psychedelic mushrooms here.)

But, seriously, in the past month or so, I’ve been all about the mushrooms. I can’t quite put my finger on it because I used to think they were pretty gross. But recently, the little Jonna in my head keeps saying, “bring on the ‘shrooms!” I love them on pizza and I really like them in Italian-inspired meals. And, I love them so much that I decided to make this:

This is Pasta with Bacon, Mushrooms, and Chicken. How freakin’ good does that look? And it tastes just as good as it looks, believe me.

 No, I did not take this picture. But, boy do I wish I had those photography skills! I’ll even accept the ability to make my food look like that when I cook it.

I took this recipe (and the picture) from The Pioneer Woman and adapted it a bit for me. I added the chicken part because I wanted it to be a strong standalone meal, and not just a hearty side. I kind of have this theory that, in order for pasta to be a meal, it needs a meat of some sort accompanying it.

At any rate, here’s what you’ll need to make this:

Paisley: Mmm, Good choice with the chicken, Mom. Well done.

Augie: Bacon?! This has bacon and chicken?! Bacon makes everything better. I’m so excited to lick your bowl when you’re done!

Hehehe. Okay, here are the ingredients, in list form:

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Chicken Breasts

3 slices Thin Bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces

3 cloves Garlic, minced

 1 package (10 ounces) Mushrooms (I used baby Portobellos)

1 cup low-sodium Chicken Broth

1 cup Half-and-Half

¼ cup Heavy Whipping Cream

3 whole Green Onions, white and light green parts sliced

¼ cup Parsley, minced (I used the curly kind, because that’s all HEB had)

¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated (and some extra)

Salt

Pepper

1 pound Pasta (I used Linguine, because I already had some) 

And here’s how you make this. It’s as easy as … pasta.

• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• While that’s going, you’ll want to grill up the chicken breasts. Wash them, then pat them dry, and then salt and pepper them. Now, ladies and gentlemen, here’s where I reveal my secret ingredient.

• Mrs. Dash. If you haven’t ever used this, you need to. It’s a wonderful seasoning blend that saves you the trouble of having to think when you season things. And, this particular kind (there are like nine different Mrs. Dash blends) is delicious and complements the rest of the pasta dish wonderfully. So hurry up and sprinkle your chicken with this, and grill it on up. Then, chop it up and save it for later.
• In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add bacon pieces and cook until light brown but not crisp. Remove bacon from pan and set aside. Do not clean pan.
• Add mushrooms and garlic to pan. Toss/stir around and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes; increase heat to high if needed to help mushrooms begin to turn golden brown.
• Pour in chicken broth. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any bits. Cook over medium-high heat for several minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by half.
• Reduce heat and pour in half and half and cream. Stir and allow to bubble and thicken for a couple of minutes. Add sliced green onions and parsley, then cook for one more minute. Finally, add Parmesan and stir, allowing cheese to melt and incorporate into the sauce. Turn off heat.
• Add cooked pasta to a large bowl. Add half the sauce from the pan. Toss with tongs.
• Add 1/2 cup hot pasta water at this point if the pasta mixture is too thick and gunky. Toss and add more water until it reaches the consistency you need.
• Serve pasta in individual bowls, topping each helping with the rest of the sauce and some of your grilled chicken. Sprinkle with extra parsley and extra Parmesan.

Enjoy! This recipe will serve four hungry folks.

(Blogger’s Note: The first image and much of the preparation instructions are from The Pioneer Woman. I love her, but she’s never heard of me. But, the woman cooks some dang good stuff.)

P-p-p-poker Face, P-p-poker Face

Last night, I got together with three of my best friends Britnee, Leigh, and Lindsay for a friendly game of poker. Now if you know me at all, you’re probably assuming that I don’t know the first thing about playing poker. And, you’d be … right.

I was clueless, people. Like really clueless. But I have emerged from last night a stronger, wiser, poker player. So, I present to you a list of the things I learned during my first foray into the gambling world:

1.    The chips represent arbitrary amounts that you and your group decide on. Okay, let’s see if I can explain this (correctly). When you get ready to play the game, you first gather everyone’s money (a.k.a. their “buy-in”) and set it off to the side. Now, you know the pretty chips that everyone has set up in front of them? Well, before the game starts, you just give them an agreed-upon amount. My entire life, I thought that those chips represented actual dollars and cents and whenever the game ended, you got your percentage of the pot. Nope. Winner takes all. Kinda blows, huh? Since our buy-in was $10, there was a 25% chance I’d walk away with thirty extra dollars and a 75% chance I’d be out $10.  

2.    A poker face is imperative. You have to be able to bluff. You just do, it’s part of the game. And I couldn’t bluff. For squat. At the beginning of the game, I had this amazing streak of beginner’s luck. I was clueless and yet I was getting all these great hands (including, but not limited to, TWO full houses, back to back). And as I got all these great hands, I was smirking. Well, Britnee said I was smirking. In all actuality, I was beaming like an idiot. Anywho, once I started to lose / get dealt crappy hands, my entire demeanor changed. I was just this sad, emo kid looking at my cards listlessly. And my beautiful stacks of chips were disappearing. Fast. It was soo sad.

3.    My knowledge of poker is / was deplorable. I can’t say it enough. Right when the game started, I confessed to my friends that about 67% of all that I know about poker comes from “The Parent Trap.” Yes, I’m talking about the 1998 Lindsay Lohan Disney movie. 24 percent comes from this one episode of Friends where the boys agree to let the girls play with them, even though they have no idea what they’re doing. (The other 9% comes from me Googling “poker for dummies” at work the day before and using my phone for a reference on what the different hands are.) None of these helped me last night.

If you’re curious as to what specific scene, I’m talking about from “The Parent Trap,” check this little YouTube gem out:

4.    Do not celebrate until you’re sure you’ve won. So, during this one hand, there’s tons of chips in play and I was feeling really confident. If I remember correctly, I had a full house (3 queens and 2 kings, I think). I was in the perfect position to redeem myself and win back some chips. I totally thought I had it in the bag. Britnee had folded and it was just me, Leigh, and Lindsay. Leigh showed her cards and they weren’t a full house. I proudly displayed my cards, calmly stating, “I have a full house.” I began pulling (what I believed to be) my winnings toward me. Then, Lindsay, who’s sitting to my right quietly, but repeatedly, asks me what my high card in my full house is. Proudly, I say, “king.” Then, I look over and see that her high card is an ace. Aces are high, which means I lost. You should have heard the expletives and seen the slamming of cards and chips. It was awful. I was depressed. And pissed at myself for prematurely celebrating.

5.    The house always wins. After four hours, 2/3 of a 6-inch Subway sandwich (tuna, if you’re curious), and four Shiner Light Blondes, I emerged a loser. Ugh. And Leigh (who hosted the poker night) won. Won the whole pot. She’s $30 richer. If we ever do this again, we’re doing it at my house. For sure.