Jesse James, my hero

No, not that Jesse James.

This one.
Did anybody else watch Celebrity Apprentice last night? I'm not a regular watcher, and wasn't home to watch the first part, but I saw the end, and Jesse James is my new celeb crush. He was so gentle, and didn't beat down on DR, just told it like it is. I got goosebumps (about 21 seconds until the end) when he was sitting between Herschel Walker and Dennis Rodman: "There's two of the greatest athletes in the history of American sports, right here. Look at the contrast." Did you see his chin quiver?

I heart Jesse.

At least until Joe Lando returns to the small screen as Sully in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.

*sigh* I used to kiss the TV screen when he rode into the scene.

Is there a cure?

Something that crossed my mind today: Do you think that we will ever find a cure for diseases like cancer? Or is it just one of the consequences of living in a fallen world? Have you thought about that?

Temporarily Unpopular

Not to self: Once you have your blogger template installed, don't forget to install your Analytics tracker. You don't want this to happen again:

I gave myself a little dose of low self-esteem when I logged on today and saw that I had zero visitors. Zero. Nothing. Nada. Right now I'm averaging about 23 a day, and to go from 23 to 0 meant something bad has happened. Am I suddenly not popular anymore? I understand the dip in the weekends, but zero is a little bit extreme. Where did all of my readers go?

I knew that I'd had at least two visitors yesterday because Jared and Liz both commented. I had this "ah ha!" moment when I realized that I'd forgotten to install Analytics when I changed my template. I was so frustrated with coding and getting things to look right that I'd totally forgotten that I need to put the code back on.

That's fixed now, so in a day or so things should be back to normal. Yay!

Costa Rican Coffee Giveaway!

Anybody who knows me knows that I do not like coffee.

I was cleaning my kitchen today and found this bag of Costa Rican coffee that I brought back from my trip this summer (Hey! There's my blog back there!). I intended to give it as a gift but bought so many bags of coffee that this was left over.

I'm giving it away. It would be nice if I had as many readers as the Pioneer Woman and I could just hold a random drawing from 5,000 readers who leave comments. I seem to be about 4,090 readers short of that though.

So leave a comment about how much coffee means to you and I'll pick someone on Wednesday at 1900 CST.

Oh, and if you're wondering if it's still good since it's been sitting on my shelf, you have until July 11 to enjoy this bag of deliciousness. You should know that I don't always act promptly on time-sensitive matters.

I know, you can't stand the unoriginality

Edit: It's fixed!

This won't affect the GR junkies, but if you're visiting this blog and thinking "Gosh, she's so boring! What is up with that template layout? Gah. I'm so out of here," please visit in the next couple of days. I'm in the process of changing things up.

Love!

Google + Me. We go together like whoa.

My goodness. I realized today that Google is involved in much of my life. Is that bad? Here's the list. Google is paying me as much for this ad as I pay to use their stuff.

Gmail
Daily, obsessive use. It's like my 5th appendage.

Analytics
Web tracking at its best. And for free.

Picasa
Obsessively post/share/edit pictures.

Notebook
This is where a lot of my thoughts go down. It's always with me, I can pull it up whenever I need to. I even have a notebook titled "da blog" for blog ideas.

Docs
Currently my most-used google doc is the spreadsheet with my debt repayment plan.

Reader
I use this every day. I currently have 111 subscriptions and this is a really handy way to keep track of them all so that I don't have to go to each blog individually.

Search
I use this daily also. I google everything. Have a question? Need to look up a word? Google it.

Earth
Fun to play with!

Notifier
My friend Jason hooked me up with this and I can't live without it now. It lets me know when I have new gmail, and also gives a little preview.

SketchUp
This is something that I want to learn how to use. It's capable of a lot in terms of 3D drawings, I just haven't devoted the time to it.

Blogger
You're lookin at it!

Calendar
I don't use this as much as I use my work calendar, but it's nice to be able to pull it up wherever I am.

See more of what google has to offer here.

Two lives well-lived.

If you're visiting this blog and haven't yet heard about The Macs and Baby Cora, I encourage you to check out their blog and catch up on the story.

They were featured in an article in our local newspaper, and were in a special news segment the other night.

Today I finally had a chance to watch Cora's memorial service that took place in February. It hurt to watch, and I'm not even a mom, or anywhere close to motherhood. In situations like this, I can only think "Life is fragile." It doesn't last forever. Cora was only 11-months old. Death comes knocking whether we're ready or not.

---

On the opposite end of the spectrum of life is a grandparent who is just getting worn down. I have the chance every Sunday to be a "ray of Sunday sunshine" to my grandparents when I visit each week. Today was one of the hardest days I've ever had at the nursing home. In college I went once a week with a group of friends to the local nursing home to visit the patients there. It was weird at times because they'd ask who we were and why we were visiting. Unfortunately some of them never had any family come to visit, even though their family members lived in the same town. But it's different interacting with my own grandparents in that situation, and not a stranger's. I'm thankful that I live close enough to enjoy the company of my grandparents, even though it's just for an hour a week.

Today I prayed with my grandpa. It's something I've never done before, but something that I would often do with my other nursing home friends. I felt like I needed to. His verse lately has been "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." That's where his hope is. When he can't sleep, he thinks about that verse. When he gets weary from sickness, he thinks about that verse. When life gets him down, he thinks about that verse. And that's what's getting him through. I wish that there was more that I could do to help him, but prayer and a piece of my time are really all that I can offer.

Don't take your family for granted. I think that's what people have learned through Cora's story. And grandparents have so much to offer. Love on them while you still can.

To hear him say "I love you, Sweetie" when I hugged him goodbye ... that was enough for me.

Well, that was easy!

I was surprised yesterday at how easily God used me, and how I felt after it was over. I went to BBB yesterday to serve lunch for the homeless. We had a record number of people come through, and even had some new faces. This is just an ordinary once-a-month thing that I do, something that gets me out and interacting with new faces on the weekend. Little did I know that it would come up in a conversation later in the day.

The weather yesterday was gorgeous and I couldn't just leave my bike locked up, so I took the long way through the neighborhood to the river to feed the ducks. It was my intention to just have some QTWG, but God had other plans.

I parked my bike on the sidewalk at the same time as a guy was walking up with a bag of bread. Eventually we both ended up sitting on the same bench, and after we both ran out of bread and the geese (and a few bullied-around ducks) had paddled away to find another snack, we broke that awkward "stranger silence" and made introductions. We started talking about the neighborhood and how much Wichita has changed since he was a little kid.

We had one of those conversations where the topics just flow together, and we got on the subject of homeless people in Wichita and how life is rough for them, and I mentioned that I had fed lunch to the homeless earlier in the day. He had a lot of questions about what group I do that with, and how often we do that. Then he mentioned The Lord's Diner and how the Catholics that run it are doing a good thing, but he just doesn't understand how they (Catholics) don't pray to God directly, but go through a Saint Whoever. A little bit later I had the opportunity to ask him if he believes that Jesus is the only way to Heaven. And THAT was a big step for me. I am not one to be open about my faith very often at all.

Was this a test? I'd like to think so. God put me in the right place at the right time to get to open up to a stranger about God's love and to know that I was talking to someone who believes what I believe. It's as simple as listening, and thinking "What is God's will in this situation? How can I bring glory to God?" I could have just ignored this man and fed the geese and gone back to my apartment, but I stayed to chat.

We parted ways with a "prob'ly see ya around" and as I was riding home, my only thought for a while was "Well, that was easy! That was so easy!"

Hi, My Name is Ashleigh

So, last night was a first for me. You can just call me "Ashleigh" (unique spelling is optional) when we're out at Sam's Place. The funny thing is, that I was hit on by a 65-year old sober man at the very end of the night (his name is Denver and he said I had a very good handshake), and Rachel and Lindsay got the 28-year old drunkies. Thankfully Steve was there to intervene when the boys moved in a little too close. But Rach and Lindsay held their own pretty well.

The dance floor gets really interesting toward the end of the night when you're the only sober couple dancing among the crazies.

I am so sore. My hips hurt, and my feet have blisters in all the wrong places. But to dance? To dance with people who know what they're doing?

Awesome.

Many much thanks to Jeremy, Alan, Steve, and Matt for keeping us girls (Rachel, Lindsay, Jenn, Becky, and me) dancing all night.

I'll take that workout any day.

Thank God for Wranglers, cowboy hats, belt loops, and 2-steppin'. ;)

Btw, how many calories can you burn in 4 hours of dancing?

Play. Skip. Play. Skip. Play. Play. Play.

I was reading a post from Kim about her skip counts and play counts. She doesn't like to put a strike against a song so if she wants to skip it, she'll fast-forward to the end of the song, let the end play through and give it a play count instead. That's just plain crazy. I'm not afraid to skip my songs. :) So I decided to do a little investigating into my own collection. I was a bit surprised that one of the songs with the biggest skip count is also one of my faves. My tastes have changed recently to more of the mainstream Christian (is that the right genre? just plain Christian? Jesus music! anyway.) so I don't listen to many of these songs lately, but they're still my faves (and skippers).

(To see your skip count, right click in the bar in iTunes where the column titles are and choose skip count. You can do the same thing for play count and add it as another column.)

Here are my top 5 most-skipped songs:
Summer of '69 - Bryan Adams (1536) [I haven't played this since my birthday last year.]
Blankest Year - Nada Surf (456)
'Cause You Can - Birdmonster (384)
Love Punch - The Chalets (192)
Sway - The Perishers (192)

And these are my top 5 lovers:
Tim McGraw - Taylor Swift (140)
Stay - Sugarland (137)
Paperweight - Joshua Radin & Schuyler Fisk (134)
Big Girls Don't Cry - Fergie (118)
Hey There Delilah - Plain White T's (97)
[I haven't played these last two since August. I'm not a crazy. Anymore.]

Feel free to share your play/skip counts in the comments! Oh! And I have a new fave now. Brad Paisley's "Then." Dang country music. Pulling me back in...

Poll :: what am I?

P.S. I ordered pizza for dinner
	Red Beer
	V8 Splash
pollcode.com free polls

(Sorry about the annoying ad on the View page. There's a reason why these things are free.)

Dear JBU Phonathon,

Three years ago when I needed money I volunteered to work for you. I also voluntarily removed my name from the call list. Unfortunately you did not listen. So here we are. It is another semester and you are calling me. And I am not answering, because I have nothing to offer you right now. Will you continue this one-sided love affair with my phone number, even though I know that it is you and refuse to answer? Night after night you call me, and I know that if I just endure the 5:30 phone calls for a week and send you to my voice mail, I can hold you off for another 18 weeks. I will continue to ignore you like I ignore the dust bunnies in the corner. I'm sorry, but our relationship is on hold for now. Call me in 2013 when all my debts are paid.

Affectionately and forever yours,
DeMo

Discipline.

I will love the Spring, even with allergies.
I will love the Spring, even with allergies.
I will love the Spring, even with allergies.
I will love the Spring, even with allergies.
I will love the Spring, even with allergies.
I will love the Spring, even with allergies.
I will love the Spring, even with allergies.
I will love the Spring, even with allergies.
I will love the Spring, even with allergies.
I will love the Spring, even with allergies.
I will love the Spring, even with allergies.
I will love the Spring, even with allergies.

Recipe :: the BDE

I got this recipe from the back of the Cool Whip label on the lid. I was supposed to layer Jello on top of the crust and cream cheese, but didn't because 1) the Jello in my cabinet was way too old, and 2) I didn't read that it takes about 6 hours to make (setting the Jello and all that) instead of 3 hours and I was in a bit of a time crunch. Leave it to the Oreos to save the day!

The BDE (Best Dessert Ever) Original Post
1 1/2 cups graham crackers, finely crushed
1/2 cup sugar, divided
6 Tbsp melted butter or margarine
12 oz cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp milk
1 cup thawed Cool Whip
2 cups boiling water
1 package strawberry Jello
1 1/2 cups cold water
2 cans mandarin orange segments, drained

1. Mix graham crumbs, 1/4 cup of sugar and butter. Press firmly onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking pan. Set aside
2. Beat cream cheese, remaining 1/4 cup sugar and milk until smooth. Gently stir in whipped topping. Spread over crust. Refrigerate.
3. Meanwhile, stir boiling water into gelatin at least 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Stir in cold water. Refrigerate 1-1/2 hours or until slightly thickened Stir in orange segments. Spoon over cream cheese layer. No time for this? Bad Jello in the cabinet? Skip to Step 5.
4. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm. Cut into 20 squares. If desired, use additional whipped topping to garnish each serving. Store leftover dessert in refrigerator.
5. Frantically look around kitchen for something to put on top of cream cheese layer. It looks too pathetic to bring a dessert of just two layers. After all, things look better in threes.
6. Find package of Reduced Fat Oreos that were a splurge item today. Grab a couple of handfuls and have fun crushing with the rolling pin. Spread over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate.
7. Serve, and be amazed that there isn't much left over. :)

Wanna do my bracket?

I'll split my winnings (haha) with the person who makes my NCAA bracket for me. I have never done an official bracket before, but can get into a pool for $5. I'll pay the $5, if you help me with your bracket. Otherwise I'm going with whichever team has the best logo and typography. I'll let you know how that one goes.

Get the bracket here.

Recipe :: presentlydemo's enchiladas

Tonight I'm making enchiladas for my Bible study, and thought I'd be nice and share my secret recipe.

Here's how to make enchiladas the presentlydemo way. Yum. I know you'll love them. I've been told that they're better than any enchiladas from a restaurant. I think I agree. :)

• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 package taco seasoning
  
• 1/4 chopped onion
  
• 12 (8 inch) flour tortillas
• 8 ounces shredded Mexican cheese
• 2 (19 ounce) cans enchilada sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a heavy saucepan or skillet, brown the ground beef and onions. Follow the directions on the back of the taco seasoning. I like to use 1/2 package per pound of beef.
   
3. Spoon some meat mixture and cheese into the center of each tortilla, roll them up and arrange them in a 9x13 inch baking dish or oblong pan. I like to use toothpicks to keep my tortillas rolled. Pour the enchilada sauce over the rolled enchiladas and top with any remaining meat or cheese.
4. Bake in the preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 to 30 minutes.

Here's the original recipe that I've changed up a bit.

You would think I'd learned this lesson by now.

Every time I open my windows at night I wake up with a stuffy nose and sneeze for the next 6 hours.

But

I just can't

resist

the gorgeous

nights.

Catharsis 101

ca/thar/sis
noun

1. the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.

Tonight after dinner I spent some time in my flower bed pulling up all the dead stuff. I wasn't planning to, but my neighbor's boyfriend was over sipping PBR with her and was saying how dead the flowers were looking. Hello, Captain Obvious. They're dead because winter happened. Anyway, I felt the unwanted pressure to do something about it. I'm glad I did because the night was gorgeous and I love how the daylight sticks around for a bit longer (even though I had to put up with that dreaded time change last week).

There's something cathartic about pulling up the dead and seeing the new growth underneath. I hadn't taken the time until tonight to notice that my Lamb's Ear and Sedum were actually coming back. As I was pulling on some old Gladiolas sans gloves, I got a massive splinter in my thumb. It was lodged so far into my finger that it required a minor surgery with a needle and tweezers. Pain for beauty is how it goes. I am really looking forward to seeing what else pops up this spring.

Things that made me smile today (and last night)

:: hanging out with Sanchez and talking about life after every one else left Chipotle to dance off their dinner/shake their groove thing/fill-in-the-blank
:: realizing that i used to avoid chipotle like the plague b/c of one bad experience with 3 soft tacos, but now i really kinda like it
:: being thankful for the friends that i've kept in my life and for friendships that have developed over the last 2+ years
:: having the ability to cook for myself and being thankful that my mom taught me how
:: Jason's post and the comments that follow
:: going to work in the dark and seeing the moon, and arriving at work as the sky was greeting the morning with shades of purple
:: rounding up my Dillon's purchase to the nearest dollar to donate to a charity
:: seeing Kingsley at the checkout counter. He reminds me of the guy from The Green Mile and is always smiling
:: handing exact change for my milk ($2.01) to the cashier at Braum's and laughing because we both knew the price and she didn't need to scan it
:: declaring war on the ants that have recently invaded my apartment
:: wearing flip flops
:: driving with my windows down
:: listening to my neighbor play his dobro guitar
:: 70+ degree weather after too many days of coldness
:: giving a co-worker a hug after we'd both had a rough day and hearing her say "thanks, i needed that"
:: driving past the tall guy who is in some Cabaret Old Town shows (Denny?) as he was riding his bike in my neighborhood
:: seeing the bradford pear trees blooming on my street
:: getting a package and a hilarious card from Mel, even though it's her birthday and not mine

What made you smile today?

I promise I'm coming back

Along with all that stuff that I listed a few posts ago that I need to write about, I also have more stuff to talk about. Life seems to be busy at all the wrong times lately, but maybe tonight I'll get something written.

PS. Happy birthday, Mel!

It's just been one of those days

Today was exhausting. Full of I-forgot-I-scheduled-that meetings, unexpected editing of documents that took way too long, and a 2-hour battle with Publisher and the printer trying to make 100 newsletters with 2 page inserts. I'm so glad to be home.

Things still don't feel normal though. I haven't cooked a real meal for myself in 3 weeks. As Becky said at lunch today, maybe God is trying to get my attention. So tonight it looks like me, God, and some leftover Il Vicino for dinner.

Aw, shucks!

One of the disadvantages to working in a "cube" is that the music can't blare without interrupting someone. Today's song that must-be-played-quieter-than-I-want is MercyMe’s So Long, Self! So catchy!

The BDE was a happy accident

It looks much better in person, I promise. This is the BDE. The Best Dessert Ever. I made it for Holy Shnykees! night at Shaun's on Saturday and if you weren't there, or didn't eat any of it, you really missed out. I'm trying to eat what's left but I'm not crazy about sweet stuff in mass quantities. It's a cream cheese fluffy goodness sandwiched between layers of graham cracker crust, and oreos. It's so good. So good, in fact, that after I apologized to Angela & Doug at Chipotle on Sunday for not being the life of the party, Doug said, "That's ok. You made up for it with your brownie stuff." (even though it's not brownies, I'll let that one slide, Doug. I know your mind was stuck on Angela's peanut butter brownies...)

Debt, who?

I have a new "thing" starting up this month. I'd like to call it Operation Get outta Debt 2K13 (that's GoD for you, Lindsay). Oh yes, the frenzy has begun. I have a spreadsheet. It has months. It has payment amounts. It has 3 boxes with big Xs in them.

Hello, debt-free livin'. Goodbye, FBN and SallieMae!

There is no way that I'm going to be paying SallieMae until I'm 40. 'Nuf said.

Credits: Jason, Dave Ramsey, Excel 2007

Wiser words have never been spoken

This brings me to my next pointer: if you absolutely must go to The Wal Marts, it is imperative that you arrive there no later than 7:00 a.m. You could probably push that to 7:30 or 8:00 on a weekday, but the point is you MUST begin shopping very early. Shopping at The Wal Marts early in the morning and shopping at The Wal Marts in the middle of the day are two different experiences: One is Pleasant. The other is Hell.

-- from The Pioneer Woman. Gosh I love her blog.

A slice of vacation fun

Look at that toote wittle face! He's growing up so fast! I took this pic at IKEAthestorethatilovesomuch. I'll post some more pics of my vacation later.

From Obedience... to God's Will

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. 2 John 6

I feel like these last few weeks God has been pulling on my heart saying, "Listen to me. Do what I say. Go against everything that make sense" and until today, I questioned it. But now I am confident that God knows what He's doing. I should have been confident all along, but when common sense is working against you, it's hard to think you're doing the right thing. 

Right now I'm reading Experiencing God, about "How to live the full adventure of knowing and doing the will of God." That's a pretty big thing for me! The Will of God sounds like this ominous thing that I can't get out of. In reality, it's just learning to listen to God speaking to me. My walk with God has always seemed like a sort of roller-coaster ride. Speaking of... 

The roller-coaster thing reminded me of something that I've been carrying around for 5 years, and fortunately I didn't have to look very long to find it. In college at Women's Retreat I wrote a letter to myself 5 years into the future. I've been carrying around an envelope for 5 years that's marked "To be opened in 2009." It's been with me through a couple of moves from home to JBU and back home again, and a move to Wichita. I remember making a "map" of my spiritual journey, and you can find that here. (It is a personal thing to share, but it makes more sense if you can see the map. And you get to see my awesome drawing skills...). I'll share the letter with you, including abbreviations, and improper use of punctuation (sorry, J, I wasn't a Grammar Queen back then). Some of the letter is laugh-out-loud funny, considering present circumstances.

---

Dear DeMo ~

This is kind of daunting to know that I'll be reading a letter to myself in 5 years. My life with God has been a bumpy road so far and I'm struggling to find God's involvement in my everyday life. God has reminded me subconsciously of my selfishness, and how self-centered I live my life sometimes. I'm thankful that God has provided me with people to bond with and become closer to, my roommate Mollie who has such a passion for kids & Ireland and Jess Reimer who I see every Tuesday, until she graduates in May :( 

The song that most fits my walk with God is "I cry out for your hand of mercy to heal me." My problem is hearing God and trying to find his calling for my life. I'm struggling to completely surrender to God and let my selfishness go. To just walk over my "Bridge of Surrender" and not cross back over and not look back on what I've left behind b/c I'm learning that earthly things really don't matter when it's time for me to go to Heaven to be w/JC.

A quote from chapel last year that relates to this: Let our lives be a manifestation of surrender to God. I just need to surrender but I haven't come to the point where I want to give up earthly desires & follow God. I need to trust God in the unknown b/c He is the path & the light that I follow. 

I've learned to be content w/being single, although there are the inevitable times when I feel like I really need a guy. This weekend's theme for Women's Retreat is "Milestones & Markers." I made a life map of where I've been in my spiritual journey & I made a happy face & a question mark. Just because I don't know who's face will be in place of the question mark, but until I find out, & even beyond, I'm going to be happy w/"dating Jesus." 

[There's a box in the middle of the page here that says 

"calling comes through following."]

In finding God's will for my life, I need to have freedom in God's will b/c He is in control of my life & I can't change that. 

I think that God is calling me to be the woman in Proverbs 31. I pray that I will be a "wife of noble character" to my husband & if I'm not married yet, I want Mel to be in my wedding. It's weird saying that but she's been such a good & faithful, honest friend to me for 2 years. Obviously I'm single right now w/o anybody in mind, except those crazy secret crushes like TJ. Weird if I marry him huh? :) 

5 years is a long time to wait but I'm excited to see where God will have taken me by 2009. 

Let love & faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, 

write them on the tablet of your heart. 

Ps 3:3

Amanda

---

Isn't God's timing great? Get this: I carry around this envelope for 5 years. It talks so much about finding God's will for my life. This week I get Experiencing God in the mail and it's all about finding God's will! Today I read into tomorrow's chapter, and here's what I find interesting: 

"What is God's will for my life?" is not the best question to ask. I think the right question is simply, "What is God's will?" Once I know God's will, then I can adjust my life to Him and His purposes. In other words, what is it that God is purposing where I am? Once I know what God is doing, then I know what I need to do. The focus needs to be on God and His purposes, not my life!"

So simple! I always thought that "finding God's will for my life" was going to be this monumental gigantic thing, but if you re-word the question, it's just a bunch of little steps. And haven't I mentioned on here that I need baby steps to understand Godstuff? 

I've surrendered a great on-earth relationship to God, and that's just a step closer to crossing that Bridge of Surrender. 

Coming soon to a blog near you!

In no particular order, here are the upcoming topics of Regular tea.

Analysis of a Kenny Chesney song

Things (re)discovered

A lot of -ing

Analyze me.

Makeup? What's that?

Ok, I can't seem to leave my blog alone, and before I get into the deep stuff soon, here's a meaningless survey that I found on Katie's and Silvy's blogs.

Some of you may cringe (Mel) but I just noticed that none of my stuff comes from a salon or exclusive store (aka, it can all be purchased if you're willing to support your local Sam Walton conglomerate). The Sephoras and B&Bs of the world don't interest me.

1. What shampoo do you use? L'Oreal vive pro nutri gloss. About once a week I use Head & Shoulders Restoring Shine.
2. Conditioner? Same line of L'Oreal
3. Body Wash? the healing garden's Passionate Rose Cleansing Body Wash
4. Face Wash? Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser.
5. Lotion? I don't use lotion unless I absolutely have to. The stuff I do have is B&B Sweet Pea Body Lotion that I got as a gift.
6. Face lotion? Nada. I have this moisturizer that I use when my face is unbearably dry in the winter, but I think it's more of a sunscreen type moisturizer and should probably be thrown away by now.
7. Styling Products? My blow dryer (if I don't dry my hair, it gets wavy, has a mind of it's own, and is impossible to get going the right direction); my Conair flat iron (a CHI is not a necessity, but sure would be nice), it smooths out the job of the blow dryer; and then Pantene Pro-V Style Classic Hairspray Level 1 (flexible hold). I used to buy the pomades and wax stuff, but I think that just weighs down my hair (it's thick enough already, doesn't need any extra weight).
8. Make-up? If you'd asked me this question from 2002 until 3 years ago, I'd say that the only thing I wore were these two shimmering eye shadows from Avon (Cyber and Ultra Femme) that I bought from a friend to wear to Prom my senior year in high school, and some sort of mascara. Before 2002 I don't remember ever wearing makeup regularly. I have found that it does make a difference in my look and confidence, so here is what I wear at the moment: Cover Girl clean makeup oil control, a concealer from Lancome that I had to buy because I got a "free" makeover from there before a friend's wedding, one of three Revlon ColorStay 12-Hour Eye Shadows (Blushed Wines, Neutral Khakis, or Priceless Metals), and Great Lash mascara. Oh, and lipstick is missing from the list because it only shows up on special occasions (weddings!) because I don't like how it feels on my lips. I don't even own a tube of lipstick, or chapstick, except that stuff that I got in my stocking at Christmas.
9. Perfume? Elizabeth Arden Red Door Revealed. I know that EA is kind of old-ladyish, but I liked it at the time and just haven't changed yet. I like to think that the "Revealed" part of the name makes it acceptable for the young'uns.
10. Jewelry? Lately, nothing much besides a necklace when I remember. And even that's limited to whether I even have a necklace to go with what I'm wearing. I used to wear earrings occasionally, but at my job I have to answer the phone which irritates my ears and I end up removing my earrings by about 10:00. I used to have a purity ring that I wore all.the.time. I used to put it on my watch band and close it up so that they were always together (if you lose one, you lose both; if you have one, you have both), but then the battery in my watch quit, so I was left with just my ring to wear. Now I wear nothing because I've lost my ring. I do have two rings that I put on occasionally, but they're chunky and bother my fingers when I'm typing. 

A word from our sponsors:

Hey! Look at me! I am finally unplugged from the wall. I just couldn't resist buying a battery from an actual Apple Store. I could have done the same thing at Haddock's in Wichita, but that would require shipping charges and waiting two days to get it in (and Haddock's doesn't count as an actual Apple Store). It just seemed like the better option to buy a plane ticket and go to the Apple Store in person, don't you think? 

 

So after months and months (and months and months...) of being limited to only using my computer in places that are within a radius of 10 feet from an electrical outlet (and saying bad words when it was unplugged accidentally [always save!]), it's been an adjustment to get used to this freedom! I am sure that it won't take long for me to get used to it, but I am cautious and I still keep my computer plugged in as much as I can. Maybe because I want to save those precious 300 power cycles (that's one of the few peeves I have with Apple is that these batteries are limited. I had a Dell notebook that lasted 4 years on the same battery. C'mon Apple...).

Look who's back!

Did ya miss me??? 

I'm currently catching up on podcasts and unpacking from my glorious trip to Florida. Unfortunately, you wouldn't be able to tell that I was remotely closer to the Equator for a week because I am no less white than I was when I left wintry Kansas. But I'll just blame that on the fact that we didn't go to the beach. 

I have a page full of stuff to talk about here, but that will have to wait. In the meantime, check out this video which is perfect for those of you who, like me, don't quite understand the Credit Crisis. It's visually entertaining and educational! My kind of vid.