Click Chicks Photo Challenge // Hearts

Remember these little candy conversation hearts?  They didn't even taste that great but was always THE Valentine's Candy to give and to get and it was so much fun reading all the little goofy sayings on each one.  I saw a package of 8 of these little boxes at Big Lots for $2.00 and just had to get them.  I will say that these hearts taste much better now then I remember.  They bring back hazy memories of cutting out construction paper hearts and Elmer's Glue in elementary school.  Which reminds me of how we used to smear it on our hands and peel it off.  It was really creepy because once it dried up it looked like you were peeling off your skin.  I never had a Valentine in elementary or middle school.  Ever.  I was a late bloomer but it was back in the days when you handed out candy and cards to your entire class so it didn't matter.  Then in high school it was all about balloons, chocolate and exchanging little gifts with your group of friends.  I was jealous of my friends who always seemed to have boyfriends just in time for Valentine's Day.  Even then I didn't have a Valentine because I guess was still blooming.  I'm so glad those days are over.  My Valentine pretty much hates Valentine's Day but he's all mine and I love him anyways.

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What I'm Not Watching and Why

Reality TV has gotten so out of control. Every single channel from Animal Planet to National Geographic has gotten in on the craze. Some I refuse to watch and others I'm hopelessly addicted to. 

Not Watching:

The Bachelor

It's way too long, way too much drama and nobody ever stays together.  I can't bear to watch the girls crying about how they love him and they don't get to spend enough time with him.  This guy that they just barely met and are somehow falling in love with.  I love it that Trista and Ryan actually met this way and stayed together but they are the exception and not the rule.  I lost hope that it would ever happen again so I stopped watching after the Melissa Rycroft season of The Bachelorette.

Starter Wives Confidential

Ridiculous.  I can't believe they made a show about a bunch of ex wives of famous people.  I don't know much about the show but all it took was one preview for me to say NO WAY!

Gypsy Sister's

I watched My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding and My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding but the buck stops here.  It was really interesting finding out about their culture and lifestyle but those sister's are crazy and I just don't feel like getting into their shenanigans.

Here Comes Honey Boo Boo 

I never watched this and never will.  This family is just too much for me.  I'm appalled and very turned off by a lot of the clips I've seen so even though I was curious at first left it alone.

American Idol

The last season I watched was when Ruben Stoddard won but up to that point I watched it religiously.  Sometimes I think about watching but I guess I just lost interest.

The Biggest Loser

Mj and I watched one season of this together.  It was so time consuming!  Two hour long episodes is just too much and I got annoyed that they only focus on exercise when diet accounts for a good 90% of weight loss.  I wish they would show more on what they are eating and the challenges of trying to maintain a healthy diet.  I thought about watching again since Jillian Michaels is back but didn't.

Real Housewives of Anything

I watched Orange County, New York and a few seasons of Atlanta then I quit.  I got sick of watching these people living their excessive lifestyles.  It was too much fighting, arguing and drama among people that aren't even friends.  If they hated each other so much they wouldn't hang out but they do because they are thrown together for the show and the drama that they will hopefully create.  I can't stand watching spoiled grown women act so immature and petty.

There might be a bunch that I won't watch but I have plenty of guilty pleasures that I can't get enough of.

Watching:

[Photo Source]

Dance Mom's

This is one of my favorites!  I love watching these talented girls perform.  They are so cute.  Chloe is my favorite and she was getting a lot more solos but is now suspended.  Maddie has fallen from grace but seems to be on her way back up after finally getting another solo and winning.  Abby is straight evil.  It's not just being a tough teacher she is down right rude and mean.   The mom's react to it of course and then it's just this terrible yelling match and power struggle.  It's getting harder and harder to watch.  Just when I think it can't get crazier it does.  The moms are upset and screaming, the kids are crying.  I don't know how these girls focus on their dancing with all the drama going on.  There has got to be another dance studio in Pennsylvania that they can go to.   There is so much jaw dropping drama on this show that Mj has even started watching it with me.

Toddlers and Tiara's

I know, I know.  It's so terrible that these little girls are wearing more make-up then I do, fake nails, fake lashes, fake teeth, fake hair, tanning and then being trotted out onto a stage to be judged on their facial beauty.  I removed it from my DVR one season only to manually record a bunch of them and add it back the next season.  I'm fascinated by mom's who spend thousands of dollars on these pageants and the little girls who control them.  There are even a few pageant Dad's that seem to love it.

Cheer Perfection

I used to be a cheerleader.  I can't not watch this show.  I like watching the girls perform at practice and competitions.  This show comes with it's own set of mama drama.  Anne in particular drives me crazy because for some reason I haven't figured out yet she thinks she's way better then everyone else.  How superior can you be if you think that when you go #2 on a coach bus it falls into the street. 

 

Teen Mom 2

Uggg.  I did a whole rant about this one.  You can find it here.  19 year old Leah who is already a mother to twins had a miscarriage which is indeed sad but she was beyond foolish for wanting another baby in the first place.  Chelsea is still having unprotected sex with the father of her child who is an absolute mean jerk.  I mean really.  Haven't these girls learned their lesson?  The new season starts up again next week and according to the previews the drama is a MOTHER and I'll be right there watching it.  As annoyed as I get with these girls I can't help it.

The Face

I will watch any and all modeling reality TV shows because I love modeling.  This is a new one on Oxygen and Nigel Barker who got booted off of the judging panel of America's Next Top Model is the host.  Successful models Karolina Kurkova, Coco Rocha and Naomi Campbell each lead teams in challenges against each other but only one girl will be the face of an Ulta campaign.   I predict lots of drama, cat fights and tears as one by one their modeling dream shatters.  Too bad Oxygen doesn't have an HD channel.

House Hunters

Always!  Mj is way over it but I never get sick of this one.  The only drama on this show is when couples don't agree on if they should live in the city or the suburbs.

We got into Walking Dead, Son's of Anarchy and Breaking Bad on Netflix.  I didn't even want to start watching those.  We also watch Modern Family and The Office together.   Those are my "scripted" shows.  I love how there is now that distinction of scripted vs non scripted since reality TV has taken over.  There are so many good shows I'm not watching and that's fine with me because I don't want to spend time watching them.  The Carrie Diaries looks really cute and Smash looks like my kind of show. Mj's watching The Followers and The Americans but I can't  want get involved.  As much as I love my couch I don't want to spend my life on it watching TV. 

Click Chicks Photo Challenge // Selfies

Okay so I got this fancy new camera and I still don't know how to use it.  Ivy at Little Women Little Home and I have been following each other for years now.  I saw that she was co hosting a blogger photo challenge and I thought it would be fun to join in and force myself to get that camera out and shoot.  I've always loved taking pictures anyways.  Only one problem.  The first challenge is a self portrait and I literally hated every photo that came out.  I am super hard on myself and I know it.  I did them on my own with the timer.  The lighting was off, I forgot to put on lip gloss and I was in a hurry.  I almost gave up before I even started but here I am.  Cheese!! 

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My Camera:

Canon Rebel T3i

Girl Scout Cookie Time

I'm about to have another oh my goodness I'm getting old moment which sucks because it means I'm getting old but here goes.  When I was a Girl Scout cookies were only $2.00 per box and the ONLY way to sell was door to door to door and begging your mom take the form to pass it around at work.  Tagalongs were called Hoedown's and the Do-si-dos/Peanut Butter Sandwich were called something else.  My memory has faded but I think they used to be Savannahs.  Dulce de Leches, Lemonades, Thanks A Lot and bunch of others didn't exist, each cookie only had one name and Girl Scouts Inc didn't have a website.  That was a long time ago! Now they are $4.00, I don't even know if Girl Scouts have to pound the pavement anymore what with social media and e mail and half the cookies have an identity crisis.

Shortbread/Trefoils, Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties/Tagalongs, Carmel DeLites/Samoas

One thing that hasn't changed is that people still love them including me and my favorite one of all time is the Tagalongs/Peanut Butter Patties.  I'm a sucker for anything with chocolate and peanut butter.  If you're like me you might be wondering what's up with the double naming of cookies.  Apparently, there are two bakers for Girl Scout cookies now.  Little Brownie and ABC.  The name varies depending on which baker produced the cookie and the name you see on the box depends on where it came from.  I don't understand why they wouldn't just make them decide on a name and stick to it.  Can't they hold a meeting about that or pass a law?  Anyways.  Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties/Tagalongs and Shortbread/Trefoils are the only three cookies that must be made every single year and the others can be changed.  Good for us since we really like those.  We got all three.

For a while I didn't even know when they were being sold and kept missing out but now I have a co worker who sells for her niece and she lets me know.  Most of these went into the freezer so we don't over do it.  Turns out that we already had a box of Trefoils in the there from last year!  So yeah, we have plenty.  BUT if I just so happen to see a Girl Scout outside of the grocery store I might just so happen to buy another box of the Hoedown/Tagalongs/Peanut Butter Patties.  I really can't have enough of those.
    

Simple Valentine's Day Ideas

It's that time of year again.  Love it or hate it Valentine's day is around the corner so I thought I'd put together some simple low cost gift ideas for him.  My husband pretty much hates Valentine's Day but he acknowledges it for my sake.  We have fun with it, or maybe I should say I do, but we definitely keep it simple and inexpensive. 

I love this coupon idea.  It's simple, sweet and doesn't cost a lot of money.  You can make a personalized Valentine Coupon for anything you want at Treat.  Also, check out tinyprints for all kinds of really cute Valentine's cards or for any other occasion. Both are part of Shutterfly, the company I used to make my wedding album.

I found this cute little picnic set at World Market.  It might be too chilly to do this outside but who says a picnic has to be outdoors?  Your living room is perfect.  Just add champagne or wine and some candles and you're all set.  You could add to one that's already put together or make one up yourself.  It's something fun to enjoy together.

This one is perfect for the home brewer or just a guy that really likes beer.  Get him a 4 pack of personalized beer glasses at Red Envelope.

Or, you could just ignore the entire day altogether and save these gift ideas for a real holiday like your Anniversary or a Birthday.  Who needs a commercialized holiday to show love for your significant other when you already do that anyways?  I agree.  You don't, but I still think it's fun to do a little something anyways.

 

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Beyonce Bowl

I'm not a football fan.  Never have been.  I want to be because all of America is so obsessed with it and I tried but I just can't really get into it.  Five years ago I had no clue what a down was or what the hell they were throwing the ball and tumbling all over each other for.   I made it a point to figure it out so I could at least follow along.  It was that year the Patriots won like every game except the super bowl and because Tom Brady kept throwing the ball from down to down it finally clicked for me what was supposed to be happening.  For me Super Bowl Sunday is less about the game and more about watching the commercials, what gathering I'm going to and what food will be there.  Mj and I got invited to my girl friend's house where she had a nice spread of junky party food for me to stuff my face with.  There was that awesome zero calorie margarita mix that I mixed with Tequila.  Yes, zero calorie!  But I ate so many chips that even that couldn't save me.  I'll be paying for it at the gym tonight.  I sat there and watched the whole first half of the game but after that I got distracted.

[Pic Source:  via google images Getty Images/Christopher Polk]

I loved Jennifer Hudson's performance of America the Beautiful and Alicia Keys and her piano definitely did the National Anthem justice.  Beyonce's performance was AMAZING.  I wish I could move like her but all I got is the two step.  She dances and tosses that big hair around like no other.  The way she struts, that fierce look in her eye, that big voice and the way she rocks a leather leotard is mesmerizing.  She is so pretty and so talented that when I'm watching her I kinda wish I could be her for just a second to see what that feels like.  She puts her whole heart into a performance.  I've seem her perform live once and she's incredible.  I thought it was cool that she had Kelly and Michelle perform with her because I'm guessing she really didn't have to share the spotlight with them.  I loved hearing those old Destiny's Child songs and then she did Halo which is one of my all time fav love songs.  All those women stole the show. 

Then the power went out.  After this a lot of the girls at the party checked out.  My friend is totally obsessed with Beyonce.  The only reason she wanted a super bowl party in the first place was so she could watch the half time show with her friends so girls outnumbered the guys.  She made up all these Beyonce themed challenges so we could compete against each other for Mardi Gras beads.  The guys were like, WTF is going on, but I thought it was fun.  We were having a good old time chatting and carrying on for most of the 2nd half.  I understand that the 49ers did a good job of coming back and that it turned out to be a pretty exciting game.  Not that I saw a lot of it.  I was rooting for the Ravens to win because I wanted Ray Lewis to go out with a ring.  It doesn't bother me that he cries a lot before and after the game.  I think it's sexy that a big strong football player isn't afraid to show his emotions like that.  I'm glad they won but what I'll remember most about this superbowl is the awesomeness that is Beyonce and how bizarre it was that the power went out.