My dream house

Today is not only "Oh, How Pinteresting" but also "Semi-Wordless" Wednesday! I figured today I will kill to birds with one stone.  If you haven't been over to the Vintage Apple's page or Flip Flops and Pearls, please stop by.  They both have AMAZING sites that I am in love with. 
  

Many days, I dream about my future house. 
What it will be like.
How many bathrooms I will have
The storage places..
but until then I am renting with 4 other roommates and have very limited say on what the design can be.
But until then, I will just dream about my future first home.
The place where my kids will grow up and run around in the backyard.
Where my piles of laundry will multiply.
Where the smell of cookies will spread throughout the house.

Doesn't it just look so cozy and organized!!! 

I can't wait to one day put my dreams into reality.

And when I do have this dream come true, come over for some pancakes and eggs!

It's About Men, Women, Sex, No Sex, Friendship...

I recently caved after a few years without movies by mail, and decided to sign up for Netflix.  There have been so many nights that I wanted to watch an older movie, or catch up on a season of the latest TV show, but I have been trapped by what Redbox has to offer that week.  So, I finally did it.  I caved and purchased Netflix instant streaming.

It took me a whole 30 minutes to figure out how to set up a Playstation 3 so that I could finish watching The Walking Dead (which I quickly became obsessed with) but it was well worth it.  Netflix has opened my world up to a number of movies I never even heard of.  Including one great 80s hit called "About Last Night" Although Demi Moore looks like she is 21 and Rob Lowe has long hair, the movie brings up so many relative conversations about relationships, friendships, and everything in between.

It crazy to see how close to comes to actual relationships and the fear of commitment, the craziness of women, how we over react, are afraid to react, hide our emotions, show our emotions.  Although stressful to watch at times, it reminds me of so many things I have feared, thought about, or even did at one point in a relationship.  If you are a single lady and looking for a movie to remind you about the ups and downs of relationships I highly recommend adding it to your instant queue.

Gone are the days of running to the local Blockbuster to pick a movie off the shelves.  Now-a-days if you aren't Netflixing you aren't seeing what you are missing in the movie world.

Happily Ever After

Not only is it "Oh, How Pinteresting" Wednesday, but Flip Flops and Pearls also has Semi-Wordless Wednesday Today.  
Today, I am having one of those, "Some day my prince will come", love moments.  And while I wait for him to come around, I can only dream about what it might be like for the Happily Ever After.

Whats your Happily Ever After look like?

photos uploaded via Pinterest

Oh, How Pinteresting...

Maybe it is because its that "time of the month", maybe it is because I was sick all yesterday and all I can think about it disguisting goodness, but the only thing on my mind this morning is the gooey, yummy, taste of a delicious dessert.  Thank goodness I can semi satisfy it by starring at my Pinterest board.

Better than Sex Cake

Nutella Ice Cream Sandwiches

Peanut Butter Banana Nutella Cake

Banana Split Bites

Golden Graham S'more Bars

Yep...must be the Aunt Flo curse.

Feeling icky

I am not sure if I mentioned this before, but I have many food allergies.  Not like, my throat swells up, I break out in hives or I start to itch.  Nope, these are the type of allergies, that if I eat foods I am allergic to,  I spend hours leaning over a toilet like a horrible hangover, or spend in the bathroom like I had a horrible case of food poisoning.  It takes a lot out of me.

The whole ordeal started back senior year of college. I can distinctly remember the first time I realized something was wrong.  We were out at Hard Rock Cafe during the National Honor Society trip to Toronto (or was it Boston? - that minor detail I forget, because they were back to back years, but anyways) and I felt extremely sick after eating dinner.  We went to a mystery dinner theater afterward which I loved, but I spent half of the time in the bathroom, embarrassed because I couldn't figure out what caused me to have an immediate case of what seemed to be food poisoning.  Months later when every meal made me feel that way, I knew it was something else.  Most blamed it on the nerves of high school ending, college beginning, and the recent distance I was feeling between me and my then "high school sweetheart", however, when things didn't shake off months later after college had began, the doctors appointments and medical tests began.

It wasn't until hundreds of my parent's dollars later, and years of going in and out of doctors appointments (included a colonoscopy which I will NEVER forget), that we learned I had many food allergies.  Three months before my Junior year of college ended I began a strict diet of only foods that would not irritate my stomach. I hadn't felt that good in years.  I finally understood what it was like to feel ok after eating a meal.   What helped was spending that summer in Washington D.C. for an internship.  I returned to college my senior year 50 lbs skinner and feeling great.  But, we all know what comes with senior year.  Temptation of partying at all hours, late night runs to Sheetz (yes, I am a native PA girl), and staying up all night studying, eating and developing those bad eating habits I once had.  Slowly but surely I put the 50lbs back on (with about 30 extra lbs). Although the sickness after eating didn't come back right away, I knew it was too good to be true.  Eventually everything caught back up with me.  However, after tasting all of the foods that I was once banned from eating, I remembered how much I enjoyed eating those foods.  I quickly told myself that getting sick here and there wasn't such a big deal.

The years went by after college, and it became part of my routine to just feel sick after most meals, I forgot how nice it was to feel healthy after eating a meal of strictly foods that I was ALLOWED to eat.  I went through bouts here and there where I tried to do a modified diet again that prevented me from eating most foods that I had allergies too but still enjoying those delicious foods I love.  However, nothing ever seemed to do the trick.

My food allergies or the reactions I get, is not something I try to make public.  I am embarrassed about what it does to me and down play how I actually feel every time I eat.  I embarrassingly stay home or avoid going out if the episode is really bad and pretend it was just another sickness, when really I am feeling near death as I spend the evening in the bathroom hating myself for eating that last meal.  Right before Christmas, I was reminded how bad it can really get.  My family, who is used to what the food does to me, knows what I go through.  But, Christmas was different.  It was as if I was back in college again, suffering in pain from the sickness after eating. Trust me, no one wants to spend the first day back at their parents for Christmas vacation curled up on the couch in the fetal position, wishing they hadn't eaten that day.

This morning I went through it again.  I woke up feeling nauseous, secretly knowing it must have been from the pizza binge I had the night before.  As the day went on, I tried eating a bowl of soup followed by a hot chocolate, but it only made my symptoms worse.  Talking, walking, even thinking too much only provoked the sickness.  I got home and felt awful.  The nauseous and upset stomach made me realize it was finally time to stop feeling this way.  I immediately made a pot of brown rice and plain chicken to eat for the next few days.  Its time to start feeling good again, and eating the foods I am NOT allergic too.  Although that means cutting out almost everything that tastes good to me, I realize now

its NOT NORMAL to feel sick after each meal.  

Its NOT NORMAL to spend an evening laying on the couch in pain and dizzy from the nausea

It IS NORMAL to feel good after eating

I apologize for the rant, however, if there is anyone out there who feels the way I do, just know its good to find out what you are allergic too and if it can be helped.  So join me in 2012 the year of feeling good, and gaining control of what I eat and how I feel from eating. 

Eliminating 12 food in 12 months

As part of this month's Happiness Project, I decided to give up a food/beverage each month this year.  The challenge is just to give it up for 30 days, however, if I want to eliminate it for more than 30 days I am able to do so.  


My calendar is as follows:


January - Bread and Soda


February - Pasta 
(As well as bread and soda -- promised my mom so I have to be strict) 


March - Candy


April - Juice


May - Dairy Products


June - Potato Chips


July - Fried Foods


August - Cake/Cookies (will be a challenge - its my birthday month)


September - Chocolate


October - Ice Cream/Frozen Desserts


November - Bread (again)


December - Soda (again)

Photo Challenge

I found this amazing 10 photos to take each month on Pinterest. 

It seems like a great challenge since I have been wanting to use my camera more often.  

I apologize that is is hard to read, you can click on the
original link to get them to be a little larger. 

When was the last time you took your camera out and used it? 

Cricut Expression Heaven...or How To?

For christmas this year, I was so excited to receive a Cricut Expressions Machine.  It was my first crafting tool that I was really excited to begin using.  The only problem is, I feel like I am learning to walk all over again.  There are so many uses for the machine but I have no idea where to begin.  

I might have to start Youtubing sites that are helpful for beginners. 

Do you have any suggestions of great sites that 

teach you uses for the Cricut Machine?

New Years Cleaning Spree

I am a huge believer on cleaning to clear your mind.  When I am having a rough day or need to have a "starting over" phase,
I feel like a good cleaning spree is a great way to start fresh.  

To ring in the new year, I decided to clean out my
 drawers, closets, and wash my sheets.
 No better way to ring in the new year than having everything neat and tidy. 

Happy New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Can you believe its a new year already?

I woke up this morning realizing with each new year, I am given the opportunity to start fresh in so many things.  I can create goals for myself, reset my mind, and regain control of my year.  

 I honestly felt like 2011 flew by and it reminds me that our time here is so short.  

We need to make the best of every moment we have with each other to make sure we live without regrets.

As promised the other day, I am reviving my happiness project
 and starting from the beginning:

Month #1

January 

Health/Energy 

It is known to me, my friends and my family that the item in my life that I spend the least amount of time on is my health.  To start off on the right foot, I will work on my Health and Energy levels first. Follow along through my daily blogs on this.

• Start working out
• Go to the doctor
• Revamp my meal plans
• Increase energy