by Joey | Nov 25, 2013 | Throwback
Hi Friends!! It’s Thanksgiving Week!
Also known as:
THE HUSBAND IS OFF ALL WEEK WEEK!!
Do you hear those angels singing?
That guy hasn’t had one single day off since July. Yes. You read that right. Not one day–not a weekend, not a Sunday, nada. So as I type this at 8:30AM–he is still gloriously sleeping! This week might be one giant nap for him–and I wouldn’t blame him.
Saturday was the last game out in Davidson. Camels won 47-14! The energy after the game was just electric. It’s been a growing season for the team, so ending the season with a win was just awesome.
Sunday–I ran to the store to grab some last minute ingredients for dinner and a redbox movie (ps–guilt trip isn’t really that funny–we turned it off) and when I got home, I turned off the car and got out with my keys in my hand. The car was still running. Uh? What? J came home about an hour later and magically fixed it–but please, let’s not have any possessed cars on our hands.
Speaking of dinner–I made buffalo chicken pizza. I’d made a huge batch of the chicken in the crock pot earlier in the week for J’s salads and needed to use some of it up.
I made a “sauce.”
**I’d never had buffalo chicken pizza before but I figured traditional pizza sauce wouldn’t be the best–it would probably work–but just wasn’t what I was going for.
2 tbs butter
2 tbs flour
~1 cup of cold milk
~1 cup of franks buffalo sauce
-melt butter over medium heat then whisk in flour until a rue forms.
-whisk in milk and bring the temp up to medium high heat.
-whisk in buffalo sauce until mixture comes to a boil and starts to thicken
- I used a pre-packaged pizza dough.
- I spread a generous amount of the sauce on the dough then followed up with a generous helping of the buffalo chicken (I used this recipe earlier in the week)
- I used a mixture of shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses.
- I baked according to the instructions that came with the dough.
Holy. Freaking. Cow. I’m not gonna lie, that pizza was the bomb.com. Yes–it hurt my sad little gall bladder–but it was worth it!
Later that night, J and I were in the living room when Bailey rounds the corner smacking her lips. My ears immediately perk up because she didn’t have any food in her bowl at the time.
She’d snatched a piece of the buffalo chicken pizza off of the counter!!!!! She’s never done anything like that before! J claims its because we were ranting and raving about it as we were eating it–
“I just wanted to try it for myself, guys.”
(Bailey’s voice is the voice of Mr. Narwhal from Elf. I don’t know why. Just go with it).
I later discovered as I was putting our leftovers away that she also ate all of the toppings off of our other pizza. I would punish her–but with her sad sensitive little tummy–the pizza punished her enough as it is.
Okay! We’re off to enjoy this week! I’ll probably be pretty MIA. Gotta soak up the husband time while I can before he jets off for recruiting!
by Joey | Nov 22, 2013 | beauty, Loves, Real Life
Polishes Used:
OPI: OPI ink
Pure Ice: Beware with Pure Ice: Dazzle Me layered on top
1) Deep sparkly purple with a gorgeous silver accent nail? Don’t mind if I do!
Last week Sally’s had Finger paints polishes on sale, so I snagged one from their new holiday line: Winter Chill. It is a GORGEOUS deep brownish/black color with a HUGE range of sparkles in it. Absolutely gorgeous in the bottle. But somehow I missed that this was a textured line. And the polish completely changed on my nails. It dried to the typical matte/sandy texture and the glitter seemed less vibrant and the overall color seemed lighter even after two coats. So I applied Seche Vite. That helped draw out the sparkle, but the texture was still something I couldn’t handle. The next morning I put on another layer of topcoat, and while that helped with the texture a good bit, it was still pretty gritty. That polish was also completely impossible to photograph.
2) The husband walked through the door on Tuesday. Okay, no. He hobbled through the door on Tuesday. With a knee brace on. Since when do the coaches get injured in practice? He was in good amount of pain all week. Luckily, it’s just muscular so no surgery for that guy! Could you imagine? Us both out of commission before the end of the year? It’d be an interesting Christmas in this house!
3) Speaking of Christmas–I found the
perfect Holiday Red Lip! Okay, okay. I didn’t find it.
Leighannsays did. But she never steers me wrong! The shade is absolutely gorgeous and it actually makes my teeth look
whiter not
yellow. This is the FIRST red lipstick to ever do that for me! Try to pay attention to the actual lipstick and not my face. I only had a tinted moisturizer and mascara on but I couldn’t wait to try it on–this lipstick definitely needs and deserves a face of make up!
STANDOUT
In unrelated news: I really need a haircut. Sheesh.
Oh–and that’s the polish I mentioned above!
4) I got to virtually speak to two separate middle school classes on Wednesday about being a writer and how I use communication in my job! It was so fun and pretty exciting! My bff from the cradle is their teacher and asked if I’d be willing to speak with them. She called me after school and said that the kids were totally inspired and wanted to know all about blogging and writing! It was a pretty necessary experience for me, too, honestly. It was the first time I openly admitted and actually legitimately claimed writing. Even just for the fact that my friend validated what I do by even asking me to speak to the class in the first place was pretty huge for me. I mean, maybe there really is something to that whole well if walks like a duck and talks like a duck thing. On a related note, President Bush was on Jay Leno this week and revealed his new hobby: painting. A direct quote from him:
I’m a painter. You might not think I’m a painter, but I think I’m a painter.
Well said, Mr. President. Well said.
5) Well, we have a date for my surgery…sort of. Scheduling has been kind of a nightmare because everyone is desperate to have their operations before the end of the year because of insurance deductibles. They were worried they might not be able to do it for me before then. But because it’s my gall bladder, it takes precedence over other procedures because there’s the chance it could rupture. Awesome. They have me scheduled for December 18 (my sweet husband’s birthday). There is a slight conflict for the surgeon on that day–so it could end up being the 19th. But the wonderful admin at the office wanted to call and let me know that 1) IT WILL be done before the end of the year and to let me know that those were the two dates it might be. We’re fine with either. I’ll just be pretty tender for Christmas. In all honesty–that’s the best Christmas gift ever.
by Joey | Nov 21, 2013 | Throwback
There’s this guy. He lives in my house, and I kind of like him. He’s always been just…a breath of fresh air for me. He’s different, and I think that’s what changed things for me in high school.
Hubs and I started dating nearly a year after my last break up. A break up that just…well, it wrecked me. And it took a lot of effort from friends and family to help me put my pieces back together. It wasn’t unknown that J had a crush on me. All my friends (and his) had been telling me exactly that for years at that point. But J was nice. He was thoughtful and kind. And apparently, I didn’t know how to appreciate that until my heart was shredded.
While he and I have grown up together over the last ten years, the basis of who he is hasn’t changed much at all. He’s a man with a huge, kind and giving heart. He’s wise. And he’s patient.
I know my family is nodding their heads wildly at that last part (not that they won’t also agree that he is kind and wise). It’s often said around my parents’ kitchen table that I married a saint. I’m a whole lot of crazy–and he puts up with me so wonderfully. He makes me a better person.
This year our marriage was put through the test. Well a couple tests, really. Looking back on it, it seems a little unfair that a couple who still considers themselves pretty newlywed to be put through a separation, job changes, a move and illness all in the same year. We had a lot of adjustments to make. And we really had to trust each other.
In the last few months, as we’ve treaded through all of this medical stuff, I’ve learned something new about the man I’ve loved for the last ten years. I learned about his ability to balance. I learned about his grace. I learned a lot about his priorities. I’ve joked in the past that his life goes God, Football, Me, everything else (well, maybe Bailey beats me on some days–probably on the days she doesn’t eat his xbox controllers). But that’s just it. It’s only a joke. Because that man puts me above almost everything else. How do I know this?
His job is out of control during football season. You and I both know this. We’ve joked in the past that if and when we decide to have children–we need to make sure I’m no where NEAR due during football season–because he’d miss the birth. That’s how wild his schedule gets.
Every appointment. Every tear and panic filled phone call. Every scheduling mishap. It’s all been met with the same response: It doesn’t matter when or where or what it is, I’ll be there. I had two procedures the day before a game–he missed more than half a day of work without a single heavy sigh. Scheduling my surgery has been kind of a nightmare (apparently everyone and their mother needs to have an operation before the end of the year–thank you insurance). We’ve been given date after date, and each time I’ve tried to figure out what’s going on in J’s world during that time–wondering if it’s going to be difficult for him to get away. Because it’s not just the operation. I’m going to need him for a day or two. And last night we were trying to figure that out at which point he just stopped the entire conversation: you’re having surgery. It doesn’t matter what my schedule is. I’ll be there.
That says a lot about the man I married. It says a lot of about the men my husband works FOR and with.
And it tells me I’m loved…unconditionally.
by Joey | Nov 20, 2013 | Throwback
Polishes Used:
Finger Paints: Art Auction Auburn
Rimmel: Dazzle with Nina Ultra Pro Holographic Top Coat over top
Finger Paints: Paper Mache’
Tools Used: dotting tool
Can you just say…sa-woooooon? Oh man. I picked up the Art Auction Auburn from Sally’s on clearance! I just knew the moment I saw it that I could totally work that into some kind of fall nail look. And I’m in love with the result. It’s a coppery burnt orange with a hint of shimmer. Gorgeous.
by Joey | Nov 19, 2013 | Throwback
Give me a moment to collect my heart from the floor and stuff it back in my chest.
Okay. Okay. Now that I’m composed, let me tell you a little story. It was Monday night. The weather here in North Carolina is a wee bit confused and we’d had close to 80 degree weather that day that then dropped to about 50 that night. Because of that, my house was a sauna.
Since it was growing chilly outside and because I REFUSE to turn the AC on in November, I had the window open to bring the temp down just a bit in the house.
Well, it worked. So I wrapped a blanket that I’d just pulled from the dryer around myself and proceeded to stalk the internet.
And then I moved my arm up to reach something…and I swear to you THE BIGGEST SPIDER I’VE EVER SEEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE was attached to the blanket.
Y’all. If only you’d been a fly on the wall. You would have seen MOVES you didn’t even know i could pull off.
And once I calmed down just a bit, there was the issue of taking care of said spider.
So I collected all of my cojones and approached the blanket on the floor like something might jump out and bite me.
And I started poking at it, moving it around from a distance with my foot until I could spot the spider again.
And then…there it was.
A ball of my hair.
It’s officially time for a haircut.
