Favorite Things Thursday!

I stumbled upon this new link up and I'm so excited about the topic today! So ... if you want to see some people's favorite things and talk about BOOKS! (two of my favorite things) then head on over and visit Miss Melanie ... which you should do anyways because she's great!



Todays Topic is My Most Favorite Book!
This one is hard for me because they're so many series, and new books, and old books that I love! Because I love books! But here are some (oops cheating) of my favorites!

Anna Karenina

Tragically wonderful

To Kill a Mockingbird

Atticus :) best dad ever

Letters to a Young Poet

inspiring ... Rilke saves me on a daily basis

Those are a few of the books that if I had to pack a bag and leave forever they must come with me!

What are your favorites? Go visit Melanie and let us know!

Happy Thursday Loves!

Playing Catch Up: a Tuesday with wagging tails and some Wednesday loves

I'm running behind schedule ... like a day behind schedule ... what? 
Sick puppies + sick mommas + irritating boyfriends + lack of sleep + masters + teaching + tailgating a high school lacrosse game (long story ... it's a best friend thing) = a day behind schedule ... so today I'm playing catch up and killing two birds with one stone (not really ... we don't actually kill birds here) anyways today you get two for the price of one!


The Tail Wagging Tuesday I missed was all about sleepy puppies! If you want to see all the other ones go visit CMae! over at Live What You Love and take a look at all the pretty babies! Plus ... CMae is awesome and you'll fall in love with her blog!

Mr. Dalton's favorite place to sleep is wherever Bailey is sleeping :) He loves to snuggle Bailey or Me :) and that is my favorite thing about him! Ever since I brought him home he has had a thing for blankies :) The last picture, with the purple blanky, is what he sleeps with now. Yes he sleeps in my bed, yes I think this is normal. and no I do not care that my allergies protest this I will not kick him out. So at night we have me and Mr. Dalton snuggled in my king sized bed with the purple blanky :)


OK on to Wednesday Loves
1. I'm loving teaching! I'm currently in a long term substitute position and I get to plan and teach and have my own (pretend) class ... I LOVE it :) This is what I should be doing people! Trust me! This is what I'm made for!


2. I'm loving that the Dalton baby is feeling better :) I was a worried momma there for awhile, but he seems to be doing better ... keep those fingers crossed this continues.


3. I'm loving nights out with my Jessica ... she makes everything better. You know those posts about me losing my mind about stupid ex-girlfriend and stupid boyfriend ... she made my life much more manageable last night ... special thanks to the lovely Jess for saving me over and over again

is that me tailgating a high school lacrosse game ... why yes it is ... complete with a cold and no understanding of lacrosse whatsoever 


to end this long, catch up post ... unfortunately ... here is one thing I don't love this Wednesday

poor poor other fur baby Mr. Gunner Man ... he got mud fever ... which is like a rash for horses. Mud fever = iodine baths that turns my white baby and my skin orange. It's been a long week ... why are my babies such a hot mess all at once? They're taking after their momma ... easshh


Happy Hump Day Loves ... Thanks for playing catch up with me :)

Sick Puppy

Ok ... took Mr. Dalton to the vet who thinks he ate something he shouldn't have and now he is on a strict feeding schedule with the blandest food possible ... I think he might be more unhappy now then when he was sick ... haha my baby likes to eat. Meanwhile I'm stressing about sick babies :( I'm a worrier and I'm trying to keep it in check. I'm toasting to healthy happy fur babies and less stressed momma's :)

look at that face :)

of course I worry about him

on another note the period is overtaking my feelings ... it is making me pose these two questions to my lovely ladies on here 

1. why should I be ok with the horrendous horrible ex girlfriend who happens to be in my space sometimes? Why should I deal with this? Even if the boyfriend doesn't speak to her and doesn't like her, should I have to tolerate her? Because honestly I think not.

2. Why do I have to be peppy all the time? Sometimes life sucks ... hello hence the blog ... I'm not gonna pretend that everything is lovely when in fact it blows. Is this not ok?

Honest answers (agreeing with me or not) are welcome ... I just had to get some stress off my plate

Modernism Monday

Today in class we are doing Modernism ... this era and the mood of it pretty much reflects how I'm currently feeling :(

Easter started off not great when I woke up to Mr. Dalton (my furbaby) puking :( then he would not eat ... then of course I worried all day yesterday because nothing to check my poor baby was open :(

Easter went up hill because I have awesome family

But then down hill again because I had to deal with all these things at the same time

sick puppy :(

period :(

period emotions :(

stupid, horrible, horendous ex-grilfriend that just won't go the hell away :(

boyfriend not being the most understanding of my current mood :(

And today I'm dealing with:

sick puppy :(

no sleep because of sick puppy and lame boyfriend :(

wicked sore throat to the point of not swallowing :(

period emotions combined with emotions about awful ex-girlfriend :(

yep ... modernism ... I feel ya

Hope y'all have a better day and I'll keep you posted about Mr. D's vet visit :( poor poor baby

p.s. aren't ex-girlfriends the worst? why does she still exist in my life? if you feel my pain let me know ... it might make me feel better

Happy Modernism Monday everybody!

He is Risen ... Happy Easter

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. ~Isaiah 53:5


Thank-you Lord Jesus for dying so that I may live 


The tomb is empty ... He is Risen ... He lives ... We are so blessed


"I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way He loves us" 


Happy Easter everyone ... don't forget why we are all here to celebrate

No fat pictures today

To all of those who were hoping I would post another gross, chunky, bathing suit picture this weekend ... sorry for your luck. I mean I know you're dying to see it, but really what difference can a week make in dieting adventures? Not much right ... so you'll have to settle for two week weigh ins. Let's get real ... my sanity can't handle anything other than two week weigh ins.


However ... here are some things I'm loving to help me take care of my unacceptable, chunky, disappointed self


Glamour Magazine's Suddenly Bare Workout ... which you can find here! I love it ... I feel like I actually worked out after it and that maybe I will be ready to be suddenly bare when the time comes!


My Fitness Pal! You can find that here! This is so handy! It tracks my food calories and what I'm allowed to have in relation to how much I want to lose! It rocks ... if you are crazy busy and can't keep track this is an excellent way to do so!


I'm also loving my walking/jogging as much as I can ... eassh ... partner!

A tribute to you Dalton for forcing me to work out even when it sucks to go outside! What would I do without you?! :)


p.s. disclaimer ... this was NOT taken in April ... do not get upset!

Water For Elephants ... Fashion Inspiration

The movie I'm dying to see Water For Elephants came out at midnight and I am loving the clothes they put Reese Witherspoon in for this movie! So, I decided to join all the fun over at Blonde Episodes for Fashion Fridays! If you've never visited Kori ... make sure to do so ... she is fabulous!


Water For Elephants 
























Love Love Love ... everything ... these clothes ... the hair ... the makeup. I couldn't have lived with the rules of 1930's but wow could I have lived in the clothes! In fact I might start now. Now ... I just hope the movie doesn't ruin the book ... we will see won't we. I'll be off dreaming of pretty 1930's dresses today ... sweet daydreams to all of you.



Thanks Kori for a reason to look at pretty dresses today :)
Happy Fashion Friday Everyone!

Maunday Thursday

I DVR'd my story ... One Tree Hill ... and sat down to watch it tonight (because I don't have school tomorrow WooWoo) and Hayley was having her baby and she said at the end of the show "Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of us"  Now, I'm not entirely sure that I want to have babies or really like small children but ... I adore this quote! And I think it is applicable for this time of the year. God believed in us so much that he sent his son and his son believed in us so much that he died so that we may live. They are not discouraged of us yet.

Better Late than Never ... Tuesday!

So, I know it is 10:00 on Tuesday and everyone else has their Tail-wagging Tuesday Posts in ... but Hey! Better late than never right? I think so too!

 I am linking up with CMae over at Live What You Love! to show off my furchild's BLING BLING :) and I know she won't care that I'm bringing up the post rear and you should for sure go visit her fabulous, friendly self :)


Without further ado ... bling bling ... here we go

I was trying to get the words on his little bone medallion but alas I couldn't ... however it says "Best Friends ...  (no bones about it)" :) and then his tag has his basic info and he has a bell so I can always know where he is ... vital so he doesn't get puppy ideas and get into things :)


So ... clearly, his collar is black. Yep ... plain old black. Did I hear a "why do you let your furchild run around with a plain black collar when you are so fashionable, Bethey?" Well let me tell you blogger friends that I made one huge mistake early on ... I picked out a baby collar to bring Dalton home with and I wanted blue because that is his Daddy's favorite color, but the only blue they had was patterned ... no big deal right? Wrong. Later on Scott (aka Dalton's Daddy) pointed out that the pattern was in fact butterflies ... ooops ... so now Daddy demands that Dalton be treated like a man and have a manly collar. Black it is to match the black leash ... welcome to our pretty original family :)


That's Dalton's Bling ... or lack thereof :) Sorry it's so late once again, but you know at least I made it before midnight!


p.s. Dalton has a naked phobia and doesn't like his collar being touched unless he's being taken for a walk, which is why I had to wrestle it off of him to take a picture of the medallion ... easshh ... this is what he looked like after our wrestle and the collar is safely back on

what a survivor ... or a spoiled baby ... you decide :)

Just Another Manic Monday

I'm procrastinating ... I have this work I could be doing/ should be doing ... but alas the Blogger was calling my name and then I saw this link and I had to do it. So, instead of doing work, I'm linking up with Carissa at lowercase letters for Miscellany Monday!

I love the saying "a collection of random musing to help make interesting THE MUNDANE" :) so here we go

1. I am sleep deprived! I need like three straight days of sleeping till I feel like crawling out of bed and then doing a whole lot of nothing once I'm out of bed. I might get this wish starting Friday (Good Friday ... so no school) at least the part about sleeping until I feel like getting up ... but of course in the typical life of an adult ... once I get up I will have stuff to do. But as long as I could get some stinkin sleep I will be happy.

2. This week leading to Friday will be hell. Woo ... do I have a list to do ... this is the type of to do list where you put something on the list that you've already done, just so you can cross it out and make yourself feel better.

3. Why I thought entering a masters program while long term subbing was a good idea I can't remember ... why did I think that? UGH ... I need someone to remind me that I can have bad ideas.

4. My favorite cousin is coming home for Easter this weekend :) I can't wait to see her!

5. I must find time to fit in my tv schedule at some point this week ... I have so many shows that need watched:
From Sunday: The Real Housewives of the OC and Breakout Kings



Monday: Bethenny Ever After and Gossip Girl



Tuesday: One Tree Hill, Body of Proof, and Pregnant in Heels




Wednesday: America's Next Top Model and Criminal Minds



Thursday: Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and The Real Housewives of New York City


 


After Family Dinner on Easter I might have to hole up on my couch and have a TV marathon ... I'm going to be desperate!

I hope everyone enjoyed the random spaces of my mind and has a Marvelous Manic Monday!

Challenge ... ACCEPTED

Ok ... so here it is ... I weigh way more than I want to. This is another reality of life after college ... when you move back home to the world of people having enough money to buy food ... you gain weight. When you move back home to a boyfriend who can eat whatever the hell he wants and never gain a pound ... you gain weight. When you start drinking everyday, because 1. beer tastes good and 2. you tend to be a little disappointed with your life and beer makes you feel better ... you gain weight. Fast forward to almost a year of being out of college and all the above weight busters and I am 5 foot 6 inches and I weigh ... uhh ... cough ... 148 pounds :(. Wow. I've never even said that out loud, let alone tell an entire sphere of people ... because I don't want to accept it. I've been reading Bethenny Frankel's book A Place of Yes and I found myself lying awake one night and realizing that DAMN she is right and I need to stop hiding from the weight I've gained, embrace the challenge, and do something about it. So, here we are. I knew that there was no better way than facing up to losing weight than telling all of you how much I actual weigh and (Gasp) actually put a picture of my chunky myself in my swimsuit :(. This is huge for me guys. I'm super vain and try to never paint myself in an unflattering light ... but here we go

UGH

See that spare tire ... see that huge butt ... see that cellulite ... and those rolls. This is NOT ACCEPTABLE

I must do something about this. Now ... My BMI is in the acceptable range, but I am not happy with it and I need to do something about it. I want to lose AT LEAST 20 pounds and I want to do it without cutting out all of my favorite foods. As Bethenny (who is my icon by the by) would say "Know Thyself" ... I like beer and I like some junk food and there is no way I can cut these things out for the rest of my life ... so I need to find a way to work around the OCCASIONAL (yes portion control is vital) beer or pizza or chips. Another problem ... I lost all my running stamina and persistence slowly in college. It is now gone ... sigh ... I must get it back.

So ... here's the ultimate deal ... now that you've seen my chunky pictures and you know my goals ... I'm going to keep you updated. I'm going to keep you appraised of the goings ons off my weight ... the things I eat ... what I do to work out ... and the weight I lose. Hopefully I won't have to keep posting unflattering pictures of myself in a swimsuit :( 

This is REAL people ... this is TRUE LIFE: I must lose weight

This isn't an unrealistic account of someone who is already skinny and just bitching about a pound and of course this isn't the biggest loser ... this is the place of in between, where most of us are. And I'm going to share my journey with you.

"The business of being happy requires making a conscious choice. People think being happy will just happen to them someday, if only they do this or that right. But it doesn't - you have to choose it. You choose happiness, you don't wait for it to choose you."  ~Bethenny Frankel ... A Place of Yes

I'm trying Bethenny ... I can't do much to control the fact that no one is hiring teachers right now, but I can fix my weight ... I'm taking control and trying to be HAPPY

Lack of Fashion Friday

I'm feeling blah now ... I wasn't earlier ... but I got stuck inside a school for the sunniest part of the day. Now ... it is threatening to rain on my sunny parade. I wanted to link up with Kori over at Blonde Episodes for Fashion Friday

I think this is so much fun and I found some great things from PINK! that has helped to prevent the rain from ... well ... raining on my parade.

Victoria Secret Pink Nation BEACH BASH!

Just for today I'm going to pretend like I was there ... shh please don't interrupt my dreaming

Happy Friday Loves! Don't let the clouds rain on your parade! Just pretend you're in Miami with Chanel Iman and Behati Prinsloo in shorts and a PINK! tank with your feet in the water :) Willing you sun and heat for the weekend!