I'm locked up... They won't let me out...

Well my bloggy friends, I have a favor to ask of you.

I need you to bail me out of jail.

Break me outta the clink.

You see, I was contacted today by a lady from the Muscular Dystrophy Association who broke the news to me that I was nominated by an anonymous person to be arrested on December 15^th and locked up for an hour.

So, what I ask of you is to help a homegirl out.

I gotta raise my bail of $2,000 or be forced into a hard life of sharpening my toothbrush to a point to have on hand if the need to shank someone arises… it’s hard to be pretty in jail.

I kid. But seriously though, it is for a great cause. All the money goes to the MDA to send kids with muscular dystrophy to summer camp, etc.

Here’s the link to my webpage.

https://www.joinmda.org/2011snoqualmie/carly

I would love it if I can raise my bail money BEFORE I get arrested in front of all my co-workers and members. Something about the local loan officer getting arrested in the middle of the day doesn’t scream “OPEN AN ACCOUNT WITH US!”

If you could find it in your hearts to donate a little bit of money, even $5, that would be awesome. To give you an idea of how much it costs to help these kids, here is a bit of info for you:

$30.00 pays for one flu shot

$74.00 funds one minute of research

$100.00 will pay for a support group session

$800.00 can send one child to summer camp

 I know it’s almost Christmas and people are short on cash, but it will bring you good karma!

And if you can’t afford to donate, no problem, I know most people don't have money just laying around. But, if you can at least help spread the word, that will earn you some good juju too!

Thanks you guys!!!

Pescatarianism: Day 1

I have given myself a challenge: to be a pescatarian until Christmas.

For those of you who don't know what that means, it means I won't be eating any meat, aside from seafood. I can still eat the by-products (cheese, milk, eggs, etc) but no actual meat. So no more chicken or burgers for me! At least until Christmas. 

It's not because I am against eating meat by any means, I LOVE meat! 

It is because I want to get my eating habits under control. And for some reason, I feel like it will be easier for me to make healthy choices if I am not eating the red meat or poultry.

For some reason it is easier for me to say no to the entire food group than to just say no to junk food, or fast food, or whatever. 

Wish me luck!

Sometimes Always

So I'm jumping on the bandwagon of the Sometimes Always craze.

Sometimes I eat bad for me food.

Always it makes me feel really sick.

Sometimes I decide to start a fire.

Always it makes the room too hot for me and I end up sitting in a tank top and shorts.

Sometimes I ask Chad to do something for me.

Always he sits on the couch and acts like he can't hear me until I get really pissed and do it myself.

Sometimes I do 5 loads of laundry in a row.

Always I let it sit in a big pile until it is covered in pet hair and I have to wash it again.

Sometimes I feel like making a big meal.

Always I end up throwing away lots of leftovers.

Sometimes I go through my closet and get rid of tons of clothes.

Always I fill it right back up again.

Those are some sometimes and always things about me, since I am too busy to do a real post right now.

Eeeekkk!!!

This is what came out of my mouth when I realized what was at my door today (November 21... I am scheduling this post so I can capture my excitement while it's fresh).

It was my blog swap gifts from MICHELLE!!! 

Seriously. I grabbed my package and ran to the bathroom (it was right after work... I had to tinkle!) and tore into that package like there was no tomorrow.

What did I find? This:

Please ignore the camo blanket I used to cover all the crap on the table

I say again EEEEEEEKKKKK!

Okay, in detail.

Nicole by OPI nail polish in Never Give Up

Can't see it so good in the picture, but it's sparkly! And pink! AT THE SAME TIME!

Fingertip-less gloves

These gloves are so handy and necessary! Ever tried to get money outta your wallet with gloves on?

Warm Fuzzy Socks...

I live in these in the winter!

...that came with lotion and body spray in Vanilla Cupcake scent

Oooohhhh yeeeaaaahhhhh!

And an insulated cup!!

You can freeze it! 

I can't remember exactly how much I told Michelle about me (we had a lot of e-mails back and forth), but this was such a great package to get. I ADORE the nail polish, and I drink from these cups CONSTANTLY. And the fuzzy socks and gloves? I can NEVER have too many. And I go through so much lotion during the winter, it's not even funny.

So, moral of the story, Michelle over at Snapshots, is an EXCELLENT blog swap partner. 

Thanks Michelle, you are AMAZING!!

Momentary Rant

Because it's my blog, and I can do whatever I want on here, I am going to take a moment out of my day to tell you a little story.

It's about a girl, let's just call her Schmarly, who is desperately wanting to get things ready for Christmas because she loves it SOOOOO MUCH!

She, unfortunately, still lives with her mother, who happens to say that the Christmas decorations can't go up until the house is clean and organized (and let's just say that isn't an easy feat most of the time). 

So, Schmarly vows to work on the house all day to get it clean and organized so Sunday she can spend the whole day listening to Christmas music and putting up the tree.

Enter very frustrating boyfriend... who we'll call... I dunno... SCHMAD.

Now, Schmad does things outside sometimes, such as blow the leaves off the deck (which he has done about 14.75 times in the past week). But when it comes to inside the house, he is basically USELESS. Schmarly tells Schmad "hey Schmad, you should probably go through that pile of clothes you haven't worn in 2 years and decide what you want to get rid of, because we are making a run to the donation truck today". Schmad grudgingly agrees. He comes out with 5 pairs of jeans. Enter Schmad's friend Schmurtis, who seems interested in the rejected jeans. The two of them go gallavanting off to the rifle range for the afternoon, after having made no decisions on said jeans.

Not long after the departure of the boys, Mom loads the car up with the stuff that is being donated and heads off to the donation truck, promising to come home and work on the house with Schmarly.

DOESN'T HAPPEN.

Schmarly spends the remainder of the afternoon at home, alone, watching Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders on TV and organizing BY HERSELF.

A few hours pass. Finally Schmad and Schmurtis get back. Schmad runs in, changes his shoes, and runs back outside... to blow leaves.

Schmurtis sits quietly and watches DCC with Schmarly.

A few minutes later, mom comes home. With bags full of treasures that she found at the outlet mall after dropping off the donations.

Schmad comes in from blowing leaves. Changes Schmarly's channel. And sits right in the middle of where she is working.

Mom heats up some leftovers, and retreats to her room.

Schmarly bites her tongue and launches passive agressive comments at Schmad as she bangs around trying to clean.

Then she resorts to writing an angry post on her blog. While glaring at the pile of rejected jeans on the chair across from her.

The End.

Thanksgiving... and the Day After

I've been a little absent the past few days... (I don't even want to talk about how my Google Reader is filled to the brim right now). But I'm here to catch you up on how my Thanksgiving went.

Thursday morning, I got up bright and early to help mom get things ready, since we decided to host her family for the first time in a LONG time. This included the turkey.

I'm talkin' a 23 pounder here. Which apparently is kind of big...? Anyways, I did my research (thank God for the internet), and found that it would take anywhere from 4 and a half hours to 6 hours to cook this bad boy. So I was aiming to get 'er in the oven around 9:30. I rinsed it off and took out all the gross stuff. Then I used a whole stick of butter and put little pieces all over under the skin so it would keep a nice moisture. Throw in some sage, thyme, and garlic powder, and she was a beaut!

Here is the final product (after I took it out of the oven, obvs):

Be warned, this is the only picture in this whole post.

After doing the prep work, Chad and I headed to his grandparents for round one of eating. There was a nice big pot of my favorite mashed potatoes, which I discussed here, as well as ham, veggies, salmon dip, and of course the stuffing, turkey and REGULAR mashed potatoes. It was DELISH. But, I was good this time and only had one plate, knowing I would be eating again in an hour.

Then it was back home to finish up with mom and get some food on the table. My aunt and cousin (who went to culinary school) showed up a little early, which was perfect because they were able to help us get things organized. We ended up with a really great spread once the rest of the family showed up. I didn't end up eating much of the "real" food, since i had already eaten. But I did fill my plate with devilled eggs, and desserts. 

After dinner we had a little bit of fun playing Skip Bo (the card game) and going through the Black Friday ads to see where the best deals were. Great family bonding, ha.

Anyways, that was pretty much it for Thanksgiving Day.

As for Black Friday, I was supposed to be going out that night to hit up the door busters at Walmart and Target with my friend Hayley, however as I was getting my shopping list ready to go, I really didn't have much of anything that I needed to get at those places, so I couldn't really justify heading out and battling the crazies (and possibly getting shanked up in the ghetto where Walmart is) for one or two things that weren't even listed in the ads.

Instead, I go up kind of early and headed out. First I made a pit stop to take a co-worker a coffee (caramel egg nog latte, to be precise) because she was the ONLY person at our whole company that had to work on Black Friday (we close the branches... but she processes all direct deposits and whatnot, so she had to be there). She was really appreciative of that. Then I journeyed on. I went to Target first, thinking it would be a MAD house. But it really wasn't. I found parking right up front, and went in and grabbed the few things I went there for, and left again.

Then I walked across the parking lot to Kohl's. Holy shit. BAD IDEA. That place was a cluster frack if I've ever seen one. I turned around and left, ha.

Then on to the mall. Redmond Town Center... not quite a REAL mall, but close enough. I got some great deals at Victoria's Secret and Bed Bath and Beyond, and was able to escape without too much trouble (aside from spending a couple hundred dollars... whoops).

That was pretty much it for my holiday. Ate good food, got good deals, relaxed... now it's Saturday so I get to extend the weekend even more!!

25 Things You Might Need to Know About Me

1.       I am very particular about how dishwashers are loaded. Chad’s roommates used to love to do it wrong just to see me get mad and do it all over again.

2.       I don’t like egg nog, but I love me a caramel egg nog latte around the holidays.

3.       The only way I will eat carrots is if they are in soup and so mushy they have no taste.

4.       I could eat Chinese food 6 days a week and not get sick of it.

5.       I’ve seen the Harry Potter movies probably hundreds of times and I never get sick of them (same goes for the books… and Twilight)

6.       Sometimes I feel like it would be exciting to be involved in a huge natural disaster, like tornados. (until I see videos and news stories about places that ARE hit by awful things like that, then I feel lucky to live in an area that isn’t prone to those types of happenings)

7.       I’m broke all the time because I over pay my bills.

8.       I have bad dreams… A LOT.

9.       I don’t dye my hair (anymore) because I am too lazy to keep up with it.

10.   I enjoy Christmas movies all year round.

11.   I always feel like people are staring at my hands when they sit at my desk, and it makes me self conscious of my nails.

12.   I have inherited my mother’s tendency to collect things and not be able to get rid of them.

13.   There are days when I don’t drink any water, and other days when I drink what feels like gallons.

14.   I got my dog from Chad’s best friend because he found out he was gun shy and therefore would make an awful hunting dog.

15.   I wish I was a pianist.

16.   I feel like a completely different person than I was in high school.

17.   I’ve always thought that having kids would be a huge burden on my youth, but seeing Chad with our friends’ kids makes me think that maybe it isn’t such a bad idea…

18.   I use 5 different colored pens when I balance my checkbook.

19.   My high school has always been plagued with lots of student deaths.

20.   I decorate my cubicle at work for the holidays, and could care less if nobody else decorates.

21.   I always like Taylor Swift songs when they first hit the airwaves, but hate them after about 2 days because they are played on almost every station 483 times a day.

22.   I have dreamed of owning a 4Runner since before I could drive… and still don’t have one.

23.   I follow a lot of blogs that are written by people I have very little, if anything, in common with.

24.   I have to have floss and chapstick with me AT ALL TIMES. If I don’t and the need arises, I have to stop at the closest store to get some, even if I am only 2 minutes from home.

25.   I love cooking over campfires.



Target Tuesday

I'm linking up for Target Tuesday for the first time in a while.

Today, in honor of cold weather, I am featuring cute jammies!!

ANNNNDDDD  SLIPPERS!!!

I think I need these in MANY colors

That's all. Link up with Tara... it's Christmas time and people need to know what goodies to get you at Target.

Favorite Thanksgiving Recipe

Today's topic for the Plenty to Be Thankful For link-up is the Thanksgiving recipes you are thankful for.
Where do I begin?!
The first thing that comes to my mind is Chad's cousin's loaded mashed potatoes. Now, This isn't really anything NEW to the Thanksgiving world, but I look forward to them EVERY YEAR. They are so much better than your plain jane mashed potatoes and gravy. They have sour cream, cheese, chives, and BACON in them!! (in case you didn't know what a loaded potato involves).

Recipe Here
GBC aka Green Bean Casserole. I had never been exposed to this miraculous dish until a few years ago when a friend of mine made me an individual serving upon hearing about my sheltered green bean life. OH MAH GAWD. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not a veggie hater by any means. But I definitely go for the other stuff first when it comes to Thanksgiving... the turkey, potatoes, gravy and rolls. Not anymore, friends. Now I throw those green beans on my plate first round. 

Recipe Here
Turtle Pumpkin Pie.This is a good alternative to regular pumpkin pie. It's a bit lighter and adds a little more elements. Pecans, caramel and pumpkin. YUMMERS!

Recipe Here

Follow Up Fitness Post

So I did a bit of a post about what is happening with my weight loss (or lack thereof), so I feel like I should do a little bit of a follow up of the things I am hoping to accomplish in the next 6-12 months with my fitness level.

I already mentioned that two of my new years resolutions involve my weight loss and fitness level: To lose 30 pounds, and be able to RUN a 5k.

Another one is to be able to do REAL push-ups. Not the wimpy girly kind. But real MAN ones. 25 of them. IN A ROW.

And pull ups. I have NEVER been able to do pull ups. Not even one. I'd like to be able to do maybe... 3? (I wouldn't want to get TOO ambitious).

Anyways, those are the additions to my fitness resolutions. Wish me luck!

Some Stuff, More Stuff, and some Stuffy Stuffs

Well, I've finally done it. Against my better judgement.

I joined Twitter.

I don't know how it works.

But Imma give it the ole college try.

Come follow me.

@Carly_Ann_13

In other news...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2 finally arrived at my house. I watched it. I laughed. I cried. And now I'm sad that it's over.

We're hosting Thanksgiving at my house, so I'll be spending the majority of my weekend cleaning and trying to ease mom's stress.

I ordered Chad's Christmas presents yesterday: A bow and two game cameras. EXPENSIVE.

It tried to snow here yesterday. Thankfully, it was an unsuccessful endeavor for Mother Nature. I don't want snow until AFTER Thanksiving... preferrably not until after I have my Christmas shopping done.

On the weight loss front:

I'm still desperately trying to find that magic pill that makes these 65 pounds melt off overnight. No such luck. So instead I am still trying to do things the "healthy" way... eating less, working out more, getting more sleep, and drinking lots of water.

This shit sucks.

I was just telling Chad last night that I know my life will be so much better if I am skinnier. I'll feel happier. I'll be more confident. I won't feel embarassed when I am out in public with my friends.

I hate being the girl who looks like a blob in pictures.

I hate being the girl who can't find pants that fit.

I hate feeling like poeple are judging me when I order food at a restaurant.

So, that is how things are going for me.

I'm still fat.

BOO.

Blog Lovin!

Where do I start talking about why I am thankful for the blogoverse? (or blogosphere, as I frequently call it)

I guess I’ll just go in order of how things pop into my mind.

1.     New Friends. While I have never met any of my fellow bloggers (aside from the people I knew prior to starting my blog), I still feel like I know you guys. Us bloggers have no shame in posting everything of our lives for each other to read, and that makes me feel so close to some of you.

2.     New products. There are so many things that I would never know about if it weren’t for the blogosphere. Such as Erin Condren life planners. While part of me wishes I had never heard of these little beauties so I didn’t feel compelled to spend so dang much money on one, I adore it!

3.     Recipes. Thank god for you healthy living bloggers out there who open my eyes to new foods that I would otherwise never have thought to make.

4.     Stories. Of hope. Of happiness. Of tragedy. Of lives that I know nothing about. Everybody out there is so different, and reading other people’s blogs have taught me so much about other people. It really is true that there are things out there that I have NO CLUE about, and still wouldn’t if it weren’t for reading blogs. Such as the wildfires in Texas this year. Or the massive flooding. Or the stories of soldiers and their families. These are all things that I don’t deal with in my own life, and I think it is so great to be able to read about it from people experiencing it first hand.

5.     Support. There are things that I post about in my blog that I don’t necessarily tell my friends IRL. I fear that they may not understand, or they will open their big mouths and tell the wrong people (although I am posting it on the internet…) who may take advantage of the information to hurt me. I don’t worry about that with bloggers. Most of the time when I post something serious, I get nothing but great comments back. And good advice.

These are all reasons why I am thankful for the blogoverse. And all my fellow bloggers (aka YOU).

Fall City!

Today’s topic is why I am thankful for the place I live.

Let me tell you a little bit about my hometown.

I live in Fall City, WA. According to Best Places , the 2011 population of Fall City is 1,671 people. Compared to the rest of the country, our cost of living is 38.8% higher than the US average. The median home cost in Fall City is $360,000. The unemployment rate is 8.4% (national average is 9.1%), and the average commute is 30 minutes. (Disclosure: I feel like some of those facts aren’t accurate, because the Fall City website claims we have 5000 residents…) Also, according to Forbes magazine in 2010, Fall City was the 422^nd most expensive zip code IN THE COUNTRY.

Now, there are many reasons that I am thankful for where I live. One of which being that it’s small. I love the small town feel. I love being able to go to the grocery store and run into people I know. On any given night, you can go to one of the 3 bars (all right in a row, mind you) and have a party with all your favorite people. The bartenders are your facebook friends. You party at your middle school principal’s house. Your Sunday school teacher from when you were 3 lives next door. You have a beloved old man who dressed up like Santa and went door to door on Christmas Eve to visit all the kids in town (rest in peace Ray!).

So, with that said, I guess I’m also thankful for the people in Fall City.

I am very thankful for the beauty of Fall City.

We have a river that runs right along main street. Lined with cherry trees. And farms, historical buildings and art… EVERYWHERE!

Not to mention the movie credits. The movie Roadhouse was filmed partially in Fall City (in what is now the Roadhouse restaurant… previously called the Colonial Inn), and the movie Twin Peaks was filmed entirely in the Snoqualmie Valley (which is where Fall City is), with multiple scenes having been shot in Fall City. (one of my good friends actually lived in the house that was used as the Book House in Twin Peaks)

We also have a variety of sports stars that have graced our small town including (but not limited to) Bobby Engram the NFL star, and Jay Buhner (the MLB star).

So, my friends, that is a little overview of why I am so in love with my town and thankful for everything it has to offer. I hope I never have to leave, however during my house hunting expeditions, I have come to the realistic conclusion that I may never be able to afford to buy a house in town.

With that, I will leave you with a short youtube video that was created about Fall City.

Daily Reminder

Carly, FUCKING PAY ATTENTION TO THIS.

That's all.

The Truth About Working Out

It's hard.

It's inconvenient.

It hurts sometimes.

BUT

It gives you energy.

It boosts your mood.

It makes you healthier.

It helps you lose weight.

I can't lie. I've been a bit of a Debbie Downer the past few days. I'm feeling very discouraged, depressed, and just generally not great. 

I was sick last week.

We missed out on a house I was in love with.

I haven't been losing weight.

I'm broke.

All these things have been bringing me down, and I just don't want to get out of bed in the morning.

But, this evening, I made myself hop on the stationary bike while I was watching TV after work. Sure, it isn't as much of an ass kicking workout as hitting the gym for a cardio class, or even lifting weights.

But it was enough.

I finished and I felt a bit better. I did some chores. Took out the trash. And was cheered up a bit.

Clearly my fat ass isn't going to be 10 pounds lighter after my half hour of pedaling, but it will boost my metabolism a little. And if I can remember how much better I feel after a workout, I'll do it more often. And then I WILL start losing the weight.

That's all.

The Guilty Pleasure I am Thankful for.

I have to admit that the guilty pleasure that I am most thankful for is McDonald's.

I know a lot of you are probably gagging to yourself right now (which I don't understand, ha), but I can't live without some nugs with some sweet chili sauce for dunk-a-lunkin,

Throw in some of those ah-mazing, salty french fries that all restaurants strive to have but can not come close to, and I'm a happy girl.

And let's not forget about breakfast. There is something about a sausage patty with maple syrup, paired with melty cheese and egg... ooohhhh yeah... talk dirty to me...

So that is my guilty pleasure. Link up and talk about what guilty pleasure you are most thankful for!



A Sunday Rant

So, my weekend didn't end quite the way I wanted it to.

I saw this morning that the house I have been really REALLY wanting to put an offer in on went into pending status. All because Chad is a giant d-bag sometimes and only cares about his fracking hunting, his boyfriend Dustin, and guns. I was holding back tears all day.

I have to get up early next weekend to go ring in church.

I had heartburn all afternoon.

And I still only have 18 stinking followers! What does a girl gotta do to get some freaking followers??

That's all. I'm off to drown my sorrow in vodka and clam chowder.

Things that Happened to me Today

This may be a bit of a random post, but I am here today to tell you about my day, and some of the things that have happened to me.

1. I got my first ever spa mani/pedi. Okay, that may be a lie. But it's definitely the first one in a LONNNNNGGGGG time. And it was AMAZING.

I got french tips on my fingers and then a really dark color of purple on my toes. Too bad I didn't think very far in advance because my legs were a leeeetle on the fuzzy side. Sick.

2. I helped out at a wedding for a friend of a friend. We basically did the set up, clean up, and food stuffs. Including serving cake (side note, my friend Hillary ended up dropping a piece of cake... ON A BABY. Well, okay, ALMOST on a baby) and "champagne" toast. The cake person had no idea how much cake to make, so they ended up with 3 full size cakes (we served everybody with just one), about 100 cupcakes, and one Tiki Hut cake. There were about 40 people there, ha. All in all, it was a good experience for my event planning future, but I am quite sore... the dogs are barkin', ladies.

3. I went to see what the Google keywords that refer to my blog are, and this is what I found:

That's right... ya see that? Down at the bottom? CHUBBY TUBE?!?! I don't even know what to say about that. Aside from WTF.

The Help

Today I am going to be reviewing The Help. Not that you guys need me to tell you about it, or how amazing it is. But I'm doing it anyways.

I don't think I need to tell you what the back of the book says, but basically it is three women, one white woman and two black maids, who make the brave decision to write a book about what it is like to work for white people.

This book made me laugh. It made me cry. I didn't want it to end.

That's really all I can say about it. I mean, I can't put into words everything I feel about this book. I heard some mixed reviews about it from some people, which surprises me. 

Overall, I give it 10 stars (out of 5). Go read it. Quickly. You won't regret it.