Whilst I am Away...

Please enjoy this music video of Taylor Swift (and the Civil Wars). It's from the Hunger Games soundtrack (in case you didn't know). But you don't have to be a Hunger Games fan to enjoy it, it's pretty fracking amazing. It's a completely new sound for Taylor Swift and brings her away from singing about her boyfriends that loved other girls and all that mushy stuff. (Don't get me wrong I've loved every Taylor Swift song the first 10 times I've heard it, but once I heard it 10 times every hour on every radio station, it gets old).

Try not to miss me too much while I'm in Ellensburg, chillin at the Holiday Inn.

(don't lie like you didn't start singing the Chingy song in your head. What ever happened to him?)

Random Ramblings

This post won't be a super coherent, flowy type one. It's basically just a bunch of stuff that is running through my mind that wouldn't a whole post make.

First of all, I think I have decided that my new blog name will be What Doesn't Kill You. I started the blog as a way to document my weight loss struggles, but it's gradually turned into a place to talk about EVERYTHING in my life. The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. (I'm not sure how this change will affect those of you that have subscribed to me. Anybody every made this kind of change before? Help?)

Next, I have started a mental list of the foods that I MUST avoid in the store when I go grocery shopping because I have ZERO self control when it comes to portion sizes. This list thus far consists of:

Donuts, Marinated mozzarella cheese, twizzler's pull and peels, cereal in a box (this one sounds weird, but I will eat a whole box of cereal in one sitting if I'm not careful), Snappea Crisps (good thing the number of servings per bag is only 3 compared to normal chips... and they're made of a vegetable)

That's my list at the moment.

I take my first hot yoga class this weekend. I called today to make sure I know what to bring, and was SO happy when the lady that answered the phone sounded just like the blonde British girl on Bridesmaids. You know the one.

House shopping is discouraging. That's all.

I thought I found the perfect anniversary gift for Chad today, until I was told that it very possibly wouldn't be what he wants. Great. Just freaking great.

I am almost done with the book I'm reading right now (Random Family) which means I get to FINALLY start Mockingjay.

Chad and I are heading over the mountains to Ellensburg this weekend to help my friend Hillary celebrate her 21st birthday! This will be the first time since Vegas last summer that Chad and I have gone away together.

I will leave you with that. One random picture in this post, of dear Hill-Daddy pretending to drink vodka (since it's illegal to drink before you're 21 and all) on a trip to Hawaii last year.

Bye bye now.

What I'm Loving

Honestly, I'm really not feeling all that cheery this week. I'm kind of feeling really blah and unhappy. But I figure I should still post about the things that I AM loving. Ya know, in an attempt to convince myself that the glass is half full and all that BS.

I'm loving my renewed resolve to cook and eat healthy meals. I was doing really REALLY well for a while there and I was seeing the pounds gradually fade away. But then i fell off the wagon and let Chad tell me that we needed tacos and dino nuggets every night. And whaddya know, the scale became my enemy again!

Tonight's dinner: tuscan seasoned cod, Green Giant veggies, and some broccoli cheese rice

I'm loving that Chad has been trying to do more things with me. Last weekend we went on a bike ride, and he has been wanting to play cards with me and even played Super Mario on the Wii with me! (he doesn't like games that he isn't EXCELLENT at).

During our bike ride a couple weeks ago.

I'm loving that we keep getting little hints of spring. Sure, 6 out of 7 days of the week it's raining and nasty, but there is always that ONE day that the sun peeks through that gives me hope that there may just be a summer this year.

I'm loving planning Sister's bachelorette party. Sure it's just the beginning stages, but I think it's going to be a really good time. 

Side note: all my Washington state ladies, I'm looking for suggestions of affordable cabin rentals within a couple hours of Seattle. Preferably on a lake. With a hot tub. And a bathroom. But we'll take 2 of the 3. Or even just 1. K thanks.

Rentable cabin at Wallace Falls. No bathroom or refrigerator though...

I'm loving that when I tried on dresses at Target the other day, they looked a lot better on me than they did when I tried them on a few weeks ago. 

Anywhoodle, those are the things I'm loving this week.

Also, if you haven't checked out my giveaway, you should probably do that here.

Suggestions??

So, the time has come I think for me to come up with a better title for my blog. 

I dunno why, but I feel as though Carly Chubby Cheeks is not healthy for my self esteem (not that stepping on the scale is either).

Plus, I am seriously contemplating getting a REAL blog design. You know, one that I pay for. With one of those fancy buttons you all have.

So, if anybody has any suggestions for me, it would be excellent. I'm hoping for something simple and catchy, but also something that I won't get sick of.

K thanks.

I'm a Giveaway Virgin!

The last time I checked, everybody loves giveaways. The thrill of entering. The suspense of knowing if you won whatever it was you were entering for. It's like buying lottery tickets, except for free.

This brings me to my next point... I am hosting a giveaway!

I'm sure a lot of you have heard of Sneakpeeq by this time. It's this cool new site where you basically sign up and they have featured merchants or companies or whatever and you can buy the stuff for significantly less because you are a member of the site.

I was contacted by Sneakpeeq last week and asked if I wanted to partner with them to host a giveaway and get some of you ladies hooked up with them. So, one lucky winner is going to get a $10 virtual gift card for the site!

I know that it doesn't seem like much, but it can go a long way because by being a member of the site, you get a hefty discount off list prices of items already, so with your $10 off you could really find yourself feeling PRETTTTY LUCKY. 

Anyways, I bet you wanna know how you can win, yeah?

All you have to do is click this link: http://bit.ly/GzsdGe and join the site.

(Sadly, only NEW members to sneakpeeq can win... sorry all you gals out there who were in on the secret before now)

There's no cost for being a member, you don't have to buy anything if you don't want to, but there is some seriously cool stuff on there. Some of the most unique clothing, accessories, home decor and even FOOD.

So, that's the scoop. Click the link. Sign up. They'll send me a list of everybody who signs up through my special link up there and you will be entered in to win.

Entries can come in from today through next Tuesday, and I will announce the winner on Wednesday!

My Weekend: In Pictures (kind of)

So ya know how I never have anything to tell you about after the weekends, aside from working out, taking naps, and doing laundry?

All that is about to change, my friends. Because this weekend I actually did things, and I didn't take even ONE nap.

So here is a breakdown  of what all I did.

Friday:

Not much to report. If you read my post, you know I was in a pretty foul mood and feeling like a real asshole. I did go with Chad to Dustin's house and played with this little guy for a while:

Yes, I know my finger is encroaching. That's not the point. Mason was expressing how exciting it was with the motorcycle started up.

Check out the plumbers crack! He's graduated to pull ups and big boy pants, and it has become apparent that he needs a belt.

Anyways, that was all for my Friday. We had some friends that we hadn't seen in a while call us up and want us to come up to their place, but I really was just not feelin' it and knew I would be bad company, so I just told Chad to go without me so I could wallow in my bad mood alone.

Saturday:

Saturday started out with me and my mom going to meet Sister and her fiance to go to the wedding expo at the Tacoma Dome. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of crowds and short amount of time we were in there. They were looking for a DJ/Photographer and an officiant, as well as some caterers (they already had one pretty much picked, but they wanted to make sure before they paid anybody any money). The quickly decided on their DJ and Photographer (best deal, PLUS they throw in a 10 person limo from point to point... FOR FREE).

We also decided to hit up the business Costco on our way back towards Sister's house.

So that was that. However by this time it is about 12:30 and we decided it was lunch time. We decided to go to a barbecue place we passed on the way to Tacoma (a place that i saw and yelled "ohhhh! that place looks cool!!!!")

I'd like to introduce you to the Warthog BBQ Pit

As you can see, it's tucked right into an industrial type area with warehouses and whatnot surrounding it. (Also, you can see that the special on Saturday was smoked prime rib).

This picture is really kind of crappy, but you can see Sister's car and the back of my mom's head... if that does anything for you.

This is the menu that I did my ordering from... the burgers! I got the Ultimate. 1/2 pound of kobe beef with smoked ham, smoked bacon, onions, lettuce and their housemade BBQ sauce and chipotle mayo.

This is the inside (while we were waiting for our food). There are clearly dead animals all over the place. And there is a hand washing station tucked back in a corner, just in case.

There she is, my Ultimate Burger and fries. People, it was HEAVENLY. I feel a little ashamed that I didn't get anything more traditionally BBQ, but this was AH-MAZING. The fries weren't my favorite because they were kind of limp, but there is definitely something to be said about REAL potatoes being deep fried and then dipped in BBQ sauce.

So, enough of that (definitely not a shining moment for my diet). After lunch we headed home. Then I headed out to go tend to some errands, one of which was checking up on my horse. So, I go to the farm, get her grain all ready to go and then try to plan out the best to take to a) get out into the field myself, and b) get her OUT of the field once I get in there. You see, the farm is a very VERY muddy place right now. Unlike you folk that have been having all this crazy good weather the past few weeks, things here haven't been all sunshine and roses. Pair that with the fact that there is a dozen cows and 5 horses traipsing through all the main paths and you find yourself shin deep in mud and cow pies. 

Anyways, I pick my steps carefully and I get out there in the field and start hollering. Normally I can yell for one of them and they will all come up. Not this time, no no. This time, the only animal that cared about my presence was Chad's cousin's GINORMITRON cow. This beast comes barreling at me like some sort of maniac (she thought I had food for some reason). So, I get scared. I mean, REAL scared. I don't like cows. I don't know how to deal with them. In my experience, they don't really care about you and what you say. 

So I'm slowly trying to sneak back up to the barn to escape but this pushy broad is all up in my business (there are two dairy cows that are very people friendly and about 10 beef cows that really aren't, so they pretty much stay away). She keeps getting closer and closer and I am damn near in tears because I am so freaked out. The mud is deep and I am squishing and stumbling trying to get away. She keeps coming. She starts pushing me with her fat head (which I whacked more than once, I won't lie) and eventually kind of pins me to a fence post. I pushed her real hard and was able to get through one of the little gates unscathed. Obviously she rammed it with her head a few times and made some very disgruntled sounds. But at least I lived to tell the tale.

So, moving on. After that I went and picked up my friend Courtney (the one whose house I chose not to go to the night before) to go on an adventure of sorts to find a baby shower gift. We had a good time catching up, having smoothies, purchasing diapers, yada yada yada. 

My evening ended with Chad and I going up to a friends house to hang out with a bonfire and some beverages.

Sunday (aka today):

Woke up this morning, watched last weeks episode of GCB online and did some dishes.

Then Chad and I suited up for a bike ride! It was pretty freaking cold outside, but the sun was peaking through the clouds so we went for it. Buck LOVES bike rides. He runs and runs and runs and runs and runs like there's no tomorrow.

After our exhilarating morning outing, I had to get ready to go to a baby shower for my friend Morgan.

The Mama to be!

She got so many cute things, I won't even get into the pictures because a) chances are you really don't care, and b) I don't usually have a ton of pictures on my posts, so this one has been EXHAUSTING for me. But the shower was cowboy themed, and she got some really stinkin cute things, like little tiny wranglers, john deer cowboy boots, and a hand made cowboy quilt. She seriously made out good, there was, like, 2 full hours of gift opening. Ridiculous.

Anyways, that is my chock full weekend my friends. Congratulations if you've made it this far!

Oh, by the way, I'll be hosting my very first giveaway here in the next couple days, so keep your eyes peeled.

Mean Girl

I found out today at work that I am a Mean Girl, and it did not feel good to hear that.

I think we can all admit to one time or another where we said or did something knowing that it could be potentially hurtful to someone else, but that didn't stop it.

Generally, I try to keep these things to a minimum.

Yes, I vent about people. Frequently. To my good friends, to my family, to my boyfriend (not necessarily ALL of them, EVERY time, but you catch my drift). 

But generally, these thing aren't meant to get back to someone else because they are usually things that I am saying out of frustration, anger, jealous, or just plain being in a bitchy mood.

Anyways, I was told today that a lot of those things that I have said or felt about people weren't really as secret as I thought. This made me feel really REALLY terrible. Not because I was caught in what I said and I was trying to be two faced or whatever (although it may seem that way), but mostly because I made people feel bad. That is NEVER my intention. If I wanted to make someone feel bad, I wouldn't vent to someone else, I would just blow up in the face of the person doing something to annoy me.

Anyways, I have been holding back tears all afternoon (and NOT holding them back at times) just because I feel bad that I hurt people, and also because I was given the impression that it goes both ways. That people could be saying awful things about me with the idea that it won't get back to me. 

I really am hating feeling this way right now, so I am definitely going to put an end to my bitchy mean girl ways, even if it is only venting to someone in the heat of the moment.

Zoya Apple

I know I'm almost a week late with this, but I'm going to show you my St Patrick's Day nails.

(10 blogger points to you if you can spot Buck!)

I used Zoya in Apple.

The first time I thought I would wear this color I started and only got it on a couple nails before I decided that it would take about 47 coats to get it to where you couldn't see through it. 

But I decided to give it another go for St Patrick's Day because it is the only real green that i have right now. It surprised me. I only used two coats and it turned out good. It was a little transparent in the places where my second coat wasn't very good, but overall I liked it.

I've also heard people say that it peels off after, like, a day. I couldn't tell you if that is the truth or not because my polish never stays on for more than a couple days at a time because I get bored. I think I took it off on Sunday night (I put it on Saturday). In that time, it didn't chip or come of at all, but I can't say that I did anything particularly strenuous on them... (aside from play Super Mario on the Wii for a few hours...)

Anyways, that's that.

New Show Review: GCB

Today I am going to share with you my thoughts on the new show GCB.

When I first saw the previews for this show, I thought it looked pretty dang funny. But, in true Carly form, I couldn't keep track of when it was on.
So today (sunday... I'm scheduling this post, obvs) I decided to catch up online whilst biking my little heart out on my stationary bike.
I LOVED it. I think it was hilarious.
I know there are people out there that are appalled by it because they somehow think it is  disrespectful towards Christians or religion or whatever. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion.
But ya know what? I don't think there's any reason to see it as disrespectful. Just because the show centers around these "Christian Bitches" doesn't mean that it is a dis to Christians.If anything, I think it kind of shows how those verses of the bible really can apply to real life.And Kristin Chenoweth is a Christian woman herself. If she's willing to play the role she has, I don't see how it could be that bad.
Overall, I strongly recommend it. It's pretty dang awesome.

Pinteresting Stuffs.

I haven't linked up with Michelle for a little while (since I haven't had a ton of time for pinning things) so I figured it was time to get back on the horse.

Super cute nails... I'd love to be able to do this.

Source: pshiiit.com via Carly on Pinterest

This is such an awesome colorful room. Love it.

Source: lainitaylor.com via Carly on Pinterest

These mis-matched patchwork-y bridesmaid dresses are amazing.

Source: etsy.com via Carly on Pinterest

So funny!

Source: i277.photobucket.com via Carly on Pinterest

I feel the need to do this with my hair this Christmas

Source: ilikebigbows.blogspot.com via Carly on Pinterest

Love the basic colors on this summer outfit.

Source: polyvore.com via Carly on Pinterest

Words of wisdom.

Source: Uploaded by user via Carly on Pinterest

And last but not least, some cool rustic kitchen utensils.

Source: littlebitfunky.com via Carly on Pinterest

Home Requirements

Over the course of my house hunting, I have found that I have a few requirements for my future home.

1. Good kitchen

I like to cook. Which means I have to have a good kitchen. And I like to have room to move around in my kitchen. Anybody who has tried to prepare a full holiday meal of any sort knows that there's a lot going on. It's really freaking hard to prepare multiple things at once if you don't have counter space and/or if you don't have room to have someone in there helping you.

Examples:

Bad kitchen. Ugly cupboards. Small.Very little counter space.

Good kitchen. Open. Island with counter space. Good cupboard storage.

2. Sufficient Parking.

In case you've missed some of my other posts, Chad has a LOT of crap. He has 3 trucks, a golf cart trailer (that's right, golf cart trailer. no golf cart through), we've got dirtbikes, quads, snowmobiles, and a jet ski. We have to have a lot of space to park this stuff.

Also, I like to think we have a fair amount of friends. Which means we could have multiple people over at one time. And let's not talk about the Halloween parties... gotta have room to pack 'em in!

Examples:

Bad parking. Sure, it's a corner lot so you have TWO streets to park on. But that's barely enough for OUR cars, let alone any guests.

Good parking. Circular driveway. Garage. Extra fat on one side. Fenced off parking area perfect for trailers. PLUS street parking. (Side note: this is a house that we looked at and actually liked quite a bit)

3. Good bathrooms

This is something that I'm trying to get over. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a snob in the sense that the bathroom has to have some fancy soaking tub, granite counters, or some sort of upgraded sink or lighting fixtures. As long as it's not NASTY (you know what I mean), I'm not super picky. But one thing I AM picky about is having 2 bathrooms. 

Like I mentioned before, there are times when we will have multiple friends over (more likely, CHAD will have multiple friends over). I don't need to be feeling guilty about taking a shower or something when one of those boys needs to make a poopy. Same goes for just the two of us. I am NOT a fan of the bathroom over-booking. You know what I mean... when schedules collide and all of a sudden you're both trying to use the bathroom at the same time. Trust me when I say that I am on a serious schedule in the mornings. I have a routine. If it gets thrown off by Chad wanting to take a shower when I'm trying to do my hair or makeup, my whole day could be screwed. (and NO, I am NOT being dramatic).

Example:

I don't have any good and bad examples... one bathroom only = bad. 1.5 bathrooms or more = good.

4. Nice Yard

Again, I'm not a huge stickler about it needing to be a half acre lot or whatever. But the way a yard is laid out makes a huge difference.

I have a Beag. He needs to be able to play a little bit. We also like to barbecue sometimes... gotta have room for lawn chairs. It doesn't have to be perfect to start out, since Chad and his boyfriend best friend Dustin are pretty handy when it comes to sprucing up a yard. But it has to have potential.

Examples:

Bad yard. Sure, it's just the front. But there's trees right in the middle of it (I know, some people love that) but there's no chance of growing grass there. Not natural light. Not good.

Good yard. Not in perfect shape, but there's grass. It's open. It's big. There's sunshine (and a nice size deck).

Anyways, those are some of the things I look for. The problem I'm running into is that it appears as though finding all of those things in ONE house (in our price range) is damn near impossible. 

So my question for those of you who have gone through the process of buying your home is this: How do you prioritize these things? 

I get that you an always "change" a house, however for those sorts of things you kinda hafta have money (which we don't, or we could afford something that wouldn't need to be changed that much). 

I am just trying to be realistic and I KNOW that there are things that will piss me off eventually. I'll get tired of bumping into things, or not having room for my Kitchen Aid mixer (which I KNOW someone will buy me as a housewarming gift). I'll get tired of having to pee while Chad is making a shadoobie. I'll get tired of going outside on a warm summer day and shivering in the cold because there's no sunshine getting to my yard.

Advice??

*Disclaimer: All photos on this post are taken from active real estate listings in my area (and price range) found on www.JohnLScott.com