Day 3 Smoke Free, Day Two on NOOM

So, I really struggle with writing this. I’ve been in Fat Positive spaces for so long where even mentioning the idea of Intentional Weight Loss (IWL) would all but get you crucified, yet here we are.
I started this journey on Thursday when I weighed myself and was 250 ponds. This is the heaviest I’ve ever been. According to my BMI, I’m obese, border lining on extremely obese. I find it hard to keep up with friends when walking around during outdoor activities, I get severely winded when walking up one flight of steps, I’m constantly tired, my feet often hurt, and I’m overall unhappy with my current lifestyle. Something has to change.
I’ll preface this by saying my overall intention isn’t necessarily to lose weight, but I’d be lying if I said the prospect didn’t appeal to me. I mostly want to live a more healthy lifestyle in general, and weight loss is most likely going to be a by-product of that.
First thing’s first: I quit smoking. I wasn’t as bad as some smokers, sure, but me smoking a pack a week is still smoking and definitely contributes to me feeling winded all the time. I quit cold turkey and have no intention of starting up again. I downloaded a little app that keeps track of how long I’ve been smoke free for ( three days), how many cigarettes I’ve skipped (6), and how much money I’ve saved ($2.56). Being able to see the progress I’m making is really helpful and will hopefully keep me on track to stay smoke free.
Mood wise, I don’t necessarily notice anything right away, but I do feel like I might be a bit snippy with my friends and family, which I’ve apologized for in advance and explained why, and they’ve all been incredibly supportive, my husband especially. He never really said anything, but I think the fact that i smoke(d) kind of bothered him more than he let on.
Physically, I don’t feel too different other than it seems slightly easier to breathe? We’ll see how that changes the longer I stay smoke free.
My next big step was signing up for and downloading the NOOM app. So far, I really enjoy it. I pairs you with coaches (who I haven’t interacted with yet because of it being the weekend) and takes you though the baby steps of how to make healthier food choices. I think the accountability is going to be a key factor of me continuing the program. this is only day two, so again, we’ll see.
I do really like it a lot so far because it takes the time to really explain in depth how you can make better food choices by choosing foods that are more nutritional with a higher water content to feel fuller. The example they give is showing the difference between 140 calories of grapes vs. 140 calories of raisins and why the grapes are a better choice for a snack. It made me realize that we have no grapes in the house and that I should go get some.
Another big change I’m trying to make is to slowly cut out soda and other sugary beverages in exchange for drinking more water. I think one of my problems is that I’m dehydrated, so I’m making it a personal goal to drink at least 3 24 oz. bottles of water a day.
My main goal is to take things slowly. Once I have better eating habits down to an actual habit and not just a fleeting thought, I plan to add other things into the mix, such as going to the gym, or signing up for a zumba class, or going on a hike.
I say healthy eating habits are my main goal. As much as I like to cook, for a long time we’ve been taking the easy route by just stopping for fast food on the way home from work or ordering food to be delivered to the house. Food deliveries take on a different role in the form of grocery delivery, which is super super convenient and if you’re able to do so in your area, I highly recommend it. Also: tip your drivers.
Will I keep up with all of this? I sure hope so. Do I want to inspire others? It would be nice. I mainly just want to do things for myself and take my life back into my hands instead of constantly wallowing in self pity. What can you expect from this should you chose to follow me? Progress reports, recipes I try, maybe some progress photos. This is me, right now, today. Future me awaits.

Summer Minimalism Update

Well we’re a few weeks into summer and I’ve switched over to my summer capsule without too much fuss and more things donated. I’m not as far along with the de-cluttering and minimizing as I originally wanted to be, but I’m not letting myself get too down about it, because I’m a lot further along than I was this time last year.

I did do a thing I originally said I wasn’t going to do anymore, but looking back on it, I think it was a pretty unrealistic goal to set for myself so I’ll be editing my goal and moving on. What did I do? The simple answer starts with buying a t shirt off of eBay. The not so pimple answer has a back story, which I’ll share before I revamp my goal.

This t shirt, to anyone who isn’t my close family and a few childhood friends, isn’t anything special. It’s a Mountain brand blue tie dye shirt with a green tree frog giving a peace sign. It’s probably old and slightly faded, and my close family knows that it’s much more than an old t shirt and why I love it so.

When I was a kid, I loved frogs. they were one of my favorite animals. I used to spend all day trying to catch them around the pond and stream at my step fathers parents property. My determination often left me wet and muddy, but damn if I didn’t catch a few frogs in my day.

This love of frogs was encouraged by my family. Tips were given to improve my skill. I was armed with different nets. I was taught how to paddle the canoe, and how to get it out and put it away when I was older. I was given many the frog trinket and do dad over the years, some of which I still have.

Somewhere along the way I was given the  very same t shirt I described above, just in a smaller kid size. I can’t remember if it was in a bag of hand me downs or if it was an actual gift, but I do remember that it was my very favorite shirt. I wore it at least once a week. I wore it to school. I wore it to camp. I wore it to catch frogs. I wore it so much it had holes all through it, and eventually I had to say goodbye.

Imagine my pure and immediate joy when I stumbled across someone selling a used version on eBay in nearly perfect condition. If I was the only bidder, I’d only pay about $15.00 for it including shipping costs. My pure joy was met with fear, because if I bought it, I’d break my rules not two weeks after making them.

That’s when I realized that asking a woman who had done some form of shopping every weekend for years to just STOP was not only unrealistic, but it was setting myself up for failure. It’s a lot to ask someone to just quit shopping cold turkey. I’m practically addicted to the euphoric feeling it gives me. So, I’m revamping the rules.

I’m still going to try my best not to buy anything new off the rack at a store, unless I need new undergarments. The only new garments I’m willing to purchase have a lot of factors to consider. I’m willing to buy myself something if:

• I’m at a festival
• I’m at  a music event buying a band tee
• It’s a garment made from ethical and/or sustainable means
• It’s an original design that an artist hand painted or screen printed themselves
• I’m at a yard sale, thrift store, or consignment shop
• It’s a used item that I buy from eBay or some other online market place
• I’ve thought about it awhile and I’m not just making an impulse buy.

With these new rules in mind, I can still treat myself on occasion. I have  a love of graphic t shirts in general, and I have a list on my phone of certain ones I’ve wanted for awhile. If the conditions are just right and I find a treasure I’ve been looking for, I give myself permission to buy the thing that brings me joy.

 

My Completed Capsule Wardrobe

Well, I managed to capsule my wardrobe without too much fuss. I have closer to 50 items instead of 40, but I’m not beating myself up too much over that. It’s still way better than two closets full of clothes, most of which I forgot I even had. I figure that since I have “less” to chose from, it will make it easier to choose outfits I like, and get rid of items I’m not wearing.

I’m left with piles of clothes to sort through; figuring out what to sell, give away, and donate, a pile of boots and shoes that need to go in a bin, and a bin of my fall and winter stuff that I need to find a home doe in our basement.

I want to try to stay away from just taking everything I don’t want to the thrift stores. Marie Kondo has become a household name, and because of her popularity, most thrift stores are at capacity. They are either not taking donations at the moment, selling their excess donations overseas, or just plain tossing them into landfill. We need more landfill like I need another leg, so I’m trying to do my part to find new homes for everything, and whatever I can’t, I” donate it to a thrift store.

The items that are in good condition and on the newer side, I plan to try to sell on Poshmark. If that doesn’t work, I’ll try my luck on Ebay or the Facebook Marketplace. I’m planning on bringing in things bit by bit to see if any of my coworkers can find anything useful. What they don’t want, I plan to set aside until it’s a little nicer out and have a yard sale. Anything left after the yard sale, I’ll put up for grabs in the buy nothing group i’m in. Only after that will I take anything to a thrift store.

I want to try to sell as much as I can to recoup some of the money I wasted on buying everything in the first place. Whatever money I end up earning, I’ll split three ways between two savings accounts and paying off credit card debt. My ultimate goal is to have my credit cards paid off by this time next year. If I’m lucky enough to be able to, I’d like to also have $1000.00 in each of the savings accounts, and see how much extra I can put towards my car.

Our absolute very first priority, however, is to pay some back rent. My husband was out of work since the restaurant he works at had to relocate due to some landlord issues. He was able to collect unemployment for a time, but that ran out in February, so things have been pretty tight. Our landlords have been super kind and understanding, but kindness has its limits, so the sooner we can start to pay things back, the better. If I can even manage to get ahead on rent, that would be even better.

My husband should be back to work full time sometime in May ( I hope and pray), so things are slowly moving forward. I’m really glad that they are. Part of me wants things to go faster, but I know deep down that if I rush things, I’ll just be back to square one. As much progress as I’ve made, I don’t want to take any steps back if I can help it. Only forward from here on out.

How I Plan to Capsule My Wardrobe

On my slow and steady journey towards a more minimal lifestyle, my biggest undertaking is going to be making a capsule wardrobe. Minimalism and capsule wardrobes often go hand in hand it seems, and are very different things for different people. Some people can fit their entire wardrobe in a suitcase. Some people are doing Project 3-33. As a shopaholic with borderline hoarding tendencies that seem to run in my family (thanks Mom, and Grandfather before her), I’ve decided to come up with my own system. These are realistic goals for me, and a way I feel I can get started and not overwhelm myself in the process, which means setting myself up for failure.

My first step might seem really silly, but bear with me: I want to dust and vacuum my house before I do anything with my wardrobe. That way I’m starting from a clean slate, and won’t get distracted by any dirt or clutter I might see. This also means I won’t be putting my clothes on any dirty surfaces, thanks to the overabundance of cat hair. We have three cats, so you can imagine how dusty our home can get.

The next step is inspired by Marie Kondo. I’ll be taking all my clothes, shoes, purses, and accessories to a central location, and from there, the sorting will begin. I’ll pick out anything I’m not wearing, be it because it doesn’t fit me or because I just don’t wear it, and decide what’s nice enough to sell on Poshmark, what to give away, and what to donate. If it doesn’t fit me NOW, I don’t need it. I might save a pair of jeans or two on the off chance I happen to lose weight, but if I still don’t fit into them by this time next year, I’ll say goodbye to them as well.

Once that’s all taken care of, I can look at what I still have and start to sort my wardrobe into capsules. I’ve decided that for me, my capsules will be in four seasons roughly three months long: spring, summer, fall, and winter. I’ll have no more than 40 items for each season. These items will not include shoes, underwear, sleepwear, my work clothes, accessories, outerwear, and clothes I go to the gym in. I may include shoes and accessories in the future, but right now I’m doing baby steps.

40 articles of clothing, including tops, skirts, pants, jeans, layering pieces, etc., may seem like a lot for some people but this is a really big change for me, and I have to start small or not at all. The capsules I’m not wearing will be stored in bins down in our basement. If I like something enough, I might bring it with me into other seasons, such as a graphic t shirt I really like, or my favorite pair of jeans. I’ll try on everything at the beginning of each capsules season to make sure everything still fits.

Shoes and accessories are in their own category, simply because while I have a lot of each and really like having a variety,m the truth is, I really don’t change up my accessories a lot. I’ll be setting aside the many pairs of sneakers I’ve accumulated to save for work, but any other pairs I’m planning on separating into shoes I wear in the warmer months and shoes I wear in the colder months. Whatever doesn’t get worn by the end of the capsule, I’ll find new homes for. The same holds true for my scarves and hats.

That brings us to my vast collection of purses. I’ve grown quite the collection, from having people give them to me as gifts, to seeing a style I really like at a thrift store or yard sale. I’m constantly on the lookout for the “perfect purse”, which morphs ite meaning to me almost as often as I change my socks. For now, I’ll be finding new homes for the ones I’m not using for whatever reason, keep a few of my favorites, and not buy anymore, unless it truly is the perfect purse, at a good price, and made of quality materials.

This is a process I plan on documenting somehow while Rob is at work. That way he’s not in the way and doesn’t get overwhelmed by the shear amount of stuff I’ve accumulated over the years. I haven’t decided if I’m just going to stick to Instagram and Snapchat, or if I might make a Youtube video. Either way, I’ll be announcing it so people know it’s happening. I’ll also share the link to my Poshmark once it’s set up in case people want to buy my stuff. Wish me luck, and send wine and coffee!

Beginning My Minimalist Journey

I know I’ve written something similar to this in the past, but I fell off the wagon because I did too much too fast, so here we are with the ugly truth.

I love shopping. As a kid, I didn’t really get to go shopping very much for what I wanted, unless it was a special occasion or if I was with my grandmother. A lot of the clothes I owned were hand me downs from various family members, friends, or they came from a yard sale.

Aside from shopping for the perfect pair of jeans, shopping for me is fun and a great mood boost. As and adult with my own income, I’m able to shop wherever I want, try on whatever I want, and buy whatever I want. Being able to try on fun pieces that fit my body and sense of style is an exciting activity that I look forward to.

One of my favorite name brand stores is Maurice’s. I love thrifting, too, but Maurice’s is a place I’m willing to go to often. I have their store credit card, so if I see something I want, I can just charge it to my card and pay it off over time. I do this around my birthday as a treat to myself. This year I spend about $200.00 all together, both in store and online.

That’s $200.00 worth of things that fit me well and made me happy, but $200.00 worth of things I didn’t really need. $200.00 worth of more credit card debt. $200.00 worth of more clothes in my eclectic wardrobe that weeks before I tried to downsize. $200.00 worth of most likely unsustainable fast fashion, that while I love the pieces, I truly don’t know the manufacturing process or how long they will last.

I think there were 12-15 pieces all together. How many more things could I have gotten if I had gone to a thrift store instead? Or a yard sale? What if I didn’t act on impulse and put that money towards paying off my credit cards? I would have been $200.00 closer to being debt free.

Clothes aren’t the only thing I overspend on, either. While our pantry, fridge, and freezer are filled with food, I often forget to take something out to thaw for supper, so we’ll just go out to eat instead. that’s $20.00 to $40.00 we could have saved if I wasn’t lazy and forgetful after work. $20.00 to $40.00 worth of food that while it tastes good, is often fast food, or one step above.

I need to do better. I’m sure there are many other people who are in this rut. It’s an easy rut to get into and a long, hard one to get out of. The first step is admitting that it needs done, hold myself accountable, be transparent about my short comings, and make small goals to start with so I don’t get overwhelmed, inevitably leading to me giving up and going back to old habits.

I’ll be starting with two goals, and once I have them underway and I’m confident I’m on the right track, I’ll slowly add in others, one by one.

The first goal is to not buy anything that isn’t essential. No new clothes, shoes, or accessories. No going out to eat more than once a week to start, unless it’s for a special occasion. No grocery shopping unless it’s for essentials like fresh produce, milk, bread, or eggs. Our freezer has plenty of meat in it, so that should last us a good long while.

The second goal is going to be the most time consuming, and that’s going to be sorting through my wardrobe and putting it in a capsule. With is starting to warm up, I’m not going to need all my long sleeved shirts, cardigans, jeans, boots, and thick socks, so it will be easy to transition. There are lots of different ways to do a capsule wardrobe, but I think i’m going to come up with my own system to start and ease into it.

I’m going to hold myself accountable for all of this by writing blog posts, posting on Instagram and Snapchat, maybe start a YouTube channel, and other forms of social media as well. I’ll be doing lots of research, picture taking, and writing. I’ll be sharing my journey, as well as sharing others who inspire me along the way, be they bloggers, YouTubers, Instagrammers, or just people I know in person.

I know I can do this. I just have to take the first step, even if it’s a small one.

A Long Overdue Update

I will preface this now that this post has sad content dealing with the death of a pet. If that is upsetting to you, please feel free to sit this one out.

Oh hey there! Look at this! My poor, forgotten blog! I had such good intentions to be doing this every other week, and it’s turned into little spurts here and there every year and a half or so. Good at time management, I am not.

There’s really not much new going on in our lives. I do have to report that, sadly, we had to put our sweet Munchkin down around Thanksgiving. That was a really hard day for us.

We had taken her to the vet in October because she had lost quite a bit of weight. They did some blood work and it came back that she was in kidney failure. Not a great diagnosis, but many cats are able to live for a few years when they’re properly taken care of. They put her on a new soft food diet that was specially formulated for cats with kidney issues, and had her on potassium goo that she was not fond of. “Oh, its made to taste good, she’ll just lick it right off your finger!” they told me. HAH! That’s laughable. Ever the picky one, she did not, in fact, lick it off my finger. I ended up having to get a syringe and hold her down and open her mouth with one arm and hand, and put the syringe far enough in her mouth with the other that she would just swallow with the other. I think I might have put Steve Irwin to shame a few times.

Cut to about two weeks later, she was not improving. She had lost more weight, she wasn’t eating, and she was very lethargic, even for her standards. I took her to the emergency vet on Sunday morning, where they gave me the saddest news anyone could give a pet owner. She had lost more weight. An alarming amount of weight, really. She was dehydrated, her body temperature was low, and upon further examination, there was a large mass on the back of her throat that hadn’t been there when I took her to the regular vet two weeks prior. I know it wasn’t there. I watched him open her mouth and look in with a flashlight.

Munchkin had cancer. An aggressive type that is hard to operate on the best of circumstances, and with it being on the back of her throat, it made it that much harder. She had also, quite frankly, just given up. She was just a shell of the cat she was. “We can try to operate” the emergency vet said. “There’s always a small possibility, but if that’s something you want to try, I’ll get you a price list and we can start treatment. I have to tell you, though, if it came on this fast, it’s probably only going to come back.”

“I don’t think that would be fair to her,” I replied. “She’s so weak, I honestly think the best thing we can do for her right now is to let her go.” I was practically sobbing. Kudos to the staff at CPVETS in State College, they really have a wonderful team.

“In that case, I’ll let you call your husband so he can be here. We’ll keep her on a heating pad and give her some fluids to keep her comfortable. While you’re gone though, if she takes a turn for the worse, do I have your permission to do the procedure in your absence? I know that’s a hard thing to hear, but…”

“Yes”.

I called Rob, who was trying to get some sleep before he went into work. I went to pick him up. When we got back, my mom and her fiance had arrived as well. I had called her on my way to the vet. Thank goodness for moms.

The procedure itself, while sad, was fairly quick. I’d say within a minute or so, she had passed on. For those who’ve never had to put a pet down, there are three injections: One is to put the animal to sleep, one is to flush the first into the system faster, and the last is to stop their heart. We were all there with her in the room. We were all crying. Again, kudos to the staff at CPVETS for being as kind and caring as they are. I honestly can’t recommend them enough.

“You did Munchkin a great kindness. Take as much time as you need. When you’re ready, you can go out the back door if you want so you don’t have to deal with the people in the waiting room.”

We chose to have Munchkin cremated. The company that did her cremation is fantastic as well. CPVETS took care of transporting her body and collecting the remains, so all I had to do was swing by and pick them up a week later. There was a lovely condolence card with the story of the rainbow bridge from the cremation company, as well as a cast of her paw print in clay, and a tiny floral carved box with her ashes inside.

CPVETS and our regular vets office also sent us condolence cards, which was incredibly kind of them.

This was incredibly hard on us, as I’m sure it is with any pet owner who has to make that decision. Munchkin was the first pet we owned together, and we only got to be with her for seven short years, which is only about half the lifespan of a typical healthy cat.

People might wonder why I chose to update with such a sad topic. As sad as it is, death is a fact of life. It’s the only thing that’s certain in our lives. I also know we made the right decision in letting her go. She had given up, and to try to put her tiny, frail body through surgeries and cancer treatments would have just prolonged her suffering. Yes, we absolutely weren’t ready to let her go, but to try to hold onto her would have been extremely selfish of us.

I hope that in reading this and knowing a little about the euthanasia process can help others make that hard decision and help ease them through their grief.

 

FAQ with Mary

I have an Instagram now! I’ve lept into the 21st century, so now I have a smart phone and all kinds of fun social media apps! I post a lot of things, mostly a bunch of selfies because I’m bored, pictures of the cats, a few outfit of the day posts, and a few pictures of the goodies I make.

Being an unapologetic fat girl (and okay, maybe I’m a little vain), my profile is public. Anyone can see it and look me up. I’m not a secret. I love it when someone says that I’ve given them a little boost of confidence when I post something body/ fat positive. I love it when people like what I make and what I wear.

For those who may not know, Instagram has its own direct message system (DM for short). I get a lot of messages. Seeing as how I’m trying to boost a business, I’ll usually answer, however most of the time it’s from a thirsty dude who wants to see my tits. While my tits are pretty fantastic, they’re not for everyone to see all willy nilly. I seem to answer a lot of the same questions over and over, too, so I figured it’s time to do a FAQ. That way everyone can get to know me a little better, and I can point them in this direction.

I’m going to warn you now so you can turn back if need be: A lot of the questions I get are rude, vulgar, and sexual in nature. A lot of these men view me as nothing more than a sexual object, of which I am not. I’m a person. Most of these questions and answers are vulgar in nature and deal with a lot of sexuality. If you can’t handle the thought of me having sex for whatever reason, turn back now. Do not read ahead. The fact that I have sex with my husband isn’t a secret.

 

Q: Where are you from?

A: I’m from Central Pennsylvania, in the US. That’s all the more specific I’ll get, though if you bother to look, I usually tag my location in my posts.

 

Q: What do you do for work?

A: I’m a housekeeper in a retirement community. This means I clean for people in a 55 and older independent setting.

 

Q: Are you single?

A: If you would bother to look at the few sentences in my Instagram Bio, the very first thing I say is I’m married. I have a husband.

 

Q: How long have you been together?

A: We had our first date October 17, 2007 and have been practically inseparable since. We tied the know on October 17, 2015. This year will be out tenth year together as a couple, but only our second married.

 

Q: Does your husband share?

A: Short answer, no. Long answer, I’m a person, not a toy. You don’t get to borrow me and give me back when you’re done. Some people are into casual sex, and that’s perfectly fine. As long as they’re being safe, more power to them. I’m not like that. I need to have an emotional connection to someone before I even think about sex. My husband and I are monogamous. That’s what works for us.

 

Q: What does your husband do for work?

A: He’s the assistant manager at a local BBQ restaurant.

 

Q: Can I come visit you?

A: If you’re a friend that I’ve talked to before, by all means, call me and come for a visit! I have off weekends now and we have a spare room you can stay in. Bring marshmallows, we can make smores at the fire pit in the back yard. If you’re a stranger, no, you may not visit.

 

Q: Why don’t you want me to visit?

A: Because you’re a stranger! We don’t know each other. I don’t know what your intentions are. I don’t ant the responsibility if you’re coming form overseas.

 

Q: Let me see you now?

A: I post enough selfies on Instagram that you should have no trouble knowing what my face looks like. I advise you to look at one of those pictures.

 

Q: What kind of panties do you wear?

A: Ones that cover my butt and are worn under my pants.

 

Q: Let me see them?

A: No. There are lots of nice ladies who like to show off their underwear. Go look at them.

 

Q: Facetime/ video chat/ skype /etc?

A: I find it awkward enough to text chat with a stranger, let alone have them see my face and hear my voice. I get self conscious for one, and for two, most guys just do that because they want me to watch them jerk off. No thanks.

 

Q: Do you have snapchat?

A: I do! I don’t post a whole lot very often, but I do chat form time to time and post random pictures/ videos. @bigbeautyboho is my username, feel free to add me. I warn you, if you try to sex chat with me or send me pictures of your junk, I’ll block you.

 

Q: Sext with me?

A: No. For one I’m married, I see that as disrespectful to my husband. For two, I got shit to do. If you need some help, I recommend watching porn. And guess what? It’s free!

 

Q: Do you want to see my dick?

A: Short answer, no. Long answer, no. Again, I’m married, and I see that as disrespectful to my husband. Plus, most strange women don’t want to see a random persons penis. To a random woman on the internet, your penis is not special. Your penis is not attractive. Your penis is not hot. Your penis looks like every other penis out there. I don’t want to see it. Sending it anyway will just get you blocked.

 

Q: Let me see your breasts/ pussy/ ass/ nudes?

A: No. If you want to see a naked lady, I recommend porn. Again, married. Monogamous.

 

Q: Awww come on, he doesn’t have to know.

A: No, he doesn’t. I could totally send every guy who asked me a picture and he would probably be none the wiser. But I respect my husband. We have both agreed that we are enough for each other. I trust him and he trusts me. I’m not going to throw away ten years of the best thing that’s ever happened to me for some random stranger on the internet.

 

Q: Fugly bitch.

A: I was good enough for you to ask, why the change of heart? Don’t like being told no? Get used to it. I’m not a thing. I’m not going to change my mind just because you insult me. I’m going to laugh at you and mock you.

 

Q: Why do you have to be so rude? I was just trying to pay you a compliment.

A: A compliment is something like “You look really pretty”, or “I like that top” or “that’s a really pretty (blank), I can’t believe yo made that! “Lick your pussy”, “I’d bend you over”, “come over here and fuck me” is not a compliment. It’s rude and considered sexual harassment. I won’t tolerate it.  If you DM something like that, you’ll get blocked. If you comment something like that on one of my posts, I’ll report you.

 

Q: You look like a fat.

A: I am fat. It’s not a secret. It’s not something i hide. I’m proud of my body. It can do amazing things. I’m sexy. Get used to it or fuck off.

 

Q:If you lost some weight, you’d be really pretty.

A: I’m really pretty now, I don’t need to lose weight.

 

Q: Is your husband even attracted to you? You’re so fat!

A: My husband is very attracted to me. We’re attracted to each other. You don’t have to like the way I look, but saying so isn’t necessary. I don’t need your permission to be beautiful. I don’t need your approval.

 

Q: Don’t tell anyone about this, okay?

A: While I probably won’t put you on public blast, if you act like a jack ass when you’re talking to me, I do screenshot every conversation. I then share it with my closest friends and my husband in a group chat, and we usually laugh at you. If you don’t want anyone to know you’re being a jack ass, it’s best to stay off the internet.

 

That’s it for now! I have lots of other questions and answers that aren’t so vulgar and more that are, but this is already a pretty long post, so I’ll save that for another time. Hopefully I won’t wait so long before I write another blog post! Until next time, stay wild!

 

 

 

 

November Blogging Prompts (Pt. 2)

So I know it’s December now, but I never got around to finishing all 30 prompt questions last weekend. People came over and we (sort of) cleaned up the house. Not much, but enough to say I did something productive. So here are the next 15 goofy questions and answers.

Day 16: Do a little research on your family tree and share what you find.

My family is a little messed up for reasons I’d rather not go into right now. That’s better left for a post all on it’s own when I can go into more detail.

Day 17: Share your best pumpkin pie recipe.

I don’t bake very often, so I haven’t really had a chance to experiment with different pie recipes yet. I’m a fan of pie in all it’s many forms, though, so I’m game to take on the responsibility of trying a bunch of pumpkin pie recipes.

Day 18: Show how you’ve decorated your home for Thanksgiving.

I don’t decorate very often. I  sometimes don’t even put up Christmas decorations if my depression is especially bad. I’m more or less trying to sort through and get rid up unnecessary things, and since the wedding is over, there are boxes and half finished projects all over, so not a lot of room for decorations.

Day 19: What are your plans for Thanksgiving day?

My plans revolve around weather or not I have to work. If I have to work, it’s business as usual and we go to Rob’s parents for dinner.

If I have off, we usually have a get together the night before, so I stay up late and sleep in. Then I get up, make my coffee and get some breakfast, then spend the morning doing some online shopping for Christmas presents. Most stores offer the same deals online as they do in store and often offer free shipping, so I don’t have to bother with crowds or getting dressed.

After a nap around lunchtime I finally get around to getting a shower and getting dressed, then we go over to Rob’s parents for dinner and eat ourselves stupid.

Day 20: Share a few images that represent gratitude for you.

How the heck do you represent gratitude with an image?

Day 21: Share some old family photos (think back further than your usual #TBT photos)

I honestly have no idea where my photo albums are right now and don’t really have the motivation to go digging around for them. I might have to do that with another post I suppose.

Day 22: What is your earliest memory?

I think I was about two or three. My mom and her friend used to share a ground floor apartment. I ave vague memories of all of us sitting in the living room and watching Bambi.

Day 23: What are your goals for this Christmas season?

I’d first and foremost like to just be happy. I’d love to pay off as much debt as possible while still being able to get everyone’s gifts, too.  I’m chipping away at that slowly but surely, so we’ll see what happens.

Day 24: How do you plan your holidays? Share any printables/forms you use.

Oh dear, I had no idea there were printables and forms for planning holidays. I don’t plan any more than making a list of what I want for Christmas and making lists of what I’d like to get for people. I’d love to see some of those forms, though, maybe I can incorporate them into my everyday life so I’m not so scatterbrained.

Day 25: How do you share your gratitude with others?

By thanking them in person when I can. I like to let people know how much I appreciate them, from the biggest favor ever that they could have, to the little things they might do day to day that make my life easier. I know how good it feels to be appreciated, so I like to pass that feeling along.

I’m a big fan of hugs, too, but I know some people don’t appreciate them as much as I do, so I try to be careful before just off and hug someone.

Day 26: How did you incorporate your significant other into holiday traditions?

That was actually quite simple. It really just kind of happened. His parents go to Wisconsin every other year for Christmas, so we get together early to celebrate Christmas with them. Christmas day if I don’t have to work we sleep in for awhile then head down to my Mimi’s for lunch and to open presents with my family. For dinner we go out for Chinese and watch movies, because one of us usually gets at least one movie as a gift.

Day 27: What is the one holiday tradition you want to start in your family?

I’m a simple kind of gal, so I’d like gift giving to be simple. I’d love to keep our gift buying for each other small and just fill a stocking for each other. He likes to buy gifts, though, so that might be a hard one to convince him to do.

There’s a new tradition that just popped up on Facebook that I like, too, which goes hand in hand with my simple gift giving. It would limit us to only 4 presents, which I’m totally fine with. It goes “something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read”. I love buying books for people, so I think I would have a lot of fun with the last part.

Day 28: How does it feel to drive into your home town for a Holiday visit?

Relaxing now, it used to be extremely stressful to know I’d be seeing my step dad. My mom is no longer married to him, though, so holidays are much more exciting and pleasant.

Day 29:  Talk about how family dysfunction has affected you and your holiday celebrations.

Again, this is something for a more in depth post. There were good times and bad in my childhood, and there are times when I’m driven to a panic attack or close to one depending on what’s going on around me.

Day 30: How can you keep the spirit of thanksgiving alive all year round?

Taking time out of your day to sit down and think of the good things that happened to you that day. I’ve started keeping a journal and I try to write down three good things that happened every day. Some days it’s hard to think of three, but I can usually think of at least one. Some days it’s hard to keep it to three, so I write down everything. I literally just started last week, though, so we’ll see what happens over the next month or so. Maybe I’ll share some entries.

Well there we have it!

“November Blogging Prompts”

Sometimes I have no idea what to write about, so I’ll peruse Pinterest for ideas. Sometimes I find 30 day writing challenges that have a lot of really good questions I can answer in length, sometimes even focus one blog post on one specific question. Sometimes the questions or prompts are kind of silly or ridiculous, like the following, so I’ve decided to turn that into a funny post. If I get too lengthy, I might do a two part or three part episode over the weekend since I have off and Rob has to work.

Day 1: Share your family’s stuffing/cranberry sauce/ gravy recipe. 

Ummmm… I was unaware that gravy needed a recipe? Don’t most people just use the drippings and a roux of flour and water to make their gravy?

I don’t know my grandmothers cranberry sauce recipe off the top of my head. It’s super awesome, though, and I’m not all together sure she would want me to share it.

Stuffing is simple: Tear up (or cut up if you’re fancy) bread of your choice. We usually go for a cheap loaf of stale bread because it soaks up the juices better. We stuff the bird in out family, we don’t do it on the side. Mix it with a half cup of melted butter or margarine ( butter preferably since my grandparents were dairy farmers and margarine tastes plastiky to me) and add some salt, pepper and marjoram (which is a kind of dried herb). Mix it all together and shove it up the birds butt. Voila!

Day 2: What are you most thankful for in 2015?

Oh my, where to begin with this one?

My husband. It’s still weird to call him my husband.

My friends and family for always being there for me, encouraging me when I need it and bringing me down to earth if I get too flighty. That doesn’t happen very often because I’ve always been a big believer in dreaming big and going for it with all your heart, no matter how silly it may be.

Having a job so I can live a comfortable lifestyle.

Having a roof over my head, a car to take me to and fro, enough to eat and the know how to cook good meals.

Wonderful co workers that have become a second family.

Being the legal age to consume alcohol, because I likes me a glass of wine.

My cats for being both cuddly, entertaining, and sometimes nerve wracking, because that way I always have a story.

Rum and vodka, because some days I really need it. Like REALLY need it.

Chocolate. Because see above.

Coffee. Because see above above.

Day 3: What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory?

I honestly don’t really have one. My memories from my childhood all kind of blur together and my recent adult thanksgivings have all been spent at Rob’s family’s table since we started dating.

Day 4: Does your family do Black Friday shopping? Why or why not?

My mom and I used to go Black Friday shopping when we would spend our Thanksgivings in Downingtown, PA every other year because there was a wider variety of stores. A few years ago I would go with a friend because I would be able to request off for Black Friday. The past 4 years I haven’t gone out because I’ve usually had work the next day and the crowds make me anxious, so I shop from the comfort of my living room online in my pajamas with a glass of wine.

My mom still goes out because she is insane. She does get some really good deals, though, but I find that most stores offer the same discounts online as they do in the store, and usually offer free shipping to boot, so I can’t be bothered with the headache of going out even if I didn’t have to work.

Day 5: Share your best tips for surviving Black Friday.

Don’t go out? I mean, if you don’t want to run the risk of being trampled by a crowd, just stay in. It’s common sense.

Day 6: What’s on your Black Friday shopping list?

Christmas presents for my friends and family? I thought that was the point of Black Friday shopping? If I told you what I got, my friends and family would see what presents I got them and it would ruin the surprise. I guess I can be really vague and say I got some books off of Amazon and some clothes from American Eagle.

I did get myself some new underwear because it was a good price, and I sell Party Lite Candles so I’m going to be ordering some since they’re having a good sale on their wax melts and essential jars.

Day 7: Do you have any special Thanksgiving traditions?

The night before Thanksgiving we have a bunch of people over for drinks and we play a game called Cards Against Humanity, which is extremely off color and gets funnier the more you’ve had to drink. We always appoint designated drivers or have people stay the night if they’ve had too much.

Day 8: If you could design a float for the Thanksgiving Day Parade, what would it look like?

I have no idea because the thought has never ever once crossed my mind. A dick, I suppose, because I find it hilarious. Or a bottle of Xanax. Maybe a bottle of vodka. I really don’t know.

Day 9: Keep a gratitude journal for a week and share the entries.

No. That sounds dumb and sappy and I have better things to do, like try to dress up my cats in their elf costumes and sew something for myself. And say I’ll organize my craft room but that never gets done because I get too overwhelmed and end up just working on a project I’ve been putting off.

I also need to clean my house, and I make some progress, but again, I get distracted by something, like a half finished project I had buried or a magazine that had an article I wanted to read. Or cats being cute. Or a bottle of alcohol that has just a little bit left. Too much left to just dump it but not enough to justify keeping the bottle.

Day 10: What are you most looking forward to this holiday season?

Getting to spend time with my friends and family and eating lots of yummy food. And Christmas cookies. I can’t forget the Christmas cookies. Robs mom and aunties make THE BEST cookies.

Day 11: What are your best money saving tips for this holiday season?

Everyone has some kind of sale going on. You can be alerted to these sales by looking online or in the newspaper circulars. If you pay full price for something, you didn’t look hard enough for a discount code or a coupon.

Day 12: Share a list of your favorite apps for holiday shopping.

I don’t have any. Seriously. I mean what exactly do they mean by this? Like actual shopping apps or the apps of stores I frequent? The Amazon App? The A.E.O. app? The Etsy app? My bank app so I can look and see how much money I have?

Day 13: Share a list of your favorite apps for memory keeping during the holidays.

I don’t use any apps like that. I use the calendar app on my phone so I know when I work and that’s about it. If I need to remember something I do better by actually writing down a list.

Day 14: What decision/choice did you make this year that you’re glad you made?

I married my husband I guess. That’s the biggest decision I’ve ever made and I wouldn’t change it for anything.

Day 15: Talk about what bothers you this time of year.

People being greedy, be it with time or money, or just being ignorant of how good they really have it and complaining about every little thing.

If you have a job, a place to call home, enough to eat, and people who love you, you have it pretty good.

I can be guilty of doing this, too, and I’m trying harder to be better about it. I have it pretty good and I’m extremely thankful for it.

Well I think 15 days is enough for now. I’ll do the other 15 days tomorrow morning. For now it’s time for another cup of coffee and some kitty cuddles before my friend Abbie comes over to help me around the house.

 

 

Where Are We Now?

Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve done a blog post. Like super long. Like more than half a year since my last post long. I originally had wanted to do a blog post every week, every other week at the longest between posts. We can see how well that’s gone. So what’s gone on since I last posted?

Well for one we got a new kitten back at the end of May. He’s a little over half a year old now and very naughty. We named him Pazu after a character from a movie called Castle in the Sky. He was one of fifteen kittens born from two litters on a family friends property.

The next bit of news is now I’m working full time! I had been only working part time for quite awhile, so the full time work is taking some getting used to. I work 40 hours a week and most days I’m very tired by the time I get home. I love what I do, but I don’t have much time for me like I used to, which has cut into my creativity quite a bit. I’ve gotten a bite form the creativity bug, though, and my wheels are turning and I’m dabbling in things here and there now. I’m sewing as well as tinkering with jewelry making again, and I’ve taken it upon myself to make a shadow box. I’m taking pictures along the way of that, so that might become a post in the near future.

The biggest piece of news is I’m married now! It was a wonderful day that I had been dreaming about for so long as well as a huge weight of stress lifted off my shoulders. Without it looming in the distance, I’ve had more time to focus on me and what I like to do, which is great. It went by FAST too. I didn’t believe my friends when they told me to sit back and just enjoy it. I think that’s the only thing I would have changed, but I still wouldn’t have traded it for the world.

Married life is still very strange to me. Rob and I got married on the 8th anniversary of our first date, so we knew each other just about as well as you can know a person. We’ve been living together for about 6 of those years, so there really weren’t any growing pains with that either. Our relationship hasn’t really changed much, either. It’s a bit more intimate, I suppose. It’s still weird calling him my husband and knowing that I’m a wife now. Changing my last name has kind of been a pain, but a welcome one.

Other than that, nothing has really changed. We’re still in the same house in the same town at the same job with the same friends we’ve had for years. We’re comfortable, and it’s awesome.