Let's Catch Up with a Picture Book

Hello, all.
Once again, I have failed at keeping up on this blog... big surprise, right?

Well, I feel like since the last post was about a trip I was going to take (along with the fact that someone asked me about said trip earlier), I should start there.

Everyone ended up going, and we had a lot of fun. Here are some highlights:

Mac's Chicken Bacon Ranch Mac & Cheese was the bomb

I don't know what she said to elicit this face, but Allie is in trouble here haha

Angry rooster has an attitude

That is one desperate goat

This poor innocent animal has provided many a laugh since this trip

Allie done messed up, now

These faces are all killer

Too hard

Eating sweetcorn raw: highly recommended

Aside from that trip, I also went to a B&B with Aaron where we went on a very humid hike. Really cute place right along the Mississippi, in a little town near the Mississippi Palisades. It was a nice little weekend getaway!

I made pork chops, and he was starving

Work is still going very well, our team has grown a lot to prepare for all of the seasonal shoppers, for support and customer service. I actually was able to help some of my friends land temp positions, some even on my shift. Everyone is so fantastic at work, we're all like a little second shift family.

And speaking of family, my chosen family has definitely changed a bit. And when I say chosen family, I mean friends. I lost a good, long time friend this late summer, early fall. It had been a long time coming, but it still hurts. Sometimes, people just go in different directions with life, and you don't get along as well as you used to, talk about the same things as deeply, or even enjoy the same events or hobbies as you once did. Maybe one day, we'll be close again, but for right now, it just doesn't work.

It's not that I don't care about her, or wish ill will against her. I just see us growing at different paces in different aspects. There are just too many different opinions and perspectives for us to connect any more. She's away at college, and has chosen to focus her life on the sorority she joined, drinking, clubbing, boys, and classes. I have continued to focus on work and my personal relationships, and pushing myself towards living independently.

I did do some other little fun things this summer with her and a few others, though. I went to my first country concert (not really something I typically would go to at all).

Leah, Stephanie, me, and Chelsea

I also took a ride in the back of a cop car with my best friend right beside me! And no, we weren't partners in crime... though she'd be my first choice ;) On our way to another concert, we were in a car accident, and needed to be driven away from the crash site after Leah's car got towed. It was a pretty intense experience.

Oops, you T-boned us

Riding in the back of the cop car

I think the cop is having more fun than Leah is here... though I can't blame her since her car just got smashed into

I also got my first flat tire ever..... and then later on this very donut popped the day before I was supposed to get it replaced.

Allie is such a manly man, using car jacks and all that

Victory shot

And I hung out with my girl friends a lot at bonfires and terrifyingly hideous 80's parties....

Chelsea, me, and Erica

Me and Chelsea

Chelsea, Erica, me, and Allie

This is why the 80's died

Nice dinner with Alyssa

On our way to eat like the royalty we are

Stephanie, Allie, Elise, and me

Chipotle!!

We survived the car accident :)

Chelsea and I were on the same page...Allie was in a different chapter

Charmers for sure

And apparently we made a lot more stupid faces than I'd thought... haha I guess it's all part of the fun.

Now fall has officially hit, and it's time to wrap up the outdoor activities, and start doing all the things you never did when it was actually nice adventure weather on a consistent basis. So that's what I've been doing with Allie, Chelsea, and my mom.

Allie and I went out to a state park a while ago to wander while we were out of town on a driving adventure.

Lowden Park

"Go kiss that elk"

Allie is a party animal

My mom and I also went up to Michigan for a Daughtry concert and stopped at a waypoint to take some fall colored pictures. It was way chillier than it was back home, but it was fun, and my mom made me touch Chris's nasty sweaty hand, so there was that experience I wasn't expecting to have. Gross....

Then, we took my grandma to this local bird exhibit, and that was more entertaining than it should have been. Birds everywhere, Grandma shrieking as they landed on her, mom being the bird whisperer. It was a really good time for just a few bucks.

Mom had them everywhere the whole time we were in here...

Grandma's face in the background is my favorite

Mom asking if one just pooped on her head

In general, I've had a good few months. I'm also looking forward to the next few, as things are finally starting to look up for me moving out. Chelsea and I are applying to an apartment in town, and hope to be out by spring. It will be hard, and a lot of work if we are approved, but hey, freedom isn't free. Not even the teeny bit that we'll be gaining is cheap. But I think that it will be 100% worth it in the end, even if we do drive each other absolutely crazy the entire time. Which full well may happen.

Here are some more random summer/fall pictures that kind of sum up any other weird events I've been a part of:

Mom found the happiest walnut in the world 

Halloween at the office... Judge Judy, Hippie, and Wednesday (Addam's family)

Me and Krystal

Way too much food for 3 people

Happy Birthday Allie!

My favorite guy in the whole wide world

So we got Chik-Fil-A, and Sam was really upset that Allie was eating it all by herself. No sharing allowed, Sam. Sorry.

Me looking like a drowned rat with Aaron

Target providing far too much entertainment as usual

Allie's a hardcore pirate

Taylor, Leah and me

Awkward hoody pic

(He finally has shaved this puff off. Phew!)

Leah and I at the football game

Our tip for the waitress at Olive Garden

Cleaning the basement.... Allie likes to dress up

Decorating for Halloween at Chelsea's

Once again, Target providing entertainment for me and my cronies

 Well, that's all I really have for now, I guess. Nothing too exciting. I'll try to keep up with this more as the holida season goes on. I'll be working on more projects here soon, and not just sewing! I have far too many furniture projects going on right now; I need somewhere indoors to work on them though since paint needs a certain temperature to dry correctly.

I'm working on 2 end tables (one with a cream/brown marble inlay), a massive dresser, a wing-back chair (re-upholstery adventure, here I come), and next week, I'll be driving out of town to pick up a kitchen hutch to work on as well.
And get this- some of these project pieces I got for free! That's my favorite part. The dresser is going to be expensive in the end, but not having to buy it definitely helped. The wing-back chair I picked up for $10- that's right- at Goodwill, and it just is a faded ugly red color that won't match anything I have.

If there are any of you DIYers out there that are just starting, I highly suggest using Freecycle.org to try to find some pieces that people just don't have space for any more. My parent once used this site to replace a broken stove, and I've gotten tons of furniture from it.
Basically, you sign up for free, and can post stuff you want to get rid of but don't want to drag anywhere. Then someone will respond to your post form your local area to say they'd like to pick it up, and then BOOM. Gone, no worries. The only catch is that you can't sell anything on here, and that you have to pick up the items you want to claim.
You can also post things that you'd like as wanted items, and hopefully get a response (like my parents did with the stove). It really is a great tool for DIYers, cheap apartment furnishings, dorm room decor, and just general giveaway items you don't know what to do with.

Also, if you haven't already, go ahead and like my Facebook shop page for the holiday season! I'll be posting a new product later this week that would be a great gift for your neighbors, mailman, or anyone that you just don't know what to get for a small holiday gift.

And, if you want to know more about my fabulous job, you can check out our page here. I started using our site when I started working here, and I've already gotten about $100 I wouldn't have before I used the site (disclaimer: I'm not getting paid to promote the site at all here, I only get paid when I'm at the office. Too bad, huh?)

I'm a big Target addict, so the extra cash in my PayPal helps cushion the blow to my wallet when I want to go on a selfish shopping spree online. Plus when you sign up, you can choose one of the bonuses on this picture. And I promise you, it's totally free to use. Just click onto the site before you shop, and you get the Cash Back. Each store grants us some commission, and we split it with the members. Really simple. Plus, you can always ask me if you have any questions! What's better than having your own personal customer service rep? I'd say it's safe to say close to nothing :)




Well, happy holidays, and have fun fighting through other shoppers on Black Friday and Christmas Eve like we all do year after year....!