Clean by Spring...the 40 Bags of Lent Challenge

I feel like there is too much clutter in my life. Visual clutter, mental clutter, and just constant stimulation (i.e. tv, internet, smartphone) The 40 bags of Lent challenge is a chance for me to unwind and remove some of the visual clutter from my life. I feel like this will allow me to welcome spring with a renewed sense of simplicity. Not sure my family feels the same way, but as my hubby says "Happy Wife = Happy Life!"

I absolutely challenge anyone reading this post to try this challenge. I did consider starting with something like the 15 boxes of April. Removing one bag/box of stuff every other day seems reasonable, but when I do something, I do it 110%. So 40 bags of Lent it is!

Wish me luck and good luck to anyone who decides to try this.

Her favorite word is Mustache!

My daughter and I were doing that thing where you put your hair under your nose and call it a mustache. I would like to teach her the finger 'stache, but since she's a toddler, I'm afraid it will look like she is smelling her finger like a weirdo.

In true toddler fashion, my daughter's new favorite word is mustache. This makes me laugh and got me pondering about mustaches in society. I feel that the finger 'stache is vastly under used. Sure there's that steam punk movement that embraces the finger 'stache, but how about the rest of us.

There is a certain quiet dignity in using a finger 'stache when making important statements. An air of respect, if you will. So, this is my plea to others. In important social situations, let us embrace the finger 'stache. After all, shouldn't we live in a dignified society?

This picture is from the following site and is available as a t-shirt. http://www.wearyourstory.com/mustache.html

A Taste of the Wild: Eating Bobcat

Don't get me wrong, I'm a city girl. There's no possum stew or squirrel steaks going on in my home. It's just that I am an extremely curious person. I believe that when an opportunity presents itself, you take it!

One of my friends (well, a friend of a friend) hit a bobcat with his car and decided to clean it, gut it, and then wimped out on eating it. So my brother threw some seasoning on the bobcat steaks and tossed those puppy's in the oven.

The meat was stringy, tough, and tasted a bit gamey...like lamb. I think we should have marinated the meat and slow cooked it. I googled "recipe for bobcat" and "how to cook bobcat" and found nothing. I thought for sure some backwoods squirrel eating person would have a road kill recipe blog. After all, this is the Internet. You can find anything, right? Well, apparently you can't find a recipe for bobcat.

I don't taste very good.

A Conversation with my Husband No. 2

An amusing text conversation with my hubby.

Me: Help. I have a poop in the bath situation. I repeat. A poop in the bath situation.

Hubby: The number u have texted is no longer in service, please try your text again after your poop situation has been resolved.

For the record, I was not the one who pooped in the bath. We have a toddler.

Oh how I hate the smell of green

I really made an effort last year to be more "green." I have a degree in Environmental Science, but often find myself falling off the wagon. This year my New Year's resolution is to be more clean on a daily basis. Yep, I'm a slob. It's embarassing, but I diverse. What I don't understand is why every green cleaner has to have a signature scent. It's not couture. It's not perfume. Worst of all, every scent is different. After I clean my house house with all of my green cleaners, what I end up with is a patchuli, vanillla, orange and lavender smell mess. Can't green just be unscented? Or how about lemon? Lemon Pledge is popular for a reason. I implore you green cleaning product industry, get rid of your signature smells.

Things that make me laugh -- Forget You (Muppet Style)

This makes me dance like a crazy chicken!



A Conversation with my Husband

Me: I think I'm going to donate my espresso maker.
Hubby: That's a good idea. I've never seen you use it.
Me: I used to use it everyday. Then I discovered sugarfree Red Bull. If they sold a sugarfree Red Bull maker, I'd buy it.
Hubby: I look forward to the day that I come home from work and find you mixing up a vat of Red Bull.
Me: Yeah, me too.



A passion out of control

Things that make me laugh -- Doogie Howser theme from SNL

One of my weird celebrity obsessions is with Neil Patrick Harris. I watched so much Doogie Howser growing up, that I will never see Neil Patrick Harris as anything else. For the kid in me, I posted this super funny SNL clip of Neil Patrick Harris playing the Doogie Howser theme song on a keyboard.

When you just need something to amuse you, watch this.

The day her hair turned

Having a baby is the most wonderful thing in the world. The funny thing is, I went most of my adult life believing that I didn’t want kids. It was going to be great. I’d have lots of disposable income. I could fly to Paris on a whim. I could go on adventures and take risks. My ultimate goal (and is still kind of a dream) was to be on the show Survivor, yes, the reality TV show. Although my strategy to win based on sex appeal may need to be modified. For some reason, the C section scar, excess weight, and less than perky breasts don’t seem to attract those 20 year old sexy male tribe mates.

Then I met Chris. I knew the moment we met that I was going to marry him, but I did not foresee having a daughter with him.

Don’t get me wrong, she was not a surprise. Well, not exactly a surprise anyway. We had been trying for 10 months, and had reason to believe that we would not conceive on our own. It’s funny how doctors can be wrong about these things.

When my little miracle arrived, she had a full head of dark red hair and blue eyes. It was a stunning combination. It’s amazing. I stare at this little one every day; yet, I barely notice the small changes. One day, when my daughter was 14 weeks old, I looked down and she had a full head of light brown hair. I know it happened gradually, but missed it. To me, it seemed to have happened overnight. It’s amazing how easily we can get caught up in our daily lives and forget to notice the little things.  

You don't mess with the Biebes?

I've known for quite some time that you don't mess with the Walken, but what I found out on Superbowl Sunday is that you also don't mess with the Biebes. It was one of those philosophical debates that only seem happen when you've had one too many beers. I'm thinking that my friends are wrong on this one. Quite frankly, I'm a little insulted that my comrades would place Justin Beiber on the same level as Christopher Walken. After all, I'm not sure that Biebes has got the staying power.

Here is 5 reasons why it is ok to mess with the Biebes.

1. Its fun to say Biebes.
2. He's Canadian.
3. He's short.
4. Given the chance, I would lick him from head to toe with my cougar tongue.
5. His only method of defense would be to "bring it."

I would definitely mess with him a little...and really people, you just can't compare him to the Walken.

The Biebes on the lookout for my cougar paw!

You don't mess with the Walken

So, I find myself obsessed with this sketch of Christopher Walken's face in our break room at work. Above his face, someone has handwritten in marker "Don't piss off the Walken" and below his face they wrote "more cowbell please."

It’s not so much Christopher Walken that I’m obsessed with (although I do have an unnatural adoration for him), but the fact that there is no other jokes or cartoons in our break room. None. Only Christopher Walken’s caricarture. I have never asked anyone why Christopher Walken is occupying the break room. I don’t want to know. I don’t want to ruin this glorious mystery that is the Walken. 

You don't mess with the Walken.

A man named Silver

So, I was buying sunglasses at the Sunglass Hut the other day. Yes, in the winter in Washington State, I was blinded by the one sunny day that we had. Doesn’t that warrant a $200 pair of sunglasses? Anyway, I found myself obsessed with the middle aged gothic man working there. I always pictured Sunglass Hut employees as young and outdoorsy. This man was neither. He was very polite, just not what I expected.

He had longish hair, and a black shirt with the first few buttons unbuttoned. This showed off his silver medallion gothy necklace. (I just invented the word gothy, do you like it?) He had on two gothic rings, one on each hand and stood a little over 6 feet tall. When I asked him his name, he replied that it was Silver, like the element. I have a feeling he chose this name to seem cool. Cool as ice...or cool as silver I suppose. Of all the things that I found odd about Silver, there was one thing in particular that stood out. My one burning question for Silver is this: Why the exposed chest hair? Why Silver? Why?

Hospitality Stories - The Curmudgeon & The Crazy

Having working in the hospitality industry most of my life, I've encountered a number of interesting people. Recently, I encountered the strangest elderly couple who I've nicknamed The Curmudgeon and The Crazy. The Crazy was trying to get herself and her husband checked into the hotel, but she had major comprehension problems. Meanwhile, The Curmudgeon kept shouting insulting phrases at both her and the desk agent. "C'mon old woman." "Let's move it along." Ironically, when the desk agent was explaining how to get to their room, the husband shouted "You talk to fast. I hope you die fast too!"

These people came back to the front desk 3 times because they kept getting lost on their way to their room. Even after being walked all the way to the hallway of their room, The Curmudgeon and The Crazy couldn't find the room. They had to be escorted again all the way to the door of their room. It's a little scary to think that these people drove nearly 1000 miles on their own.

I try to embrace every stage of life with a sense of acceptance, but please, please, put me into a home when I am no longer able to comprehend everyday interactions. And for my own safety as well as everyone else's, don't let me drive!

Things that make me laugh - Inflatable You

A big part of this blog is to be entertaining. I saw Tim Minchin on Conan and have developed a bit of crush on him, but not in that sexual way...more in that play the piano for my rockin' birthday kind of a way. Anyway, this makes me laugh, and I hope you enjoy it! (I couldn't find the Conan clip on YouTube, so I had to settle for a clip from a different show.) He looks much more sane here.

When you need to be entertained, watched this.

How do you eat an elephant?

"How do you eat an elephant?" is one of my favorite phrases. I often throw myself into big projects without much planning then quickly get overwhelmed. My husband actually introduced me to this phrase, but apparently its is a common saying. When I captured this picture of my daughter, I just thought it was the perfect inspirational image for taking on big projects. If you are thinking about taking on a big project this year, may be you'll find a little inspiration in this image as well.

Btw, the answer is "one bite at a time."

Thirty Wonderful

As 2010 comes to an end, I’ve been reflecting on my crazy life this past year…which led to me reflecting on my crazy life these past several years. I like to say that I am a thirty-one-derful (or maybe I should spell it thirty wonderful) woman, because I love the way that sounds. I am actually thirty three, but have decided to claim thirty wonderful for an undetermined amount of time.

I did not want to turn thirty, and in general have been fighting being an adult. Turning thirty comes with responsibilities and no excuses. What was once harmless partying is now possible substance abuse issues and alcoholism. It is perfectly fine to get wasted and dance on tables in your twenties…no so much in your thirties. This is definitely a new time and a new journey in my life.

Having a bit of a wild streak in me, I often find it entertaining to jump right into to life without much thought or planning. My husband says that I keep things interesting. I’m not sure he means that as a compliment, but hey, what’s life without a little spice.

This blog is meant to be humorous, inspirational, and a place to share stories of being thirty wonderful. I highly encourage comments and would love to post pictures and stories from others as well. Let’s document our thirties, the good, the bad, and the in-between.