Currently on repeat

Currently on repeat...

 Nicest Thing ~ Kate Nash

"Basically, I wish that you loved me

I wish that you needed me

I wish that you knew when I said two sugars,
Actually I meant three

I wish that without me your heart would break
I wish that without me you'd be spending the rest of your nights awake
I wish that without me you couldn't eat
I wish I was the last thing on your mind before you went to sleep

Look, all I know is that you're the nicest thing I've ever seen
And I wish that we could see if we could be something
Yeah I wish that we could see if we could be something"

Merry Happy ~ Kate Nash

"Can't take back those hours

But I won't regret

'Cause you can grow flowers

From where dirt used to be

Dancing at discos

Eating cheese on toast

Yeah you make me merry make me very very happy

But you obviously, you didn't want to stick around

So I learnt from you 

Do do do da do do do do do da do do do do do da do

So I learnt from you 

Do do do da do do do do do da do do do do do da do"

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Semi Update

This is an update of sorts.  I don't really feel like it's a true update because I can't actually put the subjects I'm updating to rest yet.  Though I do feel like an update is needed, so here I am.

First, to update on donating all my January Crowdtap points to TWLOHA...  I did donate all the points I could to TWLOHA but at this time the amount donated has not changed from the 60,000 points ($30 donation) listed on my original post. 

Unfortunately, Crowdtap is changing their points system and their store and our current points don't roll over.  At this time gift cards cost more than they did before so (in short) people can use up all their points before being switched to the new system (the logic behind their logic is not logical at all, at least to me...or anyone else who has commented about it in the community).  Since the announcement was made most of the charities have been "sold out".  I'm assuming because it's the only thing people can really afford to do to use up their points.  I'm hoping to donate to TWLOHA at the beginning of next month (the next restock) but we'll see.  

If I can, at this point, I'll be donating another 30,000 points ($15 donation) but hopefully I'll be up to (at least) $40,000 points ($20 donation) by then.  

I haven't received notification as of yet of my account changing over so I should be able to use my points for charity.  I think it's ridiculous that making donations to charity is something that can sell out.  I'm sure there's some legal mumbo jumbo behind it for Crowdtap but I still think it's dumb.  There shouldn't be a limit on being able to help others.


Second, to update on my Shabby Apple dress order.  The dress did not fit perfectly and even if it had I hated the fabric.  It was made of a poly matte crepe satin with a hint of spandex.  I should have know because for whatever reason my body hates anything close to satin, it becomes all staticy and nothing I do will help it be not staticy, but I guess I was hoping that the poly matte crepe (I still have no idea what that means) or the spandex would save it.  The dress pretty much fit like a dream except for the darts.  The darts were a major problem as they poked out and looked ridiculous.    

Luckily, Shabby Apple launched a new line called Ferris Wheel and I was able to return my Moonlight dress for something different and new (and without stupid darts).  To make sure I wasn't ordering something that had darts (you can't always tell in pictures) I live chatted with SA and verified.

So I chose the Riptide dress and I may love it even more than I did the Moonlight/Class Ring dress.  The only "sad" thing about this dress is it is a bit more pricy than the Moonlight dress so my out of pocket was $13 this time.  Still a super steal but not as FREE as it was or could have been.

Riptide dress

    
Seriously, what's not to love?!  It has two of my favorite colors (at least right now) navy & hot pink.  Plus, the top is a dark color...which always works better for me.  Not sure how the striped skirt will look but really I'm willing to chance it.  Stripes are another favorite right now. 

I should have my dress by the end of this week or next.   I pray it fits!  And looks good.  If not, I really don't know where to go from here.

The whole Ferris Wheel line is ADORABLE!  I've never wished for a longer torso in my life more than I do right now because the skirts featured in the FW line are just to die for.  Unfortunately, for someone of my stature (well endowed & short torsoed) these skirts are just a major NO-NO.  They would look ridiculous on me.  I may have shed a few tears for that fact.  I'm seriously.  I have a whole text conversation with Crystal about it.    

I mean look at these beauties!

Boardwalk Baby Skirt

Whirlwind Skirt

Calliope Skirt

Moonlight Kiss

It's only taken me 5 months but after winning a $75 Gift Card to Shabby Apple from Talk2TheTrees (back in August! can you believe I held out that long) I finally ordered my Shabby Apple dress.

I really thought I'd have an easier time picking the perfect dress from Shabby Apple.  They have so many pretty dresses it's hard to pick just one dress.  Then you add in my busty disposition and it makes the decision a lot harder than it really should be.

Their last collection Joyful came out not that long ago but they just added a few more color options to some of the dresses I've been looking at.  Having a purple option made my decision a bit of a no brainer.

I don't think there is any difference between the Class Ring dress

Class Ring - Olive Green

and the Moonlight Kiss dress.

Moonlight Kiss - Grey

But the purple is definitely my favorite of the three.

Moonlight Kiss - Purple

Though I was pretty close to picking the Class Ring dress since I really like the olive green color but I decided I had everything I needed to style up the purple so I went with that one.  As I type this I am having a bit of buyers remorse and wishing I'd picked the olive green color.  Oh, well.  

Moonlight Kiss is $85 and because it's my birthday month Shabby Apple sent me an email with a $10 Shabby Apple Dollars code (it actually pays to join email lists!).  So with the $75 GC I won I only paid the $8.95 for shipping.  Pretty sweet, right?!

Now lets hope & pray that the dress fits perfectly so it really is the perfect dress.

Proof possitive there is such a thing as good karma

As a part of Crowdtap you earn points towards gift cards & charity donations.  In 2012 I used some of my points to donate towards Autism Speaks & The American Red Cross.  And then in August I found they supported TWLOHA (To Write Love On Her Arms).  Since changing my main charity to TWLOHA I ended up donating  70,000 pts ($35 donation) to them. 

I will continue to support TWLOHA as my main charity this year as well.  That does not mean I will not donate to another charity when the desire or need see's fit but TWLOHA is where my heart currently lies.  

I am donating ALL the points I earn for Crowdtap this month to TWLOHA.  I am doing this in honor of my dear friend, Nathan Wert, who forgot depression lies and took his own life a year ago this month.  

Normally, I'd have gone the selfish route, being my birthday month and all, and donated all the points to myself and to buying myself something nice from Amazon.  I'm sure had I gone this route I wouldn't have passed the mile markers I have or completed all the goals I have completed this month already.

I cleaned out my Crowdtap points January 2nd, donated them all to TWLOHA, and counted all the points I had then towards my 2012 count of what was donated to TWLOHA.  It was too hard to decipher what was earned in what year so I just grouped it all together and started 2013 after that.  To make it easier and to take away the temptation of turning all my lovely points into an Amazon Gift Card I have been donating my points the moment I can, which is at 10,000 points ($5 donation).

Since that January 2nd donation I have donated another 60,000 points ($30 donation).  I've basically been able to donate twice a week.  And it's only the 15th, which means the month is only half over and I've donate almost the same amount, IN HALF A MONTH, that I did in over 4 months last year.  That is insane!   I can't wait until the end of the month when I can update on the full amount I've been able to donate.

In 2012 I used 250,000 points total.  160,000 pts ($90) went to  Amazon Gift Cards.  20,000 pts went to other charities ($5 Autism Speaks & $5 American Red Cross).  And the 70,000 pts ($35 donation) that went to TWLOHA.  


To donate directly to TWLOHA:
https://www.stayclassy.org/checkout/donation?pid=8520&cid=7304

To join Crowdtap: http://bit.ly/gSdxF0


ETA: This post was supposed to post on the 15th but for some reason it didn't (operator error... most probably) .  

Welcoming 2013... or not.

While my goal list for 2012 wasn't an epic fail, one cannot call it a huge success either.  I figured as 2012 ended and 2013 began I'd be full of excitement, hope and resolve and while I did feel all of those things I wasn't overwhelmed by it all.  More than anything I was just extremely grateful that 2012 had finally come to an end.  So far all I've felt for 2013 is... dread.  Maybe that's what I feel, maybe it's not but it is the word that came to mind.  I'm not 100% sure what "it" is exactly but if you asked me how I felt about 2013 all you'd get is an unceremonious "meh".  

While it is a new year, it is still marked by Nathan's passing.  Side note: Can we agree that passing is a dumb term.  Unfortunately, it's the most polite word I can come think of.  Anyway... Friday, the 18th marks the 1 year anniversary of his suicide and it is tainting things more than I thought it would.  Normally I am excited for January.  It is my birthday month, after all, but this year I don't necessarily feel like it is MY month.  Not with the 18th looming all big and rudely right after my birthday on the 17th.  It sort of takes all the fun out of it all.  

I do suppose after this year it will be a bit easier, the taking back of my birthday and my birth month.  I will always share it with Nathan and this unfortunate event but I'm guessing it won't always be so hard.  The first anniversary of anything is always a big deal.  After that it just sort of because a "normal" thing, I guess.   Mind you, I don't object sharing my birth month, week, whatever with Nathan but I do mind the fact of why we now share it.  Sadly, no matter my objection, the reasoning for it cannot be changed so I just have to find a way to accept it and find a new way of looking at it all.

I honestly didn't start this entry with Nathan and his suicide in mind.  I had more or less planned on talking about my reasoning for not  having any resolutions this year or making a list of goals this time around.  Somehow it's snowballed and I have lost the structure I was aiming for.  Anyone ever wondering why I don't update as much as I used to or in general... this is why.  It's a big ol' rambling mess up in my brain and it is getting harder and harder to figure it all out enough to articulate it onto here, or anywhere else for that matter.  Journaling has not been my strong suit in 2012.  My personal journal is sadly bare of most happenings of 2012 and there are a few things that really needed to be written about.

Back to my original point.  I decided to not make any resolutions or goals for this year.  Really, what is the point?  All we ever do is forget about them, half ass them, or become bored and quit.  More so than not only a few months into the new year.  The best resolution, and the only one infallible is making the resolution to NOT make a resolution.  That, my friends, seems to be fail proof.  Which of us who has ever made the resolution to NOT make a resolution has failed and been all resolutiony the rest of the year?!  Yeah, that's what I thought, thank you for backing up my point.

I thought about just making a general resolution, something like "To live bravely" but ultimately decided against that.  I feel I managed a bit of that statement last year but having lived almost a full 35 years on this Earth, I've come to realize that there is always fear.  No matter how brave we become or are, we always have some small amount of fear.  It doesn't always stop us but it is there and it does affect how daring we are as we live out our own definition of bravely.  I know I didn't say "to live without fear" but to be brave you have to silence the fear you hear and so it's not just about being brave to me anymore; it becomes about being brave and silencing fear and that just seems like too much of a specific resolution and no longer makes it a general resolution.  

Yes, this is what my brain is like all day, every day, 365 days a year.  Welcome.  Yeah, I don't blame you for not wanting to grab some popcorn & pulling up a comfy chair.  

Really, it's not all doom and gloom over here but it does seem to be spewing all over this post right now.  Sorry to be a bit of a downer.  

My goal for 2013 is to survive it, and to hopefully do it with some sanity intact.  I don't see that as a resolution because it is something that has to be done.  I don't know how else to explain it but it just doesn't seem like a good candidate for being a proper New Years Resolution.

I dread the fast approaching month of March.  There are many things crowding up the calender for March, most of which are happy, joyful events.  I will welcome a new great nephew and I will see two people I care about get married.  But clouding the month of March is the fact that (as of today's date) it is still the month in which at the end of it Irish goes back to Ireland.  Depending on how things go and how hectic they get at the end those happy March happenings may not be something I get to fully share with Irish.  That seriously makes me sad.  That cloud has always been looming over but back on the warm summer night after Irish and I first met it just didn't seem so dark.  

So with January now being what it is and March/April being what it will be I find it hard to happily looking forward to 2013.  I will admit that even with the first 3 or 4 months of 2013 looking gloomy they are far brighter and better than those beginning months of 2012 and I am delighted by that fact.  I am.  Really, I am but I would love to not have a "but" at the end of that and I guess that is where I am getting suck.  

2012 Top 25 Most Played iTunes

Last year I became reconnected with my iTunes (don't know how I lived before without my iPhone) so I shared my 2011 Top 25 Most Played iTunes, and figured I'd keep doing it.  

My iTunes 25 Most Played List of 2012:

No.           Name                Artist                 Album          * also 2011                                            

1. We Used to Be Friends - The Dandy Warhols - Welcome to the Monkey House

2. Some Nights (Intro) - Fun. - Some Nights

3. Some Nights - Fun. - Some Nights

4. Last Straw, AZ [Live From Orlando] - Jack's Mannequin - The Glass Passenger [Delux Version]

5. Konstantine - Something Corporate - Played in Space: The Best of *1

6. Find A Way - SafetySuit - Life Left To Go *12

7. Dear Jack - Jack's Mannequin - The Dear Jack EP *2

8. Diane, The Skyscraper - Jack's Mannequin - The Dear Jack EP *3

9. One Foot - Fun. - Some Nights

10. Amy, I - Jack's Mannequin - People and Things [B Sides] *6

11. One More Night - Maroon 5 - Overexposed

12. I Won't Give Up - Jason Mraz - Love Is a Four Letter Word

13. Heart's a Mess - Gotye - Like Drawing Blood

14. Carry On - Fun. - Some Nights

15. Casting Lines - Jack's Mannequin - People and Things

16. Broken Bird (Bonus Track) - Jack's Mannequin - People and Things [Delux Version]

17. Let the Sparks Fly - Thousand Foot Krutch - The End Is Where We Begin

18. Meet Me On The Equinox - Death Cab For Cutie - The Twilight Saga: New Moon Soundtrack *18

19. My Oh My - Tristan Prettyman - My Oh My [Single]

20. The Woman I Love - Jason Mraz - Love Is a Four Letter Word

21. The Only Way - Gotye - Like Drawing Blood

22. There, There Katie - Jack's Mannequin - The Dear Jack EP *8

23. Dancing With a Gun (Bonus Track) - Jack's Mannequin - People and Things [Delux Version]

24. Restless Dream - Jack's Mannequin - People and Things

25. Oxford Comma - Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend *15

Most of the songs listed aren't a surprise.  At times this year it felt like the only thing keeping me going was listing to some of the songs listed.  I am a bit surprised at where some of the songs landed on the list though.

My Year In Review 2012

I honestly thought I'd done a Year in Review for 2011 but I can't find it so if I did I put an invisibility cloak on it or lost the decoder ring.  

My year in review 2012

1. What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?
I online dated.  You can read about it here, here, here and here.

I, also, drove 3 1/2 hours up north.  In my car.  By myself.  It's silly I've never driven any long distance by myself before but it's even sillier that I did so in my old and very cantankerous car.  It all worked out okay (my car was a champ!) and was way worth it.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't have a resolution this year.  Instead I wrote down some goals to work though this year.  I didn't complete my list 100% but I did a whole hell of a lot better than I would have had I gone with a resolution.  Goals, update 1, 2, 3.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

No, not yet.  I get to answer this question with a yes next year though...yay!!

4. Did anyone close to you die? 
Yes.  Nathan (1/18) & Cyrus (10/26).

5. What countries did you visit?
Physically none, but I'm dating an Irishman so that's like visiting Ireland, right?!

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?

Someone close to me not dying, especially if it's by their own hand.

7. What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 18th, it's the day Nathan committed suicide.  Pretty much changed my life and definitely changed my whole year.

The night I walked in and found Cyrus dead pretty much seems to be sticking too.  

Death is so....so... RUDE!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I guess it would be going out of my comfort zone and trying online dating.  Actually meeting up with the *coughweirdocough* guys in person and not running the moment I laid eyes on them was a big achievement I think.

Or maybe I should say my biggest achievement of the year was online dating and NOT being axed murdered in the process.  You know, because sometimes it felt like that may be an inevitable conclusion.

9. What was your biggest failure?
A part of me feels like my biggest failure was completely being side swiped by Nathan's suicide and having no clue something like that was in him mind.  

I, also, feel I failed Cyrus by not noticing he was sick before he was super sick and not being able to get him into the vet before he died.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Does serious heartache count?  If so then, yes.  If not then, no.

11. What was the best thing you bought?!
I haven't bought anything "big" this year so nothing stands out.    

Maybe Tristan Prettyman's new album 'Cedar & Gold'. It's all kinds of awesome.  Raw emotional awesomeness.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Anybody who made it through this craptastic year.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Well, obviously Nathan's.  Then there are 2 or 3 other's who I will refrain from naming.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Bills, as always.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Seeing Jason Mraz with Karie (again!) 10/2.  And, dating an exceptionally HOT, charming and handsome 6'5" Irishman.

16. What song will always remind you of 2012?
Restless Dream by Jack's Mannequin
Distance by Christina Perry & Jason Mraz

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

i. happier or sadder?
Sadder.

ii. Thinner or fatter?
The same??

iii. Richer or poorer?
Poorer.  

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
NOT mourning and missing those that I love.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Crying over & missing those I love.  

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
I spent Christmas with my family & Irish on the 22nd, I hung out with Nick on Christmas Eve (dinner & a movie, saw This is 40), and had Christmas dinner with my BFF & the rest of the Hills on Christmas.

21. Did you fall in love in 2012? 
Yes.

22. How many one-night stands?

None.  You know, cuz I'm just that good.

23. What was your favorite TV program?
Dexter
Leverage
(Only listed my new favorites)

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Hates a strong word but I definitely don't have a lot of love & respect for a person or two.

25. What was the best book you read?

Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Glen Hansard
The Walkmen
Milo Greene
JayMay
Ray LaMontagne

27. What did you want and get?

A crazy love affair totally worth being written about... 

P.S.  Just cuz it's worth writing about doesn't mean I am writing about it (obviously).  That would require time and words.  Who has time or words?!  Not I.  


28. What did you want and not get?

I wanted a non-craptastic year and definitely didn't get it.  This year will go down as the crappiest year EVER.  And by EVER I mean to date.  Which is kind of saying a lot because that is 34 (just shy of 35) years of calculation.

29. What was your favorite film of this year?
Once, though it wasn't a film from this year.  It's just one I finally watched.

The Avengers

Happythankyoumoreplease

And, I do have to say that Breaking Dawn Part 2 didn't suck.  I hated the book but pretty much thought both BD Part 1 & Part 2 were awesome.  Even if BD Part 2 had me all kinds of pissed off during parts... those of you who watched it know what I'm talking about.  I actually got yelled at for saying "That/this is bull shit!" too many times.  Hee!

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 34, and I was sick.  I don't really remember it but I do know it was the last day Nathan & I "talked".

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Not to sound like a broken record but Nathan not committing suicide would have been a good start to a more satisfying year.  

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?

I wore a lot of dresses, maxi dresses & maxi skirts & wedges.  Not sure what fashion concept that is but it's what I wore.

33. What kept you sane?
The same things as always, my 10mg's of Citalopram & my BFF, Karie.  I can add Crystal to the 'BFF & keeps me sane' list this year.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I finally got the whole Ryan Gossling thing.  Not sure if I fancied him the most but I definitely took notice.

35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Woman's rights and marriage equality.

36. Who did you miss?
Nathan.  We were just starting to hang out a lot.  

Crystal, Bug & Claire.  They moved almost 4 hours away so no more (weekly) hang outs.

Cyrus.  I still can't believe the little bugger died on me... especailly, before Parker.

37. Who was the best new person you met?
Irish!!

and Texas... but that's all I've got to say about that.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012:  
It's better to have love and lost than to have never loved at all. 

Also, to make sure the important people in your life know that they are important.  To not be afraid to tell someone how you feel.  You are less likely to regret telling someone you love them than to regret never having been able to say it at all.    

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
It's funny how the words we never say
Can turn into the only thoughts we know
'Restless Dream' ~ Jack's Mannequin

If you're lost and alone
Or you're sinking like a stone
Carry on
May your past be the sound
Of your feet upon the ground
Carry on
'Carry on' ~ Fun.

2012 Goal: Quarterly Update #3

It's half way through December so I'm a bit behind on my 2012 Goals update.

#1. Wear each pair of shoes I have (at least once)... 

Well, I've still been wearing shoes.  I kind of gave up on the whole documenting thing.  I got rid of a lot without wearing them to decide.  I'm ending the year with 43   shoes and 23 flip flops.  I'm not sure how many shoes I actually got rid of & how many were new this year, it's totally lame but when I was purging I never thought to write down what I got rid of.  There's about 6 more pairs I may get rid of still but I haven't quite decided yet.

Standing: Excellent.  I have less shoes than I started with, so I got rid of more shoes than I bought this year (I think I have 8 new pairs of shoes that I bought or won).  I think that's pretty dang good.

#2. Get rid of things... 

I went through boxes I've been holding onto that had things from my childhood in it or things I was holding onto that were my Nana's.  I got rid of a few things but most of them were too important to get rid of.  I cleaned out both of my closets and got rid of a lot of clothing I didn't wear anymore.  I should have tackled my outside storage closet but never got around to it.  Meh, oh well... I can try next year. 

Standing: Okay.  I mean, I got rid of SOME things.  


#3. Go on a date... 

I went on two online dates AND I've been dating Irish for 6 months.  I just wish I'd met him prior to tackeling the whole online dating thing.

Standing: Excellent.  Goal is complete.


#4. Sew a 50's style dress...  

I never made my 50's style dress.  I tracked down a few patterns in the size I needed but by the time I went to buy them they were sold.  Vintage patterns are in high demand... damn hipsters!  I may try again next year, you know, once my sister has recovered from helping me with the botched DYI dress we did (found here) or some miracle happens and someone lets me use their sewing machine to try sewing myself.

I did make a dress, "fix" said dress,  and then "trashed" said "fixed" dress and then never tried the project again.  I still want to make a maxi version of the dress but I guess until I can perfect the short version I shouldn't waste all the fabric needed to make the maxi dress.  

Standing: Good.  (See above).


#5. Finally making myself my no sew fleece blanket...  
*(Still)Nothing but cricket sounds here*

Anytime I thought about making the blanket Remington would remind me why I no longer do crafts in the house.  Also, just trying to fix things makes me want to kill him.  Mostly because I'm fixing the things he's ruined.  He's a complete moster when I try to make the bed or fold blankets so I just haven't had the gumption to try it yet.

Standing.  Bad.


#6. Get new glasses...  

I didn't get any farther than thinking I needed or should get new glasses.

Standing: Bad.


#7. Visit Bearizona...  

I didn't get around to visiting Bearizona.  

I did, however, drive to the Albuquerque Bio Park.  We (me, Crystal & brood) spent the day exploring the zoo, botanic garden and the aquarium. 

Crazy fact:  It takes less time to drive from Eagar, AZ to Albuquerque, NM than it does to drive from Eagar, AZ to Williams, AZ.  WHAT?!  Eagar to Albuquerque is 197.9 miles and Eagar to Williams is 209.7 miles.  

Standing. Okay.  Same difference, right?

Healthy Choice Baked Entrées

Finally a frozen meal that is both healthy and doesn't taste like chewing on a popsicle stick.  

Crowdtap isn't just about Old Navy and clothing sample shares... I know, who knew?!  I was selected to do a sample share for Healthy Choice.  I wasn't completely thrilled since we actually had to pay out of pocket for this sample share.  There was no FREE product this time, just a link to a coupon for a $1.00 off a Healthy Choice Baked Entrée. The coupon is almost 50% off the retail price but after receiving so much FREE product I think I'm a bit spoiled.  I haven't looked elsewhere but at Wal-mart Healthy Choice Baked Entrees are $2.18 so I only spent $1.18, which really I can't complain about.  

I shared the coupon link with a group of friends on Facebook and sent an email to some who didn't have FB.  So far no one is willing to spend money to try a frozen meal, especially since it's a FROZEN single serving meal that is HEALTHY.  Nothing says EWWWWW, GROSS! more to me than FROZEN & HEALTHY.   I've pleaded and badgered them to no avail but really I can’t blame them.  I, at least, get some compensation…even if it’s only in the form of Crowdtap Points.

There are 6 flavors: 
Fettuccini Alfredo  
Lasagna with Meat Sauce 
Italian Sausage Pasta  
Four Cheese Ziti Marinara 
Roasted Chicken and Potatoes 
Chicken & Rice

I'm not a big fan of Italian food and I was worried when all I was seeing were the Italian flavors but I managed to found one lone box of the Chicken & Rice Bake and a few of the Roasted Chicken & Potatoes Bake.  I chose the Chicken & Rice because it seemed the safest and I actually like Chicken & Rice.  Plus, it's wild rice… yes, please!  Yum!  I actually liked it.  Yes, you read that right…  I actually liked it.  A FROZEN and HEALTHY meal.  I was extremely surprised because I do not eat frozen meals.  They all totally taste like popsicle sticks to me.  If I wanted to chew on a popsicle stick I’d at least eat the yummy popsicle part first, you know.   

The Healthy Choice Bakes are perfect to take to work for lunch, especially if you are on a diet.  If you're not and you're super hungry one Healthy Choice Baked Entree won't be enough but for a Healthy single serving meal it's perfect.  It was a little bland but not too bad and it did have some flavor.  The wild rice was really good, the broccoli tasted exactly like frozen broccoli tastes (good but not as good as fresh broccoli), the cheese sauce was okay (and where I think most of the blandness came from), the chicken was pretty good (I'm usually not a huge fan of microwaved chicken because if it goes bad it goes very bad but this was pretty tasty).  I more than likely will buy a Healthy Choice Chicken & Broccoli Baked Entree again and I think I'll try the Roasted Chicken and Potatoes Bake at some point too. 

Getting Warm & Cozy

Earlier this month Crystal was chosen for a sample share for Old Navy dresses and she chose lucky me.  We like a lot of the same things but tend to go in different ways when it comes to the clothes we chose for ourselves so at the end of our dress shopping trip I was surprised when we both chose a black dress.

This is where I again mention I am only 5'4".  Crystal is TINY!

It was coincidental but we were both wearing grey boots that day as well.  So maybe our clothing tastes aren't that different after all.  

Especially when you take into consideration what we both walked away with when we did my Old Navy sweater sample share this weekend.   We both ended up with the same hooded-zipped sweater, and we both chose it in navy.

We both had different sweaters in mind when we walked in after taking a look at ON's website but our sweater selection was pretty slim.  We ended up going to two Old Navy's and the second store wasn't helpful.  Luckily we both love our sweaters, even if it wasn't the one we thought we'd be leaving with.

Crystal was torn between the navy hoodie or the button-front cardi.   I really loved the grey & black on her but since she's moved up the snow country we decided that the heavier sweater was the better way to go.  Warm clothes was the reason I picked her for this sample share.  She may be the only other person I know who goes into freeze mode in anything below 85 degrees.

I almost went with the boyfriend cardi but I really wanted/needed a navy sweater so I went where the color took me.  Although, looking back and seeing this pink color again I think I may really want/need a pink boyfriend cardi.  

Santa, if you are reading this...hook a girl up.  Please and thank you.


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Incidentally, all opinions are my own.  I was not paid for this post (or any other post).