Domestic Equality?

As I finish up my last week as the Mayor's intern, I'm going to take a moment to de-censor my blog and get a little political. I mean, hey, in 3 weeks I will technically be a political scientist :) I haven't even had a chance to post about Thanksgiving day, which I intend to do within the next two days. But, tonight, I'm pretty bothered. I don't know if it's more about the issue, or more about how I don't know what I believe sometimes or the the specifics that I stand for...sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I have my beliefs,morals, and values. Click here to read about the city of Topeka's proposal to allow domestic partners to register. I guess the part that I'm struggling with, are my inner thoughts. You know, those thoughts that go on in your head that you really, truly wish you didn't have, but they're there. I had such mixed feelings about this proposal, as the council member who proposed the bill originally stated that it would allow city employees to list any domestic partners on their health insurance. It turned into an all-out same sex bill. I have a very close family member who happens to be gay. I love him and I don't see his lifestyle as "wrong". I see it as who he is. I would never make anyone feel like they are not worth respect or dignity because of the lifestyle they choose. And I try to never judge. I'm not perfect by any means. Heck, some people may disagree with the way I choose to live. I don't deserve to be disrespected because of it, and I'm in no way less deserving of living happily.
As the night drew on, supporters of the bill spoke. Only one person spoke against it. However, the main points spoken by the supporters was that they didn't deserve to be discriminated against. In no way would this bill, if passed, would have stopped that. I was kind of relieved when the bill got rejected, honestly. Again, I think it had more to do with the fact that I felt manipulated by the person who proposed it. During the meeting tonight, the council member specifically tried to use the bill as a way to silence the Phelps'. It just appeared desperate.
I saw the look of despair and sadness on the faces of those who had been at the meeting in support of the bill. For so long, people were discriminated against based on the color of their skin. Is this the same thing? I guess I don't know. I guess I'm torn. I know that I do believe in equality for everyone. But I just don't know if tonight, this moment, was the time.

Thoughts Of Thanks 2011

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I'm not one to forget all that I am thankful for. I would say that I'm truly blessed, but I believe that would be an understatement. I am truly, truly thankful for how fortunate I am. I have a wonderful family. I am so thankful for my mother, who has been the most selfless, loving, and trust-worthy person I have known and will ever know. I am so thankful that God gave me her for a mother. She's just great. Today, and every day, I am thankful for the fact that as much as I don't want to drive to Oklahoma later, that I have a family to drive home to. Hey, it helps that I have absolutely no cooking whatsoever to do :)
Today, and everyday, I am so thankful for the circle of friends that are in my life. The number may be small, but the quality of people that I am constantly surrounded by is just amazing. If I need an ear to listen to me, somewhere to go, something to do, advice, etc...I call up my "girls". Seriously, I don't think I could be who I am today without the people in my life. Thank you God, for giving me these people.
I am so thankful to God for bringing Eric into my life. Even though we have many downs, we also have many ups. I'm not sure where our path will lead, but I know that there's a purpose for everything. I am so thankful that God gave me someone who has helped restore my faith in the Lord and has provided me with a new outlook on life. Thank you, God.
Max. I am so thankful for Max! He has been my sidekick for almost 6 years now. Even though he doesn't talk and pees on the ground, he knows when I'm happy and sad. I don't think He's (n)ever judged me. To Max, it doesn't matter if I have 1 cent to my name or 500,000 cents to my name...his affection for me has always remained unconditional. I am so thankful that whenever I'm stressed, or whatever, I can grab "my dawg" and go for a long walk or for ice cream. Thank you, God, for giving me my sidekick. Love.
I am so thankful that God not only gave me the will to continue with my education, but that He also gave me the path and strength to complete something that has been very important to me. I don't believe that this should have happened any other way. Our Lord knows what He is doing. I can't imagine having this any other way because I know that every opportunity I've been granted, quite possibly wouldn't have been there 3 or 4 years ago. Thank you, God.
In the same breath, I'm thankful that this whole "school" thing is almost over. My strength is running out!!!
I am so thankful for my health, jobs, the career I will have next year, my apartment, my car, and my patience. I am a lucky,lucky girl. So thank you, God :)

I've Got A Trick For That!

So, blame it on me being a former pageant girl. Or something. I don't know. But, I am seriously having a hard time with the whole aging thing. Over the past couple of months, I've really started to feel *cough*27*cough*. And when I say feel I mean that I feel like my skin has started to look "older". Somehow, though, I still break out. Bad. With this combination of breakout/slash oh holy grail is my skin started to look old here, I figured to try a holistic approach. Don't get me wrong, the Clinique Clay Mask I've been using is good, but it doesn't really solve many issues. So I got to googling yesterday and came across putting lemon juice or apple cider vinegar on your face to help with pimples. Apparently, the citrus removes dead skin and the bacteria that causes teenage-style skin. Also, the juice will help even out your skin tone and lighten imperfections. I practically ran into my kitchen to grab some juice :) I've been using it for 2.5 days now and my skin feels so much softer. I actually feel so much better about my face. Whew. Just take some juice, squirt onto a cotton ball, swipe ball over entire face, concentrating on problem areas. Be careful if you have any open sores, etc. Also, if you have sensitive skin, dilute the lemon juice. Other than that, I call this the miracle that took me 27 years to find.

This is what I call "miracle in a bottle"

What's Happenin', Hot Stuff?

Oh, not much. You know, the usual: Studying, doing homework, working two jobs...being an adult :(
I'm pretty sure this weekend consisted of nothing but a whole lot of homework. Which isn't too bad. In approximately 3 weeks, I will be a Historian and Political Scientist. I don't really feel like either, but I do feel a whole lot smarter than when I started this college thing. In 2 weeks, I'll find out where I will be teaching in the spring. Very. Exciting.  However, I am feeling like my life pretty much revolves around school. Oh well, 3 more weeks, right???
I am taking a break from facebook. Mostly for personal reasons, but also because that website really takes up wayyyy too much time. I'll be back, I'm sure. Maybe...

Yesterday I started decorating for Christmas. It was nice to take time out from doing homework and studying to immerse myself in the aisles of Hobby Lobby. I don't mind decorating the weekend before Thanksgiving, because I'm in Oklahoma until the Sunday after. That leaves delaying any decorating until a whole week after Thanksgiving. That is not acceptable here. However, decorating almost anytime before the weekend before Thanksgiving is just going overboard. It's still fall people!

There's still a lot to do...like add a big red bow to the center. That's definitely going to have to wait a little while.

I'll be keeping in touch,

XOXO

What To Wear...When Road-Tripping For Thanksgiving

On Wednesday, I'll be making the road trip from Kansas to Oklahoma. In a car with no heater. Yes, I said no heater. Don't ask why I was too irresponsible to budget this issue in to my funds so I could get it fixed. Needless to say, it's important for me to stay warm on the drive. So, this is the perfect outfit to wear while road tripping to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving.

What To Wear... by mary-susan featuring a yoga activewear

The Knitty Gritty

Knit Headband Heaven by mary-susan featuring hair bow accessories


I first developed a love affair with knit headbands last year when I was in Oklahoma over Thanksgiving. I was at the mall and kept seeing all of these girls wearing them and couldn't figure out where in the world to find one. Finally, after searching for 2 months, I discovered that there was one store in MWC that sold them and were not sold out. There was only 1, maybe 2, places in Oklahoma City/Edmond who sold them, and they were all out by the time I got there. I can't wait to get more, I think they're so stinkin' cute!

1) Dorothyperkins.com
2) Forever21.com
3) Misselfridge.com
4) amazon.com
5) misselfridge.com
6) houseoffraser.co.uk

Random... Wednesday

Well hello there, Wednesday. You truly turned out to be something I didn't expect. This morning I took a painkiller for my back. I try to not take the medicine too often because I want to know where my pain level is and not be 100% dependent on medicine to get rid of the pain temporarily. This morning, however, I was literally pissed. I hate waking up in the morning and not even being able to bend over to pick something up from the floor. I hate struggling to wash my legs in the shower because it hurts to bend over. (Sorry if that's tmi) Yes, this is an every morning thing. The pain usually subsides by afternoon so I'm not in pain for the entire day. Anyways, taking my medicine may have not been the best idea today, because it makes me very very sleepy. And today, just so happened to be a day when I had a friggin astronomy test at 1:00. I came home from my 9:30 class at around 11 and opened my notebook to study. I fell asleep until almost 12:30. Oh, did I mention that I hadn't studied for this test at all??!

Yeah, I'm also leaving out an important detail. Studying makes me want to eat. A lot. Yes I had breakfast today. On my "lunch break" I had lunch. That lunch consisted of: 2 bowls of raisin bran cereal, 1/2 a Sara Lee cheesecake, 1/2 a container of pringles. And I am telling you, when I decided to finish that cheesecake off, Thanksgiving kept running through my mind. I told myself "it's okay to do this on Thanksgiving, so it's okay to do it today!" Does it help that the pringles are reduced fat? Maybe? Does it help that the raisin bran was consumed with low fat soymilk? No...it does not. I was so embarrased that I knocked off the cheesecake that I took the box to the dumpster, so that Eric wouldn't see any evidence. I figured he probably forgot about the cheesecake. Well, now he will know because I know he reads this thing sometimes. Oh, and it doesn't help at all that I didn't really get much studying done. Whatev.

Happy Wednesday!

Max demonstrating how I felt all day

A Little Laugh Today

Yeah, so we all know that I'm a huge animal lover. Thankfully, Pinterest has an adorable section just for "pets". Love. I found this today while "pinning" and found myself laughing...hysterically. Enjoy :)

Source: 28.media.tumblr.com via Kim on Pinterest

Eh, It's For The Birds

...well, not really. But, I do need to brag a little bit because *drumroll please* I made a coupon binder! And, after completing it I realized several things. 1) There is no way in the world I would have lasted beyond last week without having a binder. 2) I did not realize the coupon collection that was growing in my envelopes. I knew it was getting pretty bad when I was losing motivation because finding my coupons and knowing what I even had coupons for was getting confusing.
Saturday, I purchased a 30-pack/page baseball card holder. I thought for sure that the 30 pages was all I would need for now. I.was.wrong. I'm trying to utilize the space in my binder by putting coupons in the front/back sides but I still ran out of room in some of my categories.
The Krazy Coupon Lady has a section on her website for "coupon binder categories". I posted a link to her page in my previous post. She has done an excellent job in breaking down the categories to make them as specific as possible. The downside of making the coupon binder was that it kinda TOOK FOREVER! I blame all of the random envelopes I had that were overflowing with coupons because getting the pages into the binder weren't time consuming. However, today when I was putting my Sunday coupons into the binder it really didn't take too long at all. I'm sure it'll get a little more quick each week. Well, I hope.
I'm learning to cut down on how many coupons of what product to clip. I literally have 2 pages front/back of toothpaste, floss, toothbrushes, mouthwash, teeth whitener. Some of these are the same coupon. Some of them expire this month (I'm pretty sure half of them do). So, as bad as it feels to throw away doubles of those coupons...it's a must.

Here are some pics of my work:

A fraction of my dental coupons

Let's Save Some Money, Y'all!

Who wants FREE bottles of Tide laundry detergent?!? This girl does. Who got a manufacturer coupon in the Sunday paper for $2 off any bottle of Tide detergent? Yep, me again! Who also got a Target Mobile store coupon for $1 off any tide detergent that could be stacked with the manufacturer coupon making your total savings $3 off one bottle of Tide detergent? Yes, I'm the big winner. The Krazy Coupon Lady posted last Saturday that Target has to-go bottles of Tide detergent for $2.99 a piece. The bottle could wash about 10 loads of laundry. "Okay" I thought! This is a great deal!!! My coupons combined would make each bottle I buy....FREE!!! So, on Sunday morning I woke up around 7:30-ish and headed to get my papers. I even got an extra one so I could get 3 free bottles of detergent. I took my scissors and all, in order to clip the coupons in my CAR so that I could make sure to be the first couponer in my area to get this deal! I waited in the Target parking lot for what seemed like forever. At 8am I casually walked through the doors fully realizing that the employees were probably wondering what their first customer of the day, and only customer in the store, could need so badly. I walked all the way to the supposed location of the detergent. I saw NO bottles of Tide! I casually strolled to the detergent aisle...again...No $3 bottles of Tide detergent.  Surely, there was no way I was about to miss out on this deal!!! Sadly, after asking a couple of employees, they suggested that perhaps they didn't have the bottles because they are not a 'Super Target'. *insert very sad face here*

Yeppers, this coupon should have gotten me one free bottle of detergent :( I was really looking forward to my first trip of free items. Maybe next week I'll have better luck. This couponing business can sure be rough sometimes!

What I'm Loving...Wednesday

Wahoo...I'm trying to get back into my regular posting!

I'm really loving that it is the middle of the week. That means 5 1/2 weeks left in the semester. 5 /2 weeks until I'm done with these degrees!

I have grown tired of my ho-hum dressing! I got this pair of boots a couple of weeks ago on sale at Payless! Yes, I said Payless. $39! I have been experimenting new ways to wear them. Leggings: Check. I invested in a pair of skinny jeans too! I still can't do the "jeggings" thing. It's wierd to me. I'm amazed that I even like my skinny jeans. Maybe cause they're different.

I made something I saw on Pinterest! All of the fabric is from Hobby lobby. 4 of the bases for the fabric are different sizes of canvas. The other is a picture frame. Since canvas is kind of pricey, if you have several different sizes of old frames I suggest using them. It works the same but could  make the fabric look a little, uh, uneven, if you will.

I love fall, but I'm not ready for the cold. It's really hard to believe that in three weeks I'll be at home, in Oklahoma, eating my happy little heart out. Maybe it's because I've been home so much this year. I just cannot believe that this year has literally FLOWN by!

My jack-o-lantern! I had fun carving my pumpkin, but I didn't really dress up or anything. On Halloween, Eric and I went to eat sushi then headed to the movies to see Paranormal Activity 3. That movie was sooooo freaky I had nightmares, awful ones, the entire night.

A couple of weeks ago I went to the KU/Kstate football game. KU lost something fierce but it was fun to meet up with an old friend and do the things I used to love doing when I lived in Lawrence.  So I'll leave you with a couple of pictures from that weekend!

My friend Lauren and Me! I love this girl!

I'm baaaack!

I apologize to all 3 of my readers for the short hiatus! It's pretty difficult to keep up with blogging while trying to get assignments done on time, do research, and...well, do life! There is a lot going on and I hate not really sitting down to blog about it.
But, let me just get this out of the way: I AM. SERIOUSLY DONE. WITH KIM KARDASHIAN! Yeah, it's not like she really cares about me being "done" with her, but I was a fan. BIG fan of Kim  K. I think all of her "fans" should re-think why they are her fan. The first red flag about the whole "Kim's Fairytale Wedding"...besides the obvious that nowhere in that title does it include the name "Kris", is how she and her family treated him during the whole 2 hour episode leading up to the marriage. Her mother treated him like a noble child. Kim treated him like he was just there to fill the role of husband so that she could create the wedding day she had always imagined. If I were Kris Humphries I would have springed out of that situation as fast as I could. I get it though, it's hollywood and they are all pretty much crazies...from what we witness. But, when you say you feel that the marriage was forever, you give more than 72 days for that marriage. **stepping off my soapbox now :) **

Jessica Simpson is pregnant! This is happy news because I just love her. I love her clothing/jewlery/handbag/sunglasses/shoes line. And she's just so dang gorgeous!

Ummmm, I know-this is a total Hollywood post. yuck.

Tommorrow, I'll be back for "What I'm Loving...Wednesday" post. Be prepared.

p.s. Hope y'all had a great Halloween!