A Few of My Favorite Things

If Oprah gets to do it, so can I! Although, I regret to inform you, dear reader, I will not be handing these out like she does. I just thought I would share a few of my favorite things to help anyone who was struggling to come up with gift ideas or just to entertain anyone who was bored at work :)

philosophy- They have so many great products, I love them all. But to be more specific, my favorites are: Hope in a Jar face lotion (One of Oprah's favorites too), Purity face wash, and Bubbly, a champagne scented body wash.

Under Armor Cold Gear Fitted Pants- Perfect for yoga or running outside when its chilly! Aaaand they're also good for lounging around the house or running errands.

The Game of Things- Hilarious party game where you get to guess people's responses to questions like..."Things you do when no one is looking", "Things you shouldn't say to your in-laws", or "Things you would title a children's book". Regardless of whether everyone in the group knows each other really well or just met, you will have a blast hearing the answers that people come up with.

Mossimo Pocket T-Shirts from Target- Super comfy, casual and flattering. Lots of different colors and they are nice and long for those of us with longer upper bodies.

Daisy by Marc Jacobs- I'm not normally a perfume fan, but this is light enough so it doesn't suffocate everyone in the room with you.

Toms shoes- Yes, its a little bit hippie, but these shoes are so comfy to walk around in. Its my cooler weather alternative to Rainbows flip flops...they go with everything and your feet won't hurt when you wear them. And as a bonus, when you buy a pair they donate a pair to kids in need. How cool is that?

Landsend Tote Bags- Pick your color, customize it with you name or initials and use it all the time. They are cheap enough to justify having multiples...I have one for my yoga stuff, one with a zipper that I use as a carry-on bag, and one that I use for class.

Personalized Stationery at MJPaperie.com- I love hand written notes and I love being able to choose the colors and designs for my note cards. This is my favorite new online paper store, they have a great selection and the girls who own it are just about the sweetest people in the world!

Hunter Rain Boots with Cable Cuff Welly Socks- My first pair of rain boots! Never really needed them before living in NC. I love all the color options and the cute socks you can mix and match with the boots. And if you (like me) struggle to get your calves in normal boots, try the "Huntress" boots, they have a little extra room in the leg so you don't cut off your circulation.

Chanel Mascara and Foundation- Ever since I had my make up done for our wedding, I have been hooked. Yes its a bit expensive, but you don't have to buy all of their products just the good basic items. They are worth the investment!

Tory Burch "Reva" Ballet Flats- Cute, comfy and dressy all in one. I get complements every time I wear them. Expensive yes, but they last for years and really dress up a pair of jeans without having to wear heels, something I try to avoid at all costs.

Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Pillow Spray- The Lavender Vanilla scent is wonderful to help you relax and fall asleep. I have been using it ever since college.

Long Sleeve Faux Wrap Tee from VS- Perfect with a cami underneath, unless you are trying to show off your goods...its up to you really. Flattering and comfy, lots of color choices and pretty cheap.

Books by Jen Lancaster- Laugh out loud funny accounts of her own life. She doesn't hold back.

Books by Celia Rivenbark- Hilariously entertaining accounts of living in and loving the South. Must read if you are a transplant, like myself.

Hamilton Beach Stay or Go Slow Cooker at Target- I never knew the awesomeness of the slow cooker until this year, but now we use it at least once a week. This one is great to take with you for potlucks or bringing meals to friends. The lid latches securely so it won't spill in the car!

Bliss Wines- Yes, they finally dedicated a winery to my family. Its about time! Reasonably priced, my favorites are the Cab and the Chardonnay.

Skidless Yoga Towel- Keeps you from sliding all over your mat during a massive sweat session also known as, hot yoga. Mine is purple!

Martha Stewart's Everyday Food: Great Food Fast Cookbook- The recipes are organized by season, so its easy to cook using ingredients that are in season and make meals that fit the weather. Some of the recipes are a little out there, but its good to try new things, right?

Asics Gel Cumulus Running Shoes- So comfy, love them for distance running or just in the gym. Really I love all of their Gel shoes, but these are the best in my humble opinion.

Twining's Tea- My favorites are Irish Breakfast, Lady Grey, and Pure White

Burt's Bees Pomegranate Lip Balm- Not a fan of their minty stuff, but I love the pomegranate!

OK that was ridiculously fun to do! If anyone else has a list of their favorites, please share! I might have to do this again some time...

Afternoon Delight

In the Bliss family, the motto has always been, "Call the police first, ask questions later." I have two stories to share.

One evening a few months back while I was visiting my parents there was a full moon. It seems that every time there is a full moon a Native American man, who I assume lives in the area, goes over to the neighborhood park and plays his drum until late at night. It is a residential neighborhood and after about 10:00 pm it gets rather annoying hearing the boom, boom, boom. I respect his right to celebrate his beliefs however he chooses, but there are plenty of nature preserves and remote desert spaces far away from people trying to get some sleep for that. So my dad called the police, and the first thing out of his mouth to the dispatcher was, "The last of the Mohicans is banging his drum too loudly over in Butler Park." The dispatcher had to control her laughter before getting the rest of my dad's statement.

Wednesday, while my sister and I were doing a workout in the same park, we noticed a couple over in the opposite corner getting a little too friendly. It started as a make-out session, but after our next set of sprints we noticed that they had moved on to the ground. Keep in mind it was 3:30, on a Wednesday, in broad daylight, less than 100 yards from a playground full of kiddos. Completely horrified, my sister stops our workout to run home to call the cops. She walks in to my parents house, out of breath, and calmly asks for the non-emergency number for the police. Her first words to the dispatcher were, "Hi, I would like to report a couple fornicating in Butler Park." After the laughter from the dispatcher subsided, she asked my sister, "Why are you out of breath?" Carolyn gave her the rest of the information and hung up.

We had a little left in our workout so we started walking back over to the park. By the time we were rounding the corner, a Chevy Tahoe (Ta-HOE, fitting isn't it?) police car was jumping the curb and driving straight through the park directly at the couple. The couple didn't notice until the car was about 15 feet away, and we watched the guy literally dive off the girl and try to crawl away. Once homeboy had pulled his pants back up, the officers separated them and asked for their IDs and I am assume asked them why they thought this location was an appropriate choice for mid-day canoodling.

I think we should find anoher park to hang out in.

Neighbors

We have the most adorable neighborhood kids ever. We met them because our 80 pound golden retriever Barney is obsessed with their 12 pound pug/pekingese mix Myrtle. They play together and wrestle. Sometime Myrtle's entire head is in Barney's mouth, but he is so gentle with her. Other times, Myrtle leaps off the couch to get on Barney's back because its the only way she can get that high. It is hard to get a picture of them together because they are usually moving around too much, but I did get a quick pic while they took a break. See don't they look like twins? They're actually only a few weeks apart in age.

Size comparison

As funny as it is to watch them play, that was not the point of this story. Myrtle is cute, but the kids (there are 7 of them) are even cuter. A few weeks back we went over to their house for a puppy play date and the second youngest kiddo's birthday. I brought over some cookies, and as soon as she saw them her eyes got really big. "Are those cookies?" she asked. My response was "Yes! They are birthday cookies and they've got your name all over them!"

It didn't occur to me that this term might not be on 6 year old level until when she was passing out the cookies to her brothers and sisters. "Everyone gets one cookie, but look at it really close to see if it has my name on it before you eat it. Those are mine."

Her mom and I burst out laughing and she looked so confused. Try explaining the term "figure of speech" to a six year old on her birthday. Next time I will buy some frosting and come prepared.

Car Wash

Spring time in Charlotte is beautiful. Trees getting their leaves back, days of sunshine, and flowers blooming all around. Those beautiful blooming flowers also bring along pollen. Everywhere. There is a fine, yellow dust covering anything and everything left outside for any period of time. Our sidewalk, our patio table and of course, all of our cars because we don't have a garage.

So when I was at the gas station filling up the Camry, and it asked if I would like to add on a car wash, I figured "Why not?" I paid the extra $5 and grabbed my receipt with the special code to enter at the automatic car wash around back. I pulled up to the machine, rolled down my window, typed in the code and then read the instructions. No big deal. Pull up to the yellow line, then the red light will come on to tell you to stop and the car wash will start. When the light turns green, its over and you can be on your way. Well I pulled forward, started to roll up the window and was still at least 10 feet from the yellow line and the water started...before the window was even half way up. I got a blast of rushing water right in the left side of my face. Sweet.

Water was pouring in, I couldn't get the window to roll up fast enough. I thought about trying to reverse out of the machine but I was still trying to process what exactly had just happened and just kind of froze in place. I finally got the window up, but not before creating an indoor swimming pool in the car. I was soaked, my leather purse (and everything in it) was soaked, the floor was soaked. I had to sit in that puddle patiently waiting for the car wash to finish.

It finally finished and I drove home with all the windows down to air dry it. I called JJ to tell him what had happened and to have him meet me at the curb with an armful of towels. I got out of the car looking like a drowned rat, and all he could do was laugh. I laughed too, but not before pouting a little to try to get some sympathy. No dice. Just laughter.

The best part of the whole story...less than 24 hours after this whole experience the car was covered in pollen again. Best $5 I've ever spent.

Savannah Ya'll

A. Mazing. Trip. We got back from Savannah last night and I am still in shock about how wonderful that city is. In fact, I just started reading Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil to make my trip mentally last a little longer. And I'm going to watch the movie after I finish the book. Everyone would enjoy and appreciate this city, it has so much to offer.

Day 1
We drove down and got in around noon. We went straight to City Market to meet up with our tour guide. City Market is kind of the center of the Historic District with lots of shops and restaurants. It is great for people watching (we played "I Spy" with some of the more colorful people we spotted). Our tour guide was ok, full of knowledge but really socially awkward so I wouldn't recommend her. I got her name from the tour guide I wanted, but he was booked. Oh well, we got the information at least. After the tour, we had a snack at a hole in the wall called Zunzi's, a South African/Internationally eclectic take out restaurant that the locals like. Tons of food, really cheap, and really good. We wandered around for a bit after that and went back to the hotel for a nap. That night we went down to River Street for dinner at Boar's Head Tavern, at the suggestion of one of Carolyn's sorority sisters from Atlanta. She was right on, the food was fabulous (get the shrimp and grits!). After that, we took my mom on a mini bar crawl and found a place with fabulous Georgia Peach Bellinis.

Day 2
Carolyn and I started the day by going for a run through the Historic District. A perfect way to start the day and totally necessary with all the Southern cooking we were enjoying. We even got to run through the Colonial Park Cemetery. According to Carolyn I'm not normal because I love old cemeteries. I just think there is something beautiful about them and love reading the headstones. Anyway, after the run we wandered around the city a little more and went to Vic's on the River for lunch. This was my favorite meal of the trip! Get the fried green tomato BLT or the flounder po boy. Next up was a horse drawn carriage ride with Carriage Tours of Savannah. It was a great way to see more of the city and totally relaxing, just make sure you get a covered carriage because it can get toasty in the sun. At the recommendation of our tour guide, we went to Mabel's Cupcake Emporium for an afternoon snack. Better than Sprinkles in my opinion. Later that night we went to the Westin across the river for an oyster roast and s'mores (they do this the first Friday of the month). We were lucky enough to bring our bucket over to a table with the hotel GM and he taught us how to shuck the oysters. Carolyn is now a pro. We took the ferry back to River Street just in time to grab another Bellini and watch he fireworks display. (Note: you can get your drinks to go at the restaurants/bars in the Historic District and sit outside to enjoy the view. Just like Vegas, but classier ya'll!)

Day 3
After checking out of the hotel, we ate our way through Savannah on the Foody Tour. Best. Tour. Ever. We went to 7 different restaurants and were able to sample some of the best local food the city has to offer. A great way to try lots of different things without having to commit to a full meal at any one restaurant. You can't miss this if you go to Savannah. We ended up having so much food I had to save my dessert for later. The tour included a trip to The Lady and Sons, Paula Deen's restaurant, where we got to sample the fried chicken and mac and cheese. I don't think it is worth waiting in line for the restaurant, just do the tour instead. Other tour highlights: Harris Baking Co pastries, Angel's BBQ, Wright Square Cafe chocolate, The Distillery's burger and fries, Polk's Fresh Produce tomato and mayo sandwich (surprisingly great), and Savannah Bee Company for honey tasting.

It was a perfect girl's weekend, but I'm happy to be back home with JJ. I will add some pictures as soon as my mom and sis email them to me!

Mr. Speedo

I saw him again today. Biking in his speedo. This time it was green, and he had one additional piece of "clothing". A helmet. You know...safety first.

I'm kind of curious to see how many different colored speedos he owns.

On a side note, I googled images of "old man speedo" and the results were not pretty. I decided against adding a picture to this entry.

Goals

Everyone needs goals, right? Right. I definitely do especially now that I have time on my hands to accomplish all of those far off "someday when I have time" plans. I figured I better start a list so I can keep track...no wait, a spreadsheet. I need a spreadsheet of things i want to accomplish. That way I can organize each goal by the time frame in which I wish to accomplish it, the category it relates to, and things I might need to do prior to being able to accomplish the goal. A spreadsheet full of boxes to fill and then check off. A spreadsheet to keep all my thoughts and plans neatly organized in a compact, easy-to-read grid.

Nothing makes me more excited then a new spreadsheet. I used them all through college to map out my weekly schedule. I had one for the wedding to keep track of what still needed to be done. I have one for most vacations so I can keep track of the activity reservations I have made and a list of the ideas for "spur of the moment" activities that would fit nicely into a block of time that I have intentionally left free so that JJ does not kill me for scheduling out every last second of our trip. Oh yea, and I had spreadsheets for every aspect of every job I've ever had...because they were all in accounting where spreadsheets rule over all.

OOPS. Maybe stream of consciousness writing is not the best idea when writing after midnight. Back to my goals.

I figured if I post them for all the world to see (who am I kidding, for my mom and the other 3 people that might happen to read this) I have to be held accountable. Of course, only I will see the master spreadsheet, but at least others will have an idea of what I'm working on. So, in the next 6 months, I hope to:

1. Run 2 more races - at least 10K

2. Read 2 books per month

3. Take tennis lessons

4. Visit 2 cities I have never been to (I'm hoping for Savannah and Charleston. Hint hint JJ, we're going on some trips!)

5. Volunteer for 40 hours

6. Visit a new place in Charlotte every week (parks, restaurants, museums, etc)

7. Blog twice a week

I'm starting small, but at least it's something. Hopefully I can start checking things off the spreadsheet soon!

Adventures in Plumbing

Our downstairs bathroom has always been a bit temperamental. Pretty much any time you put more than 2 squares of toilet paper in, it clogs up. So we have have both had our fair share of plunging it until it starts working again. No big deal.

Well, today was different. I was standing in the bathroom getting ready to fix the problem when my loving, well-intentioned husband swoops in to "help me". Normally, I am happy to let him handle any bathroom related repairs. But since this was an easy fix, I explained that I had it under control. He wasn't having it. He insisted on jumping in to take care of it, so I took a step back and watched while he proceeded to explain how to fix it (as if I didn't know). He stuck the plunger in, flushed the toilet, and whoosh! Water overflowing everywhere.

After about 30 seconds of yelling he was finally able to turn the water off, but not before the entire floor of the bathroom (and his socks) were covered in about half an inch of water. I was safely out of harms way standing in the hallway, watching the master plumber. Lucky for him, it was "clean" toilet water.

Now, the bathroom is clean, his socks are in the washer, and all is right in the Jansen house again. But don't think for a minute that I won't use this against him, the next time he tries to teach me about household repairs.

Chirp

Tonight my house was full of chirping noises. No, it wasn't full of birds, and thank God because due to Alfred Hitchcock's movie, The Birds, that is my ultimate nightmare. My entire family spent 20 minutes trying to follow the chirps all throughout the house to locate every last smoke detector with a dying battery. Our landlord is very safety conscious so we have what seemed like 50.

After we located them all, changed all the batteries and reinstalled all of them the chirping began again. One by one all of the "fixed" smoke detectors started singing to us one more time. Instead of messing with it tonight, we pulled them all out and ripped out all the new batteries so we could actually get some sleep because it wasn't just the batteries, the entire unit failed on all of the smoke detectors in the house...at the same time.

So after some online research (courtesy of the Seattle Fire Department) here is my public service announcement: don't forget to change the batteries in your smoke detector every year and replace the entire thing every 10 years or sooner.

I guess I know what I will be buying tomorrow!

Daily Dose of Crazy

It was a weird morning.

Before I headed out to the game, I took Barney for a walk to the dog park. I wanted to make sure he got plenty of exercise because he was going to be inside most of the day while we were at the stadium. There were about 20 other dogs and owners when we got there. Barney is a bit of a baby sometimes when it comes to new situations so it took him a while to make new friends. He kind of looked like the new kid on the first day of school.

I am minding my own business, petting the dogs that come up to me and watching Barney play. This woman wanders over and asks where I got my sunglasses. I honestly didn't know where they are from because I stole them from my mom when we moved. So I told her they were from Target, which is where I buy everything else I own. The rest of the conversation goes something like this:

Crazy lady: "Those are my glasses!"

Me: "Umm...what?"

Crazy lady: "Did you find those glasses on the trail? I lost mine last week. Those are mine. I have to wear polarized sunglasses or else I squint." (as she squints her eyes at me)

Me: "No, sorry. These are mine."

Crazy lady: "Yes they are, let me see them!" (As she comes next to me to get a closer look)

Me: "No, I got these in Phoenix and I wouldn't wear something I found on the trail."

Crazy lady: (after close scrutiny) "Oh now I know they are yours because mine were missing a crystal on the side."

Me: "Umm...yea. I need to go get my dog now. Its time to leave."

Just when I thought I was done dealing with weirdos, I came across a man on the nature trail. The nature trail looks just like it sounds. It is a path through the woods, with thousands of trees all around. You would think that, if you happened to need to use the bathroom while on the trail, there would be plenty of options in the woods that offer privacy and convenience. But, no. As I turn a corner I notice a man with his back to me and a small dog at his feet. With all the trees available, this man has chosen to pee on the trail marker sign right next to the path. Awesome. Either he finished or heard us coming, but he zipped up and turned around right as we were trying to scoot past him. Of course Barney decides he needs to say hi to the little dog and tries to pull me in the direction. As I'm struggling with the leash, this man tries to strike up a conversation with me about how big Barney is. Seriously buddy?! Who would want to talk to you after you got done peeing on the trail?! Gross. I quickly moved past them and headed home.

Who would have thought that such a beautiful Sunday morning would bring out the crazies? I guess all the normal people were in church...