So I was told I need to update my blog today. Yes I have fallen behind, but that is only because Websense is blocking everything on my work computer so I can't slack as much.
I bought swimsuits for our wedding/honeymoon and they are both bikinis. Now the last time I wore a bikini I'm pretty sure I looked like this. Okay so maybe not that long ago, but probably almost 15 years ago.
So I'm taking advantage of losing 3 1/2 stones (~50lbs) and attempting to listen to NBH's advice that I look good in them and am bringing only bikinis. Normally I'm a tankini kind of girl, but to be honest I didn't see any in my shopping adventures.
Here are the the suits, the white one is Floozie by Frost French and the other one is a Debenham's own brand:
On Wednesday I resigned from my position with the NHS as I've been offered a new job! I will come back and work the last week in August after the wedding/honeymoon so I can get all of my holiday entitlement for August, but I will still end up owing back 8 days.
In September I will start by new job as Project Officer with Alcohol Focus Scotland. It's a Comic Relief funded project until 2011 to:
develop a strong and vibrant national network of professionals who work to reduce harm to children and young people from alcohol misuse.
facilitate via the network the sharing of good practice, the development of policies and services where appropriate and to raise awareness of the issues affecting children and young people in relation to alcohol misuse at regional and national levels using a variety of methods.
It's a really big step up both in responsibility and money and I'm really excited about it. And my office will be on Buchanan Street, which is smack dab in the city centre! I've never worked in the city centre of Glasgow; the Red Cross was based out in an industrial estate in Hillington and the East Health Improvement Team was in the most deprived area of Glasgow. No more chippies and snack vans for me-- I could actually have sushi for lunch again, YUM!
NBH and I went to see a sneak preview of "Baby Mama" last night and it was really funny. Personally I'm a HUGE fan of Amy Poehler and she totally made the movie; there are some really random quotes that you can tell are her ad-libbing. While the beginning drags a bit and it is fairly predictable, I still recommend seeing it if you can!
Today was Emma's birthday party! In honor of her 4th year of cuteness I made her puppy friendly cupcakes or as I've decided to call them, pupcakes! They were pretty easy to make and like any good "Mommy" I let Emma lick the spoon when I was done.
The dough is really thick, but they come out looking golden brown.
Here is the recipe:
Peanut Butter Pupcakes
1 cup white or whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup finely shredded carrots
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup honey
1 egg
Icing:
Mix peanut butter, honey and vegetable oil until smooth (just eyeball it!)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C)
Mix together flour and baking soda. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Pour into a greased cupcake tin and bake for 30 minutes or until brown.
Frost this cake with icing and decorate with thickly shredded carrot pieces.
She wasn't so sure about the candle but she devoured her cake! The peanut butter icing caused some pretty funny faces, but otherwise she loved it. NBH, Katie and I tried some too and you mostly just taste peanut butter and they were really nice.
Shitty no good, yucky day. I got up early this morning and headed into work around 7:40am and on the way I got a flat tire. I had to call NBH to come and put on the spare (luckily I was on the bus route 5 minutes away), drive him home, drive to the garage and get a new tire put on for £40. I also found out our exhaust needs replaced; I can't afford to replace it now because its a long month and I don't get paid until the 31st. The guy patched it though so that should at least make it less noisy. I eventually made it to my office at 9:40am.
Then I got to my alterations/seamstress to get my dress and sort out my bustle. My dress fits amazing now, which is great, I don't hate it anymore. Then I show them the pictures I brought with me of what bustle I wanted. Nothing crazy at all, just simple under bustle done with ribbons. Well they say they've never done one....they only do under bustles with snaps or hooks. Everyone I've ever known with overs have had them break.
So now, I'm going to be calling around seamstresses in Glasgow and Cincinnati and try to get something sorted. It's just one more stress (even if a silly one) I don't need now.
There are two happy things about today:
-It's Emma's 4th Birthday!!! We are having a party for her tomorrow so more about it after.
-Arlene, Katie, Deb, Deb's Mother-in-law and aunt and I saw Mama Mia. I wasn't super impressed but it was fun and silly and I really want to watch Muriel's Wedding now.
I totally associate Abba with Muriel; I love Toni Collette and if you've never seen Muriel's Wedding I enthusiastically recommend it. I will leave you a particularly ABBArific scene:
So I asked my friends to describe me in lieu of me writing a "this is me" intro post and they all wrote some very lovely things! Feel free to add your own description!
Blondie is your biggest cheerleader when in need of support and the most honest sounding board when in need of the truth and probably the only person I could ever maintain a true friendship with across an ocean...
I met Blondie through mutual friends in Cincinnati. I had just moved there, and gotten a job at the Dubliner, where she worked at the time. A week or two into living there, I get a call on my cell phone while shopping at Big Lots from Blondie, excited as hell because she won a radio contest and was getting to meet Taking Back Sunday. I was so jealous, figuring she'd take Ashley or one of her other friends that she knew more than me, but she kept using “we” so I finally asked if she was taking me and I believe the response was “of course Silly!” I barely knew her at the time, we'd only met a few months before when I was visiting my friends before moving and she had this great opportunity and she picked me because she knew that I would enjoy it more. Blondie has a picture of us there, which I'm sure she'll tag to this to show everyone how happy we were. This is when I realized that Blondie is the completely awesome human being that she is.
Blondie is the kind of friend who knows that, sometimes, the best way to get over a broken heart is to have your friends dress up in ridiculous outfits and sing karaoke at a sushi bar. Or sometimes the answer is just more vodka!
"My name is Blondie, I am not a boy."
Very confident and bold (anyone who can go one stage and shout c*nt a lot has sheer utter boldness) never not seen her smile so smiley, bubbly girly type and very American! (I mean that in a non offensive way).
Blondie and I bonded over a shared love of making fun of other people...not sure what that says about either of us!
What’s a funny event you shared together? Grillz need I say more... What are the names of all of their pets? Emma What is the best moment you've had with him/her? Flossin gangsta When did you meet? In front of the 7-11 pimpin out hoes What is their favourite way to spend a day? Canoodling or bustin caps in asses Name a few things they dislike: Late hoes…fake grillz, bitches What is/was their favourite school subject? Women’s studies
Okay, so Andrea requested photos and I think Finn should know that 28 years from now it is still okay if he and Derek the Dragon are still friends.
This is Gee Gee and we have slept together for the past 28 years. My Aunt Donna (my mom's college roommate and best friend at the time) got this for me when my Mom found out she was pregnant. Apparently Gee Gee called out to her from the store shelf.
Gee Gee, as you may or may not be able to tell, is a white cat. So he's a bit grey now and his plastic pink nose is gone, his whiskers are all curled up and the soft pink fabric that lined his ears is all put gone, but that doesn't matter.
Gee Gee had to have emergency surgery last night. In Gee Gee's paws are these wood chip type things. I think they might actually be bits of some sort of nutshell, but anyway they make his paws crunchy if you were to chew on them (which I used to do).
Luckily Dr. NBH came to the rescue and hopefully I will stop waking up with wood chips stuck to my legs.
So Gee Gee has been to summer camp, stuck down my Grandma's couch and on business trips with my Dad....so why not have an "Ask Gee Gee" column. It can be about anything; I have a feeling this will not catch on, but hey I will give it a go!
