Keepin’ It Real: August 2014

So, to tell you exactly where my mind has been this month (or how much sine wine was consumed before writing this oos5 post), I actually wrote 2004 instead of 2014 at first, for the title of this post. This month has been equal parts flying by and equal parts molasses. Maybe I should describe it as flying through molasses?

August summed up:

Kids started school. Son turned eleven. Daughter got braces off. Bought tickets to see Def Leopard in the fall (whoot! Now what to wear?!). Went over budget. Darn popbacks. Darn fabulous markdowns at Anthropologie. And darn you, Free People for your sales. Bought way, way too much during all of these amazing sale promotions, including this dress, this dress and this top. Spanked self. Cannot even look at a single sock in September. Started saving all of the 5’s and 1’s accumulated at the end of each week for kids’ college in addition to the monthly stipend we deposit for each child. Will be curious to see how much it adds up to at the end of a year. Tried a new pub. Liked it. Have been going twice a week to the chiropractor after migraines revealed neck injury from ten years ago has manifested itself into a neck that no longer curves. Reveled in Genevieve’s Renovation on HGTV and then wondered if anyone else was watching. Became addicted to Jersey Belle after swearing off any more reality t.v. (but she might adopt a baby from a woman she met on the street). Wrote letter to TV Land because I can no longer function without my nightly dose of “Everybody Loves Raymond.” Cursed at the television after True Blood’s horrendous series finale. Apparently I watch too much t.v. Went to every Albertson’s in a thirty mile radius (as a date with my husband. I am a good time) and bought all of their discontinued frozen manicotti (check a store near you. This stuff is fabulous for a quick meal. Just throw in a pan with a jar of sauce and bake for an hour. Located near frozen garlic bread if the store still has it. Sorry peeps near me. You’ll just have to come over for dinner). Now need a stand alone freezer for my hoarding tendencies. Apparently stopped using pronouns.

I am obsessed with funny Family Feud moments found on Pinterest. Oh my goodness! You must read this one about Honey Boo Boo’s family.

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I gained ten pounds this summer and have found it ridiculously hard to care. I also took some awful pictures having nothing to do with the weight gain and everything to do with my face.

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On Friday I went to the chiropractor. He was having this young man shadow him… The hottest young man I ever did see. My husband said he could be the poster child for doctors (he was with me). I learned I am still smooth with my moves at the age of thirty seven because when he walked down the hall towards us, I hit my head on the wall behind me loud enough for those piercing blue eyes to find mine as I screamed in pain after the resonating bang of the impact had everyone look up, so startled was I by gleaming white teeth and perfect genes. Then I impressed him by having my chiropractor show him my xrays of the ribs growing from my neck.

I know how to impress a man.

Isn’t that how it is done these days? Forget cleavage. Pssst… You wanna see my neck ribs?

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Then my husband (ahem. Sorry dear) and I went to breakfast but as we were walking up to the restaurant I heard a dog whimpering and barking in a panic in a locked car. It was all ready ninety degrees outside. The windows were rolled up with just room enough for a flat palm to pass through one of them equating to no breeze. So, I waited to see if anyone was going to come out of any shops. Long story short, they didn’t and I called the authorities. I found the couple sitting in a restaurant (after asking every table.) finishing their breakfast completely carefree. I had a few choice words for them, especially when the woman told me it had only been thirty minutes as she lingered over her coffee. I told her, “You are a mean, mean person to be that cruel.” The authorities (a cop car and animal control, because it is illegal in California to leave your dog locked in a car) were waiting for the couple outside surrounding the car along with a crowd of angry people. There had been other people who had seen and heard the dog as they passed by and were waiting to see if they needed to break a window to get it out. I hated that it had to come to that. I left before the confrontation. I felt bad for calling, but I really did not want the dog to die and I want them to know that they cannot do that. I did not stay to see the finale because I know the end result would have been me in tears possibly in handcuffs when I tried to snatch the dog (it was a Murphy dog). I was shaking for hours afterwards from the situation.

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I made a chocolate cake with an unexpected ingredient and I cannot wait to share it. And oatmeal chocolate chip bars!… I do not know why I gained ten pounds this summer.

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I purchased three vials of pepper spray from a traveling salesman and do not exactly know where to keep them. Or how to explain to my husband I bought a vast amount of pepper spray from a traveling salesman.

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Books I am currently reading. And why I am sometimes behind in my comments. And emails. And life.

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I cannot believe it is almost fall. In Southern California it is hard to keep track of the seasons. It is hot, hotter, not as hot, then cool but not cold. As someone who chronicles outfits this can be tricky. But I am started to get excited for the changing weather, however slight or extreme it decides to fall. I have enough boots and jeans. The staples I am looking for, on clearance, will be a leather jacket and black boots. I also want to add in some more pencil skirts because my husband likes them so much. And I am loving this vest in grey and purple.

September Posts I have in the works:

Pee Wee Herman Ruined My Singing Career
Bohemian Girl Means Business
Where’s The Gnome?
Creamy Green Chile Enchilada Casserole
It’s A Golden Age Eyelet Believe

What was your favorite part about August? Was your month molasses or flying by? Did you participate in any Labor Day Sales?

*If you missed July’s Keepin’ It Real, you can find it here.

Keepin’ It Real: June 2014

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June is done. Over. Never to be seen again. Well, hopefully we will see it again. Just not in this exact form. Except for some trials at the end of the month in which my Mommy Powers were tested (and now I have a super clean closet), it was the most wonderful month over here. It kicked May’s puny little monthly corner and I am ever so grateful. I could not have handled another month like May.

It’s time for “Keepin’ It Real” where I usually show outfit outtakes, but this time I will be highlighting filter comparisons between the real photo and the filtered photo, plus a real moment in my kitchen. If you missed last month’s “Keepin It Real,” you can find it here.

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First, there is just something about this story that tugs at my heart strings as a parent. It has continued to be on my mind all month. Especially as I traveled from California to Hawaii in the luxury of the inside of the plane. I think of the terror that young man must have experienced on that airplane. The extreme cold with nowhere to go. And I hope he gets a happy ending.

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I added a filter to my new feature, “Interpreting A Dream.” It is a feature where I share a funny dream story. I hope it ends up being disturbing and fun. I recently started using filters on some of my pictures. If I do add a filter in a fashion post, I note it at the bottom.

I honestly did not think the filter had changed it that much until I did this side-by-side comparison today. Wow! And, ugh!

I must still be in Dreamland.

I wanted to show the difference between the original picture and the enhanced picture. Filters are amazing. I had hoped to create a dreamy unreal photo. I wanted to make sure it was noted that the dream Jenni is actually a dream. She will be continued to be featured in that post, but she is not the real me!

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Here is another one. We took the originals for this outfit in the shade. My face was shadowed. It was nice to find a filter that could lighten the photo.

Since I use my iPad to do all of my blogging, I am limited to enhancements and edits. I do not even know how to edit a photo, but I do love experimenting with filters. The App I use is called Afterlife. I highly recommend it. I am very challenged when it comes to anything technical and this is very easy.

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I love making rice krispie treats. Especially with this recipe. It doesn’t get any easier. They were piled high on my cake stand, but now one day later they are almost all gone. Somebody ate one for lunch, one for dessert AND one for breakfast the next day.

“Eer duern’t know nom nom who is eaemting them nom.”

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Cooking tacos in the kitchen. I originally bought that top as a shirt when I was heavier, but now it has become my favorite nightgown. I probably slept in that shirt and put shorts on to make dinner.

This shirt is pretty much my uniform. I am wearing it as I write this. For the second day in a row.

It doesn’t get more real than that.

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My mom made me an early birthday present of my very favorite thing: her lasagna! It was the best gift ever. She gifted me the pan, too. Isn’t it great?

Thank you Mom!

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So, I made the rice krispie treats above. I gave each of the dogs a tiny piece. Well, Ollie swallowed his without even tasting it. And Murphy waited for Ollie to eat his and then set about guarding his own. This went on for two hours. This is what a punk Murphy is… Ollie was laying there minding his own business and Murphy carried his treat and sprawled out next to him to guard that piece of treat in front of the hungry monster.

Ollie finally left the room.

Murphy finally ate the treat.

It is high drama over here.

Coming Up In July:

Interpreting A Dream: David Beckham Meets My Jelly Roll
My next outfit post going up on Wednesday features this dress. I haven’t named (or written! Doh!) the post yet.
Hulk Hands Part II
Breaking Bread
Living Room Changes

How was your June? Did you make anything? Go anywhere? Do something fun?

Keepin’ It Real: May 2014

Every month, I try to do a summary of that month with outfit outtakes and a quick wrap up of things I might have missed blogging about in that month. May had some doozies in terms of outtakes. And it was a doozy of a month for a lot of people I know, my family included. When I told my friend we had to endure one more day of May, she exclaimed, “NO-O-O!”

I hear ya, sister.

If you missed last month’s “Keepin’ It Real”, you can find it here.

On to this recap. May, I will not miss you:

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Recipe fail. My mom asked me the other day, “Do you post everything you make?” Oh my gosh, no! When you are experimenting with a new recipe there are going to be some misses. I have even made some recipes from very acclaimed chefs and have had to throw the whole dish away. So, no, I do not post about every recipe. Only the ones I would absolutely make again. And again.

The other day, I made this dessert. So bad. Tip: Do not add raspberries to Strawberry Shortcake. It sounds good. It is not good.

Outfit Outtakes:

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As promised. A glimpse of Holy Holey Girdle. It is such a small glimpse. We saved over the other original pictures with the revised ones, so this is what we have left. Here is the actual outfit post.

It really is more like an extra pair of skin colored shorts than anything else. And to be even more forthright, the only reason I wore them on this day was to hide my colored underwear. The dress is so flowy, it hides a lot of flaws. The girdle is not the typical spanx. It does not offer much support, but it makes me feel more confident.

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And I could not resist adding this picture because of the unfortunate placement of my hand.

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So, I fell in a cactus (picture of my cactus hand is in “Keepin’ It Real: April 2014. Link above). And my twirling has never been the same. The outfit post for this photo shoot is here.

This picture makes me laugh.

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“True Detective”, anyone? Just a bit of an odd thing to find around town.

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Peonies! Everywhere?! Yes, please! Tip: Trader Joe’s will let you take the plastic bucket if you ask nicely. : )

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Does this alert ever make anyone’s day better?

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At San Diego Children’s Hospital, the ceiling tiles are randomly painted overhead. Isn’t that just a nice unexpected thing? That way, when a child is being wheeled through the halls and into various rooms, they have something to look at and look forward to.

I could hug whoever thought of this.

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My mom gifted me a gift card to Anthropologie and these for Mother’s Day. Isn’t that the sweetest?!

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Father’s Day idea. My kids each made my dad and my husband some of these hammers a few years ago. We just painted a wooden hammer and then shellacked it. I found the idea on Pinterest. Easy peasy.

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And my most exciting purchase of the month. Seriously. These barf bags. I have a post about them ready. If you ever get car sick or have children that get sick, these are priceless.

With that in mind, May, you can be on your way.

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Oh my gosh! Last night my husband and I were dancing with the dogs in the kitchen to “I like to move it.” When we sing it to the dogs they dance with us. It is actually quite cute and comical.

The dogs are funny, too.

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Well, Ollie got too rambunctious and did a back flip! He hit his head so hard. We immediately stopped dancing, but I felt so bad for him. You can see the beginning of it in this picture. Who knew he had it in him?

Coming up in June:

Maui posts! We are heading back to Maui next week and I cannot wait to blog about it!
My Husband’s Secret Part II… She had to find out sometime. ; )
Honey Ice Cream! My favorite treat in the summer.
Whirlin’ Twirlin’ (Free People Mixed Print Tunic).

What did you think of May? Will you be happy or sad to see it end?