Q&A

Q: How do you know it's been way too long since you dusted your TV screen?

A: When you finally pull out the Windex and your paper towel is black when you're done.

Q: How long does a bottle of Windex last?

A: Forever, I'm pretty sure. I quit looking into "green" glass cleaners a long time ago because I'm pretty sure I'm going to have this bottle of Windex for the rest of my life. But maybe if I started cleaning my screens before they got so dirty, that wouldn't be true. Hmm.

Q: Is Wes going to let you keep it?

A: I'm not sure. He says he likes a higher back. We'll see. Cross your fingers for me! {Note: it does have arms; we just didn't have them assembled yet. And I'm not totally opposed to the high-back edition, I just hate the hassle of shipping this one back.}

Q: Didn't you host another baby shower over the weekend? Where are those pictures?

A: Why yes, I did. I co-hosted with the fabulous Laurin Boeving. You can find a few pictures here. It was so much fun.

Q: What are you going to do this weekend?

A: Nothing! I'm going to clean and sleep. And pick up/start reading this book, because I think I'm joining a book club soon. Whee!

Q: Don't you think this house is incredibly beautiful?

A: Why yes, I do. How did you know?

Q: WVU is in the final four! Are you so excited?

A: Yeah, I'm excited. Probably not as excited as everyone else; I don't care that much. But WVU's my alma mater, so it's pretty cool.

Q: It's almost 10:00 p.m. Why are you still awake?

A: That is a fabulous question... I'm really not sure. Goodnight!

VGM

On Sunday I was blessed to host a baby shower for my dear friend Kirstin. We anxiously await the arrival of Verity Grace this June! Here are a few pictures from the event. It was a blast, if I do say so myself. I love hosting events and don't often have the opportunity to do big parties.

(You probably can't tell, but in the first picture the vases have Verity's initials etched into them. I loved the idea, and then it totally wasn't noticeable! I should've dyed the water pink.)

Love you, Kirstin! Can't wait to meet you, V!

{Yes, there were actually people there. :) I don't know if everyone wants their picture plastered on my blog, so I'll forego the people pictures for now.}

It's a girl! And a boy!

I am hosting two baby showers this weekend. (Well, I'm co-hosting the second one.) For my first trick, the beginnings of a four-layer coconut cake with pink layers (it's a girl!). For my second trick, some pretty blue candy for apothecary jars (it's a boy!). It's going to be a fun weekend. :)

{Edit: Yes, hubs, I know the cake is crooked in the picture. I fixed it later.}

Confusion of the Best Kind

So. I was having a hard time figuring out what to do with my state taxes.

I filed my federal through Turbo Tax, and prepared my state through them as well -- but Turbo Tax said we were only going to get a $57 state refund, and it's around $30 to e-file your state taxes through them. That's over half my refund! No thanks, I thought; I'll just file the paper forms. Only one problem... the KY state tax forms are really confusing!

I filled out the forms to the best of my ability and came to the conclusion that we should receive a $54 state refund. The $3 difference was really bothering me, but one of our work accountants said it was probably just a slight difference in tax table calculations between me and TT, so not to worry about it. (As a side note: it's generally a waste of time to tell Type A personalities "not to worry about it.")

But really, I had no options. I wasn't going to pay someone to do my taxes, and I wasn't going to upgrade to a more expensive Turbo Tax preparation that would take my entire refund, not just half of it! So I shoved my Type A aside and mailed in the tax forms.

Last week we got our refund check in the mail... for $236! The stub said: "The refund amount as originally calculated on your return has been adjusted for the following reason(s): Error in tax computation or in reading tax table."

Say what??

The Type A in me wants to know how in the world they got that number. The rest of me wants to go shopping! The responsible sliver of me will deposit the check, somewhat grudgingly, in our savings account. I'm totally confused, but with an extra $182. I think I win!

The Difference Between Women and Men

Me: I am thinking about getting a new teapot.

Wes: Oh, good! I think we need a bigger one, too.

Me: (smile)

Wes: Wait. Why do you want a bigger one?

Me: Well... I am tired of this color.

Wes: I would ask you if you were kidding, but I know you're not!

Copy Cat Chic

You all know how much I love blogs, so I have to ask: have you ever visited Copy Cat Chic? If not, please do. Remember this?

And how it's $2,200??! Well, check out what CCC found:

$349 from ZGallerie. Not even close to kidding you. No, it's not exactly the same. But for $1,851 in savings? I'll take it! Check out her post here.

She has some amazing finds... def. bookmark her blog!

Movie Review Thursday

I usually don't watch many movies. Since Ashley's been here, we've seen two:

Both definitely worth a dollar (love redbox!). I cried harder over Everybody's Fine than Precious. (I actually didn't cry during Precious, although I was sure I would.) Precious just seemed so... unreal. (I know it is real, unfortunately. I just really wish it wasn't... and can't bear to imagine that it is.) Everybody's Fine hit closer to home. I hate the thought of older people being lonely. Just thinking about it can literally make me weep on the spot. That coupled with a range of other emotions/themes than ran through the film (particularly the emotionally-absent father who grows older to realize that he wasn't there for his children even though he deeply loved them) made me a blurry-eyed mess for most of it. Also, Robert De Niro was simply amazing. I just wanted to hug him.

I think my next Redbox will probably be Up in the Air . Also, Wes and I have been tempted to go see Green Zone in the theatre... have you seen it? Have you seen any good movies lately? Did you love Everybody's Fine as much as I did? Discuss.

Image: Adorable

Ashley is here! There is no time for blogging; there are many grand adventures to be had. (That must be why we started getting ready for bed at 9:30 p.m... you know, just gearing up for tomorrow's adventures.)

Anyway, I thought you might think this image is as adorable as I do. Lions always remind me of God, probably because of Narnia. So look, it's a God-sized lion and a Beth-sized lion! Traveling the world together! God keeping Beth out of trouble and teaching her many things; Beth walking around looking cute. :) (Hubs, this is where you agree!)

(Seen here.)

Caption That (Terrible) Photo: Wedding Edition

Curious about what I'm thinking at 9:08 p.m. on a Thursday night? I'm tired. I think I'll blog before I put new aluminum foil in the bottom of our oven, brush my teeth, and go to bed.

Nothing much is new here. Oh, except ASHLEY IS COMING ON SATURDAY AND STAYING FOR A WEEK. (I'm just a little excited.)

So at this point in blogging I start searching my computer for pictures of Ashley and me, and I'm coming up with next to nothing. I start searching my gmail, and before I know it, I come across an email I sent to Ashley on 12/7/07 entitled, "1000 words aren't enough...." The actual email continues, "... to describe what we're thinking in this picture. PS: What were we thinking in this picture??"

Here is that picture:

Lol. I seriously love it! I am laughing so hard right now. I feel like I should have a "caption that photo" contest. Can you tell that both my Best Maid ("not Maid of Honor; that sounds like second place to the Best Man!") and I were just a little tired of pictures at that point on my wedding day??

Wow. Anyway. Maybe I should go to bed now. Ashley, if you have a redeeming photo of us, I'd be glad to post it. (Why are there no pictures of us?! That's going to change this weekend!)

PS: Tomorrow (Friday) is the last day of Poppytalk's (bi?)annual Spring Colours Week. It's Robin's Egg Blue day (love that color). It's been a fun week of inspiration!

I watch it. I like it. Do you?

I'm still in Season One - so don't spoil anything for me! - but I am loving it! Click here to watch an episode or three if you've never. (Thanks, Katy, for introducing me!)

Sunday, Funday

Oh my. It's almost Monday again. Crazy how that happens....

My BFF Ashley is coming to visit for a WEEK beginning on Saturday and I. cannot. wait. I have many things planned for her visit, including this:

You must click over and see this crazy amazing project. Yes. It is crazy and amazing all at the same time. Seriously, I'm in awe. I'm not crazy or amazing enough to do an entire wall, but my TV console table is really boring. It's all black and has no pizzaz. See?

(It's also sinking in the middle. Yes, I know. It's from Big Lots and had a huge TV sitting on it for a while. Whoops.) It probably won't make the cut for our next move, but I won't replace it while we're here. A little trellis design on the drawers could really liven things up a bit, don't you think? I'm thinking a subtle, shimmery grey (like what Hello Gorgeous did), and I think I'll use the same color to paint the bottom of the inside of the cubby holes above the drawers. I haven't been able to commit to putting something in them, so something shiny should help! Anyway, who knows if I will actually do this or if I'm just all talk. But it could be fun to try with a friend. Ashley - are you up for it?

By the way, I found a new blog over the weekend and I love it. Oh Brooke, where have you been all my life? She is funny and talented and has a beautiful blog design. I want a beautiful blog design! Sigh. I'm not that web savvy, and having someone else do it {like Brooke!} is expensive. Maybe someday!

Confessions of a Diet Coke Addict

So. This post really is a confession. But let me set it up for you: Sunday after church Wes and I went to Mark's Feed Store for lunch. MFS kid's chicken finger meal with an extra side of potato salad = yum.

But have I mentioned that nothing sounds quite as tasty now that I'm not drinking Diet Coke? (In case you don't know, I gave it up for Lent, along with facebook.) It's true. Especially fast food. Wes thinks it's great! (Unfortunately, he doesn't support my McDonald's habit.)

Anyway, back to Sunday. I really wanted a Diet Coke to go with my yummy MFS lunch. Really.

Really.

So... I ordered one.

I agonized over the decision. I asked Wes over and over what he thought. The waitress asked us what we wanted to drink and I willed myself to say water, but I just couldn't. I just stared at her, and I'm sure she thought I was really strange. I had to ask her to come back to get my drink order. Lol. I felt really guilty as I gulped down the first few sips. I know, I know, we're under grace, not the law... but still. I said I was going to give it up, at least for 40 days, and I failed. My flesh is crazy weak! Whether or not God was disappointed in me, I was disappointed in myself.

But you know the really crazy thing? It wasn't really that good! I couldn't believe it. I would sip, swallow, ponder, wait a few minutes, and do it all over again. A few minutes passed, and I finally had to face the truth: I just didn't love it. I was so disappointed by the whole ordeal that I gave it back to my waitress and got iced tea instead.

This is huge, friends! I have been hoping that by the end of the 40 days, I wouldn't crave it anymore -- either that or I wouldn't like the taste that much. I have gone off of it in the past, and even though I still craved it, I remember it not tasting as good when I started drinking it again. But as sad as this sounds, I would just "push through" until I started liking it again. Crazy, I know!

Speaking of crazy, it seems crazy to me that after less than two weeks I wouldn't like the taste of it. Maybe it's because I've hyped it up so much in mind... I have craved it like crazy the past two weeks. Maybe I expected too much and that's why it was disappointing? I guess MFS could've not mixed it well, but I don't really think that's it. Either my tastes really have changed quickly, or my expectations set me up to fail. Maybe a little of both?

Anyway. I'm going to do my best not to give in again, and I think Sunday's experience will make that a little easier. I'm thankful that I am under "the law of grace," and I'm thankful that there are lessons to be learned even in our failures. This particular failure really has me curious to know how I will react to the Diet Coke I plan on having for lunch on Easter Sunday (while checking my facebook, of course)! Will I trade it in for iced tea?! We'll see!

(I just re-read this post and I totally am talking about Diet Coke like an addict talks about drugs. Wow. I hope I end up giving it up for good!)