To Tweet or Not to Tweet

The other day, I made the spontaneous decision to get a twitter account (shocking, I know, that I didn't have one until now!) but I'm not sure what to do with it. I have never really understood the point of twitter. It only seems like facebook statuses, so if you have a facebook, why do you need both?

Well, I was bored the other day and decided to try it out. I didn't know what my name should be. I have seen people do their blog's name, so I just went with that since jminton was taken. But now I'm thinking maybe I should have gone with my name instead??

And now for a confession....I have a weird obsession with The Bachelor/ette alumni. I know that they all date each other and it just fascinates me to know who they're with on that day. This is why 99% of the people I'm following are people who used to be on the Bachelor :) Weird, no? I acknowledge and accept that it is.

And I have NO idea how to read Twitter lingo! RT? I don't understand who's tweeting who on the main page when multiple names are listed!

I don't know if I'll post anything, I may just be more of a silent stalker of lame ex-reality stars :-) (Including Brad and Emily!)

My name is @smittenmintons but I may change it (if I can?)

So what do y'all think of Twitter? Is it more fun than I think it is?

PS- Shasta is having an incredible giveaway! Go check it out!

Feelin' Good...

Guess what! I worked out last night! I know....Doug couldn't believe it either. I did one of the 10 minute videos, "Buns and Thigh Blast", on demand. So, my plan is to do a video on Tuesdays and Thursdays, then in a few weeks I'll bump it up to 2 videos. I'm definitely feeling it today! Buns of steel, baby!

Also, do any of y'all (in Atlanta) listen to The Bert Show? Well, it's my favorite and it's the only reason I enjoy mornings. This morning, Doug's coworker, Miranda, was on there (at 7:45) to talk about Share the Dress! I talked about this here, and she has done an incredible job of turning this great idea into a reality. I am volunteering this weekend as a "personal shopper" and I'm so excited!! They still need about 100 dresses, so if you have any, check out the drop off locations on their page!

Last Sunday, I volunteered with WAG to help run their bowling event, since I had just organized one for Bliss in November. It was so much fun and definitely a success!

It was called Kats vs. K9s, and it was a "challenge" to see which team would raise more money- cats or dogs. They even bought these costumes to scare entertain children. It was hilarious.

They also had a cake donated for the event....and we couldn't get ahold of ourselves when we saw the "cat" and "dog"....that's all I'll say about that. :-)

The cats ended up winning, and WAG raised a ton of money! Winning!

 

Girlfriends

These are my friends.

No, we were not under the influence

We just like to have fun.

Like girls do.

Saturday night was the long awaited girls night. Rachael, Suzanne, and I don't see each other as often as we would like since we are in 3 different cities. But when we do see each other, it is oh so good.

We dined at my new favorite restaurant, El Torero (I am on a serious Mexican kick....hence the Moe's for lunch 3 times a week). I was also recently introduced to chimichangas, which are the greatest things since queso. (I think I need an intervention on this whole Mexican thing)

Anyways! Afterwards we came back to mi casa and talked and talked and talked. It's what we do best. We had a glass of wine with the delicious birthday cake Rachael made me, and just caught up on each other's lives.

 They also showed me the Rebecca Black video, which has now been stuck in my head since. And it certainly doesn't help that Doug sings his own version of it all day, every day.

And now, I'll leave you with a couple precious pictures of my little Pep.

He likes to help with laundry

Our new recycling bin. Pep is going green.

TGIF

It's Friday!!! I am so excited that it's finally the weekend. I have had quite the difficult time waking up this week, so I am pumped to sleep in tomorrow!

I am also excited about the fun weekend I have planned. Tonight, Doug and I will continue our tradition of pizza and a movie at home. Although, we usually can't make it through the whole movie without falling asleep...we are lame. Oh well.

Then tomorrow, it's girl's night!!! My 2 best friends from high school and I have been trying to do this for months. We had a date picked out a few weeks ago but the swine flu scared them off :-) I kicked Doug out of the house for this so it could be a true sleepover, so he will be at his parents' house doing our taxes. What a sweet husband!





(sorry girls- I just had to post these :)

Then Sunday, I am helping Walton Animal Guild (WAG) run their bowling event, which is very similar to the one I planned a few months ago. I meant to post this a while back, but I forgot, so here it is! If you are in the area, stop on by!

*Weight update: Yesterday, I saw a picture of myself from behind, and it gave me even more of a kick to get fit. That is not something I wanted to see! Let's just say, this baby's got back.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

PS- As soon as I figured out how to load pictures from my iphone, I'll have some cute ones of Pep on here! Any tips on the easiest way to do that? :)

Time for a Change

Thank you for all of the sweet birthday wishes! Yesterday was great. Full of fun, family, and cake :-)

Speaking of cake, I am out. of. control. I always gain a little weight between November and March (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day, my birthday) but something is different this year. I think my body is realizing I'm an adult now and my metabolism is slowing down. Or maybe it's that I eat Moe's just about everyday for lunch now that I have this food court right below my office. Whichever. I haven't gained a lot, maybe 5-8 pounds, but I can feel it and it doesn't feel good! 

I want to eat (a little) better, but mostly I know I need to have some kind of exercise in my schedule. I loathe exercising, but if I want to continue eating stuff I like, I know I have to start. Every so often, I get motivated to do this, and it lasts for oh, about 3 hours. Maybe even a day. So I'm hoping that if I say this out loud, for all of you to hear, then maybe that will hold me accountable. (By the way, this is not fun to admit out loud. Being this vulnerable for anyone to read is a little scary!)

(Getting even more uncomfortable to talk about....) I realized that I need to change something while we were on vacation in Arizona. I hate wearing shorts, and don't even get me started on bathing suits. Ugh. I just feel so self-conscious and uncomfortable. This realization was sad because I know it takes a bigger toll on me than I realize. I avoid doing things and wearing things just because I am too lazy to get my butt up and work out.

I love food, and I especially love food that is bad for you. I'm not willing to give that up, so I must give up laziness. So, my goal is to not just lose weight, but to feel good about myself. I'm not so concerned with the pounds, but more so my perception of myself. I know what I need to work on, and I'm hoping to feel good by this summer so I can join Doug at the pool and not hide under a towel. I know he would appreciate that!

So, my first attempt at this will be to do workout videos my co-worker told me about that they have for free On Demand. They are 10 minutes...that's definitely do-able! I once tried a Jillian Michaels DVD and just about died. Sadly, Doug was there to witness it. And I hate gyms, so there's no way that's happening. I'll keep y'all posted on my progress, and if I can keep up the motivation! If you feel so led to join me in this little goal, let me know and maybe we can keep each other accountable.

Spoiled

I'm back! We had a great trip to Scottsdale, and now we're back at home just in time for tomorrow....my birthday! In my family, birthdays are a big deal. They really turn into birthweeks. And this year, my birthweek rocked.

I have been seriously spoiled this year! I told y'all about getting my iphone from my parents, which is the best gift ever. I am absolutely addicted to it. Well, Doug decided to Apple-me-out and get me an IPAD2!!! I couldn't believe it. The original plan was to get a netbook because my computer is ancient and freezes all the time. I usually just use the internet (to read all of y'all's lovely blogs :) so we figured this would be a good purchase and relatively cheap. We were at Best Buy a couple weeks ago looking at them, and Doug says to me, "would you rather just get an ipad?" Like he didn't already know my answer!

So the next day (Sunday....the ipad 2 came out on Friday), we (obliviously) head to the Apple store thinking we would be proud new owners that afternoon. Little did we know, it had come out 2 days ago, had completely sold out, and there would be high demand and lines for weeks. So we ended up ordering it online and it will be here April 22nd...I'm hoping for an earlier delivery!

After we got back last night, Doug's parents also gave me an amazing birthday gift! My MIL has mad sewing skills and made me a garment bag that is adorable!!! I was so excited because I had tried to register for some but couldn't find them anywhere. Plus, this one is pink polka-dot so it's way cuter than anything I could have found. I wish I had taken a picture to post of it!

The in-laws also got me the keyboard for the ipad!! I just about squealed. Actually, I think I may have. And, my sweet BIL, Markus, baked us some delicious cookies to go!

Tomorrow, my Mamaw and Pawpaw are coming to eat lunch with me at work and my parents are taking us out to dinner! That's what I love most about birthdays....spending time with your family. Oh, and cake. Lots and lots of cake.

See Ya Later!

It's been so long! I don't have much to say or much time to say it in, but I figured I would let myself procrastinate from packing for just a little bit longer. By the way, I really hate packing. I'm not sure why...I always have. It doesn't really make much sense, because I'm super organized and I love to travel. I may trick Doug into packing for me :)

Anywho, I guess I should tell y'all why I'm packing! We are heading to Scottsdale, AZ tomorrow for a little R&R, meaning books and margaritas a plenty for me! We are also going to a couple spring training games when we aren't lounging by the pool. I am looking forward to warmer weather! It's too cold here in Georgia!



Also, let's hope tonight's Glee is better than it has been lately! Ugh! Come on Finnchel!

A Little Bit of Random

• I treated myself to some fro-yo at Menchie's after work today. I went in thinking I would be good and get a few fruit toppings, and I walked out with a cup full of chocolate...I just can't resist their brownies!

• I'm reading Water for Elephants right now and I love it! And I also love reading books after the cast has been decided for the movie so I know what they should look like in my head...does that make any sense? So many times, I have read books way before the movies come out and then the actors just don't look like what they should to me! I'm loving Robert Pattinson and Reese in these roles!

• Ashley H. looked like Snooki last night...it was disturbing and I'm not excited that she is (SPOILER ALERT!) the new bachelorette. She is like a hyper little hamster...now a hyper guido hamster.

• My favorite app so far is Sleep Cycle (thanks Bridget!!!) I am not in the least a morning person, and I have a very hard time waking up every morning. I snooze for 30 minutes. Yes, it's ridiculous. But this cool little app tracks your sleeping patterns/REM cycles and wakes you up in between so you won't feel like you were hit by a bus as much as you normally do. This morning was the first time I tried it, and I could definitely tell a difference.  

• Doug's favorite app is Boggle. It's definitely fun, but he steals my phone for hours to play this little game. I'm thinking he might need an iPhone, too!

• Our new favorite song is "Hey Na Na" by Katie Herzig. Download it. And I dare you not to dance. It's impossible when this song is on. There have been many a dance parties around here lately to it! If I worked out, this would be what I would listen to.

• It's my brother's birthday today! Happy birthday Matt! Here are a few of my favorite pictures of us...

What can I say, our family likes animals.

Happy Birthday/Tuesday/Glee Day!

Guess What I Got....

AN iPHONE!!!

Thank you all so much for the suggestions and comments...you definitely convinced me that I had to get one! And once I realized that, I couldn't really wait much longer! So Doug and I met my parents at Verizon last night and they bought me an iPhone for my birthday! (Thanks parents! I looooove it!)

They already know that though because I kept saying, "I have an iPHONE!" all night! It just seemed too good to be true!

So, now I have another favor to ask of you! What apps do I need to get? I already have facebook, words with friends, boggle, geoqpons, and angry birds (not a big fan of this one....Doug likes it though). So let me know what your favorites are! 

PS- my name on words with friends is jminton22....find me if you want to play!

iphone or itouch?

I'm hoping y'all can help me! For my birthday (in less than 3 weeks!) I am wanting an itouch. Well, first I wanted an iphone, then I wanted an itouch, now I'm considering the iphone again.

The only thing that holds me back from getting the iphone is the extra $30 that you have to pay for the internet each month. On the itouch, you have free wi-fi and most places have wi-fi by now.

I just looked at some reviews of Verizon's new iphone, and many people said that the battery life isn't great....any thoughts on that if you have one?

I am due for a new phone since I've had the same one for over 2 years, so does that take down the price at all?

This is the phone I have now. Surprisingly, I do love the simplicity of it, but since I am an obsessive email checker, I am really looking forward to being able to do that while I'm out.



So, if you have an iphone, do you think it's worth an extra 30-something bucks every month? How's the battery life? What should I do!?

DIY Camera Purse

I made this over 2 months ago but was waiting to post it until I could also make the strap cover! But that might not happen any time soon, so here it is!

I wanted a cute camera bag that could also double as a purse, so I wouldn't have to lug around both. I made this during my recovery from surgery, so I wasn't as detailed oriented as I usually would be, but I'm very happy with the way it turned out!

Materials:

multi-pocketed purse

foam

fabric

glue gun

scissors

I got this purse from Target for $20.

The purse has two dividers inside, so it has 3 large sections. I chose pretty thick foam (I think 1/2") which makes it a little more bulky, but I'm glad I did so I know my camera is safe!

I measured the 4 "walls" and the bottom of the middle section and cut the foam to size. Then, I wrapped the foam in fabric and sealed it with hot glue. I placed the foam one by one and hot glued them to the dividers inside the purse.

Then, I did the same thing to make dividers. I chose to only glue these in at the bottom, so they are a little more flexible if I need them to be, but you don't have to do that.

I love how it turned out! It's so easy to carry and can hold so much stuff!

I plan on making a camera strap cover with the same fabric, but I'm still upset with my sewing machine from the whole curtain fiasco. So once I get over that, I'll show you my camera strap!