The Consequence of Beer #iPPP

The first time around I was breaching new waters and decided to try a Honey Weiss. Damn shock to me when I actually enjoyed it. Seated at the bar staring down a yard long rail of taps I secretly wished I could just yank all the handles and run... you know...just for the hell of it. Had nothing to do with the fact that I was on a date. The first date I had been on in over 8 years. I hated beer. Didn't even like the smell of it...but again, new waters, the cusp of an unknown future amidst a toilet swirl of life changes. Meh...why the hell not. So I did...And I liked it! Even more significant, I liked him. I've posted a little about that night before.

This time around, it was a Monday night. Our "date" night. It had been months, many many months since we last visited Yard House. There we sat, trying new beers, comfortably close and laughing just as much as we did that first night nearly three years ago. This time we had a booth. We were there for more than drinks. Much more....but I didn't know that.

Dinner was super yummy and the Orchard Apple Cider was PHENOMENAL! Irishman had another brand of honeyweiss and it was good. (I'm taking his word for it. I was too busy sucking down my cider...YAH-UM!)

Dinner was done. The tabled cleared and we were still laughing at memories of the first time and memories from just that evening. EVERY day is memorable with Irishman. If he isn't sticking his foot in his mouth somehow, I'm pipping off with the most random inappropriate comments ever (ask him about the tampon...go ahead. I dare ya). But we laugh. A LOT...until he stopped laughing that night.

He said, "Ya know, this is where it all started..." and handed me a box.

I opened it.

AWESOME! I've been wanting and needing a watch. I loved it!

Then he started talking again...

"...and I want this to be where time will stop..."

He took the watch from me, pulled the pin out and stopped the hands of time.

Then he started talking again...

"...I don't ever want you to forget the exact moment I asked you to marry me. Will you marry me?"

I was momentarily blinded by some bling and then I bawled. He made some comment about being hormonal (remember that foot thing.I love his feet) and I cried harder. And then...

 AND I tried to get a free round of drinks (priorities!).

 Instead the manager brought over this..

Worked for me...excellent beer, HUGE diamond and free chocolate. 

Seriously, does it get any better?

Happy Hump Day! And Happy Halloween! Make it a memorable week, snap a few photos and absolutely link up and party with Mash and Funk in the iPhone Photo Phun!#iPPP

Stick It & Know

Tuesday...you know what that means! Lets STICK IT!

I'm so making this my Halloween costume for tomorrow. Y'all be safe now!

It Was My First

I was a little shaky, a lot unsure and for the most part having a difficult time controlling my emotions...Firsts will do that to you.

Not just once...ten times.

Ten different Firsts.

Bridget from Twinisms (<---which is a "first" that won't make my list) and Stasha from The Good Life are curious as to what experiences are found on our life's Firsts list. Think about it, write about it and link up! Be a cool kid for once (<---there's your first First!)

10 Firsts

1. First time I actually drank beer and liked it is a part of my First date with Irishman. (a twofer)

2. First time I stood in front of 20,000+ people. (yes, there would be other times over the coming years. Its an insane rush!) I was 16 years old and singing the National Anthem at a major league baseball game in our city. (I swear I have a photo of me on the field somewhere, I just couldn't find it)

3. My First Boyfriend....according to the family photo albums. My family....they fancy themselves a bunch of comedians (apple-tree-shrug)...since this is technically recorded in our family "History" I have learned to accept it. Plus, its just pretty damn funny and oddly enough I am totally enthralled with Irishman's man fur. Now, it doesn't rival this caveman by any means, but its still sexy as hell (Irishman's manfur...not the caveman pictured).

4. Big Rock...the First place I learned to skip little rocks. I was 33...yes, it was just this past summer. God Bless Irishman's patience.

5. First headshot. I was 20 in this photo. Amazing how time flies and it would be years before I was in front of the camera again (just last month...and I haven't gotten those photos back yet). Who knew the next time around it would be with stretch marks and baby jelly**.

 6. First time involved with a television production and seeing myself on the "big screen". The whole process was fascinating!

*that's me in the fairy bubble*

7. First photo holding my baby sister after she came home (actually my cousin is holding her. I'm just looking cute).

8. First Peppermint Martini...there are a lot of other Firsts that surround the enjoyment of a new holiday tradition. I am SUPER SUPER looking forward to Irishman donning his Santa Bartender hat for these.

9. First getaway Irishman took me on. The last time I had left my town's borders had been 8 years prior. It was certainly time to get away, and it was an extremely memorable First.

10.  First car in which I learned to drive a manual. Wasn't long before I was banging gears and it deeply, deeply rooted a desire for speed, the pedal to the floor and slamming through gears!

*not my actual car but it looked JUST like this*

I'm curious and nosy and want to know what is on YOUR list of Firsts. Link up with Stasha for Monday Listicles and let me snoop! OH and be SURE to check back next week! I do believe I have the honor of staking claim to the listicle topic!

10 Amazing Memories From A Not So Distant Past...reach into your short term memory and pull out the awesomeness of recent years, months, weeks, days, hours... awesome moments aren't reserved for "way back when".

**Definition of Baby jelly: (adj) describing the parts of the body post child bearing that resemble a bowl full of room temperature jello.

Are You A Gardenier?

This post brought to you by Miracle-Gro. All opinions are 100% mine.

Before this post, I hadn't heard of the Gardenieres. After checking out their website and all the amazing projects and options for Find beauty in the Fall, not just Spring or Summer, I am ready to tackle a project.

This is the midwest gardenier choice and she has some fabulous ideas.

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In preparing my house for either the rental market or selling market, curb appeal is at the forefront of my thoughts. The impression the outside of the house greets a potential buyer or renter is super important. I visited the Miracle-Gro Facebook page in addition to the Gardeniers website for ideas and tips and to find out what would work best in my region.

Nourshing and feeding the trees and shrubs currently in my yard is an easy task to accomplish with the Miracle-Gro Garden Soil for Trees & Shrubs. After planting, continuing to nourish my project can happen conveniently with the MIracle-Gro Tree and Shrub Fertilizer Spikes. This product offers balanced feeding for all your deciduous trees and shrubs.

In addition to the making sure the yard is colorful and healthy, I love the presentations a front porch can make. Adding pots of mums to my fall approach is a great way to add amazing color that will withstand the wide sweeps of weather the midwest often experiences in the Fall.

Miracle-Gro Potting Mix is perfect for container gardening and potted plants. It feeds plants for up to 6 months while offering organic materials to help improve drainage and air flow. Everything you need to keep your efforts beautifully blooming!

Fall into color, fall in love with your project and find all the tips and help you need with Miracle-Gro and Gardenieres!

 

 

Pine Bros Softish Throat Drops

The sickies hit us.

Its too early for the junk.

It came anyway, as it always does, uninvited! You've experienced it...when your only meal is a bag of throat drops, you rarely climb from bed (unless you have children then the world can not stop for you), and your nose threatens to jump off your face if even one more tissue touches it.

Thankfully my review pack of Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops arrived just in time for this. If I didn't know better, I would scream conspiracy. Instead, I was thankful the stash was accessible at 2am when I needed it most. With the texture of the throat drop somewhere between fruit snack and lost in the bottom of your purse fruit snack (I can't think of how else to describe the "softness". It isn't chewy but it isn't a hard candy disc. I'm a mom thru and thru *shrug*), the relief was quick.

Aside from the fact that they work (yahoo!) and actually taste good (even bigger yahoo!) the history of the company is very interesting and dates back to its inception being in 1870 by Herman Pine. A former confectionery maker, Mr. Pine determined that that he could combine the soothing natural qualities of glycerin with the healing properties of gum acacia creating an option to soothe the discomfort of a sore throat for friends and family. Add in some natural flavoring and sweetener and BOOM! Pine Brothers Softish Throat Drops was on the market (and still made in America!)

Available nationwide at CVS Pharmacies, you'll find it retails for $3.49 and your throat will thank you! With two flavor options available, both pleasing to the palate, your tastebuds will be happy with you as well.


I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Indestructable Massive Bug Goes Ninja

Waking up each day I never know what wickedly cool crap I'm going to learn. Some days its as simple as learning not to hit the windshield washer fluid button while the sunroof is open. Other days I learn it is entirely possible to accidentally post photos of my ass on the world wide (<--good thing its wide) web. There is a reason I am not on Instagram....now you have the reason. Waaaay too risky.

There's no need for Instagram. I feel Pinterest is risky enough because seriously....does this disturb anyone else as much as it disturbs me?

Source: perpetualkid.com via Ducky on Pinterest

I digress.

Back to the massive indestructible bug. On day while trying to kill some time at the Juvenile Detention Center during an impromptu shake down, I picked up a magazine. In it was the Beetle Cam, a photography project by wild life photographer Will Burrard-Lucas.  This is wickedly cool stuff! (or I am just easily amazed. I'm going with the former). Have you heard of this?

A remote controlled, nearly indestructible, casing for a digital camera. Some of the photos he has snapped because he was able to roll this thing right into a lion's den or a herd of elephants are amazing! And he didn't get eaten alive in the process. (<--bonus)

I'm imagining the possibilities....this would be great for gathering evidence before drug busts, or on sweeps of haunted buildings. Surely the ghost hunters could use this! How awesome would it be for surveillance of your teens? Or rolling down the street of the hood in the dead of the night?! I should've been a spy or a secret agent. Not only would I have the chance to use my insanely uber ninja duck moves, but I could work with one of these! Don't scoff...they're called dreams for a reason!

***post written while 100% sober. I swear! Some days are just random like this**

Size Does Matter! -#iiPPP

Obligatory postings this time of the year...except that these are HUGE! Never in my life have I seen nor owned such big ones! And my patch pictures are better than everyone else's....eh...because I said so! Its #iPPP photo phun time and I just can't pass these ups. Me likes to brag share!

 Hitting up the hay bale maze and corn maze proved to be full of belly laughing hysterics 

and scream inducing moments. Good times...good times...

 Buried Alive!

 

 Bale jumping seemed to be the sport of the day.

 

Happy Fall Y'all!

And yes...it took FOR EVER to carve pumpkins THAT big!

Guess Moo! - Educational App Review

Guess Moo is an iPhone/iPad app for children introducing the sounds and sight recognition of twelve animals including cats, dogs, cows, chickens, horses, roosters, goats, ducks, sheep, pigs, geese and donkeys.

The app, priced at $2.99 and is downloadable from iTunes here.

The first page of the app allows for the introduction of each animal, the sound it makes and a short little rhyme with a snippet of information about the animal chosen. Beyond the recognition page, the user has the option of taking a "quiz" to test their animal knowledge. The app is accompanied by a pleasant music that isn't terribly annoying to listen to as so many children's apps tend to be.

Lil Duck was my tester for this. She loves animals and I was curious to see what she would do with it. The application says it is designed for users ages 2-5 however being quite proficient in her animals and sounds for quite some time now, the app was a bit simple for her educational level. It would be great for toddlers 3 and under in my opinion (Lil Duck is four). It would be perfect for an educational "keep occupied" option from mom or dad's phone or iPad as the interface is easy to use allowing for independent play.

Lil Duck didn't spent too much time on the identification page as she knows quite well the animals featured in the app. She was curious to see what information each animal had to share and did check every single one out before moving on to the quiz. The quiz page was her favorite as she spent a decent amount of time taking the quiz over and over again. I was happy to see that each quiz offered a different set of animals. For the price I did expect there to be a few more features than what is offered however it was an app I would definitely have no problem allowing Lil Duck to play for an extended time if she wanted.

Would you like to see a promo video before purchasing? You will find that HERE.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Paid to Pee - #PINT

Addiction time... yes it is Tuesday and its time to soothe the need to stick it. I shall let them speak for their sticky little selves today....

I know you want to play along. Its just too tempting.... you came up with three great post its in your head while reading...obvi it can be random...so DO IT! Visit www.wigflip/superstickies to find the generator and then link up with the fabulous host!