Hello...

Is it me you're looking for??....

I know I wasn't the only one who sang that....

Yes, I'm back. I know I've been on an unexplained hiatus, but to be honest, I just wasn't feeling this blogging thing. I was uninspired, and I felt like it was a waste to post fluff just for the sake of posting.

I have been longing to blog again, so I'm trying my hand at this again. I cannot promise daily posts. I can't tell you what direction I want my little blog to go in. I can only tell you that I'll be blogging again. I miss writing, letting my thoughts flow through my fingertips. I miss connecting with all of you. So, I'm back. Sorta. Thanks to all of you who stuck around through my hiatus, y"all are the bestest!

Also? I heard through the grapevine that Google is doing away with reader and GFC (shakes fist angrily), so you can find me on the twit, facebook, vine (@ohheyitsj), instagram, and subscribe to the ol' blog through bloglovin'. I'd really like y'all to stick around, so pick one or all of them!

And now, for your viewing pleasure.

"I feel like I've found my other half..."

I heard something on one of the talk shows this morning that kind of concerned me. They were talking about what Anne Hathaway said in her latest interview with Glamour magazine. When asked how she was liking married life, she replied,

"It’s wonderful. I feel like I've found my other half, and I’m so excited about getting to love him for the rest of our lives."

 And she is apparently receiving a lot of flack around the blogosphere about it. The show reported that a lot of bloggers are criticizing her for not considering herself as a whole person without him, and for not having any self worth without a man.

Now, maybe I'm the only one, but I don't see it like that. In fact, I know exactly where Anne is coming from. My husband is my other half. I was always my own person, and I still am, but when I met him, I knew that he was the piece of my soul that had been missing.

Honestly, I think everyone has a small hole in their soul. Maybe a significant other isn't the missing piece. Maybe it's a best friend, maybe it's a pet, I don't know. I just feel like there comes a point in your life that you meet someone (or something!) and you just know that they complete you. You were missing something before then, and suddenly, you're whole.

So, I agree with Anne Hathaway, and I'm glad that she's found her missing piece, because life is so much better once you've found yours.

Life Lately

For the record, I was so terrified after I hit "publish" on yesterday's post. But, y'all were amazing, as usual! Thank you all so much for the sweet comments, tweets, and emails. Once again, my readers have rocked my face off!
I figured I'd lighten it up a bit today and share what our life has been like lately.

• M is suddenly afraid of everything. I normally wash my car at home, by hand, but last week I ran it through the car wash in town with her in the backseat. She was terrified by the time we came out, and ever since then, everything scares her. And I don't know how to fix it.

• On a related note, she now has trouble going to sleep. Once we lay her down, she immediately starts crying and saying she's scared. Every night for the past week, B or I have had to sit in her rocking chair until she drifted off. Any advice on how to help this would be greatly appreciated!

• I finally caved and read the first two books in the 50 Shades series. I read them in 24 hours. And I kinda liked them. That's all I have to say about that.

• Things have been a bit hectic lately, with B's work schedule, my work schedule, and then cleaning up from the tornado, so my crock pot has become my new BFF. We're thinking of getting matching tattoos. Or, a tattoo for me, and a vinyl decal for her. We've made my mixer very jealous. Anywhoodles, I've been scouring Pinterest for slow cooker recipes, and I may even get around to blogging about my favorites!! (Here's a preview, this one and this one are the best!)

• I have watched Doc McStuffins approximately 257 times in the last week. M is obsessed, and now I can't get that stupid song out of my head. "I feel better, so much better, thank you Doc, for taking all my ouchies away!" I need some trashy reality tv in my life, pronto!

• I'm severely depressed that ABC has cancelled GCB. I would protest, or riot, or something, but it would interfere with my tv watching. Clearly I have a problem.

Alright my darlings, M is ready for a nap, and I hear my mountain of laundry calling my name. Hope you all have spectacular Wednesdays!! X's and O's

Excuses, Excuses

I could sit here and tell y'all how busy I've been, but I doubt you wanna hear it. I could also tell you how we're currently in rental property hell, but I doubt you wanna hear that either.
So, this is what I'm gonna do.
I'm going to wish you a fabulous Friday,

Cheers to the freaking weekend...
then I'm going to tell you to come back here on Monday for some exciting news (no, I'm not pregnant),

Problems, yo.

then I'm gonna leave y'all with some adorable photos of M that I have yet to post. Cause I'm so busy and all.

Have a sensational weekend, my darlings!

Just a Quick Hello

{via}

I know that I've been MIA lately, but I swear I've got good reasons!

It's antique time here in Texas, and I've spent way too much time perusing fields of junk. We're going again on Saturday. Hi, I'm J and I'm addicted to junk hunting. I've also got M addicted.

{Junkin like a champ!}

Yes, that says JUNK GYPSY. As in the Junk Gypsy Company, who are the greatest junkers ever. EVAR.

Plus, summer has decided to make an early appearance down here in the south, so we've spent as much time as possible soaking up the sun!

But, I promise I'll try to be a better blogger, and at least say hey every once in awhile! Maybe I'll even post next week about all of my junk finds from this weekend!

Anyexcuses, come back tomorrow for an awesome guest poster, and if you don't hear from me before Saturday, I hope you all have fabulous, sun filled weekends!! X's and O's m'dears!

Eleventy

TGIF, y'all! How has your week been? Hopefully wonderful!

I'm so flattered that the always lovely Kourt tagged me in her eleven questions post yesterday! (BTW, if you aren't following Kourt's blog, you should be. She's also on twitter. Holler atcha girl.

So, here are the rules:

•You must post the rules.
•Answer the 11 questions that the tagger posted for you; then create 11 questions to ask the people you’ve tagged.
•Tag 11 people and link them in your post.
•Let them know you have tagged them

And these are my questions:

1. What is your favorite song and why?

Hmmm, favorite song. Currently I'm digging "Boys from the South" by Pistol Annies.

2. Favorite past time?

Definitely a tie between spending time with my family and spending time with my horse.

3. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

I've always said I'd love to live in New York or Paris, but truth be told, I wouldn't leave Texas. Texas is home, it's in my blood, and nowhere else would feel right.

4. How many children do you want to have [if none already]? If you have children, how many and do you plan for more?

I'm sure y'all already know that I have a daughter, M, right? Ok, just checking. Anyway, we only have one *human* child, and that's pretty much all I want. The Hubs would like to have another child, but I like just having M. I can spoil her as much as I want and give her all of my love and attention. So, I'm pretty much betting that we're finished!



5. Name 2 of your favorite movies.

8 Seconds and Steel Magnolias

6. Have you ever done anything crazy to your hair? A weird color, bad cut?

I've never intentionally done anything crazy with my hair, but I have had my share of bad cuts! Many that have resulted in me ugly crying all the way home from the salon.

7. What is your favorite restaurant?

Honestly, there are too many to list. It all depends on what type of food we're talking about, and whether we're talking about a small town restaurant, or a big city joint. But, I will say that I loooove this little whole in the wall place called The Texas Star Cafe in New Ulm, Texas. That would probably be my last meal if I could choose!

8. Embarrassing moment?

Oh my, I've had many of those! I tend to be pretty clumsy, so I fall down a lot. Making a fool of myself is something I do well. Need proof? Here ya go.

9. Are you a morning person, or an afternoon/evening person?

I love mornings, as long as I can relax and not be rushed, but, if I had to choose, I would pick evenings over mornings any day. Evenings are my time. My time with the tv, my time with the internets, my time to do whatever I want. Evenings are where it's at.

10. Favorite scent?

Leather and the scent of a horse. Yes, I'm totally serious.

11. Are you a side, back, or stomach sleeper?

I'm an all-over-the-place, stretch-out-as-much-as-possible, wrapped-around-the-dogs sleeper. The Hubs works nights, so most of the time it's me and our doxie, Corona, and our Blue Heeler, Dixie, in our king size bed. Now, listen, a kind size bed sounds like it's enough for all of us, but it's really not. Mainly because they have to be as close to you as physically possible. Almost on top of you. We may as well be sleeping in a twin bed.

Alright, here are the girls that I'm tagging,

Holly at A Cajun Belle

Brittany at Less Britt & More Life

Vicki at My Vickilicious Life

Tiffany at blabbering thoughts

Amber at glitter and dirt

Celia at ...just trying to find my way

Holly at Precisely Holly

Lil' Woman at Little Woman, Little Home

Kendra at Silkybowties

B at Unexpectedly Expecting Baby

and

Cassie at blue jeans & flip flops

And here are my questions:

1.) If you could have any career, what would it be?

2.) What is your idea of the perfect weekend?

3.) What's your favorite holiday, and why?

4.) What is your favorite thing about the town you live in?

5.) What did you want to be when you grew up?

6.) Who was your junior high crush?

7.) What actress would play you if your life was made into a movie?

8.) Where is the one place you must visit before you die?

9.) Toilet paper: over or under? Plead your case.

10.)  What's better, a quiet night in, or a wild night out?

11.) What is one thing you cannot go a day without?

I think I'm supposed to answer my questions, but this post is far too long as it is. If you're curious about any of my answers, just holler at me!

Hope y'all have fabulous weekends! Happy Friday, my darlings!

 

Let's Chat

Hey there, good lookin, what's shakin?

Can we talk for a minute?

Obviously, I love you. You, my dear reader, rock my world. My heart squeals with delight every time I'm notified that I have a new comment. I'm all, "they like me, they really like me!"

So, obviously I want to be your bestie for life and get bff necklaces.

Or, ya know, connect in other ways.

If you know anything about me, you know that I'm a social media addict. I luuurve social media. Like, social media and I should have a baby. And name it iPhone. Or Mac. Or Apple. We'll hash that out later. Anywhoodles, the point is, if it's social media related, you can bet your first born that I'm all over it like a fat kid on cake. And trust me, I know all about cake.

So, my lovely reader, what does all of this babble have to do with you? Well, I'm glad you asked! I want to be friends. On twitter, on facebook, hell, even on google+! If you're on twitter, and I'm not following you, let me know!! If you're one of the few on google+, add me to your circle! If you're on facebook, like my page! (Please?)

Here's the reason for this weird post. I hate discovering a blog, and it becomes my new favorite, and I'll all, "OMG! I love this person, we should be friends and go on coffee dates!" only to realize they aren't on twitter. Insert sad face. I'm a twitter addict. I can't function without my beloved twitter. How can we be best friends and plan our spring break vacation together if I can't @ you any time I want!?

So, basically, this is me, begging you to be my enabler. If you aren't on twitter, join. I swear you'll love it. And if you are on twitter, well, what are you waiting on, give me a holler!

Bottom line, we should be bestest friends, because, you? Are awesome.

Have a fabulous weekend, y'all!

Rosy Cheeks and Exhausted Bodies

Y'all? It's cold down here in Texas. Like, really cold. Like, freezing cold. Now, maybe that's not cold for some of you, but that's cold for us.

And I'm not complaining one bit!

Unfortunately, it means that, after spending way too much time in the chilly outdoors with The Tot and Princess R the last few days, I need to thaw out. So, you're getting this crappy post today, with a promise that after many mugs of hot chocolate, and after I buy a new pair of wool socks to defrost my toes, I'll be back with some adorable pictures from our few days of fun!

In the mean time, you can find me here, here, or maybe here.

Stay warm, lovahs!



Studly Wish List

Happy Tuesday, lovelies! I had this post scheduled for earlier today, but Blogger decided to delete it, so I'm having to start all over.
 

Today, I'm enlisting your help. I'm going to finish my Christmas shopping this weekend, and seeing as how I've bought absolutely nothing for The Hubs, I should probably get on that.

Now, his style is more along the lines of Casual Chic. Which means he normally wears polo shirts and jeans, which I'm cool with, but I'm thinking he needs more than just striped Ralph Lauren pull-overs, ya know? He needs more swagger, but not too much. Think a casual Jake Gyllenhaal. (See, I told you yesterday that these posts were related!)

Kind of like this:

Or this:

Yup, that's exactly the look I'm going for.

So, here's what I'm thinking,

Dark jeans are a must.

{Gap 1969 Standard Fit}

A button down with the sleeves rolled up.

{Gap Dobby Striped Shirt}

A simple, yet sophisticated jacket.

{Old Navy Men's Coated Military Style Jacket}

He's a die hard Longhorn fan, so this is perfect.

{Fossil NCAA University of Texas Watch}

A good cologne tops it all off.

{Victoria's Secret Very Sexy for Him}

He already has a killer pair of shades and the perfect boots to tie it all in.

So, what am I missing? Will my man be perfectly stylish in these, or am I waaaay off base? Help me!!! Please?

Soak It Up

Well friends, summer is starting to wind down, kids are starting to go back to school, and moms are weaning themselves off of the xanax. And I couldn't be happier. I'm itching for fall to get here. Autumn brings cooler weather, college football, and fair time here in Texas, which just so happens to be my favorite time of year!

But, I have to say, I'm always a little sad to see summer go. I always feel like I didn't spend enough time in the toasty sun, or float the river enough, or drink enough beer with friends. So, I plan on fixing that this year. For the rest of the summer I will grill at least once a week, play in the pool often, and lay out until my skin tingles. We will send this summer out in style. And then we'll bask in the glow of this summer's memories all winter long. And when next summer rolls around, we'll do it all again.

I'm out until Monday, here's a few songs to set the mood for my perfect summer weekend. X's and O's lovahs!

ShanaLogic Love

As we all know, I'm always behind the times on all things popular, and it appears that once again, I'm late to the party on this one. I just happened to come across the ShanaLogic site today, and I've already fallen in love with everything on the site, and from what I hear through the grapevine, this little shop has been all the rage for awhile. Anyway, just in case someone who follows my little blog hasn't seen the awesomeness of ShanaLogic, I figured I'd post a few of the things that I'm currently coveting!

This camera ring is absolutely adorbs. And only $8!

Sprouting Seedling Necklace so simple, yet so beautiful

<3 these

Portable Robot Love

For my inner nerd

If you know about my twitter addiction, you know that I need these.

This would be soooo cute in Baby Butterbean's bed

See!? I told you their stuff was absolutely amazing! Now, what are you waiting for? Get over there and buy me something!

Pee Ess - The March of Dimes March for Babies walk is in two weeks, and this is me, begging for your help. I know, it's not pretty. If you can donate, please do, if you can pass the word along, please do. Anything helps! (And thank you in advance!)

*Let it be known that this "review" was not sponsored in any way. ShanaLogic has no idea who I am, or even that I'm writing about the site. I simply saw things that I adored and decided to blog about it. The End.*

A-Z Stuff You Wanted To Know About Me

Apparently this is circling around the Blogosphere, but I saw it over at my girl Ms. Salti's place, who snagged it from the lovely Jules, and thought it was cute, so I figured I'd play along. Mostly because I've got nothing else to do, but partly because I know y'all are dying to know more about me. Now pay attention, there will be a pop quiz at the end.

A. Age:

25

B. Bed size:

California King

C. Chore you dislike:

Washing dishes. And that includes unloading the dishwasher

D. Dogs:

Dixie (how redneck, no?) and Corona (how alcoholic, no?)

E. Essential start to your day:

As much as I hate to admit it, besides the normal trip to the loo, I have to have my social media fix. Twitter, email, and tumblr.

F. Favorite color:
Purple and green. But not together. Unless it's Mardi Gras!

G. Gold or silver:

Silver

H. Height:

5'7

I. Instruments you play(ED):
I can play a bit of the piano and I play the sax in junior high

J. Job title:
Bail Bondsman. Just like my white trash hero, Dog The Bounty Hunter and his big boobed wife.

K. Kids:
Just the one.

L. Live:
Live, what? Like, where do I live? Texas. We've been over this.

M. Mom’s name:

Gran. At least, that's what the grandkids call her. She also answers to DeeDee

N. Nicknames:
Butterbean and Nana

O. Overnight hospital stays:
One night after my knee surgery, one night with gallbladder troubles, and a few nights when I had Baby Butterbean.

P. Pet peeves:
People who don't mind their own business, procrastinators, unanswered texts, way too many others to list.

Q. Quote from a movie:
"It's not illegal. It's frowned upon, like masturbating on an airplane."

R. Righty or Lefty:

Righty Tighty

S. Siblings:

4 brothers and 2 sisters

T. Time you wake up:
When I have to work I'm normally up by 5:30 or 6, when I'm off it's closer to 7

U. Underwear:
Under where?

V. Vegetables you don’t like:
Beets

W. What makes you run late:
Everyday life!

X. X-rays you’ve had:
Too many to count!

Y. Yummy food you make:
Spaghetti, pork chops, and pork roast. Obviously not at the same time.

Z. Zoo Animal Favorites:

If I had to pick a favorite, it'd be the penguins or the pandas.

Thawing Out

Friends, spring has sprung here in Texas.

And it couldn't have come fast enough. Don't get me wrong, I love the winter, and as soon as the hundred degree weather gets here, I'll be moaning that it's too hot, but for right now, I'm enjoying it. I've had the windows open and the a/c off for the last two weeks.

And, seeing as how Baby Butterbean is finally big enough to play outside, we've spent every waking moment out in the fresh air.

Park Play

It's also rodeo time down here in my little part of Texas. The Houston fair and rodeo kicks off on Tuesday, and the Austin fair and rodeo kicks off soon after that, so we're polishing up our boots and dusting off our cowboy hats.

Like A Rhinestone Cowgirl

Also, all of this warmer weather has up feeling a bit lovey dovey, so we've been spending time with our significant others.

Love Birds

Ok, enough of the cute kid pics. We'll move on to something else.

With this change in the weather, I've been craving a bit of a change as well.

Mainly, my hair.

This? Is hot. I'm currently a reddish brunette, and have no bangs. But I feel like this needs to change. I think I need to rock some bangs this spring.

I'm also craving some cute strappy shoes. Flip flops, open toe wedges, strappy sandles, I want them all. I love my fall and winter boots, but my poor tootsies haven't seen the sun since September, and they're begging to be sock free.

These and the right pair of sunnies? Love.

While we're at it, let's get these for the babe

Too cute. 

So what about y'all? Is it finally thawing out where you are, or are you still rocking the peacoat and ear muffs? Are you longing for warmer weather, or content with the cold?

Just A Little Note....

I am currently blogging, tweeting, and watching tv. While I'm at work. And getting paid for it. And my boss doesn't care.

You all have permission to hate me now.

Now, if you'll excuse me I'm watching a Ghost Whisperer marathon. I'll be back tomorrow.

XOXO

ps - a big ol' congrats to my packer boys!

How About We Work On Not Being An Asshole?

First off, let me say, sorry I haven't been around lately. I'm up to my neck planning Baby Butterbean's birthday party (it's on Saturday y'all, hold me. Oh, and check back next week for pics!) and I've been extremely sick to boot. But, I had the urge to blog tonight because I've got to get something off of my chest.

A few months ago, a friend of mine (you know who you are, and hopefully you don't mind that I'm talking about this!) came up with an excellent idea. She shared this idea with me, and a few other people on twitter. Then, to make a long story short, one of the other people basically hijacked my friend's idea and passed it off as her own. An "idea plagiarist," if you will.

Now, let's pause for a minute, and let me say, the reason that I'm being so vague about this is because I, in no way, have any right to speak up about this. It's not my place to say something to the idea plagiarist, seeing as how it wasn't my idea in the first place. And, if I went into detail about what my friend's idea was, it could possibly tip off the other person because they also read my blog.

Now, when I first met this other person, it was incredibly clear that she took herself too seriously. I felt like she looked down on me because I was some small time blogger with a handful of followers, while she was some internet superstar. She was all about business and I felt like she met people with the sole intention of getting blogging material. Like I was auditioning to be a character in her writing. Am I making any sense to y'all? Let's just say that my first impressions weren't all that great. But, as we all know, I don't hide the fact that I can be a bitch, so I decided to calm my mean girl side down, and give her another chance. 

Since our first encounter, my opinion hasn't really changed. 

So, in the last few weeks she has taken my friend's idea and ran with it. Leaving the impression that she came up with it, and giving absolutely no credit to my friend. Now, here's the thing, my friend is an insanely sweet person. I don't think it's possible to not like her. We've talked about this whole ordeal frequently, and, to put it in her words, she "decided to take the high road" and not say anything to the other person. I have to say, I really respect her for this. I would have handled this entirely different. It's taking everything I've got not to say something now. Or at least call her a fake bitch. But, I just couldn't keep quiet any longer. I may not be able to say anything to the person directly, but I can at least put my opinions in print. That's the whole reason for having a blog, right?

Here's the bottom line, don't be an asshat. Give credit where credit is due and don't step on people just because you think you're more popular than they are. You may have more blog followers, but I promise you, that person that you treated like shit is a better person than you are. And I'd rather be her friend any day.

Random Thoughts

The hubs thinks I'm annoying. I'm totally not kidding, he actually said I'm annoying. Mostly because of my excessive use of "Yo," "Werd," and TWSS jokes. Oh, and because whenever I make tea, I prance around the house singing "tea, tea for two, tea for two and none for you," for about an hour. He just doesn't appreciate my artistic abilities. And because he's an asshat.

~~~~~~~~

Baby Butterbean's birthday is in 11 days. Eleven days, y'all! The party planning and preparation is coming along great. Besides the fact that I don't have a location for it. That's just a tiny detail, right? Once I get all of this squared away, I'm going to sit in my closet with copious amounts of alcohol and cry my eyes out. I don't want my baby to be a toddler!!

~~~~~~~~

In related news, she's walking now. Not confidently, but she's at least doing it. And her vocabulary amazes me, but the fact that she chooses to only speak at certain times is downright annoying. One of the reasons you have children is to show off what they can do, right? So, speak child, speak! Momma wants to impress folks! 

~~~~~~~~

Well, that's about it. I just needed to empty my thoughts so I could keep working my fingers to the bone on these party preparations. Hope everyone is having a great Tuesday! xoxo