Toms And Snakes

May 19, 2012 By 1 Comment

Yesterday, I had a day of firsts.

My first pair of TOMs arrived and I’m excited to find the right outfit to wear them with soon.

And, I killed my first snake.

O.

M.

G.

My husband had warned me a few weeks ago that there was a pretty large snake in our barn. So, as I went in the barn to get my bike for a sort ride, I was VERY cautious and checked around before I touched anything, etc. I moved my bike and saw a head move.

A snake head.

I backed slowly into the tool room in the barn and grabbed a nearby shovel and went to hitting that sucker until he wasn’t moving anymore!

Nobody was around but my adrenaline was pumping so I just left it where it was, got on my bike and rode 3 miles.

When I got back the hubs got the snake out of the barn and said it was definitely not the same snake he saw (it was about 2 feet long but only about an inch in diameter) and the one he saw was bigger.

Darn.

But, at least one barn snake is down.

And this girl is definitely not going back into the barn.

———————————————————

We’re headed to a good friends wedding today and I’m so excited, she’s one of my dearest friends and I’m just so excited for her wedding!

What are your plans for this weekend?

Filed Under: life, personal 1 Comment

Spring Swap

May 18, 2012 By 1 Comment

I’m putting off this week in Instagram until Sunday or so because I’m going to a wedding Saturday and plan to include some pics of that!

I am part of a Christian Ladies group on Facebook that has truly been a BLESSING to my life.

A way to ask for prayer when needed.

Connect with other shop owners & bloggers who are in my same faith.

A place for friends to “get together” from the comfort of our own homes.

Sweet Aleks from our group (she’s getting married next month y’all and I think she’s freakin’ out a little) arranged a Spring Swap. Now, I had never been involved in a Bloggers Swap before and I didn’t know what to expect.

I had a GREAT partner who sent me some ADORABLE goodies.

Made a new friend.

And got to create a few crafty things to send my lovely partner.

Ahhh, wonderful.

Side Note :: It was a suggestion that at least something be handmade that was in our goodies to one another. 

Here are the goodies that Heather sent me…

04262012__dsc0784

Gelly Rolls (because I told y’all about my love of pens, right?), a mini-journal, handmade CUTE bobby pins and crafting flowers.

I sent her a few things that I purchased and then I made these adorable coasters, I’ve been so excited to show them off and hopefully Heather will have some photos of the other stuff I sent on her blog…I totally forgot to take pics of my box before I mailed it back to her.

04262012__dsc0795

I made these with tile from Lowes, vinyl, my Silhouette Cameo & a little mod podge. I love coasters, I’m getting ready to embark on making myself some new ones!

This swap was a ton of fun, seriously!

Heather sent my goodies in an Erin Condren box and I sent her loot back in the same box, pretty sure I won the recycler of the year award and the award for confusing my swap partner for that one!

Anytime anybody wants to involve me in a swap, I’m all for it! I would love to host one but don’t even see myself having time for that until like after Christmas (no joke) so doubt that’ll happen. LOL!

Aleks has a link-up going on over on her blog so we can all link up and be jealous of see each others’ stuff! Check it out, I’m sure it’ll be fun!

aleks handmade
Filed Under: blogging, crafting, Crafts, Projects 1 Comment

Birds…you guys…birds are scary!

May 17, 2012 By 2 Comments

Source: goo.gl via Jessica on Pinterest

 

I have always been quite scared of birds, one of my biggest fears probably (the biggest fear being enclosed spaces and heights). One time, eons ago, my grandma got pooped on by a bird at the beach. Stupid seagulls! After that I was pretty frightened of them flying over my head, ya know, afraid of being pooped on.

I’ve known two people in my life who’s gotten birds in THEIR HAIR…that…that my friends…is some scary junk! AAahhhh.

Basically when birds fly over my head, I duck or take cover or something, it looks pretty funny in public.

Well, last week my friend and her little man were over here working on some crafty type things and the boys were out on our porch and left the door open. My friend said calmly, “there’s a bird in the house”…

I hit the deck. Literally.

I screamed like a little girl.

The poor bird tried to fly full force out of my large front window and injured itself.

While it was gaining composure I ran to the door to open it back up (the boys had shut it at this point).

My friend kicked at the half-dead bird.

It flew.

I screamed.

Little boys laughed.

My friend thinks I’m crazy.

That’s literally how the story went. Afterwards she was like “I thought they were some type of killer bird or something”, lol. That’s how bad I was screaming and honestly was pretty close to tears, my heart was racing, scary.freakin.times!

So yeah, that’s my latest encounter with a very scary monster bird.

And the story of the day my friend Kati found out I was nutso. Well, maybe not the first day she realized it but it definitely confirmed her speculation.

Filed Under: life, Random 2 Comments

There’s nothing better

May 16, 2012 By 1 Comment

To me, there’s nothing better than this work-at-home Mom thing.

Really, I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Some days Casen plays at the library while I work (or type blog posts, what we’re doing right.this.second) because we have lots of errands in town and don’t need to go back and forth to our house (we live 30 minutes out) 400 times per day.

Some days we have fun at the park while Mommy answers e-mails on her phone.

Other days, we stay home and Mommy works while we play.

It’s really the best job ever.

I love my job, what I do and how I do it.

I love that this is my reality and I thank God everyday for this blessing in my life!

Filed Under: business talk, life, Mommy talk 1 Comment

What’s on my mind…right.now

May 15, 2012 By 1 Comment

It’s 11:03pm here and I just have a few things on my mind to post for you, and a little funny at the end.

  • Why can men (or at least MY man) fall asleep in like 2 seconds? As I type this, my husband was just having a conversation with me and then I heard him SNORING, sitting here on the couch, watching The Bachelorette, lol.
  • I am so excited for this new season of The Bachelorette! Emily is adorbs and the fact that it was filmed in Charlotte, NC…too cool.
  • Going to the gym again today, pretty stoked, I have told you about my newest addiction, right?
  • I have been dominating the leg press machine at the gym, dom.i.nat.ing. So much so that I bet my husband that I could leg press him tonight and, I DID, 4 times…no big deal.
  • I want a BIG OL’ cup of sweet tea from McDonalds…BUT those things have like 350 calories…totally not worth it, I’ll make my own with stevia in the next few days.
  • This Time Magazinething is ridiculous. I will give you a little bit of my take on the subject :: I nursed my son until he was 13.5 months old and I loved every second of it, but I definitely feel like there’s a limit that I almost crossed of being “too long” on the socially acceptable meter. If you choose to go above and beyond the “normal” breastfeeding time, that’s totally fine with me, your decision completely but I think in our society it’s not “socially acceptable” to do so, so I’d probably keep it to yourself.And…it should not be insinuated that if you don’t breastfeed, much less breastfeed until your kid is like 14, that you’re not “mom enough”, that’s crazy. There are some ROCKIN’ Moms who don’t ever breastfeed, that shouldn’t be discounted. I am a HUGE breastfeeding advocate but don’t look down on those who can’t/don’t want to…that’s crazy.

    Now, on another note with the magazine cover…this opens a whole new door when it comes to perverts and crazy people. That’s all.

  • My husband and I often have religious arguments that take up a lot of my work time at night. LOL. We have the complete same religious views but I want to argue both sides and see things clearly even though I know how I feel. It’s fun. ‘Nuff said.
  • I feel like myself and my relationship are VERY similar to Bethenny Frankel and her husband’s.

 

Well, I think I am done with the random bullet points, so…here’s your funny for the day (and you’ve seen this if you follow me on Instagram @JessicaStansberry).

We live near a small town in TN (we live in NC) and we drive through said town quite often to get where we’re going or sometimes we go over there just to go (rarely, but sometimes); so anyway, this town is notorious for having misspelled signs and weird things going on and are quite antiquated, to say the least. In their old cattle sale building they had signs everywhere that said “Employes only”, I mean MULTIPLE spelled exactly the same way. On the way back into the North Carolina there’s a town called “Vilas” (pronounced Veye-lus) and it’s spelled, like I did…V-I-L-A-S, I mean, it’s not negotiable, that’s how it’s spelled. Well, the STATE SIGN on the Tennessee side of the line had it spelled “Villas” for YEARS…the whole time I was going to college (because I took this route a lot) and I NEVER got a picture…darn it, and they fixed it and replaced it with a sign that is spelled right not long after I graduating from college. Yeah, stuff like that all the time.

On our way through about a week ago my husband said there was a sign that said something about “BJ’s” but we didn’t go back home the same way so I didn’t get a picture of it. Well, we headed that way the other day and FOUND IT. I made the hubs pull over on the side of the road IN THE RAIN for me to get these pictures, but it was well worth it!

Oh, it’s advertising for BJ’s Antiques.

Filed Under: blogging, life, Random 1 Comment

On the Healthy Wagon

May 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

So, I mean, I’ve only been the gym three times now but I am officially addicted!

I used to love weight-lifting/training class in High School, I took it every year and always loved it; then I went to college and loved working out at the gym on campus there, but had a hard time knowing what to do without someone telling me.

Well, I’m hooked on the gym now.

When I went the first time a VERY NICE employee of the facility showed me some different workout sheets that I could follow and explained what each of them accomplished, etc. I found a workout routine that I really liked and did it full force the first day (boy, did I pay for THAT the next day) and then also did it again on Saturday…I love it!

I think part of my fear of going to the gym was the fear of looking like an idiot, jumping from machine to machine without any rhyme or reason and then coming home and not even feeling like I worked out…nope!

I hit the elliptical for a 10 minute interval warm-up, hit the weight machines, do a specific 3 machines 3 times, hit the elliptical for another 2 minute POWER session, back to the weight machines for another 3 machines for 3 times, back to the elliptical for a 2 minute power session, to the last set of weight machines and then back to the elliptical for a 10-15 minute interval and cool down.

Oh, the childcare room at my gym is very small because there’s only like 3-5 kids in there but let me tell you, Little Man LOVED it…he was excited to see me when I got there but I don’t think he missed me, I think he was very content playing with the “new” toys there. That made me so happy all in itself, it makes it easier to want to go knowing that he loves it too!

Heaven.

Let me tell you a little about my eating.

I have been eating healthy for a few months now but I definitely had the occasional piece (or 3) of pizza, cheeseburger, etc…not.any.more! I am sticking to a strict calorie intake limit of 1400 cals/day (or more if I workout that day) and I LITERALLY lost 5 lbs in the first 3 days. I am not wasting calories on junk that I didn’t realize I was wasting it on before (by junk I mean too much cheese, random snacks on Teddy Grahams the toddler drops, etc) and I’m DEFINITELY not wasting calories on soft drinks. I am not a huge soft drink drinker anyway, but I love some Seirra Mist and even more than that, I’m southern and I LOVE ME SOME sweet tea! Well, no sweet tea for this girl and I’m actually not that sad. I plan to make a gallon of either sweet black or green tea in the next day or too so that I don’t start craving it and make an impulsive stop at McDonalds for one one day.

I drink a protein shake (if you haven’t tried Dashing Dish’s recipes, go…NOW) on the mornings I workout for breakfast and also have some fruits for a mid-morning snack and then on the days I don’t work out, I usually have an egg and some fruit or whole-grain toast.

For snacks I have string cheese (but only ONE per day, this is where I had trouble before), fruit (grapes, apples, bananas, watermelon, cantaloupe, etc), graham crackers and healthy cookie dough dip made with Stevia.

For lunch, I sometimes have chicken cheese pitas on whole grain 90 cal pitas and spinach or left-overs from supper the night before on top of a bed of spinach (I don’t like lettuce) or sometimes I have a snack-type of lunch and occasionally even a Smart Ones meal or something.

For supper, I cook fairly healthy for the whole family so I usually have what everybody else is having, something like whole-grain spaghetti with ground turkey or baked potatoes & veggies, etc. We’re not very ‘adventurous’ eaters around here so I have to eat what I like that’s healthy, lol.

The food thing has been going on a long time but I haven’t been watching HOW MUCH I eat, duh…I don’t know why, I guess I thought I wasn’t eating too many calories but I definitely think I was just eating enough to maintain my weight before, definitely not enough to gain or too much to lose.

As of today, I’ve lost right at 6lbs since last Monday…so, in a week!!! I think that’s part of my new obsession with the gym, I can already see it paying off in combination with the healthy eating and I love it!

I hope everybody has big plans for this week!!!

Filed Under: exercise, healthy living Leave a Comment

Our Week in Instagram

May 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I missed last week so I’m including some from last week too, so here ya go!

1. Little Man loves to “drive”. 2. Rockin’ the side braid, I was a little concerned that I was too much of a Mommy for this, but I have seen much older women “rocking” it, so what the heck! 3. The most gas my little car has had in it since I bought it before Christmas! 4. My homemade LemonLime Soda 5. How I got supper cooked one night. 6. Eating a lemon, like EATING it, he loved it! 7. I went to vote on Tuesday (I think it was Tuesday) and little man ‘practiced’ a little 8. New FREE subscription to Shape magazine, just in time for my new working out kick! 9. We randomly had a mini-traveling zoo come to our county and it was FREE so we had to stop in…um, not too sure about the llamas though.

Filed Under: instagram, weekly photo link-up Leave a Comment

On joining a gym

May 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I’m super excited.

I’ve been on a healthy eating “kick” for about half a year now, maybe longer but even with my eating habit changes I’ve not lost any weight, and I’ve even gained a little.

Since this time last year, I bet I’ve gained anywhere from 13-15 lbs or so, it stinks too.

I have recently realized that I’m eating more calories than I thought I was so I’ve been limiting that and I’ve actually lost about 3 lbs this week, so that’s great, I’m going to continue that.

If I was going to work out, I need to go to the gym, it motivates me, I’ve always loved the gym, always, but we live in a very small town where we only have two gyms (no YMCA) and none with childcare (or so I thought), so I’ve been putting it off and putting it off.

Well, I asked my hubby for a gym membership for Mother’s Day and I’ve been researching the different options here and found one that I thought I’d like but, again, no childcare, BUT they have a child activity room so I thought “Ok, I can make this work, i can find someone to go with me and keep the little man in the room” but then I got to thinking “Um…who the heck is going to be able to go do that whenever I want, in the middle of the day?” Uggg.

So, I put a cry for help on Facebook and found that they do have childcare on certain days at certain times but it’s not advertised so that’s why I don’t know about it!!! How darn cool, right?

And, so, here we are…when this posts I’ll be going to try it out for the first time!

Wish me luck.

 

Filed Under: exercise, weight loss Leave a Comment

As Political as it gets on this blog

May 9, 2012 By 1 Comment

I will never post political statuses on Facebook, Twitter or this blog basically because I don’t think it’s worth the conflict with opposing views, we’re never going to change each others’ minds and because I am very good at seeing both sides to things, I seriously think I would have been a good lawyer, I can usually prove a pretty good point on either side of an argument even if I don’t agree.

That being said, we, here in North Carolina, have been in a major political/religious battlefield because of something called Amendment One or the Marriage Amendment. You can find a copy of the bill here. Basically it’s a bill that says “marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic partnership recognized by the state”.

Now, no matter how you feel about homosexual marriage, I feel like it’s necessary for everyone to vote but, more so, I feel like everyone needs to vote in an educated manor WITHOUT influence from biased media.

Be Educated when you vote. Please.

So, my PSA for today is…

 

 

Educate yourself on the issues, don’t rely on websites or commercials (paid for my one side of an argument) to give you the facts, go to the government website(s), find the actual printed information…

THEN, and only then, make your voting decision.

I actually had to delete a “friend” (eh, she was never a friend, just really an acquaintance so it wasn’t a biggy anyway) off of my Facebook because she was so against this bill that she was calling others “a$$holes” and knocking religion, MY religion, not ok, I didn’t even want to see it, so I had to delete her. She COMPLETELY has every.single.right.in.the.world to feel and vote the way she wants to, completely, but to try and push her opinions aggressively on her Facebook friends (and I’m sure anyone she came in contact with) by insulting others in a “better-than-you-anti-religious” manner just doesn’t fly with me. Seriously.

So, on another note, respect others and their opinions/views/etc, they’re entitled just as much as you are with yours. It’s ok to disagree but not disrespect.

And, that’s as political as it will EVER get on this here blog.

 

Filed Under: life, personal 1 Comment

Getting Motivated :: WAHM edition

May 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Sometimes as a WAHM (work-at-home-Mom) I have a hard time getting motivated.

Motivated to start my day,

Motivated to get work done when I can during the day,

Motivated to clean my house,

You get the point.

I have recently stumbled on a few things that really help me and I thought they might help you too, although, everybody is different and it takes different motivational techniques for each person and situation!

  1. Get up and get ready. This is something I rarely used to do. I would normally, get up, stumble around to get Casen breakfast, plop back down on the couch while he’s watching his morning ‘toons and eating breakfast, slug around, get him down for a nap and then take a shower, put PJs back on, no make-up and throw my hair up in a bun (EHM, I am sitting here typing this as I’ve done EXACTLY what I just described). I have noticed that if I get up, get a shower, put on makeup and get ready I am MUCH (and I do mean MUCH) more motivated to get things done around the house and more work gets done on those days too. So, even if you don’t have to go anywhere, get ready like you were going out and you’ll just feel better.
  2. Eat Healthy. I am becoming a bit of a healthy-eating-FREAK, it’s annoying my husband but I’m loving it. Anyway, if I start my morning with a filling, healthy breakfast, the rest of my day just goes right.
  3. Make to-do lists and CHECK things off! Don’t just make your to-do list and then “misplace” it, make sure you keep it around, check things off, that’s motivation in itself!
  4. Keep a clean house. Ok, I am by-no-means a clean freak, not at all actually. But, I definitely find that if I keep my house fairly clean at all times, my motivation is in full swing. I feel motivated to do more cleaning, get work done, heck, even exercise if my house is clean.

K, that’s not many tips but they’re things that I’ve found lately that really help me!

What do you do to get/stay motivated?

Filed Under: business, business talk, life Leave a Comment
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