7 QT {21} - I lost my job

Well, it's been quite a week. One I wasn't expecting at all. For the sake of linking up at Conversion Diary I guess I will give you the 7 Quick Takes version.

1. After months of communicating via our blogs, emails and text messages I finally got to meet a blog friend in real life, on Saturday. Her name's Kala and she blogs over at My Breezy Room. My mom and I met up with her at First Fridays in the West Bottoms in her adorable furniture booth at Bella Patina. I think we managed to make it through without any awkwardness and I think we both hope to go on another blate (blog date) soon. I realize I'm not giving our first blate the attention it deserves but check out Kala's blog and she will give you a great rundown of meeting and discovery that neither of us was a serial killer. It's a good read, I promise!

Check out her booth at First Fridays! It's awesome:)

And on to the more depressing...

2. Monday rolled around and I headed into work feeling well rested because of the time change. I walked in and my boss immediately called me into his office. Obviously that was weird but I just shut the door and sat down. He then proceeded to tell me "where gonna have to let you go, we just don't have enough work to keep you busy". At that point I just sat and stared at him with what I'm sure was a look of shock and disbelief. It honestly was one of those out of body experiences where it's like you're looking down on what's happening but the voices are muffled because I have almost know idea of what he said after the first sentence. Something about healthcare and all that jazz but I didn't really catch it. 

Once he finished talking he asked if I had any questions and so I just asked if it was only because they didn't have enough work that I was being let go and he asked if I would disagree. I guess I was extra surprised because I have been nothing but busy the last month. Our business really picks up before the holidays and I thought we were doing well. I guess I thought wrong. 

3. I never thought I would be 27 years old with a college degree and filing for unemployment.

4. The past couple days I've spent hours at my computer searching and applying for jobs. Some seem okay and some sound dreadful. At this point, I don't know that I even want to go back to work in an office environment. I honestly feel pretty lost and not sure which direction to look. Thankfully I have a husband who has been amazingly supportive and encouraging. 

5. I guess it's times like these I'm thankful I have Faith that God has a plan for me even though I have no idea what that plan is. My Grandma (the one that freezes everything) always says if you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans. I guess he's laughing now. Maybe this is his way of telling me that he has plans for me and he will help me when the time comes. For now, I'm waiting, praying and applying. 

6. I've officially been a desperate housewife all week. 

7. If anyone in the NE Kansas area has a job opening that I might qualify for feel free to let me know :) For now, I guess I'm a full-time blogger and housewife. 

7 Quick Takes {20}

1. I have a new neice! This is my brother-in-laws little girl and she was born on Tuesday. Her name is Journey Rose and as you can see is super adorable. I can't wait to meet her in real life!

Isn't she a doll?!

2. This weekend I have another photo session. The leaves are gorgeous around here right now and I'm so glad people are wanting to do photos with all the fall colors. If you're in the area and needing photos done let me know:) 

3. I'm considering reopening my Etsy shop with different printables but I think I need to do quite a bit of work before it's ready. I'm also not sure if I have the time to get it ready. Priorities I guess. Does anyone that reads this thing have an Etsy shop? Do you like it? Do you have any suggestions for me to make mine successful?

4. Even though this week has been really busy at both work and home, I kinda like it. I feel like I am way more productive on everything in general. Maybe I should add some more to my list. 

5. So, I'm pretty sure I'm going to meet my blog friend in real life this weekend and I'm pretty excited about it. While texting the other day we both wondered how exactly is meeting a blog friend supposed to work...

Like omg.
I have no idea why I said like so many times because I definitely don't talk like that. 

6. Apparently I'm getting old because my Facebook feed is no longer filled with scantily clad college girls (scantily clad?? I really am old) and instead was filled with hundreds (literally) of  photos of small children and babies. Looks like a ninja turtle and super hero were among the favorite outfits for the year. Being the old person that I am I spent my evening at the gym, followed, by two 50 cent Sonic corndogs (good thing I worked out) and then my couch catching up on DVR. And, thank goodness Erin posted a photo of her Halloween outfit to remind me that I still needed to catch up on my next Netflix episode of Breaking Bad. 

7. When do the black friday ads come out?!! I've been stalking all the websites that post the ads early but I haven't found many yet and I'm getting impatient! Black Friday is this month and I can't wait. It's seriously one of my favorite days of the year. 

Sidenote: Is it weird that I got engaged on Black Friday 3 years ago? I remember sitting at lunch with my mom and her BFF Karen (hi Karen!) and we discussed when Seth and might get engaged....I secretly wondered if it might be that night but didn't really know. Surprise! 

Okay, that's all for today but it got me thinking that maybe I'll post the next part of our story soon. 

Happy Fall Friday!

Linking up over at Conversion Diary.

7 Quick Takes {19}

1. I can't stop reading anything and everything associated with the JonBenet Ramsey case and the documents they released today. Reading all the comments is like a game of Clue with all the cards lost so nobody knows the real truth. Everybody's got an opinion about whodunnit and for some reason I'm fascinated by it. 

2. Seth's going deer hunting Saturday morning so he was practicing with his bow last night when he "Robin Hooded" an arrow. I'd say he shouldn't have much trouble hitting the dear if he can hit an arrow. 

3. My mom informed me this morning that Dillons (Kroger), one of my favorite grocery stores, is no longer doubling coupons. To say I'm devastated is an understatement. To all the important Dillons people that are reading my blog right now I say THIS IS NOT A GOOD IDEA. I mostly only shop two places, Dillons and Wal-Mart. I buy all my Dillons sale items at Dillons so that my coupons are doubled and everything else I buy at Wal-Mart and price match. Now I might as well just go to Wal-Mart and price match my Dillons sale items as well. Not Cool!

4. Does anyone out there watch the show Nashville? I'm sorta obsessed with it at the moment and hoping that their's someone out there that loves it too. 

5. Our washer decided to die Wednesday night and I've been scouring the interwebs looking for a new one. So far I'm not impressed. Any recommendations for something that is simple and reliable would be much appreciated. I think I would prefer a top loader and something not terribly expensive. I could care less about all the fancy steamers and automatic ironing settings. 

6. I'm ready to decorate for Christmas and I'm considering ordering some Christmas presents this week. I just love the holidays! Bring on the Christmas music:)

7. Here's hoping that Seth has something in mind for dinner because I'm hungry. Shocker. 

Happy Weekend!

Linking up with Conversion Diary. 

7 Quick Takes {18}

1. Chilly morning in the land of oz. Winter better slow it's roll because I need some more fall before the Wicked Witch of the North decides it's time to freeze. Cold+Julie=unhappy eskimo. Ironic since my blog name includes the word freezing? Maybe.

Since it was cold last night as well, I decided to make some soup. I must say it turned out pretty fan-freaking-tastic. Not sure what kind of soup I would call it except maybe a cheesy potato (plus some extra veggies so I wouldn't feel so guilty about eating such an unhealthy soup). Maybe soup making is my real calling in life. Thoughts to ponder. 

That's a big bowl of healthy right there!

2. You know how sometimes when you're texting two people at the same time and you accidentally call your blog friend "lovey" and let her know that you're going to shower... instead of your husband. Yeah, I don't know what that's like either. 

Better than when I called another RA sexy...

3. It's Maple Leaf Festival weekend! Yippee skippy. I'm pretty pumped to get some good food and peruse the hand-crocheted kitchen towels that this fine festival has to offer. Since when did everyone with a Pinterest account think their crafts are sellable? No, I wouldn't like to buy your mason jar modge podged like a pumpkin. I can modge podge one myself, thank you very much (after making homemade modge podge). 

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4. My parents are FINALLY moving into their house on Sunday. Praise you Jesus! It's taken a long time to build and many a problems along the way, but it's just about there. One more coat of sealer on the floors and they can start moving stuff in. Their marriage survived so I'll chalk that up to a win. 

Loving their tile backsplash!

5. Apparently Gunnar fell of the wagon and felt the need to eat some mail again. Obviously, the neighbors books delivered to their porch seemed like a good idea. Just when we thought he had outgrown it. 

6. Seth got home yesterday so we will get to celebrate our anniversary this weekend. Yay! Probably means dinner at one of our usual places. We are SO exciting! Two years down and zero anniversary days actually spent together. Maybe next year. I wonder if it's still safe to eat our cake topper that's buried in the freezer....

7. I'm on week 3 of only drinking two pops a week. Yes sir-ee. I'm doing pretty freakin darn amazing if I do say so myself. Now if only I can cut back on all the other unhealthy stuff I eat. Refer to numero uno. 

Happy weekend friends. 

Linking up with Jen.

7 Quick Takes {17} - Fall decor, Nascar, and other ramblings

Linking up with Jen at Conversion Diary. Check it out. 

1. How do my weekends end up so jam packed? Somehow I'm supposed to fit in my high schools homecoming game, an oil change, the Octoberfest type event in my hometown, go with Seth to help out at my parents house, maybe visit a blog friend in real life at First Fridays and then Sunday we have tickets to a Nascar race. Which brings me to my next point...

2. What does one wear to a Nascar race? I've never been and let's just say I don't want to stand out, but I'm pretty sure I don't want to look like everyone else. Especially if it's anything like how my brain has imagined it to be (read mullets and beer belly's). Seth insists this is something I need to do at least once in my life and since we got free tickets how can I say no? Wish me luck?!

3. There has been some amazingness floating around the interwebz this week and I love it. Try this or this. If you're not having a better day after those two videos you might need to visit a doctor cause you probably need meds. 

4. Finally got some spaghetti sauce canned this week before the tomatoes rotted all over my counters. Yay me. Maybe I'll get around to posting some deets next week. 

5. On my quest to be healthier I have been continuing with my pop only once a week rule. I've actually decided to make it two though, (I know, I have no self control) but here me out. I have one pop every Sunday. It's the sugar loaded caffeine fix I look forward to all week but sometimes you just need a second one. Ya know? For example, you're at the movies and you really need a big gulp to go with that popcorn or you're having a slice of pizza which goes great with Pepsi. So, I've decided I get the one extra that I can have anytime I want throughout the week. Then I still get to look forward to my one on Sunday and don't fall off the wagon if I "cheat" and have that one extra. Make sense? It might be pathetic how much I have thought this through, but so far it's working so don't knock it til ya try it! 

6. I've been putting up some fall decor this week. Isn't it cute?

7. Slowly but surely I've been chipping away at my to-do list this week which makes me happy happy happy. I think I deserve a vacation. To bad I don't get paid to accomplish my to-do list because then I could for sure afford one. I guess I will just have to settle for a weekend. 

Happy Fall Friday Ya'll! (P.S. free fall printable here)

7 Quick Takes {16}

Linking up with Conversion Diary. 

1. I bought my first blogging ebook this week, How to Blog for Profit (Without selling your soul) by Ruth Soukup. (Ruth blogs over at Living Well Spending Less.) I've read a little over half of it and have highlighted a bunch of information I hope to go back and use on my blog sooner rather than later. Hopefully by next week I'll be making millions from this little blogging space. Kidding!

(Ruth, if you read this, know that I really am going to take some of your advice:)

2. Pretty sure I'm the only person who still hasn't downloaded the ios7 update. I've heard it's pretty nifty though so I should probably get on that asap. Any one want to share how they feel about it? Love it? Hate it?

3. The parentals house is getting super close to being finished! Thank goodness because I think they have both had enough of the whole building process. They finally got their cabinets in this week and now it's just the flooring, countertops and touch up painting type stuff. 

Hello house!

LOVE these bookcases that are built in to either side of the fireplace.

The kitchen is huge with tons of counter space.

This picture does zero justice to the fireplace. 

After watching them stress, Seth said we're never building a house because I'm too indecisive, and he's right, but I still really want to at some point. We'll see who wins that one. 

4. It's almost been a whole month that Seth and I have been living together and we don't hate each other. Yay, go us! I will say upgrading to a king size bed definitely wouldn't hurt the relationship though. Queen beds are kinda a joke. #iwantakingbed

5. I'm really in the mood to go Christmas shopping and get a few presents scratched off of my non-existent lists. I love love love shopping for other people but when I do it all in a one month time period it really kills the ole budget. Thinking I need to start my lists now so I can start shopping next month which is only a few days away. Do people do this? Does it help you stick to a budget or do you end up buying more because you shop now AND later? That's what I'm a little worried about. 

6. Day 5 of not drinking pop and I haven't died yet. I tried this a little while back and was doing okay until I went on vacation and fell off the wagon harder than an alcoholic at a beer convention. As of right now, so far so good. My goal is to drink only one a week and the rest of the time stick to water or tea (not sweet cause that's disgusting). If you want to encourage this good habit it will be greatly appreciated because sometimes I just want to throw a tantrum and have a Pepsi, ya know?! Plus I wouldn't mind dropping 10 15 pounds. Just saying.

7. Since it was Seth's birthday yesterday we had a little birthday dinner at home last night. Grilled BBQ chicken with over the top unhealthy twice baked poh-taw-tohs and fresh garden tow-mah-toes. Seth grilled the chicken while I sliced the toms and tried to kill us with fat in the potatoes. Maybe I should post the non-recipe here sometime....anybody feel like having a heart attack?

Act like you don't want to lick those potatoes right off your screen!

Gosh I just read this and it's a little d-d-dull. Do you wanna slap me for wasting your time? Maybe I'll ride a unicorn through a waterfall or something this weekend so I can bring you a little more excitement next week. 

Peace out girl scout. 

7 Quick Takes {15}

1. Well it's Friday and in a small town that means Friday Night Football! We rarely go to the football games because let's face it, it's kinda weird to be in your 20's with no kids and go cheer on the high school football team, but tonight we're going to make an exception. My Aunt is having a party after the game so we figured we should probably go for a little while. Plus, I'm sure they will have some yummy concessions stand food at the game. 

Plastic cheese? Yes, please!

2. Pretty sure I have been an emotional disaster this week, so to my dear husband, I apologize. A few extra hours of sleep tomorrow morning and I should be good to go:)

via

3. It's free lunch day at the bank today! Just another perk of living in a small town. Free dogs and burgers to all!

4. My house is the disaster of all disasters right now and it's seriously wearing my out! I just want everything to be put away and sparkly clean. I don't think we have caught up yet from vacation and it's kinda depressing to know that I'll be cleaning my whole weekend. Bleh. 

5. Earlier this week I found an amazing debt snowball calculator online and it currently has me motivated to spend zero unnecessary dollars. According to the calculator, if we keep paying what we are paying every month (on all debts) and roll it using the snowball method (the hard part), we could be completely debt free, including the house, in 7 years! Holy bananas that would make my life! Unfortunately that doesn't factor in lots of extras, like vacations or kids so we will see how long it really takes. 

6. It's been almost two weeks that my husband has lived in the same house as me and I must say I'm enjoying it. It's nice to have someone there when I get home and that helps with the dishes or cleans the pain in the butt wood floors for me. Or maybe he just knows that the floors would never get dusted if he didn't do it. Either way, I'm glad he's home. Plus he's pretty cute:)

7. Thinking the rest of my day will be spent making lists. Since I'm stuck at work and can't actually accomplish anything on my lists at least I will have a plan of attack for the weekend. 

Happy Weekend Blogiverse!

Linking up over at Conversion Diary.

7 Quick Takes {13}

1. My husband saved a life yesterday. I thought it deserved its own post so you get two today. Yay!

2. Leaving work early for a wedding today. Yay again!!

3. We leave for vacation next Friday. Yay Yay Yay!

4. Okay, done with the yay's now...I think. Is it normal that I eat more than my husband? I picked up some BBQ for dinner last night and downed my sandwich and all the fries before Seth had finished his sandwich and half his fries. Then he never even ate the second half of the fries. I was mighty tempted to finish them for him (which would have been way too easy) but instead I fed them to Gunnar since I have to wear a swimsuit in a week. Will power at it's finest. 

5. It's back to school week near my neck of the woods. Basically that means my facebook feed is slammed with photo after photo of my "friends" kids on their first day back to school. Since I'm sad I don't get to go back to school and I have yet to produce offspring...here's a nice little throwback for you of my back to school days. Be jealous of that school uniform! Did I ever mention I spent my elementary years at a school in my grandma's basement?? Story for another day. 

Pippi Longstocking would be proud of those braids. Mmhmm.

6. This morning when I went outside to leave for work it felt almost like fall. What the bejeezus? I feel like it hasn't even been summer yet. Especially after that nightmare of a snowstorm winter we had. Good think I will be soaking up some sun in a tropical paradise soon. Then I can come home to fall and apple cider donuts and pumpkin spice candles. Oh yum. Maybe fall isn't too bad....

7. Never really knew what Vine was...still don't really know what Vine is. You should probably watch this video though that is a compilation of the best Vine videos of 2013 so far. It's 11 minutes but I swear it doesn't seem that long at all. Happy Friday. ENJOY!

Linking up at Conversion Diary.

7 Quick Takes {12}

1. In 15, count them, 15 days, I will be setting sail on a boat more glorious than the Titanic. Icebergs not included, praise the lord. The amount of fun and sun and food to be had is about to get crazy. Don't be surprised if I return as an unrecognizable tanned whale of a human being.

Before cruise Julie

After cruise Julie

2. Today's my brother Joe's birthday. He's 25, which is a big deal considering almost seven years ago we thought he might not live another hour, much less long enough to see another birthday. Someday I will get around to writing his story but for now you can watch a video about him on youtube. Happy Birthday little brother that doesn't read my blog so he will never see this!

3. In my quest to be a little healthier (who am I kidding? did you see yesterday's post?) I've decided to quit drinking pop. I'm already hating life. Please explain to me how that sugary sweet little can of carbonated heaven can sink it's extra sharp nails into my taste buds and make me want to drown myself in corn syrup. Why is this so hard?!!! 

4. All my dreams have come true! Sophia Grace is going to be in a movie! Why has this taken so long?? If you don't know who Sophia Grace is you should google her and watch every single video she is in 1000 times. NOW. I just want to "honey I shrunk the kids" this girl and put her in my pocket. 

Girl after my heart right there. 

5. Do normal people get excited about going grocery shopping or is it just me? I had to stop into the store last night to pick up some puppy food (how does he eat SO MUCH?!) and I just wanted to buy ALL THE THINGS! All the pretty packaging and salty, sweet, and savory things just calling my name. Sale things anyway. I eat too much to not shop the sales. My store had so many good sales and I just wanted to buy them all and spend zero dollars. I'm convinced I was 500lbs in a previous life (again, see yesterday's post). Lets hope those pounds stay in that life. 

6. I think I'm sick. My DVR arrived on Wednesday and I installed it Wednesday night. Pretty sure the Dish customer service guy wanted to kiss my feet because I was nice to him. I've been there buddy. (Side Note: Don't be mean to CS people. They hate their job more than you hate them.) Anywho...it's Friday and I have yet to record a show. Ummm...wtf. I did use the pause feature so I guess I'm not a total DVR failure.  

7. To my mom. Since I know you read this, this is your warning. If you ever want to see them again, you should probably hide the new Milky Way bites that you have front row center in your freezer. And that doesn't mean putting them in the garage freezer. I know your hiding place and you need new ones. Also, I have no self control. You're welcome in advance. #fatkid

Linking up with Conversion Diaries:)

Love ya like a fat kid loves cake my little blog readers!