Giveaway Winner!

Okay ... whoops. I know I said I would announce the winner of the giveaway on Friday, but to be honest, I totally forgot. On Saturday morning, Matt and I drove to Michigan for a quick trip to celebrate my grandma's 90th birthday. Plus - how exciting!!!! My friends Kyle AND Jenny both had their babies on Saturday morning! Which is just amazing. I am so excited to meet both of these sweet little girls!!!

Anyway. Anyway! See how easily distracted I am these days?!

Drumroll please.................. the winner of the $45 gift card to CSN Stores is:

B.E.G.!!!!! Excitement! Girl - you know what to do. Drop me a line and I will email you your code!!

One year ago today...

January 17th is just one of those days I can't get out of my head. It just sticks there, you know? This time last year, January 17th 2010, I took Matt to the airport and we said a very tearful goodbye. We didn't have any idea when we would see each other again, not really knowing when this deployment would come to an end. We didn't really know anything about, well, anything. It was the beginning of our very first - and hopefully very last - deployment.

Saying goodbye was so hard. I don't even know how to describe it. It was like ... not being able to breathe. I think that's the best way I CAN describe it. Like having something ripped away from my body. Like something very, very wrong.

And all the small talk and retail therapy with my MIL afterwards didn't even hit the surface. I went home, curled up on the couch, invited Oscar to curl up on the couch with me (it only took a couple of hours for me to break all of our house rules for the dog...), and cried. The beginning of a deployment is a terrible feeling - I know that a lot of you can relate. It just feels so ... so vast, so never-ending. So damn long. And I felt so damn empty.

But now, one year later, all of that seems like a distant memory. As I sit here, with my husband safe and sound beside me, I sometimes wonder if this year even happened. It didn't take long after his return for me to feel like he had never left my side. I know I didn't imagine it - I certainly have the muscle knots and frowny wrinkles to prove it. I still remember what it felt like to get in bed that night ... wondering how long it would take me to get used to an empty bed. Tonight, I will curl up a little closer, hug a little tighter, kiss a little longer. And I will be so thankful.

Small Town Headlines

Most of you know by now that we live in a pretty small town. It isn't considered a "traditional" small town because it's a COLLEGE town. But to be honest ... there's a lot of very small town-y stuff about Bloomington. Perhaps the biggest small town-y thing about Bloomington is our local newspaper. I have gotten in the habit of scanning the newspaper online each day for local headlines, and wow. There have been several gems lately. Here are a few of my favorites - often amusing, misleading, and just generally ridiculous.

Authorities believe that thousands of gallons of vegetable oil in garage fueled fire.

Man arrested for having sex with girl.

Wrong number text offering drugs accidentally goes to prosecutor.

And, drumroll please, my new favorite:

Man jailed in Daviess County tells police he didn't know woman was dead during sex.

Just lovely! Any fun small town headlines from your neck of the woods?

It's Sew Exciting!

Y'all, I have such exciting news! I have ordered a sewing machine, and with any luck, it is already on its way to my house.

True story: I have no idea how to sew. But lately, I've reeeeeally been wanting to learn. I have all sorts of things I want to make (apron! dining room chair cushions! dog polo shirts!), and I can't wait to learn and get started.

Do any of you sew? How did you learn? I am considering taking a 2.5 hour long intro to sewing class at Joann's - would you recommend doing something like this?

Okay, here's the super duper exciting part. I am starting a new blog that will chronicle my quest to learn how to sew! Yayyyy. But I need your help. Clearly, it must have some sort of creative name. But I'm stumped as to what it should be. Any suggestions??

New blog alert!

Wow, this is crazy ... somehow this is my third post today. Can you tell it's a snow day??!

Anyway - Matt and I have started a new blog! We have been getting a kick out of weird eBay auctions and the accompanying photos, and decided to make a blog out of it. Add us to your Readers:

Treasures of eBay

And, we're taking submissions! If you've seen something hilarious on eBay, drop us an email at ebaytreasurephotos@gmail.com.

Happy hunting!

Birthday birthday birthday!

In just shy of a month, on February 9, I will be turning 29. 29! The last year in my 20s. How fun! I have never dreaded birthdays or aging - I say, bring it on. I hope there is never a time in my life that involves me dreading a birthday.

You know what's REALLY fun about birthdays? Making a fun birthday list! This year, I have two main things on my birthday list. First and foremost, I am DYING for a Clarisonic Mia. I switched up my birth control a few months ago, and ever since, my hormones have been out of whack. As in ... my skin has been an absolute nightmare.

I went for a facial last night (pure bliss!) at Aveda, and I was so excited when she used a Clarisonic on my face! I have been obsessing over the Mia for a couple of months now, and it MUST be mine. I have even gone so far as to read every single review on the Sephora website. What ... you don't do that? Hmmm. I am convinced this thing is a miracle worker, and will cure all of my skin ailments.

I probably won't receive this as an actual gift, but I am working on a small collection of Sephora gift cards. I will probably be asking for MORE Sephora gift cards so that I can purchase this bad boy. I really, really, really, really, really want one.

The other gift on my list? A pair of these super awesome Hunter wellies in violet. Aren't they just so fabulous and happy?

My old wellies split up the back (thanks, J. Crew) and I have been wellie-less for quite awhile now. Here's to hoping that they might someday soon be mine!

Hmmmm remember me?

I have sucked at blogging lately ... so, so much. I feel like I've been trying to get back in the swing of things for MONTHS. What is up with that?! So I will try to make it up to you ... with a GIVEAWAYYYYYYY.

Did it work yet?

CSN stores is generously giving away a $45 gift certificate to one of my lovely readers! If you have been living under a rock and haven't heard of CSN stores before, they literally have everything under the sun - especially kitchen stuff - from adjustable bar stools to a panini press to Le Creuset to, well, literally everything.

To enter: just leave me a comment about what your favorite kitchen item is! Extra entry if you are a follower - just let me know! Enter by Friday at 5pm - winner will be announced that evening!

The fine print: you can use the gift credit for any CSN store, but it does NOT cover shipping costs.