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Friday favorites, volume 7

June 13, 2014 by Jana 14 Comments

Seven weeks in a row of favorites! I have never, EVER done anything blog related for seven weeks in a row. Except, you know, post.

Friday Favorites
Before I get started with my weekly favorites, I just wanted to thank everyone for their input on my blogging identity crisis. I’ve decided to move all content from this site to my dormant one simply because there’s less posts to move (55 as opposed to 400) and the header on the other one is simply lovely. A friend is going to revamp it a bit for me with some fresh categories, and I’m hoping to have it all done by next week. I’ll keep this site up for a bit and just redirect everything to the new/old one. I’ll have an official announcement when the time comes. 

Also, I need to get sappy for a minute. I started blogging in the personal finance niche and while I still have a soft spot for it, I never really felt like I fit in. Then I switched to whatever this is and it’s been such a different experience. I liken it to changing schools and, instead of feeling like an outsider, you finally feel like you have a group of friends you can relate to. So I just want to thank everyone who comments, shares, and follows along here. It means more to me than I can say. 

Now, having said all that, it’s time for favorites, and linking up as always with Amanda.

Favorite songs

Nadine’s post about summer songs got me thinking about my own summer song memories. Most of mine are from sleepaway camp but occasionally, a summer song memory will slip in that has nothing to do with camp. One of those songs is Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer”. Except I love, LOVE The Ataris version as well, and when I think of that song, I think of that version. Which is odd but that’s okay. I also think of Yellowcard’s “Ocean Avenue” when I think of a summer song and it’s hard for me to pick which one I want to share. So I’m sharing both.
 
The Boys of Summer by The Ataris on Grooveshark               

Ocean Avenue by Yellowcard on Grooveshark            

Favorite frugal find

Now that I’ve made it through all of season 2 of Orange is the New Black (anyone else? Because I need to discuss!), I can resume watching TV like a normal person. Which means watching Redbox movies on the weekends, too. Well, as long as there good movies we haven’t seen yet. But I’ve gotten to the point where I cannot rent a movie if I do not have a coupon code. I love getting them in my inbox or in a message on the app or as a text. It’s a little money saving present just for me. And this weekend, I got a code for a free rental! Completely free! Since we’re spending the day at the beach on Saturday as an early Father’s Day celebration for my husband, it’ll be nice to relax at night with a free movie.

Favorite internet thing

A total soapbox issue for me is how fathers are portrayed on modern sitcoms. I am so tired of seeing them as either stoic emotionless dicks or bumbling douchebag buffoons. Sure, we’ve got the Eric Taylors peppered in there but they’re few and far between. Which is why I loved this post from Buzzfeed so much. It shows that dads are willing, and completely capable, of taking care of their kids. Without help. Because they love their kids, too. And I know this firsthand, both as being raised by a dad like that and being married to one. In fact, after our daughter was born, my husband took 2 months off work when I went back so that he could spend time with her and so we could put off daycare for a bit. And he did fine. 

You probably wouldn’t see that on TV, either.

Favorite pet moment

So I have 2 dogs, Barkley and Dobie. Barkley is a Bichon Frise and Dobie is a mix of Bichon, poodle, and something else we can’t figure out. While Barkley is our smart dog, Dobie is our lovable meatball. He’s sweet and harmless and has a penchant for eating everything he sees (except olives. He hates olives) and also a small foot fetish and he’s too lazy to lift his leg when he pees and he’s also our problem child (heart murmur, arthritis, allergies, aforementioned eating issues). But we love him anyway and he’s totally MY dog. He’s also a weirdo and the other day, I was finally able to get him on video doing his digging thing and then at the end, he just looks totally startled and I didn’t even call his name. It’s like he knew what I was doing. 

That video wouldn’t upload properly so instead, here’s a picture of my second favorite Dobie moment of the week where he’s staring at me from the floor while I’m on the bed because even now, at 8, he still can’t figure out how to jump on the bed. You can see in his eyes how he’s pleading for help.

photo (20)

Favorite funnies

Mila Kunis on Jimmy Kimmel. It’s all so true.


 
The Oatmeal’s pie chart on dieting

dieting_pie_chart

When I’m not speaking, be very, very careful

relatable

How I usually make plans

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Life, Random thoughts Tagged With: favorites, linkups, random

Friday favorites, volume 5

May 30, 2014 by Jana 23 Comments

It’s Friday. You know the drill. Linking up with Amanda from Meet at the Barre for another round of Friday favorites.

Friday Favorites
Favorite song

This has been a pretty crappy week and when I’m in a shit mood, I use music to cheer me up. One of my default bands that I listen to for that is Weezer because their songs are fun and peppy and also sometimes not which is fine, too. They also make some of the most kick ass videos. Like, ever. My personal favorite is the one for Keep Fishin’. Because Muppets.

 

Favorite frugal find

A big part of this week has centered around getting ready for my parents’ 40th anniversary on Sunday. That has become decidedly not frugal. To compensate, I found a copycat recipe for Starbucks’ vanilla bean frappuccino. I don’t drink coffee so when I do go there, it’s either that or unsweetened green tea. But I can buy the tea at the grocery store, and that save beaucoup bucks, and now I can make the frappuccinos at home, too. And so can you:

Blend ice, 2 scoops vanilla bean ice cream, 8 oz. skim milk, and roughly 3 oz. vanilla flavored coffee creamer (I used Bailey’s because it was on sale). You can top with whipped cream if you want. I did not. Serves 2 (or 3. Or 1. Up to you).

Favorite picture

I take an obscene amount of pictures of my dogs. They’re pretty sick of it at this point and I’m pretty sure they would tell me to fuck off if they could. But they can’t so I win. And if you follow me on Instagram then you saw this already but those who didn’t get to see it for the first time and it’s just so cute. This is Barkley. He’s 10. He’s yappy and hates trucks and he’s super sweet and cuddly and does stuff like this.

 

 

Nothing like falling asleep with a good book.
Nothing like falling asleep with a good book.

 

Favorite book thing

Amy Poehler wrote a book. It comes out in October. This is the cover. I cannot wait.


YesPlease
 

Favorite funnies 

 

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Have a great weekend! See you Monday when I’ll have some good pioneer stuff for you and make sure to stop back next week for some confessions, my May goals recap and June goals, my birthday (on Thursday!), and my first attempt at a tutorial! 

Filed Under: Life, Random thoughts Tagged With: Bloggers, favorites

Friday Favorites, volume 4

May 23, 2014 by Jana 16 Comments

Yay for Friday! And the start to a long weekend! Which is made even longer with my daughter having today and Monday off from school. Nothing like a 4 day weekend 2 weeks before summer break starts. Because everyone needs a small break before an 11 week one, right?

 

And while that not be my favorite thing, there are plenty of other things that are. Like:

Favorite song

I had a hard time choosing one because too many good songs. But I have a major obsession with Halestorm, and Lzzy Hale is just plain badass, so I went with one of theirs, Freak Like Me. Have a listen while you read the rest of the post:

Favorite frugal choice

Someone I follow on Pinterest pinned a post “9 Frugal Things I Did Last Month” and I am not above stealing good ideas so I am using it for this, a new regular weekly favorite I’ll be adding. This week, my favorite frugal thing was taking advantage of my free 30 day trial for Amazon Fire TV. I can’t wait to figure that shit out. And, living near an Amazon shipping facility is awesome because things get here fast. Like one day fast. It’s pretty spectacular.

Favorite funny #1

Tiny Vulgar Unicorn wins the internet this week. Maybe even this month. I don’t even know how to describe this except to show you (warning: it might be offensive but it is freaking hilarious). And make sure to read the rest when you’re done.

 

Favorite funny #2

Because farts are always funny. ALWAYS. And it also just occurred to me that I inadvertently made a shit joke as a prelude to introducing farts. I’m almost proud of that.

 
Favorite thing that happened to someone else

 

Congrats to my girl Steph from Life According to Steph on her Huffington Post Live segment! I’ve known Steph a LONG time and she’s always been one of the most well spoken people I know. I’m glad she got a chance to share that with even more people.
 
Favorite new product

 

I am on a constant quest for a good body lotion. There are some Body Shop ones that are great and Bath and Body is hit or miss and some of the drugstore brands aren’t so great. Then I tried Johnson’s Baby Creamy Oil when we were visiting my in-laws a few weeks ago and I liked it and it’s totally for adults I think and bought some and now I probably won’t use anything else. Hands down, best lotion ever. And Johnson’s people, if you’re reading, I do accept free stuff. Just sayin’.
And that’s all she wrote this week, friends. Enjoy your long weekend!
 
Linking up with Amanda from Meet at the Barre

Friday Favorites
 

Filed Under: Life, Random thoughts Tagged With: Bloggers, favorites, linkups, random

Friday favorites, volume 3

May 16, 2014 by Jana 21 Comments

It’s Friday! That means it’s time for another round of Friday Favorites with Amanda from Meet at the Barre (which has quickly become a must read around these parts)  

Friday Favorites
Favorite song

Of course, we’ll kick it off with my favorite song of the week. This week’s honoree is Theory of a Deadman’s The Truth Is…(I Lied About Everything). You know how people love to talk about Taylor Swift and her ability to shit on her exes in a song? Well, this song bitch slaps Taylor Swift’s attempts because this? THIS is how you do a breakup song. Warning: it uses some expletives and graphic language so if you’re at work, turn the sound down. Unless you work somewhere really awesome and they don’t care about that kind of stuff.

The Truth Is… (I Lied About Everything) by Theory of a Deadman on Grooveshark          

 

Favorite blogs

I wrote about a few of my favorites once before and now it’s time for the second installment. As a relatively new lifestyle blogger, many blogs that have been around awhile are brand new to me, and it makes me sad that it took so long to discover them although better late than never, right? Here’s this month’s list:

  • Another Housewife–written by my dear friend Jenniemarie whose ass I will kick if she doesn’t start working on her memoir soon, it’s a blog about her faith, her family, her struggles with depression (which I completely understand on a level I wish I didn’t), and her life in general. 
  • Voyage of the Mee Mee–I adore Amanda’s blog. She makes me laugh a lot and most of her posts have me blurting out “I wish I had thought of that” because she’s just so damn entertaining. Also, her use of GIFs is spectacular and I want to know where she finds them.
  • Vodka and Soda–another one who makes me laugh out loud and often. Plus she’s from Toronto so we can just add her to the long list of awesome things to come out of that place. Like Rush. I’m thinking there’s something in the water or some shot they give them at birth that just generates awesomeness. (Incidentally, the band featured in this week’s favorite song is also from Canada. The other side of the country, but still. What the hell, Canada?)
  • Eternally Wanderlyn–Lynsey’s series on Love Every Body is worth checking out her blog, and the rest is worth sticking around for. She’s another work from home/I hate pants/wannabe hermit so I feel that she and I are kindred spirits.
  • Life by Nadine Lynn–If I lived closer to Nadine, I feel that we’d hang out on a regular basis. We both love beer, have similar taste in music, and I think maybe her little dog Mac is a breed cousin to my crazy dogs. Plus, she has a 40 X 40 list and I’m totally going to steal the idea even though I have way less time to 40 than she does.

 

Favorite TV Show

We just got HBO back ($10 a month for a year? Yes, please) so we’re finally getting around to watching True Detective. Holy shit, y’all. That show lives up to ALL the hype it got and then some. I’m sad there’s only 8 episodes and we’ll be done by the weekend but O.M.G. What a well spent 8 hours. 

o-true-detective-trailer-facebook
 

Favorite shoes I would wear if I could

As a short person, I enjoy a nice pair of heels. You know, so I’m basically the same height as everyone else. But once the heel gets higher than, say, 2 inches, I can’t walk. You might as well throw me onto a pair of stilts. Which eliminates a whole lot of shoes. Sadly. However, I’m seriously contemplating not caring because these are amazing.I mean, just look at them:

 

 

Found these on Rebel Circus. A site I like to visit often and one day hope to buy shit from.
Found these on Rebel Circus. A site I like to visit often and one day hope to buy shit from.

 

However, there is no way I’m paying $93 for shoes that will kill my feet. You can’t tell from the picture, but that’s a 4 1/2″ heel. No, thank you. I’ll stick with being short in flip flops and flats.

 

Favorite quote

I happened upon this as a temporary tattoo (I don’t know how. Pinterest is a weird little animal) but it’s a great quote anyway.

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Have a great weekend, everyone! What were some of your favorite things of the week?

Filed Under: Life, Random thoughts Tagged With: Bloggers, favorites, linkups, random

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Jana

I'm Jana ...

A book reading, nail polish wearing, binge watching, music loving, dog owning, reluctant cheer mom.
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