on the night before thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is tomorrow which means I'm spending today deciding on if I want to eat 4 or 5 helpings of sweet potatoes at the Thanksgiving feast. Hard decisions take time, people. And by the way, I'm thinking maybe 6 helpings is okay? I don't like turkey so I have to fill that empty part of my Thanksgiving belly with something. Enter the 6 helpings of sweet potato casserole. 

In true I am grateful for lots of things form, I figured today was as good a day as any to write a thankful list. It's also as good a day as any for you to sit down and read my thankful list, obviously.

I am thankful for raincoats.

Umbrellas are cool too, I guess, but I always forget to put them back in my car. While we're on umbrellas, has anyone ever successfully closed and refolded an umbrella? No, they haven't. It is impossible. It has been raining non-stop here in Chucktown so I'm just really really thankful for my trusty 'ole raincoat that keeps me semi-dry as I hop around town. 

I am thankful for children. 

Because of my job I spend 96% of my time with kids. Even though sometimes they make me want to pull out my hair or sit in the middle of the floor and cry while they run around, they are amazing little people full of love and life. They give the best hugs, draw the most stylish stick figure Miss Emily, and they know that one minute of sweetness makes up for sixty minutes of horribleness so...there's that. They're smart and tricky and I love 'em. 

I am thankful for pictures.

If it were up to me, every wall in the house would be covered in wallpaper made from pictures of past and present. I don't think I could put my love for the Timehop app into words. Come on. This is what my sister and I were doing 7 years ago today?! You don't say.

Ann is going to kill me for this, but I mean how sad would my life be if I totally had forgotten this picture existed? Thanks, Timehop, for keeping my life happy and fun. 

 I am thankful for a husband who lets me use his arms as my dance partners on the reg. Oh, you're trying to cook dinner? Let me just steal your right arm there so I can pirouette and arabesque with it. 

 I am thankful for a family who makes life so fun that I get sad at least once daily because I'm not with them.

I am thankful for in-laws who know how to throw down and party, jello shots included. 

I am thankful for friends who remember that I hate talking on the phone and still keep in touch with me by putting up with daily/weekly novel long texts. 

Happy almost Thanksgiving!

May your bellies be as full as your hearts. 

giving thanks for fun

At 5:15 today I officially will be on Thanksgiving break. I'm planning on grand jete-ing out of modern class this afternoon and praising the education gods for cool beans teacher perks like school breaks. 

This break and I, we've got some really good plans underway. Like mopping the floors, getting a haircut, cleaning the dust off of the baseboards, and ahhhhh, I can picture the sparkling clean apartment with my sparkling new haircut now. And both are shining bright Rihanna style, for sure. 

But the best plan of all? Going home for Thanksgiving. Home! The Nan! The fam! Now along with about 97.65% of the population, I'm much more of a Christmas gal. Thanksgiving has always felt more like an obstacle over which we have to jump on our way to Christmas--an obstacle with not-so-delicious food. So sue me, but it hasn't been until I've gotten older that my tastebuds have become acclimated to turkey and dressing. They will never ever become acclimated to cranberry sauce. Ick. However, in recent years I've found some ways to make Thanksgivings less obstacle-like and more fun time party-like. 

Take notes. You only have 6 more days to survive without letting your Christmas spirit burst from every inch of your body and you're going to need help keeping those Christmas spirits contained. 

one

Dress-up

I don't mean in the look-fancy-kinda-of-way. Even though when you know you be looking gooooood it does make everything more fun. I mean this is the 5-year old costume box dress-up kind of way. Dress the frick up! 

This fun time party trick started 6 years ago when my mom made us wear Pilgrim and Indian hats at the dinner table. I have a friend whose mom makes them wear full-on Pilgrim and Indian costumes at some point during the day. Roll your eyes all you want. Dressing up and pretending to be a child again is fun. Not dressing up and being an adult all the time is not fun. 

two

Get crafty

Everybody is all about crafting for Christmas, but whatever happened to crafting for Thanksgiving? Crafting is something for which I am very grateful so when is a better time to show my gratitude towards it than on the holiday of thankfulness?! Our turkey table will be sporting these crafted placemats. If this doesn't spell out f-u-n then shoot! I don't know what does.

^^sarcasm^^ ^^but it really does sound fun to me...^^

three

Roll with it

Rolls are delicious. I myself eat about 6 rolls during a typical Thanksgiving dinner because I think my body is deformed in the sense that it could run solely off of carbs and be completely fine. Regardless, I love bread of all kinds. And who doesn't love rolls with...a gratitude twist?! Taza posted this recipe for pumpkin-shaped rolls that include little stems of gratitude on top. All you need is some parchment paper, a pen, and some things for which you are grateful. Easy peasy. My mom and I did a variation of these several years ago on Thanksgiving, but these pumpkin-looking rolls are even cuter and more presh and all that. I will be writing I'm grateful for carbs with a cheesy Thanksgiving theme! Now, eat dem carbs. 

via

four
Drink
This fun time party time idea is brought to you by Freddie. I asked for his help brainstorming ways to make Thanksgiving more fun and this is what he said. The man knows how to party, obvs. So let's say drink some wine. Have some cocktails. Drink some sweet tea or water or Coke. When we were younger we thought it was the coolest thing if on Thanksgiving we drank our Coke from my mom's fancy crystal. Lesson #58 on how to be cool. Live and learn, people.

five

Famalama-ding-dong

ie: Spend time with your family

I know I only live one state and 5 hours away from family, but I will forever and always whine about missing them. Because one state away means not the same state which means I can't just drive over to their house and steal clothes from my sister. I mean...hug my sister. Anytime when we can all get together it makes my heart burst out of my chest, much like the Grinch's heart did when he realized he loved Christmas and the Whos were his lil' famalama. Me and the fam, the Grinch and the Who's, life is going to be really fab this week and I. Can't. Wait.

What are your tricks for some Thanksgiving fun?

Happy Friday!

Linking up with Karli.

a dinner story

This Monday the stars aligned and pigs flew and hell froze over because I was done teaching at 3:45. Usually I'm starting my fourth or fifth class out of seven around that time, but this Monday decided it wanted to be more like a cool Friday so there I was, done early and definitely not complaining.

Being done early meant I got home before Freddie. Before! Not 1.5 hours after! The possibilities were endless! I could squeeze in a Desperate Housewives episode (or seven), or put on real non-spandex clothes (this possibility got me the most excited), or get seski and wait for him to walk in the door...buuuuut none of those ideas won because I, Emily the non-cooking housewife, decided that I was going to cook dinner for Freddie---for the fourth(ish) time since we were married 453 days ago.

Me

Cooking

Dinner

Us

Eating

Said

Dinner

Whoa

I got on Pinterest, pulled up 1 of my 297 food pins, and got to cooking. 1 hour and 1 Hey, Freddie! Just grab a beer and sit down (and please stay out of the kitchen so you don't tell me everything I'm doing wrong) later our sesame shrimp noodles dinner was served.

Be Our My Guest, Be My Guest they were actually pretty wonderful. This is the part of the story when pigs were flying. I mean, the more I think about it though the more I've decided it was so good because good 'ole Pioneer Woman had me add 3 tablespoons of sugar to the noodle sauce. 

#sugarreallydoesmakeeverythingbetter #evencavaties

Regardless, I was on a real housewifey high. Like Get at me, World! I can boil noodles and add sugar to soy sauce! What can you do?! 

Then came Tuesday. And Tuesday was not like a cool Friday, but it was most definitely a cool as in cold Tuesday because when I waltzed in the door around 7 the temperature outside was something close to the complete opposite of hot (so around 38 degrees). 

There was Freddie. Dinner ready and already washing the pans. This meant the only thing required of me was to sit on my sitter and lift my fork. After dinner I decided a hot chocolate would warm up my toesies.

That's when Freddie made me homemade whipped cream for my hot chocolate because Emily, it's really easy. Watch. 

And in the moment of standing there with a full belly on food I did not have to cook and waiting for my homemade whipped cream for my hot chocolate, I decided that I shouldn't mess with life too much because I am living THE life. I mean, if I hadn't married Freddie I would be living off of grocery store sushi, peanut butter sandwiches, and store bought whipped cream (which yes, are all still delicious things). 

Horrors.

I'll cook for you in another 5-6 months, Freddie. In the meantime, I'll take plenty of hand whipped cream, please and thank ya.

when running doesn't suck

Finish this sentence:

Running is _______.

For me, some days running is okay. Running is there. Running is fun(ish). Running is a reason to make a killer running playlist. Running is something I do, due to the fact I wear a leotard 5 days out of the week. 

Running is a lot of things. Like an excuse to take di to the gusting selfies. 

After giving up on my 5K to 10K app (because ew, running is not that fun for me), I decided to just work on my pace. La la la--everybody's working for the...faster paces. That's how that song really goes. 

I was running my weekly 5Ks in about 29.5 minutes. Now...to you speed runners who somehow magically run 3.1 miles in 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, and so on minutes...bless you and your calves and your legs. When you are done with your heel wings, I will take them, please and thank you. I signed up for a race and made it my goal (and destiny) to run this race in 29 minutes. I was going to shave of those pesky 30 seconds and I was going to do it with style and a lot of heaving breathing. 

But...

I put so much pressure on myself to run it in 29 that I turned into a crazy mess with anxiety ridden cramps. I was a ball of fun to be around the night before the race. Just ask Freddie. My thoughts (and words) went a lot like this that night:

I mean, if people can run 5Ks in 16 minutes why can't lil' me run it in a loooong 29 minutes? 

Why does my body hate me? 

Oh my gosh. I'm not even going to do it in under 30 mins.

All of this for nothing.

Why did I start back with running?

I am the slowest.

The clock is going to say 30 minutes.

It's the chocolate. I should stop eating that every night. 

That's it. After today I'm going to change what I eat.

Blah. Blah. Freaking blah. You've all said it before and you've certainly all heard it before. Moving on.

Ricky laughed at me and tsk-tsk'ed at me and patted my head and told me to just have fun. Not to turn on my running app, but just to blast my music and have fun. 

Have Fun. Have Fun. 

Mother Nature also decided that she would have fun by making the weather drop to a breezy 37 degrees the morning of the race. 

Easy, Breezy, Beautiful Freeze Warning. 

I listened to the man who feeds me every day (I mean, he's pretty smart and I like to be fed), and when the gun blared for us to begin, I just pressed play on my music, ignored my MapMyRun app, and was off. 

That's me saying pooh-pooh to the weather and MapMyRun app, too. 

I don't really remember what went through my brain during the race. Mostly because I'm halfway certain my brain was frozen along with my fingers and toes. You know when you get so cold that you can't feel your nose and you know snot is running down your face, but you can't really feel it? Yeah. Me. That morning.  There I was, frozen and with no idea what my time was, when I came up to the finish line and saw that the clock said 28 minutes.

And I nearly pooped my pants. In the excited way, obviously. 

BECAUSE REMEMBER??? I WASN'T EVEN GOING TO BE ABLE TO RUN IT IN UNDER 30! MY BODY HATED ME!

I ran my first 5K, 3 years ago, in 34 minutes. Goodbye, 6 minutes. You are not missed! Don't come back! Here's your hat, what's your hurry! And all that. 

I spent the rest of the day eating bagels and pizza because I mean, I basically ran a marathon, right?...

You know the movie 28 Days Later? This is a still from my upcoming movie 28 Minutes Later. Wink.

Running is something that sometimes sucks and sometimes makes you want to stop and cry while finding the nearest hot tub, but running is also something that makes you feel invincible and like your body really can do amazing things.

Because your body can do amazing things.

Thanks, Running. 

and pinterest saw that it was good

Pinterest is a pretty funny thing. I mean, my mind gets absolutely blown away when I see that someone took a tin can and rocks and turned it into a make-up brush holder. So simple! It must be done! Why did I think of that?!

Probably because my brushes staying in my make-up bag which is stored under the sink works out just fine for all parties involed.

However, there are several Pinterest-y things that do blow my mind and that should be recreated for everyone to admire. 

Like these cutesies Thanksgiving placemats that will definitely be on our table. I can hear the groans and sarcastic answers from my family now...I am thankful for Emily who makes us do crazy Thanksgiving games when I just want to be eating.

via

And this idea for storing wrapping paper. Come on it's genius, I tell you. Genius! Overload of Christmas wrapping paper, here I come.

via

And anniversary pictures. I never even thought twice about getting pictures taken as a couple on your anniversary until Pinterest told me it was all the rage. 

I decided I could get on board with that rage. 

 Enter the part of the story when my sister and I made a secret board with all of the ideas and poses we liked for said pictures because Hello! You can't always admit that you have caved and conformed to all of the Pinterest inspired ideas. Secret boards for the win. 

29 pins, 900 please-take-them-this-weekend beggy texts to my sister, 1 30-degree temperature drop, and 9 outfits packed later we had some first anniversary pictures taken by my oh-so-talented sister. 

Thanks, Pinterest for being funny sometimes, but for also being cool sometimes.

Thanks, Ann-y Poo, for being our papa-paprazzi. Lady Gaga style. 

Happy Happy Happy Friday!

Linking up with Amanda.

in a sea of camo

So.

Last weekend we went to the fair. You know, the so-trashy-it's-almost-classy event of the year. Hashtag: camo camo and more camo. 

I feel like one can learn a lot about life at the fair. For instance, in my 25 years of fair attendance I have learned that germs are very real and hand sanitizer was created for the sole purpose of using after each activity at the fair. 

Or something like that. 

I have also learned that Tilt-A-Whirls are a lot less cool and a lot more puke inducing when you aren't 5. 

And now, now that you are all caught up on Life's Big Fair Lessons, let's talk about the fair some more look at pictures.

  Who can even win fair games? No one. That's who. 

Except apparently Freddie is good at shooting a water gun in order to pop a balloon before 8 other people pop their balloons. Who knew?! Definitely needs to be an addition to the 'ole resume. 

I'll eat you up I love you so. Otherwise filed under: reasons I feel bloaty 5 days after the fair. 

A Katie, an Emily, and a Davey. Biffles. 

What you can't see if that Candy Land stand had MONSTER BAGS ON COTTON CANDY that were as long as my torso. MONSTER BAGS, I say!

Your love's put me...on the top of the world a cable car. A very cold cable car. Hence the Rudolph Red-Nosed lookin' couple up there. 

There you have it. I would like to thank my iPhone for high quality pictures and the fair for high quality fun times. Without your help, this post would have never happened.

p.s.- any of you ever paid to see the world's smallest woman? Or the body of a snake with the head of a man? Or Tiny Tim, the world's tiniest horse?

Creep to the y.

currently: is it christmas yet? edition

wishlisting

This necklace. Sa-woon.

I went from knowing that gold bar necklaces were all the rage to kind of caring that they were all the rage to obsessively thinking about this particular gold bar Roman numeral necklace and how it would be all the rage around my neck. Do you think the ancient Romans are like Thank God! Finally our numeric system is trendy again!?

creating

Something about the holidays makes me want to quit my job and become a crafting housewife. Not a cleaning/doing housework housewife, but a crafting housewife. Me and the mod podge kickin'' it back all day, every day. We're about to get real Christmas-y and glitterfied up in here. 

pin found here

reading

Yes, Please by Amy Poehler. My weekend plans include this book and my laughs. That's all, folks.

loving

Last Tuesday when it was decided we would be driving to Georgia that Friday I begged/straight up told my sister she would be taking anniversary pictures of us while we were in town. I love them! I am loving them! I will always love them! And so on and so forth. It was about 40 degrees and windy and we only had an hour to get them done, but man oh man! Ann made 365 (plus) days look good on us Weiss folk.

anticipating 

We've been saving up to buy a new couch. Not just any couch, but a beautiful humongo sectional couch...that doesn't have wires sticking up your butt when you sit like our current couch does. I mean, we will be living the high life! No booty wires?! After months of planning it, discussing where it should go, measuring and remeasuring and re-re-measuring, and more discussing/changing minds of where it should go, we are finally able to get it.

And now Ricky wants to wait it out until Black Friday since we're so close. My poor booty. What's a few more weeks of sticky in your booty wires, I guess?

Happy Friday!

Are you currently loving that it's the freaking weekend?

Linking up with Jenna, Anne, and Karli!

on to thanksgiving

Thank goodness Halloween is over. For many reasons, but mostly because my ears were hurting from teaching sugar-high children all day. 

Another less-but-kinda-more important reason I am glad is because now we get to...

bring

on

the

holidays

!!

!!

!!

One of the first things I made Freddie talk about when we moved into our new place (on September 29, 2014) was where we should put the Christmas tree. Tall ceilings call for tall trees. Big living rooms call for fat trees. Tall ceilings and big livings rooms call for the most perfect Christmas tree ever. 

I can't wait. 

But I have to wait because it's only November 5 and I still have my Boo pumpkin out by our vat of leftover Halloween candy so obviously we're in a mid-holiday limbo crisis over here. 

This past weekend we made a super fast weekend trip to Georgia. Super fast Georgia weekend trips stress. me. out. When I say stress me out I don't mean it in the normal every day stress omg I might get a stress zit kind of way, I mean it in the I could develop an ulcer or five from trying to see everyone and do everything with limited weekend hours. My family lives there. Freddie's family lives there. 90% of our friends live there. Whine whine. Life is really hard when you've got great people in it and your family just won't go ahead and move to Charleston, right? 

Sigh.

We started the weekend by seeing my sister as Magenta in Rocky Horror Picture Show.

If you've never seen Rocky Horror live, then go. Go and just sit back and take it all in. Yes, even take in the shouts of "slut!" and other just wonderful words. It was an experience, that's for sure. I thought seeing the movie was an experience, but seeing it live with advanced Rocky Horror fans in the audience took my experience from a 5 to a 25 on the level of weirdness. 

Now, seeing my sister with a frizzy red wig, creepy ghost make-up and a French maid outfit? Totes normal, obvi. 

From there we celebrated my sister-in-law's birthday in the best possible way: 70 jello shots and a bonfire. I mean, hello! Nothing like a jello shot to help ya warm up in the 30 degree weather. Also I never feel like I'm drinking when I take a jello shot because I prefer my jello shot with a spoon and then I slowly eat it just as I would if I was 6 and eating a jello cup in my school cafeteria for lunch. Bliss! Pure bliss.

Also, screw Halloween candy. Oreos on top of an ice cream cake wins. 

Now I have a very important announcement to make:

I, Emily, am very sorry I ever said I was excited for cooler weather. As I turned into an ice cube inside of an ice cube inside of a slushie held by a snowman this weekend, I remembered why I dislike the cold--because my body doesn't know how to survive in the cold. I sit there with a 24/7 case of goose bumps no matter how many layers in which I am bundled. So, Mother Nature, please accept my deepest and most sincere apologies and bring back the 70 degrees really, really soon. 

Yours truly,

Frozen like the movie Emily