Long Drive? I got a playlist for that!

So how do you make a 3.5 hour drive feel like an hour? Have an awesome playlist filled with really REALLY long songs. When I drove across the state, I decided that I would make a playlist to listen too to try to make the drive seem a little faster… as 3.5 hours isn’t long. I wanted it to seem shorter.


Fortunately, on my way out, 90’s on 9, 80’s on 8, and the Pulse were playing amazing songs, so I didn’t listen to my playlist. (Via Sirius/XM)

On my way home, I listened to it. I was almost able to make it from one Rest Stop to the next without changing the song, That will totally be the goal the next trip out.

Here’s my list. I loved it.

Oh yeah. That really is a Phil Collin’s 20 minute mega-mix. Let me tell you. It’s awesome. Don’t Judge. No, ‘True to Your Heart’ isn’t on it.

Additionally, Michael Jackson’s megamix is second to none, but I was home before I even listen to it.

The trip took me right at 3 hours. So there were songs I wasn't able to hear, but this is a great idea. I totally suggest you finding the longest songs you have and listen to them on a long trip.

I’m a huge DMB fan, so that’s pretty easy for me…

Take it easy.


PSST: This also makes the workday go by faster.

Weekly Words to Inspire

It's the LAST WEEK OF MARCH?! Are you serious?! Will I seriously be turning 27 at the end of the week? As long as spring hurries up, I guess I'll be okay with it! Have a safe week everyone!


Oh, my friend, it's not what they take away from you that counts. It's what you do with what you have left.
- Hubert Humphrey

If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it.
- Mary Engelbreit

The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny.
- Albert Ellis

I know everyone isn't a fan of Barack. But I'm a sucker for quotes about 'Hope.' I thought this was pretty good.  I believe it also relates to my post here.

Hope is what led a band of colonists to rise up against an empire; what led the greatest of generations to free a continent and heal a nation; what led young women and young men to sit at lunch counters and brave fire hoses and march through Selma and Montgomery for freedom's cause. Hope is what led me here today -- with a father from Kenya, a mother from Kansas; and a story that could only happen in the United States of America. Hope is the bedrock of this nation; the belief that our destiny will not be written for us, but by us; by all those men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is; who have courage to remake the world as it should be. [January 3, 2008]
- Barack Obama

Loved this...
If you don't get everything you want, think of the things you don't get that you don't want.
-Oscar Wilde

Take it easy.

Fantastic Friday

In case you haven't seen it already, Selection Sunday from SNL brought redemption.

It was the first skit in a while that I have laughed from start to finish.

Please. It's Friday. Laugh a little.

SNL's - Selection Sunday


Have a good weekend!

Take it easy.

Harlan County, USA

I made a deal with myself during my 25th year of life that I would watch one new movie/show a month. To accomplish that I decided to subscribed to Netflix. Best decision. One thing I love about Netflix is the amount of documentaries that it shows.

I have watched a number of interesting documentaries. Last night, was particularly interesting to me. I stumbled upon the ‘Harlan County, USA’ documentary which was filmed in the 70’s. That’s about all I knew. So I watched it and I was amazed.
So a little bit of the movie, from what I got from the documentary, is that there was a coal company, Duke Power Company which owned a mine and there were miners. The miner’s wanted to use the United Mine Workers Association’s (UMWA) labor agreement from 1971 and Duke would not sign the contract because they wanted to have the ‘no-strike’ clause included in the agreement. The workers went on strike… the strike lasted for nearly a year.

During the movie, it interviews people with ‘Black Lung.’ I have always heard of ‘Black Lung.’ I’m from a mining state and I work for a steel company, but I had never seen anyone with it before. Shocking comes to mind. Not only shocking but appalling, especially when a man gets up and claims that they concluded that black lung is not caused by coal dust. I was left in amazement. I cannot even fathom living in this era. I have so much respect for the generations before me.

Throughout the movie they would show miners leaving the mine and it made what I always heard a reality. Literally men were walking out of the mines with so much coal dust their faces were completely black. They showed kids that were 10 years old working in the mines covered in dirt (This was back in the day,, like the 20's or something)…who got hit with pieces of slate if they weren’t 100% accurate on their job. 10. Years. Old. At 10? I was playing soccer and being a happy kid.

The whole video. just really intrigued me. Partly, because I do work for a company with unions and our business, creating steel, is a hazardous occupation. So maybe I can relate to these people. But, by gosh, I don’t think my generation gives the older generations the credit they deserve for what they did for us or for the strength it took to build this country. The striking miner’s (and their families) lived without warm running water. They picketed and went up against people who weren’t afraid to flash their weapons. Some people even got shot at their house. For what? For a better agreement for themselves and the future with included safer working conditions, more acceptable pay, and better labor practices.

I realize that there are two sides to every story, especially when it comes to labor agreements.The video does not show the Corporation's side and so it straight through the eyes of the miners. I think this documentary is incredible for the way it showed the strength of the human spirit. These people could have given up. They could have folded and gone back to their jobs. But they didn’t. They fought, everyday, until they got what they felt they got what they deserved.

It makes me think of my generation. How often we give up, because it’s the easier thing to do. Just because it’s easier, doesn’t mean that it’s the best choice. This country wasn’t founded on ‘giving up.’ It was founded on standing up for what you believed in. Maybe part of the issue with my generation is that we haven’t had to stand up for anything. We’ve always went a long. We didn’t have a Vietnam. We didn’t have the labor issues of the past. We’ve never had to fight for anything. Or maybe we did, but we choose the not too. We have grown comfortable in acceptance. Because why should we fight?

This movie reminds why we fight. Because we deserve better. (When I use ‘deserve’ I don’t mean on a silver plate, but if we want something, we should earn it and we should feel like we deserve to earn it.)

If we don’t fight for ourselves, for the things we want, who will?

How does the movie end? Well. Let’s just say, Duke signed an agreement with mine workers… and that agreement, ended up being the global agreement for the UMWA.

That my friends, is how our country was founded. By individuals who fought for what they believed to be true.

Thought for the day:
“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books.
Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.
Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.
But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.” ~Buddha

Take it easy.

Takin' It Old School

So I was pretty busy last week, due to various activities aka getting ready to see Sophie Lynn!

I totally failed at taking any picture while I was doing.. but I had a cabinet door.
I used the blue painters tape to tape off the edges.
I then painted it with my off-white.
Used my nifty little stencils... then painted them black.

This is from a Dave Matthews Song " Pantala Naga Pampa."

It's also something nice to remember.. every now and again.

Take it easy. 

Weekly Words To Inspire

Finally starting to feel a little bit more like Spring around these parts! I had a fabulous weekend. I hope everyone else had the same.
Enjoy your last FULL week of March!


'Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.'
- Robert F. Kennedy

'All human situations have their inconveniences. We feel those of the present but neither see nor feel those of the future; and hence we often make troublesome changes without amendment, and frequently for the worse.'
- Benjamin Franklin

'Courage is resistance to fear, master of fear - not the absence of fear.'
-Mark Twain

'The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we can miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.'
-Michelangelo

My favorite....

'What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do."
-John Ruskin

Take it easy.
Have a safe week!

Fantastic Friday

I was listening to Coffee House on Sirius. This song came on, Christina Perri's 'Jar of Hearts.' This girl can sing. I downloaded one of her albums, Live at Ocean Ways Studio. I love it. She has such an interesting voice.

Here's the song that got me hooked.

The video is quiet interesting too.

I'm a fan.

I also want her hair. 

I'm off to central PA today to hang out with one of my best friends and my Godchild.

Have a good weekend!

Take it easy. 

St. Patty's Day!

Just a quick recap of St. Patty's Day in Pittsburgh. Which is always celebrated on the Saturday before March 17th. This year, it was March 12th. Pittsburgh is known to have one of the second-largest parade, behind NYC.  What up, Boston?  The parade is typically attended by at least 100,000 people and sometimes up to 250,000. Anyways. I don't go to the parade. Just the celebrations.

I met up with my friend Ang at 10:45 AM in Station Square at Saddleridge.

They had live bands from the time we got there until 2. 

Velveeta played. They are quiet popular around the 'Burgh. Just a phenomenal cover band.

Here's Ang and I.

We had gone from SaddleRidge, to Bar Room, to Steelhouse and back to Saddleridge. 

The amount of people was amazing. The amount of green, overwhelming. The amount of 21 and 22 year olds, made me sick. I'm not sure when I got old. But I'm not a fan.

Top 5 Shirts We Saw:

5. Let's Get Ready to Stumble

4. Winning. 

3. Kiss me, I'm Jesus (This made me laugh all day.)

2. Getting Sh!tty in the Steel City (Didn't see this, but heard about it, had I seen it, would have been tied for number 1.)

1.  St. Patrick was Italian - Actually did research and this is potentially true. Score! 

Honorable Mentions:

• Take Your Irish Eyes Off My Doublins
• You Can't Drink All Day If You Don't Start Early
• Kiss Me, I'm Magically Delicious

Other notables of the day:

On my way into town. A girl literally passed around 30 Jello shots. To everyone. Including the 60 year old Grandpa. When everyone thought she ran out. She pulled out another bag. Priceless.

I got a Guinness necklace, shirt, and hat. Whoop whoop!

This year I noticed more men in Kilts than previous years. HOWEVER, this was the first time I had ever seen a Camo Kilt. Only in Southwestern PA. I swear.

Turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous day. 

Another reason why I love this city.
( I didn't take as many pictures this year.... Joc, the obsessive picture taker was not there to remind me.)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Take it easy.

Classic.

 A few years ago, I invited myself thought it would be a good idea if my co-worker cooked me dinner. The first dinner was just me, I believe. However, the second dinner, included 3 of us, Ang, Nancy, and me. At this little get together, Ang had these awesome napkins. I have kept it ever since. I finally decided to use it in a craft project.
Here are the steps:

I started with this frame. It was 10 cents, I believe. I thought it had 'potential' at the time.

I cleaned it off to make sure that there wasn't dirt or grime. Prior to taking the picture I had removed the glass and the backing.

I used my white to paint. I did it light to give it the 'aged' look.

While I was letting the paint dry, I decided to work on the napkin.  I started by taking the glass and tracing it on the brown card stock. 

Once that was complete, I looked through my ribbon found the perfect one! So I measure it out. Cut. Then prayed it was right. 

I used two-sided tape on the back of the ribbon.

Prayed again that it would look right when I taped it on.

I also added tape to the back of the napkin.

Final product

I'm not going to lie, I smile every time I walk by it. 

I'll get better at taking pictures.

Until then...

Take it easy. 

Weekly Words To Inspire

March is proving to be an annoying month.  I thought this was spring? I'm also not thrilled about losing that hour of sleep.  I don't know about you, but I needed it!

Here are the words for this week!

"Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power. If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich.”
-Tao Te Ching

"Let every man judge according to his own standards, by what he has himself read, not by what others tell him.”
-Albert Einstein

“Disappointment to a noble soul is what cold water is to burning metal; it strengthens, tempers, intensifies, but never destroys it.”
-Eliza Tabor

"The first question I ask myself when something doesn't seem to be beautiful is why do I think it's not beautiful. And very shortly you discover that there is no reason."
- John Cage

My favorite for the week!
“Strength is Happiness. Strength is itself victory. In weakness and cowardice there is no happiness. When you wage a struggle, you might win or you might lose. But regardless of the short-term outcome, the very fact of your continuing to struggle is proof of your victory as a human being.”
-Daisaku Ikeda

Take it easy!

Fantastic Friday

I love this song. People have a lot of thoughts on P!nk. I personally think she has a powerful voice, not only the sound, but in the messages she sings. Her songs are great for girls these days. This is exactly what young girls should be hearing today. I'm totally diggin' it. Listen to the words...

"Made a wrong turn once or twice 

Dug my way out, blood and fire 

Bad decisions, that's alright 

Welcome to my silly life "

Loooooove it.

I totally wish I could rock a hairstyle like her.

Have a great weekend!

Tomorrow is St. Patty's Day in Pittsburgh. It's a HUGE deal. We have one of the largest parades in the country.
So there's my weekend!

Take it easy.

One of THOSE weeks

This just seems to be one of THOSE weeks where, no matter what you do, you can't get ahead?

Yeah. That's my week. I feel like everything I accomplish adds 50 other things to do.

So here's my playlist on the way to work...

Once that one is over... I go straight to my 'Motivational:'

...and then... I pray that nothing else happens that would ruin my day! :)

I also found a great read yesterday courtesy of Gina at Fitnessista:

A Creed to Live By

Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.

Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them life is meaningless.

Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.

Don’t give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over … until the moment you stop trying.

Don’t be afraid to admit you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each other.

Don’t be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give love. The fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly, and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

Don’t dismiss dreams. To be without dreams is to be without hope. To be without hope is to be without purpose.

Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been but also where you’re going.

Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.

Nancy Sims

Take it easy.

Words For 2011

I have been meaning to do this project since... January.. but I've been distracted, to say the least.
This came from a post that I read that talked about not doing a New Year's resolution, but picking a word and sticking to it. I don't believe in New Year's resolutions, this was something I could get behind.
So my word I choose was 'Free.' Free from the past, free from guilt from others, financial freedom, and the freedom to be who I am and want to be. I liked 'Free.' A lot. Just within the past week or so I added 'Balance' as I am an all-or-nothing type of girl, I came to the realization that it needs to change a little bit. Giving 110% all the time, to everything, will just lead to failure. So those are my words. 'Free' and 'Balance.'

I tried to take pictures throughout the process.  Again - I'm starting with materials purchased at my favorite-store-ever.

As you can see, these weren't in bad shape. They were dirty. So I cleaned them, but other than that, They were in perfect condition.

I wanted to do something different with them. I didn't want it to be the same colors I always use... So I went into my 'stash' and I found two colors that I had from my Mom. Now, my Mom painted their living room and picked out a lot of colors and got the cute little samples. After painting the fan blades.. Thank goodness these colors did not end up on the wall. That's all I can say.. Anyways, here's painted:

I ended up painted a second coat, because, one coat was not even close to enough.

You can see the stencils I used above the blade. I traced them on with a pencil. (Yes, the whole time through the project I thought, "How nice would this be with a Silhouette machine.")

 

Once I had the words traced on it, I used black paint for one, and the other, a color that was a shade darker.

This was the result.

I'm diggin' them. Now I'm working on ideas on how to display them.

Thoughts?

Take it easy.

Psst:

Parties I linked up too:

Weekly Words To Inspire

I hope the weather is treating you all well!!!!! It's the beginning of March. Woozers. Bring on the sunshine and the warm temps!!!!! Well here they are! " Plenty of people miss their share of happiness, not because they never found it, but because they didn't stop to enjoy it. " - William Feather "Live life fully while you're here.  Experience everything.  Take care of yourself and your friends.  Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You're going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. Don't try to be perfect: just be an excellent example of being human." -Anthony Robbins "Let others lead small lives, but not you.  Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else's hands, but not you. " -Jim Rohn

I think this goes for a lot more than just guys... but more as life in general...

"Ladies, let me give you some advice. You can throw all your stupid chick-lit, self-help, why-doesn't-he-love-me books out, because this is all you need to know: Men will treat you the way you let them. There is no such thing as "deserving" respect; you get what you demand from people.. if you demand respect, he will either respect you or he won't associate with you. It really is that simple."
- Tucker Max


Best advice ever. 

" Live with intention.  Walk to the edge.  Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is. " - Mary Anne Radmacher

Take it easy.

Two Princesses and a Mani!

*Warning - Aunt Brag Post*
So Saturday I took my niece to get her first manicure ever. She's 4. I'm awesome, I know. I had gotten her it for Christmas and we had scheduled it for February, but that was the day I was diagnosed with Bronchitis.  Anyways... it was a great day!
This is her when she gets there.. Apparently she's in the Daniel stage of taking pictures.. I said to smile pretty and this is what I got.

But how cute is that dress? 

So we go to pick out colors. Now this girl LOVES pink, purple. Girly things. (Note the dress.) So I  pick out sparkley pink (Not the norm for me(. What does Sammy get? GLITTERY BLUE. A color by Katy Perry none-the-less. Really? She wants me to get my nails the same color, however, I cannot bring myself to have blue nails. That's where I draw the line.

So we sit down. This might be my favorite pictures. Look at that face... the excitement..

Then there was this...

This was her while her nails were getting painted... GLITTER BLUE

She would look over and just start giggling. Seriously, cutest thing ever.

She sat patiently while my nails got finished.. and we had to have a final picture.

Seriously. It's glittery blue. 

After getting our nails done, we went to Max and Erma's. Why? Because they have the sundae bar of course!

Auntie Brag Part:

Ornery?

Don't worry, Auntie got her Sprite with Watermelon. Your welcome sista :)

Finally it was time for dessert... This was what she got... Yes. we put EVERY topping on it. I, however, being responsible, decided that that strawberry sauce and cherry's were too much.  So I put on the chocolate fudge whatever. It made her happy! :)

This is what I got... a cookie.. broken. However. I got another one for free since this didn't meet their standards. Winning! (Yes, I did a Charlie Sheen reference.)

This was her enjoying her sundae. I can't stop staring at the nails.

All in all it was a great 'girls' day. Success. And yes, she has already asked to get her nails done again. Score. These are the days that make me love being an Aunt. I dropped her off and I went home and took a nap. 

Thank you Colette for an awesome time. We simply loved it.

Take it easy.

One of...

21,000… or 33? So which one sounds better to you.. One of 21,000 or one of 33?

I’ll let you decide after I tell my story. It all started back on July 5, 2010. There was a virus/cold/flu, that was going around my office. I began to feel it on July 5th. After a few days, I started a cough. The cough went from a tickle in my throat at 6:30 AM… to not being able to stop coughing by noon. Needless to say, I was sent home from work to go to Med Express (Urgent care). So I go. Someone mentions that if I was 3 years old I would have croup. However, they diagnosed me with Bronchitis and gave me a breathing treatment, antibiotics, steroids, and an inhaler and sent me on my way.

While on the Z-pack I began to feel some relief. However, you know how they always say that it works after you stop taking it? Not this case. So I give it a few extra days and I go back to Med Express where they proceed to give me more steroids and a different inhaler. Now at this point I have one of the hardest, worst coughs ever. I was sent home from work a lot due to my co-workers not being able to handle the sound of my cough. Some even mentioned that it hurt for them to even hear it. So now we are about the end of July. I’m still coughing, but I had bronchitis and it takes a while to get over. I get back to Jazzercise and I plow through. So August and September come and go… Cough is there. I notice there are certain ‘triggers’ and I just stay away from those.

Then October comes. I’m not sure what was special about October, but October was a horrid month for me. I finally call my primary care physician to follow up on this cough. The cough is so bad now I’m tasting blood AND cracking a rib is a legitimate concern. When my doctor, who I just love, walks in. He giggles because he did not expect to see such a small female make such a loud, horse, cough. Awesome. So he asks some questions, does doctor-y things. Then disappears. About 15 minutes later comes back and says that he did some research because he wanted to confirm, but unless I had a dog in the corner barking, I had Whooping Cough (AKA The Whoop). Now. I laughed. Like Really? WHOOPING COUGH?! It’s 2010. Are you kidding me. So he gives me other antibiotics and more steroids and another inhaler, and cough medicine! I was also sent to a lung doctor, and an allegorist. from November - January. It was confirmed in December via a blood test that I did have ‘The Whoop.’

Now it’s the beginning of March. I have developed asthma as a natural response to ‘The Whoop’ and after 9 months am FINALLY starting to get back to my life without coughing. February 11th, I thought I was getting a cold.. Within 36 hours it had developed into bronchitis which has knocked me on my bum. This was the first week since then I’ve seen the gym. I did a body sculpting class via Jazzercise and I did a Yoga class. For a few more months I am going to have to be cautious around people that are sick, due to my weakened immune system and weak lungs. (Now I thought because I’ve been coughing for, ya know, 8 months my lungs should be made of steel. However, apparently that doesn’t make them stronger. Fail.)

So what’s the point of this? The CDC reported that during 2010 there were 21,000 people diagnosed with Whooping Cough in the United States. In Allegheny County, there were 33. Yiippe!!! Probably some of the best odds of my life, but for a crappy situation.

So here’s my Public Service Announcement. If you get the opportunity to get a booster. Take it. The Whooping Cough vaccine you get as a child only lasts for 5 years, but because everyone got it, it wasn’t a problem. Now that parents are getting their kids vaccinated, the Whooping Cough is making a come back. Take it from me, you do not want this. I am still unable to breathe deeply repetitively without coughing. I’m really glad a co-worker encouraged me to do Yoga, because it’s teaching me to breathe again. My body decided since if I breathed deeply I would cough, that it just wouldn’t do that. I’ve also been on a daily inhaler since, I dunno, October. And the doctors are hopefully that as soon as my body realizes that ‘The Whoop’ is gone, I will stop having asthma symptoms. I cannot repeat this enough, get the vaccine! Get it! Because this has been such a production. Such a fight. Such a struggle. And just all around frustrating.

At last count since July:

I was on steroids 6 times.
I was on 5 rounds of antibiotics.
I have 10 inhalers at my house (I still have prescriptions that need filled).
I have 2 more bottles of cough syrup



Here’s hoping to me finally kicking ‘The Whoop.’

So what’s better. One of 21,000 or one of 33? Hmmmmmm.

Take it easy.

Hit's from the 1880's.

Listen.
Can I just say that I found this band a while ago on youtube and it was one of the best finds ever. I went and downloaded some stuff off of iTunes (which, big deal for this girl). I have been addicted to them ever since. Sometimes I just need some REAL old school music. I will say that I appreciate musical talent so other's might not enjoy this, but these guys are AMAZING. I've actually seen them twice and they get better and better. I was totally excited to find out they are coming back to the 'Burgh in June. Totally there. Okay, sooo drum roll please....let me introduce the Two Man Gentleman Band

You have to check them out. There songs are witty and hysterical. Some of my favorites?
1. William Howard Taft
2. Fancy Beer
3. Corn Liquor
4. Prime Numbers
5. They Can't Prohibit Love!
Just to name a few. Just listen to them. That's all I can say..

Watch this and tell me it didn't make you smile. For real.

Have a good weekend.

Take it easy.

Pretty Pink

A few weeks ago, I went to my favorite-store-ever. I bought a ton of fan blades. I love doing projects with them.... I saw these 5 little beauties. I have never seen fan blades that were so cute and small. So I bought them.
For right now, I have used chalkboard paint... some pretty little pink ribbon.. blam! for less than $5 a cute little banner.

Before:
So they all looked like this ( sometimes I fail at taking before pictures...) dirty white. DIRTY white.

During:
I did prime these with black... and then I used two coats of chalkboard paint.

 So apparently the ribbon has these little things on them... like to come off... and get all over EVERYTHING.

After:

So easy. So cute. and all together, probably less than $5. Whoop Whoop!

Take it easy.

Psst: Check this out too!