Not too much to say

I really don't have much to say today... But, in the spirit of trying to revive my blogging life, I will write anyway.  :)  

First, I am sorry my blog is hideous right now.  That is what I get for trying to be creative and do my own thing.  I have NO idea where that ugly brown box came from OR how to get rid of it (Some times it shows up, some times it doesn't.  Do you see it?). Oh well!  Tricia Nae is in the process of designing me a "holiday header" - hurray!  I told you I wouldn't make it long without her.

It is rainy here today and FREEZING in my school.  I wore a cute dress - one of my favorites from Ann Taylor Loft last year - but it is too cold and I'm wearing a gigantic coat over it.  Lovely.  (P.S. Did anyone else jump on the Loft's Cyber Monday deals yesterday?  EVERYTHING was 40% off + Free Shipping.  A dream.)

I have not forgotten to tell you about my trip to Disney and the NCTE Conference.  I am waiting for my slacker (just kidding) friends to email me photos!  Soon, I hope.

I just got an email from Shutterfly with my promotion code for 50 free cards.  I'm so excited!  They totally came through on their promise.  In fact, I get to choose any 5x7 stationary card I want - which is much nicer than I expected.  I thought I'd be stuck with the 4x6 cheapies.  If you have a blog and you haven't checked this deal out yet... do. (Right here.) I love free!

And, finally (to end the lamest post ever), thanks to all of you that voted for your favorite Thanksgiving table yesterday.  (Aren't they all so pretty?! I'm almost inspired to have a holiday dinner party.)  There have been about 65 votes and I'd really like to have 100 before it is all said and done.  So... if you haven't voted yet, please go do that too!!  I will announce the winner tomorrow!

Amazing how I manage to say so much nothing. Have a nice Tuesday friends!

Thanksgiving Table Competition 2010

Finally!  (Sorry this is so late, I made an agreement with myself not to do any blogging until AFTER all my paper grading was caught up.  That still hasn't happened... But - thanks mostly to my amazing husband - I'm closer, so I'm posting.)

I didn't have many entries... But, I still think I got some great photos of some beautiful (& festive) tables.

Please take a minute to vote for your favorite.  I will announce the winner (based entirely on your votes) of $50.00 to CSN Stores on Wednesday!

Table #1

Table #2

Table #3

Table #4

{{{Poll has been removed because the contest is over, AND, it was making my blog have a hideous brown background.}}}

Thanks friends!

Happy Holiday Season!

Today, it officially begins.  The holiday season, that is.  No, even I'm not dumb enough to start some lame diet plan a month before Christmas. ;)

I decided NOT to go shopping this year - well, not today at least - certainly, I will go shopping this year.  After several busy busy weeks in a row, I just didn't have it in me.  I opted for coffee, a blanket, a cozy chair, and my laptop instead.  So far, I am more than satisfied with my decision.

Anyways, today marks the day when we can stop pretending to be focused on Thanksgiving  - let's be honest, I am thankful for SO much; but we are all kind-of anxious to move along and get out the Christmas decorations too, right? - and move into the official "Holiday Season."

I've got gingerbread candles burning and Mariah Carey's Christmas album blaring as we speak.

Today will be spent resting, digesting, and decorating.  I love it!  (Plus, we have another big Thanksgiving meal at Jeff's parents' house in a little bit.  I do not complain about delicious food.  Ever.)

And, I'm finally ready to talk about...

Christmas Cards!!!

This is one of my favorite parts of the holidays -- designing and sending cards.  Remember last year?  Well, I've got a little surprise up my sleeve for this year too!  Just wait!

In the meantime, I'm jumping on the bandwagon and taking full advantage of Shutterfly's FREE 50 Cards for Bloggers!  (If you have a blog, you can do it too!!  Just click here.)

Not only do they have the greatest designs out there, but there are TONS too... I have literally spent HOURS browsing the galleries.  Every one is SO cute!  (Now, if I only had a family of ten to dress in khaki and white on the beach.)

Here are a few of my very favorites right now:

 

I tend to like simple and bright - also, usually not the standard shades of red and green.  BUT, there is something for every taste at Shutterfly, including calendars, photo books, and more.  (Go browse - it is guaranteed to help you waste an entire day!)

Happy Holiday Season!!

(Oh, by the way, please send me your Thanksgiving table pics.  So far, I only have two entries and one is my mom. Sad.)

I Am Thankful For...

 

Happy Thanksgiving!!! 

Hope you all have a wonderful day with family and friends! 

(Don't forget to email me a picture of your Thanksgiving table by Saturday night for a chance to win $50.00 to CSN Stores!)

4th Annual Thanksgiving Table Decorating Contest (Remix)

You might recall my little "Thanksgiving Table Decorating Contest" tradition from last year.

In case you forgot, I won.

Here's a shot of my little winner:

Yes, it IS set on a card table in my sun-room.  We work with what we have, okay?

Anyways, this year... I have good news and bad news.

Bad first:

The Mulvaney-Chapman-Thompson party has been called off and thus, there will be no table contest at our festivities.  (SO sad, as I'd been thinking about my plan for at least a couple of months now.)  As it turns out, we are going to do something small at my parent's house to accommodate my Granny and her poor health this year.  It will be sweet and simple and intimate.  I decided not to complain about not having to clean, do dishes, etc. There will be plenty more years for that!

BUT, the good news is:

I'm opening up the contest to YOU!!!

That's right, the 4th Annual Thanksgiving Table Decorating Contest will be conducted entirely at E, Myself, and I.  (Thank you, for letting my tradition live on.)

Here's how it works:

- Submit a photo of your Thanksgiving Table by email (e@emyselfandi.com) before midnight on SATURDAY 11/27.  (That should give you plenty of time for eating, shopping, cleaning, etc.)

- On Sunday, I will post all the entries on my blog for YOU to vote!

- I will announce the winner - of $50.00 to CSN Stores & bragging rights for a year - some time next week!

Sound fun?  Please play!!

Here's a little inspiration to get you going.  (How I wish I was one of those women that already had my table set for Thursday's lunch.)

from Young House Love

from The Nester, of course

I can't wait to see your tables!!!

Airports

Currently, I am sitting in the Charlotte airport (more on my trip to Orlando SOON) wearing sweats, no make-up, and eating a bag of $5.00 caramel popcorn that I actually bought in Disney for Granny, but got too tempted and ripped it open about an hour ago.

Don't judge... my first flight out this morning was at 5AM.  And, because I took advantage of our resort's free airport transportation, I had to be ready to go at 2AM.  (Therefore, it is - clearly - after lunch time on my clock.)

I will admit that most of what I've been doing this morning involves sleeping in awkward places ,like the floor or weaved around uncomfortable chairs with hard plastic arm rests.  But, in my few waking moments, I am enjoying one of my favorite past times: People Watching.  

I LOVE airports.  More specifically, I love the people in airports.  I love looking at outfits, and families, and creating elaborate travel destinations and stories for everyone in my head.  (Oh, and it is a HUGE added bonus when people choose to talk on their cell phones loudly in the seating areas.  It's like an eavesdropper's dream!)

A few observations this morning:

- For the most part, people dress up to travel.  By 8:30, people are in full stiletto boots, suits, and make-up.  (Honestly, 4AM is a totally different story.  People look ROUGH.)

- If you are chubby, you may as well take the train.  ONLY leggings are allowed on young females in airports.

- The vast majority of travelers are in couples.  Usually, the wife is totally in control, and the husband is carrying some sort of ultra-girly Vera Bradley duffle bag.

- People over the age of 50, find the self check-in to be incredibly mysterious and difficult.  This morning, I helped a man figure out to type his first name ONLY in the slot labeled "first name" and last name ONLY in the slot labeled "last name."  Several people in the line behind us stared at me in awe, and then one lady said: "Wow, you must really travel a lot."

- If you are traveling home from a college football game, you MUST dress entirely in head-to-toe school colors so that everyone knows where you are coming from. Then, you must be shocked when people ask you how the team played yesterday. 

- Flight Attendants are a variety pack. 

Time to load... Home Sweet Home!

Weekend in Review

First of all, sorry it's taken so long to get this up...

Second, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my AWESOME DAD (11/13) & my WONDERFUL MOTHER-IN-LAW (11/15)!!!  I am so lucky to have, not one, but two wonderful/ HIP parents to celebrate in mid-November!

Ok...On to my weekend:

Most of it was spent here -

The Stocked Market is a fundraiser put on by the Junior League every November to support our community.  This year, I was on the committee that helped plan the event - and I use the terms "helped plan" VERY loosely - so I had to work pretty much the entire show.  It made for a long weekend, but it was definitely for a good cause - each year we raise hundreds of thousands of dollars that go directly towards our Childhood Health Initiative right here in Roanoke.  Nothing like a little shopping with a purpose!  Plus, it was a good time spent with girls and an excellent place to catch up with just about everyone I know in this city.

Not to worry though, in between shifts at the SM, I did manage to squeeze in some fun.

Starting with, a little date with Carrie Underwood. (And a side of Billy Currington.)

 

Some friends of ours from "The Big Chill" (i.e. my mom's sorority sisters and their kids) came in from out of town to go to the concert and celebrate Jennifer's Sweet 16!!  I'm the oldest of the Big Chill kids, and Jennifer is the youngest; so, I must admit, this made me a feel a little old!  First, her parents surprised her with a car for her birthday; then, we all had an awesome dinner at one of my favorite spots downtown; and, later, Carrie stopped her incredible flying truck DIRECTLY in front of us so she could show the birthday girl a little love.  Such a fun night!!

  Who is getting the new car?  The birthday girl or my mom?

She really put on a great show... I was impressed by what a "super star" she was.  I mean, not in a bad way, but she just carried herself like a star -- flying around the arena and all.  Plus, I thought it was pretty cool how diverse her music is - or at least the subject matter.  One minute she was singing about slashing her cheating boyfriend's tires, and the next it was "Jesus Take the Wheel" with a chorus from "How Great Thou Art."  Very powerful.

Anyway, Saturday night, we drove to one of my favorite wineries for a birthday dinner with Jeff's family; and, Sunday evening we had two of our favorite couples over for tacos to cap off the weekend. (Sorry, no pictures.  I got lazy.) 

Needless to say, I started back to work yesterday a bit tired; but, I won't be here long....

By Thursday afternoon I'll be HERE for the National English Teachers Conference.

...And then, before I know it, it'll be Thanksgiving! Lots to be thankful for! It's a good life I live!

House Tour: Bathrooms

This is funny day of "Show Us Where You Live."  

Never in my life did I think I'd post pictures of my bathrooms on the internet.  Haha.  

But, alas, here they are:

The full bath (upstairs):

Yes, there IS also a shower in there... It's just hidden.

And, the half bath (downstairs):

Haha!  Hope you enjoyed. See more bathrooms here...

BUSY BUSY weekend ahead for me... starting with Carrie Underwood concert tonight! Woo hoo!!

Have a good one!

Mid-Week Laughs: Jeff and Addy

Just a little something Jeff and Addy have been working on in his time off.  Enjoy!

(Credit)

Happy Hump Day!  Hope you had a good little laugh!

(I'm not doing a linky today; but, if you have a favorite youtube video you'd like to share, feel free to leave a link in the comments below!)

Quote of the Day

"I got peed on by a diseased ferret." 

 - One of my students when asked why he was absent yesterday. 

You can't make this stuff up. :)

.....

In other news, I am LOVING day-light savings!  I read a blog this morning about how difficult it is for people with babies etc. (or even pets that are non-freakish sleepers like Addy) to adjust to it being lighter earlier and feeling later in the morning.  But, oh, I am reveling in it! (One more reason it's good I don't have a baby yet, perhaps?)

I feel SO much more energized in the mornings when the sun is up.  And, let's face it, I like to go to bed early anyways - so this just gives me an additional excuse.  This morning - brace yourselves those of you that know my "snooze" routine - I actually had time to sit down and drink coffee with Jeff before work.  Beautiful.

Sorry this post is so random.

Kendi Everyday

My sister (you know, the really cool one that went skydiving yesterday) introduced me to an awesome new blog this weekend: Kendi Everyday.

I'm a little bit obsessed with it.

Kathryn said the blogger bio reminded her of me.  It says: "People think that when you get married and move to a small town,that you should get pregnant. i started a blog. (it's a girl)."  I guess that is kind-of true of me too; only, if my blog is a baby, it is a little behind developmentally.  She has 2000 + followers. :) 

Coincidentally, she also has a 30/30 thing going on.  Only, her's is real awesome and creative.  It's called the 30 for 30 Remix, where Kendi challenges bloggers to wear only 30 items of clothing (shoes count, accessories do not) for 30 days.  The idea is to get creative and "remix" your closet.

Here are her 30 items:

 + 1 mystery item

And here she is on Day 1:

Isn't she adorable?

In all seriousness, I kind-of dressed like her today.  (I mean, not on purpose.  I was dressed long before she posted on her blog.)  I too am wearing a blouse tucked into a high-waisted a-line skirt.  However, my tights keep rolling up and my shirt untucked, I couldn't pull off those shoes if my life depended on it, and Jeff - most certainly - did NOT take professional photographs of me before work this morning.  ;)  Either way, I will not be participating in this event because a.) it requires a 30 day commitment and we all know how  I do with that (ahem, "30 Days of Healthy Living") and b.) I do not do laundry near enough.  But, I WILL be following Kendi and the 330 some other bloggers to joined the party!

Check out her blog.  It's fun!

Taking the Plunge

Remember my earlier post where I mentioned having to cancel plans for a "day trip" today?  Well, that trip was to Farmville, VA (yes, it's an actual place;  and, no, it is nothing like the Facebook Farmville) where my wild sister and her wild boyfriend took the plunge this afternoon.

No, not marriage, sillies.  (Even Jeff's bad back wouldn't keep me from witnessing something that big!)

Just a casual Sunday afternoon DROP from an AIRPLANE 10,000 FEET IN THE AIR.  No.big.deal. 

That's right --- they went skydiving!  (As I type this, I can hardly even believe this actually happened... My sister is SO cool.)

As sad as I was to miss seeing this live, I knew I could count on my dad to take some awesome photos.  (Oh, how I wish I had him following me around with a camera all the time!) Here are a few to commemorate this special day for Dustin and Kathryn.  :)

Seriously, this was on her "30 Before 30"  (that and "get a boob job" - go figure). Suddenly "finish my scrapbook from London" doesn't sound like such an awesome goal... So, while I was at home resting and caring for my hurt husband, Kathryn was busy taking life by the horns!  I love having a wild sister to live vicariously through.  So fun, and yet, so safe.

P.S. Thanks for your prayers for Jeff.  He is doing MUCH better!!  And, I'm feeling quite well-rested. :)