Some random facts about me.
1. I hate winter, well I hate ice and white knuckling it in the car while I worry about sliding on said ice and crazy Iowa drivers.
2. I’m sort of winging it with trying to figure out how to raise a 13 year old boy. I mess up often. But in the end I hope he turns out to be a good person, though he will likely be a snarky sarcastic cynic.
3. I’m a sweepstakes and giveaway junkie. I love winning things, anything and everything. Though I do limit my entering to things that I actually want or would give as a gift.
4. I’m an extremely open, honest person. I’ve been told I’m extremely opinionated and sometimes even brutal and forceful with those opinions. I’m learning to be less overbearing.
5. I talk and act and write in the way that I think. I can connect the dots in my head, but sometimes have to slow down to let others do the same.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Reel Reviews, Grown Ups
Here goes my first post for What I Watched Wednesdays. I’ve watched quite a few new to dvd movies lately, which sounds a little like it’s something different, but actually I watch dvds pretty much every week.
Grown Ups came out last week on dvd. I knew I would want to see it when it came out on dvd as it is chock full of some seriously funny guys. Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, and David Spade all in one movie. Should be laugh out loud, pee in your pants, hilarious, right? Wrong. I was worried right away putting the dvd in. That many funny people in one movie and you expect a lot and it’s easy to get let down.
The plot was almost non-existant. The guys grew up together, went their separate ways, and are brought back together for a funeral. The rest of the movie is almost like they were winging it to see what happened. You get very little in-depth character development as there are so many characters. There are a few moments where I giggled, but nowhere near the belly hurting, tears running down my face, laughter I would have liked.
It’s a movie you could watch with your family, there are a few suggestive parts. All in all, I would watch it again on tv unless there was something better on.
Grown Ups came out last week on dvd. I knew I would want to see it when it came out on dvd as it is chock full of some seriously funny guys. Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, and David Spade all in one movie. Should be laugh out loud, pee in your pants, hilarious, right? Wrong. I was worried right away putting the dvd in. That many funny people in one movie and you expect a lot and it’s easy to get let down.
The plot was almost non-existant. The guys grew up together, went their separate ways, and are brought back together for a funeral. The rest of the movie is almost like they were winging it to see what happened. You get very little in-depth character development as there are so many characters. There are a few moments where I giggled, but nowhere near the belly hurting, tears running down my face, laughter I would have liked.
It’s a movie you could watch with your family, there are a few suggestive parts. All in all, I would watch it again on tv unless there was something better on.
What I Watch Wednesdays
I watch movies. It’s rare that I go to the theater, it has to be something really big for that seeing as how one freaking movie ticket is $9.50 and there are three of us. Add in deliciously buttered popcorn with Reese’s Pieces on top and you almost need to take out a loan for two hours worth of entertainment (and if the movie sucks, well…at least the popcorn is good.)
So I rent dvds, usually within a week of them coming out. The employees at the local Family Video know us all by name, actually one of the girls quite frequently flirts with my husband. We generally have a late fee as we’re terrible at remembering to bring movies back on time, but they know we’ll be back in so if we toss them a couple extra bucks we’re golden.
I also subscribe to every movie channel available. I have HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Starz and Encore, The Movie Channel and all the independent movie channels as well. I subscribe to the On-Demand service so I can watch whichever of thousands of movies available.
Needless to say (which makes no sense because I’m going to say it anyway) I watch a lot of movies and I have opinions on them. I’ve seen a lot of blogs with recurring weekly themes and this is something that I like so I’ll give it a shot. I do watch some tv shows as well, maybe we’ll see some comments on those as well.
So I rent dvds, usually within a week of them coming out. The employees at the local Family Video know us all by name, actually one of the girls quite frequently flirts with my husband. We generally have a late fee as we’re terrible at remembering to bring movies back on time, but they know we’ll be back in so if we toss them a couple extra bucks we’re golden.
I also subscribe to every movie channel available. I have HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Starz and Encore, The Movie Channel and all the independent movie channels as well. I subscribe to the On-Demand service so I can watch whichever of thousands of movies available.
Needless to say (which makes no sense because I’m going to say it anyway) I watch a lot of movies and I have opinions on them. I’ve seen a lot of blogs with recurring weekly themes and this is something that I like so I’ll give it a shot. I do watch some tv shows as well, maybe we’ll see some comments on those as well.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Mamavation Monday (well, actually Tuesday)
I'm still getting over being sick. My sore throat is gone, but I've still got a cough lingering. I had my Scentsy launch party last Wednesday. My sister and I spoiled ourselves and got mani/pedis. I've only had a few other manis and only one other pedi. I would love to treat myself all the time, it was so relaxing! I got gel nails for the first time, that was a lot of fun, though it was extremely stinky!
Of course, I worked all week and my energy level is still pretty low, so exercising was non existant once again. I'll keep putting that on my goals list and I will get it accomplished. It's hard to motivate myself to exercise though. Before work, I either have only a little time or I just want to sit down a bit. I head off to the casino and run my ass off and by the time I get off work my feet are sore and all I want to do is get off them.
Challenges
If you have a physically demanding job like myself, how do you motivate yourself to exercise outside of work?
Of course, I worked all week and my energy level is still pretty low, so exercising was non existant once again. I'll keep putting that on my goals list and I will get it accomplished. It's hard to motivate myself to exercise though. Before work, I either have only a little time or I just want to sit down a bit. I head off to the casino and run my ass off and by the time I get off work my feet are sore and all I want to do is get off them.
Challenges
- Still getting over being sick, energy level very low.
- Eating at work! I only ate at work twice, one time I gorged on breakfast food and the other I had some pizza. I do have a lunchbox that I recently won. I just need to get to the grocery store for healthy options to put in it.
- I'm finding it very difficult to motivate myself to exercise.
- I forgot that one of my goals was to track my calories and food.
- I weighed myself at the mall when I was getting my mani/pedi. I'm at 232 pounds. I'm nowhere near happy about this weight, but I actually thought it was quite a bit more. I'm glad that I have my starting point though. I still need to get measurements in.
- I drank my four cups of water everyday! There were several days I drank double that, but four was my goal and I hit it.
- Last Thursday, it has been 8 weeks since I've had fast food. I have eaten at Subway though. Subway and Panera are the only two places that are "fast food" like that are on my ok list. I love Subway! I used to go there all the time when I was in high school and I would always order a ham and cheese. But once I tried something new, I was hooked on trying new subs! My current favorite is Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki, delicious!
- Stay away from fast food! I think my goal is 3 months and then I might treat myself. Depending on if I even want it then that is.
- Four cups of water per day, more is of course better!
- Measure myself.
- Track calories 4 out of 7 days this week.
- Exercise two times this week, for twenty minutes each time.
If you have a physically demanding job like myself, how do you motivate yourself to exercise outside of work?
Monday, October 18, 2010
Mamavation Monday
I have bronchitis. I got up Tuesday morning with a sore throat, by Wednesday morning I was coughing like a maniac. Thursday I went to see the doctor and was prescribed antibiotics. My sore throat is gone, but my cough is still kicking my ass.
As far as food, water, exercise wise it's been an odd week. Some days I did extremely well monitoring what I ate, controlling portions, etc. Other days I just gorged myself with whatever I could find. Water was the same way. I drank loads one day and barely any at all. Exercise aside from running around at work was non-existant. This past Thursday was seven weeks without fastfood and believe me I could have caved. My husband and son both mentioned picking something up. I told them no and that if they wanted to eat there that was fine. So basically I did exactly what I thought I would do. I made goals and had great intentions with no follow through. But I'll try again and again until it sticks.
Challenges
So there you go, once again. Laid out in black and white. Let's see how it goes.
As far as food, water, exercise wise it's been an odd week. Some days I did extremely well monitoring what I ate, controlling portions, etc. Other days I just gorged myself with whatever I could find. Water was the same way. I drank loads one day and barely any at all. Exercise aside from running around at work was non-existant. This past Thursday was seven weeks without fastfood and believe me I could have caved. My husband and son both mentioned picking something up. I told them no and that if they wanted to eat there that was fine. So basically I did exactly what I thought I would do. I made goals and had great intentions with no follow through. But I'll try again and again until it sticks.
Challenges
- Being sick. I could barely get to work and by the time I got off, I was exhausted so it was difficult to exercise.
- Lunch break at work. I was able to eat smaller portions one or two days, but the other days I gorged. I did stay away from the donuts. If I had a cookie or brownie, I only had one.
- I'm going strong on avoiding fast food. I do wish I had seen even the tiniest of weight difference, but I know that it's a healthy choice to avoid them.
- On some days, I did get in quite a bit of water.
- I was mindful of what I was eating on most days.
- Continue to avoid eating out.
- Drink more water! My goal is at least 4 cups per day. I will increase when I've made that a habit.
- Be mindful of what I eat. Pay attention to portion control. I've decided this week, starting tomorrow, to track everything I eat. I hope to use this to see what/when I eat, so that I can attempt to change it.
- Weigh and measure myself! I asked Dani to bring over her fabric tape measure, but she forgot and nobody I know owns a scale, so it was difficult to weigh or measure myself. I have to get this done soon, so that I know where I stand! That's the only way I'll know if I make a change.
- Again, my goal is to exercise twice this week.
So there you go, once again. Laid out in black and white. Let's see how it goes.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
What are your rules of tipping?
I work at a casino as a slot attendant. I get above minimum wage per hour, plus tips. Tips are shared by all slot attendants in the department. I went to work today and checked to book on how our tips were for the previous week (they are tallied once each week and added to our paycheck every other week). Our tips were on the low side, low enough that we'll be able to tell in our paychecks. There were two other slot attendants in the room with me when I checked the books and we started a conversation about how low they were.
One lady expressed that we should be able to wear something that states "Tips Appreciated/Welcomed". I told her that I think that is solicitation. She stated that at the cage (Customer Service counter) they have small boxes that are labled "Tips" in plain view of the customer. The slot department also has the same small boxes, but ours are hidden in our employee window of the cage and in our slot office. Cage representatives get considerably less tips than we do even with the clearly marked boxes.
Most of our tips come from jackpot winners. It's nearly impossible to know who to expect a tip from. A smaller jackpot winner might tip you $100, while a large jackpot winner might give you zero. I'm sure there are people that have no clue that you can tip the slot attendant, but I'm also equally sure that there are those that know they can, but just refuse.
The same lady then said she has been to several restaurants where the server asked how much she gratuity she would like to add. I asked her if she was using a credit card and she said no. She said she had no money to add to gratuity. I said I thought it was wrong to go to a restaurant without enough money to add as a tip.
My rule is that I tip everyone that does me a service. My hair stylist (when I get it done), servers, bartenders, etc. I tip 15% of my total at for decent service and 20% for fantastic service. It has to be pretty bad for me to tip less than 15%. I've been a server and a bartender and those tips are important, but it's doubly important to provide outstanding service to get that tip.
So what are your rules on tipping? Would you tip the slot attendant if you won a jackpot? Would you go to a restaurant if you had no money to tip?
One lady expressed that we should be able to wear something that states "Tips Appreciated/Welcomed". I told her that I think that is solicitation. She stated that at the cage (Customer Service counter) they have small boxes that are labled "Tips" in plain view of the customer. The slot department also has the same small boxes, but ours are hidden in our employee window of the cage and in our slot office. Cage representatives get considerably less tips than we do even with the clearly marked boxes.
Most of our tips come from jackpot winners. It's nearly impossible to know who to expect a tip from. A smaller jackpot winner might tip you $100, while a large jackpot winner might give you zero. I'm sure there are people that have no clue that you can tip the slot attendant, but I'm also equally sure that there are those that know they can, but just refuse.
The same lady then said she has been to several restaurants where the server asked how much she gratuity she would like to add. I asked her if she was using a credit card and she said no. She said she had no money to add to gratuity. I said I thought it was wrong to go to a restaurant without enough money to add as a tip.
My rule is that I tip everyone that does me a service. My hair stylist (when I get it done), servers, bartenders, etc. I tip 15% of my total at for decent service and 20% for fantastic service. It has to be pretty bad for me to tip less than 15%. I've been a server and a bartender and those tips are important, but it's doubly important to provide outstanding service to get that tip.
So what are your rules on tipping? Would you tip the slot attendant if you won a jackpot? Would you go to a restaurant if you had no money to tip?
Thursday, October 7, 2010
My Three Kings
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
New Scentsy Consultant
For the past several years I've been looking to have my own part-time business that could add to our income and candles was always the number one thing I've been interested in, but no far none of the candle companies had really caught my attention. Until Scentsy.
Rewind to earlier this summer, my sister Dani was having one of her first Mary Kay parties. If you're looking for a Mary Kay consultant, Dani would be happy to help you with all your pampering needs. I'll post on that later, but if you're impatient and need Mary Kay like, right now, leave a comment or tweet me @rowellowl and I'll get back to you with the information.
I walk into her house and this delicious aroma smacks me in the face! I forget the exact scent now, but it was cupcake something or other. She showed me the Scentsy warmer she had recently purchased. Stylish!
My husband and son both have asthma and allergies. I've loved candles for as long as I can remember. I love trying new styles and scents, but the smoke and soot that comes from traditional candles would aggravate my husband and son. Often I would get candles and avoid lighting them. Enter Scentsy! Wickless candles, oh boy! Stylish warmers and Scentsy bars that you put in the warmer, delicious aromas without the flame. No need to blow it out, so no soot and no smoke!
I entered a blog giveaway for a Scentsy warmer, sadly, they picked someone else's name. But I received an email from Amy Bellgardt, whose blog it was, regarding Scensty. I had loads of questions, which I do with everything, and she was quick to reply and so helpful. I knew it was a fit for me! I spoke with my husband about Scentsy and my ideas and he said I should go for it. And that's exactly what I'm doing. I signed up last week.
Guess what I had in the mail today? That's right! My Scentsy Consultant Starter Kit! I ripped that thing open so fast. It is packed with all the things I'll need to start selling Scentsy! I'm looking forward to starting. I'm brainstorming ideas for my Launch Party now and talking with co-workers about my new adventure. So far everyone seems excited about coming to the party or seeing a catalog.
My favorite scent so far is Toasted Caramel Sugar. I told Dani it smells good enough to eat. My husband said it smells like Sugar Babies.
Feel free to check out my website: http://billierowell.scentsy.us/. I'll be posting much more on Scentsy!
Rewind to earlier this summer, my sister Dani was having one of her first Mary Kay parties. If you're looking for a Mary Kay consultant, Dani would be happy to help you with all your pampering needs. I'll post on that later, but if you're impatient and need Mary Kay like, right now, leave a comment or tweet me @rowellowl and I'll get back to you with the information.
I walk into her house and this delicious aroma smacks me in the face! I forget the exact scent now, but it was cupcake something or other. She showed me the Scentsy warmer she had recently purchased. Stylish!
My husband and son both have asthma and allergies. I've loved candles for as long as I can remember. I love trying new styles and scents, but the smoke and soot that comes from traditional candles would aggravate my husband and son. Often I would get candles and avoid lighting them. Enter Scentsy! Wickless candles, oh boy! Stylish warmers and Scentsy bars that you put in the warmer, delicious aromas without the flame. No need to blow it out, so no soot and no smoke!
I entered a blog giveaway for a Scentsy warmer, sadly, they picked someone else's name. But I received an email from Amy Bellgardt, whose blog it was, regarding Scensty. I had loads of questions, which I do with everything, and she was quick to reply and so helpful. I knew it was a fit for me! I spoke with my husband about Scentsy and my ideas and he said I should go for it. And that's exactly what I'm doing. I signed up last week.
Guess what I had in the mail today? That's right! My Scentsy Consultant Starter Kit! I ripped that thing open so fast. It is packed with all the things I'll need to start selling Scentsy! I'm looking forward to starting. I'm brainstorming ideas for my Launch Party now and talking with co-workers about my new adventure. So far everyone seems excited about coming to the party or seeing a catalog.
My favorite scent so far is Toasted Caramel Sugar. I told Dani it smells good enough to eat. My husband said it smells like Sugar Babies.
Feel free to check out my website: http://billierowell.scentsy.us/. I'll be posting much more on Scentsy!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Mamavation Monday
Wow, I had a whole post typed up and I went to publish it and it poofed on me. Here's to learning from my mistakes!
So this is my first Mamavation Monday post. I stumbled onto Mamavation on Twitter, had no idea what it was. I researched a bit and found that it is exactly what I need. I'm overweight and unhealthy. It is time to change both. I tend to have lofty goals and good intentions, but lack follow through and motivation. I need support and help to reach my goals and Mamavation looks like the place for me. I would love to be part of the Sistahood and maybe even apply to be a Mamavation Mom someday.
This week has been a bit hectic, I'm taking on some new challenges. I recently became a Scentsy consultant (will post on that shortly). I've got my starter kit ordered and I'm excited about the adventure. I applied at the local college to possibly go back to school next semester. I've started this blog! There's a lot going on, but it's time to get off my lazy ass and move it!
Challenges
I feel a bit overwhelmed. I've read a lot on the Mamavation website and I feel a bit like a new girl in a town with a close knit bunch of women, I'll admit I'm nervous. I also feel like I'm way behind. I figure the best way to approach it is to jump in and offer any support that I can and hope for the same in return.
Eating at work! We have a buffet style cafeteria. You can eat all you want for $2. You can also order a la carte items like cheeseburgers, pizza burgers, chicken strips, fries, chicken sandwiches, etc. There is a free side that has all the salad fixings (lettuce looks less than healthy most of the time) and other salads, sometimes gross looking fruits and chocolate pudding. I tell myself that I need to control my portions, but those donuts look good and I get up there and stuff my face, then feel like crap afterwards.
Successes
This past Thursday it has been five weeks since I've had any fast food. This is huge! I was eating out 3-5 times per week at fast food places. It got to the point where it would take an hour to figure out where to eat because we "just had that". I said I was done. Surprisingly, I actually stuck with this! I have eaten out a few times, just no fast food. Limiting my eating out to only a specific number or only for special occasions is a future goal.
Goals
Be mindful of what I eat! Pay attention to what I'm eating and how much so I can better assess what needs to change. I already know I need more fruits and vegetables, that's a given.
Drink more water! I'm a chugger, I chug down my glass, get one more and chug that down too. I'll set a specific goal on how much water to drink at a later time, for now, just get water in period!
Figure out a solution for eating at work. Perhaps buy a lunchbox and grocery shop for healthier options to take my lunch with me.
Weigh and measure myself! I have no idea what I weigh, I imagine it's somewhere around 230lbs, that's what it was in May. I need an accurate weight and measurements so that I have a starting point.
Exercise! I'd love to say that I'll get in five workouts this week or run a marathon, but honestly there's no way I could run even if I was being chased. It's unrealistic for me to start with that much. So, my goal is to exercise twice this week, for 30 minutes each time.
Alright there it is, laid out in black and white. My first Mamavation Monday post. I'm hoping that putting it out there will help me with my motivation and accountability. Feel free to leave comments, tips, advice, support, queries, movie quotes, or whatever!
So this is my first Mamavation Monday post. I stumbled onto Mamavation on Twitter, had no idea what it was. I researched a bit and found that it is exactly what I need. I'm overweight and unhealthy. It is time to change both. I tend to have lofty goals and good intentions, but lack follow through and motivation. I need support and help to reach my goals and Mamavation looks like the place for me. I would love to be part of the Sistahood and maybe even apply to be a Mamavation Mom someday.
This week has been a bit hectic, I'm taking on some new challenges. I recently became a Scentsy consultant (will post on that shortly). I've got my starter kit ordered and I'm excited about the adventure. I applied at the local college to possibly go back to school next semester. I've started this blog! There's a lot going on, but it's time to get off my lazy ass and move it!
Challenges
I feel a bit overwhelmed. I've read a lot on the Mamavation website and I feel a bit like a new girl in a town with a close knit bunch of women, I'll admit I'm nervous. I also feel like I'm way behind. I figure the best way to approach it is to jump in and offer any support that I can and hope for the same in return.
Eating at work! We have a buffet style cafeteria. You can eat all you want for $2. You can also order a la carte items like cheeseburgers, pizza burgers, chicken strips, fries, chicken sandwiches, etc. There is a free side that has all the salad fixings (lettuce looks less than healthy most of the time) and other salads, sometimes gross looking fruits and chocolate pudding. I tell myself that I need to control my portions, but those donuts look good and I get up there and stuff my face, then feel like crap afterwards.
Successes
This past Thursday it has been five weeks since I've had any fast food. This is huge! I was eating out 3-5 times per week at fast food places. It got to the point where it would take an hour to figure out where to eat because we "just had that". I said I was done. Surprisingly, I actually stuck with this! I have eaten out a few times, just no fast food. Limiting my eating out to only a specific number or only for special occasions is a future goal.
Goals
Be mindful of what I eat! Pay attention to what I'm eating and how much so I can better assess what needs to change. I already know I need more fruits and vegetables, that's a given.
Drink more water! I'm a chugger, I chug down my glass, get one more and chug that down too. I'll set a specific goal on how much water to drink at a later time, for now, just get water in period!
Figure out a solution for eating at work. Perhaps buy a lunchbox and grocery shop for healthier options to take my lunch with me.
Weigh and measure myself! I have no idea what I weigh, I imagine it's somewhere around 230lbs, that's what it was in May. I need an accurate weight and measurements so that I have a starting point.
Exercise! I'd love to say that I'll get in five workouts this week or run a marathon, but honestly there's no way I could run even if I was being chased. It's unrealistic for me to start with that much. So, my goal is to exercise twice this week, for 30 minutes each time.
Alright there it is, laid out in black and white. My first Mamavation Monday post. I'm hoping that putting it out there will help me with my motivation and accountability. Feel free to leave comments, tips, advice, support, queries, movie quotes, or whatever!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Holidays are coming!
Many of the new blogs that I've been reading have hot Holiday lists to help give you ideas of what to get your loved ones. I'll try and post any of the buttons that I find! Buying presents is one of my favorite thing to do. I love picking out something I think will make a person's eyes light up.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
BUZZ on by Thursday 9-30-2010
Blog hops, I'm told, are a great way to start connecting with other bloggers. I'm adding my link to this Blog hop in hopes to increase my number of followers as well as find blogs to follow myself.
Introduction
'Ello! Did you just say hello? No, I said 'ello, but you're close enough!
An introduction is generally the best place to start a new journey and blogging is my new journey. My name is Billie. I'm 31 years old and I live in Iowa. I was born in Iowa, lived in Oklahoma long enough for my brother to be born, and then moved to Georgia where I lived until I was 11 when we moved back to Iowa. Even though I've lived in Iowa far longer now than Georgia, I still like to say I'm from there. I loved Georgia! I tolerate Iowa, though I detest winters.
I'm married to a 33 year old, 6'1, mostly bald, broad shouldered, foul-mouthed, video game obsessed, man-child with Peter Pan Syndrome that makes me roll my eyes, laugh until my sides hurt, and takes care of me like noone else ever has, whom I love dearly. We've been together almost eight years. He's addressed my cards to the "Ball and Chain" since April 2008. We met when I was 14 and he was 16. We dated briefly back then and found our way back to each other many years later.
My husband, Richard has two sons. Jake is 13 and lives with us full-time. His mother has been MIA since he was 9 months old and has had very little contact with him. Sad for Jake, good for me, no baby mama drama. Jake started calling me Mom the day Richard and I got married. Jake and I have a fire and ice relationship. One day I'm his best friend and the next I'm the most hideous evil step-mother ever to step foot on the planet. This is largely due to me being the disciplinarian. I like to think he'll thank me one day. I love that kid as much as any mother could. Richard's other son is 10 and lives in Colorado, I've yet to meet him. His mother refuses any contact with any of us.
I've no biological children...yet. That's a whole blog post to itself. I do have four furbabies. I have three cats, Brutus (8), Roman (7), and Little Man (7). I also have a chocolate lab Asia (5) who is also referred to as The Beast. More on them later.
I work full-time at a casino as a slot attendant, which basically means casino b!t*h. I fix slot machines, pay jackpots, make change, get drinks, run errands, and babysit machines. I'm a shoulder to cry on and a high five to slap. My job is interesting to say the least and a constant source of entertaining stories and sore feet.
I've been struggling with anxiety since I was 17 and OCD since I was 21. Posts on those at a later date.
Well there's me in a few paragraphs, though there's loads more. I'm sarcastic, opinionated, fiercely protective, curious, lazy, skeptical, hopeful, and here's to my blogging journey!
~Billie
An introduction is generally the best place to start a new journey and blogging is my new journey. My name is Billie. I'm 31 years old and I live in Iowa. I was born in Iowa, lived in Oklahoma long enough for my brother to be born, and then moved to Georgia where I lived until I was 11 when we moved back to Iowa. Even though I've lived in Iowa far longer now than Georgia, I still like to say I'm from there. I loved Georgia! I tolerate Iowa, though I detest winters.
I'm married to a 33 year old, 6'1, mostly bald, broad shouldered, foul-mouthed, video game obsessed, man-child with Peter Pan Syndrome that makes me roll my eyes, laugh until my sides hurt, and takes care of me like noone else ever has, whom I love dearly. We've been together almost eight years. He's addressed my cards to the "Ball and Chain" since April 2008. We met when I was 14 and he was 16. We dated briefly back then and found our way back to each other many years later.
My husband, Richard has two sons. Jake is 13 and lives with us full-time. His mother has been MIA since he was 9 months old and has had very little contact with him. Sad for Jake, good for me, no baby mama drama. Jake started calling me Mom the day Richard and I got married. Jake and I have a fire and ice relationship. One day I'm his best friend and the next I'm the most hideous evil step-mother ever to step foot on the planet. This is largely due to me being the disciplinarian. I like to think he'll thank me one day. I love that kid as much as any mother could. Richard's other son is 10 and lives in Colorado, I've yet to meet him. His mother refuses any contact with any of us.
I've no biological children...yet. That's a whole blog post to itself. I do have four furbabies. I have three cats, Brutus (8), Roman (7), and Little Man (7). I also have a chocolate lab Asia (5) who is also referred to as The Beast. More on them later.
I work full-time at a casino as a slot attendant, which basically means casino b!t*h. I fix slot machines, pay jackpots, make change, get drinks, run errands, and babysit machines. I'm a shoulder to cry on and a high five to slap. My job is interesting to say the least and a constant source of entertaining stories and sore feet.
I've been struggling with anxiety since I was 17 and OCD since I was 21. Posts on those at a later date.
Well there's me in a few paragraphs, though there's loads more. I'm sarcastic, opinionated, fiercely protective, curious, lazy, skeptical, hopeful, and here's to my blogging journey!
~Billie
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Recent wins
Since I've started entering blog sweepstakes, which I think has been about a month maybe a little more, I've won 4 times! I won Pigtail Pals, Dermacyte, and two others that I'll post when I receive them. I keep bonking myself on the head, why was I avoiding blog giveaways? I want to start working on setting up a blog for myself and perhaps next year I can be a blog that is hosting the reviews/giveaways too.
Win from August
I forgot to post about my AmericInn win! I was at work checking Facebook on my break and I was scrolling through the status updates and saw one for AmericInn about the winner of their scavenger hunt, it had some other name. I kept scrolling and the first prize winners names were listed next. I saw my name! I posted on their Facebook page that I was happy I had won and sent them an email asking if they needed any information from me. I got a response I think that night or the next day saying that they would send my prize to the address I had signed up with and that it would require a signature! I had my prize within the next three days! This is my biggest win so far. It was a $100 Visa gift card (which has already been used, I treated the family to Famous Dave's) and two $100 gift certificates to AmericInn.
This is such a neat win because when my husband and I first got together we actually stayed at an AmericInn suite.
This is such a neat win because when my husband and I first got together we actually stayed at an AmericInn suite.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Mailbox
I received the Xeko trading card game recently. It comes in an extremely nice wooden box, with playing cards and game how-tos inside. The concept of the game seems like it would be close to Pokemon or Magic. It's an eco-animal adventure where you play with your friends or online in a virtual world and it saves REAL animals like tigers, polar bears, and pandas. I want to give this to my nephew Marcus for the holidays. I think he might be a little young to understand it completely, but I think he'll have fun playing with it and learning about the animals. http://xeko.com/
I received the Pigtail Pals shirt, it's so cute! It has a little girl in a fireman's outfit and says "I look good in red." It also came with two pencils and some stickers. I love the idea of encouraging girls to be anything that they want to be. Actually, I love the idea of encouraging everyone to be whatever they want. If you want to check out their website it's http://pigtailpals.com. They have a wide variety of products including shirts, hat, and school supplies. This was a blog win from http://confessionsofanover-workedmom.blogspot.com/
I received two full size Dermacyte products in the mail today. http://www.buydermacyte.com/ My mom wanted to get a little plastic surgery done last year, but she ended up unable to get it done. When I got the email that I won these, I was so excited because I could give it to her for the holidays. One product is Oxygen Concentrate and the other is Oxygenating Eye Complex. The blog that I entered the giveaway at gave rave reviews on both, so I'm hoping my Mom will enjoy a little luxury. The blog hosting the giveaway was http://www.candidclevercosteffective.net
I received a nice sample size of Redkin shampoo that I gave to Jake. I think it's half empty in the shower already.
As you can guess, I love getting the mail. I love getting freebies, samples, prizes! Most of the time these outnumber the bills so I still get the mail with a smile on my face.
I received the Pigtail Pals shirt, it's so cute! It has a little girl in a fireman's outfit and says "I look good in red." It also came with two pencils and some stickers. I love the idea of encouraging girls to be anything that they want to be. Actually, I love the idea of encouraging everyone to be whatever they want. If you want to check out their website it's http://pigtailpals.com. They have a wide variety of products including shirts, hat, and school supplies. This was a blog win from http://confessionsofanover-workedmom.blogspot.com/
I received two full size Dermacyte products in the mail today. http://www.buydermacyte.com/ My mom wanted to get a little plastic surgery done last year, but she ended up unable to get it done. When I got the email that I won these, I was so excited because I could give it to her for the holidays. One product is Oxygen Concentrate and the other is Oxygenating Eye Complex. The blog that I entered the giveaway at gave rave reviews on both, so I'm hoping my Mom will enjoy a little luxury. The blog hosting the giveaway was http://www.candidclevercosteffective.net
I received a nice sample size of Redkin shampoo that I gave to Jake. I think it's half empty in the shower already.
As you can guess, I love getting the mail. I love getting freebies, samples, prizes! Most of the time these outnumber the bills so I still get the mail with a smile on my face.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Recent wins
I won a Xeko Trading card set, which I have to research because I have no idea what it is! It was from the Quicken Loans instant win. 8-30-2010 11:46pm
Today I received an email for my first blog win! It's for a shirt and back to school set from Pigtail Pals through the blog Confessions of an Overworked Mom! I plan on giving this to my neice Brianna for the holidays.
Today I received an email for my first blog win! It's for a shirt and back to school set from Pigtail Pals through the blog Confessions of an Overworked Mom! I plan on giving this to my neice Brianna for the holidays.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Hello
I started this blog a long time ago and I forget what my intentions were with it then. I have no specific intentions for this one either, but I guess anything can happen! I like to enter sweepstakes and I was shying away from any blog sweepstakes as they were often a little more involved than a simple entry form. I was looking over some of the prizes for said sweepstakes and some are pretty interesting. Often they require that you follow them, so I figured I should update my blog here.
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