Help Wanted

I'm stressing guys. I need some of your awesome advice.

I've been working at my current job for four years now. They pay for my school (Paralegal Studies), I just jumped up to 3 weeks vacation, the pay is good, I'm comfortable here, and I don't have anyone breathing down my neck telling me what to do all day. I also have a lot of downtime. I don't stress about my job because I'm rarely ever overwhelmed here.

With that being said, there is talk of the company getting bought out. No one has a clue what would happen if that should occur. Will we have a job next year? Not to mention all of the permits that the EPA is pulling causing us to shut down mines left and right. Even if we don't get bought out, will there be enough production to keep our jobs? Not to mention that there is absolutely no room for advancement unless someone quits, retires, or dies. And no one EVER quits.

It's not secure to work at a coal company. Everyone knows that. I've been laid off once already from here, but thankfully they brought me back.

Now, why am I stressing? Because I've applied for a job with the city. It's basically the same thing I do here, except $1.20 more on the hour. And I don't think the city is going to be going anywhere anytime soon. Job security. Sounds appealing right? But what if I hate it? I can't come back. What if I lose that laid back environment that I enjoy so much? What if everyone there is mean and hates me?

I know what you're thinking too because Boyfriend keep saying the same thing, "They haven't even offered you the job, why are you stressing?"

Because I am scared to DEATH that they are going to. I know its a great opportunity and there is probably a whole lot more room for advancement, but I am comfortable where I am. I am going to get stuck here for the rest of my life because I'm afraid of changes.

I keep telling myself that I'll leave this place when they make me. When we close down or when I get laid off. Year after year it doesn't happen, so year after year I stay put. I'm in a rut and am afraid to get out. I can think of so many reasons to stay, but one BIG reason to leave. With the city, at least I'll know I can count on having a job the following week, the following month, the following year.

A Note

Giggle, Wiggle, and Jiggle

Is it just me or did this Thursday take FOREVER to get here? I couldn't even remember what the poll was because it's been so long!

I don't think I've ever had so many votes on a poll before. The actual poll counter says 47, but obviously it cannot count because there were actually 64. I expected the house/land choice to win and that would have been my vote. A lot of you commented that you would want to pay your bills off first and I purposely left that out because I wanted it to be an actual purchase. I, too, would pay off everything before I started buying.

Travel tickets came into a close second and absolutely no one chose plastic surgery. Which makes me happy. Own your hottness :)

So the new poll for the week is What did you want to be when you grew up? And this was inspired by Not the Hero's post I read yesterday. The poll is over to your right and there is also a line that says, "And I did it." So vote twice if it applies!

The Giggle Button winner this week was Lyndy Lou! She answered, What was the relationship between Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia? They were indeed brother and sister....that kissed. Go click on the Giggle Button!

And finally, my weekly recommendation. I always struggle with this because I want to list all of you. And I keep a list to make sure that I don't put someone twice. So I was going through my list this morning and was shocked that I haven't recommended one of my favorite blogs yet. I was probably trying to be selfish and keep her all to myself, but alas, I will share.

Dribble...

It's almost Friday everyone! Smile!

Wee Bit Wednesday

{one} do you always wear your seatbelt in the car?

Always. My car beeps at me every 2 seconds if I don't.

{two} do you crack your knuckles?

Yes. Like all the time.

{three} what is your favorite flavor of gum?

Winter fresh

{four} what is your favorite piece of jewelry that you own?

my Alice in Wonderland charm bracelet, my Coach ring, and my Coach bracelet.

{five} who is your best friend?

I have two best friends. One I've known since Kindergarten and the other is actually my first cousin. So, we've been friends for life.

{six} what is your favorite smell?

freshly baked bread and cookies

{seven} what is your favorite lunch meat?

turkey

{eight} do you still have your tonsils?

Yep, still there.

{nine} do you untie your shoes before you take them off?

I only have one pair of shoes that have laces and no, I do not ever untie them.

{ten} what color is your car?

white.

Written Notes

I'm going to post twice today, so while I wait on Wee Bit Wednesdays, I thought I'd participate in something that Steph C. and Amy did. I actually think Meg O. started this whole handwriting thing which is awesome!

Anyways, here are the questions.

1. What's your name/blogger name?
2. What's your blog's URL?
3. Write "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog."
4. Favorite quote?
5. Favorite song?
6. Favorite band/singers?
7. Anything else...?
8. Tag 3-5 other peeps

And here are my handwritten answers!

P.S. I had to scan it to my computer, that's why it looks a little weird.

Saved by the Boyfriend

Wow. I got some really great responses on my last post and I want to thank you all. I feel much better about the situation now. I'll be there for her through whatever happens. I've told her how I feel and the last thing I want to do it make her doubt herself and I have no intention of ruining a happy relationship.

Now onto other things...

I have some really important people at the office today. They are actually sitting in the other room while I'm sitting here blogging and waiting for them to come out.

Ok, I'm not THAT bad.

I bought a new professional looking jacket for the occassion. I am horrible with fashion. I literally call my sister of BFF once a week to ask them if something matches. They often tell me no. So last night, while picking out my outfit for today, I asked Boyfriend what color shirt I should wear under the gray jacket.

I wanted to wear red but he said wearing red would make me look like a hooker and said it would stand out too much.

"But I want to stand out." I confessed.

"Not in a business setting."

"Why? Important people like an attractive woman just as well as unimportant people."

Boyfriend sighed and pulled out a black cami. "Try this."

I put it on and while underwhelming, it looked fine.

So this morning while we were getting ready, I put the finishing touches on my outfit and asked how I looked.

"You look very professional, and your boobs look nice."

I smiled big and thanked him.

I put my new high heels on and took the dog out only to discover that it had snowed about five inches. There was no way I was going to wear the heels.

So I put my ugly winter boots on with the intention of changing when I got to the office, grabbed my keys and out the door I went. Halfway to work, I realized I had left the heels.

Turning around would make me late. Ugly shoes trumped being late.

I got to work on time, made a cup of coffee, sat down, turned on my computer and in walked Boyfriend. Holding my shoes AND my iPad that I hadn't even realized I had forgotten.

Trivia question time!!! As always, first to answer chooses who goes on the Giggle Button this week!

What was the relationship between Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia?

I'm gonna talk about my underwear

Weeks ago, Dad took me outlet shopping where I found an amazing deal at the Hane’s outlet. I got six pairs of underwear and three pairs of socks for $7.99.


You can’t beat that.

So I get the underwear that were wrapped in a typical underwear package home and opened them up.

They were literally the size of my hand. They looked like my nieces little underwear sans Dora the Explorer and Minnie Mouse.

Boyfriend was in the other room and I started yelling, “Find me the number to Hane’s. I am going to call and complain.”

He asks why as he walked to the bedroom. He takes a look at the underwear which clearly were not my size and starts laughing his ass off.

I didn’t think it was that funny.

“Look, there is no indication at all that these are children’s underwear.” I told him while I held up the label. “There is even a woman on the cover. A full grown woman!”
Still laughing, Boyfriend was no help so I kicked him out of the bedroom.

I read the cover some more. It said 360 degree stretch. I looked at the underwear, pulled my pants off and put the underwear on.

They fit. Like a glove.

“They actually fit! Now I feel skinny because these tiny things fit me! I am so glad I got six pair, although, they should come with some kind of warning label.” I said running into the living room.

Yesterday, while cleaning off my dresser, I saw a little tag with the Hane’s logo. It said “These will fit you. Try them on.” They should have put that on the front package.

Seriously though…best seven bucks I’ve ever spent. You can’t even tell you are wearing underwear and I have to wear dress pants every day to work and they leave absolutely no panty line.

Giggle, Wiggle, and Jiggle

Good morning Jumble Mashers! Today is Thursday which means another installment of Giggle, Wiggle, and Jiggle.

Last week, I asked you what you thought of Valentine's Day.

Unsurprisingly, most of you thought of it as a Hallmark Holiday. I tend to agree for the most part. I don't think you should only show someone you love them one day a year. BUT I also think its nice to have that day just for you and your significant other. So I didn't vote because I'm on the fence. 

We heart it



New Poll! If you won the lottery, what would be your first purchase? Please vote! It's over there to your right.

This week's trivia question was, In the game of Scrabble, how many letters does each player start with? A lot of you knew this, but only one person could answer first and that was Steph C! It was 7. Go click on the Giggle Button now, I'll wait.

And of course, my weekley recommendation is...

Dangerous Leanings

Danger Boy is oh so funny and has some great stories he likes to share with all of his bloggy friends. Go show him some love!

Wee Bit Wednesday

{one} what is your favorite breakfast food?

pancakes with peanut butter and syrup. mmmm

{two} how many pairs of shoes do you currently own?

Oh jeeze. Like 15 or so?

{three} city or country?

Country for sure. I do not like traffic. Or noise.

{four} what is your favorite part of your job?

That I work independently and don't have someone breathing down my neck all day.

{five} what is your favorite junk food to snack on?

Cookies. Does that count?

{six} have you ever been mentioned in the newspaper?

Yeah, I won an Excellence in Writing contest once and got my picture in the paper.

{seven} do you use post-it notes?

All the time!

{eight} do you have freckles?

A little around my nose, but they are only really visible when I get some sun on my face

{nine} is it okay for men to wear pink?

If they can pull it off. Some men should never ever wear pink.

{ten} when was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?

I wrote Boyfriend a love letter for Valentine's Day actually, but that was the first time in a long time.

My day has officially been made

Imagine how excited I was when I got the mail today and found a package from my good friend Bubbles over at Bursts of Bubbles.

She has this little contest called Make My Day and I was lucky enough to win this beautiful handmade post card.

Which she wrapped in BUBBLE WRAP. Which is obviously the best thing ever.

And THEN she wrote me a lovely note on freakin' Alice in Wonderland stationary. Don't we all know how much I love Alice in Wonderland? No? Well trust me...I do. The whole thing is absolutely perfect and definitely made my day.

Thank you so much, Bubbles!!!!

I don't even know

First, I got an award from the amazing Twilightgazing at As it is, As it Happens.

I have already received this award, so if you are interested in the rule following click here. Thanks Twilightgazing!

Also, I have discovered a new iPad app. It is awesome. It's called Live Sketch for any of you that have an Apple product and app addiction. Check this out.

Even if you can't draw...you can.

See the difference between the Jumble Mash mascot and this one? All you do is draw and it fills in the shadowing and stuff. You can also use color.

And the best part? It's FREE!!

Yeah ok, enough Live Sketch promotion. I'm not even getting paid.

I guess we'll just go ahead and do the trivia question.

In the game of Scrabble, how many letters does each player start with?


First to answer correctly chooses who goes on the Giggle Button for the week!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Boyfriend and I decided to celebrate our Valentine's Day yesterday because we both have to work today. So we were going to go to the restaurant where we had our first date and go see a movie.

I woke up to a fresh pot of coffee, toast with strawberry jelly and a ham and cheese omelet. It was THE best breakfast ever and he did a great job. He has also cleaned the house before I got up so I didn't have to do anything!

We ate breakfast while we watched The Office and then he brought out my gift. It was a small bag and a card. I opened the card first and inside was a heartfelt handwritten (yeah, people still do that) letter from him. It brought tears to my eyes.

Then I opened the bag and this is what I found.

I know the quality sucks. I literally just took the picture with my phone about ten seconds ago. It is an Alice in Wonderland charm bracelet that he found on Etsy. It is absolutely amazing and  the fact that he knows I would love an Alice bracelet makes it even better.
He gets me.

When it came time to go on our date, we struggled getting motivation. I jumped in the shower and then stayed in my towel for like thirty minutes because I didn't feel like getting dressed. He didn't even make it into the shower before we decided that we weren't going. We had been running around all weekend and said to Hell with traditional Valentine's Day. I put pajamas back on, we stayed home, played video games, watched Dinner for Schmucks and ate crumb cake for dinner.

Best.Valentine's.Day.Ever.


Happy Valentine's Day to all my friends! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Speed Limit

One of the questions for Wee Bit Wednesdays this week was about traffic. Since then, I've seen a couple posts about traffic and I have a very serious question for you guys.

What is the speed limit where you live?

:)

Where my office is, we are about 10-15 minutes away from two different state lines. So we have people from West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania working here. The lady from Pennsylvania told me over the summer that our road construction speed limit is what their regular speed limit is.

Here is how fast we can drive in WV.


Interstate -70 mph
Freeway -65 mph
Other Primary Roads- 55 mph
Construction Zone- 55 mph
Residential- 25 mph
School Zones- 15 mph


And for my friends that measure in kilometers...


 120 kph = 75 mph
 104 kph = 65 mph
   88 kph = 55 mph
   40 kph = 25 mph
   24 kph = 15 mph

Or something along those lines.

How fast are you allowed to drive?

Giggle, Wiggle, and Jiggle

Let me start off by saying...I forgot to do the trivia on Tuesday. I suck.

So I'm going to go ahead and put the same person I recommend on the Giggle Button so you guys can visit them over and over and over again!

This and That (As I Bounce Thru Life)

Most of you probably already read Barb's blog because, well, she is totally freakin' amazing, but if you don't, you need to go on over there right now. Run, don't walk. She has some amazing life stories that I absolutely love reading.

Now, for the poll results.

55% of you want summer back. (And yes, I spelled Summber.) I'm completely with the majority. I hate winter. It was 9 degrees Fahrenheit this morning when I got in my car. That's freakin' cold.

So the new poll for the week is, what do you think of Valentine's Day? Another great idea from Amy. Please vote!

Wee Bit Wednesday

{one} ice: crushed or cubed?

Cubed, I guess.

{two} what is your worst traffic pet peeve?

Probably tailgating. Seriously, if you were in a hurry you should have left sooner.

{three} what room in your house best represents your personality?

Our den. We have floor to ceiling shelves filled with games, books, movies and geeky collectors stuff.

{four} do you save old birthday cards?

When I was younger I would put every birthday card my dad sent me in a scrapbook, but not so much anymore.

{five} when was the last time you went on a picnic?

Last spring. As soon as it started getting warm, my friends and I all went to the park, had a picnic and attempted to play played football. It was a blast.

{six} do you regularly check your horoscope?

Nope.

{seven} when you’re home, what do you wear on your feet?

Either socks or my pink fuzzy slippers.

{eight} what’s your favorite gambling game?

Erm, blackjack? I don't think I know how to play anything else.

{nine} have you ever written (or started writing) a book?

Yes, a couple of times. I really need to finish.

{ten} what is your favorite musical?

I have no clue. The only musical I've ever seen was High School Musical. (Shut up, I took my little sister for her birthday.)

I'm It

Mynx tagged me the other day because she was curious to see what I do not leave home without. I have to name 5. Easy.

1. I'm copying Mynx here, but it's definitely true. My purse. This is my new one. Cute, right?

2. My iPad. It never leaves my sight.

3. My cell phone. As much as I'd like to throw it as far as I could sometimes, it's with me wherever I go.

4. A book of some sort. Whether it be a school book or a novel, I have at least one.

5. Ok, here I could say keys, wallet, ID, but I'm pretty sure everyone takes those with them, so I'm gonna go with a hair tie. I could wake up in the morning and do all sorts of pretty things to my hair, but by noon it is up in a pony tail. It bugs the crap out of me.

Now I get to tag 5 other people to play along!

Bubbles from Bursts of Bubbles
Steph C from Forget Me Not

Hed from Hed Above Water
Danger Boy from Dangerous Leanings
Amber from Amber LaShell Rants

Dog wins epic lightsaber battle

My dog loves lightsabers.

Seriously.

Friday, when I got home from work it was already dark outside. When I walked into the house, I immediately smelled something bad. It actually smelled like cat pee. I don’t own a cat.

I have ONE lamp in my living room so it’s always dark in there. Especially when you are looking for something. So I walked around the entire house looking for our flash light to see if maybe Bowen (dog) had had an accident.

No flashlight. I call up Boyfriend and ask where it is. I have him on the phone and he is going through all the places he can think to look and then says, “Check the den.”

I walked in and saw the solution. “Oh this will work.”

BF: What will?

Me: *hits button on lightsaber. Lightsaber makes the whoosh sound*

BF: Really? You are going to use the lightsaber?

Me: Yep. Thanks, I’ll call ya back later.

I knew that thing was going to come in handy at some point. I walk back into the living room to find my dog looking at me like I’m a crazy person. I waved the light saber and it made the sound.

Then my dog went nuts. He kept trying to attack it. And the noise drove him even more insane. So I ran with it. I pretended we were in an epic battle and he was Darth Vadar and his lightsaber was in the shop for repairs. I was winning, too, until he got smart.

He decided biting it would be more helpful than trying to knock it out of my hands with his paws. I figured Boyfriend would be pretty angry if I let Bowen break his lightsaber so I quit playing.

Bowen did not. He kept trying to grab the thing out of my hands and all I was trying to do was look for the source of the smell. I was totally innocent. You see that right?

There I am waving the lightsaber around to make light and he kept jumping up and taking it from me. It turned into a big game of chase. Imagine me chasing him to get the lightsaber back, then me taking it, then him chasing me, him taking it back and then me chasing him. It really was a vicious cycle that could only be stopped by putting the damn thing away.

Then I found a lantern. The lantern worked better anyways. I did not however find any pee. I took out the trash and mopped and cleaned and the smell is gone, but I’m not sure where it was coming from. Boyfriend says we have a cat hiding in our linen closet. I checked. There’s nothing there.

Mom, are you high?

I know I rarely talk about my mother on here…well anywhere for that matter, but I was reading AD’s blog yesterday and it reminded me of a story about her.

Before my mom’s second divorce, we actually had a pretty good relationship. After that, things pretty much went down hill, but that’s another story.

Anyways, I came home from school one bright shiny spring day and walked inside. The house was quiet and the lights were off. I lived in a house with 8 other people. Silence was nearly unheard of. So I was already suspicious.

I don’t remember now where my other siblings were at the time, I just remember that I was the only one in the house.

I walked into the kitchen to find a bag of marijuana on the table. I was like 15. I knew what marijuana looked like, although I had never seen it in person. My eyes grew wide as I stared at it. My first thoughts were that my oldest brother had been busted with it and they were out having some sort of intervention.

I slowly walked into my mom’s bedroom and to my surprise she was laying on the bed. I walked over to her and shook her slightly. She opened her eyes and I said, “Mom, are you okay?”

“Yeah why?” She groaned.

“Well, um, there is a bag of weed on the table and you were passed out.”

She looked at me with confusion and then as soon as it hit her, she busted out laughing. I mean, she laughed hard. I stood there with my hands on my hips, completely disappointed that my mother had been getting high. I wasn't amused at all.

"It's not funny, Mom, you have some serious explaining to do."

She laughed even harder while I stood there and fumed.

Then, once she stopped laughing, she explained.

“We bought your sister a car today off of some people down the road and when we were cleaning it out we found drugs in it.Your step dad was supposed to dispose of it.”

I stood silent while I processed it, and then said, “So you aren’t high?”

“No, I’m just exhausted. It’s been a long day.” She stood up, and then looked at me. “Wait, how did you know what it was?”

“I-ugh-I mean, I just know.”

Then I got a thirty minute lecture about how drugs are bad for you.

Giggle, Wiggle, and Jiggle

I was out yesterday with yet another stomach bug! Luckily it only lasted about 24 hours and now I feel fine! Although I woke up this morning only to realize that we had run out of fuel to heat our house. Is it spring yet???

I didn't have a poll this week, but luckily Amy hit me up with some poll ideas. So the question is What are your favorite snow activities? The poll is over there to your right. Go vote!!

Amy also won the Giggle Button trivia! She answered, In which film did Jim Carrey play the bank clerk Stanley Ipkiss? The answer was The Mask. And for those of you that haven't seen it, you are missing out! You should totally add it to your must see movies.

And last but not least, my weekly blog recommendation!

A Red Head Named Sam

Sam is very funny and her blog is definitely a good read. Go check her out!

Have you ever...

...Gone to Google images and typed in your blog name?

Yeah. Me neither.

Ok, yes I did. I was bored last night and decided to see what photos popped up when I typed in Jumble Mash.

Yeah, I kinda felt famous for a minute.

Then it passed.

I'm gonna shut up as soon as I ask you the trivia question for today. As always, first to answer gets to choose who goes on the Giggle Button for the week.

In which film did Jim Carrey play the bank clerk Stanley Ipkiss?