Fill in the Blank Friday

Image credit: Lauren

1.   My current obsession is      weirdly enough, marshmallows. I just polished off a bag of mint-chocolate ones  .

2.    Sunshine      makes me happy.

3. My greatest strength is  writing .

4. My need for control  is my greatest weakness.

5. My life is    busy! Between picking up extra projects at work and nearing the end of my 10k training, life has been a bit hectic .



6. In high school I was    such a perfectionist and so driven. I was super book-smart but not so street-smart. I strived for great grades, good friends, and the star ballerina .

7. When I'm super tired    I can unconsciously get extremely cranky and short with people. I really can't think of anything else but sleep when I'm that tired; I go into survival mode .

Make sure you link up with Lauren if you play along! Have a wonderful weekend! I'll be enjoying our new fall weather by apple-picking with my family and then having what will probably be the last cookout of the year.

Girl Needs a New... [Fill in the Blank]

Ok, or I just need to beef up the savings account. I have seen several bloggers I read do this as an alternative to Goodwill or consignment, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

I'm putting some items from my spring/summer wardrobe on an end-of-season sale to celebrate the first day of fall. Below is the first group of many since I'm still cleaning out the closet.

The details:

• PayPal only, prices include standard shipping within the US
• If you're buying multiple items, I can do a discount
• Sales are final
• If interested, send an email to jhoward03 {at} gmail {dot} com
• Unless otherwise noted, condition is worn but well-cared for (no rips, worn spots, stains, etc.)

$12

Gap short-sleeve cotton/lycra sweater in raspberry color, size small. This top was perfect to wear to work in warmer weather, but it also looks great with jeans. Also available in pink and blue (color and fabric samples below).

$12

Puma heavyweight cotton pique golf shirt in lime green, size large (these ran small, I'm a 35-36" bust). If you golf, this shirt is perfect; if you don't, it's a nice bright polo to pair with shorts or jeans in the summer. This is a high-quality shirt that I only wore a couple of times; it's like new. I also have it in pink and turquoise -- color samples below.

$15

Gap three-quarter sleeve cotton/lycra cable-knit sweater in pink, size small. Just like the cotton sweaters above, this was a spring work staple for me. It's a little Lily Pulitzer, but if that's your style, you're gonna love it!

$16

Express short-sleeve white cashmere/cotton wrap sweater, size small. You'll need a camisole to wear under this sweater, but it is such a pretty piece to add to your work/dressy wardrobe. Looks so polished with a pencil skirt and pumps. Lightly worn.

$12

Express printed sheer three-quarter sleeve v-neck shirt, size small. Again, you'll need a cami under this, but I loved this top -- even though I only wore it a few times. It's appropriate for work, a date or a night out with the girls. The print is light blue and green (zoomed-in picture below).

$8

New York & Company nylon/spandex camisole in ivory, size medium. Great laying piece for the top above. The satin finish dresses it up more than your typical cotton cami. The straps are adjustable, and it has a shelf bra. Also available in black. Both camis were only worn a few times; they are like new.

$14

American Eagle khaki cotton shorts, size 8. These shorts have a three-inch inseam and low-rise; they sit on the hip. Button fly, belt loops, front slash pockets and back slot pockets, weathered edges and finish, and stretch fabric. These shorts are like new.

$14

Old Navy slate blue cotton shorts, size 8. These shorts have similar styling to the AE shorts above with a higher rise and a less worn finish. There is a hook and slot closure with zipper fly. (Sorry they are so wrinkled! They were in my dresser at the bottom of a pile.)

$14

Old Navy khaki cotton twill shorts, size 8. These shorts have a five-inch inseam with front slot pockets and back utility pockets. Button closure and zipper fly, low rise, like new condition.

$14

SU... GSJC denim skirt, size 9 junior. Skirt has classic denim jean styling with worn finish on front and back, medium denim color. I am 5'5" and it hit my mid thigh. 

$16

J.Crew cotton twill cargo skirt, size 6. I wore this skirt maybe twice, so it is like new, despite being wrinkled. There is a cargo pocket on one side, flap pockets with button closures on the back and slash pockets in the front. It hit my lower thigh.

I hope to get another one of these posts up this week, and I will update this post as items are sold.

It's Where I'm From



Image credit: Wikipedia



I am from swing sets, bikes and books, from American Girl and Disney.

I am from the stairs that creak, the floors that feel cold and the kitchen that smells of garlic.

I am from the garden that grew every summer, the apple tree.

I am from Thursday pasta nights at Nana's and stubborness, from Laura and Lauren.

I am from the loud conversations and squeals of laughter.

From eating everything on your plate and cleaning your room.

I am from God, like everything else that exists. Mass on Sundays, Our Father prayers, saints and sinners, white dresses and Jesus on a cross.

I'm from the home of Harvard University, England, Ireland, Germany and Italy too, from potatoes and pasta.

From the meat-cutter who fell in love with a supermarket cashier, the chemical engineer and the stay-at-home mom.

I am from the two-bedroom apartment on the Charles River, the three-bedroom Cape house that Mom fell in love with; from Walt Disney World, Silver Lake and Niagra Falls; from Nana's house and Catholic schools. I am from good times and bad times, but always from love.

This post inspired by

fill in the blank friday

Image credit: Lauren

1. Somewhere someone is experiencing their dream come true. Inspiring, isn't it?

2. The world is/are my muse.

3. It would suck if summer was no more because I can't deal with the cold and clouds for too long.

4. My perfectly coiffed and bathed dog is/are my favorite thing about today. (He had his first trip to the groomer today! So worth every penny... look...)

5. Life is kind of like a road trip. The journey is the fun part; the destination is just the frosting on the cake.

6. If I could have anything I wanted, I would want enough money and time to travel wherever I desired for however long I needed, whenever I felt like it.

7. A funny thing happened the other day... when I stepped out of my comfort zone and met a wonderful new person.

Following up on that last blank, I ran with Team Luna Chix last night in Cambridge, and it was awesome. I have discovered that I enjoy running with other people (as long as they are at my same pace); it really makes runs fly by. We did 2.3 miles, and I was amazed how quicky it went. I was seriously ready to do another 2-3 miles when we were done! These ladies host weekly runs around the Charles River every Wednesday night, so I'm thinking of trying to join them once a month -- it's just too far for me to go every week.

This weekend should be another good one. Tonight, Jed and I are going to a fund-raising dinner for RI foster children, then I might head out to see a local band I know and grab a quick drink. Tomorrow I am treating myself to a mani-pedi with a Groupon I got, hopefully making it to Yoga class after, then heading out on the boat pending nice weather. Sunday is church day followed by more boat and hopfully some running!

What's on the agenda for you this weekend, dolls?

Labor Day Blanks

Image credit: Lauren

1. One thing that is completely superfluous, but that I could never give up is my dance gear. It took a decade for me to relinquish all of my costumes, let alone my practice gear and bag full of shoes that I hang on to.

2. Forced conversation makes me feel awkward.

3. I can't start my day without, coffee.

4. Fruit is my favorite snack.

5. Lately I've been really focused on runnhing and being my best self.

6. If at first you don't succeed try again, if it's worth it to you.

7. Fall is coming too quickly this year! I'm not ready to leave summer yet.


Fill in your favorite blank in the comments, then tell me what you're planning for Labor Day weekend! Or, visit the little things we do and fill in the blanks on your blog.

My plans are rain-dependent this week, as there is a chance of rain all weekend, with increasing liklihood as the weekend progresses. Saturday, we're planning a little boating followed by a cookout at my parents' house (as if I haven't spent enough time there this week already!). Jed's cousin is getting married on Sunday, so we'll be celebrating with them, and I'm looking forward to a lovely wedding. On labor-free day, we'll be back on out the boat if the rain holds out, otherwise, I'm sure we'll be chilling -- maybe catch a movie.

That Time When...

This idea just came to me: To record those memorable (or not-so-memorable) life moments on this blog using a bit of that Friends theme. For your edification (or warning), I'll use the above title for all of these posts.

Let's get right into it.

That time when... we lost power for four days courtesy of Hurricane Irene and National Grid. As you may or may not know, Hurricane Irene made her way up the East coast this past weekend, hitting New England early Sunday.

I wasn't overly concerned; I thought it was going to be a bust. I even partied for her arrival Saturday night at Gillette Stadium for Kenny Chesney's Goin' Coastal tour (amazing, by the way). I glaced above to watch the show lights illuminate rapidly moving dark clouds, but I just thought it was a cool effect to an already crazy, to-heck-with-the-weather atmosphere. The bands seemed to play on forever, throwing their collective middle finger up at the rain, and by the end of the night, the set list had been swept away.

Sunday morning was a different story -- although, as Kenny promised, I did wake up with the words to Out Last Night running through my brain. I also woke up to no power, rain and some pretty impressive (but no where near scary) gusts of wind. No biggie. We'll unplug for the day, hang out in our PJ's, play Monopoly and order delivery for dinner. We went over to Jed's parents after dinner to make s'mores over their grill and chill in the candlelight.

I got kinda freaked when I woke up Monday morning still without power; I was not used to this (the longest I had been without power was, maybe, six hours). I admit that I used a vacation day at work to emotionally deal with the entire situation. I emptied the freezer and brought everything to my parents' house since they got power back. I used the time without TV to fold two loads of laundry that had been waiting around for over a week. I tidied up the house. I went for a run to assess the neighborhood damage and pick up the fallen branches in the yard. I finished the book I was reading. When Jed got out of work, we ran down the street to eat dinner at a local restaurant. (Yes, it was very weird to have power a block away from our house for three days while we were in the dark.) I read by a LED camping lantern and went to bed early. The darkness was unreal, but the silver lining was being able to see the stars like never before.

Tuesday morning? Still no power. I took Morris to my parents' house, where I worked for the day and took a hot shower (oh, the cold shower on Monday was a shock). Jed drove up after work, and my parents were nice enough to feed us a good meal.

Still no power Wednesday morning. The day before, I had started following National Grid on Twitter, along with hastags #RI and #RIirene. Whoa, there was some serious bitterness going on! I was upset, but I also realized that there wasn't too much I could do besides alert them of our blackout and follow the updates. My main concern was all my food going bad in the fridge and freezer. I was grateful that all of our Omaha stuff made it safely frozen to my parents' house, and I could deal with what was left. I was also grateful that we still had water (albeit cold only) at our house.

National Grid had given us and estimated time of restoration of 6:00 p.m. Wednesday. I tried calling our house phone several times Wednesday, and it rang busy -- which indicated we still didn't have power. I had dinner at my parents' house Wednesday night, and we called, and the phone rang! By the time I got home last night, our lights were on, our fridge was running, and our clocks were flashing that glorious random time. I was so happy!

Man, I will never take electricity for granted again! It really is amazing how much we have come to rely on it. My heart goes out to those in my area who still don't have power and are facing ETR's of Sunday. I really feel for them, but I am giddy with my hot water, lights and TV right now!

What do you do when you lose power?