Thursday, March 31, 2011

silence the mean girl

I saw this over at Amy's place and KNEW I had to repost and share with you all. if you haven't heard about the Mean Stinks campaign yet (it's slowly making its way around the blogosphere), check it out over here on Facebook.



this is so fitting for me right now, because in recent months, I've decided to make a conscious effort in shedding my inner mean girl. while I will always be an opinionated and vocal person, I will no longer waste my time focusing on negative energy. this means trying really hard not to gossip about others, even when it's encouraged by others. it means biting my tongue when the rude part of me wants to rip someone a new one, and ignoring the negativity around me. it means not criticizing women based on what they wear, how attractive they are, or who they know.

I wouldn't say that I've really been a MEAN person, but I've made the mistake in the past of speaking the truth for the sake of showing how "honest" I am, and I've hurt peoples' feelings. I've gossiped (haven't we all?) behind the backs of other girls, and I've participated in general harassment of others for a good laugh. I've been involved in other folks' drama just because it was interesting and entertaining for me, and not because I actually gave a shit about the outcome. I'm not proud of that, but it was a very Mean Girl thing to do, and I'm passed that stage in my life.

females have the tendency to bring each other down - instead of seeing the good in each other, we pick each other apart and constantly compare ourselves to the girl standing next to us. don't get me wrong... it's difficult sometimes, because it's so easy to get caught up in gossip and it's even easier to judge someone based on appearances. acting like a Mean Girl is something that every girl has done at one point in their life, and while it's not something we SHOULD do, we are all guilty of it. 

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the first step in changing your usual behavior is accepting that it's time for an adjustment. I feel that making this a goal for myself will greatly increase my own positivity in life. I want to be a happier, healthier, nicer MandeeFoFandee, and this is only one of many steps I'm taking to achieve that status.

so instead of looking at another girl and thinking "god, she should really do something with her hair," I'm going think "wow, that's a great top, and it's really flattering on her." instead of partaking in the bashing of other women amongst friends, I'll attempt to say something positive about the situation or person of interest. I want to encourage women to be themselves, and I want to treat others with respect that I would expect from them. 

I think it's awesome and inspiring when women lift each other up. while we obviously all live very different lives, we are all similar in that we live through the same life experiences... we all encounter heartbreak & love, life & death, old & new. it shows courage to praise and strengthen one another for no reason other than the fact that they have the same body parts.

I'm not saying shit is going to be all kumbaya and that I'm suddenly going to be the most perfect person ever, but I do really want to try to silence that inner bad girl part of myself that often gets me into trouble. this is a process that I began in the beginning of the year... just never really blogged about it, I guess. most people will roll their eyes when they read this, I'm sure, because it sounds ridiculous to some. I've been doing well for the most part, although I have had a few relapses here and there. 

I'm sure that I'll slip up in the future, but I'm only human. robots are mistake proof, and I am surely not a robot.

so tell me... do you have an inner mean girl?

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

wee bit Wednesday!



 
{one} if you won a trip to Disneyland/world, who would you take with you?
I would take my little brothers, Tommy (he's 10 years old) & Wyatt (he's almost 3). I never get to spend one on one time with either of them, so I know it would be a really special trip.

{two} when was the last time you listened to a CD?
uh, this morning, haha. I don't even own an ipod... is that weird? I actually got 4 new CDs for Christmas. haha when I asked Sean for CDs, he said "CD? what's that?" asshole.

{three} what spice/seasoning is your favorite?
Old Bay.

{four} if you were in a band, what kind of music would you play?
something feminine, but funky too. maybe a mix between Pepper, Sara Barielles, and Jurassic 5.

{five} if you could have personally witnessed one historical event, which one would it be?
aw man, this is a really hard one. maybe the launch of the internet or something.

{six} if you could go back to school, what would you study?
I am currently back in school, and I'm studying Interior Design.

{seven} if you could go to one sporting event, all expenses paid, which one would you see?
crap. I can't choose between the Stanley Cup Championship and the Super Bowl.

{eight} do you drive an automatic or a manual?
automatic, dude. I don't even know how to drive a manual. 

{nine} are you comfortable speaking in front of people?
as long as I'm well informed on what I'm speaking about, yes. if I don't know what the hell I'm talking about, then it's a shit show.

{ten} have you ever experienced an earthquake?
no, I have not. and I'm perfectly happy about that.

Monday, March 28, 2011

weekend recap (shopping goods included)

the hubs and I had to drop the Tundra off for 
regular maintenance on Saturday... so instead 
of waiting in the service center for hours 
(yes, hours... it took them FIVE hours to perform 
the scheduled maintenance,  
even though we had an appointment... 
don't even get me started on how pissed I am with them), 
we decided to do a little shopping.

to be honest, I wasn't impressed with the majority of the items in the store. 
luckily, on my way out of the store, I realized I had 
missed an entire rack right in the front, 
which held all of the things I ended up purchasing. 

here's what I got:

 
Daytrip Babydoll Dress
I thought this was a top until I tried it on and realized how long it was. it could definitely be worn as a dress (but I'd only feel comfortable doing so with leggings because of my height), so I plan on wearing it as a top. it's really flattering and the chiffon overlay makes it more interesting than just a plain grey top. 

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Daytrip Drop Waist Dress
I was nervous about this one, because it's a basic rayon and spandex blend, which means that it hugs just a little bit, but it's still got that stretch. surprisingly, probably because of the drop waist, it fit well and was actually pretty flattering to my body type. I love the vibrant color too - it can be dressed up nicely with the right jewelry and shoes! 
and bonus... it has pockets. I love pockets on dresses.

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Rusty Peyote Strappy Dress
perfect summer dress. it has a bit of black embroidery at the top, which gives it just a little more detail than the basic black dress. the elastic waist allows for a little give and slack so that it doesn't have to be worn skin tight, which I love. and again, it has pockets, which made it an instant win. 


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the last top I got was impossible to find on the Buckle website, but it looks exactly like this:
super small photo from this ebay listing
yep, it's mustard. surprised?

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I also made a stop at Victoria's Secret, because I desperately needed new bras that actually fit me properly. I bought one of the Bio Fit bras in a black/nude lace, which is amazingly comfortable. I also purchased two cotton push up bras (which were on sale - 2 for $45) - one is navy blue with white polka dots, and the other is a basic heather grey. VS was having a major pantie sale as well, so I picked up 7 pairs of cotton underwear for $25. 

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other than our impromptu shopping trip, we had a pretty low key weekend in the FoFandee household. I did literally a million loads of laundry, went grocery shopping, did a little cleaning and we caught up on some DVR'd shows. did anyone else catch the Shameless finale last night? I'm so hooked on that show - cannot WAIT for next season! I also did a bit of cuddling with the Bear cub yesterday between loads of laundry. 



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oh, and I started reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak last week - I can't really get into it. I'm not sure if it's the format of the writing or if I'm just burned out on fast reads. has anyone read this book? most reviews on GoodReads are raves, but I'm just not feeling it. I'm going to give it another good effort before I decide to put it down... after all, I'm only about 50 pages in, so it could definitely just be a slow start. 

Happy Monday, ya'll!

Sunday, March 27, 2011

from A to Z

I promptly stole this from my friend Erinn. I had every intention of finishing it on Friday, but I got caught up in work stuff, and I spent the entire day yesterday running errands and doing a little shopping... I'll show you my goods in another post. I love surveys... play along if you'd like!

A. Age: twenty-five, as of last week.

B. Bed size: it's a king. I could never go back to a queen.

C. Chore you dislike: uh... all of them, which is obvious if you've ever seen my house. for real though, washing dishes really blows, especially since we don't have a dishwasher.

D. Dogs: none. I'd like to have one eventually, but we don't have the space right now.

E. Essential start to your day: coffee, which coincidentally, I did not have this morning.

F. Favorite color: green, grey, and mustard. I can't pick just one and you can't make me. 



G. Gold or Silver: white gold.

H. Height: I'm almost 5'-9" tall.

I. Instruments you play(ed): I learned how to play the flute when I was in 5th grade. but that was something everyone had to do. no talents here.

J. Jelly bean flavor: I will seriously eat the shit out of some Jelly Bellies, as long as it's not the licorice or popcorn flavored ones.

K. Kids: not yet, but we're workin' on it. ;)

L. Lucky Number(s): 12.

M. Month: I'm gunna have to go with May on this one.

N. Nicknames: Mandeefofandee, Mandee Ree, Stank Ass (affectionate, no?), Quinn. 

O. Overnight hospital stays: when I was born, and then again when I was 17 - I had an abscess of fluid in my tonsils (it was an infection, pervs), and had to be hospitalized for a few days.

P. Pet peeves: negative Nancy minded folk, when people don't pick up their feet when they walk, the saying "could care less"... it's "COULDN'T care less" you fucking idiots. "could" implies that you actually could care less. what else? normal stuff like bad hygiene, crazy drivers, traffic, etc. also, close talkers. gimme my space, man.

Q. Quote from a movie: "It's not a purse, it's called a satchel. Indiana Jones wears one." - The Hangover



R. Righty or Lefty: Righty.

S. Siblings: Two real brothers and two half brothers... so mathematically... three brothers. :)

T. Time You Wake Up: anytime between 8 and 8:30.

U. Underwear: I wear them, yes. in fact, I just went on a little mini shopping spree at VS this weekend.

V. Vegetables you don't like?: hmm, any kind of beans really... except green beans. I love those. I'm not big on beets or mushrooms. and I only like onions if they're cooked... no raw onions here.

W. What makes you run late?: shit... what DOESN'T make me late is more like it. unfortunately, I'm one of those people who is chronically late... not to the point where I'm like 20 minutes late, but I'm always late by a few minutes. I'm just really really bad at time management, but luckily, Sean helps with that.

X. X-rays you've had?: oh man, tons... my teeth/mouth, nose when it was broken, ankle, both wrists.

Y. Yummy food you make?: homemade mac & cheese.

Z. Zoo animal favorites?: HIPPOS. and alligators, zebras, tigers, polar bears, monkeys... pretty much all of them, but hippos are always number one.



Hope everyone is having a fun weekend! 

Friday, March 25, 2011

fill in the blank Friday!

it's that time again! 
I'm so happy it's Friday...
and so is Lauren... 
(...and Rebecca Black).
play along with me and 
some fabulous folks over here






1.   My most prized possession is       my inherited family jewelry. I have a pair of my mom's diamond stud earrings and a pair of my grandmother's earrings... I would be devastated if I lost them. 

2.  If I could be one age for the rest of my life, I would want to be    hmm... maybe 23. I really loved my 23rd year - it's the year I got married! we'll see how 25 goes though! ;) 

3.  The best way to spend a weekend is    relaxing, spending time with loved ones, being productive, and being happy. 

4.  My outlook on life is     life is what you make it. if you walk around with a negative attitude, chances are, you're going to experience negative situations. if you try to have a positive outlook, you'll see the bright side of things and therefore you'll be happier.

5.  If you want to annoy me, just     scuff your feet when you walk.

6.  I am completely defenseless when it comes to     cheese. I fucking love cheese.

7.  When dressing for the day one should     remember that you have to be comfortable in your own skin before you can be comfortable in cute clothes. :) 

eye candy














[ all images via decor pad ]

Thursday, March 24, 2011

19 Minutes [book review]

Summary

19 Minutes, written by Jodi Picoult, is a story about a devastating event that occurred in the small town of Sterling, New Hampshire. Sterling is much like most small towns, where everyone know each other and nothing exciting ever happens - until one fateful day when a shooting takes place at the local high school, shattering the lives of virtually the entire town. The shooter is arrested, and the story follows the progress of the trial, but also includes flashbacks to the past when life was simpler for the kids involved. 


The tale is told from the perspective of many different characters - from the judge prosecuting the young man, her daughter, the shooter, the police detective who investigates the incident, and many others. 19 Minutes examines the ins and outs of the trial proceeding as well as the varying emotions involved with such a tragic event. The inner workings of the mind belonging to the shooter (who was the victim of bullying his entire life) are also explored.  


Review

There's a reason for the phrase "you can't judge a book by it's cover." The cover of this book left much to be desired, if I'm being completely honest. I don't even remember how I heard about this book, but I bought it, and it sat on my bookshelf waiting to be read while I devoured fast reads such as The Help, The Hunger Games and Water For Elephants. In fact, I actually put this book down to read the entire Hunger Games trilogy and did not complete it until months after originally opening it.

With that said, I ended up really enjoying this book. At first, because it's told in so many different voices, it was difficult to get into, but as I got further into it, it was harder to put down. The struggle between the two main characters, Peter & Josie, is absolutely intriguing - they were friends at a young age, and due to the pressure to be popular, Josie inherited a new group of friends in high school, leaving Peter behind to suffer the daily torture of his classmates. 

The character interaction developed by Jodi Picoult in this novel pulled on my heartstrings, to say the least. I was immediately drawn to the multiple third person narrative aspect of 19 Minutes. Although I think it was choppy at times, she made it work. You could clearly identify each person's "part" in the book without needing subtitles above their sections.

The shooting happens literally within the first 25 pages of the book, which was a huge relief for me. I hate waiting for something exciting to take place, and the big event being in the beginning was a change of pace compared to books I usually read. The story develops through the chapters, and with each character, your opinions change. Each character had a distinguished personality, and the emotions they felt seeped through the pages. Because the story parallels the Columbine shootings, it was clear that Picoult did her research when channeling the devastation felt by the entire community.

To say this book was thought provoking would be an understatement. The text is raw, heartfelt, and sympathetic to everyone involved, including the family of the shooter. I would recommend it, if only for the fact of how it made me feel and think. The fact that it's something that could happen at any point in time to anyone you know makes it that much more believable.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

wee bit Wednesday!




{one} what was your first job?
I was a hostess @ Chili's when I was 14. they fired me for my "bad attitude." haha

{two} have you ever seen a stand up comedian?
oh geez, tons! Bob Saget, Louis CK (my favorite), Chelsea Handler, Todd Barry, Daniel Tosh, and a bunch of other locals.

{three} when was the last time you played mini golf?
it's been years.

{four} what was the last picture you took?
one of myself for my blog post this morning, haha.

{five} burnt food: yes or no?
only marshmallows.

{six} if you have a pocket full of change, what do you do with it?
I never have a pocket full of change... it goes in my purse as soon as it hits my hand.

{seven} can you touch your tongue to your nose?
psh, no. but that would be cool.

{eight} do you scrapbook?
nah, it's too time consuming for me.

{nine} do you buy lottery tickets?
occasionally we do.

{ten} do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind it?
behind it.

[twenty-five]

I am twenty-five years old today. I woke up this morning to my cute husband whispering "happy birthday" in my ear, a funny ass voicemail from one of my best friends, 45 emails notifying me of wall posts on Facebook, and a few texts from friends. 

I hate working on my birthday, but I'm extremely busy with projects this week, so I didn't have the heart to take the day off. luckily, I'll make up for it with dinner at my favorite restaurant tonight with my family. I can't wait! 

I already received my birthday gift from Sean, which was my new zoom lens. Kaley gave me some down right awesome presents this weekend - a mustache necklace (see pic below), a headband with a mustard fabric flower, a beer koozie that says "birthday bad ass" and a cute kitty card (imagine that). and you saw my new Vera Bradley wallet from Kaycie. 
 
to say I've had an amazing birthday so far would be an understatement. I'm so lucky to have such generous and thoughtful friends - I don't know what I'd do without them! 
 


I was a little apprehensive about turning 25. I just feel like it's such a "serious" age, and I'm not so much a serious person. I view 25 as being the real deadline for adulthood... meaning I can't really do childish things anymore, because I'm really an adult now. for instance, I can't just go out with friends and get sloppy drunk without being judged because I'm 25  
and 25 year old women shouldn't act like that because it's not very "adult." 

I know it's an absolutely ridiculous concept, especially since I've considered myself an "adult" since I hit the ripe old age of 18, but still... it's my insane thinking that makes me who I am... who just happens to be 25 today. 

so I've decided to throw all my preconceived ideas of 25 out the window... 
I'm going to embrace 25, just like I do everything. 
age is nothing but a number, right?
my car insurance will go down, and I can legally rent a car. 
I'm hoping to conceive a baby in the next few months. 
my mom was 25 when she got pregnant with my brother, Matthew.
I'm a quarter of a century old. 
halfway to fifty. 
five years away from thirty, which they say, is the new twenty.
I have a feeling 25 will be a good year.


Happy Wednesday!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

tidbits, yo

  • UGH. slacker blogger. very busy weekend for this girl - beer night Friday, errands Saturday afternoon, birthday celebration Saturday evening, and hanging out with friends/writing a paper Sunday. 
  • as you saw in this post, I finally upgraded my phone. I was the proud owner of the LG Dare for almost 2 years. my upgrade day was St. Patrick's Day (luck o' the Irish, say what?), so on Friday, we ventured out to Verizon to get the Droid X. I was torn between that and the Thunderbolt, but I just couldn't justify paying $250 for a cell phone... and the extra memory and the kickstand was just not worth $100 to me. so far I'm really loving my Droid. if you have any recommendations for apps, let a sister know! 
  • check out my sweet birthday card I got from Kaycie. does she know me well or what?


  • I went out with friends this weekend to celebrate my 25th birthday! we started out with a small group and dinner at a local Japanese Steakhouse, and then moved next door to Cadillac Ranch. I was so happy to have so many people come out to celebrate with me - we had an amazing evening full of laughter, flowing drinks, and memorable conversations. I am a lucky girl. here are some pictures (most were not taken by me, and I'll have more to post once Kaley uploads hers! AHEM!)








  • on the other hand, I don't know if I'm ready to turn 25. I know that 25 is not old by a long shot, but I just feel very "adult" saying 25.
  • I'm slowly moving through my 2011 Reading Challenge. I've now read 9 books this year - I finished two of Emily Giffin's books within about a week. I loved the first, Something Borrowed... I was really drawn to the narrator, Rachel, and was thrilled with the ending. The second book, Something Blue, was... alright... it's from the perspective of the other main character, Darcy, and I honestly hated her. I ended up liking her a bit more by the end, but overall, I was kind of underwhelmed with the story in comparison to the first. I'll be doing lengthy reviews for both books when I have the time. 
  • speaking of reading and writing - I wrote an 800 word essay on the reliability of Nick Carraway as the narrator of The Great Gatsby for my English class yesterday during my lunch break. I started it Sunday and emailed it to myself to finish and send over to my professor from work. went to save the file, and it was corrupted. instead of copying & pasting like an intelligent person would do, I just x'ed out of it. lost the WHOLE thing, minus the measly two paragraphs I had written the night before. talk about pissed... I had to re-write the entire thing last night. 
  • Bear is really ridiculously good looking. just sayin. 

  • spring is officially here and I am SO excited. that's pretty much all I have to say about that. 
  • since I had my last training session in February, I've only been to the gym once, and that was for a spin class. last week. I really need to get back into the swing of things when it comes to working out, but if I'm being honest here, that month off felt amazing. I'm still doing well with my eating habits... still staying away from fatty, greasy, and non-nutritional food. I need to stop making excuses as to why I can't work out, starting with tonight!

Happy Tuesday! 

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Droooooid

That's right folks... I'm finally moving up to smart phone status. I got rid of my crappy LG Dare and upgraded to the Droid X. I could have gone with the HTC Thunderbolt but I just couldn't justify spending $250 on a cell phone. So Droid it is!

I've been having a blast playing with it this evening but I've still got a long way to go before I get it all figured out.

Oh, and lookie what else I got tonight... a pretty new Versailles pattern wallet... thanks to Kaycie, who knows me too well!

Happy weekend!


Friday, March 18, 2011

fill in the blank Friday!

play along with Lauren


1.   The best deal I've ever gotten is       I honestly don't know. I mean I always try to find coupons and online codes when I'm shopping, but I can't recall a time when I got something for so cheap that I felt the need to remember it. 

2.  If I were hosting a dinner party and could invite people from my fantasy guest list it would include    Louis CK, Richard Blais, Rachel Reider, Pink, Alexander Skarsgard, Kate Hudson, Chelsea Handler, Adam Duritz, and Dean Koontz. you could say I've thought about this before... and you'd be right. 

3.  Something that inspires me is    pretty much everything - nature, design, novels, etc. 

4.  If I could only choose to eat one flavor of food for the rest of eternity (sweet, salty, spicy, bitter....) I would have to go with     salty, for sure. I don't have a serious sweet tooth like most people, but I have a salty tooth.

5.  I dream about     crazy ass shit. 

6.  My weekend will be spent       celebrating my 25th birthday with my favorite people! I'm having dinner with some close friends and then meeting everyone else out at a bar later in the evening. it should be a really fun night, and I am SO excited. oh, and Sunday will most likely consist of my ass on the couch all day and suffering from a terrible hangover.

7.  If I could only  watch one movie or TV show for the rest of my life, it would be      no way dude. I can't make that decision. I am a TV junkie... there is no possible way I could only watch one for the rest of my life.