trying to contain my jealousy

yes, kate middleton is now her royal highness the duchess of cambridge.

sort of jealous of that.

2 billion people watched her wedding.

not THAT jealous of that, seems like a lot of expectation.

she look teeny and gorgeous and very much like the future queen of england in her gown.

won't lie...made me a little jealous.

the carriage ride after?

SO jealous.

but more than the gown, or the title, or the prince, or the shot at being queen or the personal stylist and clothing allowance and gobs of shoes and crown jewels at her disposal?

i'm jealous of the tumblr.

SHEER. GENIUS.

i'm on the train...and my next stop is weeks away!

we all know...i love to save money.
hence why the library is one of my most favorite places....i read like a fiend, and we'd be living in a fort made of books on the street corner if we bought every one i read.

or, i'd have to try and find like-minded readers at the grocery store and the water works and whatnot to barter goods and services for the last novel i'd flown through.

and somehow...that seems unlikely.

which means i've got a serious decision to make.

i put myself on the library request for the hunger games on MARCH 6TH. i got it last thursday.

i read it between 5pm yesterday, and 1:30 this afternoon.

IT WAS AMAZING. like, pee your pants, want to be as awesome as katniss AMAZING.

and now? now i'm number FIVE on the request list for the second book, catching fire. and i may actually go crazy between now and then, waiting for slow-ass, totally ignorant teeny boppers hogging up my book and making me wait!

sooooo....there might be a book purchase (or 2, since i'll clearly need to get mockingjay also) in my future.

anyone else LOVE this book?? cuz none of my friends are readers...and i need to talk about the awesome!

feeling ahead of the game...sort of.

can you believe easter is over?! here at casa de dukes...we had a GREAT day at my grandmother's house, hanging out in the yard, dyeing eggs, eating hot dogs, shooting a pistol, and taking a trek through the woods to find my sister's dog. luckily...she's back and safe and sound (the dog, not my sis...but she's fine too!).

and now begins what i like to call the holiday marathon.

easter is over.
dad's birthday is the beginning of may.
then mother's day.
the hubs' birthday.
then a friend's birthday.
then father's day.
then ANOTHER friend's birthday.
then mom's birthday.
then my birthday!!!!
then the last friend's birthday.

then it's august. yes kids...IT'S A MARATHON!!!!

so, getting a jump on my shopping is TRES important!!

as of right now....i have THREE gifts in my possession!!

first up is a tee shirt for my dad, the harley-loving dude named bob.

it's black, with a motorcycle on it, and a logo that says "bob's custom cycles". AMAZING.

mama is getting this for mother's day...super awesome puzzle of the home of my (and her) beloved georgia bulldogs. yes, mama loves puzzles...i'm not getting her a puzzle as some rando present!

then mama will be getting her gleek on for her birthday, with this precious jewel i scored for $20 at target last week!! so so excited about her getting this =)

the bad news? still nothing for the hubs....BUT i have plans to get him a couple small things soon, and he has to pick out the surround sound system he wants before i can buy his big present!

as for me?

these will suffice.

FOR NOW ;)

making some changes in the cranial area

in the last few days...i've finally gotten off my proverbial bum and done a few things that have been on my mind lately. a little biting the bullet if you will.

first off...

on friday, i rocked red lipstick.

for the first time ever.

i've done a darker berry color, or a brick red...but never RED red.

i will say...it made me feel REALLY self-conscious!! like every single person i saw at lunch, or at sam's club or wherever was looking right at my face! i just kept hoping they weren't wondering who the crazy clown-looking girl was!

then saturday, i chopped all my hair off.

okay, so technically it was only about 3 inches...but still. i'm still getting used to it...even though i've had this cut several times. i just hope it doesn't make me look all of 19...we'll see if i get carded somewhere soon.

also on saturday, i picked up this HEINOUS picture at goodwill for $4....but you'll have to wait a few days to see the transformation it undergoes =)

if anyone is wondering...the red lipstick is actually gloss, it's the new revlon colorburst gloss in fire...LOVE it. the pigment it great, and it lasts a pretty long time!

anyone else make some weekend changes?

does it count as spending if it's DIY?

ahh the joys of being a one income house. the non-earning party (that would be yours truly) feels REALLY guilty when she wants to shop...but the main pc needs a new hard drive, and  her beloved hubs needs a new clutch for his car (cuz it makes super scary screechy noises, and while the 6 figures i'd get from the life insurance might SEEM nice...i'd rather have the hubs. plus, dating again sounds AWFUL).

mkay, off the tangent train.

i've found that a lot of times....a trip to the craft store for supplies satisfies my shopping urge, and also means i get fun new accessories on the cheap.

and thus comes my newest possible obsession.

this rope necklace tutorial from honestly wtf.

it's definitely funky, it's definitely customizable to some fun-ness...AND it means a trip to the home depot, so the hubs would be totally down with that.

the good news: i'm pretty sure i can follow the instructions.

cuz i've already rocked out the woven chain bracelet (two in fact....with the thread for several more, just gotta settle up the color combos...mostly neons and bright colors right now!), and the braided hex nut bracelet (again, already have a couple...twine, and some neon ones with silver nuts. do we see a theme??)

the bad news: i'm a little intimidated by it's outrageousness.

would you actually wear this? or would you silently mock the redhead you see at target wearing this when you see her out and about?

should i go for it?

i get dessert ADD

if there's one thing my husband ENDLESSLY makes fun of me for...it's my snack food/dessert ADD. we have 3/4 eaten bags of chips, half eaten ice cream containers, 18 month old popsicles...you name it, we've got it.

and it's totally all my fault.

i realize it's my fault...it's like something looks SOOO yummy in the store, and i take it home...and i love it for awhile. and then i get bored. and then i forget about treat #1, in lieu of brand-spankin-new treat #2.

wash, rinse, repeat. ALL the time.

so when i fixed myself a snack last night, and realized that this

was almost completely gone, i was a little sad, cuz it's yummy.

(for serious...it's like mint chocolate chip ice cream and cookies and cream ice cream had a delicious chilly love child. and i have a weekly date with said love-child.)

and a little excited to eat the rest soon and show the hubs the empty carton all full of smug-ness!

i need to know...

is this dress heinous? or adorable?

cuz i can feel it calling to me from target's website...but i can't decide if this is one of those moments when my taste level goes crazy in the realm of pretty patterns.

in case you are NOT in the know...the lovely kristen has a BRILLIANT idea she likes to call...

and i think it's high time i participated.

*roses to spending sunday here,

at amen corner at augusta national. final round of the masters NEVER gets old...AND i've already got my outfit picked out.

*roses to my new mini spin pins, for keeping my super fine hair in a messy bun like i cannot make work alone.

*roses to my new dress from target,

AND the fact that it is long enough to keep the fellas from offering me cash on a corner, even though it's from the juniors section. cuz sometimes...being long-legged is NOT fun. like when skirts make me afraid my lady parts will show.

*thorns to having a friend continue to act shady, and now start being passive-aggressive about it. NOT. COOL.

*thorns to how expensive my high school reunion is gonna end up being...pre-buying drink tickets? i managed beer and wine at my own wedding...but apparently, that's quite a stretch for a group of 28 year olds!!

*thorns to also realizing while the bathroom is now demolished...it means we have to start spending more moolah to get it back working. money tree for me please?

anyone else playing along with ms. lawlor?

function or fashion?

i got a fossil catalog on the mail today....and it did wonders for my birthday wish list =)

rose gold and less than half the price of the michael kors one i've been eyeing at dillards? yes please.

also, teal? and gigantic? sign me up yesterday.

is it weird to get a watch to mostly wear as jewelry? like with other bracelets, or with an outfit it matches? cuz i don't really rock a timepiece daily...unless you count my phone.  and hello, that's practically a limb!

also...might have gone a little nuts in the embroidery thread section of hobby lobby. might have a LOT of braided chain bracelets planned.

might include a little neon twinge to satisfy my current craving =)

getting my bob vila on

i am NOT a fan of manual labor.

i don't like sweating, i don't like hauling things.

what i do like?

FINALLY having alllllll of the tile and concrete and drywall and awfulness from our downstairs bathroom GONE.

all that peach nastiness, plus the INCHES of concrete and thinset and glue and wire and RAZORBLADES is gone. GONE.

and how did it get out of there? the hubs did most of it...and he chucked it all out that window.

so we had a pile of crap underneath a bush in front of our house for months. i called it our booby trap.

and now?

it has ALLLLLL been deposited in this dumpster we rented, and hauled away.

we spent SEVEN HOURS saturday hauling everything into this bad boy, wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow.

oh yeah, there were bunches of bricks too, from when we had to have our chimney removed.

i'll be excited to get working on making the bathroom pretty again.

but this weekend...we're resting.

my weekend's so bright i gotta wear shades

maybe it's the warmer weather, maybe it's that i'm FINALLY getting tired of the dark clothes i spent all winter rocking (black turtleneck and brown boots? LIVE. FOR.)...but i feel like i am in a major bright mood....i wanna wear bright clothes, bright jewelry, bright fingers, bright toes. LOVE.

my fingers? zoya kieko. totally obsessed, love this purple.

don't even get me started on my neverending love for these e.l.f beauty encyclopedias. i have 4 eyeshadow sets and a lip set...so when i saw this bright beauty at target this week, for a solid investment of $5...it had to be mine. REALLY want to rock that bright purple on my lids with some major mascara and a little nude lip gloss.

hautelook credits, thanks a bunches for bringing me this beauty for cheap...love the doubled up stones, and i have the PERFECT earrings to wear with it.

aaaand speaking of bright, this picture does not do this bracelet justice...but my camera has apparently decided it needs a personal day or some nonsense...it better watch out, it'll get sent to rehab faster than little miss lohan can beat up a counselor.

it's all blue and aqua and teal, plus peach and bright orange and coral. OBSESSED.

what other bright color combos should i be digging? i'm already hoping i can find some neon embroidery thread to make a neon/khaki one. maybe orange and purple? yellow and something?

anyone else feeling a little brighter to start of april?