Pinterest or the reason I can't get anything done and feel bad about myself

Pinterest has to be the most EPIC timesuck ever invented. A few years ago when it first came about I was still a yearbook adviser and we had to ban it for the yearbook staff. They would literally just sit and scroll through the Everything page for hours and hours not getting anything done. I'd never experienced anything quite like it. Some of those kids needed a 12 step program to quit. Cold turkey was hard for them. Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE me some Pinterest. I am a member and you can find me HERE. I sometimes just sit and scroll and feel like I can be the best, craftiest, skinniest, and most organized mom ever! Then I wake up.
Here's my fave cray over there.

**Weight loss/workout/clean eating pins- If I had a nickel for every pin like this I'd be a very rich lady. How many different before and after/take this product/ don't eat crap that's made in a factory with chemicals you can't pronounce pins does one site need? I'm also not a fan of the take this product and lose 100 pounds in a week pins. I mean really. Just get off your butt. I'm all for weight loss and workouts and clean eating but it's kind of taken over Pinterest and sometimes I just want to look at cat memes and cupcakes.

 

**Pallets- I'm fairly sure that due to these pins that many businesses are putting their pallets under lock and key. SO far I've seen pins touting how to make beds, shelves, swings, artwork,towelracks, and sheds with pallet wood. How many things REALLY need to be made from pallet wood? Probably pallets. Just sayin.

Yup those are pallet house plans. Get crackin!

 

 

**Monogram- I just saw monogram Converse on Pinterest. WTF? Like any good southern gal I love having some monogram items but does everything have to be monogrammed? How far will people go you ask? See below.

Of course you can monogram your hunting rifle. Let me get my Cricut warmed up!

 **Makeup/hair tutorials- Some of these are really cool tutorials but some....not so much. How many gals really need to know how to do their hair just like Princess Elsa? There's a tip or trick no matter what you have going on above your shoulders. Got fine hair, we can make it thicker. Got curly hair? We will straighten that mess right out. Acne, age spots, dry/oily skin? Boy! Does Pinterest have an answer for you. It can be WAY overwhelming. Then there's also the whole chola makeup brigade. Seriously look it up. Some of those gals really do gorgeous make up but then there's the group that shop the Sharpie section of target for eye and lip liner.  If you want so laugh take a look over at glowpinkstah on YouTube. Her Baby Smiley character is my fave chola on the block.

This is a link to a hair tutorial for Elsa hair. You never know when you might need an epic side braid!

 **Dirty/weird shit or what I like to call Pinterest After Dark- No matter how many people are pinning monograms, hair tutorials, cute outfits they'll never have or DIY deodorant pins Pinterest will always have the underlying dirty/creepy. The crazy thing is that you don't have to go looking for the cray over there. Just go look at the Everything tab at the wrong time of day and you'll see all kinds of NC-17 shit. I'm a believer that people can do what they want within reason but , damn, how many naked ladies do I have to see while I'm digging around for gluten free recipes and projects to use up my plethora of pallet wood. I'll spare you the links. You all know what I'm talking about. There's also true horror stories, ghost sightings, and tons of other creeptastic shit. I spend too much time alone here to be reading about serial killers and ghost sightings. Seriously, I need to be able to sleep for real.

**Everyone on Pinterest has the same tattoos- I have zero tattoos. I want one but I'm a weenie. But really, take a look at tattoos over on Pinterest and you will find that every member has one of the following tattoos. 1. Some type of bird bird tattoo- some of these are really cool but I think the idea of a tattoo should be that not everyone else has it. 2. The dandelion puff being blown, sometimes turning into birds as they float away. 3. Some type of infinity symbol, sometimes with words. 

Please don't take this as a slight if you do have any of those tattoos. I'm not judging. Just saying that they are way popular right now. I can't really think of what kind of tattoo I want to get. Any ideas? 

The UniPac tattoo is pretty epic.

Well, I've got to actually go do something, like probably take a shower. Why is it that I can do so much all day long, but getting in the shower seems like too much sometimes? Hope your Wednesday is wonderful!

--Cassie

30 Day Challenge or what I like to call "I have to exercise every day?"

Hey Ya'll I've decided to join up with a 30 day fitness challenge with a couple of great ladies.

My weight has been an issue for me for about four years now, ever since we started makin babies. When I was young I was a ballet dancer and had some opposite weight issues if you know what I mean. That's a post for another day.

The real issue that I need to get a handle on is my relationship with food. I'm a binge eater on occasion. I'm also an emotional eater. I can't tell you how much I ate while my son was in the hospital. Did you know that at Vanderbilt you can get 3 pancakes as big as your head for $3? I know that all too well. 

Two summers ago I was in the best shape of my life from doing barre workouts and one of their bootcamps. However, since our circumstances have changed we can't afford all that jazz anymore. That shit works but damn it's expensive! I have to work out on my own at home and it's not so bad and no one has to see me sweatin to the oldies, except for the ginger of course. I've been able to locate tons of free workouts on the internet and I run pretty often. My poor neighbors have to see my big booty trotting through the neighborhood on the regular.

What do I want to get out of this challenge?

1. To get back into my clothes that don't fit. I LOVE clothes and I miss wearing so much of what I have because it simply doesn't fit or doesn't look good once it's on.
2. To feel better. I'm so damn tired all the time.
3. To look better. Um can you say bikini season?

What are my daily goals over the next 30 days?

1. Drink 100 oz of water every day- just get me a diaper, ok?
2. No fast food
3. No soda or sweet tea (house wine of the south ya'll!)
4. Tons of protein and veggies and fruits
5. Activity every day! This is not hard since I literally chase the ginger all over the place all day long.                             

So there it is! This challenge starts May 1st and I'm ready for it :) 

I've linked up the fab ladies who are running this challenge below. They're fab! You should check out their blogs.

On a completely unrelated note, why has my toddler started gesturing with hands so much when he talks? He looks like an extra from The Godfather right now.

 

--Cassie :)
 

Let there be light...or at least the right switches

 Happy Friday Ya'll! Here's the crazy that's already happened here before 9am!

Have you ever felt so stupid you wanted to disappear? I had one of those moments this morning. Long story short we've never been able to get our lights over our garage to work. We've lived here 5 years and no lights over the garage, ever.
This past week I had another electrical issue so I called in my favorite handyman, Eric from the Good News Guys, come out to work on that and look into our lighting issue. This is an awesome group of guys that donate a portion of their earnings to do mission work. I also feel safe having them in my house when it's just me and the ginger.
So he fixes the other issue and starts in on the lights. He took the light fixtures off and looked at those and still couldn't figure out what was wrong. Then he mentioned to me that maybe the switch at the front door isn't the one for those fixtures. I was like, WTF? Why wouldn't the switch at the front door work the outside lights over the garage?

Front door switch...why doesn't this work my lights over my garage???

Nope, the switch for my outside lights is tucked away in my garage behind a dryer that doesn't work and beside my extension ladder.

I had no idea these switches were even there...geeze.

 

YAY! Yeah ignore my house number all falling off and shit, nothing a little Gorilla Glue won't fix.

--Cassie

If you don't think this is funny we can't be friends

I have a twisted sense of humor. See below for reference.

Manic Monday

Mondays around here are always a crazy time. That is the day Jack has in home physical therapy and his home health nurse makes a visit to check his weight and change his dressing on his central line.
Today was our normal routine, PT then nurse. One thing was different though, today was Jack's first day with 8 hours off his TPN pumps! It's a big deal since he's been on 20 hour days since October. We were very excited to go out and celebrate so we had planned an trip to the zoo. I get the ginger in the car, I jump in and what do you know but my car won't start. I had left a door slightly open and drained the battery overnight. Awesome. I can't wait to explain this to my husband when he gets home, and deal with somehow getting his car close enough to mine in the garage to jump it off since mine won't change gears when the battery is dead. Yup, you read that right, I can't even put it in neutral and back her up.
I assume you understand how a toddler reacts to not being able to go to the zoo when he's been told all morning that after the nurse leaves we get to leave. Meltdown level- GINGER! The upside of this is that he took a nice late nap, hence I'm blogging right now instead of chasing a toddler through the house.
So my advice on this lovely Monday is to be sure your car doors are closed before you hit the hay tonight.
--Cassie

The ginger and his cousins

So yesterday my sister drove my mom up to see me for Easter and she brought my nephews along so we could get some pics of them with Jack. I took them out to the local children's museum called the Discovery Center. We LOVE this place! The museum is great but the best part is the wetlands area they have outside. Here are a few shots of Jack with his "big kid" cousins. It's nice to see him looking so happy and healthy!

 This area is set up over a pond with little fish, a muskrat lives there and lots of other stuff. The boys are looking at an ENORMOUS bullfrog tadpole here. How big was it? Oh I thought it was a snake. A SNAKE!

These were all shot with my Nikon D90 and a 35 mm prime lens. I process in Photoshop using Greater Than Gatsby Presets.

--Cassie

So it's Throwback Thursday....be prepared this is a heavy post

So some of you that have looked at my blog may have noticed that this blog was actually created in 2010. Four years ago. I think I have some explaining to do.
I actually wrote a partial blog post back then and never published it. I think I was just really scared to tell the world how I was really feeling back then. This will also explain why I named my blog "I can still laugh".... seriously this is some heavy shit. Put your seatbelt on.

February 2010
Some people might be surprised that I took to blogging about my recent circumstances. However, I thought to myself that this could only make my situation easier. It's almost like I have a constant ear to tell my story to as often as I need.
So let me move onto what I really need to say.
I've always used humor to deal with any situation that has arisen in my life. I vivdly remember laughing like a hyena in Wal-Mart with my sister the day after my father died. We had to go buy him underwear because our mother had insisted and we had to buy the biggest pair of underwear in the whole store. I think it's ok to post such a thing because, if he were there, he would have laughed too.
On the 15th of January I delivered my son. He was stillborn. I spent most of the evening before in the hospital being induced cracking up the nurses and laughing with friends because that is the only way I knew how to deal with the fact that my child would never go home with me. I convinced the doctors to let me eat before my induction by promptly calling the staff in the room with me a bunch of assholes. I said "Listen. I'm having the worst day ever and you're not going to let me eat for at least two days?" They let me eat. The best chicken nuggets I ever had. I can't say that the rest of my time in the hospital was that laugh worthy.
I delivered Clark at 1:46 am. Never in my life did I expect to have to deliver a stillborn infant. It ripped me apart to have to watch my husband hold our son and say goodbye to him. We were lucky enough to be able to spend some time with Clark and get to see which of us he favored. (He had Keith's nose and my toes :))
Since I came home I have spent an unimaginable time alone. After my husband went back to work and the food deliveries stopped I found myself with just me, my dogs and my own crazy mind. I'm not the type to be able to deal with this situation so I've been making myself get up everyday and leave the house. Those first few days were horrible. I actually sat in my car in the parking lot of Target that first day and never went in for fear of running into a) someone I knew or b) someone I didn't know with a baby. Either would have been disastrous.
Today I was waiting in line to pay at a store here in town and right in front of me was a red headed little boy that couldn't have been more than 8 months old. He sat in the cart and smiled at me and I thought my heart would burst. I keep being reminded that my child will never be that age. He'll never 

**let me be clear I have wonderful friends who took amazing care of me along with my husband who never let me cry alone. 

As you can see I never finished it. I think it was just too much for me to even comprehend at that point. I was too close to the situation back then.

Well that's my story. Now we have our wonderful ginger kid who will be three this summer, and yes he has some serious health problems right now but he's on track to getting better. I know my life could be worse and it has been far worse before.

I hope I haven't ruined anyone's day by making you read that. I just wanted to shed a little light on who I am.

--Cassie

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So glad to be sitting in my kitchen right now

SO yesterday was a lot longer than we had anticipated. I guess I had it in my mind that we would waltz in , get our blood and be on our merry way. Nope. Blood typing had to be done and we had to wait TWO hours for his blood to be sent up to us. The ginger took it in stride and played while we waited.  He also sat very still while he was infused which is an amazing feat for a rambunctious two year old. He's a good kid, we're very lucky :).

During his transfusion

After his GI appointment yesterday afternoon

A couple of great things came out of Jack's visit yesterday with his GI specialists. First, we are going to be able to take him off his TPN for 8 hours now instead of 4! And.....we are introducing a few more foods. Anyone have a great gluten free, dairy free biscuit recipe? This kid used to love biscuits. 

Ok well I'm off to enjoy my coffee and get my ginger ready for his Easter pictures.

--Cassie

Tomorrow is going to suck but it could be worse

Well the ginger is going to have another blood transfusion tomorrow.....well I better back up a bit. Jack has a yet to be diagnosed GI issue that causes his body to not be able to digest food. He's on TPN (total parental nutrition) and lipids 20 hours a day. Over time it causes your body to become very anemic, hence the blood transfusions.
So tomorrow will be spent sitting at Vanderbilt from 9-about 4. Yay.
But, like I said, it could be worse. We spent most of September- December staying in the hospital. He's come a long way since then, he's gained about 14 pounds! He finally looks like a healthy toddler and he acts like one too! He wears me out on the daily.
So here's hoping I can keep him entertained for that long!
--Cassie

The party can start, I'm here.

Are you ready for this? I'm not.

So I've toyed with the idea of blogging for a while now and seeing as I am currently a SAHM I may finally be able to find the time to actually do it!
So.....where to start? I suppose a little about me is in order.

Name: Cassie- I'm sassy and I like to think I'm mildly funny. I hope my friends and family agree.

Things I like: Running (it's my free therapy), shopping, photography, spicy Thai food, sushi, sleeping in, and coffee.

Things I don't like- When the coffee runs out, changing diapers, lack of sleep and negative people.

If I had a million dollars: I'd pre-pay for years of professional house cleanings and Starbucks deliveries.


Job: Well, until December I was an English teacher at a local high school, I was also responsible for their yearbook. Fancy, I know. Now I am a SAHM to a ginger kid.


My kiddo: Jack will be three this summer. He's a handful but he's fun  :) He loves puppies, Elmo, his baby (a little piglet stuffed animal he's had since birth), and digging in the dirt. Here's a pic of my ginger boo :) I made him, no big deal.

 

So I suppose you are wondering what the heck my blog will be about.....I'm working on that.
My goal is to be able to show off a bit of my photography, my crazy life and my humor :) Sit back and enjoy the ride.

--Cassie