Simplify Sunday- Use it or Lose it

January 17, 2016 Leave a Comment

  Someone awesome gave me this roll of duct tape for Christmas. I do realize that sounds ridiculous, but I love the Packers and I actually needed some duct tape. One of my dogs (offender pictured here) had chewed up this gate- to the point where I worried the bar would snap. The gate is meant to be more of a reminder to people not to let the dogs out than an actual foolproof deterrent, but still. Holes are not good! 

So, I went ahead and classed up the apartment by “repairing” the gate with Packers themed duct tape. For related reasons (Lambeau likes to crawl into the fireplace), I used the duct tape to cover the opening to the fireplace with cardboard. 

The gifter came over this week, and remarked that he was so glad I was using the tape. I told him that I loved it! Then he expanded on his point, and I realized that wasn’t what he had been getting at. 

He said that he would probably have just saved it because he liked it so much, and then brought up that he tends to save things like samples for a trip or something special. Then those occasions never come and they expire. 

I definitely used to be like that! When he said that, I remembered how I used to save everything for the future. You know what happens? Products and food expire, clothes that are saved for special occasions go out of style or no longer fit, your tastes change and (gasp) maybe you don’t even like the Packers anymore so you throw the duct tape away. The special dishes for guests get broken in a move or just sit around collecting dust.

One day I just realized that the special day is TODAY. I should use and enjoy it now. It sounds trite, but life really is too short. I used to force myself to use lotions I had been given with scents I didn’t like. I didn’t want to waste them! I would save the scents that made me happy for after those I didn’t like were gone. It takes months to use a container of lotion! What am I doing? Am I running a freaking lotion conservatory here?! I’m robbing myself of a moment of joy every time I smell the lotion, and replacing it with a grimace. 

It’s just stupid. Use what you like now. Live your life to the fullest. Use your best dishes for your family. Who is more special than them? While you’re at it, get rid of the dishes you use every day that you don’t even like but they are cheap. Or, if these dishes really are too expensive to enjoy using without stress, display them. 

If you have duct tape that you want to display, I have plenty of ideas for that, too. 😀

Jillian 

Filed Under: DIY, Minimalism, Packers, Random Chaos, Simplify Sunday Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Holiday Gift Guide – the Dreaded Man Gifts

December 21, 2015 6 Comments

gifts for men

#1 Tequila shot glasses made of Himalayan sea salt!! So cool! This would be a great gift with his favorite bottle of tequila and some limes.

#2 Anything with his favorite team on it from the NFL Shop. Well. Really you should probably only do this if his favorite team is the Packers. They are the only team that matters!!

#3 The best party game ever. The guy probably has nothing in his place but beer and an X-Box. Get him Cards Against Humanity.

#4 A cute doormat, but looks manly enough to not get you thrown out.

#5 I think this is super cool. A wooden beer caddy! I’m a little skeptical if a guy would use it or think it’s just stupid, so if any guys want to chime in here, let me know! Maybe I should just buy it for myself…

#6 Man crates are pretty cool if you want the wow factor. They are really expensive though, so it depends what you’re going for. This might be something you could do yourself, if you’re crafty.

Did anyone find anything really cool? I can’t say on here what I actually bought 🙂

❤ Jillian

Filed Under: Gift Guides, Packers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pretty Birthday Gifts

January 26, 2015 19 Comments

birthday giftsLast week was my birthday, and I was showered with beautiful gifts! I thought I would share some with you, just in case anyone wants to add them to their wish list!

Starting with the bag: Coach Scout Hobo. This beauty was a gift from J. I have been looking forever for a pale yellow handbag and everyone at work is super envious. Between this and my puppy, I am not really even safe to leave my desk anymore.

I can’t begin to imagine where this adorable bear dish came from, but I got it from my dear friend K, and I put it on my bookshelf and filled it with my bracelets. I adore bears, so this is perfect!

A bit of Packers gear from J. The soft helmet was my good luck charm through most of last weekend’s game, but it couldn’t hold out through the end 😦 This plush football folds out and becomes a cow!! Super fun!

The last picture is three of the same body butter- Brazil Nut from the Body Shop. Panda gave me a gift card, and I stocked up. I adore this scent, sometimes I open it and just breathe it in. The Shibas also like to lick it off me, which can be a little creepy. I have to be careful around those tricksters.

love from momSome of the best gifts are experiences and love. I got a lot of that, too! This screenshot is a Facebook message from my mom 🙂 Can’t you just feel the long distance hug? My aunt surprised me by showing up at my work with gifts. What a nice surprise to see a loved one on your birthday (she also gave me an amazing orange fleece jacket)! My dad called me the night before to sing me happy birthday. I’m feeling the love.

By the way, isn’t it funny that my gifts are a mix of super girly and Packers stuff? That cracks me up. It’s pretty much a description of my life.

 

more birthday giftsMy friend MK gave me this cool Packers infinity scarf, which I love! The body butter and nail polish were gifts that came with the SPA DAY that my sister surprised me with. I am not kidding you guys, she knows how to hook a girl up. She got us facials and mani/pedis, along with these spa gifts; and took me to one of my favorite vegan places (Native Foods). It was so great to hang out with her and be pampered! My boss was out of town, but sent me these pretty flowers. I also received this Kate Spade Idiom bracelet from M (likely due to my not so subtle hint in this post!). Isn’t it just lovely stacked with my other bracelets?

 

Jillian and RileyFinally, the gift that I bought for myself- on my birthday, my adoption of Miss Riley Annabelle was complete! She is a part of our little family forever now, and I could not ask for a better birthday gift. Thank you to Denise at Shibas4Life for making it possible.

A few more gift ideas: I received a magazine subscription, which is cool because it’s a gift you keep getting all year long. A coworker wrote me an email about how much she likes working with me- how sweet is that? Another coworker brought me a smoothie book because she “didn’t want to derail my diet with a cupcake”. Gestures like these don’t have to cost much (or anything), but are so special. What is your favorite birthday gift you’ve received?

Jillian

Filed Under: Fashion, Packers, Riley Annabelle Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

My Top Five Green Bay Packers Moments of 2014

January 10, 2015 8 Comments

Lacy versus AustinI am so excited for Sunday’s playoff match-up between the Packers and Cowboys! My coworker and I got into a little battle this morning about who is going to win (picture edited to remove my company logo). Obviously I remain in full support of my beloved Packers. N is representing Miles Austin and I am representing Eddie Lacy. I have cheese on my head, so (clearly) I win.

I thought it would be fun to post about my top five favorite Packers moments this year. Here goes…

  1. Aaron Rodgers comes back into the game in week 17 versus the Lions. This was my favorite game of the season. With the division riding on the game and the Packers ahead 14-0, Rodgers went down and was brought into the locker room. Their lead quickly disappeared and the game was tied up. I wasn’t even watching the game live, but was getting text messages from a friend across the country that had the broadcast. When she told me Rodgers was putting his helmet back on, I just couldn’t believe it. Watching it after the fact- I was just so proud of his grit. That’s why we Packers fans love him!
  2. The Packers’ big win over the Patriots in week 13. I don’t say big because it was a blowout, because it was close. I say it because this game meant so much to our Packers pride and had so much build up. The fourth quarter sack, Lacy’s incredible running game, Nelson’s 45 yard touchdown catch; I was on the edge of my couch cushion 🙂
  3. Domination of the Bears (week 4 and week 10). These games were blowouts, which isn’t as fun to watch. However, I am still holding a serious grudge against the Bears over last year’s collarbone incident. It made me extremely happy to see them fall to the Packers, unsportsmanlike of me that may be. Note- I also wasn’t sure how I would feel about Peppers becoming a Packer, but seeing him play for Green Bay has actually been fantastic!
  4. Nelson, Cobb, Lacy, Matthews- they are all so fun to watch in every single game. Are they on fire or what?! The new rookies are all incredible. The team this year is my favorite in the last several years.
  5. Their comeback after getting off to a rough start at the beginning of the season. Rodgers rallied everyone and pulled off four great games after two hard losses to the Seahawks and the Eagles.

I am very excited for tomorrow’s game, and hoping that we will be moving on to the next round! This has been a fantastic year for the Packers and I don’t want to see it end. Anyone else out there follow football? I like my girly make-up and handbags, but I love football just as much.

Jillian

Filed Under: Packers, Sports Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Welcome To My World

December 26, 2014 2 Comments

Jillian_and_Riley_love_Packers

Hi, I’m Jillian. I have a husband- we”ll call him J. I am owned by two Shiba Inus. The puppy above- Riley (she is almost four months old), and her brother, Kuma (nine years old). Kuma, Riley, and I love the Packers. J, not so much. I like to talk about bears, dogs, cooking, running, nail polish, napping… really, whatever strikes my fancy. I am about to turn 34 and am realizing that now is the time to embrace life at it’s fullest. Some goals for this year are to get out more, be in full control of my finances and organization, and to lose 40-50 pounds. I plan to blog about all of these adventures as I go.

Filed Under: Health and Fitness, Kuma Fluffbear, Packers, Riley Annabelle, Shibas Tagged With: , ,

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