No, I haven’t lost my mind. It’s Thursday – which means it’s time for Mama Kat’s awesome blog meme!!! Those of you who follow me on Facebook got to vote on which topic I would write about…and this is what you decided to do to me.

I don’t normally write things like this. I don’t even take compliments well…but here it goes. I’ll take the first few from those of you who posted on Facebook today.

1. I’ve got a small army of rescued fur persons in my house. I’m an awesome fur person mommy. Here are just a few  of my babies:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. I bake for my co-workers…probably too much, but it helps my inner fat girl to make delicious and horribly unhealthy things. Obviously, I can’t eat them all – so I feed them to my co-workers, who think I’m awesome. (But actually, I’m not so awesome for feeding them horribly unhealthy things…but screw it!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. I am an awesome needleworker. I cross-stitch and I’m just getting back to embroidery. It’s therapeutic because it makes me focus…and because I can’t eat when my hands are busy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. I’m an eff’in cool auntie. My adult nieces and nephews have wonderful memories of me clowning around with them, having sleepovers, etc. The ones who are still growing up are lucky that their Aunt Di has still not grown up. I can blow any other adult out of the water with my ability to discuss which house at Hogwarts I would want to be sorted into…or cause a giggle fit while trying to convince them that my real name is Bumblefart but I made my mother change it when I started high school.

5. My eyes are awesome. I’ve always been complimented on my eyes. You can’t tell so much right now, but they’re big…and when I was younger they were deep brown. As I’ve gotten older, they’ve actually gone half green. Now the outer ring of my iris is brown and the inner ring is green – which I love because my father’s eyes were green. So now it’s like I have my parents with me all the time…every time I look in the mirror.

6. I’m funny. Sometimes I’m not half as funny as I think, but I am funny. I have my moments.

 

7. I put it all out there on this blog, don’t I? I’m awesome at it. I hope to show people that healthy normal weight loss is not a reality show on tv or swallowing miracle pills. It’s possible, but ya gotta work it!

8. I donated my hair to Locks of Love last week so that chronically ill children can have hair pieces. That made me feel awesome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. In my head, I carry a plethora of useless movie & tv trivia. My friends know this. I’m always the one they come running to me for the name of the actor who play Rocky’s trainer or to explain the ending from LOST.

10. I am the direct descendant of soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War – which means that I am a member of The Daughters of the American Revolution. Awesome.

11. I have not yet murdered the Bag Boy from Hell. That’s saying something.

12. I have finally (with much guidance from Hot Mess Hubby) broken through and gotten back in touch with my creative side. In addition to writing my blog, I’m now writing fiction for the first time in 20 years!

13. I won’t let you talk shit about yourself. I won’t let you get discouraged. You come here to read and it’s like we’re all girlfriends, chatting over a cup o’ joe about our problems with weight loss. I don’t ever let you forget you’re special and you’re worthy. You are a little badass.

14. I had to get this one from the hubby: my personality is awesome. I’m bubbly, positive, and uplifting to be around. (He’s so cute, isn’t he?)

15. I also had to get this one from the hubby: My drive to never quit. I won’t ever quit again. I may slow down a little here and there, but I will never quit. Gotta love him for pointing that out to me. (I’m sure he also means I never quit nagging, but everyone knows pots go on the bottom rack of the dishwasher, damn it!!!)

And there you have it, my friends: 15 reasons why I’m awesome.

Now please comment below and tell me at least one of the reasons why you’re awesome!!! You can give me all 15 if you want to, or just a few…or one.

Brag to me…you deserve it.

It’s my Big Writing Weekend, so I shouldn’t be blogging right now. In fact, I feel like I’m cheating on Hot Mess Hubby by doing this…because the Big Writing Weekend was his idea and my blog wasn’t what he was talking about.

I was born a writer. As early as I can remember, my teachers were calling my Mom to say “This kid’s a writer…please encourage it.” In fact, writing is what I turned to as a young woman when I finally quit dance and left The King.

There were no blogs back then. I wrote fiction. It gave me the freedom to explore what life would be like as someone else. I created characters who were all the wonderful things I thought I was not. Sometimes I created characters who were fictional representations of people I didn’t like…and I brought vengeance upon them. It’s wonderful therapy. And it’s cheap. And I can’t go to jail for throwing someone in front of an imaginary train.

Hot Mess Hubby is my biggest fan. Back before there was a blog, back before we were even dating…back when we were just pals…he would ask to read anything I wrote. He even enjoyed handing me weird writing challenges on the spot. I rose to every challenge, of course – including the time he challenged me to write a poem about his “turd bobb’in dog”. I wish I was making that up, but it’s true.

In fact, I made the mistake of telling Hot Mess Hubby about one particular Thanksgiving weekend when I was on my way home from the store and I was struck with an idea for a story. I went home and started writing…and four days later, I had 55,000 words. He’s never forgotten that story – and that’s lead to this “Big Writing Weekend” of mine.

I took Friday off of work and I’m off Monday for Memorial Day. The goal was to lock myself in our guest room and just start banging on the keys until creativity started to come out. The problem is that it’s been awhile since I’d tapped into my creativity in any meaningful way and I’m sort of…constipated.

Writing my blog is very different from writing fiction. This blog isn’t creative writing. To me, this blog is like we’re all pals in a coffee shop and I’m chatting away. Fiction is much harder – especially after so many years away from it. My gears are rusty. As I write this, I’ve only written 1,000 words since Friday morning. I knew I’d be slow and clunky at first, but that’s just sad!

I’m sure it’ll get better. Eventually.

In other news, my gym experience is going well. I’m going to write a whole post about it, but I’m proud to say that I made the right decision in choosing which gym to join and how to go about it. It probably sounds incredibly wimpy, but I’m up to 10 – 14 minutes on the elliptical trainer right now. My strategy isn’t focused so much on increasing my time as it is going every day. Every single day. I’m building a habit.

Also, I went in for a haircut this week and ended up donating my hair to Locks of Love. It’s much shorter than I planned, but I asked the stylist to show me how much she would have to take…and I decided that it was more important to sacrifice a little vanity and let my hair go to good use. It seemed a bigger crime to let my long hair go in the trash can when it could help make hair pieces for chronically ill children. So I let her hack it all off. I guess that’s one way to lose 10 inches, right?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, I’m being terrorized…by the state bird of Texas. A family of Mockingbirds has nested somewhere in my yard or my neighbor’s yard – and the babies are learning to fly. I love animals and I enjoy watching birds, so this is technically a minor inconvenience – but I’m convinced that all my neighbors think I’m crazy because I’m forced to run from the front door to the car and vice versa.

Mommy and Daddy Mockingbird are quite protective of their babies…one of which waddled across my front lawn yesterday. Adorable…but the parents are dive-bombing me and everyone who walks close to our home or my neighbor’s home. When they’re not trying to kick my ass, I’m quite entertained by the show they put on as I watch safely from the living room windows. Don’t mess with Texas…and that includes our state bird.

I’ll be back soon with a full progress report from the gym. For now, it’s back to whatever this fiction thing is that I’m writing. I don’t know if it’s a short story or a book…right now I just need to unclog the pipes. Wish me luck!

 

Okay, peeps, I let you vote on Facebook for which one of Mama Kat’s blog memes I would write about this week…and “Share something you pinned on Pinterest and actually tried” won hands down.

When it comes to Pinterest, this is one Hot Mess pinner with seasoned experience – so I’m going to totally overshare, as is the grand tradition here at Hot Mess Princess. First, though, I have to pay a little homage to the pin I created that went quasi-viral…and that was the pin for my Motivation Marbles. Losing your marbles has never been this awesome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, as for what I’ve pinned from others and actually tried? Here are the goodies I’ve found on Pinterest that have made the biggest impression on me:

Pinbusting’s shower scrubby thing – I have one in each shower and they work great. I highly recommend it, but if you’re married to a cave man like me you’ll need to constantly check to make sure he hasn’t knocked it down and left it to drain all over the shower floor. I love Hot Mess Hubby, but sometimes he makes me pro-nuclear.

Once Upon a Pedestal’s polka-dot cake – Yes, I made it. I bought the pans. I had to rewrite the directions in order because her blog post kind of skipped around a little and I’m super anal…and I decided to make a chocolate cake with mint flavored green polka dots. The results? Yummy!

Here’s mine:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ramblings from the Sunshine State’s garlic butter bites – Okay, let me see how to put this eloquently….

Foodgasm! Seriously. Hands pounding on the table, moaning like a high-paid hooker…it’ll be like the deli scene from “When Harry Met Sally” if you make these.

I make them when my girlfriends come over. Multiple foodgasms! I don’t even need to say anymore. They’re easy to make and your house will smell gorgeous. They’re not healthy, though, so wear your stretchy pants…and workout the next day.

Smitten Kitchen’s crispy potato roast – Fail! Smells like potato heaven when it’s cooking, tastes like potato ass when it’s done. And yes, I followed the directions! I was sorely disappointed by this one. I’m amazed I wasn’t arrested for crimes against potatoes by the food police.

Dreadful Girl’s INdiscreet tampon cozies – I love my tampon cozy so much that I went back to her Etsy shop and bought one of her tissue cozies. Cramps still suck, but at least I get a giggle when I have to reach for a tampon…or have a booger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And those, my friends, are the pins I chose to share with you today. Do you have pins to share? Comment here and tell me all about ’em.

Peeps!

Thank you all for entering the Minted.com raffle!  With so many gorgeous items to choose from, our winner will certainly have fun shopping with her new $50 credit.
Before I announce the winner, I just want to post one more of their gorgeous inspiration boards. Look at this one I found last night:

Beautiful!

And the winning post, which was selected by random.org, was posted by Violet Narney Hooks!

Congratulations, Violet!!!

Please use the Contact Me tab above or message me on Facebook…I’ll need your email address in order to connect you with the folks at Minted.com

Thank you again to everyone who participated. You’re awesome!!

And thank you to the folks at Minted.com for providing such a great prize for my readers to enjoy. Y’all rock!