Valentine's Day Blog Exchange

So, you may have noticed that I have a cute little button on the right side of my blog?

Aside form the fact that I'm very proud of myself for figuring out how to add it to the layout in less than 5 minutes (what next? a snazzy banner perhaps?), I am super excited for the reason I have added the button. I learned today that the author of one my favorite blogs, Domestic Dork, is hosting a Valentine's Day Blog Exchange.

What is a Valentine's Day Blog Exchange, you ask? Think of an Christmas ornament exchange, between bloggers, except with homemade Valentines-y goodies... and there you go.

I have a few ideas kicking around in my head already. There are several projects I've been wanting to do anyway, so this is the perfect excuse to try them out! However, I won't know my partner is until the end of the week, so I'll have to hold off on making any final decisions until I know who I'll be exchanging with.

But whoever it is, I'm excited!!

If you're interested in the exchange, click the pretty pink button on the right for all the information.

<3 Brittany

And Just for Fun...

A few snapshots from a wonderful holiday season:

Christmas Eve Eve (aka the 23rd) at my sister-in-law, Leah's, house - Mimi, and my little niece Ellie playing with Uncle Dan's hat (also, I love those PJ's!)

Daniel opening his Christmas Eve present (South Park pajamas)

Wearing the trimmings from my Christmas present from Madre

My beautiful niece Ashley...

... and her sister, another one of my beautiful nieces, Jamie, with my Pops

Peppermint chocolate donuts for Christmas morning. Mmmm....

Hello there, little duckies!

Christmas morning <3

You didn't know Santa was a SCUBA enthusiast, did you?

Not sure how this related to marine life, but here is The Bumble lighting the Christmas tree at the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ

Another shot of Ellie :) This was New Year's morning, shortly after the Pork Fest (i.e. our excuse to eat gratuitous amounts of bacon and scrapple... what was I saying about eating healthy?)

Celebrating my sister-in-law, Rose's, birthday on NYE

<3 Brittany

2010 Resolutions

I suppose it's "that time of year" again. I fall into the trap of making resolutions each January, even though everyone says it's actually the worst time of year to goal set. Go figure?

Anyway, since keeping up with my blog is a resolution in and of itself, I figured I might as well list some of the other things I'm planning for the new year. I'm trying to approach things differently in 2010 by setting more general, attainable goals. Theoretically, they should be easier to keep up with and I can expand them later on. Also, many of my resolutions have been in the process for a while - now I'm just making them official :)

1. Begin doula training

There will be a longer post about this later, but for the next few months, "training" basically translates to LOTS of reading.

2. I need to work on compartmentalizing

This mainly refers to work and home. I have a bad habit of letting my personal life spread over into my work environment and vice versa. It will benefit both areas of my life if I can keep them better separated. The obvious caveat here is that Daniel and I work at the same place. But, since we do two completely different jobs, it shouldn't be too difficult.

3. Eat healthier

I almost always begin the new year by making a weight loss resolution. Since I have only managed to gain weight over the last few years, I'm approaching things a little differently this time around. The goal here is not necessarily weight related (although, if it helps get me back down to a size 7, I won't complain!). I really just want to be healthier (and help Dan be healthier, too. Even if he kicks and screams and argues with me about buying organic). Especially after last year when I spent a good bit of time learning what nasty sorts of things are slipped into food while we remain blissfully ignorant. But, I digress for now... this is not the time to hop onto a soapbox.

4. Stop comparing myself to other people

A very detrimental habit of mine... 'nuff said, really.

5. Craft more!

About mid-November I was severely bitten by the crafting bug when I began planning for my aptly named Very Crafty Christmas. I have enjoyed crafting since I was little, but never so much as I have recently. Especially since I've been crafting more useful items as of late, such as dish cloths, cloth napkins, and travel knitting needle cases. This resolution also includes learning how to do more with my sewing machine and learning more techniques/projects for knitting and crocheting.

6. Purchase an SLR digital camera

Not really a resolution, but I will be working on saving for one :)

I'll try to revisit my resolutions later this year and give an update on how things are going.

What about you? Have you made any resolutions this year?

<3 Brittany

DIY: Easy Christmas Centerpiece

I put together this simple Christmas centerpiece for my dining room table last year (and again this year) and, to my surprise and delight, I have gotten a TON of compliments on it.

Materials:

-Clear plastic (or glass) bowl

-Ball ornaments of various colors and sizes (I got 4 boxes: 2 with smaller ornaments and 2 with larger ones. They were from Target and I snagged them on Black Friday for $1 each!)

-Pillar candle

Steps:

1. Fill bowl with ornaments

2. Stick the candle in the middle.

See? Super easy. The hardest part is popping the ornaments out of the plastic. After that, it takes about 2 minutes to put together (unless you get really fussy with the placement of the ornaments and making sure the same colors aren't touching).

And, it has a huge impact. The candle light looks gorgeous reflecting off the ornaments.

<3 Brittany

Allow Myself to Introduce... Myself

Brittany

That would be me! I'm 24, married, have 3 cats (see below), and I'm kind of a huge nerd. I work full time at my

alma mater for the Alumni and Development offices, but have a very different plan for what I want to do with my life. In 2010, I am going to begin pursuing certification to become a postpartum doula through DONA. My number one dream in life is to be a mom (a SAHM, to more specific), although that dream is a couple years out, unless God decides that he has other plans for us. I love all things domestic, except maybe cleaning (read: I only do it because I have to), and have recently become a pretty avid crafter. I also love documenting life (i.e. I take an obsessive amount of photos), reading, and spending quality time with family and friends.

Daniel

Thats would be my hubby! Daniel is amazing. He really brings out the best in me (most of the time ^-~) and we act like big goofy dorks when we're together. He's a huge history buff and aspires to teach college-level history courses one day. He is also a fabulous guitar player and avid reader. Probably the best thing about him is that he is able to put up with my antics (although, he can also be pretty annoying at times, too... and I of course mean that in the most loving way possible). Daniel is by far one of the most loyal people I have ever met.

Phoebe (aka Phoebus, aka Fetus)

Hmm... how do I best describe our fuzzy little feline? She's pretty much the best cat ever. Before Phoebe came around, Dan hated cats (which is quite problematic, because I love them!). But, this little one melted his heart. Phoebe loves all people (and has a propensity to climb her favorites) and wants attention all. the. time. She loves to play and be cuddled and she will purr her heart out, even when Dan wears her as a hat.

Bella & Edward*

Bella and Edward are a package deal. We adopted these sibling kitties last January when I was volunteering at a cat rescue, Furrever Friends, in NJ. They had a rough life until coming home with us, and as a result are endearingly shy. They have warmed up to us quite a bit over the last year, but all bets are off when we have guests over. Edward likes to hide under the couch and attack the toes that get too close to him. When Bella feels safe, she's a big sweetheart and loves attention. Edward becomes a completely different cat when we feed him and will let us pet him like crazy (until he is full).

Setting - Eastern PA

Dan and I both grew up in South Jersey, and are completely Jersey-fied, through and through. We love our home state, and if it weren't so darn expensive, we probably would have settled there. But, circumstances being as they are, and because we both work in PA and hated commuting, we ended up in our little apartment in Eagleville (which is actually quite "theme-y" - we both graduated from and now work at Eastern University and our mascot is the Eastern Eagle. The school is located on Eagle Road. Our apartment complex is called Eagle Stream.... see the connections?). Anyway, we're still exploring the area and "adapting" to life in the Keystone State (ok, so there's not much adapting, really - just more hills and deer, and less street lights).

Long story short, we are *living the dream* in the Philadelphia suburbs and I'm excited to start documenting our adventures again.

I think my resolution is starting off pretty well - two posts in one week? Not too shabby for me :)

<3 Brittany

*Yes, Bella and Edward were named after Twilight characters. No, we did not name them. I'm obsessively dorky about a lot of things (such as Disney or Hello Kitty), but as much as I wanted to love Twilight, it's just not one of those things for me.

Beginning Again

Clearly, this blog is not new. I started it nearly a year ago now and I think I've written approximately 3 or 4 entries and I haven't even published them all.

Anyway, lately I've been realizing how much I miss blogging and I've decided to give it another whirl. In fact, I've made it a pre-New Year's resolution.

So, what is this blog about? I won't be breaking any new ground with my writing, but I've decided to document all aspects of my domestic life and the happenings of me, my hubby and our 3 kitties. I may work on importing the posts from my previous blog about mine and Dan's life (Newlywed Adventures) and condense it all into one.

As for the title - well, scatterbrained describes me fairly well. I know the term "ADD" gets thrown around a lot by many who do not have it, so I shy away from describing myself as such. Perhaps "easily distracted" better sums it up? My blog may end up being somewhat on the random side, but I'm hoping that defining the content will help keep me focused.

Well, that's all for now. Stay tuned - my next post will help to define the main cast of characters you'll be encountering throughout my blog.

A Delayed Reaction and Some Recent Happenings

As mentioned a few posts ago, the weekend preceding Memorial Day, Dan and I played host and hostess to our good friends Greg and Erika. They stayed from Wednesday night to Monday morning and for the most the time, we were like ships passing in the night as Dan and I ran to and from work, and they traveled to see friends and to a wedding a few hours west in PA. However, we did get spend some quality time together before they had to head home to Maine. We had our traditional cook out with the fire pit and then moved inside to play games and, of course, watch some Family Guy.

While the fire was burning us some prime cooking coals, Dan and Greg decided it would be fun to explore the barn in the woods near our house.

Erika and I waited safely outside


They came away with some treasurers - a little Star Wars figure (can't remember what it's called) and a crow bar. I think that classifies it as a successful trip.

This past weekend, we traveled out to Ohio to celebrate Jasalyn's 2nd birthday and spend some time with Carlee and Jason.

Testing out Uncle Dan's Crocs =)
Carlee and Jason set up a party at their community pool for Jasalyn and her little buddies. The theme was "Lamby" inspired (Lamby is the stuffed lamb/blanket combo that is Jasalyn's best friend... she even has a "Car Lamby" for whent the real Lamby fails to make it along for road trips).
Carlee ordered a lamb cake and my Mom made a Sand Cake (a vanilla version of the classic Dirt Cake - and just as yummy!)

Getting a kiss from Daddy after he smeared cake on her nose

Opening some more presents at home - the men look thrilled!

Aside from partying it up, we also took Jasalyn to a local water park called Breezy Point. It was definitely a place geared towards little ones, but we had a good time none-the-less. It was entertaining to watch Jasalyn frolic through the water squirters.

It's hard a photograph a toddler on the move!

We wrapped the weekend up with a double-date to play mini-golf and race go-karts at East Gate Adventures with Carlee and Jason. Much to Jason's dismay, Carlee kicked all our butts at mini-golf.

Back on the homefront, Dan and I are in the process of re-arranging our entire house... We got the hair-brained idea to turn our back "entertainment room" into our bedroom, and it's consequently turining into a bigger project than we anticipated and is pretty much affecting every room in the house. Our bedroom is the new TV room, our dining room now also has a sitting area with couches, his office is now our office, my office is on its way to becoming the guest bedroom, and the guest bedroom will soon be the cat room. *Phew!* By the time we get everything in order, it will most likely be time to pack everything up and start over in our apartment, but we're having fun with it anyway.