Thank god THAT'S over!

Oh dear what a whirlwind 5 days THAT was. We have officially driven to Columbus, packed up our entire condo, storage unit, and ALL the wedding gifts we STILL haven't used from my mother in law's house, loaded up the UHaul, drove back to KC, unloaded everything into storage and managed to stay married. Whew. Glad that's behind me. I may just live in my parents house forever...cause the thought of loading all the stuff back up and moving into a home makes me nauseous. Screw the smallish starter home....wherever we finally end up is where we are staying FOR-EV-ER. Haha. Can you tell how much I L.O.V.E to move?!?

Here's a short list of things NOT to do on your next move.

Do NOT trust U-Haul's website recommendation on what size truck you need. A 14 ft truck will NOT hold an entire one bedroom condo and small storage space and wedding gifts as promised. Instead splurge for the 26 ft semi truck. Even though it claims to hold enough for a 4 bedroom home, it will be just enough. Apparently I squeeze a lot more stuff into my home than the average joe.

Do NOT get a 14 ft truck and then decide half way thru filling it there will not be enough space. If you do this, you will need to spend hours....in the rain.....trying to get the 26 ft semi mentioned above so you can then undo all the hard work already done to transfer first truck into second truck.

Do NOT get a storage space at the final resting place that is also too small. Take the hint that the small truck didn't work...neither will the small storage space.

Do NOT speed in a 26 ft UHaul. Cops will not take pity on you for driving such a monstrosity down I-70. They have no problem pulling you over for going 72 in a 65.

Do NOT pull over behind your husband when you see him get pulled over in a 26 ft UHaul....by the police. You will get the stink eye from the officer who will immediately call his buddies to come barrelling across the highway to instruct you to kindly move.

Do NOT forget how long 26 feet is when filling at a gas station. If you cut the corner too close you will be buying a nice man a new bumper and back tail light for his now scarred car.

And there you have it. My list of things NOT to do on your next move. Hopefully I saved you all a ton of time and heartache!

A day (or 6) late but I finally have a winner!

Sorry for being so tardy with announcing my first official giveaway winner!

As you can see above, the last few days have been a bit hectic.

I put all 78 entries into a random generator and pulled lucky #22, Christina from These are a few of Christina's Favorite Things.

Ironically...now she's the winner of one of MY favorite things!

Here's which one she picked! Enivious? I know I am! I don't even have one yet! Congrats Christina and thanks to all my fabulous followers who entered too!!

Some many things....so little time!

Hellooo! This weekend proved to be quite the adventure and it's not even over yet for me! One more day of moving and unloading....joy. I will be back with all the scoop, in the meantime to satisfy for your cravings my usual wit and humor I will direct you over to Tracy's blog, Then I got to Thinking. She's off on her wonderful honeymoon and I got to do my first official guest post! Check it out!

Oops!

So please forgive me....i forgot to post the winner yesterday! It was kind of a whirlwind day where we decided to leave for Columbus last night instead of early this morning. So needless to say I totally forgot about my giveaway! Oops! After what promises to be a crazy busy weekend consisting of packing, moving, hauling and basically no fun....i promise to be back on Monday with a winner. Happy weekend lovelies!!

ps. I'm posting from my phone....this is a first for me!! Internet on a cell phone....thats crazy talk!

Call screening

Let's be honest. We all do it. Every time that phone lights up, you automatically check to see who it is...and depending on your mood, perhaps hit ignore and send them straight to voice mail. I've done it. I'm guilty. Maybe I'm right in the middle of my fave show and even with the invention of pausing live TV, Gossip Girl might just be more important. Horrible right?? Well at least I will admit to my selfish ways.

Enter problem.

We get no cell reception in our current home. None. Zilch. Zippo. We basically live in the black hole of cell phones. Luckily we have a land line. Did you know those still exist?? Well here at Casa EyeCanSee it's a must. We got the basic, cheap as you can get phone line that shares time with the fax machine. We did not get Caller ID. Now when the phone rings, it's like a 1980's guessing game.

Sometimes I wonder how we all lived before some of these technological advances. I grew up in a time before the Internet, cell phones, caller ID, DVR...the list goes on and on. I appeared to have lived a very fulfilling life before all these came about, I've seen pictures, I was always smiling. So why is it now I can't seem to function without them. I curse you technology for spoiling us all rotten!

Doggy Day Care

I think it's fair to say, that with the invention of Doggy Day Care, Americans have reach an all time low of pet spoiling. I am guilty. When Kasey was a pup he had a bit of an attachment problem which led to chronic barking and mass destruction when left alone. For about a year, two days a week, I took him to daycare. He loved it. He came home exhausted and slept for the next day. I was happy. Life goes on. I was in my early 20s and had nothing better to spend my money one. However, once I bought my first place and the burden of a mortgage and new car payment came into play...daycare was the first thing to go. By this point Kasey was older anyway and was more than happy to spend the day sleeping away in his comfy crate. I still took him for boarding when I was out of town, but the day visits stopped. Where we went was a simple place. Nothing over the top, but it was clean and the people were super nice to the dogs. When we moved, I was heart broken to be leaving such reliable care behind.

Fast forward to last week.

We're going back to Columbus to officially move out of our condo and poor Kasey needs somewhere to go. My parents suggest we look in to Camp Bow Wow, the creme de la creme of dog care. So I call to set up the reservation and discover we need an interview. Seriously?? You have to size up my dog, make sure he's worthy? Well ok. So last Wednesday we show up to make sure Kasey doesn't bite anyone's head off. Boy oh boy is this place De-luxe! I think I wanna stay there! Probably be way more fun than packing boxes and driving a U-Haul truck for 10 hours. They have indoor and outdoor play areas. Nap time. Snack time. Camper cams so you can watch your dog from home. When I picked him up I was greeted with a happy dog and a full report card including a picture of his first day. I was such a proud mama that Kasey had passed with flying colors and got 5 out 5 "tail-wags" for the day. What has this world come to. At least you won't catch me pushing my pups around in a doggy stroller....I draw the line a premo day care. Ha!

Why. Just Why.

Every morning I let the dog out.

Every morning I am fully dressed for work.

Every morning I do this, I never see a soul.

Not one person.

So why today do I let the dog out.

In one of my infamous mumus....with no bra.

Crazy morning hair.

Unbrushed teeth.

Do I see not one, not two, but three people!?! One of which decides to try and talk to me about the beagle she had growing up and how much she loves them.

Yeah lady thanks, but my breath is kickin and this mumu is borderline inappropriate right now. My dog just wants to do his business and I want to run for the hills...so be gone now.

Kthxbai.

House hunting part deux

Today the hubs and I spent the day House Hunting. Last weekend was just open houses, we were lucky to have stumbled upon one we liked. This time we had a list of 10 homes we actually wanted to see....9 new ones and our fave again from last week. I was afraid it was going to be one big cluster f*ck of confusion, but surprisingly it went really well. I guess like with everything else BIG in life...when you know, you just know. Most of the homes we knew right away just weren't "the one."

At the end of the day we ended up with 2 favorites...not bad outta 10. The one was the house we already knew we liked from last week....the second is very similar, but a little larger and a bit more expensive. At dinner we tried to make a comparison between the two...and I think we're leaning more towards the second. The biggest difference is House #1 has a formal dining room, house #2 does not but it does have a bigger kitchen with an island. House #1 also has a whirlpool tub in the master BR, house #2 has no tub, but it has TWO walk-in closets.

Which would be more important to you....formal dining room and whirlpool tub OR bigger kitchen with more closet space???

Things that make you go mmmm

Here's a few things I've been loving lately.....

My 1154 Lill bag. Remember THIS post?? The one where I proclaimed myself a purseaholic. Well Lill had a 10 yr anniversary party and I finally got to design this little beauty...with the surprise pink lining inside....at 20% off. I'm picking it up today!!!

Make-a-Wish necklace. Don't forget to enter my giveaway HERE so you can win on of your very own!Bare Escentuals eye makeup. I was skeptical of loose powder eye makeup, but it's amazing. I am eye liner handicapped....can't put it on to save my life. But with their magical angled brush, ta-da, gorgeous eyes.

The new Body by Victoria polka dot bra. Cause sometimes the girls need something special too.

My family owns a wine distribution and the hubs brings home boxes like these. Need I say more. Mmmm....wine.

Vampire Diaries. I've finally been sucked into the Vamp phenomenon. I read the first Twilight book and didn't like it. Gasp. I saw the first Twilight movie and was unimpressed. Gasp. I've never seen True Blood. Double gasp. But put it on the CW and I'm hooked! The two brooding brothers aren't so bad on the eyes either.

Body Shop Radiance beads. Oh how I love thee. Just a quick sweep across the cheek and you have the fresh, young, dewy look all the ladies in hollywood are sporting. Bare Escentuals Buxom Lips. It's amazing and it leaves your lips feeling cool and tingly. I'm obsessed.

My maxi dress. I found I didn't wear it a ton during the summer, but I'm finding it's the perfect transitional piece into fall. It's long so the stems are covered. It's knit and totally warm. You can add a sweater if it's cool out. And it's navy, so it doesn't scream summer. Voila...perfect fall ensemble.

100+ Giveaway!!

It's finally here!
My first official giveaway!

Thanks to all my AWESOME followers...all 103 of you!

Now on to the good part. Have you ever been to Dogeared jewelry and gifts?? If not, you HAVE to check it out. They have some fantastic gift ideas, especially for all you bride to be's out there. There's even a new Bridal Suite. They have tons of necklaces, earrings, bracelets and for all those green bloggers out there....fantastic canvas bags.

I am in love with their Make a Wish necklaces. It's the original Dogeared staple and soon to be hanging around the neck of one lucky blogger. Go HERE and tell me which one is your favorite!

Standard Giveaway Rules Apply:

1 entry for being a follower or becoming a follower

1 entry for leaving a comment telling me which Original Make a Wish Silk Thread Necklace you'd want if you win

1 entry for posting about my giveaway on your blog or sidebar

GOOD LUCK!!! Winner will be announced Thursday 9/24

Tasty Tuesday

After a week off, tasty Tuesday is back!! I had a hard time picking my recipe for this week, but ultimately decided on one of my South Beach faves....Chicken Jambalaya. Now if you're a Louisiana native, you'll probably turn your nose up at this healthy alternative, but I think it's pretty darn good and my hubs eats it up. I'm a non seafood eater, so I usually make it with just chicken, but you can use any combination of protein adding pork, sausage, ham or shrimp. And of course you can spice it up a bit by adding more Cajun seasoning or cayenne. Enjoy!

Servings: 4 (1 1/2 cup)

400 Calories, 11 g fat

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 T EVOO, divided

2 bunches scallions, white and green parts, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 c whole-grain, quick cooking brown rice

1/8 t Cajun seasoning or cayenne pepper

2 c lower-sodium chicken broth

1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes

salt and fresh ground pepper

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 T of the oil in a large straight sided skillet over medium-high hear. Add chicken, scallions, bell pepper and garlic; cook stirring often until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in rice and Cajun seasoning. Add broth and tomatoes with juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 30 min. If jambalaya has excess moisture, cook uncovered for 3-5 minutes.

Bon Appetite!

PS Holy Cow! 102 followers today! I guess my giveaway bribery worked! Haha. Be on the lookout later this week!!!

Home sweet home??

Yesterday was a success! We looked at several houses and even found one we both loved! We're so early in the search and not necessarily ready to buy yet....so I hate to fall in love with anything too soon, but it really was perfect. 10 years old. Tasteful, neutral decor. Great open floor plan with a fantastic man den in the basement. Hardwood floors. 3 bedrooms. 3 1/2 baths. HUGE fenced in yard with a deck. Nice neighborhood. Where do we sign?!?!

I worked in a nice office today, but the hours were 12-8. We took "lunch" at 4. It was soooo weird to start the second half of your day at 5pm. I wouldn't want to do it every day...but if we ever want to buy that beauty pictured above, I'll suck it up. At least I got to come home to a full DVR box. Yep. You read that correctly. After 30 some painful days, the EyeCanSee's are back in the 21st century. Oh how I love you beautiful silver box...please never leave me again! Can't wait for Gossip Girl tonight!!

PS Only 3 more peeps needed until my first official give away!! I had a bit of a set back when I lost some followers. WTF? Who wouldn't want to follow my awesome daily ramblings. In the infamous words of Michelle Tanner....how rude! They just don't know what they're missing!

Property Virgins

Today the hubs and I are venturing into the wide world of house hunting. I suppose we aren't technically property virgins, but I bought my first place years before we met and the hubs has never been an official home owner. The first time I bought it was pretty easy. I knew exactly where I wanted to live. How much I could afford. And I only had to please one person....me. I'm a little nervous for this time around. We are in a new city with a vague idea of where we want to live. A sorta kinda price range on what we want to spend. And we have a somewhat different list of house "must haves." I suppose we did manage to agree on the house that almost was back in Columbus, so I know it can be done. But that house was brand new, built to our specifications with every last little detail accounted for. Now we're looking at older homes, with some updates and a few more compromises. All I'm hoping for today is to narrow down our search a bit.....and that we make it out alive. Open houses....here we come!

What day is it today?

GAME DAY!!

A very important game day over in Buckeye land.

Watching ESPN broadcast from my old stomping grounds this morning was bittersweet.

The hubs and I will be veturing out for the first time to see if KC Buckeye fans really know how to party! Hopefully we finally show those USC Trojans who's boss!!

GO BUCKS!

American Idol may have finally brought me to the dark side

After countless seasons, and I mean countless...American Idol may have finally convinced me to tune in. Ellen DeGeneres as the 4th judge?? Awesome!! I know there's been back lash about her non musical background....but seriously, how much did Paula actually talk about music in a technical sense. She was usually too doped up to do anything but gush and cry over people who couldn't sing their way out of a paper bag. If I can tell someone's bad...anyone can. Ellen is the shiz and I think her banter with Simon is a perfect match. Bring it on!

Confession

There's a new, catchy pop song on the radio.

I find myself singing along.

Today I found out Miley Cyrus sings it....

and I didn't change the station

I hang my head in shame

Wishful Wednesday: Home

"I Wish".......I could come home to this house everyday!

New York City Penthouse

With a Central Park View

And a Carrie Bradshaw closet.......
(I couldn't find the fab movie one...so this will have to suffice)

Head on over to The Seattle Smith's to showcase your dream home!

My weekend in a nut shell

So this week I actually have to work 3 days in a row

This is the first time in over a month

I know you're all feeling sorry for me

Did you all know 6AM still existed

It does

My alarm clock oh so rudely reminded me this morning

Damn Clock.

Had a great weekend!! I won't bore you with the details...so here is the abridged version.

Thursday: Drove to the lake, just me and Kasey.

Friday: GIRLS DAY! Me and mom went shopping. I didn't buy anything, but still had a blast. It poured and I mean poured rain the entire day. Made a super delicious dinner for everyone.

Saturday: More rain. Like buckets. Again. No parasailing. Boo! :(

Watched college football all day. Seeing ESPN Game Day and good ole Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit gave me goosebumps. It was awesome.

Sunday: What's that?!? The sun! STFU! Spent afternoon at Coconuts, my new fave lake place. Too bad it took me all summer to discover it's awesomness. Drank "Pool Water," played washers, got a fake $5 spray on tattoo. Cheapest, most painless ink I've ever got. Date night with the hubs. We scored a free bloomin' onion, played skee ball and found an fabulous sign for my parents. If that doesn't equal best date ever than I don't know what does!

Monday: Finally a day on the boat! Moose even joined in the fun and went swimming for the first time! He.loved.it. Packed up the family truckster. Headed back home to reality.

My mom, the hubs and Moose.....not so sure about this swimming thing yet

Ok...it's not so bad when I get to sit on this raft. Take me to those ducks mom!

Tasty Tuesday will return next week!!

One last summer hoo-rah!

That time of year is here again.

No more white pants, flip flops and summery dresses.

No more lazy weekends on the boat.

Time to trade it all in for sweaters, jeans and boots.

I always get a little tear in my eye when I say good-bye to summer.

Lucky for me I get to send it out with a bang!

I'm headed to the lake today for a few last glorious moments in the sun!! I also get to do something I've wanted to do, pretty much my whole life. On Saturday, I, Mrs EyeCanSee am going parasailing. I.can't.wait. I will be sure to return with oodles of pictures!! See you all next Tuesday...the offical start of fall in my eyes!

Happy Labor Day!

Congrats all around!

Today has been a very exciting day!

First of all, after a quick drive to Topeka, I took my Kansas Laws test and passed with a 100%!!! Woo hoo!! Go me!! I am now one step closer to my KS license which will open up tons of opportunities on the job front.

Second, and WAY more important than my silly ole laws test, yesterday I found out one of my best friends is pregnant! I am so excited for her and her hubby and I can't wait to meet their bundle of joy come April 14!

The proud parents-to-be on their wedding day