Things Thursday: Things I Was Delusional About

1. All the projects around the house I was going to get done while on maternity leave.  I'm too busy cuddling with my love.

2. How I would start "sleep-training" my baby from day one.  Yeah right, sleep in any form is way too valuable to be picky.

3. How I would never think my baby was the prettiest, cutest, most adorable ever - there's no way she's the most beautiful.  Yes, in fact, she is the prettiest, cutest, most adorable, most beautiful baby I've ever seen.

4. That my house wouldn't get covered in baby shit all day, every day.  It's everywhere I look.

5. That I wouldn't casually talk about breastfeeding in everyday conversations.  It's hard when it may be the thing I have been doing most often every day for the past two+ months.

6. How I would never say "you'll see" or "just wait" to childless friends.  Oh, you'll see.  You just wait.

7. How you could look at a tiny little baby, and fall insanely in love in a moment's time.  Everyone told me about it, but you can't quite understand it until you're there.

8. That I would worry about how I could possibly love another baby the way I love Miss Emma.   I'm sure I will, but it is hard to imagine.

9. How completely awful I would feel about my body for the first few weeks postpartum.  I knew I would look pregnant still, but I didn't know how bad that would make me feel.

10. How much my medical knowledge with being a pediatric nurse would make me feel more prepared.  Ha.  It's so different when it's your baby.

Things Thursday: Things I've Been Doing Instead of Blogging

1. Couch surfing.  Maybe a little too much time on the couch.

2. Tons and tons of family time!  Last Sunday, we managed to have each meal with a different group of Handsome Husband's family!

3. Um, Big Brother started.  Hello?

4. Using my camera.  I got to take some pretty pictures of MIL Red and her fiance, Mr. Bear, down at their oceanfront wedding location last weekend.

5. Getting more and more excited for our upcoming Beers & BBQ 4th of July Party!  Friends, booze, food, sun and 'MERICA loving...my type of day.

6. Planning (and by planning, I mean, listening to Gardening Mom's plan and loving every idea) a long weekend getaway with Gardening Mom and Sisters Singer and Swimmer.  August can't come soon enough!

7. Enjoying basking in the sun on my walks to and from my work parking lot and on the weekends, but not loving the too hot evenings that have already started. 

8. Having mini family reunions at Downtown Disney.  Lots of family was in town, and it was so nice to see everyone!

9. Really missing blogging, but really lacking the motivation to write.

10. Reading lots of blogs!  I might be lagging, but I'm reading YOU!

Things Thursday: Things We Take For Granted Living in Southern California

This Things Thursday was inspired by my Handsome Husband, while we were driving in to Aunt Fancy Chef's beach house neighborhood on Monday.

1. Being able to be at the beach in less than 20 minutes flat.

2. Weather like this:

3. These gorgeous sunsets:

Taken in Capistrano Beach, on Monday 3/25/13.

 

4. Being 60 minutes south of the Movie Making Capital of the world - Hollywood.

5. Living in a place worthy of television shows based solely around your county (The OC), or local towns (Laguna Beach), that are not called Buck Wild.

6. Getting from La La Land Los Angeles to Sunny San Diego in under three hours (on a good day), two pretty famous and fabulous cities.

7. You know the California cliche - being able to be in the mountains one day and at the beach the next.  I don't actually know anyone who does this on the reg, but dammit, I could!

8. The fact that HH and I literally ran the heater a whopping five or six times this winter.  1. Because we're badasses, and 2. Because we didn't have to!

9. Being the better half of a state - sorry Nor Cal, I went there.

10. Sunshine.  Sunshine for some part of the day, even a short part, almost every single day of the dang year!

Things Thursday: Things Currently On My Mind

For a blog named Stress Case, there hasn't been a whole lot of stress mentioned on the blog as of late.  Partially because I am getting slightly more relaxed in more old age (this next birthday is going to kill me), and partially because I have just really sucked it up as a blogger as of late (see below for more on that).

I digress.

1. The fact that I have approximately 10% of my wardrobe in my car and need to bring it inside, wash most of it, and pack tonight for our East Coast Vacation.

2. All of the crazy violence that has been going on lately.  We're talking ex-cops gone nutso, a murder followed by shooting rampage that started a fourth mile from my home, and the horrific but less recent school shooting and movie theater shooting that still weigh heavily on my mind and heart.  I thought about writing an entire post about these (most recently about the shooting in Ladera Ranch, California), but thought it would come across as both inappropriate (I was not affected by any of these personally, who am I to be freaking out about it), and depressing.

3. Our joint birthday party (Hubs and I are just a week apart) that is fast approaching.  PS Is it totally inapprop to throw yourself a birthday party?  I figure I can get away with it since it is for both of us.  Thoughts?

4. On the same note - turning 25, in general.  Lots of mixed feelings about this one, y'all.

5. How inspiring Sister Swimmer is with her ongoing and expanding dreams of helping others - sister is on her way to Peru in the next few weeks for a mission trip.

Sister Singer (in blue) on her 2011 trip to Haiti.

6. Our San Diego friends and how much I miss them.  Here's to hoping we'll be seeing them at our upcoming birthday!

With our SD friends in SD, May 2011

7. How happy I am to be still completely and totally in love with my very Handsome Husband after almost two years of wedded bliss.

Our Wedding, February 26, 2011

8. The awesome things HH is doing in law school: kicking butt in classes, securing externships for the summer, and my favorite - meeting some really wonderful new friends!

A bunch of future lawyers...and me.

9. Friends, family, and the funny way dynamics change over time.  This one's vague, I know, but some things gotta stay private.

10. How insanely excited I am to see Aunt Delaware and company out on the east coast in less than 48 hours!

The last time I saw my Aunt Delaware - 2 years ago at our wedding!

Things Thursday: Things I Don't Want to Forget About 2012

1. How much I loved the song, Call Me Maybe, and all the subsequent parody videos on YouTube.

 

2. The overwhelming fear and heartbreak I felt the moment I found out about the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shooting, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, and the significantly less devestating but way too close to home lockdown of Cal State Fullerton while my sister was on the campus.

 

3. The fact that I truly felt like I was going crazy during our homebuying experience, but that if that is my worst problem, I should be counting my blessings.

 

4. Watching my sisters graduate high school and feeling proud, nostaglic, and old all at the same time.

 

5. How scared I was when Handsome Husband's emergency appendectomy took way longer than I thought, and how I really wished I hadn't argued with him about stupid shit leading up to it, cause you really never know what's going to happen. 

 

6. The way I felt the first few weeks after we moved out of my parents' house, where I really missed them and how it surprised me not because I didn't think I would miss them, but because I was so ready to be in our own place that I didn't see it coming.

 

7. The happy silence filled with love on our first Chrsitmas morning in our new home - our first Christmas morning as our own little family of 2.

 

8. The look on HH's face when he was surprised with a dinner full of friends in celebration of our first wedding anniversary last February.

 

9. Our Disney World trip memories: from the big ones like our fancy dinner with the princess, to the little ones like the hilarious little boy singing about going to Downtown Disney on the bus.

 

 

10. Grandma Beach Bum's reaction when she openend the Family Cookbook I put together for her for Christmas.  It was a labor of love, but her tears of joy and the way she was touched was so worth it.

Things Thursday: Things I'd Love to See Under the Tree This Year

In all serious, all I need for Christmas is time with my loving family, and some sweet sparkly lights.  But, a girl can dream about some other pretty gifts under the tree too - and these are the gifts in mine.

1. My far-fetched dream, but a DSLR is on my list and has been for years.  I have these teensy little dreams of becoming a family photographer on the side - but my camera blows.

{Via}

2. A Silhouette Machine - you've no idea how many more Pinterest projects I could complete if this was in my arsenal!

{Via}

3. New scrubs.  My dryer has shrunk most of mine, and no, it is most definitely not the 15 extra pounds I've packed on that is making my clothes snug!

4. An Erin Condren planner for 2013 - I have loved mine this year, but cannot stomach the $50 price tag. 

{Via}

PS I think the ultimate thoughtful gift would be the "Favorite Things" with someone putting in your favorite things, or things that remind them of you...ah, I die.

5. Some super cute trinkets for my new home - I'm super into fleur de lis, crowns, and keys right now...oh, and all things burlap and neutral.  I'm not the most exciting home decorator, I know.

6. This flat iron that I was introduced to back in May by Twin Beauty School that I have been dreaming about ever since:

{Via}

7. A magazine subscription would be so fantastic - big fan of Cosmo, US Weekly, and Real Simple right here!

8. Cooking classes - there is a local place here that does "date nights" which sound like so much fun!

{Via}

9. Some goodies for my iPhone and iPad are always wonderful - I'd love a mount for under my kitchen cabinets to persue Pinterest on mid-dinner cooking, a back-up battery charger for my phone, and a really nice alarm clock docking station in particular.

10. This little beaut to try and get my teenage skin to realize I'm closing in on mid-twenties here, and it could stop with the acne!



{Via}

Things Thursday: Things I'm So Thankful For

1. This amazing wonderful man that I get to spend every single day with for the rest of my life:

 

2. My amazingly generous and supportive parents, whom I love and adore and can't imagine having to live without.

 

3. My sweet sisters who I miss more and more each day!

 

 

4. These little wonders that popped up on the shelves again in the past few weeks:

 

 

5. All of my extended family that I don't get to see nearly enough and miss every single day.

 

6. My job, that can be very stressful, but that I truly love and enjoy, which not everybody can say.

 

7. My Handsome Husband's scholarship for his law school education, which makes law school a much more enjoyable experience for my bank account.

 

8. All of my in-laws, who have always welcomed me into the family from day one and continue to do so as the years go on.

 

 

9. The Real Housewives franchise, without which, I would feel better about my finances and worse about my friendships.

 

10. My amazing friends, who always support me, never judge me (at least not to my face), praise me for my strengths and forgive me my weaknesses.

 

 

Things Thursday: Things I'd Like to be in Another Life

1. A starfish, so I'll always be a star!

2. The President - we know that's not happening in this life.

3. A dude.  Although in actually, I'd like to be a dude for all of 15 minutes, y'all are gross.

4. A wedding planner, just like JLo.

5. A kitten, but only a housecat - this girl don't wanna catch her own food or sleep outside in the cold!

6. Miranda Lambert.  Love her.  Though I'd go by Miranda Lambert-Shelton, but that's just me.

7. An artist - I can barely draw a straight line as it is.

8. A goat, but only if I could be this guy:

 

9. A high powered bossy pants business lady.  Who wears Louboutins .

 

10. A butterfly.

 

{source}



Things Thursday: Things I Don't Want to Read About on Facebook

1. Your political opinions.  Especially those ones that make you sound like a know-it-all...and a douche.

2. Your bodily functions.

3. How mad you are at your boyfriend/girlfriend/best friend/mother/father/dog/grandma/etc.

4. How terribly hard your life is.

5. Your sex life.

6. Anything about how much money you make.

7. Really anything from you, if you can't use proper grammar and spelling.  It's not that hard!

8. An announcement to all 1300 of your friends that your apartment will be empty for the next week while you're on vacay.  Not that I plan to break in, but it's just so damn stupid.

9. How drunk, high, or both you got last night.

10. A constant stream of your daily activites. 

Things Thursday: Things I Could do for Hours on End

1. Glue rhinestones to bottles of booze, ala Rhinestoned Wine Bottle.

2. Watch re-runs of old Real Housewives seasons - New York, New Jersey, OC, Beverly Hills, I adore you all.

3. Stay in the bathtub.  Once I get in there, I'm parked for a while.

4. Pinterest.  'Nuff said.

 

5. Color.  Like in coloring books.  What can I say, kid at heart.

 

6. Facebook.  Not a fact I'm proud of.

 

 

7. Talk to Best Friend Cute Apartment.  Seems like everytime I turn to HH when answering her call I'm telling him "it's only going to be a few minutes!" and what do you know, I'm hanging up an hour later.

 

Cut from the same cloth, I tell ya.

 

8. Look at old photos.  I especially love baby ones!

 

9. Daydream with my sweet Handsome Husband about our future - what our children will be like, where our forever home will be be, you know the drill.

 

10. Talk weddings.  It's been long enough since mine where I've recovered from the post wedding funk, where that's the last thing you want to talk about.  It's about time one of my girly friends gets a rock on her finger so I can talk gowns, centerpieces and favors again!







Things Thursday: Things I've Been Up to Lately

1. Choosing and installing wood floors in the living and dining area of our new home.  Such an investment, but so worth it!

Mid-installation.

 

2. Walking down memory lane as I unpack boxes that I packed back in December 2010.

 

L-R: Garter caught at Tutor Girl and Cousin Ronomon's Wedding, Our wedding favors: custom shotglasses, A page from a scrapbook of "Our First Year", and one of our engagement photos circa 2009.

 

3. Getting back into cooking - something I've missed so much the past year and a half!

 

Two new recipes to the Stress Casey repertoire, L-R: Crockpot flank steak over rice, with sauteed zucchini, and baked halibut with mustard and panko crumbs, with strawberries. 

And no, we don't eat rice every night...coincidence that I only took photos on rice nights!

 

4. Watching my savings account dwindle as I furnish this home.  While it's so exciting and exactly what we've been waiting for, it's still quite depressing to see that number get lower and lower and lower.

 

5. Really missing seeing my parents and sisters every single day - which is so pathetic, being that I've been seeing them all at least twice a week since we moved out.

 

6. Enjoying a beer every once in a while out of the sweet aluminum bottles that were on sale what what!

 

7. Deciding who to root for on Big Brother as if I am a member of the damn jury.  I'm leaning towards Dan if he makes it to final 2 btw, BB fans.

8. Getting way overly excited for Fall premiers - what new shows are you all programming into their DVR?!

9. Being uber jealous of Grandma Beach Bum, who is celebrating her 70th birthday by lying on a beach in Hawaii.  Lucky lady!

 

10. Really wishing for a temperature drop, so that it can feel like FALL already!

 

Source: thehighheeledhostess.com via L on Pinterest

Things Thursday: Thing You Might Not Know About Me

1. I'm a very strange eater: I don't do crusts on sandwiches, hate crunchy foods, and cannot stand my food touching other food.

2. I am a total hot head - my temper can get out of control if you piss me off something fierce.

{Via}

3. I did not always want to be a nurse, I used to want to work in Marketing or Public Relations, and even started going to college for that initially.

4. Counting "step" grandparents, I grew up with a total nine people I considered grandparents as a child.  Divorce was big.

5. I was the first of most of my girlfriends to get married - total trailblazer.

My and my girlies hugging it out on my wedding day, minus someone who maybe shouldn't have been there in the first place.

 

6. I have terrible anxiety - when I am nervous about something I can't eat, sleep, or really function at all effectively.

7. Since 2008, I have moved a grand total of six times - not counting our impeding move.

8. My mom and I are uber close - like I told her before I even had sex for the first time that I was going to close. 

9. I don't take showers nearly as often as your average chickadee.

10. I really like the scent of cleaning products - hand sanitizer, Windex, etc.  It's a problem.

Things Thursday: Things That Must Be in My Dream Home

1. A fabulous man cave for my Handsome Hubster.

Source: electronichouse.com via Casey on Pinterest

2. Hidden appliances in my dream kitchen.

Source: houzz.com via Casey on Pinterest

3. A shower that I would never want to leave...

Source: houzz.com via Casey on Pinterest

4. ...and a tub for two!

Source: downunderdevelopment.net via Casey on Pinterest

5. My dream closet.

Source: via Casey on Pinterest

6. A kitchen that makes me swoon.

Source: southernpiphi.tumblr.com via Casey on Pinterest

7. A dream entertainer's yard.

Source: getssweeterwithtime.blogspot.com via Casey on Pinterest

8. A white picket fence, and a sweet little front porch.

Source: 2.bp.blogspot.com via Casey on Pinterest

9. Outdoor television - yes please!

Source: media-cache2.pinterest.com via Casey on Pinterest

10. A wine fridge, warming drawer, and double ovens wouldn't hurt either!

Source: houzz.com via Casey on Pinterest

Hey, a girl can dream, right?

What's in your dream home?