Day 25

More Fun with DIY Wedding Crafts

20 days till the Wedding

"Can I be really picky for a minute?"

"Uh...sure?"

"You see the amount of glue you are putting on there?"

"Yeah."

"Well, you might want to try and use a little less glue because when you lay the paper down all the glue could possibly squish out the sides and make the sides all gluey.  You want to glue a little less and then try to squish the glue to the center."

"That's what I've been doing.  None of the ones you have over there have glue on the sides."

"Yes, actually, they do. I have glue all over my hands."

"That is not true! I was very careful to squish the glue towards the center!"

"I just would really prefer not to have glue all over everything!  And I know I'm going to read about this on your blog tomorrow!"

"Well, you are now!"

♥ you Charli!!!

Day 24

10 Things My Friend's (almost) 2 Year Old Son Thinks are Fun

                                    **in no particular order**

10. Balls.  All kinds, but especially tennis and golf.

 9. Magnets.

 8. Anything small enough to fit in the palm of his hand.

 7. Sparky the dog who lives downstairs.  

     Even though Sparky ate his nachos and his peanut butter sandwich.

 6. Saying Yes.

 5. Saying No.

 4. Walking all the way home from the pizza place on his own two feet.

     Even though he has a plush, comfy stroller.  

     Even though it is 90 degrees.  

     Even though it is nearly a mile to the house.

 3. Holding hands when crossing the street.

 2. His Dad

 1. His Mom.

Agreed, Jackson.  Agreed.

Day 23

"The Sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever."

-Jacques Cousteau

Day 22

Once upon a time there was a young girl who loved exercise videos.

The sequel.

Once upon a time there was a young girl who was addicted to the 

Tracy Anderson Method Mat Workout DVD.

She started off hating the workout but much like a romantic comedy where the girl finds the guy abhorrent in the beginning but eventually comes to realize that he is the one for her... so it was with the TA workout.

The girl had done the video for two weeks.  And while she wasn't sure she had turned into a "teen tiny dancer" type as Tracy had promised, she did feel her butt was in a far more appropriate place.  

A far more appropriate place.

The young girl now believes that Tracy is a fairy godmother sent from a far away land where the abs are flat, the arms are toned and the butts are firm.  (Actually, I think she is from Indiana.) 

Wherever she is from, her new magical workout is the best thing since cheese in sticks.

She, apparently, is not, however, from a land where they believe in CHAPTER SELECTION ON DVDS!  

CHAPTER SELECTION!  

JUST THE OPTION TO CHOOSE A CHAPTER!

That's all I'm...I mean...the young girl...is asking for.

Day 21

"Just play.  Have fun.  Enjoy the game."

-Michael Jordan

Day 20

Fun = changing my TO DO list to a TO DON'T list.

Today I am shirking all responsibility and going to hang out with my friend and her baby.

We will walk.

We will eat snacks.

We will look at the ocean.

Wait.

Did you hear that???

I have to go.

Fun is calling my name.

Day 19

If loving the movie Bride Wars is wrong...

then I don't want to be right.

Sarah of 30 and Counting blogging fame will probably lambast me for this post.  She hated this movie so much she "Boooooooo"ed it on her site.

This might very well be the ONLY thing Sarah and I have ever disagreed about.  Ever.

Oh, Bride Wars.

Let me count the ways....

No.  I better not count the ways. 

It's probably better if I don't analyze it too much.

I'm going to chalk it up to the fact that one of my best friends is getting married in less then a month so, I have a bit of the wedding fever.

But I'll tell you this....

It was the best bad thing I've seen in forever.

It was fluffernutter on white with a side of cheetos and a coke.

I could watch the whole thing again with the sound off just to look at the clothes and Anne Hathaway's hair.

I swear to Britney, I just might buy the dvd.

Day 18

"Your blog isn't really about things that are fun anymore.  It's more like daily musings by Jen.  I think you should change the title to that."

"What?!?  I post about doing things that are fun!!!"

"No, it's more about how you force yourself to do things and hope that one day you'll find those things fun."

"That is fun for me."

"Whoa.  Okay...."

Day 17

"Are you gonna eat your cupcake for breakfast?"

"No."

"If you did, it would really help me out."

"Huh?  Why?"

"Well, if you were eating the cupcake for breakfast I could take a picture of it for the blog and then write: 'Fun = cupcakes for breakfast'.  But if no one is actually eating the cupcake, it kinda feels like false advertising."

"I can't eat a cupcake for breakfast!  That's gross!  I need breakfast food.  Why don't you just take a picture of it?"

"That's not fun."

"I'm having toast.  You can write about me having toast for breakfast."

Fun = toast for breakfast

Day 16

When I was leaving Target yesterday the cashier turned to me and said:

"See you tomorrow!"

This may be the sign of a problem.

Day 15

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

May your weekend be filled with many fun adventures.

Day 14

Once upon a time there was a young girl who loved exercise videos.

If a new video came along, she HAD to have it.

Tae Bo, Turbo Jam, New York City Ballet Workout, AM Yoga with Rodney Yee, PM Yoga with Rondey Yee, Yoga Booty Ballet, The Firm Series...the list went on and on.

The girl would do a video for a while, but then she would tire of it.  Many of them had boring music or boring hosts or boring moves and the girl would become bored and the videos would go where videos go to die...

the storage space above her closet.

Finally, one day, the girl said,  "NO MORE!"

"I will not spend another dime on a workout video!  I have enough!  I will make due with what I have!" 

And so it was.  For a VERY long time.

That is until The Tracy Anderson Method Presents Mat Workout DVD came along.

Madonna does it.  Gwyneth Paltrow does it.  Tracy promised a "teeny, tiny dancer style" body.  

The girl was powerless to resist its charms.

So, she bought it.

And it sat on the shelf for months.

The video was hard!  And long!  And there were no chapters built in so the girl could skip the parts she didn't like!

And then one fine day (4 days ago) the girl woke up and she said,

"Darn it!  I spent $30 on this stupid video!  I'm going to do it and I'm going to like it!"

And so she did.  For 4 days in a row.

And she likes it.  She thinks.

To be continued....

Day 13

"Dancing in all its forms cannot be excluded from the curriculum of all noble education; dancing with the feet, with ideas, with words, and, need I add that one must also be able to dance with the pen?"

-Friedrich Nietsche

Good pens make my soul happy.

My new favorite: Sharpie Pen

Day 12

Dear  J.Crew,

Please stop making clothes that are so pretty that I want to send myself into financial ruin by ordering the entire catalog.

Thanks.

-Jen D.

Day 11

Fun with DIY Wedding Crafts

   based on a true story

"Okay.  This is the prototype.  You see how it has one BIG bead and then a bunch of little smaller beads and then in the middle is a flat bead, well, it doesn't HAVE to be a flat bead, it could be a BIG bead or it could more little beads, but it should be something to anchor the name in the middle, but that isn't as important as the end bead which HAS to be a BIG bead.  It HAS to be a BIG bead because, otherwise, do you see how all the little beads just fall off like that???  That's what happens when their is no BIG bead to anchor them.  So, there has to be a BIG bead on the end.  Okay?"

"Sure.  BIG bead on the end."

"Jen.  Quality control.  What is this?"

"Did I put on too many beads?"

"Um...BIG bead???"

"Jen.  What are you doing?"

"I'm taking pictures of it for the blog."

"Get over here and start laminating."

"I guess I'll cut them since you're, like, afraid of scissors."

"I'm not afraid of scissors.  I'm afraid of you!"

The above was edited to tease the bride-to-be.  We actually had a great time and no bridesmaids were harmed in the making of the crafts.

Day 10

CHARLI'S  GO-ING TO THE CHAPEL AND SHE'S GON-NA GET 

MA-A-A-RIED!!!

Well, she's going to a beach house in Malibu, but she IS gonna get married...  

in 5 weeks!!!

AND she is planning, decorating and styling everything herself!!

That means tonight Charli and I are on a mission.

That mission....

DIY wedding crafts.

I am giddy at the thought of it!!!

I love crafts nearly as much as I love green juice.

**photo not of Charli.  It is Audrey Hepurn.  She had almost as much style as Charli.

Day 9

To be a surfer....

(sigh)

photo by j.e. highsmith

Day 8

I am listing green juice as something I think is fun.

One more time.

I am listing green juice as something I think is fun.

This may be pathetic for two reasons:

1. I am a young, viable person of means who lives in a large, bountiful city filled with endless possibility and I am listing green juice as something I think is fun.
   

2. I actually think green juice is fun.

When I sit on the porch with my grandchildren and tell them stories of my reckless youth, will I talk about how I used to put Kale in the juice because it made it extra green and was really high in antioxidants?

I think I need to branch out.

But until then....I LOVE GREEN JUICE!!!

Here's the recipe from Natalia Rose's awesome book Raw Food Detox Diet:

Green Lemonade

Makes 1 serving

1 head romaine lettuce or celery

5 to 6 stalks of Kale (any type)

1 to 2 apples

1 whole organic lemon

1 to 2 tablespoons fresh ginger

Process all in a juicer**

Ah, Fun.

**cleaning juicer not included in fun plan

Day 7

FUN = GOING TO TARGET

If Target was a man I would drive past his house just to see if his car was parked outside.

I would call and hang up just to hear his voice.

I would have my best friend pass him a note telling him how much I love him.

If Target was a man I would doodle my married name "Mrs. Jen D. Target" 100 times a day.

If Target was a man I'd have his Target babies.

And then I'd shop for them at Target.

Oh, Target.  I love you so.

(AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Day 6

"Uh!   I hate this!!!  What an un-fun day!!! I'm going to make an un-fun blog!!!"

"You know why this is happening, don't you?"

"No.  Why?"

"Because of your blog."

"I'm making a fun blog!  NONE of this is fun!"

"No, it's to teach you to try and find the fun in everything."

"That's stupid."

"Ok, then."

Day 5

Fun with Man-friend.

Though, I'm not sure how much fun he was having....

Day 4

"So, how's your 7am plan going?"

"Good!  I actually finished that challenge.  Now I'm making myself have fun for 30 days."

"Oh...do you...like...not go out a lot?"

"No, it's not about doing things that are supposed to be fun.  It's more about finding fun in whatever I do and discovering what  'fun' means to me."

"You should do an arts and crafts project!!!"

"Yeah, I thought about that. I was thinking I could..."

"Or rent a hot air balloon!!!!"

"Right.  Or rent a hot air balloon."

Day 3

In the interest of equal time.....

5 things that are fun about CALIFORNIA:

1. The weather.

2. The weather.  So good I'm listing it twice.

3. The cute clothes you can wear all year round because of the

     weather.

4.  You can't throw a stick without hitting a vegan, organic, 

      locally grown something.

5.  John lives here.

It's not New Jersey, but we'll have to make due.

Day 2

"If your new goal is to have fun, I'm afraid you are out of luck unless you plan on coming to New Jersey.  This is where fun lives."

-The Notorious EMC 

5 things that are fun about New Jersey:

1. The Cooks.

2. Hoboken.  And the fact that Jennie lives there.

3. Staying "down the shore" and waking up to Erin's Dad's yummy 

     pancakes.

4. Steve, Cara and Melissa are from there.  So is Meryl Streep.

5.  Wine, late nights and laughter at Cafe Bello.

Yes, Erin.  Fun lives in New Jersey.

Day 1

Okay. Fun.

Fun.  Fun.  Fun.

Looking for Fun.

What shall I do today that is fun?

Well, since I think fitting in my pants is fun, I guess I'll workout.

Fun.

I like those pants to be clean so, I better do some laundry.

Less Fun.

I think eating is TONS of fun (hence the need to workout) so, I will go food shopping.

Medium amount of Fun.

I have a friend visiting from out of town later tonight.

SUPER FUN!

Alright! 

I have a nice amount of fun scattered throughout the day.

Oooooooh....

Maybe, I'll even buy a magazine and paint my toes as a fun bonus.

Yeah, I better do that.

I'm going to need something to balance out doing laundry.

girl just wants to have fun

I have been struggling with what to do for my next challenge.  

Having....ahem... "successfully" turned myself into a morning person, I've been at loss for what to do next.  So, I did what any smart, thoughtful person would do when faced with such a roadblock.

I ignored the problem, hoping it would disappear on its own, without any actual effort on my behalf.

When that didn't happen....

I figured I'd have to (sigh) think about it.

What did I want to do?

What did I want to achieve?

What did I want to improve?

Bleeech!!! Nothing!!!

It's the last month of summer (I whined In my head)!  I don't want to spend it forcing myself to do anything!  I don't feel like being a better person!  I just want to go to the beach!

Aha.

I want to have fun.

And so my new challenge is born. 

I will spend the next  30 days having fun.

Whether I like it or not.

Still Veggin'....

Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.

-Mark Twain

Vacation extended. Back Thursday.

Gone Veggin'

I'm giving myself time off for good behavior.

Be back Wednesday!