The Sky is Falling, The Sky is Falling

Not so much the sky, but my family room ceiling. No weather related storm goes without some type of damage to property. This time, my house (and some of my friend's houses) fell victim to the treachery that are ice dams. 

Yes, my friends, I came home on Wednesday to a big ol' bubble of water in the middle of my family room ceiling. Lucky for me, my stepdad is super handy and rushed over to help me out.

Turms out that there was standing water under three or four inches of ice in the gables of my house that caused the leak. And although home repairs such as this are super annoying and down right inconvenient, I am lucky to have a roof over my head and insurance to repair it.

Check out this sexy water damage action...

{Do not check out the dust on the ceiling fan blade. Gross!}

The adjuster is coming today and I am heading to the warmer temps of Hawaii soon.  Things could be so much worse. Just one of those irritating life situations that comes with homeownership. C'est la vie!

Have a great weekend y'all!

What We Did During Snowmaggedon

I don't know how many of you keep up with the weather through out the entire country, but in case you didn't know, Kentucky got bombarded by snow and below freezing temps this past week.

I realize that in other parts of the country (i.e.. Boston), there is a heck of a lot more snow and much more devastating effects, but I don't live there. I live in the South. And this s#*& is unheard of. 

We had approximately a foot of snow dump on us Monday and another four inches or so on Tuesday morning. To put it in perspective, the last time we had an amount that large in such a short amount of time was 1994. It was awful. To top it off, the temperature has been hovering around 0 degrees and the windchill has been as low as negative 18. 

Did I mention that I live in the South? Although some people argue over whether KY is truly Southern. I kindly ask those people to come to Kentucky during a snowfall of over a quarter of an inch, and that right there will prove it. We freak out over weather. And this snow storm proved that we are not ones for snow and cold temps.

Needless to say, we have been off work the majority of this week and I am going downright stir crazy. To combat that cabin fever feeling, I entrusted Pinterest to find some fun crafts to do.

I think we all know where this is heading...PINTEREST FAIL POST TIME!!!

The first thing I tried was the pin about recycling your old candle jars into usable vases, etc. I used the instructions on this pin. I'de been planning on doing this for quite sometime, and thought, surely this can't be that bad. Famous last words.

It worked just as the instructions said it would, and just like the original author, I got a bit of wax down my sink. What it doesn't say, however, is what a giant waste of time this was. I did at least 3 rounds of boiling water trying to get all of the wax removed. Plus scrubbing and Goo-Gone-ing the outsides. 

It would be so much easier to go out and spend the dollar or two they cost at the Dollar Store. Oh yeah, I also broke one in the process. Because you can't do a DIY project with Eileen without something breaking or someone getting hurt!

To all you crafty and coordinated people out there, mad props to ya. I just do not have those skills.

Moving on...another project that I've tried before was using Sharpie Oil Paint Pens to decorate coffee mugs. The last time I tried, it failed miserably. I thought maybe if I didn't use stickers this time to try and make initials, it might go better. Nope, it did not. 

{These will be great for being put directly in the yard sale pile!}

You know why??? Because I'm not crafty! And my penmanship is less than perfect. These mugs look like a kindergartner made them.  And as per my usual, I forgot they were in the oven and left them in too long so the paint faded.

I think I need to stick to decorating with store bought goods. It really does create less headaches and self esteem issues! 

Next snow storm, I'm sticking to movies and baking cookies. Both of which we did as well.

Next time on Sass in the Bluegrass, how Winter Storm 2015 ruined my ceiling. Stay tuned and stay warm, friends!

Valentine's Blogmopolitan Quiz

Linking up with twothirdshazel for a little V-Day lovin' this Friday!

Enjoy your weekend and hug the ones you love!  I'll be celebrating Riley's birthday and watching some high school wrestling with the b-fry and his mini on Saturday!

Until next time!

What I Keep on My Nightstand

A big shout out to Katie from katieelizabethblog for the huge list of topics to blog about when having a bout of writer's block.  I think I've been in one of those since the inception of this blog...

Anyway, I love any and all things random, so the topic about what I keep on my nightstand peaked my interest right off the bat! Here goes nothing, hopefully I won't bore you to death!

Most importantly, a picture of my fur baby Riley is always present on the nightstand. Such a handsome devil! I also keep a huge candle (scents vary from floral to linen scents) around because I like my rooms to smell pretty! I'm pretty picky about what scents I choose, but a good go to is Fresh Cut Rose or Lilac Blossoms from Yankee.

Next up is a teeny lamp from Ikea (also where the nightstand came from). I read in bed a good bit, so it's nice to not have to get out of bed and turn off the overhead light. DUH.  That is probably the least original thought I've ever put in print...

{My nightstand is the white stain finish, but the picture is too hard to see}

Moving on, in my teeny little night stand drawer, I keep all my remotes, chap stick, extra chargers, journal, pen, matches, hair bands and headphones.  There's probably some other junk I stashed in there during a cleaning spree, but who knows?  

Under the drawer on the open shelf is where I keep all the books I'm currently reading or want to read next.  Sometimes the stack gets a little out of control and have to move some back down to the office.  Here's what's on there now:

Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut

The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht

Amphigorey by Edward Gorey

A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin

There's also a Droid tablet floating around in that mix somewhere, but I really only use that when traveling or working remotely.

And if we're being completely honest, there's probably a half full glass of water and some cookie crumbs on there, too. But that's just between me and you. And the entire Internet. Meh, whatevs.

Happy Thursday, ya'll!

Little Celebrations

Monday marked the six month anniversary of our first date, and while it isn't a huge amount of time to be in a relationship, it is definitely something worth celebrating. 

Nothing wrong in enjoying even the smallest of milestones, especially when it brings you so much joy.  And does he ever make me joyful!  :)

We didn't plan on making a big deal of our (half!) anniversary, but when my dad gave me a gift card to a new restaurant I've been wanting to try, I figured what a perfect time to use it!

So, we headed to Lexington to have a nice little dinner at OBC Kitchen and get our bellies full. Needless to say, we achieved that goal with flying colors. We were both stuffed to the brim and I was asleep on the couch by 9:30 while he watched the episode of Walking Dead that premiered Sunday.  It was only fitting, since he fell asleep around the same time on Sunday when I was watching it. 

Here's what might go down as the worst lit picture in history of what we ate:

{From top left, going clockwise}

Sitting at Coach Cal's designated table, I guess?

Mutt Bread and Wedge Stack Salad: the salad was Drew's favorite part of the dinner.  It looked amazing.  The candied pecans and bacon were kinda stuck to the blue cheese and put in it's own layer of the stack. Topped with onion straws, with some tomatoes that were out of this world, this salad was a huge hit and could have been dinner alone.

Dinner entrees: Wagyu Open Face Burger for him, Crab Cake for me. Both of us decided that we preferred other parts of the meal better, but neither one of us were complaining.  

Smoked Mac 'n Cheese Side.  Shut. The. Front. Door.  This was my fave. It was scrumptious, comforting, and super filling.

Despite putting half of each item in a to go box and being completely stuffed before dessert, we ordered the hot doughnuts anyway.  They were a bit more like funnel cake, but were still tasty as heck. Covered in sugar and served with three dipping sauces, I'm still cursing myself for falling asleep on the couch and not eating another one as a late night snack. YUMMMM!

So, there marks six months of officially dating. Here's to what's to come!  Cheers, y'all!

Currently Coveting

I've really been trying to not buy anymore stuff I don't need these days, but there are always a few things in my brain that I'd love to have.  Instead of posting about those, however, I'm going to share a few things I kind of need. Need is probably a stretch, but whatever.

Don't be deceived, I have a perfectly good pair of Chaco's, but I hate them. The toe loop drives me crazy and kill my fat feet.  So I really want to replace them with the pair above before our trip to Hawaii this month. We're going to be hiking and kayaking a good bit, and I want some comfy but cool shoes to tromp around the island in.

In slightly related purchases, I desperately need a new pair of running shoes.  I agreed to do a 5K with my coworker this April, and we started training a couple weeks ago.  It has become very apparent quite quickly that I need to get a new pair of shoes or I'm going to end up hurting myself.

I really like this pair, and as far as running shoes go, they aren't too expensive at $100. They'll come in handy in Hawaii, too. Have I mentioned that I'm super excited to get somewhere warm???  Because, yeah, I am.

I'm also in the market for some new bb cream or foundation. I've heard good things about this one, anyone have any other opinions?

{thanks to this blog for the tip!}

And last on this hodge podge of a  list is some framed art. Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time finding exactly what I'm looking for. I'd like to frame the concert line up posters for all of the festivals I've been to over the years, but so far the only one I can find is for Telluride 2007.  Anyone know where to get a Bonnaroo 2008 and Forecastle 2012-14 poster online for cheap? 

{I also really wish TBF had the artists on their official posters, but oh well.}

So there ya go. Other than that, I'm spending money on experiences only these days.  That's my new rule for the year.  That I just made up.  Right now. History in the making right here folks!

Woohoo!

Happy Tuesday, y'all!

Pure Michigan

This weekend was definitely one for the scrap book, and by scrap book, I mean online web log that I occasionally post in. Because, if we're being honest here, I'm never going to get around to ordering all the Shutterfly albums I haven't even made yet.  Ha.

Anyway, this past Friday morning the (very exhausted) boyfriend and I drove up to Michigan with his youngest brother and girlfriend to visit their other brother and (pregnant!) wife.  It was an awesome time, and it didn't hurt that we saw a couple of awesome shows while we were there.

Friday night, running on very little sleep, but loving every minute of Sturgill Simpson.  Really wish he would have won the Grammy he was nominated for.  Le sigh.

Mack, Drew, Jay, Jeremy (from left to right) before Sturgill came on stage.

A little acoustic ditty on a lazy Saturday afternoon.  Mack and Jay went skiing while the rest of us recovered from our respective beer or sleep deprivation hangovers.  We were the latter, fyi.  I didn't really drink all weekend. Booze has not been kind to me lately, so I decided the best course of action was to be the DD on Friday.

Some quality snuggling was had with Sadie, the niece of Drew's pup.  She is sooo much like Maggie; it was hilarious.  Love those rotten faces!

One more, just for funsies.

Good way to chill your beer? Stick it in the foot of snow from the week before.  Luckily,we had great weather for winter in Michigan, and it didn't get below 35 or so.  I sure wasn't complaining, especially since I was bracing myself for the single digit temps.

More Sadie. I might have threatened to smuggle her home with me. Riley would have not been pleased.  And neither would Jay and Amber, soooo, yeah, she stayed.  

{This guy brought his bubble machine and boombox for a little pre-show street corner party. Turn up for what?}

Saturday night after a pretty fantastic dinner in, we headed back to the Intersection to catch Greensky Bluegrass.  I haven't seen them live for years, and the boyfriend absolutely loves them, so we were both pretty pumped.  Plus we finally caught up on some sleep and were a little more energetic!

They did not disappoint, as usual. It was crowded as heck, but luckily we had reserved a table that was raised off the floor by a few feet.  Not only could I actually see the show (being 4'11" kinda sucks), but we weren't getting trampled by the huge crowd.

We had an absolute blast and fell asleep on the couch watching the dvr'ed Uk vs. Florida game.  Go Cats!!! This season has been crazy; we are so stinking good!  Even when we play bad.

Sunday we drove home, and after what was probably the most annoying traffic jam not 7 miles from my house, we made it back in time for some Four Pegs for dinner.  I had the Chicken and Waffles and Drew had a Philly with Poutine fries. Both were well received.

He made it about 2 minutes past the opening credits of Walking Dead...I, however, was left to cry on my own.  Ugh, they are killing me this season!  Anyway, no spoilers, we can talk about that a different day. 

We had an awesome time in Michigan, and I'd love to make it up there during spring or summer when we can see some of the sites and whatnot.  It's so great spending time with Drew and his family, they are a damn riot when they get together.  Laughs for days, I tell ya!

Here's to Monday and a quite week for the most part!  Have a good one, y'all!

House Elves and Reading Lists

{I think Riley is the actual sock bandit in  my house...}

Anyone else still searching for that next Harry Potter level series to fall in love with?  

I've read a lot of twee/young adult fantasy books since finishing Harry Potter all those years ago, but none really came close.  I think that I like the Hunger Games series the best out of all of them, but it's not even close to my love for HP.  The writing is just simply not as good.

Sidebar, I am a thirty-three year old woman with absolutely no shame in my game. Ha.

I've read the Divergent, Twilight, and Beautiful Creatures series as well.  Let me tell you my friend, while they were quick reads and I found them entertaining, they are no Harry Potter. I think I might try the Lunar Chronicles next just for something entertaining and quick. Hopefully they'll be decent.

I've also kind of slacked off in reading this past month or two, so I haven't finished any more of the books for the Winter Book Challenge,  Frankly, I'm not really interested in very many of them.  Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown is what I'm currently focusing on, and while I like it a lot, it's very painful to read.  It's such a sad story and a testament to how screwed up the foster care system is,

In other exciting news, I finally got a library card from the local library here in Frankfort (where I work).  I'm pretty pumped to not be shelling out loads of money for books anymore if I don't have to.  Plus, both my grandparents were librarians (actually, my grandfather was the Dean of Libraries of UofL. Whoop whoop!), so I know they would be proud.  And when I went down to the library, I noticed our company's name on some plaque for something down there.  Hooray! It's about time I started using that resource!

Anyway, so who's reading something great right now?  Any fantastic series I should try?

Happy Hump Day!