The Carpenter Chronicle: February 2011

beans is super gassy.

the other day i was taking beans to go babysit at our cousin's house. on the way there i needed to stop and buy gas.

me - jill have you ever pumped gas before?

beans - no.

me - jill!!!! you have to learn.

beans - i don't really want to.

me - oh my gosh beans. just let me teach you.

i finally convince beans and i teach her how to pump the gas. after the gas is done pumping i tell beans that all you have to do is pull out the gas hose and put it back in place. she says ok then i start texting on my phone. the next thing i hear is HELLLLLLLLLLLLLP! i look over and all i see is gas going EVERYWHERE. i start laughing so hard i ALMOST pee my pants. beans, of course, is crying but then eventually starts laughing along too. then i start crying from laughing so hard. we are a laughing/crying mess.

i clean up the car and ask beans how she could have possibly sprayed gas everywhere and tell her to go to the bathroom and wash her whole body down. when i walk in she is super sad because she wants to go to babysit right now. i give her a spare shirt, wash her down super good, then we are off to babysit.

later mom gets a phone call. some how i knew what it was about. i start to sulk in the couch when i hear, "NICOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLE." i think i started cracking up again and then had to repeat the whole story.

what a great day.

totally awesome tunes: i do.

don't you love when songs about marriage come up on the radio.

i do! it sometimes gives me hope that hollywood isn't just full of the devil's spawn.

if i stay book review.

two upsides: 1. i liked this book because the author was a good writer which i DESPERATELY needed after the hunger games. 2. the story of the book was unique and refreshing. it was about a girl who gets hurt in a car crash and has to choose between life and death. it was deeper then your average teenage love story.

two downsides: 1. the book curses more than i would have liked it to (and when i say liked it to i mean i would rather have no curse words). 2. i also didn't like the book because the boyfriend is in a punk-rock band and dressed all punk-rocker. so gross. i just imagined he was a super hott instead.

fave quote: "I realize now that dying is easy. Living is hard."

wardrobe wednesday: poser.

beans is my official photographer. last week she mentioned that every time i pose for a picture i do the exact same pose. and guess what? IT IS TRUE!

scarf: last chance. boots: kohl's. dress: unknown. earrings: blossom. bracelettes: target.

while taking this picture it was really a struggle for me to not put my hand on my hip! i guess its a sign.... i will never be able to be antm.

dating 101.

i was talking to a guy friend the other day about who he has been dating and the conversation went something like this...

me - so are you dating anyone?

pms (yep those are his initials, poor guy) - no one right now.

me - how come?

pms - well i don't want anything serious right now.

me - why? girlfriends are they best they just give you kisses every night and make you sandwiches all the time.

later that night me and k8 was talking to another guy friend.

k8 - so we found some cute girl you can date.

jsc - cool who is she.

me - ooh lets go stalk her on facebook.

***all three of us go over and stalk her on facebook which then turns into a 30 min stalking session of random strangers****

me - soo jsc i was thinking an early winter/late fall wedding.

jsc - i haven't even met the girl yet.

me - jsc, all that matters is if she is hott and rich.... k8 we got to find out if this girl is rich.

jsc - what if she is really annoying

me - ehh just get married and have lots of babies we will work that out later.

ok... so my philosophy on dating may not be perfect but seriously boys just need a little bit more of a push these days don't you think?

the hiding spot.

the other day i walk into the living room and hear something in the coffee table. i open up the cupboard and find this inside...

somebody please tell me this is an everyday occurrence in their house too.

cloudy with a chance of meatball movie review.

i know this movie is older but if you have not seen it SHAME ON YOU!

it is probably the funniest kids movie EVER. it is made by the people from SNL but it is for kids so it is clean humor. when the movie first came out me and clleeaann watched it three days in a row and laughed our rears off every time.

i seriously could not pick the best part in this movie cause everything is so funny but here is one of the funnier parts.

another great part is right before sam puts on her glasses she looks at flint and he is gorgeous then she puts on her glasses and is all taken back and says, "woah!" haha so good.

this is seriously a movie even doc loves and doc hates little kid movies he refers to them as "painful" on most occasions.

but seriously just watch the whole thing because the monkey is hilarious, the dad, the policeman, the camera man, the mayor.... you catch my drift it is just all around HILARIOUS.

i'm gonna let it shine.

Well hello fabulous readers!

I'm Ashley from The Shine Project.

Just so we're a little more aquainted...here I am...

I wanted to share a little seceret with out about how I get my daily inspiration.

Not just inspiration about fashion,

but in life, and with helping the people around me.

At the beginning of the year, I chose a word that I wanted to motivate me.

The word was SHINE.

To me, the word SHINE emulates brightness, happiness,

and it means excelling in something.

I decided that now is the time to achieve my goals (I want to be an author).

Not only do we shine when we put down our excuses and go after hard things,

but also when we help others!

I started The Shine Project by making a necklace for a widow whom I never met,

and watched her light up as I gave it to her.

I now sell these necklaces to remind us all to shine each day.

Every week, I post a challenge for us to accomplish that will let us see

just how much good we can accomplish in the world.

Here's your challenge:

Bid on this wonderful SHINE necklace, for 100% of the proceeds to go to Michelle's Chemo Treatments.

Bids begin at $10. Leave a comment at imaynotbequeenelizabeth.blogspot.com under the post similar to this to bid. All you have to do is leave the price amount you are willing to donate! The bid closes next friday at midnight!

Now that's something worth bidding on.

Go Ahead,

Let the World See you SHINE.

I look forward to hearing from you on my blog!!!

xoxoxoxox,

Ashley

wardrobe wednesday: i didn't ask if i was cute

shirt: anthropologie. skirt: anthropologie. belt: gift from clleeaan. earrings: coco's closet. shoes: steve madden.

me - mom doesn't this skirt make me kinda look bottom heavy?

coco - i think you paired it really well with the shirt it looks perfect. super cute.

me - coco i didn't ask if i was cute. i know i am cute. i asked if the skirt made me look bottom heavy.

i dont know what it is about this skirt but it totally does make me look bottom heavy. good thing i dont give a crap and still look super sassy anyway.

best valentine's day ever.

on valentine's day when i remembered anthropologie was coming out with a wedding line i gasped soooo loud.

then when i saw this dress i said, "i'm gonna throw up!" i know it sounds like a hate the dress but it was totally supposed to mean i love the dress so much i am going to throw up... yeah i tried to justify it the best i could but sometimes it just comes out like word vomit.

right about now i am thinking to either 1. find a desperate man and get married or 2. buy the dress and dance around my room in it like a little girl for hours and hours

valentine's day playlist.

i love valentines day cause it is the only day out of the year you can blast the cheesiest music out of your car over and over and over again and no one can make the gag face.

ten points to whoever can name what movie this picture is from.

so here is my list of cheesy music i will be playing ALL DAY LONG!

what love songs will you be blasting all day long?

bryan ryan brian.

i have 3 boy cousins my age on my dad's side of the family. bryan, ryan, and brian... yep it is true!

brian and ryan went to my high school with me and bryan lives in utah.

ryan, me, and brain at homecoming.

they are all hilarious and are all currently serving missions. both brian and bryan are in canada and ryan is in paraguay.

but the best part of having cousins with similar names all serving missions at the same time is when we have family prayer every night when one person will say, "and please bless bryan, brian, and ryan on their missions"

gets me every time!

the queen.

a couple weeks ago it was my cute friend michelle's birthday. me, jessica, and julianna all went to visit her and just chat. she is exactly the same just super dainty and probably the cutest thing you have ever seen.

later that week we had a chemo shower for the girl. we were so happy she came! we ate cookies and pasta and got to spend some quality time with michelle. it was such a blast!

can you believe how gorgeous she is and still has such a tan! cutest chemo patient i have ever seen!

hunger games cast.

ok, i know the hunger games movie is coming out in 2013 but i still cant wait! if you haven't read the hunger games read it! then in two days (after you have finished) come back and read my cast for the book.

Katniss Everdeen - Camille Belle

Peeta Mellark - Garret Hedlund

Gale Hawthorne - Taylor Lautner

Haymitch - Robert Downey Jr.

Effie Trinkit - Kristen Chenoweth

Cinna - Hugh Dancy

who do you think should be the hunger games cast?

personality types.

the other night at family night me and k8 went to some large one at asu. when we got there everyone was taking a personality test (it comes out of the book please understand me). me and k8 sat there and took our separate tests but, of course, kept peaking at each other's answers. every single answer we were exact opposite on. in the end k8 was a ENFP (extaversion, intuition, feeling, and perceiving) and i was a ISTJ (introversion, sensation, thinking, and judging).

after we take our test we go and find our separate groups. k8's is a bunch of super chatty cathy's and the people in my section on average looked like this....

no one is talking to each other and i know if i sit with them i would most likely not talk to them either. i thankfully cant find a seat and go sit next to k8 and her chatty crew. i then say something along the lines of, "i dont want to meet people like me i spend all day with myself, that just doesnt make since to me" (see i am a thinker, not a feeler).

as the groups get called everyone screams then traits get listed about them. when k8's group gets called they are for sure the most animated. k8 is described as - seeing life as an exciting drama. the second you meet k8 you will know this is her in a nutshell. and after the traits get listed one of the boys at the very ends yells, "AND WE ARE GREAT KISSERS!"

the jobs were then listed off - actor, politician, and teacher.

then famous people with the same personality - robin williams, dr. suess, and the fresh prince of bel-hair.

when it is time for my group to get called i yell at the top of my lungs and raise my hands in the air. when i look around no one has done anything. i mumble under my breath, "good one team." my traits are listed off as - only 6% of the population, rather quite and serious, dependable, a pillar of strength, and can make sense of difficult and detailed figures.

i thought to myself, "was i just compared to a pillar? great i am a pillar nerd."

then jobs were listed off - CEO, engineer, accountant, and military officer.

then famous people with the same personality - george washington, henry ford, and eeyore (from winnie the pooh)

i always thought it was weird that i could pull off these glasses so well... guess i know why now.

wardrobe wednesday: coral and turquoise

i love coral and turquoise together BUT you have to be very careful with how it is done.

very cute coral dress + turquoise bracelet = perfection.

dress: some boutique from when i went to london. shoes: kohl's. bracelets: coco's closet.

ps. did you notice my super big calf muscles? i started walking and now my boots that usually slip down cause i have no calves actually stay! ok... only for like a minute then they fall, but still!

false eyelashes 101.

i know what you are thinking false eyelashes? i dont want to end up looking like lady gaga.

well... 1. you are not dumb enough to wear those kind of false lashes and 2. you are not as scary looking as lady gaga.

cause in the real world, not in lady gaga's pretend world, when you get the right false lashes, the kind you can wear daily, you won't even end up looking like this

the best lashes are the kind that read NATURAL looking on the box and can't be found at places like walmart. they should still cheap mine were only $6.99

up close they look like this

and far away they look like this.

but never, NEVER like this.

like grandma elo always said, "fake it till you make it"

how to look super fly.

the other day i was about to go on a walk and i was looking super fly...

then trab walked in the house and i couldnt help but think to myself hey... he looks super fly.

yeah... we both looked super fly.

musical influence.

when beans was super small and could barely talk doc some how taught her to sing jim eat world's in the middle.

now doc has moved on to bigger and better music. his new favorite music is darius rucker. 9 times out of 10 when doc walks into the house he is singing and out of those 9 times (excluding sundays) 7 of those he is singing a darius rucker song.

when were driving in the car one day and i hear jill singing to a darius rucker song she sang this exact line... "be wary of a woman, a woman so fine, don’t wanna change you, loves you just right"

i'm pretty sure i did the biggest WHAAAAAA? in my whole life.

it's good to know doc still influences beans music choice.

maybe have, but maybe i have not.

in my life i may have

1. seen have seen alvin and the chipmunks: squeakquel at the midnight showing.

2. been known to spell diarrhea on the spot, without hesitation.

3. tried to pronounce these made up words.

4. spent one whole summer watching 8 seasons of smallville.

5. worn a shirt with the number 55 and a huge rainbow in my sixth grade class picture.

6. have the same running shoes since 7th grade.

7. legitimately been scared during ferngully when i was 18.

well... maybe i have, but maybe i have not.

the ring of fire.

in geology we were talking about this ring of fire...

then my teacher mentioned how she should have put this ring of fire on the power point to listen too.

then i chimed in and said, "i was actually thinking finding nemo." i swear i heard a cricket chirp. "you know on finding nemo when he has to swim through the ring of fire?" then one of the older ladies chimes in, "oh yeah i know what you are talking about my grandkids love that movie." then i hit my hand to my head. great lady i like the same movie your grandkids do. then some chick across the room says, "yeah! mount wannahockaloogie!" i then thought sweet i am not a total doofus and said, "yeah everyone needs to watch it. good times people."

swirling coco.

i walk in and coco is swirling her drink around in circles.

me - stop doing that!

coco - why? it gets the fizz from the drink to the top.

later that week i catch her doing it again

me - stop swirling your drink!

coco - but it mixes the smoothie together

me - stop it.

coco - why?

me - because then when i swirl my drink around it freaks me out!

wardrobe wednesday: falling whistles

boots:target. vest: some boutique. jeans: anthropologie. shirt: j crew. necklace: falling whistles

remember on my blog when i did the helping those in need post? well for my birthday coco bought me a falling whistle so great! i love it and guess what the whistle really works!