valentine's day She's like a rainbow...

Soo pretty!



valentine's day


Yeah, I am a sucker for rainbow-colored anything, but how sweet is the set of rainbow-hued cupcakes made for some grandmothers??


By hownowdesign, more info, including links to recipes, here.

valentine's day Lovely cupcake paintings

Artist Tanya Dawn has created some beautiful cupcake paintings:




valentine's day


Chocolate Fudge.





valentine's day



Rainbow!






valentine's day


Sunrise.






valentine's day


Moonlight.





valentine's day

Red Velvet.




And:



valentine's day


White.



You can see more of her cupcake paintings here, at her blog.





;)

valentine's day Project Get Sexy

We all are guilty at one time or another of letting ourselves go and gaining weight. It could because we get 'fat and happy' or 'sad and fat'. We could have just had a baby, switched medications, or developed an unhealthy obsession with Rocky Road ice cream....it happens to us all.



And when we gain this weight we start to feel it, not just feel it in our body but feel it in our soul. We start to feel bad about ourselves. We feel less like the woman we thought we were and less attractive. Well, at least I do.



I have gained some weight since we got married June 2008. Some will say that I haven't gained 'a lot of weight', but enough for me to notice and enough for it to hurt my self esteem. I'm only 5'2" so every lb is painful.



I want to lose some lbs and more importantly I want to look better in my clothes. I want to be toned. I want definition in my legs. I want to feel good in a sleeveless shirt. I want to feel like this picture again...

I felt good in this picture. It was a month after the wedding and I took them for Mr's birthday present. I had lost weight before the wedding and felt good about my body. I want to feel good about my body again.

So what am I gonna do about this?



I've started Couch to 5k and I am doing this plan. There are a couple C to 5k plans out there, or at least it appears to be the case. I chose this one, because let's face it....I loathe running and starting at running 2 minutes 1st workout, just ain't-a-happenin. This plan starts with the 1st 3 workouts - jogging 60 seconds and walking 90 seconds. I do my 3rd work out tomorrow morning.



Mr. Jetplane is doing this with me, not because he needs it but for moral support. After the 1st 'run', we got home I was exhausted and he went on a 7 mile run. Yeah this is the type of guy I'm dealing with.



Surprisingly I'm excited about this...and that is saying a lot for someone that regularly says the only time you'd see me running is if I was being chased... Yeah, a runner I am not. But I do seriously hope that this program can change my opinion on running and in turn help me get back into shape.

I will keep you all up to date with my progress. I will also be integrating some new and healthy recipes into our diet.

Project Get Sexy is in full effect...

Photo Credit - Oeil Photography

valentine's day Is it Black or White...

No I'm not talking Michael Jackson here...I'm talking the color of our kitchen cabinets. Do I go black or white?


Black? Like Gwenie Paltrow's kitchen...

Or white like this gorgeous kitchen...

That is the question my friends. Our counter top is a Corian and appears to be relatively new. It is tan with flecks of white, gray, and black. The flooring we are putting in is a dark, real wood that will be carried in from the living room to the kitchen and into the family room. The wood color is similar to the flooring in the picture of the white kitchen above.

Here is the kitchen in all its glory with the original owner's belongings.

What was your first thought? Those kitchen cabinets on the right have to go??? Well that's what we thought too... Day 1 we ripped out the cabinets. Excuse the 2 big boxes we used those to help us hold the cabinets in place while removing all the screws, nails, and whatever else had been holding those things up since 1986.

So what's the consensus....black or white?

We have purchased fixtures for over the kitchen table and the sink, those are brushed nickel and were cheap at Lowe's so the new cabinet hardware will be brushed nickel. We are also set on removing the top portion of the Corian that is used as a backsplash. These pieces are glued on and not a portion of the countertop. This will be replaced with white subway tile with white or a gray/black grout.

So do we go black or white?

* Sorry I do not have links for the 2 kitchen pictures, if you do, please advise and I will give appropriate credit.

** FYI - All the appliances will be replaced. All trim work will be white and all doors are getting replaced with new, white doors.

valentine's day In Loving Memory

valentine's day

valentine's day Peace out 20s....

Today I am 30 years old...I am no longer in my 20s, nor my late 20s...I am 30. I'm not going to provide you with this in depth introspective post about what turning 30 means to me or anything but I will say this...I'm freaked out about it.

So in honor of this stupendous occasion I'm going to provide you with 30 random and perhaps totally insignificant facts about myself.

1. I won't drink 'white' milk.

2. I used to be really into NASCAR, but to my defense I worked for a company that sponsored one and I called on Home Improvement stores...hello I needed to know about NASCAR.

3. Milo was 'this close' to be named Bogart.

4. In high school, I was into punk rock and ska music....I may still have ALL that music.

5. I am a AGD.

6. I have a ridiculously small pinky toe, with an even smaller toe nail on it.

7. My childhood nickname is Pooh Bear.

8. I still haven't legally changed by name....yeah I'm really bad.

9. I was on the quiz bowl team in junior high and high school, and I freaking loved it. I also was captain for our sorority team in Greek Week.

10. I took tap, jazz, ballet, and toe shoe ballet. Obviously, being 5'2" a ballerina was not in my future.

11. My mother let me name my lil brother or at least she let me think I did....after my favorite television show in 1984 - Heart to Heart.

12. I have OCD when it comes to closing the garage. I will turn around and come home to make sure I closed it, I do it ALL the time.

13. I used to have a thick southern accent when I was 4-5yrs old. When my parents were still married we lived in Natchez and Baton Rouge for about a year or so.

14. In 1st grade I went to a speech therapist and she got rid of the accent.

15. My favorite book I think will always be Dante's Inferno. I read it for Honors English senior year. For our class gift to our teacher, we made a plaque for above his door that read, "Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here"

16. I have a deep love for techno music....thanks to college.

17. Mr. Jetplane and I often call each other by our last names.

18. Freshman year of college, I dated 2 guys and they knew about each other - One at home and one at school.

19. My favorite color is any shade of blue.

20. I know almost every word to Pretty in Pink, 16 Candles, and the Breakfast Club. John Hughes was God!!!

21. I also may have watched Howard the Duck every single weekend with my lil brother, on a VCR we rented with our videos.

22. My brother and I used to set up Double Dare challenges in our backyard.

23. I am messy. I hate to clean.

24. Dr. Pepper is my favorite soda.

25. Up until the 8th grade, my mother made me get perms. She used to give them to me in the kitchen sink...I used to say to her...give up I have straight hair.

26. I participated in beauty pageants, and I won some. My talent was tap.

27. I haven't spoken to my biological father since I was 20, and that was just by mistake when I answered the phone and he wanted to speak to my brother.

28. I curse alot.

29. I love Party Pizzas....like LOVE them.

30. My favorite smell in the world, honeysuckle.... It takes me right back to being a kid, playing with my cousins in my grandmother's backyard.

So there you go....30 totally random things about this 30 year old lady. Oh and one last thing...

valentine's day Notice Something Different About Me?

Yes this lil blog has gotten quite a face lift, its still a work in progress...so please bear with me if not all the links are working properly. I'll talk more about the 'new look' later this week...

On a much different note....We got back from Vegas last night, many stories to tell about loathing American Airlines, loving Chelsea Handler, and meeting a great fellow blogger.

Let's us say one fellow blogger got to meet the Jetplanes in all our drunk glory. Oh yeah! Hot mess alert...

Oh and on even bigger news...TODAY is the last day of my 20s....we pause for a moment of silence...

valentine's day Apologies...

Hello All! Someone is crazy busy so I apologize for blogging this week is my low priority...Don't leave me...


For your enjoyment and since I'm a bad blogger...here's something for you to laugh at.

valentine's day Calling All Military Wives....

Do I have a great giveaway for you? Well its not my giveaway, but it is a great giveaway nonetheless provided by MilitaryAvenue.com.

Its a Valentine's Contest, where you could win a Sony Touch for your Active-Duty Spouse. How great is that?? Please check out and enter the contest here....

The contest ends January 30th!

If you win, you'll received a Sony Touch pre-loaded with 10 top titles (selected by Borders) for your active-duty spouse. Winners must provide the APO or an on-base / post address to ship to upon winning as Borders will facilitate shipping readers to the winners.

Good Luck and a BIG THANK YOU to MilitaryAvenue.Com and Borders!!

valentine's day Air Kisses to You All..

Thank you for the kind comments and emails I got yesterday from my 2010 post. I really appreciate it.

I know it goes without saying, but it feels soooo good to know you're not the only one out there that is suffering from the same issues. Growing up is hard, our parents were right...enjoy your youth, your carefree misspent youth...it goes by way too quickly.

So THANK YOU to all you wonderful ladies, I really appreciate each and everyone of you.

Now with that out of the way... This arrived with Mr. Jetplane when he came back from Illinois on Sunday. Its my Christmas gift from his dad and step-mom. I knew I was getting it since I specifically asked for it.

I guess its kinda funny for me to ask for a cookbook from his family since, his mother, stepmother, sister, and sister-in-law, all don't really cook. When Mr. and I started dating I asked him what his favorite meal was, because I would cook it later that weekend. He told me Hamburger Helper....yeah ladies that's what I was dealing with.

But I digress, the cookbook is very interesting. Its not just a cookbook, it let's you into Ree's and Marlboro Man's lives. When Mr gave it to me, I sat in the chair and read the whole thing that night, I've never 'read' a cookbook.

I'm excited to get to cooking...Mr. Jetplane loves all the food I've made from her blog. Mr. Jetplane is a meat and potatoes type of guy, but he will eat (and like) other types of food.

valentine's day 2010...A Girl Can Dream Can't She???

Well 2009 kicked my ass...I learned alot about myself, my marriage, my family, my friends, and the life of a military wife.

Its tough out there for a lil girl (ok I'm 29) like me, who still on occasion feels like she's fresh out of college, and not ready to be an adult.

What do I want to see, do, accomplish in 2010...oh boy, the list is long and whining that is for-sho...

1. I want to be a better wife and to focus on making our marriage as strong as it can be. We love each other, we're best friends, but we can get on each other's nervous in a nanosecond. We're not always team players and we both have to consider each other's feelings when we say or do something.

2. I want to decorate my house and make it a home.

3. We may have another move this summer to either Idaho or England (or we may stay in NC), we don't know until March and we'll move in June/July. I need to handle this uncertainty with grace and know that this is COMPLETELY out of my control.

4. I need to be better at self-motivating..I'm lazy, I'll be the first to admit it. I need to work harder in my life, my job, my marriage, etc.

5. I need to get out and make friends around here. Its tough, real tough, to meet women and like them, and become friends with them...become REAL friends, not the fake friends that so many of us have. I want tried and true, I can be my real honest to goodness self around you friends.

6. I want to prepare our little family to take the next step and have a baby. I don't know if this will happen this year or next, but I think I've come to realization that I really do want kids, and now I have to make my mind feel the same way as my heart.

7. I want to use my Kitchen Aid Mixer that I got as a wedding gift in 2008. I want to bake and cook more. I really enjoy cooking and I'm pretty good at it.

8. I want to grow a green thumb. I want to plant flowers and trees in our yard. I want to make our yard a place to hang out in the summer, and I want to be motivated to keep it that way.

9. I want to learn to appreciate what I have, and not feel like I need more. I want to not shop as much. I want to not feel as if I need things.

10. I want to become a better saver. My husband is great at this and I need to learn from his example.

11. I want to be OK with turning 30 in June. I want to celebrate the 30 years I've had, not feel bad about things I haven't accomplished and realize that 30 isn't as old as it sounded when I was 21.

12. I want to get in better shape. Here is the motivation again, I want to lose 10 lbs and be in the best shape I can before having a baby.

13. I want to see my friends more. I miss my girls...we live all over and don't get to see each other. I miss them.

14. I want to do more charity work. I want to donate more to breast cancer research, ASPCA, etc. I want to participate in charity walks, runs, drives, etc. I want to give back to my community more. I'm a big donater to charities, but I want to be a participant.

15. I want to be a better blogger. I enjoy this outlet, I need it, and lean on it from time to time. I need to make it better, I'm working on that.


That's it...for now. I'm sure I forgot a couple of things here and there but that's pretty much the list. Wish me luck... give me a kick in the ass, I'm going to need it.

Before I end this post I need to tell you all that I really, truly appreciate everyone that reads this lil blog. You all have made 2009 more bearable for me. Mr. Jetplane calls you my invisible friends, and you might be invisible but your kind words, emails, thoughts, and prayers are very tangible to me.

You all have made me cry, laugh, think, pray, and maybe a time or 2 go shopping, but your 'friendship' is something so special that I don't think Mr. Jetplane (or any man for that matter) could ever truly grasp.

Here's to us KICKIN ASS in 2010

XOXO

valentine's day HELP ME! HELP ME!

Hey its me...Mrs. Jetplane. The bad lil blogger that's been too busy to blog. Well it appears we will be going to another couple's house for Christmas Eve and I need to bring 2 dishes to their house. We're having 'heavy' appetizers.

I need suggestions...what am I talking about...I need help!

No Brie please!

Please leave me a comment or send me an email at leavingandloving@gmail.com with your suggestions and recipes!!!

Thank you in advance for your help.

valentine's day Sorry guys...

valentine's day But this is what my days are looking like since I got back from the Midwest. I promise to be a better blogger soon...

valentine's day My Life in Pictures....

Hello all...I am still crazy busy so I thought I would give you a very quick (like a nanosecond) review of the 2 weeks I spent in the Midwest.

ALOT occurred in those 2 weeks, if you follow me on twitter (which you don't have to but if you want to, its totally fine with me...because in all honesty, I'm on twitter way more than the blog...and I tell you way more...probably too much, on my twitter...anyway I digress)

For those of you that don't know, my mother had her reconstructive surgery about 3 weeks ago now. valentine's day This is what Siteman looks like at night... NO ONE ANYWHERE, actually that's what it looked like when we got there at 5:30 in the morning too... Her surgery was 16 hours long. More to come on that...

valentine's day While I was in the STL I got to meet up with this 2 wonderful ladies from Mrs. Everlasting and fellow mil wife, Running in Stilettos. Love them... I felt bad because I was really sick during this time... But we had a great time, and 2 glasses of wine always make me a happy girl...especially when I'm highly medicating... I hope to see them again next time I'm in STL.
While in STL I stayed with my cousin a couple of nights. This is her dog Simon...he hates me. He growled at me the entire time. I attempted to win his affection with food...it kinda worked but not really... The entire time there I sang to him... "My name is Simon...and I like to do drawings..." Bonus points if you know what that is from...he was named after that character...While out grocery shopping with my cousin we stopped off at the petstore since they were having adoptions. I met this lil guy, he was missing a toe on one of his paws. He was the calmest doggie ever. I fell in love with him. I texted the Mr... he said NO WAY... I almost cried when we had to leave...

After almost a week in the hospital, Mama Jetplane was released and we headed home to Southern Illinois where my family resides.

valentine's day I was subjected to taking out my Mom's dog Hank in the rain... he has to wear a raincoat...no worries, he enjoys his raincoat but not the rain.

Since I was around, I got to attend my college roomie's baby shower. It was so great to see her and my other roomie from college. Miss those girls so much.

And attended an Ugly Sweater Party at a friend's house... I was really upset because my sweater was not ugly enough. I didn't know about the party and had to run to the Dollar General for a sweatshirt. But hey I still had a great time...

I became even sadder when my antler broke...

While at home I also got to meet up with 2 other wonderful bloggers... We had a great time together, and figured out that we literally know TONS of the same people...it is such a small world after all. Is that good or bad???

Nina and Mandy are just as sweet as you would except them to be...

valentine's day

So there is a quick snapshot of the 2 weeks back at home. I promise to give you more info on Mama Jetplane later this week...

I'm off to Pcola tomorrow afternoon for a work trip...sad that Mr. Jetplane can't come with me, everyone else is bringing their spouses, correction bringing their wives..BOO...darn flight school... oh well... At least I'll get to sport my new Tory Burch dress to the holiday party!!

valentine's day What A Long Strange Trip Its Been..

Good Morning all...

I'm home in North Carolina..FINALLY.

I promise to give you a full recap of the past 2 weeks but right now, I'm digging...digging myself out of the huge ass hole I've dug myself in at work.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers over the past 2 weeks, they've been felt and appreciated more than you'll ever know. And to the lovely bloggers that I finally got to meet in person...all 4 of them, yes 4, I got to meet 4...are you jealous??? Thank you. You all are just a fabulous as I had imagined you would be.

Bigger NEWS! Mr. Jetplane's first flight in the jet will be today, actually he might be in it as I type right now! He left at 5am this morning.

Honestly...you all are going to need to pray for my sanity more than his safety! Who wants to gamble about whether or not he's going to throw up...Ha Ha... He hasn't pulled that many g's for almost a year now... I have a feeling he's going to be dry heaving like...well, its too early to be discussing it.

Have a great Monday...

valentine's day Hang in there...

Its been a crazy week...my mother is good, I am still sick.


Sorry for my lack of updates, please don't give up on me....I'm just in a thick drug induced fog and now I'm trying to work from my parents on my lap top and cell phone...this won't be good...plus my "T" key on my laptop doesn't want to work anymore...FML.


Thank you all again for all your love and support...you all are the bestest!! (yes I know that's not a word, but I use it anyway!)

valentine's day Latest Inspirations

First things first...sorry I have been a bad blogger lately. I don't really have much of an excuse. I don't feel like I have all that much to say...well that has any entertainment value... I promise I'll try to be better...I'll try.

That being said I wanted to show you a couple of things that have inspired me lately. I saw this piece of art on a blog about a month or so ago, I apologize I cannot figure out which home decor blog it was, so I deeply apologize. (if you know, please tell me) It appears to be felt pieces stitched together. I am been day dreaming about doing something simliar for weeks now. I hope to do some shopping this week to get supplies.

Secondly this was posted on Twig & Thistle earlier this month. I am thinking about doing something similar to give as gifts to our local (couples) friends. I have some great twine that I have been wanting to use and I will create holiday tags for them. Can't wait!! I know Mr. Jetplane will think I'm an idiot but oh well.

Have you all started thinking about Holiday cards??? I've been scouring the internet for cards... I want to use a picture from our family shoot this past spring with the dogs...

Decisions...Decisions... I like a lot of the cards on http://www.tinyprints.com/ and http://www.minted.com/. For cheaper options don't forget to look at Snapfish and Vistaprint. They have some great options for your as well that are cheaper.

I created and purchased our wedding rehearsal invites and Thank You cards from Snapfish. I used a photo and created postcards...they were nice quality and we received alot of positive feedback. You never have to spend a lot of money to create and send something to family and friends.

Enjoy the rest of your week...and look forward to Pug Friday tomorrow!!

valentine's day And the Winner is....

Thank you all soooo much for entering and supporting my giveaway. And without further ado the winner is........






Miss Pretty !!!! Please email be your contact info at leavingandloving@gmail. Congrats!!


Now onto the Jetplanes Halloween... Our original (well my original) plan was Mad Men themed, I'd be Joan and Mr would be Roger, my own personal silverfox. Well Mr. jumped ship on me with some of his friends and decided to be this...

Yeah he's the one with the long dark wig. Yeah...that's my husband. I'm quite the lucky girl, aren't I? valentine's day This is our friend Dom, creepy looking isn't he? He's wearing a mask and padded the stomach. He creeped people out all night long.

Here are the Jetplanes getting ready at our friends house. I decided to be Rachel Zoe and threw together my outfit. I had pretty much everything except the fur vest. We purchase a yard of faux fur fabric and cut it into a vest. Then I belted it. I paired it with a dress from BR and pulled it up alittle to look more like a tunic.

Starbucks gave me the cup for free and I had to carry my big MJ bag...since Zoe and MJ are total fashion BFFs.

Only problem...most guys and alot of girls out here didn't know who RZoe is... can you believe it... I DIE! Seriously... I DIE!

We had a great time and the boys (if we can call them that) did win the costume contest $50! It paid for some of our drinks. The win was decided by crowd participation and maybe some of us screamed really loud... we may have swung the vote... oh well.

valentine's day Did Someone say GIVEAWAY?

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Mama Jetplane visiting this week, I am having a giveaway.

Earlier this month I blogged about the great Breast Cancer Awareness products you can purchase with proceeds going to various programs. I commented on how much I loved a particular scarf, the Warriors In Pink Scarf.

Well I ordered it...correction, I order 1 for me, 1 for my mom, and 1 for you my lovely readers.So the giveaway goes a little like this...

1. You will receive 1 entry for a comment on this blog.

2. You will receive 2 entries for being a follower.

3. You will receive 3 entries for tweeting this giveaway (@mrsjetplane).

4. You will receive 4 entries for blogging about the giveaway.

And just because I love you...you may get a couple of lil extras in additional to the scarf.

Here I am spoting the scarf last weekend out to the movies. It cute, cozy, and the proceeds go to a great cause.

The Giveaway will end a week from TODAY on October 29th! Hurry up...what are you waiting for....

valentine's day Pug Friday - All Dressed Up Edition 1

Good Morning to all and a very happy Pug Friday. As promised for the next few weeks we'll be enjoying pictures from my readers of their puggies dressed up in their Halloween finest. I don't know what it is about dogs (especially pugs) being dressed up that just melts my cold dark heart. Who's with me??

Unfortunately, Milo, my own personal lil hunk of pug lovin HATES, DETESTS, DOWN RIGHT LOATHES being dressed up in clothes. I did wrangle a spiderman costume on him last year and I think it maybe a repeat performance...as long as the lil chunker still fits into it.

Now without further ado...for your Pug Friday enjoyment...I bring you these 2 cutie pies.


First we have Ms. Sophia from Bella Serenity. Isn't she adorable? valentine's day And here we have Mr. Paulie from on the Rhoads of Life. You may recognize Paulie, he was a finalist in our Pugapalooza earlier this year.

valentine's day Aren't their expressions priceless? This is the look I get from Milo when I dress him up...he's thinking "Seriously Mom?"

Oh but you just can't yourself...they are too cute for words.

Thank you all for sending in the pics, I am getting some great ones. Keep them coming to leavingandloving@gmail.com

Happy Pug Friday All!!