busygirl

new feature!

Since so many of my lovely blogger friends are hosting such fabulous giveaways, I decided to help them out (and you!) by advertising not only busygirl giveaways but others as well!  So you, my readers, have so many more items you could possibly receive just by visiting their blogs and commenting!  And I know my bloggity friends love getting to meet new readers along the way.

It's a win-win!

So check out the new 'current giveaways' sidebar!  It will be updated regularly with new and exciting giveaways from myself and friends!

 

ALSO - don't forget the 'nourish your inner goddess' spa kit giveaway ends at noon EST on WEDNESDAY!!!

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Also, I added two FABULOUS new etsy stores to my sidebar, check them out!

BrideBlue crafts beautiful simple and classic jewelry with crystal, pearl and vintage findings.

Romeo has a spring flower necklace that I am dying to get my hands on!  I don't know what it is about flower details, they're striking my fancy this year!

that is MY box of random stuff.

Ricki had a playdate last night, something that doesn't happen very often since 1.) one dog makes enough of a mess, why invite another one in.  And 2.) he's a boy and VERY territorial.

But we figured, what the heck.  Plus our friends just got a new 3-month-old puppy, a cute little shitzu-pomeranian mix named Mason.  Absolutely, adorable!  I wish I had a photo of him because you would die of cuteness just looking at this little white furball.  Here's an idea of what he kind of looks like:

I know, it's hard to resist.  I wanted to snuggle him the entire night.

Ricki did alright for the first few minutes, just following Mason around while he checked everything out, giving him the standard 'hello' (a few sniffs to the behind) and just trying to get his head around this little furball that had invaded his space.

Things were going really well, probably too well.  We should've known.

Mason turned the corner too quickly, and Ricki growled.  Up on the couch Ricki went since obviously the puppy hadn't done anything wrong.  Mason waddled over to a box full of ??? (couldn't tell ya, we aren't great packers) and was sniffing at it.  Ricki just glared and as soon as he made his way off the couch he went straight for that box, looked and Mason and lifted his leg.

'This is MY box, you pup.'

Sigh, more messes to clean...but I will admit that the way Ricki went about claiming his territory was pretty hilarious.  He had such a little attitude about it.  Apparently we've got a little diva divo on our hands.

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On a another quick note, for any pet owners out there, I have discovered the secret cleaning that gets all of those 'surprises' out of the carpet!  And shockingly it's not even a pet cleaner.  Heck, it's not even a carpet cleaner.

I swear by this: Lysol 4-in-1 disinfecting cleaner!  Just spray some Lysol 4-in-1 on the spot, rub it in with a clean washcloth, let it dry and then vacuum it up.  Not only does it get rid of the stain, but it disinfects the area too!

 
Try it, you won't be disappointed.  (note: I have light tan carpets, I'm not really sure how it would work on darker rugs, so test a spot first)

greedy waiter?

So in an effort to get back on this plan-the-wedding thing, my family has been trying out some various places that are in the running for the rehearsal dinner location.  We've decided that we'd like the dinner to be casual and fun: think Irish pub or sports bar.  So off we went last night to try out Doogan's which has a very enticing burger bar option for private parties.

The food was AMAZING!  Especially the burgers, grilled to perfection.  And since my mom and Megan so graciously agreed to tag along as taste-testers, Adam and I volunteered to pay for their meal.  Our waiter was okay, I think he was one of the bartenders filling in on a busy Friday night.  Most of our stuff was brought promptly, he did forget my water a few times and swore...but none of that really bothers me.

So I tipped him about 16-17%, which in my book, is average.  I go down to 10% for bad service, 20% if they went above and beyond, 15% is the norm.  

After I paid, the waiter came back over and in a very serious tone asked if we thought the service was okay.  Of course we all said yes, because he did a pretty good job.  He asked if we were sure and then got up and walked away.

That's when I got nervous, double-checking how much I had tipped and if I had put down the right amount.  To me, it sounded like he thought I hadn't given him a big enough tip, which I felt I certainly had.  Adam thought that someone else might have complained about him so his manager was making him check.  I just found that weird and now I keep thinking that I seriously offended him by only tipping him 16%.  Was I wrong?  Is that a large enough tip?  Is he just being greedy?

pemission to leave 'it's a small world' please.

The long awaited Disneyland recap has arrved.  Although really, there's not much to be shared other than s bunch of photos, but I'll still post em for ya.

My family actually used to live in Mission Viego when we were kids, so Disneyland was a huge part of our childhood.  Going back to visit was like reliving the past for my brother and me, while dragging along two significant others who had never been simply provided some comic relief.  To be honest I didn't really know what to expect with not having been there in so long - from what I could remember: I cried everytime I had gone on Splash Mountain, could easily stomach eight churros, and the castle was really, really small (it's Sleepy Beauty's, not Cinderella's at Disneyland).

So, we started out the day by making it to Anaheim in ample time only to discover that once you get off the highway, you apparently have to go through a maze full of u-turns to even end up in the same area where the parking garage might exist.  This must be a plot to deter those who only 'kind of' want to visit Disney.  Nothing was going to stand in the way of Megan and I getting a churro so off we went.

After purchasing our tickets ($72/person?  Are they nuts!!!), we immediately headed to what we remember as being the absolute BEST ride - Pirates of Carribbean - and walked right on.  Adam, who was still baffled over the cost of the ticket, took one look around the ride and said, 'oh, I get it now'.  It's absolutely amazing the amount of detail that they put into these rides...although really, those ticket prices are getting a bit ridiculous, no?

Pirates was phenomenal - especially now that they've added in all the Jack Sparrow parts!  Between the music and a Johnny Depp lookalike popping up everywhere, Megan and I were in heaven.  Seriously, look how life-like he is:

We then headed to the Haunted House and Splash Mountain.  No, I didn't cry on Splash Mountain, although my knees were shaking in line from the memory and I refused to sit in the front.  I wish I had our photo from their camera, it was hysterical.  Chris is grinning ear-to-ear, Megan looks like she's in labor, I'm catching some bugs in my mouth and Adam looks like he's just floating along on a lazy river.

We spent the rest of the morning going on the 'big kid' rides that I've never been on, like Space Mountain, Star Tours and Thundermountain.

And since we were experiencing Disney as adults, we skipped the hotdogs and headed back to Pirates and ate at the restaurant that is actually a part of the ride!  The food was amazing, New Orlean's style Jimbalaya, chicken, cous-cous, etc.  I've never gotten to eat in one of the 'theme' restaurants before - I'd highly recommend it!  It definitely was worth the extra $10 and was one of my favorite parts of the day. (sorry, bad photo taken from the Pirates ride).

After our delicious meal we headed to Fantasyland and rode the Snow White ride (kill me, it was awful) and Mr. Toad Wild's ride.  The boys had a cute moment in the teacup:

And Megan & I played princesses outside of Princess Aurora's castle:

Since it was Adam/Megan's first time to Disneyland, we had to make them ride 'It's a Small World.'  To quote Adam, 'when we get off, can we get as far away from this ride as possible'?

Apparently that ride didn't sit well with him, other than getting to see a ridicuously obsese person almost capsize one of the boats!

And of course, no Disney vacation is complete without a Mickey ice cream!

Walking around was neat, I had never realized all the details that Disney puts into their parks.  The mini-Mickeys carved everywhere, the bushes shaped like animals, the flowers, oh my goodness the flowers.

I still say Pirates was the best ride of the day, but I think everyone else would vote that the new Indiana Jones ride was without a doubt, awesome.  You're in a Jeep car and being taken through the movie scenes, it's not really a roller-coaster ride like I thought, you're only going maybe 25 mph, but you're bouncing aound in the Jeep and dodging darts and giant rolling balls.  It was awesome.

Of course, we had to go on the Winnie-the-Pooh ride too for Adam (Pooh Bear is his favorite!):

All in all, the Disney trip was worth it, even being four 20-somethings let loose in the park.  It's definitely a different experience then when you go as a kid or with kids.

fashion friday: my LOFTy coworkers.

I've experienced culture shock over the past three weeks at my new job.  Coming from an industrial manufacturing environment translates into a lot of boring clothing and lots of muted colors.  My new job finds me in an EXTREMELY creative company with a fun, colorful environment.  Seriously, who knew young professional clothing could be so fun?  I'm wayyy too inspired to not go shopping, but I must refrain myself from abusing my credit card, particularly at LOFT which appears to be the fashion label of the month at my office!  Which I am totally on board with, especially since my favorite fashion blogger Jessica just scored an awesome sponsorship with LOFT.  Not only am I getting inspired from her looks, but my coworkers as well!

1. My fellow teammate is rocking this casual but flirty beaded circle tee with a chunky pink-shelled bracelet and modern skinny jeans.  I love that she's wearing a t-shirt but it's still completely appropriate for work.  I'm envious of her comfort level right now.

2. I spotted this chiffon petal v-neck cardi on one of my new lunching gals the other day.  She had paired it with work trousers and peep-toe pumps but Jessica dressed it down with some skinny jeans, a tee and flats.  So tempted...must not click 'add to bag.'

3. One of the higher-ups was spotted head-to-toe LOFT with this beaded neck sheath dress in khaki, complete with these spirograph wedge shoes.  Love the shoes, but would probably get the dress in navy for something a little different - I'm desperately needing to branch out from black!

4. I've seen THIS shirt EVERYWHERE in my office, and never worn with the same type of outfit.  I love, love, LOVE the bow on it and how versatile it is.  I've seen it paired with a high-waisted skirt (I'm loving this look), a pair of skinny jeans/cardi, under a suit, with the essential boyfriend blazer, pretty much anything goes!  The a-line fit makes it extremely flattering on all body types.

5. I spotted this voile ruffle corsage tee across the room...in vivid violet and paired with black skinny jeans and yellow flats.  Have I mentioned I'm all about ruffles and yellow this year?

6. Last but not least, Jessica wore these shoes to the LOFT Fall Premiere party and now I want need them.  Already daydreaming about what to wear them with...

Ahhh...this whole working in a creative, vibrant environment thing is not going to be good for my bank account.  Um, does LOFT have wedding registries??

(just kidding, Adam, JUST kidding...maybe)

nourish your inner goddess GIVEAWAY!

Since I've been so MIA lately do to the job change, moving, wedding planning, turning 25, life in general, I figured a ***GIVEAWAY*** was a fabulous way to celebrate having a few moments to catch my breath!

 

I recently had the opportunity to try out the new line of Yoplait Greek Yogurt!  Allow me to let you in on a fun fact: I HATE almost all dairy products.  This stems from my early childhood hatred of the taste of milk and is fueled by my strange aversion to some types of cheese, but only when in certain forms (i.e. cheddar cheese is good to go, as long as it's not melted).  I know, I'm an oddball.  And these quirks have resulted in a diet that is seriously deprived of some calcium.  So I'm always on the hunt for dairy products that not only boost up my calcium intake, but that I will actually enjoy eating.

 

I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to try Yoplait's new line of yogurt!

 
Yoplait invites women to nourish their inner goddess with the delicious goodness found in every cup of Yoplait's new Greek Yogurt line. Not only is it packed with 12 grams of protein - TWICE the amount of protein found in other leading yogurt brands - it also has 0% fat!  Yoplait Greek has a unique thick and creamy texture that is available in four delicious flavors, Strawberry, Blueberry, Honey Vanilla and Plain.

 

I personally gravitated towards the Blueberry flavor.  But also snatched up a Honey Vanilla in an effort to branch out and try something new.  The flavors in both were amazing - I throughly enjoyed the Blueberry and was pleasantly surprised to find that the Honey Vanilla was equally as delicious.  I'm already envisioning cup of this mixed with some fresh fruit for an afternoon snack.  I was a bit thrown off by the texture at first since the Yoplait Greek Yogurt is much creamier and thicker than the expected yogurt texture.  It reminded me of the texture of mousse.  I felt more like I was eating a dessert than a healthy snack!  Which is never a bad thing... :)

 

On top of providing a new snacking option for moi, Yoplait has generously provided one "Nourish Your Inner Goddess" gift pack for me to give away to a reader!  It's packed with those SPA ESSENTIALS we all covet along with VIP* coupons to try out Yoplait Greek Yogurt for yourself!

*Please note that the coupons included in the spa pack are not valid in some states, including California, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, and Tennessee.

 

To enter the giveaway leave a comment for each step that you complete: 

1.  Leave a comment telling me which flavor you would most like to try.

2.  Follow www.busygirlblog.comin Google Reader/Feedburner

3.  Follow me on Twitter!  I'm @busygirlnicole!

4.  Promote this giveaway through twitter, facebook, email or blogging!  For twitter, please include @busygirlnicole and the hashtag #yoplaitgiveaway

Giveaway ends on Wednesday April 21st at Noon EST.  Winner will be chosen by Random.org, announced here and notified via email.

 

I was provided with a Yoplait 'Nourish Your Inner Goddess' Gift Pack along with product samples and information from Yoplait via MyBlogSpark.  I was not compensated financially for this post.

quarter-century crisis.

No longer can I check that box stating that I'm in the 'cool' age group.  The 18-24 age group.

As of 8:35am this morning I am officially...gulp...25.

I'll pause while you all laugh at how young I really am. 

But to me, this is BIG.  I'm closer to 30 than 20.  I can no longer be mistaken for a college kid (except for the fact that I literally LOOK like I'm 18 years old).  I can't eat Wendy's at absurd hours of the night.  I rarely stay up past 10:30 on a weekday.  I actually HAVE to sleep.  No more 3 hours per night and just getting by on caffeine.

Sigh.  Is it bad that I don't even know what the next check-this-box age group is?  25 to what??  If you say 40 I might faint.

Any who, happy 24+1 birthday to me and happy halfway-through-the-week to all of you!!  If you're bored you should bring me some cake.  If you're not bored, you should still bring me cake :)

please hold.

Due to the lack of internet in our new place, I'm limited to crackberry-blogging which not only is rather annoying, but I spend most of the time retyping my spelling errors.  No spell-check?  Come on RIM.

So, unfortunately blogging will be put on hold for a day or so until I can get back up and running.  So sorry to be a bit MIA, hang in there!  I'll be back!  In the meantime, head over to my friend Grace's , she's throwing some AWESOME giveaways in honor of her birthday!!

movin' on up, to the west side.

Yes, I KNOW I owe a Disneyland recap - working on it now that I've managed to snag the camera from Adam long enough to steal the photos.

But onto some bigger news, today is MOVING DAY (Part 1)!!  The house in Columbus is officially on the market and I will officially be constantly biting my nails until it sells.  Fingers crossed that it sells quickly because today...

We are moving into our new condo!  Thank goodness - I absolutely love being back in Cleveland but I cannot stand living out of a suitcase.  My clothing selection has reached it's max out point.  I need space, I need quiet, I need to be back on my own schedule.

Needless to say I am beyond thrilled that we are finally relocating 1) closer to work, 2) to an amazing ranch condo in a neighborhood with a ton of dogs, 3) to a place with a WALK IN CLOSET.

I could die happy here.

Round 1 starts tonight - moving the little clothing/essentials that we have with us.  And a bed.  Other than the bed all of our furniture is still in Columbus.  I'm hoping Part 2 will happen in a couple weeks, but until then we'll be eating anything thing that can be microwaved and eaten with our fingers.  I guess we should've brought home some plates/silverware.  Oops!

wordless wednesday: the definition of bromance.

 Nothing says 'you're my buddy' like sitting in a pink teacup.