Books

Day 24:  Three Books on Your Bookshelf.


So, I decided to do the ones that I have on my shelf to read next:

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

The Agony and The Ecstasy by Irving Stone

And then my all time favorite book:

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

READ GUERNSEY.  Do it.  I triple dog dare you.

HOMEMADE SNICKERS BARS...Yeah. I said it.

Day 22 :  What makes you different from everyone else.

Okay...so I don't know how to answer this one.

I guess my flaws make me a really crazy person and I have red hair?

And I can bake the boots off of you.  If you are wearing boots.  Cowboys hardly ever come around me for that reason alone.  I don't even know what I just wrote.



Day 23:  Something you crave a lot:

How the freak on to your hat.

My friend Sasheen, the one who told me to make a blog and the one who makes me feel better about life every single time I talk to her and the one who makes the world a wonderful place, yeah, she told me that she tried this dessert called "Homemade Snickers Bars".  Now you should know this about me: Snickers are not my favorite candy bars.  Plain and simple, I only eat them when my top 3 are not available.  They are better than a lot of other candy out there, but not in my top 3.  So, I wondered if these would be better or the same or if it would change how I felt about Snickers all together?




 Well, my darlings, I am addicted now.

Not to the originals.  But to these.

And Snickers has gone up in my book.

I might be in love with Jessica from www.howsweeteats.com.  Seriously, I think we could be BFF's sometimes.

I mean, Look at this:





 You are killing me.  Now I have to go make some.

For someone else.

I wouldn't even fathom eating the whole pan.

By myself.

Ever....








Okay.  You got me.  Make them if you are ready for an explosion of happiness.  Isn't food amazing?

finishing what I started....

I haven't been doing the 30 days things for the past few days.  Time to catch up.  It almost over!

Day 18:  Plans/dreams/goals you have.

Go to DisneyLand someday.
Go back to Oregon.
Go to another Ben Folds concert.
Be as happy as possible.
Make every craft item and recipe I have pinned on Pinterest.

Day 19:  Nicknames you have; why do you have them?

So many....

• Charlie Brown - which is what my dad calls me.  I don't really know why.  Maybe because I have a little rain cloud over me sometimes?  Or because people confuse me?
• Rusty - because of my hair.
• Red - again, because of my hair.
• Conquistador - because the Capitan said so...
• Gramma - best nickname I have.  My niece Alexa started calling me this and others have followed.  And I LOVE IT.
• Janalee Fantastically Awesomest Bestest Ever in the Whole Wide World.  Or the short version of this - Janalee Awesome!!  Because I work with wonderful Troopers who make me feel better about myself.
• JanaBananalee Jensen - because it rhymes.
• Janaleelou - my special needs kids called me this.  It is a sweet one that makes me extremely happy that I had the chance to know them.
• Jedi Master/Jedilee - Because I control the force apparently.
• Emily.  This one is hilarious.  Whenever people call my work I say, "This is Janalee" and they say immediately, "Oh, Emily, Hi!"  NO.

Day 20:  Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future.

I have been opening up to the idea of maybe someday dating someone and maybe eventually liking them enough to be together for a while.  Marriage is a big step for a girl like me - and Deborah Carr playing Terry McKay in the unforgettable movie "An Affair to Remember." 

I guess the things I'm looking for are pretty simple.

• Someone who makes me laugh.
• Someone who likes me.
• Someone that likes to eat good food and has a metabolism that will make it so I don't kill him with food.  Lets face it, I am a good cook/baker.
• Someone who makes me want to be a better person, but who I can still be myself with.
• Someone who is tough enough to handle my craziness.

That is basically all for now.


Day 21:  A picture of something that makes you happy.

 

This makes me happy every single time I watch it.

 And I know...its a video, not a picture.

 

trading places

Day 17:  Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why.


So, at first I thought, Susan Downey.  I mean look at him. 

Isn't he just so darn cute?

 

music...

 Day 16:  A picture of yourself.

Me eating a giant pineapple on the temple ground in Las Vegas

Day 15:  Put your iPod on shuffle:  First 10 songs that play.

1.  The Killers - Shadowplay
2.  Jack Johnson - Traffic in the Sky
3.  The Who - Squeeze Box
4.  Datarock - Give It Up
5.  Ben Kweller - Commerce, TX
6.  Michael Jackson - The Way You Make Me Feel - GO GIRL!  OOH!
7.  Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus
8.  Bobby Darin - Beyond the Sea
9.  Justin Timberlake - Cry Me A River - oh my gosh....drink it in baby.
10.  Ben Kweller - I Don't Know Why

In a related story - I only have an iPod shuffle because of my good friend Juli.  She got a real iPod, are they called touches, anyways, she gave me her little guy.  And I LOVE him.  So fun.  And it makes walking and exercising way better.

I'm quite surprised that Ben Kweller came up twice, I only have 6 songs of him.  But I do love him, so that is fine by me.

Family

Day 14:  A picture of you and your family.

We need to get one of all of us outside of a funeral.....

healing

Day 13 : A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.

This is the one I wish I had noticed before deciding to do this 30 days of me.

I don't do well with being hurt.

I don't like facing it.

So, when someone hurts me enough to make me write a letter, its kind of a big deal...

I don't want to write anything else.





I guess this is what my letter would say:

Hey you.  I miss you.  I love you.  I am sorry that you ended things the way you did.  I am sorry if I hurt you.  I keep thinking of how we were such close friends and now we are not and it makes me feel crazy.  I wish I could fix the mistakes that we both made.  I know I made my fair share, and you did too.  Sometimes, looking back on everything, it seems like a dream gone wrong.  I love you and I wish the best for you.  I am sad that things ended.  I hope you find happiness and that I can too.  I saw this the other day and thought of our situation:

 I know I have thrown stones...I was really hurt.  That is no excuse, but I said what I said.  So did you.  I have been withholding forgiveness, but I am trying to let go of that.  It is really hard to forgive when the person who hurt you doesn't care that they did.  I wish you could stop ignoring me and withholding mercy.  I can't help but think if you didn't talk about me behind my back, things could have been so easily resolved...

Mostly I just wish we could go back to what we were...friends. 

Sasheen told me to!

Day 12:  How you found out about Blogger and why you made one.

I was visiting with my lovely friend Sasheen, and after a delicious meal at The Red Iguana and  my very first trip to Barnes and Noble she told me I needed to create a blog about the books I read.  Sorry I haven't done more of that.  Don't worry, I have BIG plans for that in the future.  :)

Sasheen just kept talking to me about it and finally talked me into it and I finally bit the bullet.

So you can blame her if you don't like it.  But don't blame her because then I won't really like you anymore.

music

Day 11:  Another picture of you and your friends

Tawny. Sarah, Sister Fugal, me, Tiffanie, Bethany, & Joanna

 

Day 10:  Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad


Just so you know, choosing only one per attitude is ridiculous.  I made more for mine....  Rule Breaker/Rebel/Crazy.

Seriously.

When I'm in any of those moods there is one song that can make things better or even better.  It is Saskia Hamilton by Ben Folds.  So freaking good.  Really, anything by Ben Folds is my favorite.

Happy songs:  My Sharona by The Knack.  Lovefool by The Cardigans.  The Calculation by Regina Spektor.  Anything from The Beatles.  True by George Strait.

Sad songs:  Every time I Hear Your Name by Keith Anderson.  Anything by Adele.  Wake Up Alone by Amy Winehouse.  Over You by Miranda Lambert.  Photographs and Memories by Jim Croce.  Think of Me by Ben Folds Five.

Bored songs:  Fix You by Coldplay.  Fight for Your Right by the Beastie Boys.  Any Michael Jackson will make me unbored.  All This and Heaven by Florence and the Machine.

Hyped songs:  Draw a Crowd by Ben Folds.  Creep by RadioHead.  Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen.  Anything from Dixie Chicks.

Mad songs:  You Can't Always Get What You Want by The Rolling Stones.  Hold That Thought by Ben Folds Five.  The Black Keys.  Anything by The Black Keys.

goals

Day Eight:

Short term goals for this month and why.

HAHA.  This one is going to be one of the hardest goals I've ever set for myself.

I have done Lent on and off for several years.  My bff Ming got me started on it years ago and last year I did really, really good.  This year for Lent, Ming and I are both giving up eating after 8 pm and also unnecessary shopping......SHOPPING PEOPLE.  This is a HUGE goal.  You know what I do when I am sad?  Shop.  You know what I do when I am happy?  Shop.  You know what I do to have fun with friends?  Shop.  Retail therapy is my muse.  Not a good thing.  So when I asked Ming what we were giving up, she said shopping and I said, "Woah...."  I think there was a laugh or two and a serious amount of doubt in my mind.  You have no clue how hard this one will be for me.  But it will save money and all that crap.  Oh, I forgot to mention, grocery shopping and for birthdays and such are okay because you can't say, "Oh yeah, I'll give you your present after Lent, even though I'm not Catholic."  HAHAHA.  So today is day one.  Wish us luck.  I'm going to need it.

Day Nine:

Something you are proud of in the last few days.

I finally started sewing again.  I have got my first dress almost all the way done!  Just have to add the sleeves and it will be done.  It is nowhere near perfect, but hey, at least I'm trying something.  Right?  Whatever.  I made the dress and you didn't so stop judging me.  HAHA.  I am one clown away from a full blown circus.  Anyway, the point is, I was super scared of it, but so far sewing has been awesome to get back into.  Good thing I bought all of the material I needed for a while, at least until Lent is over.  Am I right? 

Inspiration

Day Seven:

A picture or someone or something that has the biggest impact on you.


This one is tough.  I am not sure one person or thing has been the whole impact...It might have been a number of things that worked together.

I don't know that I can pick just one is what I'm saying.  So here are a few for your viewing pleasures:

This guy's music

This show's humor

Friends, including the ones not pictured as well :)

Going on a mission

But probably more than anything....

My nieces.  They make me happy and I love them in a way that I love no one else.  They are the kids I don't have and on bad days, they make me have a reason to keep trying.  I love them.  And also...Aren't they so pretty?  I could just eat them up. 

more stuff

Day Four:  A habit you wish you didn't have.

Hmmm.  Its not hard to find things I wish were different, but it is hard to choose which habit is worse for me.  Perhaps being too afraid of new things.  I read this quote the other day:

So, that is probably my worst habit.

Day Five:  A picture of somewhere you've been.

I got to go to Autzen Stadium and hang out for a day off when I was a missionary in Eugene, Oregon.  We had a personal tour with a HUGE football player dude and then we all posed for pictures in the empty stands and played catch and such.  So much fun.

Day Six:  Favorite SuperHero and why?

Robert Downey Jr. + Iron Man Suit    =

    the most attractive superhero in history

Plus, he is super arrogant and jerkish, and for some reason, that makes him even more attractive.
Go back to Day Four.  Maybe that should be my habit to change.... 
           

animals, oh wait

I can TOTALLY live without most animals...

I like them, but I don't like it when they touch me.

So, alas, Day three will show no pictures of "My Animals" because there are none to be shown.

books.

So this is Day 2 of 30 days of me.

The meaning behind your blog name:  Okay, so at first, my blog was going to just be about books that I read, not anything else.  Bookiemonster was one of my favorite names, but it was taken :(  So I have this cute decoration (see below) my friend Chelsea gave me for my bookshelf.  It has a bunch of different stacks of books and then has the quote, "I cannot live without books."  Thomas Jefferson, or as I like to call him, Tommy Jeff, said that statement.  And I agree so much.  Reading is good for the soul.

So, after a couple weeks of trying to come up with something, I looked at the bookshelf and thought that was good enough for me.

Silly Things

So I decided to do this....

A recent picture of myself:

15 Interesting facts about me:

1. I only like eggs when they are hidden in things like cookies, etc.
2. I hate feet.
3. I love Robert Downey Jr.  The other day, my daily journal asked, "If you could be anyone, who would you be?"  My response:  "Robert Downey Jr.'s wife.  Susan Downey is his current wife, but I have two things she does not.  I am a red head.  And I am one helluva cook/baker."  Susan Downey:  Eat your heart out.
4. I am extremely protective of people I love.  And of myself.  If you hurt me, you are dead to me.  I am working on this one.  Forgiveness isn't my strongest suit.
5. Sometimes I think about what it would be like to be a parent, and it FREAKS me out.
6. Sometimes I think about what it would be like to be a spouse, and it FREAKS me out.
7. I love spoilers.  I cannot stand not knowing.  This is why 5 & 6 are so true for me.  I would rather know every single detail of a book, movie, play, whatever, than go in without any knowledge.  My good friends are onto me though, and sometimes they say, "Lets wait and see!"  Me:  "Does the dad get killed?"  Katie:  "Its The Sound of Music!!"  Me:  "Does he die??"  Zach:  "Lets find out together."  Me:  "But you've seen this before!"  Spoiler alert:  The dad does not die.  And I am so very glad he doesn't.  And never marry the person you were dating when you were 16 going on 17 because he is a nazi!
8. I love television.
9. If you gave me books, a computer with the internet, Coca-Cola and m&ms, and a bathroom, and took everything else away, I could live for days, if not weeks.
10. Tennis is my favorite sport to play.  I used to play softball, but now thinking of that ball hitting me in the face and breaking my glasses makes me not want to play ever again...NERD.
11. I love crafting, even though I fail at it a lot.  Pinterest has literally been one of the best things in my life.
12. I hate being in social situations I'm not accustomed too.  It terrifies me.
13. I am a creature of habit.  I've been reading Life of Pi and when he talks about how much animals need consistency, and are habitual in their way of life, I relate WAY too much to that.  I am such a freak about planning, my dad has always said, "What's your itinerary?"  I used to wonder why he said that, but the older I get the more I see that I am a bit of a freak when it comes to spontaneity.  I like to know what is going to happen.  See numbers 5, 6, 7 & 12.
14. I love flowers.  I love almost all of them.  Just not mums.  Maybe is the name?  Or whatever.
15. I love visiting cemeteries on Memorial Day and the week after and other times during the year.  I think it looks so beautiful with all the flowers and people who are remembering the ones they love who are gone.  I like to go talk to my friends who are gone and sometimes, get the good cry that most of us need once in a while.  Weird, but true.