tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30168836848854802272024-03-14T03:14:27.181-05:00Chai Latte PleaseJust a little spice to get through the day...jillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.comBlogger185125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-69271803396159017312010-05-24T04:57:00.002-05:002010-05-24T05:00:48.842-05:00Go to www.chailatteplease.combecause my little blog is growing up!
I just got so sick of dealing with certain type size/spacing issues AND not being able to add page tabs to this blog theme, that I started to think about revamping the blog. The blog started freezing in Safari and only cooperating when opened in Internet Explorer. And then I started to think the theme was a little cluttered and distracting, and I could THINKjillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-9683349797219188662010-05-20T08:22:00.003-05:002010-05-20T08:47:07.365-05:00Blisters happen.I personally think blister management (aside from hydration) is one of the most important things to practice while training for the 3-Day. I'm horrible at it, but I really wish I weren't.
During my first 3-Day, I had no idea what a "hot spot" was or why you weren't supposed to put moleskin directly on fully formed blisters. And let's be honest, I got epically horrible blisters when I jillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-18824463386531217242010-05-19T18:24:00.001-05:002010-05-19T18:26:34.656-05:00Mean little rat-dog!
(I'm not willing to use my teeth in a fight,
but I'm still bigger than you, BlackJack! Note his devil eyes...)
So, the problem started with socks. Mine, specifically. He ran off with a freshly laundered pair of black socks, but since they were cheap (and I was lazy) I just let it go. Crystal came home and tried to take them away from him (cause, you know, dogs shouldn't eat socks). jillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-10197421037200059542010-05-16T19:43:00.000-05:002010-05-16T19:43:38.283-05:00"In the Woods" by Tana FrenchI really, REALLY wanted to like Rob Ryan. He's the narrator in Tana French's debut psychological suspense novel who takes us on a journey through his flawed memory and (even more flawed?) personality as a detective investigating a 12-year-old girl's murder in the same woods where his two childhood friends disappeared two decades earlier. Sometimes he tries a little too hard to string together jillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-3842752241072889562010-05-16T18:59:00.004-05:002010-05-17T15:14:21.867-05:00I'm a simple person who likes simple thingsIt's true. I love strawberry Special K cereal and home-brewed Dunkin' Donuts coffee and reading books cover to cover. I over-schedule myself only to embrace procrastination with a zeal I otherwise reserve for chai latte or Chipotle burritos. I can be trusted with secrets, but when bored, I am prone to purposefully making bad decisions just to see what will happen... What? Oh yeah, I've made jillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-71019200491586113532010-05-08T21:38:00.001-05:002010-05-09T09:48:52.954-05:00FINALLY - How to make a brassiere purseThese aren't super-official instructions or anything. I first saw these at a breast cancer walk fundraiser years ago and just bought a bra and played with it until it worked for me. (And no, I have no idea if people actually carry these as purses. I haven't - but I would. I'm pretty sure I would, anyway).
Step one: Go shopping for bras. I usually get a nice, large padded bra, because those seem jillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-66969230424470564722010-05-01T18:15:00.000-05:002010-05-02T00:28:40.519-05:00BONUS Friday FundRAISERAs soon as I decided the Friday FundRAISER series was coming to an end, I stumbled up tons (OK, a bunch. Not literally tons) of ideas. So I had to share:
* How 'bout them cupcakes? Have a bake sale for breast cancer. Bake cupcakes of various sizes from very small “mini” size to very large. Put 2 cupcakes together and wrap in clear plastic wrap. Sell as cup size “A” cakes, cup size “B”jillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-50253991932640349032010-04-30T06:05:00.002-05:002010-04-30T06:05:00.231-05:00Friday FundRAISER: Wine-tasting, Take TwoLast spring, all I could think about was boobs. And walking. And money.
Much of my spare time went into planning a wine-tasting fundraiser - plotting about food, publicity, raffle prizes, etc. I solicited prize donations from area businesses and strangers on Etsy. I even made a few brassiere purses myself (which I still think are super-cute). Food was a cheese and cracker tray, a fruit tray and jillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-59177306291081047102010-04-29T07:34:00.002-05:002010-04-29T08:08:40.548-05:00You MUST read this blog!Someday, I will point you, dear readers, to happy blogs. Blogs about cute puppies, fun craft projects and interior decorating.If you know me at all, you probably know that is a COMPLETE LIE.Happiness is nice for five minutes or so, but I generally figure it's only a small slice of the story. Real life is this big messed up mix of cute puppies AND bad economics; fashion AND discrimination; charityjillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-3515305675676959692010-04-29T00:14:00.000-05:002010-04-29T00:14:41.523-05:00A brag moment...After my internal temper trantrum last week about weight loss and clothes that are suddenly too big (yeah, I know, I'm not saying it was a rational tantrum), I figured I deserved a little brag moment to reflect upon how far I've come. Big accomplishments are really just a series of little accomplishments all strung together, right?
So, here's a picture of me taken at my parents' place last summerjillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-76243720751482536482010-04-23T07:00:00.000-05:002010-04-23T07:00:03.857-05:00Friday FundRAISER: How to host a garage saleAll the garage sales I've ever had essentially: 1) allowed me to get rid of stuff I didn't want to move, or 2) were exercises in carrying stuff outside ... only to carry it all back inside two days later. So, when I saw another 3-Dayer talk glowingly about her garage sale fundraiser, I asked for tips. Here's what Lynna said:1) Make it a group project: "My neighborhood does a yearly giant yard jillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-81595820147232241832010-04-22T19:52:00.005-05:002010-04-23T00:33:58.419-05:00So this is the half-way point...I threw a bit of a temper tantrum this morning. No one heard - I didn't ACTUALLY yell - but I was running late AND nothing fit right AND the damn scale told me I weighed exactly the same amount as I did last week. Despite eating properly (except for a Butterfinger yesterday... and that donut I discovered as part of a fundraiser for Special Olympics) and exercising (except for those two days I jillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-40495929138960198802010-04-20T22:49:00.002-05:002010-04-20T23:00:39.253-05:00Shake up a Tatatini!Last year, one of the lovely Ms. America Tatas from California shared a Tatatini recipe. And I think Tatatinis are meant to be shared, don't you?A true Tatatini with a kick:Rub lemon slice around rim of martini glass and dip in pink sugar.Add 1 to 2 tsp. of Raspberry puree to the bottom of the glass.In shaker with ice, mix:Two parts Raspberry VodkaTwo parts Pink LemonadeOne scant part lemon drop jillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-8642352742186948772010-04-17T12:39:00.001-05:002010-04-19T20:42:29.902-05:00The house that built meI grew up in a 3-bedroom, 1.5-bath old house on Michigan Avenue in Saline, Mich., where a patchwork of new subdivisions encroached on good old farming territory. It's just a 45- to 60-minute commute from the major automotive employers in Detroit and Dearborn and a 15-minute drive from Ann Arbor.It was a nice house, lots of hardwood inside. Across the street was the gas station where a dog jillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-85810346118541219842010-04-16T08:33:00.003-05:002010-04-16T09:07:17.910-05:00Friday FundRAISER: A quilt raffle!I kind of wish I could quilt. An ex-boyfriend bought me a sewing machine for my birthday last year - and it was the perfect gift. But I've only used it once, because I've been too busy to dedicate myself to any major craft project. Especially one that involves learning how to work new equipment. (Just figuring out how to thread the thing involved about an hour and harassing my roommate's grandma.jillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-80042783436985695002010-04-15T07:20:00.002-05:002010-04-15T08:00:11.089-05:00Age is just a number...It is NOT.Just ask the people who had to listen to me complain/vent/whine about the person who expressed surprise that I am in my LATE 20s. As in, this person thought I was much younger. I did not ask this person what gave him/her that impression, but suffice it to say, this person has been around me enough to: 1) gather I have clearly graduated from college, 2) be familiar with my professional jillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-86269640314939225262010-04-12T05:51:00.003-05:002010-04-12T18:38:46.310-05:00When Alice Walker found ZoraIf you are quasi-obsessed with Black Renaissance author Zora Neale Hurston like I am (I know you probably aren't), then you probably know the fairy tale of Alice Walker revitalizing interest Hurston's work in the 1970s, years after the books fell out of print and after Hurston's death. Between Walker and Oprah Winfrey, Hurston's works were thrust into the literary canon more than a decade after jillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-53413551165244831702010-04-10T06:46:00.003-05:002010-04-10T06:56:19.989-05:00Giveaway: Running Ribbon shoelacesThis week's giveaway is a pair of pink shoelaces I bought two years ago from Shop Komen. I got 10 or 15 pair and gave them to various friends and teammates, but I still have a few left. The pair in the giveaway (obviously) have never been worn. :)
Here's how to enter:- Leave one (and only one) comment here. If you comment on the Perfect Mother's Day Gift fundraiser post, that will jillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-26982861294403399322010-04-09T07:59:00.001-05:002010-04-09T08:07:47.330-05:00Friday FundRAISER: The Perfect Mother's Day giftWhat better way to tell your mother (or the mother of your children) that you love her than by donating to fighting a disease that will strike one in eight women? Really, who needs flowers? Donate to a Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure walker instead!
I tried that pitch last year with admittedly limited success, but I still really like the idea. You can offer personalized letters, cards, or jillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-50272694639718388332010-04-07T15:57:00.003-05:002010-04-07T16:59:24.195-05:00Giveaway winnersI've been kinda behind (read: busy/lazy/mostly busy) and didn't really pick winners for the Friday giveaways UNTIL TODAY. To be all formal and official, I set up an account at Random.org and used their Third-Party Draw Service.
For the pink frame: Shannon from Texas is the winner. (Her odds were incredibily good, seeing as how she commented twice and there were only four qualifying comments jillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-1967088854098016412010-04-07T12:45:00.000-05:002010-04-07T12:45:25.516-05:00Contacts: 1, Jillian: 0Okay, so maybe my score shouldn't be zero - I've been wearing contact lenses for a little over a week. I've actually been WEARING them up until Sunday evening, when I dislodged one while rubbing my right eye. It was later at night so I figured I'd just take them out and call it an evening, but my hands were coated with puppy love and food (having eaten and played with BlackJack since last washingjillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-21436816540994097152010-04-02T07:50:00.000-05:002010-04-02T07:52:22.747-05:00Friday FundRAISER: Bubbles for Boobies!So if this isn't a fundraising idea that will RAISE you up, I don't know what is. It might, in fact, inspire you to host a PG-13 rated bake sale ... but I guess the world could use a few more of those :)
From my walking buddy Mandy:
Bubbles for Boobies: A fundraising success (and a lot of fun too)!
Last year I was at a complete loss for fundraising ideas for the 3-Day. Finally, I decided to jillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-24837569019377874112010-04-02T07:47:00.002-05:002010-04-10T06:53:50.274-05:00Friday giveaway: A cooling headbandLast year, one of my 3-Day teammates made these cute headbands. They have crystals in the inside, so you just soak this in water, pop it in the freezer, and then take it along for a long walk in hot weather. Nice to wear along your neck or as a headband. You also can press it along a pressure point (wrists, etc.) for increased coolage.
Update: A commenter was kind enough to let me know I jillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-91538115857807241752010-04-01T07:21:00.002-05:002010-04-01T22:18:06.293-05:00[Gasp!] I've been Googled!I Google people all the time. I guess part of being a reporter/curious person is cyber-stalking people. Never know what you need to know about someone until you know it, right?The key is: I NEVER TELL the person I Googled them.Because that would just be weird, right? YES, YES, IT IS! I was talking with a new/unfamiliar source for the newspaper a few weeks ago when, suddenly, in the lull in the jillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3016883684885480227.post-14259408332299023912010-04-01T07:10:00.003-05:002010-06-28T22:46:44.692-05:003-Day Garage SaleUpdate: All the cards and candles have now been claimed. But I have more stuff posted at:
http://chailatteplease.com/unofficial-3-day-resources/
I don't know about other three-peaters (er, people who have done multiple 3-Days), but I've accumulated a good pile of unused fundraising STUFF. I'm crewing (not walking) this year, ergo I have no fundraising minimum and admittedly have permanently jillianduchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495167702607288577noreply@blogger.com3