Hello Spring!

Wait...  this doesn't look like spring!!!

I woke up to about 5-6 inches of snow this morning!  And it's still coming down at 7:30 PM!  It was Sunny and 65 yesterday!  I hope everyone else got to enjoy Spring weather today!

Love It!

I can't get enough of this weather!  I Love it!  Today was finally a nice day!  The sun was out, the wind was gone, and it was mid 60's!  Tomorrow is suppose to be the same for most of the day, however, it's suppose to snow later Friday night/early Saturday morning.  WHAT?! SNOW?!  UGH!!

So with that forecast, my husband and I packed up the dogs and headed out to the park.  He was able to do some fishing while the dogs and I went for a walk.  This park has a nice 1/2 mile walking trail around the pond.  I normally don't like park trails due to all the shadyness and rapes/murders that happen at lakes/parks around here, however my husband was able to keep his eyes on us at all times. 

The dogs loved it.  They got to experience so many new sights and scents and sounds.  Ducks, Geese, lots of children, a few other dogs and MUD!  They loved the wet soggy ground and the mud.  Jack was covered in mud up to his elbows.  I wish I would have brought my camera to enjoy a few snapshots of the little boogers!  Fred is so good at walking on a leash.  He stays within distance and if he gets to far ahead, he stops and waits for mom to catch up.  Jack, on the other hand, is a handfull.  Not only do I get some cardio in, I get some strength training!  He is a little bully and out of control!  As promised, about two hours later we stopped and got them their free puppy cone from Twisters and they sacked out for the rest of the afternoon.

Danny didn't catch any fish, so I'm off to figure out something for dinner.  Hope everyone had a good day too!

50 Worst Interview Mistakes

I've been brushing up on my interviewing skills and ran across this article on YAHOO and thought I would share.  It made me laugh becuase over 1/2 of these are no brainers!   Working the past 8 years in the staffinng industry, I can remember people doing just about all of these!  Heres the article. 

You may have heard the horror stories--job hunters who take phone calls or text during an interview, or bring out a sandwich and start chomping, or brush their hair, or worse. You wouldn't do any of those things, would you? Of course not.


But there are tons of other job interview no-no's you may not have thought of. Or that you've forgotten. The job hunting trail is long and arduous, and a little refresher course can't hurt. So for your edification and enjoyment, here are 50 (yes, 50!) of the worst and most common job interview mistakes:

1. Arriving late.
2. Arriving too early. (In my experience, I would recommend no earlier then 10 minutes early)
3. Lighting up a cigarette, or smelling like a cigarette.
4. Bad-mouthing your last boss.
5. Lying about your skills/experience/knowledge.
6. Wearing the wrong (for this workplace!) clothes. (I have been trained to tell my job hunters to dress one step better then the work attire.  If it's casual, you should dress business casual)
7. Forgetting the name of the person you're interviewing with.
8. Wearing a ton of perfume or aftershave.
9. Wearing sunglasses.
10. Wearing a Bluetooth earpiece.
11. Failing to research the employer in advance.
12. Failing to demonstrate enthusiasm.
13. Inquiring about benefits too soon.
14. Talking about salary requirements too soon.
15. Being unable to explain how your strengths and abilities apply to the job in question.
16. Failing to make a strong case for why you are the best person for this job.
17. Forgetting to bring a copy of your resume and/or portfolio.
18. Failing to remember what you wrote on your own resume.
19. Asking too many questions.
20. Asking no questions at all.
21. Being unprepared to answer the standard questions.
22. Failing to listen carefully to what the interviewer is saying.
23. Talking more than half the time.
24. Interrupting your interviewer.
25. Neglecting to match the communication style of your interviewer.
26. Yawning.
27. Slouching.
28. Bringing along a friend, or your mother. (If you have to catch a ride with someone, leave them in the car! I've had so many people bring their driver in to the interview, AKWARD!  Also, employeers are really needing someone dependable, and showing that you have to depend on someone to drive them to their job all the time)
29. Chewing gum, tobacco, your pen, your hair.
30. Laughing, giggling, whistling, humming, lip-smacking.
31. Saying "you know," "like," "I guess," and "um."
32. Name-dropping or bragging or sounding like a know-it-all.
33. Asking to use the bathroom.
34. Being falsely or exaggeratedly modest.
35. Shaking hands too weakly, or too firmly.
36. Failing to make eye contact (or making continuous eye contact).
37. Taking a seat before your interviewer does.
38. Becoming angry or defensive.
39. Complaining that you were kept waiting.
40. Complaining about anything!
41. Speaking rudely to the receptionist.
42. Letting your nervousness show. (Sometimes this is impossible to do!  I am bad about covering this up!)
43. Overexplaining why you lost your last job.
44. Being too familiar and jokey.
45. Sounding desperate.
46. Checking the time.
47. Oversharing.
48. Sounding rehearsed.
49. Leaving your cell phone on.
50. Failing to ask for the job.

Job Interview

Well, after being rescheduled for the 3rd time, I had my interview.  I didn't mind being rescheduled, it gave me more time to prepare.  As previously blogged, I was nervous and worried about stairs.  I reassured myself that no matter what, I was going to this interview.   I tried talking myself out of it.  But there was no good reason to 'not' go to the interview.  I sit around sad and depressed because of money struggles and I sit and complain that no one has called for an interview... there was no way I was letting me talk myself out of this interview.

How did I do?  Hopefully Great!   I felt great when I left the interview.  Lots of good questions and good answers.  They offer everything that I have been wanting in a company and more!  The company received over 600 resumes the first weeks posting.  They narrowed it down to about 20 candidates.  I was one of the lucky few that got selected for an interview.  Today, they told me they received over 200 more resumes!  I know times are rough right now, but wow, 800 resumes for one position!  I've got my fingers crossed, my toes crossed and everything else I can cross.  I should find out by the begining of April if I get the job.  Wish me luck!

Wear Your Green!

Here's just a few things thats going on in Kansas City this week to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

Saturday 3-13-10
Snake Saturday
26th annual Snake Saturday Parade and festivle.
10am-3pm in North Kansas City.  The Parade starts at 11 am and runs along Swift Street, Armour Road and Howell St.
for more info http://www.snakesaturday.com/

Brookside St. Patrick's Warm-Up Parade
30th annual parade starts at 2 pm at 65th and Wornall Rd.
http://www.brooksidekc.org/ for more info

Lee's Summit Emerald Isle St. Patrick's Day Parade
5th annual parade starts at 1 pm in Downtown Lee's Summit
http://www.downtownls.org/ for more info

Sunday 3-14-10
Shawnee St. Patricks Parade
28th annual parade begins at 1 pm.
The parade will head down Johnson Drive down to Monrovia and East on Nieman.
http://www.irishamericanclubofshawnee.com/

Browne's Irish Market 3300 Pensylvania
Guinness head brewmaster, Fergal Murrary, will stop by the store from 2:30 to 5:30 pm.
Enjoy Irish music, food and of course Guinness. 
http://www.brownesmarket.com/

Wednesday 3-17-10
Kansas City St. Patricks Day Parade
The parade has been going on since 1973 and will start at 11 am and goes until 1 pm.  Parade route starts at 33rd st. and Broadway.  Parade makes its way through Westport to 43rd st.
http://www.kcirishparade.com/

Ragland Road - Power & Light District
Ragland Road will be celebrating all day long!
Irish Breakfast from 8-11 am.
They are offering a free shuttle from Ragland to the Parade between 10 am-2 pm.
They will also have Elevation- U2 tribute band perform from 12-5:30 pm and Connacht Town goes on at 7 pm.
http://www.raglandroadkc.com/

McCoy's Public House - 4057 Pennsylvania
Irish Breakfast  from 7-10 am $8.99/person

The Beaumont Club -4050 Pennsylvania
Radio Station Q104 is having a St Patricks Day Blow Out starting at 11 am.
Another U2 coverband - Rattle and Hum, performs at 1:30 pm
Admission is $5
http://www.beaumontkc.com/

Crosstown Station - 1522 McGee
Live Music featuring the Blarney Stoned starts at 1 pm
Tickets $5
Green Beer, Guinness and Irish Car Bomb Specials

also check out http://www.knuckleheadskc.com/, http://www.theriotroom.com/, http://www.howlathtemoon.com/ for more live music and great beer specials. 

Be Safe and have a fun St. Patrick's Day!

*information obtained from KC Star

A Trip to the Winery and Cider Mill

Part of my 101 list was to have a date with my husband once a month, and to visit a winery. 

I decided to check out a local winery called Somerset Ridge Winery.  I've lived in Kansas all of my life, and I've just recently learned of this winery.  The best part is that it is only 20 minutes away. This would be my husbands first time at a winery.  I've had the chance to experience some of the fabulous wineries in Napa Valley, CA.  Somerset Ridge is a small down to earth winery located a few miles south of Louisburg, KS, the perfect environment for my redneck husband.  After some wine tasting and a few pictures, we settled on the Buffalo Blush and the Ambrosia.  Ambrosia has got to be the best sweet wine I have tasted in a long time! 

While we were down in Louisburg, I also took my husband to Louisburg Cider Mill.  (He is from Oklahoma and hasn't experienced the cider mill either!) They have the best cider and cider donuts ever!  We couldn't have asked for better weather either.  God decided to make the rain and snow stop and let the Sun come out and play.  I had such a wondereful time experiencing a few first with my husband.

7 Simple Changes That Will Help With Weight Loss

For me having such bad luck on Weight Watchers, they sure do have some good articles!

Try these tips for small changes that can lead to very big weight-loss results.

Beginning a weight-loss plan doesn't have to mean drastic changes. You don't need to live at the gym or subsist on crackers alone to get your eating and exercising on track.

Instead, think of more realistic, sustainable changes you can make to your lifestyle. Sometimes small, simple adjustments can produce the biggest results. Consider these suggestions, and think about what other small changes might work for you.

•Trim back your eating a bit here and there, not altogether. For example, sauté your broccoli with one teaspoon of oil instead of two.
•Make some wise food substitutions, like opting for low-fat cream cheese instead of regular.
•Kick it up a notch in the activity department by taking the stairs instead of the escalator.
All or Nothing
"People put too much pressure on themselves to change everything in their diets, which sets them up for failure," believes New York-based registered dietitian Shari Mermelstein. Her advice? Set your sights on making several small dietary and lifestyle changes, and you'll lose weight without really missing out.

Need some incentive? Try this on for size: Cut back 100 calories on a daily basis and you could lose about 10 1/2 pounds in a year. One hundred calories equals:
•1 cup of regular soda
•1 tablespoon of butter
•1 ounce of cheese

Skimming Off the Top
Here are seven simple slim-down ideas:
1.A spoonful of sugar can add up over the course of a year. Add one less teaspoon of sugar (15 calories) to your cup of morning and afternoon coffee each day and you'll save about 10,000 calories—the equivalent of about 3 pounds per year.
2.Slim down that bowl of cereal: Switch from 1 cup regular whole milk to 1% milk (about 50 calories less per cup) every day. Once your taste buds adjust, you'll be thrilled! That's a tad more than 5 pounds lost by this time next year.
3.Take the scenic route. Park your car as far as possible from the entrance to your office, the shopping mall or a restaurant and get those legs pumping. Ten minutes of daily moderate paced walking (five minutes each way burns about 20 calories) can take off over 4 pounds a year.*
4.Get your vitamin C boost with a whole orange (60 calories) instead of a cup of juice (110 calories) each day. Your 12-month weight loss: 5 1/4 pounds.
5.Go calorie-free by switching from regular to diet soda (150 versus 0 calories per can). If you drink one can per day, that's nearly 16 pounds lost in a year.
6.Flavor your sandwiches with very low-cal condiments like mustard or vinegar instead of calorie-packed mayo. Leave off 1 tablespoon (100 calories) every day and you're looking at close to 10 1/2 pounds a year.
7.Downsize, don't super-size, fast food meals. Opt for a small McDonald's French fries (250 calories) instead of a large order (570 calories) at your weekly fast-food meal. You'll enjoy the same great taste all year long but with an added bonus: almost 5 pounds lost.

*For a 155-pound person at 3 miles per hour. Based on calculations from Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Twlight Eclipse Teaser!

Thanks for my Twilight addicted cousin, she shared with me the teaser for Eclipse.  Here's the links, Enjoy!

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2422342681/  or  http://www.twilighteclipse.org/

4 Reasons You May Not Be Losing Weight

Weight Watchers released another good article this week about 4 Reasons You May Not Be Losing Weight.  I have to say that I can relate to #2 and #3!  I bought my huband some cookies the other day, he had a couple and left the bag out on the counter, before I knew it, I was plopped down in front of the TV with a glass of milk, eating the whole bag of cookies! 

Heres the article:
If the scale isn't budging, you might want to consider these possibilities

If you're sticking to your weight-loss plan and the pounds aren't coming off, chances are you're sneaking extra calories and POINTS® values into your day.
But sometimes the reason behind the unaccounted for calories is subtle. If that sounds like you, see if one of the following is to blame.

1. You need more sleep.
People who sleep less than 7 hours a night are more likely to gain weight than those who sleep more, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Sleep deprivation causes a cascade of physiological effects, including changes in the hormones that regulate hunger.
A study showed that married couples who joined an exercise program together were 94 percent less likely to drop out after a year compared to people who joined separately.
"For those who have difficulty falling to sleep or staying asleep, regular exercise will help you fall asleep and improve your sleep quality," says the study's author Sanjay Patel, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. So will the common-sense measures of avoiding alcohol, nicotine and caffeine close to bedtime, and keeping a regular schedule for getting to bed.

2. You're watching too much TV.
"Time spent watching television has been linked to increased weight gain and obesity," Patel says. In fact, a 2006 study published in the journal Preventing Chronic Diseases found that more than two hours of television watching per day was associated with a high body mass index (BMI) in men and women, which translates to being overweight or obese.

3. Your significant other isn't a healthy eater.
For better or for worse, your partner's eating habits greatly affect yours. University of Minnesota research showed that married couples share similar body mass indexes. The same environment and shared meals are the culprits, researchers found. The key is to convince your partner to become an asset to your weight-loss goals, and vice versa. One area to share and encourage one another in is exercise. A study at Indiana University showed that married couples who joined an exercise program together were 94 percent less likely to drop out after a year than people who joined separately.

4. You don't eat breakfast.
Eating breakfast will make you less likely to overeat throughout the day. Research from the National Weight Control Registry, which tracks Americans who have successfully lost weight in the long term, showed that nearly all of the 3,000 people, who had lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for more than a year ate breakfast every morning.
Says Ann Yelmokas McDermott, PhD, LN, a nutrition scientist at the USDA Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University, "When you skip a meal you start setting yourself up for starvation mode. Then you start just wanting to grab anything and you lose that ability to register when you've had enough."

Good News!

As I sat and sulked in my big fat leather chair, thinking about how no one has called me for a job since October, I received a phone call.  An interview!  Yes!  Finally, someone was interested in me.  Super excited!  An administrative assistant position for a major candy company.  Great, a fat girl interviewing for a candy company.  I have been going over all the "right" answers in my head.  I've told myself 100 times to relax and not be nervous.  I'm perfect for this position. 

But.....  1 little word has me freaking out and about to cry.  Stairs.  The interviewer said "we'll go up stairs".  Oh lord.  Not only was I kinda worried already about my size, now I have to climb stairs?  Let's just stack the deck even further against me.  I can't do stairs.  I have bad knees and I'm carrying an extra 200 pounds of fat on me!  I will be so out of breath!  My husband is trying his best to calm me, however I just want to cry and cancel this interview.  The thought of being embarassed and losing a potential job because I am so damn fat kills me.

I just hope I can get past my fears and have a good interview!