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Cabin Fever and My Husband's Modeling Debut. For Hay.

There are plenty of great things about working from home. Yes, I get to start work whenever I want to. I don't have to commute each day. I can work in my pajamas and no one can complain. (Ok - hubby can complain but I ignore him) There are a few downsides though, too:

-Sick/vacation days are also known as a "days you don't earn money". So they happen infrequently, needless to say.

-It's super fun when people assume that "work from home" means my blog. Um, yeah right. I wish. As soon as Foodbuzz decides to pay me fulltime I'd be all over it, but until then? I'll keep my job, thanks. Samples of bars aren't going to keep me fed.

-I go stir crazy. Imagine waking up and running on the treadmill at home. Then working from home. Then making dinner at home. And then blogging at home. At home. At home. At home. Sometimes I go like three days and realize I haven't left the house. Seriously? That is not ok.

If I get a little crazy and realize that I am in desperate need of some fresh air and Vitamin D, I coerce hubby into a walk before dinner around the area. It's nice to hang with some new folks - even they're just cows.


You know you're hitting a new low in your social life when cows are your buddies. In fairness, normally I get out a little more but I'm trying to get a lot of work done this week so I can party it up this weekend with hubby for his birthday. We're having a party on Saturday night and then a fun little Sunday planned. BOOM. Who has friends, now? That's right.

Also, I took a photo of hubby and he laughed at me for something about lighting shadows/camera nonsense. I still like it because he looks like he's in a magazine ad. I don't know what he would be advertising in this picture though. Hay? Fencing? Whatever. I like it.


After that strenuous walk - I'm lying, I walked at like a 74 minute mile pace - I ran 5 easy miles on the mill. I really tried to make the morning workout thing work but I'm kind of over it. Nice while it lasted. Then it was dinner time, AKA heat up leftovers. Black pepper steak, jasmine rice, broccoli and ginger:


I don't know what's up lately but all I have been craving lately is RICE. And don't even think about handing me brown rice. Sticky white rice all the way.

Do you edit your photos at all? What software/programs do you use?
I'm the last person on earth who doesn't even know how to do this. I saw something about airbrushing/photo editing recently and I definitely need to start. Girlfriend needs A TAN. 

What's the most used appliance in your kitchen? Don't say fridge. Just play along, people.
Sadly, I think it's the microwave. Mostly just to reheat leftovers or defrost stuff - and make popcorn. The biggest surprise is the rice cooker. Totally getting that $14 worth lately.

Comments

  1. Just slight editing on lighting from Picasa. I have Photoshop without a clue on how to use it. It's way too intense.

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  2. Most used? Microwave. We microwave coffee, left overs, you name it all day long.

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  3. Hahaha love the pictures!! I use picnik sometimes but it's closing in April now! It has some fun features like borders and text as well as colour boost and all that!! Most of the time I'm too lazy though!

    I use my blender a ton!! I love my smoothies :)

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  4. My griddler is my most used appliance! It does everything....cooks meats, makes great eggs, pancakes, bacon etc...and is an awesome panini maker! I use it all the time and things cook faster and perfect and has easy clean plates so less dishes! Everyone should own one!

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  5. i love sticky white rice and i think my most used appliance is the oven, i love baking oh so much!!

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  6. LOVE my rice cooker! I could never make it turn out right when I made it on the stove top, but you CANNOT screw it up with a rice cooker.

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  7. I love getting out of the house to exercise, that's part of the charm of it. Makes me feel refreshed and energized. Otherwise I'd sit around like a lazy slug all day. Never had a treadmill in my house, but perhaps I could get into it.

    I just edit my photos using iPhoto. Gotta make myself look more tan than I really am! I use "boost" to enhance the colors.

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  8. I have a lot of fun playing with my pictures in iPhoto. I'm still learning but I do love seeing what I can do. That and the camera+ app on my iPhone...

    As for most used I guess my electric kettle is probably the most used. I use it for my coffee and the multiple times a day.

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  9. I was just going to ask how those morning workouts were going for you - ahhh, now I know. Sorry it didn't work out so well - it's hard to fight the body's preference (mine is definitely afternoon all.the.way!)

    I like the picture of your husband - it's a good one. I also think the picture of you too is super cute!!! You guys are cute together!

    Most used appliance - hmmm, that's a good one - especially if I can't say fridge (boo to your rules), ummm I use the range/oven a lot. I wish I had a cool blender like a vitamax (sp?) 'cuz I would use that all.the.time, but alas I do not have one!

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  10. Just curious, but why don't you just run outside?

    As a stay-at-home mom, I totally know what you mean about going stir crazy. The dinner looks delish!

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    1. I do on occasion but unless I want to run on a 1/2 mile trail over and over again(I do sometimes but I don't feel 100% safe no my own) I have to drive 20+ minutes each way to get to a safe area. I should make the effort but I'm too lazy for a 2 hour trip just for an hour long run!

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  11. I usually just use the default iPhoto and Preview on my Macbook! I still use picnik, but I'm quickly finding a replacement. Photoshop is too much for me -- I love it, don't get me wrong, but ALL my pictures are from my iPhone, so I really don't need theatrical editing from photoshop or a new fave, lightroom... OH! And my most used kitchen appliance is by all means my VitaMix!! My juicer is becoming a close second, and I'm sure once I get going with recipes my Excalibur will oust both of those;)

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  12. I use Picnik but yup, all gone in a few months. I'm traumatized now!

    I'm obsessed with my juicer--I use it at least once or twice per day. That machine is glorious!

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  13. What kind of freelance writing do you do? Are we allowed to know or is it super top secret/if I tell you I'll have to kill you kind of stuff?

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    1. Not top secret - really not that exciting! It's a lot of web writing for companies and their blogs. Not the most thrilling thing in the world but it pays the bills!

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  14. Hope this doesn't sound like an insult, cause it's totally a comment HAHA, but I love how you can make a boring day sound completely interesting!!! Props on those writing skillz :P ps, I am just curious, does your husband work from home too?

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    1. *compliment - see I can't even write comments well!!

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  15. Occasionally I'll crop a picture because it accidentally has nipple in it or something, but that's about it. Once a month or so I end up with a picture dark enough that I have to lighten it up. Anything else is beyond my skill level. And I'm too lazy. Plus, then people might expect me to start exerting effort in other things, like proof reading and, I don't know, providing content.

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  16. I use my immersion blender lots... kettle and coffee maker and the mike. Somtimes the handmixer and the crock pot. Oh yeah, the stove too.

    I like photo editting software. I like those programs where you can skew parts of the picture and make Spock ears and Jimmy Durante noses and the like.

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  17. I use Photoshop Elements for occasionally cropping photos and turning them right side up (have you ever had this happen? Apparently it is common with Canon cameras if you take a sideways photo.) I also like to add a watermark text because I've had people steal my photos and pass them off as their own.

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  18. I know exactly what you are talking about, I work from home too. I am home all day, and then my husband comes home from work and I want to get out of the house, but he wants to stay home and relax. I go stir crazy sometimes!

    We use the microwave the most too. For making oatmeal and re-heating food usually.

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  19. I feel ya gurl! When I used to work from home I would go a little batty. Before I got married, I could go 24 hours without talking to another person. Sad huh?

    P.S. The shot of your husband needs to be framed and brought to work....or in your case, home.

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  20. I admire people who can work from home. Great shot of your husband, he should be in a magazine :)

    My microwave is my best friend.

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  21. I have no idea how to do any photoshop/editing stuff either. And our microwave definitely gets a lot of use, but here recently our stove/oven has been working overtime too.

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  22. Most used appliance....microwave daily but I do use the crockpot and bread machine a fair amount.

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  23. Gotta agree with you on the sticky white rice. I know I should be eating the brown but the white stuff if just way better! I go stir crazy some days too but it'd be really hard to get back into an office again!

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  24. I think if I worked from home, I'd make a point to work from a coffee shop a couple days a week just for the sake of human interaction.

    The most used appliance in our house is probably the stand mixer.

    Have you seen my photos? Those are definitely not edited.

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  25. I think cows would make good friends. You just have to bring the cereal. ;)

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  26. I love cows and I think the ad should be for that jacket and it would read something like "rugged masculinity just got sexier. BRAND NAME."

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  27. Love these pics!! I rarely edit....just crop using Windows Live Writer (program I use to type my blog posts!). I have been having fun with Picnik though since the Premium version is FREE until they shut it down in April! I LOVE the airbrushing & sunless tan!! Hahah....NOW I see why all these girls look so much better in all their FB pics than they do in real life!

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  28. I must say that your husband is pretty dam fine. I'd buy that hay for sure. :)

    I love rice too. I eat it like 3 times a week. nom, nom!

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  29. Last appliance used? Probably my electric tea kettle. I have been feeling under the weather and drinking mint tea by the gallon!

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  30. You make me laugh. :) Thanks!

    I think it's definitely a great picture of your husband. Something you might see if GQ met Field and Stream. lol

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  31. I use my KitchenAid stand mixer the most. I don't know what I ever did without it.

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  32. Most used appliance in my kitchen is probably the coffee pot or the stove top. We don't own a microwave (much to hubs chagrin) so I use the stove and oven a lot more than I used to. I am way too lazy to edit my pictures besides cropping and removing red eye.

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  33. Oh man, I would love to work from home. I get tired of going to the office every day. Sometimes I wish that I could find a job where I could make my own hours and work when I want to work. I feel like I spend WAY too much time behind the desk at work. Vanessa, do you mind me asking exactly what you do for your job...I remember you saying you are a writer, but do you write online or what exactly?

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  34. Does cropping count as editing? My microwave or coffee maker are probably most used. Exciting, I know. I am so jealous of anyone who works from home because I am SUCH a homebody and I love pajamas so much, but I could see how that could give you a little cabin fever after awhile. I'm still jealous you don't have to get dressed up and explain that everyone farts 12 times a day though.

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  35. I read this post on fb when you first posted it but I had to come back and comment and let you know this is probably one of my favorite posts. We all know anything with cows makes me excited and I echo so much of what you say about working from home. Days go by when Allan is out of town and my only contact with living creatures are the dogs. It makes me crazy!

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