The Domestic Diva Recommends...

So! Remember the review of that kitchen utensil set I promised you over a month ago? They came in the mail a couple weeks ago, and I'm finally getting around to it.

First of all, you should buy said utensils so you can be like me and look sooo legit during retro kitchen-style photoshoots.


For this review, I was planning to do a cooking tutorial-type post with pictures showcasing an assortment of my awesome new kitchen gadgets. However, I'm way too lazy for that. You'll have to settle for just one picture.

All kidding aside, I'm pretty impressed with my new utensil set. I compared them side-by-side to a few Pampered Chef items I own, and they certainly measure up quality-wise.

You could easily spend over 200 dollars to buy all 11 pieces individually, so at $55.95, they're a great deal! The set would make a great wedding or graduation present.


Overall Rating:

I'm a Job Whore

For a 19-year-old, I've had a lot of jobs - and they were all pretty awesome! Looking back, I see that people may have taken advantage of my young talent. I was doing the same work for $9 an hour that they'd have to pay an adult $20-30 an hour for. I'm not bitter about it though, because I gained a lot of great experience ahead of the curve.

Job #1
Age: 15 (Sophomore in high school)
Job: Movie Theater Concessionist
Description: I sold movie theater snacks! (like a boss.)
Pros: Free popcorn and soda; free movies on my days off; "pre-screening" - some days I got to see movies a few days before they were released!
Reason for leaving: To get away from the lewdness of my toolbag 20-something male coworkers, and so I'd have more time to spend with my best friend during the summer.


Job #2
Age: 16 (Junior in high school)
Job: Movie Theater Ticket and Concession Sales (different theater)
Description: The next year, I started working for the other movie theater in town! My coworkers at this job were also in high school, not townies like at my last job.
Pros: Pretty much the same as above!
Reason for leaving: I can't recall exactly why I left this job, but I was overloaded with tons of extracurriculars around that time, so that would be my guess.


Job #3
Age: 17 (end of Junior year/beginning of Senior year)
Job: Graphic Artist for a publishing company
Description: One day I sent in an email to a local magazine saying I was a high school student with a few years of graphic design experience whom would love to do an internship if they were interested.

To my surprise, I got a call within hours of sending off my email where they offered me a full-fledged position! They had recently lost their main graphic designer and were in a bit of a panic. After an interview, they hired me as the head of their graphic design department.

It was my job to design ads for local businesses (you can view some of them here), then lay out the actual pages of the magazine: arranging the articles, illustrations, and ads in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

Pros: It was great that I got hands-on professional experience at such a young age, and I also loved the people I worked with.
Reason for leaving: Sadly, the company eventually went under due to the economy.


Job #4
Age: 17 (Beginning of Senior year)
Job: Subway Sandwich Artist :)
Description: This one is pretty self-explanatory. I started working at Subway while still working at the publishing company.
Pros: I liked the girls I worked with (for the most part), and I got a 6-inch sandwich for every shift I worked! That was awesome, because I got to be a total perfectionist with my food.
Reason for leaving: I started a new job at an adoption agency.


Job #5
Age: 17 (mid-Senior year)
Job: Jamba Juice
Description: I made delicious smoothies. I took this on as a second part-time job while also working at Subway so I could stash some cash away for college.
Pros: This job was super easy. I got to experiment making new smoothies when it was slow, and I was eventually able to get my best friend a job there as well.
Reason for leaving: I started a new job at an adoption agency.


Job #6
Age: 17 (Tail end Senior year and early my first year of college)
Job: Adoption Agency - Administrative Assistant/Acting Adoption Coordinator
Description: This job gave me ulcers. Our agency consisted of 1 Executive Director and 4 employees - the accountant, the Homestudy Coordinator (he was in charge of helping people through the process of becoming approved as adoptive familes), the Adoption Coordinator (she was in charge of the actual adoption process from start to finish), and me: the secretary/general office assistant. But I worked mostly with the Adoption Coordinator as her assistant.

Our Adoption Coordinator was 3 months pregnant when I was hired. When she had her baby 6 months later, I was made Acting Adoption Coordinator for 6 weeks while my coworker went on maternity leave. OH. MY. GOSH. BECKY. This was the most stressful time I have ever endured in my life.

Some of the logistics of the office were very unprofessional and it was tough to deal with. 2 months after my coworker got back from maternity leave, I was fired due to a laundry list of mistakes I'd made over time. I'll admit I was really crushed. I wasn't perfect and I made a lot of mistakes, but I gave that job everything I had. I'm over it now though, because I'm finally able to see it for what it was: I helped them through a rocky period when they didn't have a lot of options. Once they got through the rocky point, they were able to pursue better help.
Reason for leaving: I was let go.


Job #7
Age: 18/19 (first year of college until present)
Job: Blog Designer!
Description: While I was working at the adoption agency and in my first semester of college, I started up my blog designing business!
Pros: I get to work as much or as little as I like and earn extra money on the side.


Job #8
Age: 18/19 (first year of college until present)
Job: Golf Vacation Reservationist
Description: Within a week of getting fired from the adoption agency, I was hired at a small call center where I book golf vacations. My pay is the same as my last job, but the working environment is sooo much better. Losing my last job was a blessing in disguise. The change of pace/scenery did me a world of good.


So that's my story! What jobs have you had? Make a list in a comment!

FYI - I'm Fertile

Although it was horrible at the time, the events that took place last night seem pretty comical to me now, so I thought I'd share with you.

Let me preface by explaining that I sometimes suffer from anxiety attacks at night, even if I have nothing legitimate to stress about. Marry that to my IBS issues, and my unfounded anxiety leads long miserable hours in the bathroom.

Last night was one of those joyful times in my life. I spent the night home alone, so of course every little bump and creak sounded like someone was breaking in, which started it all. As the night wore on into the wee hours of the morning, my anxiety ranged from issue to issue until at one point, I started worrying that I'm infertile.

As a single 19-year-old not even thinking about starting a family, I have no idea what got me thinking about this in the first place.

Unfortunately, my anxiety not a rational thing. Knowing that I couldn't get any sleep without some peace of mind, I drove to Walmart around 3 a.m. and made a B-line for the Family Planning isle. 15 minutes, 20 dollars, and 1 First Response Fertility Test later, I was able to get a few hours of sleep knowing that I have the potential to have a child.


Peculiar? Yes. But effective.

Long Overdue Update

How's life, bloggy friends? As always, I've meant to update my blog more frequently, but you know how it is.

Not much is new with me. I'm lovin' my new life of independence, but I'm so not lovin' my newly acquired monthly bills to the tune of $850. WHOA! How do you people manage living in the real world?

In other news, I had my wisdom teeth out on Friday. I'm alive and healing normally (as far as I know).

I've got a few reviews coming up that I'll be posting, but other than that, I have no idea what I'm going to post next. Any ideas?!

Got Me Some Lovin'

Dad, it's not what you think.


The other day while I was at Walmart, I discovered the greatest product since sliced bread. I'm not being paid or compensated in any way to post this; it's just too good not to share! With that said, I have the great pleasure of introducing to you:






Not only is Lovin' Scoopful as delicious as it is cute, but it also has only 1/2 the fat (and fewer calories) than premium ice cream brands.

Purchasing Lovin' also supports some great causes. 25% of proceeds are donated to causes such as the Special Olympics and Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Not only that, but Lovin' Scoopful is made with milk from cows free of rBST (a growth hormone).

As the selfless person I am, I have taken it upon myself to sample several of their 13 flavors. Y'know, so I could give a solid, informative review. And help the children of America. And save animals. I assure you it had nothing to do with how the brand name and flavors lend themselves so well to innuendos.



After immense "research," I have concluded
that my favorite flavor is: What the Fudge?
Am I bit biased because the name of this flavor is so AWESOME? ...Maybe.

So what are you waiting for?
Get a little Lovin', give a little Lovin'.

Pimpin' Our Crib

My friend Lacey and I have been in our new apartment for 3 weeks, but it feels like it's been a LOT longer! We've spent most of that time tricking out our humble abode, which is easier said than done with no assistance from the parentals.

My mom and dad's parenting philosophy is "making it on your own builds character." When I broke the news that I'd be moving out, they made it very clear that they would not assist me financially. Ever. And I was prepared for that! However, I was not expecting them to be so stingy with their home essentials.

It was a miracle that I even made it out with my mattress in tow. Later, I attempted to pilfer their storage for a few rolls of paper towels and toilet paper, but that really ticked my dad off. He made me put it back and said something along the lines of "BUY YOUR OWN STUFF! I keep a supply on hand so it's there when I need it!"


Boo, Dad.

Thus I've been appointed the daunting task of not only furnishing my apartment on my own, but also stocking it with random necessities.

I have to say, my favorite part thus far has been picking out furniture for my bedroom, which has a black motif. I started out buying a matching desk and bookshelf, but I'm still on the hunt for a black vanity.

While my bedroom is still a little bare, I'm well underway stocking my kitchen! I'm getting by with what I have, but I never appreciated my mother's random kitchen gadgets until I no longer had them.

I've had my eye on this Kitchen Utensil Set available through CSN stores for some time now. There are 11 different pieces at $59.95, which makes them about $5 each. What a steal!



Cheap is good, but FREE is better! That being said, you can imagine how thrilled I was when CSN Stores offered me the chance to review this awesome set of utensils...for free!

Would you like a chance to do a review or giveaway of a CSN product on your own blog? Contact Jessica of the CSN Promotion Team for more information!


Stay tuned for my review!

Comment Etiquette

Hey ladies! Today one of my lovely readers contacted me wondering if there is any way to edit reader comments. Recently she received a very nice comment, but the woman who left the comment also included links a product she was selling. TACKY!

While there is no way to edit your readers' comments, I thought it might be helpful to touch on the unspoken rules of comment etiquette.

When I started out blogging, I picked up a copy of The IT Girls Guide to Blogging with Moxie. I particularly loved Chapter 15 - Popularity and Etiquette: Be the Belle of the Blogs. Some very useful advice states:

"DON'T leave comments on other blogs begging people to read your blog. A tell-tale sign of a new blogger is her tendency to leave comments along the lines of, "Great Post! Check out my blog at PrincessProtractor.com!" It's bad enough to be so blatant, but not even bothering to leave any thoughtful commentary is even worse. It borders spam, and it's become a tactic spammers have started using. So unless you want your comment deleted as spam and your IP potentially blacklisted, share a comment, but skip the sales pitch."

In short, use the golden rule! Even if you leave a thoughtful and heart-felt comment, including a link to your own blog or product gives the impression that you did it with the intention of drawing attention to yourself. Don't worry, if the blog owner wants to visit your blog, she'll track it down through the link that is automatically included with your comment.

Remember, it can be tempting to leave a comment that will bring readers to your own blog, but the most effective way to get your blog noticed is to be genuine and foster friendships with other bloggers. The popularity will follow naturally!