#sidebarlove {October}

I can't believe October has come to an end and the Halloween decorations that I just put up yesterday have to come down already.  Turkey eating and Christmas decorations will be here before we know it!

 If you are going out tonight trick-or-treating, be safe!  If you're going to a party and getting shit-faced drunk, be safe too!  I will be studying for an upcoming histology test and preparing for Bobby's arrival this weekend! 

This month for #sidebarlove I asked my sponsors a few questions relating to Halloween.  Seemed appropriate, right?  Check out their answers and their awesome blogs!

1.  Do you dress up for Halloween?  If so, what has been your favorite costume? (extra cool points for a picture!)
2. Do you give out treats to trick-or-treaters?  Why or why not?  

Kelly @ Petite Ramblings

1. Not dressing up this year and didn't last year :( but I LOVE to. The last costume (and favorite!) was Alex DeLarge from the movie Clockwork Orange.

2. I haven't given out candy to trick-or-treaters in like a million years! But every year, I want to so badly. This is my 3rd year in my current apt complex and no one comes here. Back home in MA, I lived on a main road for like 10 years so no one came there either. But I did go trick-or-treating with my little sister a bunch when I lived back home in MA so that was fun!

Tiffany @ My Safe Havens

1. I don't really dress up for Halloween. Growing up, we weren't allowed to celebrate it. Parents said it was the devil! Ha! I have more than made up for it with my mini me! My favorite costume of hers to date, was Pebbles!

2. I don't typically give out to trick or treaters because we are too busy hitting the streets ourselves. I do, however,  give candy out to my coworkers!

Katie @ He Calls Me Grace

1. I haven't dressed up in a few years. But, we used to go to parties every year and I have been Mario (Super Mario Brothers), a mobster, a school girl (original, I know), and an 80's chick. I tend to procrastinate and throw a lot of these together at the last minute. Sorry - no pictures!

 2. I don't hand out candy because I have been apartment living and don't get any. But I will go to either my mom or sister's house and help them hand out candy in their neighborhood. I also get to go Trick-or-Treating with my nieces and nephews, which is so much fun the older they get.

Brooke Lyn @ Babbling Brooklyn 

1. When it comes to Halloween, I want to be creative, I want to have an awesome costume, but every year I end up rocking an outfit that involves my old volleyball spandex....I have been a baseball player, referee, tennis player, risky business... all with the same trusty black spandex. Confession: I have even worn the same tennis costume 3 Halloweens in a row. I really need some creativity in my life.

2. Story time: So, last year I was living in an apartment complex. I went all out for Halloween. Put pumpkins on my porch, left the porch light on, bought 2 bags of candy (1 for trick or treaters one for me of course) AND NO ONE CAME. I was devastated. Cross your fingers I get some kiddos to come get candy from me this year (in a non creepy way of course)

Rachel @ Can't Google Everything

1.  Sometimes I dress up!  If we are going to a party or out for Halloween I definitely will, if we are staying home handing out candy then probably not. My favorite costume so far was my Hermione costume!
2.  Yes I give out treats!  I kind of think that's the "whole point" of the holiday!  Plus they are cute!  I don't like giving it to older kids though, but if they have a costume on I usually will so they don't egg my house or something! Haha. This year I'm going to take my son around to a couple of houses, too!

Want to be on next month's #sidebarlove post??  Visit my Advertise page!  Use code DIRTYTHIRTY for 50% off!

Last Chance!

Wanted to remind everyone of 2 awesome things that are ending at the end of the month! We all like awesome things, right?  And we all need reminders sometimes, right?  So I'm doing something nice.  Heaven points for me!

First, I've been running a promo code all month long for 50% off all ad spaces!  My ads are already dirt cheap, so getting them half off on top of that is just a steal!  So feel free to take advantage of promo code DIRTYTHIRTY while you can!  I also offer free swaps!!  Just visit my Advertise page for all the details.

And if you want to WIN an ad on my fabulous blog - and 13 other fabulous blogs - enter the giveaway below!  The giveaway ends on the 1st so there isn't much time left!  Or don't enter.. because I want this prize to myself!

  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Are you a No-Reply Blogger?

When I hosted my cash giveaway (with some awesome sponsors!  thanks ladies!!) for my 30th birthday, I noticed a huge trend.  NO-REPLY BLOGGERS.

I was getting comments everyday from all these new faces, but there were a huge chunk of comments that I could not reply to because they were from no-reply bloggers. This made me put on a sad puppy dog face.  Because I do my best to respond to every comment I receive. But I used to be a no-reply blogger too, so I hold a special place in my heart for these poor souls.

Are you a No-Reply Blogger?  Do you even know what the heck I'm talking about?  Let me pick on commenter Tiffany for a moment just because it was the first no-reply email I reached and I'm totally lazy.

If you're a no-reply blogger & you comment on my blog, your comment arrives in my inbox without an email address.  How am I going to reply to you?  Well, I could write you back on the actual post, but what are the odds that you are actually going to go back to the post and check for my reply?  I mean, I know I'm awesome, but I'm sure you have better things to do throughout the day.

I could install a different commenting system like Disqus.  But truth be told, I HATE DISQUS.  It takes forever to load and maybe I want my replies to be private and more intimate so I can really get to know a blogger.  Have you ever had a email session go back and forth throughout an entire day?  Or even a span of a few days?  I do that all that time!

So in order for me to be able to respond to your comments - because we know this is all for my benefit only - DON'T BE A NO-REPLY BLOGGER.  I will even show you how!  Aren't I nice?


1.  LOG IN to your Blogger dashboard.

2.  CLICK DROP DOWN ARROW in the top right corner to see what type of profile you are using.  You should be using a "Blogger profile".  Not that Google+ crap.

3. If you are already using a "Blogger profile", proceed to Step 5 (pictures below: top is a Blogger profile, bottom is a Google+ profile) .  If you are using a Google+ profile, it's not the end of the world.  Click the gear picture under this box and you will see "REVERT TO BLOGGER PROFILE".  What are you waiting for?!  Click it already!!

4.  On the following page, y, you want to SWITCH TO LIMITED BLOGGER PROFILE.  It sounds scary, but it's not.  You can still keep your Google+ page and your GFC still works and all that jazz. 

5.  Once you are set to a Blogger Profile, to make sure your email is showing up on comments you need to CLICK THE BLOGGER PROFILE LINK.

6.  Your Blogger Profile is what someone sees when they click your hyperlink when you comment on someone's page.  Do you like what your page looks like?  Are you one of THOSE people that has every single blog that you have liked on GFC listed?  It's not too late to fix that too!  Click EDIT PROFILE.

7. Ensure that the SHOW MY EMAIL box is checked.

8.  While you're on this page, stop showing everyone that ridiculously long list of the 200+ blogs you follow on GFC.  K, thanks!

Now all is right with the world and you should start receiving replies to all those fabulous comments you have been leaving!  Please spread the word to all your new blogging friends that may be using a Google+ profile so we can stop the madness!  

So I dyed my hair

A few months ago I chopped off all my hair.  And like good ole Jenny fashion, I got the itch to dye it.  I dye it alot.  And I really like to dye it with the season.  I wasn't loving the natural light brown with blonde highlights that I got at my last hair appointment, so I wanted to go back dark.  But if I immediately jumped into darkest brown, I couldn't enjoy any red later.  So this was my only chance to go with a red. I chose to dye it myself because I'm a broke ass grad student with Feria's light auburn black.

I dyed my hair right before my trip to Alabama because it was needing it something fierce.  Like I had two inches growing out on those highlights and it just looked a hot mess.  Don't mind my greasy hair.  I mean, it does say "unwashed hair" in the instructions...

When I got to Alabama, I stayed at Bobby's place and I didn't bring any shampoo with me because I had shampoo at his place. Truth be told, I already had enough clothes, shoes, and scarves packed to have to worry about shampoo!  But the shampoo at his place wasn't color safe shampoo.  Does that really matter?  I'm thinking so. I think I've read something about sulfates before - i.e. I never liked my chemistry classes.  Because after another week of washing my hair with non-color safe shampoo, my towels were still looking like this:

Eeeek!  I hope that comes out... I would expect it after the first day, but after a week?  Yeah, I definitely got left out of the know-how in hair dye.  So after two weeks my hair still has a red tint to it, but definitely doesn't look like Feria's box.  Like at all.  And my highlights are for sure showing through.

I'm thinking I should dye it again.  But what do I know?

This picture was taken the day after I dyed it.  So much cuter, right?  Have you had any mishaps with dying your own hair?  Can you offer me any tips?

I've been living life

I have missed my blog oh so much.  But I've been living life. I'm not sorry, but I do miss writing, miss you guys and all your sweet comments!  How does everyone balance it all?

I've had a busy past two weeks.  Of course I will catch you all up!  But something happened during these past two weeks that hit me pretty hard... not one, but TWO really bad test grades.

Sad panda

I'm used to being an A student and barely having to study to achieve said A.  Go ahead, hate me now.  But it's not the case in grad school.  Grad school is kicking my ass!  So I needed a major wake-up call.  I had to figure out what was more important to me RIGHT NOW.  What is my current goal?

Well duh.  I moved across multiple states when I was accepted into an elite graduate program.  I'm in Indiana for graduate school.  I am here to PASS.  I am here to make good grades.  I am here to SUCCEED.  So it was time to get my priorities straight and start focusing harder on my main goal. 

So I've been living life.  In the IUPUI med school library.  I didn't say I was living an exciting life, did I?  I had fall break last week and was able to go home to Alabama and visit family and friends and this week has been the new Jenny!  And I'm pretty damn proud of myself. 

The view in the School of Medicine library isn't half bad

But I've got to find a balance.  A balance between what is important to me (grad school) and what I actually enjoy doing (exploring this new city and blogging).  I'm sure it will take me some time to get it perfect. 

Until then, I know for a fact I will continue to study my ass off, walking my dogs as much as I can, and I will be eating lots of ramen noodles.

double lead works miracles on these two

ramen with a poached egg... not too shabby

Are you in school?  How do you find your balance?

Muy Giveaways!!

October is my favorite month and fall is my favorite season.  It may or may not have something to do with the fact that my birthday was yesterday! And because I've been so overwhelmed trying to be a studious grad student, I'm here today to bring you 2 NEW GIVEAWAYS!

First one is hosted by Katie at He Calls Me Grace!  She is just fabulous and the winner of this giveaway can rack up some killer ad space!!

  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The second giveaway is hosted by The Florkens!  They are just the cutest little newlywed couple and Kate has a birthday in less than a week!!  I think we are on the same page with the loving October thing!

Nikki @ Rural Rookie / Laura @ Mrs. Laura Beth / Sarah @ A Girl Smitten / Reba @ Reba K Writes

Karly Kim@Karly Kim / Kate @Another Clean Slate / Jenn @Bad Luck Jenn / Kalyn @Geez, Louise

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And of course don't forget to enter my birthday giveaway for $100 CASH!! Giveaway ends Monday night!

Bad Luck Jenn  1. The Best of Intentions  2. My Safe Havens 

 3. Alyssa Said Hi  4. I Have a Messy Bun  5. Beautifully Inspired  6. Em-provising  

7.  He Calls Me Grace  8.  The Florkens  9. Bubbly and Buttercream  10. Livin' on Sweet Tea  

11. JJ's Ways  12. My Better Half and Me  13.  Noor's Place  14. Getting Fit & Fab

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Dirty Truth: Day 4

It may take me forever to finish all 30 of these because I always want to post other things in between, but they will get done!  I promise!  So today's question:

This story comes straight from my senior year in high school.  High school already is hard enough to make it out alive, but to add an embarrassing story on top of that is enough to make you want to crawl into a hole and just die.

One morning I woke up to a weird smell.  I didn't think much of it and just thought my mom was cooking something strange for breakfast.  It kinda smelled like garlic.  But then the smell got more pungent as I stammered into the kitchen trying to figure out what was going on.

Come to find out, our dogs had chased - and scared - a skunk under our house.  Scared skunk = weird, pungent smell. The skunk smell had gradually dispersed throughout our entire house.  It finally chased me out of the house and I actually went to school early.

As soon as I got into my car to head to school, my bloodhound nose seemed to smell the skunk smell still on me, but I was hoping it was still in my nose hairs.  But as soon as I got to school and got in my group of friends before the bell rang, I asked one of my friends nonchalantly, "do I stink?"

He smelled me. "OMIGOD WHAT IS THAT SMELL?!"

I take that as a yes.

I explained the story.  They laughed uncontrollably.  Ha, ha.  The bell rang and I went to first period.  While my economics teacher was talking, kids were whispering, "what is that smell?"  Think Edward from Twilight.

I finally just yelled out, "it's me! I stink!"

The worst class period was drama because both me AND my sister were in this class together.  Which meant skunk smell x2.  It became easier just to explain it at the beginning of every class and just sit in the back like I had a contagious disease.

That night I couldn't go home because the house still smelled like skunk.  I grabbed some clothes and stayed at friend's houses for the next 3 nights.  I bathed in lemon juice and tomato juice and it still took DAYS before the smell came out of my hair.

Of course I was called the skunk girl for more than just 3 days.  And everyone in the high school still remembers the week my sister & I came to school smelling like ass.  Thanks guys.

Make sure to enter my birthday giveaway!
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My 30th birthday is October 10th!  I have started a series called Dirty Truth for my Dirty Thirty: 30 Days of Truth.  I will be answering real, sometimes controversial questions around my 30th birthday!  Keep up with all of the questions and find out what's next here!