Sunday, January 10, 2010

Formspring Sunday V.2

Hi everyone! So this is my weekly little post where I answer all of the questions from my formspring, located over there on the left! If you missed the first post, you can find it here. And don't forget about my little search box up there on the right- it's a handy tool for finding old articles, recipes, whatever. Thanks again for all of your wonderful questions- they're fun to answer and a good way to interact with you guys.

I also have to give a huge, huge thank you for all of the amazingly sweet comments you guys leave over there. You make me smile THIS BIG daily.

Formspring Sunday 2

So here we go...there's a lot so be prepared! haha.
this may be too personal, but you mentioned you stopped taking birth control. i too feel weird how unnatural it is, so my question is: did you replace it with another form of contraception? again, i know this is super personal, but you're the ONLY person i know of who feels the same, and with this little formspring i couldn't resist :)

haha this is a little personal and I almost hesitated answering it, buttt oh well. We replaced it with the family planning method. I agree that birth control is weird- the more I thought about it the more freaked out I got about the fact that I had been putting these horrible, synthetic hormones into my body for so many years. I can't even tell you how GREAT I feel being completely medicine free.

where are these shoes from??

Saturday shoes

Target! They have them in the stores right now. I/they have them in black as well.

hello. i just recently started following your blog (found it through another blog). i just wanted to let you know that you are a huge encouragement to me. i am a senior in college and seeing how you have such a fun, "normal" life as a young adult is very helpful to me. im in that stage where im freaking out about what to do after college but reading your blog honestly helps me to not freak out so much. i guess one question i would have is, did you find it hard to move from college life to "real life"? specifically with managing money and paying student loans and everything?

This is a great question. To be very honest, I actually didn't have a hard time transitioning. I would attribute this to continuing to live with my best girlfriends after college as well, so it always kind of seemed the same, just minus going to class. I didn't have to work high school, and I didn't work a lot in college, so the thing that was hard for me was having a good work ethic once I was out of school. I'm responsible, and of course I will go to work, and enjoy it, but I'd much rather be doing other things (like anyone else!). As far as paying off student loans go, it wasn't hard to transition to that either, because it just seemed like another bill. Pay my electric, pay my gas, pay my loan. It's not bad at all. As much as I LOVED college, I am so much more in love with this phase right now. It will only get better, so don't stress!

know you addressed your make-up routine, but can you address your skin routine (if you have one?) i am not so confident in my skin and yours is glowing and beautiful, so i was wondering about the products you use.

First of all, thank you for the compliment! I have THE MOST sensitive skin on the planet and I have to be really, really careful what I use or I will break out like crazy. I used to use acne medication all of the time, even though I wasn't breaking out, because I went through a short time when I did break out a little bit, and the medicine took it away. For years I was scared to stop taking it because I felt like I would break out if I did. When I stopped, my skin had NEVER been better, and it made me sad to know I kept putting that harsh medications on my skin when I didn't have to. The only thing I do now in terms of seeing a skin doctor is getting monthly peels! I know that sounds crazy but I feel that it's the best thing in the world. It's a fairly mild peel, but it still makes my skin look really fresh and makes me happy. As far as products, I've been using the same products since college and those are: face wash- Aveeno Positively Radiant Cleanser, lotion- Purpose Dual Treatment Moisturizer with spf 15, eye cream- Lush's Enchanted Eye cream (I was using Stri-vectin but decided to switch to something else for awhile). And that's absolutely it! My skin is also very, very in tune with how much sleep I get, how much sugar I eat, and how much water I drink! More water, more sleep, and less sugar makes my skin super happy.

Do you think you'll keep getting tattoos forever or do you have a 'limit'. just curious because i haven't decided when to make a 'cut off point' for my own collection. :) XO. you're great!

I definitely don't have a limit- in fact in the future I'd like to tattoo my other arm and leg, front/back of thighs, side of neck, and my other rib panel. :)

What advice do you have about going on job interviews for teaching?

I would just say be yourself, be professional, all that stuff. I don't have much specialized advice because I didn't really interview for my position, as I student taught in the school I work at now! I'm really glad it worked out this way. My sister Lauren had to interview for her position, so you can always hop over to her blog and ask her too!

does hank ever show his teeth when he smiles?

Haha! Yes he does and his teeth are gorgeous. He just always says that he hates fake, unnatural smiles and that's how he feels when he has to smile big and show his teeth. So the closed-lip smile is what we get!

Let's talk about Marc Jacobs. What are your favorite pieces in your collection? Are you lusting over anything right now?

Oh goodness. I love me some Marc. Right now I am on the fence about getting a red bag for spring- I'm not much of a red gal though and Hank wasn't a fan when we went shopping the other day. If I do get a red one, I'll probably do another Hillier, I love my tan one so much.

Two questions: 1. How does you plan to handle touring when you have a baby? Will Hank take a break? 2. What kind of diet (food intake) do you plan to enforce for your children? Tough questions I've thought about for my family, and have always had a hard time with.

1. We haven't really planned all of that out- I figure we will just take it in stride when it comes. I really don't mind at all if he tours, as long as it's not for like 6 months straight. Even though I miss him like crazy, I get into a little groove when he is gone and because I won't be working and I have a really good support system, I think I'd be okay! But ask me again when that times comes. ha.

2. Well, Hank has been veg since he was 11 or 12, and that won't ever change. As far as me and animal products, I will always consume what I like, which means occasional meat and also cheese. We don't drink milk and do almond milk instead. When we have kids I'll do what my mom did, which is make my own organic/local baby food when possible, but outside of that stick to 100% organic food. That's what we eat in our home, so of course a baby would do the same. I wouldn't go out and buy pesticide-laden broccoli just for the little one. ;) When the child is older, I figure he or she can just choose what they want to eat (Mommy or Daddy's food, if I'm doing meat one night when Hank is doing tofu or something). I don't put too much thought into it though, because I figure once we are actually with child I will figure it out! :)

am pretty much the same size and body type as you. Do you ever just feel huge even though you know you're not? This goes thru my head tons of times per day...

Yes. Somedays I have bad body image days when I feel like a big, fat cow but eventually I come back down to earth. Those days are very, very few and far between for me now, but I've been there and I'm sure I'll always be there. I am small, but have an athletic build, so I'll never be stick thin, nor do I want to be! If you'd like to read a lot more on this topic, check out this post!

Have you and your sister always been close?

We went through those weird teenage years where we would argue, take each other's clothes without asking, etc. but typically she's always been my best friend. We grew up in the woods, in Jackson, NJ without anyone else really around to play with. Because of this we were each other's playmates when we were home. My family is VERY family-oriented, so we grew up having this ingrained in us. I love it so much and I am very thankful that we have so many similar interests.

Hey Danielle! Hope you're good. Love your blog.
I wondered if you could maybe do a little hair tutorial with pics. I know you put a description up but I'd personally love to see it with pics (espesh the curling part as I am nooo good @ curling!). Thanks xxx

I will absolutely do this sometime this week or weekend! How fun!

What are your favourite blogs to read?

I am going to make a big post on this topic pretty soon, featuring my favorite blogs and sites to visit. Stay tuned!

first off i absolutely adore your site! im always inspired by it! ive wanted to be a high school english or art teacher for a while and wondered if it is rewarding? i guess i just really want a job where i can help people and wondered how you felt about yours. thanks!!

YES! My job is so rewarding. Sometimes there's days where I go home thinking - "I actually get paid to do this?!" It's really neat because it's different everyday, every hour and every minute! Kids are so funny and I spend a lot of my day laughing and having a great time. Not to sugar coat it, because some days are nightmares like any job, but in my opinion it's the BEST job ever. You're getting to make a difference in a child's life, and that's the most important thing there is. Often kids will say that they never liked to read before coming to my class, and now they read all the time! That one simple thing is so rewarding on its own. Plus, outside of the curriculum, you're getting to make kids feel good about themselves. Some of these students never hear a positive thing, maybe they don't get any encouragement at home, and you saying "good job" is the first kind thing they've heard all day. You can be that for someone. So yes, it's very rewarding! I talk about my job often, so if you keep reading you'll see a lot of that.

You mentioned eating soup for lunch. What kind of soup do you eat? Do you make it yourself? This might sound silly.

Not silly at all! I'm assuming you mean my lunch at work- sometimes I make it, but I don't think I've ever brought my homemade soup to school. More recently my friend Robyn made the most amazing soup ever and we ate that. I really love Amy's brand soups too. I can't think of any particular ones off the top of my head but maybe I can coerce my friend to share an amazing soup recipe here soon.

would love to have you as a teacher(: do any of your students ever try to befriend you? what would you do in that situation? ps. can you help me with my AP language and composition exam?

As a teacher, and especially as a young teacher, you have to set clear boundaries of what is acceptable and what is not. Kids have definitely tried to befriend me, both at a Facebook type of level and also trying to hang out, but obviously I don't do that. It's also weird because a lot of students at my school really love Hank/Hank' bands, so I see them at shows and at work it's always a source of conversation for them. They make those guys out to be rockstars, which I find really humorous and often awkward. As far as your test, probably not. haha.

Do you rent or own your home?

We currently rent our home but will be buying our first place pretty soon! Very exciting.

Does Hank read your blog every day?

He reads it every once and awhile, but definitely not regularly as far as I know!

Hi Danielle! I wanted to ask, you mentioned in one of your blogs that you'd got rid of negative people in your life and people who I guess weren't "true friends". I just wanted to ask how you did this? I find myself in this situation, and I'm not good with confrontation and just look for any words of wisdom you may have! Thanks xx

When I thought about it, I found that most negative people in my life were only in my life via computer. However, because I do live separated from most of my friends up here in Prescott, and do spend time blogging and just being on twitter/facebook whatever, that was my only form of communication. I basically just slowly stopped putting effort into these people and it naturally happened. I also kind of stopped caring. That sounds weird, but I got to this place where I was just sick of wasting my time and energy. I said to myself- you aren't a good person, so I really don't care to waste my time anymore on you! I'm a busy person and my time is valuable to me- why do I want to waste it hanging out with you? When I got to that place it was a fairly easy transition because I didn't care anymore about pretending. I also found that the happier I got the more these people disliked me, so they stopped wanting to be in my life too! It worked out well.

Hi Danielle, I just wanted to say that I love your blog, and it is so nice to see such a positive, sweet gal such as yourself. I love your family values. It's so refreshing after many other blogs about partying etc. I really love your blog!

Even though this was just a comment and I usually only post them here if they're questions, I wanted to comment on this. First of all, thank you for these kind words! I really love hearing that people enjoy reading what I write here, and I'm especially appreciative of the comment about my family values. I think a lot of the time people think that you have to be a religious person to have good values and a good heart, but I am living proof that you don't. So thanks for writing this. A lot of my blog friends are followers of god in some way or another (and more power to them! :) ), but I find myself in the minority as a non-believer. I recently received an anonymous comment about how I was going to hell because I didn't believe in god and I had bad morals and values...so this warmed my heart to read something on the other side. Just had to take the opportunity to make the point that you don't have to believe in any sort of higher power to be a good person :)

Did you know that a photo of yours was featured on tattoobay.blogspot.com a few months ago? If so, does that bother you?

How funny, I did not know that. Do you have a link? And no, it doesn't bother me at all. I figure if I put it out there, it's bound to end up somewhere. As long as it's credited back to me I don't think it's a huge deal.

You always look adorable. Do you ever leave the house in sweats, or even jeans??

Thank you so much! I HATE jeans! I know that's really weird but I try to avoid wearing them at all costs. I don't think they're cute, or comfy! I do own a few pairs and I wear them from time to time to work, but if I never had to wear jeans again I would be happy. I would never go out in sweats either- we live in a small town and I would be bound to run into someone we knew and I'd feel weird and sloppy. I know that sounds silly but it's just the way I am. I will run errands or grab a tea before/after a workout, but I'm usually wearing yoga pants and for some reason I don't think those are as bad but I still do feel a little uncomfortable! After re-reading this I feel like I sound kind of ridiculous but ohhh well! ;)

what do you mean by "it was abes first christmas"?

Abe wasn't raised in a family that really makes a big deal over holidays so it was his first year ever receiving presents and doing the whole thing! It was really fun to see his reaction to everything, because our family really goes overboard.

do you feel self conscience about your tattoos as you get older? i have a half sleeve and chest piece as well, that are the most obvious to others. now that i am pregnant there are some days where i think i'll eventually come to regret having them on display, when my child gets older. i hope i'm not "that weird tattooed biker mom" haha

I get this question a lot, and no I don't really worry about it. I really feel that if someone wants to judge me because of my tattoos I don't want to know them anyway, and I certainly don't care about their opinion. As I get older I feel more and more this way so I'm sure when I'm old and wrinkly I'll care even less. Plus, my husband is covered, my sister and her fiance are too...and many of our friends. In our little world, I'm just like everyone else. The only thing that kind of bugs me sometime is when we go on vacations it can be annoying to be the tattooed couple at the pool that people "don't get." Hank's mom always tells me that when I start going on business trips with Hank I may feel weird being the "tattooed wife" with all the other wives at the pool who are so unlike me, but I really don't care. I like being different :).

Could you post a pic of yourself with your natural hair colour? I bet you look a lot like your sister with lighter hair! Has she ever had darker hair as well?

We've both been on either side of the spectrum! I love dark hair on me the best, although right now I feel like maybe my hair is a bit too dark. My sister likes light hair on her the best.

This is probably closest to my natural color, but I may be a bit lighter! This photo is from 2005.



And unfortunately I can't find any photos of her with dark hair, but you can always ask her via her blog.

Sometime when you've got time, do you think you could make us a hair timeline of all the different styles you've had? Have you ever had short hair?

Sure! And yes...I've had short hair and it looks horrible on me. Most of my girlfriends and I all went through that phase of having short hair and thinking it looked so good. We all look back in horror. haha. My face is heart-shaped and short hair makes me look quite chubby. No thanks.

what kind of car do you drive?

Last year I traded in my adorable VW to buy a sensible 2009 Toyota Corolla, although we are currently looking at the Highlander.

Do you hate having to always cover up your tattoos for work?

Not really. Some days I hate it, but most of the time my normal outfits of blouses and cardigans or dresses do the job on their own. There are times when I would love to just wear a short sleeved dress without the sweater, but I thought about all of this before I got tattooed, and it's really not a big deal.

is the brown mj bag you carry a Classic Q-Hillier bag?

Yes, it's one of my favorite MJ bags that I own!

I'm seventeen,and I feel like I haven't really read any "staple, must-read-once-in-your-life-books" in all my years of high school. I feel like my school doesn't really encourage its students to learn the classics, or to read intellectual, thought-invoking books. I mean, Twilight was on our summer reading list. So my question is, what books would you recommend, as an English teacher, to your students?

This is a tough question, because my recommendations change so often based on the student. Here are some of the books I've recommended in the past week- Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and Walden by Thoreau. I will try and make a big book recommendation post soon- thanks for the great idea!

How did Hank propose to you? How many kids do you guys want?

The 3-year anniversary of the proposal is next month, so I'm planning on posting the story then, but as far as kids I would love 3 or 4 and he would love 2! Since Hank is a III he is intent on having a boy to pass down the tradition to (a IV), and I absolutely would love a little girl, so after two if one of us doesn't get our wish then we will probably adopt. But realistically I think we'll have one first and go from there. :)

Could you post the link to that galadarling article you wrote about in March? I'd like to use it for a women in media culture class and can't find it. Thank you!

I don't have the link to her exact article, but I'm sure you can use the search feature on her site, especially once you know what to search for via my post. To see mine, go here.

have you ever thought of doing a "whats in my bag" post?

I used to do these on livejournal a lot, so I will have to make one over here sometime soon. I've seen a bunch of them floating around on blogs recently too and I love reading them. Thanks for the reminder! :)

You previously said that you eat vegan most of the time but do have meat if you know it wasn't injected with hormones etc. My question is, does the way they treat animals before it gets on your plate [meaning : inhumane ways of pretty much killing it] bother you at all? I have eaten meat my whole life and try my hardest to stick to organic as well but recently have been exposed to how they treat them before it gets to me. However, i still enjoy chicken, turkey, etc. Just wondering what someone else's standpoint is. : )

Yes it definitely bothers me and because I was fully vegan in the past so I know all about it. I'm unsure how I am able to still eat it, because I know that even when it says "free-range" or a related term that's not always the case...but I guess I feel that my occasional consumption isn't "as bad" as being a meat-eater all of the time. That's a total cop-out, I know, but it's the only way I can explain why I continue to eat meat even when I know it's not the most humane thing in the world. I will think more about this and add to my answer at a later time- I feel like this answer isn't really what I want to say on this topic!

I've noticed in all of your pictures that you seem to have really great posture! Maybe you consciously do it just when taking pictures, but if not, then kudos!

Thank you so much! I actually work at having good posture all of the time. :)

Have you always had a definite style? Your wardrobe seems to be so cohesive. I sometimes find it difficult to have one set style.

Thank you! I really have never thought about this, but I've always just kind of worn what I liked. I've always been into dresses and wearing very girly attire for as long as I can remember. I would say that it hasn't been until probably the past two years that I really figured out what works best for me and looks best on my body type. It's been relatively easy to get dressed and pick out clothing since then.

Were you ever a fatty or have you always had that gorgeous figure of yours and good health routine?

ha! First of all, thanks for the compliment. I have always, always had a very healthy routine but I have gone through phases in college and when I started dating Hank where I fluctuated maybe 8-10 pounds or so? But nothing huge because like I've said in previous entries I grew up as an athlete and dancer so fitness and health has always been a major part of my life.

You wear a lot of cute strapless dresses! (In the summer, mostly!) This may sound too personal, so if it is, don't worry about answering, but in case you don't mind: do you wear bras w/ them, and if so, where do you go to shop for good strapless bras?! I find it hard to get a good bra to wear w/ strapless dresses without making everything bulge weird!

I actually don't wear bras with them most of the time, because if you notice most of them are structured and not just a piece of thin cotton. If I do happen to wear one that needs a strapless bra, I absolutely love Victoria Secret's one from their Pink line. I've always worn that one because, like you said, most are very bulky. This one is more of a thin construction and has always been the best. :)

how far into your relationship did you and hank live together?

We moved in together about 11 months after our very first date. He had been on tour with his band Life in Pictures and during that tour they broke up (sad...I LOVED that band), and he was really bummed, and I was starting my practicum for teaching...so I just took the plunge. We lived in a TINY little apartment right downtown and slept on a twin bed together for a year. It's so fun to think back to this time.

Alright, those are all the questions (well, the ones I answered- some were duplicates or things I've already answered in the last post). I hope you enjoyed reading these. As always, you can ask or tell me anything right over there to the left!

Have a wonderful week!

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