#334

In this household I do the laundry. That is my #1 chore. (Joe does the dishes.) Then we just kinda share everything else. Well even though I'm completely in charge of laundry, I have always refused to check pockets. I'm under the impression that it shouldn't be in the dirty clothes hamper if there are things in the pockets! (Unfortunately I've been forgetful before and have washed my own chapsticks, a check one time AND a camera! Whoops!!! You'd think I'd learn to check...) But as far as Joe's pants go, I assume they are cleared out. Most of the time they are, sometimes I've washed things I'm not supposed to, like his Bluetooth headset (which actually still worked after drying out), many, many pens and then these little babies...

#334 - They're EVERYWHERE!!

I used a dime to show you how small they are...

They are light bulbs from Joe's elevators. (The number button light bulbs and things like that) Ugh...every time I do wash, I find like 3 or 4. I have a little collection on my laundry shelf of all these burnt out light bulbs that should just be thrown away in the first place! Joe's excuse is that he is never near a garbage when he replaces them, so they just pile up in his pockets. They just frustrate me!!! Clink, clink, clink!!

#333

Holy cow, 333 - Make a wish!!!

Okay, SPOILER ALERT! The Sing Off finale aired last night and we watched it this evening. Now since it aired yesterday I'm hoping I'm not spoiling the result for anyone. If you haven't watched it.look away. Look away now!








This seasons winner of The Sing Off is.....








My favorite PENTATONIX!!! Like I posted last week, they were the best of the best. Most unique, most current & modern. I loved each of their songs and I'm super happy they beat out all the rest. Congrats Pentatonix. Congrats!!

#333 - Season 3 winners!

#332

I bought a tablet today. I have been thinking about getting one, but I've been having an inner debate. First off, I love my netbook. LOVE my netbook. Its a smaller laptop and its mainly just for web browsing, blogging, photo editing, etc. However about 2 or so months ago, my keyboard was damaged competely and like I posted once before, I've been having to use a wireless keyboard I already owned. Its super inconvenient. I've been holding off on replacing it, because I was going to look into a tablet around Christmas time. Fast forward to now

In my research of a tablet, I couldn't quite decide if it would be right for me. It does exactly what my phone does, doesn't have that large internal memory, no keyboard or SD card slot. All of which my netbook offers. Plus with it doing the exact same things & apps as my phone, why would I need something else...just with a bigger screen? I have been talking myself into just getting a new netbook.

However my husband came home from work tonight and had done some research on the tablets and said he found one that I would like. He took me to RCWilley tonight and I purchased the exact tablet he found for me. As you can see from the picture, its very large (same size screen as my netbook) plus it has the slide out keyboard which is exactly what I need!!! Now we'll just have to see how functional it is. I know having a PC is much fast and more convenient...but not when your PC has a broken keyboard.

I've been playing with my new tablet all night and it seems to be pretty cool so far. I'm not 100% sure it was the right purchase, but I'll have to play with it a bit. I'll keep you post.

#332 - My new toy!  The Asus Eee Pad Slider. Woot woot!!

#331

JCPenny's was one of our few stops on Black Friday and I got some new pillows! Every year JCP's has a killer deal on Big Hunk pillows and this year they were $3.88! Each year I stock up and replace all the pillows on our bed. (For some reason Joe and I feel like we need 8 pillows on our bed.) I didn't buy 8 replacements, but I bought quite a few. Its always nice to break in a fresh, new pillow. My intention was to find 4 of the most 'used & dingy' on our bed and replace them with the new ones. Instead, I got 4 new pillow cases and we now have 12 pillows...yes 12 pillows on our bed. It won't stay that way, I'll eventually get rid of some, but we had an 'in bed-lazy' day today. We watched football in bed, then watched 2 Ice Age movies. We ate dinner in bed AND had ice cream. I've never been more comfortable! Our giant king size bed has 12 pillows, 2 extra blankets atop the comforter set, 2 people, and 3 puppies. Ahh!! I could stay here forever! (Plus Joe and I are wearing our new comfy pajamas and that makes it THAT much more toasty in here!) Today was awesome!!

#331 - 4 added to the pile!

#330

Put your hands in the air - I've only got 35 more days!!!

As I have seen on Facebook today, many of my friends have put up their Christmas tree. I have boycotted decorating for the past few years just because its SO TIME CONSUMING!! You have to take down all your current decorations, drag out the Xmas ones & put them up, only to take them down just weeks later. Its a headache if you ask me. Plus with it being just Joe & I, it doesn't seem necessary. However I was pleasantly surprised when I came home from work, to see that Joe had assemble and put up our pre-lit, artificial Christmas tree up. He didn't know where the decorations were, so the tree has no ornaments, drapings or stars; just lights. The glow is a happy glow by the way. It kinda makes me want to pull out the other holidays decorations. We'll see.

My #330 - Lights all-a-glow.

Cell phone picture. I really liked the 'glow' effect. Awesome!!!

#329

This holiday weekend has been incredible with lots of quality time with family. Shopping through the night was a huge success and I thoroughly enjoyed hanging with "The Girls!" We lasted from 11:30pm to 6:30am. Each store on our list, we conquered; finding EVERYTHING we needed (and then some). I think all of us were happy with what we accomplished!!

We were able to get some sleep before the family got together for a afternoon movie, dinner and then games! I love being with my family!! We played a game with pretty much the whole family that attended and had a few great laughs. It gets me excited for all the fun times we'll have at Christmas when we can ALL be there. Robyn and her family will be home & Brittany will be in town! Yay!!! Only 1 more month!!

My nephew Jesse was a little bummed he couldn't join in on the 'adult' game, so my dad, Nancy & I played a kiddie game with him right after and he just loved it! Of course he won and got to do some silly things. This game is called Flapdoodle and I highly recommend it! The ages are 6 and up (because of reading & spelling) but its a great game for the whole family! Guaranteed laughs!! Check it out!

#329 - A game just for Jesse! He sure was fun to play/cheat with! Thanks family for an awesome 2 days of togetherness. I'm looking forward to Christmas!

#328

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is a wonderful day full of thanks. It tried to take pictures & post about things I'm thankful for this month, but it just didn't turn out that way. However, last night, I did do a Count Your Blessing challenge on my personal blog, so head on over to The Black Spot!

Thanksgiving day started early, with Joe waking me up to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade at 7am. We opted not to watch the Macy's version just because that started at 9 and we wanted to watch football at 10:30. We got ready and headed over to my parents house to start the festivities! The football game was a highlight for me today because mine & Joe's favorite teams played each other. Luckily for me, my team came out on top! GO PACKERS! (And yay they are STILL undefeated!!) Even though I didn't take this picture, I thought I'd add a recent photo of me and the hubster in our football garb. (This is NOT my photo for today, just for fun!)

And then as soon as the football game ended, we started the final prep on dinner. The family got together and all the ladies helped with a dish. We missed 2 sisters today. Robyn & her family traveled to see in-laws and my sister Brittany lives in Vegas. Love you girls!! We missed you today! The food was yummy and the conversations are always entertaining! After dinner, the food coma's began and the clean up started. Then the girls looked at the 'ads' for Black Friday shopping and planned our attack. Here it is 10pm and I'm about ready to leave & meet up with everyone. We're pulling an ALL NIGHTER!!

I was surrounded by family all day and I enjoyed every minute of it. I got in a 50 minute nap which was much needed and I didn't pick up my phone once. Its all about being with the people you are with. Not the people you are virtually with. (I did call my mom who traveled down south - miss you guys!! Hope you had a good Thanksgiving!) I am very thankful for my family and I enjoyed our day together. Cheers to a fun-tastic weekend ahead of us!! Shopping, here we come!!

#328 - Give Thanks! This was our centerpiece at the table. Just a beautiful spread! I didn't take one single picture of the family together. Apparently we were having too much fun just being together.

#327

#327 - City Weekly. I've become a fan. (Especially for the Sudoku puzzles.)

As interesting as some of the articles are, the advertisements kind of make me feel like a loser. There is so much going on in Salt Lake and I'm never aware or a participant! The downtown city life has always been intriguing to me and I almost want my alter ego, Ms Trendy Socialite, to dabble in all the excitement....Nah, I'll just daydream, work my butt off just to come home to cuddle with my pups & watch my programs! Haha!!!

#326

Have you heard of "The Sing Off" on NBC? Um yeah, its pretty much the greatest singing competition..in my opinion. I like it better than American Idol, X-Factor, The Voice..etc, etc, etc. This competition is for A Cappella groups only. I LOVE A Cappella!! It constitutes that pure, raw, natural talent that music today is lacking. No synthesizers to create unique sounds with your voice and no computers to alter the key in your voice to help you sing in tune. (Wonder where Britney Spears would be without the help of technology? Poor is what I would guess.) Anyway, "The Sing Off" has become one of my reality shows. This season is almost over with the finale being next Monday. (PENTATONIX all the way baby! I already put my votes in!! Voting is good all the way up to 9am on Sunday morning...so if you haven't yet, text 1 to 97979 mmkay?)

Today in my 'prep for Thanksgiving Day' shopping I ran across "The Sing Off" Christmas CD! Hmm...didn't know they had one!! It has a few great songs by all the top contestants this season. Its technically the first Christmas themed album I've purchased, let alone played, so far this year. I immediately opened it and listened to it in my car all day. Its just wonderful!!

#326 - It wasn't on my list, but my impulsiveness couldn't resist!

By the way, if any of you watch the show and are interested, Pentatonix obviously is my #1 choice. Their versions of Video Killed The Radio Star, ET, the Britney medley and last nights Dog Days Are Over have been my favorites. Actually I've liked everything they have done - each week I'm always impressed. So that is why I'm hoping they win!! Last season, my favorite Street Corner Symphony ended up in 2nd place... I was really bummed. However SCS has a website and an album to download so I can enjoy all my favorite tunes from last year! My favorites of theirs were Down There On The Corner, the Beatles medley, Creep, Fix You, Everybody Wants To Rule The World, Hey Soul Sister...gosh there were so many good ones. 


Head over to YOUTUBE and check out both Pentatonix & Street Corner Symphony. Ah-Maze-Zing!

#325's

I now have made it to 325. Only 40 more pictures/posts to go!!

I had to work late tonight. The weather was VERY chilly when I finally left the salon at about 9:30pm tonight. It didn't snow today, but it rained most of the day and I guess the temperatures dropped drastically after it stopped raining, because I found this very unique design on the roof of my car. Silly ice. Apparently the water was dancing around on top of my car and the cold weather froze it in its place! Look how amazing that is...

#325's - Nature art project for the day.

#324

I broke my netbooks keyboard a few months back. Okay, Joe and my dog broke it! I guess it serves me right for drinking a glass of milk over my netbook when my husband decides to play rough with my Lucas. Luckily for me I have a wireless keyboard and mouse that I've been using until I get either a tablet or a new netbook for Christmas.(Joe you owe me one!) However tonight, I've realized how INCONVENIENT this stupid keyboard is. First off it HUGE compared to my little netbook. The portability is completely NOT portable and my dogs think of it as a trampoline when they are sitting on my lap. Cheers to Black Friday shopping...I need my solution a lot sooner that Christmas!

#324 - The joys of an inconvenience. At least I have something to type with...I should try to see the positive side.

#323

Joe and I drove down to southern Utah today. My high school friend Ben turned 30 this week and his wife Shannon through him a party tonight. Of course since I have the luxury of being my own boss, I took Saturday off and drove down this afternoon. It was a great way to spend some quality time with Joe as well!

The birthday celebration was great! We did some socializing with the friends around us, but after dinner and we realized we didn't get to talk to 'everyone' so afterwards we went with some of them to a lounge for drinks and conversation! I'm so glad we did, because all the laughs at dinner were nothing compared to the great talks, stories & jokes that were told at the lounge. I have a great group of friends from high school that I'm lucky enough to keep in touch with. Sure it may only be once a year or a text/phone call on their birthdays but hey, its been 11 years and I'm pretty proud that we're all still friends. Ben was the first of this group to turn 30, so I made the suggestion that since we all turn 30 this next year, we should get together like this for each of our birthdays. I think they all liked the idea, so next up is Tyler's in January!! (I'm gonna hold ya'll to it by the way!!! Even on my birthday I'll drive down to celebrate with everyone!)

Thank you Shannon for setting everything up and including us. We were a crazy group of six and we had so many great times back then. But now we've expanded and added some amazing husbands and wives (and soon to be wives) Plus all the family that comes with it! Ben, Shannon, Tyler, Carson (and Susie you were missed!) I miss you guys like crazy and I'm glad that every time we get together, its like no time has passed at all! Trina, I'm SO happy you entered this bunch of friends because man, you're a great time! Your energy, personality and passion are the perfect mix and I could laugh with you all night long!! I've got a lot of inside jokes to last me until January...where then we can make more! (Shelley and Kyle, I'm glad I got to see you as well because you were an excellent addition to this great night!)

#323 - Happy 30th Birthday Ben!! 

Tyler (L) & Ben (R)

Of course I FORGOT MY CAMERA!!! UGH!!! Cell phone pic...

#322

I'm blogging pretty late this evening because I just returned from a late night showing of Twilight: BREAKING DAWN!!! I grabbed 6 of my gals and we headed to see the first installment for the 4th book and we had a great time!!

The theater was packed, the parking lot was crazed and the weather....SNOWY!! But that didn't stop us from having a good time and enjoying each others company. (Traffic was a nightmare because of the snow and my poor sister fell in the slush and was soaking wet! My hair was messed up all night :( and the chaos of the theater made us almost late to our movie!!  Of course our room was sold out, as I'm sure all of them were, and there was cat-calling & screaming when both Edward & Jacob were on the screen...gotta love the Twi-Hards!

I enjoyed to movie quite a bit and I'm actually shocked. I am not a huge fan of the movies and so I went into this one with little to no expectations and I'm wondering if that is why I enjoyed it as much as I did. I was surprised by the acting...when did they all learn how to act?? And I was very happy with how they portrayed the story. Most book-to-movie versions are horrible, but I was glad it was so close to the book. (However it has been about over 3 years since I read the book, it is possible I have forgotten a lot of detail.) It has inspired me to read the series again though. I'm a HUGE fan of the books and haven't wanted to read them since I've starting watching the movies because I'm afraid my subconscious will picture Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson...yuck. But since this version was so great, it reminded me of how much I loved the characters and the story. I think I might just take the books out of my storage bin and give them another shot. Plus since the 2nd movie of the 4th book doesn't come out FOR ANOTHER YEAR, I'll need something to keep me excited!! LOL!

Thank you to my mom Karla, my stepmom Nancy, Jessica, Andee, Kalie and Elizabeth! Tonight was AWESOME and I'm so glad I got to share it with all of you! \

#322 - Girls Night Out with my 6 favorites!

#321

I'm on a roll! I found another gem at ROSS today. Good thing I had a break between clients or else I wouldn't have found this beauty! Purses are my weakness!!!!!!

#321 - I should get an A for shopping! Don't worry I found an awesome mustard colored wallet too!

#320

I'm loving this "home stretch!" I only have 45 days left of this challenge!! Yeeeahh buddy!

#320 - Great FIND!

Isn't it gorgeous?? I found this gem at ROSS!! I don't know if it goes with my salon, but I just couldn't pass it up! Plus its a decoration I DON'T have to spray paint to match! I do however want to find something to go inside...that is my next project. But my friend Elizabeth directed me to a really cute trunk that I have sitting next to this bird cage. I brought them to the salon today and decided to rearrange a few decorations to make these fit better. Both look so great atop my cabinet! Now to find some greenery...

I just LOVE decorating my little salon. Its so much fun!!!

#319

I have come to realize that I take way to many pills each day. Of course they are all vitamins/supplements and are good for me, but still, my purse is extremely heavy from carrying around so many bottles!! I have a hard time REMEMBERING to take pills, especially the ones I have to take multiple times a day, so keeping the bottles with me at all times, has helped. In the instance I remember to take one and I'm away from home, it is so convenient to have it in my purse!! But the down side to carrying a pharmacy over your shoulder is that it is VERY HEAVY!! Plus everywhere I go, you can hear the pills shaking around inside the bottle.

I decided it was high time I found an alternative source. It was as simple as buying a case of mints! I emptied out the mints and put in a weeks worth of pills and viola! It doesn't make noise, my purse is incredibly light and having all my pills in just one tiny case is super convenient! I'm a genius! LOL

#319 - The joys of simplifying an irritation! One can only wish there was a simple solution to EVERY irritation!

#318

Monday Night Football!

I wanted to make this yummy corn salsa my mom makes as a snack for the game tonight, but I couldn't find the recipe. I know she wrote it down for me, but I tore my house apart and couldn't find it. My mom left for Las Vegas this morning and I didn't want to bother her with a silly recipe question, that I doubt she has memorized anyway, so I went to the internet. GOOGLE! I entered the few ingredients I knew of and it pulled up over 100 different ways to make, basically, the same thing. Its either called Black Eyed Peas Salsa, Black Bean/Corn Dip, Avocado Corn Salsa, Cowboy Caviar, etc, etc, etc!!! I couldn't believe how many different ways there were to make it! I clicked on each recipe and read over it, hoping I'd find the correct one...but alas I couldn't. My friend Elizabeth told me to just pick one because its bound to taste good...but I just HAD to have the one my mom made. I decided to call her and bug her on her trip and of course she didn't have it memorized, but she did give me the source of the recipe. My cousin's wife Sara. Sara!!! She was the answer! I dialed her up and within 10 minutes I had my recipe. Thank heavens I used hers, because it was so much simpler than any of the hundreds I found online. THANK YOU SARA!!!

Because I loved this recipe so much and couldn't find it on the internet in its exactness, I've decided to list the recipe on here, so I'll never forget!! (And so each of my readers can try it out as well! It sure is yummy!!!)

#318 - Took hours to find, but I'll be enjoying the 'doubled' recipe for days!! Yum Yum!

Whatever You Wanna Call It, Salsa

1 can - Black beans
1 can - Corn (Shoepeg)
1 can - Black eyed peas
4 - Roma tomatoes
4 to 5 - Green onions
1/4 to 1/2 bushel - Cilantro (depending on how strong of taste you want)
1 - Jalapeno
1 - Avocado (slightly firm)
1 pkg. Good Seasons Italian dressing mix.

Drain & rinse beans, corn & peas. Dice tomatoes and avocado. Chop cilantro, onions & jalapeno. (Remove guts of jalapeno for minimum spice) Add all to medium bowl & lightly spoon mix. Once mixed together, make dressing per package instructions and add to mixture. Chill for at least an hour and serve with corn tortilla chips.

(Many online recipes called for cumin, chili pepper and garlic. I wasn't pumped about any of those, so I'm happy I found the right recipe!)

#317

Well today turned out wonderful! LAZY SUNDAY!! Both Joe and I didn't feel well at one point or another today, so we kept it low key. Who am I kidding, sick or no sick, we would have been lazy! Love pajama Sundays!

However we did have time to make these babies. Oh yeah, gotta love the smell of fresh baked cookies. #317 - Mmm Mmm Good!

#316

#316 - After my 9th week of business comes to a close, the final piece has arrived. 

I feel so accomplished! I don't know why; its not like my salon has changed at all with the addition of this silly piece of plastic. I guess its just the finishing touch. Its the icing on my cake, the cherry on my sundae, the Scentsy in my clean room, the hairspray to my completed style or the top coat to my fresh manicure! LOL.

#315's

Woot woot! Only 50 more to go!! (Isn't it scary to think I'm so close to being done? Or is it more scary that there is only 50 days left the year???)

Happy Veteran's Day everyone! Many people expressed their appreciation & love to the soldiers who have served and are currently serving on Facebook today. It was great to see such wonderful patriotism and verbal [typed] support all day long. I have about 200 friends on Facebook and I think 60 or more posted something about Veteran's Day today.

Of course our Veterans deserve a day to honor them, they deserve much more than that. But it is great that nationwide we can all stop and take a moment to truly appreciate and understand what our military does for us and sacrifices for us. I don't have anyone actively serving in my [entire] family right now, but I know many people who have loved ones overseas. Not to mention all the people I know that have lost someone dear to them, in the line of duty. My heart goes out to all the wonderful people who gave up [and are giving up] countless amounts of daily treasures to protect and serve America. What amazingly self-less people you are and I speak for the many who are greatly indebted to you. Thank you and God bless each of you!

Along with celebrating our Veteran's, today marks a great day in numerical history. (If there is such a thing!) This day will not happen again for another 100 years....or we'll just celebrate again next year on 12/12/12!! ;)

My #315's - Make a wish!!! 11-11-11

#314

My sister Andee finally made a decision and let me chop off her hair tonight. Of course her hair wasn't really long in the first place, but she wanted/needed something short & easy. She's had the same cut & color for over 2 years and has been tossing around the idea of changing it for a month or so now. As her hairstylist, sister and friend, I've been extremely hesitant. Only because I KNOW Andee better than she thinks I do and she doesn't like change; never has. Any time I change her hair or her coloring, just weeks later she wants it back long and blonde. I love Andee with dark hair. She has those hypnotic, baby blue eyes and dark coloring always makes them POP! But after having dark hair for a mere week, she wants it back to what it was before. BLONDE! I can count at least 5 times I've done a big change to her hair and she has me fixing it days later. Hence my hesitation for changing her up this time. It just ends up being more work for me and her hair goes through A LOT of chemical processing to get it back blonde, so it just trashes the condition.  Well I gave in tonight - even bet her $50 she won't keep it. She even lengthened the bet to a whole year...um yeah...that's a bet I'm gonna win!!!

I'm happy with the way it turned out and I think she is as well. I didn't take the hair cut as short as she wanted...because again I know she'll hate it or regret it. But she now has something short, textured and funky to do many different styles with. Lets just hope she likes it...and if she doesn't, I'm $50 richer!

She wants to unveil a picture herself tomorrow on Facebook, but I took a snap of the color tonight. #314 - MY hard work, HER new look! I hope you LOVE it Andee!! (And not just for the sake of me having to redo it! LOL) I really hope it helps you in the mornings and that you have fun with the NEW YOU!

#313

Ugh..I miss my girls!! I was invited to have dinner with 2 of my stylists from Smart Style, Jordan & Brianna. I worked with both of these girls for almost 2 years. Brianna had worked for the company on many different occasions, but called me specifically when she wanted a job again. Then a month or so later, Jordan walked in to apply and I hired her on the spot. I considered myself a very LUCKY manager to have these 2 working for me. Their determination and drive to succeed was so inspiring and helpful to keep my salon running so successfully. Ever since I quit, a day hasn't gone by where I haven't thought about them...or missed them. Bri & Jordan became great friends of mine and I couldn't wait until our Wednesday shifts together. All the 'girl talk,' teasing each other and supporting one another to become better people. We were like the 3 amigos! I'm seriously at a loss not seeing them every day.

I was super happy when Jordan asked me to join them for dinner tonight. Jordan and Brianna have both quit Smart Style since I left (along with all my other stylists except for 1) and they found a new salon to work at together. That's right, my 2 girlies are working and having fun at another salon...without me. :(  My heart hurts every time I think about it. My stylists were the MAIN reason I stayed with SS for so long and it pains me to think of all the fun times I'm missing out on.

We had a great catch up tonight though. Hearing stories of all the wild, crazy AND boring things we've done since we've been apart. Some drama here and there, a few heartfelt talks and emotional support was laid out on the table tonight. I am extremely happy that they are both so pleased with their decision to quit & move on elsewhere and from the sounds of it, they are both happy & making good money. (I might have to sneak into this salon and work maybe 1 or 2 nights a week. I'm incredibly lonely at my new place and it might make me feel better being in a salon with my girls again. I'll keep that idea in mind....)

Thank you Bri & Jordan for asking me to hang out. I know I said it a million times to you tonight and then a millions times over again in this post, but I miss you like crazy! I love the impact you both have had not only on my career, but my life. I love you girls so much and I hope we continue to have more dinner dates!!!

#313 - Cheesecakes with my buddies. I'm smiling now as I remember our good times, but my heart truly aches...

#312

November 8th has come. Someone in this household has been counting down. There was a plan to wait in line, for however many hours it took, but luckily not 'pre-ordering' got you in and out faster than the ones that didn't procrastinate and had documents to prove it. The version sought out was unavailable, but a runner up was purchased and was being played just moments after ripping it open.

#312 - Call Of Duty - Modern Warfare 3 has arrived. He has blisters on his thumbs already...

Luckily Joe has been responsible about it. He DID actually work today (unlike a few friends he knows) and allowed some 'husband and wife' time before jumping in with his Xbox LIVE crew. And he's way excited I am busy the next 2 nights because he knows I won't be home, getting on his case about playing non-stop. Enjoy the next 2 nights Joe. Enjoy...

#311

#311 - The final product!

Sorry the picture is awful. We went to dinner to celebrate my sister Kalie & my bonus mom Nancy's birthdays. I made that car seat-carrier cover last week and I was anxious to see the finished product on Kalie's car seat. We ate at Olive Garden and to say we had 'mood lighting' would be an understatement. It was so dark I could barely see across the table! So of course when I go to take a picture with my cell phone, even the flash doesn't help brighten up the place. Oh well, if the lighting was better you could probably see all my mistakes!! ;)

I hope you like it Kalie!! Now that I found the 'other' section in Joann's, I'm interested in making another one or something else. I need to keep practicing so I can get better & more confident. Anyone need anything?  

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Kalie & to Nancy. Kalie, I hope your birthday was just the greatest ever! And Nancy, enjoy your day on Wednesday! You deserve an amazing day!! Love to you both! XOXOX

#310

Alright, I NOW officially have 55 days left!! Woot Woo!

I attended my niece Adyson's blessing today. The weather was a little chilly, but the sun came out for most of the day. There was a miscommunication at the church and they skipped over the blessing, but halfway through the meeting they remembered it and the blessing was performed. It was a great service.

After the church meeting, we headed back to Jarron & Robyn's for some visiting and delicious cookies and milk! Adyson wasn't too happy most of the morning, so getting a 'great' picture of her in her blessing dress was kinda hard. However Adyson's mom Robyn looked amazing, so she was easy to photograph!

#310 - Robyn & Adyson!  Congratulations to Jarron & Robyn once again. I know you've spent so much time, money and emotions trying to bring another child into your life and to finally get this angel baby is a true miracle. You both deserve this happiness; Joe and I are very happy for you and your family. She's perfect!!!

#309

Today is the 5th of November. Joe's annual showing of "V for Vendetta." He invited some of his friends over for pizza & a movie and I decided at the last minute to participate. I have seen the movie once of twice (I usually skip the annual showing) but tonight I was sitting aside just listening to it and I got really interested.

If you haven't seen it before, its starts out as a reinvention of the legendary Guy Fawkes' threat to blow up Parliament (1605 England). But as the movie goes along its a new generation and there is a guy parading around as the character "V" dressed in a Guy Fawkes mask & cape, wanting revenge against all these powerful people who did him wrong in the past. He brings the spirit of Guy Fawkes back to the people of London and again threatens to blow up Parliament as a symbol of a new start. Its a 'deep' movie that does have a serious political/social agenda to it that's worth hearing and remembering. (Okay, that's my summary anyway. Its a good movie and Natalie Portman does an amazing job, as does Hugo Weaving as "V". You should probably watch it.)

Anyway, November 5th is Guy Fawkes Day in England so in the movie, "V" threatens to blow up Parliament on 11/5 hence the reasoning for Joe's annual showing of the great "V for Vendetta." (Have I mentioned before how incredibly unique and special my husband is? LOL  We used to celebrate J.R.R. Tolkein's birthday and watched all the Lord of the Rings movies on that day in January..however those movies are excessively long and we never seem to make it through the 3rd movie without falling asleep. There is as well the wonderfully painful Groundhog's Day with Bill Murray that we watch every February 2nd. Oh...Joe...)

Thanks to all our friends that made it and shared in this tradition with Joe. Silly as it is, its still nice to visit with great friends and laugh at the craziness. And thank Joe for sharing one of the many Joe-isms we all love about you so much!

#309 - Remember, remember the Fifth of November, the Gunpowder Treason and Plot. I see no reason why the Gunpowder Treason should ever be forgot.

#308

#308 - And so we meet again...

Luckily this time around, I came out on top! Apparently there is a learning curve to this thing. Thankfully with enough of my own organization and patience I was able to get the job done...and done well. Elizabeth, I decided to not 'round' the corners. I know it might not look as good, but lets face it seeing my picture from yesterday, I just can't handle the rounded edges. I'm excited to completely finish it with you next week.

Finally a project I'll be extremely proud of!

#307

Alright I'm on Day 3 of the 'thankful for' posts and today's picture is somewhat humorous. But before I get to that, I want you all to know that on Day 3 of this [inner] challenge, I'm grateful for good friends! My friend Elizabeth to be exact. We've been friends since our Beauty School days, we 'lunch' every Monday, our husbands are friends and work together, plus she's an honorary member of my family and I just love her to death.

I asked her months ago to help me make a car-seat cover for my sister Kalie. I asked for help way before the baby was even here and now little Jacob is almost 6 weeks old! I finally buckled down and went to the fabric store last night, sent Elizabeth a text to find out her schedule and ended up booking her 'help' for the next day. I am so thankful Elizabeth was willing to spend HER day off helping me and guiding a major amateur seamstress into making a car-seat cover. (Elizabeth has a 5 month old baby girl and made herself a car-seat cover that looks flawless. I knew I needed her help!)

So yes, we spent over 4 hours putting this together and I didn't even finish before I had to head off to work. I was grateful that she 'guided' me and had endless amounts of patience. Instead of getting frustrated with my naive sewing ability and just take the project over herself. She knew how important it was for me to do this for my sister and even though I kept her from doing anything else she had planned for her day off, she was still ever so willing to help me out. (Even when I had to put the project on hold to partake in a 'group' phone call where we purchased airline tickets to CALIFORNIA!!)

Elizabeth has always been a great listening ear, (which is just what I need because I talk A LOT!) she helps me work out my emotional & physical struggles and she makes me laugh when I clearly need it. Oh and with my picture of the day, #307 - She still loves me even when I sew corners like this...

HAHAHA!!! See, I told you I was an amateur! Luckily I snuck back into JoAnn's this evening and bought more fabric. I'm not working tomorrow and I'm going to spend MY time (not hers) tryimg making a better one. Now that I know what I'm doing I think I'll perform better.... hopefully!! Sorry Kalie, I'm gonna try my best.

THANK YOU ELIZABETH!!! I'm sorry I made a mess of your house, left all your equipment out of its place, spilled your Diet Coke all over lunch and asked you to give up your 'YOU' time just to help me out...and clearly I needed the help! You are a WONDERFUL friend and I'm so very lucky to have you!!!! LOVES!! xoxoxox

#306

Alright, the countdown is now down to 59 photos!! Yipee!!

Today I am thankful for my puppies. They are a huge responsibility and sometimes drive me crazy, but man I can't picture life without them. They always want to cuddle, give me kisses and keep me warm. We've had Lucas for almost 6 years, Simon for 3 and Charlie just over a month. I love my little guys and I'm so lucky they love me back.

Simon annoys the heck out of us with his CONSTANT need to play fetch, but its pretty dang cute how persistent he is. Especially when he stands on his hind legs with his tongue sticking out. Plus Simon is my ADD child and can't sit still for very long, its pretty entertaining. Lucas barks at EVERYTHING and he is so loud...ER! But he cuddles the most and radiates the most body heat. Perfect snuggle-bug on a cold winters night. Charlie HARDLY listens to anything we say and always kicks his ball under the furniture and can't ever retrieve it. So he'll whine and bark at the spot until one of us gets up to drag it out from underneath which is very irritating. However he is the sweetest and the most gentle with us and my 1 year old nieces. He gently takes a treat out of your hand and never forcefully wants to play rough. (Lucas and Simon are the instigators!)

My puppies are like little babies and I enjoy being around them and having them climb all over me. Each of their personalities is so unique and we're very happy Charlie fits so well into our family.

#306 - Here my are boys. Aren't they cuties??

#305

Thank you everyone for all your kind words...on my blog, Facebook and even through text message. I know I have many faithful and loyal readers. I guess I just needed a little reminder. This year long [daily] challenge has pretty much taken over my life. The constant mental preparation of finding something to capture, making sure I get the photo, doing any edits necessary AND finding the time to sit down to blog each night. Like I said, its all consuming. That is why nave decided to not take this challenge again next year. Unless something significantly takes over my life and I choose to document it...guess we'll see. But thank you again loyal readers and followers. I appreciate you stopping by, even if it is only to peek at the pictures. These writings are of my choosing, were not part of the original challenge and can sometimes be VERY long. And who cares that my numberings were out of order? Nothing a 15 minute editing session couldn't fix. Now on to my post for today.

Welcome November!! This month is focused on giving thanks and I'm going to try and post pictures of things I'm thankful for. It will be tough snapping a photo of that each day, but I'm going to try as often as I can.

First up...I am thankful for my hubby! (Clichè and cheesy, maybe.) I took a sick day today because I woke up extremely under the weather. Joe was very understanding when I rescheduled all my appointments, he called to check on me twice, begged me to stay in bed to get better, was okay that I did absolutely no laundry and then brought me home some comfort items to make the rest of the evening more comfortable. Thank you Joe for always being so loving and attentive. Sure makes my heart super happy.

#305 - My 'happy' things. People magazine (the style version), White Cheddar popcorn, V8 Fushion drinks and soup & bananas for my sick stomach. Isn't he the greatest??