The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I have to admit it. I was crazy excited for Christmas this year, mostly due to the fact that I knew Haeden would be having a blast with all of the wrapping paper, bows, boxes and, oh yeah, presents! However, I was also a little bummed because to me, Christmas is all about family and for the second year in a row we weren't having any extended family come to visit. Or so I thought.

It was the night before Christmas and I was laying on the couch in my pajamas, watching a terrible Lifetime holiday movie and feeling sorry for myself because of the migraine I had been developing all day. I had just put Haeden to bed, the boys were in their room testing out their new video games (we celebrate with them on Christmas Eve since they spend the next day with their mom and her family), and Hubby was at the dining room table working on... something. I don't know what. I was too busy feeling sorry for myself, remember?

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. We weren't expecting anyone, so I asked Hubby to answer the door since I was in my pajamas. He checked the peep hole and then opened the door just a little, telling me that I need to come and see for myself. I figured it was just a friend, maybe dropping off a gift for Haeden ( the ladies, they love him), but I still didn't get the whole "come see for yourself" line he gave me. When I saw my sister and her husband standing there, I totally peed my pants.  No, I'm kidding. I cried though! That was the most wonderful surprise this "peeker" could have received!

Now, on to the goodies...

Caught red-handed! See how he's reaching for an ornament?!

Santa brought Haeden an ATV! 

 We needed more cars in our house...

 Finally! A bike of his very own!

 Move over Bob the Builder! A new man's in town...

 We were, uh, testing for safety! And that bit, it is not safe! I have already been poked in the eye.

 They need one of their very own!

 My grandmpa. He's adorable.

With Grandma, who apparently didn't want her picture taken! But you can still see that she's gorgeous and doesn't look anywhere close to 81!

Wheeeee! That was fun. Let's do it again next year!



You Oughta Know

Joining in on the fun with Little Miss Momma, and continuing my lovely habit of over-sharing. Enjoy!

I seriously cannot get through the day without a piece of chocolate. Alright, maybe I can, but I don't want to even try...

I detest all seafood except for tuna. And even then, it has to be fancy albacore.

I am the official dishwasher at home. Our 1960's home and it's mostly original kitchen doesn't have one. I've never liked the dishes, but now it's kind of the only alone time I get when everyone is at home, so I don't mind so much anymore.

I hate my ears. I used to make my mom tape them back at night when I was a kid because I thought it make them stay that way. I'd still love to have them "fixed", but my family thinks I'm crazy.

I would love to one day turn a hobby into a business. And if I can't do that, I have to go back to school and get a degree.

My husband is good at all things artsy and while it's one of the things I love most about him, it's also a little bit intimidating for me when I want to be creative, too.

I love being a mom. It gives me more joy than chocolate. : )

Sometimes, I miss being pregnant.

I have a binder full of craft tutorials. I'm hoping one day to actually try them all.

I have a GREAT relationship with my Mom.

Having a son has brought me closer than ever to my Grandmother. I'm so thankful.

I don't tan. Like, I can't. The good thing about that is everyone thinks my red hair is natural.

I really want a dog. And a cat. And a horse. And an elephant... you get the idea...

I was allergic to red dye #40 as a kid. Some people think I still am, but I'm not.

I want to learn to crochet and do needlepoint.

I live in Florida, but I prefer mountains and lakes to beaches.

I have two step-sons. It's quite the challenging role, but I love them.

I used to be a Mormon. I sometimes miss the people and the feeling of being a part of something different, but I don't miss the religion itself.

I'm allowed to make fun of and complain about my family... but nobody else is or I get mad. Not even Hubby. hehe

And now, It's your turn! Link up with Little Miss Momma!



Last Minute Gift - DIY Sugar Scrub

I like to think that homemade gifts are always cherished and even add a personal touch to this season of giving. I learned a long time ago that if you have to get a gift for a woman, and you have no idea which direction to go in, you really can't go wrong with some kind of fancy bath gift. Oh, but you can't afford to send them for a day at the spa? Well, how about you bring the spa to them with their very own peppermint sugar scrub! Ehhhh? Ehhhhh?

These are so easy and quick that I spent about an hour last weekend (nothing like the last minute) preparing these for each of my co-workers and Haeden's teachers. They seem to have been a hit so far and while I ran out of ingredients before I got to make one for myself, my hands definitely reaped the benefit during clean up.

Here's what you need:
1 cup sugar ( I used raw, but I read granulated is fine)
1/2 cup almond, sesame or olive oil ( I went with extra virgin olive oil since it was cheaper than the other two and I was making 10 of these bad boys)
1 tsp vitamin E oil (optional, but acts as a preservative to make your scrub last up to 6 months)
1 tsp essential oil of your choice (I used peppermint. Perfect for the season, energizing, clears those sinuses!)
1 tsp coconut oil
7 - 10oz container (Mine is from Dollar Tree!)

Directions:
Mix sugar, olive oil and coconut oil. Then add in vitamin E and peppermint oils. Stir. Pour into jar. Fancy it up with a bow, ribbon, gift tag, or whatever you like and give someone the gift of skin as soft as a baby's bottom!

A Couple of New Favorites

It's Christmas Eve Eve, you guys! Unfortunately, I'm stuck here at work until 3pm. Boo! Hiss! Anyway, I took a few pictures last night of things I wanted to share with you. The first is an ornament that Haeden "made" at daycare. They took his picture by their Christmas tree and then pasted it to a foam cut out of a train. It's adorable. I keep going over to the tree just to look at his little picture because it instantly puts a smile on my face. Speaking of smiles, note Haeden's shy one and the way he sweetly has his hands clasped. You'll just melt!

I also wanted to share Haeden's stocking. It's pretty hilarious. See, Hubby and his boys all have darling knit stockings that were made by his grandmother. Since she has passed away, I asked my own grandmother if she would make a stocking for Haeden's first Christmas last year. She obliged, although she warned us that she had never made one before. I wasn't looking for perfection though, I was just hoping for something homemade with lots of love. I'll admit to being a little surprised when we received the stocking... it was a little bigger than expected.

To be fair, the stocking's that Hubby's grandmother made are, in my opinion, smaller than the typical store-bought kind. I'm not quite sure where my own was going with this one though. She clearly didn't find it necessary to use a pattern. But, she was 80 years-old when she made it and honestly, I think it's pretty damn perfect. Imperfections and all. Besides, big stockings = more presents, right?!

Something tells me this guy won't be complaining! Hmmm. I wonder if she'll make me one next?!

He's Coming to Town

We've been trying to prepare Haeden for his meet-n-greet with Santa for a couple of weeks now. Although I was hoping for a Santa pic with Haeden's cheesy little grin, I was fully expecting one with crocodile tears and a runny nose (not unlike the Christmas card photo experience). When it came down to it though, I got neither.

We went right after work and pumped him full of milk and snacks on the drive over to the mall to try and avoid any possible hunger-induced whining, crying or throwing of oneself onto the floor in complete and utter agony. While waiting in line, he caught a glimpse of Santa and immediately recognized him. He yelled out, "SANA!" and pointed at him with all his chubby little finger's might.  We only had to wait for about 10 minutes since we got there just before Santa's shift started, but as most of you know, keeping a toddler happy in a confined space for 10 minutes is not unlike corralling a greased piglet. So, we did what I assume most people do in this situation and just let him swing the velvety ropes back and forth hoping and praying that he didn't hit anyone else's kid in the face on the upswing. Prayer answered. We made it to the front of the line with no casualties. Of course, then we were presented with trying to get him to keep his paws off the big ass Christmas tree directly in front of us and right next to Santa. Clearly these people that do the setting up, they don't have kids.  Big shiny ornaments hanging on a tree not 4 feet from where you have to wait your turn... not so good for avoiding screaming children who want to eat and/or throw said shiny ornaments!

Any who, when it's finally our turn, Haeden surprisingly didn't cling to me and instead sat happily on Santa's lap. Quite possibly he was still distracted by the tree since he was pointing at it. But as soon as he turned back to look at me and realized about twenty people were staring back at him (Awwwing and giggling over his cuteness, of course) he decided to play the shy card. His bottom lip stuck out and I thought he was going to lose it, but instead he just clasped his hands and looked at the floor. Even though I wanted a nice big grin, or even a sweet, shy smile it was still pretty damn adorable. As usual, we jumped up and down and made silly noises, but he still ended up looking scared and confused. I can't blame him though, that's kind of how I feel the week before Christmas, too.

 Dan's shot

"Elf's" shot - not really, how come the helper's don't dress up anymore?!

 I think we've got a pretty good Santa though. It is the same guy as the year before. And speaking of...  lets check out last year's shot! Can you believe how much he's grown (Haeden, not Santa)?!

Pretty funny how he looks like he is about to topple over. But check that smile! Too cute. Maybe we'll get that perfect shot next year, and then again, maybe not. Either way, the future trip down Santa memory lane will always be a fun one!

Christmas Card Out-takes

This weekend I had two major objectives. The first, Christmas shopping with my 81 year-old grandmother. The second, capturing a lovely family photo for this years Christmas cards. The shopping, for once, went quite smoothly. It was actually quite nice to spend a little alone time with my grandmother. She's quite the character and sometimes I'm a little afraid to take her out in public (just like Haeden, only the opposite. ha!), but we had a really nice time and I look forward to spending more time with her, just the two of us. Of course, she is completely obsessed with Haeden, so I think she'd much rather it be the three of us next time!

Now, the second objective, it didn't go so well. Since Grandma and I went out on Saturday, we decided to take the family photo on Sunday. Everyone would need time to primp and prep, so it made the most sense. Of course, no one thought ahead to check the weather. We woke up Sunday to some of the crappiest weather we'd seen all year. It was coooold, windy and raining on and off. Of course, since we only have the boys every other weekend and nowhere to take the photo indoors (re: shoebox sized house), we decided to brave the weather and head outside as planned. Okay, honestly? Hubby decided, despite my protesting (i.e. muttering and eye-rolling), we were going rain or shine.

It was starting to sprinkle as we left the house. We headed over to one of our favorite local spots, a pier and raised walkway overlooking the river. For once, there were no fisherman (obviously because they were smart enough to stay inside where it's warm). We had beat the rain, but the wind was stronger over the water. As Hubby worked to set up the shot, I struggled to keep Haeden under control. Not to mention my hair with that damn wind. I know wind-blown hair is supposed to be sexy and all, but that was not the case here. I knew that it wasn't going to work, but I also knew someone else wasn't going to want to hear it.

Teeth chattering, Rudolph noses running, we all grinned and bared it. All except one of us, anyway. So, yeah, I guess trying to attain that "perfect" family photo when you have a headstrong 19 month-old, is asking a little much. And apparently so is expecting your photographer husband to make you look like one hot little mama.... just kidding, babe, I know you don't have photography super powers... or Glamour Shots software!

And here are the outtakes...

 *Here we are pretending to cry. Of course, Haeden stopped and decided to look confused instead. Also, most of us just look excited, not really upset. Hmmm. Gonna have to work on the acting skills.

*Obviously Daniel is just too cool for school. He's hiding his embarrassment of me pretty well, I think. Hubby was adjusting the camera settings here and Patrick was chasing Haeden from one enclosed end to the other. That was before the screaming, kicking and crying took place. Ahhhh, memories.

We are off to see Santa this evening. Lord help us.

P.S.

Yes, I still have bangs. I told you it was WINDY!

What's the Dealio?!

Who likes free stuff?! I do! I do! Well, my bloggie friends, Shutterfly is offering 50 free holiday cards for bloggers who post about their favorite cards from the fab holiday collection. Woo hoo!

This only furthers my current love-affair with Shutterfly. The Hubby and I used their services recently to create a few, uhhh, gifts that I cannot tell you very much about because I don't want to give anything away to any family members that might be reading this! Lets just say the final product is wonderful and I can't wait for Christmas because the grandparents (and great-grandparents) are going to do back flips! Our order didn't just look great, it came fast and cheap (coupons, coupons, coupons!), too. Does it get any better than that?

Usually, no. But this time, yes! Last week a representative from Shutterfly contacted us and asked if we would consider allowing them to purchase (through a generous store credit) some of the images we posted on their site. I'm not quite sure if they chose them because Haeden is the cutest kid ever, or if the Hubby's photography skills are just that good. I'm going to go with both. Either way, we were pretty excited with the notion that Haeden's very adorable mug will be gracing the website in a matter of months. Promise to update you with that information when we have it!

Now, on to the Christmas card favorites. I chose the first one because, being the undercover hippy that I am, I love anything and everything with the word "peace".

This next one I love because it has a bird on it. I'm currently obsessed with all things birds and owls. I also love the color scheme since it's similar to the decor we have going on in the house right now.

Those are great, yes, but I think this just may be our winner! It has a freakin' palm tree ( Hi, we live in Florida!) and a bird!

Now that that's settled, we need a picture.  Oh, Huuuuubbyyyy...

Yarn Wreath - Revisited

Remember my fall yarn wreath from a few weeks ago?  Well, friends, it is back. And dare I say better than ever?! I also used the same technique to decorate some simple foam Christmas trees. I pretty much love them all... and even Hubby is impressed! I think I deserve a cookie, don't you?

Oh, and pay no attention to the placement of the wreath. I haven't decided where to put it yet and this spot just happened to have the best lighting. Instead, check out that pretty felt poinsettia! I'm totally going to make some pins and possibly use them as gift toppers this year! Oh joy!

What do you guys think!? I'm pretty sure we are going to have a version of this wreath for every season! And one last thing.... I must share a little of Hubby's handywork as well! Gotta love our Florida Christmas (palm) tree!

Steppin' Out Saturday

This weekend was incredibly busy and I loved just about every minute of it! Since every other weekend is spent QT-ing(quality time) it up with the stepkids, our non-boy weekends tend to be a bit jam packed with errands and chores. Throw in a holiday party, 2 *bestie birthdays and a recital-type "jam session" and it becomes a bit of a whirlwind.

I got all dolled up Saturday evening for a work-related Christmas party and unfortunately, you're just going to have to take my word for it. Hubby and I were running late and didn't have time to snap any photos. We couldn't chance being even a little bit late because the party was on a boat. On the river. It was amazing! Best work party ever!

I still wanted to participate in S.O.S. this week, so we snapped a quick shot on Sunday before heading out to a birthday dinner with one of my oldest friends. How cute is Haeden's jacket?! He is such a little ladies man already!

 Haeden:

Jacket- The Children's Place ( best hand-me-down ever)

Jeans - Old Navy

Shoes - Converse

Me:

Sweater - Target clearance

Jeans- Penney's Junior's Dept

Shoes- Payless

Bonus pictures...

Those eyes!

 Those hats!

* Happy birthday Kerri & Amy! Love you, girls!

Hairmergency!

I started coloring my hair during my first (and only) semester at Florida State. My hair color was fine, so I don't know why really, other than all my friends were doing it. Whaaaat?! Don't act like you’ve never used that excuse before!

Anyway, I usually will color all of my hair in the fall and then have highlights done at a salon in the spring/summer. I just do the highlights once because they aren't far off from my natural color and they don’t look horrible when they grow out. Also, I'm lazy and cheap. Then, in the fall I like to change it up and go auburn. For a while now my mom has been dying it for me because it was long and I needed two boxes. Plus, we both knew that I didn’t have the patience do that all on my own. She always does a great job, too.

Recently, I cut my hair back to shoulder length and decided that I wanted to color it before the Thanksgiving holiday. Specifically, three days before Thanksgiving, and only one day before the Hubby's family arrived in town from Buffalo. You know I had to look good for the family. Also, my SIL is a hottie and I gotsta try and keep up!

I picked up a box of dye at the local Walgreens. I came to a bit of a fork in the road as I wavered between the “new and improved” 10-minute version (same brand, same color, only faster!!) and the regular old standby. The first was cheaper and faster. Looking back that should have probably been a red flag, but in the moment, I was sold.

Everything started out fine. The color looked a little dark, but not alarmingly so. It seemed to cover easily and I was feeling good about it… until I rinsed and stepped out of the shower. I saw my wet hair in the mirror and my stomach dropped. It was DARK. I told myself not to panic. It would be better dry. Of course, it wasn’t. I was trying so hard not to freak out, but there was no avoiding it. My hair was, like, purple. It was super-saturated on top and in front and then in the back it was streaked. It looked like I had swept my fingertips across the back, removing dye. I know you’re laughing right now. I know you want a picture. But, there are no pictures. There was no way I was documenting that moment. I’ll give you a hint as to what I looked like though:

Okay, not really. It was more like this:

Except, I don’t look like that and therefore I was not pulling it off in the least. Plus, don’t forget the streaks! It was a nightmare. I went into the living room to show Hubby and he does the typical man thing, “It’s not that bad!” I responded with, “I am NOT going to work like this tomorrow!” And I didn’t. I called my supervisor, unsure of whether or not I should tell her the truth. I figured though, that honesty was the best policy in this case. Thankfully, she understood. Been there, done that conversation ensued and she told me it was pretty much a womanly rite of passage. Ha!

The next day I spent three and a half hours getting it fixed at the salon. It felt like an eternity, waiting to see the fate of my preeeecious hair. Would I ever be able to leave the house again? The answer was yes. My stylist was an angel. She fixed me up real nice and I promised her (and Hubby) that I would never take the DIY hair approach again!

Cryin' at Walmart

So, two weekends ago, I do believe I had a parental rite of passage. Hubby and I decided to head out to do some Christmas shopping with the little man in tow. This is not usually an issue since Haeden is generally happy to sit in the cart and flirt with passersby. He is also pretty good about entertaining himself by putting items into the back of the grocery cart or trying to pull things off of shelves. And if there is a free cookie involved... he's almost always an angel.

I really should have seen this coming though. I mean, does anyone ever go to Wal-Mart and actually leave in a good mood? I know I don't, so why should Haeden be any different? Well, apparently he's not. We entered through the garden area and I don't know if they were already preparing for Black Friday, or what, but they had rows and rows of bicycles set up. And behind those were the many battery-operated Power Wheels. Um, Haeden wanted them ALL. He didn't care that he was too small for every single one of them. The whining and squirming started almost immediately as he pointed in that direction and said, "BIIIII!" I tried to appease him by letting him sit in one of the Power Wheel Jeeps. However, since he can't sit still for more than 30 seconds, he wanted to move on pretty quickly, and Daddy was still busy checking out bike gears and breaks, or some such thing that made him oblivious to the noise Haeden was already making. When he eventually did take notice, he took the little bugger from me and sat him on the bike he was inspecting looking at. We pushed him around for a second and made all the usual VROOM VROOM sounds, but it did no good. Haeden's feet could not reach the pedals, his chubby little hands could not reach the handle bars. Little dude was pissed!

I don’t know why we thought he’d act any differently inside, but that’s exactly where we took him next. As soon as we reached the bikes, he immediately started to flip out again. I unsuccessfully tried to distract him with toy trucks! and stuffed animals!!??, but quickly realized that I needed to just get him away from the area altogether. He calmed down pretty quickly, but I was growing rather impatient walking around with Haeden on my hip and waiting on the Lord of the Bikes. I kept trying to peek around the corner at him, craning my neck to assert the “hurry the hell up glare” and simultaneously keep Haeden from spotting him or the bikes, but it wasn’t working. He was completely oblivious to my plight.
Eventually he found “the chosen one” and met me in one of the other aisles, bike in tow. Haeden took one look at the bike and the show started all over again. The whines turned to screams, the arms and legs began to flail and we were officially having our first full-on public tantrum.

You guys, I was THAT mom with THAT kid in Wal-Mart. I took one look at Dan and told him we were going to just see him at the car. I tried to walk as quickly as I could and hoped that he’d quiet down again once Hubby and the bike were out of sight, but he only got louder and louder. People may or may not have suffered some whiplash trying to get a look at all the commotion we HE was making as we walked past. I believe I heard a few people snickering, too, and can only hope that they were laughing with me (with sympathy, of course) and not at me.

Haeden kicked and screamed all the way out to the car. He even did the stiff arms and legs deal as I tried to buckle him into the car seat. Ohhhh, man, was he testing my patience. Finally, I had a moment of genius and handed him some goldfish crackers and he calmed right down. It was a Christmas Miracle.

Look at that face! He's so picked on and abused!

Pinky's Up

What am I, the Queen of England?!

*Canister in kitchen, chock full of tea bags, not shown



I cleaned out some cabinets last night preparing for our yard sale today. Apparently, the hubby and I are hoarding tea.

Scaredy Cat

Those of you who know me are already quite aware that I'm a total wuss. I wouldn't go as far as saying that I'm afraid of the dark or anything, but I don't know that my hubby would even back me up on that statement!

I'm sure that I've always been this way, too. I can remember watching a particular episode commercial for "Are You Afraid of the Dark" on Nickelodeon and being afraid to sleep by myself because the commercial showed a kid sleeping peacefully  in bed and then pans up to show that there is a ghost hovering above him. It fah-reaked me out! You guys, I was even scared of the movie Ernest Scared Stupid! There is a scene where the girl hears something and is afraid to get off her bed because she thinks a troll is hiding underneath. She finally gets the courage to look and, of course, it's nothing but her teddy bear. She sits back up with a sigh of relief, only to turn her head and find the troll laying next to her! I realize this sounds silly now, but this scene sometimes still haunts me!

So, to recap, I am totally freaked out by anything even remotely scary. As a result, I'm quite jumpy. And since we all know that misery loves company, I am forever trying to sneak up on people to scare them. I do this to both my mom and my hubby on a regular basis. Hubby pretty much expects it and so I almost never have the satisfaction of scaring him. And even when I do, I usually have to ask because it isn't like he lets out a high-pitched scream. I wish he did. I'd totally post it, too.

You know who does scream at the top of their lungs when someone jumps out at them?! Yeah, that'd be me. And that's what happened last night. I unsuccessfully tried to scare Dan when we were heading to bed. Then I realized that I forgot to grab the laundry out of the dryer, so I ran out to the garage to grab it,  turning on lights as I went, of course! I came back in and before I turned off the dining room light, I tried to peer into the hallway to make sure he wasn't going to try and jump out at me. All clear, so I turned off the light and began to walk through the living room when I heard a noise. A growly-hissy noise. You know the kind. Then there was something coming towards me. And I screamed. And backed up into the table. And then there was a bunch of giggling coming from the hubby. That bastard. I didn't even have time to react once I realized it was only him. First, because I woke Haeden up and he started crying almost immediately and second, because I had to run and pee. This bladder ain't what it used to be.

Karma sucks, you guys. Be careful out there!

Steppin Out... Football Edition

This week's Steppin' Out is a little stretched... but Mandy said no rules, riiiight?! Also, it looks as though I will never actually "step out" on Saturday. Obviously because I'm a rebel and not because I'm lazy or forgetful. Duh!

Every year we try to take the older boys to a Jaguars game. This year, we could not have chosen a better date. The weather was beautiful* and we actually won! I'll be honest here, I don't really care much about football (shocker!) but it's hard not to get into the spirited frenzy when you actually attend the game. I might watch the people around us a little more than what's happening on the field, but it's all a part of the experience, right?! I was actually paying attention when it counted though because I totally witnessed the friggin' PLAY OF THE YEAR! For those of you that didn't, let me paint a picture...

The game is tied. The Jags get the ball with 8 seconds to go. Everyone thinks they're going to just take a knee and go to overtime, but NO! They threw the ball... or ran it? I don't really know because I was texting our sitter at this point to let her know it was going to overtime. Ha! But, basically they get a little further down the field and now there are only 3 seconds left! The quarterback throws the ol' Hail Mary pass a good 50 yards down the field and a Houston defender in the end zone bats it down... but not down to the ground like he intended, oh no, he put it right into the hands of one of our receivers right at the half-yard line! He took one step over the line for an amazing win!  They don't call them the "cardiac kids" for nothing! Wooooo!

Okay, enough foot ball talk. I'm beginning to sound like my hubby. On to the photo:

Boys: Representin' with their Jags Jerseys! Dan's is great because it has our last name on the back and his number was actually his first football number from when he was a young lad. Awwww, memories!
Me: Jags sweatshirt. You can't really see it, but very comfy and cute... but freaking $65 dollars! Good thing my sugar daddy paid for it.  And Sunglasses from Target.

Giving Thanks

It's a little early, but really, when is it not appropriate to count our blessings? I give thanks today for my lovely little family. Especially for this little guy. Holy crap, is he cute or what?!

Overheard at Golden Corral

My lovely sister, who I don't get to see nearly enough, graced us with her presence for a few days this past week. She lives out in the boonies of Virginia. No point in telling you exactly where because I assure you, you've never heard of it.

Every time she is in town we end up eating at Golden Corral. This is because my grandfather will only come along if we agree to go there. I don't think anyone else especially enjoys the dining out experience it provides. It's basically over-priced cafeteria food and other than the mashed potatoes and macaroni, the food is pretty bland. And lets face it, how hard is it to screw up those two?  If it weren't for the all you can eat ice cream, I think I'd have a pretty hard time getting the hubby to agree to going. As it is, he likes to refer to it as "The Trough." ha!

Anyway, on to the point of this post. Other than the ice cream, the only saving grace GC has is the entertainment the patrons tend to provide. My sister was busy filling her plate full of starches when she overheard the following conversation:

Classy Woman #1: Oooh, girl! Here go da broccoli and brussel sprouts. Gonna get you sum?
Classy Woman #2: I ain't gettin no brussel sprouts!
Classy Woman #1: Why? They good fo you!
Classy Woman #2: Cause when I gots brussel sprouts in my mouth it taste like someone pooted in der!

Man, I can't wait to go back!

Flower Power

You guys! I am totally obsessed with the plethora of tutorials that can be found on the blogosphere. Lately, I have been printing them off and sticking them in a binder at home. It is already overflowing with all the projects I'd love to someday try, and yet I find myself printing off probably two or three more each week. I need to stop printing and start crafting! This would be so much easier if they'd let me do this at work...

At the moment I am addicted to all the flower-related tuts, whether it be felt/organza hair clips, pins or just plain (but still gorgeous) ol' paper flowers. So far, the tissue paper carnations have been an epic FAIL, however, I am hoping it might just be the fact that I had super cheap (super thin) tissue. Mine came out looking more like a wrinkled up ball of tissue paper rather than an actual carnation.

What does seem to be working for me are the felt/organza hair clips and pins. I can usually churn out three or four of these in an hour's time. They aren't perfect by any means (homemade isn't supposed to be, right? riiiight?!), but I've already got a few friends asking me to make them some, so I'm pretty proud! I must warn you though, although I didn't singe my bangs with the lighter, I did burn the crap out of my fingers with the glue gun. I'm not sure I have much of a fingerprint left on my right index finger. Oh, and I may or may not have accidentally punched myself in the eye at one point. Don't ask. Just be careful!

Here are the results! And please excuse the craptastic photos. My house is basically a cave.

The off-white and pink flowers are pins. I sent one to my Chemo Angel last week. The rest are all hair clips. I can't wait to try my hand at a headband for my sweet little niece. What do you guys think?

Steppin' Out: Halloween Edition

A Halloween Edition:

Me: Nothing exciting here. Everything except for the seriously seen better days Converse is from Target. Oh, and the $5 kitty costume from Wally World.

Haeden: Pajamas/ skeletoddler costume also from Wally World.

Halloween is a toughie in Florida. Most costumes are seriously hot and you never really know what the weather is going to be around here. Sometimes it's 85 degrees and sometimes it's 65 degrees. Last year it was the former and poor Haeden was rather crabby about his getup:

And he wasn't any happier with this one:

So, with that in mind, we decided that this year we would simplify. Plus, we already knew that there was no way in hell he would keep anything on his head for more than 2.5 seconds and that really limits choices these days. We found this year's costume while grocery shopping at money-saving soul-sucking Walmart. It's really just a pair of pajamas that glow in the dark, but we were sold on the fact that it would be worn more than once and still passed as a costume. We also planned to spike his hair and add a little makeup to his face, but someone wasn't cooperating. Imagine that!

As for the rest of us, we really tried to plan ahead this year. We tried, but we failed. Since we were strapped for cash, we didn't even consider the local costume shops and since we only have the boys every other weekend and they had no idea what they wanted to be, we didn't have the opportunity to thrift shop hop either . In the end, we found ourselves once again at Walmart two days before Halloween, picking through what little was left over. I tried to get the boys to go as fairies, Disney princesses or flappers but they just weren't having it. All things considered, we didn't do too bad. Patrick, the Woopie Cushion*, was a pretty big hit, as was Daniel's mustache! Ole'!



* I totally just realized looking at the pictures that Woopie is spelled wrong! Guess that is how you get around the trademarks! Ha!