Christmas Blog #1: White Christmas

Well, here we go. 25 days of Christmas-themed blogs. Are we ready?

My first Christmas with my hubby was before we were married. I was about 8.5 months pregnant. I know, scandalous. We lived in a little apartment then, cozy but nice. For that point of my life, I was happier than I ever had been.

One evening before Christmas, Hubby put on “White Christmas”. I’d never seen it; in fact, I thought it was only a song. I’m thankful for a hubby that is man enough to love musicals.

That said, “White Christmas” is definitely one of those sappy, feel good musicals. It really takes you back to simpler, more romantic times. Its got great music, good dancing, and some funny lines as well. And Bing Cosby’s voice is incredible. Not to mention Rosemary Clooney.

More important, it is now a tradition. Its part of our family life. It is something that the hubby and I will have to share and be “ours” forever.

And I love that.

 

A Happy Sunday

Today was a nice day. A typical, relaxing Sunday.

Monkey and I went to Target early in the morning, and got a few things. We needed a few last touches for our Christmas lights and decor; I also got a blender. : )

After Monkey had his nap, we took a good long walk around the neighborhood. We hadn’t in awhile, and it was nice to get out again. It was a perfect day- clear blue skies filled with sunshine, and a warm 70 degrees. Monkey seemed newly aware of things- tree leaves on the ground, pinecones (he picked one up and had me carry it around), and when to hold my hand to cross the street. He seems to get smarter everyday- its simply amazing.

After that, we came back and had a little crafty time. We made coffee filter snowflakes! Monkey seemed quite impressed with my creative genius as I cut out shapes and hung them in our big window that faces the back yard. ; ) We also listened to Christmas music, to which Monkey would shake his head furiously when I sang along. Huh.

Hope everyone had a good weekend!!!

Tidbit

This morning, Monkey woke up just before 6. That’s usual. What was unusual was that he didn’t want to run around and play immediately. He wanted to cuddle.

His new thing that he’s picked up from me is “rock-a-bye'”. He has a glider chair in his room for us to rock him in on those few rough nights. And I always say, “Do you want to rock-a-bye?” So apparently he’s caught on. This morning, after I changed him, he pointed to the chair and said, “Bye? Bye?” So we rock-a-byed for a bit.

It was so wonderful. Its so good to have those few moments when a kid wants nothing in the world but you. Its magical and makes you feel like you are the most important person in the universe.

After a bit, he sat up and began to tickle my face with his little fingers (well, I had slowly begun to doze off! Rock-a-bye works on moms, too!). But those five minutes of quiet and just the feel of our hearts beating together were priceless.

Balmy

 

It is a chilly 48 degrees this morning in Orlando, FL. I know that doesn’t sound very chilly- my home town takes that as a nice high for the day this time of year. But to us, who are accustomed to spending the summer sweating our tushies off, it is definitely a bit nippy.

I gotta say, I do like it. As long as it doesn’t get any colder. ; ) But especially this time of year, its tough to celebrate Christmas when Santa is wearing a Hawaiian print shirt and flip flops. It just doesn’t have the same vibe for some reason…

Christmastime now is a LOT different from when I was a kid. Even back in MT, its just not as snowy/cold as it once was. I guess because of climate change, El Nino, whatever. I don’t keep track of what all we have done to screw that up! At any rate, its different.

The hubs and I watch football, a lot, obviously. Recently, he commented on how all the teams were so into wearing their old throwback jerseys- the ones from the 80s, 70s, and beyond. And he wondered why. I thought it was pretty simple: things were seemingly better then. Maybe we didn’t think so at the time, but they were. They were simpler in so many ways. We actually paid attention to one another. We didn’t use, say, Internet blogs to keep tabs on one another (not to dog this addiction of mine!!). I think we just miss what  used to be. We’ve gone too far; we didn’t know when to leave well enough alone. And we should have.

I’m not quite sure I got from the weather to throwback football jerseys…that might be a new record for world’s most random blog stretch. HA. I guess that’s what happens when you just let the thoughts type themselves out. Sometimes its good to do, even though you feel like you’re on something when you go back to read it.

Just like this entry. :  )

Black….Friday?

 

I do not shop on this day. It scares me. The people willing to get up at 4 am for a deal on a TV boggle me. I’ve never wanted anything that bad. Honestly.

However, I know there are some good deals out there. I understand that concept. I really am a shopping fan. Really. But I’m also a fan of sleep.

“Lucky” for me, my fate has previously been decided. I am working today. : ) Yippee! Oh, hopefully it won’t be so bad. And really hopefully, it will fly on by with out any pain at all. We’ll see.

Meanwhile….how was Thanksgiving for everyone? Ours was delightful. The Monkey has spent Thanksgiving Eve night at his grandma and grandpa’s, which is where we had dinner on Thanksgiving day. So he got a little much needed spoiling in. : ) I spent the morning alone (!), getting my PUMPKIN TIRAMISU ready. It turned out lovely, it was a hit. Yay! I also watched the parade, a bit of Home Alone, and listened to a little Christmas music. Hey, I told you I was in the spirit already. : )

Dinner was traditionally delightful. Turkey, stuffing, corn, potatoes. Now that I think of it, there were no cranberries. But that’s okay….there was plenty!!! And there are plenty of leftovers, too.

So that’s that. Now Thanksgiving’s over, and its totally acceptable to be a Christmas freak now. Yippee!!! This month is going to be sooo busy. So. Busy. I am still going to try to do my 25 days of Christmas blogs, however….I may be getting in over my head. We’ll see.

OH, ironically, I forgot my other exciting news. I am typing this on my NEW LAPTOP. Yeah, baby. Its so beautiful. I am kind of slightly obsessed with it. And, I gotta say, what I’ve messed with so far, I’m lovin’ Windows 7.

So, that’s that. At least now I have a way of blogging wherever I happen to be. I’ve always wanted to be one of those techies sitting in the Internet cafes. Now I can be! In….my…..spare….time. Sure. ; )

Happy Black Friday, readers……..if you are shopping today, be safe! Wear a helmet, maybe…….just in case? No?

The Thankful List

1. Family. Mom, Dad, the Hubby, Monkey,
the in-laws, the out-laws (haha), the BFF (who is really
just a sister born to another mother), aunts, uncles,
grandmas, grandpas, here and gone.

2. A job. I don't enjoy mine,
and I complain about it way more than I
know I have the liberty to. I know that is just
a slap in the face to many. I am grateful for it.

3. Blogging.

4. For Florida giving me a day that at least
LOOKS like my childhood Thanksgivings-
damp and dreary, but warm inside.

5. Fun socks.

6. Music.

7. Moments that remind me- and the hubs- that we
aren't just parents, that we're still people, and
that we're still in love.

8. Coffee. God Bless Coffee.

9. Health.

10. Dreams.

11. Flowers.

12. Hope.

13. Friends. The real, always there, knowing when something's
wrong by the look in your eye friends.

14. Dessert. Eh, food in general.

15. This early morning that I have all to myself. I hardly
even know what to do with it. : )

16. For who I am. I'm quirky, flighty, bigger than I should be,
funny, at times loud, at times quiet, sleepy, bubbly, crabby, smart,
ditzy, cute, funny looking, bright eyed. I drive myself nuts,
but love myself too.

17. The past.

18. The future.

19. Chocolate.

20. The world, and the hope of exploring it fully.


Happy Thanksgiving, readers. : ) : )

Out of Time!

Do you ever feel like you're behind even when you're really ahead? As if you need to hurry up and wait? That's kind of how I feel about the rest of the year. I have so much going on this next month or so, so much to do and get ready for and think about and be on time for. Thanksgiving, a Christmas party, a cocktail party for the hubby's work, packing for our Christmas trip to California, the actual trip itself, then home and work and my birthday (MY BIRTHDAY, BABY!), THEN my parents and grandma are visiting for the Monkey's birthday....good grief.

Its all a lot of wonderfulness, but I feel like my head is already spinning. Let's hope I can pull it all off. AND keep up with this blog, as well. Because I've already decided to do my 25 days of Christmas blog project.

I am woman, hear me blog!! : )

Just a Short Funny

Tonight, the hubby was setting up for dinner. He took two of our smaller plates out, and I said "May I please have a big plate so my food won't touch?"



His answer was looking at me as if I'd grown a horn out of my forehead. Then, slowly, turned back to the cabinet and got two big plates out instead.



What?

: )

A Magical Time

Last night, we went to the Disney-Hollywood Studios, for a little early Christmas cheer. It has become tradition to go and see the Dancing Lights on the Streets of America. They are incredible, and just magical and beautiful enough to make me teary eyed. I know, what DOESN'T make me teary eyed?? Seriously.



I was really eager for the Monkey to see them again this year. Last year he wasn't quite a year old yet, so he was still kind of....oblivious, I guess you could say. : ) But this year he's almost two, and he loves lights and music, so I thought this would be like a dream come true for him. Right???



Wellllll...kind of. He actually was a bit bratty. I think because we wouldn't let him run wild. We either held on to him, or kept him in his stroller. I could just see him running off to unplug all the lights...although that would make for a hilarious blog story. But...I digress. He didn't really get into it until Carol of the Bells by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra came on. Then he was hooked. He clapped, he bobbed his head, he was transfixed on watching the lights, and was completely in awe of the "snow" that fell. Success. : )




We also rode Star Tours, got pictures with Buzz Lightyear and Woody from Toy Story, and feasted on delicious Disney fast food (what??). The Monkey also got some treats: A new tee shirt, a stuffed Lightening McQueen, and a Mickey Pirate cup.

Its always kind of surreal going back to that park as a guest. It was where I worked when I was on the Disney College Program, and whenever I'm wandering through one of the stores I worked at, its just...a little errie. Last night, right before we left the park, the hubs and I hugged. We were standing right by Oscar's, where they rent the strollers and wheelchairs- another place I worked. It was strange to think that 5 years ago I was standing there as a dim-witted 20 year old, making eyes at someone who wouldn't end up being part of my future, no matter how badly I wanted him to be at that point in time.

Funny how life just seems to work out when you just sit back and let it do its thing.

Ohana

Yesterday, we went and got our family pictures taken.

This is probably my favorite of the Monkey:

I gotta say, I get a little stressed for pics. I run around the house like
a madwoman beforehand, while the hubby watches me with a
puzzled and slightly worried look on his face. I just want
everything to be perfect. And I don't want to forget
to suck my tummy in.

Still, they turned out pretty cute, for the most part! : )

And this little outtake was priceless...

...the poor photographer kept saying, "Can you SIT on the box??"
and all Monkey wanted to do was jump off of it. Oops.

All in all, it was a successful day. Now I can finish up my Christmas cards!! : )

Party Doll

Back in my wild child party days (circa 2005-2006ish), I met a girl that I worked with at a credit union. She was beautiful, one of those beachy looking hippy-Buddist types. Everything I wasn't, but for some reason we hit it off famously. We soon became attached at the hip. We did everything together. Our favorite things to do- aside from going out- was shop at Ross and go eat Chinese food.

It's kind of a long story, our falling out. One night, we were out as per usual our weekend routine, drinking and dancing and having a good ol' time. Kelly, my BFF, was holding onto this girl's phone- we'll call her D- since she didn't have any pockets. At closing time, I drove Kelly home, where she told me that D was getting text messages from a guy I had been seeing. Questionable texts. Texts that made her phone ring the song "Dirty Little Secret" from All-American Rejects. I'm not making this up. I wish I was.

Turns out, they had been..."seeing" each other behind my back. I'd never been that decieved by...anyone, ever, in my life. To this day, she takes the cake. Even now, years later, I have nightmares with her in them. I know it sounds pretty pathetic of me, to let someone affect me so. But this girl was someone that I thought was going to be a friend for life. So what if we were so different? Why was that so bad?

Soon after that, I moved to Florida. We hadn't spoken since. Then, yesterday, I got a message from her on Facebook. Funny how Facebook can bring back the past in an instant. I'm still not sure if that's a good or bad thing. She apologized. She said that she knew she was wrong, she knew she hurt me, and she hated that. She said all the things she needed to say to me three years ago.

What's a girl to do? I wrote back, accepting her apology. I told her that it wasn't HIM that was the problem- he was trash, and I quite honestly do not know why I was so hung up on him in the first place. But it was the fact that SHE betrayed me. She ruined a friendship that was important to me. She made me feel disposable. I said all the things I needed to say to her three years ago. It felt right. It felt good. I felt lighter and better and satisfied. The fact is, we are both different people now. We are both out of the party phase. While I don't regret a moment of it- I really do think its something I needed to go through, something to get out of my system in order to be a better person, wife, mother- I do think it should only be a phase. We're both married and are mothers. She's going to college. We've grown up. And, thankfully, we've both moved on from that useless boy. : )

I doubt things will ever be back the way they once were between us. Between the fact that we live so far away and things are just so different now, I don't see it happening. But...I'm not opposed to being friendly. My heart is smart enough to know when to accept an apology, even if it was a long time coming.

Maybe that was a lesson for both of us to learn.

Don't Lie...You Want To Know!

A little quiz time..............


1.What is your current obsession ?
The song "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga, and caramel apple spices from Starbucks.


2. What are you wearing today?
jeans and a dark teal top- and flip flops, of course


3. What’s for dinner?
Mac n cheese and hot dogs- classy!


4. What’s the last thing you bought?
breakfast this AM with the Monkey and the ladies


5. What are you listening to right now?
college football that the hubby is watching


6. What do you think about the person who tagged you?
I wasn't tagged...I nabbed this from Nicole @ You Had Me At Hello, and she's a doll! : )


7. If you could have a house, totally paid for, fully furnished, anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
Hmmmm.......Barbados, probably.


8. What are your must-have pieces for summer?

Flip flops....actually, that's all year 'round. Same thing with big sunglasses.


9. If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?

Montana- to see my mama and daddy.



10. Which language do you want to learn?

Italian


11. What’s your favorite quote?

Wayyyy too many for me to pick a favorite, but this one has been running through my head recently:
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." ~ Maya Angelou



12. Who do you want to meet right now?

Right now? No one...I'm in my sweat pants. I'd make a horrible first impression.


13. What is your favorite colour?

Depends on the day. Anything happy. Red, yellow, blue, and pink are the usuals in rotation.



14. What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own closet?

My party dress...its teal and makes me look HOT. ; )



15. What is your dream job?

Florist, novelist, and best mom ever



16. What’s your favorite magazine?
Real Simple


17. If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on?

Christmas presents...or towards my new computer. : )


18. What do you consider a fashion faux pas?

Many, many things. Skinny jeans for example. I'm sorry, they are just ridiculous.


19. Who according to you is the most over-rated style icon?

Paris Hilton. Really?


20. What kind of haircut do you prefer?

I really like short, pixie cuts...I wish I had better facial definition for them. I need long hair again.



21. What are you going to do after this?

Go shower and get ready for bed. : )


22. What are your favorite movies?

Beaches, When Harry Met Sally, Face/Off, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Dirty Dancing, Double Jeopardy, My Best Friend's Wedding........etc. etc.......


23. What are three cosmetic/makeup/perfume products that you can't live without?

Mascara; deodorant (I hope we all list this!); chapstick


24. What inspires you ?

Blue skies, cloudy days, blank sheets of paper, new pens, a great song, dreams, the beach, a star filled sky, my family, laughter, glitter, jewelry, books, my friends, memories, fears, hope, fresh fallen snow, just baked cookies, new clothes................yeah, everything.



25. Give us three styling tips that always work for you?

Moisturize. ; ) And if you feel good, you look good. That's all I got.



26. What do you do when you “have nothing to wear” (even though your closet’s packed)?

I hate this! I throw clothes on the floor and have a slight hissy fit. Seriously.



27. Coffee or tea?

Coffee! But I do like tea as well.



28. What do you do when you are feeling low or terribly depressed?

Cry...watch sad movies, sometimes. Eat. Call my mother. Sometimes blog, but I gotta cry first- weird, right?



29. What is the meaning of your name?

Savannah: treeless grassland.


30. Which other blogs do you love visiting?

Dude, I follow over 60. There's too many good ones. Too many amazing people blogging in the world. Oh, that's also inspiring- add that to #24.


31. Favorite Dessert/Sweet?

Anything chocolate.


32. Favorite Season?

Fall!!!!



33. If I come to your house now, what would you cook for me?

If you clean up! ; ) I like to cook, but I sure do make a mess!



34. What is the right way to avoid people who purposefully hurt you?

Punch them. HA- kidding. You gotta figure out who is good for you and who isn't- anyone who doesn't treat you right, doesn't deserve you, your love, or your friendship.
That said....I have to lecture myself like that all the time. Its tough.



35. How do you calm yourself down when you are agitated or angry?

Woo-sah. : ) Seriously, I take deep breaths, listen to Jimmy Buffett- sometimes I need to cry to get it out.




36.Who is the modern ideal girl: The one who knows how to shop, dress and enjoy, or the one who is simple but manages the house, kids and herself well?

Um....I am woman, hear me do BOTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) : ) : )

Something Gross

Don't ask why I feel the need to write about this. I really have no idea. I'll try to be as undetailed as possible.

I do not like sickness. The upchuck kind. I mean, who does? There is nothing good about it, other than the fact that you almost always feel better once its done. I always worried about when I became a mother, and if- no when- my child would get sick, how I would react. If any of you have seen the movie version of The Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, remember that part where all the kids are sick, and Vivi just basically loses her mind? I've always been afraid that I would freak out like that. And yes, I realize I'm a little delusional and paranoid.

This morning, I woke up to the Monkey screaming. Not crying, not jabbering like he usually does when he wakes up, screaming. I dashed into his room and was welcomed by the scent of yuck. Poor Monkey had gotten sick, and of course it scared him half to death. I picked him up and he clung to me, covering me in the yuck.

I went into high-speed mommy mode. I striped him down and got him in the shower, cleaned him up, dried him off and got him in clean clothes. He was shaking the whole time, poor thing. Then I stripped his bedding and got it in the wash. I didn't think for one second how gross it was (well, okay, I did think it was gross, but not enough to distract me), or how horribly inconvenient it was that the Monkey had to get sick at a quarter to five in the morning. I didn't care. I just took care of it. Even when the hubby came in (he had to be at work EARLY this morning and was already awake) and saw the side of my face that Monkey had cuddled and gotten, um, yucky, I didn't flinch.

I'm not bragging. I'm not saying I'm Mother of the Year or anything like that. I'm saying that for a girl that doesn't like anything related to bodily fluids- I cringe whenever we watch CSI, and I can't even handle paper cuts- I can still take care of my kiddo in the midst of crisis. That makes me a little proud. And very thankful. The Monkey has gotten me to grow up in ways I probably never would have otherwise.

Thanks, Monkey Man.

When Life Gives You...

Today, I stopped at a store for something. When I came back to my car, I noticed that someone had spit their gum out onto my car door. I know- so gross. Not to mention rude. I manage to get it flicked off without any harm, and went along my way. It bothered me until I got to my next stop, the grocery store. As I was walking closer to the front door, I heard that first sign of the holiday season: a bell ringing, and a man standing next to a red bucket. And then I knew that, however strange, me giving a dollar would make me feel better about the gum situation.

Isn't that just a little crazy? How sometimes the best way for us to feel better about something that has happened to us is to just open our hearts a little more? It doesn't seem like it would be a logical solution. But I did feel lighter on my feet. As if, even though there was some jerk out in the world spitting gum onto cars, I was still doing my part to make the world a bit brighter.

And that is what really matters. : )

Free Play Day!!

It doesn't happen often when you're an adult. A day that everything just seems to fall into place, and by place I mean completely out of your way so you can have a free day. It's like some sort of weird karma that you aren't sure you should trust, but can't help but just running with it.

This morning, I drove the Monkey to daycare. On my way back to go to work, my boss called. She said the power was out at work and to not come in. Turns out our transformer, that powers pretty much everything, blew up in the middle of the night, and it would take almost all day to get it fixed. Um, yeah. I can't lie- there was only about 1.9% of me saying "oh work is going to pile up and it's not going to get done!" The rest of me was saying "SWEEEEEEEEET!" I know. Mature.

So, the BFF (who conveniently works in the office next to me) and I took the day and used it wisely. We did what any other mature set of best friends would do.

We went to Disney World. : )

in line for The Haunted Mansion; ooooh, spooky!

It was the best day to go. It was cool, about 60, and cloudy; when we first got to Magic Kingdom it was misting a little bit. There weren't many people there. We walked right on to everything. For lunch we went over to Disney-Hollywood Studios and ate at Mama Melrose- yummy Italian food! And we rode Tower of Terror twice. Then we both went home and took naps!

The Tower of Terror looming in the distance

So maybe it wasn't a very productive day. But it was certainly fun, and a nice little escape from reality- if only for a day.

Rain

Tonight, it is raining. Finally.

For the past two days, we've suffered a useless cloudy sky. It did nothing but look gray and keep the sun hidden, although it at times looked heavy with rain. But not until about an hour ago did it do anything except hang over our heads.

This is slight whiplash from Ida, I suppose. A storm that, even though I'm in Florida, hasn't cause much of a fuss. I guess she (He? What's an Ida, anyway?)isn't strong enough to do too much...hopefully. No one wants a messy storm, that's for sure.

Isn't the sound of rain lovely? It so pretty, and soothing to my ears. It helps me sleep somehow. Perhaps because if its raining outside, we should all theoretically be inside warm and cozy. When the hubby and I lived in our old apartment, we'd hear the frogs come out and play in the giant pool of rain water that would form behind our building. Knowing that the frogs were out playing in the rain, having a grand time, was also strangely comforting.

How does the rain make you feel, readers?

Just a Random and Quick Ramble

I am up early this morning to scoot the boys out the door to work and school...and then I sat down in front of the computer and don't want to get up to get ready for work!! BIG mistake! : )

Anyway...am I the ONLY one who is ready for the holidays?? I am just completely jacked up for them. I am one of those people who loves Christmas. I love everything about it. I love giving presents (unless I don't know what to give, then its just stressful and I hate that), I love getting presents (what?), I love baby Jesus (He is my favorite of the Jesus'...hahaha), I love trees and lights and hot cocoa and candy canes and cheesy Christmas music and all of it. And I'm totally ready for it. But I feel like this may be a bit premature...it is only the middle of November. So I'm trying to refrain from bursting into holiday cheer.

But it's pretty difficult. : )

Anyway, I'm trying to think of something clever to do here for the holidays. Maybe showcasing one particular thing I love about Christmas each day? Hmm...it's a lofty goal, but I think it would be a fun one. A little 25 Days of Christmas, Puddles of Sunshine style? Interesting. Stay tuned.

Journal-crazy

I am what some may call a journal ho. I have tons of them from over the years. And once I fill one up, even though its possibly useless, I cannot bring myself to throwing it out. It's like tossing out a chapter of my life. So I have them tucked away in all sorts of nooks and crannies of my house. From time to time I read over them again, reminding myself of the path I took to get me where I am today.



This journal, however, is different. Instead of my own random scribbles, it is filled with quotes. Famous quotes, funny quotes, serious and thoughtful and sad and happy and hopeful quotes. I started it in high school, and even though it probably sounds a little crazy, filling it up was a little bit theraputic for me. There were times that I would feel the need to write, but couldn't think of anything good to write about, so I would write out quotes that I loved to get the creative juices flowing.



And taped on the inside cover:














That's right. Fortune cookie fortunes. Obsessive? Possibly. : ) Also, a picture of Marilyn Monroe- which I have yet to blog about, for fear that people will also think that is obsessive.

A few of my favorite quotes from my journal:

* It's not the fall, it's the sudden stop. ~ Bazooka Gum Wrapper

* Faith is like electricity. You can't see it, but you can see the light. ~ Anonymous

* Keep what is worth keeping and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away. ~ Anonymous

* Nothing in life is absolute...except vodka. ~ Mick Jagger

* Know what's wrong with always looking before you leap? You hardly ever make the jump. ~ Nora Roberts, Key of Light

* It's life, Sidda. You just climb on the beast and ride. ~ Vivi Abbott, Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood


Enjoy!

It's been a week!

Sorry I've been MIA, readers.

This last week was CRAZY!!!! I hardly had time to think, let alone sleep, eat, or do anything fun (like, hello, BLOG!). Sometimes life is just like that, I guess. I promise that soon I will have more time to blog. ; )

Needless to say, since the week was so busy, that I am grateful for the weekend. And its been nice so far- the Monkey and I have been hanging out. He's colored some great pics with new crayons and paints that his Grandma Montana (my mama) sent him. He's eaten about ten pounds of Cherrios (not really- but he's seriously in love with them all of the sudden!). He's woken up at the butt crack of dawn. We've read his Elmo's Twelve Days of Christmas book about a dozen times (most annoying book ever, by the way).

As for me.......Grandma Montana sent me a little something as well. It's Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook, Deceptively Delicious, and it has totally inspired me. Last night I made tacos with pureed veggies in the taco meat...the hubs had no idea until after dinner when I told him. Ha! Success! And they were deceptively delicious. If you have issues with eating veggies like this family does, I would recommend picking up a copy. I haven't made much out of the book yet, but everything sounds yummy and I have high hopes for it. I'll keep you all posted!! My cooking adventures are always blog worthy (ha!).

Hope ya'll have a great weekend as well!!

Happy things

A few things to be happy about this weekend:

1. Sweatpants.


2. A plastic jack-o-lantern filled with candy- yes,
I'm sneaking it from my son. Don't judge! ; )

3. New mascara- I try every brand out there, and
always end up going back to my old favorite.
Will I ever learn?


4. Nap time- for baby and me.

5. Finally feeling "okay" to be making my Christmas
card mailing list now that Halloween is over.
Yes, I'm one of those.


6. For enjoying a few calm breaths before the craze
of the holidays sets in.

7. Football!


8. My hubby singing some strange song about blogging to me
as I type this.

9. The World Series- and actually knowing what's
going on, for once.


10. New shower gel that smells like cherry blossoms.