And just like that....

Christmas is over :(

The older I get the faster it goes. Why is that? I wish I could slow it down.

Today started off like this for Reece Cup and I....

Ahhh, the life of a cat!!

It's a rough life. We slept in, I gave her some much needed pets, we watched Kathie Lee and Hoda, and then got up to start working (her lazy ass is still sleeping though, and really pissed at me for taking the sheets off the bed to wash them, lol).

Mainly today's work involved laundry, dishes, dusting, and boxing up all of the Christmas stuff. It is such a fun time decorating for Christmas but it is so tedious to take it all down. Lucky for me, the hubs undecorated the tree and boxed it up yesterday, all I had to do was the kitchen, dining room, and the rest of the living room. It didn't take long but it's done, all while rocking to the '80's music channel on TV.

The table is back to normal. See the little owl candle holder I found here?

Before and after of the bookcase! It looks empty now!

Love the '80's music channel!!

I still have one more week off, what can I get myself into? My babies return from vacation today, hopefully I can plan something fun/cheap for us to do this week!

Cute little puppies!!

I've been a little busy to post anything this week but thought I would do a short little update. 

Christmas was fantastic, of course. I will post some pictures next week.

My babies are off to the UP Michigan to visit the great grandparents. They love great grandma and were super excited to get some of her totally awesome cooking!!

I mentioned before that I got a tablet for Christmas. I also got some clothes and some money. My money put a deposit on my puppy :) I am so excited. I have started buying stuff. Bowls, crate, toys, collar, and a sweatshirt but I still need to get a leash, treats, and food. The puppies were born this month and it will be February 12th at the earliest that she can come home, so I have some time to stock up. Below is a picture that the breeder sent me. I am second pick female, so one of these cute little morkies (Maltese/Yorkie) will be mine!!

I love puppies. Bring on the puppy kisses!

Merry Christmas to ME!!

Last week I mentioned my dream Christmas list. My actual list didn't have much on it. I said I wanted a new vacuum, new clothes, and a tablet computer. I always carry my Nook with me and I figured with a tablet I could have better internet access, more apps, and still have my books on it.

While browsing on bfads.net one day I found out that Staples had an additional $50 off tablets. I decided to go ahead and buy myself a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0. I got a great deal on it and I am super happy with it. I got the cute hot pink TPU cover for it on eBay. Here is the front and back pic of it :)

Back

Front-Look at all the fingerprints lol

I always carried my Nook in a case to keep it protected. I didn't want the same design for my new tablet and struggled to find what I wanted. Then one day while on Pinterest I found the Thirty One Fold and Go Organizer. This thing is super cool. It is kind of plastic feeling so it wipes off easily, has a pocket for my tablet, comes with some matching paper, and has a zipper pocket to hold a stylus and my earbuds. Also the paper comes out and the tablet will also slide in that spot and it is held in place by 2 elastic strips. I love the convenience of it. I must admit that I got my organizer on eBay because Thirty One doesn't carry this same pattern anymore and it wouldn't get it until after Christmas. 

Open

Closed

Another Christmas gift to me was a new pair of jeans. Old Navy had jeans 30% off and I needed some new ones. I am not really a fan of their jeans but it's all I can afford. Their jeans never fit right and one pair never fits the same as another. I needed skinny jeans and I thought that's what I was getting but look at how huge the legs are!! I realize that I am not "skinny" but my calves are not the size of tree trunks so my pants do not need to be so big. I washed and dried them hoping they would shrink with no luck. They looked funny hanging out of my boots this morning but I didn't want to wear anything else. Old Navy: Just because a girl is "fat" doesn't necessarily mean that her legs are super huge.

These are def not "skinny"!!

Oh and by the way, I am getting a new puppy!! I am still lost without my Emmett and it is time to rectify that situation. A breeder near my home just had a litter of golden morkies. I am super excited!! Hopefully I can get her home by Valentine's Day!!

Disney Throwback Thursday

I'm sure you remember that I went to Disney World back in October. This was my kids 6th time going. Their previous years were 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2012. I dug out some pics from 2005 and 2008 to take with us and recreate them just to show how big the kids have gotten. Where better to measure your kids growth than the Happiest Place on Earth?

The first one is from 2008. We had dinner at the Whispering Canyon Cafe at the Wilderness Lodge. Xander was 8 years old and Eve was 5. I remember taking this picture with the hopes of measuring their height against it at a later date. I highly recommend this spot if you want to do the same thing. You do not need to stay at the Wilderness Lodge or eat at the Cafe to stand by this awesome totem pole. 

The other one I did was in Downtown Disney right outside of the Lego Store. The year was 2005. Xander was 5 years old and Eve was two and a half. This was their first trip and the first place we visited on that vacation. As you can see from the two pics that Xander barely cleared the railing in 2005 but now he towers over it. Poor little Eve was so little she had to be in a stroller. If you notice on the left of 2013 there is a nice shade tree that wasn't there in 2005. My only regret is that this year when I took the picture it was from a different angle because it was SO FREAKIN' BUSY!!

Finally there are the silhouettes. In 2008 I had them done on Main Street USA at Magic Kingdom. This time I had them done at Downtown Disney. I love that you can even see where they cut Eve's glasses out in the 2013 silhouette (even though it is hard to see because of my photography skills).

Hopefully in the years to come I can do this again and then I would have 3 to compare. Have you done any picture recreations?

Wait......what?

Sometimes when somethings happens, you have to stop and say "wait....what?" People do and say some crazy things.

I recently read this blog post and was offended by her words. I understand that blogs are used by bloggers to state opinions (like I am now). Most people realize that when they state an opinion on their blog they know that they are going to offend some people and are usually apologetic about it. This woman does not apologize. Evidently having children is God's work and if I don't have a lot of kids, I am not doing His work? What about those wonderful women that can't have children, are they not doing God's work? I could ramble on and on about this one but I am sure it would be boring for you so I will stop now. Read the link if you want the full scoop. 

I just saw this on the Today show that there are businesses out there that remove head lice. I know from recent experience that removing lice is a BIG, FAT PAIN IN THE ASS but I am not sure that I would pay someone $150 to remove it from my child. Having said that I am pretty sure that I deserve $150 for removing it from Eve and if anyone wants to pay me I will be glad to give you my Paypal info, lol. Kudos to the people that realized the financial opportunity with it but I wonder if they are itching all day. I am itching just thinking about it.

The final wait....what? has to do with me. I FINALLY lost the 4 pounds I gained on my Disney vacation in October, so bring on Christmas to gain it back again :(

I have a Disney confession today: I have been to Walt Disney World over 20 times and have never been to the Hall of Presidents! I just have zero interest in seeing it. 

Teacher Christmas gift

Every year I debate as to what to get a teacher for a gift. I'm sure I could get the good 'old gift card, but what is the fun in that?  Go to Pinterest and the pages are flooded with ideas of cute things to make. How does one decide? They don't, they make all of them!!

This is what I decided to make. All of the labels were printed on card stock and cut out. I didn't do anything special to them. The ribbon came from the Dollar Spot at Target.

I know, blurry!! This wouldn't happen if I were a photographer!!

I even got a bag at Dollar Tree and wrote on it :)

Up first was the "We Wash you a Merry Christmas." The soap came from the Dollar Spot at Target. I got the cute little label here.

Next is the "fleece Navidad." Pinterest had this listed as a fleece blanket or fleece scarf. I happened to find a fleece scarf, hat, and glove set for pretty cheap so I used it. The label is from here.

Then I made this "Merry Christmas" candy bar. It is just a regular sized Hershey bar with this wrapper.

Why is this so blurry? The world may never know!!

I found these cute boxes at Meijer. I put Jolly Rancher's inside, to fit the "jolly" theme. The label came from here.

The "Santa-tizer" was the easiest. I bought a bottle of sanitizer at Dollar Tree and ripped the label off. I then cut a piece of red construction paper to fit. I wrote the words and colored the belt/buckle with Sharpies.

"Cute and Cozy toes" is just a bakery bag with some comfy, fuzzy socks and some nail polish in it. The label is from here.

Last was the "Eat, Drink, and Be Merry" cup filled with candy. I got the cup at Dollar Tree and the candy is Hershey's kisses. The label is from here. 

Hopefully the teacher likes it. I thought it was super cute. What are you getting for a teacher this year?

Clean up

I spent some time this weekend cleaning up the "following" list. I followed several blogs (80+) and more than half of them I didn't read. I felt like the ones that I really cared about were getting lost in the others. So, I decided to "unfollow" some blogs. I started following a bunch of blogs when I joined blog hops. I still like blog hops but I think I will be more selective with who I follow.

I went from over 80 to about 35. Some had closed down their blog, some hadn't blogged in several months, and some I just never read. One blog I stopped following because the blogger asked me for help with something and when I helped her, she didn't follow through with her part of the deal.  BOO!!

I now feel like I can keep up with the lives of the bloggers I really care about. 

Have a great Wednesday!

Buy Me That!!

I feel as if it is that time of year again to post my Christmas list. Life can sometimes be outrageous so why not ask for a few outrageous gifts.

1.  Paid vacations to all of the Disney properties in the world, including Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Aulani, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disney, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Shanghai Disney Resort. Disney knows how to show a family a good time, why not show me a good time in some other countries, as well? 

2.  A HEATED pool with a lazy river. First, I love to swim. There's not much more relaxing than a pool with a lazy river. Second, mamma loves a good heated pool. Not "heat" like 85 degrees or something lame, I want 92+.

Found this beauty on Yelp!

3.  Pink Lamborghini Aventador Roadster. Does this really need explaining? I love pink. I love driving fast. It really does scream soccer mom, doesn't it? Would Xander's golf clubs fit in there?

4.  Diamond chess set. If we are going to play chess, why does it have to be on one of those cheap wooden sets, or even glass? Diamonds are a girls best friend!!

5.  Tiffany & Co. 4.33ctw Diamond Engagement Ring. I realize I am already married but I deserve a ring this big for putting up with him for 19.5 years LOL and if you were paying attention to number 4, Diamonds are a girls best friend!!

6.  A housekeeper. Not one of those clean your house twice a month housekeepers, I want a person that lives in my house and does her job every day. She would have to clean, cook, and do laundry. 

7.  Trip to the moon. My early teens were spent dreaming of becoming an astronaut, now I can just buy my way onto the moon! They state that the first trip will be in 2017, maybe they will let us break up the $100 million price tag into some payments, like a layaway!

What is your outrageous Christmas gift wish?

Sunday Social

It's time for the Sunday Social

1. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Ben and Jerry's Half Baked- cookie dough, brownies, and ice cream what's not to like!!

2. What is your favorite smell?

Baby Magic on a clean baby

3.  What is your favorite commercial? Past or Present

It is hard to think of a past one but this one comes to mind:

4.  What is your favorite day of the week?

Saturday, of course!!

5.  What is your favorite way to waste time?

Read, Pinterest

6.  What is your favorite article of clothing?

Do shoes count?