Back in Blog World

I feel like it's been a sweet forever I blogged last! I sat down last night with the intentions of doing a post but then I got caught up reading all your blogs and it just got too late.

Thanksgiving was wonderful. We spent most of the day at my parents with my side of the family. I love, love, love getting together with my family. And of course, I seriously ate too much.

It's a good thing my mom always goes above and beyond with the food makin' because I royally screwed up the homemade macaroni & cheese. I have no idea what happened. I mean, I followed the recipe but it was so bad, I couldn't even attempt to take it. I thought about taking it just to feed to my brother's dogs, but I was afraid they wouldn't eat it and then I would hear about it for the rest of my life from my brother-in-law.

We left my parent's house late Thursday afternoon and drove to Montgomery to Maxwell Air Force Base. Jay's family spent the Thanksgiving weekend there because his dad is retired military. I had never stayed on a base before and it was so cool. I mean really cool. (I thought about you Paulina!) I tell you, being there really made me so much more thankful for our military men and women.

I'm glad to be back to my bloggy world! I'm thankful for ya'll too!

I Got My Craft On

Let's face it. There's not much better than coming home from Church on a Sunday afternoon and taking a nap. I would have luuuuvvvvddd to have napped all day. It was dark, dreary, cold - perfect nap weather.

Instead I've opted to keep myself as far away from the couch (my favorite napping place) as possible because I do NOT want a repeat of last week. Basically, I slept for 3 hours last Sunday afternoon, couldn't go to sleep that night and was off track for the rest of the week.

So, in an effort to keep the snooze away, I did a little Christmas craft. I saw it in BH&G magazine and since it looked brainless and something that wouldn't take more than 30 minutes... It also didn't hurt that it was super cheap to do.

I started with all of this

and then hot-glued the peppermint sticks to the plastic container I bought at The Dollar Store.

Next I wrapped the ribbon around it and put a peppermint in the middle.

And for the finale, I added these lovely carnations that I also got at The Dollar Store.

Now I've just got to figure out how to stay awake for a few more hours.

LMM is Givin' it Away!

OK ya'll. The awesome Lemonade Makin' Mama is having a giveaway! It's a BOOTIFUL necklace that I know we would all love to be able to wear over the holidays! I suggest you scoot on over there pronto and try to win. Although, I really want to win...

A Sad Goodbye

I have something I need to tell you and I need you not to judge.

Tomorrow I'm sending Callie and Sissy away to a new home. Some of you who have been following my blog for a while know my "issues" with my cats. There's a lady that has offered to take them who is a huge cat-lover. She's a widow that has never had children, runs an animal shelter, and says she's devoting her life to caring for animals.

I know some of you are going to think I'm a terrible person, but I just can't take it anymore. I think all the pooping and vomiting has made me unbelievably bitter towards these babies. I know tomorrow will be hard and I'm 100% positive I will cry rivers, but this is the best thing for my mental health.

It's been 9 LONG years with these girls and I promise that I've tried everything humanly possible to make it work with them. I hope ya'll don't think I'm awful. I really think they will have a happier life where they're going. They'll get to go outside (our neighborhood doesn't allow roaming animals) and this lady really does love cats.

The girls really don't do well in the car so Jay went by the vet today and got some Prozac so they'll have an easier time on the ride and transition. I really am nervous about tomorrow. I'm mentally ready but I'm not sure about emotionally. Right now my emotions are all over the place.

Corn-hole Anyone?

Have ya'll heard of a game called Corn-Hole? We went to some friend's lake house Saturday and one of the guy's brought it. It was a ton o' fun. Think skee-ball meets the outdoors. It has official rules and everything that you can read about here http://www.playcornhole.org/rules.shtml.

It consists of these bags of corn

and 2 boards that are placed facing each other about 30 feet apart.

The goal is to toss your bag of corn across the grassy knoll and get it in the hole. Get it? Corn-hole. Ahhh... now you get it! I know you probably won't believe this with all my athletic prowess and all, but I didn't win - not one time. Perplexing.

So, if anyone asks you to play Corn-hole, don't be afraid.

B.A.G. WINNER

It's time!

Again, I was totally overwhelmed with the response to this giveaway. I've loved reading your comments and scooting over to your blogs and checking them out. So many blogs... so little time!
And, just in case you forgot, the prizes are:

The Pioneer Woman's Cookbook

and this awesome journal

Are you ready to find out who won? Are you? I know I am! According to the random generator, the winner is:

I bet you're wondering who #50 is. I was to until I did some counting. And believe me, I counted twice because I couldn't believe it. It's none other than...

the Lemonade Makin' Mama!!!!

Congratulations Sasha! Shoot me an email with your information and I'll get it shipped out this week. Thank you all so much for participating !

Need a Chuckle?

I got this little gem in an email today. It was entitled "Redneck Baby Chair & Teething Ring". Oh my, I couldn't help but chuckle.

Also, in case you haven't entered I wanted to remind you all about my B.A.G. (Bloggin Anniversary Giveaway)! I have been overwhelmed with your response and I think it's safe to say that The Pioneer Woman is LOVED! By the way, the cookbook came in yesterday and it is even better than I could have imagined.

Doodlum Turned Three

Little Doodlum turned 3 today. I can hardly believe it. Isn't he the cutest? I can't get enough of those cheeks.

James is my youngest nephew and I would love to lavish him with love 24 hours a day.

Look how cute he is with cupcake icing all over his face.

And you will not be sorry if you head over to Mama Hen's and look at her pics from today's post. The one of him covered in peanut butter is priceless!

These Boots Weren't Made for Walkin' ... in Rain

What a day - Hurricane Ida, aka, Tropical Storm Ida, made her presense known down around her in Alabama! It has been raining all day, and when I say all day, I mean every minute of this day. Of course, I'm in love with it so it's all good. And frankly, I think Ida's a little tired of us because I heard she's clearing out tonight and we're gonna have great weather for the rest of the week.

I would like to introduce you to one of my dark brown dress boots.

I love these boots. They fit perfectly around my calves and I feel super tall in them. And sometimes, they actually make me feel sassy. In fact, I wore them today. I didn't feel as sassy today which is just as well since this happened:

Nice, huh? I noticed at some point during the day that it was coming apart at the toe and then when I walked out the door to leave work, I just about kissed the pavement as I tripped over the entire stinkin' thing coming off!

How does this even happen? It's not like I do anything other than sit at my desk when I'm wearing them. And you know what's the best part? I couldn't drive with it on so I took it off in the car. I was wearing tights and when my foot hit the carpet on the car floor, it got wet. Beyond gross. Wet tight's feet!

Callie was sad about it too. I think I saw a tear.

I guess I'll be on the hunt for some new boots. I can't give my sassy up, can I?

And make sure to enter my Blog Anniversary Giveaway (B.A.G.) - the winner will be announced Sunday night!

Love ya!

Anniversary Giveaway

As promised, today I am celebrating my 1 Year Blogging Anniversary with a fun giveaway. Because I love you like the dickins', I can't wait to give away these fun items.

I love, love, love The Pioneer Woman, so in her honor, I'm giving away her brand new cookbook which over the weekend hit #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List. (If you don't read her blog, you need to get over there right now and read her love story with Marlboro Man.)

And... this cute Journal.

I hope you all enter to win!

• You will get one entry for leaving me a little comment and
• A second entry if you follow this blog and leave me a separate comment letting me know you're a follower.

I'll be drawing a random winner Sunday night! I can't wait to see who wins!

1 Year Blog Anniversary

Wow - today is my 1 year blog anniversary. It's hard to believe. I just read over my first post and thought it funny that I was watching The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and I was also doing that exact same thing yesterday. I guess so many things change and so many things stay the same.

This year of blogging has really opened up my world. I've "met" so many new "friends". I feel like I'm invested in your lives and families. I think it's neat that it can be that way with people I've never even met in person. This is obviously wonderful for me since it feeds my fascination with people's lives.

I offer up a sincere thank you to all of you who read my blog and especially to those who have been so sweet and faithful to leave comments. I hope you'll check back with me tomorrow night for an extra special GIVEAWAY to celebrate my 1 year anniversary.

The Sinus Can't Keep Me Down

Today was rough. I suffered from "the sinus". I woke up with a headache and it just went downhill from there. Even an attempted trip to The Dollar Tree on my lunch break couldn't help. In fact, I almost puked on the way there.

Needless to say, I ended up at home. Because I was full up of congestion and pain, I took this:

And because I'm a rebel, I took nighttime caplets at 12:30pm and woke up 4 1/2 hours later. I went from feeling like this:

bing.com

to this:

bing.com

OK, maybe not just like that, but the headache was completely gone. The stuffiness was gone. I feel like a new woman, other than the fact that I look the absolute same.

I think I've just made a pledge to myself to keep the Tylenol Sinus with me at all times. It is clearly like manna from Heaven.

Pushy Smushy

Are any of ya'll pushovers? I'm not sure how I would categorize myself. Sometimes I feel like I can't say no to anyone or anything. Which could be the reason I'm a member of 2 gyms, taught 11th grade girls Sunday School about 3 years longer than I wanted to, and why my phone rings off the hook with kids selling stuff. I'm a total sucker.

Other times, it's like something just comes over me and I feel empowered to stand my ground. It's hard to find that fine line. You know, being able to say no without coming off as witchy.

For instance, a couple of weeks ago a friend called and asked if I would be willing to sit through a 2 hour Rainbow vacuum cleaner demostration so she could get some kind of thing-a-ma-widge free. Now, I love my friend. I would give her the clothes off my back (as long as no one saw me naked), money if she needed it... heck, I'd probably give her a kidney. But ya'll! A TWO HOUR VACUUM CLEANER DEMONSTRATION!!! I just couldn't do it. To me, that would be some severe torture. Don't worry. Our friendship is intact. She totally understood. I think.

What about ya'll? Do you often say Yes when you really want to say No???

Piece of Me

Notes from the Toothfairy is hosting a new game for the first Sunday of every month. According to her post, "This game is to share a piece of you, every month. That way, you and your readers can see what's happening in your life, including the changes. I.E. one month, you might love chocolate, a few months later you've might come to hate it. It's also to remind ourselves of people you love and the plans you have."

This month...

I like: the smell of my blueberry candle. Something about it makes me feel like there's no better place than home.

I don't like: when my cat poops on the floor. (This will NOT change from month-to-month, but I promise to find something else to gripe about next time.)

I want you to know: that at 35, I still don't feel like a "grown-up", although I sometimes feel "old". Does that make sense? Is that possible?

I've planned: to actually go to they gym this week instead of just saying I'm going to go to the gym this week.

I want to say to someone special: NW, you're the best Mama a girl could ever have. If I had babies, I would try to be just like you.