Ending the year right...

I have not been here... But that's pointing out the obvious. Where have I been?

- working
- celebrating the holidays
- VIRGINIA!!

But not only am I in Virginia. I'm here with no wifi and poor cell service. And let me tell you something, it's glorious! It's so relaxing to be unconnected (for the most part). To only be able to go online when you stand in the one spot where 3G comes in.

The best part though? Watching Sammy run around as much as she wants outside and spending close to 24/7 with her. The part that's almost as good? Seeing my sister and her family who came up from SC to visit. Yeah, it's a close second ;-)

Hope y'all have a happy and safe NYE!!

Run, kangaroo, run!

Silence and Support {a blogger day of silence}

To the Blog World and Anyone Else who Wants to Help,

Yesterday, tragedy struck so many of us in ways we did not foresee. An elementary school and small town in Connecticut was shattered by a mass shooting. We knew we wanted to help and we came up with this:


On Tuesday, December 18th, there will be a blogger day of silence.
We will post the button and that's it. Please try to not post anything else that day if possible.

We are also raising money that will go to an organization in the memory of this tragedy. The organization is called The Newtown Family Youth and Family Services. Here is the official description of the support service we are donating to:

"Newtown Youth and Family Services, Inc. is a licensed, non-profit, mental health clinic and youth services bureau dedicated to helping children and families achieve their highest potential. NYFS provides programs, services, activities, counseling, support groups and education throughout the Greater Newtown area.

ANY DONATIONS MADE TO NEWTOWN YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES WILL BE DONATED DIRECTLY TO THOSE EFFECTED BY THE SANDY HOOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SHOOTING."

Please visit THIS PAGE to make your donation.

We can't imagine how they must be feeling, especially this close to the holidays. We would love for you to spread the word on your own blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Let's make a difference and use blogging in a positive way. Thank you in advance for participating.

Love,
The Blog World 

P.S. If you would like to, copy-paste and repost any part of this, please do. Share on.

 

(Re-posted from Erin at Living in Yellow)

THAT just happened...

Picture this... You just had a long day at work and are excited to come home and relax. But once you open the door, it hits you - the stench that is.

Remember the other day when I posted the picture of the mouse we caught after it's been having a field day in our kitchen? What I was unaware of was the fact that Beau threw it in our garbage can. Not in the woods, not in the outside trash can, but in our kitchen can AND LEFT THE BAG IN IT!

So here I've been, day after day, throwing garbage in it not knowing that once this mouse starts to decompose, our house is going to smell like pure ahole. Wonderful. Flipping wonderful.

Yup, THAT just happened.

 

Link up and share your own 'THAT just happened' story!

Counting down the days...

Tuesday. Day #3 of my 7-day work week.

Well technically, I'm on day 5 of 9 (this past Friday and Saturday) and I'm not sure about next week yet so it may be 9+. Hello, HUGE paycheck!

I'll need much wine after this. As in, no glass needed.

Which is a norm.
Did I say that?

This week's pluses:

-- ROYAL BABY ALERT!! It's been confirmed (fo realz this time) that Kate and Will ARE expecting. A child that it, no dinosaur for them.

-- I discovered heaven in a carton.

-- I may be getting a new table for the dining room tonight. Beau doesn't know yet. I think I'll surprise him... I'll let y'all know how that turns out.

-- One less mouse in my kitchen. Hopefully no more left!

On the not-so-plus side:

What the eff, USPS?!?

Where is Beau's Christmas present?????

And so it begins... the gift buying, that is.

Where do you turn to when you have a question? Twitter, of course! And with the holiday season upon us, that's exactly where I went for some present ideas.

Here are some great ideas for the pretty ladies in our lives...

 

 

 

 

What do you think is a good Christmas gift to receive?

 

Guess who's back, back again...

No, not the 'M'. It's me! Your favorite, worst blogger!

It's been a while since my last post and although I'd love to say that I've been doing all this fun stuff, in reality I've been working a lot and cleaning in preparation for holiday decorating (which somehow included scrubbing the shower for an hour yesterday). Oh, and pinning. Lots and lots of pinning. Such as...

Have I mentioned that I have Beau addicted to Duck Dynasty? Yup, the same man who made fun of me for watching it now laughs louder than I do!

Now I know what you're thinking -- "You didn't decorate yet?!?" I know, I know... the girl who normally starts decorating Thanksgiving night still has only 2 decorations up. I ended up working Thanksgiving and the day after though so am just now getting around to cleaning in prep.

Plus there was a new Teen Mom 2 on last night which trumps anything on my 'to do' list.

Annnnnnd that's been my life. Hope everyone is doing well! I should be back in the blogging world for a little while now!

Thursday already??

I'm not sure how it's Thursday already but I won't complain too much since that means it's payday.

Who doesn't like a little extra money in the bank?

You would think I'd have a bunch of things to write about since it's been a few days but I'm going to be completely honest -- I have nothing. I've been working like a mad-man (even on my day off yesterday I was called in), running back and forth to my grandma's to check on her since she is on day 10 without power, and cleaning snow off my car. Yup, snow. That nasty white shiz that decided to come before winter for a second year in a row.

Since I'm clueless about what to write today, I've decided to link up with some fellow bloggers and do a Thankful Thursday post.

 

This Thursday I am thankful for...

- my family. I have a great fiance, beautiful children/dogs, wonderful parents, two pretty awesome sisters, and some kick butt extended family (that's you Aunt Dee!)

 

- Christmas being just around the corner!

 

 

- Target. Hey, where else provides me with everything I need in one store with good prices.

- having power. Being without it for a few days makes you realize how much you rely on it.

- country music. Not only the music, but the love it shows us.

 

 

- leftover Halloween candy. Alright, I must admit, I wasn't home during Trick-or-Treat and planned on keeping my candy the whole time. #fatty

 

- peppermint hot chocolate. No explanation needed.

 

 

What are you thankful for today?

Our expanding family...

Yup, you read that right! Our little family expanded...

 

 

Meet Captain Huggy Face. My new wax warmer.

What did you think I meant? A bambino?! Not in my oven!

And while I had my cinnamon wax was melting and making my house smell like Christmas, it was only appropriate to listen to Christmas music!

 

 

In other news, I finally have a full gas tank since it was 'odd' day... #paininmyass

Luckily, there was hardly any line plus Sammy got a treat! Win-Win!

 

 

So what is YOUR favorite wax scent? I am quickly becoming a wax addict.

"Hi, my name is Sarah and I'm addicted to scented wax."

 

Fa la la la laaaa

November 1st. The unofficial start to the Christmas season.

Holiday music is playing and Starbucks is serving in little red cups.

Some of you may not even be reading any more since it's 'too early' but is there such a thing? Alright, there is such a thing - like Christmas before Halloween - but once October 31st is past, it's fair game.

Unfortunately, I'd be living on the streets if I put up the Christmas tree before Thanksgiving but you bet your bottom it will be up the day after!! Along with this beauty that I'll be making...

Anyone else this excited or is it just me?

And the clean up begins...

This morning I woke up, turned to Sammy, and said 'We did it, baby girl!'

We survived the whole night alone (I hate being home alone overnight) and without power or heat.

Sandy hit us and beat us up...

Trees are down.
Power lines are down.
Phone poles are snapped.
Roofs have been blown off.
Cell service is extremely spotty.
In NYC, the whole front of two separate buildings blew off.
Seaside Heights has washed away -- that's a bonus though.

The power company said it could be 7-10 days until things are restored. But the mess that Sandy left behind will take weeks - maybe even months - to clean up.

Prayers for all involved <3

Currently...

Currently, I'm...

Reading: I would say blogs but lately I haven't even had much of a chance to read those! About the only thing I've been reading lately are papers at work, as sad as that sounds. I should go pick up a good book... Recommendations?

Watching: Giuliana & Bill: Baby Dreams. I'm sure by now you know I love those two. One thing you may not know though is that I've always dreamed of being a gestational carrier. How amazing would it be to give a family the gift of life -- a gift they could not achieve on their own. When I saw this on the TV guide last night (which first aired this Spring but I always missed it), I knew I had to record it to watch. So here I am, watching it now!

Thinking about: A few things are currently jumbled in this head of mine right now. First is Beau and how I'm kind of ticked at how late he'll be getting out of work. That's the life of an EMT though... I would know! There were many nights he'd be waiting for me and I would be getting out 3 hours late. Second is that I should really be cleaning the house right now. At least vacuuming since Sammy pulled a bunch of stuffing out of her one toy. Third is that I really need to pee but am too lazy to walk upstairs right now  plus I don't want to disturb the sleeping puppy at my feet so I'll hold it. TMI?

Loving: YOU! And my birthday present from my sister and brother-in-law... A Clemson collar/scarf for the Samster!

Looking forward to: Our next Virginia trip. Hopefully I'll be able to go in November for a few days before the place gets winterized for the season. I'm also looking forward to decorating for Christmas.

Wondering: Why there are so many cars driving past my house at 9:40 on a Tuesday night. Shouldn't these people be home in bed?

Cooking/baking: Nothing at the moment but on Friday (aka: my first day off in 9 days) I'll be making pumpkin spice cookies!

Disliking: The thought of getting out from under the blanket to go upstairs and use the bathroom. And the amount of spiders I've been seeing thanks to the cold weather. Gross.

Making me happy: Pictures like these...

You better believe I'll be getting an underwater camera and doing this next summer!

(post idea borrowed from Katie who borrowed from Tammy who borrowed from Dani)

(phew, that's a lot of borrowing!)

And for the continuation of Friendship Week, today's prompt is celebrities you'd be BFFs with. I'm thinking...

We'd go together like PB and chocolate... Like a Reese's!
And the lame joke award goes to me.

Obviously! After all, she's amazeballs.

I can understand a heart like hers.

I think that's a pretty good group of best friends. Don't you think?

Bonus: If a guy does me wrong, Miranda can help me - er, you know - then Giuliana can report about it on E! News and speak of my innocence, and you bet they'd make a movie and the gorgeous Reese can play me! Double duty friends right there!

They say meeting people online is dangerous...

 

I love today's topic... favorite blog friends! Now, as much as I'd like to add all of you on here, it would take waaaay too long and I'm sure I'd accidentally forget half of you (since it's 11:40pm on Monday right now). So I'm going to leave you with the three I text the most with.

 

Twin. Lover. BFF. There are a million words to describe us. I can't wait to meet this pretty lady in real life! Just wait, world... all hell is going to break loose!

 

This girl is amazing. I mean, she ran a 5k with color being thrown on her and still looked gorgeous. Um, secret please??

 

Another I can't wait to meet -- and the kicker is she only lives 1.5 hours from me! I am so excited that she is on the road to recovery with her back and will soon be able to do back flips with me. Ok, who am I kidding. I can't do a back flip. You get the idea though :-)

 

 

 

Yes, I have friends in real life. No, they aren't all canines...

I realize this is my second post of the day but I just saw this and I can't help but participate!

Today is about my favorite friends in real life -- besides from my family and Beau, which is a given...

This girl has gotten me through soooo much in the few short years I've known her. Her strength is amazing and we've gone through so much together (even if it didn't happen at the same time). Bonus, she likes my cooking :-)

 

These two girls are my sidekicks and we've had so many crazy times together. And I mean cra-aaaaaaa-zy!

 

A pretty girl and beautiful soul. Out of them all, I've known Becky the longest and although we don't get to see each other often, it's like no time has passed when we meet.

I can't forget my favorite guy friend! This kid is amazing... smart, funny, and super handy.

Love you all!!!

 

 

Hey, that's Pin-tastic!

I was going to make something for this week but then life got in the way and something else amazing happened (which you'll read about below)...

Once upon a time I saw this pin.

But then forgot about it. Mainly because I smelled bull.

Luckily, my awesome cousin remembered about it while our bonfire wasn't starting.

Well holy crap! Who knew it would actually work?!

I now know to never keep them by the stove though... it'd be pretty embarrassing to tell someone that Doritos caused your house to burn down!

Sunday confessions...

I confess that I'm a terrible daughter and didn't have a chance to write a post yesterday about the #1 man in my life on his special day. So here it is, a day late... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DADDY!! You set the bar extremely high for Beau!

 

I confess that I was extremely proud of the dinner I made last night. Who cares if the chicken was pre-marinated, the veggies were steam in bag, and the mashed potatoes came out of a pouch? Alright, alright -- not a trophy wife moment but after an 8 hour work day, that's all the energy I had in me.

 

I confess that when I got out of work and saw the score of the game, I squealed, rolled my windows down, and BLASTED Tiger Rag all the way home. C-L-E-M-S-O-N I'm a Tiger til the end!

 

 

I confess that I am the worst when it comes to putting gas in my car. As in, my low fuel light comes on at least twice a month. Whoops.

 

I confess that I wore my pajama pants to work yesterday. Let me explain before you judge though... I was wearing black yoga pants - which I'm allowed to wear to work - and since I was called in early, I just got up, brushed my hair and teeth, put my shirt on, and went.