Our Christmas!!

Ethan with my mom on Christmas Eve

Ethan as a Sheep on Christmas Eve

After a bit of a break from my blog for the Christmas holiday, I am back and have made my 2012 goal to throw in a couple more blog posts per week! My family and I had a wonderful holiday and are looking forward to the new year. We spend our Christmas very laid back, we attend Christmas Eve service at church and Ethan participates in the service, this year he was a sheep in the service. Then we look at some Christmas lights on our way home. Once we are home, it is time to put out the cookies, milk and carrots (the reindeer need their energy) and head to bed. The next morning Ethan came bouncing into our room at 7:30 (yes we are blessed not to have an early bird) and yelled at us "Santa Came!!" Since we live in an apartment, there is not much space between our room and the living room with the tree. He kept running back and forth giving a grand description of what Santa had left and kept saying....."come on guys, get up!!" The couple moments it took  us to get up and come out of our room must have seemed like an eternity to him!! Once we are up, he can then open gifts from Santa and rummage around in his stocking. Like I said, we have a very laid back day on Christmas and my mom comes over in her jammies and we all stay in our jammies all day! Once my mom is here and we all have a little coffee and breakfast is in the oven we can begin the gift opening marathon. My son had such a wonderful Christmas and we are all so blessed by wonderful family and friends!! I hope each of you had a wonderful Holiday (whichever you celebrate) and you all have a fabulous 2012!!

Ethan with his buddy Ezekiel as sheep together

Y3W: Making Santa Cookies

Today I am linking up with Jenni from the Blog for her Y3W (Your Three Words)

Yesterday Ethan and I made cookies for Santa (and others). We made cutout sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies. We had so much fun just hanging out in the kitchen, listening to Christmas music, dancing and making yummy goodies! This is such a magical time of year for kids and I am so glad I took some time off of work to spend some very special time with him!!

Ethan was so proud of his decorating

Hard at work

My Favorite Things Friday

These have been my favorite thing for a few weeks now. They are SO yummy!! They satisfy my craving for a sweet and crunchy snack. 

They are not the easiest nuts to find since they are only a seasonal item. Next I want to try baking with them and see how it turns out!

Today I am linking up with

Never a Dull Moment 
and

Sippy Cup Chronicles 

For their Favorite Things Friday Link-Up. Check them out!!

Tell me about your favorite thing from this week!!!

Have You Entered??!!

Have you entered The Ultimate Christmas Giveaway yet?? NO?? What are you waiting for?!? Click on the button below to win a Wilton Ultimate Decorating Set valued at $199.99!

McFatty Monday

 

So this week we were introduced to PointsPlus 2012 at our Weight Watchers meeting. There is not that much different from the program I began with. The main difference is they have made it even more flexible than ever before. The thing I like the most about this is, I am a control freak and this puts me in more control. 

 

I have had such a hard time the last few weeks. I would loose then gain then loose. Part of the reason I have been in this cycle is because I made the choice to throw myself a pity party when I gained weight. unfortunately I was the only person invited to my pity party and I ate all the snacks at the party. This did not help me with this horrible cycle. 

 

This weekend I made a decision, I will no longer host this pity party. The only person who can make me lose weight is myself. I have had a very unhealthy relationship with food for a long time now and I am going to break off that relationship. I am ready to start a new relationship with food. Like all new relationships, I am going to find it much more comfortable to go back to my old one, I am going slip up from time to time. I may even call my old relationship just to see how they are doing without me. In the end, I am making the choice to be with my new love.

 

If you are also in an unhealthy relationship with food and want to start a new love check out Weight Watchers to see what it is all about.  Let me know if  you are currently on the WW program or plan to join, I would love to send and receive your support!

 

Have a Happy and Healthy week!!! 

SWH4T$

Today I am linking up with Sweet Stella's and Baby Shmizz for their SWH4T$ link up. Please take a moment to check out their wonderful blogs.

This week's money saving idea is for holiday gifts you can make. Anytime you make your own gifts, you are going to save money. You are also going to save a little sanity, no malls = sanity!!

First off is Hot Cocoa Mix in a Jar. I have to credit Domestic Charm Blog for this great idea!! I have made these cocoa mixes in the past and given them as gifts but the packing on the ones below are just so cute!! The fun part is you can add your favorite goodies to the mix, candy cane pieces, marshmallows, chocolate pieces....the possibilities are endless! You can tie them up with the fun paper straws like below but my favorite is to tie a candy cane on there. Be sure to make a very cute tag with the directions. Perfect for teachers, hair dressers, mail carriers, this list is also endless!!

The next idea is for a fabric covered journal. This gift is so simple and so much fun to make. You can find the full instructions here. This is such a great way to use up some fabric you have been holding on to. Again this project has so many possibilities with embellishments and endless possibilities for recipients. 

I hope these two ideas will help you out with some of the gifts you need to give this holiday season! I know there will be some friends and teaches receiving these from our family!

Be sure to enter the Ultimate Christmas Giveaway here!

 

The Ultimate Christmas Giveaway!!!!!

Welcome to The Ultimate Christmas Giveaway Event!

 

You have a chance to win the Wilton Ultimate Decorating Set worth $199.99!

If bought separately, the items in the kit would cost $250!

The Ultimate Decorating Set contains the following: 9-inch & 11-inch Straight Black Handle Spatulas, 9-inch & 13-inch Angled Black Handle Spatulas, 10-inch Featherweight Bags - 2 Pack, 12-inch Disposable Bags - 50 Pack, Practice Board with Patterns 4 - Standard Couplers, 6 Pc Forming Cups, Large Lily Nail, - 2 Pack 15-inch Parchment, Triangles Round Tips: #1, #3, #5, #12 Star Tips: #14, #16, #18, #21, #1M Petal Tips: #59s, #101, #104 Leaf Tips: #352 and #366 Bismarck Tip #230 Drop Flower Tip #2D Multi Opening Tip #233 Thin and Thick Foams Flower Nail Templates Brush Set, Gold Foil Cut, & Press Button Flower Pansy Cutter, Wave Flower Former, 2 Pack 2 Pc Mum Cutter Set, Calla Lily Cutter, Calla Lily Former, Scallop Ruffle Cutter, Lily Stamen Set Tip, Dishwasher Pouch, Dusting Pouch, Green Ball Tool, Green Veining Tool, Fondant Smoother Ribbon Cutter/Embosser, 12-inch Dowel Rods, Round Cut Out Set, Rose Cutter Set, 5 pc 8-inch Cake Circle, Silicone Tip Covers, 9-inch Rolling Pin Thin, and Thick Modeling Sticks, 4 Pc Decorating Nail Set, & The Ultimate Tool Caddy!
There are 28 blogs participating in this event. To not make the Rafflecopter entry list too long - all entries are MANDATORY (worth 5 entries each) with JUST ONE optional entry (to Tweet about the giveaway - worth 5 points as well)! Going through 28 blogs to win a $199.99 prize is not hard to do at all! I went through the list myself & didn't run into any problems - I was done in less than half an hour. :) The giveaway is December 7 till the 14th (ending at 11:59PM EST on 12/14) but the winners will not be announced until December 16, 2011 so we can make sure that everyone who entered followed all the rules. I know Google Friend Connect widgets can do disappearing acts so please give all of the pages time to fully load or refresh a page to see if the widget shows up. This giveaway is open to U.S. & Canada readers only – we wish we could include international readers as well but we hope you guys understand. (If you're in Canada, please check our Giveaway Policy to make sure you qualify to enter You may be asked to answer a question if you win.) Must be 18 years old & older to enter. Winner will be chosen using Random.org. Winner will be e-mailed & will have 48 hrs. to reply or we have no choice but to pick another winner. Below are the following blogs participating in this giveaway along with the Rafflecopter! It’s only 28 blogs total so not a lot of work on your part! We all have the same Rafflecopter code so just as long as you enter in one blog, it’s okay – as long as you make sure to visit each blog to follow them according to the Rafflecopter form below (we check for duplicate entries)! Happy linking & Good Luck! 1) Life According to Damaris 2) Building Our Story 3) Force Family Journey 4) Gumdrop Pass 5) Our Crazy Bunch 6) Little Miss Nerd Girl 7) It's a Vol 8) The Mommyhood Chronicles 9) Mama Luvs Books 10) Frugal Plus 11) Our Life is a Jungle 12) Ever Changing 13) The Mama Pirate 14) Banana Hammocks & Tutus 15) Little Free Radical 16) Tidbits from a Mom 17) Keenly Kristin 18) Another Day in Paradise 19) Domestically Unemployed 20) Healthy Mom on the Run 21) Our Pregnancy Roadtrip & Beyond 22) Sweet Peas & Bumblees 23) Thrifty Frugal Living 24) My Messmerized Life 25) Ethereal Influence 26) Mamalou's Gems 27) Africa's Blog 28) Why We Love Green

(Make sure you have Javascript enabled to see this giveaway!)

Holiday Season

 

 The holiday season is such a magical time of the year. There are a lot of lights, yummy goodies, extra time spent with family and hearts filled with joy. This time of the year was made so much better when our son was born 6 years ago. There is nothing quite like the holiday season when you have a kiddo around. It seems that every little thing gets him more excited for this season. He loved hearing all the stories about the Christmas ornaments. 

 This year he was able to write a letter to Santa without much help, only some spelling help. We mailed his letter at Macy's and yet he was still very excited to sit on Santa's lap to tell him just what he wanted this year. He received a very cool card from the North Pole Elves, thank you Tiny Prints, letting him know that he is indeed on the nice list this year. 

We know in Denver that the holiday season has officially begun when we brave the cold weather to see the Parade of Lights. This parade is full of beautiful floats, marching bands and balloons all decorated with lights. Santa comes to make a special guest appearance at the end of the parade and put the best smiles on the faces of all the believers watching the parade. 

I hope this holiday season is bringing joy to all of my readers! Tell me about some of the traditions you hold dear during this time of the year.

I'm Back

You may have noticed that I did not blog last week, I had to take an unplanned break from blogging. I had a terrible tooth ache on Saturday and made it through the rest of the weekend. On Monday I was able to call the dentist and get some antibiotics and make an appointment for a root canal I have been putting off for some time. Dental work is something I tend to put off a lot, even though I really should make it a priority. I was able to make it through the days at work and try my best to be a decent mom at night. I know I don't have the patience I need as a parent when I am not feeling well. Blogging was not a priority because of this dental issue. I missed writing and reading any comments. I am glad to be back and I hope you are all ready to read more of my blog posts! Have a great week!!

 

Eating Crow Today

So, earlier this week I blogged about not shopping all the madness of Black Friday and how I was irritated about how many stores were open on Thanksgiving. 

Well, today I am eating a big slice of pumpkin humble pie. At my family's Thanksgiving Feast yesterday, everyone started looking at the sale flyers from the paper. Once I saw several toys my son has on his Christmas Wish List, at 50% off, I knew I had to change my mind and venture out for the deals. 

I did feel a little better about my shopping because I did not go to any store on Thanksgiving, instead I decided to go at Midnight to Target. I had three very clear items I was going for and had a game plan once I got there. 

Since we live in one of the smaller suburbs of Denver, I did not think the store would be too crowded and went there at 11:50 p.m. Once I got there I realized I had made a grave misjudgement of the crowd. The line was very long and it was quite cold and windy but I was determined to get the items I had come for. Once the clock hit 12:00 the line began to move, a little at a time. It took me 15 min. to actually enter the store and since it was so windy and cold all of us in the long line looked like March of the Penguins all huddled together to keep warm. 

Once I got inside I realized that most people were there that early for televisions but the whole store seemed to be filled in every aisle. Since Target was handing out maps to all of us in line I had a game plan and knew exactly where I needed to go. I got the three items I as looking for and headed to the front to check out. Another 20 min. in line to check out and I was done and out the door. I was pleased with my purchases and glad I saved as much as I did. On my way home I knew I had to write this blog today because I had such a strong opinion in my last post. 

For all of you who also went out shopping, I hope you found some great deals and saved lots of money on your Christmas gifts.

Black.....Thursday??

We all know that this Friday marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season. My question this year is......do we really have to start on Thanksgiving? Do we really need to make people leave their family celebrations just to sell us the "must have" deal? Why can't we just wait until Friday, the deals will still be there at 4am just like every other year. 

When I was in college, I worked at Wal-Mart and worked the store on Black Friday. I understand the desire for a great deal, and there are some great deals on Black Friday. This year so many retailers have decided to begin their shopping madness at Midnight or even before and I just think it is horrible that they can't just let employees enjoy one day with their families.

My family is going to forgo the Black Friday shopping this year. We would not be huge spenders if we went but we would never choose to go on Thanksgiving just because we believe that day is for families to be together.

I wish all my readers a very Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Black Friday Shopping!!

Versatile Blogger Award Winner!!

I was given the Versatile Blogger Award

 I am so honored that Censie from Building Our Story put me on her list of bloggers she loves! Thanks a bunch Censie! I am so honored that she thought of my blog when she was picking her top 15 Versatile Blogs. I love reading about Censie and her family, be sure to check out her blog and follow her too!!

So here are the "rules to accepting the award":

• Tell 7 things about myself

• Pass the award along to 15 bloggers that I feel are deserving 

1. I am an only child and was raised by a single mother

2. I have been married to my wonderful husband for 8 great years

3. We have a very sweet 6 year-old son who keeps us hopping

4. I love my job! I do fundraising for a Non-Profit in Denver, we serve abused and neglected kids

5. I love documentary films and T.V. shows, National Geographic is one of my favorite channels

6. I love to bake, cookies, cakes, pies, muffins, bread....almost anything, I also love to make candy

7. Estes Park, Colorado is my favorite place in the world

Now I am going to pass this wonderful award on to 15 of my favorite bloggers. Please take time to check each of them out and be sure to follow them too!!

 1. Iheart Organizing
2. Goodson Family Journey 
3. Mommies Time Out Today 
4. My Attempt at Motherhood 
5. Never a Dull Moment 
6. Peace Love & Poop 
7. The Mama Pirate 
8. The Real Life of a Red Head 
9. Eat, Pray, Love....LIVE! 
10. Tickled Pink
11. Perfectly Imperfect
12. Our Growing Garden
13. Mom 4 Real
14. Mama.Mommy.Mom.
15. A Gracious Home

 

 

Wordless Wednesday - Great Words

These are some great sayings I have found on Pinterest

 

I'm not ready.....

I know it is almost Christmas and the whole world is getting ready for this magical time of the year. I am not a scrooge and happen to LOVE Christmas. Each year it seems the stores, malls, cities and neighbors start the decorating earlier and earlier. Now, since we live in Colorado, you never know what the temperature will be when you "want" to put up your lights and a lot of people around here do them on weekends that have nice weather. That is totally reasonable, but why do you need to turn them on at night? 

Today I happened to be in Wal-Mart to grocery shop and found them to be playing Christmas music. Oh My Goodness!!! Why has Thanksgiving become the forgotten holiday? Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time! In our family, we get together with all the family, eat great food, watch some football and have a great time! It is a lot like Christmas but without the pressure of gift giving. 

Don't get me wrong, we are in full preparation mode for Christmas in our house, how can we not be with a 6 year-old living here. Letter to Santa is getting written, wish list is getting filled in, I am preparing my kitchen for the rush of holiday baking and we are already thinking about where the tree will go in our new place this year.  I just wish we, as American's, did not just jump from Halloween directly into Christmas. We should all take the time to enjoy the wonder of Thanksgiving. And PLEASE, No Christmas music yet!!!

If you are a frequent reader, new reader or just stopping by, please help me out and like me on Facebook. You can find my Facebook page here

Today I am linking up to Just Married With Coupons  and A Time Out for Mommy their Give It To Me Monday - Hop & Giveaway Linky. Please take a moment to check out their blogs  

Wordless Wednesday - Happy Birthday Ethan

Ethan 3 Days Old

One of my favorites of my little man!! Love that smile!!

Ethan at his 6th Birthday Party!

Happy Anniversary!!

Today is my wedding anniversary. Eight years ago I had the pleasure of marrying my very best friend. I can't say it has always been easy, but I can say it has always been wonderful! There is no one on earth I would rather have by my side than my wonderful husband, Brian. I love you sweetie!!

 

McFatty Monday Update

As many of you know and some might not know, I am on a weight loss journey. I am currently a client of Weight Watchers and I have had many ups and downs. This week our topic was about not being so focused on the number on the scale. I am really going to try to take this message to heart. I am always very focused on that number, however, I don't ever weigh myself at home. I rely on the scale I step on every Saturday to tell me how I am doing. We all know, especially us women, that our weight can fluctuate from day to day; hell, it seems that it will fluctuate from hour to hour some days. Right now I have to be thankful because I am lighter than I was when I started. I have also learned some great, healthy tips along the way and I am still a sponge ready to absorb more information.

I used to have my weight loss ticker at the top of my blog and I decided to take it down. I am not ready at this point to declare my final destination in this journey. At this point my goal will be to be sure I can fit into all my size 16 pants and skirts. I have many that I can fit into but let's face it.....not all sizes are made the same! 

I am so lucky that my mom and aunt are on this journey with me and we can call each other during the week to lift the other up or get lifted up. We can swap ideas, recipes or simply bitch to one another about hating the fact that we have to lose weight. 

If anyone reading my blog is interested in a weight loss program I would be glad to give you the low down on Weight Watchers, just send me an email or comment. 

Please also take a moment to follow my blog on Facebook. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy week!!

SWH4T$ Link Up: Money Saving Ideas

Today I am linking up with Baby Shmizz and Sweet Stella's for thier weekly blog hop called; She Works Hard For The Money (SWH4T$).

This is such a great idea for a blog hop because we all want to save some money and it is great when we can use other people's ideas.

Some of my favorite money saving home ideas have come from Pinterest and my very favorite is this carpet cleaner. This was one of the best things I have found on Pinterest. Not only is this a very inexpensive carpet cleaner but it is also very kid and pet friendly, no chemicals.

Another one I love is this mattress freshener that can also be used for couches and chairs. This one is only as pricy as the essential oil you purchase and you can get good deals on oils here and get most any scent or scent blend you want.

Tune in next time for more SWH4T$ money saving deals.

Winter arrived in Colorado

Well last week we had our first snow storm in the Denver area and it was a mess. There were power outages all over the place, broken tree branches in the road and a lot of clean-up. Last night we got our second snow storm of the season and this one seemed bigger to me. We seemed to have gotten more snow, WAY more wind which created blizzard conditions where I live and some schools have thier first snow day of the year. This is the time of the year I love to live in Colorado. Yes, I love the summers for all the outdoor activities that can be done but this is really the reason to live in Colorado. It was so much fun growing up here and playing in the snow but it is much better watching my son have a great time in the snow! I hope all my fellow Coloradans are staying dry and warm and I hope everyone else makes a trip to Colorado during the best time of the year!!

Y3W - Keep Calm and....

Link up with Jenni From The Blog here!!

 

Music make the world go round.....

Music means so much to many people around the world. Music is used in celebration, mourning, relaxation, nostalgia, to show love, to ease pain and many, many more situations. 

I, like many people, use music for all facets of my life. There is never a day that goes by when i don't listen to music and the type of music depends on my mood at any given time of the day. I have a very eclectic taste in music. On my iPod you can find country, rock, pop, reggae, classical, bluegrass and christian. I don't think I could ever say I have one taste in music, there is WAY too much great music out there to stick to one genre. I would have to say that I LOVE the Beatles! Their music is so transcendent and timeless. I also LOVE classical music, Mozart is my very favorite composer. There are many days when you can pass by my desk at work and hear Mozart playing so smoothly from my iPod. 

When I want music to exercise to, which let's face it is not very often, I tend to put on Brittany Spears or Byonce. I love the energy I get from their music. 

I know that we all have music that makes up the "soundtrack of our life" and at any point of the day when we hear a song it can take us back to our first love, prom, college, nights in the club, your wedding, late nights singing to your child, fun road trips, lazy days at home.

I began playing instruments at age 9 in the 4th grade and was in band and/or choir all the way through college. I have a deep affection for music and a fantastic appreciation for all the wonderful musicians out there that play in the soundtrack to my life.

Whatever is going on in you life, you can always count on music to be there for you. Let me know what music is on your "soundtrack" and take the challenge to try a new genre, you never know when you might fall in love with that music.

 

Wordless Wednesday - Fabulous Fall