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!!