H54F: What a week! (#4)

The past seven days have felt like a month!  Here's a recap of (nearly) everything, I think!

Ewww, snow!  And quite a bit for my neck of the woods.  I will say that I am kind of happy it did this whole snow thing.  I got extra time with my husband around and my kids were so excited.  See, I'm not a cold hearted winter hater (well not fully!)  Jonas, you totally blew our weekend totally around!  The kids had a five day weekend and that was pretty tough on day five!  Luckily, everyone was safe in our area and we weren't stuck in!  That made a huge difference.

My work out game was off during the snow.  I got back to the gym on Tuesday and kind of tried to do as much as I could to "make up" for lost time.  Well let's just say I sent my bestie a text that I could not move the next day.  Anddddd I was back at the gym just hours later doing it all over again.  Slightly addicted to thinking about fun clothes and SPRING and SUMMER!

I have been cooking up a storm!  And sharing each week on Tuesdays.  Over the snow I made a massive pot of soup and shared it on Tuesday!  This week I have made a lot of goodies like salmon cakes, and orange mustard pork chops.  I think the husband likes having a real meal for lunch and not having to eat sandwiches at work!

The blog got a make over that I am really happy about.  The Facebook banner is what you are seeing here.  I want to do so much with my house but due to $$$ I have to put my change up over here instead!  I think this captures me - the colors and design.  I like it!

Thank you, Minion Movie, for being in Redbox and keeping my children entertained while I mopped and straightened up and worked on this blog post.  You are very much appreciated.

And one more...

I started a Prayer Journal a couple weeks ago.  A lady in my Bible study group mentioned how it had made an impact on her life.  Well I am two weeks in and I already see how my tiniest prayers have been answered.  Had I not taken time to write out my petitions and thanks I don't think I would have noticed what has happened.  When I think about it - I am overwhelmed and reminded how merciful and loving God is.  

Alrighty, a few hours of work and this girl is weekend ready.  I think we may go swimming this weekend!  

H54F: The Week Before Christmas!

*One*
It is a real blessing to be a mama.  That blessing is amplified during the holidays.  The joy of the season through my little one's eyes cannot be compared to anything else on this planet.  I have enjoyed this season and this week as we celebrated at school.

*Two*
My daughter's school does (the same every year) holiday spirit week.  She was a deer on Monday and wore pajamas on Tuesday.  Wednesday she transformed into the Grinch himself!  Face paint at the holidays?  Bring it on!

*Three*
I was completely shocked at how calm my little man was during his first program!  The preschool did a rendition of The Christmas Story and he was a little sheep.  My heart was full at how happy and still he was!

*Four*
Paint is the best therapy for me and the kids!  We were wild and crazy on Tuesday afternoon so I pulled out these ornaments and we painted.  We also finished up our bottle cap snowmen.  I have fastened them to sweet treats as a little extra something special for our teachers and friends.

*Five*
Baking the week away!  This week I started the bake off.  I love to bake at the holidays and make cookie goody bags to give out.  So far I have made chocolate chocolate cookies, snicker doodles, molasses cookies, and peanut butter cookies.  Today I'm hosting a group of second graders for a chocolate chip baking party.

Have an awesome weekend, friends!

Merry Christmas!

See ya Sunday :)

*Linked up with Katie*

H54F: The second week before Christmas!

Linked up over at Katie's

Give me a HIGH FIVE for Friday, y'all!  Let's get this party started :)

1.  I may deem this holiday season - The Time I Became Diabetic.

On Monday we baked sugar cookies. On Wednesday we picked up Krispy Kreme donuts.  Sugar has no end this time of year.  I am thinking I need a good old cleanse before next week.

2.  Now stop!  Diva time!

Wednesday evening was fitting time for the drive thru nativity.  My mom kept the Little Man while the Diva and I went to church.  We were there literally six minutes and finished! So we took some time to hang out.  Of course hanging out means (donuts) and finding a fun store to walk through.  She picked Big Lots and we had a blast (plus I needed wrapping paper so it was perfect).  I wish we had opportunities to do more things without her brother with us but you take what you can get!

bahahahahahaha, just kidding it was mainly completed the old fashioned way - ya know around other people.

3.  Sha-sha-sha-sha-ahhh-ping

I really tried to make that sound the way it did in my head.  I finished my Christmas shopping.  Shut up, yes I did.  OK wait I guess technically I did not but what I have left is very miniscule.  Woo hoo!

4.  You get a mug!

I participated in Katie's and Caitlynn's mug swap this year.  Yivanna in Bronx, New York was paired with me.  Her package really made my day!  Lots of sweet goodies and holiday cheer.  I hope she gets her package before Christmas the post office was a total mad house.

Thank you for my wonderful friends!

5.  BFF TIME!

Guess who is tripping billies because her best friend is coming down to craft tonight?  THIS GIRL RIGHT HERE!  I'm so stoked!  A lot has went down since we last got together (7 weeks ago).  I'm looking forward to some kid free girl time!  And to top it off another friend is coming to craft too.  Not spray paint, glue gun, or sharpie will be safe!  And Saturday, to top it all off, my other bestie is coming to visit!  Woo hoo!



Merry Christmas, see ya tomorrow!

H54F: December Began!

Yay for Fridays in December!  Christmas actually falls on a Friday this year so how awesome is that?  Our first week of December was great and here are my favorite things from this week!




1.  Back to school!

I love my babies but I seriously love it when they can get back to their routine (and mama can get the house cleaned up right!)  Red, our elf, returned on Thanksgiving and he got the morning started off right with a sweet note.

2.  Advent is here!

I didn't buy an Advent calendar this year.  Instead I created one!  I featured it in this post.




3.  Christmas Shopping, check!

I'm nearly finished with being "Santa" for our families.  I really have enjoyed shopping this year and normally I find it to be a headache.  I hope everyone enjoys their gifts.

4.  Angel Tree Love!

On Thursday our Advent Calendar said we should recognize our blessings and pass them forward.  We took off to the store, after dinner, and purchased our little angel's wish list items.  This is a tradition that melts my heart and fills my spirit.  To be able to teach our children to pass forward our blessings and be compassionate is a gift unlike any other.

5.  Baking :)

Nom, nom, nom!  I told you I was making these in this post.  We did as we watched Christmas television specials on ABC!

See you tomorrow, loves!

H54F

Hello, hello!  It's been a busy week of work and well more work.  That's alright with me.  Here's my five things from the past seven days to share :)

Obviously not my photo (thanks Stock) but you get the idea!

1.  Fall Cleaning
Last Sunday evening, while the kids were at church, my husband and I started some cleaning.  Not in the house but in the garage that used to sit beside our house and now sits beside our house (roughly 75 yards now).  The garage is a catch all and has had empty boxes taking up too much space for a year now.  We set them ablaze in the area that was formerly our kitchen.  (She said what?)  Well had the house not had its little issue then the spot we burned boxes and an old wooden play set in would have been our kitchen.
On Monday we went through the remainder of items that were sitting in the middle and corners of the building.  Needless to say that job did not get completed!  Today my plan was to start working on cleaning out more items from that building and from the old store.
Old store?  Yes, my great grandfather operated a general store for our area way, way back in the day.  We (my grandma) still have the store (closed) and it has some items that need to be sold in it (nothing old, its my Christmas stuff, toys, etc).  Let's hope I do get some time to do that...eeek!



2.  Friendsgiving 2015
Ooohh I'm excited.  I'm also hugely thankful for Facebook for helping me keep this event all organized.  Pretty much everyone is communicating really well through the event page.  This week I let everyone know our entree would be pork loin and asked if they wouldn't mind sharing the side(s) they would be bringing so we wouldn't have redundancies.  Can I tell you my mouth is watering?
 I cannot wait, I'm so ready to DIG IN!



3.  Weather Sneak Peeks
You know having the monthly forecast at your fingertips is a blessing and a curse.  Right now the projected high for Boone (where we spend Thanksgiving) is 44 degrees.  To be honest, I do not mind the colder temps on Thanksgiving.  It just makes it more festive.  Last year it was bitterly cold and the tree farm had a good 8 inches of snow with more falling as we scoured the mountain for our tree.  Who am I kidding?  We didn't go all over the mountain but instead decided to check right behind the little barn they base the sales out of!  I guess the only time I can handle cold and snow is on a holiday like Thanksgiving and Christmas and maybe NYE.  Other than that I just cannot.
Oh and guess what...our Friendsgiving is looking cool and rainy.  I really wanted this to be an outside event with no children in my house but HAHA on me.  I'm planning my layout for an indoors Friendsgiving but praying for a break in the weather and us being outside!



4.  No Reply Bloggers
Dear No Reply Blogger -
You may not know who you are but I must say this.  I reply to all the comments on my blog and when I see that you are a no-reply blogger it makes me cringe.  I want you to know I read your comment and I want to thank you and give you a kind reply.  But I cannot.  So to all of you who may be going - why the hell doesn't she respond to my comment - there is your answer.  Stop alienating yourselves (just kidding).
xo
Amanda



5.  Christmas Crafting
I have officially made my Christmas Crafting list for 2015.  The catch is I am not sharing it on the blog because sometimes people I gift to see the blog.  Some things I just have to keep under wraps.  But I am very excited about showing them later in December (ahem, after a certain date.)  Now to go to Michael's!

H54F: Birthday Edition

High Five!!!  It is Birthday FRIDAY!

Things I have learned in the last week of being 33...



1.  It is OK if you aren't sure what the hell you are doing on earth.

Because eventually you figure it out.  I have been so upset that my chosen field of work was and is a dud.  Now that I'm older than 22 I see that it is a lot to decide your path when you're that young.  For those of you who did it and love it ten, twenty years later kudos.  To those of us like me who have wrestled with what we're supposed to be doing --- it will come.  Trust me.



2.  People are strange.

Including the ones saying people are strange.  I learned so much this week about people I thought I "knew" and it makes me a wiser person.  Half the people we think we should be able to trust we cannot and 90% of the people we think we may know we do no really know nor do we really want to know.



3.  Life is sad without coffee.

I haven't been able to drink coffee since last Thursday and it is killing me.  Coffee is my crack.  I cannot wait to hold a magical cup of Starbucks very soon.



4.  My children could cure the fighting in the world.

I posted on Facebook that I knew why alligators ate their young.  This week has been a huge trial with my kids.  My son has been in this whiny three year old he is always right and I am always wrong phase.  Seriously - I cannot.  My daughter has been a debutante diva on a high horse this week.  Once again - I cannot.  I'm learning that being a mom to two kids who are very young is similar to opting for a space in the nut house.  I also feel that if the military knew of my children's capability to bring adults to their knees in mercy my children would be visiting the middle east, Africa, and parts of Asia very soon.  I do love them no matter how batty they make me and I know they love me too.



5.  Love makes it all better.

I feel like I ripped that from a Hallmark card.  If it wasn't for the love my husband gives me, my family gives me, and my best friend shows me in all our hilarious correspondence....I would be a lost and lonely soul.  I'm so thankful for all the love.  Everyone should be so lucky to have even an ounce of what I've been blessed with.

H54F

  Yay = Fall Pictures!

The kids' pictures arrived this week and I am so happy!  Shannon over at A Thousand Words Photography is awesome and does great work (especially with fussy three year old boys)!

  Wednesday = Crafting

Thursday this stuff on my head was freshened up - I had a picture but my stupid computer isn't working. I freaking love my hair.

We got new furniture this week!  Our family room had been bare since May, travesty!  So we finally found a smaller set we liked and haven't parted from that room yet!  (OK yes we have to eat and potty.)

Halloween Weekend is here today we took advantage of Ihop's free scary face pancakes and started putting together our (my husband and my own) costumes.  Let me just tell you my husband is going to look hilarious.  My costume...a surprise.

Happy weekend friends!

H54F

October took a big fat dose of jet fuel did it not?  Hard to believe there is only one week left to this month.  I am kind of bummed about it but also excited for November.  I have handpicked five events/things from my week to share with you so here we go!


Four Eyes - New and totally too expensive I finally got a pair of glasses.  My old ones had seen better days and were so outdated it isn't even funny.  I like my new coke bottles!  They are super cute and allow my eyes a contact lens break so we shall say yay!

The (Un)Official Start the the Holidays? - Did anyone else check out Charlie Brown on Tuesday?  Did anyone else catch the Christmas ads?  Ummm yeah I did!  Marketeers are so smart, those silly geese.  I do kind of fall in that trap that when there are Peanut kids on my television it is the time to celebrate and think about candy, turkey dinners, shopping, trees....


A Bad Habit - Wednesday I was alerted by one of those stupid FB app things that I had memories to look back on.  Apparently, it was a blog post.  OK, it was a blog post from last year on that date.  It was about how I gained five pounds between the start of September and late October.  Well guess what?  I lost those five.  Yay.  Well guess what else?  Again this year I have gained 5lbs between the start of September and late October.  So that means?  Time to lose it before the real holidays hit.  I wish I could just give it to my husband for Halloween.  I'd do it in a second - here hun, I got you some weight!  Only five pounds but give me a few months and I'll give you some more to add to it ok? <wink>



I started playing with "fashion" posts - I shared my new urge for all things cheetah/leopard.  Guess what I got?  Yeah, those shoes.  Aren't they adorable?  They are my new neutral.  This week I wrote about plaid...still not sold 100% on it.  I do have that shirt in my closet and I like it but I don't think I will be adding more.

Dinner with my mama - Yesterday I was at work and my mom emailed to see if I wanted to get dinner with her.  YES, duh.  Ladies, my period started yesterday with fervor and the idea of coming home and making tacos and then cleaning up the mess was too much.  Moms just know...even when they really have no clue you're cramping, bleeding, and secretly crying.

My weekend should be chilled - on that note bahahaha.  Visit the Facebook Page this weekend for shenanigans.