25 Days of Xmas

So I don't know whats been wrong the past couple of years, but my love for the holidays has been downplayed a lot. So in an effort to kick up my holiday spirit I have decided to do try and watch as many Christmas inspired movies as I can, bake cookies, and decorate, create, and wrap pretty presents for my loved ones. We already decorated our apartment and have watched both Home Alone movies. (tradition in our household to watch those the weekend after Thanksgiving) I have started some projects for presents, and have almost finished my list. Now to find pretty paper and wrap it all. So since I am almost done shopping I guess all there is left to do is enjoy the season. So that's what I'll do.

Photography challenges have been sort of a fad in my opinion, but I saw this Christmas inspired list on Pinterest and I figured I would give it a shot. Come back daily in the month of December for a little photo of my Christmas photography inspiration. I will also share some favorite holiday memories and give you a glimpse at my tree and some of my favorite ornaments. You know, those ones that make it onto the tree every year! And holiday tidbits along the way.

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Happy 55!

Today is my dad's 55th birthday. I called him this morning to wish him a happy one and to remind him that he can now apply for AARP. I know what a nice daughter I am, but hey I have gotten the application and D has gotten them for years so honestly it's not that big of a deal.

We chatted for a bit and found out that his big double five plans were to work and then work on the house this weekend (he and my mom are renovating their retirement home.) Not what one would originally want to do on their birthday, but I am sure my mom will make up for it by taking him out to dinner. They can really do it up next week when they take their overnight trip to Sin City!

I just want to give a shout out to my dad to know that I love him and wish him a wonderful birthday! Have a great day!

Love your girl!

Turkey, Crafting and Outlets

On Tday we awoke bright and early.....mostly because neither of us turned off our work alarms....GR! I got up and made us breakfast and we lounged on the couch for a bit. I got antsy and decided to head to the garage to start working on my chalk board. About a month ago I was walking our pup and I noticed a vacant garage with a beat up and broken mirror sitting alone in it. I went to our leasing office to make sure it was abandoned before I claimed it. The frame itself had a lot of potential once spruced up, and repainted from the dirty gold color that it was. I pulled out our table and put a coat of teal paint on the front. It still needs another coat, then to make the chalkboard back and re-assemble but I think its looking better already!

Ugly Gold before!

1 Coat of teal paint!

Afterwards we got dressed up and headed to my grandmother's house for all the yummy fall foods, family and good times! We of course ate ourselves into mini coma's, enjoyed good conversation and of course photos with my fam bam!

My and my dad

Of course my mom

Sister from another mister!

LOVE!

Pies, Pumpkins and Leaves!

Of course when we got home we were tempted to hit the sales that started on Thanksgiving, but we didn't give into the temptation and watched some television before heading to bed early. Friday I awoke with every intention of going shopping. I took a shower and our faucet wouldn't turn off! I had to deal with that, but then managed to hit the stores a bit in the afternoon. Got some deals and checked some people off my list. I found some yarn on sale and started some crochet projects as well! In the evening we went to Mr. L's house for a Black Friday get together. Beer and games (of course since D and I are NOT gamers, we of course lost!) and enjoyed more conversation. We love going over and having fun with our second families!

Pretty yarn!

Saturday I got up and ready to head to the Camarillo outlets with my M.I.L. to shop until we drop. And that's exactly what we did. We hit up a local craft fair and then made our way out to the coast. After a MapQuest error we finally hit the mall. Packed to the gills, but manageable. We power walked that entire mall in 4 hours and that was a feat. My bootay hurt pretty bad when we finally got to sit in the car again. Linda managed to get some checks completed off her list, as did I. We had a good time people watching and window shopping for ourselves as well.

Sunday D and I just rested. After that weekend we needed some alone time. It was a whirlwind weekend and I can say that I am ALMOST done with my shopping! I just need to finish up D's gift (HELP!) and some little things to finish up others! Whew! Next weekend task: Put up Xmas Decor.

Happy "THANKS" giving

Source

As we head into this wonderful holiday I have to take a moment and say what I am thankful for. Every year on Thanksgiving, my family gathers in a circle, grasps one anothers hands and states a prayer "Bless us thy Lord and these thy gifts, which we are about to recieve. And from thy bounty through Christ, Our Lord. Amen" Then we all go in a circle and say what we are thankful for that year.

Since 2011 and 2012 have been rather hard years for D and I and our families it may sometimes be hard to think of the positive, but in all honesty I have a lot to be thankful for. So I will start the day off with a list of things I am thankful for this holiday season:

1. I have a loving, caring husband who is always there for me. In the good times we laugh, smile and enjoy life. In the bad times he helps to pick me up and move forward. He is my rock, my best friend and I could never ask for anyone better. I love you SO MUCH!

2. I have the best fur baby on the planet. Our little Shelby is my light and my happiness on a daily basis. Even when she is bad, its really hard to stay mad at such an adorable and loving pup. I love my Shelbydoo soooo much!

3. I have a steady full time job, with a company that is so wonderful to work with. It's a rarity to find such wonderful people that truly become like a second family. In this economy it's hard for a lot of people to say this. I am also thankful that D's job has become so much better for him! The stress is gone!

4. I am thankful for my close and loving friends. Those of you who have always been there, 12 plus years, to the re-kindled friendships and the close ones that are still blossoming. You truly are my light. Thank you for being there when I need to talk, laugh, drink, or just a hug. Please know that if you ever need a shoulder mine is available! I love you!

5. To my mom. My other rock and best friend. Thank you for always being my best and most important girlfriend. I love you!

6. And finally....last but no where near in the least. To my loving, caring family....every last one of you. Thank you for your support through all the hard times. I know things can be rough at times for everyone and I am glad to know that I have so much support in my corner. I love you all!

Weekend Away in San Jose

For years D's cousin's have been asking us to make the trek to San Jose to visit them. Whether its been time constraints or scheduling we just haven't gotten the chance to make it up there, until now. We both made the time to take the weekend and go up for a visit and to watch our little Bella dance her heart out. Friday night D and his dad went to the Lakers game so my M.I.L. and I had an evening out with dinner and then a movie, we watched Brave on BluRay (seriously CUTE!)

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early and braved the elements with a little Starbucks. After a nice drive we made our way there. Unloaded and then made our way to the mall for some shopping, Wreck It Ralph and dinner. It was a Disney movie weekend and Wreck It Ralph was really cute! We braved the pre-Black Friday crowds and had a wonderful dinner. Once home we were greeted by the rest of the family who was at rehearsal all day long. Our poor dancer was wiped out, but managed to come in and chat with us for a bit.

Sunday was performance day. We all got ready to go, went and got some flowers (after another mall shopping trip) and made our way to the Santa Clara Convention Center. We cheered on our little Bellarina as she performed in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop and 2 other numbers. She killed it on stage and we were all so proud of her! Since she had another show to perform we left and went to get dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings and watched football/basketball games. We enjoyed our wings and fries and of course conversation.

Yesterday we had to come home. Once we said our goodbyes and packed up our things we made the trek home. But not before stopping at the outlets in Gilroy. We drove around and saw the Coach outlet. I have been eying a bag on Pinterest so I wanted to go in and check it out. We walk in and everything is 50% off retail and they are having and additional 30% for Monday only! Sweet! Time to shop! Unfortunately they didn't have the bag I was looking at. I perused a little bit, because you have to when it's that good of a deal. A couple things went on my wish list for another time! ;-P We had a great weekend spending time with family and look forward to going up again soon!

"Better Dig Two"

So I fell in love with The Band Perry when their debut album came out last year. I played "If I Die Young" on repeat for ages. Well when they debuted their new single at the CMA's it was the same thing. I loved it the moment the first chord on that banjo and moody fiddle playing. I broke down and downloaded the single last night and listened to it about 10 times over the course of two hours. IN LOVE! Enjoy!


I told you on the day we wed
I was gonna love you 'til I's dead
Made you wait 'til our wedding night
That's the first and the last time I wear white

So if the ties that bind ever do come loose
Tie them in a knot like a hangman's noose
Cause I'll go to heaven or I'll go to hell
Before I'll see you with someone else

Put me in the ground
Put me six foot down
And let the stone say:
"Here lies the girl whose only crutch
Was loving one man just a little too much"
If you go before I do
I'm gonna tell the gravedigger that he better dig two

Well,
It won't be whiskey, won't be meth
It'll be your name on my last breath
If divorce or death ever do us part
The coroner will call it a broken heart

So put me in the ground
Put me six foot down
And let the stone say:
"Here lies the girl whose only crutch
Was loving one man just a little too much"
If you go before I do
I'm gonna tell the gravedigger that he better dig two

Dig two
Ooh, ooh
I took your name when I took those vows
I meant 'em back then and I mean 'em right now,
Oh, right now

If the ties that bind ever do come loose
If forever ever ends for you
If that ring gets a little too tight
You might as well read me my last rights
And let the stone say:
"Here lies the girl whose only crutch
Was loving one man just a little too much"
If you go before I do
Gonna tell the gravedigger that he better dig, uh!

Heavy stone right next to mine,
We'll be together 'til the end of time
Don't you go before I do,
I'm gonna tell the grave digger that he better dig two

I told you on the day we wed
I was gonna love you 'til I's dead

Boredom spurs creativity

So, what do you do when you mix a bored lunch break with an Altoids container, silver marker and a sharpie. A fun pill container! I have many a variety of vitamins that I take on a daily or as needed basis, anything from Vitamin D to a pre-natal or Biotin. However when you put them all into one place (I keep multiples of each on my person just in case I forgot before I left the house) they can be confusing as many of them look the same. While cleaning out my purse I noticed an almost empty Altoids container. I ate the last of the mints and washed out the container. Then I went to work coloring the top with silver marker and the bottom with black Sharpie. The doodle a little cheetah-esque design on the top and voila! Instant pill box. Now I have 2! One for my daily vitamins and one for all the others. So I can keep track! It was fun and simple and only took about 20 minutes!

Finished

Old and new!

Maxi is the name of the game

Alrighty then. If your obsessed with Pinterest then you KNOW what I am referring to. Maxi dresses and skirts have been a major trend for the last couple of years, but even more so now that people are starting to make their own. I mean why not, they are SO EASY! I had found a wonderful tutorial, but hadn't found the time to go buy fabric, well once it was go time I discovered that the blogger had removed the tutorial because she wanted to sell them online. Fine and dandy, but when she put that she was selling the tutorial, for in my opinion a ridiculous amount, I though to myself I can figure this out on my own and make a tutorial for people. Well be that as it may, I went to work and realized that my camera was completely dead so I figured I would just make it anyways and find some help along the way.

First issue....fabric. I went to Joann's only to discover that there selection was rather limited....granted it is November, but honestly its always maxi weather in California. However my wonderful friend Mrs. M pulled out the above fabric and I thought that it was completely perfect, however a little on the pricey side. So I grabbed it and then decided to peruse the red tag section just to be sure I had found the perfect option. I had. So I took my 25% off coupon and bought it.

What you'll need:
2 yards jersey fabric
scissors
thread
sewing machine

A cute helper is a bonus too! My friends son was all over the fabric! Laying on it, running on it and being a cutie! He just wanted to be involved.

So since I don't have the tutorial for you I found these really helpful links, (Watch out for the Woestmans and middleR3DD) I can tell you the measurements I made my skirt. The waistband finished measurement was 32" round and the bottom measurement was 56" round. You can half that to figure out your piece cuts, just remember to include 1/2" in your measurements for seaming. Other than that I followed the tutorials linked above pretty much as written.

Sewing note: Jersey and knits are kind of difficult to sew because the edges tend to roll. Use a lot of pins to keep this from happening! I am sure my next one will turn out better, but its so cute and best of all SO COMFORTABLE! Enjoy!

Don't mind my lack of makeup!

Crystal Blue with a hint of MS Dixie

Ok, I am so behind on some of these posts! I'm sorry, life got in the way. Back in July, D went to Lake Tahoe with his family. Due to scheduling and not having enough vacation time, I couldn't go. People, let me say just because we live in Southern California doesn't mean we always go to the beach. Honestly I have been to 2 different lakes this year and D has been to 3! We have only been to the beach once in the last 2 years! While not all of our lakes are beautiful we share a pretty magnificent one with Nevada and that's Lake Tahoe. Crystal blue waters, green trees and water sports in the summer; snow and winter fun in the fall and winter! While D and his family had a great time out on the lake, kneeboarding, kayaking and swimming (I don't have those photo's, but my M.I.L. got some!) also they went to comedy shows and even got to see The Beach Boys!!!! (I wasn't jealous or anything, SO JEALOUS!) D managed to get some wonderful scenery shots out on the lake and while driving around it.

View and the MS Dixie

View and the MS Dixie

The next shots are of Emerald Bay. The island in the middle of the bay has an old stone house on its premises. We once swam to the island and hiked up to the house to see the magnificent view from the island. They did the same thing this trip. Also the infamous MS Dixie is a paddle boat that you can take from one end of the lake to another

You can make out the house in the middle of the frame

MS Dixie

Boats Anchored

On a tour around the island D got many more shots of scenery.

Clear blue waters

B.I.L.

D's Bro

Unfortunately on their last day there it was overcast and windy so instead of going out on the lake they took a ride on the gondolas and were able to get more scenery photo's

The lake is so large it doesn't fit in the frame

D and his Dad

The Kimball Boys

One last shot before we say goodbye.

All in all he got some great shots and had a blast with his family. I am sad I had to miss the trip! Next time!

Starting from scratch

Ok so I can officially dub yesterday as my first official day sans bleeding! Thank GOD! I was starting to go a little crazy. I mean essentially I had a miscarriage so bleeding is expected, but honestly 6 weeks! I spent half my years annual money on tampons and pads in those 6 weeks alone! I should have invested in some more black underwear also!

Anyways, so now we are in the wait and see portion of this program. Wait until I ovulate, wait until I have another period and repeat. Then its go time again! So until then I downloaded a great ovulation calculator that my mommy friend Mrs. M recommended, I started taking a pre-natal vitamin and vitamin D again, (I had to go off the pre-natal because it could cause the chemo drug to not work properly) I have started my exercise regime back again (trying to get my state of mind back, and to re-build some muscle that I lost). Also, I have completely cut out alcohol already, I had a drink a couple of weeks ago to "relax" and it just made me feel awful so I decided for the foreseeable future not to partake in any adult beverages. Reduction of soda, increasing water intake, fruits and veggies, and just trying to be overall a healthier person so when the time comes, my body will be in perfect health! Of course Pinterest is feeding my flame with lots of pregnancy blogs, many of whom talk about their reproductive problems, so it gives me great hope! Any advice is welcomed at this point and time.

I am staying really positive that the next one will stick! Positivity breeds good results! All this happened for a reason, and I think this was my body's way to check if we were ready. Bring it on body! It's go time! I pray everyday. Love everyday. Wish everyday. Until next time! :-)

Shelby vs the Thunderstorm

So this is our adorable "fur child." She is cute and cuddly and our most beloved pet! However, she has a problem with separation anxiety. She's a shelter pup so she always thinks that we are going to leave her forever. She panics and gets destructive. We've had crates for her, but alas our personal Houdini knew the weak points and was able to destroy the cheap wire crates within a month (give or take.) When we moved into our current apartment, we had a huge covered balcony with plenty of space for her to roam, watch the birds fly and get fresh air. It was perfect except she would scratch our door frame. We took precautions against this and put a baby gate up and some chairs to block her access to the door.

This lasted quite some time, until the strangeness occurred.  We live in southern California. The place of mild weather....however this year alone we have had some crazy thunderstorms. Very loud crashing thunder and lightning. If you have a dog, or have had once in the past, you know that they DON'T like thunder and aren't really fans of lightning either. As I am sitting at my desk, listening to the crazy storm outside I realized that I was going to come home to a mess. Little did I know what kind of a mess I was to experience. I walk up the stairs and see it. Then I see why it happened.

Somehow, she had gotten behind the baby gate and pushed the chairs out just enough that she had barricaded herself in a 3 foot by 4 foot little area. She panicked! Thus her desperate attempt to get into the apartment by means of scratching the shit out of the decorative stucco that surrounded our door and window. Apparently as a cost saver, the basic structure of these decorative pieces are not made of stucco, but Styrofoam, covered with fiberglass and then stucco. A little piece out of it, made it very easy for her to just shred the entire lower half. Of course this was in the midst of my chemo induced flu, and I had only been back to work after my procedures for 2 days. I was exhausted and now had to clean up this mess, call to schedule an estimate for repair, and then figure out a solution to house our puppy while we are at work. Just your average Tuesday.

Two and a half weeks and a big invoice later, the door is fixed and we found the solution. We affectionately call it puppy jail, because it is sturdy, metal and she isn't getting out of this one! No wire or plastic to be seen and it has been reinforced with u-clips just in case our pup could have figured out a weak spot. She had some lovely carpet in the bottom, that she has already destroyed, so she gets some toys and a blanket. D comes home every day at lunch (because he finally can now that he was transferred to a closer branch! WAAAHOOO!) plays with her, takes her out and gives her water.

In this battle it seems like she won against the thunderstorm, but not against the destruction war! We are fighting a good fight. Soon we will have a house with a proper yard for her to run, dig holes and just have a grand ole time. Until then, we will stick it out with the crate! Wish us luck!