Friday, October 30, 2015

It's the Weekend - WHOOP WHOOP!!!

Happy Happy Friday guys and dolls! Whew, we finally made it! I have a lot going on this morning, so this will be short and sweet.  Thank you all for the kind anniversary wishes yesterday, I really appreciated them.  We had a lovely anniversary but I will fill you in Monday with the rest of the weekend shenanigans. :)  I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and will catch you on the flip side. :)





Lots of love and hugs,

Thursday, October 29, 2015

18 years and counting.............

Happy Thursday lovies!  Hope you're having an awesome week so far!  We have officially made it to that part of the week that we love to call "Friday Eve"!!!

 

Anywho... I wanted to dedicate this portion of my post to my wonderful and loving husband of 18 years.  We have had our ups and downs (more ups than downs) over the past 18 years, but what marriage doesn't.  We've been through the good and the bad and the rich and the poor but always seem to find our way back to the top.  We met over 18 years ago at a country/western dance club in Little Rock, Arkansas and hit it off.  Ironically, however, we had actually met at that same country/western dance club FIVE years PRIOR to that and didn't like each other.  It's funny how your opinions change on things once you mature.  We didn't even realize we had actually met 5 years prior until later in the years when we were talking about the night we met (the 2nd time).  

The 2nd time we met - he thought I was a 19 year old with a fake ID.  Once he learned I was actually 29 years old and had a 3 year old daughter from my previous marriage and he ironically had a 3 yo son from his previous marriage, that's when he decided I might be worth his time after all.  Before he knew my real age (he actually took my driver's license and tried to scratch it off because he didn't believe I was really 29 yo) - he had told his brother and friends that he didn't need a teeny bopper but needed a mother for his 3 yo son.  LOL  Needless to say, from that point on we were pretty much inseparable.  My daughter is 3 months older than my stepson (which I don't use that term in normal daily conversation - because he is my son in my eyes) and it was just like raising twins all of this time.  

Hubby and I only dated for 2 months before we got married.  Yes, I realize that it was FAST, and NO I was NOT pregnant - we had both just had awful first marriages that we knew what we wanted and why wait? So... we went to the justice of the peace one day at lunch and tied the knot and went back to work - LOL  A couple of years later, I converted to Catholic, and we got married in the Catholic Church because it was important to his mom.  Anyway, over the course of our 18 years, we have lived in 5 different cities in 4 different states and owned 3 houses, but our hearts belong to Arkansas hands down and I know we will find our way back there in the very near future and I can't wait. :)

After looking at my photos on Snapfish, I realized there was no way I could put all of my pictures that I wanted to share on here - I have SO many wonderful memories over our 18 years of marriage, that I started reminiscing and let the time slip away from me.  I will have to make another post or two sharing some of our family memories at a later time.....but for now......

Happy Anniversary to the love of my life, my soulmate and best friend.  I love you to the moon and back and cannot wait to continue our life together.  Cheers to another 18 + years my darling groom. 


 Thanks for stopping by my friends.  I hope you have a fabulous day! 

 Lots of love and hugs,

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

What's Hap-"pinning" Wednesday

Happy Hump Day guys and dolls.  Hope you're having a fabulous week so far!  You know what today is, right?! Of course, you do!  It's time to link up with Jessi and Jenn for their weekly link up party, so grab your party hat and come play along, won't you?! :)


This is going to be short and sweet this morning, as I am running terribly behind and haven't even finished my first cup of coffee.  So.... here is what's hap-"pinning" in my neck of the woods so far this week:

1.  Monday, I began a 2nd round of Whole 30 and have stayed compliant and on track so far - yes, I realize it has only been 3 days, but this week has been extremely stressful and last night I desperately needed a glass of wine, which I did not reach for.  I completed my first round of Whole 30 in August and felt fantastic.  I had lost 13 lbs. and 11 inches overall.  When it came to the re-introduction, however, I didn't put the breaks on, so I'm trying to get myself back on track, because trust me, I can tell a difference for sure when I am feeding my face full of junk and candy and when I'm eating nothing but clean whole foods.  I mainly eat all Paleo anyway, but this is a good way to cleanse the body and get back on track if you fall of the wagon. :)


2.  I received a call from my daughter last night stating that if she doesn't have my grandson by the 15th of November, that they are inducing her.  I can NOT wait - the time is getting SO close!! Just look at that baby belly - isn't she cute!! :) (of course, she's a lot bigger than this now, I just don't have a new picture at the moment)


3.  And last, but not least, tomorrow is mine and my husband's 18 year wedding anniversary - so here's an early shout out to this stud of mine - I love you darling groom and look forward to 18+ more years with you:


So there you go, short and sweet just like I said.  What's hap-"pinning" in your neck of the woods today?  Be sure to link up so I can follow along with your favorites this week.  Have a great day lovies and thanks for stopping by to say hello! :)

Lots of love and hugs,

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Hey, It's Okay Tuesday

Happy Happy Tuesday friends!  Hope your Monday was as awesome as you are! Mine was spent all day in a banking class - literally..... alllllllllllll dayyyyyyyyyy long............ B-O-R-I-N-G - did I mention how bad I hate the banking field?! Blah....blah....blah..... Oh well.... I learned a lot so I'd say that was at least a WIN, right?! :)  Okay... on to the Tuesday roundup with Amber at Airing My Laundry, One Post at a Time.  Come play along and be part of the "cool" crowd, um kay?! :)


-- To be so happy for the invention of electricity.  After being without power for over 16 hours this past weekend, I forgot how nice it was not to rough it like the olden days - hey, I needed my coffee and stat!!!


-- To be super excited that my Hogs won against Auburn last weekend in a 4 OT game and we were able to pull it off in the clutch - WPS!!!

-- To be glad that my new meds have officially gotten into my system how they should be that they are no longer giving me vertigo - sheesh - talk about a long time coming for that one

-- To be so happy that this weekend is turn back the clocks to get an extra hour of sleep - whoop whoop!!!

-- To be thrilled that it also means that Fall, Thanksgiving and my new grandson being born are on the immediate horizon - I can NOT wait to kiss all over his cheeks and hold him and squeeze him and call him George - anyone remember that show.... best cartoons every when I was growing up:


So what about you guys and dolls?  What are your Hey, It's Okay Tuesday thoughts today?  Be sure to link up! Have an awesome day and thanks for stopping by to say hello. :)

Lots of love and hugs,

Monday, October 26, 2015

Weekend Recapping


Happy Monday, guys and dolls!  Hope you had a fabulous weekend!  Ours was kind of a hit and miss but there were some highlights:


-- Friday night we went to dinner with our neighbors across the street at our favorite little Mexican restaurant down the road.  On our way home I received a phone call that made the night AWESOME! Back in December I had emergency gallbladder surgery - well long story short, thanks to the crappy insurance we had, MY portion of the bill was over $60,000!!!! Yes, you read all of those zero's correctly.  Anywho.... we've already paid over $7,000 towards that bill since May.  Well, on Friday night the billing company called and said that thanks to us being what they called "underinsured" that our NEW balance was now only $1,330.63 and did we want to pay that off in full today?! Ummm... what just happened?! Of course, we said YES!!!!  Come to find out that after MONTHS of us fighting with the hospital and our insurance company (because, come on, that was ridiculous for a TWO day stay in the hospital - that amount didn't include the doctors, surgeons, nothing - that was just for the stay), they decided to give us a "charity" discount and that $1,330.63 was the remaining balance after that plus all we had already paid towards it.  Hello FREEDOM!!! Whoop Whoop - talk about a HUGE relief off our shoulders!!

-- Saturday it began to really start raining, but we had errands to run and groceries to get, so we got out and took care of a few things that morning.  By 11 a.m., however, we were back home and watching our Hogs take on Auburn.  Talk about a NAIL BITER - it went into FOUR Overtimes but we actually pulled it out and won the game!  It was a MUCH needed win and definitely one that had us on the edge of our seats the entire game.  
Once the heart attacks were over, we left to run more errands and grab dinner.  We got home and had just settled in bed to catch up on our DVR shows and then BOOM our power went out - ARGH!!!!!!!  Well, come to find out, it wasn't an actual power outage, our main breaker on the breaker box burnt up and melted.  Of course, it was pouring down rain, so there wasn't any way our landlords could get an electrician out there that night at 8 o'clock, so we just hunkered down and read, and went to sleep early.  Talk about being miserable trying to get stuff done that needed to be cooked and cleaned on Sunday without electricity - blah.  It was okay to rough it for the night, but I was SO happy to have our power back on Sunday by 1 p.m.! 

-- Sunday, once our power was restored, I was finally able to cook and clean and start preparing for the week ahead.  Did I mention I am starting another Whole 30 today? I eat mainly Paleo as it is, but wanted to get my body back on track before Thanksgiving hits and this is the way to do it.

Today I have a class for work and will be out of the office all day, but at least the rain has stopped. However, we are experiencing some nice COOL weather today and I am SUPER excited about that and being able to dress a little warmer today - I'm sure the classroom will be frigid this morning.

So, what about you?  What did you do over the weekend?  Anything special?  Can't wait to catch up! Thanks for stopping by lovies! :)

Lots of love and hugs,

Friday, October 23, 2015

Friday Faves - Halloween Memories - Salem Witch Style

Good morning guys and dolls and HAPPY FRIDAY - can I get an AMEN!!!!???? WOO HOO!!!! This time last week we were already on the road to Arkansas and then headed up to IL for a funeral. I am so happy that we are home this weekend and not traveling.  Both Hubby and I are still trying to catch up on our sleep and are just exhausted to say the least.  As you know, on Fridays, I sometimes play along with my friend Becky at The Java Mama and Kim over at Faith, Grace & Giggles for their Friday link up party.  


This week's party is all about Halloween Memories. When we lived in the Northeast, we were only a few hours from Salem, Massachusettes and had heard from a friend about the Salem Witch Festival that they had every year, so we loaded up the kids and took off. These pictures are from there but from a couple of different years. I hope you enjoy and I'm sorry for the picture overload, but I couldn't decide which ones to share, so I wanted to share the best of what I could locate still on my computer. :)

These first few pictures are at the Welcome Center once you cross into Massachusettes:
 And of course, what is Halloween without the gallos? :)
 
These next few are in the Mall itself at the festival:
 I had to get inside the coffin - duh:
 And yes, this was a real person and she was as creepy as she looked - ha!
These next few are in the actual Salem Witch Museum and during the Witch trials that you learn about as you are sitting in the main courtroom
 
 
 
 
These are about the town - and also as you can see, most everyone dresses up as witches for the festival:
 
 
My daughter was too scared to do a ghost hunt tour with me, so I had to settle for this picture of her with a ghost instead - LOL
Cemetery at the church on site 
Thankfully, my son is as big of a Cemetery freak as I am and loves to check out the old ones with me:
 Had to get a picture with the ugly witch - lol
 And what would Halloween be without the GOOD Witch, Sabrina? My kids just loved her
So there you go - there are some of my absolute favorite Halloween memories.  I do hope you've enjoyed seeing the pictures and will come play along with us today.  However, if not today, here is the calendar below that shows you what they have in store for the next few weeks in case you change your mind:
I hope you have a fabulous day and a wonderful weekend ahead!  See you on the flip side lovies. :)

Lots of love and hugs,

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Fall About Me

I saw this over on Going the Distance this morning and thought I would play along, because those of you who have been here a while, know I LURVE FALL and everything about it. :)  So, since she invited everyone to play along, I thought I would do so as well and would love it if you would too! Isn't this the cutest picture! :)


Favorite candle scent - Any and all things pumpkin, pumpkin pie, etc.  If I had it my way, I would burn this scent year 'round to make myself believe it is fall all the time.  Hubby and I are Yankee Candle fanatics to say the least - we LOVE them and burn them constantly


Best fragrance for fall - I wasn't quite sure what this one meant, unless it was referring to perfume - but I wear Amirage by Givenchy when the temps start dropping and it is also my go to for winter as well.
Coffee, tea or hot chocolate? - Definitely a coffee and tea drinker, not so much a hot chocolate drinker unless it is absolutely freezing and snowing outside and then I may drink one cup but that's it

Favorite Thanksgiving food — Pecan pie, hands down

What is the best fall memory you have - living in NY and NJ and being so far from home and getting to go home one year for the Thanksgiving holidays to see my friends and family.

Favorite type of pie — Homemade Pecan pie - see answer above ^

Most worn sweater - living in Texas I don't get to wear sweaters of any sort for long, but I would say my khaki with black stripes tunic that I bought at Stein Mart last year.  It is SO super comfy and looks adorable with my skinny jeans and boots

Football games or jumping in leaf piles - Definitely football games - I mean, hello, you do know me well enough to know I'm a HUGE Razorback football fanatic, right?! 

What song really gets you into the fall spirit - I have no idea what song would ever remind me of Fall 

Which makeup trend do you prefer: dark lips or winged liner - I love them both, but don't know how to wear either of them - LOL  Plus I think you really have to have the right skin tone to be able to wear dark lips regardless 

Is pumpkin spice worth the hype - probably not, but I love all things Pumpkin Spice regardless and as much as I love Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks, it's much easier for me to make my own at home and cost a whole lot less

Favorite fall TV show - there is an entire list of them, but my favorite is probably Scandal and the TGIT lineup

Combat boots or Uggs - Uggs for sure - combat boots? Um... no, just no..... I love my Uggs but again, barely get to wear them due to the lack of cold here in the Houston area

Skinny jeans or leggings - definitely both, but I am much more comfortable in my jeans than leggings when going out, but leggings when lounging around the house

Halloween: yay or nay - even though my kids are both grown, and Halloween hasn't always been a favorite of mine, I do enjoy decorating for each of the seasons, including Halloween, and love a good Adult Halloween party

What do you think about Black Friday - I used to LOVE everything about Black Friday, as it was the one day a year when my bestie and I would meet at the mall at 3:30 in the morning and shop until about 7 that night - no kids, no husbands, plenty of good food, good shopping and great laughs.  We did this for 15 years straight before we moved away and I miss those days terribly.  I do not do Black Friday now unless it's on the computer from my warm comfy chair at home

Fall mornings or evenings - either - I love everything about Fall and the crispness both in the morning and evenings

One Fall 2015 trend you love - definitely the poncho, I've been on the hunt for a good one but haven't found one yet.  I love the light weight feel to a poncho, but still getting the warmth of a light jacket

There is my list - feel free to come play along! Have a great day lovies and thanks for stopping by! P.S.  Please excuse the wonkiness of my paragraphs - they are messing up again and I can't get them to justify for anything this morning - it drives me NUTS to say the least - LOL



Lots of love and hugs,

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

What's Hap-"Pinning" Wednesday

Good morning, and happy Hump Day lovies! Hope you're having a fantastic week so far.  Today is one of my favorite days of the week because it means linking up with Jenn and Jessi and playing along with their What's Hap-"Pinning" Wednesday.  I always love reading everyone's commentary on their weeks so far, so come play along, won't you?! :)


I don't know about you, but I just can't get over the fact that we are almost through the entire month of October already.  It is just un-real to me.  At the bank, we are in the middle of that time of year where we had the Examiners a couple of weeks back and today starts the Auditors - blah....  With that being said, this year has flown by so fast already, and so I've started daydreaming about decorating ideas for Thanksgiving and CHRISTmas.  A few of my favorite things this week include:

I love the look of this entry way - so simple, yet elegant
 I always enjoy making homemade yummies for friends, family and co-workers, and I love this idea
 One day, I don't know when, but I will have this tree - I just LOVE it
And what's a Thanksgiving table without a beautiful tablescape, am I right?! :)
 
And another adorable tablescape for the holidays - I think this would be very cute kids table 
 What a cool idea for a tree stand
 I love the rustic look of this wreath
I always enjoy making new Christmas ornaments each year - I am putting these at the top of my list
So those are my hap-"pinnings" for the week - what are yours?  I hope you all have a wonderful day and thanks so much for stopping by.  :)

Lots of love and hugs,