Wordless Wednesday

My wee bit is STILL asleep, and I've got prayers going that this is a growth spurt or something and not him getting sick. It's the second day in a row after all!

I want to give a full Thanksgiving recap, but for now:

What the @#$@# Tuesday

I renamed today. It's no longer Tuesdays at the Table or Two on Tuesday or any of that, and I've deemed it such due to last night's Mixbook antics. Let me explain why the words "invalid coupon code" wrecked shop around here last night.

I bought the Groupon (or whatever deal it was) a while ago -- $15 for $50 to spend. And my thoughts go-
Christmas cards! Christmas cards! Christmas cards!

Sounds like a great idea right? Yes, a really great idea!

So I waited for the "cyber Monday" deals emailed to me for the previous week and created my card last night along with a p.i.t.a. calendar for a belated birthday gift. The calendar took forever because I needed photos from Cowboy's laptop, plus mine was acting up.

But, it all gets done. I am satisfied with the results, but mostly excited that I was going to get such a great deal.  And then? Whomp....whomp....whomp.

I learn that shipping is like 20 bucks to order the cards and calendar. What? I played around with the different choices, and I believe got it down to around $11 by removing the calendar. It's not time-sensitive; after all, I'm already about 6 months late on the gift.

So for $68 (which I'd use the 50 from my Groupon), I was going to receive our Christmas cards. Whatever.

Once I retrieved my Groupon ticket and figured our which number to use in the discount code space, the lovely, red words "Invalid coupon code" jumped across the screen with an evil laugh. Ok, it wasn't really like that, but after trying a couple of times thinking that maybe when I copied and pasted, I left a space before or after the number which threw it off.
Nothing.

So hopping back over to the Groupon, I see in tiny, tiny print that the coupon expires Feb. 2012 (which I knew), but also that it doesn't activate until Feb. 1, 2012. What the @#$#? If Cowboy wasn't sleeping on the couch, I would have lost my grits!

It just seems like a shitty deal, and yes, I should have read it in its entirety before buying, but really, Mixbook? I am pretty sure I'm not the only one who bought the deal with Christmas cards in mind. In fact, I recall people's facebook sharings about it with the same idea. And on top of that, do you really charge that much for shipping?

Well, it looks like I need to take lots of pictures this Christmas season to make a great photo book or calendar in February. Or I can do our Christmas cards for next year????
But then again, I can only do one or the other because I'm sure as heck not spending a dime more than $50 to give this company more money, and with shipping, options are limited.

And this morning's conclusion? HELLO SHUTTERFLY!

Thanksgiving -- Dear Edition

So a couple of weeks ago I posted a "Dear ...." post venting about trivial matters, and yes, sometimes those things still annoy the heck out of me, but today is about gratitude. It's holiday time, and I'm feeling the joy, so.....

Dear Toddler,
Thank you for your recent increase in babbling. There is no other explanation for this noise than simply music from heaven coming down to grace us with its joy. And yes, this includes your response to "What does the pirate say?" which, yes, matches your noise for identifying the letter "R."

Dear Husband,
Thank you for your free-spirit. You embrace the little things like taco night and get unmentioned pop station songs stuck in my head after singing them all morning. You can thank me later for mentioning that little nugget.

Dear Moms Group,
We don't get to many events and are more "newbies" to your group, but I'm so thankful for the fellowship when we make play dates. It's such a joy to watch The Sheriff with other kids.

Dear Library,
Thank you for such cheap late fees. We can't be on top of everything all of the time.

Dear Mom Friend,
Thank you for taking time to offer your photography talents to shoot some family pictures with wind that was driving us all crazy and a toddler more interested in mulch! The pics are beautiful, and I am so thankful to have this moment in our lives captured.

Dear Life,
Thank you for providing new opportunities each day for me to practice the patience for which I pray. (I know; that sounds fancy, but I just can't end that sentence with a preposition.)
It seems like I haven't quite gotten it down yet, so you offer no hesitation in handing out extra practice.

Dear Husband (yep, you again),
Thank you for reminding me how blessed we truly are and not judging me when I get overwhelmed and feel otherwise.

Dear Mom,
Thank you for listening to my problems and giving suggestions to work through them. They are not life's greatest struggle. I have been truly blessed, but you treat every phone call like it's the most important conversation. Thank you for providing an example for me to grow into for The Sheriff.


Dear Readers,
Thanks for reading and commenting and writing your own glorious little tidbits of life to share with the rest of us!

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all! Now go enjoy some turkey and pumpkin pie.

Wordless Wednesday

Momma forgot a belt, and these pants were a stand-in, but you could not just

GOBBLE

HIM

UP!!!

Thanks for the threads Mamie Jewels! 

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all! 

Wednesday Whatnots

It's Wednesday-- already! Thank the Lord this week is going by faster than the last one. Things aren't going badly, but it's just a drag when the days between weekends go by so slowly.

So speaking of this week, I mentioned here that I had Etsy plans. I still might. Maybe. I just have to change my game plan. This change might have to wait until after the holidays. It's a matter of reconciling the price of what I'd put into making each item versus what I can charge. I also found more of my item on the market than I thought.

What does this mean? Well, a tiny bit of money down the drain. Well, not completely, my friends and family will surely receive these as gifts!

It also means trips to Michaels and Hobby Lobby to return items (some without receipts--yikes!), and I don't want to be near one of these stores any time soon, ESPECIALLY with a toddler who is not a happy craft store camper when his snacks run out. I guess I could just bring the entire bag of Goldfish. Yep, Allie, Goldfish, but I'm looking for alternatives! Today the entire city of Home Town, TX, was  preparing for Christmas at Hobby Lobby at 3:00 pm. Not cool.
I just don't have time for these return trips when I really should be Christmas or grocery shopping.  What was I thinking?

I glanced over to my "Who's With Me," the other day and saw 98 followers. That's pretty exciting!

*Side note--just saw a commercial for Crayola Crayon Maker. Where was this when we were melting crayons in the oven to create unique flavors. Yep, flavors.

I'm looking for some people who want to participate in a book swap. I've got my book sent as I'm supposed to, but none of my go-to peeps want to try it out. Anyone interested? I will send you the info.

So happy Wednesday y'all. I'm off to plan my return excursions!

I Really Can't Stay

Baby It's HOT OUTSIDE!

It is. Dying over here. 

But if it were cooler, I'd;

--meet friends for fancy coffee drinks.

--decorate for Christmas. Today. Right now.

--listen to a tiny bit of Christmas music.

--find leaves on the ground that are beautiful reds, yellows, and oranges instead of brown. 

--have chili, lots of chili. We made some for Halloween, but it just wasn't the same without some cold. 

--actually take on my Christmas list. With weather this hot, surely this little holiday can't be so close! 

Anyway, enough of my complaining.  It's a short post today and might be the same tomorrow. Shhhh.....I've got little Etsy plans coming! 

Baby Shower -- Getting Crafty

Thanks to soon-to-be-momma-herself Erin (seriously, the cutest preggers!) , I learned how to make these great memory boards as a personal shower gift for my sweet pregnant friends. 

It's SUPER easy and a nice way to share some love for a little bambino's room. If you don't know the nursery colors, just ask and do your best to match.  I do have to say that they seem a bit more fitting for a girl's room, but nurseries are a place where a baby can be a baby, so let those baby boys have them too!

I made one for W's room after but honestly, it does look a bit girly. I think it's just the fabric. We didn't find out the gender, and it's now time to really "boy" it up a bit. I think I'll hang onto our board in hopes of adding some girly colors for a feminine nursery one day.
I actually took the play-by-play photos for W's board and not the gift. Oh, and be sure to check out Erin's original post before your get your crafty on.

I introduce your crafting cast of characters:


-a canvas
-batting
-fabric
-ribbons
-buttons (or craft stickers)
-staple gun
-hot glue gun

Here's how it works:

1. Cut batting and fabric big enough to wrap and staple around canvas.

2. Wrap the batting around the canvas, pull tight and staple...the more the better. Get after it! (In fact, just go crazy with the staple gun, especially at night with your own child sleeping soundly in his bed. It'll get him used to the loud noises anyway. Who am I kidding. I must have been sipping some wine to have made so much noise!)

3.  Then wrap and staple the fabric the same way. Fold corners a bit like covering a book as we did as kids!  Cut away excess fabric and batting.

Then your board will look like this:

4. (This part was tricky for me as I only had stips of pre-cut ribbon but having a spool, you can simply measure and cut. ) Decide how far apart you want your ribbon, measure with a ruler and cut ribbon pieces appropriately to wrap around and staple to back.  (Sorry no pics)

5. After you've done one row of ribbon at even parallels, measure ribbon to go opposite direction and follow same Step 4. Be sure to pull ribbon tight and staple to back.

6. Hot glue buttons or stickers where ribbons cross.

Here's where I jump projects and show you the froggy stickers I chose for my friend Sara's baby boy. When I think of Sara, I think of her frog love. I had to go there!

 And here's her completed board. Sweet girl sent me pics of it up in the nursery, but I don't have them to post.  I love giving a gift that's different in the sense that it's got some personal touches. Of course, grab a thing or two off the registry to be safe. You know how we women get about our registries; we pick that @#$@ for a reason!

I haven't hung The Sheriff's yet or take a picture of the finished product. I didn't add buttons or stickers as I couldn't find what I wanted. It doesn't scream "Sheriff"so I might just reserve it for baby #2's room. (Nope, not an announcement Mom.)

Sweet 16 -- Months That Is

W,
So I'm a little late. There was our LA trip, that yucky virus, the recovery from LA trip and said virus, and then that little October holiday that seemed to keep us pretty busy. So here you are, one month older and just taking on the toddler world. May each new day this month bring smiles to your heart.


If I had to guess... you'll be a dentist or some sort of landscape architect. You love helping Momma brush her teeth, brushing your own teeth, and well, any sort of yard machinery working around you.

You're happiest when... rolling around on a pile of pillows. 

You taught me... that the lyrics to "The Wheels on the Bus" are completely adaptable. For example, some bus rides include monkeys. We even threw the buckles (you know, the straps on the stroller or high chair) on there today to "click click click" all through the town. 

Your belly loves... mac-and-cheese. Who doesn't, right? 

You're still working on... jumping and are getting really close! The scary part is that you enjoy attempting this toddler death-defying feat on the concrete outside. 

The photo that represents you...

Airplane!

One of your feats... You've now added "apple," "uh-oh," and "up"to your repertoire. I think the next couple of months holds great things for your speaking, and we can't wait to hear all that you have to say. 

What I want you to know... you are so smart! I'm fairly certain that all parents believe this about their own children, but because I think you are this smart, you won't get away with less than your best at school. I kid, but seriously, your memory amazes me daily. Colors, letter, shapes, animals, people....it seems like I point something out once or twice and you've got it! 

If all else fails... sing and dance! 

New to you... your interest in letters. It's fun to watch you play with your magnet letters and call them all "buh" but you better believe you know how to pick out the A, B, C, R, and sometimes H. 

A favorite day... The day we got back from our LA trip. It was just nice to be in our house with you kiddo. 

Your jams are... "What are you Feeling?" and "Pumped Up Kicks." Don't judge. We can change the lyrics. Readers, beware of playing this song and don't say I didn't warn you when all day you are asking everyone around you "what are you feeling?" in this sing-song way!

My heart melts.... in two ways. I love when you wrap your arms around me while you are resting your head on my shoulder and falling asleep. You even want to have your arms over me as if you are holding me. I know some day you will have a wife of your own to hold, and I hope you learn from me just how important it is to guard a woman's heart this way.

And then there's your hand-holding (more like finger holding) but I just about die every time. 

Piglet and Wyatt: Piglet kindly stepped aside for W's Jedi Master to stand in for Halloween.

We love you W and always wish you enough!

Fun with Our Phones Monday -- Linking It Up

I feel like I haven't blogged in forever! It's just been since Friday, I know, but this weekend with the whole DST thing seems to be kicking my butt. Or we were just busy (which we were).  W is doing ok with the time change and sleeping for about the same length of time (I think), but I'm waking up earlier which is a problem. Anyway, who knows what the little blog will hold this week. As for now, I'm linking up with Savanah and Erin:

You really should play along! Load up your pics (or blog from you phone fancy pants), write it up, and link it up. I'm warning you now--this one's a doozy. Lots of pics. But hey, if you didn't want to see pics, don't check out a fun with phones link right? ;) 

Sometimes Cowboy does something that I would do...like buy a wine for its name/label. This one? Great label choice. Wine? Not so much. 

Add caption

 At least someone wore W's Halloween costume. We should have taken him in the wagon!

But you can't get upset with a kid that looks this darn cute. Seriously. What a dollface!

Like a good mother, I was sure to plop W on my lap in front of the television for It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. The introduction is followed by a Snoopy clip that W thought hysterical. Of course I rewound it several times to not only continue to make him belly laugh but to capture a video. Perhaps I'll post soon.

What a sweetheart bringing Momma flowers (even if they were sans stems and often falling apart!)

Some are excited about cooler Fall temps; others get their kicks with the red cups. This family? In TX? Bring on the cheer!

Sometimes I look back at pics and think--who is this kid and where did my baby go?  Loving it!

 What? Can't you see I'm blogging here.

 Oh yea, we got new city trashcans, and of course I had to take a pic for the big reveal to Cowboy...you know, spice up his work day a bit.

You better believe it was a big deal! The entire block was outside Friday afternoon enjoying the cooler weather and watching the unloading process. Nothing brings a neighborhood together like new (FREE! Well, there is the whole tax dollars thing) trash cans.

I'm holding out that this coming Friday can also be as exciting. 

Friday Fun -- Christmas Planning and Such

Funny story---well, not so much funny--but it happened. I opened an older version of this post style to copy and paste and ended up editing and saving on the old one. Ooops. So if anyone goes back (right....) they 'll find an incomplete version of this one. 
Thanks again to  Nicole  for passing this along; it grounds me! 

TODAY:

Outside my window... Some cooler weather has rolled through, but it's always bad when the forecaster is talking about the next front. This means it's going to warm back up for a day or two. I'm listening to the sounds of grass cutting...always grass cutting. Not a lot around these parts do their own yards so every day of the week (and many times twice a week) that's the outdoor soundtrack that seeps its way inside. 

I am wondering...  if I can possibly accomplish all of the DIY I want to do in the next two months. Look out Pinterest and Christmas season. It could get ugly around here. I'm talking worse than 1st birthday planning ugly! And by ugly I, of course, mean absolutely adorable.

I have whimsical plans about... hosting a Christmas party or cookie exchange. Hmmm. 

I am wearing... jammies. And freezing in here. I'm eyeing W's footed pjs right now and am pretty jealous. Let's be honest; I probably wouldn't really wear footed jammies. Or would I? 

I am loving... The Biggest Loser. I haven't watched from the beginning of the series but have caught the last 3 or 4 seasons. I love Bob's comments: Why I am standing alone over here? I'm not the one who needs to lose weight!

I appreciate... friends who unknowingly encourage me in my faith through their status updates and blogs.

From the kitchen... I had a little helper this past week who stirred and poured for a bit. I can't wait to tell you what we cooked!  

I am grateful... for each morning's feeling that I can be the best version of myself today. Most of the time, this lasts just a few minutes before I stumble. So I guess I'm also thankful God has given me many "tomorrow" so far. 

I am thinking about... a possible crafty business idea and hoping that it can be something fun and make a tiny bit of money in the meantime. Details to come...


I am praying for... a son taken away from his father by a selfish woman. 

Sheriff... is 16 months! Holy cow! I still need to get on top of that monthly post. He's been cracking us up lately with his dancing and "weebling" -- not to be confused with a little ditty from the 504 Boyz, but I'm willing to be he would get down to that too!


I am attempting to live the Gospel by... acknowledging that I haven't been the best member of our family around here this week. Maybe its PMS; maybe I just need to adjust my attitude, and that's exactly what I plan on doing. What can I do each day to show love to my husband and our son. This should come natural, I know. Sometimes, I just need to give it a bit more effort. 

Planning for the weekend.. Saturday night will be unbelievably joyous or grievous. Let's Geaux Tigers!

A picture thought I am sharing...

Have a wonderful weekend!

They Don't Tell You in Mommy School

There is this nasty little virus oh-so-creatively named hand-foot-mouth disease. Yea, no one told me about that@#$#! Or that I'd be taking pictures of my kid's legs that look like they scary Google images pics when you are searching for what's wrong with your child.  Or that I'd be sending those pics to my mom friends to figure out the mystery rash. Or that this nasty bug would rear its head on our road-trip to the homeland. Or that said virus would leave my poor baby's skin broken out for the likes of a week to ten days.

So I'm telling you! Don't Google it. Like I said, it's nasty! But apparently it's the new chicken pox. W just has a really bad case. Good news is that his rash is mostly on his legs and not so much in his mouth (knock on wood!) so he's still eating and drinking. Poor fella (and momma) missed the fun of Halloween weekend, but we'll have to make up for it next year. A wagon ride to see the sights is as far as we'll get. Maybe, just maybe, we can get him to wear his costume.

All that being said, the kiddo is a trooper. While at home, we did do a lot of this:

The above scene also took place all night!

I'll spare you his whining pics, and yes, I'll also spare the pics of his breakouts. But those pics could land me on Images..... Nah!

But he couldn't help but be a boy and partake in his usual boy active sweetness either! We made sure to scope out Mamie Jewel's neighborhood for pumpkins, scarecrows, and of course, Tiger flags!

And then we played lots under the shady tree. Apparently putting leaves in and out of a bucket is captivating.

Seriously, does this look like the face of a sick toddler?

May your child never, ever manage to contract this "disease," but he might. Quite a few of our friends' kids have gotten it. The good news is that, like chicken pox, it should be a one-time deal. I guess now I know!

Dear....

So I don't know where this format stems from and can't give credit, but I admit this idea is not mine. If yours, brilliant and thanks for sharing!

Dear Husband Not To Be Named:
I love you with all my heart, but replace the bag in the garbage can after taking the trash out!

Dear Local Big City Newspaper:
This is the second time my Sunday paper (with coupons!) is not delivered. You are seriously cramping my coupon bandwagon style. More importantly, I can look up a way to report the missing papers but I've got to call in. It's 2011 people; can I get a contact online! (Yes, the husband note -- It's 2011, who gets the paper?) That's beside the point. For all intents and purposes, let's make this little problem go away.

Dear Giant Bowl for Halloween Candy:
I've bought 6 "fun size" bags with coupons (from the Sunday papers I did receive), and you still aren't full? I'll take it as a sign that I need to go ahead and buy the tootsie roll candy pack with those tiny boxes of Dots. I love Dots. Ok, so maybe I'm not so mad at your size after all.

Dear Fall:
Get here already and stop teasing us! You know, our friends up north already have snow. Snow! I realize they are already tired of it, but can we get some consistency? We are loving time outside and pumpkin lattes (not to mention pumpkin muffins, cookies, and bread), but these only semi-cool temps are making my hot crock pot meals seem premature.

Dear Makers of Straw Sippy Cups,
Why invent a cup that the kiddo, just learning how to work the dang thing after all, has to not only bite the straw but also get his lips around to suck? If I as an adult have to "figure the thing out," what's the wee bit to do? I understand they put everything in their mouths with teething, but not necessarily to btie with their front teeth/gums.
That being said, thanks Munchkin for some normal straw cups!

Dear Pumpkin-Flavored Baked Goods:
My ass does not appreciate your existence. Need new workout plan stat!

Dear Klout:
What are you, where did you come from, and how do I keep you from clogging up my twitter feed? And you give out moo cards? Say what? You are one trend in which I will, for sure, not partake.

This venting is refreshing; I see a weekly post coming on. Ok, not really. Let's hope I don't have that much to vent, and I know myself and commitment to blog ideas. It's mentioned. I forget. Done.

And now I can go on with my day!

All Saints Day Reading Challenge

When I was trying to schedule posts for the week, I realized that Tuesday is Nov. 1, All Saints' Day, and I didn't want to have the day pass me by without some reflection and intention on my part. St. Rose of Lima is my namesake (middle name), and I chose St. Catherine of Siena as my confirmation name. A couple of years ago, yes years, I purchased this book in order to delve deeper into the life of one of "my" Saints.

It's one that has been on the old nightstand for quite some time. I began it. I dog-eared a few pages it's got a bookmark in it. I just didn't make much progress.

Today I rededicate myself to starting over and finishing this book before I read another. I've also got Fr. Alban Butler's Lives of the Saints to make part of my daily reading. I was so good about keeping up while teaching because I'd do it before work, but apparently something about motherhood makes me push these things aside. For what, I wonder. Blogging? Television? It's time for me to redirect my free time, and this is one small way I can do that and see the wonders God works through the amazing men and women who give their entire lives to him.