The BEST Shopping

I spent much of my time over this past week away shopping! I mean, who doesn't want to buy designer wholesale clothing and handbags?

My mom always comes home from her trips with fun new purses, and I got my first pair of Guess Jeans from Hong Kong. Mind you that was back in 1986 when Guess Jeans were all the rage and cost a fortune!

I didn't come home with too much, but I did find the cutest sun dress for next to nothing! I can't wait for the weather to warm up so that I can start wearing it here. Now that I am home, my poor budget is back on tap--so there won't be much more shopping to be done until pay day!!

I hope I can wait!

Charlie!!

Well, it has been too long my friends! I have been out of town for this conference or that, but I am back! Life is good when you are away, but it is always nice to come home. Have you ever been to the Caribbean? It is beautiful, and so warm this time of year, compared to Chicago. What made this particular conference so nice was that it was for my husband's work. So other than the "supporting" duties that I had, I was completely on my own. Since my husband is an executive with the corporation, we were put up in a little bungalow on the hotel grounds. Everything was beautiful--smelled HEAVENLY! The one problem, Charlie! Charlie is a huge spider (from the West Indies) and honestly, we saw him perched in the bathroom window as soon as we got there.

Creepy as he was, I didn't mind using the facilities if Charlie was visible in his web. Ok, to be totally honest, I would have loved to find a brown recluse spider trap only bigger to get him the heck out of there...but if you thought I was going to use my shoe on him, you would be sadly mistaken! The fun part came about 2:30 a.m. about three nights into our stay. We always slept with the bathroom door closed and a towel at the bottom to keep Charlie from roaming. So my husband gets up in the middle of the night to take care of some personal business and the first thing he notices is that Charlie isn't in his "normal" spot. But not being able to wait around to look for him, he just sat down and took car of himself. When he was finished he pulled the sheet down on the toilet paper roll---and yep...Charlie came around with the roll. Even though we were in our own bungalow...I'm sure EVERY guest of the hotel heard him scream his head off!

I'm not sure we got much sleep that night wondering what creatures were wandering around our room, but it is definitely a great story to share with anyone who cares to listen!!

What I Would Really Like

This Christmas we got our boys a Game Cube. Of course if you ask me, we got them an xbox 360. My husband always laughs and corrects me, but honestly--what does it matter? They are both Nintendo gaming systems--they boys know what I'm talking about, even when I get it wrong. But it's funny.

You know what I really want? I want Super Mario Brothers--that first Nintendo game. I remember loving it, but since it wasn't mine I didn't get to play it nearly enough. I don't think they make it for the Game Cube, but I would totally love to get a chance to play it. I was looking on Ebay for it, and they are still selling for nearly $30. It's like 20 years old--and yet it's still one of the best sellers. Too cool!

The Week

The holidays have come and gone! Can you believe it! We finally had our last "Christmas" related activity, my sons cello concert. His concert was originally scheduled for a couple of weeks before Christmas, but due to inclement weather it was postponed until after the Christmas holiday. It was kind of nice getting to hear Christmas carols after Christmas!

Other than that, we've kicked right in with our New Years traditions. Leptovox, treadmill, weight training...you name it--it's all going on here. This year is my high school reunion, and I would really like to look decent. So hard as it may be, I have to keep it up.

We are currently set to fly into Utah in mid-August, and then home just in time to start school. To be completely honest...I CAN'T WAIT!!

My 2009 Plans

Do you make New Year Resolutions? I am BIG at this! I have a resolution for everything, but this year, I'm bound and determined to see some of them come to fruition. My biggest...getting healthy! Notice I didn't say "losing weight"--I find that to be way to vague, and I really want to make it work this time. I've got my weight loss products lined up and I've even moved the treadmill from the boring, cold basement...to my warm, comfortable bedroom with the Tivo. Yeah, you can just hear my seriousness now, huh!

One pound at a time, but I'm hoping by my 20th reunion this summer, I can have lost at least 50 lbs!! Wish me luck!

We Rent...a LOT

Over the holiday break we rented a LOT of movies. Do you and your family do that? With the Red Box dollar rentals out there, why not?? Sadly, because we rented so many they had run out of my favorite chick flick genre and my last rental turned out to be the Sex in the City movie. Honestly, I think you had to watch the series on TV to get what was going on---but I do have to say, during the final scene when she goes back to her 'former' luxury penthouse for her never worn Manolo Blahnik shoes and meets "Big"...I thought that was the best. Especially after he'd left her at the alter. It was a light movie--truly--no plot to stew over. But it was a nice change, Daniel had forced me to rent "The Christmas Shoes". Great movie! Great, 3 HANKY movie!! So something light after that, was a welcome escape!

Sad News

I just got off the phone with my mother, it appears that my uncle has had an accident. He was snow blowing his driveway this morning when the wet snow bogged down the blades. You know what's coming next, but you know--he thought he was being smart. He turned off the snowblower before attempting to clear the snow. The problem was the blades had been working so hard to do their job, that they actually had wound quite tight before he turned off the machine. He reached in to clear the snow and by freeing up the blades it allowed them to unwind--and no safety equipment around could have protected him from what came next.

He is currently in surgery. He's lost 2 fingers on his right hand, and although they are hoping to be able to reconnect them some how, they really aren't sure if they'll be able to, and if they can--just how much motion he'll recover is really unknown.

It's such a sad way to start the year, but if any of you out there have room for some extras...My Uncle Dave could really use some prayers!

Some Time Away

We are planning a fun get away for just my husband and I. I can't decide if I would rather book a cruise, or find a really nice hotel in downtown Chicago for a really good price. Ha...did you notice that? I threw in the cruise idea, as though there is any space in the budget for that (you did read below about the braces, right??)

Time away is really easy when you live near a really fun city. The hotels in the Chicago area are beautiful and have every amenity possible. From the pop up tv (I will have one of these before I die) to the mini bar to ROOM SERVICE!! I don't care if they charge me an additional 18% to bring it to me...someone else cooks it---and brings it to me----in bed!

I think I'm going to check out one of those "name your own price" websites to see what I can get. We do have a few friends left from our days in the hotel business that maybe we can swing a trade out or something. All in all...I can't wait!

Happy New Year!

I have been gone for the past 2 weeks. Nothing fun I assure you! Aside from the holidays, I have been struck by my yearly bronchitis and it was/is a doozy! I'm finally feeling a little better today and my to do list is a mile and a half long! My oldest in is need of braces--I need to find an orthodontist. Our insurance policy is up for renewal, and because there are now braces on the table--I need to find some cheap auto insurance! I have a menu to plan out for the month of January that fits our budget...and I have to come up with some blog posts for the company blog. Can I go back to bed yet??

I'm sorry for the long absence, and I hope that you all enjoyed a wonderful and safe holiday season!

Digital Dreams

I have been checking out all of the "sales" for my Christmas shopping, and you know, I'm ALWAYS drawn to the cameras. You know, big-beautiful-professional looking cameras like the Canon Powershot. But what is so sad, even if I got this amazing piece of equipment, I wouldn't know the first thing about using it.

My little brother is a professional photographer, and after seeing all of his amazing pictures of his kids (yeah, his wife is a pro too) the green eyed monster starts welling up in my gut! I do cute things with my kids, and my pictures are garbage. How I would love to not only own a professional camera, but also to have the know how to actually use it!

A Moment On The Future

Schaweet!! That is all I can say! You may remember a few days back I was talking about finding a new insurance company to get an umbrella policy under. I found one that was such a great price, and even better after we added life insurance quotes!

I've thought a lot about life insurance but because we are pretty young, and relatively healthy, but you know...if something were to happen to one of us, the other would be TOAST! Me for income, the hubby for child care and the running of the house. So it was nice to be forced to sit down and think about the future, and plan for those moments that no one really wants to think about!

Happy Turkey Day!!

&

Setting Some Goals

I mentioned watching the Biggest Loser two weeks ago, and how I despise the "troll" Vicky!! I was amazed watching it last night, that the people going home have lost like 75 pounds in 3 months, and that's not with the help of Tonalin or anything like it. Just good old fashioned exercise--I would LOVE to exercise more...but I don't! How bad is that?

I have a treadmill that I was pumped up and excited to use, until we moved, and it ended up in the basement! It weighs a ton, but I'm going to see if I can't get it up to the master bedroom this week so I can walk while I watch "my shows". I know, that's bad...but honestly, it's not getting any use hangin' in the empty, cold basement!!

That is my goal for the week!

What A Week!

I wrote last week about Butch coming to live with us. I have to say, after a few days with him...I'm exhausted! There is no need for a fat-burner like Fenphedra in this house, this puppy has us all wiped out!

Have you seen the dogs that run the agility courses? THIS is the kind of thing Butch would be amazing at. Sadly, I don't know where one is around here...and I don't know how much they cost.

My husband is 6'2" and if he holds a dog treat in his fingers with his arm straight out to the side, this dog can totally jump and get it. From the ground. Without a running start! It's absolutely amazing. Tiring...and amazing!

Budget Friendly

I have been online checking out auto insurance quotes this week. The minor (not my fault) fender bender a few years back, has just dropped off. So it's the perfect time to find something more affordable.

I've narrowed it down to two companies. One will be cheaper if we can get our home owners insurance covered with them as well (I'll have to let you know) and the other won't do our home owners policy, but will be cheaper if the first company can't either!

Honestly, how do people work 40 hour work weeks, and take care of the house as well? I have endless days ahead of me, and I'm still drowning in errands!

Shopping!

We only have 2 days off this week for Thanksgiving. I was unhappy at first because my sisters kids have the whole week off, which would mean some "sleep in" time for me, but as it works out I need to find a new desk for my computer, and shopping for office furniture with my 4 year old is never fun. So I can drop him off at Pre-K, and head out. Currently the computer I use lives in my kitchen. It resides on a bakers rack that is not only falling apart, but is also too high to comfortably type on.

But because it takes up the corner of the kitchen, I would like something much smaller, to keep the room from closing in around us.

Butch's New Home!

We have a new puppy, Butch. Sadly we are not prepared for this! We have hedges that surround our property and in the summer it works as a great barrier between our yard and the neighbors, but with fall in full swing and winter coming on, the hedges are barren and the puppy has no problem finding his way out of the yard. I've looked into pvc fence installation, and it looks like the perfect solution for us. It's cheap, and easy, and the whole thing can be installed the same day. I was originally looking into one of those underground fences, but I wasn't thrilled with the idea of shocking the poor little thing if he crossed the line, so we had to look into something else.

I'll have to let you know how it works out for us!!

Fixing A Broken Drain??

How do fix a bathtub drain? The faucet works great, but when you lift the little drain plug switch, nothing happens. Our upstairs bathroom has 3 inches of water from yesterday's baths that I can't get to drain. I've looked it up online on a few sites, but I haven't been able to find anything that helps. I SOOOOOOO don't want to call a plumber, I can't afford that this week! I may have to just bite the bullet and unscrew the face plate to see if there is something I can figure out by looking at it. If not, it isn't a problem that can wait, so I will have to call someone.

Any ideas??

Christmas Parties & Gifts

I got a phone call today inviting us to another Christmas party. Now I'm one that normally minds a ton of holiday plans, seeing that they are my most favorite part of the year. But with 15 parties on tap from the hotel's employee party on down to our New Years Eve party...I think I'll be swilling dietpills and eggnog just to get my waistline through it all.

The one thing I do have to do in the coming weeks is figure out what homemade gift I'm giving this year. Last year was cookie mix in a jar. The year before that it was homemade caramel sauce and sinful hot fudge. If I had been smart earlier in the year, I would have stocked up on my homemade raspberry jam, it is AMAZING!

The Little Princess!

I have a little princess here! It's hard not to be when you are the only girl in a family with three brothers. What is so cute, and uniquely her-she is a tomboy princess! It would not ever be a surprise to find her playing in the mud wearing a tiara. That is just how she is. There is some really cute "blingy" items of wholesale fashion jewelry that I'm looking at for a stocking stuffer or two for her.

There is a cute bracelet with a heart lock and a little key. That is just her. Cute, sweet and all around precious! I'll have to show it to my husband to see what he thinks. It's a go for me!