UPDATE!

The playlist music is WORKING!!!!!

I AM SAAAAAAAAAAAVED!!!!! :)

Brrrrr!

After it was almost 80 degrees outside yesterday, my hopes for a pleasant rest of the winter were dashed today when I walked out to my truck and it was 22 degrees with a windchill of 12! BOOOOO!!

Also, booo to my work's firewall for not letting my playlist play on here! I'm pretty sure I will go into a music-less coma if it doesn't start working! My itunes is working, but those songs might put me to sleep because over half of them are Celine Dion. No offense Celine, I love your guts, but you alone are not going to get me through this Monday! Today, it's just me and another lady in the office, and The Boss Lady is in meetings all day, so there's not really much to do... Thus the need for some snappy music!

I apologize for my lack of blogging this weekend, but I was actually being productive (GASP!). It was kinda chilly Saturday, so the hubby and I just hung out at the house in the morning, then in the afternoon we went and ran a couple of errands (he even went with me to the Fabric store!!!WHOA!) and Saturday night we hung out some more and I did a couple of loads of laundry and cut out fabric for some burp cloths.

Yesterday was GREAT! I made 25 BURP CLOTHS! (This pic is what was left after I took a load of them to the Crap Mall) I was a sewing machine! (Haha! Get it?!?!) The hub thought I was going to sew my hand onto one of those things I was zooming through them! I was pretty stinkin' proud of myself! Taylor went to the grocery store (YAY!) then grilled some chicken for fajitas outside and enjoyed the nice weather with the dogs while I was sewing, but I had the sliding glass door open so I could partake in the nice weather too!

IN OTHER GOOD NEWS!!!!! My BFF Allison just texted me, and WE'RE GOING TO CABO!!!!! I called her last week to address the issue of us needing to go on a girls trip and we quickly decided that since she's already going to New York next month, everywhere else we wanted to go, our hubby's would want to go too, so we were stuck. But her parents have a time share in Cabo and they aren't going to be able to use it until christmas, so they're letting us use it! WOOOOHOOO! So we are tenatively going to go in August. The summer is a busy time for her and her hubby (he's a Youth Minister in Artesia) and they're also in the process of exploring other opportunities to minister (as in, Texas or Oklahoma). And that's a good time for us as well because Taylor will be done with his welding stuff and I will have accumulated enough vacation days. So now I REALLY have some motivation to lose weight! Bikini body here I come!!!

This is the place \/

WOOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!! I'M SO STINKING EXCITED!!!! :D

Okay, so moving right along... (I guess going 2 days without blogging makes for a long post!) If any of you have read my very first post on this blog, you would see that I inteded on making a 101/1001 list. What is a 101/1001 list you may ask? Well, I had to hijack another blog's explanation of it, b/c mine just wouldn't adequately describe it, hard to believe, I know :)

The Mission: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past — frequently simple goals such as new year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Goal setting tips
Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.
Stay Focused. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.
Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.
Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.
Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

I'm cheating and I "technically" started last Monday (when I went on my diet, and started running) but I'm still workin on populating the list, so I'll post that whenever it's finished.

But here's the fun part: I'm challenging all 3 of my readers (that means YOU Ally! It will give you an excuse to actually blog!) to make a 101/1001 list and DO IT! Post the list and I will keep up with you! K? K! Good luck! :)

Day 2 of "Running"

Okay, so it was really yesterday, but better late than never, right? Okay, that's what I thought. :)

Yesterday (thursday) was day #2 of FAMILY running! I actually rather enjoyed it. Yes, you read that right. Although, my tune may change when we actually start hardcore running. Right now we're on Week 1 of the "training" plan that goes a little like this:

Warm up by walking for 5 minutes.
Jog for 60 seconds.
Walk for 90 seconds.
Repeat for 20 minutes.

I don't think I "enojoyed" the actual running part as much as I liked just getting to be with my little family and enjoy the unseasonably wonderful weather (78 degrees in the middle of January?!). Anyway, we'll see if I enjoy it as much in the mid-40's tomorrow...

Oh! And speaking of running, I've found what's going to be our first "real" race.

DRUM ROLL PLEASE.....

Tay and I are going to run with his sister and her husband in the BLOODGUSHER 2009 in Midland on March 28th.
It seems like a ways away, but hopefully it will keep me motivated, we shall see...
But for right now I'm sleepy, and I'm looking forward to my freedom to sleep in late the next 2 days, and maybe make a couple dozen burp cloths in between sleeping stents ;)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT #2!!!

FREE COSMETICS, SKIN CARE AND PERFUMES AT DILLARDS!!!!!

Wow! I feel very socially-conscious (??) lately with all these public service announcements, but nevertheless...

FYI!!!!

Dillard’s will be giving away free cosmetics, skin care and perfumes beginning Jan. 20, as part of a 5-year-old settlement involving price fixing on beauty products. So, make plans to go and get some of the random products they are giving away!

A list of the specific products as well as other details can be found at http://www.cosmeticssettlement.com/

Dropping in...

I'm pretty busy at work, but I figured I would take a quick break and blog a little bit before things got too intense...

This weekend was pretty fun, we went to Midland (OMG, whodathunkit?!?!) and hung out with the in-laws and took some family pictures with Taylor's brother and sister and their families. They're a surprise for my mother and father in-law for their anniversary. I'm particularly excited about seeing them because I think Tay and I got some really good ones of just the 2 of us, and I've been wanting to get some prof pics taken since we never got "real" engagement ones done. Not that I wish we would have because we just didn't have the $$ and I had braces at the time, and who wants to memorialize those in expensive pictures, right?
On the downside, I kinda wish I would have been home so I could have gotten some stuff done (like make stuff for the booth), but what can ya do, right?

Moving on, today is the 1st day of my Special K challenge. I really am trying to stick with this one this time... I will spare you the details, but it's only for 2 weeks, and if I don't see any results, then I will just move onto something else. But I bet I will... And plus, Tay and I are going to start walking/jogging/running at a park a few times a week with the pups because--brace yourself-- we are going to run in a half marathon in Vegas in December. Plus, apparently running is a good way to lose weight, and no matter how much I LOATHE running, it really does burn fat quicker than anything else you could possibly do, and I'm just at that point where I will do it...

So that's about it... Hope all 2 of you are doing swell!
OH! ALLY! WHEN YOU GET DONE READING THIS- WRITE ON YOUR OWN BLOG! :)

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT!

I just wanted to share a little lesson that I learned yesterday when shopping!

***DOLLAR GENERAL IS NOT CHEAPER THAN NORMAL STORES!***

I was putting together a baby shower gift for a girl I used to work with on the floor at the hospital and I figured I would get some baby bath supplies from there and save a little bit of money (I was trying to budget, and actually STICK to it!) So I went and purchased the token baby bath stuff (shampoo, lotion, baby Q-Tips, and some Desitin) at Dollar General only to discover that when I went to Target for some other stuff, that ALL of that stuff that I bought from DG was CHEAPER AT TARGET! Yes, you read right CHEAPER. And not just a couple of cents cheaper, like, I SAVED $2 CHEAPER! And I got MORE actual "product" (aka BIGGER bottles of stuff!) And if you REALLY know me, you're thinking "I bet she bought the stuff at Target and took back the DG stuff!" In which case, you are SO RIGHT! HAHA! (And I already LOVED Target, but now, I've decided that I'm TOTALLY justified when I shop there, which is AT LEAST once a week!)

So, I went to Babies R Us, picked out some washcloths (which I saved 15% on thanks to a coupon I had!) to match the baby towel wrap I made, then I came home, put my basket together (which, was FABULOUS if I do say so myself!) and made a tag with my Cricut cutter (::insert giggly squeal here::). But I'll just stop trying to describe it and post a picture!

OMG! I just saw the most AMAZING dining room put together on Divine Design! It makes me want to move into my forever house and make it my own! OOOOH to have my forever house! I have soooo many ideas!!! But that's another post on another day. Hopefully in just a few short months, we can start on that!

And now sadly, I must get back to being productive (aka making stuff for the booth in between laundry loads)! But I leave you with a picture of my little furry children from last night. They were being quite funny then they settled down and each had a bone. :)

And don't forget, DOLLAR GENERAL IS NOT GENERALLY CHEAPER!!!!!
Now you can't say you didn't know! :)

Not to worry!

I haven't forgotten about the 2 blog followers and all you other stalkers out there! I've just been super busy with work and by the time I get home I just wanna hang out with the hubby. But now, it's the weekend and my house is a mess! So unfortunately this thing is getting put on the back burner, but I am working on a new playlist and finding a new background because that's about all I have patience for, but if that's not enough for you, you can wander over to my shutterfly. I uploaded some random pics from Christmas and the Cotton Bowl. But you will have to find the link all by yourself. HINT: It is somewhere on this page :) And no, I will NOT be making a dedicated post about that game b/c I'm trying to pretend like it didn't happen. Boo. That's all I have to say about that! So there. TTFN!

Bye bye 2008!

I am supposed to be packing right now, but I figured I would take a break to tell the world about my obsession with MAMMA MIA! Seriously! I have watched it over and over and over again just since last night. My husband thinks I'm crazy! The songs are super catchy, the Sophie's boy toy is super hot and the fact that Pierce Brosnan sings cracks me up!

But yeah! I'm SUPER excited because we're leaving for Dallas in the morning. We're going to hit up Cabela's and then go to dinner tomorrow night at Macaroni Grill with some of my cousins and then go to the Cotton Bowl on Friday!

But right now the hubby and I are eating some Papa Johns pizza 9my fave!) and just hanging out waiting to ring in the new year! This will be the first New Years (like, when the clock strikes midnight) that Tay and I will have actually been together. The last 3 or so years, he has always been at work! So I'm going to cut this sucker short and spend some quality married time :)

So HAPPY NEW YEAR and if you're going to be out and about, BE CAREFUL!
And shout out to my sis & TC: HAPPY 3RD ANNIVERSARY!!!

There's only.....

5 more days 'til Christmas!!! YAAAY! I love Christmas! But seriously, who DOESN'T love Christmas?!?! Other than the whole decorating for the holidays, you know what my favorite thing about this time of year? WRAPPING PRESENTS! I know, I'm crazy, but the other day I was complaining to my mom that since we agreed with our families that we weren't to buy anyone presents, I had been kinda sad because I was going through gift wrapping withdrawals. Until yesterday. Because yesterday INSTEAD of going up to the office (yay!) I went to my bosses house and wrapped presents for our adopt a family family. I think I wrapped over 30 presents and let me tell you! I think I got my wrapping fix until next Christmas rolls around! I was there from 9 in the morning til 3:30 in the afternoon, and then we took them to our family's house. So, I pretty much was gone all day like I would have been if I had gone to the office, but I had much more fun, and I got to wear sweats!! Woohoo! Our little family was so cute too! The 2 kids and their mom were so excited and they all were so greatful. The kids even did a little speech about what Christmas is all about and they sang us a little song! It was so cute! Call me lame, but it made me all warm and fuzzy inside! :)

Speaking of Christmas and work! I only have to work a day and a half this week (Monday and Tuesday) and then I get to be on vacation until Jan. 5th!!! I'm so excited!! There's lots of crap I need to get done, so it'll be nice just to be able to run around and get things done without having to worry about work! This will be the first Christmas in a looong time that neither the hubby or I will have had to work on Chistmas Eve which is super exciting! This year we are going to The Stovall's Christmas party (which we also haven't done in a long time, due to the having to work) and Taylor is going to dress up as Santa for all the little kids! (Another "perk" to being the only ones without kids!) Not to worry! I will be sure to take lots of pictures and post them on here for all of you to see! :) I wonder what he's going to do when the little ones start to cry, especially Cady b/c I know she will cry!

Okay, since I have this new toy (my new laptop w/ webcam) I am inclined to play with it... So I took a picture of the situation in which I am blogging right now, or part of it. I am laying in bed, sandwiched between Taylor and both of the dogs.Okay, so the webcam picture didn't turn out quite as well as I'd hoped, but you get the picture... (Hahaha! get it??) :) Well, now that I have woken them both up I think it's time to let them out to go potty! Adios!!!

The Polar Express

I have realized that I am lame because I don't get on here nearly as much as a good blogger should, life has been blissfully uneventful so oh well... But! I got a new laptop this weekend (that is SUPER-FANTASTICALLY AWESOME!) and I'm about to have 2 weeks off from work, so that will allow for plenty of blogging time!

Last wednesday Taylor and I went to do the Polar Express with Heidi, Will, Hannah, Wyatt and Taylor's parents for Wyatt's birthday. After we rode the train everybody came to our house for some pizza and birthday cake that I made (the cake, not the pizza- that came from good 'ol Papa John!). It was lots of fun and it was funny to watch Wyatt wait patiently for Santa to come by and see him (If "patiently" means he asked every minute and a half if Santa was going to come back and see him after he saw Santa get on the train--which is pretty good for a 3-year old!).

Forget the cookie & hot chocolate, Hannah thought her ticket was pretty tasty!

Right when Santa got on the train

Wyatt's face when Santa got on the train at the North Pole

He was pretty excited, can you tell?

He was ALL SMILES after he talked to Santa

Hannah bein' goofy

Wyatt's cake I made

Wyatt decided to take a bite out of each fondant decoration after he blew out the candle


This week, I work all week and have the afternoon off on Wednesday because my mom is coming in town to help my sister with her 3rd grade class' Christmas party. This weekend should be pretty low-key and then I work next monday and part of tuesday and then I'll have almost 2 weeks off!!! I'm super excited! We'll be in Midland for Christmas, and then New Years Day we're leaving for Dallas for the Cotton Bowl! Woohoo!

I hope everyone is close to being done with their shopping!