Welcome To Our World

Taking time off...

2013-01-31T05:00:00.000-06:00

from the bloggy world. I just honestly don't have time to keep up with it anymore right now. This is not goodbye as I will be back. We have a lot of changes coming up and I will have a lot to share with you! However, I will be keeping up with your blogs. I may not get a chance to comment, but will be stopping by to check in on you when time permits. Sorry about this, but sometimes life just takes control and you have to re-prioritize. :) I know you all will understand. I promise, I will be back! :)

Lots of love and hugs,

Blogger Biggest Loser - Week 4

2013-01-28T05:28:00.002-06:00

Happy Monday guys and dolls! How was your week and weekend? Great, I hope! We had an AWESOME vacation but are SO happy to be back home and in our own beds. It's always nice to go away, but even better to come back home! We are exhausted and did nothing but lay around all weekend for the most part. We ran a few errands, cooked, did laundry and caught up on our DVR and sleep (we slept a lot)!

While we were away, I didn't really eat that well. I had TONS of YUMMY food shoved in my face the entire trip and just had NO willpower at all. I ended up gaining almost 5 lbs. which is ridiculous! However, ever since returning home, I've been back on track and have at least lost some of the weight again. Unfortunately, I seem to go back and forth with the same 5 lbs. - do you, or is it just me? *sigh* Of course, I could really use more willpower too. That seems to be my BIGGEST problem ever - mainly on the weekends when I'm home instead of busy at work.

2 weeks ago my weight was: 131.2

Today - 131.2

Not a loss but not a gain either. At least I was able to lose the weight I put on while on vacation. I did manage to work out yesterday for about 45 minutes. I walked a mile on the treadmill for 20 minutes and then did a few weights. Nothing much, because I didn't have anyone there to show me how to actually work the machines. :(

Well, thanks for stopping by! Have a great day! I'm on my way to catch up on your blogs now and see how you did for the week!

Lots of love and hugs,

On Vacation....

2013-01-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

Here's some goodies for ya while I'm gone - :)

Inspirational:

And some weekend funnies:

Ha! See ya when we get back! Have a great week ahead peeps! :)

Lots of love and hugs,

It's Vacation Time - WOOT WOOT

2013-01-18T05:00:00.000-06:00

Happy TGIF guys and dolls! How are you? Great, I hope! My husband and I are leaving today for vacation and are SUPER excited to say the least! It's going to be a VERY long trip - we are driving - ugh! One leg of the trip is going to be about 18 hours alone. :( First Stop - Illinois and Indiana to see my husband's family that we've not seen in over 10 years. We love his family and he's super close to his cousins there and we can't wait to hang out with them all. We will spend a few days in Indiana and Chicago before heading back down towards Arkansas. We will then meet up with his mom for a night or two before moving on to our daughter's home. After that we will be making our way back home to Texas. Like I said, we are so excited, but it's wearing me out right now just thinking about all of the driving. But, Steven and I love road trips together and can't wait to get some alone time. We are both ready for a break away from the daily grind.

So what's on your weekend agenda? Anything fun and exciting? I'm not sure how much blogging I will be doing over the next week, but promise to catch up with your blogs when I return. I will have a lot of pictures to post each day from our trip. I hope you have a great weekend ahead and be sure to check back here next Monday, if not sooner, to see highlights from our trip! :) And because I don't like to do a post without pictures - here you go:

Thanks for stopping by! :)

Lots of love and hugs,

Favorite Finds - Ready for Spring

2013-01-17T05:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Thursday peeps! Has this week been long to you, or is it just me? It seems like today should be Friday or Saturday already for that matter. In case you don't know, I am a PINTEREST JUNKIE - HA! Here are a few of my favorite outfits that I've found lately and look forward to wearing soon! :)

This shouts weekend casual to me:

Girls day shopping maybe:

Date night with the hubs:

LOVE this:

A few more favs:

Valentine's Day with my honey

So cute and feminine: (LOVE the bow)

So.... there are a few of my favs - what about you? Are you a "Pinterest" Junkie like myself? If so, let me know so I can follow you and sell all of your goodies that you love as well. If you want to follow me, feel free to look me up! I can be found at: http://pinterest.com/trac.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by! :)

Lots of love and hugs,

Happy Hump Day

2013-01-16T19:59:00.001-06:00

Sorry this post is late, but I couldn't post today on my Ipad for some strange reason. However, all I wanted to say today was this:

ADDICTED:

OMG - have you played this game yet? It is SOOOOO addicting - sheesh! It's fun but makes you mad at the same time! LOL If you've not played it yet - go to Facebook and get it and start playing - you will not be disappointed! :)

Hope you had an awesome Wednesday!

Lots of love and hugs,

Book Review - Sweet Home Amy

2013-01-15T05:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Tuesday tweeps! How are you? How was your Monday? Great, I hope! :) Last week I came across the cutest blog with the name of Sweet Home Amy and saw where she had written a book. It looked very interesting, so I emailed her to request a copy to do a review on. She responded immediately and sent it right out. I was SO excited to have it in my little hands and got right to reading it. :)

The book tells her story of getting married very young in her 20's, getting divorced, being single and dating once again and all of her trials and tribulations along the way. She had several "hot" characters in the book that she went out with. There was Doctor, Sailor and Mystery Man to name a few. Each one was different with an interesting story about each of them. We all know it's not easy getting back out into the dating scene, no matter how old you are. I love Amy's honesty and perspective from a young girl's experiences. I love the fact that she didn't hold anything back either and told everything like it happened, when it happened. It's actually a diary of sorts and keeps you guessing what's going to happen next and what guy wins out in the end. Once I began reading it, I couldn't put it down. I honesty read it in less than 24 hours! :)

If you'd like to read about her adventures, you're in luck! You can purchase it on your Kindle through Amazon here for $2.99 or, if you’d prefer a hard copy, you can get it for $8.99 on Lulu here. (You can save 10% at this time) Also, I am going to talk to Amy today and see if she minds me passing along the book to another reader. If she says yes, I will have a giveaway for one lucky reader here! Stay tuned. :)

If you'd like to know more about Amy, you can follow her on Twitter or like her on Facebook. Did I mention that she also has a 2nd book coming out soon as well? Since her first book, she's had some new adventures, and from the sounds of the teaser in the 2nd book, I can't wait to read the latest ones! Again, go give a fellow blogger some love and support and check out her book! Her blog is adorable and you won't be dissapointed. Amy, thank you so much for letting me read and review your book - I absolutely loved it all and couldn't put it down.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by to say hello! P.S. I have NO clue what the heck is going on with my fonts today, but please ignore the fact that it's all different - I've tried fixing it all, but to no avail. *sigh*

Lots of love and hugs,

Biggest Loser Blogger Challenge - Week 2

2013-01-14T06:06:00.002-06:00

Happy Monday my friends! How are you? Great, I hope! How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun and exciting? How is your weather there? It is COLLLLDD here in Texas and I'm loving it! :)

Well... as it goes, today is week 2 of The Java Mama's biggest loser blogger challenge and whelp, I'm not starting off too good, I don't believe. I didn't manage to get in any exercise last week at all whatsoever. *sigh* I did eat very healthy, and drink lots of water, however, but to no avail. The only thing with me and exercise is that I have a really bad knee which makes it really hard to do the treadmill, etc., and it's simply too cold to enjoy the pool this time of year. Another issue I have with working out, is that I for one, NEVER SWEAT - I mean - NEVER EVER SWEAT - working out or not. I get really hot, to the point of passing out hot, but not sweat. How the heck am I supposed to lose weight if I never sweat? I mean, sheesh, isn't that all part of it? *sigh* Looks like I am going to need more motivation and support than I thought. And the bad thing is (or good - whichever way you look at it) that we leave for vacation this Friday afternoon for a week. I will do my best to eat healthy and not load up on a bunch of crap food though.

How did you do this week? Did you lose any weight? Did you manage to get in any exercise? Do you have any good recipes you want to share and pass along to others, like myself, who get bored and cook the same things over and over, because it's healthy? My weight this morning was 131.2. Last week it was 131.2. Yep... still the same, but on a good note, I didn't gain, so I guess that's a plus. HA!

Well, thanks for stopping by and have a great day peeps! :) I'm off to check out yoru progress so far. Continue doing what you're doing and stay strong and push forward! You can do this! :)

Lots of love and hugs,

Cell Phone Debacle

2013-01-13T10:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Sunday sweets! How is your weekend so far? Great, I hope! Mine has been good, but I'm still completely worn the heck out and tomorrow is already Monday again. How does that happen? *sigh*

On another note, after being an Iphone kinda girl for years, I decided to try out the Samsung Galaxy SIII, when I noticed Best Buy was having a HUGE sale on it the day after Thanksgiving. Thing was, I had already bought the phone itself, the month before that. So... I took it back up to Best Buy and told them the situation and said I wanted them to price match it for me. Well.... the one manager who was a HUGE jerk wouldn't have any part of it. Although, I had told him that I had already spoken to HIS boss earlier that day and he's the one who told me to come there and that it would be taken care of. The reason the jerk didn't want to do it though, was because Best Buy had already published in their ad that it would not be doing ANY price matching during that weekend. Well.... excuse me??!! I paid $200 bucks back in October for the same phone they were discounting the day after Thanksgiving for $49.99 and I was NOT about to lose $150 of my hard earned money! After standing around for 30 minutes, I went to a different lady, who was in management of some sort and she discounted it immediately and gave me back my money, no questions asked. She said that the BIG BOSS had already said to go ahead and do it. However, I was prepared to give my phone back completely and make them redo all of the paperwork since I was within my 30 days of returning the product policy.

The reason I am telling you all of this, is because after 3 months of having and using the Samsung Galaxy SIII, I have decided I just did NOT like it, no matter how hard I tried. I have always had either the Blackberry or the Iphone, ever since they first came out. But, when Best Buy had the hot deal going on, I decided to give it a shot. Never will I do that, ever again. I have determined, that no matter what, I am a true diehard Apple fan and iphone girl thru and thru. I don't know if it's because they are so much easier to use, or if it's because I was just so used to the iphone. Either way, it doesn't matter, as I will never leave my iphone again - no.matter.what. However, on another note, you may think I went straight for the Iphone 5 - but you, my friend, would be sadly mistaken. I LOVE the Iphone 4S and do not like the looks of the Iphone 5. I don't like that they made it longer instead of wider on the screen. I, for one, am almost 45 and going blind already, and to make the screen more narrow in the Iphone 5, was NOT COOL in my book. :) Anyway, I was able to sell my Samsung Galaxy SIII for $410 on Ebay (woo hoo - can you say, profit?!)

It just so happened that I got on Ebay the day that I was selling my Galaxy to see if they had any good deals on the 16gb 4S. But, it cost more for a new 16gb 4S then most phones, and I couldn't believe it. Even the 5's were extremely high priced. So... I decided to do what any other frustrated Iphone girl would do - scope out Craigslist, of course! :) Needless to say, I hit it right on the money when I got on there, because there was someone who had just listed their 32gb Iphone 4S for only $380! The best part???? He worked a block from my office!! Can you say....meant to be??!! :) So... there you have it. Are any of you as picky about your gadgets as I am? I am crazy picky, so I wondered if it is just me? Bueler....Bueler??? :)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and thanks for stopping by!

Lots of love and hugs,

Happy Birthday To My Hubby

2013-01-12T19:02:00.001-06:00

Happy Saturday peeps! How has your weekend been so far? Great, I hope! Ours has been good, but tiring. Tomorrow is already Sunday and I feel that I've gotten no rest. We have been going non-stop since we got off work Friday. Sheesh - I'm exhausted! My poor husband had to work and do inventory tonight, AND it's his birthday! :( We had to celebrate early so that he could be at work later this afternoon. He has to work all night and overnight at that. :(

Anyway, I just wanted to give him a BIG shout out and let him know how much I love and adore him! We will be celebrating our 16th anniversary this coming October, and this is the 16th birthday of his that we've shared and mine in a few months. I can't imagine going through this crazy journey called Life with anyone else but him. I am so happy and thankful that he chose me to be married to. I am truly blessed and thankful that God put him in my life every.single.day. I look forward to many more days, weeks, months and years with my honey and can't wait to see what we experience together next!

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend my friends! Thanks for stopping by to say hello, and please let me know you were here!

Lots of love and hugs,

Pennies from Heaven

2013-01-11T06:18:00.001-06:00

Happy TGIF guys and dolls! How are you? Great, I hope! We finally made it to the weekend - woo hoo!!! Do you have any fun and exciting plans happening in your world this weekend? We don't have a lot going on, really. My hubby has to work inventory all night Saturday night, so I will have the night to myself. My son gets off early, but you know, he's an 18 yo and has a life so I won't see him at all - HA!

Anyway, yesterday when I was leaving the office and walking through the parking garage, I happened to look down and saw this penny and immediately smiled. I don't know if you ever take the time to stop and pick up a penny, but it was something my maternal grandfather always did when he was alive. To me it's extra special, and I never walk past a penny laying on the ground. It's my sign from him that he is saying hello. :) So.... do you have any funny qualms, or traditions that you do to remember your loved ones who have left this world, but not your memories?

Have a happy Friday guys and dolls! I will catch you on the flip side! :)

Lots of love and hugs,

Things That Annoy Me Thursday

2013-01-10T05:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Thursday guys and dolls! Hope all is well your way and that you're having a great week so far. My week has been crazy to say the least, which is why other than Monday, I've not been able to get by your blogs to see what the heck is going on over in your neck of the woods. *sigh* I promise to do so soon, though! :)

One of my favorite bloggers, Amber, over at Airing My Laundry One Sock At A Time, does a Things That Annoy Me Thursday, so I decided to join up and do the same today. She usually does a post on one thing at a time, but this has been one of those weeks, so I've tweaked it a bit and have added my aggravations from this week instead of just one annoyance. :) This may become a regular post of mine, as hers always crack me up! Nonetheless.... here we go:

Things that annoy me Thursday:

1. Houston Traffic - Mr. or Mrs. person in the car in front of me - it is NOT okay to straddle the white line between the two lanes, so please choose one lane or the other! And the other Mr. or Mrs. who came up behind me this morning in the dark and pouring down rain and almost side swiped me as you jumped over to the next lane - SO NOT COOL!!!!

2. Weight Gain - especially when you eat healthy all day/week and drink plenty of water but yet, somehow, you gain a half a pound by the end of the week.

3. Trying to plan your daughter's wedding and begin the process of making the invitations, only to be told a week or two later that the date has been changed (and it's 3 months earlier) - good thing I hadn't gotten very far into them yet.

4. When your son, who is a Senior in high school now, and is responsible when it comes to his grades and driving the car, can't seem to remember to make coffee and set it for the next morning so it's ready for him/me when we get up. Mama needs her coffee yo!

5. When it's time to trade in your iphone and upgrade and you choose the wrong one. I have always been an Apple girl and loved, loved, loved my iphones over the years. However, I decided since Best Buy was having a killer deal on the Samsung Galaxy SIII the day after Thanksgiving, that I would give it a try. Needless to say, I've been disappointed to say the least and have since put it up for sale on Ebay, so that I can buy a new iphone 4s. I.do.not. like the iphone 5 that has since came out.

6. People who pee all over the bathroom seat! EWWWW is all I can say! We are ladies, not men, so what the hell would you be peeing all over the toilet seat for? My husband is cleaner than most of the ladies on my floor. Ladies - PLEASE pee like a lady and don't make a mess - oh and if you do, please clean up after yourself!

So there you go, just a few of my many annoyances this week. Thanks for stopping by and I will go and visit your blogs later this morning, I hope. However, if I don't, I PROMISE I will catch up with them all on Saturday night when I have the whole night to myself. Ahhhh... pure bliss! :)

Lots of love and hugs,

Wordless Wednesday

2013-01-09T05:00:00.000-06:00

Lots of love and hugs,

2012 in Pictures

2013-01-08T05:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Tuesday my friends! I have seen this around the bloggy world lately and thought I would join in as well. Here are a few of my favorite photos from 2012. I hope you enjoy them and if you do a post showcasing your favorites, please let me know so I can stop by and check out your favorite photos from 2012 as well! :) And because I am OCD these will be in order of each month: Oh - and because I couldn't get them to line up into 12 small squares, they are all in a line instead - sorry about that!

January 2012 - Trip to Houston, TX (Going to check out places to live)

February - Valentines from my Sweetie:

March - Visit with Son at Joe's Crabshack

April - Dinner with my HOT hubby

May - Daughter's High School Graduation

June - Another dinner date with my HOT Honey (stay thirsty my friends)

July - 4th of July (pool to myself) :)

August - NASA tour with my 2 favorite guys

September - Vacation to Oregon (this was our trip home)

October - Local Flea Market

November - Son's 1st time to vote (he was mad at us here - ha)

December - Christmas trip home to Arkansas (me and my baby sister)

Thanks for stopping by to say hello and I hope you have a wonderful day peeps! Please let me know you were here so I can check out your blogs as well. Would love to get to know you! :)

Lots of love and hugs,

Biggest Loser Blogger Challenge - Day 1

2013-01-07T05:20:00.001-06:00

Good morning folks and welcome to Monday! *sigh* As you know, today starts Day 1 of the Biggest Loser Blogger Challenge hosted by none other than the wonderful Ms. Java Mama herself! The purpose of this challenge is to get healthy with the help and motivation of other bloggers like yourself! And I don't know about you - but I, for one, ALWAYS do better when motivated by others. So...... as of this mornin my beginning weight is 131.2. I couldn't find my measuring tape to take measurements, so I will have to do that another day - *sigh*

I would post a picture of myself, but for some reason ever since blogger changed things recently, I can no longer upload photos from my desktop and don't know how to do so, otherwise. However, if I am able to find out how to do so before next Monday, when we post an update, then I will post a picture at that time instead. My goal weight is at least 116 to 118 as that's where I'm the most comfortable with my personal body image. And though I'm not overweight by any account, for my height, I'm still very self conscious and want to tone up and lose not only the weight, but the inches as well. Also, ever since mid-summer last year, I have been following the Paleo/Primal diet, although not to a "T" and exact. For the most part though, I've followed it pretty close. It's not that hard - my problem is that I still have that major sweet tooth and want to fix all of the yummy sweets instead of focusing more on my veggies. With the Paleo/Primal diet you can do it however makes you feel the best.

Meaning, since I know I am lactose intolerant, I choose to stay away from any type of milk products, as often as possible i.e. cheese, yogurt, milk and ice cream. Also, I have a lot of things I would prefer for breakfast that are bread related that I can no longer have. Though, I've never been tested to see if I have the gluten allergy, I can honestly say that when I've cut out any and all products that contain any kind of wheat or grain (including my beloved peanut butter) I can tell a HUGE difference and feel SO much better. I can also tell at the same time, when I don't follow it right and indulge in the no no items, how BAD I truly feel. That's why I think I have the gluten allergy. Also, another thing on the Paleo/Primal diet it's only good for you to eat nuts and fruit like once a week, instead of daily.

After MUCH research, I fully and firmly believe in the concept of the Paleo/Primal diet and feel that the evidence is there showing that our government is filling our "grains" with crap our bodies simply can't digest, which is why we can't seem to lose the weight no matter how much diet and exercise we do. I always believed that I was eating healthy, as long as I was eating Wheat and Grains - but my eyes have been completely opened needless to say about eliminating wheat, grains and legumes (peanuts) completely from my diet and for the betterment of my health. Sorry, didn't mean to get off on my soap box there - I'm just explaining why I personally chose this way of life for mine and my family's health. However, you chose to do it for you and your family, is your personal choice and I am not here to preach to you and how you should believe in my way of eating style.

Therefore, I am looking forward to seeing how everyone else is doing their way of diets and exercise and hopefully pick up some tips from all of you. And hopefully, I will have some tips to pass along to you as well. Thanks for stopping by and I can't wait to check out all of your blogs today and see how you are starting the New Year to be a healthier you!

Lots of love and hugs,

Happy Sunday Guys and Dolls!

2013-01-06T14:18:00.003-06:00

Happy Sunday guys and dolls! Hope you have had a wonderful weekend so far! Our weekend has been great and so relaxing. It's been great getting to spend the extra time with my main squeeze. We didn't really do much of anything but run errands and driving around looking at neighborhoods we want to move into once our apartment lease is up. Then we went to Tanger Outlets for some retail therapy. We felt like ducks because it was torrential downpours allllllllllll day long. But we went along and just had a blast even in the rain! :)

On another note, I want to wish my baby sister a big happy happy birthday! Today she turns the BIG 41! Ha! Anyway, she's my baby sister and one of my best friends. She lives back home in Arkansas and I rarely get to see her but we talk every morning on our way to work. I was going to post a picture, but for some reason it won't let me upload it today, so you will have to wait for now. Does anyone else have this problem lately? Is there something new that I have to do now in order to upload pictures from my desktop? I no longer have that option, I've noticed. I am considering changing over to wordpress, because ever since blogger changed their program, I've had all kinds of issues.

So how was your weekend? Anything fun and exciting happen? Fill me in and let me know how your weekend was! Thanks for stopping by to say hello. Be sure to stop by again tomorrow for the first day of the Biggest Loser Blog Challenge and come play along if you'd like!

Lots of love and hugs,

Happy New Year and Biggest Loser Blogger Challenge

2013-01-04T15:41:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year guys and dolls! I know this is a late post, but all I can say is that life has gotten in the way completely over the last year. I am hoping that as of now I can get back to blogging on a daily basis, starting today with this post.

Becky at The Java Mama has decided to start a Biggest Loser Blogger Challenge on Monday, January 7, 2013, and I have decided to join her and the others who have joined. Unfortunately, I am one of those who desperately NEED motivation and help from others in order to meet my goal - any goal. I tend to do much better when I have someone else to help hold me accountable. Therefore, I am hoping this is going to do the trick. I've already lost 15 lbs. due to following the Paleo/Primal diet for the last 6 months but I really really want to lose another 15 to 20 lbs. and that seems to be the hardest half to lose. If you or someone else in the blogger world that you know would like to join and be a part of this and are wanting to lose a few pounds, be sure to go and link up The Java Mama and come join the rest of us as we struggle to become healthier in the year 2013.

Sooo... tell me - what are your weekend plans? Anything fun and exciting? I think we are going to be lazy for the most part - neither me nor my hubby is feeling too good today.

Hope all is well with you and your families. I can't wait to catch up with you and your blogs soon! Thanks for stopping by to say hello and please let me know you were here! P.S. Please excuse the blog template and other issues I seem to be having. I am hoping to get it fixed and re-updated again soon. I think it may be time to hire someone to actually give my blog a new makover, so if you know of anyone special who has the time and charges a reasonable price, please let me know!

Have a great weekend lovies!

Lots of love and hugs,

A Recovering American Soldier & CHRISTmas Cards

2012-11-28T10:37:00.000-06:00

Happy hump day my friends! This was passed on to me by a really good friend of the family and I wanted to pass it along to others as well. When sending out your CHRISTmas cards this year, please add one extra to your list. Or if you're not sending any, please consider sending just this one. There are a lot of recovering American soldiers who won't be home for Christmas this year but you could brighten their day just a little by letting them know you're thinking about them. Here is the address and please feel free to pass it along to others as well:

A Recovering American Soldier

C/O: Walter Reed Army Medical Center

6900 Georgia Avenue

NW Washington, DC 20307-5001

Thanks and hope you have a wonderfully blessed day!

Lots of love and hugs,

Happy Thanksgiving

2012-11-22T05:21:00.001-06:00

from our family to yours. I hope that no matter how you celebrate the holiday that you have a very wonderful and blessed day. Unfortunately for us, due to having to work on Friday (first time ever), we aren't able to go home this year for Thanksgiving, which means I also miss out on the time with my daughter. :(

On a positive note though, a friend of mine who's been a lifelong friend (since 5th grade at least) is coming to join us for Thanksgiving and I am truly thankful to have him with us and so very excited!! I am also very thankful for all of you, my few readers who do read this blog and take the time to comment to let me know you stopped by. It always brightens my day! So THANK YOU!!! :)

I can't wait to see what all kinds of feasts you enjoyed and see the pictures of you with your family. Happy Thanksgiving my friends!!

Lots of love and hugs,

Letter to My Beautiful Birthday Girl

2012-11-21T05:00:00.000-06:00

My Dearest Alliye,

19 years ago today..... Was one of the happiest days of my entire life! I was blessed by God with you, my precious and adorable baby girl. A lot of people say that you are a mini me and I tend to agree with them. You look a LOT like me. Not sure if that is a blessing or a curse for you - however, one thing is for sure - you are WAY prettier than I could ever dream of being and that's okay by me! :)

I love that you have such a fashion sense and are always in style. I miss you being here to dress me every day before work and telling me if my hair looked okay or not. :)

Like normal mothers and daughters, we have butted heads on more than one occasion, but I am happy to say that since you have gotten older and grown more into yourself over the past year, we have became the best of friends and I wouldn't change it for the world. We live in 2 different states and are 7 hours away from one another but it means the world to me when you call me every day to say hi or want to talk about your day or just things in general. I love it that you are now at the age where you will call and ask me for my advice on something or ask how to cook something or just need direction at that very moment.

Lord knows you're not perfect (nor am I) and are already set in your ways A LOT (more than I wish you were when it comes to some things), but I am very proud of you and so thankful and blessed to call you, this young woman, my beautiful little girl and wonderful daughter and thank God every day for his entrusting you to me while we live here on Earth.

So Alliye, my darling and precious daughter, please know that I love you dearly and miss you terribly but will always be here (even from a different state) cheering you on in whatever you choose to do with your life and you can always depend on me to listen when you need an ear or a shoulder to cry on. I wouldn't trade all the money in the world for you and our special bond. I LOVE YOU and hope you have a wonderful and special day today. I'm really sorry and very sad that I can't be there to celebrate with you this year. But, we will get together very soon for a late birthday celebration, and a girls day out, just you and me - I promise! :)

Happy 19th birthday my sweet and precious little girl! You have grown into a very beautiful and fantastic young woman and I am SO proud to call you my daughter! I love you to the moon and back!

Love,
Mom

Under the Weather

2012-11-14T05:45:00.000-06:00

I hope to be back in full force again tomorrow. Have a great day everyone!

Lots of love and hugs,

Freedom to Vote

2012-11-13T05:00:00.000-06:00

Yes, I know this post is late - so sue me! HA! Whether you agree with the outcome of the Presidential Election, or not, I personally am very thankful for the freedoms we do have, including the right to vote! However, this post isn't going to be political because, I personally HATE and DESPISE politics. But, what this post IS going to be about is the fact that we were able to vote this year with our son and I want to remember that day, so am posting it here. :) This was his first time to vote EVER due to the fact that he just turned 18 this past February.

And though you can't tell it here (he was mad at us) - he was SO excited to be there and voting for the first time in his life. He is very knowledgeable when it comes to a lot of Politics and definitely has his own personal views and will argue with the best of them about why his opinion is right - DRIVES.US.NUTS! HA! But, we are happy he has his own beliefs and opinions and stands up for his convictions and what he believes in.

(Ignore my picture - this was before I got my bangs cut - they looked horrible and I'm obviously not one who can rock the "long" bangs look - sigh)

Yes, I stepped out and away from MY voting booth to capture him actually voting. I got yelled at by some lady who was watching over things - but I didn't really care. It was a BIG day and I was very proud of my son for exercising his right to vote! :) Besides, I made sure I didn't get any information in my picture, so I didn't capture someone's personal votes (including my sons).

See... he looks much happier here - LOL

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by to say hello! :)

Lots of love and hugs,

Weekend Recap - Lots of CUTE Stuff Inside!

2012-11-12T05:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Monday my peeps! How are you? Great, I hope! How was your weekend? Ours was good, but very busy. My honey had to work all weekend long overnights, which made for a long weekend for me. I had a lot of running around to do on Saturday all day, so I was able to get some time to myself - which is few and far between, but I still missed him A LOT. I guess all of the retailers decided to kick off the holiday shopping season a couple weeks earlier than normal, because it was NUTS out there Saturday but there were TONS of really great sales going on. Here are a few of my favorite things I came across and would love to have:

I love the frills and girlieness of this one

I think this would be adorable with leggings and tall boots

And I loved these sweaters

Perfect for a CHRISTmas party...dontcha think

This sounds like as good of an excuse as any, to me

Thought these rainboot ornaments were cute

Looks easy enough to make

Lots of Reds and Greens everywhere

Another cute saying on a cup

Adorable measuring spoons

My absolute favorite - may have to go back and get for myself :)

Well.... that pretty much summed up my weekend - tell me about yours! Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Lots of love and hugs,

Happy Veteran's Day

2012-11-11T05:25:00.003-06:00

Good morning my friends! Wow - can't believe it's been another 2 weeks since I've been online here. Time is just slipping further and further away and I just can't seem to catch up. It is now 5:20 a.m. here in the South and I have been up since 3:45 this morning (Sunday) and just can't go back to sleep. So... I decided to use my time wisely and thank my grandfathers and uncles and all of the other wonderful men and women who have served, are serving and continuing to serve for our Country, along with their families for their many sacrifices and selflessness so that others like myself can remain safe.

Happy Veteran's Day!

Have a great week ahead and thanks for stopping by! I am hope to be back to blogging regularly now. Hard to believe the holidays are approaching so fast this year. Enjoy your day! :)

Lots of love and hugs,

Happy 15 year anniversary to...

2012-10-29T05:37:00.001-05:00

the love of my life! I love you and look forward to many more wonderful years ahead with you, babe!

Lots of love and hugs,