Day 2

Today is day 2 off of work.....Yesterday I finished some last minute shopping I needed to do and then wrapped presents for nearly 4 hours. Once I find my camera cord I will take a picture of all the presents under our tree (and Santa hasn't even come yet).

Today is laundry day and clean bathrooms day! God I love vacations! I'm starting to wonder if I could be a stay at home wife!! My house is going to be sparkling by Christmas Day!

Only 3 more days until Christmas....we sure are ready around here!

No More Wake-ups

Today is my last day of work until January 4, 2010. I've been counting down my "wake-ups" all week. And as of this morning I will not be waking up to an alarm for 16 days!!

This afternoon I have our company Christmas party and then after that we are meeting at the local watering hole for some holiday festivities.

For the first time in FOREVER I am totally stress free. I know the remaining holiday season will be busy for me, but at least I won't have to go to the office!! Let me say that one more time...."I will not be working for the next 16 days". Now that is music to my ears!

Happy Holidays to all and best wishes for a Happy New Year!!

Bah Humbug

I love all things Christmas. I wish it was Christmas season all year long (minus the snow and cold weather, of course). But, what I don't like is when the stress of the season causes me to lose my temper!

Yesterday I purchased two $50 prepaid gift cards to Meijer to give to two employees of mine who are truly less fortunate than myself. Well, as I'm sitting at my desk this morning I decide I'll activate the cards for them that way they don't have to worry about it (seeing as neither of them have a phone or access to the internet).

To make a long, disturbing story very short.....the cards cannot be activated and I may not be able to get a refund. And if they do approve my refund than it will take 10-14 business days for a check to come in the mail!!! WTF......so now I have to decide if I'm going to go spend another $100 and get 2 more cards or if I should just put cash in an envelope or should I just bag the whole idea.

I am heading to Meijer right now to see if I can work this out with someone "in person". I pray that I remain calmer than I did while on the phone to the help line!! It's very disappointing to me that by doing something nice for someone it's caused me this much grief! Bahhh Humbug

Lazy Day Sunday

I never got out of my PJ's yesterday.......what a glorious day!! My house still needs cleaned and those Christmas presents aren't going to wrap themselves, but I needed a day of rest.

Snow Blower Etiquette

I'm sorry to keep posting "weather" related things, but I've got a question.........

I bought a snow blower yesterday but didn't want to use it at 5am this morning because I didn't want to wake up all the neighbors, so I shoveled....again! Should I be worried about the neighbors or should I be more worried about my sanity? This "blizzard" has buried us in snow for 2 days straight and shoveling for hours at 5am makes for one grumpy girl. I'm not sure if I can shovel anymore....I can barely lift my arms and my back is killing me! (Yes, I'm THAT out of shape).

Let me know what you think....

Bring it on Snow, I'm ready!

I'm the new owner of a.........SNOWBLOWER!!! I realized this morning that I'm not the young chick I used to be. I shoveled for 1.5 hours just to get myself out of the drive this morning and my arms and back are killing me. About 1/2 way into my adventures I made the decision that come hell or high water I was buying a snow blower today....and that's what I did!!

Winter Blues

This is our first major snowfall of the year and I'm sick of winter already!! Getting up at 5am to go shovel for 1.5 hours is just too much!

We got about 6-8 inches of snow already and they are calling for another 5-9 inches today. I'm over it........

Blizzard warning still in effect until 4pm today. And then hopefully the wind will at least die down. 60+ mph winds doesn't help when we are getting this much snow.

Winter........bah humbug!

UPDATE: Blizzard Warning has been extended until 6am tomorrow.

Blizzard in West Michigan

HERE IS THE WEATHER REPORT WHERE I LIVE FOR TODAY/TOMORROW........ I HATE WINTER!!!

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A BLIZZARD WARNING... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 4 PM EST THURSDAY.

HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
** Winds and snow showers will increase in intensity by early this afternoon. Snowfall rates of two inches per hour will be possible into the afternoon and evening.
** Wind gusts of 40 to 50 MPH are expected by late this afternoon and lasting into Thursday. These winds will cause considerable blowing and drifting snow. Visibilities will frequently be reduced to near zero at times this evening into Thursday.
** Gusty winds along with rapidly falling temperatures will produce wind chills in the single digits by late tonight.
** Expect total snow accumulations of 6 to 8 inches through Thursday afternoon.

IMPACTS...
** All travel should be completed by this afternoon.
** Travel will be most severely impacted late this afternoon as snow... blowing snow... and rapidly falling temperatures occur near the time of the afternoon commute. Blizzard conditions are likely throughout the evening
** Power outages will be possible tonight into Thursday morning due to the strong gusty winds.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
** It would be best not to travel tonight through Thursday.
** If you must travel... keep an extra flashlight... food... and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.
** A blizzard warning is issued when sustained wind speeds or frequent gusts of over 35 MPH are expected with considerable falling and/or blowing and drifting snow. Visibilities will become poor... with whiteout conditions at times. Those venturing outdoors may become lost or disoriented... so persons in the warning area are advised to stay indoors.

Memory Candles

You absolutely, must go here to see the instructions on how to make these memory candles. What a great way to add a personal touch to your weddding/rehearsal/bridal shower.

How Does That Happen?

I gained a TON of weight at weigh in this week (2.6 lbs). This was a result of "taking a week off" from the Weight Watcher program. I hit my goal last week and decided to reward myself with way too much food. I just needed to take a break and I told myself it was only for a week.....and that's truly what it was. Tuesday after weigh in I was right back on program. It's so comforting to know that I can "fall of the wagon" but have enough determination inside me to get right back on.

Anyway, what this post is really about is this.......Tuesday/Wednesday I was at the same weight but somehow this morning I've lost 3 lbs. I weighed less this morning than I did at last weeks weigh in when I hit my goal weight.......HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?

I understand that my weight is constantly fluctuating based on time of day, time of month, water retention, etc. but I just don't understand how 3 lbs can just disappear overnight....Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining....I'm just confused!

DIY Wreaths

I just happened to come upon two of the most adorable wreaths today.....

The first one is from Domestifluff made with felt rosettes.


And the second one is from Weddingistas and is made with none other than marshmallows.

How cute would either of these be at your wedding or maybe even just hanging in your house! If only I was crafty I would seriously attempt one of these....but, since I'm not I'll just drool over the pictures.

Back on the Wedding Bandwagon

The Knot tells me that I have 220 days until the wedding. I'm having a terrible time trying to grasp the concept of that. In one aspect it seems like an eternity, but on the other, it seems closer-than-ever-and-I'm-never-going-to-get-everything-done-in-time! I noticed that my "checklist" is finally starting to fall behind so I think it may be time to step it up and get back into wedding planning mode.

I will admit that the last few months that I took a break from planning were incredible. I took the time to appreciate our new every day lives. We have been taking the time to learn new things about each other. We've maneuvered our way through the household chores and how to handle our finances. We've learned how to sit quietly together after a long day and how important the "little" things matter. It was for all of these reasons and more that we decided to have a long engagement. We didn't want to jump into living together and planning a wedding all at once. I finally feel like we are falling into a rhythm and for that I am thankful.

Next on my to-do list: Finalizing the guest list, Gift registry, Groom's wedding band and Finalizing the rehearsal dinner.