Whirlwind

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of events and the next couple weeks will be the same....don't you just love summer!

We started off with my stepdaughters graduation open house.  It was such a good time and worth the many weeks of prep leading up to the big day.  Although, in typical Michigan fashion, it decided to rain about an hour into the party, which caused about 30+ people to gather under 2 small canopies, our gazebo, and the garage.

The day after this party, I couldn't even get out of bed!  I prepped for about 3 weeks and put in well over 100 hours getting our backyard ready.

This past weekend my sister and I drove from Michigan to West Virginia to attend the Fiestaware Tent Sale.  It was so much fun, but exhausting all at the same time.  I awoke Friday morning about 3am and was on the road by 4:30am.  By the time we arrive back home I was whooped!  Not to mention a wee-bit sunburned :)

We normally stay in a hotel the night before, and then get in line about 6am to get our tickets.  But this year we decided to try something different.  We arrived about 10:45am and only had to wait in line about 2+ hours before entering the tent.



Patiently waiting

 

We rounded the corner and could finally see the tent

 

 If you've never had the chance to experience this.....It is an amazing site!

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Bin after bin after bin of colorful, fiestaware.  I am drooling all over again just thinking about it.



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I was hoping for a few more pieces than what I got, but that just means we will have to go back again next year!

I was able to catch up on some much needed quality time with the hubby and the pets yesterday.  It was a gorgeous summer day here in West Michigan and we enjoyed every minute of it.

Stewie

Lainey

It's so hard to get my tongue all the way into this cow hoof

Tucker

This upcoming weekend I have a bridal shower for a good friend of mine and then the following weekend is the July 4th holiday/wedding. If I can just get through the next 12 days or so, I think I will be able to relax.

Lainey gets Sirius

Poor little Lainey has a mama that is obsessed with cute dog collars.  I would venture to guess that in a one week span she wears at least 5 different collars.

I've been trying to curb my addiction lately, but as soon as I saw that Sirius Republic came out with a new holiday collar I jumped on it.

Seriously...I just can't get over the cuteness of these sock monkeys!

And not only did she get a new collar, she also got a Sirius Republic snood. It slides right over her head and I can even use it to keep her ears warm.

(You can always tell how tired she is by the redness of her eyes...
On this particular day she had skipped her nap)

Am I the only crazy dog mama with an addiction to collars and/or leashes?

Salon Effects

I'm always amazed at all the fancy nail art pictures on Pinterest.  I can oooh and ahhhh over them all I want, but I don't have the patience or creativity to do it on my own.

And then I came across Sally Hansen Salon Effects while shopping in Target.

Each kit contains 16 nail polish strips, cuticle stick and mini file/buffer.

I am currently wearing 310 Wild Child

Application instructions are included with each package and are very easy to understand. You select the correct size strip for each nail, peel off the protective film, detach the polish strip from the backing, press on to the nail and file off the excess. What’s great about these strips is that each end has a different shape, one rounded the other squared, so you can find a good fit for your cuticle line.

Application tips:

• Warm the strips with your hands to make them more pliable.
• Bend the strip over your free edge and use the file to remove the excess rather than tearing it off. Tearing can result in an uneven edge.
• Between sizes? Size up and use the enclosed cuticle stick to remove the excess off your skin.

I definitely need some practice applying them, but I look forward to using them again in the future. I just can't decide what style to choose next

What's Your Sleep Number?

I really want to jump right into the point of this post, but I thought maybe a little back story was necessary, so here goes.....

A few months back we had a new PT do a home visit for my husband.  While he was there, he started asking questions about our Tempurpedic bed and suggested that we should try a Sleep by Number bed.  As a result of my husband being a paraplegic, he sometimes gets legs spasms while he sleeps and this therapist thought a different type of bed would be the answer to this problem.

He recommended a few different models and told us to visit a Sleep by Number store. 

After the store visit, we found out that insurance had approved us for the "high-end" model and we were quite excited.  It has adjustable head and foot positions, massagers for your head and feet and of course the adjustable comfort level that these beds are famous for.

Long story short....I took the day off work yesterday to be there when the new bed was delivered and I was pretty excited.  I couldn't wait to try out the new massagers, watch a little TV while in the upright position, and of course...find my sleep number!

After a long, restless and sleepless night I would like to report that we HATE the bed!  Yes, hate is a strong word, but if I could light it with a match and set it on fire....I WOULD!!!

Yes, the adjustable head/foot option is nice, but the massagers send my husband into severe spasms and the worst part is almost being bounced out of bed by my husband every time he changes position.

I don't think this bed is going to work out for us.  I guess we never realized how good we had it with our Tempurpedic.  Most of all, the lack of motion transfer between partners makes the Tempurpedic the winner a hundred times over again.

Thank goodness for the 30 day trial....This bed is being returned.

Now we just need to figure out how to get our old bed back into our room so we can actually get some sleep tonight.

**This is not an advertisement for Tempurpedic, nor was I asked to write this.  This is my own personal opinion.

Shopping, Shopping and More Shopping

I'm not usually one to complain about shopping, but the past 3 weeks have been insane! In a 24 hr period I am only doing one of the following:  sleeping, working or SHOPPING!

Not only have I been shopping for my own family and inlaws, but I am also doing all of the shopping for our company party at work.  This requires purchasing 25 gifts (unisex gifts) and trying to stay between $30-$35.  In my mind this seemed like such a simple task....boy was I wrong!!!

For one thing, gifts are either geared towards a male or geared towards a female.  Purchasing something that both gendors would enjoy is nearly impossible. 

Secondly, most gifts are priced at either $20 or upwards of $40.  Finding 25 items that fall around $30 gives you slim pickin's.  And evidently, it is frowned upon if you buy duplicate items in order to get to your desired spending amount.

I am currently 7 gifts away from finishing this task and I am stumped.  Any ideas would be much appreciated.

Not Enough Hours in the Day

So today is my 3rd day back to work after having 11 days off.  And to be completely honest....I need another vacation! I was more busy during those 11 days off, than I would have been had I gone into the office.

My time off consisted of a ton of shopping, 3 Thanksgiving celebrations (all on separate days), holiday decorating (both indoors and out), my sister's birthday, laundry and house cleaning, and spending time with family.  All of these items bring me great joy, but I greatly missed having a single minute alone with my husband during those 11 days.  By the end of my time off, we were so physically exhausted from being on the go, that I think we were both ready for me to go back to work.  At least during a normal work week we have dinner together and get some quality time to talk about our day, upcoming events, etc.  It's hard to put into words how badly I missed those simple conversations.

The good news, is that I have many scheduled days off in December and I am counting down the days until then.  I have promised myself that I will SLOW DOWN and enjoy those days as much as possible.

And because this post was kind of a downer....here is a picture of Lainey displaying her holiday spirit as we decorate the Christmas tree.

Retail Therapy

I'm in desparate need of some retail therapy.  I can't even tell you the last time I went shopping for clothes.  It had to have been a few years ago when I lost 30 lbs and didn't have a single thing that fit me.  Well, I'm in that same boat again except this time it's because I've gained back almost the 30 lbs and nothing I have fits me.

My problem, which I'm sure is common, is that I don't want to spend a lot of money on clothes to fit this "size" because I don't want to be this size.  But, I've been saying this same thing to myself for almost 6 months now and I haven't done a single thing to try and lose weight.

I'm actually typing this after just finishing a double cheeseburger from Sonic....Ughhhh!  What is my problem?  I can't say NO to anything food related lately and it's killing me (and doing major damage to my butt and thighs).  The other night my husband wanted chocolate chip cookies and I ended up eating 4 of them right out of the oven.  And then ate another 3 at lunch the next day. 

And what is even more disturbing is that I don't feel the least bit guilty after eating all that junk.  In the past I always got very emotional after I would binge.  The guilt always got the best of me and made for a very stressed out girl.  But, the guilt would sometimes help me refrain from making bad food choices. 

I need to make some changes....both physically and mentally. I need to start taking responsibility for my actions.  I need to stop complaining about my weight since I am not doing anything about it.  I need to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

My Secret Obsession

If you were to ask me my favorite place to shop I would probably say Target....but to be honest, I find just as many things I "have to have" every time I go to Walgreens.

I started this annoying cough yesterday afternoon and it WILL NOT GO AWAY so I had to run to Walgreens last night for some cough drops/syrup.  While there, I also picked up some bobby pins, eyeshadow and 3 bottles of nail polish.

I'm what you call a nail-polish whore!  I have oodles and oodles of nail polish bottles.  Most of them I have never even used.  It's a weakness I have....OPI gets me every time!  I'm pretty sure I have bought some of the bottles, based solely on their name (you're a pisa work, I'm not really a waitress, the Tasmanian Devil made me do it, Pink before you leap, it's all greek to me)

The worst part of this obsession is that I only buy polishes in the pink or red categories.  Once in a blue moon I get a little crazy and will put a coral color on my nails, but 99.9% of the time it is pink/fuschia/red.  But last night...maybe it was the obsessive coughing and the lack of oxygen getting into my lungs as I was struggling for breath....I bought 3 bottles of nail polish and only 1 bottle was in the pink family.  And to be honest it was not in the "normal" pink category that I tend to favor.  It was HOT pink...Like glow in the dark hot pink.  Are you ready to know what the other 2 bottles were?



One was GREEN....and the other BLUE.  I mean for $1.99 I had to give it a try, right?

Here is the Blue I purchased....It is called Why Not by Sinful Colors

And here is a picture of my nails with it on....(disclaimer:  I didn't realize I had "man hands" and "sausages" for toes)

Here is the GREEN called Happy Ending

And here is the PINK called 24/7 (although, it looks much brighter in real life)

I'm actually loving the blue so much that I am almost sure that I'm going to stop by Walgreens after work to pick up the following:

Innocent

Cloud Nine

Dream On

I'm not sure if this is the cough medicine talking or not, but stepping outside of my "pink" comfort zone is so much fun!!

Have any of you dared to try these bold colors?  If so, what is your favorite?

iPhone Apps

I'm always looking for new iPhone apps.  So instead of spending countless hours scouring iTunes I would like recommendations from any of you....Please help! 

What are your favorites?  Must haves?

Fed Ex can suck it

On cyber Monday I was scoping out the online sales and came across a 60"x80" photo blanket that was priced rather decent.  (see image below for idea)

I thought it would be a great personalized gift for my husband by using some of our favorite wedding pictures.  While at work, I took the time to upload all of the pictures to the site and get them in the perfect "collage" setting.

Yesterday I get an email from the vendor stating that my order has been sent to the wrong person and they have issued a refund for the item.  At first I was a little confused so I called the 800 number to speak with a customer service representative to get the details.  As they stated...my item was shipped to the wrong person.  Fed Ex delivered my "personalized" item to the wrong address and to the wrong person!!  Someone (a stranger) is in possession of a blanket covered in pictures of me and my husband!  How could Fed Ex do this?  My NAME and ADDRESS were on the shipment...why would they accept signature from anyone different?  And why would someone sign for a package that had MY NAME on it.  They obviously don't know me so why would they sign for the package!  UGHHHHH.....

I don't know if I'm more frustrated at Fed Ex for their screw up or at the person who signed for the package knowing it wasn't theirs.  If they would have looked at the name/address on the package they could have told Fed Ex they were at the wrong location and then maybe I would have my gift for my husband.  But instead...I have no idea where the item is and there is no way I'm taking the time to make another blanket and upload all those pictures again!

I will refuse to use Fed Ex ever again!!!  It is for this exact reason that my place of employment stopped using them years ago!

Mama Needs.....

Yesterday I had a minor meltdown over the wedding and all the details that are falling apart....So, to get me in a better mood I decided to do some internet shopping. Of course, I can't afford to buy ANYTHING right now, but you better believe after the wedding I'm treating myself to a shopping spree!

etsy

Victoria Secret

Forever 21

And last, but not least....Mama needs a new pair of shoes!!

Old Navy

Early Birthday Present

Tomorrow is my birthday so I took it upon myself to buy me a birthday present. I recently redecorated our living room/dining room and I've been looking for something to finish up our hallway and maybe add a little modern twist to the walls. My decor is very modern anyway, but it just felt like it was missing something.

As I was searching Etsy this weekend I came upon the most wonderful vinyl wall graphics. I purchased the following:

Half Tree with Birds by byrdiegraphics. This is going to look perfect in my hallway. I ordered it in black to put against my grey walls.


Flying Birds by Glass House Couture. I got these in yellow as my living room is grey walls and white furniture with yellow accents. Not sure exactly what I'm doing with these, but I couldn't pass them up.

I spent literally forever looking at all the vinyl wall decals. I could decorate the entire house....I think I have found my new addiction.

Have any of you used anything like this before and if so, how did you like them?

Wellies

It's been raining since about 4am which makes me want to run out and buy some wellies.

Rockport

Marc Jacobs

Kamik

Burberry

Kate Spade

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Cynthia Vincent

I bought these new Cynthia Vincent shoes from Target last weekend and I can't wait to wear them!

They are so comfy and look so cute with a lot of my spring/summer outfits. The only problem is that it's still a little too chilly here in Michigan for me to bust them out yet.