Month: December 2011

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I’m a Blogmas winner!

You guys, I am beyond flattered and excited to announce that I was a winner in Fadra’s (from all.things.fadra, duh) Blogmas Awards this year!!

No idea what Blogmas is? Well you can check it all out right here. Fadra is amazing, and I’m still blown away by the fact that I was one of her chosen ones this year for the inaugural Blogmas Awards.

And for what did I win, you’re surely wondering? My A mama in the darkness post. Please check it out and see if you agree with Fadra’s assessment.

Thank you, Fadra! And Merry Blogmas, everyone!!

Blogmas Worthy
 

 

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To the cloud(s)!

“Christmas vacation… Christmas vacation…” That song always reminds me of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, one of the best holiday movies of all time. You know – the one playing during the opening credits cartoon of all the messes Santa gets into on his rounds. Still don’t know what I’m talking about? Oh geez. Here, just watch this:

 

 

Man, how I love that movie. But back to my point… it’s Christmas vacation! Well, technically not until after work’s over today, but I’m still counting it. We take off for Denver tonight, then head directly to Maui tomorrow. Yes, yes, yes! Can you tell I’m excited? I don’t even care anymore that I haven’t been in much of a holiday spirit because of the trip this year, because I am SO ready for some sun and relaxation.

I am still dreading being trapped in a flying tube for 8ish hours with a very squirmy 16 month old, but I just keep telling myself that kids cry, kids have meltdowns, kids need to get out of their seats and explore every once in awhile, but no matter how much shit happens we’ll be deplaning in Hawaii!

And if the flight does end up being a disaster? Well then just pass me a guava colada once we land and keep ’em coming! Actually, even if the flight doesn’t end up being a disaster, you can pass the guava coladas anyway.

Because it’s Christmas, boys and girls! Time to celebrate! And don’t forget to leave the milk and cookies out for Santa tomorrow night.

 
 

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Karma

I must have done something to really tick her off, because man, am I having some bad juju over here. And just in time for the holidays, whee!

First off, I was just thinking the other day how happy I am that my skin is nice and clear right now, seeing as so much of it will be bared on the beach in just a few days. It may be pasty, but hopefully that will be remedied soon, and at least it’s blemish-free. Ha! Not so fast there, young lady. When what to my wondering eyes should appear yesterday morning? A nice big zit, right in the middle of my chest. Come on, gross! And just in time for bikini season, too. Fan-flippin-tastic.

Next up? This ridiculously terrible cold I caught a few days ago, which has allowed me only 1 workout this week. 1 week before I strut around in my new bikini, mind you. I started feeling a little lousy on Monday, and since then things have gone downhill at a rapid speed. I got some Sudafed yesterday, though, to try and get my head cleared before I have to endure the pain of changing cabin pressures on airplanes this weekend. Hopefully it will kick in in time to banish the worst of it.

I also took NyQuil last night so I could get some sleep. Ah, NyQuil, it’s been so long. I couldn’t take it while pregnant or nursing, and fortunately since then I haven’t needed it. See – right there. That’s where Karma got me. Just the other day I was thinking again (maybe that’s the problem – i should just stop thinking!) how it’s been a really long time since I’ve been truly sick, because R was going into the doctor for a physical and weird headaches he gets all the time. I was musing that he seems to get sick a lot more often than I do, then whaddya know? BAM! Who’s sick now, kid?

And just to top things off, my friendly monthly reminder of how magnificent it is to be female kicked in this morning. Yay!! Just what I always wanted – a Hawaiian vacation with my bestest pal. She really is such a treat and an absolute joy to be around. Especially when I’ll be wearing a bikini more often than not this coming week. Ah well, c’est la vie, non?

So, Karma, please let me know what I can do to get back on your good side. Because this right here? Not so nice. No matter what you throw at me, though, I’ll keep my chin up, because I have this to look forward to in 2 short days…

 

 

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It’s official, she’s one of them…

And just who might those “them” be? Packers stock owners. Yes, you heard that correctly. My daughter is now the proud owner of 1 share of the Green Bay Packers. (so is R, but that’s really no big surprise. he’s wanted a share since the last time they sold stock.)

Now, as a Bears fan myself, it pains me to think that my sweet, sweet baby girl may one day grow into a full-blown Packers fan, sporting only the green and gold that runs so rampant ’round these parts. For up until now, she’s had a shared loyalty – Bears for Mommy and Packers for Daddy. Complete with a couple cute Bears onesies and a set of Bears pjs to go with the mini-Rodgers jersey and Packers onesie that Daddy had to buy.

I must admit, though, it’s fun to see the Packers playing so well this year. 13-1 can’t be denied. The Bears, on the other hand? Well, let’s just say their performance has been less-than-stellar lately. And I’ve never been a fan of Cutler, so I wasn’t too upset when he broke his thumb or whatever. Not that I want anyone to be hurt, I just don’t care if he’s playing or not. Unfortunately the lack of a good quarterback has always plagued the Bears.

But anyway. I hope D can still keep cheering for both teams. I’ve finally conceded and will cheer for the Packers when they’re not playing the Bears. I am not, however, an owner of the Green Bay Packers. 

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Beauty in giving

Remember a few weeks ago when I asked you to help one of my blogging friends Kelli and her family? I mentioned that, among other things, she was holding a Thirty-One fundraiser, with proceeds going to aid her niece and her family. Well I ordered a scarf from that fundraiser to help out, and it arrived yesterday. I love it!

It’s a fun, bright pink silk scarf with a design of circles. Being on the shorter side, I had to come up with just the right way to wear it so it didn’t look like a choker. Please remember, my creative skills are severely lacking, and unfortunately this applies to fashion, too.

Now for a little styling:

Not bad, eh? I paired it with that white v-neck tee and a casual black blazer, all worn with dark trouser jeans today.

Thanks, Kelli! My thoughts continue to be with your family, especially little Delaney.

 

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Mmmoscato

Friday afternoon I was craving a tasty glass of wine, as is usually the case when the weekend is fast approaching. We had D’s holiday party at daycare first, so afterward I dropped D and R at home and ran up to the grocery store to peruse their selection. (side note – D wanted nothing to do with Santa at the party, so unfortunately we have no cute pictures. so sorry)

I was in the mood for a white – cool, refreshing, and probably on the sweeter side. Yes, I like sweet wines. So what? I ended up picking up 3 bottles – a moscato (there’s the sweet stuff), a white blend from Napa, and a cabernet sauvignon. And no, I wasn’t planning on drinking all of them that night, thank you very much. I had simply noticed our wine rack was perilously low so I thought I’d stock up.

I’d never had any of the 3 I selected, so I was excited to try them. I love getting new wines – it’s like a little adventure, never quite knowing what kind of genie is going to come out of the bottle. Some pleasantly surprise, some horribly disappoint, but I always like to add to my repertoire.

So anyway, I chose to go with the moscato first. It was from Naked Grape, and I had seen it at a store last weekend and still wanted to try it. I’m very glad I did. It was light, sweetly tasted of peaches, and was exactly what I wanted.

 I thoroughly enjoyed the Naked Grape, and would definitely try their other varieties. If you like moscatos, I highly recommend this one. As for the other 2 bottles I bought, I never got a chance to tap into them this weekend. I’ll certainly take you with me, though, as I continue my wine tasting journey with those.