So I feel like a slack, slack, slacker this year. I didn't mail any Christmas cards.

Sean says we don't need to mail any until we have cute babies to put on the front!

So from me to you... MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

I was looking through pictures this afternoon and came across this one.

This was our 2nd or 3rd date.

It had already started...

Mousers!

Let me introduce you to my kitty cats!

I talk about them from time to time, but have never formally introduced you to them...

This is Allie.

Loves: scratching at doors that are shut, eating turkey, drinking fresh water right after it's poured from the tap!

She was a stray, and some friends rescued her from a video store.

I love her sweet face!

This is Bella.
Loves: meowing... a lot, eating Fluffy's leftover Fancy Feast, back scratches, watching birds on t.v.

I got Bella from a friend of mine who had one of her sisters. I fell in love with her the second I met her!

This is Fluffy.
Loves: Fancy Feast... a lot of it, scratching at the back door to go out, staying outside for less than 5 minutes and scratching to get back in, face rubs!

Fluffy was a stray that showed up at Sean's house. Yes, we are a blended family. Allie and Bella were mine, and Fluffy was Sean's. We all live together in harmony!

Luck dragon?

Sean and I have been joking that Allie looks sort of like the Luck Dragon, Falcor, from the Neverending Story when she lays like this...

what do you think??

It's beginning to look...

a lot like Christmas!!

I thought I would share with you guys some Christmasy scenes from my house...

... look at all of those Christmas cards!!

...this little guy is just hanging out by the sink in the kitchen...

...my "Merry Christmas" sign and mini ornament tree are new additions this year...

...dining room table...

..."O Christmas Tree... O Christmas Tree"... check out Fluffy wanting to go outside!

...my Christmas sign on display!!

...my super cool IKEA star lights, and our stockings, of course! check out the picture of my parents in the middle on the top! love it! Sean's parents are in the pictures on either side.

...coffee table... and my hurricane vases with ornaments are on the entertainment center in the background...

...sweet little holiday display on my trunk...

... Sean's fiber-optic Santa...

via gatekeeper

I keep trying to remind myself of this...

5 more days... 5 more days... 5 more days...

Then 11 off!!!

So beautiful and so true.

"I love you not because of who you are,

but because of who I am when I am with you."

unknown

Christmas signs...

via

I'm SUPER excited about my new Christmas sign!! A friend of mine is so crafty and made these cute, cute, CUTE Christmas signs!! The one at the top is now proudly displayed on my built in bookshelf above my fireplace in my living room! It is B-E-A-UTIFUL and makes me smile everytime I see it! Thanks, Sliminem!!

SO ready for Christmas!!

SO ready for snow!!

via gatekeeper

So lovely! I wish hubs would let me have a fancy, girly room in our house! Wait, he's pretty good about letting me girly up the house... I just need a room that can be all girly all the time... like this!!

Really...

It's disturbing that this is the same girl...

"...where are you Christmas...."

"...where are you, rehab..."

so sad...

JT, I'm not mad atcha for growing out those curls...

Dear [redacted],

Please hurry up and order my coffee. I haven't had my breakfast blend in weeks, so I've had to drink house blend. But today neither were available so I had to drink the super-charged, motor oil-like SUPER DARK BLEND and I'm about to lose my mind!?!?!! Even with the sweet chocolatey-ness of the Milky Way swirl, it was much to high-test for me. Hoping I come down from this cloud soon.

Many thanks,
M

I'd really like to have some eggnog and an oatmeal cookie...

in no particular order...

together or separate...

A day in the life... update...

I've been kind of MIA lately, and I'm sorry about that, friends! I knew I was slacking when my own mom said, 'you haven't updated your blog lately'. Sorry, mom! So here's a brief recap of 'A Day in the Life'...

- I successfully completeled, hands down, the biggest event of my short event planning career last Monday. Darius Rucker performed, and this is an event I've been working on with my AWESOME SAUCE co-worker, Erin, since, well, August. It was a hit. We actually made money, which is a plus, and I was absolutely, certifiably the tiredest I have EVER been. All in a day's work, right?

- 2 more events this weekend and I'm dunzo until January! HOORAY!

- Thanksgiving was lovely! Ate too much, of course, and baked my very first turkey! It was a hit, as there were NO leftovers!

- Got all of my Christmas shopping done... except ONE present!

- Hubs and I took a day-date trip to Chapel Hill and Durham this past Saturday! We had the best day, despite the cold and rain! Saw "A Christmas Carol", first 3-D movie for both of us, did a little shopping, and ate dinner at our fav Maggiano's! Delish!

- I'm SUPER ready for Christmas! Even more ready to have 11 days off work!! WHOO HOO!!

- I'm getting my hair cut and colored tonight!! A little shorter and a little darker!!

So that pretty much sums up what's been going on with me... what's been going on with all of you??

Definitely feeling like I need to ask Santa for one of these for Christmas!! The one thing I hate about this time of year is it's SO dark when I get home from work. And because we pretty much live 20-30 minutes away from EVERYTHING, a gym membership is just not convenient for me!?!?! UGH...

Last game??

Sorry babe, but your Pack is going down today!

GO HEELS!!

Turkey time...

So I've been asked to bake a turkey for Thanksgiving this year. Am I excited about that? Sure, another step into womanhood, a challenge, learning from my elders (sorry mom + Patsy)... but will it be a disaster? Let's hope not! Say a prayer for me, folks! I'm off to bake my bird!

Oh, Happy Day!

Tuesday was this handsome one's birthday!

All my days are happier with him in them.

I smile more, laugh more, love more with him.

Can't wait to spend all the rest of our birthdays together... forever!

I'll love you forever and two days after!

Thank goodness Carrie cut her hair... she was looking like she was going to the prom last week at the CMA awards. I like this short bob much better!

And Adam Lambert... I didn't like you when you were on AI and I SURE AS HECK don't like you after that disasterous performance on the AMA's last night. Tragic.

I have no beef with you, Mary J!

Loves...

As I'm getting older (grrr) I can tell my tastes in clothes are changing. Maybe it's in anticipation of wanting to become a mommy soon, and that American Eagle just doesn't work for me anymore (not everyone looks good in ripped, skinny jeans, just so you know). I have recently become obsessed with Ann Taylor Loft! Why, oh why, can't I just win the lottery!?!? Guess I have to start playing first. It's SO hard for me to wait for things to go on sale... they might not have the size I need... or the color I want... but I just can't seem to find room in our monthly budget for a $98 dress, or a $59 sweater... *sigh*....


Loves... This gold ruffle dress! Wouldn't this be fantastic to wear to a Christmas party? Good thing I work for a non-profit who doesn't have enough money to throw Christmas parties (or give Christmas bonuses... but that's another story...). I especially LOVE the shoes!! They are gold and they have a bow, what's not to like?

Loves... This whole ensemble, minues the whole jeans rolled up, circa de 1992. I love the jacket, love the cowlneck sweater, love navy + cream together, love, love, love it!!

Loves... Everything about this! The dress.... the boots... the cardigan (notice I didn't say "cardi"... I'm sick already of those stupid Old Navy commercials advertising "party cardi's".... SHUT UP ALREADY!!?!?! Anyway, I am loving the boot / dress / tights look! I finally picked up a super cute dress, at Target no less, for $12 no less, that looks super cute with my boots and tights!

Loves... This cardigan + jean combo, again, minus the whole jeans being rolled up thing. I love the color and the romantic look of the chiffon roses!

Just one more.... for old times sake, right?

Oh, IKEA!

I have to tell you about a trip down to Charlotte that mom and Mel and I made last week to a little place I like to call, IKEA!! I had heard all this hype about how cool it was, and how I needed to go ASAP, but I wasn't really sure what to expect. I'm not into the real modern look of their furniture, I feel like I'm more classic and vintage. But my oh my what fun we had! I bought so many Christmas presents, and they were SUPER cheap! Love it! Also found some things to put on my 'wish list'...
Like this pillow and the bedding that goes with it! I LOVE decorative throw pillows, just so ya know!!
Or this chandelier, which would look lovely hanging about my bed with the new bedding mentioned above... ahem... I'm just saying... hubby... for Christmas? No?

Smile Friday...

Smile Friday (Saturday Edition)... or "Happy early Birthday to my hubby" edition! This picture was taken on Thanksgiving night 3 years ago, also Sean's birthday, and also, sort of, our 2nd date! I was so excited to get out of the house after eating turkey and dressing with the fam all day to see this handsome one! Lots of flirting went on this evening, and it was just the start of the best times of my life!

New Moon update...

Well, here it is, my two cents on the New Moon movie. First of all, it still blows my mind that so many showings of this movie were sold out?? I ventured to the theater in Burlington yesterday afternoon, with hopes of purchasing tickets to the 9:45pm show. By the time I arrived (about 30 minutes after I called to see if they still had tickets available) the show was sold out and the only other one available was 10:30pm?!?! Luckily we ended up getting tickets to an 8:30pm showing at the Grande at Friendly. They had 2 theaters showing the movie at 8:30pm so we actually got really good seats! Yay us!

Moving on.... the movie... it was just alright. I know, I know, all the hype, and posts about how I couldn't wait for this day to arrive! "New Moon" is my least favorite book out of the series, so I knew it wouldn't be my favorite movie. I just felt like it was really slow, and of course, not enough Edward (which is why this was my least favorite book)!

Oh well, I'm glad I saw it, and I will more than likely see it again with my momma! I'm already counting down the days until "Eclipse" comes out in June! Now that is going to be a good movie!

8 more days...

Something you might not know about me... I LOVE LOVE LOVE Vince Gill!! He was the very first person I ever saw in concert, and I still love him just as much today!! He sings with Chris Daughtry on his new album... the song, "Tenneessee Line", which is my FAVORITE on the album and they played it live last night at the CMA's!!! Loved it!!

Gross, gross, gross.

I thought Leann Rimes looked horrible at the CMA's last night. It stinks because I used to really like her... not so much anymore... homewrecker!!

Too soon...

via gatekeeper

Is it wrong that I want to put up my Christmas decorations already?? My sister in law both agree on this one... I say no. I'm SO ready for Christmas, I can't WAIT!! Mom and Mel and I are taking a day off work in 2 weeks to go to Charlotte to go Christmas shopping!!

Can't.freakin.wait.

We will most definitely be making a stop by IKEA in Charlotte!! Oh, hurry up and get here November 16th!!

Christmas Countdown: 49 days

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride; so I love you because I know no other way.

Pablo Neruda

Honey, can we PRETTY PLEASE get this???? LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!

My friend Kim posted a link to this website on her Facebook page. It's all original furniture, some really neat pieces!

CAN'T. FREAKIN. WAIT.

LOVE LOVE LOVE her sweater!!! Wish I knew where to find this...

GPOYW: The "I'm official and carry a clipboard AND I'm rocking my $8 Walmart Halloween costume at work" edition.

Look what Google looks like today!! Precious!! It's the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street!!

This takes my baby-fever to new heights.

She is flawless.

New phone...

I have the WORST luck with phones. My work phone went on the outs... again. So, B hooked me up with a new and improved one! Hooray for the hook up!

And guess what my new ringtone is...

I'll give you a hint...

Nodding my head like YEAH!

Just in case you were wondering, Carolina's first basketball game is this Friday!!! HOORAY for basketball season!!!!

You've been warned...