Friday, November 28, 2014

Black Friday 2014

Last night around 11:30 my mom and I went black Friday shopping. We love it. Black Friday itself is a holiday for us. Hot chocolate, cold weather, bundled up in our coats and gloves... and totally ready to handle anyone who tries to get in the way of us and a good deal. Sort of KIDDING about the last part, we keep it together and mostly play well with others. Last night we headed right for the outlets. I have no idea what time they open anymore. It used to be midnight on Thanksgiving but when we went out last night, most of the stores had already been open for hours. The outlets had some sort of rule this year where they weren't allowed to be open all night long.. so the stores opened at various hours, stayed open until 2am.. then closed and opened up again at 6am. I cant say I hated that. It made for very little traffic and people didn't seem as crazy. I got a couple of really awesome deals last night that I wanted to share.
My knuckle rings! FINALLY. They will take some getting used to. I already obsess over my rings and wearing them because I am scared of losing them so these now get added to the mix. Claires for $3.50 -They had a buy one get one half off deal so I got these for myself and then came across some My Little Pony earrings that I picked up for my niece.
(Total: $9)
 
The following picture is a combo from KOHLS and Kirklands. I LOVE KIRKLANDS. And they never disappoint on Black Friday. Or any day, really. Their prices are pretty reasonable and seriously, their stuff is adorable. The stockings were $5 each!!! Yes, you read that correctly, only $5!!!!  Original price were $15 each. They are beautiful and I was finally able to throw out our horrible dollar store stockings that we had lol. Dan was very happy about that. The Christmas bell hooks that they are hanging from were only $8 from KOHLS. Original price was $30 for the set of four but they were 50% off and then my mom had a coupon.
(Total $23)

 
I have been looking for an 'R' wall piece for our downstairs and had not had any luck. Stumbled across this beautiful piece at Kirklands. I LOVE IT. This was $25 originally, not on sale.. but then the whole store had a 15% deal off going on so I got it for $21.25. Its pretty big, I love the color and the burlap ribbon on it. Now I just have to find the exact place for it. There is a spot in our living room, beside the fireplace that I am considering.. and there is also a spot right beside a window in the dining room that I think it would also look really great in.

 
And below: me and my shopping parner in crime. She is a wild woman, that mom of mine.

Friday, November 21, 2014

When your baby grows up

This morning Tori was sitting in her high chair and she looks at me and says "Hair" and points to/touches her head. This has literally been an EVERY SINGLE DAY thing. She says a new word or recognizes something new that I say or do.. it is just insane. The pediatrician had said that 18 months to two years we would notice a significant difference in her verbal skills and my gosh was she right. Its actually shocking. I feel like more often than not I can actually just ask her what she wants and she will tell me. Not like, in full sentences... but enough with her words and pointing that we can get the idea. The feeling I have about the whole thing is strange. I am so proud of how smart and funny she is and I just love watching her learn... but at the same time... it makes me sad. I have gotten teary eyed so many times in the past few days because of how much it is reminding me that my baby is growing up. As hard as those infant days are... you have such an amazing feeling and bond with how much your baby needs you. I know she still needs me, it is just in different ways now. I guess depending on how you look at it, she needs me more now in even more important ways.. Teaching her to be kind, to love to learn, to have fun, to build her imagination, teaching her trust, how to be a good friend.

My God she is beautiful
 


Wednesday, November 19, 2014

My Xmas Wish List

Dan and I don't really do Christmas gifts for each other. We head to New York the day after Xmas every year and stay there for a week visiting his family. We consider this our Xmas gift to each other as we usually go out to eat or do something else fun while we are there. With that said, we get gifts from my family so in case anyone needs ideas for me.. I have decided to put together a little list. As you will notice, I am really easy to please and often called a "cheap date". You're welcome for that, Dan.

Knuckle rings. Im obsessed. They must be silver. They must be dainty. The picture below is pretty close to exactly the look I want. Available on amazon, etsy and of course Forever21 ranging from $5-15ish dollars. Not bad!
 
Black bookbag purse. Preferably leather. I can carry my own things in it, I can carry Tori's things in it... the idea that I can wear it on my back and not have to worry about it is pretty sweet. Wont need to hang it off the stroller, etc. Convenient. Available at Walmart, Target, etc. Ranging from about $15-30ish dollars.

 
Pandora House Charm. 'Home' is a lot of things, both personally and professionally so I think it would be a very fitting charm to add to the collection. I think it was $30 at Pandora.

Fingerless gloves. I need to be able to touch my iphone screen. They look trendy and cute and I can still show off my nail polish. A matching hat wouldn't be terrible either. Target, Wal Mart, H&M, Forever21.. $8-15ish bucks.

 
You're welcome.

Monday, November 17, 2014

Iphone last 10

I have seen this post on a couple of blogs that I follow and I think it seems fun so here we go. I am posting my 10 most recent pictures that are on my iphone and giving a little detail of what was going on in them.



This picture is me and my cousins (Martina, Haley and Madison). The picture is 5 years old and I came across it on my moms fbook, I was planning to share it on IG for TBT. I cant believe how different and how much older we all look in just 5 short years. I love these girls so much.

 
This adorable turkey design was on my latte I got at an awesome little shop called 'Café di vetro' in downtown Lancaster(you HAVE to try the drink.. organic chocolate mocha latte.. not too sweet). It was a fun morning date that me, Dan and Tori went on. A coffee date is a fun, cheap date and I love those random morning trips with my family.

 
This post I came across and had to share on IG. I am a total sucker for an instant tan or a little black and white action that the IG Filters give you. Sorry Im not sorry. I love IG.

 
This is a night stand I am currently trying to sell. It comes with a matching dresser. Dan and I bought it like, two years ago from Boscovs.. not great quality but it was something to hold us over for our bedroom and then when we bought our new house, my parents surprised us with a beautiful new bedroom suit so we really don't need this stuff anymore.

 
This is what my phone USUALLY looks like because Tori LOVES my iphone and is working on her photography skills. The floor, feet, etc.. those are her specialties.

 
Saw this on Pinterest and thought it was worth a share.. I am saving it for IG/Dan lol. Dan hurt his back while ago and had stopped working out...now that he is feeling better he wants to start getting back to the gym but is feeling weak and discouraged with 'starting all over'. I have been trying to convince him that it is worth it and everyone has to start somewhere. Today is supposed to be Day 1 of Dan back to the gym, so we will see.

 
Here is Sami and Tori on a lunch date together. They are only two weeks apart in age and I usually refer to them as "the twins". They don't get to see each other much but they are now at the age where they recognize each other and they play and interact so well. As soon as we got to my parents house Sam yelled "Hi Tori!!!!" It was adorable. And their hair.... seriously?! ADORABLE.

 
Stickers, stickers, stickers. Tori is obsessed. I came across a steal at Staples, .50 a sticker book. They had hundreds of stickers in them. Victoria loves to ask you to give some to her... and she sticks them on anything and everything. Below she gave mommy some new leg tattoos.

 
My friend Amanda has two sons; Luke and Logan. Luke is 1 year older than Tori and Tori is 1 year older than Logan. Tori LOVES babies so much and as soon as she saw Logan she HAD to hold him, completely unprompted she reached her little arms out for him and when we gave him to her she rested her little head on him and kept hugging him. So stinking cute. She is going to make the BEST big sister!!! Although Dan says she may think she is the mommy lol.

 
Another pic from our visit with my sis and Sam. My sister never smiles for pictures. This is a pic with her real, genuine smile(which I love and is beautiful).. and Sam in her little pigtails. Cuteness overload.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Right now

I have to share three things that I LOVE right now... because you will love them, and you will be very thankful I shared them with you and I like sharing and when people love things that I love.

First:
Cocoa white chocolate chip cookies.
I made them yesterday. They were a huge hit. Both sets of neighbors got them, a friend got them, Tori and Dan got them...my belly got them... a LOT of them. The best part was I had all of the ingredients in the house so I didn't have to run out for anything. I hate grocery shopping.

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Baking Cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Premier White Morsels

  •  
    PREHEAT oven to 350° F.

    COMBINE flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by well-rounded teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

    BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until centers are set. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
     
     
    Caramel Macchiato creamer by Coffee House. So good. Especially since I have been averaging two cups of coffee a day right now. Not too sweet. Not to bland. Just right. (Note the bucket of cookies in the background lol). 

     
    Snooki Self Tanner. Say what you want about Snooki but seriously, the girl knows her tanning. I bought this spray off of Amazon for $15. Normally, this would be too much money for me... but my whole point of buying it was for touch ups if I was having a particularly pale day or if I got a spray tan and missed a spot so I knew I wouldnt fly through it or anything. Just this morning I went to the gym and TWO different people made a comment about how tan I looked. This compliment is one of my very favorite lol. I simply spray my face (up and down 2 or 3 times) and then my neck/chest area.. my arms.. and the bottom of my legs (knee down). With this weather, those are the only parts of my body anyone sees and the color is not so intense that Dan notices or anything.
     
     
     
    There you have it. Three of my favorite things right now. No category. No specific reason to share other than the weather is crappy and I need something to make me smile.
     
     

    Wednesday, November 5, 2014

    20 Months

    This post is a few days late but yes, my baby... my little girl, she is 20 months old. 4 months until I have a two year old!!! That sounds SOOO soon!!! By the time the holidays pass and the new year is here, we will be planning a second birthday party. How terrible is it that I have already started planning a possible "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" party in my head? LOL. She is at a super fun and trying age right now. It is virtually impossible to get anything done while she is awake (lol) as she is into anything and everything but she is also really getting to know and understand everything around her and that is awesome. She is soo stinking smart and cute... and really, I could go on and on...

    20 months has brought:
    -Teething like crazy. She is miserable. Seriously. Brutal.
    -SO MANY WORDS. Just started saying "Monkey" , "Toys", "Slide", "Mamma" (pronounced Mammal which we call my gma) and one of my personal favorites is "Pizza". I swear its not because we eat it constantly, she has this adorable shapes book and one of the shapes is triangle and shows a slice of pizza, this happens to be her favorite book so she hears that word a lot.
    -Singing, singing, singing... little girl loves music and sings herself to sleep most nights.
    -Officially on sippy cups full time, bye bye bottles.
    -Paci addict. Her pacifier will not be a fun one to try to break.
    -Her hair is getting so long and finally filling out her whole head, not just the mullet lol.
    -She is a whopping 26lbs 8oz. Our little chunk.
    -She loves to eat: pasta, strawberries, bananas, goldfish and "coo-coos".. aka Cookies. She is the cookie monster.
    -Makes the silliest faces. She has a "mean face" she makes where she puts her head down and looks up at you with these mean eyes and sticks her lips out in the cutest duck lips style.
    -The time change hasn't bothered her night routine much but she is waking up at 6am pretty regularly right now, I think because it gets brighter out earlier now, so I think we need a darker blind for her door in her bedroom, she has the door that leads to the balcony and right now there is just a pretty pink and white sheer curtain hanging on it.
    -We are still getting to the kids club at the gym pretty regularly and also going to Toddler time at the library. She definitely likes the kids club more, I am noticing she isn't a fan of the structure at the library. She wants to be able to sing, dance, run, etc all on her own terms.
    -Girlfriend loves to color.
    -She loves the iphone. She can get on the phone, pull up pictures and do her favorite thing ever which is watch videos of herself.
    -Bath time is still one of her favorite things ever. She loves swimming in the tub.
    -She recognizes when someone says the number one that two comes next which is adorable.
    -She has shown some interest in potty training which is exciting and terrifying at the same time.

    Another month of watching my sweet girl grow and learn. She never seizes to amaze me.



     
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