What a Year

I have had a grand year this 2010 and if nothing else it was damn busy!

i would try and do a recap but it wouldn't be complete because i know i would miss a BUNCH of important things that happened this year. It seems to me that the years tend to run together and go by way too fast as i get older.

I think the biggest change in my life this year is becoming a second assistant manager. This change has made me a harder worker and in turn makes me work longer hours. It also seems to have it's down fall like missing out on special moments or having to delay them (such as thanksgiving and christmas eve this year) Also it has made it so i don't have nearly as much time to do everything i want to do. I mean i have done a great amount of sewing a cooking and reading this year but in turn my house has been way messier then it should be a lot of the time, i have gained weight because i just don't want to think about my daily food, and the holiday season seemed rushed and almost forced.

Don't worry too much though, i always make an effort to make things feel special. I had some amazing times with my friends and family that were just random days we spent together. Some of my favs were making taco soup for nearly everyone i know. This is my go to meal these days. i hope to find another amazing recipe in 2011 that i can make for any person and get rave reviews. I painted pumpkins with my mom and grams something i had never really done with them but it seems to go over very well and i think it would be fun to make it a tradition.

I also lost friends. some just by not seeing them very often and some by disagreements. i hold the friend i have dearly but i am learning slowly to detach some of my emotions from friends in the interest of not getting hurt or hurting them. In the past i have been so invested in everyone that i, at times, have forced my out look into them. Having friends is a huge responsibility that gives you the greatest reward but if you abuse that responsibility it can also give you huge disappointment. This coming year i hope to not hurt anyones feelings and inturn i hope that people also try and not hurt mine. I will try my best not to cry over things i can't control and don't affect me. Everyone can live their own lives and i can live mine and as long as the times we have togther are great that's all that should matter.

Other goals i have for 2011 are fueled by my love of being domestic! i would LOVE to learn now to knit and how to quilt. I picked up a class brocure from Jo Ann's and i think this is an attainable goal. Also i think it would be really great if ALL the gifts i gave this year were HOMEMADE gifts! there is nothing more special than a gift that someone had made specially for you and i hope to share that joy with everyone i know over the year (ok lets take mat out of that grouping b/c i don't think he'd be happy with ALL homemade gifts)

Over all i am happy and a little surprised i survived the year. I hope that the next year goes a bit smoother and a bit less stressful but bring just as much joy and happyness as this year has brought.

CHEERS and HAPPY NEW YEAR

Day....WHATEVER... of Christmas

OK well I have to admit I just don't have time to blog every single day of these Days of Christmas. I am going to try and do it every couple days and I will choose the topics that I feel best suit me. Today I will be skipping day 4: Tips and tricks to budgeting because if you know me at ALL I am not the one to ask about budgeting. OK well I do give good advice but I don't live by that advice so no one should really listen to me!

Day 5: Favorite Movie or Special


My all time favorite Christmas movie is "One Magic Christmas". It is a very under rated Christmas movie but I think the way I was raised I just relate to it. It is about a family who has hit hard times and are really struggling to make it through the holiday season. The mom has completely lost the Christmas spirit. An angle appears to the little girl and helps the mom find the Christmas spirit. Now that is just an overview of the story but what I really remember about the movie is little scenes. I love when the little girls uses the bathroom and the bath tub over flows. I don't know why that scene has stuck with me through all these years. Also, the mom works in a grocery store and she makes announcements about the specials. Every time I make announcements at work I think about that part of the movie. I feel like the family is real and the situations are real. It isn't one of those overly fluffed up movies that could only be real in a world of make-believe. When I was younger I related to the young girl but now that I am getting older I relate more to the mom. It is a movie that has lasted through the ages with me.

If you haven't seen it I recommend at least checking it out once. It is usually shown on the hallmark or oxygen networks during the holiday season.

Day 2 and 3 of Christmas

Yesterday I hurt my back just as I was about to write Day 2 of Christmas so I wasn't able to get it done yesterday so I'm combining them today. Luckily I didn't have a lot to say about day 2 anyways.

Day 2 of Christmas: Shopping tips and tricks

I gotta say I'm not exactly the best at getting deals while shopping. I do suggest going shopping on black Friday if you can stand it because you do get pretty great deals. I just don't have the time or interest to seek out the best deals and make sure I buy the items in time to take advantage of those deals. I do have a friend who is amazing at taking advantage of deals and that is @Tara1316 on twitter. I would refer anyone asking about shopping deals to her.

Day 3 of Christmas: Most wanted or best gift

Well I would think the best gift I ever got for Christmas was my Radio Flyer wagon I got from my uncle when i was like 6 or 7. I loved that thing. I used it all the way up into the teens where we finally destroyed it by trying to go down a bumpy ass rock hill as fast as possible. I was in a phase where I had to be as good as the boys (and prove it) so we made it into a game to get down this rocky dirt hill in the little red wagon. Boy was that an adventure.

Day 1 of 12 Days of Christmas

So I've decided to do this 12 Days of Christmas Challenge thing that is going around on the blogs these days. Now granted everyone is already done with their 12 days and are onto like day 14 so I'm a little behind but I thought it would still be fun to do it.

DAY 1: Holiday traditions

We are still a young family with no children but we still have our own traditions. First of all it is all kicked off with shopping at midnight on black Friday. We love doing this together. We then sleep all during the day.


Also we also have to decorate the tree together. I have to admit I put up the tree this year while mat was still sleeping and when he woke up he was pretty upset that I had started without him. We put on the ornaments together.


I also have my own tradition where I buy Christmas tins from the Helping Hands thrift store by my house and then do TONS of baking to fill them all and then give it all away to co-workers, friends, and family.

Christmas Project

Every year I get so creative around Christmas time and I just love doing crafts. Maybe it is because I'm stuck inside all the time because of the cold and rain. I just don't seem to do many crafts during the summer. Anyways, last year I made fleece pillows for each of my girls because we knew we were getting Snuggies from Kristin's mom. Whats more perfect then a Snuggie and a matching pillow! This year I found a really fun project to do on the Flamingo Toes Blog. The dish towels were so adorable and seemed easy enough to make.



I was so excited that I found the exact fabric at Jo Anne Fabrics when I stopped there after my weight watchers meeting. I started by cutting out the temp-lets they give and then cutting them out in the fabric. I then had to MAKE the towel part. This part was tricky because you have to make such small hems on the edges of the towel so it doesn't fray.

Finally I was sewing on the fabric designs when I learned that I SUCK at sewing around a curved edge. I can sew straight enough hems all day but a curved line did me in. On the final ornament I had to sew on I think I finally got the hang of it but the rest look like a child tried to sew them.


Sewing on the rick rack strings was another mistake I made... I should have used the same color tread because you can see thee while line down them and it doesn't exactly go straight either.


Over all the towel is pretty cute! I'm disappointed I couldn't make the ruffles because I don't have the right presser foot for my machine! I was thinking about making these towels of others too but I think I'll buy the towel pre-made so I just have to get to designs on it.