Weekend wrap-up

It was such a busy weekend I'm glad I had an extra day!


Friday after I got off work I went to preview a garage sale my mom saw advertised. I actually work pretty closely with the woman who was hosting it and emailed to ask about one of the items (a curio) and she invited me to come that night, although the sale didn't start until Saturday. I typically don't ask to go to sales early, but since she brought it up, of course I took her up on it. I ended up buying the curio and several other items, including a couple tools for J, for just under $100! And I know I promised a picture of the curio today, but I got so busy yesterday I didn't have the time to take one! Later that night we went to the movies and enjoyed some Mexican :)


Saturday I was just plain lazy. I cleaned a couple of rooms and watched a lot of movies. 


Sunday we went to pick up the curio cabinet and I did more cleaning and some organizing. Later that night, we went to a friend's house for a little potluck. I ate like I hadn't eaten in years! I took some apple praline bread that I made last week and little piggies in a blanket. We also had tortilla, ham and cream cheese roll-ups, wings, better than sex cake and pecan tarts, to name a few. I've got to get some of those recipes!


Monday I was off work but J had to work (haha!) Well, this summer my mom did some canning for me when I was too busy, and said I could help her with some bigger projects as a "repayment." So, we cleaned up an area of her basement and got rid of several bags of trash and boxes. It's far from perfect, but a start. 


Today has been crazy! I only had the time to do this post because I'm waiting for a return phone call. Let's just say my GM called me yesterday regarding something so I told him I'd be in by 7 a.m. Since we were closed yesterday, it was busy catching up this morning in addition to the new development. And since I left the house early, I was dressed for work when J was about to leave and carried my phone in the kitchen, which he grabbed in addition to his! So I am definitely ready to clock out at the end of the day. 


And there you have it. A big 'ole chunk of text that no one cares about :)

Thanks, Columbus!

It was more than five centuries ago that a man named Christopher Columbus set sail across the Atlantic Ocean, in search of a new trade route to India, and stumbled upon America.
And today, I'm off work to celebrate.

Thanks, man!

While I'd love to say I have the most fabulous plans, I don't. I'm going to my mom's to help her clear out some clutter. Woohoo.

I hit another awesome garage sale this weekend and will share my big purchase tomorrow, so stay tuned :)

Date night!

Tonight, I have a hot date planned with this even hotter man:

I'm going to cook us some pizza and get all dolled up then we're going to the movies. I.can't.wait to have a few hours with him to myself not having to answer our phones, etc. 

I think we're going to see this:

Not only have I loved the previews, there really isn't much to choose from when your town's po-dunk theater only has three screens. 

What I'm Loving

{1} First and foremost, I am LOVING that my good friend Jessica's hubby, who is in the Army, is now home!! He had been in Afghanistan since February other than a short leave, and he got home on Tuesday. We had a surprise for him at the airport. 


Here's most of the group with a big sign (right before he stepped off the plane):

And here is Justin with Jess, baby P and his mom in the background. Such a great experience. I took more than 100 photos :) 

Welcome home, buddy! We're so glad you made it - and indebted to you for your service.

{2} I'm LOVING all the time I've gotten to spend with my honey these past couple of days. Poor J isn't feeling well, so he took a couple of days off work and got to go to the airport with me. Also, I didn't come into work until about 10 a.m. today, so we got to spend some extra time together.

{3} We're LOVING our sweet, sweet pets. It's so great having all of them at the house with us. I snapped these the other day. 

{4} I'm loving the new season of TV! We are CBS snobs, and pretty much every episode has me on the edge of my seat for the next. My faves are: How I Met Your Mother, Two and A Half Men, Hawaii Five-0, Rules of Engagement, NCIS (both of 'em), The Good Wife, Criminal Minds, The Mentalist and The Big Bang Theory.


{5} I'm loving days when temps hover in the high 70s. PERFECTION! The 60s and overnight lows in the 30s? Not so much. 


I'm linking this post to Jamie's blog -- go there to link up yours or read more!

on the walls

I can't believe that we moved into our home almost 1 year ago, yet a lot of the walls remain bare! I chalk it up to not really knowing my style, as well as not having the extra cashola to decorate - when you're doing it on a budget and depend on clearance and/or garage sales, it takes a while. 


Over the weekend, I spotted this $3 mirror at a garage sale and snatched it up. Luckily, it matches the lamps perfectly and every time I look at it, I think the wall is finally complete. 


What do you think?

Oops on the trash and shot glass on the table :)

I've had a lot more finds over the past couple of months that I'm finishing up and can't wait to share on here, too!

Chili days

I LOVE chili, but I just can't bring myself to eat it while hot outside. 


So now that the weather has cooled off and fall is officially here, I made my first pot on Sunday. 


I should also point out that I love chili lots of ways and don't cook more than necessary -- so I make a huge pot we can enjoy several meals. I used two pounds of hamburger, five cans of beans and two quarts of tomato juice. 


And it was yummy. 


Last night we ate it from the bowl with pb sandwiches. We have enough left for at least three meals, so we'll also have chili dogs, Frito pies, and perhaps chili mac. I love having the main part of dinner done for every night :) And since we'll be making it differently, it won't feel like we're having the same meal four nights of the week. SCORE!


Am I the only one who cooks chili in bulk like this? 

She's a queen in my book

It's carnival week, which means pageants.
And my beautiful "niece," was in the junior miss. Although she did not place, Tay did a great job and was very gracious to her classmates who were on the court.
Here she is strutting her stuff (I picked her outfit!)

And a picture of the two of us. I think we could be blood related?

Tay will be 15 in January -- at which point J and I will have been together for seven years (HOLY CRAP!!!) Obv I didn't meet Tay and her sister right off the bat, but I've gotten extremely close with them over the past six years, and I am so proud of the woman she's grown up to be!

--- On another note: I had to attend the Little Miss and Mister pageant on Wednesday for work reasons. Seriously? Who puts their 4-6 year old in two-inch heels? Or in makeup? INSANE! When I have a little girl, she will be in pageants if she wants, but that won't be allowed, nor will she have a freaking prom dress. Let children be children! There is plenty of time for the pageant dresses later in life!