Trendy Wifee

Crafty!

2011-10-13T19:04:00.000-04:00

I have been hooked on Pintrest. My husband said I need a Pinnervation and my friend told me I needed a blogervention. I know, I'm hooked! Anyways, I saw a lot of cute crafts on Pintrst and thought I would try a few out.

The first one I tried is from a blog, Remember me? I'm in the Army too!: DIY Fabric Felt Flower Wreath. It is a Fel Flower Wreath. It was so easy. At first when I started I thought that my fabric edges needed to be clean and thought I was doing it all wrong, but in the end it looked great. And I was all stressed out about felt flowers. I thought my circles were too big or too small or not perfect and they didn't need to be! For some of her wreaths she used the styrafoam and I think that works best. I went with the same type of fabric, but you can really use whatever you want. I think what I will do is change out the felt flowers for different holidays. For Christmas I could do green, red for valentine's day, pink for Easter, etc.

Stage 1

Finished Product!

Dogeared - Inspiration and Good Energy

2011-09-29T22:31:00.000-04:00

I received a gift from a friend a little while ago when it seemed like everything was going wrong. It was such a nice way to say she cared and it was a really neat necklace from Dogeared. Each necklace is on a card that says something inspiring on it. It is such a neat idea and they are made here in the US. Go check them out!

PINTREST

2011-09-18T17:26:00.000-04:00

I love spending time online looking at different blogs. Blogs are like my reality tv that hits closer to home. They have so many neat and interesting ideas and they teach me new things. I have a friend that has the cutest style and I met up with her and her boyfriend a little while ago. Her boyfriend started to talk about her obsessions with Pintrest. Of course I had to ask, what is Pintrest? They told me it is a virtual bulletin board where people go and post things they love. At the time it didn't seem all that interesting but I had to check it out. And now I don't know if that was a good or bad thing...I love Pintrest and I am hooked now! I am so impressed on the postings that people have out there. It displays beauty, art, style and creativity. If you haven't checked it out before, you should check it out and see what you think! I am sure you will be inspired.

Cayden's 1st Birthday

2011-06-30T14:21:00.000-04:00

This past weekend we had Cayden's 1st Birthday party. This past year has been so much fun and it was such a great way for everyone to see Cayden and celebrate this wonderful year! Cayden loves the water, boat, pool, etc. just like his family so the ideal theme was a nautical theme. I used MommiesInk on etsy for his invitations, cupcake toppers and water bottle labels. I loved working with her and loved getting a digital file, which was muuuch cheaper than getting printed pieces.

The final touch was the album I had made of his firt year on shutterfly and a book that had his actual first birthday photos and a few pages for family and friends to sign.

I didn't show the invitation on here becuase it has my address, I printed them out on the printer and purchased red and blue envelopes at Staples. Our guests were first greeted by a life saver that I put Cayden's picture in. I just got it at Hobby Lobby and glued his picutre on the back. I also got a few fishing nets at Hobby Lobby and put those up to display picures of Cayden, pictures of him each month from birth to 12 months and his birthday banner. The banner, I ended up making my self with construction paper, ribbon and a circle punch.

I bought buckets and put rocks in them to put on the center of the tables. I configured foam and rods to make them look like sail boats. The finishing touch was adding his picture.

We also had a pull string pinata that I loaded up with bath toys, snacks, candies and tried to squeeze in there a few squirt guns, but they didnt want to fit because it was really designed for smaller children and didn't hold a lot. The kids loved that too and the pull string was a little less dangerous for the smaller children.

The giveaway for the kids was a very fun project. I got sand buckets and put their names on each of the buckets with letter stickers. I kept having the RSVPs change and it was difficult to keep up with who actualy was coming and putting together a bucket, but the kids enjoyed the personalization soo much! The older kids had water bottles, gold fish, lollipops, squirt guns and bubbles. The younger kids had sippy cups, snack cups, sun glasses, teethers, cereal and puffs. The older girls got jump ropes and the boys got hot wheels.

Winter Wonderland Wedding

2011-01-27T22:18:00.001-05:00

We went to Oglebay during the holidays and there happen to be a wedding they were setting up for as we were checking in. The room was decorated so beautifully and the ideas they had were amazing. They had a tree setup outisde by the coat rack and guest book that had a bulb with their name and table name. The tables were named for Christmas songs. It was a winter wonderland in the room with everything blue and white. I wish I had a picture of the bride becuase she had feathers in her hair and on her dress. I have seen a few of the new wedding dresses have these feathers. I love them!

Posting Again - Christmas

2011-01-27T22:07:00.000-05:00

It has been a long time since I have been posting. I thought I would post a few things from Christmas that I enjoyed doing. For Christmas I always try to find something little as favors for Christmas Eve. I had this great idea to make ornaments for everyone with Cayden's handprint. I laid out newspaper and got my supplies...then he threw them all off of his high chair. So I ended up using a sponge to paint his hand then I had my husband give him the bulb to hold. We did 8 of them...and it was hard. I put a ribbon on each bulb, wrote his name and year. Then I donated in the name of each of my guests to St. Jude. There are all kinds of things you can purchase from their website. I bought gift tages to put on the ribbon.

Gender Reveal Pizza Party

2010-09-10T15:06:00.000-04:00

Before we had the baby we knew that we wanted to find out if we were having a boy or a girl. At first we wanted to find out with the rest of our family, but decided that it would be a wonderful thing to find out just the two of us while we were at the ultra sound. To tell the rest of the family, we had a gender revel pizza party the day after we got our ultra sound. I had everything in pink AND blue so we could keep people guessing. Some said "there is more blue, so it is a boy" and others would say "there is a pink plate on top, so it is a girl". It was funny to hear what people thought and really really hard to keep it a secret. We had a bakery make chocolate cupcakes and fill the center with icing indicating whether we were having a boy or a girl. After everyone had pizza and we gave everyone a cupcake to reveal the sex of the baby.

It was so much fun to watch everyone bite into the cupcake! They all revealed at the same time it was a boy!

Baby Shower 2

2010-05-24T20:52:00.000-04:00

At the 2nd baby shower, my mother-in-law and brother-in-law's girlfriend threw this shower. They did a brown and blue theme...it was adorable and matched the nursery! Thad had made chocolate covered pretzels, cookies, a really cute cake, balloons and the napkins even matched.

Baby Shower 1

2010-05-24T20:43:00.000-04:00

My mom, sister and aunt threw my a baby shower. The colors were brown and green. They went for a more relaxing, natural look to things since the room we were going to be in was purple. They had tea bags for favors, an adorable cake that mostly comprised of cupcakes, lots of cookies and placed our materntiy pictures on each table. My aunt made a wonderful diaper cake and even made wash cloth lollipops for my present. They did such an amazing job!

Michael Jackson Onesie

2010-01-18T21:18:00.000-05:00

I went to a baby shower for a really good friend of mine the other weekend. I have known her for a while and had to get her something in addition to her shower gift that really reminded me of her. While I was browsing through websites with onesies, I stumpled upon sandboxthreads.com. And I found the perfect onesie! We both really loved Michael Jackson and even danced to a few of his songs when we danced at the dance studio together. When I got it in the mail, it was sooo cute!

Countdown to 2010

2009-12-30T13:06:00.002-05:00

This is by far the cutest table setting I have seen for new years! I love the cock theme, the colors and of course the creativitiy that went into it. I found this on bhg.com and thought it was just adorable. I even love the crystals that are spread out around the table. This table setting would be a hit on new years for sure. This makes me want to have a party!

Grandparent Chirstmas Gift Ideas

2009-12-14T14:13:00.003-05:00

I have the hardest time trying to find gifts for our grandparents. They never “want” or “need” anything…so I always try to guess what to get them or get as creative as I can. But a few years ago, I came up with an idea that has solved my problem. Custom picture calendars have been my solution. All year I take pictures of the family, document events and save them for around Thanksgiving time. I then add them to calendars and add all the dates of birthdays and anniversaries in the family. I typically use shutterfly, but there are other sites that do the same thing. The shutterfly calendars have been great, but I went in and entered all of the dates, including the year and on the calendar it doesn’t automatically show up as “Brittany’s 23rd Birthday”. It only shows up as Brittany’s Birthday, so I have to manually enter the other information. This is a very exhausting task and usually I have errors on someone’s birthday, opps. But i don't have to worry about adding the dates every year. The grandparents (and now parents have requested these) know they are getting it, but are anxious to see what pictures are in there and they enjoy it all year long.

Prepping for Christmas Eve

2009-12-04T10:58:00.005-05:00

I have starting having the family over for Christmas Eve. I just started really planning for it. I am really excited because I have the majority of the stuff I need already since I bought it last year and am able to focus on other fun things.

My mom came across these adorable name tag holders from Crate & Barrel . They will work perfectly because I am going with a candy cane theme this year.

To go with the theme I have decided to serve dessert in these peppermint shot glasses that I found in the dollar aisle at Target. I was originally going to put ice cream in them, but wanted to be a little more casual and just have dessert sitting out for everyone. Instead I am going to bake these Peppermint Brownies from Crate & Barrel, then layer brownies, pudding and cool whip into the glasses.

For the favor I am thinking about doing to a Christmas CD with a candy cane image on the front. I still need to figure out a centerpiece that incorporates candy canes. I will definitely post pictures once I have everything setup and done. Stay posted.

Thanksgiving Day Christmas Craft

2009-11-20T09:32:00.000-05:00

My husbands family always does a craft on Thanksgiving. His aunt usually surprises the family with what it is that day. She works so hard to put together the craft and it turns out so nicely! Last year we did poinsetta trees. We had a lot of fun doing them and they looked beautiful in our houses after we were finished. In fact I used mine as a centerpiece for the table Christmas Eve.

Here is what we did incase anyone would like to make their own.

Supplies:

-Hot Glue Gun

-String of 50 Christmas Lights

-Wicker Christmas Tree

-Artificial Poinsettas

-Gift Box/Craft Box with Design

Instructions:

-Wrap the tree with Christmas lights and make sure the plug is at the bottom

-Pull off poinsetta leaves and flowers

-Hot glue each flower and leave to the trees as you see fit

-Glue the tree onto the box when you are finished

There you have it! Happy Thanksgiving!

Counting Down the Days Till Black Friday!

2009-11-11T08:12:00.000-05:00

There is nothing that says it is time for the holidays like black friday! I grew up going shopping on black friday, so I haven't really thought anything of it and actually enjoyed going. It wasn't until taking my husband out shopping on black friday (which was the same year my dad went for the first time...and he went by himself!) that I realized how truly crazy that day is.

The year I took my husband we went to Target first and he didn't understand how long the line was going to be if we didn't get there early until we arrived. When they started handing out maps and there was a bunch of security, he just started laughing. As they made the announcement that we would all be going in soon and they were giving us instructions, he stopped laughing and started to get a little worried. I started giving the group assignments on what items they needed to get. I made the mistake of giving him the assignment of getting the cart. As soon as we got in the store everyone started grabbing for carts and he politely stood there waiting for his turn to get a cart until I yelled "just grab one, come on". It was about that time that my cousin was asking for clarification on what he was suppose to get and got carried away in a sea of people. We had a very successful (yet stressful) trip and everyone made it out with any bumps or bruises. After that my husband said "I am never doing that again". But guess what...he has gone with ever since then. And right after that we received a call from my dad who was at Kohl's and he said "Wow that was an adrenaline rush, I was going to go home and go to bed, but I want to go shopping some more!". My dad had an experience too, but there were men and women around him that figured out it was his first time and helped him plot out what he needed to do.

I am counting down the days yet again this year and have been checking out my favorite website http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com/ which posts the ads early so I have more time to plot out what stores I need to go to.

Trick or Treat

2009-10-27T08:46:00.000-04:00

My aunt had a costume party this past weekend after we returned from our trip. My great uncle from California was in town and this was a great opportunity for everyone to get together. The party was really nice complete with spooky food & decorations, costumes, costume prizes and a scavenger hunt. Everyone had such a wonderful time. I was able to find a non risqué costume and went as a goddess (Hera to be exact). And Chad went as my dad. Not everyone got it at first, but after we told them who he was, it was pretty funny. He won most humorous costume and 2nd place for the best costume. My mom went as a witch, my dad went as a gangster and my sister went as Rosie the Riveter. My cousin won best costume. She went as a Cat and painted her pregnant belly as a fish bowl, it was really cute. Of course there was a Michael Jackson and my uncle went as Sponge Bob.

Cruisin

2009-10-25T09:28:00.005-04:00

We went on our first Cruise and absolutely loved it! What a wonderful way to go to several destinations without the exhaustion of traveling to each one. The ship gets you there while you are eating, drinking, have a great time and sleeping. On the ship there was a ton to do, shows, the casino, shopping, pictures, the pool, parties, etc.
This cruise was a short one so we could figure out if we would do ok on the cruise and if we would actually like it. We went with my family and they really enjoyed themselves as well. As I am sure most of you know or have heard, there was a ton of food on the ship. I thought there would be a ton of food, but it would be just ok tasting. Well it wasn’t, it was absolutely delicious! And our sit down dinner every night was so nice. It was really nice to sit down as a family and eat every night and for us to have no worries about cooking, cleaning up or even the price of different items since it is all included.

Off the ship was a lot of fun too. We went to the Bahamas and to Key West. We were supposed to go to Coco Cay as well, but they were unable to get tender boats to the ship because of weather. In the Bahamas we visited Atlantis and shopped briefly in downtown. In Key West we had such a good time and originally none of us really cared to go there. We did a lot of shopping, site seeing, visiting restaurants and bars.

I think the next cruise we will take will be a Mediterranean cruise, I bet that would be so much fun!

New York In the Fall

2009-10-09T07:03:00.006-04:00

Although I really like New York around Christmas time, it was really nice to experience it in the fall. There wasn’t as many people, the weather was much nicer, I didn’t feel like I had to concentrate on not freezing to death and I got to experience things that did not have to do with Christmas (the tree, lights, shopping, etc.). This trip was a girl’s trip and we had such an awesome time and were amazed to find that we were all able to make it. I believe the last time that we all of us together was at my wedding!
The first day we saw all the touristy things for the girls that had not been to NYC before and went out in Manhattan that night. I think everyone’s favorite part of the day was the Staten Island Ferry. The ferry takes you right past the statue of liberty and they have really cheap drinks (for New York that is) that you can purchase while you are on there.

On Saturday we had such a fun day! Our friend that lives there (Emily) was attending a birthday brunch and we went along. We had an amazing time! The food was wonderful, the drinks were delicious and all of the girls enjoyed celebrating her friend’s birthday. That night we headed out to eat and out for the night in Astoria (that is where Emily lives). The restaurant we went was so good and the service was amazing and it wasn’t any place fancy. The bar that we visited had very unique drinks and most included a type of infused liquor and some of the girls were brave enough to try their pickle shots.
On Sunday we were all really sad to leave and it was pouring down rain. We stopped a few places to shop and each of us headed to the airport to catch our flights. We were all so happy to be able to see everyone and to experience New York in the fall.

Fall Festivals and Wineries

2009-09-20T21:43:00.010-04:00

One of my favorite things to do in the fall is to go to the wineries here in Ohio. Most of them have live music, festivals or other activities going on. At Wolf Creek Winery, you can bring your own food and there is plenty of room to spread out. I usually make our favorite sandwich to take to picnics that is from one of my pampered chef recipe books. The wineries are just so pretty in the fall and they are so much better to go with friends that you need to catch up with. This weekend we plan to go to another one of our favorite wineries that we are really close to. They have a fall festival complete with a pumpkin launcher, hay rides, corn maze, pumpkin patch, live music and of course wine and food. It is called Maize Valley Winery and it is the perfect family outting for fall!

Fall and Football

2009-09-20T21:33:00.006-04:00

I love the recipes at kraft foods, they are so easy to make and so creative! I was looking for some ideas for some Saturday college football fun foods to make and found all of these. First they have this adorable cheese ball, the football pizza and football desserts. And for those Ohio State Buckeye fans, they have these Buckeye bars! I can't wait to start making these things!

Welcome Back Pumpkin Spice Latte

2009-09-18T13:44:00.003-04:00

I am so happy that the pumpkin spice latte is back!!! I have only indulged in the latte twice since they have arrived! I was so happy that this past weekend I could make it there to grab another. While I was there I did notice that in some locations they are oven-baked breakfast sandwiches and are also having the special where you can bring back your receipt from the morning after 2:00pm and get a discount on a cold beverage. Ahhh, Starbucks...

Traumatizing the Pup

2009-09-10T21:02:00.007-04:00

So we just got her outfit! It is so cute! I think she hates it though. Most of the outfits I put her in don't have the bouncy skirt like this does. She had to get bloodwork today because she has to get fixed on Monday and she wasn't allowed to eat all day. So since we traumatized her, starved her then made her get her blood drawn...we got her a new toy. Doesn't she make you feel sorry for her?

Secretly Excited for the Fall

2009-09-10T20:31:00.002-04:00

I am so addicted to Summer that when it comes to the inbetween Summer and Fall time of year, I feel guilty getting excited for fall. I asked my husband if I could put out Fall decorations yet and I got eyeballs rolled at me...so I am thinking that is a no. Football starts this weekend and the weather has definately turned. I am enjoying the now and starting to plan for Halloween, visits to the winery, pumpkin patch, pumpkin spice lattes and football season. I bought a Halloween/football season outfit for Lucy. I will definately post a picture once we get it in the mail!

Bachelorette Party

2009-09-07T09:01:00.004-04:00

I went to a bachelorette party this weekend. You can have so much fun with these things...from the decor to the gifts to the decorating of the bride. I had a lot of fun shopping for a gift for her. I looked at Spencer's, Ambiance, Pure Romance and some online stores. I ended up getting her a "sample pack" from Pure Romance. It was so much fun without being too inappriopriate and I got her a card, bag and sucker from Ambiance. You should have seen all the stuff that is out there! I thought these scratch offs were hilarious and a really fun way to have a game that isn't obnoxious! The best gift she got was a grab bag. I am not sure where her friend got it, but it was $20 and what was inside was a surprise. There was a ton of stuff in there. I can't wait for someone else to get married so I can go to another one!

Sweet Tooth

2009-08-29T08:53:00.003-04:00

It was my dad's birthday and Chad's mom's birthday. I had a brunch for my dad and a cookout for his mom. At each of them I wanted to make cupcakes instead of getting a cake. When there are a lot of people, I have found that cupcakes are much easier to manage. For his mom, I even made a few minicupcakes, which I am starting to like using more and more. Everytime I want a fun recipe, I head over to kraftfoods.com. They always have such cute and easy recipes. A lot of time if you have a theme in mind, they have a dish that can go along with it. The cupcakes I made for my dad were "Bears at the Beach" and the ones I made for his mom were the "Hot Cocoa Cupcakes"

Bears at the Beach Cupcakes, He loves anything tropical and summery, so I thought these would be cute. They were easy to make and didn't require a ton of ingredients.

Hot Cocoa Cupcakes, I put my own spin on them and made htem look like smore cupcakes since we were having a cookout and a fire.

Will we ever be done?!?!

2009-08-28T07:47:00.005-04:00

Before

We are in the process of adding a second bathroom (thank god!) and it seems to be taking forever. I believe it feels this way for 2 reasons...1)It is inevitable that when we do a project we run into unexpected problems and 2)Whenever it is nice out, we abandon everything and go boating (I live in Ohio, you have to enjoy the warm weather when you can). Now I finally feel like we are almost there since you can actually use the bathroom. We need to put up trim, install a drop ceiling and find a mirror (I am starting to think we never will since I am being really picky). My husband did such an amazing job. I am so proud of how he learned to do things he never did before and asked for help whenever he knew he needed it. This wasn't a dinky remodel...this was an addition and he did great!

After

Everything you want and more!

2009-08-21T15:25:00.007-04:00

Have you ever gone to the store looking for that "thing" you wanted, but couldn't find it? You know exactly what you are looking for, so you figure it shouldn't be too hard to find...but you can't find it anywhere! I have definately felt that way many times. One resource I have started using more is http://www.etsy.com/. They have a ton of things there and it can be personalized for you! My friend that is planning a wedding has it made...there are a ton of places out there that can create that specialized design, program, basket, etc. There are links to baby items like personalized slings and clothing. A ton of handmade jewlery is out there. Anything you can imagine is out there and if it is not...you can request for someone to make it for you.

2009-08-20T10:35:00.001-04:00

My aunt said to me the other day that I needed to help her husband find her a chocolate diamond for Christmas. She thought he might need some help because he asked if he got it from a candy shop or something. I went online to see what I could find and was amazed to find that you could get one at a decent price at Overstock.com. As I was searching...I started thinking that this is something I should be asking for for Christmas! I always wanted a "right hand ring".

"Is trick or treat soon or something?"

2009-08-18T10:08:00.018-04:00

I was in the line at the grocery store the other day and I heard a little voice behind me ask her mom "Is trick or treat soon or something?". I was laughing so hard, the poor thing was so confused. She was just buying school supplies and they already have Halloween stuff out. She was even aware of the order in which retailers are suppose to be marketing their products. Too funny. I started to have a panic attack about that time because I enjoy all the seasons, but absolutely love summer and started thinking about all of the things I wanted to do before summer. I thought I need to take more walks, grill out outside, leave the windows open, wear tank tops, go swimming and boating, camping, and eat fresh fruit. Martha is even counting down, check out some of her tips. http://www.marthastewart.com/60-days-of-summer

Love

2009-08-12T18:08:00.006-04:00

If you ever need any ideas how to keep your romance alive, visit Love, Actually. She has a ton of ideas over there! She most recently talked about having a fondue night. I actually did this with my husband for our 2nd anniversary. We had gone to the melting pot for our 1st anniverary and on our second we were broke...so I decided to cook dinner at home. When we were all done, I had fondue setup in the next room. I decorated the house with a bunch of candles and christmas lights, it looked really romantic. Check out her site, she has some great ideas for invites, recipes, etc. to make it a memorable night! She even has a picture I submitted to her on our fondue layout!

Romantic Getaways

2009-08-06T10:09:00.036-04:00

I got wonderful news that my husband is now allowed to take his vacation (they were told that they wouldn't be able to use their vacation this year) and now he has to take it before the end of the year. This October we will have been married for 3 years and since our honeymoon, we have stayed home for our anniversary. Now that we have the opportunity to go away and we didn't take a vacation this summer, I began frantically looking for somewhere romantic to go for our anniversary. Here are some ideas I came up with.

Florida - We have friends in Florida and we threw around the idea of visiting them for a few days, then going somewhere close to them and here are the top 2 ideas I came up with.
Sunset Catamaran Cruise, http://www.kailanicat.com/sunset.htm - This cruise has food and drinks onboard that you can purchase and there is even a wine tasting sunset cruise during the week.
Bed and Breakfast in St. Augustine, FL, http://www.oldcity.com/ - The bed and breakfasts there are very cute and the town is very charming. You can take a carriage ride or walk around the town and enjoy the sites.

Spa, http://www.hotelvalleyho.com/scottsdalehotels/index.html?- I absolutely want to go to a resort and spa one day. My husband isn't too keen on the spa treatments, so I need to get him exposed to the spas more or just go with the girls in my family.
This hotel looked really trendy and had a lot of good reviews...and you can bring your pets :) It would be a great place to unwind, enjoy a spot by the pools and spa treatements together.

Cruise, http://www.rccreservations.com/HOT-DEALS.html - There are so many great deals out there right now for a cruise. What better way to spend your anniversary by eating great food, enjoying the sun and exploring ports of call.

So what did we choose? We chose a cruise to the Bahamas! We have been wanting to go to the Bahamas and neither one of us have ever been on a cruise. Before we start thinking about kids, we wanted to have a nice getaway, so this was perfect.

Under a Rock

2009-07-31T09:44:00.014-04:00

When I hear about things that I never knew exisiting and they are just too awesome, I have to wonder if I am living under a rock or if this is something that just hasn't gained enough exposure yet. Over at Modern eve she reference this wonderful website called Cloverleaf. What is cloverleaf? It is a website where you can purchase an online magazine subscribtion! I love it! There are various options too, you can get print and online subscribtions, single online issues or just the online subcribtion. Want to clip an article? You have that option too. Don't get me wrong, I like getting print subscribtions, but what a wonderful way to save money!

Travel Made Simple

2009-07-30T11:34:00.002-04:00

I aspire to be as organized as a real simple magazine. I love visiting the website and reading the magazine. There are so many great tips, tools and ideas on the website. Below are some great planning and packing checklists for heading out on vacation this year.

Vacation Planning Checklist

Beach Vacation Packing Checklist

Basic Vacation Essentials Checklist

Take It From Me

2009-07-28T15:34:00.015-04:00

I tried using airborne a few times and haven't really seen a benefit from using it. I went to the drugstore this past winter looking for an airborne that I could take along with me on my trip. The pharmasist recommended taking Echinacea instead. Echinacea heightens your immune system for a short period of time. If you use it daily, it doesn't work as well. I have been using it since February when I feel like I am beginning to get run down, if someone around me is sick or if I feel like I am getting sick myself. I truly believe that it has been doing a good job. I got sick once this winter and I think it helped to shorten the amount of time I was sick. Other than that, I have been able to steer clear of most bugs. I have told a lot of people about it...and they don't listen to me. I am going to start feeding it to them so they don't get sick then in turn get me sick. See for yourself and check it out. Click Here

Document the Summer

2009-07-27T13:43:00.001-04:00

I love using online websites for storing photos and the best ones are the ones like Shutterfly that also have options for creating photogifts. One of Shutterfly's features is a website that you can create to share your photos with family and friends called a "Share Site". This is a great way for your family and friends to not only look at your photos, but they can order prints or create photogifts.

I also love their photobooks. I made a photo album from the wedding and gave it to our parents, they absolutely loved it. It was easy to make, easy to store and very personalized. They have a huge variety of background and layouts to fit your topic or any occassion. There is even a recipe book template.
NOTE: They are offering free shipping on photobooks until August 5th!

I have also created calendars and greeting cards through the site. With each item I have been really pleased with the options I have when creating as well as the quality once the item is received.

Poken!

2009-07-22T15:43:00.002-04:00

Over at Everyday Celebrating she blogged about her struggle with using the old fashion business cards vs using the new Poken. I had never heard of this TREND before…it is great! Check it out on her blog! Everyday Celebrating Poken Post.

Outdoor Party

2009-07-22T10:11:00.005-04:00

The hubby and I were sitting in the backyard having a bonfire and were talking about how we needed to have people over for an outdoor party. I think it would be a great idea and would love to plan it! Here are my ideas:

Tiki Torches. I am going to put these along the back of the yard so we can put a cornhole game back there and there will be light and the mosquitoes will stay away. And a few of the glass ones for around the porch and fire pit.

Paper Lanterns. I love these things and think they are a must have…but I don’t have any low hanging branches, so my husband is going to tie a string between trees.

String Lights. These create such a fun and laid back atmosphere.

Table Cloths and Plates. Target has these wonderful thick disposable table cloths with matching plates, napkins, etc. and they are great for having different themes each time you have a party.

Drink Tubs. I have a nice drink tub for the adults and for the kids I put juice boxes in a plastic one that I found at lowes. I even like to add some frozen treats in there.

Jars filled with sand and tea lights. I saw that someone did this on the lake where we go boating and it looked so nice! Tea lights are a little safer than your typical candle and inside the jars filled with sand should give you a little more peace of mind.

Centerpieces. I am thinking that either lanterns or flowers will be best.

As for food, I will definitely pick up pulled pork and burgers from Sam’s club. Maybe some pasta salad and fun brownies for dessert.

If you are looking for more ideas and tips, I just stumbled upon this on realsimple.com http://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/entertaining/seasonal-events/easy-outdoor-entertaining-00000000014966/index.html.

Creative Parties and Showers Feature!

2009-07-21T08:21:00.003-04:00

Creative Parties and Showers has featured my mother/daughter spa party that I had for mother's day. This is very exciting because I worked very hard on this party and planned for MONTHS! It was well worth it because everyone got such a kick out of it and loved getting pampered for the day!

http://www.creativepartiesandshowers.blogspot.com/

Trendy Travel Idea...Resorts and Spas

2009-07-20T12:27:00.006-04:00

If you have not been on a summer vacation or started planning a vacation yet, don't worry, you can plan a great vacation this fall or winter. A trendy vacation idea for the cold months is going to Arizona to a resort and spa. The fall and winter is actually their peak season because of their warm climate. There are a ton of websites that can give you more information on visiting Scottsdale, AZ.

Condé Nast has named The Intercontinental Montelucia Resort & Spa in Paradise Valley, AZ as one of the top hot spots of 2009 under $250/night. If you take a look at their website, you will see that there is the spa, pool, great food, amazing views, shopping, golf and unique atmosphere.

Trip Advisor rates the hotels in Scottsdale, AZ. Trip Advisor is a great website because it gives real travelers reviews and photos. This is definitely a great tool. If I hear of a hotel or resort, I always check this site to make sure it will be a decent place to stay. One hotel that had great reviews was the FireSky Resort & Spa. It was great to know that this was a place visitors felt at home and relaxed. Oh and they allow for your 4 legged friends!

Spa vacations can be great for a girlfriend’s getaway or even a romantic getaway. I am thinking this would be a great place to go with my mom, sister, aunts, etc. Or even a great place for the hubby and I to go to on a long weekend.

Trendiest Drink of the Summer

2009-07-20T12:27:00.005-04:00

I have found my drink that I will be mixing and putting into pitchers for parties for the rest of the summer…it is Bay Breezes. I have had these before, but have realized how refreshing they are in the summer! Here is the recipe:

3 parts Rum
1 part Cranberry Juice
1 part Pineapple Juice

Mix together, add ice and enjoy….

The Sweet Alternative

2009-07-16T13:26:00.032-04:00

I have been trying to eliminate my excessive use of artificial sweeteners. I use them because it is the low calorie option and often times it is in some of the "sugar free" items I buy like coffee creamer or syrup. I don't think I will be able to give it up completely, but I have already started with my teas. It has been said that the artificial sweeteners actually make you hungry, are addicting and could have possible side effects. I believe 1 of the 3 for sure. I really think that I am slightly addicted because I get headaches when I don't use them.

I drink coffee every morning with cream and sweetener. I don't think I could have my coffee with just cream, so I have been looking at alternatives. I have a few friends that have read "Skinny Bitch" (sorry for the profanity) and in there it talks about agave nectar and stevia which are natural sugar alternatives. I found that Truvia contains Stevia, so I am thinking I will give it a try in the coffee. If you have heard anything about this product, let me know.

Oh and by the way, I am not going to get all crazy and start throwing out anything with sugar in it. I am just trying to eliminate where I can easily and use it in moderation (everything is moderation).

Wifeville

2009-07-16T09:58:00.003-04:00

I found great "Wife" gear at www.wifeville.com. They have a very trendy shirt for the newly engaged and also found a really cute one for those Wifees that are happily married.

West Elm

2009-07-13T16:06:00.004-04:00

I visited my friend in Cbus this past weekend and she just moved into her new house that she built. I absolutely loved her place and her style of decorating...so adorable. I think I went through her place and asked her where she purchased every single item! She bought a ton of stuff was West Elm. Of course had to check them out online and found a ton of cute and very trendy items. I loved were these ottomans. It seems as though you could find many uses for them and would be easy to put away if needed. I also found neat lighting and art that they had available. I am brainstorming on a place I could put this light.

Hubby's 30th Birthday Theme?: Casino Party or Beer Tasting Party?

2009-07-09T15:18:00.002-04:00

My husband will be tuning 30 next year and I have already started brainstorming about his bash! I know, I know...what about all the other events and holidays before that? I will start working on them too. I like to have an idea of what I am doing a year in advance so it is a little easier on my wallet and I can get what I need along the way. I have been debating on whether or not I should do a Casino themed party or a more laid back Beer Themed (maybe even beer tasting) party. What sparked my interest in the Casino party was a blog post from Social Coture. http://socialcouture.typepad.com/tabletalk/2008/02/instyle-parties.html. There were some brilliant ideas there. I absolutely love the center pieces!

There were a ton of cute invtations at http://www.invitationconsultants.com/ , this is my favorite.
I like the theme of black, red and green. I could get red and black balllons, napkins, cups, plates, etc.

For the cake, I saw a few cute cakes online that I could do something similiar with . I know for sure, I will want to get cookies from the lady that did the cake for my wedding and spa party.

My other idea is the Beer Themed Party and I found these great beer labels that got me thinking we could do this. They also had matching coasters and such.

Of course we would have beer shaped invitations. I would like a beer themed cake and cookies.

I also had an idea of using these beer buckets for center pieces and adding in flowers or grass.
If we decided to do the beer tasting, I would get a few different types of beers and get a table setup.

Summer Style

2009-07-06T10:31:00.019-04:00

We had a great 4th of July weekend and it ended with a "bang"! We had a weekend full of friends, family and fun. We had a bonfire, went to an Indians baseball game, went to the lake, went to picnics and went boating. On Sunday we went to portage lakes and the weather was perfect! We puttered around, grabbed a drink and watched the boat parade. It was a lot of fun. 4th of July does mark the middle of summer, so I thought I would post a few of my favorite fun in the sun accessories/must haves.

Neutrogena Sensitive Skin Sunblock - This stuff works great and you don't have to worry about the lotion breaking you out or burning your eyes. It is even unscented.

Old Navy Sundress Coverup - This is the perfect coverup. You slip it on at a moments notice. It is great when you are coming into shore or taking a stroll on the beach.

Lands End Beach Bag - The bag comes in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors and you can have it personalized. I recommend not getting the off white though, I am always getting mine dirty.

Lands End Beach Towels - Another item that you can personalize and they hold up great! I bought this for a friend for her bridal shower so they could take them on their honeymoon.

Girls Next Door, School of Rock and Wizard of Oz Boats

Indians Game

Have fun and everyone enjoy the rest of summer!

4th of July Treats

2009-07-01T14:17:00.001-04:00

The 4th of July is right aroudn the corner! We are planning to carry out various American traditions this weekend :) We are giong to a baseball game, boating and ending the long weekend with a cookout.

Since I have this thing with themed food for holidays, I have been searching for easy recipes I can make and contribute to the cookout. I found Sparkling Marshmallow Crispy Treats & Grand Old Flag Cheese Spread from kraftfoods.com.

Stay At Home Vacation

2009-06-29T14:22:00.028-04:00

I decided to do a stay at home vacation this summer, part of the reason being that my cousin was coming out for a week to stay with the family. She is 9 and her parents live about 6 hours away and her home daycare has 2 weeks each summer that they aren't open and my aunt needs to find childcare for this time. Since she lives so far away, that isn't so easy to do. I researched a million things for us to do while she is here so she would have a really fun time, but we didn't do much of what I researched. The weather was so beautiful and we took advantag of it by being in the pool.

Monday we celebrated Father’s Day poolside because that happened to work with everyone’s schedule. During this time the dogs got groomed and looked so cute when we picked them up later in the day!

Tuesday we were in the pool and went to a concert. We took her to her first concert, New Kids on the Block with Jesse McCartney. It just so happened that we were going to the concert while she was here and decided it might be fun to take her to her first concert. It was so much fun and she was asking a ton of questions about what was going on. She didn't know the songs or anything, but she was dancing and having a good time. As for my sister and I, we sung all the songs and got really excited when there was a song we really liked. At one point Donnie, Jordan and Joey came into the crowd to sing...my lord, you should have seen the mad rush of girls and cameras everywhere! Oh and on a side note...I know that when you go to events like that food and drinks are really expensive, but they were selling beer for $11!!! No Kidding!

Wednesday we were in the pool again and had a bon fire. She decided that she wanted to do this instead of going to the drive in movies so she could spend time with my mom and dad who had to work...isn't that so grown up of her?!?

Thursday was overcast and it was suppose to rain so we went to Panera Bread, Hot Pots and made food for the boat on Friday. She loved doing it all! I thought she wouldn't really care to help me make food, but she got so excited when I asked her to help me. We made brownies and I let her crack the egg and she talked about that for days!

And on Friday we ended the week by going boating and to Red Lobster. This was her first boating experience and she seemed a little unsure about everything, but had a great time. Her favorite thing was to go fast! I thought she would enjoy swimming off the boat, but really didn't care too much about it. It was so hot that day, so we decided to stop for shade and a few refreshments. She got a virgin strawberry daquiri and midway through her drink she burbed really loud. I looked at her and said "excuse you!" and she said to me "whoa, I tasted a little bit of alcohol when I just burbed". I have NO IDEA where she got that from. She didn't get it from me and her parents don't really drink.

I am thinking that I should do another stay at home vacation at least a few days next summer, it was a lot of fun and I was able to get in some errands and appointments that I hadn't been able to get in while working. It was also nice that I didn't need to prepare to go anywhere by buying food or packing or anything!

Summer Solstice

2009-06-24T10:11:00.006-04:00

During the summer, we love going to fairs, festivals and any other summer events possible. I had heard about an event at a local winery called a summer solstice event. We decided to check it out and it ended up being a lot of fun!

You bought your entry in and were given a wine glass, then you bought the number of tastings you would like. There were a ton of local wineries there and a lot of neat vendors. When I heard about the vendors I was totally thinking craft show or a bunch of crap I would never buy, but there were a lot of good vendors there. There was someone selling a mix for making frozen wine, lots of jewlery, wine stoppers, plants, etc. I did find a really fun vendor that had taken a wine bottle and melted it down to create a cheese and cracker serving platter. I ended up buying one because I thought it was really different and am thinking in the future I will have another wine tasting party. There was also someone there that had chocolates and for a $1, they were giving shots of blueberry wine in these chocolate shot glasses, so neat. The only problem is that you were suppose to eat the entire thing with the wine and shot glass at once. My mouth isn't that big, so I didn't get the full effect.

There was also delicious food there and a band playing. It was a lot of fun and our friends that went along are a lot of fun too.

Tip Junkie Going Dot Com Birthday Bash!

2009-06-17T08:40:00.001-04:00

I love giveaways...who doesn't right. Well one of my favorite blogs, Tip Junkie, is hosting a birthday party. Check out the blog as well as the giveaway!

Summer of Recession

2009-06-16T09:55:00.008-04:00

We are all feeling the effects of a bad economy this summer and many of us are postponing our annual summer vacations until next year. There are so many ways to enjoy summer that cost money, but may be a cheaper option. Here are my top 10 ideas to enjoy this summer!

Drive-in movies – You pay for these by the carload and get 2 movies for the price of 1
Fair or festival – Many of these are free or charge a fee for parking. If you would like to treat yourself but save money, eat dinner before you go and limit yourself to just dessert while you are there.
Go to the pool – If you don’t want to spend the money on the local pool, buy a kiddie pool and invite over a few friends for frozen drinks and to worship the sun.
Go camping – This is also a relatively cheap activity. We like to go in the Tahoe and then we don’t even need to setup a tent. You could also buy a tent, rent a camper or rent a cabin. If you go in with a bunch of people, it is typically cheaper.
Eat outside at a local restaurant – One of our favorite places to eat on their patio is a local authentic Mexican restaurant. With two meals and two adult drinks, our bill is usually around $20.
Rent a boat for the day – This can get a little pricey, but could be fun to get a few families together for this. Maybe you could rent one for a special occasion like a birthday, father’s day/mother’s day or anniversary. For inexperienced drivers, you might want to steer clear of the lake on holiday weeks like the 4th of July.
Go to an amusement park or water park – There are usually discount tickets that can be purchased through places like AAA.
Cookout on the grill – This is one of my favorite things to do and I love when we have people over to grill. We have everyone bring a side dish and we provide the meat or vice versa.
Pack a picnic basket and go to the park – I like to go to a farmer’s market and pick up lunch meat, side dishes and fruit/veggies to pack for picnics.
Attend a baseball game – There are minor league teams that you can go to a game for a lot cheaper than the major leaguers. They are still a lot of fun and usually you can afford to buy a hotdog or drink while you are there.

OPI SoBe Collection

2009-06-15T13:56:00.002-04:00

A friend of mine went boating with me this weekend and she was looking ultra trendy! She had on the cutest metallic one piece from Old Navy, her designer shades were fabulous, she had just gotten her hair cut with bangs, and her nails were painted this very fun purple. The purple was called “Done out in deco” from OPI’s south beach collection. I will definitely be picking this up during my next visit to the drug store!

It's 5 o'clock somewhere

2009-06-12T14:22:00.018-04:00

Right about now there about people all over the US rushing to get their work accomplished so they can quickly rush out the door at 5:00 and begin their summer weekend. Summer is my absolute favorite. I always find myself daydreaming and thinking about laying on the boating, listening to Jimmy Buffet and finishing off the day by stopping by the Olde Harbor Inn to enjoy a beverage and delicious food. I have become slightly obsessed with the boat and all things nautical and everyone knows it.

One of my friends told me about these t-shirts and they are hilarious! I will need to purchase one ASAP!

http://nauticalaccessories.com/store/mcart.php?ID=485

Basement Laundry Room Makeover

2009-06-12T14:14:00.002-04:00

I found this article online and this woman is my inspiration for the basement laundry room! I am in awww of her creativity and ability to take a disgusting basement and turn it into a very warm area. My decorating style is more traditional, but there are so many ideas, like the curtains on the wall. This is a huge help as I revamp the unfinished basement laundry room.

I also found these cute ideas for paint colors and organization methods like the peg board and overhead storage. These ones are from one is from realsimple.com (I LOVE this site!).

I also saw online where they took the beg board and used it for a wrapping paper station, so i will defiantely be using this idea too.

Badababa...So You Think You Can Dance, dance, dance, dance

2009-06-10T06:52:00.005-04:00

I am such a huge fan of so you think you can dance! LUV IT! Last night is when I start watching it religiously and the show begins to consume my week. I am always in awww the way that the dancers can learn the choreography so quickly and perform them with such strength and energy. And I love the choreographers…they are amazing. The judges are great too. They don’t give repetitive comments and give great critiques on what the dancers need to work on, even Mary Murphy. I know, the screaming is kinda annoying, but she knows what she is talking about. She makes the show fun too. Lucy (my puppy) jumps up and watches the TV when someone takes a ride on the “Hot Tamale Train”. Hilarious! My vote is for Brandi and Evan right now. Personally, I enjoyed Evan's brother more, but he will do. And my prediction is that a guy will win this year.

I have also been working on the office. I finally got storage cubes and fabric cubes to go in them. I was going to buy black cubes and put in there white fabric cubes or even the damask cubes I found online. I didn’t feel like the damask cubes matched the other damask designs very well and I could not find white fabric cubes for the life of me. This lead me to my decision to buy white cubes and put black fabric cubes inside…I think I like it! The next move is to get the laundry room painted so I can move the 2nd desk to the basement. To be continued…

Summer Fun Weekend

2009-06-08T16:48:00.008-04:00

We had another busy weekend as usual. I can’t complain though, we had a good time. On Saturday we went boating. This has become a weekly activity for us, so we are getting into a really good routine. On Friday night, I go to the grocery store and/or farmer’s market to get food. Then I make tea, cut up fruit and make sandwiches. After I have all of that done, I fill the Bubba Kegs up with tea or water and begin to pack the beach bag and our tote for misc things like food, wipes, paper plates, etc. Then we wake up early Saturday so we are one of the only ones at the ramp launching the boat. When we make it out onto the lake, we putter around for a little while, throw out the anchor and make a stop at the Old Harbor Inn for a drink. It is a lot of fun and we have been able to take different people with us each time. We are also getting really good and launching and loading the boat…which was a problem at the beginning (see Jam Packed Memorial Day).

We left boating early so I could help my cousin with her son’s 3rd birthday party. He is hilarious! It was Spiderman themed and his favorite birthday present was sponge bob gardening gloves. His parents have been doing a ton of landscaping at their house this year and the kids have been really exposed to this hobby.

On Sunday we went to his cousin’s graduation party in Alliance. Her brother is a Chef and they had a pasta bar…so yummy! He actually did this for us for our rehearsal dinner and it was a big hit there too. You start by selecting all the veggies you would like (I selected spinach, Chad selected every veggie there). Then he throws your veggies in a pan and adds in whatever meat you would like (I had chicken and shrimp). After everything is cooked, he adds in the type of noodle you want (I got bowties) and finally add in the sauce. He had red, white or pesto sauce (I had pesto). DELICOUS! This is such a great idea for a party special party.

I worked a little on the office and hopefully will be able to show some updated pictures soon.

Handmade Jewlery!

2009-06-04T16:45:00.003-04:00

I discovered the blog of my friend from college and found that she creates these beautiful necklaces! I knew that she had started crocheting and those pieces were really cute, but I had no ideas she did this too! I started making wine charms as gifts and for myself and tried to graduate to jewelry making, but that didn’t turn out so well. I think I need to take a class or something at the local bead shop. In the meantime, I am looking to make a purchase!

Summer Camp

2009-06-04T10:25:00.004-04:00

My little cousin is going to 4H camp this summer and we will be able to send her letters. I loved getting mail when I was a kid and even loved getting mail when I was away at school in college, so I definitely want to send her a few letters. I was thinking about sending her some stationary with self addressed letters with stamps so she could write us back, but her mom already has that taken care of. During my search, I did find these through the Stationary Studio and thought they would have been perfect! She is attending camp because she started to get involved in 4H when she started riding horses. I am now thinking about buying them for her birthday or something, but we will see.
I am still trying to think of something fun I could send her besides a letter or a card. I was told I couldn’t send food or money...hmm.

Limoncello

2009-06-02T20:52:00.004-04:00

My cousin makes homemade Limoncello and this past weekend I was given some from her recent batch. A few years ago, I had no idea what Limoncello even was, but now have been finding myself hearing about it more and more. It is an Italian lemon liquor and not only is it used in drinks, it is used in baking as well. I decided to start gathering recipes containing the liquor because I am not a huge fan of drinking it by itself. The recipe that introduced me to it a few years ago was an Italian Fruit Punch that was from Food Network and I used it at a Halloween Party. I found another recipe recently also through Food Network that was a spritzer and seemed very appropriate for summer. I am a huge fan of finding refreshing summer drinks! I might have to give this spritzer a try this weekend.

My Bright Ideas

2009-06-01T21:24:00.006-04:00

So I decided it was time to rearrange the office the way that I had envisioned it . This was brought on by 2 things 1)The discovery of the "damask" design and 2)Realizing that I need to get to work on getting a daybed for this room since my sister would be taking her furniture from our spare bedroom at any time.

I am glad that I got motivated to do this, but as I was planning everything, it started to dawn on me that I should have done this when we moved in. It also started to dawn on me how much work I was getting myself into. For some strange reason we have a ton of stuff in our office and an assortment of office supplies. You would think that we own our own business!

A friend of mine that is getting married is using the damask design in green for her stationary, favors, etc. I really liked it and have been noticing this design everywhere I went, so I decided I could work with this as my inspiration. My first purchase was a lamp from Target.

I also bought a desk from Target. It isn't Chad's ideal desk to share with me, but he went along with it. The only thing he does on the computer is balance his checkbook, check his email and go onto espn...so I don't think he really cared. He knows that I have a reason for picking the desk I did. I try to make things work and multifunctional.

As I sit here writing this post, I am starting to really like the setup and think it was a good idea. Now the next step is to get the second desk out of here and get all of our stuff organized into cubes. It is still a work in progress, but its a start. Below are my progress pictures.

Before

After

Pina Colada Pops recipe at Kraftfoods.com

2009-05-31T08:08:00.010-04:00

Pina Colada Pops recipe at Kraftfoods.com

Shared via AddThis

I have a rule that whenever I go somewhere, I have to bring something with me. Our families have always done this. At first I tried to come up with a signature dish that I always bring, but that got boring for me. So I decided that I needed to always bring something new!

I was at the store just planning to buy a bucket of Daquiris to take to the my parents to share with everyone poolside, but stumbled upon a fun display for Frosty Pina Colada Pops! These are tasty, refreshing and really easy to make! The family really enjoyed them and everyone asked me for the recipe.

When I just went to search for this website to link the recipe, I saw that there are a lot of other fun party food ideas that you could make for your own parties or for parties you are going to.

Summer Reflection

2009-05-31T07:48:00.001-04:00

Most people reevaluate their lives around New Year’s. Not me, I reevaluate when I am taking in the sun and relaxing in the summertime. This weekend I realized that everything isn’t perfect in my life, but I am happy. We have good jobs, a nice house, our relationship is running smoothly and our families are healthy. Actually they are working very hard to be healthy. All of them are working out and eating right this year. Chad’s dad has lost 59 pounds and my dad has lost about 30 and his cholesterol went down 70 points since last year.

This past weekend I was also thinking about what my life looked like a year ago. We had just decided to buy our house and in order to get out of our lease; we had to move out quickly to sublease. There wasn’t any place for us to go and we were trying to save money, so we rented a POD, loaded up the Tahoe and moved in with my parents. Chad was still working at Lowe’s temporarily and working really hard to find a full time job. I was biting my nails hoping that the loan on the house would go through on just my salary and Chad’s job history. And in the midst of all of this, I got a bone chilling phone call. My dad had been injured at work. This is a phone call I knew I would get someday. I am not sure how, but I had an instinct. My grandfather had his first stroke at 40 and my dad did nothing to take care of himself. He didn’t eat right and the only thing he did to workout was stuff around the house and yard work. My dad is an electrician at a steel mill, so there is a risk associated with his job and I always knew this. When my mom called me at work, she said they called and my dad had been injured. They didn’t tell her anything except that he had been crushed, he was breathing now and in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Now I should have been happy that my dad was alive and feel much better about that…but I didn’t. If anyone knows my dad, he is always on the go, fixes everything you could imagine and rather die than not be able to do these things.

I abruptly left work and went to the hospital. When they let me see him, I had no idea what he was going to look like and they had let me know he was in shock. My mom is a very strong woman. She is the type that doesn’t cry and didn’t even cringe during childbirth…no lie. She told me that I was only allowed to go back there if I didn’t cry (her just saying that made me cry). So I put on my “taking care of business face” and went back to see him. It was a relief to see that he wasn’t as bad as I had envisioned, but the worst part was that he was still in shock and there were tears running down his blood stained and dirty face and he kept saying to my mom “I thought I was dead, I was trying so hard to wake up…I kept thinking about the girls, I kept thinking about the girls”. I lost it and had to step out of the room. The aftermath was that he had torn a bunch of nerves, which had caused him to loose mobility in both arms. He was also very bruised and his body was in shock. He slept a lot for the next few days and worked on gaining his mobility. Once he came home, we all took turns helping him out. Chad was still working at Lowe’s still, so he took him to physical therapy and helped him as much as possible. My dad did his physical therapy exercises religiously and everyday you would see him trying to do his normal activities better than he had before. He was very determined and after about 6 months he had gained full mobility back. During this time we closed on our house.

After my dad got hurt, we all realized one important thing. If you don’t have your health and your loved ones…nothing else matters. While I was lying on the boat this weekend and looking around and listening to my family converse, I thought to myself…my life is perfect.

Jam Packed Memorial Day Weekend!

2009-05-26T11:37:00.006-04:00

We had two major events this weekend. We took the boat out for the first time and we orchestrated the dance recital for the studio I teach at.

Chad ended up having to work for the big boat launch on Saturday, but came to the lake later for a crash course and the not-so-fun task of loading the boat back onto the trailer.

My dad arrived at my house around 7:00am to head for the lake to ensure that we beat all boaters for the holiday weekend. Since we bought out boat used and had never had it on the water, we weren’t sure of how well it would run. It ended up running great and we had a fun day on the lake. I even went skiing on the cold water…I am crazy I know. But I felt like I had to prove to myself that I could still water ski after 10 years. That evening before Chad got there, we stopped at his grandparents’ campsite for a picnic. The food was delicious and much needed. Chad was able to enjoy the boat for a little bit and brought Lucy along to see how she would do on the boat. She did great! She actually slept on there and when the wind was too much for her, she hid in my arm. When it came time to load the boat, it took 4 guys and 1 hour to load the boat. Once it came out of the water, it was sideways! After we got it loaded, we were exhausted!

We went boating again on Monday at Portage Lake with my family. Chad was able to join us for the entire day that day. We had another beautiful day and really got to enjoy the boat. We had never been to portage lakes before and had a chance to get comfortable with the lake. This lake is right down the street from us and they have gorgeous houses lining the lake and they have a bunch of bars and restaurants. It is definitely a good time. And to top the day off, we got the boat loaded back onto the trailer in about 10 minutes! We were all thrilled. My dad said he lost sleep on how we were going to get the boat back on the trailer….and he wasn’t the only one. That evening we went to his brother’s house for his first real party since he bought his house last year. The food was great, a lot of people were able to come and we all enjoyed his hospitality.

I didn’t get any pictures, but I did make some fun food this weekend. I made my mom’s pasta salad, which is so easy to make and DELICOUS! It is always a big hit. I also made sand dessert and 4th of July cupcakes. These were also easy too. I didn’t have time to get really elaborate because I had so much going on! I placed the sand dessert (which I found a recipe on the internet for) in a red bucket from Michael’s (it was only a dollar) and put and red and blue shovel (also from Michael’s) in to serve it with. The recipe called for vanilla wafers, but I found golden Oreos…mmmmm! For the cupcakes, I just bought yellow cake mix and the frosting that included red and blue sprinkles. I used the foil cupcake liners and waalah, they were festive.

Thank goodness it was a three day weekend and that we don’t have dance this week. I am in need of recouping this week and getting organized.

PUPPY CAMS!!!

2009-05-22T10:34:00.016-04:00

This is definately a fun post for a Friday! I was catching up with my very best friend that lives in New York last night and we got to talking about Lucy (my puppy) and she told me about her friend that just bought a puppy and uses a webcam to watch her during the day! I love this idea. I wish I would have had this for Lucy when I first got her. I was so concerned about her that I was constantly sending people over and when she was sick, I left work at lunch to check on her. She uses Livesteam and I am definately going to check it out for Lucy.

While we were talking about this, she also told me about a pet store in New York called Le Petit Puppy and they have a live webcame of the puppies in the window! I love it!

Lasik

2009-05-22T09:59:00.036-04:00

About a month ago I received Lasik eye surgery. This is something that I have been wanting to do since college and thought it would never be possible or that I could get up the courage to actually have the surgery. I have had glasses since I was in 5th grade and when I finally got contacts I had to get gas permable lenses because my vision was increasingly getting worse each year. I am so pleased with my results and really happy with the way the office prepared me for the surgery. If you decide to ever get Lasik, go for your initial consult and have a list of questions. I asked the following:

1) Please walk me through the preop, operation and postoperation
2) What percentage of patients have experience side effects such as halos, dry eyes, etc. over the 3-6 month period during the time their eyes are adjusting?
3) What percentage of patients have had complications such as vision loss?
4) What all is included in my cost?
5) How long should I wait before conceiving...apparently during pregnancy your cornea changes shape and they recommend that you don't conceive until about 6 months after the surgery.
6) Are there payment plans or does my insurance offer a discount?
7) How long has this doctor been doing Lasik?
8) What machine is used and why did they select that machine?
9) Will I be able to wear contacts or glasses if the surgery doesn't work?
10) Will you try to recorrect my surgery if it doesn't get corrected the first time and will it be free of charge?

Here is a great website that gives you additional information to think about and ask and to help you understand the surgery, http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/LASIK/. The video on there is a little scary, but the entire surgery lasted about 20 minutes. The most important thing about the Lasik procedure is the facility and doctor you use and the machine that is used since it does most of the work.

I went for my post recent postoperative exam and my vision is currently at 20/25 and I go back in 3 months. Since it has been a month, I can go swimming and return to all normal activity. If you are in the area, I went to Roholt. They are wonderful and I would recommend them to anyone.

I don't get to wear my trendy glasses anymore, but I do get to see the clock with the ginormous numbers beside the bed!

Weekend Visit to Chicago

2009-05-20T12:52:00.014-04:00

This past winter, our friends that live in Chicago invited us all out to visit for a girl’s weekend. It was a great trip and they were wonderful tour guides. Now do I recommend going in the winter…no, but we still had a wonderful time. Here is my list of must dos: Bye Bye Liver– This was a comedy show that embraced the way that people acted when consuming alcohol. It is very funny because you have either seen people act this way or you may have acted this way yourself. The drinks are very reasonably priced there and they have audience drinking games. It is a lot of fun. We got to talk to some of the cast afterwards and they are thinking about touring…I hope they do!

Ginos East – This is the best place to get deep dish pizza! I absolutely loved it and it is a BYOB pizza place. It is very small so you may have to wait a little while for a table, but it is worth it. There were 6 of us girls and we got 3 pizza and it was too much. Another great thing about this place is that they have frozen pizzas that you can take back home with you. I brought one home to my hubby as a souvenir.

Duffy’s Brunch– this place was awesome. They have a brunch and this is not your typical brunch. There is a chocolate fountain, crab legs, omelets, shrimp, French toast, chicken, mac and cheese and a TON more. The brunch comes with endless mimosas and you can have either cranberry or orange juice mimosas. Everything was delicious and I ate so much I didn’t each until I got home that night. It is a little pricey, but cheap due to the amount of food and drinks you get. It is a pretty casual atmosphere too so on Sunday morning you don’t feel as though you have to dress up. Don't we look beautiful there :)

Tsunami - This is a wonderful sushi restaurant. We ate there our first night when we went to see the comedy show…we ate a ton of food (we had a boat load of sushi, literally), but sushi is not the ideal thing to soak up large amounts of alcohol. I suggest if you are going to the comedy show to visit the pizza shop that night and to visit the sushi place the next night. This place allowed us to relax and catch up our first night there…great food, wonderful atmosphere and ideal service.

Pocket Puppies – This place was the cutest! They had a ton of mini puppies that are ideal for those that live in Chicago and they let you hold as many puppies that you want. Be careful though…you will want to bring them home!

Boating with the Pup

2009-05-19T15:18:00.005-04:00

We recently bought a boat and we both are sooo very excited about it! We looked for so long and found one that was perfect for us. We thought for sure that we wouldn’t be able to find a boat that suited us and was in our price range. And we thought for sure we wouldn’t find one before summer, but we did!

We have been preparing the boat for its first run on the lake this memorial day weekend. Chad has been cleaning the boat, getting the inside organized, checking safety equipment, fixing the stereo, etc. And I have been thinking about whatever else is needed…coolers, first aid kits, life jackets and Lucy proofing!

I was reading online what dogs need for boating and the first thing she needs is a life jacket! She is very squirmy and panics with water so I thought I would feel more comfortable buying her one. But I didn’t go buy any life jacket. I bought her one that is comfortable, has a handle to pick her up out of the water and is the cutest life jacket ever! They had them at the store I bought her, Pets Pajamas and they are made by Pawsaboard. SO CUTE!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2009-05-18T15:13:00.014-04:00

This past weekend was my birthday and it was wonderful. My husband bought me a day at the spa, which was amazing. I never thought in a million years I would get a gift like this. It was at the Green Room Spa in Uniontown, Ohio. I loved it! The environment there was extremely relaxing and everyone was so wonderful there. I started my day off changing into a robe, relaxing in the relaxation room and being offered coffee or water. My first treatment was my mini facial, which actually seemed like a full facial because they did so much during that time, it was great. Then was the massage before they took my lunch order and I had lunch in their café. The morning was sooo relaxing and cleansing. After lunch I had my manicure, pedicure and got my hair cut. Everything was perfect! When I got ready to leave I had a feeling of not wanting to return to the real world. It was such a nice escape.

That evening we went to The Melting Pot for dessert…it was to die for, absolutely delicious! Their coffee was even good there. It was the first time my parents had been there and I wish I would have done all 3 courses with them because I think they would have enjoyed it. We will have to go there again for another celebration.

Ed Hardy Wine

2009-05-14T21:19:00.009-04:00

Chad and I have lived in our house for almost a year now and haven't really explored all of our surroundings. There is a plaza by the library and yesterday I stopped by just to see what all they had. I was amazed to find a cafe & cupcakery, a consignment shop, bead shop, bar, tanning and nails and a wine bar & gift basket shop.

At the wine & gift basket shop (http://www.theunexpected.biz/index.htm) I started talking to the owner and a few associates and long story short, one of their husbands is from my home town (small world), they have these amazing cookies from Sweets for Samuel (http://www.sweetsforsamuel.com/) and wine tastings. They started telling me about all of the other shops and told me there was a consignment shop that carried designer clothes. I asked what brands and the only one she could think of was Ed Hardy because they had a wine tasting and featured their Ed Hardy wine & the owner of the consignment shop brought over Ed Hardy items to sell. My husband, some of his friends and his brother all have a new obsession with Ed Hardy t-shirts, so I decided to bring home the wine to impress his friends when they are over for a party.

LUCY

2009-05-14T14:56:00.004-04:00

I now introduce to you…LUCY! Lucy is our yorkiepoo that I bought on Chad’s birthday this year. I never had pets and never wanted them. Chad on the other hand is a pet lover and thought he would never have a pet of his own once he said his vows. After being married for 2 years, realizing his love for pets, buying a house and just giving in, I started entertaining the idea of getting a puppy. My sister also got a dog that was really well behaved and I thought maybe I could do this.

We stopped in at a place called Pets Pajamas that works with local breeders. Before I went I did a little research and found out that Maltese and Poodles were hypoallergenic. When we got there, my husband wasn’t too fond of the maltipoos, but did like the yorkiepoos. After I got home and had done some research I found out that they didn’t need much exercise, they were ok to have around kids, hypoallergenic, lived to be about 15 and didn’t grow more than 8 pounds or so. When I found all of that out, I didn’t have an excuse not to get a dog!

So I secretly stopped back into Pets Pajamas and put a deposit down on this little girl that was sitting while everyone else in her litter were being crazy and rambunctious. My plan was to pick her up and bring her home at the end of the week on his birthday, but it ended up not working out because there were all these others things going on that wouldn’t allow it to happen as seamless as I would have liked. I moved to Plan B and had a picture taken with her and placed it in a card to my husband (that is the picture above). The card read “I love you so much I would do anything for you….even buy you a dog!”. His reaction was priceless! He just looked at the picture in amazement, then look at me and said “is this for real?”. And he was shocked to find that I had already bought all the supplies that we needed to own a puppy. My Birthday is on Sunday...and I am already looking forward to a relaxing spa day from him. It isn't a puppy, but it is almost as good.

Wine Party

2009-05-13T21:59:00.012-04:00

I had seen online where people were doing wine tasting parties and last fall we went crazy with the wineries. We wanted to go try them all, sip their wines and take in the atmosphere. Well I found out there is a new party, like a pampered chef or (this is old school) tupperware party.

The lady I used was from Wine Shop at home and her name was Beverly...she was wonderful. I was sent a packet of information, invitation and even evites. Then a few weeks prior to the party I got the wine shipped to me that we would be tasting.

I wanted to make sure I created a fun environment like the wineries we had visited in the fall. So I made sure that I setup table so everyone was comfortable and could hear what Beverly was saying. Bought cheese, crackers, fruit and chocolate to distribute on the tables and a few disposable plates. I also downloaded a mix of Italian favorites from Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, etc. to have playing in the background.

And I don't know about you, but when I have a few glasses of wine, I need food. So I decided to make pizza for after the party. I also had this great idea to use old wine bottles as candle holders. It didn't work out as well as I had liked, but it worked.

Everyone had a great time. Beverly showed us how to properly taste wine, cheese pairings, food pairings and even a little history. At the end we had the chance to order bottles of wine or subscribe to the wine of the month club. Feel free to check her out if you are in the area at http://www.vinocelebrations.com/ ! If you are not, check out their website.

Blast From the Past - 21st Birthday Martini Cake

2009-05-08T11:29:00.013-04:00

I wanted to feature a few of the other ideas that I had before I started blogging. One idea was when my sister turned 21, I decided to make her a martini cake and it turned out better than I thought it would!

The first thing that I did was bake the cake in a Pyrex pan. I then took a piece of paper and made myself a template. Then I cut the cake and the extra pieces on the sides were used to make the base.

After I had the cake made and cut out, I frosted the first layer on the cake. Don’t worry, there will be crumbs everywhere and the frosting isn’t pretty at this point. I think it is called a crumb coating or something of that nature. Place the cake in the fridge and let the icing get hard (I left mine overnight, but I am sure a few hours would be fine). Then use a nice fluffily frosting to top the cake.

Once I was finished with that I outlined the cake with black icing and mixed a little of the white icing with green to make an olive. The stick I used was actually a lollipop stick from when I made chocolate lollipops at Christmas.

Then I decided that I would make olives for around the cake. I got a mini muffin pan and sprayed it really well with nonstick cooking spray, and then I added the cake mix. When they were cool, I used homemade green frosting (powdered sugar and water) so it had a different texture. I used red jelly beans to finish them off.

Mother/Daughter Spa Party

2009-05-07T21:06:00.002-04:00

This past weekend I hosted a mother/daughter spa party in celebration of Mother's Day. We celebrated the weekend before because I figured it would be hard to get everyone together on Mother's Day. The party went great! It started with a basket of flip flops asking to change their shoes and a sign welcoming them to "Salon De Dennis". After everyone came inside, we offered them a beverage. I made sure that we had refreshing beverages like teas, lemonades, water, etc. I had made personalized water bottles from name badge templates and setup magazines and appetizers while they waited for everyone to arrive.

TIP: I labeled everything so as I was trying to entertain guests, they could see what each drink and dip was so they didn't have to track me down.

After everyone arrive, I begain serving lunch. I had the best experience with Chick Fil A. Their website was easy to use, I had no problem with my order when I got there, they were resonably priced and they had the light and healthy food that I wanted. I would recommend them to anyone.

I had my mom and mother-in-law bring a few side dishes ( I know I know, it was for the moms, so I shouldn't have had them bring anything, but they always INSIST! And if I don't tell them what to being, they bring something anyways. Plus I didn't have a whole lot of time to prep because I had my eye surgery the weekend before). I ordered cookies that were girls in robes from the lady that did my wedding cake, so cute. I will probably use her for all my events now. My aunt first started using her for events and her cookies are delicious!

After everyone ate, I started them with their treatments. I had a manicure, pedicure, parrafin hand wax, facial and nail polish removal station. I tried to keep everyone busy as treatments were going on and tried to keep them relaxed.

My aunt is amazing, she always has a ton of ideas for things. She went to the bath and body works outlet and found a bunch of deals on their products. Then the ladies gave her bags and bows for the goodie bags. Then we did a raffle and let them pick a goodie bag from the basket.

I had candles lit, spa music playing, rose petals in the pedicure tubs, fountains around the living room and an artifcial orchid on the table with the food. I think that the mood that was set played a big part in how relaxed everyone was. I can't take all the credit though. The girls that helped with the treatments were AMAZING! I of course, didn't have a lot of time for a treatment myself, so my husband got me a day at the spa (which I have never done) for my birthday that is coming up in a few weeks - I am so exicted!

Welcome to my blog!

2009-05-07T20:51:00.000-04:00

I am a blogger virgin, so I hope I do everything I am suppose to do! I have been doing my research and I think I will hold my own pretty well.