How do you keep your Sabbath day holy?

A few weeks ago we took advantage of the "extra" weekend day and transformed TWO closets into ONE BIG closet. Was it worth breaking the commandment--totally :) I can now share my bedroom with my clothes & it's a lovely thing.

Since then Sunday's were spent how they were meant to be with sleeping, tv watching & family bonding....BUT today was different. I woke up with Savanna & upon coming down stairs was greeted with an unwelcome foul smell. I informed Chris that our house has once again taken upon a rotting rodent within it's walls--last time it was behind the fridge. This morning our noses led us to the bathroom. You may wonder how this process works....

1st- you smell ALL surfaces, cracks, closets, etc. in order to find the source

2nd- you clear all valuables (in our case, just the newly purchased rugs :))

3rd- you disassemble "the source", in our case-the sink

4th- you investigate to find the little varmint, when all this fails your return to step ONE!

Turns out the smell wasn't coming from inside the sink, but the drain! We don't know how, nor do we care, how the unwelcomed guest managed to get inside our plumbing, but we are hoping & praying that after a bottle of bleach, A LOT of water, & time our visitor will flush away. What a way to start our day :)

*I must say thank you to my sweetie for NOT leaving on business without putting the bathroom back together. Even if it did mean you missed church. Thank you!

Game of the Day

Scary FACE....errrrr!

Gratitude

What am I thankful for??

• Good friends who let you crash their Thanksgiving dinner & challenge you to a game of Settlers of Catan. Thanks Marbles--we had a BLAST!
• A family who still included me in their annual Black Friday shopping mania. Which also makes me grateful for T-Mobiles FREE mobile-2-mobile minutes :)
• My hubby! He makes me laugh, works hard, loves me despite my flaws.
• A daughter who continually suprises us with her wit & determination...she's noticed the pile of un-wrapped Christmas presents & tries to open the ones she likes or asks you to do it for her :) If she wants you to look at something she'll turn your head that way & she'll bring you the remote then sit in her "throne" if she wants T.V. She's a hoot!
• Nap time! Enough said!
• Drive-thru service--I think grocery stores should offer this for those days when you ONLY need milk!
• A FREE company vehicle w/ FREE gas. Love it! But sadly, it's not always available--he does have to work right?!?
• ELMO's World--I NEVER thought I'd say that, but without my furry, red friend I would rarely shower, brush my teeth or get anything done.
• BOOKS! I love to read & I have been lucky to have friends that do too...it's the Best!

Happy Thanksgiving

The GOOD, the BAD, & the UGLY!

The GOOD:
I woke up this morning to a happy girl, a happy husband, & that made me a HAPPY mommy! I opened the curtains & it was snowing. I'm not sure what it is, but waking up to freshly, falling snow makes me all WARM inside. Mmmmm!

The BAD:
Daddy left for work & happy girl turned into evil girl. She screamed/cried all the way to Wal*Mart, all through Wal*Mart, & all the way home.

The UGLY:
Nap time! I tried to lay with her, rock her, & finally I drove her to sleep. This was after she cried so hard she threw-up all over her bed, her silky, & herself.

Now I need A NAP!

Silly Girl

Lately Savanna has been FULL OF IT!! I have to bite my tongue from laughing at nap time & every time in between. If she's not running around the house with her hands above her head yelling "weee," then she's putting things (pots & pans, buckets, bowls, etc.) on her head. It's not just the fact that she's wearing "hats" but while doing so she's waving her hand or singing "Hiiiiii." Today I had to laugh because while I was laying with her to REST--Do Not say Nap! She would being laying still, eyes starting to droop, & all of the sudden...up she sat and the stories she'd tell. She would then proceed to do the actions to all the songs she knew trying to get me to sing & buy her some time. She just makes me laugh at all her little games she comes up with. Her favorite right now: Catch Me! She'll be standing right next to you in the store, outside, or headed to the bathroom (she thinks it's fun to play in the shower) & she'll S-L-O-W-L-Y take baby steps away, while watching YOU out of the corner of HER eye then, WHAM!, she's off & just a giggling :) I hope to catch this on video, but due to the unpredictability of "the game" I probably won't. Still it's quite comical--unless, you're trying to run errands, have a cart full of groceries, & she weaves through the aisles quicker than a mouse. Then it's not so comical, except to bystanders.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving...

Your Native American Name Is...

Hantaywee Amitola Your name means: Faithful Rainbow

What's Your Native American Name?

Sunday Best

In her NEW Sunday dress. Thanks Nana D!! She would NOT hold still for a little photo session--that balloon was just to distracting. Also, she did wear her red tights to church, but they barely made until the drive home. I LOVE this dress! I think it's adorable & it's toddler proof (no buttons, zippers, etc.)

It's ALL about ME :)

I've been tagged--AGAIN! But this time I get to brag about myself instead of just answering questions. The are so many fun things about myself that I'd like to share, but I'm limited to just a few...okay, six fun facts:

#1- I'm a first-time business owner. Okay, so Chris & I are still tying up the loose ends, but soon you will see a little link to our website featuring: ta-dah: vinyl lettering signs, tiles, decor, etc. Yeah! We are sooo excited! We already have all the supplies, but a company name is still escaping us...any ideas??

#2- I am a former model. Ha, ha, ha! I still laugh thinking that I can use that phrase. It was way back in middle school, but I did a little catwalk fashion show for Nordstroms & am quite proud.

#3- I'm a pill-popper. I take many a pill daily to help control my happiness level (i.e. OCD, anxiety, depression, etc.) Lately I've missed a day here or there & Chris has definitely noticed. I am annoyed by the fact that I still have to meet with a doctor every 3-6 months & answer the same questions over & over...I'm not crazy--if I was I'd ask for different meds :)

#4- I love the Fall/Winter season. I don't know if it's the fact that the holidays are just around the corner, or that I can finally bust out the fun sweaters, slippers, pj's, & winter gear.

#5- I have ONE uncompleted goal from my past. I want to attend hair school & hopefully run a salon out of my home. I'm not sure if I got this from my mom or my time working in a salon during college. I LOVE styling girls hair for dances & the idea of helping others make a simple change in their appearance that will make a drastic change in their self-image.

#6- I am a talented sleeper, or use to be before motherhood. I love to nap! I wish I could everyday. But my napping has rules: it can't be for just a quick moment, but hours (3-4 to be exact); without proper bedding, coverings, & attire, the whole moment could be a wasted effort.

That's all you get...for now. I am sure I will find time to divulge a little more about myself from time to time. Enjoy!

$ cha-ching $

Awe the sounds of the holidays is here...cash registers taking all that hard earned cash, or in our case-credit card. I am anxious to get started & at the same time realizing that we should wait since we're headed home for Christmas this year. Although, Santa's wanting to come early to our house in order to make a special delivery for a special little girl. Being Santa's helper I've been out & about looking to get the best bang for my buck, but wanting a certain item that I really, really, LOVE! It's perfect, but I've only seen it at Costco & they don't take Visa--seriously, they should, but then I would be in more trouble because I would buy more junk. I am on a mission to find this "gift" at a reasonable price, within a reasonable time limit, & at a site/store that takes my VISA card! What's this mysterious item that is haunting my every waking thought:

The CUTEst little PINK kitchen

Rise-n-Shine

What's worse than being sick plus being a mom...being sick and having a child that wakes up bright-eyed & bushy-tailed at 4:30am!!! This is after waking up crying 3x between 10pm and 2am. Seriously--I don't even have any Diet Coke to help block out the sound of "Elmo's World". To think I was complaining that she's been waking up at 6am lately. Good thing I LOVE HER!

Sick Day

I think that moms should get a sick day. That's all. I could use one...and a bubble bath too!

Carving Pumpkins

I was surprised to see Savanna "diggin' in" with the official pumpkin scoop to get the "guts" out...(seeing as how the cookie decorating didn't go as planned)
I didn't expect much & was surprised that it captured her attention for as long as it did. Chris didn't like the face I picked out for him to carve--a vampire :) So, He carved out the "traditional" face & left me to master my craft while he entertained Savanna in the other room *gasp! I took advantage & am quite thrilled with the result. I think next year we'll have to try the drill method like I viewed on Martha Stewart--looks like fun...who wouldn't want a polk-dotted pumpkin?