MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS!

ANYBODY UP FOR A GAME OF SPOONS?

So who else knows the card game "Spoons"? Is it just my crazy family? This weekend we attended our annual family Christmas gathering in Dallas. It has become a tradition that every year we have a Spoons tournament. This year, it was a big enough tournament that we had to seperate into 2 tables, and then have a championship match with the top 4 people! Just so you know, if anyone in my family ever challenges you to a game of Spoons, SAY NO! It can get violent when two people are after the same spoon!

Random Photo before we left: I made my dogs these sweaters!

After the gathering, we stayed at a fabulous hotel called Aloft. Have you been to one of these yet? It was awesome! The best part was that we got a GREAT rate online! This is an example of what the rooms look like. It was such a cool place!

We also got to go Christmas shopping at Ikea (love that place!)

And finally, we made a quick stop by The Galleria, and picked up a couple of things. I could have spent hours there (maybe even days) just window shopping and watching the people ice skate.

Hope your weekend was full of fun too, and hope you Christmas week is so very merry! :)

Oh, and a quick PS: Happy belated birthday to my bestie, Jonnie! Love you!

CHRISTMAS PARTY

I've mentioned before that my husband and I own and run a small window cleaning business here in town called Fayetteville Window Washing (click here to check out our website and blog!). Last night we went to the ever so fabulous Mellow Mushroom and had the second annual Fayetteville Window Washing Christmas party! It was a blast, and a good time was had by all!

It's so much work running the business, but it's nights like those that make it all worthwhile. I'm so very grateful every single day that we have been blessed with the opportunity to have our own business. And I'm so grateful to everyone who helps to make this possible! Thanks so much y'all!

Stitch'N Bitch: Fayetteville Style

Last night a couple of gals organized and hosted Fayetteville's first "Stitch'N Bitch." (Excuse my cursing, it's the name of the book!) Anyhow, I attended and had a GREAT time! My favorite part is that is was a random group of people, so I got to make new friends! I'll be excited when my regular friends get to attend too, though!

If you live the the NWA area, please come out and join us next time! It doesn't matter if you're super experienced, or you've never knitted before! We'll teach you! Hope to see you there! (It's held every other Tuesday at The Lightbuld Club in Fayetteville - the next one is December 22nd!)

FUN CHRISTMAS PICS

Have you ever tried to take a picture with two dogs AND two cats? Well I officially have. It was hysterical! We eventually gave up on the cats, and just took some with the dogs. Then we kicked the dogs out, and just played around. I even got to take some with my sis! And my nephew Bear took a photo of all 3 of us! (Keep in mind that kid is 6! Pretty good pic for a little guy!)

STOCK THE SHELTER - ON THE NEWS!

Saturday night my friend Rachel and I got a call from a friend of ours who recently started working for a local news crew. She informed us that we could be on the news with Stock the Shelter if we wanted! We jumped at the idea of a little publicity for the event, and met up to make the clip on Sunday. Click the picture below to check out the clip!

ALL TIME FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIES

Here they are, they top Christmas movies of all time in no particular order. If there's one you haven't seen, do it this season!

1) National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
2) Elf
3) White Christmas (the colorized version with Bing Crosby & Danny Kaye)
4) A Christmas Story
5) It's a Wonderful Life
6) Surviving Christmas
7) A Charlie Brown Christmas
8) How The Grinch Stole Christmas (the cartoon version)
9) The Polar Express
10) The Santa Clause
11) Home Alone

December is here!

Oh, my friends. It is finally December. This month is what I look forward to every day of every year. Everywhere you look you see twinkly lights. Everywhere you go you hear happy tunes. Everything smells like cinnamon and cider. And guess what? Tomorrow, there is a chance of snow. Life is good.

Sometimes I get stressed out about my to do list. And money. And all the other million things that run through my head every waking hour. But then I stop and look around me, and I remind myself that I am so truly blessed.

I have a home. That I own. (Or at least the bank owns it and I have a mortgage :) And inside it I have heat, and dogs, and cats, and food, and appliances that make my quality of living better. And I have movies, and books, and a computer, and a Christmas tree, and a loving husband. And we own a business. At ages 25 and 27, my husband and I own and run a business that is somehow surviving this recession. I look at all these things, and I remember that I am okay. And even if I don't get everything done that is on my list, and even if there's not a whole lot in the bank, and even if I am eating ramen for lunch all week, I am blessed. And life is good.

STOCK THE SHELTER 2009!

I'm proudly announcing the start of the 2nd Annual Stock the Shelter event! Stock the Shelter is a food and supply drive that benefits the Northwest Arkansas shelter animals!

My good friend Rachel, and Joe & I all have a big weak spot for homeless animals, and since we're both at capacity (4 at my house, and 5 at hers) we want to do all we can to help keep the local shelters up and running! So, last year Rachel and I brainstormed, and we came up with a little event that we could sponsor. Stock the Shelter 2008 resulted in a ton of great donations, and we can't wait to see what Stock the Shelter 2009 will bring!

If you're interested in making a contribution, here's what the shelters are in need of:

Pillows, towels, sheets, bleach, leashes, blankets, pet beds, cat litter, cat and dog food (both wet and dry), pet shampoo, dog & cat toys, brushes & combs, laundry detergent, stainless steel bowls (these don't hold germs), flea treatment products, pet carriers, newspapers, office supplies, paper towels, dish soap, aluminum cans (by the bag), and shredded paper!

Please give me a call at (479) 234-2740 to have your items picked up! We'll be taking up items until December 23rd!

And for all you bloggers who don't live near here - call YOUR local shelter today to see what they're in need of. Remember, even the smallest contribution goes a long way!

P.S. Thanks so much to Barrett Daniel for your great contribution this year! A 6 year old gave up birthday presents for the sake of the shelter, and received contributions to Stock the Shelter 2009 instead! Now that's a good kid!

HONEYMOON NIGHT PICS

As promised, here are a few snapshots from our honeymoon evening at Mt. Magazine. A big shout out to our great friend for the wonderful time!

Our beautiful cabin

The beginnings of a perfect fire

And just for kicks, a cool bridge we saw on the way!

ONLINE SHOPPING SECRET

With all the online shopping that is sure to take place over the course of the next month, it never hurts to save a few dimes where you can! My favorite money saving website to visit is Retail Me Not. It's a great place to go and search for coupon codes. This site is different from similar sites in that it actually lists the code on the site (almost always) instead of redirecting you to something first. Just tonight I saved $8.98 on shipping. What a great deal! Go check it out!

BELATED HONEYMOON

Today, Joe and I are off to enjoy a mini honeymoon by spending the night in a beautiful cabin at Mount Magazine State Park. I can't wait to get there! I'd like to extend a big giant "Thank You" to our dear friend who gave us this night as our wedding present. It's going to be awesome. I'll post pics as soon as we get back. Adios, and see you guys soon!

DO YOU REMEMBER........

Do you remember GigaPets? I always forgot about mine and killed them!

Do you remember Doug? I so wanted to be Patty Mayonaise.

Do you remember Caboodles? They were perfect for everything. Makeup, nail polish, you name it!

WE GOT SKILLS, YES WE DO, WE GOT SKILLS, HOW BOUT YOU?

MY FIRST DATE WITH GOD

So. This morning I rolled myself out of bed, threw on some clothes, and decided to follow in the footsteps of Angie over at Bring The Rain. I ventured out into the world to have a "date with God."

It was such a neat experience. I drove over to the closest coffee shop, got a tomato bagel (with cream cheese of course) and an Iced Mocha (one shot of espresso instead of two), and sat down with my notebook and pen to people-watch for a little while.

Here is an excerpt from what I jotted down:

"In a coffee shop, people smile & laugh. They stare at their computers, & they read newspapers. They greet people they know. They come & they go. With all their uncommanalities, they have one thing in common: They came here today. While I was here. They came so I could watch their lives. God sent them to me. To learn. So I will. And right in front of me, He placed a family. They're oblivious to my existence, & they have no idea how much I feel when I watch them. A mommy, with her 3 sons. So unscripted, so sweet, so real."

I sat there for a long time. And I just thought about God. And how he played a role in my life. And compared it to where I want him to play a role in my life. It was awesome.

When I left there, I was in the best mood of my life. I'm definitely going to do it again. And again. And again. :)

So many things have gone on lately, I don't even know where to start!So instead of cramming story after story into one post, I will just tell you that I put up my Christmas tree.

It's beautiful. I'm in love with it. For the first time, I switched from the white lights, to the large Charlie Brown lights that look so much like Christmas! So much fun. I decided that since I'm not very good at making a fancy tree, that I should just make it fun and sentimental. So that it what I did. I'm going to post a picture below, but for some reason I couldn't make it look like it does in person. The lights look a little different, but regardless, I love them, and that is what counts!

Oh, and yes I know that it's early. But the greatest part about being an adult is that when you are ready to put your tree up, nobody can tell you no! :)

LET THE HOLIDAYS BEGIN!

Every year, my good friend Allison and her bros & sisters host a little event we like to call "Thanksgiving!" It's a pre-Thanksgiving celebration with a bunch of our friends. It's a potluck thing, so everyone brings a dish, and it always turns out FABULOUS. It always amazes me how good these people can cook! We always follow up the meal with a dance party, and then some quality campfire time.

I love having traditions like these. It makes for great memories! Thanks Corbin Family for always hosting us!

Something I find interesting about being in my twenties is that I find myself paying a lot more attention to EVERYTHING. I'm still learning new things every day, and realizing things are different than my child mind thought they were.

For example, I never REALLY thought about where my meat comes from. I am a true blue meat LOVER. It doesn't seem like a meal unless there is meat involved. The only problem with any of this is, lately I've realized how horrible the animal's lives are.

I really don't think I could ever be a vegetarian. I don't think I have enough will power in me. So, how do I fix this problem? I've been buying free range eggs and free range chicken. But is that really better? I just don't know!

Sigh. Sometimes I hate having a conscience.

CATS + YARN = BIG MESS

After a long day of watching my niece, working, helping (okay, watching) Joe hang my sister's TV on the wall (quite a project by the way), and assiting Joe while he changed my flat tire, I was excited to get home and cuddle up with my dogs to do a little knitting.

I walked up the stairs, flicked on the light, and stood in horror as I stared at the massacre that laid before me. I couldn't believe my eyes. I couldn't believe that my innocent little kitties could have POSSIBLY made this horendous mess with my enitre loot of yarn.

In an effort to catch the culprit, I ran into the bedroom where I keep my yarn stash safely (or not) hidden in the closet. And I found Lizzie & Bo playing happily with the leftovers. After about 30 seconds of observation, it appears that all 4 pets were in on it. And they had a system. June and Cooper (the dogs) pulled the yarn out of the basket and knawed on it for a while, and then left it for Lizzie & Bo (the cats) to destroy.


So, I after a long moment of deep breathing and sincere restraint I picked up the pieces and began to untangle the giant mess. I was able to save several balls of yarn, but sadly, some did not survive the attack.

However, I'm happy to report that everyone has been forgiven. After all, their brains are much smaller than ours. ;)

CONFESSIONS OF A TWENTY SOMETHING

CONFESSION#13: I've never read the same book twice.

Well, unless you count Where The Sidewalk Ends (oh, and countless other children's books for that matter). But back to my main point. As far as REAL books are concerned, I've never read one twice. Have you?

If you have, what is it like the second time around? Is it better, is it the same? Do you have the same emotions? Does it take as long? Hmmmmm.

Speaking of books, do you know what I LOVE about books? The way the smell. The older the book, the better the smell. You know, like when you're reading a page turner and you flip the page and you get that quick whiff of air that smells like the pages? I love that.