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Obsessed with Scrapbooking: Project, Cartridge and My Creative Time Stamp Giveaway!

Gotta Love a Good Pizza

I'm thankful for...

#26 - Having such a handy husband. My superhero picked up and installed our new super quiet dishwasher this evening after work. 

Which leads me to... 

#27 - Dishwashers! I'm pretty sure that if I had to hand wash all of the dishes all of the time, we would just use disposable everything...  

Phelps Family Pizza Pics...

The perfect touch...

Hmmm, this looks tasty.

Little Dude's finished product.

Say "Cheese"!

My masterpiece "Before" picture

Serving up some yummy goodness...

Being a silly boy!

My masterpiece "After" picture

Thanksgiving Has Come & Gone

Well, folks that wraps up Thanksgiving. Next up - Christmas.

WAIT - wasn't it just Halloween? The older I get, the faster my life goes by. Truly amazing. I continue to be in awe of God's work in my life and the lives of those around me.

Spending time with the family is always wonderful. Smaller group this year, but still nice. Each of us brought a side dish or two so it wound up being quite the feast!

I even did my fair share of Black Friday shopping. Which brings me to my next topic... Macys.com. I was sitting around at, oh a little before midnight, doing a little online shopping. I found two great deals so I picked out my colors and put them in my shopping cart. Then I went about shopping for other things but didn't see anything else I just couldn't live without, so I went to the online checkout. Then, what to my wondering eyes, should appear? Big red letters saying: "Please remove this item from your cart. It is no longer available."

Are. You. SERIOUS??

Apparently I was supposed to pick my Black Friday deals and checkout one at a time... I wouldn't get to take advantage of the "Free Shipping on Orders $99 or more" and I would actually have wound up paying for shipping TWICE. Really? Lucky for me, I was still able to get one of the deals at Macy's at the mall before 1 pm but the other deal is sold out - trust me I keep checking the website. Boo on you Macys.com.

Ok, that's my Black Friday rant for this year... on to better things, my Cricut.

Have you seen the results that come up on Amazon.com when you search for Cricut? I feel like there's this whole new Cricut world out there that I'm just now stumbling into. Apparently scrapbooking - and Michael's Black Friday sale - to satisfy my paper addiction is the gateway to getting me hooked on the Cricut. So naturally, I found things that I didn't even know I needed, like the Cricut tote bag, cartridge case, and of course cartridges that I didn't even know existed... oh the possibilities. 

Time to play catch up on Thankfulness List: Things I am thankful for...

#22 - Beautiful weather. The weather was fantastic on Thanksgiving Day. It was nice enough to not need a jacket during the day, and we were able to open the windows and let in the cool air in the evening because cooking the Thanksgiving Feast warmed up the house.

#23 - That I am NOT a crazy Black Friday shopper. Don't get me wrong, I do my fair share of shopping with the locals on Black Friday, but Black Friday news stories are crazy! From the man who left his girlfriend's child in the car while he bought a big screen TV at Best Buy and then took the TV home and left his car in the parking lot of the store. To the Black Friday shoppers that were nearly run over in the parking lot by a drunk driver. And of course, the regular parking lot campers who are intent on being the first one through the door. Most of the time these news stories have me shaking my head...

#24 - My family and friends are safe this Thanksgiving. I was shocked and sad after hearing about the crazy pile up outside of Houston, 2 people died and 80 injured. Yes, I probably found out about the story a little late, but at least I finally heard about it. I'm pretty much burned out on the news after the pre-election, during-election, and post-election crazy-beyond-crazy frenzy. Definitely praying for those involved and their families. 

#25 - Four day weekends. This little break really gave me some time to hang out with the family, get some much needed rest & relaxation, and get some cleaning done. It was starting to look like squatters were living here. Ok, maybe it wasn't that bad but it sure did feel like it. Now, if I can stay focused and get the Christmas tree up and decorated tomorrow before heading back to work on Monday...

Thanksgiving is near...

More things I'm thankful for...

#20 - Listening to my daughter talk to herself while she plays in the bathtub. It's very entertaining and makes me wish that she would stay this little forever. It also reminds me that she soaks in everything that she sees and hears around her. From "Shoo-wee that diaper stinky!" to "SHHH! I'm talking on the phone..." to "Get a bite" in her southern belle accent I can recognize the people who she spends the most of her time around.

#21 - My son's helpfulness. Sometimes this preteen thing is about to kill me but most of the time he's still my sweet boy. The age difference between my mini munchkin and my not-so-mini munchkin really comes in handy sometimes. He's always willing to help out, sometimes it is building lego structures so that she can tear them apart, and other times it is setting up the Jenga game so she can just knock it down again. He can also help with the laundry and vacuuming and other household chores. Super big help and I'm sure I don't thank him enough!

Gearing up for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I've mixed up the fruit salad and pre-baked the green bean casserole. Now I'm ready to spend some time relaxing and pretending that my house is clean... I'll admit it - I just don't feel like cleaning! Big surprise? No, not really.

Thanks, Gracias, & Salamat

#17 - All day crops. I'm thankful that I found a regular crop that I enjoy. The ladies are sweet and always chatty. I love that it is for the entire Saturday, I can get a lot accomplished. Fun, relaxing, and a creative outlet that I haven't had regularly for a while now.

#18 - Black Friday prices. I just scored a Cricut Expression 2 with a bonus cartridge for a Black Friday price. Plus 4 cartridges that were half price. I walked out of there with all of that for what it would have cost me to buy just the machine at regular price. Oh, did I mention that I got it in this really cute teal color?

#19 - Patience, it's an art I'm telling you. When you're sitting around in the middle of the night with a two year old who won't sleep and you have to get up for work at 6 am, it takes a lot of patience. I lost count of how many times I counted to 10 and took so many deep breaths that I felt faint. I think God gave me my two year old for the sole purpose of teaching me patience... bless her heart, or my heart, or whatever it is that southern women say...

Update on the Gingerbread latte - it was pretty good. A little sweetener wouldn't have hurt, but I drank it as is. I must say that Starbucks usually has outstanding service, however this time was different. Once I finally got to the window to receive and pay for my coffee. The young lady asked if I needed a receipt. To which I replied, "No, just a napkin please." She handed me my coffee and napkin, and I handed her my card. In a few seconds, without even glancing in my direction, she holds my card out of the window so I take it and wait for her to acknowledge that the card was accepted. (Not that I expected it to be declined, I just thought it polite to wait for a response.) After about 30 seconds I leaned out of the window and said, "Excuse me..." to which not one single person that passed by the drive through window responded. So I said it again, a little louder this time. No response. Me again, a lot louder this time. Still nothing, nada, zilch. Practically yelling this time, "HELLO???"

A very surprised, shell-shocked, overwhelmed-looking Starbucks employee turned and looked at me. "Uh, yes ma'am? Do you need something?" 

Me: "Do you need anything else from me?" 

Her: "No, you just had one latte, right? Did I give your card back?" 

Me: "Yes but you didn't even look at me when you gave it back." 

Her: "Oh, sorry I was doing this" as she points to her earpiece.  

Me shaking my head: "Oh right, have a nice day."

What is this world coming to? Chivalry is dead, customer service is dying, and common sense is definitely on the endangered list...

Pumpkin spice...

After an all-day-til-midnight crop last night, I stopped for a treat at Starbucks - only to find that everyone else in Texas decided to come to this exact Starbucks at the exact time I did. There is a line wrapped around this place like its black Friday and they started giving away Twinkies or something...

Darn you Starbucks for having the best Pumpkin Spice latte in town!

Update: ok so waiting in line I had some time to contemplate my choices and decided to try the Gingerbread latte... Cross your fingers.

TGI Friday!!!

#16 - Fridays. Thank you Jesus for Fridays! It's the perfect end to every week. Friday is the day to wrap up your week's work and take it easy for the weekend. Fridays mean that the next day is Sleep-In-Saturday! Oh and you know I loooooove to sleep... it's my favorite hobby. Friday means wearing jeans at work, eating out for lunch, and splurging on Starbucks.

What makes your Friday special?

Simply Scrappy

#15 - Scrapbooking. I really love to scrapbook and I'm looking forward to an all day crop on Saturday! I'm not sure when it happened, but I somewhere along the line I totally fell in love with paper, stamps, stickers, and of course the pictures that make it all come together. I'm pretty sure that I could sit around and create stuff for as long as I live and not get tired of it. I do wish that I had more time for scrapping. Working full time, chasing after children, and trying to get some quality time in with the man of my dreams keeps my schedule pretty booked. I should probably be using my spare time to clean house and do laundry... but let's not get off topic. Hobby Lobby, Michael's, and I hear Joann's Fabric, have the best scrapbooking stuff. Someone told me if you want to get the one of a kind type scrap-crap you have to go to a specialty store... I can't wait to find one of those.

Not much to recap that I haven't already shared... business trip to Pittsburg was pretty good. Did well covering my topics and keeping everyone on track. Definitely glad to get home and sleep in my own bed - you just can't beat a Tempur-Pedic! 

Thanks For Power...

#14 - Dear Power Point, thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I had to give a presentation for work the other day. If you know me at all, you know I hate public speaking. I obsess over getting the details right and making sure that the flow of information is logical. Power point makes this pretty easy to do.

Thank Heaven For...

#10 - Teachers. I am thankful for teachers, the GOOD kind, the kind that care about our children and want to see them succeed in life. Good teachers are hard to find, great teachers are one in a million.

#11 - Autumn. The changing colors of the leaves (even though Texas autumns are 3 weeks long) sometimes if you pay attention, you can catch the leaves changing from green, to orange, red, yellow, and brown.

#12 - Weddings - particularly the cake part. Watching two of your best friends tie the knot is really special. Also knowing that they really wanted you there is icing on the cake. Wedding cake is absolutely the best ever! Always rich and creamy with icing and makes you feel like you need to swim in a pool of milk. My tummy is grumbling as I speak...

#13 - Heaters. Traveled to Pittsburg for business and it was COLD. The daytime highs there are what the lows are in Texas. I love snow, but I think I just love to look at it. In pictures. The longer I live in the south the less tolerance I have for cold weather.

Meandering Moments

#7 - My dog. I loooove my little English Bulldog - Bella. (No, she was not named for the Twilight series and we do not have another dog stashed away named Edward.) She is the most stubborn dog EVER but she makes me laugh. Someone that is always happy to see me no matter what and loves to lay around watching TV, I could't ask for a better pet. Ever since I was little I've always wanted one, so being the super awesome, knight-in-shining-armor man that he is, my oh-so-sweet husband bought this dog for me.

She drives him bonkers, well truth be told, she has at one point or another has pushed each of us to the brink of insanity! I could have died the Christmas she ate an entire PS3 game and left it in tiny pieces all over the floor. I do mean entire - the bow, wrapping paper, cellophane wrap, plastic case, booklet, and CD. My son found the pieces and I was absolutely sure that he knew out the other large box under the tree was a PS3. The good news is that he didn't catch on - or at least he never admitted it! (He's such an amazing son.) The other good news is that she didn't die from BPA-and-who-knows-what-else-poisoning from plastic shreds of CD passing through her system.


#8 - Technology. I'm so thankful for technology, besides the fact that I wouldn't have a job without it, it keeps me entertained for hours. I'm a technology junkie... if it has to do with computers or gaming - I'm interested! Not that I'm a hardcore gamer or anything but from time to time I do enjoy some Sims, Skyrim, SimCity, and Black Ops... by the way, is Black Ops 2 out yet??


#9 - Audible. I LOVE to read but I just don't have the luxury of being able to lay around and read. Between husband, kids, dog, work, and life in general - I'm entirely too busy. But then one of my friends suggested Audible.com - I thought that listening to books would be boring but I was wrong, SO wrong!

The Help was the first book that I listened to. It was so hilarious! This particular book had more than one reader and it was so easy to get lost in the story. When the movie came out and some of the same women were in the film, it just made it that much better!

Love love love! If you haven't tried it yet - go sign up and try it for 30 days and I bet you get hooked. I can listen to books while I'm driving in the car, or taking a break at work, ANYWHERE that I can bring my phone. Absolutely satisfies my craving for reading great books. They. Are. The. Best. Ever. That is all.


Recap for the week?

About the most fun I had all week was going out to see live music and eat great Mexican food. I wasn't diggin' the stuffed avocado, so I ate some sopapillas (yes, more than one - don't judge me) and drank about a gallon of sweet tea. Gotta love that stuff!

Nothing else really happened - just lots of work preparing for a business trip next week, to Pennsylvania of all places. I checked the weather and the forecast is cold to colder, with a high of cold, and a low of freeze your toes off. Please Lord, let me comeback with my nose, fingers, ears, and toes still attached and not black from frostbite. (Ew, gross mental image.)

Tomorrow we are headed to hang out with some really good friends of ours who are FINALLY getting married. I'm so glad to share this weekend with them. Totally low key, just a bunch of close friends, hanging out and enjoying the scenery and the company, and nothing fancy - well, besides the wedding dress, I'm sure! Completely, utterly, 100% them - it couldn't be any more perfect.

Career

# 6 - I'm thankful for having a steady income. I'm also thankful for the career that I do have. It is challenging, interesting, and offers so much room for personal growth. I'm glad that I don't have to wake up and go to a  job that I hate. I know there are many people out there that do. Thank you God for providing everything I have - I can do nothing without you.

Friends

#5 - Friends. I am so thankful for the friends in my life. These people really care about each other as people and not what they do for a living, or what they look like on the outside. Pretty much all of them I inherited through marriage but I just can't imagine what life would be like without them!

They are the people you can see just a few times a year but when you start talking it's like you just had coffee with them yesterday. The ones you can laugh with, argue with, and sometimes you want to throw things at them, but when it's all said and done - being friends is more important than anything we could argue about.

To all my friends - thank you - because I do thank God for each and every one of you. You are all a blessing to me and I'm glad to be a part of your lives too.

P.S. (Remember that last part next time we're arguing and/or you want to throw something at me!)

Fab Fam

#4 - My family. I really lucked out, you know? I have a wonderful family and even though we're spread across the world - we try to stay close at heart. My parents, grandparents, cousins, and don't forget my in-laws - I'm thankful for all of them. Sometimes we act like little children bickering over crazy silly stuff, but we all know that no matter what, we're family and like it or not, we're all stuck with one another.



Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  (1 Cor 13:4-7)

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving

November is here... the time of year when every Facebook post and Twitter tweet is about what we are - or should be - thankful for. And it's already the THIRD, which means I'm late - again. Punctuality is obviously not a virtue that I was blessed with at birth. It takes a lot of effort so, sad to say, I reserve being punctual for church, family functions, and work (of course). Ah-hem, enough about my innate flaws and back to being thankful.

#1 - First of all, I'm thankful to God for giving me life (and, uh, my parents who helped a little). Every day I wake up - even though I really, really, dislike early mornings - means that God has a plan for me, my day, and my family.

#2 - My husband. He is my best friend. He is by my side every morning I wake up and every evening when I close my eyes to sleep. Always honest, faithful, and the best father I could dream up for my children.

#3 - My children. Parenthood is a constant challenge and just when you think you have it under control, something happens to make you wonder how on Earth these two small humanoid aliens are even related to you... regardless, I love them with all my heart and all my soul. I'm thankful that God has blessed me with these two precious gifts, I simply cannot imagine life without them.

There you have it - three things that I'm thankful for and now I'm caught up! Ta-da!

"Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" (2 Cor 9:15)