I ate an orange today

And made my house smell yummy!!! Years and years ago when I was at my Aunt's house one year for Christmas she made this wonderful concoction on the stove and it filled her house with delicious smells of the holidays. I'm not entirely sure what was in it but I know it consisted of cinnamon sticks and orange peels {I think?}. So after I ate my orange today I made my own little version consisting of about a cup of water, my orange peels, some cinnamon {I didn't have sticks so I just used the powder}, and a little nutmeg. I threw it on the stove and let it just simmer for hours while I played around my house and it was just delightful!!

Gratitude Friday

But it's Saturday? Ya well I forgot to do this yesterday. Oops. It's probably a good thing I'm doing it today though because I'm a happier girl today. Why? Because it's Saturday!! Ohh how I love Saturdays!! Right now I'm drinking my tea, catching up on Oprah, and waiting for Lexi do be done getting groomed {how wonderful is it that there's a traveling groomer that comes to my complex?! I got to walk her over to the groomer's this morning in my pjs!}. I'm hoping to get some Christmas presents made today and then I'm off to a concert with my sis!! Alright so on to what I'm thankful for this week:

• New craft ideas for Christmas presents {although I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not because it just makes my list longer of things to make....and yet I'm still stumped on what to make a few certain people}
• Weight loss....or better yet, a healthier me {trust me, it's not much but every little bit counts, right?}
• Ryan getting his orders to head to VA for more training (thankful he's leaving? you might say...but yes, because it's what he wants, what is best for him and what he needs at this time in his life)
• And at that I'm thankful I get to spend some good quality time with him before he leaves
• The Ellen show! Oh if you've never watched it you must squeeze in an hour and catch one of her shows because they are absolutely hilarious!! Oh my gosh I just laugh my pants of watching her. Sometimes Ryan will even watch it with me and laugh right along! (ok he probably doesn't want the world knowing he watches Ellen occasionally but oh well)
• oooohhhh how can I not be thankful for the Christmas lights that are starting to be put on on houses, buildings, shopping complexes, trees, etc ~ LOVE IT!!
• ...and Christmas music {yay for Mannheim Steamroller}, Ryan and I were at the bx last night and there was holiday music playing throughout the store - it was delicious!
  
• ...and Christmas decorations!!
• Drinking my tea and coffee out of lovely little mugs, I have a fetish for mugs and love to find unique ones to collect {especially Starbucks ones.....the mug section is usually the first place I walk to when I go in Starbucks, yes sometimes even before the counter to order my drink if it's been a while since I've been in}
• Well I just took a quick break from this post to go get Lexi from the mobile grooming center and now I have something else to be thankful for....it's taken me about 2 years to find a groomer I actually like down here - I've tried many groomers as well as doing it myself (which works fine but is def quite the task to take on, and at that she won't let me do her toenails or her ears). Recently I'd found a good one that's only about 2 minutes away and I thought it was great....but it's even more great that this groomer comes to me!!

Ok I need to get on with my day and get off the couch ~ hope you all have a good Saturday!

AHH!!!

Did I bite off too much for myself when I decided to make everyone's Christmas gifts this year? I'm sort of starting to think so.....somehow my weekends just keep ending up to be not as productive as I had wanted them to be ~ Thanksgiving is just around the corner, which also means Christmas is just around the corner TOO. I'm going to try my best to get everything done, wish me luck!!

Gratitude Friday

Friday the 13th!!! So far nothing bad has happened in my neck of the woods, thank God. I'm glad it's Friday because I have so many projects to work on this weekend. I'm continually saying I'm going to get things done over the weekend but then I get distracted doing something different {although last weekend I did manage to get some great things done, but I can't discuss them on there because I wouldn't want to give away any gifts}. Hopefully this weekend is different because I will be alone all weekend as Ryan is headed to help out with a Boy Scout camping trip. As always, many things to be thankful for this week:

• My sister and her husband :)
• One day this week I was sitting in my car waiting for someone and they were running a little late. I happened to be sitting in front of a Starbucks {in a no parking zone} and there was a man outside of the Bucks with his harp. He wasn't playing when I first pulled up. I thought to myself that it would be absolutely joyous if he played Pachelbel's Cannon because it is a song that always makes my heart calm and brings a smile to my face; how beautiful would it be on a harp?! It reminds me of growing up and listening to it during the holidays on George Winston's December album. The man with the harp gets up, stretches a bit, drinks some of his coffee, sits down and starts playing music. My window was up and I couldn't really hear what he had started to play but it sounded very familiar to me. I roll down my window and what do you know? He was playing the song I had just requested in my mind!! How amazing is that? I was able to sit there in my car and listen to the whole song played beautifully on his harp. Had I not been there at that particular moment, parked in that no parking zone I never would have been able to experience such a random and amazing moment!! I'm quite thankful for this little stepping stone into the holiday season that I received from the man with the harp.
• Finding that blog I mentioned in an earlier post about the J.Crew refashionings that can be done to our clothing....LOVE it!!
• Another turkey dinner that Ryan made ~ this one was amazing, with all the great yummy things that go along with a great turkey {he's becoming quite good at this turkey cooking thing!!}
• Feeling great from the gym
• A full night's sleep that I got one night this week ~ I slept so hard that I didn't move the entire night, woke up in the same position I went to sleep in {I know this because it was a very random position sprawled across the bed}
• The holiday tidings appearing all over ~ this is by far my favorite time of the year, and I am one who could {and sometimes do} start listening to Christmas music before Halloween and put up my Christmas lights before Thanksgiving. I'm holding off this year a little bit though, but I think the festive music and lights will be making their appearance sometime in the very near future.
• Michael's having GREAT sales on their yarn

What are you thankful for this week?

Vintage

I am in fashion HEAVEN right now. A friend just introduced me to the most amazing blog ever. I have been SOOO in love with JCrew's latest fashion. I love love love the chic, vintage styles that they have. Absolutely adorable! But who wants to spend $40+ on a t-shirt? Well thanks to this woman's wonderful blog we don't have to!!! Oh my goodness I'm drooling looking at all the cool things she's made...so off to the store I go to see if I can find any cheap scraps of fabric. {doesn't matter that I already have a ton of things on my project list to do} Stay tuned for pictures!!

Gratitude Friday

It's FRIDAY!!! Thank the Lord!!! This has been a loong week for me ~ mostly due to the fact that all week I haven't been able to figure out what day of the week it is. Tuesday I thought it was Wednesday, Wednesday I thought it was Thursday and then Thursday I thought it was Wednesday. What's up with my brain?! Not sure but it has left me feeling very confused! Again I've been slacking on my Gratitude Friday posts, but here's what's on my mind today that I have to be thankful for:

• My sister ~ her birthday was this week, another year older. I drove down to the Springs and we had a nice afternoon eating sushi, getting a pedicure and spending time together. Something we never seem to do enough of.
• Sunshine AND snow!! A week ago we had about 2 feet of snow on the ground, which I loved. Today it's about 75 degrees and tomorrow we're expected to break records at 80 or 85!!! Guess I need to bring the tank tops back out! This is one of the things that is so great about Denver ~ the weather can drastically change from one day to the next. Just when you think you're in a weather rut...it goes and changes things up!!
• NOT having the Swine Flu {or at least I'm pretty sure}. I'm paranoid about getting it, but it's something I probably just need to come to terms with because most likely it's not something I'm going to be able to avoid {no matter how ocd I am about germs}....that's sort of the life when you're around kids all the time. I started feeling really yucky yesterday and still don't feel too swell today, but the symptoms seem more flu-like than swine flu-like (but come on, is there really much of a difference?) so I think I'm safe this time around.
• My dates with the gym ~ I've managed to get in 60 minutes of good hard cardio almost every day this week which always leaves me feeling great and refreshed! (now when can it start taking away the numbers on the scale?)
• Turkey dinners prepared by Ryan. He's in the process of teaching himself how to properly cook a turkey {and maybe even master? (if that's possible)} and so I've come home to turkey on the table and I love it!
• My always great, always past due conversations with Megan. Wish we were closer so I could see her more often and squeeze that little P of hers {or not so little anymore}. Very excited to get to see them over the holidays!!

TGIF!!!

They are HERE!!!

I think there aren't many females out there who don't just LOVE drinking our coffee out of the Starbucks holiday cups...well they came out today!!! I tried to save myself a few bucks this morning {figuring I would spend my share on coffee this season} and so I had MY morning coffee in the ceramic version of the cup that I got from Santa last year {which Santa also brought with a lovely Starbucks gift card....hint hint}. Makes me feel warm and cozy :)