Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone!

Candies, cavities, and glow sticks galore.

Rain or shine, my little troopers were determined to get them some candies!

It poured for the first half of trick-or-treating, but the kiddos didn't seem to mind. The mamas on the other hand, were not too happy. We were well equipped with umbrellas on the wide, but this was the kind of rain that no matter what you did, or how much you tried to cover, you still ended up getting wet. 

But now we are all clean and dry at home. The two little ones are tucked under their soft, warm comforters, while mama sips her tea and blogs, and the oldest one finishes up his homework.

I will raid their candies tomorrow, 

XoXo

Trick or Treat

Here come the holidays.

Cue the chaos, food, shopping, wrapping, $$$, more food.......exhaustion.

Halloween is the holiday that gets me shooting out of the race gates and warmed up for my yearly 6 month marathon. It goes something like this: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas, start of new sport season, New Years, birthday, Valentines Day, birthday, birthday, Easter, birthday, start of another sport season, and then comes summer. Whew.

I love going to the "after Holiday" sales. That is my moment to shine. When I can get uber good sales and stock up on supplies for the next year. The hardest part of this process is remembering where I stashed it all, lol.

Goodie bags for days! I love this part. And the kids love to help too. We probably make around 100 little goodie bags for all the teammates and classmates, and around 8 good goodie bags for the nieces, nephews, and family friends.

Every year I put less and less candy in the goodie bags, substituting more healthy and useful things.

(Pencils, books, gift certificates, fruit cups, juice packs, etc)

What are your plans for Halloween? Are the mamas out there busy stuffing loads of goodie bags too?

Vampire teeth and stretchy frogs,

XoXo

Re re re remodel

Back with a vengeance! Sorry for the lil intermission. But, I think it's good to take a breather every now and then. Clear the mind. Right?!

And what better way to jump right back into things then with a remodel status update:

Since we had no soccer this past weekend I got the opportunity to deep clean and purge parts of our house. I only had Saturday free so there was only so much I could do. 

While I was doing a gazillion loads of laundry, I decided to unpack all of our small kitchen appliances. I've managed to tackle a few boxes every week, slowly getting our silverware, dishes, cooking utensils, blah blah blah- unpacked, washed, and put away. But since we basically have our whole house still packed up, I was a little apprehensive about embarking on my appliance hunt.

The microwave was easy to find since it's so big. I was trying to hold out for the microwave hood that we are going to install over the range, but I couldn't do it. The no appliance thing is killing me.

And luckily,  the toaster and rice cooker were in a box in the front. Wooohoooo! My next mission is to see how many different meals I can make using just our Crockpot.

To celebrate my successful finds, we had bagel bites & grapes for lunch (using our handy dandy microwave) in our makeshift dining room, with our UH fold out football table gifted to us by grandma. The boys were overjoyed!! I think they were more excited about the table then the bagel bites, to be honest, but whatever. 

While I was doing my gazillion loads of laundry and hunting for hidden treasures, I was also working on getting our room organized. During our remodel process, our room has served as the catchall, drop everything in here, we can't find crap, overpacked/overstuffed room. And I finally had had enough!

I am secretly plotting our room as the next victim of our remodel makeover, so I try not to make things too permanent. These babies are perfect! Easy to move (when needed), organizational, and decorative : )

Speaking of decorative.......what the hell is up with curtain rods being so damn expensive?! Ugh, and don't even get me started on the price of curtains. That'll have to be a rant for another post.

Luckily, I was able to utilize my handy dandy Ross store for yet another super find! However, it did take a little more leg work and 2 store visits, but in the end it was a definite success.

My first visit resulted in 4 (short) matching curtain rods @ $14.99 each. I need 6 all together, and of those 6, I need 1 of the really long ones. So, I purchased the 4 (short) and was told to come back to the store in 3 days when the next shipment was arriving. Three days later I was back at Ross desperately searching for my matching 2 rods. No such luck : (

However, I was able to find a different style of rod, 6 in all, 5 short and 1 long, @ $13.99 each. YAY!! And instead of returning the other 4, I decided to keep them since I want to put new rods in all of our bedrooms too. So technically, I still need to find 1 more rod for 1 bedroom, but since it's the only lone window there, it doesn't need to match what I have already purchased.

Whew! Didn't I tell you there was going to be a math quiz today?! Lol.

Moving and grooving,

XoXo

Change is good......I hope

Sorry guys, no pics for this one. This'll be just a quickie:

There have been some things going on in my life that might lead to some changes.........I'm hoping good changes. Or things might stay exactly the same. Confusing right?!

I really don't like not having control of a life-altering outcome. I mean hello, I have kiddos to think about. Anyway, I've just had some things on my mind that are majorly contributing to writers block....BOO!

But I took the day off tomorrow, so be ready for another dose of the remodel post : )

Craving a nice glass on Pinot,

XoXo

Home decor galore

Happy Friday loves!

Since I'm still trippin on the "decorate our home" mission, I thought I'd do a little e-window shopping. Too bad I don't have a mimosa. Oooh, and a lobster benedict from Longhi's- seriously to die for!

http://www.madebygirl.com/product.php?sku=PR-64

Anyhoo. The next best thing.....shopping!
This LOVE print is so simple yet I love it. The gold foil is awesome and the idea is timeless.
I can totally see this in my red bathroom.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/79599560/original-geometric-vintage-inspired-home

Ooh la la heavenly fabric. I would love to make some extremely awesome curtains with this. If you've ever been on the hunt for curtains then you know how much of a hassle it is. Selection, size, style.....all usually needing some type of at home alteration in order to make it exactly perfect anyway. Might as well suck it up and make your own.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83388160/teal-grey-mustard-cushion-cover-flower

Pillow fight! Ugh, I am such a sucker for a cute pillow. They are perfect accent pieces and so easily changeable that you can refresh your vibe in a snap. This would totally work with my grey walls while adding lots of extra pop and color.

 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/81975846/home-decor-tiffany-blue-starfish

I love love love this color. I would probably remove the starfish and rope and use them somewhere else. This would look awesome displayed on a vanity surrounded by perfume bottles. *Sigh*
Only in the movies. Guaranteed this would be broken by one of my lil monsters. Or by a flying toy launched by one of my lil monsters.

http://www.zgallerie.com/p-6456-bling-hurricane.aspx

And what girl doesn't love a little bling? I know that I do.

I bet the light effect is awesome when you throw some lighted candles in these bad boys. Mood setter for sure! An overflowing bubble bath, a glass of wine.....again, only in the movies. Lol!

Off to do more drooling,

XoXo

Thirsty Thursday POP

The weekend jam...

Rock it ladies,

XoXo

Back to remodeling

Who's been missing the remodel posts??

I know......it's like a sick addiction. I am currently seeking help on the matter.

And it's not like we've gotten sooo much accomplished that I just have to tell you about it. But right now it's all about the baby steps. Eventually we'll be off and running again........(I hope).

So I finally went and got glass put in our upper cabinet door. It has been naked this whole time. I was aiming for something a little more decorative and WOW, but I realized that since the actual glass opening was so small, it just wouldn't do any patterned glass justice. But, I think it looks great anyway.

We the bf got all the walls painted with their second coat. Yay!!

Hopefully this weekend will be primering and painting the baseboards and door trims. We the bf still has to add the crown moulding to the top of the walls so it doesn't look so plain.

Now some of you may be thinking.......hmmmm......the bf does like everything. What is this lazy ass diva doing while she makes her boyfriend slave day and night??!!

Shopping of course!! (Joke).

I mean, it is my responsibility to decorate this newly renovated, lovely house. But, I also have to work, do the mommy/kid soccer, football, judo practice thing, make sure the bills are still being paid on time, laundry, house cleaning, blah blah........you get it. It's a team effort people.

Anyway, back to the shopping.

So the bf really wants me to put shelf liners in all of the cabinets and drawers. And I (naturally) hate shelf liners. But, I do agree with him that I have to put some on the shelves that hold our pots and pans and the like. We wanna protect these beautiful cabinet$ that co$t u$ $o much $. And I did see some awesomely cute/modern shelf liners @ Target, so I'm planning on using those. But, in some of the other areas, like the utensil drawers, I really wanted to avoid using shelf liners (if at all possible).

Well.......I found these super cute trays @ Ross the other weekend and I thought (hoped) they would fit perfectly. They were only $3.99/each, so I picked up 4, which was all they had. Don't you love it?? I do! I just like that it serves the same purpose, but with a non-shelf liner kinda twist : )

I also found 2 of these super cute branch/twig bowl thingies. They were only $6.99/each. I'm not really sure what I'm gonna use them for yet. I've been using one as our fruit bowl in the kitchen and I'm thinking of using the other one in the bathroom with rolled up washcloths (or something) in it.

And just in time for Halloween........BAM!!

They also had the cutest sparkly lil foam pumpkins. I think these were like $4. The platter was $14.

Since all of my Halloween decorations are still packed away, and our house is still in a state of chaos, I thought, why not? A platter full of lil pumpkins is sure to set the festive mood. My boys and the bf totally appreciated the effort (sarcasm @ its finest).

Painted walls & glittery pumpkins,

XoXo

Abracadabra....presto, chango!

So........waddaya think?

I've been wanting to do this for a long long time, but it just takes so much effort to make such small changes. Plus, I was afraid that I would majorly f*ck up and completely destroy what minor blog tweaks I did have going on. But, I put on my big girl panties today (VS) and braved the unknown.

So I hope you like it. Cause odds are it'll be like this for a while.

I'd love to hear what ya think........

Please be nice to me,

XoXo

More (and last) of Vegas

Love.

Photo prepping.

1, 2, 3.......Cheese!

Serious cutie pie!!

(I would've bought the hat because I love it so much.....but it was $30-GASP!, and I know he would only wear it like once)

Lunch stop.

Pizza for the boos, and wine for the parents.

Stratosphere shot.

Action shot.

(It only took about 20 trys, lol)

Sorry for the lack of fun, humor, and sarcastic comments. Got a case of the Grumpies today. And yes, I capitalized the G because it's that bad.

Thinking about drinking my lunch,

XoXo

Happy Halloween & Free Shipping!!

Happy Halloween!!

Well, almost. It's right around the corner and we haven't even put our decorations out yet. Boo me!

I smell a weekend project : )

But since I'm stuck @ work, here's my e-Halloween fix.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82265360/halloween-wreath?ref=sr_gallery_8&ga_search_query=halloween&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_page=5&ga_search_type=all&ga_facet=

I love the simplistic statement this wreath makes. Plus, it looks like it would store easy. I think I'm already up to like 6 or 7 Halloween decoration bins....Eeeek!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/57381040/filigree-flame-leather-mask-in-shades-of

Is this not the coolest thing?! I absolutely adore this mask. Super unique! I can guarantee that no one else you see on Halloween will have a mask like this.

With that said, I am giving you all a fair WARNING: I am desparately waiting for the next Halloween that falls on a weekend. I am going all out!! ALL-OUT!! The house decorations will be off the hook, my costume will be to-die-for, and grandma better be ready to babysit : )

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83858410/steampunk-bat-bat-pendant-clay-bat-clay?ref=af_you_favitem

This necklace is a perfect example of Halloween jewelry that can be worn all year long. Actually, it's more like a great piece of jewelry that can also be worn on Halloween.

I love the big blue eyes. And I like how it has so many different things going on that give it character.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/71477701/red-white-stripe-ribbon-bow

Okay folks, now how uberly cute is this bow?? If I had a daughter I would totally let her rock this all year long. The bows come in a variety of different sizes, colors and patterns. And the prices are totally reasonable. Yay!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83421470/halloween-feather-wreath-pumpkin-patch?ref=sr_gallery_7&ga_search_query=halloween&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_page=7&ga_search_type=all&ga_facet=

Now this is something I would LOVE to have hanging on my front door. This wreath is fabulously glam, no doubt! In fact, I just might wear this as my costume. Ms. Halloween 2011??!!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/79403465/orange-chrissy-flower-ring

You know I had to throw in something from my shop too. Especially since I have a free shipping promo going on right now:

**Free priority shipping on all domestic orders. Use "FREE4ME" coupon code @ checkout.

Feel free to shop your little hearts out.

Halloween wishes,

XoXo



Candy, Pizza, and Drinks

Vegas is probably the junk food/alcohol capital of the world.

Everywhere you go there are candy stores, fast (fried) food vendors, and alcohol stops. Not that I am complaining about any of this.........I'm just stating the facts.

One of the most important stops for the kids was M & M world. It is $13/lb. Gah! But, I guess it's all about the experience. With a wall full of colorful, deliciously inviting M & M's, who can resist??

So they each got a 1 lb allowance.

And.......5 minutes later.......they are happy : )

Geez. Looking @ this picture makes me realize how big they are getting. And, how OLD I am getting (wahhh moment).

So, after wasting nearly $50 on candy, we were slumming around the strip a little more, when all of a sudden.........we were overcome by thunder, lightning, and a torrential downpour. Literally sun one minute, rain the next. I wish I had taken a video of how quickly all the people cleared the strip. But, alas, I was too busy trying to save my hair and duck and cover with all my lil baby ducklings in tow.

After standing under a Walgreens overhang for 5 minutes, the rain lightened a little and we decided to "overhang hop" to Sephora. 3 hops later......we were still soaked from the off and on rain (so much for the save the hair effort), and poor lil man actually got sprayed by a passing car while we were shuffling along the sidewalk. *When I said downpour I was NOT exaggerating*

But the shopping gods were looking down on us and we ended up running into an indoor mall. I forget what the name of it is, but it has Sephora, Victoria's Secret, Bath & Body, Sugar Factory, and about a gazillion other shops and restaurants. YAY!!

So we shopped and shopped and shopped, dried off, and met up with one of my parentals (and his Housewives crew- private joke) for dinner.

We decided to hit up an uber popular, tv's everywhere, always crowded sports bar that's located right @ the entrance of the mall. Mama needed a drink and the boys were hungry.

They actually got to make their own pizzas, which they loved. And, the price was right too. Kiddie menu holla!

My poor lil man was so tired from all the shuffling and shopping that he took a little nap right on the table. We did wake him up once his food arrived and after he shook off his grogginess he had a second wind. Yay for quickie lil cat naps (and no whining)!

So we finished up dinner, left the adults to drink some more, and headed back to our hotel.

Zzzzzzzz time.

M & M's, pizzas, and margaritas,

XoXo

Mandalay Bay

Fresh off the plane, a few hours of sleep, and a wardrobe change later......*poof*, we're @ Mandalay Bay hotel.

Since this was a "kiddo included" trip, we wanted to do as many interesting and fun things as possible. So our first stop was the shark reef.

Thank you lil boo for taking this pic of the rest of the fam bam. I decided to take our big whopper camera (that the bf likes to carry around his neck like a tourist), and our little kodak point and shoot camera for the kiddos to use. I thought it would be fun to compare the photo perspectives at the end of the trip.

This was the one and only hot day. Every day after this was about 20 degrees colder. Hence, this is the only "shorts" day we had.

The only sh*tty thing about family trip pics is that someone is always missing. But I have to say that this is probably my biggest feature of all our vacays. Usually I'm in like 1 or 2 pictures, but the bf was having so much fun being the photographer, that I had no other choice but to pose : )

They had a touchy/feely tank full of different kinds of rays. I think the ones featured in this little train are called hermit rays (or something like that), but they basically just go around and around the tank lined up like this. Super cute right?! Well, I found out that the front one is the male and the other two are females......go figure. The bf liked that.

And they have this super huge, dark tank filled with neon pink, glow in the dark jelly fish.

They also have huge tanks full of fish, sharks, turtles, and a walk through tunnel where everything swims all over and around you.

I think it was a successful first stop for our travelling caravan.

Next stop M & M world, MGM, and shopping!!

Shark teeth smiles,

XoXo

Vegas lights

What do you get when you pair a week long trip to Vegas and a traveling group of 15 people??

......Exhaustion, lots of dirty clothes, and empty wallets.

But, you also get loads and loads of FUN!

(Me and the lil man- earphones for days)

I love all the anxiety and excitement everyone has at the beginning of a trip.
And I have to say that so far, in all of my travels, United airlines has been the best. We flew Delta when we went to Disneyland, and it was very uncomfortable. United has roomier seats and foot space, and the people are always very friendly. 

Yay United!!

Did I ever mention how much I love the small joys in life? I mean, don't get me wrong, I love a big, surprise Louis Vuitton bag as much as the next girl, but I also whoop for joy if I go to Forever21 and get a shirt for $6.99 when I thought it was going to be $16.99.
Well, apparently my boys share the same trait. Hello moving sidewalks (I think that's what you call them). Lol, talk about screaming tourist. Who takes pictures on a moving sidewalk?? We do!!

Vegas lights & moving sidewalks,
XoXo 

See you in a week!

No fun frilly post today. Just a quick love note to say goodbye as we rush out the door.

1....2.......3......whew, got all the kids :)

Peace out homies,

XoXo