Weekend Recap + Something Special

What a weekend it was!  Needless to say, I am EXHAUSTED from all the craziness the weekend brought.  Family is great.  Family visits in the summer are really great! Some highlights of the weekend include ::

• Friday night welcome, grilled dinner, hanging out and lots of love
• After a lazy start to the day, we spent the afternoon switching between the pool and the hot tub (the threat of rain cooled things off enough).  It was a ton of fun and it really wore the kids out (and by kids I mean me, it definitely wore me out).  
• Board games and Olympics on a Saturday night.  Awesome!
• Sunday trip to Cincinnati - my family is pretty big into baseball so we journeyed to Ohio to catch a Reds game.  It was fun, we ate hot dogs/veggie dogs/nachos/cotton candy/dippin' dots, etc.  That was between all 7 of us, btw ;)
• Chinese food and Olympics.  We were all so tired after sitting in the sun all afternoon, with the exception of the occasional downpour at the stadium, so we pretty much just stared at the tv until it was time for bed.  Unfortunately, our hearts broke after seeing McKayla Maroney's disappointing landing which cost her the medal she really deserved.  Poor girl.  

Obviously it was a pretty great weekend and I'm not ready for it to be over! We're all so tired - even Stevie is utterly exhausted!  

And guess what today is?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?  

Two years ago I married my favorite person in the world and two years later we're as happy as can be.  I love you, husbadge, to the moon and back.  ♥

Friday's Fancies + Have an Endearing Weekend!

tee // shorts // studs // sandals

Happy Friday, errbody!  I'm so so so excited that it's the weekend because by the end of today, I'll be reunited with family! It's been so long since I've seen my nieces and nephew, and it's been even longer since I've seen my parents.  They're staying through Tuesday and it's official - we're going to have an awesome time together.  On the agenda? Swimming, a Cincinnati Reds game, board games, ice cream, Olympics and lots of laughs.

This week's Friday's Fancies is basically me to a T.  T-shirts being the theme, it couldn't be more apt for my definitive summer wardrobe.  I've been sporting a lot of solid t-shirts with colored shorts and sandals.  What about you? What has been your summer wardrobe?  

What have you planned this weekend? Something wonderful, I hope!  Here's to lots of love this weekend :)

Weekend Recap

{this is kind of how I felt this weekend}

It was the weekend, now it's Monday, blah, blah.  I'm sad it's over and quite frankly I just want to fast forward to Friday.  I love it when weekends are filled with sunshine and warm temperatures, causing you to energize and conquer.  That is exactly what this weekend held for us.  Some highlights include ::

• Dinner + hot tub time w/the fam.  We brought Stevie over there for the first time and of course she figured out the only way into an area that left her trapped.  Her was rescued though, don't you worry ;)
• Can I just talk about how much I love, love, love Parks & Recreation?  Every new episode gives my abs a great workout.
• After breakfast on Saturday morning, I went out to buy more eggs to make the always delicious zucchini + blueberry bread.  I decided to stop at a new-to-me market and fell.  In.  LOVE.  They sell Intelligentsia coffe there!  And bulk bin everything!  I had samples galore!  And smelled so many flowers!  
• My husband's mom stopped by for a quick visit and we ventured down to the nursery at the end of our road.  We've been wanting an evergreen to plant in front of our neighbor's junk pile to block it from our view.  We came home with a Spring Grove Arborvitae and planted it right there in front of the worst view.  A belated Earth Day treat.
• Skyping with one of my bestests!
• After a pretty severe evening thunderstorm (that brought a lot of hail to Churchill Downs on opening night) we stayed in for the night and relaxed on the couch with the pup.
• Veggie Eggs Benedict, courtesy of the mister.  Followed by a trip to the Peddler's Mall.
• Finally planting all of our seeds, transplanting the tomatoes and making the garden a reality!
• Painting a spare bedroom this shade of gray, to match the print which resides over the fireplace

Accomplishing so much feels so good.  Getting time to relax afterwards before the work week starts again? Amazing.  

Here's to a great week ahead!

Friday's Fancies + Have a Lovely Weekend!

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Happy Friday, friends! I'm so glad the weekend is upon us as it's time to snuggle up by the fire and relax all weekend long.  That probably won't happen (and it's supposedly warming up this weekend), especially if Stevie has a say in it - we'll likely be running laps in the backyard and playing tug-of-war all weekend long.  

This week's Friday's Fancies is all about outfit inspiration.  I think I needed this theme because I've been so uninspired by fashion as of late.  Is it just me?  I haven't enjoyed my clothes in awhile and haven't been inspired to go looking for new ones.  There's something weird about that!  I'm a pretty big fan of Marianna's looks in general, but this one is perfect for the wintery day many of us are having.  

What are you up to this weekend? Something fun, I hope.  We're waiting with anticipation on the news of a new arrival - the mister's stepbrother is having a baby today (at least that's the hospital's plan) and I'm kind of hoping to rope a certain somebody into getting started on a bathroom project.  We'll see how that one goes :)

Happy weekend, everyone!

Long Weekend Recap

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Hello, everyone! I hope you all are doing well! We just got back from a 4 1/2 day stint in Kansas and it was definitely well worth the 11 hour drive.  My family was awesome and I felt truly blessed as I looked around and took everything in.  Knowing I have all of them in my life makes me ooze happiness and I am thankful for each and every single one of them.  Some highlights of the trip include ::

• Extended family Christmas - all the siblings between my mom and stepdad (there are 5 of us and we're all married) gathered at my folks house to celebrate a few days early.  All 9 of the kids opened presents, we had some incredible bite-sized peanut butter pies and sat around for hours chatting and making each other laugh.  It was the perfect welcome home!
• My brother had a work party on Friday afternoon so I insisted my nieces and nephew come over to play.  A nerf war ensued - for hours, my husband, mom, stepdad and the kids hid behind forts and army crawled around the basement, laughing hysterically the whole time.
• Friday night pizza and a game - my favorite kind of night
• Friday Night Lights the movie - it is weird to see Billy Bob Thornton play the role of coach.  The movie is good but it's just not the same seeing Connie Britton married to BBT and not Eric Taylor.  I did however learn that my stepdad lived in Odessa, TX during Permeon's hay day.  He described everything about it and I couldn't help but listen in awe!
• Saturday my husband took me out to visit my father's grave.  Last Wednesday marked 18 years without my father.  I hadn't been to visit his grave in a long while but it felt really good.  
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - holy me oh my, this movie ruled.  If you're a fan of the book or just a fan of Daniel Craig (oh, Mikael), I suggest you clear an afternoon/evening and spend it watching this film.  
• Christmas lights! We drove through a display, checked out a house with lights set to music on the radio and admired it all.  While listening to Christmas music the whole time, of course.
• Baking - my stepdad and I made pumpkin pies, I made a raspberry chocolate trifle and we all worked together in the kitchen to prepare dinner.
• Family arrived late afternoon, we opened presents and ate, then spent the remainder of the evening playing nearly all the boardgames we all got for each other (can you tell what kind of family we are?!)
• After we said our goodbyes, we journeyed over to my stepbrother's house for their annual Christmas night party.  I reunited with a friend I've known for 22 years (whoa!), made friends with a childhood friend of my brothers and ate the crap out of Georgia's world-famous hummus.
• We finally made it back home to Louisville with just enough time in the evening to exchange gifts with each other.  

What a holiday! How were all of yours? I'd love to hear! And if you don't celebrate Christmas, I'd still love to hear how your weekends were!

Here's to a terrific last week of 2011!

xoxo

Traveling

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Today we leave for Kansas to visit my family for Christmas.  I am excited to see everyone again, to get together with extended family and to stay cozy and warm in my parents home.  We'll play lots of board games, eat lots of food and play with those cute lil' kiddos.  I just wish it didn't come paired with a 12-hour drive.  Here's hoping the weather is good the entire duration and that our audiobooks and new music will make the time fly by.

Posting will be sparse until we return.  If you don't hear from me, I wish you a very merry happy holiday!  

Weekend Recap

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Good morning, everyone!  We're back to reality after a blissful weekend and I'm already counting down the days until my work week is over.  Christmas is SO soon and we leave for our trip to Kansas on Wednesday! Yowza's.  This weekend was excellent and I'm really in the Christmas spirit big time.  Some highlights include ::

• Holiday music + baking whoopie pies and "chicken" buffalo dip
• Holiday party! The potluck was a success and we merrily partied the night away 
• Cozy Saturday in our pj's
• Dinner at the Village Anchor - it was incredibly cozy inside and quaint on the outside, it was decorated for Christmas and the fire was lit.  
• Yahtzee in front of the fireplace.  Even Gus hung out in the box...
• Sunday fun day - friends/family came over for dinner and we all watched Home Alone.  Sunday's are really pretty great when spent like that
• A new dresser! The mister's grandpa made us a beautiful walnut dresser and it was dropped off as an early Christmas present.  It smells so wonderful and looks absolutely stunning.  I'm in love!

How were your weekends? Festive and warming, I hope.  Here's to a lovely week, my friends!

Weekend Recap

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What a week! I think I am alone on this one but a part of me is slightly relieved it's Monday.  But let's pretend I didn't really just say that.  You see, I had a very wonderful week, full of the 3 most important f's = family, friends and food.  For over a week, we had family and friends staying at our house, keeping us company and full of warmth.  But now Monday is here, we are back to our same ole routine and the kitty can peacefully sleep in his favorite spot(s).  Normalcy has returned and I'm feeling thankful for both warm and fuzzies and also normalcy, sweet normalcy.  

Some highlights of the last week include ::

• Games! We played so many we lost count.  I won pretty much all of them, and that is fun to admit.  
• Bourbon's Bistro! We treated my folks to a gourmet Kentucky meal for my mom's birthday.  All of our food was prepared with bourbon, naturally.  We ate with smiles on our faces and laughed about the Scotty Davenport show being filmed behind us.  
• Birthday karaoke!  Our friend Alex turned the big 3-0 and to celebrate, we all put ourselves out there and jammed some karaoke tunes to a broad audience.  It was pretty fun, needless to say.
• TURKEY DAY! Holy me oh my was Thanksgiving good.  My mister is seriously the best person ever.  He woke up and started churning out one success after another.  By the time I woke up and had my coffee, mostly everything was done or in the oven.  I was impressed.  We successfully hosted one of the best Thanksgivings of my life and I am so thankful for that.  I'm also so very thankful for so many things - but most importantly for every single person that was there that day.  How great is it that both the mister and I's folks are fun for our friends to be around?!
• Mammoth Cave + Jim Beam Distillery Tour!  We trekked down south and embraced my stepdads geology love.  We walked through a mammoth cave and stared in awe at all the beauty. It all blows me away!  Jim Beam was on the way home and what better way to end your stay in Kentucky than to tour a distillery!  We took a quick tour and sampled two of their top shelf bourbons.  
• My folks left early Saturday morning so we spent the remainder of our weekend with visiting friends.  
• Vegging on the couch.  It was truly needed.  Such a great way to end such a crazy good week.

How were your holidays? I'd love to hear!  Again, congrats to Erin for winning the Shabby Apple giveaway! And hello to all of my new followers - so excited to meet you!

Last, if you live in Louisville - don't forget to go to Proof on Main tomorrow to meet myself and Alison of {long distance loving}!  Sign up here!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I wish you all the best today - the best pie, the best turkey/ham/tofurkey, the best of family times and more.  Today I am so thankful for my wonderful family and the fact that they're getting to come together to celebrate in our home.  It's sure to be a good time - but in the meantime, man, we have a lot to do...

Have a great holiday, everyone! Don't forget to enter the Shabby Apple giveaway! You have until Sunday night!

Weekend Recap

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Hello again!  How are you?  How were your weekends? Excellent, I hope!  Our weekend was one of the best weekends and I'm feeling so very warm and fuzzy as a result.  Some highlights include ::

• Chicago visitors!!!  Some of our bestest friends came in for a weekend visit and it was glorious.  The time flew by unfortunately (as it always does) but we made the most of it.
• Pizza + wine/beer + fire.  Oh yes.  So.  Cozy.
• Morning coffee + chats.  I can't get enough!
• Baby shower - only two more months to go until we meet the newest addition to our extended family.  
• Champagne + euchre = perfection (except for losing to the boys)
• MY PARENTS!!  They arrived safely and right in time for dinner!  
• Tofurkey roast/pot roast dinner.  It was so tasty and so awesome to have the dinner table completely full with so many of my all-time favorite people.  
• Taboo night - Taboo is super fun with teams of 3, let me tell you.  Us girls totally ruled that one.
• Apple pancake brunch - a great way to send off the friends.  
• Bears victory!
• Delicious manicotti followed by some awesome r n' r.  I love weekends.

It's good to be back, it's good to be with family and it's good to be excited about Thanksgiving!  Here's to a wonderful week ahead!

Weekend Recap

{my mom's haunted living room, and this picture does not do it any justice...}

Being home means two different things to me.  The obvious is being home, where I live, in my house. The other is being home in Kansas with my entire family.  I enjoy both and can honestly say it's amazing to "be home".  I am so tired and exhausted and thankful for a safe journey, and I am also so overjoyed and full of love from being home.  Not to mention I already miss them all terribly.  It was a great trip all in all.  Some highlights include ::

• Coffee talk with my mom
• Play time with the kids
• Family dinner with homemade lasagna and cupcakes that the girls and I made/frosted
• Family game time
• Family bowling
• Dinner out with my cousins (one of who just got engaged!)
• Drinks with my stepbrother & stepsister-in-law
• Watching 9-year-olds play football (my nephew looked great out there, even though they lost)
• More Aunt Mimi time - the littlest one and I got a lot of hang time in and it was pretty much awesome.  
• Halloween party! Our whole family came over, the kids dressed up and my mom created tons of game stations for them all to win tickets.  She put out a ton of prizes like an arcade and they went nuts.  It was hilarious!
• On our drive home we listened to The Great Gatsby in its entirety.  
• Bears win!

How were your weekends? Heart warming, I hope.  Even though I'm not nearly ready enough for it to start, here's to a great week! 

Have a Heart Warming Weekend!

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I can't get enough of this hipster kitty.  Ain't he adorable?!?  Meow.

You may notice my lack of a Friday's Fancies post this week, but there's good reason for that.  Also, there's a good reason for my radio silence.  You see, we're several states away.  Hanging out with family and enjoying every last second.  It's rare.  I dig it.

I promise I'll be back in full swing next week.  Pinky swear.  But in the meantime, I'm going to enjoy the laughter of my nieces and nephew.  We're going to go bowling.  There's a football game Saturday morning.  And a Halloween party Saturday night.  Life is pretty grand, so I'm bidding you farewell for the weekend to thoroughly enjoy my always-too-little time here.

Have a happy weekend, everyone!

Weekend Recap + A Winner!

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The weekends fly by so fast, and I know I can only chalk it up to having fun.  The weather was incredible, we caught up on our sleep and thoroughly enjoyed the early days of fall (yeah, yeah, fall doesn't start until a few days from now but it feels like fall).  Some highlights include ::

• Family hangin'.  Despite the current difficulties drivers are facing between Kentucky and Indiana, we made it and it was worth it.  Chili, baggo, beer.  Repeat.
• Loungin'
• DRIVE-IN!!!  It was every bit as awesomely nostalgic as I had hoped.  We saw Contagion - I've been thinking of it non-stop and thoroughly washing my hands.  We also stayed for Horrible Bosses, which was hilarious (seriously, why would you not stay around for the double feature?!).  We set up camp, wrapped up in blankets and pigged out on candy.  Perfection.
• Pajama Sunday, oh yes.  
• Family hangin'.  Again, despite current difficulties drivers are facing between Kentucky and Indiana, we made it and it was worth it.  Halibut, birthday cake, wine.  Repeat.  Not really with that repeat...

So what did you guys get up to this weekend?  Something fun I hope.  And did you watch the Emmy's?  

Lastly...

We have a winner!  Random.org selected #50, Cathy from Fiscally Chic - congratulations! Thanks for playing, everyone! And a HUGE thanks again to Chelsea of a lovely, little shop. You are the sweetest!

Weekend Recap

The weekend flew by, no thanks to all the fun that was had.  Going down to Kentucky lake with the fam is always a fun time and we always come home with really great stories.  This time was no exception!  Some highlights include ::

• Boat time Friday - Miller Lites and snacks
• Swimming and trying to do some water aerobics to burn off the beer calories!
• Laughing hysterically
• Boat time Saturday - I think we must have spent an entire work day out there
• Fat Daddy's - hoo boy, this "classy" joint is interesting.  I've been several times and each time it amazes me...in the weirdest ways.
• More swimming, more laughing, more Millers
• Liar's Dice
• Making it back to Louisville before lunch
• Making my mom laugh on the phone - very important

See? It was a pretty good weekend, despite something that happened from afar.   There was a death in my side of the family over the weekend that has left me a mixed bag of emotions.  It's all good though, I promise you.  

Here's hoping this week is a good one.  It should be nothing but romantic for us as our first wedding anniversary is on Saturday! And I just want to also say happy anniversary to my most favoritest Anna-Maria and Bort!  Their beautiful wedding was two years ago today and I still feel warm and fuzzy just reflecting on that day!  Here's to many more happy years!!

House Call

Friends, I'm so excited about today's post!  Yesterday, I discovered via Facebook that my incredible sister-in-law had a feature on Apartment Therapy!  I still can't get over it all, I'm so proud!

A couple of years ago, I got news from my brother that they bought a house.  I was so happy for them and their new purchase, but even happier when I realized just how much they loved it.  I heard the details - about how it was a commercial property converted by artists they knew, about how there was a gigantic basement that could be converted to a music venue.  Shipping containers hang out in the backyard, full of leftover materials from the artists who converted the house.  Lockers for kitchen cabinets!  Tons of amazing details for two very creative people.  It was perfect.

Then I got to visit.  My mind was blown!  The house itself is incredible but with their creative touch, it was magical.  It's the perfect house for Halloween and Christmas parties (I know this because I've been to both).  It's the perfect house for intimate shows (I know this because my husband's former band played a show in their living room a few years back).  It's the perfect house for crazy loud rock shows (I have yet to be able to attend a show at the Track House - their very apt moniker - but I have seen pictures and heard good things) and for family get-togethers.  Needless to say, it's pretty awesome.

What's most awesome to me is that it's always struck me (and a lot of others) as a house that belongs in Dwell or on Apartment Therapy or some other amazing publication/website.  And now it's on A.T. and I'm thrilled!

Also, I wanted to pass along some good information to all of you.  Georgia's Etsy shop, The Big Harumph, has free shipping for all Facebook fans for a limited time!!  Click the link to like The Big Harumph on Facebook to get the coupon code.  Hooray!

Last, be sure to check out photos from this beautiful wedding on Style Me Pretty.  I love that her prints show up everywhere, but I especially love that they're being used in weddings.  It makes my heart flutter :)

Have a great weekend + I'm home!

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I'm home, and while it feels good to be back home with my own little family, I'm so sad that my trip is over.  Wichita treated me well, like, really well.

Nearly my entire family picked me up at the airport on Monday afternoon, and we promptly headed back to my mom and stepdad's house.  The weather was almost perfect (the wind was insane), around 80 degrees!  We sat out on the back deck and I caught up with my mom and brother.  We had a family dinner, played a quick game with the kids and then I spent the rest of the evening laughing at silly YouTube videos with my oldest niece.  The two girls were able to spend the night and I shared a bed with the oldest...but never again.  She woke me up at 3 a.m. after punching me in the eye in her sleep!  Needless to say, I gave her a lot of grief over that one.

The next day we all went to the zoo!  The Sedgwick County zoo is one of the best in the country, especially thanks to the recent additions made possible by Charles Koch.   We saw penguins, gorillas, tigers, lions, peacocks, flamingos, etc.  It was perfect and the weather was like summer.  Seriously, it couldn't have been any more perfect.

The following day, I convinced everyone to go to the Coleman Factory Outlet to find some super cheap camping gear.   Wichita is home to Coleman, and the outlet is seriously an amazing store.  We're pretty much set for our next camping trip now, thanks to my brother who gave us his old tent and who helped me pick out the best of the lanterns made.

Later that night, my stepdad took both my brother and I to the Wichita State University Shockers basketball game, who were vying for a trip to Madison Square Garden for the National Invitation Tournament.  We cheered them on to a victory and sent them on their way to the NIT Final Four!  It was so exciting, and because our original seats were directly behind the camera crew, they ended up moving us down to the 4th row which was only two levels up above the actual court.  Talk about a good deal!  It was so loud in that arena, it was one of the best Wichita experiences I have had since I moved away.

Yesterday, I spent the rest of my trip at my mom's.  The kids were there, we played Apples to Apples Jr., which was hilarious, and I went through a gigantic tub of pictures, drawings and memorabilia from my youth.  It took forever, but I'm so happy I did it because lo and behold, my deceased father's pocket watch was in there.  I thought I had lost this prized possession years ago.  It's been tearing me up inside ever since.  So when I opened the box it was hiding in, I cried tears of joy!  I couldn't help it....it's the only thing of his that I have that has any real meaning to me.  He used it every single day and now it's back in my hands.  Not much can beat a feeling like that.

It was so hard to say goodbye after such an amazing time with them.  While I didn't get to see much of all of my family, it was so great to spend so much time with the ones I did see.  The only thing that could have made the trip any better was if my husband had been there to enjoy it all too.  But that's okay.

Anyway...it's the weekend now!  What are your plans? How were your weeks?? I'd love to hear.  We've got a big basketball weekend ahead of us.  Rock Chalk Jayhawk, Go KU!  We're totally going all the way, I can just FEEL it.  Whatever you get up to, I hope you have a wonderful time and enjoy your weekend completely!

Lastly, thank you to Kirby for your awesome guest post!  Thank you Raegan for posting pictures of the handsome Liam, Hadley & Ryan's little bundle of joy.  He really is the bee's knees.

And we're back!

{the sunset on our drive to Wichita}

First off, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Our was pretty great, pretty relaxed and chock full of boardgames.  We had 2 official Thanksgiving dinners, luckily on separate days.  We spent the actual holiday at my aunt and uncle's house where I got to see my cousins and their kiddos (I met a new baby cousin who is as cute as can be).  We caught up, watched football, ate a lot and then retreated back to my parents house to play some games, drink some beer and have a nice night in.  The next day, we cooked a giant feast for our "immediate" family which is rather gigantic these days.  I made the fancy mac n' cheese and my oldest niece LOVED it.  The others liked it until I spilled the beans about there being onions in it.  Oops!  We drank wine from our wedding (hooray, my mom surprisingly had an entire box full of Hans Fahden wine waiting for us!!), played more boardgames with everyone and enjoyed some bad jokes and good laughs.  We finished the night off watching Hot Tub Time Machine with my stepdad, which is actually a rather funny movie.

My favorite part of the trip was spending time with my parents, just sitting around the table drinking coffee and chatting in the mornings.  Everything was so laid back and everyone seemed to come over to us all week/weekend long.  I got a lot of Mimi time in with the kids (hooray!) who are growing up way too fast.  We also got the chance to see my stepbrother's awesome band play, Spirit of the Stairs.  They were so good even though we couldn't see a thing!  

Yesterday was an incredibly windy day but luck was on our side throughout most of our 12-hour drive back home.  There was a strong south wind that pushed us right along.  We were all set for arriving an hour and a half early (going the speed limit, thank you) until the highway was closed off by a bunch of cops and there were no signs directing us how to get back on to the highway we needed.  Luckily we had an atlas to direct us but then we got a FLAT TIRE and that took us awhile to fix since it was dark and windy and we had to pull off into the grass to avoid death by speeding semi's.  We still made it home in 12 hours and were able to watch Zombieland to recover.  Oh and have I mentioned that both of us are sick?? Yeah, that's right.  A trip home couldn't be complete without getting sick.  Sore throat sick.  Boo! So that's where I'll be today - under the covers watching movies and drinking herbal tea.  

Stay tuned - a big announcement is coming to Mo Pie, Please this week and you don't want to miss it!

SPIRIT OF THE STAIRS • Noob Saibot from Lonny Quattlebaum on Vimeo.

Horseshoes

Since I was a little girl, horseshoes have always fascinated me.  I love the way they look, I love the sounds they make when you clonk them together or throw them down the pit to get a ringer.  I love how for me, they symbolize a man I once knew, my grandpa.  We have a pair, just like these, hanging above our front door.  I'm not superstitious about them or anything but I do like that they're supposed to bring good luck.

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When my grandpa passed away, there was a lot of stuff he had that all of us wanted as a reminder of the man he was.  The items I took included these horseshoes and a couple of random tools and some stickers from the team he played horseshoes with in his league.  So every time I look at these (or the other random ones used for decoration) I always get warm and fuzzy with happy thoughts of him.  Do you have anything that makes you feel this way?  I don't know why but today I woke up and can't stop thinking about him and my grandma.  They weren't in my dreams taht I can remember and it's not a particularly special day, so I'm convinced they're just trying to say hello from afar. 

Tea Cups

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Last Wednesday, I went to Disneyland with my brother, sis-in-law and their three adorable kids.  It was EXHAUSTING but fun nonetheless.  Needless to say, my sister-in-law, Gina, was excited.  You could even go so far to say she was more excited than the kids were!  And I found it very cute.  Anyway, the day was great.  I took turns riding rides with the kids which provided a LOT of laughs.  My nephew, the wise guy that he is, had this scream that started when we rode Thunder Mountain.  It had everyone on the ride in tears from laughing so hard.  There's no way I can portray it in words but it is funny.  

My youngest niece, Ally (who is 5) is a bit on the small side and couldn't ride all the rides, nor did she want to.  So we also took turns sitting out with her while some of us rode the big kid rides.  Her and I got to do a lot of hanging out just the two of us which is rare and super awesome.  

After a very long day, the park started to rope off some areas so that everyone could enjoy the fireworks display.  We noticed the tea cups were still running so her and I hopped on right before the fireworks started.  And these following words that she said to me made everything 1,000 times better.  She doesn't like fireworks, they scare her.  And so when they started, we were mid-tea cups and having a great time.  And here's what she said, "Mimi, I'm too happy to cry!!".  

It was so amazing to hear her say that, especially because we started her day off with a roller coaster ride on Space Mountain, which may or may not have completely traumatized her.  

While I missed my husband badly, honeymooning with Mickey Mouse was pretty cool and I'm glad I did it.   And I would show you pictures but my Mac Book doesn't want to read my usb for the camera anymore...booo!

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(we got to ride this one first and made it a point to do so again.  At one point the ride came to a halt but you could still blast the astro's, racking up a mighty fine score).

Also cool? The Indiana Jones ride.  And space mountain.  Yep.

10 years

I've been an aunt for 10 years now.  10!  I can't believe it! Just yesterday I was taking naps with baby Bree on my shoulder.  But it's cool.  She loves me, I'm the cool aunt that lives in Chicago and we have good conversations on the phone.  I love that little girl so much!  Happy birthday (yesterday) Bree!

We are goofy

Oof, what a day it's been.  Hopefully things will calm down and be back to some good posting tomorrow. 

Did you all have a good weekend?  We had a blast at the lake.  Hopefully I can upload our pictures tonight!