So many adventures. So few times.

My photo
My life is pretty dull. I play with a toddler, watch a lot of Yo Gabba Gabba and experiment with the crock pot. I have no bed time and I find humor in Laffy Taffy jokes. Conan O'Brien is my anti-drug.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Crowdtap & Old Navy - Nothing Sweeter than a Sweater!

Via Crowdtap.com and Old Navy, I was given an opportunity to pick up a free sweater with a friend at our local store. So now, a recap in all their photoglorious fabulousnessing glory.

We got in the car. I had the goods, my kid had the grin.


When we arrived at the mall, we were met by one of Emma's many potential suitors, Max. (Clearly his mother was also with him. He's just a preschool kid. Geesh.)

We dashed inside and started surveying our options.

Not everyone was as amused by our antics. This was mid-boredom tantrum.

We found a few items we weren't sure we could live without and headed into the great land of almost-nakedness also known as the dressing rooms.

Hangers are amazing entertainment in a dressing room. Amazing.


We tried a few items on, smiled for the camera, and made a final decision.

(Actually, I don't think either one of us ended up going home with the sweaters in this image - I ended up selecting the white striped cardigan seen above with the foot-pop. I'm IN LOVE.)


After, we went for sushi. Emma shared her lemon. Max played on a phone. We ate a lot of raw (and tempura battered) fish. 



The end.

____________________________________________________________

Thank you Old Navy and Crowdtap for once again allowing me to spoil a friend with some free goods at Old Navy!
Friends, if you want a chance to get some duds, or to give honest feedback to huge brands in exchange for samples and Amazon gift cards among other things, click here to be directed to Crowdtap!








The last 17

I absolutely lost track of time and stopped updating with my thankful posts. Here's my last 17 for the month!
14. Lindt Chocolate Truffles
15. Summer festivals in Wisconsin
16. Sesame Street episodes on Sprout (On Demand)
17. Corduroy pants and their magical slimming abilities
18. Coach. All things Coach.
19. My in-laws
20. Red wine, especially a good Zinfandel
21. Jogging strollers
22. iPhones with toddler apps
23. Slippers - And I totally need a new pair
24. Christmas lights
25. My blessed GPS
26. Having a hair-stylist for a sister-in-law
27. Pinterest
28. My hometown: Coulee City, WA
29. Scentsy wax melts
30. Our school district's Parent Educator, Pattie Woods. Book time at the library every Thursday is maybe my favorite time, ever. This woman deserves a medal for how patient she is with toddlers climbing on her.


Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Thankful November Day 13: Candle Heaven

Ever wonder why my house smells like a yummy variation of Christmas year round?
Oh. It's because of my unhealthy obsession with Cinnamon & Clove Bud candles from Bath and Body Works.
Ever consider what you could buy me to cheer me up when I'm a gloomy Gus?
Yeah. You've figured it out. These candles are an arrow to my soul. They make me a better person. Love candles lift us up where we beloooong!

I hoard these year-to-year in fear that Bath and Body Works will somehow lose their damned minds and discontinue them. I would cry. I would cry hard. Today I woke up PMSy and cranky and ultimately loathing the world.
And then I lit my three-wick candle.
I'm still crampy and PMSy and overall a total crank, but my house is yummy and deep down I'm a much happier person.

So thank you, Bath and Body Works. Thank you for coming out with the White Barn line of candles (which burn amazingly, BTW. Far better than Yankee.) Thank you for throwing some clove oil in with the traditional cinnamon scent and putting it in wax form. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Buy these candles for me. You're welcome.


Thankful November Day 12: Pinterest

I know. I talk about military veterans and then I skip to Pinterest. But seriously, I've dedicated some of the best hours of my life to my Pinterest boards. New regulars in the recipe rotation are courtesy of - you guessed it - Pinterest. It brings us closer together. We see our similarities with our friends by what they pin. We get bursts of insight into how the rest of the world does things easier. We are given ideas for ways to poison our pets and children (Hi, Borax snowflake crafts, anyone??!).

If you'd like to follow my genius, here ya go. Click here!
And if you just can't get the hang of it, here's a book for your troubles:

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Thankful November Day 11: Our Veterans

Thank you for our freedom. Thank you for your sacrifices. Thank you for serving so that I can take my dog for a walk or drive to the grocery store or go to whatever church (or don't) that I personally see fit.

To those who have served, to those who have family members who have served or are serving or who have lost their lives for the sake of our country, thank you.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Thankful November day 10: the little things

I'm so thankful we can do little things for our daughter to get a smile on her face. Today, I bought her a pair of sunglasses. $6, and she absolutely doesn't need them, but she was so excited they would have been worth it if they were $20. (Okay, not really. But I digress...)

Friday, November 9, 2012

Thankful November Day 9: Sewing Machine Edition

That's right. I'm dedicating a gratuity to my little Singer that could. It isn't fancy. It isn't expensive. It doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles, but it does help me satisfy my need for thread and bobbins and fabric and originality. I'm a CRAP seamstress but I love instant gratification, and when I want a new scarf TODAY there is no quicker way to obtain one than to just make it. So thank you, my little, plastic drummer boy. And when I don't thread the machine properly it definitely makes a ba rum ba bum bum. (Get it?)





Thursday, November 8, 2012

Thankful November day 8: moms group edition

It's simple: we crash previously scheduled events at the library. We get coffee every other week at Caribou. We compare horror stories, check on each others' health and home life and basically give each other a moment to breathe while our kids put random objects in their mouths. I love it, I look forward to it, and I don't know where I'd be without it.

Thank you for keeping me sane.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Thankful November day 7: the pooch

Our days are filled with toddler laughter thanks to this killer pitbull puppy we rescued from Elmbrook Humane Society. Sophie lets Emma punch her, smooch her, pet her and poke her... Happily.

She might have an abnormal obsession with sniffing my crotch and taking my spot on the couch, but Sofie-girl completes our little family.

They have been in love with each other for a while now...

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Thankful November day 6: cosmetics

It's stupid, but whatever. I'm a girly girl. I'm thankful I'm at a point in my life where I can have a full face of makeup in five minutes or less. I know what works for me and how I like to look.


Products left to right: Benefit Erase Paste (concealer), Senna double effects creamline eyeliner palette, Maybelline Falsies mascara (obsessed!!), Revlon Whipped foundation, Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadow, Tarte Blushing Bride cheek stain.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Thankful November day 5: my health

I was a sickly kid. Like, dying in a hospital of a gazillion things-type-sick. Spinal tap-sick. Pneumonia three times-sick.

Even as an adult, while I didn't have such huge illnesses, I was always ill. Sore throats, headaches, dizzy spells, whatever. And then I popped out a kid. Okay, so my immune system isn't perfect and yea, I was just whining about stuffiness and a headache last night to the husband. BUT STILL. I'm so grateful I'm a healthy, active, happy woman. I don't know how I'd survive in my job (my boss is an energetic terror) otherwise.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Thankful November day 4: Ode to Mama

She is her own person, a pilgrim, a soldier. She's the strongest, boldest person I know. We don't always agree and we don't get to talk as often as we should, but I will always be grateful that she was the one to raise me into the motivated and honest woman I am today.

Thank you, Mom, for all your sacrifices and gifts. Thank you for being you.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Thankful November Day 2 - our rights

Thank goodness we live in the country we do. I'm so grateful we can choose our political leaders, and we are all given the opportunity to contribute to this decision. I'm so thankful my friends all can vote for the person who most closely aligns with their beliefs, even if we don't share a candidate. I'm thankful that my friends are still my friends if we don't agree on politics and what's best for our country overall. We still care about each other and embrace our differences, and that is something that makes this country beautiful.

I was this close to Mitt Romney today. He isn't my ideal candidate, but he is my chosen candidate.

Thankful November day 3 - the spouse edition

There is nothing more beautiful or sexy or heartwarming than a man who truly and whole-heartily loves his wife and family. I can't imagine my world without you, B. Thank you for being you.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Thankful November Day 1 - E

I'm going to be posting each day to say what I'm thankful this month, and today is an easy one.

I'm so thankful for my hilarious, goofy, giggly, squirmy, snuggly Emma. I never knew what it was to be blessed until I gave birth to her.