Favorites Friday | Thankful

Better late, than never!
Warning! Only one photo ahead.
#bloggerfail

Since yesterday was Thanksgiving I figured I would extend the thanks one more day before diving head first into Christmas.

Today I am bringing you my favorites mixed with five people I am thankful for.

~one~

I am thankful for having a job that I have a flexible schedule.
The ability to leave work or stay home if X or I am sick without thinking twice about it. The ability to go out to lunch with Mic without worrying about punching a time clock in and out. And the ability to leave early or close the office for the holidays.
And honestly I have Mic to thank for this ability.
If it wasn't for his hard work to get us to this point in our business I wouldn't have that wonderful comfort.
So thank you to my amazing and hard working husband.
I don't say it all the time, but truly appreciate everything you do for our family!
Love you!


~two~
That flexibility carries over into being able to leave a little early to get my hair cut and colored.
I am thankful for someone who truly knows what she is doing and is a good friend!
Kasey has not only been my hair stylist for the last 11 years, but she has become a true friend.
While everyone (in my opinion) loves to have their hair done by someone else, I look forward most to the conversation with her.
We are able to talk about anything and everything with each other and there is no judgement.
Yes, getting my hair done and walking out of the salon feeling fab is a definite bonus!


~three~
I am thankful for the holidays.
I have no shame in admitting that. The holidays mean I get to see my family!
I am thankful for wonderful parents who raised and molded me through my youth.
As a parent I have learned that we will do anything for our children, and growing up I didn't realize or understand that.
I am so grateful for everything each of them sacrificed for me and my brother to be able to have or do almost anything we wished for.
You are both more amazing to me than you will ever know!
Love you Mom and Dad!

~four~

I am thankful for the ability to be a mom to the craziest and most wonderful almost 3 year old around!
Not going to lie, parenting is a challenge!
I have no patience, and it has carried over to X :(
We are constantly butting heads, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.
The tantrums still drive me batty, but I absolutely adore watching him learn new things and truly enjoy life!

~five~
I am thankful for this little piece of the Internet that I call mine and all of you wonderful readers.
I thankful for the people who inspired, pushed, and cheered me on through this journey.


Linking up with the following ladies on this fine Friday

 

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Have a great weekend too!

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you all a very safe and happy Thanksgiving today!

I hope you are able to spend this day with family and/or friends :)

WIWW | Toggle Coat

Last week was straight up cold here in Ohio!

The temps went up over the weekend, but we are now back to the low 30's :(
I have been wearing my new toggle coat religiously to stay warm to and from work, running errands, etc.
I love it!
I have needed a good winter coat for awhile now, and I so happy Mic and I found this one on sale when we were in Columbus.
I love the toggles, the neckline, the removable hood, and the dark navy color!
I can pair it with everything!

Since my day to day life consists of going to an office job, it goes perfectly with my business casual attire.
This was the first day I rocked the coat and the temps were really low!
I paired it with one of my favorite plaid scarves and called it a day.

For blog purposes, under my wonderful coat was just a simple green cardigan.

I love that the scarf added just the right pop and style to this otherwise boring outfit.

Scarf/coat/pants

How are you staying warm this winter?
Do you have a favorite coat or scarf that goes with everything?

Linking up today with Sarah, Alison, and Shanna :)

Happy Wednesday (my Friday)!

Colorful Weekend

Mic and I knew that he was going to be working quite a bit at the office on Saturday, so we decided to grab dinner out on Friday night with X.

The three of us headed to Applebee's (who doesn't like Applebee's) before 6pm, which meant 1/2 priced appetizers!

Of course we ordered the pretzel sticks and cheese!

Seriously, I could eat that as my meal! So good!

After stuffing ourselves we headed home to chill and watch some cartoons.

Yes, I am also that parent that brings the tablet along for times when X is being loud and crazy in public. #noshame

I ended my night with an adult hot chocolate :)

Saturday morning our town was a sheet of ice so Mic headed into the office early, while X and I stayed home and snuggled for a bit while watching TMNT of course.
Every night and weekend is the same for X and I :(
We watch cartoons or movies, play cars, have a little dance party, and then repeat it all.
I was tired of the same thing all the time, so I grabbed some blank canvas, paint, and cut a couple of paper snowflakes.
X loved painting!
I tried to limit his colors at first, and then realized I needed to just let go of trying to control everything.
WE had so much fun together :)

Our finished paintings :)
They are perfectly messy!

Mic was home by the time X woke up from his nap, so we piled in the car to grab some chicken nuggets (yes, I am that mom) and head to my in-laws house for a bit.
Of course not before doing the chicken nugget dance all around our house :)
I seriously need to record it next time!

We took a drive around town scoping out spots for our upcoming family photos, before heading home for dinner & a movie.

Of course X wanted trains, so we settled on the Polar Express (again).

I love seeing X so excited for Santa!

 I have a feeling this Christmas is going to be lots of fun :)

Sunday consisted of grocery shopping, raking leaves, almost having a heart attack watching the Cleveland Browns play, and making muffins.
My Browns love to play with your emotions and physical well being. lol!
They literally won the game with less than 10 seconds on the game clock! UGH! I hate nail biters!
But we won.

And speaking of muffins, have any of you tried this cornbread mix from Fleischmann's?

It is so good! X loves them too!

His daycare/preschool celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday so we made these yummy treats for all the kiddos.

They are seriously like a dessert! Delicious!

He was so excited to bring them to share with his friends :)

How was your weekend?

Did you put your Christmas tree up yet or are you holding out for this weekend?

And I am trying to come up with more fun crafts to do with X over the next month, so I am open to suggestions :)

Favorite Things - Stocking Stuffers

Linking up with Andrea & Erika for another edition Favorite Things!

If you are thinking all my posts have similar titles these days,
well you may be right.
The creative juices just aren't there these days.
Probably because my mind is in overdrive with X's 3rd birthday coming up, as well as Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. etc.
I could go on and on, but I won't.

Let's get back to the matter of the day!
Here are a few of my favorite stocking stuffers under $10.

Nail polish is one of my go-to's for the women in my life.

There are a million colors to choose from and they fit perfectly in a stocking!

Whether you like Essie, OPI, Sally Hansen, or any other brand, most are under $10 a bottle.

You can even find a few sets of polish out there for $10!

This festive red is called A List and is $8.49 at Target.

Socks are also an easy pick for stockings.

Just roll up and toss em' in!

I especially enjoy giving and getting holiday socks!

These are just $4 on Target.com for the set of 2!

And you can't go wrong with hand cream!
I always love the scents that Bath and Body Works offers, and honestly so does most everyone else :)
Iced Gingerbread, Winter Candy Apple, and Fresh Sparkling Snow are just a few seasonal lotions that are perfect for the stockings in your home!
And for only $5 a tube, you can buy one for everyone ;)


What are your go-to stocking stuffers?
Filling stockings for the women in my life is pretty easy,
it is the men and kiddos I have trouble with.
Any suggestions for Mic's or X's stocking?
I would love to hear your ideas in the comments below :)

Favorites Friday | Christmas Ornaments

While we have been hit with some ridiculously low temps this past week (think teens and single digits at times), 
it was definitely better than last week!

Mic and I enjoyed a great date day/night on Saturday, 

and we picked up a few Christmas gifts as well :)

I found the perfect holiday glitter nail polish at Target.

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This is not my hand, but I wanted to show what the colors were.

I just love the red and green glitter together! Super festive :)

I am not usually a glitter girl, but I am liking it more and more this season.
I couldn't find a link to it, but is Sinful Colors in Holiday Rebel.

I was notified by two different bloggers that I won giveaways this week!

Makes me think I need to enter a few more! Just kidding :)

Rachel @ Floral and Fudge was giving away this Saving Christmas package that included a signed poster of Kirk Cameron.

The 80's child in me is reliving my days of gazing at him in Teen Beat Magazine as I type this :)

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And Astleigh @ Hill Collection notified me that I won this custom scarf giveaway!

Now I need to figure out what color I would like :)

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So technically I could end things right there and call it a day, but I won't.
We have our Christmas trees up and decorated, but I know some of you are waiting until this weekend or even after Thanksgiving.
So today I wanted to showcase five of my favorite types of ornaments. 

S'mores ornaments are my absolute favorite!

Mic and I have collected enough over the years that we now have a tree in our house that is dedicated just to these ornaments!

They are so cute and fun!

I love seeing what new designs they introduce each year :)

Here are a few of my favorites that we own.

All of these can be found at Bronner's.
I have recently found a few at Menard's as well.
Mic and I just love picking up new ones each year.

Personalized ornaments are always a good choice too!

This time of year you can usually find a kiosk selling them in every mall and are able to add your family names for free.

These are great gift ideas for neighbors, coworkers, etc. :)

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Hallmark ornaments are close to my heart since my mom seems to get X and me a new one each year.
From The Grinch, to John Deere Tractors, to Mickey Mouse and many more.
They always offer ornaments that the whole family will love to see on the tree.

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Snowflakes!
We purchased quite a few glittery snowflakes in different sizes for X's 1st birthday party. It was a Winter "One"derland theme.
What do you do with 30+ snowflake ornaments when the party is over?
You decorate your tree of course!
Last year I just used them on one tree, but this year we have added some to our main tree as well :)
I just love the end result and the extra sparkle that the glitter adds to the tree.

1/2/3

Balls.

Yes, I just typed that.

I love the look of a tree that has a theme to it.

Our main tree usually has all the personalized or sentimental ornaments on it, mixed with red balls.

This year we have red matte, shiny, and sparkly!

In years past we had an all red and silver ball tree.

And have even had green in there too.

Ball ornaments just kind of take the tree to the next level for me :)

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What are your favorite ornaments?

Do you decorate your tree the same each year or change it up?

Do you have a theme for your tree(s)?

Linking up today with the following ladies

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!