FF | Pizza & Peeps

This week has been an emotional roller coaster!

While nothing earth shattering happened, it just wasn't a terribly fun week :(

Mic has been sick since at least last Friday, and X decided this would be the week to completely not listen to anyone. Ever.

Add the fact that I still can't get rid of this congestion and cough and you have the house that Satan built!

Wednesday was the worst day of them all.

Just when I thought I was going to throw in the towel, my sweet boy greeted me at daycare with a hug and told me he loved me :)
After that, I went home and had a glass of wine (or two) and realized that life isn't all that bad.

Yes there are moments/days/months that can be really rough.

But there are also moments/days/months that can be truly amazing!

That moment when I picked X up was one of the most wonderful times!

It really turned my mood around for the entire week :)

Love that little guy!

Since I didn't do a weekend recap this week, let's back up shall we.
Friday night we were all feeling a little icky, so we picked up pizza on our way home from work/daycare.
It was so good! And I was so happy not to have to make dinner!

On Saturday I had some errands to run, so X went to Grammy & P's house so Mic could rest.
By that evening he still wasn't 100%, but wanted to get out of the house for a bit.
We grabbed some unused gift cards and hit up Ruby Tuesday for dinner a few towns over.
It was just what we needed!

X loves to move around, so we typically sit at a booth to box him in.
Since we were in a corner he decided he wanted to stand and give lots of hugs :)

Sunday morning looked like this...

Lots of snow and ice :(

I headed to Kroger to do my normal grocery shopping and found that everyone freaked out the day before.

I swear that store was wiped clean!!!

The rest of the day we lounged around until the Super Bowl began.

Apparently I was the only person in blog land cheering for the Patriots. lol!
(See my team spirit here)
Oh well! It worked and they won!
And I still can't figure out how anyone could hate on Tom Brady!

I picked up these holiday Peeps for X, and they were a huge hit!
That Strawberry creme flavor is no joke! They smell delicious!

On Tuesday I did my best Andrea impression with my bracelets and linked up with her as well for Show & Tell - Groundhog Day.

Leather cuff/Crystal bracelet
Reminder: Farmgirl Paints closes at 6pm EST today!!!
Get your orders in before it is too late!

Despite not listening to me at all most of this week (the trying three's are real people!), this kid melts me heart daily.
He wanted to take selfies in the bath tub and I couldn't say no!
Of course they are fuzzy because he wants to see the faces he is making! lol!

After a seriously rough day at work I needed something heavier than water!
Moscato fit the bill perfectly!

X wanted a "fun" drink too, so we make some green milk!

And yes, those are Christmas coasters. Don't judge.

And if you are new around here, check out my Thinking Out Loud Thursday series.
Yesterday I featured my new co-host Penny and played 10 questions with her :)

And last, but certainly not least.....I am off today!

While it isn't just a complete free day, I won't be at the office and I will be heading out of town for the day :)

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Linking up my Friday Faves with the following ladies...

Erika/Narci/Andrea

Amy/Karli

April/Christina/Natasha/Darci

Happy Friday!

10 Questions | Penny's Passion

Today I want to introduce you to my Thinking Out Loud co-host by playing 10 Questions with her.

Her name is Penny, and she blogs over at Penny's Passion.
She is also the wonderful lady that sent me my Christmas Cheer box!
Penny is a fellow Midwestern gal, and just so so sweet!

1. Go-to date night idea?
Eric and I both love doing dinner and a movie.  We have a couple theaters by us with the big comfy reclining chairs – those are our favorites!!    I'm the girl that always carries a blanket into the theater and snuggles up for the entire movie.

2. Favorite recipe to make?
Any comfort food – hearty soups, roasts, you get the picture.  I also love making special salads.  Oh, and I also love making appetizers.  Hmmm…..I guess when I think about it, I love making all kinds of recipes!

3. Pink or Red?

This pretty much sums me up!

4. Favorite sport & team?
I favor all the St. Louis teams – Cardinals baseball, Blues hockey and Rams football.  If I had to pick one, it would definitely be the Cardinals.  Go Cards!!  Post season play is amazing and we are so lucky to have a team that makes the playoffs often.

5. Chocolate or Flowers?
Tough one – I think I lean more towards the flowers.  But if you really want to win my heart, get me the bucket of Garrett's popcorn!  I love the Garrett Mix which combines sweet Caramel Crisp with savory Cheese Corn.  Put some of that in front of me and I'm all yours!

6.. Favorite St. Louis dish?
Pork steaks – grilled with beer and bar-b-q sauce on them.  I can't believe the rest of the country hasn't picked up this cut of meat!  We have them mostly in the summer so all winter I think about how good they are going to taste when we fire up the grill.

7. Dress up or dress down?
I'm a dress up girl - see above.

8. Favorite holiday excluding Christmas?
It would have to be Thanksgiving.  I love having a big gathering on Thanksgiving with the fall decorations in place and a fire in the fireplace.  We have the standard Thanksgiving menu so planning is fairly easy.  When my son, Ian, was small he and my dad would go outside and build a fire.  They would then pretend to have a pilgrim Thanksgiving meal by popping popcorn on the open flames.  Great memories! 

9. Rock, Pop, or Country?
Rock – and the louder the better.  I love going to concerts and being close enough to the speakers that you "feel" the sound bouncing off your chest. 

And because I absolutely loved high school
10. Who were you in high school? 
I was definitely the social butterfly in high school (and college, and now!).  If there was fun to be had, I wanted to be in the middle of it.  My grades could have probably been a little better if I had spent more time studying, but I don't regret it at all!  My best friend in high school was Linda – and she's still my best friend today.  Even though she lives across the state from me, we talk almost daily and see each other often.  

Oh to have a team that makes the playoffs! lol! I and all of Cleveland would love to see that!
And those Pork Steaks sound amazing! I will have to give those a try this summer :)
But what assures me that Penny and I would great friends in the real world?
Her choice in music!! Rock, Bret Michaels, louder the better! Oh, we are two peas in a pod!

Thanks so much for playing along Penny!


Do you want to play 10 questions with me?
Or post about a go-to or new recipe?
Or talk about a #totalfail moment?
Comment below or shoot me an email @ leota6@gmail.com to be featured in my next Thinking Out Loud post.
It's free :)


Now it is your turn!
Just add the photo below to your Thursday post, and make sure to link back to X-tremely V and Penny's Passion!
It's that simple!
And if you are posting anything social media use #ThinkingOutLoudThursdays

random Ness

Most my life I have been called Ness.
When I moved to the field everyone started calling me V (against my wishes) and it stuck.
But every now and then it feels good to just be Ness.
Hence today's title :)

See what I mean about being random?


Linking up for the first time with Jessica & Katie @ Sweet Little Ones

The great thing about Tuesday Talk is that it is totally random! :)
I love it!

This poor little guy has been sick since Friday :(

We went to the doctor yesterday and they informed us he has strep!

I hope the antibiotics work quickly and he can get back to just having fun!

I am seriously obsessed with this song!!!

If you haven't heard it listen now! If you have, listen again :)

In case you missed it, I finally posted my year in review yesterday.

Better late than never :)

Other than that I have nothing :(

I stayed up last night to watch the Ohio State Buckeyes win the championship over the Oregon Ducks.

While I don't claim to be an Ohio State fan, I do love football and my home state.

Proud of the Big 10, Ohio, and that Cleveland boy Cardale Jones!

How are you feeling today?

Anything bothering you?

Anything make you over the moon happy?

I would love to hear from you in the comments below :)

FF | Giveaway

This week has gone faster than I can blink!
Maybe it is all the freezing cold days and nights, or the fact that I am getting up and going home when it is dark outside :/
Either way it is Friday and I will take it!

Linking up today as always with the following ladies.

~one~

X named me his favorite snuggle partner!
Do I even need to write more than that? :)

~two~

We made white cake with a yellow stripe and sprinkles just because!
X came home from his grandparents on Tuesday night and was asking for white cake for dessert.
More often than not I am busy making dinner, handling laundry, etc. and we don't get to just do something out of the ordinary.
Tuesday, we changed things up and enjoyed our cake!
#itsthelittlethings

~three~

I have only missed two days of workouts since the 1st of the year :)
My energy is up, my weight is going down, and I just feel good!
I have extra motivation this year too...my brother's wedding is 4 1/2 months away! And...

~four~

We booked our 2015 family vacation!
With the extremely cold temps we are experiencing this week, it was nice to get that booked and start daydreaming about hanging out on the beach for a week :)

~five~

X and I both know every word to Frozen now!
I could seriously watch that movie every single day just to hear him recite the words and sing all the songs!
It is beyond cute!!!
We even sing the songs in the car just for fun!
Obviously, this one is our favorite :)

Speaking of Disney, I have another great giveaway for you all :)

Set sail for an epic saga stretching from London, all the way to Never Land and back with JAKE AND THE NEVER LAND PIRATES: BATTLE FOR THE BOOK! 
Enter here for your chance to win a DVD copy, available January 6 - http://tinyurl.com/q69epnv

So how was your week?
I hope you are staying warm!

Going for Gold | WIWW

Honest moment here...I really need to do laundry.

Like I have been barely coming up with things to wear to work for the last few weeks!

I think I get home from work and just get busy making dinner, and the rest of our nightly routine.

Eek!

Must do laundry!

Anyways, here are the couple of clean items I have had to wear this past week.

Another honest moment, it is basically accessories today! lol!

I think my love for Thin Mints and Thin Mint coffee creamer has carried over into my outfit choices! lol!

I wore this mint scarf and mint striped shirt on Monday with my gray cords.

Similar shirt/scarf/pants

While I like to mix up patterns and colors these days, every now and then I have to get back to my roots and be the matchy-matchy person that I truly am :)

I exchanged a scarf awhile back at Kohl's and picked up this gold one instead. I don't wear much gold at all.

I am usually a silver or platinum girl, but I have been liking gold more and more these past few months.

I even picked up these awesome bracelets at Charming Charlie last weekend.

I can now predict my future. lol!

I see myself in lots and lots of bracelets and cuffs over the next year :)

Thanks for turning me on to the arm party Andrea! ;)

 Similar scarf

Multi bracelet/leather cuff

Other than that I have been sporting my heaviest winter coat, boots, gloves, etc.

It is cold in Ohio these days.

So what have you been wearing this past week?

Are you still rockin' fun Fall clothes, or are you bundled up to stay warm?

Where do you shop for fun accessories? I would love to find some fun headbands too!

Linking up with Sarah @ Tucker Up, Alison @ Get Your Pretty On, and Shanna @ Because Shanna Said So.

FF | Welcome 2015

Since I didn't do a favorites post last week, I have decided to combine the past two weeks for today.

Linking up as always with my favorite Friday hosts

The past couple of weeks have been a blur for the most part, but we definitely had some good times!

~one~

I picked up this new planner and colorful pens at Target this week.
It is time for a new year! That means meal planning, budgets, date nights, and so much more!
I can't wait to write in it!

~two~

You will probably see this photo or ones just like it a lot!
This little guy showed interest in potty training right around 2 years old, and then just didn't want any part of it :(
We started trying again in September and he just has not been a fan of it. UGH!
Something has switched with him in recent weeks and he is doing great!
Staying dry all day. Going #1 & #2 on the big boy potty like he has been doing it his whole life!
While I am terrified now for car rides and leaving the house in general with a potty trained kid, I am so excited and proud of him!
I am going to try to stay positive, but my luck normally is since I am typing this he will completely stop :(
Fingers crossed and prayers said that X is focused on being a big boy moving forward :)

~three~

 We were supposed to spend NYE with some friends and their little one, but sickness hit their house :(
So instead, Mic, X and I partied hard at home ;)
We enjoyed some stuffed mushrooms, pizza, and cupcakes!
It was the perfect way to bring in 2015!
Best part...I was able to get up early, get some things done around the house, get a decent workout in, and read a couple of chapters from my new book!
I can already tell I am going to be one happy girl in 2015 :)

~four~

My new favorite breakfast!
We enjoyed this amazing Blueberry Croissant Puff on Christmas morning and it is easily being coming a weekend staple.
In fact, it is on the menu for Sunday morning :)
See that, I am already meal planning for the new year!
YEH!

~five~

So I might seriously be the last person on the planet (slight exaggeration, but still) to get a Clarisonic.

IT IS AMAZING!!!!

My skin instantly felt softer! I have only been using this bad boy for about a week and I have already noticed such a difference in my skin!

My skin doesn't look dry like it normally does this time of year, and my makeup is going on with such ease.

Put this on your wish list, birthday list, 2015 Christmas list, whatever list you have. Do it!

You won't be sorry!

And yes, because I am such a tomboy I asked Mic for the grey one :)

The box came and it actually says it is a Men's version.

Nothing, I repeat, nothing is different.

The brush head that came with mine is the normal one, but you can get any brush head you want for them.

This might just be a Christmas gift for some of my family members in the future ;)

~six~

So I technically knew everything I was getting from Mic for Christmas because I ordered it myself.
Hey! When you know what you want...
Anyways, I had been following Farmgirl Paints on Instagram for awhile impatiently waiting for her shop to open.
She is only open a few times a year for like 10 days at a time :(
So if you want something made from her shop, and trust me you do, you better get it ordered!
I ordered a couple of these awesome leather cuffs for presents, and then picked these two for myself!
I love them!
It is hard to tell from the picture above, but the bottom cuff is a distressed black color.
Both sayings are words that X has used over the last couple of years :)


What are your favorites from the week?
Do you meal plan? I would love to hear what recipes you are making!