M.I.A

Will. post. soon.

The plague is passing through our house. Okay, it's more like a head cold but it is wreaking havoc on me and Mr. G.

Plus we have a battle of the wills going on.  Someone thought it would be funny to replace my sweet baby boy with an "I want to be independent don't need you to hold my hand I'll walk off the edge of the slide if I want".  Needless to say, it has been interesting and resulted in several time outs (for myself).

Mr. G is growing up, and while it is amazing to watch him learn and grow and become independent, it is also sad and exhausting.  Sad because he isn't a baby anymore and it's going too fast, exhausting because he wants to (attempt to) do everything on his own.  This is my first rodeo and sometimes I just don't know what to do.

For example, I thought it would be lovely to take G to a new little park so he could run wild.  We get there and all was going well. There were enough leaves for him to examine for a lifetime.  Then he spotted the play area, fully equipped with slides and bars and swings much too big for him. Of course he just blew by the little play area with age appropriate apparatus. Cut to us at the top of the steps, about 10 feet off the ground with G wanting to just walk off the edge. So, of course I'm holding him trying to get him to go back down the steps and he has a major meltdown. Screaming, crying, flailing his little arms, stopping his baby feet, blabbering baby gibberish. I pick him up, drag him back down to safety, and place him on the ground in the mulch for him to continue his tirade.   I asked our pediatrician at his last appointment what the best approach was when handling such a melt down, she said to stay in sight but for the most part just ignore him.  So I plopped myself on the bottom of the slide next to him, and let him work it out.

10 minutes later G was still working it out.  So I picked up him, inciting an even more high pitched scream than I thought humanly possible, and carried him calmly to the car. He fought me getting him into the car seat. Cried most of the way home. And then he napped for 2 hours. This was good, we both needed some time apart. Did I do the right thing? Should I have stayed and let him go longer? I don't really think I gave in to him. I think that would have meant I let him plunge 10 feet to the ground. I'll never know. 

On the bright side,  did you know Target sells candles super cheap?  I cannot yet attest to the quality, but I am burning one as we speak so I'll let you know.  I'm pretty loyal to Yankee, they are expensive, but worth it in my opinion. I've tried the cheapo candles from A.C. Moore and Micheal's without much success. Either the wicks don't burn right, or they don't smell as good. I was excited to find the ones in Target, and hope it works out.

0

My first time...

making a card! What did you think I was talking about?


Can I tell you how much fun I had making this.  Mixing and matching colors and stamp sets, picking buttons, figuring how to lay it all out. I'd like to thank G for taking some extra long naps today.


So here is the first item produced for my personal challenge.  For my paper crafting friends, please be easy on me. It was my first time.  I should have waited until tomorrow to take the pictures, so as to have some natural light versus the lovely fluorescent bulb over my craft table.  Don't forget I literally craft in a dark little corner. However, I couldn't contain my excitement in sharing this with you all.  Feel free to comment (nothing mean, k?).

I thought it turned out quite nice for my first card.  It is simple and has a bit of a vintage feel which I like.  I also love cutesy whimsical stuff (hence that handsome little owl). The leaves took a little time, I inked each one up a little differently and then cut them out by hand (I'm pretty sure I was cross eyed when finished).

Supplies 

(All Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted)

Paper: Vintage Cream Cardstock

Ink: Versafine Black, Ranger Distress inks (Forest Moss, Barn Door, Crushed Olive, Vintage Photo, Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge)

Stamps: Framed, Wise Owl, Falling Leaves

Embellishments: Dark Chocolate button, Rustic Jute Button Twine

33

Yarn overload

Here are a few snap shots of what I've been doing with myself the past few nights


Some flowers for hats, headbands, scarves...

A little hat for a baby shower gift...

 A new afghan just in time for those chilly nights...

(Lucy already claimed it)

A scarf for G (matching hat in the works)...

We're off to a pumpkin  carving party, of which I will do no carving. Every year the Hubs and I each get our own pumpkins and carve them. I always get mad because mine doesn't turn out the way I envision it, and Hubs always looks great. Then he laughs about how angry I am about a pumpkin, and then I get more angry, and then more teasing, you see where this is going. It's a vicious cycle really.  This year I'll be in charge of making pumpkin seeds.

2

"So what do you do?"

The infamous question. I used to feel so awkward when people would ask me. For some reason there is some sort of stigma associated with being a young stay at home mom.  I would get some interesting looks and comments when I replied that I stayed home with my son.  I guess in today's society it is expected that I would be working, or go back to work after having a baby. That'd I'd have some drive to be a successful working woman. I'm just not really sure what people expect.

But staying at home is a job, despite how it sounds. It's by far the most interesting job I've ever had, and I worked in retail for a while so that's saying a lot.  (Nothing like people telling you you're incompetent and don't know how to do your job, the crazies screaming how they need their pills, developing pictures of a cats in wigs. Ah memories.)

I think the most challenging part is that I am at work from the moment I wake up. As soon as I hear the little nugget in the room next to me cooing and talking to his feet (he has footie pjs that have animals for the feet), it's a go.  There is no time for me to eat breakfast at a normal pace (I now inhale food), make a cup of coffee and enjoy it as I read the paper (ok, we don't get the paper), watch the news, shower, what have you.  When my eyes open, my day begins (with a dirty diaper no less).  Sure, I could wake up at 5 am and have an hour or so to myself, but let's be honest, I love me some sleep.

Stay at home moms don't get enough credit.  They literally spend every moment of the day caring for someone else, putting someone else's wants and needs before their own.  It's not easy.

I am responsible for another life all day every day. I am a teacher, chef, entertainer, maid, nurturer, sleep specialist, chauffer, best friend, therapist, mentor, disciplinarian, social events coordinator, mind reader, and more everyday. That's pretty heavy.  So, when a 20-something peer says to me, "Well, that's one way to get out of working!" when I tell her I stay at home with my son, my natural instinct is to punch her in the face.  (No, I didn't. I just gave her the stink eye.)

6

Mantle

My second post of the day. Look out! To be honest there might be one more. I'm trying to catch up on things I've been meaning to share.

Here are a few pictures of the mantle in our family room. I have it decorated for Halloween/Fall. 

One of my favorite Heartwood Creek pieces. Love all things Jim Shore.

Right Half of the mantle, sorry I tried to get the TV out of the shot but no such luck.

I love the orange lights. I picked them up at Walgreen's last year after Halloween for $1.

0

Hoarders here I come

As you know, I'm diving head first into the world of paper crafting.  Therefore, I needed to gather the necessary (and some unnecessary) supplies. Here is a picture of some of my haul.


I've been buying things piece meal over the span of about a month. Some in stores (woot woot 50% off coupons) and some online (yeah free shipping). Some stuff I already had from when I did a little bit of stamping and scrapbooking before G was born. For any of you out there that aren't familiar this stuff, here is a list of what I felt were essential:


1. Ranger Craft Mat (I got mine on sale, otherwise I probably would have got a kitchen mat for cheap)
2. Adhesive (I have From This to That)
3. Distress Inks (I got the set of all new colors for a great price at Scrapbook.com)
4. Cardstock (Bazzill and PTI)
5. Patterned Paper (I have some from BasicGrey, Fancy Pants, DCWV, Echo Park, PTI)
6. A handful of Copic Markers (totally unnecessary)
7. Ink Blending tool (Mine is Inkssentials)
8. Black and White enamel accents (by Inkssentials)
9. Memento Tuxedo Black ink (had)
10. Versamark (had)
11. Some embossing powders (had)
12. Heat gun (mine is Stampin' Up, I had it from years ago)
13. Self Healing mat (mine is Making Memories)
14. Buttons
15. Ribbon
16. Sparkly things (rhinestone like, Stickles, glitter)
17. Sizzix Big Shot (probably unnecessary but I had been eyeing it up for months anyway)
18. Dies and embossing folders for Sizzix
19. Glossy Accents
20. Stamps (PTI, Lawn Fawn, Unity, SU)

It did cost me a pretty penny to get all the things I wanted needed. But I had a bit saved up from my job (I do home jewelry parties, yes, direct sales. Please don't hate me), and I pawned some things on Craigslist that had been sitting around.

Once I took everything out of the package and organized it, it was a considerably smaller mass of things.  Tomorrow is my official start date, I will have my first item created and posted by Sunday.  I figured going Sunday to Sunday as a week is the easiest for me to remember.

Well, I'm off to run some errands on this gorgeous day (really it's cold and rainy).

2

Forgetting to breathe

True story. It's the weirdest thing.  The past week every now and then I've been having these weird sensations. It happened at no particular time. I was brushing my teeth, cooking dinner, watching tv, etc. I would feel a little light headed and then my heart would start racing. I could see if I was at the gym, but I'm pretty sure sitting on the couch isn't too strenuous. To be honest I was getting a little worried. I must tell you, I'm a little bit of a hypochondriac, probably from watching Discovery Health and Monsters Inside Me too much. I know what you're thinking, "Can this chick have any more quirks?" The simple answer is, yes! If you think I'm bad you should meet my sister.

Back to the story. So yesterday I'm putting G down for his nap. The usual routine is I hold him for a few seconds while he holds his blankie, sway back and forth a little, hum a little tune, and put him down. So, I'm standing there holding him, and all of a sudden I realize I'm not breathing.  A second later I have the same weird feelings I'd been having all week. I make a mental note.

Fast forward to dinner. I'm standing at the counter making dough, and I realize I'm not breathing again. It's not that I'm holding my breath necessarily, I just stopped taking breaths. Happened again while I was brushing my teeth. So odd.

I'm not doing it on purpose. Or maybe I am. Maybe I'm subconsciously trying to suffocate myself? Maybe I have some tumor growing on my brain stem that is interfering with my breathing? The possibilities are endless. More than likely it's because I've been stressed lately. Probably some anxiety thing, ah the joys of being a type A personality and worrying about everything!

The good news is that it hasn't really happened yet today. Well, maybe once when I was online this morning and found the movie Four Christmases on sale at Amazon.com for $6.99, but I think that was more because I was so excited at the great deal I got.

0

Binge Posting

My apologies for how I'm going to do my next post.  I think we are on our way to 1 nap a day, which means my computer time is limited. Doesn't G know I have a lot of things to do on here? Babies can be so inconsiderate sometimes! (Kidding!) Anyway, I have a lot of projects I've done that I want to share, so as I get a free minute here and there I shall post a picture.

First up, a little lion and blankie I made for Mr. G. (I actually did this a while ago, but forgot to post it)

For whatever reason when I post pictures the colors seem to wash out a bit, which annoys me.

I am really really tired today.  I stayed up super late for my first Papertrey Ink release party.  It was a lot of fun following along the thread.  It's a little hard being new to a group, just because everyone already knows everyone for the most part.  It's so weird to feel out of place in an online group. Is that even possible? I mean seriously, who gets social anxiety talking online? To people you don't even know! Oh wait, that'd be me.

Okay, G is swinging from the window sill so that's my cue.

1

Technology- 3 Danielle- 0

I woke up this morning, and sat down to eat breakfast with G. I picked up my phone to make a call and my Blackberry seriously felt like it was on fire. Like almost to hot to touch. I immediately took off the case, and flipped it face down onto the table hoping that would help. Wrong. After about 2 minutes of this it just went black.  I took out the battery and let everything cool for awhile.  Reassembled, pushed power, no luck. What did I do next? The obvious of course: Googled "Blackberry over heating".

Turns out I'm not the only one.  So I drive us over to Verizon. The gentlemen says its probably a faulty battery (I didn't think so b/c I've had this battery for 6 months and it's been fine), so he gives me a new one for free.  He put it in, pushed power and it started up. I was so happy! Until I got home and it was burning up and dead again. Ugh. I quit with the phone for today.

I started to upload some pictures and write a post about all this stuff I've crocheted over the past few weeks.  I do the whole thing, hit publish, and some error message pops up. When I signed back it there was no sign of the post. Seriously?

I had my orientation for my little job last night. They said they would be sending out a 'test text' sometime this week. You see, they way it works is kind of first come first serve. They send out a text when they need you to get online and do some work. The first few to respond get the job.  Guess what they did today?

Sent out a text.

Thank God the coffee maker was working.

0

Is this weird?

If you see a car slooowly driving through your neighborhood, with a young woman trying to catch a glimpse of the inside of your home, no worries, it's just me!

For as long as I can remember, I have had this fascination with stealing a peak of the inside of peoples homes. Something about the warm inviting glow from a house just draws me in. I'm curious to see what life is like in there. Look, it's not like I'm hiding in the bushes or anything.

Sometimes at night if I'm driving alone I'll take a detour into a neighborhood and just cruise through as I listen to Delilah and unwind after the day.  (Is this weird? Be honest.)

I did this on my way home from the gym tonight.  I pulled into a secluded 55+ neighborhood I had been curious about for a while. To be honest I'm not 100% sure its a 55+ community, but several factors have led me to this conclusion:

1. The style of the homes seemed 55+ish.  I once dated a guy whose parents lived in community like this, and it looked pretty much the same. Like duplexes, two homes connected.

2. There was no on street parking. If you were a visitor you had to park in special designated spots at the end of the street.  This was such a pain when I visited my boyfriend. Nothing like parking 3 miles away from the house and walking in the sweltering sun to arrive at your new boyfriends house sweating like a fool.

3. There were a lot of expensive cars and no mini vans or station wagons.

4. All had perfectly manicured lawns, and I mean perfect. Like I bet if I had a ruler all their grass was the same height.

5. I did not see one piece of kids paraphernalia, not a stray bike or shoe


So I spent a few minutes and drove around, and then headed home.

Sometimes when I'm driving and I see a traffic light in the distance I slow down so I can catch the red.  As much as I love my family, sometimes it's nice to have those few extra moments to myself. You know, to listen to Delilah and plan my next creeping excursion.

4

My scientific approach to crafting

Sounds silly I know, but it's true.  

You see, I'm totally left brained(for the most part).  Math and science are my fortes, and have been my entire life. My degree is in Biology (getting a lot of use out of that! lol), and so I approach most aspects of life very scientifically. It drives Hubs nuts sometimes. I am for the most part extremely organized, and I like to have everything in it's place.  No, I don't fold my underwear.

For example, I love to crochet. It works well for me because it involves patterns, counting, for the most part I don't need a ton of creativity when I do it aside from picking colors. Paper crafting and stamping is a little more out of my box.

So, when I decided I really wanted to focus on paper crafting I did like I would do for any other undertaking.  I set a goal, researched, gathered the necessary supplies, and made a game plan.  I had reached out to some big names in the world of paper crafting, and never really got a response, so I set off on my own. Here is what  I have learned over the past few weeks:

1. There are a lot of paper crafters out there. Whether it be scrap booking, home decor, card making. You name it, there is a lot of talent out there!

2. There are a lot of brands to choose from!  Here are the companies I fell in love with.  They have products that match my style, and have great reputations.
            - BasicGrey (Paper)
            - Cosmo Cricket (Paper)
            - American Crafts (Paper)
            - Echo Park (Paper)
            - Hero Arts (Stamps, Inks)
            - Papertrey Ink (Everything! Dies, stamps, ink, paper, embellishments)
            - Tim Holtz (Ink, Dies, other miscellanious products)
            - Lawn Fawn (Stamps)
            - Unity Stamp Co.

3. Most of these companies have Design Teams(DT) that showcase the versatility of products.  I would say I have a goal of one day being on a DT.

4. There are some great websites to support the craft
             - Two Peas in a Bucket
             - Split Coast Stampers
             - Scrapbook.com

5. In addition to the obvious ink, paper, pictures, sticky stuff, there are other tools I have seen a lot of that seem to be a good idea to have:
              - Craft mat
              - Ink Blending tool
              - Paper distressing tool
              - Die cutting machine (pretty much cuts shapes/Punches
              - Ruler

6. The possibilities are seriously endless.

I have been hoarding supplies over the past few weeks. I am waiting for a few more boxes to arrive before my collection is complete. Once my last few things arrive I will take some pictures and share with you my treasures.

I've also made the executive decision that I'm we're going to be using all these things to make Christmas cards and presents this year. Whether it be little albums, shadowboxes, mini-calenders, etc.  I think the personal touch is a lot nicer than the usual gift card. Although, I'm not one to get sad about a gift card, unless it's to Wawa because I never go there. I've had 2 Wawa gift cards sitting in my wallet for the past 2 years.

So, my journey officially begins next week. I'm getting a little nervous.  I hope you will follow along to see my successes and failures. Maybe you'll learn something along the way too (most likely what NOT to do).  If nothing else I'm sure you'll get a good laugh.

If you are a seasoned paper crafter, I welcome any suggestions, critiques(not too harsh, k?), ideas.

PS- Why is it going to be 80 degrees today? I'm really really ready for Fall.

5

Neat & Tangled (Part I)

The other day I was catching up on a moms website that I frequent.  Currently they have a "getting to know you" thread going which is really neat.  I don't actually answer the questions, because the state I live in is way to small and everyone knows everyone so I don't need my personal business all over the place, plus I'm paranoid about creepers and stalkers. I do however like to read them and see what the women have to say, I admire them for sharing.  The past 2 days have been about your relationship with your parents.  The one day asked about your relationship with your mother, if it was good/bad/whatever.  I would say, from the responses I read 8/10 of the women had a good/great relationship with their mom. I saw many times things like "she's my best friend", "she's my rock", "I hope to be like her", etc.

I reflected on my own relationship with my mom. My sentiments were similar to others.  She is one of my best friends, I know I can talk to her about anything (see previous lesbian post). She would do anything she could for me. We have our moments. We certainly have disagreements, but overall I think we have a great relationship.

The next day continued on the family theme, and the question asked about your relationship with your father. What I read was so saddening.  From the responses I read, about 2/10 had a good relationship with their father.  Often referring to themselves as 'Daddy's Girls'.  I am sure you can imagine what the other 8/10 had to say. Almost all of them read something like, "My dad left my mom when I was X years old..."

It makes me sick to my stomach to be a part of the majority.

I was a Daddy's girl, not as much as my sister, but I loved him more than anything. My mom and him had the picture perfect marriage. We were such a happy family. He was the greatest Dad in my eyes. Funny, handsome, a great coach, listener, smart, creative, the list could go on.

Me and Dad, circa 1986

He had his quirks, he slept a lot, always had headaches, was a little anti-social. I attributed all those things to a horrible accident he had when he was younger that caused some serious brain injuries.  As my sister and I got older, he became less and less involved.  I could sense a change, a distance growing between ALL of us. I left for college. I'll never forget the phone calls I got from my sister. She would be hysterical crying, saying Dad never came home last night, she heard him having weird conversations on the phone and then leaving the house, him and mom never talked. She was scared. I was scared.  The whole thing progressively got worse.

In May of 2004, after my sophomore year of college I moved back home for the summer.  One of the first nights I was back I was roaming around at 2am trying to find something to eat, how I missed having a fully stocked cafeteria.  My dad was up too, we were both night owls. I have so many memories of us sitting up until the early morning talking about music, movies, religion, science, whatever. This time was different though. He said he needed to talk to me about something. We stood in the living room, and my world fell apart. He started to cry, he said he was unhappy, his relationship with my mother wasn't the same and couldn't be changed, he needed to leave.  He said he would still come see us everyday, that our relationship wouldn't change. He asked me if I could tell my sister.  I was 19 years old, my sister was 13.

He was so convincing. I actually felt bad for him. I actually agreed to be the one to tell my sister. I actually can't even bring myself to recall any of the conversation I had with her. Her world shattered, her heart broken, and I had been the one to do it.

He packed his bags and left. Two months later he invited me out to dinner with him and a "friend". I was surprised to arrive and find it was a woman, a much younger woman.  I don't remember anything from that meal. I don't think I ate anything. I don't think I said a word.  I do remember going home, locking myself in my room, and crying, a lot.  My mom kept asking what was wrong and I couldn't even tell her, after having her husband of 20 years up and leave she was barely keeping it together as it was.

I didn't see him again for several months.

I didn't go back to school. I couldn't leave my mom and sister. My mom stopped sleeping, and became depressed. My sister started acting out, and became depressed. I was angry, lost, depressed. My life had become so cold and dark, a stark contrast to a life that was so filled with love and warmth. I was so alone and scared. Where was I going to go from here? My entire life plan had vanished.  This is not a good thing for a type A personality.

I had no health insurance (my Dad dropped us), I had no money for school (he was paying for that), I wasn't in school (where would I go?), I only had a part-time job ($7.50/hr isn't going to pay for college), and to top it all of my boyfriend and friends were so incredibly non-empathic I couldn't believe it. They couldn't even begin to understand how I was feeling. An overwhelming sense of hopelessness was creeping into my life.

The divorce completely wiped out my moms finances. We almost lost our home. It was a long messy divorce that finally ended on March 9. Funny how I remember that date.

My life before this was so Neat. I was surrounded by the greatest family and friends. I was social, organized, athletic, popular, happy, straight A student. I had a plan: Pharmacy school, buy house, get married, have babies. How did it all get so Tangled.

(To be continued)

0

Edit

I need to make a small adjustment to my October 20th Challenge. You see, I got a job!

I know, I know, you're asking yourself why? "Danielle, aren't you busy enough as it is?" "No, you do enough already!"  "What about the baby!"

No worries my friends, I get to do it all from home. There was some seriously some Higher Power involved in me getting this gig.  I was on Facebook the other morning, which is usually impossible with G's busy schedule (who knew a 1 year old needs a chauffeur?). Somehow, by a stroke of pure a luck, a friend of mine updated her status saying the company she works for was looking for some extra help for the holiday season, and it was all work from home. Could it be any more perfect after I was beating myself up after turning down the long-term sub job?  It doesn't pay nearly as much, and hours vary week to week, but I figure I'll make enough to cover holiday expenses and maybe save a little too. I have a little orientation next Tuesday night, they're even providing dinner. Pretty sweet if you ask me.

Back to my original point, because of the new job my free time will be a little more limited. Thus I am making the following adjustments to my personal challenge:

Instead of 1 item per day, I will be now aiming for 2 items per week. 


Please make note, and adjust your schedules accordingly.

Oh, and pretty soon I think I'm going to try a challenge something like Jules over at Pancakes and Frenchfries. (Like how I call her Jules, like we're friends or something? Nope, I don't know her. But she's one of those people that I imagine I could be friends with)

1

Is it wrong?

A few weeks ago we had a lovely birthday party for G.  He got more presents than he will ever need!  Here are some of the ones we haven't even opened yet:

Quite honestly I don't think he needs allll of these at once. He already has more than he knows what to do with.  So my question is this, is it wrong to save some of these for Christmas? I feel kinda bad giving him toys someone else bought him for Christmas, not that he would ever know. Although, I feel like I'm just delaying the inevitable because I'm pretty sure I'll have a pile just as large come Christmas time. 

Speaking of Christmas.  I hear so many people complain about how stores 'rush the season' by setting up their Christmas displays before Halloween is even over.  I'm not going to lie, I LOVE IT. The holidays are my most absolute favorite time of the year.  I'm glad they get it started so early, gives me more time to enjoy it! Gets me in the spirit, and gives me an excuse to bake more often. So, yeah, I was happy when I went to Sears and saw some Christmas stuff already, bring it on!

2

An Open Letter

Dear Guy at Acme,

I just wanted to write to thank you for causing me to forget to purchase a crucial item on my list.  You probably don't even know who I am, based on the fact that I am apparently invisible. You see, I was standing in front of the bread wall (in plain sight) trying to decide on the best bread (something whole wheat/grain) for the best price (less than $4). When you sauntered up with your cart acting like you owned the store (my apologies if you do). You must have been so enamored by all of the bread that you failed to realize you and your cart stopped directly in front of me (literally I could touch your cart without even trying), thus blocking my view of said bread.  You also made it impossible for me to access the bread which I had finally decided upon. You proceeded to stand there for approximately 1.5 minutes while I patiently waited. I became so irritated that I just decided to continue on with my shopping to return at a later time, and as a result forgot to come back to get my bread.

I'm just curious, have you heard of a thing called common courtesy?

Sincerely,
The poor girl with no bread and her poor baby that will not have toast for breakfast tomorrow

0

Hello Fall, I've been waiting for you!

Yesterday I was pleasantly surprised by Hubs getting off due to the rain.  Even better was the fact that it turned out to a beautiful, albeit windy, day.  We spent it doing a whole lot of nothing.  Well, not totally true. We went to the mall for a bit to continue my quest of looking for the perfect (cheap) pair of clogs. No luck. I found a pair I loved, unfortunately they were $99 which I couldn't bring myself to spend.

We spent the remainder of the day lounging around the house, and we went for a lovely early evening walk. My mother in law came over to watch little G so Hubs and I could sneak out for dinner and some more shoe searching.  Success!! I found a cute little pair of clogs at Sears for $19.99. What luck!

 I also took a peek at some of the Christmas decorations they had out. We then wandered over to Barnes and Noble and picked up a few books for G. I even snuck one in there for myself.  Love it when I find a book I want on the clearance rack for $5.98. (The Beach House by Jane Green if you were curious)

I watched the weather forecast this morning and it looks like it's going to stay in the 60's for the next week. Thank goodness.  I'll be glad to say goodbye to those 90 degree humid days. (Don't worry, I'll be cursing the cold in a few months I'm sure).  For now I am off to do a little cleaning and burn my pumpkin pie candles.  Also, I picked up International Delights Pumpkin Pie Spice coffee creamer at Target the other day. Yum.  A definite must have if you like coffee and pumpkin pie.

0