Happy Birthday, Alyson! :)

Today is my niece Alyson's 7th birthday.  And since I haven't been blogging since she was born, I get to share with you some of my fav pix of her over the years.  You agree, right???

Only a day old...

We call this her "pyrex dish" pic...she was actually in the hospital basinet...but doesn't it look like a big pyrex dish?  And look at all that hair...she never, ever lost it...promise!

How about this cutie?  Look at those big brown eyes! My heart melts...

And those curls...so sweet...

Truly the cutest ladybug!

And this summer...at the beach, we were partners...

It's hard to believe that this pic is only 6 months old!

The best lemonade sales girl ever...

And to top it off she's a GREAT big sister...

A daredevil MarioCart driver...

And definitely a snow angel :)

I love my Aly-gator.  Dylan was a 7 year old boy when she was born.  When I was much younger, I thought I'd like to have all boys as children.  Then I had one boy...and I thought, maybe one is enough.  When I found out my sister was having a girl, I was overjoyed.  And so were most of her inlaws!  Alyson was the first girl on her Dad's side since his Mom and an Aunt (his dad's sister).  So, needless to say...they were thrilled.

But Aly & I "click" in ways that I never remember clicking with my aunts.  Maybe it's because our family is so close...not sure.   When my hair was long, Aly spent hours "fixing it"...and I may or may not have been the person who introduced her to M&M's.  I also will admit that I *might* have taught her to say to her Mom - "You drive like a madwoman!"  And I love that when I haven't seen her in a while, she will make a beeline to hug me, sit on the couch beside me, force me to "droll" (draw) with her and laugh while I say silly things to her.  I also love our sleepovers...the ones where I invite her and the ones where she invites herself! :)

She is my Aly-gator...and I'm so thrilled to be her Aunt Jenn!

Happy Birthday, Alyson! :)

*sorry for the picture quality...a few of these were scanned copies of printed copies...and others were taken from Facebook...I don't have all my pics here at work with me! :)

Snow days and stuff

Well, our snow event wasn't as spectacular as the Christmas snow...but the ice that came afterwards has wreaked havock on our lives here in NC.  To the South & East of where I live, they got more snow.  The word on the snow in Winston-Salem is that there was a VERY dry part of the atmosphere...so it was snowing, but not reaching the ground.  We ended up with about an inch of snow...with a nice ice coating over it.

So, I stayed home from work yesterday...and did absolutely nothing.  It was great.  I got up early to call in to work...well, I actually "texted in" that I would most likely not be there.  Then I went back to bed and slept for a bit.  Then I got up and worked a jigsaw puzzle...watched TV...played Wii...and that's about the extent of my day.  I was very one with my couch...and the amazing heated throw I bought myself after Christmas! :)

There's something about a snow day that just puts me in a complete vegetative state.  Outside of checking Facebook, Twitter and e-mail, I really didn't have the "brain strength" to read blogs or post blogs.  You would think that with nothing to do I'd get all caught up...but seriously, I just couldn't.

So, if I missed your fabulous blog posts, I'm truly sorry.  I'm trying to catch up tonight...so, we shall see.

I went back to work today...which was crazy since my boss had jury duty and we both were out yesterday.  Plus my co-worker is sick...with the flu.  I hope she stays home and keeps her germs away!

Tomorrow is another snow day for Dylan...he hasn't been to school all week...but he will pay!  Especially next week when he goes back for exams!  Now if this ice will just melt so he can go back to school at least on Friday!  We shall see...

OK - so this was mostly about snow days...and not so much about stuff...oh, well.  I'm not changing the title! :)

Happy Wednesday!

Week in Review

Well...one of the things I wanted to do in 2011 (and also was conviently left off of my Eleven in '11 list) was do a week in review every Saturday.  This, my lovely readers, is not necessarily for you...nope, it's for me!  I can't keep up with what I did in 2010...so, I'm going to fix that.  This will most likely be bo-ring for you guys...but at least I'll have some kind of record of what I did in 2011! :)

Monday was my sis' bday...so we celebrated with Olive Garden take out.  I gave her Just Dance 2...and I can't wait to try it out with her...of course, when her hubby's not there! :)  He tends to make fun of me...but it's all in good fun.

The rest of the week just kind of crept on...work was slow...life was slow.  I think after December, you need for January to be slow so you can catch up.

Today we were supposed to have pix done...but our photographer was sick. So, we have to reschedule.  Which means that I now have longer to stress over what to wear! :) 

This week has been good...kind of nice to get back into a normal swing of things.  Dylan went back to school and is in those last few weeks of his 1st high school semester.  His school does "block" periods - meaning he only has four classes each semester...when the next semester begins he will have four new classes.  It's kind of nice and geared more like college.  Next week, unless we get more snow, he will have exams.

Speaking of snow...Yep!  It's in the forecast again!  This storm is taking the same track as our Christmas snow storm...so, we are probably in for another round of beautiful snow.  At least I hope so.  If we are going to have any winter weather, I'd prefer snow over ice.  We shall see.  Of course, we were supposed to get snow yesterday...and got nothing!  Which is typical in NC! :)

Oh, yeah...Mom caught Ayden on video saying "kitty cat"...which would be his first words other than "dadadadada" and "mamamamama".  We are all excited!

Next week is Aly's 7th bday...and we are due to party on Saturday!  Looking forward to celebrating this special day with my favorite niece.

Well, it's back to my lazy Saturday...I may or may not do a little cleaning/laundry...but I haven't decided whether to do it today or put it off until Monday or Tuesday, hoping for snow.  Decisions, decisions!

And, guess what?  I have a post that I'm rolling around in my head that I actually took notes on!  So, I won't forget what I was going to write! :)  Stay tuned!

Happy Weekend!

A Confession

Hi!

My name is Jennifer.

I'm 34 years old.

And I'm a cheapskate.

(HAHA - I almost wrote "I'm cheap"...but  I didn't want y'all to get the wrong idea!)

Some of you may call this being frugral...some may call it "making your money go farther"...some may even call it "being resourceful".  Maybe it is all those things...but I think I may have crossed the line into just being downright cheap.

There are many people in my life that I can probably blame this on.  My boss is very high on that list.  He's taught me the value of asking for a deal...the greatness of using a coupon that will get us a whole month's worth of office supplies for free...of using what you have.  True story - just yesterday I asked him to order me some business card holders...the ones you can put in a notebook.  I didn't ask for the notebook...or even the top of the line product.  Just the plain old Staples brand...the total cost was less than $4.  Yes - you read that correctly...$4.  And he turned me down...asked if I couldn't find another way to store the business cards I was collecting.  Which, on the flip side, I did...but really, $4?

But the person I most hold responsible for this way of thinking is my best friend, Ashley.  I love her.  Really I do.  She's one of the most fun people I know...she has a big, kind heart...but she's one of the cheapest people I know.  She's coupon crazy...she shops double coupons and gets a 1000% off of everything.  I'm amazed by her frugality.  I haven't crossed over to the coupon craziness...but I told her this morning I figured it was just a matter of time.

Let me give you a few examples of how Ashley operates...

Once we went shopping at an Outlet mall about an hour from here.  We were all excited because we went during the week...just us...no boys...we were going to shop, shop, shop...eat lunch...and shop some more.  One of the first stores we went into was Eddie Bauer.  I'm not a huge Eddie Bauer fan...but if it's on sale, I can be persuaded.  I found a couple of shirts that I liked...she found a shirt that she liked.  We wandered around the store a little longer and then made our way to the check out counter...only then did I notice that I was the only one making a purchase.  I asked her about the shirt and she said "I just decided I didn't want it".  I've honestly seen her carry an item around an entire store, only to eventually talk herself out of buying it. 

I now do this too.

Another example - Ashley called me one day and said "Do you know what I just did?"  She proceeded to tell me that she had found a Target giftcard and thought she had about $20 on it.  She decided to splurge and buy some "want" stuff using her giftcard.  Unfortunately, when she got to the counter, she found out that she did NOT have ANY money on the giftcard...so she put most of her splurges away. 

This in and of itself is not bad...but let me tell you what her "splurges" were:

Socks, Glade air freshners and Redken shampoo

I told her then that she had a problem.

Back to current times...

Yesterday one of my co-workers mentioned that when he went to pay his power bill, he noticed that he could get 15 fluorescent light bulbs free.  So, I checked my e-bill today to see if I could get the same deal and noticed at the bottom of the e-mail there was a place to order free lightbulbs.  So, I did!  I e-mailed Ashley to make sure she was aware of it (of course she'd already ordered & received hers) and I said, "Is it sad that I'm so excited about getting free lightbulbs?" 

And then it hit me just how "cheap" I've become...

 - For two months I did not buy any paper towels...not because I'm a big environmentalist...but because I thought it was ridiculous to pay $3 for 2 rolls of paper towels.  Especially because I have napkins...which are way cheaper...and I had bought some microfiber cloths for cleaning my mirrors.  I have washcloths and towels...why do I need to spend $1.50 per roll on something I'm just going to put in the garbage?

**I did finally break down and buy paper towels, in spite of my very valid arguments above.**

 - I talked myself out of buying a $2 box of tissue at Wal-Mart the last time I went to buy groceries...because I already buy toilet paper and that works just fine.

I'm sure there are other examples of my "cheapness" but these are the only two I can actually think of at this moment.

Maybe this attitude isn't such a bad thing...maybe it's just a "sign of the times" in a downturn economy...maybe I'm just more aware of my spending habits and this has forced me to be more frugal.

I'm all about frugality.  I use store brands more often than not.  There are a few things - like cereal, syrup, peanut butter, bread, laundry detergent - that must be a name brand.  But where I can get away with it, I shop store brand.

But is it really frugality when I decide to forego a $3 package of paper towels?

Just another interesting look into my mind...and how it works! :)

How I Roll

Have I ever mentioned that I write most of my posts in my head?  I roll things around...think about what I can post next...write posts while I'm driving or cleaning the house or whatever.  It works well.  Well, except when I finally put pen to paper (or fingers to keys, as the case may be) and realize just how bad my post is in print.  In my head, it's funny or gripping or truly thought provoking.  But when the words finally hit the screen, they just come out looking like "blah, blah, blah".  And inevitably I just open a new page and read someone else's awesome post on how they are being stalked by a magazine.  Magazines never stalk me.

The other problem with writing in my head and not on paper (or computer screen) is that sometimes I forget what was supposed to go in the post.  Like my Eleven in '11 post the other day...do you know how long it took me to write it?  I seriously had to edit because I kept referring to "yesterday", meaning New Years Eve and I FINALLY finished the post on Sunday - January 2.  And why did it take me TWO days to come up with ELEVEN things I wanted to do in 2011???  Because I couldn't remember them all.  Which means, that some of those items weren't on the original list that I wrote in my head. 

Like the fact that I want to run a 5K in 2011.  I EVEN REFERRED TO BEGINNING A RUNNING PROGRAM and still didn't remember that one of my 11 things was supposed to be "run a 5K".  OR the fact that I want to go through all of the receipts that I have in my closet, on TOP of the filing cabinet and throw away what doesn't need to be kept and file away the statements/receipts that do need to be kept.  Because I seriously have Wal-Mart receipts from 2+ years ago.  And not the Wal-Mart receipt for a small appliance that I bought there...no, I'm talking receipts for groceries, gas receipts, restaurant receipts...basically anything I purchased.  I discovered this the other day when I was trying to find the receipt for my laptop that is not working right. 

I am not going to back and edit my Eleven in '11.  It's just so frustrating that I come up with these awesome posts in my head...but then they don't ever translate like I want to my blog.

So, I guess now I have Thirteen in '11...which doesn't have the same ring as Eleven in '11...but whatever.

And, I also thought I heard the garbage trucks again this morning at 6am...but I stayed in bed this time and didn't go wake up Dylan to take the garbage to the street.  Because I'm an awesome Mom like that.  And because he would've been right again...because the garbage didn't actually run until 7ish, like it's supposed to.  If you're not sure what I'm referring to...click here.

Yup, this is how I roll in the blog world.

Happy Birthday to my sis! :)

Just a quick post to say Happy Birthday to my sister, Missy! :) 


This is an old pic...actually from the summer she was pregnant with Ayden...but it was one I could find quickly of us! :)

 I won't tell you that we've been best friends since her birth in 1980...or that we got along so well in our teenage years...or that I've always understood her as we moved through our 20's.  I mean, we were sisters for goodness sake!  But at this point in our lives, I think we can finally consider each other friends...Missy definitly makes our family life interesting.  These are things you can always expect from my sister:

 - She has a severe shoe addiction, in spite of the fact that shortly after she was married her husband cut her off from buying shoes.  She still appreciates shoes, and owns several pair, but I believe the addicition has now moved to purses & handbags.

 - Zebra prints make her happy.

 - Missy wears a sweater to work, every day.  Even when it's 95* and a 1000% humidity.  She's the most cold natured person I know...well, except for my co-worker who not only wears a sweater everyday, but also runs her space heater every day.  But this post isn't about her! ;)

 - Her daughter is a recreation of her.  Completely.

 - She was fortunate to marry a man who actually enjoys cleaning & cooking.  She does her fair share of cooking, as well...but I like to remind her often that she has a "househusband".  He also cleans her car...I'm completely jealous.

 - Her son is adorable.  And mischievious.  And makes me laugh constantly.

 - She also loves all things Target.

Happy 31st Bday Missy!

Even though, most likely, she will never read this! :)

Eleven in '11

Well, after a very whiney post on New Year's Eve, things quickly turned around.  As the day went on I realized that my pink eye was not nearly as bad as the case I had a couple of weeks ago.  So, I decided to proceed with my day as originally planned!  We got the Christmas decorations put away, I went to play with the niece & nephew and brought in the new year with good friends and a lot of laughter! :)  The only thing I didn't get done was my 2010 recap...which I've decided to forego.  I will tell you that my favorite 2010 memory was our family beach trip to Kure Beach.  The very close second is my September beach trip to Fort Caswell.  Do you see a trend??? ;)

Anyway, I've decided in 2011 to be a little more goal oriented.  I guess that's a resolution...but I'm not calling it that!  But I'm not too terribly ambitious with this task...which may be good for a potential success! So, I decided to come up with "Eleven in '11".  These are eleven things that I would like to accomplish in 2011.

1.  Paint my bathroom - I've been wanting to do this since shortly after I moved.  I have yet to decide on a color, but I would like to commit to doing this this year.

2.  Have professional pics made of me & Dylan - When I was generating this list in my head, this was on the list.  However, I've already taken strides to have this completed!  My sister introduced me via Facebook to a photographer friend of hers.  I fell in love with her pictures and in January she was offering FREE sessions.  How can I pass that up?  So, we are having pics done NEXT SATURDAY!  I'm beyond excited!

3.  Watch Casablanca, The Godfather & Cool Hand Luke - I have been intending to watch all three of three movies for a while...and actually have The Godfather & Cool Hand Luke on my DVR.  So, I'm well on my way!

4.  Take a trip with Dylan, somewhere - I'm hoping to repeat my September Caswell trip with my BFF's as we did last year...but I would like to take him somewhere...just us.  I've already been thinking on one trip in my mind...just don't know if I'll have the $$ to do it this year! :)

5.  Go to Boone - I didn't make it to Boone AT ALL in 2010...despite being very homesick at one point.  So I WILL make a trip to Boone...once it warms up, because Boone is in the mountains. :)

6.  Begin a running/exercise program - I started Couch 2 5K this fall, but my greatest fears were not having  time and the fact that it would soon be getting dark earlier - and our local park would be closing earlier.  And that's exactly what happened.  So, I'm hoping to get something started - something I will stick with.

7.  Make better eating choices - I know that I need to make better choices with my eating.  I can't continue eating like I do now and expect to remain healthy.

8.  Read my Bible at least Monday-Friday - This is one of those things that I do for a while, then fall off.  I allow a lot of things to get in the way of spending time reading my Bible.  I want to spend less time on the computer and watching TV and invest more time in reading my Bible.

9.  Along with reading my Bible, I want to have a quiet time DAILY - Another thing that I have a hard time keeping up with - especially on Saturday's & Sunday's. 

10.  Be more diligent in watching my finances - I hate paying bills and doing my checkbook.  So I tend to put it off.  I usually have a good idea of what's available...but by keeping up with this better, I think this will help me to be better at spending my money and planning ahead.

11.  Spend less time on Facebook, Blogger & Twitter while at work - I have a tendency to just "jump on" real quick anytime I need to do something on the internet that IS work related...and then I forget what I was doing for work.  It has become a bad habit and I want to be a more focused employee!

I'm thankful this year for a new beginning and am actually looking forward to 2011 and what it has to bring for me, my friends & my family! :)

Happy New Year!