under construction?

hey ya'll! sorry for all the wacky changes to the blog lately, but I'm trying out a couple different looks. I liked the header I made last week, but it didn't seem grown up enough for me. and it wasn't personal enough either. so I changed it by making a little collage at Picnik.  

I also messed around with the color of my background, changing it to be much darker... I think the actual blog content stands out a lot more. I also moved the tabs over to the sidebar because the tabs "background" color was running across the entire screen (meaning, passed the limits of the header), and it was driving me batty. 

I made a new button too, so if you'd like to, feel free to grab it! I feel kinda weird saying that, because I honestly don't think I'm cool enough to have a blog button. haha

so, here's where I'm at now. I think this look will stick around for a while. let me know what you think and/or if you have any suggestions!

Happy Tuesday!

PS - I've got an awesome eye candy post coming up this week, so stay tuned! 


oh and also... look how cute my boy is. must have had a rough day.

giving thanks | day twenty - twentyfive

day twenty - my personal trainer

I cannot even begin to describe how much I love my personal trainer. she is such an excellent source of motivation for me and she is, hands down, the only reason I walk in that gym at least twice a week. she knows what she's doing, and she's starting to know my body as well, knowing my limits and what I'm capable of. she always pushes me passed my own personal limits and she's so encouraging. she really believes in me and she's constantly praising me on my abilities during my workout sessions. she assures me that I'm doing a great job and kicks my ass on a weekly basis. I wouldn't be as confident and motivated as I am today if it weren't for her, and for that, I'm thankful. 

day twenty-one - our bed

there is no better feeling than climbing in bed at the end of a long day. I love my bed more than most people love their children, and that is the damn truth. I could spend an entire day in my bed and not feel the slightest amount of guilt for it. we have a king size bed with a pillow top, a big huge comforter, and literally seven hundred pillows. it is the most amazing bed in the world, and for that, I'm thankful.

day twenty-two - Ambien

I guess this kind of goes along with day twenty-one, but I would NOT sleep if it weren't for Ambien. it's the only sleep aid medicine that I've found works for me. yes, I know there are probably a million other deeper rooted reasons for my insomnia, but Ambien is what gets me through it at the end of the day, and as long as I can get a good night's sleep, I'm a happy girl. I've tried a lot of other drugs to help me sleep, but Ambien is my soul mate. I get the best sleep ever when I take it, and for that, I'm thankful. 

day twenty-three - vacations

I don't think anything more needs to be said, but I guess I should elaborate a little further. this is what vacation means to me: 

white sand

no work  strong drinks  

yummy food  sleeping in  work-free  

cheesy souvenirs  loved ones  time for rest 

waves  reading books  week off work 

relaxation  memories made

blue water

a week long vacation is what I look forward to every single year, and for that, I'm so very thankful.

day twenty-four - Miss Es-cop-aye

how lucky am I to have a vehicle to call my own? I mean really, think about it. back in the old days of the Oregon Trail, you had to take a covered carriage being pulled by oxen... animals that often didn't make it. and if your ox DID make it, at least one of your family members died of dysentery. I'm so grateful that I have a car, and a nice car at that... well... nice to me at least. it's nothing fancy, but I love my Escape (pronounced as shown above, like Dory from Finding Nemo) and she's always been good to me. it's just nice to have that convenience of being able to do whatever I want to do and go wherever I want to go, and for that, I'm thankful. 

day twenty-five - Thanksgiving

I'm incredibly grateful for this holiday. obviously, a lot of the celebration for this day is about the food, but it's also about family. it's about finding the little (or big) things in your life to be thankful for and celebrating your blessings. it's about being with the ones you love for an entire day and appreciating them for being a part of your life. it's chaos in the kitchen, football on TV, and laughter. 

and let's face it, it's about the food. oh my god, the food. if I were on death row for some reason, and I had to choose a meal to be served to me as my LAST meal, it would be Thanksgiving dinner, and that says a lot. turkey, mashed potatoes & gravy, green bean casserole, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. nom.

Thanksgiving is a day for being grateful, and I'm so fortunate for many more things than I listed here on the blog. I'm thankful that I'm even able to share my luck with you all. <3

confession

I love wrapping Christmas gifts. it makes me SO happy when a gift is wrapped nicely. like, wet in the nether regions happy. I know, it's strange. 

every year, I strive to get the cutest wrapping paper... and you know it all coordinates together too. I'm a little obsessive about it, and every gift has to be wrapped perfectly. I get into a zone when I'm wrapping, and I find that it's one of the things that really relaxes me. I love making the gifts look pretty... from the wrapping paper, to the tissue paper, to the curled ribbon, to the bows, to the labels.

so yesterday while Sean was at the Ravens game, I got all my supplies out and wrapped gifts in the middle of my living room while watching Sunday football. I knew it was going to be a bit of a struggle, since Mr. Bear likes to be in the middle of ev.ery.thing. and while he did make a bit of a mess with the paper scraps, he stayed out of my way for the most part. 

in fact, he laid right down on some 

packing paper and took a little nap 

while I was wrapping away. 

NOTE: those gifts are not completed yet - I usually wait until a few days prior to Christmas to put on all the fixings like ribbons and bows, so they don't get smashed or pulled off by the cats while they're under the tree.  

in case you're interested, the red shiny paper and the HO HO HO paper are both from Giant, and the Christmas tree paper is from Walmart. super cheap stuff and it's actually pretty nice paper too - it allows you to just hold the scissors and glide while it cuts... ahhh, I love that. I told you... obsessive. 

if anyone needs a gift wrapper for the holidays, I'm up for it! 

I accept payment in the form of baked goods. and beer.

Happy Monday!

busy bee!

crap. I am SO behind on blogging, it is insane. I feel like I'm in a rut and I can't find my way out. again. I still need to finish my Giving Thanks series, which will be easy enough, but finding the time to sit down and do it is another story. 

I'm also really backed up on blog reading... I have almost 300 new posts in my google reader and I just cannot find the time to read them all. I've been cheating... going through and reading my absolute favorites and skipping over the others until I have a few hours to spare... which obviously hasn't happened yet. it's my goal for tomorrow to read through them all and comment accordingly. 

AND I also have tons of pictures and stories to share with you guys, including my very first college football game experience, Thanksgiving dinner, our current weekend plans (and a sneak peek into my Christmas decor), and a new book I picked up recently! new pictures will also mean more November Photo Challenge posts as well. 

anytwat - sorry I've been a little MIA the past few days... just been busy busy as always... I'll be sure to fill you guys in when I get back to normal life on Monday! 

I hope everyone (well, at least my fellow Americans) had an amazing Thanksgiving! oh, and also. I totally made green bean casserole for the first time ever and it was INCREDIBLE. and I had lots of this as well... see the pots on the stove in the background? yeah, I was in charge of all that.

happy weekend!

wee bit Wednesdays!

play along with Leigh Ashley over here!

make sure you also check out her Black Friday sale over at her Etsy shop,  
Barberry & Lace - she makes some great jewelry pieces 
that would make perfect gifts!

{one} what kind of camera do you have? I mostly use my Canon Rebel XS. I don't even know where my point & shoot is these days. 

{two} you just won $1000 and you have to spend it on yourself on one item. what do you buy? a new camera lens. no idea which one, but I guarantee it would be badass for a grand. 

{three} if you had to choose, would you rather live with your parents in the same house forever or 5000 miles away? 5000 miles away. I love my dad, but I could never live with him. 

 
{four} is your christmas tree up yet? nope, but it will be on Friday! :)

 
{five} do you bring reusable bags to the grocery store? no, but I use them to pack my lunches. when I remember to pack my lunches. haha. 

{six} which would be worse: listening to the same song on replay for the rest of your life or having to eat the same meal everyday for the rest of your life? listening to the same song. I could eat Thanksgiving dinner every single day. 

{seven} name 3 things you are thankful for this season. my husband, my family, and my friends. 

{eight} do you dye/highlight your hair? if so, do you do it yourself or have it done at the salon? I do, and I get it done at the salon. I do not trust myself with hair color. 

{nine} would you rather watch a movie at home or at the theater? at home. usually, I hate going to the movies - it's too expensive and I end up furious at stupid teenagers who think it's funny to talk the whole time. 

{ten} would you rather win $1000/week for life or $5 million all at once? I'll take the five million all at once. even if it's taxed, it'll last longer than the $1000 a week.

Happy ALMOST Thanksgiving, folks!

Wordless Wednesday

giving thanks | day nineteen

 

I'm thankful for nights like this one when Sean is out for the night. I love having alone time and having the house to myself. it's my time to watch all the TV shows that Sean doesn't like, read my book, and just relax. it's also prime cuddling time with the Bear, because normally, he's a daddy's boy. 

 

Friday night, I had a ME night, and for that, I'm thankful.

November Photo Hunt | Something Orange

giving thanks | day eighteen

today, I'm thankful for all the boys in my life, specifically my four brothers. I've never been much of a girly girl, and that's because I grew up with ALL boys - I have 18 first cousins between my mom & dad's sides and only 5 of them are girls. needless to say, I grew up wrestling in the dirt and playing cops & robbers. we'd hike through the woods and try to catch frogs in the creek. it was always me and the boys growing up, and although I was the only girl, I felt right at home with them. you couldn't tell me that I wasn't a part of the boy's club, because I fit right in with my messy hair and raggedy clothes.

I absolutely love having brothers. they mean the world to me, and I don't know what I'd do without them. they're rough and tough for the most part, but they have the biggest hearts of anyone I've ever met. they'd do anything for family, especially their big sister. we fought a TON while we were growing up, but we get along great now that we're adults. after we grew up a bit, we gained two more siblings - Tommy (who is almost 11 now) and Wyatt (who is two and a half) - two more boys to have fun with!

the bond I have with my brothers is like none other. nothing can compare to the way we communicate with each other. there are things that no one understands but us, and we are fortunate enough to share memories that no one else will ever experience.  we have a shared sense of humor and sometimes we are the only ones to laugh at each others' jokes. we've seen each other at our best and our worst, and we'll ALWAYS have a special relationship.

I'm so thankful to be part of such a large family, and I hope to have a houseful of boys of my own one day.

I'm more of a tomboy than a princess, 

and for that, I'm thankful.

makin' a list, checkin' it twice

as a teenager/young adult, I was never into Christmas much. I think it's because my mom was SUPER into Christmas, and she played Christmas tunes from Thanksgiving until New Year's. she always went all out with decorations and gifts. when she died, I didn't really feel excited about Christmas anymore... until recently.

since I met Sean, we've put up a Christmas tree and ornaments and hung stockings... but that was pretty much it. last year, I got a little more excited and added some candle holders to my "Christmas" collection, but this year... I'm fucking BAT SHIT CRAZY about decorating for the holidays. I've been keeping an eye on all my favorite home decor sites for holiday decor, and I'll be making my move on Black Friday (from the comfort of my couch, thank you very much).

so, here we have a few things that are on my dream wish list in the line of home decor. I'm going to try to start collecting pieces like these little by little so that eventually, I have all I need. I should also mention that I'm really not into kitschy Christmas decor, with Santa, elves, Jesus and all that. I like clean, classic holiday symbols such as snowflakes, reindeer, pine trees, stars, etc.

Star Vase Filler - Pottery Barn

 Cherry Bud Vases - C&B

 Pear Ornaments - West Elm

 

Silver Pillar Candles - Target

Alpine Ivory Pillow - C&B

 Holiday Card Holder - Pottery Barn

 Twig Trees - West Elm

Beaded Reindeer Pillow - Pier 1

Snowflake Candle Holders - C&B

 Mercury Votive Holders - West Elm

Reindeer Stocking Holders - Pottery Barn

Marimekko Gift Wrap - C&B

what's the extent of your holiday decorating? do you just put up a tree and call it a day, or do you go all out with window clings and electronic moving Mr. & Mrs. Claus?

fill in the blank Friday!

happy Friday, folks! 

I have yet another busy weekend coming up, but I'm excited to attend my very first college football game tomorrow - Penn State vs. Indiana. Kaycie's boyfriend, Adam (hi snuggle butt!), is a PSU Alumni, so it's bound to be an amazing day! I'm headed to the mall tonight to pick up some Penn State gear to wear tomorrow. the game starts at noon, which means we'll be tailgating in the parking lot bright and early at 8AM! 

do you have any fun plans for the weekend? 

 

ALSO - if you love Shutterfly and want a 

FREE 8x8 photo book, 

head over to Kaley's little corner and 

enter in her latest giveaway 

for a special code! 

but hurry - the giveaway ends tonight!

anywhoooooo... onto the blanks! 

this week's theme over at Lauren's place is Thanksgiving. 

play along here if you like!

1.   My Thanksgiving plans this year will include  having a macaroni & cheese bake-off with my dad, eating a delicious dinner, spending time with family, watching football, and consuming my weight in pumpkin pie. 

2.  My favorite Thanksgiving was  every. single. one. it's one of my favorite holidays!

3.  My signature Thanksgiving dish is  I've never had one, but I'm making my famous homemade macaroni & cheese this year. maybe one year I'll learn how to cook something more Thanksgiving related, but I'm happy with the mac & cheese contender. it's pretty fucking amazing. 

4.  My favorite Thanksgiving food is  pumpkin pie. and turkey. and stuffing. and green bean casserole. seriously, I can't choose. I might as well throw everything in a blender and drink it, because that's exactly how I eat on Thanksgiving. everything gets shoveled in as a group, and I'm always first in line for second helpings.

5.  Thanksgiving free association!   turkey, family, stuffing & mashed potatoes, football, kitchen, fall weather, pumpkin pie.

6.  Thanksgiving is    one of my favorite holidays. it's time with family and loved ones, and full of chaos and good times. it's also one of the only times I eat so much that I hate myself afterward. okay, that's a lie... that happens a lot.

7.  I am thankful for  everything listed here, and much much more. I'm quite the lucky gal. 

stylin'

well well well.
here we have another blog award, courtesy of the wonderful
Kaley @ a tale of three poags! woo! 

this is definitely something I needed today!
you should head over to Kaley's cute blog and give your opinion
on the name change ideas she has!

soooo... seven things about me, huh? here we go. 

[1] I consider myself to be a pretty confident person
all around (not just with appearance),
because I know who I am internally.

and I happen to like that person. a lot.

[2] I still sleep with a blankie that my grandmother
made me when I was about 5 years old. 

it has cats on it.
I'm not even joking.

[3] I let Bear kiss me in the face,
even though his breath smells
like a dead animal.

[4] I'm making some changes to my wardrobe
to include more feminine/dressy pieces...  
I'll let you know how that works out. 

I'm just tired of looking like a lazy college kid.

[5] I am the absolute definition of a night owl. 

without medication, I do NOT sleep at night.
it's quite annoying.

[6] I could eat Velveeta Shells & Cheese for days. for. real. 

[7] I am incredibly too lazy for my own good, 

but I'm aware of it, so that makes it okay. right?

passing this along to my fellow stylish blog buddies:

Alaina @ misc.alain.eous

Jess @ littlemrssunshine

Becca @ life in technicolor.

enjoy, ladies! =D

giving thanks | day fifteen - seventeen

yep, totally cheating by combining three items of thankfulness in one post. but I really need to catch up and guess what? it's my series, so I can do what I want. I find it better to be thankful for little things I can include in one post than to not be thankful at all. ;)

day fifteen - contact lenses/glasses 

obviously, I cannot see without either of these things. in fact, my eyesight is terrifyingly close to being blind. my contact prescription is -5 and legally blind is -8. freakay. one day, I hope to get laser eye surgery, but for now, I have to rely on my contacts and my glasses to allow me to see. I'm thankful that I even have them though, cause I'd be screwed without them. 

day sixteen - makeup products

I love experimenting with makeup - especially eyeshadow and eyeliner. but mostly, I love makeup because it makes me feel pretty and more confident. I know that I look okay without it, but come on... who thinks they actually look better without makeup? not this girl. I don't wear too much, but the little that I do makes me feel awesome. 

day seventeen - hair products/equipment 

luckily, I've been blessed with good hair. it's not too out of control and I can deal with it on a daily basis without doing too much to it. but I really feel like it looks and feels better when I use product in it, whether it be smoothing serum or curl gel. also, I couldn't imagine not being able to blow dry my hair or straighten it when I want to.

all these items help me to feel pretty and more confident on a regular basis. and for that, I'm thankful.

Movember [Etsy goods]

it's the middle of Movember. 

do you know anyone participating?

tote bag

necklace

key rings

on a stick

beer mugs

flask

Moosestache

stache-a-day

holiday cards

keep calm


Happy Hump Day! 

giving thanks | day fourteen

day fourteen 

I'm thankful for my home. it's amazing to have a place to call your own... I'm honestly still kind of shocked that I OWN my house, even though I've owned it for four years now. I'm also lucky that I own a house that I can afford... there are tons of people out there who, whether it be through their own faults or just life's misfortunes, are losing their homes left and right. 

not only am I grateful just to have a place to live and provide shelter, I'm thankful that I actually LOVE my house. it's been a lot of hard work to get the house in shape, and a lot of people probably thinking I'm crazy for putting so much money into a 60 year old house... but I'd rather enjoy where I live than complain about other peoples' mistakes. 

I have the opportunity to make it MINE, and I love that. back when I purchased the house, you would just think it was a typical rental - hand me down furniture, white walls, builder basic everything. now that house screams MandeeFoFandee and my personal style is all over it... from the green living room walls to the new bookshelf waiting to be put together. 

I've realized making a house a home is NOT an easy task, and it takes a lot longer than you think... we're moving slowly in phases, but it gets a little closer everyday.

although it's a pain in the ass to be a homeowner, I wouldn't trade it for the world. some people never have the good fortune to own their home, but I was lucky enough to be given a chance. 

and for that, I'm thankful. 

wee bit Wednesdays!

it's that time again! I'm incredibly busy today, but there's no way I could miss out on Wee Bits! play along at Leigh Ashley's place here!

{one} what time do you normally wake up?it depends on whether or not I showered the night before. if I have to shower/get ready, I wake up around 7:30... if not, I get up around 8AM, but sometimes I stretch it to 8:15.
{two} do you have a go-to song for karaoke?of course! it's usually "Not Ready To Make Nice" by Dixie Chicks or something by Sugarland. "Black Velvet" is another favorite.
{three} if you could only see black and white except for one color, what color would you choose to see?geez, I don't know. I don't like that idea... I like all colors.
{four} what color best matches your personality?uh, I don't know... maybe green?
{five} if you could choose one meal to cook better than anyone else, what would it be?haaaa. chocolate roll cake.
{six} how many keys do you have on your key ring?four. two house keys and two car keys.
{seven} do you give your pets birthday/christmas gifts?Christmas, yes. they always get a new pack of mice (which instantly disappear under the couch), and some cat nip.
{eight} when your plate has different foods on it, do you mix or not?almost always. I love mixing food. as a matter of fact, I'm a firm believer that corn and mashed potatoes belong together.
{nine} if you could hire someone to do one thing for you all the time, what would it be?clean my motherfucking house. PLEASE.
{ten} when flying, do you prefer the window or aisle seat?window, fo sho.