Merry Christmas!

Mr. and I wish everyone a very merry Christmas.


(Christmas Card 08 - Laguna Beach, CA)


We have been talking a lot about how next year at this time we will have a 9 month old. Wow.

Deal of the Day

I got these Rafe silver snakeskin flats over the weekend for $41!

(They are originally $245 -- that is 82% off!)

Random thoughts

Why do people feel the need to tell you…

“you know, your life is never going to be normal again…” Really? Who is it that decides what is normal?

“you are never going to be skinny again.” Watch me. I have the will power and determination of a crazy woman.

“you will never buy anything for yourself again” They must not know me very well to begin with.

“you wont be able to do __x__ with a baby” I have a friend that made a cross country trip with a 10 day old. The mom looked wonderful and the baby was great. Anything is possible.

“you are crazy for thinking you can go see Britney Spears 9 days after your due date” Who cares? I love the gal. And if I don't go see her, it is not because I just had a baby.... it will be because the tickets are too $$$.

And what I find most humorous of all is when people that have never had kids give you this advice. Kind of ironic. Listen up peeps, I am fully aware that our life is going to change, but we are excited about it. Since when did change become associated with being a bad thing?

And on a shopping note… I just got these 2 dresses. Word to the wise – Old Navy.com has MUCH better things than in the store. Same with Target.com. (I even ordered a bridesmaid dress from target.com – yes, I am going to be in a wedding 2 weeks before my due date.)

Sick and Broken

I am the one that is home sick, but my Google Reader is broken.

Has anyone ever had their Google Reader look like this? And it has to be something that happened to my computer - it opens just fine on my husband's laptop.

Help!

Savy shopper

Did you know that The Land of Nod and Crate & Barrel are owned by the same people? Therefore, you would think if both places had the same Christmas item, then it would be the same price. Wrong.

I have had my eye on these 12 days of Christmas ornaments for a long time now, but was waiting for them to go on sale.

I just checked them at Crate & Barrel and they are $39.95 + $8.95 shipping = $48.90

And at The Land of Nod they are on sale for $29.99 + $0 shipping = $29.99

Looks like I just purchased 12 new ball ornaments for the collection! Now, I just need to find something to display these on all by themselves. Something like the thing below, but I am not going to pay $50. If you have seen a cheaper version, please let me know.

Grey's Anatomy

Why do George and Izzie feel the need to bite the hand that feeds them?

Seriously.

Nobody had even heard of these two before Grey's Anatomy and now they want out. They should just suck it up and ride out their contract. Personally, I would be fine to see George go. I really liked him in the beginning, but now he just seems too whiny and is rather annoying to watch. And the Denny ghost story line.... I think I might be the only one that likes it.

The stockings were hung...

I have collected ornaments for years.... But not just any ornament, they have to be balls. Any size, color, material - as long as it is a ball, I will put it on this tree. The tree topper was just purchased, so we don't have a topless tree anymore!

My inner Martha came out with this project --I covered wooden clothes pins with cute paper and we use these to attach our Christmas cards to the garland on the banister.

Last year when I purchased our stockings, I went back after Christmas and purchased 2 more... for "future babies" ... little did I know that one would be put to use sooner than later! As soon as I get this, the other stocking will be hung. (and of course, a ball ornament will be placed inside it!)

I got this tree on Black Friday. We call it the Charlie Brown tree -- it looked pretty sad until I put the ornaments on it. Even now, it could use about 2X the number of branches and lights. We put all of the 'non ball' ornaments on this tree.

Get the sensation!

Don't these peppermint shot glasses look like fun for a holiday party?

I can imagine how good they would be with a Peppermint Patty Shot inside them!

Recipe:

1/2 oz crème de cacao
1/2 oz peppermint schnapps
1 oz cream

(No alcohol was consumed in preparation of this post....)

Famous Steve

I talk about Steve the cat all the time, but did you know he is famous?

First, he was on the website Stuff on My Cat.

And now he is in the book More Stuff on My Cat. He even has a 2 page spread!

As you can see, he was very excited upon seeing he was in print.

The only part of the picture that was staged was the Pictionary pieces on top of him... he climbed into the box and broke it all by himself.

Nursery Updates

We had a very eventful weekend, shopping for the nursery. Here are the purchases:

Rug from Pottery Barn Baby (The walls will probably be this same color yellow)

Black Dresser from Weir's (I am going to use this as a changing table also, just add a topper at one end. We did not want a changing table that was only going to be used for a little while, plus this dresser will be good for years to come.)


Black Crib from Babies r Us (The crib can be converted into a twin daybed, then a full size bed)

Diaper Bag from Pottery Barn Baby

Everything should arrive in the next couple of weeks. Now all we need is a glider... Question for all the moms out there -- did you go with the traditional glider style (the kind with wood) or the style that looks more like a comfy chair? We are leaning toward the comfy chair style. (see below)

Black Friday

Friday morning our alarm clock went off at the lovely time of 4:30AM and we were at Wal-Mart at 4:45AM. This was a first for Mr. Accountant - he has never experienced the joys of snagging those deals, while I have done this for the past couple years. I go and get my deals, then I come back home and go back to sleep. I love the excitement of it all -- the rush of getting one of only a couple items they have at that price. The mad dash around the store to make sure you got everything you want. It is a complete high that only comes on the day after Thanksgiving.

This year, Mr. went with me for the first time. I think he was a little overwhelmed by it all. (And a little tired...)

Recap:

Will I get up at the crack of dawn to save hundreds? Yes.

Do I get a rush when I am successful in getting all of my items? Yes.

Will I run around a store to get a certain item? Yes.

Will Mr. ever do this with me again? We shall see.

Have you ever?

Washed your pants on a Sunday night, hung them to dry, and then come Tuesday morning when you put them on realize they are still damp? But, it is too late to do anything about it because you are already walking out the door for work?

Oh yes.. I am wearing pants that have a damp butt and waist.

Steve the Cat

I am the proud owner of a cat that loves to snuggle.... that is until he has had enough, and then he will bite the crap out of you.

Also, I used the FREE photo editing site Picnik to play with these pictures. It is easy to use and incredibly addicting.

Fantasy Football

... is crazy! Mr. Account is in a couple leagues, I am even in one myself, but my work neighbor is insane about it.

All day long I hear his constant phone calls about the league / player trades / rules / playoffs / random stuff about all the players, etc.

And all of these conversation are held on speaker phone. I think I am going to go crazy.

Team Aniston

I know the whole Team Aniston / Team Jolie thing was so 2005, but I have always been a fan of Jen Aniston and will continue to do so.

Here is why… If I think a celebrity would be fun to hang out with / go shopping with / share a pitcher of ‘ritas with, then I like them. I think Jen Aniston fits all of these requirements. Angelina… not so much. No doubt, she is a wonderful humanitarian, but she is not my cup of tea. So, when she was recently quoted saying that she fell in love with Brad while filming Mr. & Mrs. Smith, that moved her even further down my list. Everyone knows that Brad and Jen were still married at that time. Why would she add fuel to that fire? Let the past be the past. No need to rub it in Jen’s face.

The Hair Trifecta

I have expressed how I am borderline obsessed with my hair. I am not going to lie – I love my hair and I really hope that the baby gets my hair genes. (I know that is is bad to wish for your unborn child to possess certain genetic traits, but oh well….)

That being said, come October / November, my scalp gets really dry. Not everywhere, just my hairline. Combine that with dark brown hair and well, you get the picture. I think I have finally found the right combination to solve this problem.

Olive Oil. Tea Tree Oil. Plain Shampoo.

After extensive online research, I think this is the best combination. Once a week, I will smell like I salad - olive oil rubbed onto the trouble spots, then covered with a shower cap for 30 min – 1 hour. And tea tree oil shampoo is all I use now, but I make my own. I added a couple drops to a half empty bottle of Suave clarifying shampoo and voila! I have only been doing this for a couple of days, but I noticed a huge difference immediately. Flake free, plus soft and shiny!

Self Magazine

This seems like it might be legit.... I guess we will see in a couple weeks!

Click here for a free subscription to Self Magazine. This is one of my favorite magazines - they have such great exercises and it is easy to read while working out.

Spotted

I love all things Gossip Girl... and Blair is my favorite! In this week's episode, so looked FABulous at her birthday party. Love the hair. Love the blouse. Love the makeup.

If you have an extra $1,990, you too can look like Blair. BUT, if you are wanting the top to look just like hers, then you have to make a trip to the tailor.

But my main question here is how she got her make-up to look that way. It is absolutely perfect. I am going to be on a quest to perfect that look.... tips or suggestions?

A day in the life...

Sample phone conversation from yesterday morning:

Mr: You left the milk out this morning.
Me: Did you put it up?
Mr: Yes.
Me: Why are you calling to tell me this? Get back to work.

I am not the only one that gets these types of phone calls – right?!?

Counting down the days...

I am one of those women that does not like being pregnant. People are constantly asking me “do you just love being pregnant???” And when I respond with “no, not so much…” I think I throw people for a loop. They do not know how to react to hearing that. Don’t get me wrong – I am excited about what will be here in March, just not excited with what is going on right now. And this is why I am not a fan of pregnancy….

My feet feel as though they are being smashed into pancakes with every step I take and they are numb a lot of the time.

Heart burn. The only other time in my life that I had it was when I was drinking Diet Coke like it was water.

Clothes. Who exactly designs these things? They are hideous.

I limit myself to one caffeinated beverage a day… I want more.

And I want wine.

Just because my stomach is sticking out, that does not mean you have free liberty to touch me. Hands off.

I am big and I do not like it. Yes, yes, yes I know I am growing a human life, but I still do not like being big.


Any advice to help me make it through the next couple months?

With this ring...

Man / Woman.

Woman / Man.

Woman / Woman.

Man / Man.

Who cares?!?! Love is love and if 2 people are in love and want to spend the rest of their life together, then more power to you! Just when you think the country is moving forward, things like Proposition 8 in California (and likewise propositions in other states) get scrapped.

Maybe someday everyone will be free to marry the one they love.

Spring and Fall?

This may seem like a silly question, but I am going to ask anyway...

Do you wear socks with loafers? I have a couple of pairs that I like, but I am always conflicted on what I should wear on my feet. If you go barefoot, the shoes start to stink, plus that looks funny in the winter. And if you wear socks, well that just looks weird.

Right now, I am wearing these J Crew driving mocs, but since it is about 80 in Dallas, that is fine.

Body Shots

No, not those body shots. But, I really could go for a glass of wine right now....

Own up to it

Why do people hide behind the veil of “Anonymous” when posting rude and mean comments?Thanks to the joys of comment approval, none of these will see the light of day, but it just does not make sense.

If you have an opinion – stand by it. I have mine, you have yours. No biggie…. But, if you are going to say something rude about my husband or me, then take your comments elsewhere.

Early Voting

Last night, Mr. Accountant and I early voted…. It was the first time I ever had to stand in line to vote – and we were even doing early voting! I sure hope this is a sign of things to come next Tuesday. It makes me excited to think about all of these people doing their civic duty. As we were walking into the polling place, we were laughing about how our votes were going to cancel each other out… I have kept my blog free of political commentary, but can you guess which candidate the Mr. and the Mrs. each voted for?

And the winner is....

Newly-Wedded Wife!

Laurie, please send me an email and I will get these brushes on their way to DC!

mrspreppy at gmail dot com

ecoTools

I love nice makeup brushes... You know, the kind that are super soft and you can wash them without half of the bristles falling out. (Not that I wash mine on a regular basis, but when I do...)

I was given a 6-piece set of ecoTools make-up brushes that I am going to give away to one lucky person. Just leave me a comment saying what your favorite item of make-up is and I will draw a name.

I will go first.

I love mascara. Love, love, love it. And, I have tried almost all of them. From the expensive to the cheap and my current favorite is Cover Girl Lash Blast, when paired with a primer. For primer, I just use Jane Max Lash and ditch the other half of the tube. This stuff is just as good as the more expensive primer, plus Jane is made by Estee Lauder. (You can get it at Walgreens)

You have until Monday evening at midnight to leave a comment -- I will announce the winner on Tuesday.

Circus Circus

It is a sad day.

Mother's Frosted Circus Cookies are my all time favorite store bought cookie and it looks like they are about the be nonexistent.

I need to stock up. Now.

Ribbon Wreath

First of all, let me say that our apartment was on the 3rd floor and we never had people "just walk by..." That being said, I have to admit that I still have our Easter wreath hanging on the front door. Gasp! I have had good intentions of changing it, but never found the right one to replace it with and since every apartment in our complex looked the same, people used our Easter egg wreath to find our place. I am super picky... I don't like silk flowers. I don't like super cheesy things. I don't like things with words / sayings on them. I do not want one that is only good for a month at a time. And I certainly will not spend a lot of money of the thing.

So when I came across this beautiful ribbon wreath, I knew my wreath problem was solved.

I am going to make this beautiful (and cheap) wreath for our new house. And as far as color combos go, I am going to do something that will work all winter long. Forget fall, I am going straight to winter. We have a dark red front door, so maybe shades of cream/white with some silver/gold mixed in? What color combo would you do OR would you stick with one color?

Moving means...

... living in a maze of boxes

... having to purchase a cooking utensil only to use the same one for dinner AND toss the salad. Want seconds?? Clean the utensil that was used to cook dinner.

... drinking out of the same 2 glasses for the entire week

... long days and even longer nights

... and finally, eating Cinnamon Toast Crunch in a mixing bowl, with a plastic spoon, with a box as a table



This weekend is the big move and I can hardly wait!