Happies, Crappies, & Thanksgivingsies.

• Adele's "25" - holy moly. So great. I feel like her music is almost on the level that Dave Matthews Band is for me. I can listen to Dave any time in any setting and get something different from the same album each time I hear it. She is incredible and her voice... wow. Just wow. Moving. Lovely. Beautiful.
• I can't wait to go to Disney with the kids. I just can't wait to see their reactions and have so much fun all together! My Disney Addict level is at an all time high lately... I've been reading all I can stand about the parks and movies and just everything in the fandom. Not to mention, all the amazing Star Wars stuff happening recently. Such an exciting time to be a Disney fan!
• Molly is really communicating with us lately. While Molly still really doesn't have words yet - she has been surprising me lately. Just tonight she was fussing SO MUCH when I took her over to change her diaper. She kept trying to reach for something but everything I gave her was wrong... finally out of desperation I just said, "Molly what do you want?" and she stops crying and says, "Dow." So I said, "Down?!" and she said "Jes!" Which I can only take to mean "yes" and I was FLOORED and just plain shocked. Not to mention so happy!!! She can understand me AND formulate her answer! Big deal over here!!! She's also saying versions of thank you ("kank oo") and of course da-da. She can sign for food, more, and all done. She has also started saying "ew" which is HILARIOUS.

• I saw the last Hunger Games movie while in Nashville for Thanksgiving and WOW... it definitely does not disappoint. So now I'm rereading the books, again. I've lost count how many times. I hope Suzanne Collins is proud of herself - she sure ought to be. And I hope she decides to write more about Panem. I would read it in a heartbeat.
• Thanksgiving was great! And hilarious. The first night our air mattress wasn't sealed correctly and it was probably the worst night of "sleep" I have had in a long while. But it ended up leading to one of those delirious laughing episodes that hit me on and off the entire next day for no reason at all. Tony figured out what was wrong with it and fixed it the next day. So that first horrible night of sleep made sleeping on a regular air mattress the next night seem like a luxury!

Halfway through the night I switched to a blanket on the floor. Somehow that was better than a deflated air mattress. Both were awful, though!

This is Tony sandwiched in the middle of the air mattress. Each time I see this picture I laugh uncontrollably!

• Being around my sisters was just what I needed. It was so great. And it was awesome to spend time with my niece, nephew, and brother-in-law. The food was excellent - as always. John is such an awesome cook and thank goodness for that because the rest of us are kinda somewhere around mediocre at best! 

Molly, Matthew, Presley & Anne Marie

• We also got together with Tony's parents and Granny for Thanksgiving and that was great. When you're with people you love fun just comes effortlessly. I'm so incredibly grateful to be part of their family.

Mike, Selena, Presley, Granny, Tony, Me & Molly

• I got Tony and I some new throw blankets from Kohl's for "Christmas" while they were on super sale... and I can't ever keep secrets or surprises from him so we already have them on the bed. And they're so soft and awesome and I love them.
• I'm so happy to see my husband when he walks in the door at night. And so are my kids. I'm glad I get to see how happy they are to see each other at the end of the day!

• Money still does not grow on trees. Darn.
• Furthermore, time machines don't exist. Still.
• Also, how are showers not made easier at this point? Anyone remember the Jetsons? Where are we at with that technology?
• I live much too far from the people who get me the most. Why is it that is usually the case?
• The bad thing about blogging is most of the time you can't share the really bad stuff going on with you. And in most cases that's what you most want to share. That's something that really gets to me lately.
• Teething. Ohhhh, curse you teething. (Though we need and love and appreciate our teeth... we really do! But teething is not a fun process.)
• My husband still works too much. That's not going to change anytime soon but this is one spot I feel like I can vent about it. I hate that he's gone so much of the day. Eleven hours of work is so much in a day! If we didn't live so close to his place of work then we would have to contend with a commute as well. I can't help but think how short life can be and if we're working so much of our life - what quality of life are we living? It makes me feel sad.
• It gets much too dark much too early.
• Our favorite neighbors are moving. Not that we ever do neighborly things with them, but they are always nice and have been welcoming and have a kiddo around the same age as ours. Just nice people. Hate to see them go!
• Found out my insulin level is pretty darn high. Not great. Going back to the doctor on Monday to talk about what that'll mean from here on out. I had gestational diabetes with Molly so this isn't uncharted territory. I had a feeling I needed to get to the doctor and I'm glad I did. I'm sure I'll have more to share Monday.
• Another awful, awful shooting this week. So many beautiful lives lost. I wish obtaining a gun was checked and balanced as much as owning a vehicle or a drivers license... except even more rigorous. And why does anyone need such huge guns to begin with? If the issue is having the right to defend ourselves with firearms, won't a pistol be enough? It just makes me feel so incredibly dejected.

I changed up the layout for the blog... let me know if anyone has trouble reading it. Hope everyone had more happies than crappies this week! 

End of the Week: Happies & Crappies

•  My sweet little crazy angel baby, Molly, broke the screen on my iPhone this week which resulted in an emergency visit to the Apple store for a new screen. (And a momentary, pathetic mini-Mommy-meltdown... thank goodness for my thoughtful husband who is the best daddy out there.) The Apple folks explained that my phone could fail some tests if the damage extended to the inside of the phone but that it rarely happened. In that case they would replace the phone with a new one for the same price as the repair ($129). Well, it failed. And I got a new phone.
• When I backed up my phone I synced it with my iTunes account on my computer. Our computer is really old. When I brought the new phone home it was updated beyond the capabilities of our computer. So we got a new computer. Thank goodness for 18 month financing with zero interest at Best Buy! 
• Now I have to learn to use an Apple computer. Which is much, much different.
• You think I'd be psyched about all these new purchases, but we literally just put in our big, final payment for our Disney vacation. So now is not a comfortable time for additional spending. Especially with the holidays upon us. Again, what was I thinking?
• I'm pretty sure my "new" phone is just "new to me" and might be refurbished as I'm already having really stupid issues with it. Still, it's much better than glass falling out at me every time I try to use my phone.
• Also, my baby is a beauty. We are going to have to beat away the potential dates away when the day comes. And that probably won't be very fun. ;)

• It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. And holidays make you miss the people who are no longer here to celebrate with you. Missing you, Dad. Always. But especially during the Christmas season. My dad was such a good person to spend the holidays with. He also would've made such a wonderful Grandpa who would be so loved by my little girls. And really wishing Papaw Gordon (my husband's grandfather) was still here with us. Last week it had been a year since his passing. No matter what, I swear, it's never easy to say goodbye to the people you love. And while I loved Gordon, I didn't get to spend much time with him. But I do spend a lot of time with his daughter. And Selena means a whole lot to me. And knowing how much she and the rest of her siblings miss their dad is sucky... I hate it for them. 

Not sure what year this was... one of the 90s

One year ago Gordon Naylor took his last breath here on Earth. He left behind his family, friends, and his pain. This man continues to live on in the love he spread to his children, grandchildren, and his great-grandchildren and his legacy will never cease. I'm very grateful to this man for giving me some of my most cherished blessings - without him I wouldn't have the family I do now. I'm so glad to have known him and only wish to have spent more time with him. Thinking of all the Naylors who are continuing to miss him and who remember him today.

• My husband is awesome and did I mention he's one of those "let's not decorate the house for Christmas until after Thanksgiving" kind of people? Well. For my birthday earlier this month and since his brother was in town, he decided to go ahead and help decorate EARLY! Yay! So it's beginning to look and feel a lot like Christmas!!!! 
• The sky was gorgeous tonight! Presley called us over to the window tonight to tell us the clouds were turning red.

• Our Disney vacation is paid in full! Woot. Just feels good. Less than a month to go.
• The girls and I FaceTimed Breanne, Emory, & Emalynn (my cousin and her kiddos) earlier in the week. No idea why this isn't a weekly thing but I loved seeing them!!! Made all the distance melt away.
• While I was reading this heartwarming/heartbreakingly beautiful post on the many first and lasts while parenting, Presley was eating lunch and I was sitting on the couch. She looked up over her food and out of nowhere asked if she could sit on my lap and eat her lunch. The timing couldn't have been better. (She is not big on cuddling and never has been.) And just perfect. It might've only lasted a few short minutes but it was just right.
• The girls continue to be so great to each other. Molly has been so great at being gentler lately. She woke up from her nap yesterday and got into her swing and just cradled her baby. Sweetest thing!

• Lists! I love lists. I've started tons of lists for our upcoming vacation and it's helping me get so pumped. I'd like to slowly start packing soon. By the way, GOD BLESS SOUTHWEST AIRLINES! They allow you to check two bags/items per ticketed person and one of those items can be a pack & play. I have zero packing anxiety thanks to Southwest! 
• First snow of the year for all our QC peeps. And none here! Praaaaaise Jesus.
• We've been doing Elf on the Shelf for Presley (and kinda Molly) every day and she has been loving it. And of course so have we!
• On Sean's (Tony's little brother who lives out West) last night in town we all went to see all the Christmas lights at Starry Nights inside Shelby Farms. It was so much fun just being all together. Presley was sooo pumped about all the Christmas lights! We drove around sitting in the back of her Papa's truck and that made it all so much more fun, too.

Both girls playing in the fake snow. I love fake snow!

So that's a little about our week. It was kind-of a more boring week. We stayed home a lot for no reason other than it's just easier to stay home. I'm hoping to get out more with the kids next week and spend more time outdoors and maybe at the zoo & Children's Museum, too. Now, I have a question for my married or formerly married people out there. Do you wear a wedding band and an engagement ring? I'm asking because I find it interesting that some people who wear both wear the band on the inside and some on the outside.

Which way do you wear it, and why? I wear mine on the inside - like the picture here on the right. I'm not quite sure why but I've heard it's because you wear that one closest to your heart. No idea what made me wear it that way, honestly, though. Anyways, that's it for this week! Looking forward to more days and more blessings. Have a happy one!

Happies & Crappies

It's been a long time since I've done happies and crappies for the week... so here we go. Here are some of the good and bad things that have been happening recently.

• My husband usually gets two days off a week - Sunday and one other day (either Monday or Saturday) - and for whatever reason that I don't understand, they stopped getting that second day off. So... he has been gone even more than usual. Which was already TOO MUCH. It's just been a big bummer lately but I feel like I've been doing pretty well at not letting it get me too down. I feel like it's really bad business to not take care of your employees and to not give them the time off every week that they deserve. Too many bosses and not enough leaders...

• I ran over a nail or something like that here recently. Thankfully I have a fantastic husband who has access to a lift at work and patched (plugged?) it all by himself. Always impressed and awed by his car savvy and selfless nature.
• Our house is a constant mess/disaster zone.
• Daylights savings. WHAT. WHY. It seems so unnecessary. Can someone please explain to me why in the world we still do time change?
• Our computer sucks. It really is on it's last leg of life. We've had it for a while and have loved our desktop very much but I think we might make a big switch over to an Apple laptop and an external hard drive when this one kicks the bucket.
• Jonathan, my future brother-in-law, will not be at our family Thanksgiving. Bums me out! I love spending time all together and it only happens maybe once a year if we're lucky so I'm not happy about that. We'll miss him! So we will just have to get together for the New Year or sometime after Claire (my niece who is due at the end of this year) makes her appearance.
• Mockingjay Part Two isn't out in theaters yet. I am so ready to see it! But... that means that The Hunger Games series will be COMPLETELY OVER once we see it...... I don't know how to deal with that. So sad.
  

• My grandma had a pretty major surgery last week and it went well. I'm so, so glad she is okay and on the mend. We are planning to see her next month and I cannot wait to hug her and for Presley to get to talk to her and Molly to meet her and to just be with her. It'll be a short visit and I'm already regretting that we won't be there longer! But like I said - I am so looking forward to seeing her. 

  

  very special woman

  It's been over two years since our last visit and while I honestly cannot believe that so much time has passed so quickly, it definitely feels like it's been a long time since seeing her.
• Sean, my brother-in-law, is visiting from California! It's been a year (I think?) since I saw him last and I can't wait to spend some time with him.
• I don't think I ever blogged about the SUPER AWESOME date night Tony and I had the other night. We went to the Cannon Center for the Memphis Music Hall of Fame induction and then out to dinner at our favorite place in Memphis to get burgers - Dyers! 

  

  eating at dyers in our usual spot

  It was one perfect evening. We got to see Justin Timberlake be inducted and he was introduced by Jimmy Fallon (of the Tonight Show).
  
  
  Super special night! Watching the CMAs the other night and seeing Justin Timberlake with Chris Stapleton perform just made me feel so lucky all over again that we got to see him!!!
• My birthday is next week and I LOVE MY BIRTHDAY! I mean, who doesn't enjoy their own birthday? I'm excited to turn 28 and looking forward to another beautiful year with my family here in Memphis. Tony already told me I am making my own birthday cake because it's been a while since I've made my signature funfetti cake + buttercream frosting and he said he can't top that!
• Halloween was excellent! We had fun this year with two little trick-or-treaters! Well, kinda. Molly can dress up and walk around but hasn't quite started holding her bag by herself yet... :) We went as Andy's toys (Presley: Buzz Lightyear, Molly: alien, Me: Mrs. Potato Head, Tony: Mr. Potato Head) and the ninja turtles. 
  
  
  

  

  thanks to my mother-in-law for this photo

  

  my big sister made our potato shirts

  
  I'm already looking forward to what we could dress up as next year!!! Oh, and of course I bought the girls a bunch of Disney princess costumes after the holiday was over and the markdowns started.
• Looking sooo forward to Thanksgiving with my sisters! Can. Not. Wait. 
• My husband is awesome. I just cannot seem to get enough of him and I don't want that to every change! 
  
  So grateful for this man I married.

That's it for tonight. I'm sure I could keep going but I'm not sure anyone would want to read it! :)  Happy Friday, guys. Happy weekend!

Happies & Crappies.

Today is so not my day.  The beginning of today was so not my day.  Thankfully, it all turned around and ended on a sweet note.

CRAPPIES:

•  Drove over an hour round trip to Memphis Lights Gas & Water downtown to pick up some paperwork that MLGW sent to our new home but never ended up making it to us somehow... they told me I had to visit their office as they couldn't send it back out (awesome).  Of course it is in the 30s-40s today and VERY windy + Presley has a cold and a very runny nose.  Great combo!  The trip ended up being a WASTE of time (don't even want to get into that fact).
• To top of the morning's trip - while Presley and I were crossing the street, we hit the trolley tracks just right wrong and the stroller flipped over to where Presley landed face down on the pavement and I landed belly first right into the handlebars.  iPod, iPhone, and keys go flying everywhere... all in the middle of the street!!!!  AHHH!  I just wanted to give up.  Poor Presley was SO upset because I'm sure that did not feel good.  I gave Presley the option of getting back in the stroller or walking the rest of the way and needless to say the stroller became obsolete after that accident.
  

  

  This is pretty much EXACTLY where we bit the dust in the road.

• Once we were home, Presley somehow rolled off the couch while she was laying there.  This girl cannot catch a break today!
• I'm not sure what caused it to be exact, but now that Presley is in her room for a nap, I have got a splitting headache.
• Seems like no matter when we try to plan a trip to visit Amanda, John, Anne Marie, Sammy & new baby Matthew - something comes up and makes it a little more difficult to execute. 
• Just been missing my QC friends a whole heck of a lot lately.  It sucks that so many of them were just becoming mommies as I was leaving and now not only am I missing out on their sweet friendship but also missing out on the mommy/kiddo moments we could have had.  I know life goes on and our friendships will, too, but it's just been bumming me the heck out lately.
• I've had Disney on the brain lately and just constantly find myself dreaming of going back on my honeymoon with Tony again.  I know that we would probably be homesick the moment we got there for our Presley girl and wish she were with us... but a toddler at WDW sounds like less of a vacation to me then if it were just the two of us.  Not to mention, financially, that kinda trip just won't be happening anytime soon!  But for some reason I just can't tell my brain to drop it!!! 
  
  
  

HAPPIES:

• Tony & I got to go on our first date in a long long time and it was so nice!  My mother-in-law came over to spend the night on Saturday and watched Presley while Tony & I went out to dinner at Chipotle!  We just watched the Chipotle special on Netflix and it really made us want to go there.  And it was DELICIOUS.  Seriously awesome, fresh, good food!
• When we wiped out in the middle of the road downtown, this nice guy ran over to us from way down the street to make sure we were okay.  He told me I was doing a really good job taking care of my baby and that she was a tough little girl.  He offered her a cough drop - which was sooo nice but I had to decline because sometimes the crazy people ARE the nice ones!  Even with the minor creepy factor, it was really touching that he would come all that way to check on us.
• My OB/GYN office called me today to give me the information for our referral to the maternal fetal medicine doctor for Molly's kidneys.  My appointment is about two weeks away and thankfully on a Monday so hopefully Tony will be able to take off that day and go with me.
• Speaking of kidneys... I get frequent e-mails from WebMD on various topics and yesterday I randomly got an e-mail on the function of kidneys!  I thought that was a nice little refresher and a funny coincidence.
  
• Thankfully, Matthew's baptism is coming up in a few weeks.  So, even if we can't coordinate a trip, we will definitely be meeting him then.  (Which hopefully we can just do both - go visit them and then see them again on baptism weekend!)  That weekend should definitely be a good one - a bunch of family in town PLUS we're having our housewarming party the day before his baptism!  Can't wait!!!
• I took a short, glorious nap while Presley napped.  Didn't plan on it, but definitely must have needed it. 
• For the second day in a row, I was able to run errands sans Presley after Tony got home from work.  He's such a good man/husband/daddy/lover! :)
• Since the weather turned cold today (and tonight), Tony had the great idea to use our fireplace for the first time!  HEAVENLY.  And he suggested chicken tortilla soup for dinner - another huge hit.  (I used the recipe above plus lime juice, salsa in place of rotel, black beans, cumin, chili powder, minced garlic... and topped it with shredded cheese, avocado, & tortilla strips! YUM.)  Ended the evening with some of our leftover peach cobbler.  YUM!

Happies & Crappies.

It's been a while since I've participated in this link-up. 
It's always a fun one and good for emptying the brain!

• We are closing on our home THIS WEEK!  Which means HOPEFULLY moving in THIS WEEKEND!
• We are finally getting caught up on movies... slowly!  We have American Hustle, Dallas Buyers Club, Frozen, About Time, Rush, Prisoners, Runner Runner, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, and Hours up on deck for the next few movies to watch. 
• May seem silly, but I am so excited for Presley to have some of her favorite toys back.  She has done SUCH a great job with our current living situation & has been LOVING on the toys she does have for now... but I will be happy for her once we get everything set up for her soon in the new house!!!
• Another one that might sound silly - but I am so ready to start eating out less & making meals at home again!  I'm excited to meal plan on a regular basis and also prepare meals in advance for easy freezer "dump" meals!
• Also, hoping to start making baby wipes for Presley again once we get settled.  It'll be nice to not have to use the store bought ones.  I just don't like them as much and I can literally see that Presley's bum doesn't appreciate them as much either.
• This age/stage that Presley is at is just the best.  I can't stop laughing at all her hilarious antics and she is just smart as a whip!  She is counting so clearly and says her ABC's as well.  She loves to sing and dance and does so great at remembering lyrics from her favorite songs on the radio (Dark Horse, Royals, Happy... etc).  She also remembers lines from her two favorite movies (Tangled and the Croods).  The twos can be semi-ugly at times... but for the most part I think they are terrific.

•  My older sister and my good friend, Katie, are both still pregnant!  Just to recap - both are having boys and both are due the first couple days in April (1st & 3rd) and so, the wait continues!!!  Hoping for healthy labor & delivery for Katie, Amanda, Matthew & baby Lemaster!
• I think I might've gotten the proper motivation to start writing again for my Marriage Monday series.  We'll see about it but I hope it'll work out because I'd love to start it up again.  If you are interested in contributing to Marriage Monday by writing a marriage-related post for my blog, you can go here to read a little bit more about it!  You will also find my contact information there as well.
• If you didn't catch my mention of this in an earlier post - be on the look out for some exciting stuff coming to my blog for my readers in early April!!!
  

• There are several things that need to be addressed as soon as we move into the house.  AKA, things we need to fix.  Most of them are minor but some of them are not.  It would have been nice for a bunch of these things to have been covered by the seller beforehand.  Totally doable... but just dreading some of these stupid little projects already.  (And my homeowner friends are all like, "Welcome to owning a home!")
• Had a bad experience at Kooky Canuck's tonight in downtown Memphis.  Which sucks because we used to like that place.  And now it is dead to me... cue the Lily Eriksen look...
  
  
  And now, we hate it.  All because we brought in a Restaurant.com gift certificate that was still valid and for whatever reason the manager on duty (shout out to Chris Farsee - YOU ARE A DOUCHE) refused to accept it and suggested to take it up with Restaurant.com.  If you know me, you know I don't take "no" for an answer - especially in a situation like this from a sketchy, non-professional manager such as this guy was.  I wasn't in the mood to deal with his bullshit and resigned myself to just deal with it through contacting Restaurant.com.  We'll see how they deal with it... I've already sent an e-mail to them for them to contact me so let's wait and see.  I'm sure I'll have another rant about it again soon... so stay tuned.
•  This up and down weather.  I thought Spring meant rain... but this year it means you will just start to get used to warmer temps before they begin dropping again!  BOO!
• Stories like this.  Seriously?  Who is the sicko who designed this scheme?  And why target children?  It just makes me so angry and upset.  Karma, karma, karma.

Happies & Crappies {link up}

Every time I think I will be permanently back into blogging something throws a wrench into my little plan!  What is it this time?  Well, we are in the middle of packing up our house!  Yes, that's right... time to move on to the next place.  In this case, we are making a move from the Midwest to the Midsouth.  It's a fairly involved process at this point since we don't have everything mapped out yet... so we may end up with our stuff in storage for a while before figuring out WHERE we are going {exactly}.  But for now, Tony and I are separated by nearly 600 miles.  So, for the time-being, Presley and I are trying to keep ourselves busy!


Just wanted to bring everybody up to speed on what's going on before I declare my weekly happies & crappies!

• Reading articles about Walt Disney World make me so happy!  I just recently read one about the 5 must have Disney snacks you can score without even purchasing a park ticket.  I love getting the inside scoop about all things WDW-related!  And that article really reminded me of our last "Disney" trip that we took in July.  I put it in quotation marks because we didn't buy any park tickets or visit the parks... just downtown Disney & the pier and we had a blast.  I imagine trying to have the full Disney experience with a youngster would be overwhelming right now anyways.  Back to the list... I can't believe we haven't experienced Dole Whip... that is definitely on the Disney "bucket list" I've got going.
• It's finally December!  Presley and I are going to have our first Santa visit this week when we head to Chick-Fil-A to visit Santa Cow like we did last year.  I can't wait to see how she reacts this time around.
• Scandal (my favorite show) is new this week!
• Saw Catching Fire with my sisters last week and it was INCREDIBLE... even better than I could have imagined.  I want to see it again so bad but I may just have to settle for rereading the series.  Again.
• We got to do a lot of cool things over the last two weeks.  We stayed with my sister, brother-in-law, and niece in Nashville for a week and spent a lot of time together!  After that we headed to Memphis to spend time with Tony & some friends and family and it was wonderful.  We visited the Nashville Zoo, had two family Thanksgivings, and got to be there for our godson's 5th birthday party (I think the first birthday we've been able to be there for!). 
• Lots of uninterrupted Presley and Mommy time.

Presley and Mommy :)

Presley and her cousins Lexi & Bobby at Gus's Fried Chicken in Southaven

Presley and her cool aunts

Got to see some family we love so much

They loved their joint bathtime each night

Excited to go see the animals

Uncle John, Presley, and Anne Marie at the Nashville Zoo

• Packing is a lot more fun when your husband is there to suffer through it with you.
• Lots of uninterrupted Presley and Mommy time.  (yes... this is both a happy and crappy!)
• Presley having diarrhea on top of everything else going on.  She's currently on the BRAT (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) diet in order to help things along but after nearly a week of this... it is getting tough around here.  I've talked to her nurses at the pediatricians office and they say it's just something to overcome at home.  So hopefully it'll clear up ASAP.  In the meantime, lots of fluids and bathtimes!
• I'm still breastfeeding and therefore, what Presley has, I have.  Thus, I haven't been feeling too great lately.  I am hoping this will pass for me very quickly as well.
• I miss having my partner here for all kinds of things.  So many props to military families, long distance families, widows, divorcees, and single parents.

Trying to stick to positive thinking... so I am not going to hunt down too many "crappy" thoughts.  Plus, it's naptime here so I'm gonna go get a few things packed before she wakes up!  Thanks for sticking around and I appreciate everybody who has been keeping us in their thoughts and prayers and for those of you who keep checking in on me.  It's at these times when you feel a little bit weak that you realize who cares for you.  And it really means the world to me.

Happies & Crappies! {link up}

This is one of my favorite link ups for the fact that it is simple and the same prompts each week!  Feel free to join in using the button below.

•  I haven't been motivated lately when it comes to scheduling and planning meals for the week.  Therefore, it seems like dinner every night is somewhat last minute/hectic!  I'd like to change that for the upcoming week.
• Our financial situation has gone from bad to worse.  Because I am a seasonal employee, my hours were cut as the season ended.  Therefore, our only paycheck at this moment was cut significantly and will be even worse from here on out.  Thankfully, we are able to supplement this income with our savings... but this won't be able to go on much longer.  We have plans to leave the Midwest and move back to Tennessee... but at this point, plans to do anything are looking extremely bleak.  I know it will all work out one way or another eventually... but that doesn't help me in the meantime from worrying about HOW in the hell things are going to work out.
• Presley's been sick for a week or so with what must be a cold.  She's been so congested and I feel so bad for her!  We've added an extra pillow in her crib, turned on her humidifier, and today I tried the saline/nose-sucker combo and she just flipped out.  We've also been giving her extra showers hoping that that'll help break things up.
• We're currently on state insurance, which is SUCH A BLESSING!  Except for when it comes to certain things - for example, Presley's vaccines.  I guess the state is out of or running low on certain vaccines at the moment so instead of getting her vaccines as she normally would at her 18 month appointment, she's still waiting for them.  She will be 21 months old this month.  It just makes me upset that we can't give her things like this at the moment.  (However, it was much more stressful while we went without insurance for a few months... so having insurance at the moment is a huge relief in and of itself.)
• So as you can see, my life has a few worries in it at the moment.  When I have a free moment to think (usually in the shower), instead of it being calm & relaxing, all I can think about in my mind are all the things that I find stressful in my life.  And I hate that.
• What sucks is the money we saved wasn't meant to pay bills... it was meant to be a down payment on a future home!  But...

 

• ...thankfully we have money to pay our bills.
• Hanging out at the Quad Cities Birthing Conference today... spoke with lots of awesome vendors around the Quad Cities and listened to an informative seminar.  There were so many really great resources for parents and parents-to-be!  I especially loved my conversation with a local massage doula (Marci Worlton) and also someone from the La Lache League of the Quad Cities. All of it was free and the conference is reoccurring, which is good news.  It's also such a great way to really feel like part of a community... I can't wait for the next one!  (More information here.)
• Picking up a fountain Coke through the McDonald's drive-thru this morning.
• Finding something for both Presley & I at Kohl's today on super clearance... both items were 90% off!  Hers was $3.20 (cute pair of Osh Kosh overalls) and mine was $4.80 (super cute simple black dress).
• Tony changing the oil in the Fit & rotating the tires! (Reason #6 I love my Husband:  He is a handy man and a hard worker!)
• Having a great work week! (More on this subject later!)
• I stopped talking about it and finally went for a walk in our neighborhood today.  I've been wanting to start walk/jogging a few times a week for a while now and I just got back from a nice afternoon walk during Presley's nap.  It was great!  The trees are so beautiful this time of year.  Also, I just started using a new app to track my progress... it's called Runtastic!  I got it for free through Starbucks (they offer free apps/song downloads in the store on through their Starbucks app each week) and so far I really like it.
• Now that Halloween is over, it is time for two of my favorite months out of the whole year!  November means my birthday month plus Thanksgiving (which means getting the family together!!!) and next up is December which means advent, Santa, the Holy Family, & Christmas!  Oh... and Christmas cards!  I am hoping the current state of our life will be much different by December... I really, really, really hope that will be the case.
• I've been having a lot of good hair days lately.  Ever since I got my hair cut (last month?) for the first time in a looong time, I've been so happy with my hair.  It's the little things, people!

Thanks for reading! I wanted to end with the positive things about this past week in order to not leave you all with my feelings of doom & gloom.  Hope life is good and if you link up with Happies & Crappies come back here and let me know so I can sneak over to read yours. :)

Also... Presley was an adorable tiger, owl, and ladybug this Halloween thanks to last Halloween's clearance costumes!