Fill in the blank Friday

1.   The holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year! Ha. I do love the holiday season. It’s filled with family, friends, food and good times. It is also a time to reflect on the past year and look forward to the new year ahead! This was an amazing year and I have a feeling the years will just keep getting better and better!

2.   Snow makes me  sleepy! All I want to do is curl up in the couch with my favorite blanket, hubby, and pup and call it a day! Snow makes me happy in December but I get annoyed with it once January 2 hits.

3.  The best comfort food to eat when it's cold out is   my mom’s homemade wedding soup or her Italian pastina soup. She got her recipe from my pap-pap (grandpa) and it is definitely the best soup I’ve ever had! It’s a family favorite and she makes the best!  

4. Winter is the best time for catching up on movies and saving some moolah since I like to hibernate! 

5.  I can hardly wait for the spring! My favorite feeling is taking the first walk outside when the weather is getting warmer and the sun starts shining!

6.  When it comes to holiday gifts I prefer to  give! I am horrible at keeping secrets because I get so excited to give the gifts! I also really love buying my nephews gifts and spending a little extra money on them! Hey, they’re kids and they deserve some special gifts! 

7.  If I were to rate my excitement about the holiday season on a scale from 1-10, I would say I am at about a   10! I love Christmas decorations, holiday movies and music, and spending time with my family and friends! I feel like the holiday season snuck up on me so I’m going to enjoy every second before the gloomy January and February hit.

What I am thankful for...

Here is a list of what I am thankful for this Thanksgiving!

I'm thankful....

...to be married to a great guy!

...for my sweet little dog baby, Hannah

...for my wonderful family and family traditions. I can't wait for the Thanksgiving Extravaganza that takes place at my house on Thanksgiving. Let's just say...4 turkeys, beef, duck, fish, infinite amounts of sides and desserts, and close to 50 family members. Wowza (pictures to come on Monday!)

....and for my wonderful in-laws! I really lucked out!

....for my friends. I have a really special group of friends and I think we have a different dynamic than most groups of friends. No drama, no jealousy, just a group of friends who want to see nothing but the best for those around them. So thankful I surround myself with this group!

....for my sweet, sweet nephews. I love them so much!! And I am practicing my baby skills for when we have kiddos...someday!

....for my job! Great company, great boss, great co-workers!

....for lobster. Just had some at the Melting Pot a few days ago and I'm thankful those little guys gave their life so I can fill my belly and enjoy my favorite food. mmm, sorry little lobster!

....for our apartment. I love, love, love our little humble abode. Not the nicest or the biggest but it is ours and we have already made some wonderful memories there!

....for freedom! Freedom isn't free and I am so thankful for those Men and Women who give up their holidays with their families to protect all of us. Especially to my bro-in-law, who I know would do anything to be home with his family.

....for the love God always gives us. Although I do not attend church like I used to, I am so thankful that He is always there to hear our prayers.

What are you thankful for??

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pinterest DIY craft - Christmas decoration

Pinterest

Woo hoo!

I got inspiration from this:

and made this:

In the jar are tiny Christmas bulbs and spiced pomegranate popperie.

It isn't the same as the original photo but I wanted to make it my own! Can't wait to try more DIY ideas!

Fitz and the Tantrums - TONIGHT!

Tonight is the big Fitz and the Tantrums concert! If you haven't listened to them, you should. Their music is upbeat and different and I heard they are amazing in concert. Plus, the concert is at my favorite venue, Newport Music Hall so tonight is definitely going to be one for the books. Here are some of my favorite songs from them:

Recap and pictures from the show will be up on Monday! Happy weekend, everyone!

Productive Weekend!

And it is the start to another work week, *sigh*, but I had quite the productive weekend so the start of this week seems much more do-able now.

We started out the weekend on Friday night by celebrating Kevin and Megan’s birthday at Dave and Busters. I had never been there before and my expectations were met plus some! We ate some tastey food and drank even tastier beer (mmm yuengling!), we then hit up the games! I love playing arcade-like games and to top it all off; I won the jack-pot on one of the games and got 1000 tickets! That’s right, 1000 tickets! It’s safe to say I was a lot more pumped about it than anyone else around me and bragged to many people who did not care, but hey! I never win games so I was so excited. Jas and I got Megan and Kevin some little gifts since it was their bday then we got a Stewie doll for Hannah and a blow-up hammer toy! I proceeded to hit anything and everything around me.

Saturday – My mom came to visit! We went shopping down in the Short North and got some goodies! She spoils me too much ;). I always love visits from my mom and wished she lived much closer to me so I appreciate every little minute we get to spend together!

I got this cute little dress from Francesca's!



Love my mom! Thanks for coming to Cbus to visit :)



Sunday – Sunday was the besties birthday!! To celebrate, we headed to the Jeffersonville Outlets and did some shopping damage! We both had high hopes to be productive and I would say we accomplished our goals! Megan got some goodies for her home (an amazing bedspread from Pottery Barn), some Christmas gifts for her family, and some goodies for herself! I got about 85% of our Christmas shopping done. It is Nov. 14 and we have almost all of our shopping done. Boo-yah! I also got some little goodies for myself too ;)

Got this cute and comfy sweater from the J. Crew outlet

As well as this little tank!

Two of my favorite people to buy for are my two adorable little nephews, Kade and Quinn! I love, love, love little baby outfits and I love baby Christmas outfits even more! Check some out the cuteness I got for them!


cute little Santa hat for Quinn!





And this adorable sleep outfit for Kader-tot! "I'm a crack up"

Overall the weekend was a huge success. Got to celebrate two birthdays, a visit from my mom and got to almost finish all of our Christmas shopping! I am so ready for some Thanksgiving feasting and to start decorating for Christmas! Yay holidays!

The Birthday Bunch!

This is a very special weekend so it deserves two posts! Look at me go! ha. So this weekend is kiiind of, ok let's be real, it's a pretty special weekend! Three of my bff's bday's are this weekend.

Today is Hannah's boyfriend's bday/adoption day! Yayy Gunner! He is such a handsome little man and he is Hannah's main squeeze. She loves him and they play so well together. He brings so much joy to Kevin and Megan's life and I know they love him so much. He is one goofy and happy pup! He can't help but shake his whole butt and tail when he gets excited! Have a happy, happy, dog day Gunner! We love you!

Gunner!

Next up on the bday calendar is Kevin!  Kevin will be turning the big 2-5! wowzers! Kevin is my hubby's best friend and my best friend's hubby! He's probably one of the nicest guys you will ever meet and makes Megan so happy! He is also good at building things. He built their awesome deck and he is helping his Dad build a whole dang house! He'll have to give Jason some pointers when we get a home someday! Kevin was the best man at our wedding and just an overall great guy. We're lucky to have him as a friend! Happy birthday tomorrow Kevin! Enjoy your special day!

Kevin

And the last but not the least birthday of the weekend is my best friend Megan's! How cool is it that Megan, Kevin, and Gunner's birthday are right in a row! Big celebrations for all three! Love it. Anyways, as you all probably know, Megan is my bestie and deserves to have an amazing birthday! She is so giving, loyal and has all of the qualities a person looks for in a friend. And the best way to celebrate her bday? Shopping trip at the Jefferson Outlets! So excited for a day full of shopping! Yay! Have a very Happy Birthday on Sunday Megan! Can't wait to celebrate with you!

Megan on the O'Dell Honeymoon!

So happy, happy, happy birthday to a wonderful dog and two wonderful people. I hope your special days are as amazing as you guys are!



The birthday bunch!

PS - We are going to Dave & Busters tonight with the whole gang to celebrate. Who's super excited? This girl. I've never been there before and I can't wait to celebrate an amazing couple with all of our best friends!

Can it be 5pm already?!?! Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Veteran's Day

11-11-11. Today is Veteran's Day. Today is a special day to give thanks to all of the service men and women who give up so much to protect our freedom. This year seems closer to my heart because my brother-in-law, Mitch, is away from his wife and four boys serving our country. After Christmas, he will go to Afghanistan and Heather will be home with the boys. They are a magnificent family and are going through a really tough time right now. Check out Megan's blog post about their amazing family and how you can help out this Veteran's Day and holiday season. Here are some pictures of my favorite servicemen!


My Papp-Papp served in WWII and was a member of the military band. He played and fought for our country. He has some amazing stories and I love to hear about his days in the band and his adventures around the world. Thanks for your service Pap! I love you so much!

This is a recent photo of Mitch during his basic training. His caption for this picture was "just a little dusty in the gunner's seat." Thanks for giving up precious time with your family to help keep our country safe and free!

This is Andy! My future brother-in-law. He is a staff sergeant for the United States Air Force. Thank you for your service Andy!

"I think there is one higher office than president and I would call that patriot." -Gary Hart

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." -John Fitzgerald Kennedy

"On this Veteran's Day, let us remember the service of our veterans, and let us renew our national promise to fulfill our sacred obligations to our veterans and their families who have sacrificed so much that we can live free."  - Dan Lipinski

Thank you to all Veteran's for sacrificing so much for our freedom. We are forever grateful and I thank you each and every day. God Bless you and God Bless the USA!



 



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It is no secret how much I love dogs, especially my little Hannah, so this week I am dedicating this post to my favorite dog quotes and images! I realize that the majority of my posts are about either my hubby or my dog. What can I say though, they are the two loves of my life!

puppy's hate baths! at least mine does :)

Every doggie parent should read and live by these!

Adoption :)

I'm a huge advocate of adopting dogs. We adopted Hannah from the Franklin County Animal Shelter and we are so happy that we chose to do that. She was on super-sale since she was a full grown dog who had made her way back to the shelter a few times. She was adopted from the shelter, then ran away and the owners never came to pick her back up. Their loss is our gain. She is an amazing dog who has been through a lot. I think that just makes her more appreciative of the love we have and give to her!

Hannah is highly offended if you call her fat! ;)



so true :)

This post makes me want to go home and hug and love on my pup! If you have a dog out there, go home and give them some extra loving tonight. I'm sure they will love you right back!

You know what really grinds my gears....

Family Guy is my go-to show when nothing else is on and last night, while waiting for Modern Family to start, was the episode where Peter talks about what really grinds his gears. And it got me thinking about what really grinds my gears so here are a few...

1. Kim Kardashian and this whole "wedding" and divorce drama. First of all, did she EVER talk to Kris about their future or big issues that come with being married? Probably not since she said she didn't realize what she was getting into. That's what pre-marital counseling is for, Kim. You probably didn't have time to do this very important part of the wedding planning though process because you were filming your TV show and creating your Fairytale Wedding. Priorities people. BTW - who really thought this wedding would last when Lindsey and Dina Lohan were invited? Not this girl.

2. When you buy a bag of chips and, while the bag looks to be full from the outside, you realize when you open it that the bag is actually half empty. That's right. This is a situation where the bag isn't half full, it is definitely half-empty. Thanks, Lays.

Looks can be deceiving

3. When someone is driving 55 MPH in the left lane of a 65 MPH highway. Move it, or lose a back bumper, car!

4. When the neighbor's dog is an unwanted 6AM alarm clock. I get to sleep in until 7, dog! Pipe down, you really cute pup! It's hard to stay mad at you....

This is exactly what the pup looks like. See, cute, huh?!?!

And that is what grinds my gears today. What grinds your gears??

Happy Birthday Hubby!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful hubby! He *might* be reading this so here are 24 reasons why I love my Jason!

1.       He is a very caring individual. Not just to me or our friends and family, but to everyone he meets.

2.       He makes me laugh.all.the.time.

3.       He sings karaoke and doesn’t care if he’s the only one singing or in a room of 500 people. He loves it and I love that he loves it.

4.       He never makes me take the trash out. What a gentleman.

5.       He always takes Hannah out to potty at night. He’s protective and my safety is his #1 concern

6.       He dances to the beat of his own drum. I love how he is an individual and doesn’t care what people think of him.

7.       He loves animals and I swear he wants to have Noah’s Ark someday.

8.       He values life moments over money and materialistic things

9.       He appreciates the little things I do for him like making him a simple cup of coffee or waking up early on his bday just to make chocolate chip waffles J

10.   He makes funny Hannah voices with me

11.   He lets me have nights where I just veg on the couch while he cooks dinner

12.   He knows me inside and out. He can tell when I’m mad, sad and even better, he can tell the difference between the two without me even saying a full sentence.

13.   He grabs my hand and holds it for no particular reason

14.   He is weird and so am I. Being normal is boring anyways.

15.   He’s not afraid to put me in my place when I’m being a brat. And he does it in a nice way. Hey, someone needs to bring me back down to earth when I get too wacky.

16.   His sisters are two of the most important people in his life and he loves them to death.

17.   He loves and understands how important my family is to me.

18.   He is going to make the most wonderful daddy someday.

19.   He sometimes sacrifices getting his choice of food at the grocery store to satisfy my picky tastes (ok, I’m working on expanding my taste pallet)

20.   We love all of the same TV shows, give or take a few. (He hates the Real Housewives of anywhere…I love them. He loves Walking Dead…it scares the bageezies out of me)

21.   We both do our share of the house chores. And sometimes I even come home to a clean kitchen without having to even ask <3

22.   He loves the Browns and the Buckeyes! Yay for football! But he also doesn’t let football take over the entire TV schedule on the weekends.

23.   He has great taste in music and has introduced me to so many great bands.

24.   We have so many dreams, ideas, and goals for our future together. I can’t wait to celebrate many, many more birthdays as husband and wife.

So Happy Birthday to my husband and best friend. I love you with my whole heart and soul. Have a great day, Schweets!

A Very Furry Halloween

Halloween is just around the corner and I don't know about you, but it has totally snuck up on me this year! Seems like just yesterday I was Spongebob, Jason was Shrek, and Nanner was a Banana Split:



See?? :)

Anyways, one of my favorite things about Halloween is dressing up your furry friend! Hannah's costume is TBD but here are a few HILARIOUS costumes to consider:

and finally....

I hope you all enjoyed looking at these as much as I liked posting them! What are you going to dress your furry friends up for Halloween??