My Shopping Trip

This morning I went shopping & found some cute stuff. I went to both Kirklands in town & found all of this stuff


Everything was 50% except for the little Christmas tree & sleigh but they were just a few dollars so I went ahead & got them. The candles were in the clearance section & only $1.50 each. I don't know why they were marked down. They're just cinnamon candles but I'm glad they were. I spent a grand total of $31 which I thought was a great deal!

Then I moved on to Shoe Station. I've been wanting a pair of cute rain boots for awhile but I'd never bought them. There was a 20% off coupon in the paper so I got these


Aren't they cute? I wish I would've had them Friday night. It would've made traipsing back & forth across the yard easier! I also bought a Pashmina. It's a really pretty camel color.

Then I hit the mall. Well, just Penneys. They were having a big sale & I had coupons. I got there at 12:45 & there were signs all over the store for additional savings that ended at 1:00. I don't know that I've ever shopped that quick! I didn't want to miss any savings!!! Although I did learn that the extra discounts stay in the computer for at least 30 mins. after the given time. I've never been a big dress person but I'd bought some for the summer & loved them. They're so comfortable. I thought these would both be really cute with tights & tall boots.





I got these 2 tops.



The color doesn't show up pretty in the picture. The top on the left is a maroon color. That's not a bow in the front either. The material is gathered & it's really cute. The one on the right is a sweater & it's a really pretty deep wine color.

I thought this cardigan was really cute & I'll be able to wear with all sorts of stuff.


I also bought 2 pair of pants, a brown & a black pair & a couple of turtlenecks to wear under some stuff I have.

Aside from the sales, I used $50 worth of coupons! How great is that?? By this point I was tired so I got myself a chocolate shake from Chick fil A. Sooooo good!!! If you've never had one you don't know what you're missing.

Last night we ordered pizza. Last time I ordered I discovered the greatness of ordering online. The website tells you when the pizza's in the oven & when it's out for delivery. It tracks everything. I'm not really sure about the quality control process though. It showed that Julio was checking our pizzas for their deliciousness. Does that mean Julio was eating our pizza? I can't figure out any other way to check for quality control. I just thought it was really weird.

Speaking of weird, 50 Cent was in town Friday. My friend Andrea was having lunch at Serrano's & she spotted him. I haven't figured out what's stranger, the millionaire gangsta rapper eating lunch at a Mexican restaurant or the fact that Andrea has this really weird ability to be involved in the most random things. Definitely something to ponder.

Toodles

Trick or Treat

I'm officially 36 & don't have a puppy. My "Representative" Amelia-Ann wasn't successful in convincing Dean to get me one. She's not happy. Wednesday night for day 2 of my birthday celebration we had dinner at Mike Andersons. All you can eat fried shrimp. They were sooooo good!

My actual birthday was Thursday, day 3 of my birthday celebration was a good day. The guys I work with took me to lunch at the Chimes. Another place I really love. Dean was surprising me with dinner. All he told me was that it was somewhere we'd never been before. It was Gino's! I was really excited because this is a restaurant I've always wanted to try & for whatever reason we never did. I had the lasagna & it's some of the best I've ever had. I know I talk alot about food & going out to eat but I love to eat & love to eat out!

Our neighborhood had Trick or Treating Friday night because of the LSU game tonight. Halloween is a really big deal here. All of our neighbors get together & cook & drink & just hang out while the kids trick or treat. Unfortunately, it rained this year. We still had a great time & the kids didn't let it ruin their fun. We had a full house. My parents were here, along with Dean's mom, Scott, Lydia, Logan, Dean's brother Ted & his wife Beth with their kids Drew & Camille & our friends Paul & Niki with their little girl Charli & of course there were neighbors in & out frequently throughout the night. Dean cooked some great food & I even participated & made cole slaw. This stuff is fabulous!! I had it at a party & everyone was going crazy over it so I got the recipe & tried it.

Scott & Lydia, my wonderful brother & sis-in-law brought me this


Here is Dean's mom, Mrs. Joyce with Logan


This is Charli. She was the cutest little kitten I've ever seen!


Our niece Camille was Indiana Jones. Don't ask.


This was the best costume I saw last night. Our neighbor Brian was a kangaroo & his baby Jamie was his Joey!!!


Charli was a little posing machine!


This was the only time all night that Logan was aggravated. I don't think the pine straw was very comfortable!


It's really hard to get everyone to look at the camera! Logan has a thing for hair. I think he must be jealous because he doesn't have any!!


Logan & his Nonk ready for nite nite


After everyone left we moved next door to hang out for awhile. We laughed & really enjoyed ourselves as usual.

Happy Halloween!

Extremely Frustrated

No Thugs lost. We were winning until this happened

Chris Cooley Breaks Tibia

He's doubtful for the rest of the season. Although we were winning, it's possible we would've lost anyway. We each had one guy playing last night against each other. Unfortunately for us Washington's QB is absolutely HORRIBLE. Cooley was wide open at least twice in the first 5 minutes & the QB made lousy throws. This isn't our first loss. We're actually 4-3 but this has by far been the most frustrating. We were so close. Hopefully, things will go better next week.

My birthday is Thursday. We will start celebrating tonight. It's not a memorable birthday. It's a shame I can't go back to 30 but I guess I should be happy it's not 40 yet. I know age is just a number & you're only as old as you feel but you know what? I feel about 65!! Anyway, we usually go out to eat for my birthday & I've been trying to decide where I want to go. This is always a tough decision for me. I love to eat out but I always have a really hard time deciding where. We normally always go out on Friday nights but since our subd. is having Trick or Treating Friday night (because of our close proximity to LSU & there being a game Sat. night), we're having our families over & Dean is cooking. So that means going out for my birthday wouldn't be a big deal because we wouldn't go out Friday. That combined with the fact that there are a couple of places I want to go I decided that we could go out every night this week. It didn't happen last night because although Dean lived alone for approx. 10 years & for the last 6 he's lived with me, he finds it virtually impossible to cook for less than 25. Don't get me wrong, he's a fabulous cook & we all know I'm not so I'm thrilled to death that he wants to cook but really I don't want to eat the same thing 3 days in a row. So, there's still a lot of food left from when he grilled the other night. I talked to him on the phone earlier today & when I mentioned again about going out tonight his response was "Your birthday isn't until Thursday". Does he listen to me at all??? So when I explained that I explained this last night he said he thought I was kidding. Then he told me that he thought of a surprise place to take me Thursday night. Yay, I like surprises! Tonight for dinner we had Izzo's, home of the illegal burrito. Now I know this doesn't sound like a big hoorah & it's not, but it's somewhere I hadn't ever been & according to my neighbor friend I needed to try it. I had nachos with all kinds of good stuff on them. They were delicious! Tomorrow I'm thinking about Mike Anderson's. It's my favorite.

Speaking of Izzo's, I love guacamole & if I go eat Mexican I want guacamole on whatever I get. What I don't understand is that there is always an additional charge for guacamole. I think this is a rip off. I'll pay it because I want it but it's a Mexican Restaurant & isn't guacamole like a staple for Mexicans??? I'm just saying.

Toodles!!

The other morning when I left for work my truck wouldn't start. It actually wouldn't do anything. My inside lights wouldn't come on, nothing. Luckily Dean had taken off. I was just going to take his truck to work but he said that it's some little thingy on my battery that gets loose. I vaguely remember having this problem a few months ago. So he wiggles it & it starts. He shows me how to open the hood & what to wiggle in case it were to happen again. Well, when it was time for me to leave work it was storming. I get in my truck & guess what? Yep, truck wouldn't start. Do you have any idea how hard it is to hold an umbrella & get the hood up & wiggle a thingy? It's not easy. Especially when you have to do it twice. Yep, the first wiggle didn't work. Needless to say I was not happy. When I got home Dean got tools out & fixed it. I say it's time for a new car. Unfortunately, my financial advisor (Dean) doesn't agree. When stuff like that starts happening it makes me nervous. Besides, I'll be needing new tires shortly. Why spend $1000 on tires when I can just get a new car??

Thursday night I went to a Scentsy party. A friend of mine is selling it. It's really cool candle warmer things. We spent the evening chatting, drinking wine & smelling scents. Check out her website www.scentsy.com/lisamallory. There were lots of great scents & a few really not so great ones!

This is who I spent my afternoon with Friday.


We played




And we had lunch. Logan isn't really a fan of peaches.


It was great. This baby has my heart & I wish I could see him everyday. I hope he loves me half as much as I love him!


Friday night the worst book club ever got together at my house. We had such a good time. We ate, drank & actually talked a little about books. Of course we talked a lot more about stuff having nothing to do with books. It was good to see everyone. I realized after everyone left that this was the only picture I took & everyone's not in it.


Yesterday was a pretty low key day. I had a wake to go to in the morning & then I ran some errands. The last couple of nights I haven't gotten nearly enough sleep so I took a 2 hour nap. We're watching the game now & I'm not sure what's gotten into the Tigers but they're actually playing like someone lit a fire under them. It's good to see.

This morning I got up early & Dean & I went to 7:00 Mass. My head was hurting again so I took some medicine & a nap when we got home. Today was my turn to teach Sunday School at 11:00 Mass. My next door neighbor, Amelia-Ann helped me. We had fun with the kids. They're all soooo cute. They're not shy either which makes it a lot of fun. This afternoon me & Amelia-Ann went & had ice cream at Cold Stone. It was really really good as usual. Amelia-Ann informed me that I'd missed my "Golden Birthday". I'd never heard of such a thing. She told me mine was 29 but since I didn't know about it I need to celebrate it this year. She said you always get a big gift for your "Golden Birthday". Hers was when she was 3 but since she was too young to know what it was she's celebrating it on her 13th b-day which is in 2 years & she wants a golf cart. When we got home she explained all of this to Dean & told him he needed to get me a puppy. Boy, I wish I had that childlike innocence. She actually believes he'll get me a puppy but of course I know otherwise! Maybe one day.

Fall

I follow Kelly's Korner Blog & on Fridays she hosts "Show Us Your Life". This week is fall decorations. I don't do a lot of decorating for fall, Christmas is my thing but I'm slowly addding stuff to my collection.

This is my porch. I love the mums & I'm hoping to keep them alive awhile.


This is in the foyer. The little bat says "Trick or Treat". I got it at Kirkland's this year. They had some really cute stuff & it was on sale!



This is the centerpiece on my dining room table. The iron pumpkin came from Hobby Lobby this year. The other stuff is also from Hobby Lobby that I bought a few years ago. On sale of course! I love that Hobby Lobby puts their holiday stuff on sale before the actual holiday!!



This is the server in my kitchen. I bought all of this at Kirklands this year on sale. I'm hosting our book club get together tonight & I thought these serving pieces would be cute. I'll also use them on Halloween when we have people over. I love how each little bowl has a spreader that attaches to it.



I move these little ghosts around but currently they have their own chair. My mom gave me these several years ago. I think they're adorable & the neighborhood kids love them.



This is also in the kitchen. I couldn't get a really good picture but the pumpkin says "Eat, Drink & Be Scary" & wine glass says "Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun". Another Kirklands purchase that was too cute to pass up!



I made this centerpiece for my island. I bought the cornucopia & everything at Hobby Lobby & put it all together.



Thanks for stopping by!

I Heart Hobby Lobby

At lunch today I went to Sam's to pick up some wine. Friday night I'm hosting the get together for the worst book club ever. The man in front of me was holding up the line because he wanted a bag. UM HELLO Sam's doesn't have bags. When she tells him they don't have them he looked at her like she was crazy & she looked at me & rolled her eyes. He was a little Nese man so I'm not sure he even understood what she was telling him. I've yet to figure out why he even wanted a bag. He had one item! Who can't carry one item?? These are always the kinds of things that happen to me when I'm in a hurry. Oh & you know the bane of my existence, the motorized scooter? I had one of those trying to get in front of me in line. NO DUDE, you had on shorts, I don't think you had to be back at work, get behind me. All of this could've been avoided if the EBR Metro Council didn't have the ridiculous law that you can't buy alcohol before 11:30 on Sundays. We were at Sam's Sunday morning but it was only 10:30 so no alcohol for me! I can't figure out what the purpose of this law is. Is the Metro Council trying to sober people up? I really don't think the average drunk cares what the Metro Council thinks. All they're doing is inconveniencing people like me that do their grocery shopping early on Sundays.

So I really heart Hobby Lobby. Maybe moreso than Lowe's. Monday after work I went & bought this.



Its home is going to be on the gate that goes across my driveway. I'll add a bow & some lights & shape it a little better but I think it's going to look great. I've been wanting a big wreath for a couple of years but I always wait to long & the stores are sold out. Dean knew I was buying it but when he came to get it out of the truck he was shocked. He didn't realize how big it was going to be. After I saw the look on his face I got worried that it was too big. He held it up on the gate & it's fine. Big, but fine.

Who Knew Tortillas Go Bad?!

The weekend's over. Whoever decided that we should work 5 days & only be off 2 should be shot. Seriously. It just goes by too fast. I love doing things on the weekend but that makes them go by even faster. We started off the weekend with our typical Friday night activity, dinner out. We went to TJ Ribs. It's been awhile since we'd been there & it was really good.

Saturday, I was supposed to have lunch with my friend Donna & her little boy Sean but plans were changed & that was moved to Sunday. Dean & I ran errands all morning Saturday. We got the new battery for the security system & went to Lowe's. I heart Lowe's! Supposedly, they're building one just miles from my house. That's probably not a good thing but I just can't wait!! After we ran around town spending money we went home to work. We had stuff to do in the yard. I had Mums to put in pots & some weeding to do. It was a little too windy for me considering I've been sick for 2 wks. so I went in & took a nap. The nap was followed by Mass & then back home to watch football & eat the delicious deer meat chili that Dean cooked.

Sunday it was back to Lowe's because we didn't buy enough dirt Saturday. We also made a Sam's run. I swear I spent $100 just on various cheese products. Whoever invented cheese should be named a Saint. Back home to work in the yard. Our neighbor had brought us some Gardenia's to plant. They're just pieces but she's planted some & they've done great so hopefully we'll have good luck with them. I finished pulling weeds & we moved a couple of plants around. Everything looks really good. Dean cut the grass while I cleaned house.

Here are the Gardenias.





I have them planted on either side of the gate that's on the opposite side of the house from the driveway. I hope they start to grow quickly. Otherwise, it's going to look stupid.

Lunch plans with Donna & Sean changed again. Donna couldn't get away for lunch so they came over last night for a short visit. It was great seeing them. Sean is such a little sweetheart! They'll be back in town in a couple of weeks & we hope to get together again.

This is Donna & Sean. Aren't they cute?



We all know that I am not a cook. Suffice it to say that I'm not very good at anything that goes on in the kitchen except for my ability to stack dishes in the drain ridiculously high so that I don't have to stop & dry them. Me & my mom have differing opinions on why this is. I personally believe it's her fault for shooing me out of the kitchen when she was trying to teach me but I was too slow for her. (Dean wonders where I get my lack of patience!) She thinks it's my fault for never showing any interest. The debate continues. Imagine my surprise today at lunch when I discovered that the tortillas I brought weren't any good! I had no idea these things went bad. I had this big thing of them & because I didn't want to go to Walmart yesterday to buy bread (being that Walmart & those motorized scooters are the bane of my existence) I decided that I'd just make a wrap for lunch instead of a sandwich. I thought it felt funny but then I took a bite. UGH! It was like it was dry rotted or rubber or something equally disgusting. I had them in the refrigerator but apparently they need to be frozen for future use. Don't say I never taught you anything cooking related!

Later!