What's your resolution?

Blessed

I am truly blessed this Christmas. I am surrounded by those who love me and appreciate me for who I really am. I am blessed for I have a wonderful fiance that I love more than this world, who has wonderful children who have taken me in as part of their family and loved me as much as I love them. For my parents, though they have struggled at times, I'd like to think they raised me right. I am also blessed with two sisters, who I have struggled with, but they are mine and I am theirs and I love them. For many great relatives (aunts, uncles, etc.), who have been there for me throughout the years. And for a soon to be in-law family who have blessed me with their open hearts. As I surround myself with the people who I am blessed with...I hope you are blessed as well this Christmas. Put all those differences aside and think about how blessed you really are.

Super Woman...

I'm a Super Woman...Yes I am! Alicia Keys has always hit my heart with her music and tonight she has especially hit me with her song, "Superwoman". When you are trying to find the strength to deal with the ignorance around you and you're trying to be the better person...just listen to "Superwoman" or any empowering song that will help you find the strength you need to get through your bad day.

My first question...keep them coming!

ScrapperMom asked, "I know this is your favorite topic, so I would like to know when is your wedding?..and how did your fiance and you meet?"

This is very cute of you to say that he is my favorite topic! (Blushing!) First I will begin with our beginning. Some people meet here and sometimes it can be difficult when others find out, but it was nice when we started to let everyone know we were dating. You don't want to tell everyone right away, especially if the relationship doesn't work. But I think because we met at work that it has made it easier on our relationship because we got to see each other and didn't have to go too far to do so! And now that we are getting married it's almost as if we are the relationship mascot of our company! We have a large company that has many warehouses in many different states, so there are a few other married couples who met through work. But we're the mascots at our warehouse!! LOL!

Now to answer the first part of your question, our wedding will be held in April of 2010. Having it a year and a half from now gives us time to plan and time to save. Until I really started planning and searching wedding sites online and wedding sections in the crafts stores, I didn't think I was the kind of girl who really wanted to be the "princess" bride. I didn't think it really mattered to me about certain details like flowers, colors, centerpiece arrangements, the bridesmaid dresses, my dress. But as I continue to search online, I have started to dream about the "perfect" dress, and the "perfect" way everything should look. Now I know that things don't always turn out the "perfect" way you want it to be and that there are going to be upsets...but nothing...and I mean nothing is going to upset me or ruin my day...even if the flowers don't turn out to be the "perfect blue" that I want them. It will be one of the, if not thee, happiest day of my life!

Follow the Leader!

I'm going to follow in Mrs. Chickadee's steps and play the question game! So here I go: Is there anything about me (D. Marie) that you would like to know?

How Sweet!

How sweet the blog world can be when you find some really nice gals to talk to and to get advice from. Over at one of my fav blogs, Chickadee had asked her readers to ask her a question. And I was one of the lucky first to comment!! She made a post just on my question!! And here it is:

Dropping hints at Christmas

My first question!

D. Marie asks, "OK well I want to know how do you let your husband know what you want for Christmas without having to actually "tell" him! I know Christmas is about getting gifts...but I love scrapbooking but I feel bad when I keep spending my money on scrapbooking stuff when it should go towards the wedding or other things! "

My husband has always been really good at giving me gifts. He knows what I like, but he always asks too if there's anything I want. In the past I've made a list or given him a couple of suggestions. I know that falls under the category of "actually telling him," but is that so bad?

I guess you could whisper it in his ear when he's sleeping, leave magazines lying around with pages dog-eared or it always helps to have kids who can spill the beans.

Maybe my readers have some good suggestions about this. Can you help D. Marie drop the hint?

I just wanted to thank all my readers out there for always stopping by and I hope you and your families have a wonderful and safe Holiday this year!!!

Christmas Favorites!

1. What is your favorite Christmas Movie? Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and A Christmas Carol.

2. Favorite Christmas Song? "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree!"

3. Favorite Holiday Memory? Seeing the faces of the kids, my fiance, and family members when they open their gifts.


4. What kind of cookie/treat do you like to make? The easy kind! As a kid we always put out Chocolate Chip Cookies for Santa!

5. Have you ever made an igloo? Um maybe something more like a snow fort when we had a blizzard!

6. When did you stop believing in Santa? I think I was about 8 years old maybe? I know my younger sister was born...so I was 7 or 8. But I got sick one Christmas and came downstairs when mom and dad were wrapping presents. Well that's the story I remember!


7. What makes the perfect Snowman? A small head...a good sturdy middle...and a big bottom!

8. Best gift you have ever received? My Husband-2-Be!

9. Which movie do you like better Rudolph or Frosty the Snowman? I like Rudolph because of the cute little misfits!

10.Silver or Gold? I like the color silver.


11. What is your favorite Christmas decoration? I love the tree and the lights...and the angel on top of our tree!


12. What's your Christmas decorating style? Traditional

13. Do you hang stockings? Yes, I love hanging stockings!

14. How many days do you celebrate Christmas? We put our decorations up the weekend after Thanksgiving and we will probably take them down soon after the New Year. So I guess that explains it!

15. What was your favorite ornament on the tree as a child? I loved all the ornaments that I made in school...especially the one that had my picture in it!

16. What do you look forward to at Christmas time? I love driving around looking at all the lights on the houses and I just love the spirit that Christmas brings. And of coarse spending Christmas with the ones I love.

Christmas Decorations!

Holiday Weekend!

What a wonderful Holiday weekend we had. My fiance cooked a delicious Thanksgiving feast...with two of my favorite sides...his pineapple stuffing and marshmallow yams!! I'm the only one who eats the yams...but he is that great that he goes through the trouble to make them for me. I am a lucky gal. I just cherish the holidays. We have hung our stockings and put our decorations all in a row in hopes that St. Nick will find our apartment on Christmas Eve! I can't wait to share the beautiful pictures...this year I got a little creative...well in my eyes I did!

Any how...the girls and I took it upon ourselves to have some fun with the video feature on my digital camera! I recorded some Christmas songs like, "Santa's Coming to Town" and "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree", on my cell phone and started to play them while we were decorating. That's when I got the idea to start lip-syncing to the songs and told the girls to join in!!! The videos are so funny...I laugh every time I watch them! They will def be one of my favorite holiday memories! It's so funny when the part of Santa's Coming to Town comes on because the girls look like they are screaming at the top of their lungs...but they are only mouthing the words! I'm very excited to see what fun Christmas weekend brings along!

My Obsessions:

I love checking out my favorite blogs and today I found this little self quiz over at a wonderful blog full of great things about family and life.

So here are My Crazy Eights:



8 TV shows I like to watch
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Heroes
3. Ugly Betty
4. Project Runway
5. Top Chef
6. Jon and Kate plus 8
7. What Not to Wear
8. Say YES to the Dress

8 places I like to eat
1. @ Home
2. Texas Road House
3. The Olive Garden
4. TGI Fridays
5. Outback Steakhouse
6. Bob Evans
7. WaWa (LOL!!)
8. PaPa Johns Pizza

8 things that happened yesterday
1. Slept until 8 AM...to go into work earlier than usual!
2. Spent some time @ home with my fiance and kids.
3. Played with the awesome doll house the girls made...yes they are so creative!
4. Ate some Thanksgiving leftovers!
5. Picked up my fiance and kids at the mall and did a little browsing with them!
6. Listened to Christmas music @ work!
7. Played Uno with family and the oldest daughter kicked our butts three times!
8. Read an email from my best friend and found out we will get to see her, her husband and their baby soon!

8 things I look forward to
1. Getting Married!!
2. Christmas...esp when the girls open their gifts!
3. Spending Christmas with the family!
4. Seeing my best friend's little girl grow up.
5. Relaxing at home with my honey!
6. Seeing new movies
7. Writing something new
8. Everyone getting along with each other...i.e. no more drama!

8 things on my wish list
1. To have a wonderful Wedding
2. Owning a house with my soon to be hubby.
3. Finding more time to write
4. Going to Italy some day
5. Seeing Wicked on Broadway
6. Getting away from the city
7. Getting in shape
8. Finding my perfect wedding dress

Happy, Happy!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

Three years!

One week from now will be our three year dating anniversary...or our pre-wedding anniversary!! I still cannot believe it has been three years. We have been very blessed in finding each other. I love him with all my heart. This coming April will be one year till our wedding! And I will also be trying on wedding dresses for the first time...I think I may have mentioned that before! I am most excited to see our girls (my future step daughters) in their bridesmaid dresses!!

'Tis the Season!

Thanksgiving is coming around the corner...and before you know it Christmas will be here! And the TV ads and store windows won't let you forget that it's our favorite time of the year to go shopping! I think I saw Christmas decorations at the mall the week before Halloween...it seems to get earlier and earlier every year! But Christmas isn't all about gifts...it's about family. However, I do love buying gifts for the girls!! Last year I went a little overboard...so we will see how I do this year. I'm hoping to just get a few art supplies and craft kits for the oldest girl and a doll house for the younger one...and probably a few things here and there! Deck the Halls...and get ready for the most wonderful time of the year! HO,HO,HO!

Magic Fairy Dust!

"Yep, just a little bit of pixie dust," said Peter Pan. We will be flying in the air this weekend with the new "TinkerBell" movie we bought today for the girls. They don't know it yet so we will be surprising them with it on Saturday. They are very big TinkerBell fans...they have dolls that we got them last Christmas when the movie was first advertised. This movie seemed to have been pushed back several times and I originally heard that Brittany Murphy was supposed to play Tinker Bell's voice. But now Tink is being played by Mae Whitman, who is Sandra Bullock's little girl from "Hope Floats" and Diane Lane's daughter in "Nights in Rodanthe".

Photo Credit: Overstock.com

I have done my part...

Have you done your part today? There is still some time left if you haven't...so please get out there and VOTE!!!!

Late Pumpkins!

As you can see there are only three pumpkins now...and there were four in the previous picture! My fiance's pumpkin didn't make it...it turned rotten on us! But he had a great time helping me carve the alien, which we made from some great stencils we had left over from last year. The Boo Ghost was also from the stencils, however the silly face was done by the artistic hand of our thirteen year old!! What a great talent she has become to love. We hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!!

The day is approaching...

Five more days until the big day!! I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I'm not afraid to say that I am voting for McCain and Palin. I know more this time around...I have done my research and although the person I originally wanted is no longer in the race...I will go with whom my heart believes will lead this country to a better place in the next four years. And though I am strong in my vote...it does not matter who you vote for...just vote. I am especially voicing this opinion to women everywhere. Today women have the right to do many things, but we are still paid less and treated differently. So do the right thing and vote! However, if you are voting know who you are voting for...know what they stand for and believe in. Don't just vote to say you have voted...know what you are doing for this country. Be smart and vote!

Snow in October!

There was snow here today...and it's still October! And what makes me more upset...it has delayed the World Series for yet another day!! But this passed weekend we finally got our pumpkins!! What a better experience and a better farm! We had a wonderful time going through the haunted houses, watching the pig races, and petting the goats and other farm animals they had on site. This place will definitely be our traditional pumpkin picking farm to go to every year!

Wedding Blogging!

I have to say that I am having a great time searching and finding wonderful wedding/bride blogs. At first I tried to google "Wedding Blogs" and only came up with a few sites. But some how I landed on http://with-this-ring-i-thee-obsess.blogspot.com/ and she has an amazing list of resources as does http://classicbride.blogspot.com/. Now my list of wedding blogs I am following is nonstop! I just want to thank the ladies at both these great blogs. If you are a bride 2 be or just want something interesting to look at please check out these wonderful wedding blogs that have great links to other blogs. So inspired by these wedding blogs...I will post some of the bridesmaids dresses we are thinking of: All can be found at http://www.alfredangelo.com/ in "tealness".

Keep it Going

I am very proud of myself and very proud that my fiance and I are doing this "new lifestyle" thing together. I have not worked out or continued to keep up a work out routine since I was in college. A few times throughout the last couple of years we started to work out but then just never kept our promise to ourselves. It's not hard to stop eating junk food and eating late at night and it's not hard to work out for 30 minutes to an hour 3 to 4 times a week, it's just hard to get your mind set to a new lifestyle when you have been living a certain way for so long. I see things at the store that I couldn't have when I was younger because we couldn't afford it and I just want them. And then if we get junk food like oreos in the house...well who eats just one cookie! I know I have to live a little and if I want something I can have it...I just have to work out a little harder that day. And if I do eat something that taste better than it is healthier, I eat one...not ten! There are some days when the alarm goes off in the morning and I just want to turn back over...but I tell myself that I want to work out...not that I need to...but that I want to. It makes for a happier me...a more energized me...a less moody me!

Tell me...what do you do for yourself each day...what helps keep the stress away...what makes you feel better about yourself?

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Wedding Dress Work Out

Two weeks down and many more to go...more like a life time to go! I don't want to say that I've started a diet...because diets don't work! So I say this...I have started a new lifestyle and I am determined to stick with it. Last week, since it was still nice outside, I got my exercise clothes on and walked around our apartment complex three times for three days. And now that it has been raining since Sunday I have gone inside to the complex gym to walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes to an hour based on how much I can force myself to keep going that day! I have also started to lift 10 pound weights for 20 reps, these I do at home, as well as 20 crunches. I finally began this new lifestyle because as of next April I will be trying on wedding gowns and I would like to lose weight before I have to get anything altered. I would also like no flabby arms showing up in our wedding album! After just two weeks of exercising I feel great and I wish I would have done this a long time ago. I am now getting the girls involved because every family should exercise together. Last Sunday my fiance and I got his daughters to go down to the gym with us and I'm pretty sure they had a good time! I hope to continue this routine with them every Sunday...and every afternoon I get my fiance out of bed to work out with me! It's great to work out together and to set a goal together.

Here are pictures of some of the wedding gowns I hope to try on in April: The first two dresses are Alfred Angelo, the third one is Sincerity Bridal, the fourth one is Raylia Designs and the last dress is by Moonlight.

For the Men and Women who protect and serve...

I've been trying to think of a way to start this post. One: because I don't want to write just for sympathy because I did not personally know the fallen officer and two: how do I start a post about someone who has been killed?
I was at work when I heard my colleagues talking about the tragic incident and couldn't believe that someone has killed another cop. And he not only killed this cop but he shot another one several times. The officer who was killed was running after the suspect who should have still been in jail from previous violations and somehow slipped through the system. The suspect had no regard for life when he continued to shoot the cop after he was already down. The officer was shot a total of 14 times. No one should have to die this way. No one.
So there I was sitting at work thinking about how dangerous a city this is that I work in and that I want to get as far from it as possible when I get a phone call from my mother. I asked her if I could please call her back, but then I heard that dreaded tone in her voice and I immediately knew something was wrong. At first I thought something may have happened to my younger sister because she isn't living in the best of situations right now. However, in that dreaded tone my mother told me that the cop who has just been killed was my stepfather's nephew.
WOW, I didn't know what to say...what could I have really said except that I was terribly sorry. I knew how close with his nephews he was and both he and my mom watched the football games with his nephew's parents every Sunday. He was not just "any cop" to my stepfather; this horrible death happened to his sister's son and they had already lost their oldest son several years ago. Where has the respect for authority gone? These men and women are police officers and they are here to protect and serve, they are here for US. It hasn't even been a month since the last time a cop was killed during a pursuit in this city.
I just pray for the men and women in blue and for their families. I pray for my stepfather and his sister and her husband and their daughter who has lost their son, brother, and nephew who was much more than that to his community. I also pray for all the men and women who serve this country and protect the people who live in it.

(correction made)

Scrapbooking Shopping Trip

Scrapbooking can be a very expensive hobby! AC Moore has a great selection of scrapbooking products and sometimes a beginner like me can get lost within the aisles. My eyes light up at every new item and my mind imagines different layouts for my scrapbooks. The stickers and stamps are my favorite items right now. I also love finding great background pages that go great with the themes that I plan out. At the moment I am putting together a scrapbook of my fiance and I that will turn into our guestbook for the wedding. I have a maroon colored album that has a wonderful family frame on the cover that I started to use for our book. However, I realized that our wedding colors are tealish blue and white. So I had to make a shopping trip to AC Moore to find a new album and a few more embellishments that would make our pre-wedding scrapbook complete! I found a beautiful white album with a frilly design embedded into the cover with a picture cutout frame like the one I had at home. Of coarse it was in the wrong place on the shelf and had no price tag on it. Customer Service called the assistant manager over for me and we both tried to figure out the correct price being that it was the only one left! Now was it $32.00 like the other albums of the same brand that were boxed, or was it $21.99 like the albums of the same brand that were not boxed? They were all of the same brand, however they had different description labels on the covers. At first he thought it was $32.00 like the other boxed albums and asked me if I still wanted it...no! But as he read the descriptions he figured that it was probably $21.99...thank you AC MOORE assistant manager!!

9-11-08

At first I was surprised that the images of 9-11 are still being printed and shown on television. However, the victims and their families will always remember that day and they will always be remembered by others. When I saw pictures of children at the ceremonies for yesterday's anniversary I suddenly realized how small my emotions from that day were. These children couldn't be any older than 9 years old and they probably either never met their fathers or have little remeberence of them. But instead of remembering how their fathers lived their last day, I'm certain their family members are helping them celebrate how caring and loving these men were.

No one could have known or even thought that these two buildings were going to fall. Even after the first one came down the firefighters were still going back into Tower one. They gave their all to rescue anyone they could have. And now the volunteers are giving their lives because the debris is causing cancer and other illnesses in their bodies.

9-11 happened on one day and we hold vigils on that one day every year. But 9-11 is not just recalled on that one day, it is thought about every single day. When the date comes around each year we think about where we were on that day and the thoughts that were rushing through our minds. And we may think that it doesn't effect us every single day, but in the backs of our minds we know that it does.

Hope

As I looked at the news photos of hurricane Gustav I just hoped that everyone made it out alive. I also hoped that the government has learned from their mistakes and that the local people who wouldn't leave during Katrina were smart enough to leave this time. I wish that there were better places for Americans to live than in the path of a hurricane or tornado. Why are we building in the most dangerous areas? And why do we countinue to rebuild in the same area that has been knocked down before?

Glen Foerd!!!

The first picture is the front of Glen Foerd and the second picture is in the back where the ceremony will take place. 4.24.2010!!!

In other news today....

We are putting the money down for our wedding reception and ceremony hall this coming week!!! It's actually a mansion! We are very excited to be having it there....it's practically our backyard! The mansion is next door to our apartment complex and we can see the place from our pool! About a month ago I went to Michael's arts and craft store with my junior bridesmaids(future stepdaughters!) and picked up a few things for the wedding. We have chosen blue and white as our colors with butterfly details for a few items. My best friend from college will be my maid of honor with her dress and the girl's dresses being blue.

More planning details to come...

Engaged!!!

My boyfriend has proposed! And how romantic it was...on the beach at our favorite location! We're engaged and I'm glowing with happiness!!


Forever n Always!

Summer!!!!

This weekend Summer will officially be HERE!!! I don't know whether I want to make a "Summer" to do list or just go with the flow. There are many things I want to do and places I want to go and I want to make sure I do and see some of them. Of coarse many people want to head to the beach during the summer, some don't, but I am definitely one of the many that do. Right now the sand, ocean, boardwalk, rides and just the whole atmosphere of it all are number one on my "Summer" to do list. I need to dip my feet into the sand and feel the grains run beneath my toes. I need to dive into the ocean and see if I am brave enough to adventure into the deep waters. I want to stroll down the boardwalk with my boyfriend's hand in mine while we search for the perfect Summer beach bracelet. I want to scream at the top of my lungs on the log flume when I'm the only one who gets drenched because I'm six feet tall!!
I want to get away from all the chaos of life and wish my worries away. I want to run away and have lazy summer days forever. Lately all I can think of is swimming in the pool, burying the kids in the sand, taking a late night walk on the beach with my boyfriend, and letting the wind blow through my hair while I'm stopped high atop the ferris wheel.
I write this entry as a tribute to Summer: here's to tank tops, shorts, bathing suits, flip-flops, beach towels, sandcastles, boogie boards, salt water taffy, and everything summer.

"Wicked"

I heard that the broadway musical "Wicked" is magical and a must see. In March we tried to get tickets for a May showing but they were sold out. Now I am waiting for next May's tickets to go on sale. A few weeks ago at a yard sale I picked up the book from which the musical was inspired. I am a hundred pages in and feel like I am 300 pages deep. The book is filled with astonishing details and such imaginative words. I love the way the author, Gregory Maguire, has given a voice to the Wicked Witch of the West; where she has come from, why her skin is green, and who she really is. This is definitely a "can't put it down" book. "The Wizard of Oz" has been a childhood memory for many people for many years. In 1900 Lyman Frank Baum wrote the original "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and in 1939 Judy Garland graced the screen as Dorothy Gale. 95 years later Maguire twists the story around and shows the world a new side of Oz. He makes his reader feel a connection towards the vixen who has been hated for so many years after keeping our little Dorothy captive in her castle.

I know that Maguire has great inspiration from the orginal "Oz", but what made him want to give the green-skinned witch a voice? Some might question why he is giving evil a voice and wonder why we should listen to her side of the story. So far I have discovered that everyone deserves to be heard, no matter how green their skin is. Every child deserves a chance in this world no matter where they were raised or how much money their family has. I will continue on through the magical pages and dare to step inside "The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West"

"Eat, Pray, Love."

I have just finished reading "Eat, Pray, Love." and I must say that I miss Elizabeth Gilbert (the author). I feel as though I am without a good friend; someone to listen to and someone who was listening to me. My heart and soul wanted to cry as I turned to the very last page. Gilbert has opened my eyes, soul, heart, and mind to a much bigger world. She has taught me how to see things through a different light. I am still learning and growing myself and wouldn't dare compare my life to what Gilbert has gone through. However, she puts in perspective every day life situations that should not be so difficult to deal with. I have found respect in letting things roll off my shoulders and whatever will be, will be.

I know in the previous blog I have written about my sister and how we have not spoken in some time. I have written about how I want to know if we will reconcile and I want to know if she cares about me. But it has to play out as it will. Although it pains me at times to wonder why it happened, I have to know that it happened for a reason and to just let it be. I am at peace with past drama and hatred. I can only look forward.












Happy Birthday Babe! 5/15

Mother's Day Scrapbook!!

Here are a few pages from the scrapbook I made for my mom for her Mother's Day gift. She loved it and knew that I put a lot of work and love into it. I loved it so much myself that it was almost added to my collection instead! But I knew how much more she would love it as a gift. But now I get to look at it every time I visit her! Although there were some tears along the way, I had fun putting it together. I cherish those special moments with my sisters when we were younger, especially since we are not as close now as we were then. This was my first time using stamps in my scrapbook...I can't wait to get more! I bought the clear stamps with an acrylic block (I have never seen stamps like this before) and I have to say that they were simple to use and very easy to clean.

Happy Scrapbooking!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!

I've really been getting deep into scrapbooking and have fell in love with the hobby! I have now started using stamps and can't wait to buy more! I collected pictures from when my sisters and I were younger and from all the fun trips I took with my mom to make her a scrapbook for Mother's Day. Some of my pictures were smaller than what I wanted to use for the scrapbook so I just took them to Walmart and enlarged them on the Kodak Picture Kiosk to a 4x6 and even enhanced the image. The kiosk is a great invention and very easy to use! My mom is coming over tonight because we both have to work tomorrow. I will be posting pictures of the scrapbook soon! HAPPY MOTHER's Day!!!

Scrapbooking!!!

Here are some of my scrapbook pages from the Flower Show. I'd like to be a little more creative, but I think I rushed this one a bit! I bought a new book, background pages, stickers, and fabric flowers for this project. I like how it turned out but I still think it could have been a bit more.

The Philadelphia Flower Show!

What a wonderful event! "Jazz it up!" I've been to the Flower Show in the past, but I'd have to say that this year's theme had to be the best I've seen!