i hate my blog

I'm mad.

This blog won't let me add any more pictures without paying.  Since I only have three official followers, it just doesn't seem worth it.

Booooo.

I have done some really fun things, but I can't show you.

Double boooooo!

So...I guess I am outta here.  I'm going to have to come up with an alternative.

Keep you posted.

Happy Halloween

Well, boooooo.  I really blew it this year.  For some reason I just couldn't get into Halloween.  Normally, I love it.  Love the costumes, love giving out candy, love dressing up, going to parties, having a party...all of it!

Since I haven't worked in 10 months, I just didn't feel right about throwing a party this year and spending all that money.  We also had some schedule conflicts with Monkey and her dad.  She ended up being with him the night we would have had her party, so we just decided not to have it.  I was relieved at first, then sad.  I felt a little like a bad mom, depriving them of their fun.   Well...we will all get over it and look forward to next year.

We did, however, carve some pretty killer pumpkins!  See?

We had a great time carving and that's about all we're doing this year.  No other decorating, no trick-or-treating (which Monkey has never really done or liked so no big loss), not even handing out candy this year.  At least she went to the House of Torment.  I've already promised to make up for it next year. 

Hope YOU have a very Happy Halloween!  :o)

re-donk-u-lous!

I really don't even know why I wrote that post title - I hate that word.
But...this sight is just that:

I KNOW we are not the only family sitting around on a Friday night with NINE apple products, beats and a jawbone speaker on the bed surrounding the three of us.  Right?  Okay, maybe not that exact combination but surely we are not the only Apple/technology addicts around.  It is crazy, and believe me, I am NOT trying to brag.  I'm honestly shocked.  I guess that's what happens when the man of the house is an IT Manager.

That is really all I have to say right now.  Boring?  Lame?  Yes.

I will have more to say eventually.   I've been working on a post that is really personal.  I was waiting for some news before I finish and post it.  More soon.

Happy Weekend everyone!

Mama's got a brand new bag...

I have been looking for a new "Fall" handbag for a few months now.  I knew I wanted something brown, leather and sturdy.  I jumped on the Nordstrom site to see what they had and BAM, up pops my new bag!  The only problem I had was choosing the large or small.  The large bag is amazing.  My first reaction was, of course the large.  Saturday we went to the mall for a little girl time and I decided to check out the bag in person before I decided.  Mom and Monkey said the large one was too big, go with the small.  I was a little concerned my "stuff" wouldn't fit in the small one but, in the end, they won.  I got the small, and I love it.  The benefit of the small?  I can't put so much stuff in it that it breaks my back to carry it - like my pink and white stripe KS bag!  So...technically it is physically better for me to have this bag.  :o)

Here she is...

Michael Kors 'Hamilton' Satchel

I love the way the edges are darker and it looks a little worn.  I love the way it smells.  I like the option of a shoulder strap AND handles.  I love that it has metal feet on the bottom for protection.  I pretty much just LOVE this bag.

Do you have a new Fall handbag you're loving?

School Started!

School started for us on August 27th.  Yaaaaaaay!  Monkey was so excited to get back to school.  She's kind of a nerd that way!  Here she is on the first day.  It's a crappy iPad pic but she looked so cute!

Other than a small schedule change, the first day went really well!  Monkey really loves all of her classes and class-mates.  She got a family friend as her teacher in Algebra.  Here was our only problem.  This teacher is the "mean" teacher and she enjoys her reputation.  Her first declaration was that only 10% of her students made an A in her class.  I don't know about you, but I'm not crazy about that attitude!  Math, in general, is Monkey's most challenging subject.  Last year, she took Pre-Algebra and had a great teacher.  He was possibly moving to 8th grade and she hoped to have the same teacher, but no such luck.  We asked for a change to a teacher whose attitude better suited her learning style, and we were blessed with the perfect teacher.  Mr. Hernandez is "enthusiastic" from what I hear and in less than one week, Monkey went from hating math to saying "I finally get it" and "It's fun when you understand what you're doing!"  Can I just say I LOVE Mr. H?  It is amazing what a difference a teacher can make.  I'm working on finding out what his favorite cookies are so I can bake him up a big old batch as a thank you!

Hopefully this year will be a good one.  Monkey is taking all pre-AP classes, plus TWO high school credit classes.  As of today, she has 4 grades - 100, 106, 105, and 100!  She tells me she'll be making 100's on each of her two tests tomorrow.  What a great start to the school year.   I'm a pretty proud mama!

Happy school year to all my mommy friends out there!  

Finally, I took some pictures of Monkey when she decided what shirt she was going to wear on the first day, knowing we wouldn't have time for a great pic on the actual first day.  Here are a few.

Dinner

Let me warn you, this post is not exciting.  The food was yummy though.  We couldn't decide between fish or shrimp for dinner so we had both.  I just grilled the fish but we fried the shrimp.  This was our first time to try our own panko shrimp and they turned out great.  We just got a box from HEB and it was super easy.  Honey brought home some instant garlic mashed potatoes - a surprise.  Don't knock them, they were actually good!  A little sautéed asparagus finished off the plate.  So, that's it, just a yummy dinner.  See?

I love to shop

Anyone who knows me already knows this but... I love to shop!

I've been doing a little shopping over the past week.  You would think I have a job or something.   Actually, the white ones were a gift from my honey.  Everything else I got with left over birthday money.

Aldo sandals, BP oxfords from Nordstrom

Ulta was having a buy two - get one free polish sale.  I found a few Zoya colors I wanted to try out.

Sarah, Kelly, Stacy

I'm a Nordstrom rewards member so I was lucky enough to get to shop the Anniversary Sale items early.  I was searching for a wallet and I happened upon a pretty little Kate Spade.   I just had to have it!

Oh, see that gorgeous little make-up bag it is leaning on?  That is from Little Bitty Things!  My talented friend Sandy made it for me and I can't live without it.  I have a larger one that she made so I could have something cute and safe to put my camera in to go to the beach.  Check out her Etsy store.  You'll be glad you did.

I'm in love.  It is pink on the outside and white with black polka dots on the inside!  It's too cute.  Too bad there is no cash in there...

Well, that's most of my recent loot.  I did find a few cute things at Old Navy but haven't taken any photos.  They have some cute dresses and cardigans.  I like to pair them because I'm not happy with the shape of my arms.  I need to work out!  But that's another story all together.

I have to share this picture of my adorable little dog, Olive.   I mean, really.  Look at that face!

Now that my wallet is pretty much empty, I'll get back on that job search.  :D  Wish me luck okay?