This Christmas Season has been a bit weird for me.  My mind has been so preoccupied with other things I feel like I've hit some kind of overload.  I manage to complete the big things, but forget all the little and simple things, like spending some quality time with my family, experiencing Christmas, remembering Christmas, and TAKING PICTURES!!  Our schedule for the month of December was so crammed full that we didn't get to do any of the family things we wanted to do this year.  How unfortunate!  Finances are tight as well which put a damper on a lot of family activities as well.  I feel like such a putz!  I can't believe how fast this month went by.  I didn't even pull out the camera on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and New Years Eve!!  How could I have missed those important days?!  Hopefully I'll be able to learn and do better next year.  I have to practice setting priorities and making sure that my family and kids are at the top of the list and focus more of my energy on pleasing us.  I know that sounds selfish, but there has to be a balance, and I will strive to find that in the coming new year.  :)  I just had to make a post for this cause.  It makes me feel better.  HA!

Okay, thanks to mah friend Suze, I have come across this really great blog "Or so she says..."

I am always searching the internet for gift ideas (especially at this time of year) and I like to window shop as well.  "Or so she says..." is doing a give away of 11 gifts.  All the shops that they have listed there are all new to me, but one, and all the products are SO great!!  I am going to check them all out today.  I love to give things that are unique and go along with someone's character and these shops, from what I've seen so far, do just that.  Great stuff!!  Check it out!

About a year and a half ago Irene introduced me to a novel series written by Stephanie Meyers known as the Twilight Saga.  4 books in total and the series is so AWESOME!  I love reading and these books capture my interest like nothing else.  I can read them over and over and they are always just as good!  So last year a movie was made based on the first novel.  Unfortunately, it was poorly done and I have a love/hate relationship with it.  haha!!  BUT, the 2nd movie "New Moon" is being released on Nov. 20!!  This one looks a lot more promising and we (me and my bestest ladies!) are SUPER excited for it!  So to kick of the release date I decided to throw a Twilight Saga party.  It was themed mostly around the frist book (we were going to be watching the first movie later in the evening) with just a touch of New Moon.  I found party ware on line and ordered that, the rest of these ideas I got mostly off the internet.  It was so much fun!!!!!  I love being silly and a bit nerdy...well maybe really nerdy, but I'd rather be a total nerd than have no fun!!  Here are a whole wack of pics:

I hate bugs.  I have stated that here.  But I keep having run-ins with these repulsive, but necessary creatures!!  Some blog worthy...others not.  This story...is definitely blog worthy.

This begins probably around June of this year.  I was in my living room and had some friends over, as well as my cousin, Gillian.  She noticed a bug "hanging out" on some of the decor I had on my mantle, so I of course freaked out and couldn't even begin to think about how I was going to get this nasty thing out of my house.  It was HUGE.  About an inch long with long skinny legs.  Its body was flat across and it had long antennae.  BLAH!!!  It was sick sick sick.  I get the shivers just thinking about the thing. 

ANYWAYS, so my cousin bravely picked up the thing that it was sitting on and managed to shake it off outside over the deck.  Since then, I have been nervous about seeing this bug again.  I have never in my life seen the like and really hoped I would leave this world never seeing it AGAIN!

Not so...

The kids came in and woke me up early this morning, it was probably about 6:45 and mildly dark.  Mason, on occasion, sees a bit of lint and thinks it's a bug, so he said to me:  "Mommy, there's a bug in your bed..."  He said it kind of casually, so I figured it was the usual bit of lint, but then he looked over in the direction he was pointing to and made a face that was a cross between worry and disgust.  That was a new development.  Mason doesn't usually have a problem with bugs to begin with and he's never looked at lint like THAT before.  So then I was worried...I leaned over and THERE IT WAS!!!!!!  Just a foot and a half away from my pillow!!!!!  Lurking in my bed.  How long had it been in my bed?!?!?!?  Did it crawl on me while I slept?!?!?!?!?!  Ew!!!  I will be forever plagued by these questions.  Here it is, the precious little thing: