Happy New Year Everyone! :D See ya in 2016!

Welp, that is it ladies and gents. Another year has come and gone and I have to say it was a good one.  My family and I are in North Carolina vacationing and visiting with family. I am excited to say that I brought in the New Year with a peaceful Bubble Bath and book...that was swiftly turned pool party when my 2 year old joined me. Best way to start off a New Year in this Mommy's opinion! Happy New Year! :D Oh, and there was also yummy pie... :p

Thanksgiving Poem

So, I wrote a Thanksgiving Poem this year. I have been so busy that I did not get around to posting it on here, even though it did find it's way onto some of my other "social media" places. I wrote this poem because I have a strong dislike of Thanksgiving being taken over by Black Friday shopping. I mean, I LOVE Black Friday! LOVE IT! Shopping, deals, the rush, SO much fun! ...but why does it have to now start on Thursday? Anyways, I had to put in my two cents because pennies burn my hands. :p

The Thanksgiving Thief

Thanksgiving is being stolen

By a thief in black

What once was a holiday for all

Is now under attack

A day of giving thanks 

Surrounded by family and friends

Large feasts and laughter

Beginning to end

Memories not made

Moments not shared

Too many corporations

We thought cared

Food not eaten together

No prayers or thanks said

Empty chairs at empty tables

Because they are working instead

No football Rivalry

And games to be enjoyed

No watching the parade 

Of floats all convoyed

Employees forced to work

Forced to miss

Forced to wish

That others would stand up, Stop this

End the madness 

Mourn the missing

Instead of taking

Let's be Giving

And bring back our holiday 

The one for all

Where no person should miss

Let's answer the call 

Let's silence the thief

And right what is wrong 

Put Black Friday

Back where she belongs!

By: Tiphanie Brooke Johnston

Favorite Christmas Songs of 2015 (What has been playing in my home and annoying all my neighbors and family all December)

It is December! As if you couldn't tell from all the LACK of posting happening on this Blog. I have been SUPER busy. Between caroling, cooking, attending Christmas Parties, Church Events, Volunteering, and visiting with friends and family it has been crazy...and tons of fun of course! Anyways, in those snatches of time I enjoy listening to the Radio while I bake, do chores or cruise in the car. I enjoy listening to Christmas music the whole month of December...and maybe September, October, and November... Religious, Fun, Traditional...I don't care I love it all! Anyways, this is my top 10 list for this year. Basically the songs I keep having stuck in my head. I hope you think it is a fun list and get to experience a new one along with some old faves. :D

I am posting these videos via Youtube. I do not take credit for ANY of it. I did not make the video, sing the songs, write the songs, or post the videos. Thank you to all who did. :D

1. So, I am not gonna lie, I have cried many MANY times listening to this . I just heard it for the first time this year (I believe it is new). This is my top pick for Christmas 2015. It is "Just a Girl" by Brandon Heath.

2. This song is also sad but I keep finding it stuck in my head and I love her version of it. This was released in 2014 and I somehow missed it last year so now I am loving it this year. It is "River" by Idina Menzel.

3. I really love the group Pentatonix and I first discovered them because of this song. This song is so clear and beautiful...it often gives me chills. This song is nothing but their voices! Pretty amazing! I hope you enjoy it. "Little Drummer Boy" by Pentatonix.

4. This song has been stuck in my head on and off and I have even randomly started singing "you look naughty, but I'm sure your nice" to a few select friends. lol. "Christmas in the Sand" by Colbie Caillat.

5. This song has not even been stuck in my head for Christmas. I have been listening to this song all year. I absolutely love the story in this song. You can almost hear the pain and anyone with a lost love can relate. You have probably heard it before but I love it and wanted to share it. At number 5 I have "Same Old Lang Syne" by Dan Fogelberg.

6. So, if you haven't noticed by now I love a good story in a song. This one has a pretty great one and the song is fairly catchy. Number 6 is "His Favorite Christmas Story" by Capitol Lights.

7. The video to this one is great! This has Charlie Brown, Christmas, and old people all mixed in! What isn't to love?! "Charlie Brown Medley" performed by The Piano Guys.

8. I love Lindsey Sterling. I usually love her for her Video Game medleys/performances/videos but I also found I love her Christmas music too. This is "What Child is This" performed by Lindsey Sterling.

9. I also enjoy Nightcore songs, which are basically sped up and "chipmunk-a-fied" as some of my friends have described, lol. So, here is a Nightcore version of "Carol of the Bells" by Barlow Girl.

10. Owl City is always a great listen. At number 10 we have "Peppermint Winter" by Owl City.

Operation Christmas Child

Operation Christmas Child is one of my favorite charities! Every year, we celebrate the Holidays and it brings out a real feeling of Joy and wanting to do for others. If you feel the urge to make someone's Christmas amazing for not a ton of money then please check out this video and the Website link below.

This is one of their 2015 promotion videos via Youtube. 

I have participated in Operation Christmas Child (sometimes known as Operation Shoe Box) the last couple of years and will continue to do so every year I am able. I love putting together a box of toys, necessities, letters, and pictures knowing that a child somewhere in the world is going to receive this box and the love that was put into it. If you want more information on this wonderful charity or would like to donate or participate you can go to this link: Operation Christmas Child 

This year, I packed boxes with my AHG (American Heritage Girls) troop. For those that do not know about American Heritage Girls you can check them out via the link. :D

This was our end product! Over 30 Boxes for Boys and Girls of all ages!

You start by getting your shoe box and then labeling it with the Boy/Girl Tag and then marking an age (below).

We used a wide variety of toys/clothing/hygiene products

This is a Letter we let all of our girls fill out for our boxes so the children will know where we are located. I thought this was pretty neat.

With my little helper here, we packed 3 boxes together. 

One of our finished boxes. I liked to pack them as full as possible! :p

Updating!

Wow! It has been awhile since I posted! Sorry, but Holidays will probably always be a crazy time for me. It is a time I wholly try to focus on family, friends, and doing as many fun activities with them as possible! I will be back blogging a week or two after most major holidays. Even bloggers need breaks. :p

A World Apart but not in Heart

Today I learned of a terrorist attack on France. More than a hundred people lost their lives (they are not currently sure of the count). This saddens me greatly that our world is a place where people can needlessly and cruelly kill others. I pray for each and every single one of those people that lost their lives and all of their friends, family, city, and country that will be mourning their loss. It is a horrible feeling to know that your country and home has been violated and attacked in such a horrible and destructive way. Americans everywhere should be mourning this loss for our allies. We know better than most how devastating a terrorist attack can be and how long the remnants of the attack can be felt. Every year we remember our citizens and heroes that were lost due to anger and hatred.

Many have flocked to social media in this aftermath to send condolences, support, and love to France and all of her citizens. Some have flocked to simply spread more hatred, anger, lies, and fear. I can not believe some of the comments I have read. Why? Why in a time that is called for love do so many choose to hate? It does not make sense to me. Maybe I am just too optimistic and ask too much of us.

France I feel and mourn your loss and I apologize for those few of us Americans who are driven by anger or fear instead of love. Forgive them and know that I believe the majority of us our heartbroken  by this. People are people. Love is love. Vive la France!

Homemade Nuka Cola

So, I posed about how my Hubs and I went searching for Nuka Cola at Target yesterday. Anyways, Will (Hubs) was totally bummed about it. So this morning I thought maybe I could surprise/cheer him up!

Fall out 4 came out yesterday and with it they made a Nuka Cola exclusively sold at Target. Will really had his heart set on getting a pack. We went/called 4 targets...completely SOLD OUT! The first day! Will was totally bummed....so I put this in his lunch for him this morning. Lol. He said it made him feel better.

Needless to say, I made homemade Nuka Cola! All you need is a piece of paper, Red marker, tape, and a bottle of delicious and tasty soda. lol. :p

Fuzzy's Tacos

 Today we ate at Fuzzy's because...it is Taco Tuesday! On Tuesdays they have tacos for $1.50. Their tacos are normally anywhere from 2-4 dollars apiece depending on the type of taco.

I thought their tip sign was very original. lol :p

 I ordered the chicken tacos with soft shells. My daughter got the ground beef taco and my husband had a tough time deciding between shrimp and craw-fish tacos, but decided to go with the craw-fish considering they are seasonal.This was my first time actually eating tacos here (had fajitas last time) and I have to say that while they tasted good, I was expecting them to be bigger. I also was not a huge fan of the the soft shells. Next time I will have to try hard shell ones! My husband absolutely loved his tacos though!










This is their menu. I was really amazed by all of the options they have! Although this is not my favorite place ever and it had a few misses for me on the taste scale, I am willing to give it another chance. Besides, saying "Taco Tuesdays" is fun. lol.

Illusive Nuka Cola

Firefly Chilling with Mommy as she Blogs

My husband and I went on a long journey to the mysterious land of "Target" to acquire their Nuka Cola from Fallout 4. Alas, we were too late. All the Nuka Cola to be had was gone! :(

We went/called 3-4 Targets but unfortunately it was a lot hotter of a commodity than we estimated it would be. Completely SOLD OUT in ONE day?! I think Target has a problem or some seriously bad luck with running out of popular merchandise. This happened awhile back with a line of their purses too. Lily Pulitzer or something I believe. (I am le lazy and don't want to look it up).

Oh well. At least it was a very fun outing and the baby had a good time running around the store saying "pretty". Who knew bright yellow corn could be "Preeeeetty". I love the way my daughter see's the world sometimes.

We will get you next time Nuka Cola!

Wonder Chasing

Have you ever seen something in the sky and wondered, "what is that"? Most people have and most people thought about it and then went on with their busy lives. Going to work, picking up something from the store, or whatever busy daily task they have. I think I am just too curious of a person or maybe I am lusting for some adventure. Whatever the reason, I simply had to take the time out of my busy schedule to go find out what the flying object in the sky was. From the picture above you can probably tell what it is. I was much much much further away when I saw a strange dot floating in the sky. Honestly, and this is the nerd in me talking, from really far away it kind of looked like a giant Tardis.

When I did finally get up close enough to it, unfortunately it was not a giant Tardis, Spaceship, or romantic hot air balloon. Well, it was KINDA like the last guess? It was a Movie Theater hot air balloon advertisement. I have no idea how they plan on ever getting that back, maybe it is remote controlled somehow? Anyways, the end result may not have been super exciting, but the adventure chasing it was fun and worth the while. My baby girl was amused whenever mommy was yelling, "Oh, there it goes! We are gonna get it!" She liked just looking at the big balloon in the sky I think. Sometimes you just have to go wonder chasing.

Sorry! Iv'e been Slacking!

Picture I took at the St. Louis Zoo! :D

I have not been writing on the blog much this month. Sorry about this. I just have a few other writing projects going on too and when I get a few minutes to sit and write I have to decide between this and writing my children's books, poems, play scripts, and short stories. So much to do and so little time! Oh, by the way, I am a writer. I really enjoy writing of many kinds and try to divide my time accordingly. After all, practice does make perfect. ;p

I am not a published author...YET. Although, I have not really been trying to get published either. My plan is to finish a few of my favorite story ideas and then send them off to publishing companies all around the same time. If they fail, then I just continue on writing more stories and sending to publishers when I have time, money, and think about it.

Writing makes me happy so it ins't really necessary to be published. Although fame and fortune never hurt. ;)

Anyways, bare with me through the Blog writing drought. The river shall flow again for those that are patient.

Thank You Alessia Cara

I just wanted to write a quick post about my feelings toward this song. The song is "Here" by Alessia Cara. Thank you Alessia Cara, for having the guts to write an anti-party animal song in the current music industry. There are SO many songs out there about partying, drinking, and clubbing and I am loving the fact that she wrote and sings a song about all the down sides other artists leave out. People you don't know trying to dance with you, people that you are NOT interested in hitting on you, people doing illegal drugs in the corner, people throwing up that can not hold their liquor, loud music that you don't listen to, and the overall feeling of being completely alone in a room full of people. She hits all the points! 

I can really relate to this song. This was pretty much me every time I was invited to a Frat party or club and felt obligated to go because all of my friends were. "How did I end up here" is what I would always secretly ask myself as another guy I was not interested in would dance too close to me or I needed to use the restroom but had to hold it because I couldn't stand the stench coming from the restroom. I also now feel really bad for all of my introverted friends and my fiance at the time that I would constantly drag out to these parties (that they REALLY didn't want to go to) just so I would not be in the corner alone. Even though sometimes I wanted to make an effort at fitting in and would go and try to dance and ended up leaving friend/fiance in the corner without realizing it. :/

Not that all parties are bad. Like she says in the song, I really enjoy hanging out with a few good friends listening to music, playing board games, playing video games, going to movies, going out to eat or anything really. I even enjoy Christmas parties and Birthday parties. Just not the kind of parties she is referring too. :p

Once again, Thank You Alessia Cara for daring to be different in a world full of party animals and singers who only know how to write about female body parts and clubbing. You can check out the song and video below via Youtube.

Trainwreck the Movie: My Personal Review

So, let me start by saying that this movie is incredibly inappropriate and if you are not into inappropriate movies then do not read this any further. Inappropriate movies are not normally my cup of tea but it was one of the only interesting looking movies at the Theater and when we have a chance to go we take it! If you can get past the sex scenes, cursing, and general Rated R-ness then this is actually is a really great romantic comedy. SPOILER ALERT BELOW!

Photo Courtesy of IMDb 

The movie starts off with a montage of sketchy (but funny) scenes as the story introduces it's main character, Amy. Amy is a commitment scared individual who does not believe in monogamy, in a large part due to her father whom we see telling his daughters this. Well, as soon as someone doesn't want or believe in love...you know it is going to find them. Enter Mr. Right or Aaron in this movie, who is a sports doctor that Amy is forced to get to know in order to write a piece on him for the magazine company she works for.

I watched this Movie with my friend Nina and she hated it. I was totally puzzled by this because I really liked it. When I asked her why she told me that she did not find the main character likable...like at all. Well, I can see that for the first half of the movie.

Amy is inconsiderate and straight up rude to most people, a drunk, a possible drug addict, a really un-supportive and bullying sister, and is probably one of the most selfish people ever displayed in a movie. In fact, she IS the antagonist of the movie for the first 30 minutes.

That being said, you can also see a lot more going on with Amy if you look close enough. She is lost and has like zero self-confidence and this is why she treats everyone the way she does. You can only hurt someone if they let you close enough to do so. After the first half of the movie we see Amy slowly changing her mind about how she lives her life and even after trying her best to push Aaron away (and eventually succeeding) she fails at trying to go back to her old life and habits. After she has made her "fall from grace"...or further from grace since she certainly didn't start there...she realizes that even though she is scared she needs to fix her life and make amends to those she has hurt.

We then enter a montage of her getting rid of all of her alcohol and drugs and start trying to get her writing piece published that she wrote about Aaron. She did not really like the things she was writing for the magazine but stayed there because she did not have the courage or drive to try to do "real" writing somewhere else. After Aaron she does have the courage and succeeds in getting her work published and fixes her relationship with her sister and nephew. Then she knows she has to do something really big to show Aaron that she is willing to change to be with him. Earlier in the movie she puts down cheerleaders and what they do. So, with the help of a squad of cheerleaders that Aaron attends to as a doctor she puts on a few dance and cheer numbers (one of these being to Aaron's favorite song).

To me, Amy's transformation and willingness to change to save her relationships makes her a more likable person and left me rooting for Amy and Aaron to make it. Apparently this did not have the same effect on my friend.

The movie's poster reads "Trainwreck- We all Know One". I would argue that we all ARE train-wrecks, in our own ways of course. Everyone has baggage, everyone has problems, and everyone could improve in some way. Amy saw that she needed to make changes in her life and she set out to change them. Isn't that what we are all doing at the end of the day? Trying to be a better person and a little bit less of a Train-wreck?

Maybe I am reading WAY to much into a comedy/romance movie, but I really did like the message that this movie gave which is relationships are messy because people are messy and imperfect, but that everyone has the ability to change themselves. Maybe I only saw this in the movie because I am currently making changes in my life and trying to better myself. Who knows? Either way, if you watch Train-wreck just for the laughs or for some deeper meaning, it is an awesome movie and you should check it out! :D

Cheap and Easy Freezable Lunch Meals to Make Ahead of Time

Cheap and Easy Freezable Lunch Meals to Make Ahead of Time 

I have come along way in my domestic abilities over the last couple of years. I have improved and challenged myself to be a better cook, more prepared for meals, and to always be thrifty where I can be. I struggled in the beginning (okay...maybe the middle too) but last year things changed for the best. I embraced the fact that I am lazy. *Gasp! 

It is true. I found myself over and over again stumbling and grumbling out of bed at 6 in the morning heading to the kitchen, opening the fridge, and death staring it to give me ideas for lunches. Nothing. The fridge is sometimes a very cold and silent villain. I hate meal planning on empty, which is exactly what happened. I am not very good at it and sometimes really strange things ended up in lunch boxes...no, seriously. Watch the video below of my husband commenting on his disappointing lunch.  

Just so you know, I have no recollection of doing that. I must have been sleep walking. Motherhood and exhaustion;1 Me:0

Anyways, after embracing the hard truth about myself, I searched for a lazy...er I mean...more EFFICIENT way to do things.

Now, first and foremost, you can always use leftovers. Leftovers happen to be my husbands favorite thing to eat because he in general prefers dinner foods over everything else. This post though, is more about those times you don't have leftovers. Like when you had an event the night before and made it home too late to cook dinner and so you all settle for a P,B, & J and sleep, or the night Chinese was calling to you and you obligingly answered that call with enthusiasm at your local Chinese take-out place, or you just plain ran to Taco Bell or MceeD's because you were having that kind of day. Whatever your reason, these meals are great for those "oops! I don't have any lunch ideas!" moments. 

  

Freezing meals! What a brilliant idea! Thank you SO much to my friend Carla who introduced me to this amazing idea! Freezing meals is basically where you cook a meal just like you normally would and let it cool down and then instead of eating it, you freeze it for later. Then when you want it, you pull it out and microwave it for a few minutes and viola! Lunch!

Here is a list of Freezer Lunches that I started with:

Fajita Burritos! I just took some leftover chicken and a little steak, threw in some veggies, (whatever you like, I did mushrooms and bellpeppers) and then added re-fried beans and cheese on top. You could also add a hot sauce if you like. I loved these. For a quick lunch on the go these are perfect and even have a few veggies tucked in! I also did these variations of the same thing below:

Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas- I wrapped a tortilla around chicken and cheese and added a bit of hot taco sauce and then lightly toasted them on the stove in a skillet so the tortillas had that nice crunch. You can also do any other kind of Quesadillas you or your family like to eat. 

Bean and Cheese Burritos- The same as the Fajita Burritos but even more simple. Just re-fried beans (you could use black or pinto also if you prefer) and cheese and wrap and you are done!

Breakfast Burritos-Make eggs, throw in some veggies and cheese and wrap in a tortilla and freeze. Yum!

 Sandwich Melts and Pinini's

These are so simple. I usually wait until bread at Walmart goes on sale and then I buy all of it. Yep, that is right. All of it and then I do a massive bulk cooking lunches spree. I usually end up with 2-3 months of lunches after a bulk cooking session. The picture above is a ham and cheese melt. You can also do Pinini versions of these if you have a sandwich toaster or press. 

Ham and Cheese Melt- Ham, cheese and whatever condiments or veggies you want and throw it all together in between two slices of your choice of bread. (thicker breads/buns do tend to taste a little better in my opinion) Then toast in toaster or oven at 350 degrees until bread is crunchy and cheese is melted. 

Turkey and Cheese Melt-Use a different type of meat, cheese, and veggies to change things up!

French Dip Melt/Pinini-Roast beef and cheese. I also like to make little containers of Au Jus sauce to go with these. Delicious!

Microwavable Pie's for 1!

Shepherd's Pie
Just go buy a few mini pie dishes (microwave and oven safe) that are for 1 person. Then fill them with yummy pies that you can microwave at work! Our favorite one is Shepherd's Pie. We use hamburger, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies, and cheese. These are SO simple to make!

Chicken/Beef Pot Pie
Made just like you normally would but after cooking in the oven you let it cool and then freeze it.

Homemade Personal Pizzas-I love making these! You just buy crust and then throw on your sauce and toppings of choice, cook, and freeze.

There are SO many things you can do and there seems to be recipes galore online, so if you are lazy like me but want to save money, try this out! It is so easy and only takes a few hours to have lunches for the next few months. :D

Obsessions of the Week 2

Yep. It is time for my "Obsessions of the Week" again! So, here are my strange and peculiar obsessions for this week:

Copyright of  BrokenSphere via Wikipedia 

1. Panda Express-Yummy! I have really been hooked on Panda Express Kung Pao chicken and I like to mix it with their brown rice. It is totally delicious, not to mention that my whole family can eat there for around $8. We get the three entree and split it, trust me it is plenty of food. If it is your first time trying out Panda Express you can ask them for samples to see what you like or want to try. Their Orange Chicken is also amazing and my daughter is obsessed with their green bean and chicken (she LOVES green beans). 

2. Movie/Movies: Hotel Transylvania and Disney/Pixar's Inside Out. I could not pick between these two for this weeks spot...so I decided to put both, because why not? :D

Hotel Transylvania's sequel just hit theaters and so I had to re-watch the first one in preparation for going to see number 2! I am extremely excited about it. I am a HUGE Adam Sandler fan (especially when paired with Drew Barrymore) and really like most of the movies he is in. This one was no different. The characters are funny and unique (even though they used traditional monsters) which is pretty impressive. I also love the music in this movie. I totally have the song "The Zing Song" on my I-phone...I'm just saying. This movie was really awesome and I have high hopes for the second! :D

Inside Out was a very interesting movie that leaves you thinking. At least it left me thinking. This was a completely new and original idea (well, excluding Osmosis Jones and Magic School Bus) of characters having a story on the inside of another character. I think it was handled very well. Over all I do really like this movie. That being said, I found both of the main characters to be annoying. Joy was straight up rude to Sadness and Sadness was just...like all the worst traits of a depressed introvert who has been suffering from bullying her whole life (looking at you Joy). At the end they seem to settle their differences and learn to appreciate each other which was nice to see wrapped up.

This movie had some serious feels for me. The child (Riley) looks similar to my baby girl and I couldn't help but put her in Riley's shoes. All the adorable baby and toddler scenes and family events were really touching. I am sure this is why parents everywhere were able to fall in love with this movie. It was very touching and I love the idea of 5 emotions running peoples brains in a control center. I left the Theater thinking about which of my friends and family were ran by which emotion (lol). My friends say I must be ran by Joy, which I can totally see. My Husband is totally Anger and I think all of my best friends are ran by either Sadness or Joy. Anyways, I just got way too deep into this. Inside Out is a brilliant tear-jerker of a movie and everyone should watch it at least once!

3. Song: "One Man Can Change the World" by Big Sean. I do not normally like rap songs, but this one has a pretty strong message and to me sometimes lyrics are cool enough to trump the method of delivery. Also, this song is a shout out to his Grandma and I certainly can relate to that. My Grandma is my Best friend and my biggest supporter of everything I do. I love you Grandma! 

4. Reddit! Yes, I FINALLY joined the world of Reddit and it's 1 gazillion Subreddits. I am still very new to it (I still have not figured out how to post adorable pictures of my kittens on the awww subreddit) and have a lot to learn but I love reading post and looking at pictures on it.   

5. Game: Subnautica. I am the kind of girl that would much rather be doing something in real life over a video game, however, when the "real life version" is not an option at the moment then I enjoy them. Subnautica, in my words, is a scuba diving game with advanced technology and alien fish. You have to survive by catching food, not suffocating, and not being attacked by scary sharp-teeth fish. You also build bigger tools and gadgets and even an under water station all to help you better survive. Like Minecraft, I would much rather just swim around and collect a bunch of stuff rather than build anything, but hey, it has both elements to please gamers of all kinds. This game is very pretty and the different biomes can be really exciting when you swim up on one, and they are adding new things all the time. I have been playing this game for a few weeks now and really love it when I have time.  If you like video games you should check it out! :D Here is a video on Youtube about it!

6. BBC's Sherlock Holmes: I love this show. As if Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman in one show should not be enough of a reason to watch this then there is also the fact that Sherlock Holmes is an amazing classic that should be respected...by watching/viewing all reproductions. What I mean to say is...it is Sherlock Holmes! Mystery, intrigue, subtle humor, complicated romances, biting nails, and edge of your seat actiony YES! I will warn you that after you check out this series you will most likely be hooked and therefore be setting yourself up for surmountable pain...of waiting for the next season. 0.0

7.Trader Joes: My friend Nina and I are a little bit obsessed with Trader Joes (and I am slowly working on my other friends). They carry mostly amazing and healthy groceries at descent prices. I love their dried fruits, amazing frozen section, and fresh fruits and veggies. I have tried their dried apricots, coconuts, mangoes, pineapple, bananas, and apples slices and they have all been very yummy. My frozen food favorites are their Chinese chicken dumplings and Mochi! If you have never tried Mochi it is like a doughy ice-cream ball of yumminess.

8. Trivia Nights! I have hosted/participated in TWO Trivia Nights this Month and they were both a huge success (Fundraising wise) and LOTS of fun! You gather a team of 8 for a table and then put your wits to the test! Trivia is totally random and you never know what useless knowledge you have will come in handy! I mean, who knew I would totally rock a round about Dr. Suess and Halloween? And who knew I know almost nothing about our U.S. Presidents? Seriously, I couldn't even help with one question! If you ever get the chance to try out a Trivia night you totally should! Especially if it is for a Fundraiser or Charity! :D

Spook-tacular Trivia Night for Homeschool Fundraiser
Me giving Carla "Bunny Ears"

AHG (American Heritage Girls) Trivia Night

De-cluttering my Spaces and Places

My Little Turkey Playing Peek-a-Boo!

Who says Spring cleaning has to be in the Spring? Maybe I like to be different. Either way, I have started the huge project of de-cluttering our home. I have been slowly getting frustrated over how much cleaning it is taking to keep our home clean. I feel like I clean a room and then suddenly 20 minutes later it is messy again. Part of this is because I do have a toddler who is in that "I see it, I grab it" and I think the rest of it is because we just have too much stuff.

Well, I was telling my friend Nina about my "too much stuff-itis" and we realized she has it too! Watch out, I hear it can sneak up on you after years of collecting random assortments of junk from various places and not de-cluttering!

Anyways, like two intelligent and sane women we decided we would do a Yard Sale and then afterwards pack everything up and donate it. Good idea right?! We thought so...5 months ago. Yes, yes this idea did all start 5 months ago and we are just now having the Yard Sale this weekend. Don't judge. Procrastination builds character...later.

Anyways, so I have been working very hard over the last few weeks (Nina and I finally set a legit dead-line...as apposed to all those non-legit ones...) to be ready for this Yard Sale and to just in general clean out our homes.

At times I felt like I should just throw away everything and start over. Other times I wanted to keep absolutely everything because it:
1. could be used...someday
2.held an emotional connection (everything for an ENFJ apparently)
3.it was a gift
4.I could possibly give it as a gift (everyone wants junk I do not want right?)
5. it could be worth something

Well, all of those excuses are ridiculous for the most part so if I didn't love it or did not need it (have not seen or used it for over 2 years) I decided it needed to go. I also made crates and boxes for various things to store as well. For those items that really do have sentimental value and I am not ready to let go of or want to keep forever. Like my memory box for my daughter that I created and have been adding stuff to. It helps to further de-clutter by just getting organized.

I cleaned 6 garbage bags full of clothes out of my closet! And all this time I haven't been able to find a THING to wear! Things that were too big, too small, too ugly (what WAS I thinking?!), too flashy, too old, too young, and just not me. Cleaning out my closet took me through some serious nostalgia. I even had clothes from High School! It was interesting seeing my clothing choices from a older me's perspective. Who I was then is not who I am now...and that is okay. It is okay to let go of old and happy things and look forward to new happy ones. Just because I de-clutter my life does not mean I will de-clutter my brain...trust me, I have tried, it doesn't work! Now if I can just keep that thought process when people are trying to buy all my items that I am emotionally attached too! Wish us luck for our Yard Sale!

Suicidal Turtles

Okay okay...so actually suicidal tortoises. I just thought "Suicidal Turtles" sounded better. It kind of sounds like one of those rock band names that you thought was totally awesome back in High school. Now I need to run off to Google and check...nope. No awesomely awful bands named that. So, if you are looking for a bad band name..?

Anyways, I was taking a friend's daughter to horse camp and this beautiful and enormous tortoise was crossing the street. I have never seen one this large in the wild before and so naturally I stopped to gawk at it...and allow it to cross the street safely. Well, all was going well until the tortoise, I am going to call him Melville, decided to crawl under my van and get stuck. I got out of the van and watched Melville for a little while and eventually had to help him out. Luckily he was okay and after the ordeal seemed to look back at me like he wanted to say, "you ruined my shady oasis lady...also thanks for helping me out...I better not find this on Facebook!". Because I imagine tortoises talk to me. We parted on good, if slightly awkward, terms.

Anyways, I thought this was an amazing and unlikely thing to happen (my shenanigan complex) and so I was telling friends about it. Apparently tortoises can mistake the under side of a car for a burrow. This sounds kind of crazy to me but I haven't been able to pull up anything online and am certainly not an expert. Do you know anything about these "living on the edge" and daredevil tortoises?

IKEA: The New St. Louis Store

My friend Nina visited an IKEA store in Chicago a few months ago and raved about it. She loved the food, the candy, the store itself, the reasonable prices, and the fact that they have free childcare. Yes, you read that correctly. FREE childcare! They watch your children in a large "play-area" so you can go shop! 

Well, after hearing all of her reviews we found out that St. Louis was building an IKEA store! Needless to say, opening week I had to go and check it out! 

Going on opening week may have not been the best idea I have ever had. Impatience kicks Kung-booty sometimes. The store was pretty chaotic, the dining area was super packed, and lines were really long. Even despite all of this though, IKEA is a pretty awesome place!

Our journey started by walking through those big doors and heading over to "Smaland" to check out the kid center. It looked like a lot of fun and Starlie looked pretty excited about it but unfortunately she did not meet the requirement, which was a bit of a bummer. The sign read "Children must be potty trained and be 37'' to 54'' tall". Well, she just is not quite that tall yet and while we are working on potty training we have not mastered it. So we continued on up an elevator (which she descided was WAY cooler than coloring anyways) to check out the store.

IKEA is HUGE. It felt like a mall...by itself. Multiple floors, very diverse sections selling different items, and even a restaurant area. We even got slightly lost and turned around a few times but because we were pleasurably just looking we did not mind. I get lost a lot so I am also just kind of used to it. :P

Starlie loved the children section of the store (and so did I). The toys were very reasonably priced and they had samples of most of the toys out for children to play with. 

Starlie Loved trying out the Toys!

We shopped around for about an hour (little ones get tired and hungry) and then we went to check out the Restaurant. I was seriously impressed with the prices and quality of the food. We had Turkey-Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes, and Cranberry Jelly and Drink all for about $6.50. Our little one got to eat free (she had Mac & Cheese). I highly recommend eating at the IKEA restaurant...even if you are not a huge fan of cafeteria style food, the convenience alone makes it worth trying at least once.

I can not wait to go back to IKEA for Christmas shopping! The toys were very reasonable in my opinion and with the free Childcare (maybe by Christmas I will be able to take advantage) you could drop off the littles, go shop and buy presents, then go stuff/hide your gifts in the car and then all have lunch together. Christmas made easy and who doesn't like easy?!

After we had dinner we went and checked out the candy bar. I am pretty sure this was everyone's favorite thing. They have a lot of fun candies to choose from after all. They also have a lot of interesting foods and I am a huge fan of trying new things...especially tasty new things!

IKEA was a very fun place to visit, eat, play, and shop. I hope to look more closely and spend a little more time the next time I go! If you are interested here is a link to their website. 

Goblins Day at Kimmswick

Today we took our little one to the Goblins Day at Kimmswick. For those of you who do not know, Kimmswick is a small historical town that is right next to the Mississippi River and consist of mostly small shops and the famous Blue Owl Restaurant and Bakery. It is an adorable place and the shop owners are very sweet and the Blue Owl has amazing pie. No, seriously, I am not much of a sweets person...or pie person for that matter, but this place's pie is amazing! Anyways, if you are interested in knowing more about Kimmswick (I highly suggest educating yourself if you like small towns, shopping, fun, or pie) here is a link to their Website.

Goblins Day is basically a day for shopping, Trick or Treating in costumes for the kids, and family fun. Some families also choose to eat lunch at the Blue Owl (it was totally PACKED and the lines were really long...I would not suggest a festival to try them for the first time) and there is also a new place called the "Dough Depot" which I have not had a chance to try out yet. They do have Picnic tables under a pavilion so you could also bring a lunch and have a picnic. We got to the festival after lunch so we just shopped around in the shops and Trick or Treated with our little Princess Sofia. I think were lucky and seemed to miss most of the heavy crowds (maybe they were all eating at the Blue Owl, lol). My little Princess Sofia really enjoyed herself going to each shop and saying "treek" which was "Trick or Treat" in cute, in case you were unaware. :P

I really hope we get to go again next year! :D

New Furry Family Members!

A few weeks ago my little girl turned 2! I am still having trouble believing this...time goes by so quickly! Here I go getting all emotional. Anyways, her absolute favorite thing in the entire world is "pup pups" and "kitties". I am serious. She wakes up in the morning and her first thought is animals and she ask about animals as she goes to sleep. Borderline animal obsessed here. We go over to friends houses for play dates and she ignores the other children and plays with the families pets instead! Lol.

I should say that I also LOVE animals. They may not be my first thought every morning or last thought every evening but I do love them. We have been wanting to add a furry friend to our family for some time now but things always seemed to be preventing us, but sometimes there is just no time like the present.

My husband and I had a little bit of a disagreement on what KIND of furry friend we wanted. I prefer the feathered kind (especially ducks) while he prefers the stuffed kind. Unfortunately for me the feathered kind are not usually very sturdy (2 year old) and for my husband the stuffed kind are just not as fun. With that in mind I was on team puppies. I even made a list of my favorite dog breeds/mutts for us to choose from. A "possible family dogs" list if you will, maybe I will post it at some point. My husband was team kitties. I say plural version because I just feel if I am going to do one I might as well do two at once. I also like that while we are gone during the day they will entertain each other.

Not that I have anything against cats mind you. I just prefer dogs because they make me feel safe and are a little more friendly in my opinion. My husband eventually won out. We do not currently have a fenced in yard and in order to get puppies would have had to do so and it would have been difficult to get the fencing done before her Birthday. Kitties it is!

Well, apparently August is a very, very slow month for kittens because I could not find any in St. Louis! I was even willing to drive an hour or two away...nothing! Maybe I was not looking in the right places or something because it just seemed that our idea for kittens was not going to work out after all.

Well, life goes on and I stopped worrying about it. Began eyeing a really nice play set for her Birthday instead when I received a call that my Aunt Mary was not doing very well. I grew up in Mobile, AL and so most of my family lives there. I packed up my things and the little one and I made the trip down to visit and be with family during this time. While I was down there for the week my Mom mentioned kittens and I had a crazy thought...why not see if Mobile has kitties?

Boy, did they! I browsed through pictures of adorable kitties and looked for "child friendly" or "raised with children" and then I found the "purrfect" ones! They were with a woman who had 3 small children and were very well socialized. Life is sometimes funny like that...I went down to Mobile, AL to say Goodbye to a family member and ended up saying hello to two new family members. God is good!

I had so many name ideas flying around in my mind. Kermit/Mrs. Piggy, Luna/Sol, Finn/Jake but when I met my little ginger bob-tailed boy the name "Firefly" just popped in my head and I knew it was his name. I wanted to name the other kitty, a grey-white female, Genevieve or "vivi" for short, but when my husband found out I named mine Firefly he had to have the other named Serenity. After one of his favorite T.V. shows "Firefly". So I ended up with cute match-y names anyways! :p

My bob-tailed blogging buddy, Firefly

Needless to say my 2 year old is totally in love. Now she wakes up every morning asking where the kitties are and goes to sleep asking about them at night. She fondly calls them "kitties" and "buddy" sometimes. The cuteness factor is seriously over-whelming. Here's some pics.

 

Halloween and Fun Things for the Month of October

Photo taken by Jessa Balough of my little- Facebook page

It's that time of year again. Isn't that a funny saying? Like, isn't it going to be that "time" of year every year because you can't really skip it? Ignore it maybe, but not skip it. Well, that did not take long for me to get off topic! It is HALLOWEEN time! I love the beginning of the Holiday season and I am always looking for things to do to get excited and celebrate the joy of holidays all month long! Here are just a few things we have done with my family in the past and look forward to doing in the future.

1. I like to always start off with putting out the decorations or even adding to them! I think it would be a lot of fun to do a Halloween decoration project every year. One year you could make a ghost tree, the next year make a wooden pumpkin to re-use, or just whatever idea strikes you or your children s fancy.  This year, my little and I will be decorating the fridge with her Halloween coloring pages.

2. Bake Halloween cookies, make Caramel Apples, or even just have a Halloween "date" with your children if you are not in the cooking mood. Starbucks makes an AMAZING Hot Apple Cider drink. You can also make home made Apple Cider...with Cinnamon and whip cream on top..YUM! Just enjoy tasting the fall season in some way!

3.Go enjoy the fall weather somewhere new or start a new tradition with a certain place to go! Go for hay rides, pick a pumpkin out of a pumpkin patch, visit a haunted house, or go to a fall carnival or harvest festival. Our church put on a Harvest Festival this year and it was a really fun day.If you do not want to spend money then you could even just go on a nature hike. It is an absolutely beautiful time of year with the leaves turning color and falling slowly down on nature trails. We just did this a week or so ago and it was wonderful! See the picture below.

4. Participate in a Pumpkin contest or invite your friends over for some contest and party fun! Have a pie baking contest, pumpkin carving contest, coloring contest, and play some fun fall games! You could also do this at church or school for those teachers like me out there! :D

5. Go to special places with Halloween decor/events. Here in St. Louis we have the Zoo, many churches hold/host Trunk or Treats, and in Kimmswick we have Witches Night Out and Goblins Day. My friend Nina and I go to Witches Night Out if we can each year and this year I plan on taking my daughter to Goblins day. Here is a link to Kimmswick's events.

6. Get out those Halloween books at the beginning of October and read read read the whole month! There are a lot of really great books out there for children and for your family to enjoy!

7. Halloween movies! I love watching movies and so this one is a really big one for us. We have already been working on a few. Watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" with my dad the night before Halloween was always fun and is a tradition I will be doing with my children. I also enjoy saying "...I got a rock" after any child near me says they received some kind of candy. Hey, it is fun!

My little having fun with her best friend on her first Hay-ride! 

8. Do something kind for someone. During every holiday season I try to be thankful for all of the wonderful people and things in my life and try to spread cheer to others. You could share some of those fall treats you made with neighbors, firefighters, police officers, Veterans, teachers, or many others. This year I also found out about the Teal Pumpkin Project which is basically a national campaign started in 2014 to raise allergy awareness and promote the inclusion of all trick-or-treaters. In other words, having another option for children with food allergies would be really great for those children that can not have/eat candy. You can have bracelets, bouncy eyeballs, or just a fun little toy as an option on the side for children that can not have candy. If you want to know more about the Teal Pumpkin Project here is a link.

9. Do a Halloween Camp! Camping in the fall is always a fun thing to with family and especially if you can invite some friends along. At night you could have a scary (or not so scary) bout of games like glow in the dark hide & seek (every one wears glow sticks or necklaces and play) or if you have enough people you could play a game like mafia or townspeople around the bon-fire. You could also decorate your tents in Halloween decor and have a contest.

 Halloween last year before Trick-or-Treating

10. Picking out a costume/making a costume. I always have fun going to Goodwill or other thrift stores and trying on really ridiculous things as costume ideas. It is a lot of fun and you never know what you will find.

11. Come up with jokes for Halloween! This is a newer one for me because in St. Louis they have a tradition that in order to get a piece of candy you must tell a joke. We always look up a few great jokes before we head out to get candy on Halloween. :D

12. This one is kind of obvious. Go Trick or Treating! Even if you go to a mall, zoo, or just walk around your neighborhood this is always the pinnacle, the finish line, the best of Halloween! Well, the candy is. If you are not going out to get candy then dress up, turn on that porch light, and have fun handing it out!

Those are a few of the fun and strange things my family and I do for the month of October and Halloween. I hope they were helpful or, at the very least, fun to read! Have a Happy October and Halloween! :D

Tiphanie's Obsessions of the Week

These are obsessions that I would like to post weekly for myself...by myself....anyways...where was I? Oh yes! Here were my obsessions for this week!

NOTE: These are just strange obsessions that I have had this week and this could get kinda crazy. Proceed with caution and remember, this Blog is a NO judgement zone. This is just a place for my opinions and for positive commentators. Thanks in advance! :D

1. Songs-I am one of these annoying/amazing people that always have a song of some kind playing in their head. Sometimes it is horrible because I have some song I don't know all the lyrics to floating around in there or because it was a jingle off of a really stupid commercial ("The snack that smiles back...Goldfish!). This week luckily, it was not a silly jingle but a song that revolves around one of my favorite instruments. Trumpets! It is also just so darn catchy that I can not help myself. Song obsession of the week for me is "Trumpets" by Jason Derulo. (Friends that do not like songs about inappropriate things or with cursing beware)

Here is a link to his song via Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOAfz0H4f00

2. Food- You knew this was going to be on this list. Admit it. Who could make an obsessions of the week with 8 topics and NOT have food on it? Anti-food people that is who! Anyways, moving on, not chasing that rabbit anymore. My food obsession for the week was this:

Photo Courtesy of Diana's Bananas Website

I picked up a box of these at SAMS club and they are SO good! My family has been enjoying these babies all week and at only 130 calories it is a sweet and healthy treat. :D

3. Movie-I have mentioned on here before that I am a HUGE animated film fan and with that being said, more than 90% of these will probably be an animated film each week. This week was a crazy week though. Shrug. My movie obsession for this week is: Trainwreck
We went to see it in theaters which was AMAZING. Seriously. Like the third movie I have seen in theaters in the past two years (welcome to parenting). This movie is WILDLY inappropriate and could be considered downright scandalous...it was absolutely HILARIOUS and you should go watch it like 5 minutes ago. Seriously. Amazing movie. Here is a link to Fandango because I know you are going to go see this right now. Stop reading and click the linky!

http://www.fandango.com/

4. T.V. Show- I want you to keep in mind that I have a two year old daughter when you see this one...or actually don't. I would watch this show even without a child. In fact, I did watch this before. So, there. Anyways, My Little Pony is my T.V. Show obsession this week and I don't want to give away any spoilers, but something amazing happened in this weeks episode! So if you are a MLP fan go watch it! It was great! They have episodes on Youtube

5. Book- Book of the week is "The Story". It is basically a big book of stories from the Bible and I am trying to make my way through the book/Bible this year. I have even been thinking about possibly blogging about each chapter as I read through it. Thoughts? Would anyone like to see me blog about chapters in this book? So far (I am on Chapter 3) I have found the book to be awesome at telling the whole story and I have already had a few of my questions about things cleared up by this book. I personally like to use this as a companion book to the Bible, but you could also just read this book. It is especially helpful for beginners or people like me who did not grow up in a church. Anyways, if you are interested here is the link: http://thestory.com/

Photo Courtesy of blcbcs.org 

6. Pumpkin flavored things. I am sorry! (dodges people throwing things because they are tired of hearing about fall things). Seriously though. I LOVE Pumpkin Spiced Lattes. I especially love Pumpkin Spiced Lattes in B & N with my friend Nina. (She gets a discount AND she is awesome) Also, Starbucks makes a Decaf version which is amazing for people like me who can not have caffeine! :D Anyways, to make up for this I am posting a link to Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on YouTube and what he has to say about Pumpkin Spiced Lattes. Have a laugh and forgive me? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeQqe0oj5Ls 

7.  Pinterest. Okay okay. So this is more of a YEAR addiction...but still. I LOVE pinterest. You can find me on there pinning about all sorts of crazy things under Tiphietiger or Tiphanie Owens. If you have not joined the pinterest obsessed you should just do it. You know...cause peer pressure is always a valid reason. :p

8. Obsessively Excited Over: Pokemon Go! Oh my goodness! I am SO excited about this. This is going to basically be an App/Game on your phone where you can use your phone like a Pokedex. Needless to say, I will be getting this! So if you are planning on getting this too then get outta my way because I am gonna catch em' all! Unless you want to do a friendly battle or trade. Then you can stay and chill. Anyways, here is a link to the game trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sj2iQyBTQs