Thankful For More Great Memories

Things don't always go the way they are planned...

We woke up last Wednesday (24th) to MORE snow!

So we changed our weekend plans.

We traded a 3 day weekend at the beach for a night in a jacuzzi suite on the Tacoma waterfront.

I felt very spoiled :)

We arrived early in the afternoon in hopes of soaking up every last minute of luxury in our room.

The view was beautiful.

Apparently we weren't the only ones on a romantic snowy holiday...

This was our Thanksgiving paradise for the evening

We relaxed and enjoyed the view.

 We went for a walk on the waterfront.

We warmed up in a hot jacuzzi with a few cocktails.

(that whip cream vodka is dangerously yummy)

We enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner we made in the hotel room microwave.

We went for another walk on the docks after dark.

It was a perfect holiday

:)

We goofed around on the way home and enjoyed the "sights" of Tacoma.

Here is Vern "playing" with his truck...

We came home and ended a perfect weekend by decorating for Christmas and building a gingerbread house together.

How fun!!

If you haven't built one yet,YOU NEED TO!

This one came with great candy too!

We are letting this frosting dry for now,

phase 2 coming soon.

(If I can keep Vern from eating all the candy first)

I'm glad things don't always go the way they were planned...

:)

Snow-No-No-No...

48 hours from now we will be snuggled up in our camper at the beach. That is,if it ever stops snowing....

9 inches and counting.
It sure is beautiful though. I love how snow makes everything so quiet.
You may notice from the tracks in the lawn that Chipper LOVES the snow!
It is hilarious to watch him play and burrow through it until he has become a snowball himself.
It tends to get the rugs a little wet afterwards... but it's totally worth it in entertainment value!
As for me,I will stay inside snuggled in my new fuzzy robe...

Today

Today was..

That much more fun to go to work because I had something new to wear.

A bad hair day until I added a sparkly hair accessory and added a few curls.

Happy rain proof hair!

When I gave a heartbroken friend a long hug,a good cry and some much needed time to talk and vent.

An attempt to brighten up someone else's wardrobe by sharing hand me downs.

Watching Vern laugh so hard he cried.

Ended in a long talk with my Mom. She is the best Mother and also a great friend. I am so lucky :)

One day closer to our get away-6 more days!

Oh Happy Good Things

This was a great weekend..

I got a surprise visit from my Sister and Brother In Law on Monday. My Sister brought me 3 bags of beautiful clothes and they even treated me to lunch! I was feeling a bit hormonal and homesick and the visit was just what I needed :)

I spent that evening sorting through clothes and managed to clean out 4 large bags of my own stuff! If I haven't worn it in 6 months,it's gone! I also love passing the joy of "new" clothes to someone else..:)

I suppose it's time I let my secret out...Vern and I are sneaking off to the beach for Thanksgiving weekend. I AM SOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!! Just the 2 of us and Chipper in the camper,watching movies,reading books,eating turkey one night and seafood the next,walking the beach,snuggling,sleeping in,playing cards...the 24th can't come soon enough! I can't remember the last time I spent Thanksgiving away from family..? Here's to making new memories and perhaps a new tradition! =0)

In anticipation for our trip we did a little shopping today. Vern got the book he has been wanting and he bought me a fuzzy new robe and a movie "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs". I have heard it is very funny and it is on my list of movies I wanted to watch while at the beach. He spoils me!The only bad part is that I want to wait until vacation to watch it....will I survive another week?! I am counting the days.... : /

I am also beginning the search for another dog. I am not searching very hard as I am in no hurry but I should admit that I am looking! I would like a female,10 lbs. or less and a puppy would be best. I think Chipper would benefit from having a playmate and I think it would be nice to have another "girl" around. I'm not to sure Vern is sold on the idea yet but I think he'd prefer a puppy to a baby! I also think he understands that I am a woman in my 30's who is hoping that it will quiet my biological clock! LOL!!!

Off to browse for puppies one more time before bed...
:)

Thankful

I am thankful for..
An amazing man to share my life and love with.
Parents who have worked hard and loved their' children unconditionally.
Having 2 sisters and a brother I could tell anything to.
The fact that no matter how old I get,I will always be their "little sister"
A career I love filled with clients who appreciate it.
Our little dog Chipper,who has convinced me I am a bit of an animal lover after all..
A few true friends.The ones that know I suck at calling,texting,birthdays and most holidays and still love me anyway.
David,the amazing experience of being a mother.

Sometimes,it's the little things that I appreciate..
My Caravan. It doesn't look fancy from the outside but I the view from the driver's seat is great!
Coming home from a long day of work to find that Vern has washed my favorite comfy outfit and has it waiting for me.
Low tide.
Macro mode.
When old people or little kids tell  stories.
A hot cup of tea.
The smell of Basil,coffee and currently..the crisp fall smell in the air.

Lush

I bought myself an unusual gift today.

Whipped cream flavored vodka.....tastes just like whip cream.

Yum.

Let's have a look at my liquor cabinet..

bacon vodka

chocolate vodka

whipped cream vodka

This blogger is mildly allergic to most alcohols.

Oh and I hate the taste!

But every once in awhile..

I enjoy a Bloody Mary (bacon vodka)

or a spiked hot chocolate.

Whip cream is a perfect addition

:)

Life Is Good

Life is good,you want to know why?
I didn't like my life 10 years ago. I didn't like who I was and I was in unhealthy relationships. Although it was hard,I made some dramatic changes. I got divorced and quit surrounding myself with toxic people. It took hard work and patience but 10 years later I am where I used to wish I was. Life is simple. I work a job I love,I share my free time with a loving partner and I surround myself with honest and true friends. I appreciate all that I have so much! So this brings me to today...
I sat on my bed examining the contents of the big envelope I got in the mail. My credit report. Honestly I have never seen it...and I was worried. The good news is that I have "fair" credit and only 3 things dragging my score down. Those damn poor choices I made in my 20's coming to haunt me again! My eyes switched to the other paper laying on the bed. My pay stub. Deductions for  health insurance,vision insurance,401k,taxes...yikes! Where the heck did my paycheck go?! Frustrating.And then it happen,that little smile I get inside on these moments, when I realize again that I have become the person I waited so long to be. At times I almost don't recognize myself! Simple and responsible. A retirement planning,insured woman with fair credit,I like the sound of that :)

For Jessica

Grandma Davis' Frozen Cranberry Salad

1 package frozen cranberries chopped in blender/food processor
1 cup sugar
Mix and let stand 1 hour

In a separate bowl-
1 pound can of crushed pineapple
1 bag of mini marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Mix and let stand for 1 hour

Fold and gently stir all ingredients together in one bowl and add 1 pint of whipped cream or Cool Whip (I use Heavy Cream Cool Whip.
Pour into 9X13 pan and freeze overnight

This is a Thanksgiving must have for me plus great memories of my Grandmother :)

Mean Lady..

The day went great,8 hours of money making madness. I had just said goodbye to my last client of the day and sat down,when in walks a mom and her daughter. I tried to explain that we closed in 10 minutes and that wasn't sufficient time for a hair cut....but that didn't work. She went off on some rant about business hours bla bla bla and demanded a "number to call". I gave her one..with a friggin smile on my face and my name printed on the pamphlet,just in case she needed that info later :) She went on and on as my willingness to help her diminished.At some point, her words became a blur and I was speechless while she made her way out the door. I wasn't going to argue,she was looking for an argument..I wasn't going to say the right thing at that point....gooood bye. I try to shake off these times when people are mean or rude..but it's hard. She ruined a perfectly good day,her icky vibe has poisoned my head all evening. Part of me has a laugh...Did she really think it was a good idea to DEMAND a 10 minute haircut?! I am expected to give up MY evening because she couldn't get there the other 8 hours we were open today?! I'M the rude one here?! Ugh.
Thanks a lot Mean Lady,
I hope someday you get the "10 minute hair cut" you feel you deserve so badly.

Hut,Hut,Hike

Bruxism is when you clench (tightly hold your top and bottom teeth together) or grind (slide your teeth back and forth over each other) your teeth.

What does this really mean? You get to sleep with a mouth guard that makes you look like a quarterback. Oh my poor boyfriend....but I suppose it is better than waking him up by sounding like a trash compactor. I have slept 3 nights with my new mouthguard and haven't had any problems. I got it at Walgreens for about $20 and it lasts a year. Painless. Let's hope it stays that way.

A Dose Of Shrooms

Vern and I went for a walk in the woods today to get some fresh air.

I found these cute little mushrooms just begging me for a photo opportunity.

In an attempt  to keep my creative juices flowing,I turned them into a creative photo blog for today.

Enjoy

:)

Doggi Cannoli

"Hello,HR Department. This Is Cara. How May I Direct Your Call?"

November 1st..oh boy.
I have been a lazy blogger. (That means that I got a lot of house work done)
Halloween came and went and that means that Thanksgiving is just around the corner.

Honestly...
There are so many things running through my head tonight. I sit here and contemplate...do I want to chatter on about the "lighter" subjects or do I vent about the deeper stuff? What is the blogging emotional outburst etiquette anyway? Is it ok just to burst out in a good bitch session every once in awhile without freaking people out?! (ok,I admit that I am kinda cracking myself up now :)...)
All in all I am fine. No one died,no one is sick and overall life is good.
That being said...
I am struggling with the newest chapter in the "Step Mom Handbook".This chapter is titled "You Can Talk Until You Are Blue In The Face But They Don't Listen"
 It's almost strange how a child that is not your own can still give you gray hair and wrinkles. This is round two for me. It was a little easier with David because he was so young,it is so very different with an 18 year old. I was on such a great maternal high last week! But..Trevor crushed that with a wild night out with the boys this weekend.
BUSTED.
There went our whole weekend.
Ruined.
A supportive lecture about good choices from both of us, just hours before it all happen..
a waste of breath.
I know that I am an inexperienced parent and a hard ass  when it comes to rules and discipline. So most of the time I bite my tongue.
I know that children will hurt their parents more than they will ever know ...and despite it all, parents love their kids more than life itself.
It's just not fun to be the person to have to sit back and watch it all happen and not get upset.
But I must remember the rules for successful step parenting-The Step Parent is a support system and not the CEO...not even the Vice President....more like the Human Relations Department.
Got it.
Proceed biting tongue.
It's worth it to help the man I love and keep our "company" strong.
I'm just not going to pretend it's always easy.
Thanks for the vent
I do feel a little better
:)