preparing for 9

my older son is going to be celebrating his 9th birthday this weekend and we are having a party for him on saturday.  i am really looking forward to it and i know he is as well.  i planned to have a small gathering for his birthday at home, because we are also going to be celebrating his first communion in may with a big party.  needless to say, birthdays are worth celebrating, so i find that it has gotten a bit bigger than originally intended.  there are about 10 or so kids coming, from neighbors to family to friends from school. 

my boy



i went yesterday and picked up a bunch of treats and fun stuff for the goodie bags and this morning when i asked him what kind of things he wanted to do at his party he mentioned: beyblade tournament, wiffle ball, potato sack races, pin the tail on the donkey and a pinata.  ok then. 

i have all the materials to throw this party, now we just have to hope for nice weather and plan out the menu.  kids eat pizza, soft pretzels and cake right?  easy enough.  of course i also invited family and friends so i have to have adult food as well.  what are some good party foods to have on hand for the adults? 

i typically do a pepperoni and cheese tray, macaroni salad, vegetables and dip, maybe tomato pie.  i would like to keep it simple, and cheaper if possible so i am open to suggestions. 

check out this pinata:

$100 Bill Pinata

we are doing a dance theme party, so i am not sure how well the activities he chose will go, but who cares?  not a bunch of 9 year olds, thats for sure.

monday monday

it rained all weekend, but i still enjoyed the time off of work.  what's not to enjoy, right?  on friday night, me, hubs and g went out and about to find two things 1) a new vacuum and 2) a jogging stroller.  we ended up getting both.  the vacuum works great and the jogging stroller is being delivered tomorrow.  i can't wait for the weather to really warm up and stay that way so i can start using the new sneaks i got a few weeks ago and the new jogging stroller.  we have an awesome park nearby where i can go running with the little one. 

saturday morning, got up and hit a new thrift spot with my friend maria.  we went to the good will.  my first time at the good will.  i will say that i signed up for the super savers card (um, additional savings?  yes sir!) and got a few things that i was really happy about. 

the first one was this sweet kate spade suede purse.  it was marked $6.95, but once i got home i realized i only paid $2 or something for it thanks to my super saver card.  $2 for a kate spade purse?  i mean, really. 

i also got an awesome pair of black work pants from the limited for $2, a few shirts (banana republic, ann taylor and INC) for $3 each and a milkglass bowl to put candy in on my desk at work. 

on saturday night i learned that my little sister was moving to south carolina the following day. surprise!  turns out she met a guy the last time she was visiting friends there, and she decided to uproot and relocate to live with him.  i was skeptical at first (who wouldn't be), but when i went to my parents house for dinner that night my sister's new boyfriend came over as well.  i have to say that i really genuinely liked him.  he was personable, polite and even dressed well.  i certainly was happy to see that he was a good person.  wishing my sister the best in her new hometown...

on sunday, i ran a bunch of errands in the morning and then went home to do things around the house.  my hubs and i started watching this show on AMC called "the killing".  have you seen it?  we ended up watching no less than 8 hours of it in a row, trying to catch up on season 1 as season 2 was premiering last night.  it was an awesome show.  check it out!

happy monday!

you down with OPI?

yeah you know me... 

it's friday.  thank you jesus, the work week is almost over.  the sun is shining, although it is not as warm as i would like it to be.  i'll take what i can get.

every friday i go and get my nails did at the nail salon below my work on my lunch break.  a little treat that i enjoy.  my good friend and i go together and the hardest thing about it is always picking out a color.  why?  i am indecisive.  i mean, what color do i want to see on my nails for the next week?  what events do i have coming up (none) that i may need a fresh mani for? 

i'm into some of the new colors from OPI that just came out.  the holland collection. 

source

i got the last one when i went last time and i really liked it.  "did you ear about van gogh?"  why yes, yes i did.  i am not sure what color i will go with today, or if i will even go.  i hate waiting for my nails to dry, that's for sure. 

not much on the agenda this weekend.  i may hit up target for some of these for the little one...

my boy has been peeing through his diaper every night for the last week.  it is not fun waking up to an angry baby.  time to bring in the big guns.  hopefully it works.

happy friday peeps!



salvation army... yes, please!

wednesdays are one of my favorite days of the week. not because it is hump day and it means that the work week is winding down, but because i get to take time on wednesday nights to do some thrift shopping - which i really enjoy. 

wednesdays at the local salvation army are considered family day.  this means that basically the entire store (except the items that came in that same week) is on sale for 50% off the already insanely low price.  um... where do i sign up?

yesterday i took the boys with me because my husband was on a trial term and wanted to see the hunger games after work.  i told him to have at it, because i knew that would a) give him time to decompress from work b) give me time to wander around salvation army without worrying how long i had been there.  it just was a coincidence that it was a wednesday and i could take advantage of the awesome weekly sale. 

i think it is safe to say that i thoroughly enjoyed myself. my friend and her son came along with us.  i found some great stuff, for both me and the boys and didn't feel guilty buying it because it was so cheap.  if i had thought ahead, i would have snapped some photos of the stuff i got and then i could post it, but i guess that is a blogging lesson i have just learned. 

here are some random pictures for visual interest, since i have nothing else exciting...

first post

a blog?  like whoa!  i have been reading other people's blogs for years now, loving them, feeling like i know them through their posts, and all the while wishing i had one of my own.  well, now i do.  go me!  i don't know exactly what will become of this blog but there are lots of things i love in life, so i am sure each of them will make their way into this somehow. 


here are some things i love (in no particular order):
sunshine, trips to mexico with my hubs, my boys, the fam, my friends, my dog goose, taking the kids to the playground, rage against the machine, haiku, issa, going out to dinner, zucchini bread, learning photography, my macbook pro, parties with delicious food, pinto noir, elephants, babies, saying i love you to the people i love, the park, the beach, thrift shopping, redecorating a room, planting a garden, working hard, achieving goals, driving with the windows down and the music loud, dancing with my kids, sarcasm, obx, pinterest, miller lite, real housewives of pretty much anywhere, californication, shameless, mad men, sesame street, going for ice cream, wawa, peanut chews, jolly joes and days off.


me and the hubs (circa 2009)