To poof or not to poof that is the question!!

Ok so I am totally going to take you all on a trip with me...don't get too excited it's an "I am so crazy over which dress to buy trip" and I am just at a stand still right now.  So I am going to show you the 2 dresses that I have fallen in love with for an upcoming formal gala and I for the life of me can NOT decide. So if you are ready then seriously look at both dresses and let me know which one you love more and also would you wear the poof underneath or just go with the dress?!

Ready and here we go.....

the front of the black dress

back of the black dress

front of the navy dress

and finally back of the navy dress.













Now I love both of these dresses and have looked at several other options but I just can not stop coming back to these 2 dresses so I finally said to myself "forget whatever is making you think these are not the correct dresses for you and just go for it" So here I am and I really need your help! I value your opinions and would love to know which of these you think is the better dress.

Thank you so much for your help!!

PINT!!!!

Christmas Eve is here so where the heck......

is my Christmas spirit?!!?!?!?  Seriously ya'll I have no idea what is going on with me lately but I am going to have to try and figure it out soon or else I am afraid this will not end well for any of us.  I have baked and shopped and wrapped and oh yeah did I mention that apparently not being in the spirit of the holidays this year means that I end up hurting people's feeling and being the crappiest wife, friend and mother of all?!!  Yeah I am so not exaggerating and let me just tell you that I am SOOOOOO upset about the whole entire thing.

Yes my kids have presents and yes I made sure that they were all taken care of I just did not do the same for my husband, my friends or even my family. If they were bugging the crap outta me about what they wanted for Christmas they just pretty much fell by the wayside.  Yupp that's right..I SUCK!!!  I feel like the worst person every right now and I am pretty dang sure that whatever happens tomorrow is not going to make it any better. For pity sakes I have presents under the tree and my dear sweet loving and fabulous husband has NOTHING!!!  Oh yeah you heard me right...not a gosh darn thing.  Now don't get me wrong I did order him some things and I did go to the store and scrounge and scour and do my darndest to try and find something fabulous for him but when it came down to it the only things I could even find were of course online. Some times I really really hate living overseas and having to resort to ordering online because we can never trust the military postal service. Oh don't get me wrong the usps has never let me down but once it hits the hands of those lovely military mail personnel god only know what happens to it.  Harsh?...maybe but who cares I already told you I feel like crap and so I don't care how that comes out. Mr. M swore that the post office where we pick up our mail was open today and guess what..it wasn't!! Guess what else...ours was the only one NOT open!!!!!   I could seriously have spit on the man who told me he was "not open sorry" as he picked his teeth and laughed while I am standing there holding my package slip that I wasn't for sure of course but was hoping and praying it was Mr. M's presents.  Ughhhhhhh!!!  That did not help anything else that is going on in my life right now and so I. was. done!!!!  Done I say!!!

Is it depression?!!  I dunno but I am going to figure this out one way or another and if they can't give me meds to fix it them I am seriously going to need to make some changes.

Ok so now that ya'll have listened to me gripe and moan and complain and talk about how I am such a crappy person I hope you will believe me when I say...Merry Christmas to all of you and I do hope that your day is filled with love, joy and happiness!!

PINT!!!!

Holidays, Friends, and totally slacking...

Ok so far this year I have managed to barely scrape by on getting everything done. You would think I work a full time job but really I only volunteer. I always thought that volunteering would just give me that feeling of being a part of something and yet not having to fully commit to too much....man oh man was I wrong!!

So far everything I have volunteered for has become an every day event and every time I think it is going to slow down it has just gotten worse. I do love being a part of things and the feeling of accomplishment is great but it is now time to reevaluate and try again. Some things are just going to have to stop and as hard as that is for me to say I just can't keep going like I have been.

I have several people whom I need to get letters or cards out to..you know who you are....and please accept my deepest appologies for not getting them done so far. I have not forgotten about you nor have I just ignored the fact that I need to do them I just honestly have yet to have the time to get them done. Heck my Holiday cards are still not addressed and sent out and it is less then a week until Christmas, Hannukah passed a while ago and now I am feeling a little overwhelmed. So those of you who are expecting things from me..I am so so sorry and I promise it will get done!! Just give me time please.

I have had a hard time getting into the spirit this year and I really wasn't even sure why until I stopped one day to listen to a dear friend explain to me how this time of year is so hard for her due to a loss and it just seems to be harder during the holidays. I TOTALLY GET IT NOW!!!  Although it has been a little over a year since my little brother passed away it still hurts and it still affects me apparently more then even I realized it did. Poor Mr. M has tried everything this year to get my into the spirit and even gave me an early present..yupp you heard that right I got a present early!! Neener neener ya'll!! Seriously though I wish I could say that made me feel better but it really didn't. Don't get me wrong I totally love my new ipod touch..woohooo! It is fabulous and I have had so much fun adding all kinds of neat stuff to it but it has not improved my mood.

Maybe it hasn't helped that I am still waiting on some gifts to arrive in the mail or maybe it's because so many things have gone wrong so far this year that just couldn't be helped but no matter what the spirit is just not here for me yet. I suppose with the girls out of school and being constantly bombarded by "is it Christmas yet?" and " can we open just one present?" it might start to hit me but we shall see.

I do wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a sincere appology to those who are waiting for me to get stuff done but all in all I just want to say that I wish all of you the happiest of times with your families and friends and hope that no one else is having such a hard time as my friend and myself are having.

5 Question Friday!!

Ok so again it has been a really REALLY long week!!  So much going on and even with a few minor glitches and a few personal losses we made it through once again.  I have been fighting off a head cold all week and I think I finally found the right mix of meds to help me make it through the day until I actually have the time to rest and get well.  I am so excited that today is the last day of school for a few weeks...have I mentioned how I really need to rest and try and get rid of this cold?!!  I am miserable..I hate being sick!!  Thank goodness for Robitussin and Ibuprofen...love you both!! :)

1. Do you regift...and if so, do you have a regifting horror story?

Ummmm NO!  Maybe I sound horrible but I think that is just horrible. I have received my share of gifts that just didn't fit but I made them work some how. If they are bath products(which I happen to receive a lot of for some reason..do I stink?!) anywho..I will bring them out when guests come to visit and put them in their room for their own personal use.
I just think that everyone should be gracious and grateful for anything you receive. After all isn't it the thought that counts?!?!?!?!??!

2. Do you know what you are getting for Christmas this year?

Ummm well actually yes 1 thing I know I am getting. Every year since I met Mr. M we have this little thing we like to call...or better I like to call...get real!!  I tell him to get real because he is  never going to be able to surprise me and in return I tell him exactly what I want and I get it!  I have given up on surprises and I am ok with that since..well...who could be mad at getting exactly what they want right?!!

3. Who brings the most gifts in your family, you or Santa?

Well we have had so many changes to what we receive over the years from family. Since we are never close to home most people just send us money and tell us to buy whatever the girls or we want. All I do is buy exactly what I was planning on buying anyway and then split them up between whomever sent money, us and Santa. Santa usually gets the credit for the biggest gifts though.

4. What store do you love to by jeans from?

I have never been a huge fan of jeans but it might have something to do with the fact that since my youngest was born and I had some stomach issues I can not wear anything tight around my waist or I have sever pains. I do have a few pairs of jeans that I love and love wearing them but they are really stretchy so not too tight on my waist. I do love that jeans pretty much go with anything I just wish it were easier for me to find stretchy jeans like these.

5. Christmas meal: Big, All Out Meal or Snacks and Apps?
We always do our big meal on Christmas Eve. I like to sit around and enjoy Christmas with my family and not be stuck in a kitchen cooking all day. We always do Ham for dinner and then so we don't have much cooking to do on Christmas day I buy some croissants and we do ham sandwiches on croissants for Christmas day. This year we are supposed to be going to a friends for Christmas day meal and I am not sure yet what I am bringing so I will have to let you know if we do big meal or not.



Ok I hope that everyone has a great weekend and I will be back next week hopefully rested, not sick and a little less stressed!!

PINT!!!!

Just wanted to share our beautiful tree with you all!! I absolutely love our tree and it took us years to find the one that made me happy....just ask Mr. M!! He looooves to tell the story of how fussy I am about a tree.  Whatever!!! :)

 My raffle win from the last spouses club luncheon..Don't ya just love Louis Fauxton?!!  Pretty eh?!!

This I bought just because I thought it was so cute!! Yes that would bring me back to the whole shopping issues..but it is cute right?!!

My last thought for you.....baaahaaahaaaaaa  I love this picture!!!! You gotta love the stuff you can find online right?!!!









Happy Tuesday everyone and I hope that each and every one of you has a blessed week and that your all your holiday wishes are coming true right before your eyes!!

5 Question Friday!!

1. Do you open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

Since Mr. M's family always opened up all of their gifts on Christmas Eve we made it a tradition that any gifts from his family could be opened up Christmas Eve and all other gifts are opened up Christmas morning. Since we never live near family this has just stayed the same, but I am sure once we move back closer to all of our family things will be changing.

2. What is your favorite Christmas cookie (or candy)?

I would have to say without a doubt.....Fudge!!! MMMMmmmm I loooove fudge!! It also happens to be one of Mr. M's most favorite things that I make so I guess that doesn't hurt it's appeal either. :)

3. What's the worst Christmas gift you've ever received?

Ok so I am sure that there will be a bazillion other people who say the same thing and that is....underwear!!  What parent ever decided that a kid would actually get excited about opening a package of underwear on Christmas morning. I am also including long underwear in that. If your kids need underwear people please don't wrap it up and stick it under the tree it's just not nice!!

4. Christmas song that you love?

There are so many songs I love it would be near impossible for me to pick just one. I have always loved "Noel" and "silent night" and one year when Mr. M was gone for the holidays I fell in complete love with Mariah Carey's "miss you most at Christmas time"  it's a beautiful song and I must have played it 200 times a day every day while he was gone.  Don't judge....for real  you would do it too!!

5. How many trees do you put up?

Ok ok this is a fabulous question!!!  Now if I had it my way we would have a tree in every single room of the house....again don't judge ya'll!!  There was one year when we were living in a big beautiful town house and had tons of room and so I did have one in each of the girls bedrooms, one in the master bedroom, master bathroom, living room, dining room, kitchen, front porch, back porch and front foyer. It was the best year ever and Mr. M thought I had lost my mind....still not judging right?!! :)  Anywho for all of you animal lovers out there we did have a tree decorated with strung up pupcorn(dog treats that look like popcorn), milk bones, dingos, and peanutbutter treats. As well as a smaller tree that had catnip, cat treats and bells all over it.  Let's just say we think our animals deserved their own trees as well.

Ok so I have to tell you a story about the dog tree since I am talking about it....we had a 12 yr old Dutch shephard named Daisy and 2 cats. One of our cats,Tiger, thought she was a dog and always hung out with Daisy and slept right next to her. So when we put up the dog tree and the animals figured out what was on it they formed a team in order to get everything off the tree. Tiger would go over to the dog tree and knock off the bones and pupcorn so that Daisy could eat it. Then in return Daisy would play with the cat toys with Tiger until they knocked them off the tree. It was the sweetest, cutest thing we had ever seen any animals do and I will never forget that.

Ok so you got my Friday questions and even a super cool history lesson about me and my crazy animals.  Yay for you!!!  Now go click that button up there and get your own questions on!

It's getting closer and I need help!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok so majority of the time I am on here blogging I can find some really great online deals and end up usually getting everything I need and maybe a few things I just want for my family for any occasion.  This year is a TOTAL exception!!!!  I am at a LOSS!!!!  I have no idea what to get Mr. M and even all the websites that I have found to buy things for the people impossible to buy for....NOTHING!!  One of my biggest struggles is being overseas so buying him tickets to his favorite game is out of the question unless I plan to add on a $1000 plane ticket to get him there plus hotel, rental car, etc.....NOT an option right now.

I am calling out to all you bloggy savy people out there and asking for some serious help!!  Please, please, please if you have any ideas to help me I would greatly appreciate it!  Of course I have the usual ideas of getting him some new shirts and a few sweaters but that is it.  Normally I can get ideas from him saying things but this year he is a blank slate. It's amazing that after 16 years of marriage I have finally reached that point where I am clueless on what to get my own husband...Ughhhhhhh!!!!

Ok so before anyone asks here he is in a nutshell:
1. his only real hobby is golf and he has new clubs and every golf accessory he could ever want and then some.
2. Over the past year we have bought him: new computer, new mp3 player, new boots, new watch.
3. All his travelling wishes have been fulfilled except for going to London and a cruise which we are doing both this upcoming year.

Ok so now you see my delima?!!!  Please someone help me!!!!  Any suggestions would be fantastic. Just remember we are overseas so again a plane ticket to the states is just not an option right now.

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

Post it note Tuesday!

5 Question Friday and a confession...

1. What's on the top of your holiday wish list and why?!

Oh ok this is sooooooo easy!!  As much as I gripe and complain about my touch screen phone and how much I hate it(don't judge ladies!) The one thing I want more then anything for Christmas this year is an ipod touch!! Ohhhhh I can just see me now listening to music, playing a game and having a blast..can you see it?!!!  Can you?!!!  *sighhhhh* Hopefully Mr. M has gotten the hint too!!! Cross your fingers for me ladies. :)

2. What is your favorite Christmas gift from the past?

Ok so I am totally going to tell you all something that I probably have not shared with you in the past..Mr. M. Is. Not. Good at taking hints!!!  I have tried to train him but I finally gave up a few years back. Now I just tell my children and tell them to tell daddy. It works for me. Anywho...point is that one year I told my oldest that she needed to tell daddy I really wanted a new truck. We had just had our second little girl and my poor little Trooper was feeling cramped. I really really wanted a Tahoe....I mean bad!!!!   So anywho a few weeks before Christmas we went to Atlanta to help my grandmother move and when we got to our home town Mr. M told me we needed to go to the dealership where we got the Trooper for some maintenence. Ok so totally believable and of course being that Mr. M sucks as surprises and stuff I was totally clueless....until we got to the dealership and parked right in front was the most beautiful red Tahoe I have ever seen in my life!!! For real ya'll it's gorgeous..just sayin'!!  He has done a lot more over the years but that was the one that really got me and made me start believing in Santa clause again.

3. If you had life to do over, what would you be when you grow up?

I wouldn't change a single thing!! I love my life. I love my husband. I love my kids and I love being a stay at home mom.

4. When do you put up your tree?

Well it differs every year. Mostly it depends on if Mr. M is here or not, then it depends on how in the spirit I am and what we have going on for Thanksgiving weekend. Usually our tree goes up either the week before Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving weekend.

5. What is your favorite Holiday?
Christmas absolutely!!!  I love the songs, the decorations, the baking, the cooking, the happiness it just seems to bring to majority of the world. Don't you just love Christmas?!!!  I do!!!












Ok so now onto a confession of my own...I know my blogging has been horrible lately and I have to say it just hasn't been easy to try and keep up with everything lately. I love being involved in things but lately it seems like I am doing more for others then I even have to do for myself. My gym schedule is all out of whack and I am starting to feel it.  I love working out because it makes me feel good so when I don't get to do it I can really tell.


This week over 200 caramel apples have been made, supplies picked up, snow shoveled, signs made, Christmas presents bought and tons and tons of mail picked up and carried up 3 floors..ughhh I hate the 3rd floor when I have stuff in my hands.  


All of this said here is my confession....I am a total lover of Christmas and everything about this Holiday season and yet this year I am so NOT in the mood for it all!!  I have no idea why not and no idea how to change that but honestly we have been to the Christmas market, put up our tree, decorated our house and we even have snow outside and yet...nothing!!  I need to figure this out and I am dying to be in that wonderful spirit and enjoy this time of year and be happy just to be alive and living in the spirit of the season but right now I feel more like...bahumbug!!


I know it's horrible!  Please feel free to share how you get in the spirit of the season! Maybe it will help...dear loodies I hope it helps!  Yupp I make up words all the time..it's called me a parent. Duhhhh!  :)