My $3.15 Valentine's Decor

I know most people don't decorate for Valentine's Day. It's super cool for people to hate on V-Day, but I don't- I love it. Even when I was single, I still liked it. I know it's commercial blah blah blah, whatever! So, I knew I wanted to decorate my mantel in some way--and on the cheap! This is what I came up with:

Total cost=$3.15!! 

Here's the breakdown: the red pompom garland was 15 cents! I got it 90% off at the Dollar General store. It was with all the Christmas stuff and I thought it would be perfect for Valentine's Day.

The heart ornaments were $1 for the entire box at the Walmart Associate's Store. Awesome! 

And the red heart tin pails were $1 each at the Target Dollar Spot. I have tealights in them so the hearts glow when they're lit. Awww! haha!

So that's it! Super easy, super cheap and I think super cute!

my newest project

is a plate wall. These are all over the place right now-- some are super eclectic and others are super traditional. Mine will be pretty traditional, since that is what I love!

I've started collecting the plates and I found a few I loved at TJ Maxx a few weeks ago.

with flash:

and without:

I've gotten a few more since these. I'll share them as the project progresses!

back home!

I spent last week in Tulsa, working at my mom's office while my parents were on vacation. The working part was NO FUN, but seeing old friends was so much fun! I have some random pictures from the the trip and since I hate to post without some pictures, here ya go!

I'll start with a rare sight around here-- me working in an office!! haha! I worked full time until Mike and I got married. After college I started working in the family business-- the riveting field of insurance. (note the heavy sarcasm!). We moved to Arkansas just a month after our wedding and I haven't worked outside the home since. So, in a way it was kinda fun to get dressed up and go to an office. Buuuut... the fun wore off quickly. :-)

I was really excited to spend some time with friends and family and I got to hang out with my Grandma Sue and her sweet dog Dallas:

I also got to finally meet my friend's daughter:

some of my girlfriends pointed out that I'm touching the kiddo with one finger. haha That's a big step for me!!

I was able to reconnect with my old bff Sarah too. We were super tight back in my single days but drifted apart when I moved out of state. The move and lots of life changes kind of took it's toll on our friendship... but seeing her again and hanging out like the good old days was amazing!! I can't wait for her to come up to Arkansas and spend some time with me and I can't wait to head back to Tulsa to see her. <3

 I also had a great girl's night out with Brooke and Jackie-- but no pics unfortunately. I got to meet sweet baby Parker-- he's too stinking cute!!

I'll finish with a Jack Bauer picture (shocker, right??) He's so over the snow!! And it's still falling outside. *sigh*

Snow Day!

It's been snowing for hours and I love it!! Mike is working from home and the only car I've seen all day was the postman. The dogs are hilarious out there- Ellie loves it and Jack Bauer is just confused. Here's hoping we can get out and make a snowman soon!

Thankful Thursday

I woke up this morning and for about 10 minutes I thought it was Friday! Oh well, that's okay because I have a lot to be thankful for on this Thursday. :)

• I mentioned it earlier, but I am so thankful for Mike's promotion and success at work.
• That we are prepared for this approaching winter storm. Flashlights, candles, lots of food etc. We should be good for a couple of days!
• That Jack Bauer's ear infection isn't bothering him as much today. The poor guy was in some serious pain yesterday.
• That we're actually getting a tax refund this year! (First year ever.) And that the state return was deposited yesterday and the federal refund will be deposited Friday!
• That my baby brother got an xBox and can play online with Mike and his friends. Might not seem important, but since he's a Marine stationed in Japan I know he's excited to have that connection back home! <3

Hope everyone has a great Thursday and stays warm!

Way to go Mike!!

Mike got a pretty big promotion today!! And since I feel like I only post pictures of house stuff and Jack Bauer on here, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to post some pics of the hubby. <3

If you know Mike at all, you know what a goofball he can be. I rarely get him to pose normally for pictures. So this is a nice mixture of cute normal pics and typical Mike pics!

He's worked really hard for this promotion and I'm incredibly proud. He's really advanced quickly at his company and he deserves the success and recognition that he's getting!

and Mike insisted I include this terrible fake yearbook picture- he says it's his favorite. LMAO!

Way to go babe!!

It only took 2 years.

I have been searching for just the right thing to go above our antique buffet for two years! On Saturday I finally bit the bullet and bought the painting I'd been lusting over for a few months now. I absolutely love it!!

Here is a before shot:

I've had that cat print since I moved into my first apartment back in 2002! It has definitely seen better days and I was sooo tired of it!

and here is the new picture:

I love it! It works with all the colors that I love using in our house-- green, red, black etc. The best part-- I caught it at one of Hobby Lobby's 50% off sales. Perfect!!

He's smiling, right??

just another Jack Bauer photo shoot... but this time I'm convinced he's smiling!!

because sometimes I'm inappropriate.

Like lots of you guys I've been glued to the tv for the past week. The footage of the devastation in Haiti is heartbreaking. I've cried numerous times just from the sadness but also the strong will and huge heart of the people of Haiti. So when I told Mike that I was going to donate some money, I gave this speech (from memory I might add):

So like, right now for example. The Haitians need to come to America. But some people are all, "What about the strain on our resources?" Well it's like when I had this garden party for my father's birthday, right? I put R.S.V.P. 'cause it was a sit-down dinner. But some people came that like did not R.S.V.P. I was like totally buggin'. I had to haul ass to the kitchen, redistribute the food, and squish in extra place settings. But by the end of the day it was, like, the more the merrier. And so if the government could just get to the kitchen, rearrange some things, we could certainly party with the Haitians. And in conclusion may I please remind you it does not say R.S.V.P. on the Statue of Liberty. - Cher Horowitz

So, yeah I'm a dork but I really encourage you guys to donate what you can. Every little bit helps. :-)

GTL!!

(fellow Jersey Shore lovers will get the title. even though it has absolutely nothing to do with my post.)

As you can tell I haven't been blogging much. I have tons to say but I've hesitated to put anything out there because this is so public. Grrr. These are the times when I wish this thing was private. And here is where I'll be cryptic-- it's nothing bad, promise! it's exciting actually but I don't feel comfortable putting it all out there on the internets. But it has pretty much consumed my thoughts for the past 2 weeks...

So I will try to snap out of it and start posting more. Promise.

(oh and before I start getting emails--- It's not a BABY!!) hahaha! Hell no.

---and I promise to spill the beans when we can. or if I see you in person. promise. It's just that you have no idea who reads these things, ya know??

It's Been Awhile

Sorry for the blogging absence! I hope you all were able to carry on without me. :-) I thought I'd post some pics from our game night last night with some friends. And when I say game night I mean watching the Golden Globes while half way paying attention to the actual game we were playing. It's about the only blogging worthy activity we've done in the past week or so. We also saw 3 movies this past weekend and I'll blog about those later this week!

But first let's start with pictures of their adorable pups! This is Wesley. And every time we see him I plot and plan on how to stuff him in my bag and take him home with me!!

and Midge-- her floppy ear is freaking adorable!

the boys. You have no idea how many pictures I had to take to get a decent shot. Everyone was doing the dead face zombie thing, or the creepy Joker smile. Annoying.

Here's an outtake:

and the girls!

and the up close glamour shot! haha

Team Conan!

Saw this on Twitter today and I had to re-post!

How I Spent My Christmas Vacation Part Six & Seven!

Last cruise post!!!!!! Are you excited??

So last time I posted, we were enjoying Christmas with some sunshine, drinks and a formal night. December 26th for me is usually spent driving all over town hitting up all the after Christmas sales. This year it was spent on a private island in the Bahamas. Don't hate!

We woke up to lots of fog-- pretty and kinda creepy out in the middle of the ocean:

A few hours later we docked at Great Stirrup Cay- NCL's private island. We knew we wanted to snorkel, and the water and conditions couldn't have been better!

ahhh, toes in the sand! I miss this.

I had a few too many strawberry daiquiris from this little beach side bar:

Mike & Rob had some giant nasty beers while we waited in line to get back on the ship. Yuck.

The next two pics aren't great- but I thought it was kinda humorous that Mike and I accidentally dressed in coordinating colors for dinner that night. Ha! Yeah, we're that couple.

And that concluded our last night on the ship!

The next morning we woke up to this view:

We were back in Miami. Boo.

We all had breakfast together and starting saying our goodbye's. Mike's family was leaving before us, so we all gathered for some pictures in the ship's atrium:

Mike and I wanted to do a cheesy pose using the ship's props- they loved this roman column thing and tried to incorporate it in all of their formal pics. Funny thing is, I actually really like this picture (you know, minus the column and the tacky marble wall)!

Mike's family left and we decided to have one last drink at one of the ship's bars:

We headed back to the room and waited to be called over the intercom. We used the ship's transfer service to the airport. It was awesome because we didn't have to worry about our luggage until we landed in Arkansas that night!

Mike decided to use the balcony one last time for some reading.

and I just had to share this picture because it shows off the messenger bag I had made before we took the trip. I found the seller on etsy and she was fantastic to work with. I have a post later this week that tells just how fabulous she is. :-)

 another random pic-- we called this guy Jorts (you know, jean+shorts=jorts!) the entire cruise because he seriously wore them every day. Sometimes with a black mesh tank top. Not kidding!! LMAO!!

and one final picture from Miami International airport. I kept joking that I was so disappointed that we never saw a single Golden Girl or Dexter.

do you like the "gritty" effect I put on the picture?? haha!

So that's it! We survived my tedious vacation posts. And it only took me about a month to do it all. It really was a great trip. I cannot wait to go back to Belize, was pretty disappointed with Miami and made some great memories with Mike and his family. All in all, a pretty awesome Christmas. :-)