These boots are made for walkin'....

Super excited about the purchase I just made! I have been searching around for the past month for the perfect pair of "casual" boots. I have many pairs of dress shoes/boots for work but they don't quite cut it for the weekend attire. It's difficult for me to find something once I get an "idea" in my head. So, what I was picturing is some kind of work boot, but not quite as bulky. I'm not a fan of the "UGG" style boots, most of the time I find them sloppy. Plus, when it snows, at least the knock off's I've always owned, the water soaks right in. A couple weeks before this, I purchased a pair of "cow-boy" like boots from Target. However, they aren't good for ALL outfits, only the dressier ones. So it left me in the predicament to keep searching. Well, I happen to be at Famous Footwear on my lunch break and saw these bad boys...


Wow! This is exactly what I was looking for, very casual not too dressy...and the perfect color (it matches my tan fall coat). Being the bargain shopper I am though, I wasn't about to settle for the price. I went back to work and googled the make/model of the shoes (which are Sketchers Lunacy Palomar) and various places/prices. Well, i'm glad I did! Good old Amazon.Com (Free-shipping wonderland...) had them for $45 cheaper. I kid you not. And, the best part... The ones I originally saw in Famous Footwear were about Knee high (completely not necessary) so it was even better that these were the "ankle height" version. They are perfect for me! I felt like I should share in my happiness that these are on their way.

I also found Hunter a cutie pair of boots from Target. Now we kind of match :). We are officially set for fall...

Please excuse me while I have a...*Mommy Moment*

I have been having mixed feelings lately about Hunter's surgery Friday. I know there is no arguement against it (it needs to happen), but it doesn't take away from the fact that I am scared to death about this. I really don't want him to be scared, and think that we have left him *he'll be back in surgery for about an hour and a half*, or that we would ever willingly let someone hurt him. I know I sound like a wacko but it's just hard to think about. My poor baby. I know kids go through far worse surgeries every single day, so I should be grateful that this is a well-known and minor procedure in the grand scheme of things. But....

It's my baby. :(

Family Time & Pumpkins!

Happy Monday. Or rather, once again, I can't believe it's already Monday again. I know I say this every week but it seems like lately the weekends have been taking forever to arrive, and then flying by. Oh well. This one was another busy but good one.

Friday night after work, I ran to pick up Hunter and we met my team for what was supposed to be a "Happy Hour". Typically, our Team HH's are exactly what it sounds like-fun, drinking, and team bonding. Well, this one was a little different. We set the date, but being the "go-getters" that we are-Crystal *one of my teammates* and I didn't find sitters for the little guys. (Her son DJ is turning 3 in Decemeber and sooo adorable). We decided to make this a kid-friendly team dinner instead! We chose the Distillery in Victor because it's family friendly, but still has great beer selections for those on the team that didn't have to cart a little one home w/ them. It ended up being a good turnout. 8/people on a team of 12 isn't too shabby if you ask me ;). Another fun surpise was that one of our teammates Aaron brought his 2 little ones (14 months and 3), so it was the perfect match up. I didn't get any good pics because it's extremley dark in this restaurant, but here's the best I could do...


Hunter and his new buddy Liam. It was a good time! The food was delicious, and it was fun to switch things up and have a team event to show off the kids :).

Saturday we were pretty lazy in the morning. Hunter and I did some housework while Trevor went hunting. Later in the day, Hunter and I headed over to my Grandparents house to visit w/ my Dad, Angela and my two little sisters. It's always good to see them as they live pretty far away. Hunter was of course running around like a mad-man and it's always difficult when we visit people with non-childproofed houses. Luckily Hunter didn't break anything. I had a great time hanging out w/ my beautiful little sisters. They are full of smiles now and getting to the age where they are fun! Aren't they the cutest?

Ariel and I

Arianna and I

I left my grandparents after Hunter had a chance to eat so we could meet Amanda (who was coming over to hang out). We ended up just meeting at the Mall because I had to exchange some Hunter clothes that I bought, for larger sizes. We walked around the Mall for a bit, did some window shopping. I bought the cutest sign that said "Hunter's Hide Away". Of course, it truely means hunters, not MY hunter but it fits my decor perfectly. We met up w/ Trevor's Mom real quick because she had gotten Hunter's Halloween costume for us. He's going to be a puppy this year. It looked so cute on him, it'll just be a battle to have him keep the hood on.

After we left the mall, Hunter passed out and we dropped him off for Trevor (who was finally) home to put down for bed. Amanda and I went into Canandaigua to grab some dinner & snacks for all of us at Wegmans. We also rented "Remember Me", but never ended up finishing it. It was a fun night though!

Sunday I woke up with the worst stomach ache. I felt like crap. Truthfully I think I may have gotten food poisoning (I had Chicken French ... Not too tricky I thought?). I slept most of the day. We did take Hunter to the Pumpkin Patch about 15 minutes from our house. I had to struggle through (i'm tellin' ya.. it was not pretty...), but he had a fun time and the place was so cute! They had a small petting zoo area, a train, a corn trail, a hay-maze, plenty of pumpkins and a bounce house! Next year Hunter will really get into it i'm sure...This year, he just enjoyed being able to run.

Hunter & Dad



Baaa


He sat so well in the wagon, I'll admit I was little surprised...


He loved holding onto his Pumpkin


Following Dad through the Corn Trail

We took a bunch of pics but this gives you the general idea. We ended up getting 3 pumpkins, and we will carve them next weekend. When we got home, I took a nap (it's a good thing I rarely get sick, because when I am, I'm down for the count). I felt a little better when I woke up, so I cooked dinner (just some Chicken, Fettucini Parmesan and mashed potatoes). After cleaning up, Hunter and I baked some Chocolate Chip Cookies, and then it was time for bed!

Next weekend is Halloween, very excited for Hunter this year. The only downfall to this coming week is that Hunter gets his surgery Friday. :(. We both have the day off, but I am still very nervous for him...

Fun Fridays! "If I had a million dollars...."

If I had a million dollars...5 things I would do first...

1.) Pay off all my remaining debt. Credit Cards, Car payments, Anything I've had intentions to pay, but haven't had the resources to do so.

2.) Put aside money for Hunter Charles' college. A dream for me would be to have him avoid any college loans, as I am just seeing now what a pain in the @ss they are to pay back.

3.) Pay off Trevor's Bills. It would be nice for both of us, to no longer have car payments, and credit card debt looming over our heads. In the real world, money puts a strain on most relationships, and it would just be nice to greet each other every single day w/ "hey sweetie how was your day" instead of "did you remember to pay daycare.?"

4.) Don't judge me-but I would go shopping. HUGE grocery shopping, whole new wardrobe, endless toys for Dragon... I love to shop (my biggest downfall i'de say), so to actually have a little money would be nice.

5.) Donate. I'd participate in more fundraisers, and donation type activities year round. The only thing I currently do is the Hillside Secret Santa program. I would enjoy making a difference and being able to help others (especially kids!).

The Best Pumpkin Muffins!

I know I still haven't posted on the reception part of the wedding. Hang in there. It is a totally boring event w/ no pics... and Honestly, I don't have any yet. We've gotten a decent amount of informal ones, but i'll wait until the actual pics get sent over.

Last night, Trevor worked until 1:00 am, so Hunter and I were flyin' solo for dinner. We had some crab alfredo *yum*. We usually take advantage of the nights Trevor's gone, and eat something fishy (Trevor HATES seafood). After dinner, we started baking some Pumpkin Muffins. I got the recipe from Allrecipes.com (one of my fav's!).


Hunter Charles can tell when i'm baking or cooking, because he circles like a hawk. I swear, i'll be snacking on something (a piece of cheese, an apple... doesn't matter what it is...) and he will come over and put his hands up. He's a good little eater, and i'm very grateful for that!


This is just one plate of the "mini" version. See, the recipe called for (3) 12 cup muffin pans. Well, I only have 2, so I had to improvise w/ my mini muffin pans! I left a plate at home, took 2 plates to work, and set aside a plate of muffins for my Mom's Boyfriend. He lost his Mom this past week, so he is feeling kinda down. I hope a plate of these bad boys, (and maybe some Pumpkin Ale?) will do that trick!

I can tell you one thing though...


Hunter sure enjoyed them. THREE mini muffin's later, he drank a bottle of milk, and passed out next to me on the couch. He hasn't done that in forever! Love my little snuggler. I unfortunately couldn't fall asleep, as I got caught up in a Lifetime Movie (damn that Network, I swear to god, it's designed to drag innocent channel flippers in...). We both passed out before Trevor got home though. Hope these looong strange hours pay off.

This weekend we are going to get some pumpkins in a pick-your-own patch near our house. I'll finish putting up some last minute Halloween decorations also. Amanda is going to come over Sat. night to hang out as well. Love girl time. Fun weekend ahead!

Wedding Celebration Weekend!

Where to even begin?? This past weekend was an eventful one! As you all know, Marie & Tyler got married! I'll start off by saying congrats to the couple, and thanks for letting me part of your special day. I think I can speak for Trevor and I both in saying we had a blast!

Friday night we had the rehearsal at the church, and dinner afterwards. We brought Hunter with us, and he was everywhere. Little guy wont slow down! Luckily, the church was cozy enough so we shut the outside doors and just let him run free! His favorite thing was stepping up, and down the stairs. (and of course dancing every time music came on!). All in all, it went well.

We were all starving afterward though, and looking forward to dinner! Unfortunately when we got there, they didn't seat us right away because of some issue so we hung out in the main area for a while and chatted. Luckily Hunter was a good boy during dinner. He ate Chicken French like no ones business! The food was really good, and it didn't hurt that it was "open bar" for wine/beer. We also got our gifts from Tyler and Marie. The girls got a personalized bag w/ pics of us and bride/groom, and other friends and family. Inside was a pair of flip flops, aka "our dancing shoes", our jewelery that Marie had made for us (beautiful!) -a pair of earrings and a necklass, and cutest of all.... a little Vera Bradley wrislet that matched our dresses! Inside was all the "essentials" for a wedding, hairspray, tissues (with a K on them!), mints, etc. The gifts were very well thought out, and the purse is adorable!

Saturday I was up bright and early. Trevor spent the night w/ his brother and some of the groomsmen, so he was already gone. I woke up before Hunter did and started getting ready. My friend Amanda came over to help me w/ my hair and makeup. Then, Amanda's Sister (Delaney) who was watching Hunter for the day came over, and I took off for Webster. When I got to Marie's Parent's house (where all the Bridesmaids were), everyone was finishing up hair and makeup, and having some snacks. We all got dressed, and helped Marie get into her dress.. very pretty :). Then after some pictures, the limo came and the party started....

I'll post more later w/ some "real pics", but for starters...

The "Best Man" and I, waiting in between photo ops. This is outside of the Fire Department that Tyler is a part of.



An informal one of us bridesmaids in the "bucket truck". Unfortunately it only holds 2 (safely) in the air, so we were pretty close to the ground, but still fun!


We took a little walk in the woods in a local park to catch some "fall" shots. This I will remind you once again, is not a formal shot lol, just a sneak peek.

After a few hours of pictures (Will post as soon as I can!!), we were ready to head to the reception. It was at a place called Glendoveres, which wasn't too far from where we did most of the photos. Of course, we all took advantage of the ride though and continued to enjoy some drinks. (*Thanks David!*)



One last shot, before it's time to go in!

As far as the reception, it's harder to post about this without photographic evidence, so I will hold off on that until I have some...

to be continued...

It's a nice day for a, Fall Wedding!

Ahh, nothing like a little Billy Idol remix on a Friday afternoon. This weekend Trevor's Twin Brother & his Fiance Marie are getting hitched! It's going to be a good time. Trevor is the best man, and I am a Bridesmaid, so it is going to be quite the party. Tonight we have the rehearsal dinner at a restaurant called the Northside Inn. I'll be taking off right after work *pray the traffic doesn't suck*, and heading over to the church which is about 25 minutes from Paychex. Trevor is meeting me there w/ Hunter Charles. (dressed in a snazzy new fall shirt!)

Saturday morning Hunter is going to hang out w/ Delaney (one of his BFF's) while Trevor and I head our separate ways (he to his Mom's house w the boys, & me to Marie's parent's house w/ the girls). The wedding is at 1, and the reception 5 so it will be a long day :). Very excited though! I haven't been to a celebration since Liz & Mike's shitshow Wedding last September. I'm very excited for the two of them, here's to a long and happy life together!

More to come!

Friend Filled Weekend! & Trevor's Birthday Celebrations!

Why does it feel like I always blog on Monday's? Oh wait, probably because I do! Mainly because the week is so uneventful most of the time, and the weekends are jam-packed. Friday night, we went over to Trevor's Mom's house for his birthday dinner. Heather, Michael & Nora came as well! We had chicken & dumplings, Trevor's favorite. I got some Nora snuggling time in... :). She's such a little cutie, so tiny still! We also got some shots of Hunter giving Nora kisses...




It's a cell phone shot, so it's not the best quality, but you get the idea. He looooves to give kisses, and was not shy about sharing w/ his new baby cousin. Afterwards, we headed home, but not before stopping to pick up our *new to us* poker table. My friend from work Tiffany had a poker table she no longer used, and asked us if we wanted it now that we have room (in the basement). We said sure!! I don't play much poker, but it's flat, so it could be a good "game" table also!

(Mr. Birthday Boy blowing out his candles...)

When we got home, Hunter and I crashed, while Trevor and Kansas stayed up to clean play darts.

Saturday morning we got up and I began a cleaning frenzy. I cleaned the heck out of that house, top to bottom, in and out. What was helpful, is that Amanda's Dad Scott and her Sister Tessa, wanted to take Hunter to the Strong Museum of Play during the day. I said sure! I had a ton of cleaning, and errands to do, so it wouldn't have been a fun day for Hunter at all. He had a blast at the Museum! He came home sleepy, so he fell asleep pretty early Saturday. That night, we had a celebration for Trevor's birthday. We had some friends and family over to play games, eat pizza and have a good time!

A picture of the girls! Don't you love that bright green background? Well, that's our basement. We have a yellow wall, a purple wall, a red wall and a green wall. How colorful huh? Well, it's probably one of the least concerning areas right now, so it'll have to wait :).

Sunday, we laid low, enjoyed our new cable (yay!), and cleaned up a bit from the party. Trevor had to go into work, so Hunter and I just had dinner by ourselves, and took a walk. All in all, a great weekend. Up next-Marie & Tyler's Wedding which is this Saturday. I'm in the bridal party so i'm pretty excited! Rehearsal dinner Friday night, Wedding Saturday! Fun weekend ahead... :)

Oh yeah, and Hunter got a haircut too! He looks like a big boy now...

Fun Fridays! "5 things many people don't know about you..."

What are 5 things that many people don't know about you?

1. I love airports, airplanes and the idea of flying but get horrible anxiety when it comes time to take off. For some reason, one of my biggest fears is hitting another plane. Horrible right? But for whatever reason, it's been an ongoing fear, and I can't ever just relax and enjoy the ride. I think maybe now that I am old enough to drink, a nice shot of vodka could relax me...

2. One of my biggest regrets is not taking a soccer scholarship I was offered to Utica College my senior year of high school. For whatever reason, I didn't want to "play soccer" in college, I wanted to enjoy the experience. Well, if I had gone the other route, i'd be in better shape... and a lot less in the hole w/ loans ;).

3. Hunter Charles was the biggest surprise of my life, but from the beginning I was ready for the challenge. I don't believe there is ever really a "right time" to have a baby. As hard as you try, you can never really be 100% prepared. For us, it's learn as you go, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

4. I miss my "Nany" more than anything in this world. She passed away in 2005, and was only 54. It's my Mom's Mom, and I always felt like we had a really strong bond. We are similar in many ways, I've been told I developed my love of decorating from her. I just really wish she could have met Hunter. She would have loved him to pieces.

5. I'm very bad at "second chances". I feel as though a good first impression is very important. In the past i've dealt w/ people and relationships where I've tried to "make excuses", and justify things that should have never happened. It may sound bitter, call it what you will but I feel like i've grown up, and realized that some people will never change, and have learned to accept it.

Yay for Fun Friday's!!

We've got a good weekend up ahead. Tonight we are having dinner at Trevor's Mom's for his birthday. I get to see Nora, and squeeze her... Saturday, we're having friends over :), always a blast! And Sunday, I'm thinking it's Pepper Jelly Time! More to come, have a great Friday everyone!

Happy Birthday Trevor!

Today we will refer to as "Trevor Day". Mostly in part because it is his 26th Birthday! He woke up this morning as a cynical old man, but I reminded him that THESE are some of the best years of his life. He's fine now. Since his actual Birthday falls on (well... Today! Which is a Thursday). We aren't doing too much tonight, but I will probably make his favorite dinner -Chicken w/ Dumplings, and grab some dessert as well. Tomorrow we are going over to his Mom's house in Penfield for dinner and to hang out with his new baby neice Nora! (and her lovely parents too ;) ). Saturday we are going to have some friends over a little later in the day for a get together.

In order to celebrate, here is a little "All things Trevor" montage for your morning viewing pleasure. Happy Birthday Babe! Here's to many more...

DIY Artwork Display

I've been trying to put some "finishing touches" on Hunter's Big Boy room. I've had some ideas in mind, but this is one that I saw in a Better Homes and Garden Magazine. It is a nice way to display your child's artwork, without having a big tacky corkboard hanging, or putting small holes in your wall... :).

All I did need to buy was a (roughly 2 ft.) piece of plywood at Lowes, some cute "little boy" fabric from Jo Ann fabrics, and a pack of clothespins.


I took the fabric and used a staple gun to attach the fabric to the piece of wood. Once I did this, I placed the clothespins an equal distance apart, and stapled them to the cloth-covered wood. Then I drilled (2) small holes into the wood, and drilled it to the wall. Then, just hang the beautiful artwork from each clothespin and you are done!

*on a side note, obviously Hunter hasn't gotten into arts and crafts TOO much yet, but at his old daycare, they did some artwork w/ him, so I got lucky!*

Voila! Super easy, and cost maybe $7 from start to finish! Take that Pottery Barn, No one wants your stupid $45 artwork displayer...

Another thing I "updated" in his room, is I added some real Caution tape along the border of his Construction Truck Decals....


Please excuse the stack of stuff on top of Hunter's Toybox. We are still trying to figure out where to put all his lotions... diapers, etc. now that he doesn't use a changing table anymore. Hmm, the possibilities... Back on topic. I purchased the Caution Tape from Lowes as well. As much as I love the Truck Decals, I kind of felt like something was missing. The "truck-walls" just didn't look as complete as the airplane walls did. I wanted to add something without making it look over-done. I'm going to secure it a little better with some double-sided tape, but you get the general idea!

The only thing I have left to do, is hang his h-u-n-t-e-r letters. I'll post when 100% complete :).

Busy, Busy Weekend! & I Love Fall!

Wow, another weekend come and gone. It felt like a really long weekend, but that may just be because I was very busy! Friday night Amanda and Delaney came over (Big Suprise right?) for girls night because Trevor was leaving for drill Saturday morning. I brought home some Thai food from my favorite restaurant (Pattaya), and we rented a movie called "The Good Guy". The food was awesome (as always) and the movie was actually really good! Plus, the guy was super hott, so we spent approx. 45 minutes drooling over him!

Saturday we "attempted" to have a yard sale. I had a bunch of random things that were cluttering up the house, as well as a ton of clothes I never wore anymore. Amanda had a bunch of clothes and other things as well, so we figured we'd try to make some money. Well, we were sadly mistaken. Not only is it out of prime garage sale season, but we also set it up on a side street in smalltown Shortsville, NY. To give you a better idea of the kind of customers we had; an old-SMOKING man, who asked where all the tools were, attempted to buy one of our old Halloween Costumes for his 6-year old grand-daughter (until we informed him that it wasn't dorothy.. it was slutty dorothy), and wanted to use Amanda's old Sarong for a "tablecloth". The next guy was just a driveby asking "How much for the motorcycle?". Oops. I guess he thought Trevor's motorcycle was part of the sale. I almost yelled "What will you give me for it?", but I remembered how much I like Trevor as my boyfriend. Needless to say, I made about $15, only because I sold 2 microwave carts, and Amanda made .50. A success I tell you!

Saturday afternoon, Amanda's Mom stopped over to check out the house. Shortly after (and completely unplanned/related) Amanda's Dad stopped over because he bought Hunter a big boy bed. For those of you who don't know Scott, he is a VERY generous guy. He does stuff like this all the time. He's the best "other grandpa" Hunter could have asked for! Here's a pic of the bed! *sooo cute*.

It goes perfectly with his "all boy" room. Thanks again Scott!!

Later on Saturday we decided to go to the Apple Farm (me, hunter, amanda, delaney and their mom). We rode the wagon (hunter loved it), and then picked some delicious apples!



I think he had a good time, he also loved the cider and homemade donuts we had afterward! Yum!

Sunday we had a busy day, Hunter and I went down to Bradford (about an hour south of here), for my sister's baptism. The baptism was held in a little church at the end of my Dad's road. It was a nice ceremoney, although I felt bad because Hunter wasn't in the sitting mood. He wanted to run.. Luckily there was another little guy there who felt the same way! After the ceremony we went back to some of their relatives house for some food.

After that, Hunter and I headed home, Hunter fell asleep almost immediately, but I enjoyed the beautiful fall foliage along Keuka lake. Very pretty around this time of year! Hunter and I cooked some steak, potatoes and alfredo for Trevor, as he had been at drill all weekend. We watched "Get him to the Greek". We've both saw it over the summer at the Drive-In, but it was pretty funny so I rented it again.

I also made some little changes to Hunter's room. I'll post those pics later! Have a happy Monday everyone!

Good-Bye Coffee Table.

I'm saddened to report that we have had to put away our beloved coffee table. If you remember a while back, we had it built to match our living room decor. Now, I have discovered that it is more of a hassel to try and keep Hunter off of it, then to just put it away. See, our little toddler has become quite the adventurous one to say the least. Anything that is at his level, he is climbing on, unplugging or just genuinely interested in playing with. Like I mentioned before, our house is one level, *thank god*, so there isn't much harm in letting him roam. What we discovered last night though, is that you can't trust a wandering dragon.

It's about 8:30 on Thursday night, and we are watching a movie. Hunter has already had dinner, and was enjoying some playtime before he had to go to bed. We knew he was out of the room, but I thought he had gone into his bedroom (which is literally a couple feet from the living room). All of a sudden, we hear him "talking" (in hunter world this sounds like a mix of baby-babble and german). This sparked my curiosity, as Trevor and I were the only people in the house. So we quickly get up (let me warn you people, this all happened within the matter of 2 minutes!).. and go into his room. He's not there. So we walk back towards the den, and find this....













Yes, he hoisted himself up on the chair..and proceeded to get on the computer desk. That thing he is holding, that is a wireless computer mouse. It is now his cell phone. He is yappin' away like nothing is out of the ordinary, and when he sees us just watching him, he starts laughing. I think he knows he is not supposed to be up there, and finds it hilarious that he actually got away with it this once. Well guess what Mr. Charles. There' s a door to the den :).

This isn't the first time we've caught him trying to climb, but it's all the proof we need to get rid of "climbing surfaces" temporarily until he understands the word "No" better. Ohh Toddlers, how I love 'em.