candied yams, stuffing and mashed potatoes, mmmmm.

I know, I know, it's been like two weeks since I blogged. I can't really explain it, but I have been in such a FOG for the past 2 weeks. I can't think of anything to say, which is ridiculous, because I always have something to say. Have you ever just had times like this where all you can manage is getting up, going to work, take care of the kids and go to bed? Thats it, thats all I got right now. I'm really hoping that Thanksgiving knocks it out of me!

Speaking of that perfect time of year, what are the must haves on your Thanksgiving table? For me, it's candied yams, stuffing and mashed potatoes. Without those, it's NOT Thanksgiving. Oh, I also love love love to look through the newspaper ads and map out my shopping for the next day. It usually involves a trip to the mall and possibly Wal-Mart. I love to get up early, grab a Starbucks and go get a deal!! This year will be easy because Im always up early with Becca! She will be my little shopping buddy. It will be fun.

Speaking of my little ham, she is growing up so fast. I think she may be walking by Christmas. She can stand on her own now, but only for a minute or so, then she tumbles over. It's so cute. We are also getting in our back teeth. She is eating everything in site, especially whatever mom and dad are eating. She really likes steak which made daddy happy. Also, whoever invented the Gerber Puff over there at Gerber I could kiss. Becca LOVES her puffs, so much that she will crawl at warp speed from across the room to get some. They make going to restaurants soooo easy! You Go Gerber Puff Inventor! You ROCK!

Well, I hope this is the beginning of being over my slump! Amber - I will do your TAG, I just need to think on it a bit! Have a fabulous Tuesday everyone!

2 crazy weeks

I'm sure many of you have wondered if I've fallen off the face of the earth. Needless to say, it had been one crazy week! Or make that 2 crazy weeks. Most of you are aware of the fires that raged across San Diego county last week. We, among countless others, we evacuated from our homes, and left in wonder if we had homes to go home too. Thankfully, we did. They were dirty and smelly, but they stood. Unfortunately, the homes of so many wonderful people that I know did not make it, and some we simply near misses.

It is times like these that I sit and wonder how we are spared when others weren't. Devastation hits in so many ways. This kind, however, swipes the foundation right out from under you. The thought of being completely homeless is almost overwhelming. I am truely grateful that this time, we were spared. That this time we are left to help others pick up the pieces of their lives.

Also, in case you haven't been following, the little baby with Cancer, Natalie Tanner, is flying back to St. Judes for a followup MRI. They are going to see how far the cancer has spread, and how much time they still have with Natalie. Again, to have such a definite time line put on the life of someone you love so much is devastating. I'm just so lucky. My little girl, my husband and my family are safe and healthy. Really, what more could you ask for?

So, this weekend, make sure you hug the ones you love, give them a kiss and just say thank you to God. It's really all that matters.

But not to be a total downer, Becca is growing so fast! We have developed our fourth tooth which she loves to use by munching and chewing on everything! And I am still hunting for the perfect toy. I swear there is something out there that she will love more than the phone, remote control or magazine that mommies reading. I will stop at nothing to find this toy, even if I buy them all!

In the spirit of Halloween

I am such a scaredy cat. I don't know where this fear comes from, but, it can be very alarming at times. For example, when I'm going to bed at night, and I'm lying there trying to go to sleep, I may open my eyes and look at Travis. If his eyes are open and looking at me, it just freaks me out and I tell him to stop. Or, if I'm mindlessly folding laundry or drying my hair and I turn around and Travis is standing there, I scream bloody murder because I wasn't anticipating his presence. I often find myslef, frozen in fear, lying in my bed because I've heard a noise in the house. We have and old house, it creeks and moans sometimes, but I just get it in my head that someone is in the house. I don't like sitting by windows because Im afraid I will look and see someone looking in. Am I WEIRD? Does anyone else get freaked out easily? It's very unsettling, it could give me heart failure some day.

So this morning Im trying to get ready for work, I'm running around in my birthday suit trying to get me and Becca dressed and just as I turn the corner to go in the hallway, I hear my front door open! OH MY GOD!!! I'm naked, my baby is in the other room, who the hell is walking in my house at 7:30am? I start yelling HELLO, HELLO and rushing for my robe, thank goodness it was just Alicia and Geno stopping by to SURPRISE me. Ya, they surprised me alright. Don't freak this girl out. As it turned out, it was a blessing that they stopped by. Geno was barley awake, but Becca woke him right up and they watched Tellatubies together so moma could finish her hair and makeup. I'm so fortunate that my family lives within walking distance, except when your not thinking about that and they walk in on you when you least expect it! I love you guys though, thanks for stopping by.

In the spirit of Halloween, I have come to the opinion that for me, I love baby Halloween's. They are sweet, cute and candy filled. I can't take the scary scar faced villains with chain saws running around. Or the corpses and body parts lying in front yards. I just don't find that fun. However, I do have this odd fascination with Vampires. Maybe it's the whole Lost Boys crush on Keifer as a pre-teen, or that Brad Pitt played a very sexy, pouty vampire in Interview with a Vampire, I mean didn't he make you want to turn into a Vampire just because he was so kissable as one, whatever the reason, Im intrigued by these creatures. I like a good vampire movie! Not a gory one though. Old fashioned Dracula ones. Ohhhh, and witchcraft. I love Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman in Practical Magic, even the name is cute! It would be so fun to be a Witch, they make it look so fun, I mean they own a little soap shop and live in an amazingly neat house, and ride brooms, whats not to love. Aww Ha! I'm simply a traditionalist, thats why I don't like to see the gore and guck, our minds can do that for us, I like the whimsy, mystery and stories behind the holidays. That is what I will pass to Becca. That no matter how old you are, it's fun to pretend and believe in the unbelievable. Who says Santa, the Easter Bunny and Witches are fictional, not me!

Laura is the Big 30

Happy Birthday Laura!

This was the scene at Laura's 30th, Oktoberfest themed birthday bash. Can you see the Beer Maiden outfit beneath the baby she is holding? Yes, that was her birthday attire and quite hilarious if you ask me.

We all had a great time, thanks for turning 30!

little bit of smart ass

I love Garage Sales, good ones, not the weird ones that our neighbor lady has like every weekend, I swear, this woman just wakes up and walks around her house saying to herself, lets sell this clock with fruit on it today, oh, and maybe this old vacuum that doesn't even work, and what about this shower cap. So odd! I mean the garage sales that actually have cool stuff that you need. I love finding old chairs to refinish, or, baby stuff that is practically brand new!

So Saturday my mom, sis and I hit up the annual Scripps Ranch Garage Sale Day, and I must say, we SCORED THE MOTHER LOAD! Of course, the purpose of our outing was to find baby stuff for Becca and that seemed to be the most prevalent items available. Here are some of my finds that I'm most proud of. Keep in mind, this is only a small sampling as we filled up the back end of Grandma's Navigator!

This activity table finally keeps her occupied instead of the coffee table, totally worth the $3 bucks!


These little gems cost about $50-75 at fancy baby stores, yeah, $7 bucks!

The rest of the weekend was pretty kick back. We have this ongoing thing with my family where my mom is always asking us what we want for dinner on Sunday nights. Well, my husband has finally started catching on and will ask for something he really wants until he gets it! First it was my mom's fried chicken, he asked and he asked, until he received! Well, ever since last month, he had been asking for a Turkey. Mind you, there is always a little bit of smart ass in my husband, and he realized the slight absurdity in asking for a Turkey so close to Thanksgiving, but, he has been relentless for about 6 weeks. So last night for dinner, not only did he get a Turkey, but my mom made all the trimmings for a Thanksgiving Dinner. Man, we had a few laughs about that last night. Travis ate so much he was still uncomfortable this morning. I was a good girl seeing as Thanksgiving food isn't exactly Weight Watchers Friendly, and boy was I not prepared for all that rich food. When you haven't been eating it for a while, you body goes into shock at first. But all is good today. Hope y'all had a great weekend! Happy Monday Everyone!

Help a Girl Out!!

I'm looking forward to the weekend. It's always good to be at home with my hubby and baby girl. I think I might do a little baking. I have some very over ripe, almost black banana's (ps-I sing the Gwen Stefanni song when I spell bananas now!) that need to be made into some sort of bread or muffin, but here's the thing, I finally got my butt in gear and started back to weight watchers this week. If there in only one thing I didn't like about being pregnant, it's the aftermath of the enormous amount of weight I gained. It's really ridiculous and there is no excuse, so, I'd like to use my bananas in a healthy way, any suggestions out there? Please help a girl out.

Otherwise, things are going swimmingly. I get my hair done tomorrow and all will be right with the world.

I hope every ones weekend is super! Oh, and my weekly endorsement, please watch The Office tonight at 9pm!

This is Marissa - OUT!

And with one knee in front of the other.

So, today is my monday, my boss gave me the day off yesterday! She was trying to decide last week whether she wanted to come in on Columbus Day, or, just make it a holiday, what the heck, RIGHT! I of course completely supported the idea and gave her a long list of Pro's, hence, I got the day off! It was a fun filled weekend. Except for the suck the moisture, looks like im wearing permanent lip liner, ashy skin, dried up sinus headache because of the Santa Ana weather, it was a beautiful weekend! Friday was a trip to the Wild Animal Park with our super Rad friends Tracey and Summerlyn. FYI, Summerlyn and Becca were born less than 24 hours apart at the same hospital, Tracey and I met in our baby class. So, it's been fun to see the girls grow together. It's also fun to swap stories between moma's. Our little peanuts do some pretty hilarious stuff that you must be a mom to think is as funny as we do. Who knew that making Zerberts, the sticking out of baby tongues and spitting baby saliva everywhere, could be so funny and cute!

Friday evening was a hit with the hubby because I made some very yummy sandwiches from my new favorite website, The Pioneer Woman Cooks, check it out, the link is to the right! I swear, Ree, the lady that is the Pioneer gal, is so dang funny, I wish I could be her friend for reals. Word of warning! If you make this recipe, do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT use jalapenos in place of mild green chilies. The fire will be coming out of your ass for a week!

Saturday was a milestone in the land of Becca! She finally put two and two together and with one knee in front of the other, crawled across the family room floor! Both Daddy and I were home which is way cool! I then called Grandma and we were immediately on our way to Babies 'R' Ugh to look at gates. Can you say overload! They are $$$$ and there are alot of different ones to pick from. I chose to wait and bring the Hubby back, he's got to install the dang thing so I think he should pick his poison! That night we hung out with the Smith's and Jenning's for diner and chit chat! We were babyless too, so it was lots of fun. You never have to twist my arm to see these folks, frankly, we don't see each other enough and it's always such a great time. I think the next get together will have to be at our house! Yes girls, if your listening, im going to pick a date and hold ya to it!

Sunday was a lax day and Dinner at Claim Jumper, restaurant of MEGA SERVINGS, with Genisha and Grandma/Grandpa. Then we rolled ourselves out of the restaurant and home to sleep the night away.

Yesterday, since Grandma needed her baby fix for the day, we headed out for Target Boutique (say with a french accent always), lunch and the park. I like to exhaust Becca by pushing her in the swings and letting her crawl around in the grass. Tired babies = sleep good at night! I also hit a milestone myslef since giving birth, yes, I figured out what to make for dinner 5 consecutive nights in a row. I never once asked Trav, "what sounds good for dinner?" and then I won a friendly wager while watching the Dallas/Bills game last night! I said that the kicker for Dallas would make the field goal at the very end of the game and since he did, twice I might add, Travis has to make dinner tonight!!! So Im home free, it's not my problem bud!

Hope everyone is having a great day! Remember, it's Tuesday, one day closer to the weekend.