Quirky.

Because I'm quirky, I love quirky things. Uncommongoods.com is one of my favorite websites to find those unique gifts for the person who has everything. I find myself constantly thinking "wow! that's great" and "so-and-so would love that!" so I figured I'd share the wealth. Check out a few of my favorite things...Maybe you'll just be inspired to find the perfect gift for that special person on your list?

Glass Plastic Bag Candy dish


Ceramic Paper Bag vase


Ceramic Porcelain Glove vase


Dream Bank


Ticket Stub Diary


Recycled Wine Bottle Platters


Mini Stocking Advent Calendar (loooove this!)


Lucy's Socks



Wine Bottle Tealight Holders



Custom Wedding Announcement Art


I told you - great, right!?! When I find something this fabulous, I just have to share it. So..for all of you with difficult people on your list, I hope this helps! Check out other items on the site, as well. It really is great! :)

We've been upgraded...

from the children's table to an adult table! In fact, there's a new children's table in town and it holds 3 of the cutest girlies in the world. But, I'm starting at the end of the story so let's go back...

Wednesday night started off as Thanksgiving Bakefest 2010. Kevin and I were up to our elbows in pie crust dough until roughly 2am. We successfully created a delicious dutch apple pie, a traditional pecan pie and a chocolate bourbon pecan pie. Each included homemade crust from scratch...and we didn't even have the help of a rolling pin. Enter: Inventive wine bottle roller. It works perfectly, especially since the bottle neck makes a perfect handle. Eat your heart out. And yes, you can pretty much call me Martha from now on :)


Thursday morning was full of relaxation, cinnamon rolls and "craps" (crafts) with my niece Sophia. It's amazing what fun, inexpensive things you can make if you just add a 2-year-old and the dollar store teacher's aisle. We had a lot of fun making the Thanksgiving cards including custom marker drawings and stickers, but she had even more fun handing them out to everyone at the celebration that evening!

Starting from 2:30 pm to 4:30pm, we were peeling, chopping, boiling, and mashing 3 bags of potatoes. Yep, THREE BAGS! Kevin couldn’t believe how many pots of mashed potatoes we had to make. I tried to explain that we were on a mission for a big pot of regular mashers and a big pot of sour cream-garlic mashers, but I knew he’d see the light once we ate. In the end, I walked away with one sliced knuckle and one burnt knuckle but it was a small price to pay. There were barely any potatoes left at the end of the night! The Boss clan and the Cameron/Herman clan sure know how to eat up those spuds!

Thankful circle. It's a tradition in our family. After the prayer and before the feast, we all go around the circle and share what we are thankful for. I said that I'm thankful that my husband and I both have jobs. There are so many without that we are truly blessed (even if it does require me to wake up early!). Kevin surprised me...he said more than he usually does. This year he was thankful that he could spend the holidays with our family and that he's so thankful that he's been welcomed the way he has. He said that, if he couldn't be with his real family, he's thankful to be with his other family. That man continually surprises me! :)

My darling, precious niece Peyton looked so adorable in her little pink plaid dress. She's growing up so fast. And...she sure loved her mashed potatoes. Oh man! She loved them so much, in fact, she tried to eat the plate :) I couldn't help but think...next year at this time, Peyton will be running around with Sophia and Evelyn and there will be a new batch of little babes. It's so fun having the girlies in the family - they make everything so much better. ***Makes me want one!***

After the feast and somewhere between drooling over my cousin's new kitchen table and asking her where she got it, my niece comes running full-force from the kitchen to the couch, karate chops her way into my lap, grabs each of my cheeks with her sweaty little hands, yanks my head in her direction and stares into my eyes (so close our noses are touching and I have to consciously work to not cross my eyes). Here's the conversation:

Sophia: You want a new table?
Me: Yes.
Sophia: And Chairs?
Me: Yes. Think Santa will bring a table and chairs for Christmas?
Sophia: I buys one for you!
Me: You will?
Sophia: I's promise!

Then, she squeezed my cheeks, pulled my face towards hers and gave me a huge kiss. While I was picking my heart up off the floor, she hopped down and ran away! Now that is love. This amazing creature has no idea what kind of hold she has on my heart.

Needless to say, it was a very blessed Thanksgiving for all! Now...the countdown to Christmas begins!

Can't hardly wait.

I've already watched Christmas with the Kranks and Christmas Vacation.
I've already purchased my wrapping paper and many of my gifts.
We already bought our 2010 ornament & a super-awesome Dwight ornament.
I am so SO ready for Christmas this year.
*With the exception that I haven't finished making my cards yet!
Thanksgiving will be fun, but Christmas takes the cake!

Since our tree was dry and brittle by Christmas last year, my darling husband says I have to wait until December 5th to buy our tree this year. If it were up to me, I'd get it the weekend after Thanksgiving, but (although I hate to admit it) I see his point. Nobody likes a Christmas catastrophe due to lights setting the dry tree on fire!

My brother asked if we are going to put lights up on our duplex this year. The thought didn't even occur to me considering it's a big NO-NO in apartment living. I am going to talk to our neighbor Francisco to see if he plans to hang lights. If not, it's fair game! Bring on the lights shopping!! :) It's especially nice considering our duplex is only one story so hanging lights will be no big deal. That's what I have a husband for anyway, right?

NOTE: Shopping for outside lights should be interesting. Kevin likes blue lights. I like red & white alternating lights. If he can't have blue, he'd like red & green alternating lights. If I can't have red & white alternating lights, I'd like plain white or multi-color. Hummm....should be interesting.

Thanksgiving is on Thursday then I can listen to all the Christmas music I want and I can finally decorate our new place for Christmas. I couldn't be more excited!!

Because we all need a reminder, sometimes.

Today, I was a silent participant in a discussion regarding Christianity and what it means to be a real disciple of Christ vs. an overbearing Bible-thumper. It's very ironic, in my opinion, that I (more often than not) completely agreed with the non-Christian speakers moreso than those that live, eat and breathe the Bible. Why? Because those people aren't acting like temptation and the battle of wrong vs. right doesn't happen to them. Because those people are speaking honestly and from the heart. Because those people are having experiences with Christians that are not doing as God calls them to do. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Bible doesn't instruct us to judge, point fingers, turn up our noses or push our beliefs on others. It instructs us to be open, forgive, accept, understand, and, most importantly, love.

While descriptive words (pious, hypocritical, judgmental, etc). were being tossed around like leaves in the wind, the conversation allowed me the room to formulate a few facts that I stand for 100%:

1. Just because you go to church and you've made more right decisions in your life than wrong doesn't make you a better person. And, it certainly doesn't make you a better Christian. Christianity is as much about your personal walk with God as it is about discipleship. However, non-believers do not see the beauty of Christ and Christianity unless you are a good living example of your faith. The biggest complaint was not that Christians are preaching too much, it was that they are not practicing what they preach.

2. Just because you are divorced, had a child out of wedlock or had sex before you were married, doesn't mean you are a failure as a Christian (or a person). And it does not, I repeat...DOES NOT give Christians the right to judge you or feel that they need to "save" you from all your wrongdoing. Things happen in life, whether controllable or not, and I believe God understands that. Some run from Christianity simply because of all the "impossible to follow" rules that come along with it. Christians just need to take a step back and realize that nobody is perfect. [If we were, why would we even need God?] That is why we have such a forgiving God. Life is hard enough and, once you throw religion in too, it's nearly impossible to do everything right. Christians need to accept people as they are, the good with the bad, and cut them some slack. Most importantly, they need to only offer advice and opinions when they are asked for.

3. Just because you can recite the Bible backwards from memory and you haven't missed a day of church in 7 years doesn't mean you are the primo Christian. Anybody can memorize and anybody can have perfect attendance. It's about what you are learning in all those years of church. Moreso, it's about putting what you memorized to work and drawning others in. Don't brag about all the things you can do, be humble about what you can't and realize that others will respect that honesty and (hopefully) respond positively.

I think this is a good reminder for me (and for all of us) that how you live your life is going to draw in more non-believers than preaching in every coffee shop, school, mall, minivan or street fair ever will. Practice what you preach. Lead by example. Don't tell them how Christ has changed your life, show them.

Temporary Insanity...or Change of Heart?

What used to scare me, make my eyes bulge wide, make me wince in pain and my stomach flutter now makes me feel warm fuzzies inside. Drool doesn't freak me out. Diapers don't cross my mind. Dollar signs don't go swinging through my head. I think, just maybe...

juuuuuuuust mayyyyybeeeee.....

I am ready to have a baby.

That is all.

Finding balance.

Whoa, whoa, whoa! As of before November 1, they have had Christmas cups at Starbucks. Can you say early?? I love Christmas, don't get me wrong. It's my favorite holiday in fact. However, I am willing to get it get here in it's own time. It seems like time is slipping through my fingers at an extremely fast rate. I told someone at work that I'm 26 today and I practically choked when that number spewed from my mouth. TWENTY SIX!?! It seems like I should be so much further at 26 than I am! Kevin and I have tabled the baby talk until our new place is completely in order. We're just trying to get all our boxes unpacked from our move (yes, we still have more!) and figure out how much money to save to get him a new (or newer) car. Thankfully, our tax return should be decent this year so we can put that towards saving for a car and/or baby. The root of it all: it seems that, with us, if it's not one thing, it's the other. Are we always worrying about one thing after the next without taking a chance to just enjoy down time? OR do we simply have dreams and goals that we're working towards and this is how we acquire them? I'm still trying to find the balance. Regardless, we're having fun dreaming about our future and what may be. The best part is, we're best friends and still madly in love :)

Cheesy? Yes.
True? Absolutely.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...

you know, you know...these are a few of my favorite things fabulous enough to make my Christmas wishlist. Let me be clear - this list is being posted on my blog (and i probably will also post on my refrigerator) to hint at my husband as to what things would be nice to see wrapped up all pretty beneath the tree this year. Is that subtle enough? Haha! Also, I obviously don't expect all of these things (or really even any of them) but they are certainly nice to look at.

Short Black Uggs (at Nordstrom, women's size 8, NOT the mini's)
MAC cosmetics giftcard (need to replace some makeup I use that is running very low)
Chevron or Shell gas giftcard (i despise paying for gasoline)
Cuddlebug (i'm really into scrapbooking and cardmaking)
Any of these die cuts for the Cuddlebug: one, two, three, four, five
Movies: Get Him to the Greek, Date Night, The Back-up Plan, Grownups, Dinner for Schmucks
Red Candle Sticks (2 tall and 3 short - Crate and Barrel)
White Taper Candles (set of 6 - Crate and Barrel)
Snowflake Votive Holders (3-5 - Crate and Barrel)
Origins Checks & Balances facewash (at Macy's)
Origins Have A Nice Day face moisturizer (at Macy's)
Martha Stewart 3-cakestand tower set (at Macy's)
Martha Stewart butter dish and salt-n-pepper shaker set (at Macy's)
Martha Stewart cupcake stand (at Macy's)
Martha Stewart cupcake carrier (at Macy's)
Bird Tealight holder (at ZGallerie - Lauren, loved it so much, I have to have it!)
Owl table lamp (at West Elm)
Fabulous Ceramic Clocks (at West Elm)
White Owls (at West Elm)
Adorable Mercury Birds (at West Elm)
Victoria's Secret Velour Pant/Hoodie Set (Color: Truffle, size L) (at Victoriassecret.com)
Red Naveen Pillar Candleholders (at CostPlus World Market)

Welp, that's a rather extensive list. You asked, Mom, so there you go! I guess that won't leave any room for guessing for you (or Kevin, hint hint)! :) Happy Shopping!