Thursday, January 31, 2013

Lifestyle Change Update AKA Me Trying to Get Healthy

It's been about three weeks(or more?) since my "I Hit A Wall Post", so I thought I would give you guys an update on how all of that is going. 

Well as of today I am down 4.2 lbs. I am happy and not happy about that. I know that I can do better, but at the same time, 4 lbs in threeish weeks is still pretty damn good. 

I am eating healthier, except for the occasional cheat meal. Which needs to stop. I mean it is good to cheat every once in a while, or else you will go crazy. But, I need to find a way to have a cheat meal that is indulgent, but not so horrible at the same time. I say that because once I get a taste of what I have been missing, I just want to go back to it. I am talking to you Qdoba Queso and Chips! And you Chick-Fil-A!!!

I am almost halfway through Bob Harper's Skinny Rules. It is kind of crazy actually reading about why you should eat differently or why you should eat certain things as opposed to others. Actually knowing the reason behind it and why it is better for you seems to be helping me want to make the change even more. Probably because I don't do well with someone saying to me, "You can't have that!", because I will just turn around and say "Watch me!" Stubborn much? Nah!

I have actually been exercising quite a bit. I am doing Zumba at least three times a week, sometimes more. Like this week for instance, I have plans to do Zumba five times. I think I am slightly addicted and may have a problem! Just a little one though. Something that I am struggling with though is lifting weights. I desperately need to add weights to my workouts and just haven't done it. Probably because I don't know what the eff I am doing when I am in a weight room. I seriously feel like a fish out of water. Any suggestions?

Something that I want to accomplish this weekend is to print out a bunch of the inspirational pictures that I have been pinning on Pinterest. I want to hang them up all over the place so that I am reminded of what I am trying to accomplish. 

So far, I would say I am doing pretty well. But is there room for TONS of improvement? Absolutely! It's a great day to get better! 



Megan

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Thank You!!!

Holy crap guys!! I logged on to write a post and saw that this had happened...


That's right! I have hit 100 followers!!!!! I seriously can't believe it! So thank you so much to all of you who have been reading since day 1, since a year ago, since two weeks ago, since today!! Thank you to all of you!!! You guys are seriously amazeballs and you just made me a very happy girl!

Looks like it is time for me to put on my thinking cap and come up with a great 100 Follower Giveaway! Let me know if there is something that you guys would like to see in the giveaway or if any of you lovely followers out there would like to help host it. 

I love how this wasn't even the post I planned on writing when I logged on. That will hopefully come tomorrow. No promises though. Work has seriously been a biotch lately and not only have I been staying late, but I have actually been taking work home too. I don't like this workaholic that I am becoming. Anywho, hopefully I will have some real content for you guys tomorrow. 

I hope that you all have a great day. And don't forget to go enter K's 100 Follower Giveaway over at Down at Fraggle Rock!


Megan

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

What I Woke Up To

This morning I woke up to my pupper Louie jumping back into the bed completely soaked. And yes, he shook that wetness all over me and the bed. He was just too excited apparently. I was really confused until I realized that it must have snowed. 

So I looked out my window to see that over night it had dropped almost three inches of snow. What?!!!! We were barely supposed to get anything let alone three inches! I was pretty excited. And then I realized that I was going to have to drive in it to get to work. Ugh!



You see, I live on the other side of town from where my work is. So what is usually a 15-20 minute drive, took me an hour this morning!!!! Part of this was due to the roads just being really snow packed and slick. The other part was due to people not knowing  how to drive in the snow. 

So I thought I would give you a few pointers for driving in the snow.

1. Slow down and take your time
2. Keep a good distance between you and the car in front of you. 
3. You need to be going faster than a snail to get up hills or you WILL get stuck
4. You need to go snail speed when you are going down hills

Follow those and you should get anywhere that you need to go as long as you are not in a hurry. Oh and as long as there isn't like a foot of snow on the ground. And if there is, my advice is to just not go anywhere.

Well, I hope you guys have a great day. And don't forget to head on over to K's blog to enter her 100 follower giveaway! Or you can enter it right here!! Either way, make sure you enter!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Megan

Monday, January 28, 2013

Weekend Recap

Hello my lovely followers! I hope that you all had a great weekend. Mine was pretty good. Too short of course, but it was good. 

Friday night the Hubby and I went and grabbed some dinner at Noodles & Company and then went to Best Buy to buy a couple new movies. Best Buy is doing this thing right now where if you bring in an old DVD they give you a coupon for $5 off a Blu-ray that is $9.99 or higher. We have been taking full advantage of this. So he picked out a movie called "Moon" and I got "Cinderella"!!!! 


Saturday we got up and headed to the gym so that I could go to Zumba. After Zumba we went to the bank and I set up a checking account so that I can start saving some moolah to go see my bestie Lacey in Hawaii later this year. After that we grabbed some lunch and then went home. I then took a three hour nap before I had to get up and go to Church.

After Church we went to Petsmart to get the kitties and the pupper some food. And then we headed to our favorite Sushi place for a delicious dinner. And oh my gosh, it was delicious!


Sunday I got up around 9 and got ready to go to Zumba with a friend from work. We have a Groupon deal that we haven't used all of for these Zumba classes, so we are trying to make sure that we get our monies worth. We showed up to find that the instructor for Sunday classes was a dude!!! I wasn't real sure how the class was going to go, but I actually really liked it. He made it very easy to follow along. We will definitely be going back to his class. 

After Zumba I went to my Brothers for a little bit to visit. And then I headed to the grocery store. After all of grocery shopping was done, I headed home, had some lunch and then proceeded to pass the eff out again for a few hours. 

After my glorious nap we were running around like crazy people trying to get the house cleaned and dinner ready since our friend Bret was coming over. The Hubby made some delicious grilled salmon and grilled eggplant with roasted potatoes. It was sooooo good. I kind of wish I would have bought more salmon while I was at the store now.

After dinner we watched this movie called "Lars and the Real Girl." It was definitely interesting. I love Ryan Gosling, but he did play kind of a weird character in it, so it was weird seeing him in that capacity. 

It was a pretty great weekend. Pretty laid back and low key, which was definitely needed. 

Before I leave you today I have a couple things I want to mention. First, Louie's blood work came back and apparently looked great. So apparently there isn't anything drastically wrong with him. So the Vet told me to keep giving him the antibiotics and hopefully that would get rid of whatever was bothering him. Second, head on over to K's blog to find out some info on her 100 follower giveaway that I am apart of! 

Have a great day everyone!

Megan

Friday, January 25, 2013

Friday's Letters

It's Friday!!!!!!!! Finally!! I can't wait to kick back and relax this weekend. Only a few hours of work are in my way at this point. More like 7 hours and some change. I'm not counting or anything. 

Real quick before I move onto Friday's Letters, I wanted to give you guys an update on Louie. I took him to the Vet yesterday and they did some blood work and sent it off to the lab. They said that we would have the results back within the next day or so. The only thing they could really tell me is that his abdomen felt doughy. Now I have no idea what that means because he rattled off like 10 things that it could be. But they said until they get those lab results back there really is no way of knowing what it is. So they gave us some more antibiotics to give to him and sent us on our way. He is feeling a little bit better this morning, so I am hoping that he is on the mend. Thanks everyone for all of your concern and well wishes. 

Okay, now on to Friday's Letters with Ashley from The Sweet Season.


Dear Mom,
I am so glad that I got to see you even if it was only for a few hours. It was better than not seeing you at all. 

Dear Louie Dog,
Please get better. I love you so much but having to spend $400 this week to try and figure out what is wrong with you is stressing me out. So be a lamb and feel better please!

Dear Netflix,
Thank you so much for having the first six seasons of "Saved By The Bell." I have seriously been watching them non stop and they make me feel like I am a kid again. Sometimes I just need that to get away from everything that is going on in my adult life. 

Dear Taxes,
I am not real happy with you. Why is that getting married has made it that we get less money back? Ugh!! I had plans for some of that money and now I won't be able to do any of it! Thanks IRS! You suck!

Dear K,
Thank you for being such a bad ass blogger and hitting 100 followers. I am so excited to help with your giveaway!

Dear Work,
Slow the eff down! I hate having to repeat myself, so please just listen next time. 

Dear Husband,
No matter what I love you! I know that we have been going through a lot lately with all of the Louie stuff, but I just want you to know that I love you and everything will be okay. 

Dear Jamba Juice,
Thank you for making your smoothies in packets that I can make at home. They have been a very easy and delicious breakfast for me this past week. 

Dear Self,
Although you did not do as well on your healthy lifestyle change this week, I am still proud of you. You did lose another .2lbs(almost down 4) and you managed to make better decisions. You are still a rock star and I know that you can do this! 

Dear Tiana from The Blog Decorator,
You freaking rock my socks! Seriously! I am absolutely obsessed and in love with my new blog design. Thank you so much for all of your help!

Head on over to Ashley's blog to link up if you want to join in.

Megan

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Frustrated Beyond Belief

I don't even know if the word frustrated covers how I am feeling today. I'm upset, frustrated, stressed and a ton of other things.

I told you guys that I took Louie to the Vet on Monday. Well they gave him some antibiotics and some fluids to re-hydrate him. Within 24 hours he was feeling a millions times better. He was eating and drinking again. He was playing with his toys. He was a little fur ball of energy. He seemed to be doing fine. And then this morning happened.

I woke up at around 5 am and realized he wasn't in the bed with us anymore. So I went downstairs and found him curled up under the table. This isn't normal for him. He almost always stays in the bed and usually sleeps while we are getting ready in the morning. I let him go outside to do his business and then when he came back in, he didn't want to go back to bed. So I picked him up and took him upstairs with me. I noticed immediately that he was hot to the touch again. I mean usually he is pretty warm, but he felt like he was burning up. 

We went back to bed for a little bit and then when it was time to actually get up, I couldn't get him to move. He didn't want to lift his head or anything. I had to physically pick him up and pull him off the bed. Even then he didn't want to go down stairs. He crawled underneath the bed and wouldn't come out. Finally we were able to get him out from under the bed. We took him downstairs and took his temperature. He was at 103.9. The high end of normal for a dog is 102.5, so he is definitely running a fever. 

At this point I started freaking out. I hate that he doesn't feel good and I hate that I can't do anything to help him. So I called the Vet on my way to work and told them what is going on, and they recommended that I bring him in this afternoon. They are going to have to do some blood work to see what is going on. So we are looking at another $160 this afternoon. Ugh!!!! 

It's hard because I am stressing out about the cost of all of this, but I know that we have to do this because our pupper needs to feel better. He is my kid and I am going to do whatever it takes to make him feel better, but the cost associated with that just makes me super stressed out. Thank God we have an emergency fund for things like this, but it still stresses me out. 

I guess the upside to all of this is that I get to leave work at 1 pm today. Yay for a half day of work. Well, with that being said, I should probably actually get something done. Hope you guys are having a great Thursday.


Megan

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

A Great Surprise

Monday around 5 pm, I got a phone call from my Mom asking me what we were doing for the night. We didn't have anything going on, so I asked why. The answer I got after that made me a very happy person.

My Mom said that they were going to be in Castle Rock(which is like 30 minutes North of here) for the night and they wanted us to come up and have dinner with them. I was sooooooo excited. I haven't seen my Mom since our Wedding last year, so I couldn't wait to see her.

After the Hubby got home we headed up that way to meet them. When we got up there we met my Mom and my Step Dad at their hotel and then headed out to dinner. We went to the Rockyard American Grill & Brewing Company. None of us had ever been there so we figured we would try it out. It was actually really good and we definitely want to go back again. 

We had a great time visiting with my Mom and Step Dad. And dinner was pretty delicious too! I wish that they could have stayed longer, but I was just happy that I got to see her for the time that I did. It was a great surprise and a great ending to kind of a crappy day. 


Megan

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

New Design


Hey guys! I hope everyone's week isn't going too badly! I seriously can't wait for this week to be over. 

You guys may have noticed that I have a new design up. I am beyond excited with how it turned out. Tiana from The Blog Decorator was a freaking rock star! If you ever need a new design or template or anything, you should head on over to The Blog Decorator!

I figured a new design was in order since I have a new blog name too! Like I said, it was time for a change. And I am glad that I made it!

Have a great night everyone!


Megan




Monday, January 21, 2013

Weekend Recap

Hey guys! I hope that you all had a great weekend. Ours was pretty uneventful. But we did have a pretty great time.

Friday I spent most of the day with my SIL and my Nieces. I surprised the two older Nieces by taking them lunch at school. And then after that my SIL and my youngest Niece went to lunch with me. We had a good time talking about politics and other stuff and of course getting all kinds of Rylei time in! I love that little girl. She is getting so big.

Friday night, the Hubby and I went to dinner with a very good friend of mine from College. We met Jason at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, Salsa Brava. Dinner was delicious as it always is!! After dinner, we all headed over to LuLu's Frozen Yogurt for some dessert. We had a great night hanging out with a great friend of ours.

Saturday we didn't do a whole lot. We got up and went to the gym so I could go to Zumba class. After that we ran a few errands and then went home for a little while before we headed back out to a friends basketball game. After the game we went out to dinner with my friend and her family to celebrate her Husband, Josh's Birthday. Dinner again was great and we had a blast hanging out with some great friends again.

Sunday we spent most of the day laying around and watching TV. I did some grocery shopping later in the afternoon and then the Hubby and I went out to dinner and then went to see the movie Silver Linings Playbook. It was really good and made me really want to read the book. 

And today is still part of my weekend, but so far it hasn't started off real great. I had to take Louie to the Vet this morning because he still isn't feeling very well. Well, $126 later and hopefully he will be feeling better later today. They gave him some antibiotics and some fluids. I just want my puppy to feel better! 

That's all I've got for today. I need to get my butt in gear and get some laundry done and the house cleaned up. But sitting on the couch and watching "Saved By the Bell" on Netflix seems like so much more fun, haha! I hope you guys have a great Monday!

Megan

Sunday, January 20, 2013

New Blog Name

Hey guys!!! Just wanted to let you know real quick about a few changes that are coming to this blog.

Well, the first one has already happened! I have a new name. Elliott Wife, Elliott Life is now the new name for this blog! 

Some might be wondering why I changed it. Some may not care. But either way, I am going to tell you!! I felt like the name wasn't very representative of the blog anymore. Even though the name had a lot of sentiment behind it for me, I felt that it was time for a change. So that is where I am at right now. 

You might also be wondering what else I am changing. Well if you look above, you can obviously see that my header still has the old blog name, so I am currently working with Tiana from The Blog Decorator on a new look. I am not sure when it will be up, but trust me, I will let you know when it is done. 

So, that's what is going on. Thanks everyone for all of your input on the blog name and thanks for continuing to read my blog. I appreciate it so much! I love all of you and I hope you stick around during these changes.

Megan

Friday, January 18, 2013

Friday's Letters

Hello Friday!! And hello lovelies!! I bring you today's post from my couch. That's right, this girl has a four day weekend. And a much needed one at that. 

I'm linking up with Ashley again for another edition of Friday's Letters. 

Via

Dear Self,
I am so proud of you for what you have accomplished this week. You were a rock star. You logged your food and exercise every day. And because of your hard work and determination this week, you are already down 3 lbs!!!!!!!

Dear 4 Day Weekend,
I am so excited that you are here!!! I can't even begin to tell you how much you are needed right now.

Dear Work,
You need to slow the eff down already. You have so much crap that you want me to do and I just don't have enough time in a day or a week to get it done. I don't appreciate that very much. 

Dear Louie,
I would appreciate it if you wouldn't get sick again like you did the other night. It scared the shiz out of me and I don't like it. Feel better my little pupper! 

Dear Bloggy Friends,
I need your help! I want to re-name the blog but I can't think of anything good. I want to use my new last name in it somehow. If you think of anything great, let me know! 

Dear Zumba Class,
Thank you thank you thank you for finally returning. I have been going through withdrawals for the last two months. However, I do not appreciate that you kicked my ass both classes and made me so sore that I can barely move. But seriously, I am glad that you are back!

Dear Nieces,
I can't wait to surprise you at school today with lunch. I love you guys and I wish you would stay this young forever. 

Dear Best Friend,
I love you so much and I miss you too! You are the best friend ever and I can't wait to see you. Hawaii here I come within the next year!!

Dear Country Jam,
Our tickets have been bought! We will be there!! Aaaaggghhhh! I can't wait! 

That is all that I have for now. Don't forget to go link up with Ashly over at The Sweet Season if you want to join in. 

Have a great weekend everyone!!



Megan

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Saw It. Pinned It. Did It.

I am linking up again today with Katie and Steph for Saw It. Pinned It. Did It.



I told you guys the other day about how I want to make a lifestyle change and lose some weight. Well, I remember seeing this a while back on Pinterest and thinking that it would be great motivation. So I decided to do it. 

Here is the original pin...



And here is what I did...


 I took two mason jars and I filled one with a glass bead/rock for every lb. that I want to lose. I then made little signs for each jar. So every time I lose a lb. I move a rock over to that jar. It is great to be able to see what I have lost so far. And not only that, when I look at what I have left to lose, it doesn't look like that much and it makes me realize that I can do it.

Remember to head on over to Katie or Stephs blogs to link up if you want to join in!


Megan

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

When You Hit That Wall

Have you ever wanted to change something about yourself so badly, but for some reason just couldn't do it? I have been struggling with that my whole life. The one thing I want to change about myself is my weight. I know it isn't healthy, but yet I can't seem to bring myself to do much about it.

I have always been this way. I am what you would call a yo yo person. I lose some weight, then I put it back on. I have been like this my whole life. I don't know why, I just have. 

Sunday night though, I hit a wall. I seriously had the biggest breakdown/meltdown I have ever had about my weight. And it really made me see just how much I want to change the way that I eat and live. 

So, I am here to tell all of you that I am going to change the way I eat and live. I am going to start eating healthier foods. I am going to start exercising again. 

And actually, I have already started. I have already started watching what I am eating. I am logging my calories and exercise with MyFitnessPal. (Follow me! My username is mdelliott12) I am getting my butt back in the Gym starting tonight with Zumba class. 

And I am taking the time to read a few books on nutrition and how I should be eating to lose weight. I am currently reading Bob Harper's "The Skinny Rules" and Women's Health "The New ABS Diet for Women." My Husband read "The ABS Diet" book that is geared towards men and has lost 30 lbs and kept it off for over a year. 

This is the first time that I feel like I am actually making a change that I am going to stick with for the rest of my life. I have a fire lit in me and I seriously want this more than anything right now. I want to be healthy and I want to feel good about myself. I want to feel beautiful, not just wish that I was. 

And I hope that you guys can help encourage me and cheer me on through this life change. And if you are wanting to make the same change, let me know and we can encourage and help each other. 

It is a new day and it is always a great day to get better!!

Megan

Fit Bit Giveaway

Good morning lovelies. This will just be a real quick post to tell you about this awesome giveaway going on over at At Home with the Hinkleys. Mrs. Natalie along with a few other bloggers are having a giveaway for a Fit Bit. 

If you don't know what a Fit Bit is, it is pretty much a device that helps you track your calories, steps and a bunch of other fitness related data. I have been wanting one for a while because it is tiny and not bulky and easily hidden. So head on over to Natalie's blog for more details on how you can win one!

Megan

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Saw It. Pinned It. Did It.

Today I am linking up with Katie at Keep Calm & Carry On for Saw It. Pinned It. Did It.

I pinned this adorable tree ornament nine weeks ago so that when we got our real Christmas tree, I could make this very cute and special keepsake ornament.






Source: imgfave.com via Megan on Pinterest


And this is what mine looks like. It is a little bit different than the Pinterest version, but I love that it is ours. I kind of want to do one for each tree we get, but that might be a little much on the tree every year, haha! And if you have plans of doing this for yourself, make sure to let the piece of wood from the tree dry out for a few days. If not it will be sticky and sappy and it will be harder to write on. 



Head on over to Katie's blog if you want to link up for Saw It. Pinned It. Did It. 

Megan

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Anniversary Recap

As I told you guys on Monday, the Husband and I celebrated our One Year Anniversary!!! We didn't do a whole lot, but we did celebrate a little.

After I got off work on Monday, I headed to the store to get some wine and the Husbands cards. I had forgotten to take care of this during the weekend. Oops!

I picked out his cards and then headed to the Liquor store. And of course they were out of the wine that I wanted. That was the second place in two days that didn't have it. So I asked the Hubby to stop at a different one on his way home and guess what? They didn't have it either! So I told him just to come home and we would stop somewhere on our way home from dinner to try and find it. 

When Hubby got home he walked in with a bouquet of pink roses for me! He knows me too well! They are gorgeous. We then exchanged cards and then headed out the door to dinner.

We decided to go somewhere we had never been(and we had a coupon for this place) so we chose The Elephant Bar. The food was delicious and I loved the atmosphere of the place. It was a great place for a great Anniversary dinner! 


After dinner we went to THREE more Liquor stores before we finally found one that had a bottle of my delicious Moscato Cupcake wine!!! They only had two bottles left, so I bought both!

We then headed home to enjoy some delicious Anniversary cake and a glass or two or three of wine :) 

The bakery that made our wedding cake specifically asked us not to freeze the top tier of our cake. They said that it would be disgusting and that they would make us a new one for our anniversary. So we happily ate the top tier in the week following our Wedding. So a few weeks ago I called and ordered our cakes(yes it is plural) for our Anniversary. 

I ordered a Red Velvet and a Tiramisu cake. I ordered two different ones because these were the two flavors that Aran and I had specifically picked out for the wedding because they are our absolute favorites. And of course, we didn't get any of these on the day of the wedding. For some reason they didn't think to ask us if we wanted some of our cake and so they served everyone else except us. So we didn't even get to try the two flavors that we specifically picked out! 


The cake was freaking delicious!!! And the wine was pretty damn good too! We even got to use our fancy Crystal Toasting Flutes for the first time! I am glad that we decided to get fresh cakes instead of a year old frozen one. I think the taste was definitely way better than what it would have been. 

After the cake and wine we just relaxed on the couch and watched some TV. It was a great way to spend our first Anniversary and I can't wait to see what we do for the next bazillion ones we have!


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Monday, January 7, 2013

A Year Ago

It is hard to believe that a year has already gone by since I married my best friend. 

A year ago today, I was walking down the aisle towards my soon to be husband. A year ago today, we said our "I Do's". A year ago today we celebrated our love for each other with all of our family and friends.  


I can hardly believe that it has already been a year. And so much has happened over the past year for us. Things that I would have never thought.

 I got a promotion at work. A damn good one actually. 

We bought a house. 


The Hubby got a new job.

We went on an amazing Honeymoon and had an absolutely amazing time. 


And we got a dog. 


I don't think that I could have asked for a better first year of marriage. I love my Husband more today than I did a year ago. And I know that I will love him more and more with each passing day. And I honestly can't wait to see what this next year of marriage has in store for us. 

Happy Anniversary Honey! I love you so much and I can't wait to see what is in store for us. 



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Friday, January 4, 2013

New Year's Eve Recap

Originally we didn't have any plans for New Year's Eve. I know, we are lame. We just aren't big party people. But, my friend Megan called the day before and asked if we wanted to come over to her place and have dinner and play board games with her and her Hubby. This sounded way better than sitting at home. And we love playing board games, so we were excited. 

We headed over around 6:30 for dinner. Megan made this delicious lasagna and served it with some really yummy bread. And of course we had some dinner with our wine, I mean, we had some wine with our dinner :) 

After dinner we started the board game festivities. We played three or four rounds of Skip Bo, a few rounds of Telestrations and a couple rounds of Disney Scene It! before it was time for the ball to drop. 


We turned the tv on about a minute til midnight, just in time for the countdown. With our sparkling cider in hand, we rang in the New Year! 


It was a great night with great friends and awesome memories. I couldn't have asked for a better way to say goodbye to a great 2012 and welcome hopefully an even better 2013. 


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Thursday, January 3, 2013

Christmas Recap

First off, Happy New Year!!! I hope that everyone had a wonderful New Years!

Sorry this Christmas recap is so late, but the Hubby and I have been enjoying our time off and not doing much of anything. But, I am ready to get back into the swing of things with blogging.

Our Christmas festivities started on Christmas Eve. In the past, Christmas Eve was always spent at my Grandmas. She would always cook dinner and the whole family would come over and we would spend the evening together. It was always one of my favorite parts of Christmas and it is something we haven't done in a while since my Grandparents had moved out of state and especially now that they have passed away.

So this year, I decided to invite all of our family up to our new house and cook dinner for everyone. I figured why not pick up, where Grandma left off. So the family came up and we cooked a delicious dinner. We made ham, Au Gratin potatoes made from scratch, fresh green beans with bacon pieces and home made hot apple cider. And my Brother brought over his famous fruit salad. We had quite the spread and it was delicious!


After dinner, my Nieces were ready to tear into all of the gifts under the tree. I passed all of the gifts out and in about two minutes, the girls already had all of their stuff unwrapped. Not surprising I guess, I mean they are a 6 and a 4 year old :)




After all of the presents were opened, everyone headed out for the night. It had started snowing(yep, we had a White Christmas!!!) and the roads were starting to get slick, so everyone wanted to get home safely. And my Brother and SIL had to get the kiddos in bed so that Santa could come. Overall, it was a great night full of family, great food and some great memories. It definitely made all of us think of Grandma and we knew that she was there with us. And we all decided that we restarted a tradition. Christmas Eve at my house from now on. 
A few random pictures from Christmas Eve
Christmas morning the Hubby and I woke up and opened our gifts from each other. This was the first Christmas morning that we have ever spent just the two of us. And I am glad that we did this, especially in our new house! The Hubby spoiled me rotten, which worked out well because he was spoiled rotten too!


And yes, I DID get my pink Kitchen Aid, which I may have mentioned earlier because he gave it to me early. And I also got some new Nike workout clothes, the Hunger Games Books, Pitch Perfect and some accessories for my Kitchen Aid.

The Hubby got his Star Wars XBox, Madden 2012, an XBox Live card, a Munchkin game, a Star Wars Folded Flyers book(he loved this) and a few other things that I can't think of at the moment. 

After we had opened our gifts we got ready for the day. First, we went to Church. Christmas Service is always my favorite of the year. 

After Church we headed up to Aran's parents house. We opened gifts with them. I was really excited because I got a food processor! I have been wanting one for a while but just haven't had the funds for it, so this was really nice to get one. But of course I didn't take a picture of it, oops!


After we opened all of our gifts we sat down and watched Pitch Perfect. Love that movie. Makes me laugh every time. After the movie, we sat down and had an amazingly delicious dinner. 

It was a great Christmas! We really enjoyed getting to spend time with all of our family and with each other as well. I can't wait until next Christmas!



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