Fabulous Friday!

Ahhhh the one day a week aside from the weekend that we look forward to...Friday. Work seems a little easier to bare, the beginning to the weekend is in reach & our little happy dances start to occur! I'm linking up with Lauren for another round of the top five things that have happened this past week.

(1.) On of my favorite things, give & receive Christmas cards! Okay I might have ordered them a little early but hey I would rather be ahead of the game! So I bring to you last years design and this years card: (These are shots taken from my phone, so beware, crappy quality!)

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 2012

 

 

(2.) On black Friday our city lit the tree on Monument Circle. On Wednesday we went for a night out on the town to soak up the lights, Christmas decorations & to take some photos! Here are a few of my favorites:

                                         

Love the reflection!

 

 

 

Pink & Sparkly, plus my cuteness..can't go wrong!

 

 

 We visited this candy/soda shop which had everything imaginable!

Madison thought Spider man was signing "Rock Star" Ha!



(3.) Have you ever had a slice of pizza with the perfect crust, covered with layers and layers of cheese & fills your tummy with yummy goodness? Well my friend, I had that this week! I visited a little pizza shop called Giorgio's Pizza. I chowed down on a slice of double crusted 3 meat and cheese pizza with two bread sticks! I left there a happy camper!

 

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(4.) I buy a ton of items off of Ebay but I never bid for anything. I figure I will lose or that my bid won't be high enough or for whatever other reason. Well, I decided that I wanted to get my daughter a Fijit. If you don't know what this is click here to watch the demo video. It's pretty neat. The Fijit family consists of three different size characters. Different sizes, colors & character names. I went on my crazy hunt to track this Fijit family down & found two. One sold at Walmart which was currently sold out at $61 and one on Ebay for $54. Now let me tell you, the largest Fijit is $50, the medium sized is $40 & the smallest sells for $16. Walmart's family bundle was $61 and Ebay's was $54. I figured what do I have to lose. I made a bet for $54 and was currently the highest bidder until the next day when with 14 seconds to go, someone bid against me. I frantically clicked "up my bid" I did this a total of 3 times when I increased my bid by three dollars with three seconds to go and won the entire family for $54! The amount reset itself and I won the entire bundle for around $50 less than at the toy stores! Score! Madison is going to be so stoked!

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(5.) My daughter has been having problems breathing out of her nose for almost a year. After using Claritin & Benadryl we have taken her to the doctor and received nasal spray. So far it has been two nights of her sleeping through the night and a much quieter house with a lot less sniffling! Yay! So glad something is finally relieving her of her pain.

~Brooke~

That completes my five fabulous moments of the week! Link up with Lauren to share your highlights of the week!

 

 

Right Around The Corner

I always have trouble starting my post for the day. I have a ton of random thoughts and ideas but sometimes I don't know how to put them into words. Do you ever have this problem? I sound hilarious in my mind but then I will type it all out and think hmmm I probably won't even get a snicker. Ha! I try to write to keep you intrigued. You are my audience. I love new followers and knowing that people are interested in my daily happenings makes me feel good. My goal is to receive new followers as often as I can. Keep people interested and wanting to come back to visit :) So if you are one of my followers please spread the word of my new blog. I will do the same for you! Also, if you are stopping by for the first time, leave a comment & follow my page! 

With my random rant finished let's get on with it. I need your help. I want to do a daily countdown to Christmas for my daughter. Something that gives her a little treat or something to look forward to each day. Starting Saturday I want to incorporate the Elf On The Shelf (Lucy) with the countdown. Hide the elf in random spots holding a bag or something of that nature.

Are you a school teacher who does this for the students? Do you pin things on Pinterest and have a brillant idea to share? Please do! I have pinned the following things on Pinterest let me know what you think!



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What is your family tradition?

December 1st is just a couple of days away!

Feel free to leave a comment & help this girl out! XO

~Brooke~









Follow The Yellow Brick Road...

If you don't know Kate & Kati by now, you sure are missing out! Before starting my blog about two weeks ago I had emailed Kate regarding all of the basic beginner blogger questions. I finally gained the courage I needed to start a blog of my own. She sent me links for tons of information on starting a blog & she has commented on my page! Which in the blogosphere it is very exciting every time you gain a follower or you see a notification that you have received a comment! I have done the happy dance every time that happened! I mean who doesn't love new friends and conversation?
So last week poor Kate & Kati had drama with Monday's GBU. If you aren't clued into what went down just check it out here. Well as a new found follower of these girls blogs I decided to follow the yellow brick road down the same path as my fellow bloggers. Which is why starting today I will be linking up with Jamie's blog for "What I Love Wednesday". Unlike "Oh How Pinteresting Wednesday", I feel like I can relate more to this new link & really express what I love! We are all excited about the change & would love for you to join in on the fun!

For this week:

I'm loving Christmas cards! I finally have mine picked out! I go and pick them up tonight! I love giving and receiving them so I put alot of work into picking out the right design and pictures!

(pictures to come!)

I'm loving Amazon! All of my holiday shopping has been bought through this website. Free shipping with purchases of $25 or more. Yes!

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I'm loving the new show Partners! It is literally the funniest show next to New Girl! I loved Sophia Bush since One Tree Hill & I was thrilled to see she was on a new hit show!  

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I'm loving Marvelous Moxie lip gloss in Dare Devil. I received this lip gloss in my November Ipsy beauty box and I instantly fell in love. Offered in a variety of colors, this lip gloss leaves your lips moisturized & shimmery!

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I'm loving Elf On The Shelf. All week I have been setting up different scenarios using our elf Lucy. My daughter has had a blast and so have we. Seeing Madison's face light up every time she finds little ol' Lucy is priceless!

I'm loving Starbucks new holiday drink Carmel Brullee Latte! All drinks at Starbucks are fantastic but I decided to go out on a limb and try something new. Boy am I glad I did! Something to warm me up for all of these cold days we have been having!

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I'm loving Dove's new dry shampoo! I usually try to skip every other day on washing my hair. My hair is thin and I often find that my hair is healthier if I take a break on the straightening & shampooing. So I found this new product & it smells awesome! It soaks up all of the oils in my hair and leaves my hair looking like I shampooed it on the second day!



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I'm loving all of the downtown Christmas lights! We took a stroll around the Monument Circle Christmas tree lighting last night. We ate pizza at a local pizzeria, visited a nearby candy shop & hit Starbucks before heading home. The lights lift my spirits and put a smile on my face. Colorful & sparkly=smile on my face!

What are you loving this week?

TaStY TuEsDaYs: Muffin Cups

After watching everyone else slave away in the kitchen for Thanksgiving, I was convinced by the time Saturday morning rolled around that I had been bitten by the kitchen fairy. Along with breakfast I made lunch, dinner, snacks and a dessert. Using a recipe book that was given to me by the hubs grandmother, I decided to go to work.
This Tuesday I bring to you a recipe I used for the first time. It turned out to be an orgasmic experience for my palette & bargain for my check book!



Gather all of your ingredients:

1 bag of shredded cheese

1 tube of sausage

1 bell pepper

12 large eggs

1.5 cups of milk

 Fry the sausage until golden brown. Drain & return the sausage to the skillet.

Crack 12 eggs into a large bowl. Pour milk into the bowl & whisk until thoroughly blended. 

Take the bell pepper & dice half of the pepper into small bite size pieces

 Drop the diced pepper into each muffin cup

 Fill each muffin cup with pieces of bell pepper

Take all of the sausage and drop a tablespoon into each muffin cup. Fill the cups up until all of the sausage is gone.

 Cover the eggs with shredded cheese & bake at 375 degrees for approx. 15 to 20 minutes until cooked thoroughly and until golden brown. Add toast or any side of your choice & Voila Yummo!

~Brooke~

What did you cook or bake this week?
Please share! Post the button below to your blog!
Checkout 33 Shades Of Green, where I join the Tasty Tuesday link up party every week!

GBU Monday

Once again, it's Monday, which means it's time to link up with Kate & Kati for another week of GBU! Pretty self explanatory but you share the good, bad & ugly of your weekend!

After having a four day break off of work it was very hard to get to sleep & even harder to wake up and get motivated! Needless to say I took full advantage of my time off! Busy busy busy!

So let's get started here is my GBU!

Good: After a wonderful two days spent with family and friends, receiving a Christmas bonus from work early and stuffing my face with delicious meals after another I took some time for retail therapy! While scoring deals for the little one & other I scored an awesome deal on these cute and irristable handbags from Coach. 30% coupon at the door and another 50% at the register! Merry early Christmas to me! 2 bags for $80!

Bad: I really have no complaints about the weekend. The only "bad" thing about the weekend is our new found friend Lucy. She has been terriorizing the place since Sunday morning. Toilet papering the tree, taking jacuzzi baths in the sink, drinking out of the syrup bottle & dumping out my makeup bag to put lipstick on are among the few things she has accomplished this weekend :) I think my daughter is doing a countdown for when Lucy strikes again. Bad to clean up & prepare but totally worth the excitement and reaction!

Ugly: With Thanksgiving, four days off of work & the cabinets stocked pile of food, what else did this girl do? Eat! I must of packed on at least 10 lbs this weekend. From Thanksgiving dinners to breakfasts and desserts I can say I ate my fair share! Time to diet until the next holiday. Wait that's a month away. Crap.



Well that wraps up the GBU! Hope you have a great Monday & an even better week! Keep Smiling!

What's your GBU for the weekend? I would love to hear your stories! Follow me now & link up to the party!

New to the link up? Grab the button below & start sharing now!

~Brooke~

 

High Five For Friday!

Is it Friday already? This week has flown by! The best part about today is the fact I'M OFF OF WORK! This is a celebration in itself! Another day for housework, bill paying, spending time with the family & friends & just being able to enjoy the daylight. (This hardly occurs, I leave to go to work in the dark and by the time I leave it is almost dark, darn daylight savings time!)

Here are some awesome things that happened this week:

Pinterest via Lauren Usher
 

 

                     Starbucks

 

 

(1.) A couple times a week my daughter & I stop at Starbucks. She usually gets a cake pop & I will get my usual Cinnamon Dulce Latte. This morning she switched up the routine & went with a Christmas holiday cookie. So yummy! Starbucks=our favorite!(2.) As much as I am dreading my upcoming surgery, I have to thank God that they have caught the cancerous cells earlier rather later. Counting my blessings & hoping for the best.
(3.) With the Thanksgiving holiday yesterday, I was able to spend quality time with our bestest friends and family. Good food & good company!
(4.)Hip Hip Horray! It was a three day work week & a four day weekend! Lots of time for everything! Need I say more?
(5.)My bff stopped by for a visit this week. We do not see each other enough. We have been friends for about 10 years. Anytime I need her, she's there. A school teacher & mentor she is definitely someone I and many people look up to. She is awesome and time spent with her is pretty valuable.

I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend!  The full recap will come on Monday with the GBU, the link-up party Kate & Kati host.

  

 

Linking up with Lauren today for H54F!