Awesome news to start the new year!

As most of you know (and I say it this way because right now “most” of my followers are family!) We are expecting baby #3 this coming summer! This is a very exciting time for us. 

We found out at Thanksgiving that we are expecting so it was an extra blessing to be thankful for that hubby and I kept to ourselves to let the news sink in and just enjoy that time. We thought it would be a great idea to share the news with our daughters on Christmas. So we waited…. And boy was it tough! I just wanted to tell them cause I knew they would be so excited! When we finally did they were thrilled as expected and of course I recorded their reactions. Daughter #2 thought we were lying to her and we had to explain it was a real baby in Mommy’s belly not a doll that you have to press buttons to make talk or put in the toy box when done playing with them! Daughter #1 just wanted to know if she would be able to baby-sit! They were both extremely excited and we are thrilled to be adding to our family! We told our parents the next day, and continued to tell extended family through the New Year’s Holiday!  

So now that it is out there I am excited to be able to add a section to my blog about my pregnancy! I hope to fill it with memories and milestones throughout this pregnancy; the good and the bad of it all! So thank you for letting me share my news with you and I look forward to sharing this experience with you all as well! 

Gift Ideas for everyone!

Many of us get so frustrated trying to figure out a gift for that certain person on your list. Whether it be a family member, friend, co-worker, or just some random person who made it to your shopping list for whatever reason!  So I thought I would put together a list of  unique gift ideas! While searching the web for some different ideas (and possibly shopping for my own Christmas list!) I found some sites I really liked, like #2 on my list! What a cute and fun site to find a gift for your little one (and your big one too!) I mean they are all great so take a look for yourself and Happy Shopping!

1. Fisheye, Macro, Wide Angle and Telephoto Phone Lenses ($20- $50)

These are cool little camera lenses that attached to your phone magnetically to optimize your camera features! There are 3 different lenses each costing $20-$25 or you can get all 3 for $50!

Photojojo.com

2. Chimpsticks Chopsticks ($7)

Awesome for children who are just learning to use chopsticks! My children love sushi and playing with their chopsticks to eat other foods, these would’ve been great for them in the learning stages!

Perpetualkid.com

3. Guitar Pick Punch ($25)

Great gift for the music enthusiast! You can use it to punch a pick out of anything in your home (credit cards, plastic lids, even photos if you attach it to something durable enough to play with)!

Vat19.com

4. 4 Piece Bamboo Brush Set ($10)

I love these brushes and I love this site! There are so many other things to choose from that are reasonably priced! Great gift for your girl friends or even teenage daughters!

Eyeslipsface.com

5. Unzipped Glass Zippered Bag ($20)

Perfect for that person who always has a candy bowl out on their desk (I had a teacher who always had gummy bears on her desk!) or display during a casual gathering!

Uncommongoods.com

Welcome, Holiday Season!

With Thanksgiving having come and gone I realized I haven’t really done much on here! Yikes, to say I have been busy would be an understatement!  I hope everyone enjoyed their Holiday and spent lots of time with their families. As for me we stayed home and enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with some family. Then out my husband and I went to do some black Friday shopping! Oh the fun! Nothing like standing in ridiculously long lines with other sleep deprived people to start the Christmas season! I can’t complain too much as we did get some great deals and lots of gifts for our daughters. As for those lines, well let’s just say we found some more time efficient ways to check out! (Can’t spill all my secrets!) So after black Friday comes cyber Monday and well we got more deals there! Feels good being almost done with shopping for my girls! I can see the finish line now!!! I am really looking forward to this Christmas season! Normally I dread it and drag my feet with everything… I am the one up wrapping gifts on Christmas Eve at like 11:30 at night cursing the wrapping paper and tape for not working properly! However I have already started wrapping! This is exciting to me because I have never started this early! I get excited waiting for the Fed Ex or UPS guy to deliver my packages full of gifts! I can’t wait for Christmas! Now this may be a momentary excitement so bear with me, it may be over soon. Let me just enjoy these few moments of excitement! I hope that everyone is enjoying this Holiday Season!

The Stress of The Christmas Card!

So I am in need of a vent session about my Christmas card venture! 

In our house we do personalized Christmas cards. We use a family photo or just the kids, we aren’t picky really it just comes down to whatever photo is our favorite! Well this year we have already ordered them and it features just the kids! Well originally I was going to do a family one because we got a really nice family photo done at my bestie’s wedding! I was unable to find a nice card to compliment the picture so I went with a different feel of the card and used just the kids in a completely different setting!

Now I have found one to compliment the family photo!!!! Ha-ha isn’t that the way it goes?! Well I just so happen to have gotten an email from the company I use and they are having a 50% off special and I figured why not have 2 different cards?! One for close friends and family, and one for teachers and more distant friends and family?! Sounds good to me! Hubby thinks it sounds good, so I am all set right?! WRONG!!!! I get to the site and design the card, pick out the envelopes and click on the little Add to cart button and NOTHING!!! I can’t go forward any more than that! It is so frustrating! I have tried it 7 different times now. I clicked for a live chat with someone to help me and it directs me to their hours (which by the way states they are currently open!) So I call the 800 number and guess what it says?! Yup, they are closed! I know they’re not because I have already looked into their hours! I just want to order my cards, is that too much to ask?!

Maybe I should go have a cup of coffee and take another go at it when I am in a caffeinated state of mind?!



UPDATE:
After a cup of coffee, some breakfast, a little house work, and searching for different ideas for our Christmas card the website is up and running properly now and I have ordered our Christmas cards! I don't actually send them out till December 1st but I will certainly post photos of them once they have been sent out and received as to not give away the surprise of them!  

Today we pay tribute... it's Veteran's Day!

On days like today it makes the world stop and pay homage to those who have served this country and those whom still are. Everyone has someone they know past or present in their life who has served in our military. Like others, I know many who have or are serving; some close and some distant but none the less they are family and they deserve this day!

Thomas J Talbot ~ (Airforce)
with his Great Granddaughter 

First I would like to say THANK YOU to all who have served to protect this country and fight for our freedom. Whether you agree with the reasons they are fighting or not on days like today (as well as every other day of the year!) we should all stop and salute those we love..... those we lost..... and those we never had the chance to meet. They are the reason we are living free today. They are the reason we are able to post our thoughts and feelings on these very blogs or to friends or even strangers!

John "Boopa" Hutchings ~ (Navy)
With his Great Granddaughters

Never forget that freedom is not free. Remember those moments you shared with a service member.

Richard E Platt Sr. ~ (Navy)
Dancing with his daughter on her wedding day
(That's me!)

Think of the joy their family has when they return home or the hurt their family encounters when they don’t.

Senior Airman Thomas J Talbot ~  (Airforce)
welcomed home by his niece

Honor those fallen and those still fighting.  Be thankful for all they have given for you.

PFC (p) Richard Spalla ~ (Army)
With his new wife on their wedding day 10/8/11
(That's my bestie!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am so pleased to mention our family below and makes me realize how much I have to be thankful for this year.

John “Boopa” Hutchings ~ Grandfather (Navy)

Thomas Talbot ~ Grandfather (Airforce)

Robert Money ~ Grandfather (Army)

Robert Platt ~ Grandfather (Army)

Richard Platt ~ Father (Navy)

John Hutchings ~ Uncle (Army)

Dennis Money ~ Uncle (Army)

Bobby Money ~ Uncle (Army)

Karen Money ~ Aunt (Navy)

Andrew Todd ~ Uncle (Army)*

Thomas “TJ” Talbot ~ Brother (Airforce)*

Richard Spalla ~ Best Friend’s Husband (Army)*

*Active Service 

Let's get started!

Well I have to be honest... I really don't know where to start or where I am hoping this will go. I guess I just needed a place to record memories or thoughts on specific events. Being a mom of 2, and being a newly SAHM I am realizing not only how  much I was missing out on while I was working, but also that I am afraid to forget about the moments I was there for! I don't know about you guys, but I am huge on pictures! I'm talking, hubby had to get me an external hard drive just to store them on! (He is pretty great!) So I guess one of my hopes would be to use this as a tool to record the growth of our family... not just in size but in experiences and special moments. 


So I guess I should introduce myself and my family?! (We spend all this time teaching our children manners and yet we forget them so easily!) I am Lori! I am a newly SAHM and I am loving it! I worked within our School District in the Special Education Department as well as worked for a company that provided in home care for children (and adults) with special needs and as much as I loved making a difference in those children's days or lives, I really just wanted (and needed) to be home with my family. I do still however work for the private based company but only about once or twice a week and the hours still provide me the ability to be home with my children! My husband's name is Jeff, he is the most incredible husband and father I could have ever imagined for myself and my children! He is fairly private so you won't see too much of him involved with the making of this blog but he will most definitely be a major part of most of my posts! We have been married for 4 years now (together for much longer!), we aren't your typical family in which we did things the "conventional" way. We did things our own way and I think that is why we have the bond that we do, we have built this unique life for ourselves and I honestly wouldn't have it any other way! Which now brings us to our daughters: 
Daughter #1 is 9 years old, in the 4th grade, and she is my mini me! She is hitting that phase where she is not liking having her picture taken, and that is a HUGE issue for me, but we are working through that as we speak! She is very involved in her school, makes good grades, and is really evolving into her own person. Part of the reason I started this blog is because of her as well, she has some pretty great ideas and is very into fashion so don't be surprised if you see a post inspired by her ideas or thoughts! 

Daughter #2 is 5 years old and completely opposite from her big sister! Down to her hair and eye color! She is our spunky one with no fears and a serious love for life and everything that comes with it! Her personality is what makes her shine as bright as she does! She's very into hair right now so she will definitely be my inspiration for any hair ideas I might post!

I look forward to chatting with everyone on here and please feel free to comment on anything I may be doing wrong... or right! Suggestions and feed back are always welcomed!