Well hello there Monday. You snuck up on us once again!!!

Friday – Chris picked up his PlayStation 4 on Friday, so Friday evening we of course headed to Game Stop so he could check out the games. He picked up Need For Speed and Call of Duty Ghost. When we got home, I made a pizza and watched him play. Then I fell asleep on the couch. Fun times.

Saturday – We woke up early and headed up to Huntsville. Our friend is moving out of the country, and so we wanted to make one more trip up to see her before she left. We had a great time just hanging out and watching football. I cant believe that Georgia/Auburn game. Dont even get me started on how Auburn won. Damn their luck!!! Georgia really pulled it out in the last quarter and I really thought that we were going to have a Dawg win. Not so much 🙁

Anyways, in Huntsville we went to Bargain Hunt and found nothing. They have been pretty disappointing lately. Then we went to Gamer’s Paradise and picked up Diddy Kong Racing. I cant wait to try it out! Then we stopped and got a snack at TGI Fridays and waited for Amanda to catch up with us. We had skipped breakfast so we were starving when we got there!

After we left there, we headed to Pie in the Sky to meet up with some more of our friends and catch the game. I didn’t have anything to eat there, but I did order a Vapor Trail Creme Ale. It was delicious!

Great times with great friends!! We sure are going to miss Amanda! We left Huntsville around 5:00 pm and headed back down to watch the Alabama vs Mississippi State game with Chris’s dad. What a game. I thought it was going to be boring, but Mississippi State sure did show up to play. Every single team always plays Alabama the hardest. I feel like Mississippi State’s whole season is around trying to upset Alabama perfect season. As is every other teams! They sure did try their hardest, but we were able to hold them off in the second half. With Auburn’s win over Georgia….the Iron Bowl sure is going to be one hell of a game. I am already having anxiety!

Sunday – It was so dreary, dark and rainy here all day. I saw on Twitter and Facebook that there were tornadoes in the Midwest. Makes me sad for them. We know all to well about that down here.

I did some meal planning and grocery shopping first thing yesterday morning. When I got home, I unloaded and put everything away, then Chris and I had breakfast and watched Vampire Diaries. That show has gotten weird. But we keep watching. Chris wanted to get some more gaming in, and while I really wanted to just lay on the couch….I decided to tackle Mac’s hair. He has looked like a homeless puppy for far too long. TWO HOURS later, Mac looks like a new dog. And I was exhausted! I had every intention of decorating for Christmas yesterday, or at least getting the tree up but it just didn’t happen. Oh well, it is probably more socially acceptable to wait until next weekend anyways! It was just so dark all day that there wouldn’t have been enough light in our garage to see what I was doing.

Last night we finished up The Lying Games. I really enjoyed that show, even if it was only two seasons. It ended on sort of a cliff hanger and you don’t really know exactly what to think about it. We looked up the ending of the books and it sort of pisses me off so maybe it is for the best that it didn’t last long enough haha.

Well, it is time to tackle this week! We got this!

Whoa. Blogging on a weekend? What? Yup. Felt like linking up for the Sunday Social today! I haven’t done that in forever!

1. Name 4 jobs you have had in your life.

– Sales associate at Kirkland’s

-Residential Property Management

-GIS Specialist for a commercial real estate company

-Commercial appraising (current)

2. Name 4 movies you would watch over and over.

-ELF

-The Sweetest Thing

-The Hangover

-Because I Said So

3. Name 4 places you have lived.

-Greensburg, Pennsylvania

-St Louis, Missouri

-Atlanta, Georgia

-Birmingham, Alabama (current)

4.Name 4 of your favorite foods.

-Mexican

-Italian

-Pierogies

-Banana Pudding

5. Name 4 things you always carry with you.

-iPhone

-keys

-lip gloss

-glasses (both sunglasses and regular glasses)

6.Name 4 places you have been on vacation.

-Niagra Falls and Hawksberry, Canada

-Orange Beach, Alabama

-Tybee Island, Georgia

-Destin, Florida

Well hello there Friday! Good to see ya! I am feeling a little random today!

1. Weather – We have had some cool weather this week here in Alabama. I am loving it! You know who doesn’t love it? Gracie when I send her outside to do her morning business at 6:30 am. That little sunbather will just lay anywhere she can get a little sun! That beagle nose of her is ALWAYS going!

2. Speaking of random places to pop a squat, look at little Mac sitting on a chair on our back deck. I about lost it laughing when I peaked out the window the other day and saw this! The king on his throne!

3. Tea – I have gotten back in to drinking several cups of green tea per day again. I love the flavor and the warmth of it, plus the flavonoids and antioxidants are a great benefit! I love the peach and mango flavored teas by Bigelow. They pack a great flavor. I am telling you this because it is simply just good stuff!

4. Lotions and Potions – Give me all the lotions, ASAP! Seriously, it is a bit early in the season for my skin to be so itchy, cracked and dry! It is time to stock up on all the lotions and potions to keep me from shedding layer upon layer of skin. What are your favorite go to lotions? Ones that actually work great, not just for smell.

5. Holiday Decor – I am not going to lie….I really want to put up my Christmas tree. It might happen on Sunday. I don’t know why I want to put it up so early this year, but I do! I have been listening to Christmas music for weeks already so it just seems like its time!

Linking up with Joy for the Friday Five!

Those of you that are dog and or cat moms out there know that your pets certainly develop their own personalities. My dogs are no different.

I got Gracie way back in 2006 when she was just a little 5 lb wrinkly baby with over sized ears that she couldn’t quite balance with. I named her Gracie because she used to trip over her own feet, or ears, and run into walls. She needed some grace! Luckily she grew into those ears and learned how to use her feet better! Gracie was my whole life. I came home to her every night, she traveled with me when I would come to visit my parents or go to a friends house. I had to temporarily stay 3 hours away from where I usually lived for a summer and Gracie was all that I had there. To say that I have a strong bond to her is an understatement! We have been through so much together!

Gracie is super sweet and VERY loyal. She is basically my shadow. She is also incredibly strong willed and stubborn! It literally took me 2 years to completely potty train her. She, for the most part, is very well behaved and minds well. She is a bit whiny thanks to the beagle in her. If her and Mac our outside longer than they want to be, Gracie will come and wine at the back door until we let them back in.

She has looks, like if you are being stupid she will give you a look to let you know. She has a sad puppy look for getting her way. She has a I hate the world look if you make her mad or hurt her feelings. She is definitely the more sensitive one!

Then there is Mac. Chris and I got Mac a few months after I moved to Alabama. Gracie wasn’t too sure about him at first, but they quickly became BFF’s. Mac is so sweet and loves to cuddle. Mac is a total asshole though! He steals Gracie’s toys, growls and barks at her and me if I am petting just Gracie, and will steal pets by putting his head or body under your hand when you are in the middle of something. A needy little thing. But he just has the sweetest little face and he is my little bear. He LOVES to be held and snuggled. He gives sweet little kisses too.

Strangely enough, Mac is the more independent of the two when we are away. When they stay at the boarding place, they always tell me that when they take Gracie and Mac out for a walk, Mac goes off on his own and Gracie follows closely behind constantly needing to know what he is doing and is protective over him. Like a little mamma. I love to hear that! I know Mac gets on her nerves and walks all over her, but she just loves him so much!

Mac is our watch dog. The dog literally is on guard 24-7. When they are in our back yard, Mac will let you know if a neighbor is outside, another dog is out there, a car is driving by, a butterfly is fluttering along or if there are leaves blowing in the wind. Wireless dog fence reviews – https://goodpuppyfood.com/supplies/the-best-wireless-dog-fences-reviews/. I cant tell you the countless times I have looked out there and saw him chasing a butterfly around the yard. Hilarious! He also has little man syndrome. He tries to pick fights with bigger dogs because he thinks hes the big man. Gracie has had to save him a few times from a boxer that used to live near us! I always tell him not to get into a situation he cant get himself out of. He never listens!

Speaking of listening. Mac is a crazy wild man that pretty much gets away with everything. That dog has no listening skills or manners.It isn’t just Gracie that he walks all over, he pretty much does it to Chris and I too! He is so smart, it isn’t like he couldn’t be trained, he just doesn’t want to be! And when he wants attention he doesn’t ask for it, he demands it!

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B: RUB  MY BELLY!

Linking up with Karly and Jackie.

I think that growing up, we all had certain traditions that we did as a family. Mine was no different. Today I wanted to reminisce in a few of my family’s Thanksgiving  traditions while growing up. I am feeling nostalgic I suppose.

I say growing up, my parents have divorced in my adult life. Some of these traditions are sort of carried on in their own ways now, but they were so very important and happy when I was younger. I hope that Chris and I will start a few traditions of our own for each holiday.

On Thanksgiving day growing up, our house always had the aroma of delicious foods! My mom literally spends most of Thanksgiving Day in the kitchen cooking up a huge feast. She stops at nothing. She cooks the usual foods you see on Thanksgiving: turkey, ham, stuffing (northern style, none of that southern stuff that is swimming with all things horrible for you), sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberries, and rolls.  She also makes a made from scratch Italian dish, usually either stuff shells (my favorite) or lasagna and pepperoni rolls. Let’s not even get started on the deserts! Apple pie and pumpkin pie are always seen, as well as pecan tassies and pumpkin bars. My mom is the best cook I know. I am not just saying that because she is my mom, she is seriously amazing. I hope one day I can learn how to make her pie crusts. Everything she does is always from scratch.

Another tradition for Thanksgiving is that my mom always bought a special box of mixed chocolate to snack on throughout the day. She would leave the map of what chocolate was what out on the counter so we could try different ones. You certainly have to have a cheat day for Thanksgiving if you are around there!

My family wasn’t huge into sports, so football games were not playing on the TV. Instead, we would watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I always loved all the music and watching all the cool floats every year. I loved the dancers, majorettes and marching bands too. My favorite float every year was always Snoopy because it was my moms favorite. Chris is a huge Snoopy fan, so that makes me happy. Snoopy décor manages to find his way into every holiday for me still and I love it!

Thanksgiving evening was the same every year. When dinner was said and done, my dad would put up the Christmas tree and the lights. We used to laugh because every year there would be an issue and he would get totally pissed and start banging stuff around and bitching about how he wasn’t going to do it next year. Whatever, every year he did it! For awhile he really got into it, he made an entire Grinch scene for our front yard out of wood and painted it and had spot lights for it. The Grinch himself even stood on our roof at the chimney with a bag. We had Whoville in our yard with Max (the dog) Cindy Lou who, and a few Who houses. It was amazing and so special.

My mom, sister and I always decorated the tree every year. We would spend hours hanging the ornaments and talking about all the memories of the ornaments. Some my sister and I made over the years, some were pictures from when we were younger, some relatives who had passed bought or gave us them. It was always so much fun.

Every year when the tree was up, we would all sit down as a family and watch the same two movies. Eddie and the Cruisers and Eddie and the Cruisers II Eddie Lives. My favorite (and my moms) was always the second one, and that is usually the one we would request. I love love love the music in it, and still do to this day. You can download some of the songs on Spotify and that makes me soooo happy! My favorite songs from the movie are “NYC Song,” “Garden of Eden,” “Some Like It Hot,” “Dark Side,” and “Boardwalk Angel.” There are some guitar and saxophone solos that give me chills! I think the first movie came out the year I was born, 1983. The first movie is a lot of flashbacks to the 60’s when the Eddie and the Cruisers band played in New Jersey. The second movie takes place in present time and is about Eddie’s life after people thought he was dead. I just love them.

After the movie is over, my mom and I are always promptly in bed. We have a huge shopping day ahead of us! Yes folks, I am one of those people. A Black Friday Shopper! But no worries, I am not crazy, rude or start fights. It is just a day that my mom and I spend together enjoying each others company, people watching and scoring great deals!!! Last year we shopped from 10:00 pm until about 3:00pm the next day. It was so much fun!!! I am so saddened this year that stores are opening at 5 and 6 pm. This makes me so sad, and mad! I am not going to leave my family to go shopping. No way. My mom and I have never missed any time away from dinner for our shopping and I find it disgusting that stores are expecting their employees to come in and work during dinner! I used to work retail in high school and college and I knew that I would have to go in that night, it was just part of the job. But dinner time?! Hell no. What is wrong with people?! My mom and I will sit down with our ads, as we do every year, and map out our route. Unfortunately, we will just be missing the openings and door busters because we find Thanksgiving dinner more important. I am not sure when we will start, probably not until at least 10:00pm or midnight, depending on if it will be worth it. I always go out Wednesday evening or 6:00am Thanksgiving morning to the gas station to secure our paper with ads! We spend a lot of the day going through and circling things while we cook!

What are your Thanksgiving traditions? I always love hearing about other people’s! I know some of ours are unique.