Black Friday: Buy a Kindle!

I wanted to give all my book-loving friends a heads up about a Black Friday deal you might want to take advantage of.

Today at Amazon.com they are offering a lightning deal this afternoon at 12:00 PM (ET).  Get a 6" Kindle - 2nd Generation at a reduced price for a limited time.  Be sure to check it out!

*Affiliate links are used in this post.

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Christmas? I'm Not Ready Yet!

I haven't started my Christmas shopping yet.  Can you imagine?  I only have a few people to buy for, so it's not an extremely big deal. 

I also haven't baked anything yet, but I like to do it closer to the time that we'll be eating the goodies.  I'm thinking I might just make two types of cookies.  My family always spends Christmas Eve together, and we have a buffet of finger foods.  With my sister and mom pitching in on the food prep, I only have to bring a few things to share.  I found a wings recipe to make in the crock pot, so I thought I might give it a try as something new this year.

Speaking of recipes... Do you know how I can tell I'm a different woman this year?  I have a cookbook on my Christmas wish list.  Now that's something that's never happened before.  This is the cookbook I found the wings recipe in.  You should check out  *Make It Fast, Cook It Slow.  There's everything from breakfast to dessert in there.  It looks terrific!

*This is an affiliate link.  If you make a purchase through this link, I will earn a small percentage of the sale.

Shoe Shopping Woes

Does anyone else have a hard time shopping for shoes?  I was in the store the other day and thought I'd buy a pair of flip-flops.  (I'm new to the whole flip-flop thing because I didn't think that little thong between my toes would be comfortable.)  So I was browsing through the shoe department and came across a pair of wedge sandals on clearance.  And they were cu-UTE, too.

I put them on and walked around a little in the aisle and decided to grab them up at that price.  And because...did I mention...they were CUTE?

So I was very psyched about wearing my new wedge sandals to the office today.  They felt a little stiff at first when I slipped them on this morning.  No matter.  They will stretch and loosen up as I break them in today.

I went and filled my coffee cup, gathered my purse and keys, then headed out the door.  Ouch!  Walking in these cute sandals is really hurting my feet.  Hmmm... By the time I reached the garage and put my things into my van, I knew there was just no fighting it.  The pain of walking in those cute stinkin' sandals was never gonna be worth the sacrifice for wearing cool shoes.

I walked back to the house, hanging my head in disappointment over the loss of those sandals.  I just have to ask, How does a girl buy a decent pair of shoes if she can't get a feel for them in the store?

Lips That Shine & A Healthy Body

Thanks to Philosophy® Not the Pits Cherry Cola lip shine, I now look fabulous.  Or at least my lips look fabulous.  Or maybe they'll just be moisturized all winter, and that alone would make me happy.  In any case, Judy took me to the mall today so I could pick up last week's exercise incentive, and I like it because Philosophy® Not the Pits Cherry Cola lip shine not only makes your lips shine, it also tastes EXACTLY like cherry cola.  I am so not kidding!

In case you weren't around, deleted my posts from your feed reader, or just can't remember what happened yesterday, here's the scoop.  I really needed to kick my rear into gear on my weight loss plan.  I determined after gaining some post-birthday weight that I would hit the treadmill 5 days in a row.  The incentive I chose to work for was this very expensive lip shine from Philosophy.  And the end of story is...

I earned it!

...and I'm losing weight, too.  Woot!

*I am in no way affiliated with Philosophy® and receive nothing for endorsing their product.  I'm just a gal in love with their scents.

Birthday Wishes Come True

I wanted to say thanks to the people who were sending out happy wishes to me for my 36th birthday on Monday.  Whew!  I made it to 36...and I'm still alive. 

I shopped my little heart out and got some good bargains at an outlet mall, and I am gonna look GOOOOD this fall.  You just gotta love buying a pair of pants at the Gap for less than $13.

I also visited the South Bend Chocolate Cafe and had the biggest slice of Chocolate Layer Cake you have ever seen, so one of my many birthday wishes came true.  Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting was on my list of "must haves" for my birthday.

Not only did I have a birthday, but I also just passed a special anniversary in my spiritual life.  I'll be back later to tell you about it.

Bring It On!

The only thing I dread about summer is never having the right shoes.  Maybe that's because I'm picky about the fit and the style.  I'm not sure how all you gals wear those flip flops.  I just can't stand that little thong rubbing between my toes.  Do you build up a callous or something?  I really want to be "hip" and "with it" along with all of you, but when I try them on, all I imagine is having blisters by day 2 of trying to break them in.

It always takes me forever to find that ONE sandal I will wear to death for a season.  Last year I never even had to shop because my sister had bought a pair for $10 and then decided they didn't really fit her well.  I gave her $10 and took them off her hands.  I was pretty pleased with that, and I wore them a lot.  The only others I wear every year are my Birkenstocks that hang on year after year.  They're pretty much a staple.

Well, this summer, life as my feet know it is going to be different.  They are going to be stylin' because wait until you see what I did today.

The superstore where Rich works was having a special Saturday sale.  The shoes were "Buy One, Get One for $1".  The last time I took advantage of that deal was about 6 months ago when I got two pairs of running shoes.  Nothing like saving $70!  So he told me to get over there today and see about some shoes.  I went, not knowing what I really need.  I haven't pulled any spring clothes out yet because it's just been too cold.  But if your husband says to go buy shoes, I really think a wife ought to submit to that, no matter how hard it is to shop.

Well, look at what I came home with, and tell me if I did good or not.

 

First, I found these.  Oh, so comfortable!!

 

Then I found these.  I never would've bought these, but they were only $1!

 

Then there were these, which I thought would be good with jeans or capris.

And finally, I just HAD to have these and would not have bought them in a million years because they just don't seem practical.  But you can't go wrong when they're Buy One, Get One for $1.  They're my favorite of all 4.

Now, did I mention how much my little shopping spree cost after our employee discount and a special 20% off coupon?  No?  Well, how does 40 DOLLARS sound?  My receipt said I saved $69.  My feet have never been sooo ready for summer before.  Time to paint those toenails! 

Summer?  BRING IT ON!

Can Anything Top a Donut?

After struggling for over a month with my First Place commitments, I finally decided to get with the program last Sunday.  Sometimes all it takes it one little conversation to kick your butt.  Ya know?   Like when someone nicknames you "Donut Girl".  {ahem}  Or when the other girls in the program are looking around to see how much visible weight everyone has lost, and you look the same as you did before Thanksgiving. {cough}

Okay, so I got back "with it".  I wrote down my food servings faithfully, and I overcame some serious temptations.  It resulted in a weight loss Saturday, so I felt a celebration coming on.  What's a girl to do to celebrate?  Girl Scout cookies?  NO.  A lovely chocolate-covered yeast donut?  NO.  (gotta lose that Donut Girl moniker)  A steak burger, fries, and large milkshake?  NO. NO. NO.  None of those were options.

So after I went for a much needed visit to the chiropractor, I stopped at Walmart on my way back to town.  I thought a new pair of jeans were in order, since I had one pair that was dying a very painful death.  In a smaller size, of course.

I found these...

 

Lee Riders Bootcut Mid-Rise Stretch Jeans.  And they are FABULOUS.  In a size smaller than my old ones.  They definitely beat a donut any day.

Christmas Shopping? Check-Check!

WOOT! WOOT! WOOT! I'm doing the happy dance! (in a very Baptist fashion, of course.) You know that Christmas shopping thing? Got it done!! Oh yeah!

Things Just Got a Little More Exciting

I've kinda felt...uh...just a tad panicked when Sunday rolled around because Christmas is next Tuesday. Aaaagh! The reason behind that is mostly due to the need to still shop for gifts. Thanks to my husband, we are tackling the nieces' & nephews' gifts. What isn't purchased already, is soon to be. The important thing is that we know what we're getting them. Of course, I can't help feeling like Aunt Liz has totally lost touch with her kids that she can't determine what to give them for Christmas. I've ALWAYS gone out and found the perfect items, but not this year. I was clueless. Believe me, I scoured the aisles of Walmart and Kmart to no avail. So I recruited help, and Uncle Rich came through for me.

The other major obstacle is that I am personally making a few of my gifts. I have really enjoyed making personal gifts for people. There's something special about creating something from the heart, almost like part of you is in that handcrafted treasure. I started working on one of them yesterday, and it turned out to be a little bit more effort than I initially realized. Things were tense there for a little while. (Yes, I even sinned and...uh...lost my temper.) But hope springs eternal, and I got that project nailed today. Check it off. One more to go! wOOt!!! :D

So having got that project completed (and I am so excited about the recipient who is getting it), I can't wait for Christmas! You know that feeling you get when you know you have the perfect gift that that certain someone is just gonna love? Elation. I love it!

It's gonna be so great...

It's Been a Full Friday

I thought I would just tell you about my day. It's been a pretty full one, especially as I have marked a very important victory in my life. It's something I would like to share.

First, of course, I worked at the church office this morning until noon. Fridays are "iffy" because it's the day to publish Sunday's bulletin, and you just never know what might hit. It depends on the amount of phone calls that come in, if the pastor (that's Dad to me) gives me a last-minute project, or if there just happens to be a plethera of announcements that need to be put in the bulletin - all of these things factor into how easily Friday mornings will proceed. Today was a pretty easy day, but it became a cruncher there in the last hour. Last-minute things arose, and normally I could just stay a little late in order to complete them. Today, though, I needed to be out the door at noon.

That brings me to the next part of the day. I got to meet a friend for lunch, someone I only see about every couple of months. We have much in common, particularly our fastidious nature of organization. We're pretty much perfectionists, and we enjoy laughing at some of the crazy things that we think "have" to be perfect in our worlds. So we had a fun time catching up this afternoon.

Afterwards I went to Starbucks. Now before you get after me for indulging in my peppermint mocha and feeding my ungodly addiction, I'll have you know that I did some checking at Starbucks.com and found an acceptable beverage to "put on". (You know, the put off-put on principle of the Bible? If you're going to put off an ungodly behavior you need to replace it with a godly behavior. And yes, drinking is a spiritual thing.) I ordered a Short, Non-fat, Vanilla Creme, No whip - a.k.a. steamed milk with flavored syrup. It was the best thing I could find at 100 calories. It does have its flaw of 18g of sugar, but it's a much better choice than the 310 cal. peppermint mocha that has slowly resulted in my demise. So I was an overcomer today. I conquered that Starbucks beast. Woot!

(As a side note, have you heard this word "woot"? I just heard about it the other day on the news... something about how it is a new word that has been added to the dictionary. Its definition is like a victory cry in celebration. Hopefully, I am using it appropriately. I get tired of using the same old words like "cool" and "yay". )

Okay, now back to the rest of my day. I came home and made dinner, which was okay. Nothing spectacular. After that I finished up my First Place Bible study and then decided to run back out to try that Christmas shopping thing again.

This time I knew where to go and what I was getting. I got exactly what I needed, and I was really happy. Woot! (See, there it is again.) I even made an extra stop, and I found another Christmas item I had been looking for. I guess these things need to be done in phases, or so it seems.

So now I've been home and unwinding from the day. I've been reading blogs, but I'm not all caught up yet from all the afternoon posts. I see I have a few comments on mine, and that's always fun to see. Thanks, you guys!

Can't wait for tomorrow morning. It's time once again to attend First Place, and I get to do that weigh-in thing. I've already taken a peek at the scale today, and things are looking good.

That's all for today...

Christmas Shopping?!?

Who's idea was this anyway? I thought when I left the house this afternoon I would get all my Christmas shopping done at Walmart. Well, it seems I have no idea what to get for the nieces and nephews. It's a jungle out there. I waded through RC cars, Barbies who I don't even recognize anymore because Barbie is not just Barbie, My Little Pony in 15 assorted colors, Dora the Explorer, and a lot of scary characters that I would never put in the hands of a child of my own. So needless to say, I came home empty-handed on gifts for the kids.

After a bit of a search, I was able to nail down my sister's gift. I cannot divulge what it is, as she reads my blog regularly. (Sorry again, Kath.) All I can say is, I think she's gonna love it.

As I drove home I felt like pulling my hair out. Yes, it was that bad. Especially knowing I'm going to have to go back out and do it all again sometime within the next 11 days. Mercy!