Our Thanksgiving

I know I'm a little late, but I needed a few days to recoup from the craziness of Thanksgiving/Black Friday/Christmas decorating. We had a wonderful thanksgiving, I spent all day in the kitchen with my mom, followed by an awesome meal... Boy did I miss her food. I slept for about two hours right after dinner before I got up in the worst mood of my life and started my shopping. I did Toys R Us online, Walmart in the store (which was pure craziness) and then Target in the store as well. Target handled everything perfectly... I am extremely happy with how it turned out and I plan on shopping there more often.

Here are some pictures from our Thanksgiving :)

My Centerpiece... I only paid $7 for, and I can reuse everything so I don't have to buy it again. Dollar Tree can be my best friend at times, I plan on using the same thing for Christmas but putting old ornaments and some candy canes on the plate in place of the fall leaves.

Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast

Along with muffins

My mom's amazing stuffing

Chips w/ dip

Peanut butter fudge

Sweet potatoes

Mashed Potatoes

Creamy deviled eggs

Bacon-cheddar pinwheels (before they were baked)

The turkey... we used one of those roasting bags that you put it in,

OMG it was the juciest turkey that I have EVER had.

All of our sides

And finally, our turkey and ham...

Everything was just sooooo good. We were eating leftovers for days and there are still more but we got sick of it. Over the weekend, my mom cut up the rest of the turkey and some celery and mixed with mayo to make turkey salad. we ate it on sub rolls with lettuce and tomato.... it was really really good!!!!

In other news, I am almost completely done with my Christmas shopping. All that is left is to get a few more gifts, wrap, and send out what needs to be sent out. I finished decorating outside our apartment, and I adore the way it came out... we have icicle lights, multicolor lights around the window and in the front bush, both blinking... lighted candy canes in front of the walk way, a big blow up penguin on the porch, and our door is decorated with a 4' red lighted bow, and lighted garland draped on the frame... SO pretty!!! On saturday we are heading up to the mountains, Jefferson, NC to be exact... to cut down our own Christmas tree. Then, on Sunday, it's Disney's Dare to Dream Princesses on Ice show at the Greensboro Coliseum. Brooklyn doesn't know that we are going, she is going to be soooo excited. Stay tuned for lots more pictures after the weekend.

Wishing for lots of snow and the sound of jingle bells,

Kayla

Giving Thanks

Somehow, I was able to slip away from slaving in the kitchen with my mom in order to spend a few minutes thinking and writing about what I am thankful for this year :)

I have so much in my life to be thankful for. My husband, my daughter, my family and friends, my job, pretty much everything.

I am thankful for my daughter, Brooklyn Marie. She brightens up my days and makes me smile when I am at my lowest. She has such a big heart and always teaches me things, makes me stop and notice the little things in life... the little things that most adults will walk by every single day and not even notice. My favorite time with her is at the end of my work day, when I come to pick her up... for the 15-20 minutes in the car ride home, we sing and dance to our favorite songs on the radio. She allows me to be a kid again, even on the days that I am stressed out the most. She has such a huge personality, such a great sense of humor. Yesterday, she told me that she is missing her grandpa in heaven. I told her I missed him too, and she said, "He misses you too mommy, and he is in heaven looking all over for you because he wants to see you." That made my heart melt, it really made my day. She drives me crazy sometimes but I truly am grateful for every single second I get to spend with her, learning from her. I just wish she would stop growing so fast!!!

I am thankful for my husband, although we have only been married for 7 months and stress has pretty much been at 200% for the past 7 months, I know we will get through it as we always have for the past 5 1/2 years. He is the love of my life, my soulmate. The person who keeps me laughing even when I want to hate him... It is never a dull moment in our household just because of him. I am able to make jokes and laugh with him and not have a care in the world. And, at the end of every day, I still fall asleep in his arms... even if I do roll over as soon as I fall asleep and sleep with my back to him for the rest of the night. Ha ha ha ha ha. 

I am thankful for my parents, without their love and support I would not be here today. My dad is not here with us anymore, but I know he is looking down and smiling every day... I know I am making him proud and that certainly keeps me going :) And my mom, although we have had our ups and downs, is always there for me; especially in these past few months that I have been in North Carolina. I am thankful that she still lets me go food shopping in her fridge and cabinets when we have no food in our house... ha ha ha.

 I am thankful for my family... MOST of them have been there for me for as long as I can remember. My cousins Chris, Staci, and Jessie, who are at times like brother and sister to me. Chris was the one who always kept me busy during the summer when I came to visit, with trips to Canada, Six Flags, and my favorite place... the Jersey Shore. I will never forget my summers with him.... we always had a blast. Staci; my maid of honor, and Brooklyn's godmother... and my new goddaughter Cierra who I cannot wait to meet. Words cannot express the love that I have for you and your family, and I cannot wait for you to be closer. And my godmother Jessie, who although I am not as close to, I think it is just because we are so far away from each other. I truly wish I could I could spend more time with you and your family, I miss you more than words can say. I have tons and tons and tons of family.... and I really cannot name every single member... but this post would not be complete without mentioning my cousin Christian. We have had our ups and downs.... hell, when you were born I decided that I did not like you and I kept to that promise for a very long time, ha ha ha. But over the years we have truly grown close to each other, and my life would be incomplete without you in it. I love you and I fully support every single thing you do, because I have faith in you and I know that you are meant to be someone in this world. There are times that I disagree with you... but I let you know, and I am always there to give you my advice and opinion, whether you ask for it or not... ha ha ha.

I am thankful for my friends, some of whom are always there for me day or night. My friends truly showed their loyalty earlier this year with my wedding, both my bridesmaids and non-bridesmaids were there for my every single call, and really did everything in their power to help me make my day special. They endured my freak outs, my attitude, my bitch fests... LOL.... and I thank all of them for it. Samantha, the past year has brought us closer than friends; we have become sisters and I wouldn't have it any other way. I wish we talked more, I wish I could see you more.... Hopefully one day you will get your butt up here and be as happy as we are in our little country town. Steph and Joha, you girls are like my other two sisters. All of you knew Tj before you knew me, but yet you took me in like you knew me forever. You have always been there for me and have always stood behind me when it came to Tj... Lol, Sam, Steph, and Joha would be the first ones to fuck him up if he did something wrong. We are a family and I wish we were all closer and could spend more time together, I wouldn't have it any other way. And my Nathan... even though he loves Tj more than me, he DOES ask for me from time to time lol and I love him more than anything <3 My future son in law right there ha ha ha. And I am thankful for all my other friends who I couldn't even begin to mention, because I would be here all day explaining what each of you have done for me over the past few years. The true friends know who they are <3 I love you!!!

I am thankful for the Android operating system, without it I don't know how I would survive. My Dell laptop which has taken a hell of a beating, my UGG boots, my Bella girl, Vampire Diaries, Twilight, Pinnacle Whipped Vodka and Godiva White Chocolate Liquor which is keeping me feeling pretty good right now, Facebook, White Chocolate Kit Kats, my hair straightener, GPS; without it I would be lost. My mom's cooking, my zebra blankie, my comfy pillow, Drake and Lil Wayne, country music, and many many more things that I don't feel like naming right now. 

Back to slaving in the kitchen some more... as if I haven't cooked enough today ha ha ha...

OH! Here's what's on the menu for today, from breakfast to snacks to dinner:

Frosted Cinnamon Rolls

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Cranberry Orange Muffins

Chips w/ 4 Layer Dip

Creamy Deviled Eggs...

(made a lil different w/ Ranch and cream cheese)

Roasted Turkey

Glazed Ham

Mom's Homemade Stuffing

Mom's Homemade Mashed Potatoes

Mom's Homemade Sweet Potatoes

Green Bean Casserole

Cranberry Sauce...

(the jelly kind in the can... I don't care what you say, it is the best thing out there, period. Ha ha ha)

My Crescent Bacon-Cheddar Pinwheel Rolls

Peanut Butter Fudge

Baked Apple Pie w/ Vanilla Ice Cream and Whipped Cream

Paula Deen Pumpkin Praline Pie

Coconut Cream Pie

And of course, lots and lots of Creamsicles for me with my beloved Pinnacle Whipped, Godiva Liquor, and orange juice... yummm

Can't wait for dinner... it's gonna be soooooo good. Mom's cooking beats anything I have ever had, and my new creations are gonna be a great addition :) After dinner it's straight to sleep for me.. gotta be back up at 9 tonight to start my shopping.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

Kayla <3

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Sometimes rainy days make for good pictures...

Although staring out at the rain from my huge window at work is quite depressing;

The days just seem to drag on and on.

Sigh...

Wishing for Sunshine and Rainbows,

Kayla

The Colors Of Fall

I have a few pictures I wanted to share... I love taking pictures and I was thinking of maybe signing up for a digital photography class at my school. Out of all of the things that I have been bouncing back and forth in, I know photography is something that I love. That will never change... although I wouldn't want to do it as my main job because I feel like once you turn something into your job, the passion goes away.

This first picture I thought was really cool... It looks like it's in black and white, but it's not... I was driving and the sun was so bright that it took all of the color out of the picture.

Now, some pictures around my neighborhood...

(The last one came out a little blurry because I was driving)

I love all of the colors of fall; especially the red and yellow. I don't know how many times I've said this, but it feels sooooo good to be able to experience the change of seasons again. I have this peaceful sense of home here, like this is where I've always been meant to live. I don't think I will ever leave North Carolina... not if it's up to me. In the future I want a house, maybe a little set back with some land... or right near a lake. I want a front porch that I can sit and drink some hot chocolate while watching the sun go down every night <3

That's all for today guys, I have to get back to work. Last night I went shopping for a Thanksgiving centerpiece, and sometime this weekend I'll post pictures of it and maybe give tips on decorating while spending little to no money :)

Hugs and Kisses,

Kayla

Happy Monday

Good morning all, It's Monday and for once I am not miserable. The sun is shining, the weather is beautiful, and I got a good night's sleep so I'm not tired and cranky. I'm happy to be awake and at work on this gorgeous day.

My weekend consisted of staying home almost all weekend. Cleaned the house, did some food shopping, caught up on some shows with my hubby... And just spent some time with Tj, Brooklyn, and Bella.

Next week is Thanksgiving and I couldn't be more excited. I have so much to be thankful for... but I think I'll save that for a Thanksgiving Day post.
I don't have much else to say... so I will leave you with a couple of inspirational quotes for the day.

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain." -Maya Angelou
"And in the end it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." -Abraham Lincoln

Sunshine and Happy Thoughts,
Kayla

Random Things That Make My Day

Yesterday, as I was leaving work, I saw the most beautiful sunset that I've seen in a long time.

This is what it looked like as I walked to my car:

And another picture, through the rain on my window... I thought it looked pretty:

And finally, as I'm driving away:

It's funny how fast the sun goes down, if you don't get the camera out at the exact right moment, you miss your opportunity to take the most beautiful picture.

This was exactly what I needed to end my day, because all day long I sat at my desk and stared out the window to a rainy, gloomy day.

I absolutely love thunderstorms, but just not when it's all day continuous rain.

I love when it rains while the sun is out, but that's something that I don't really see here in North Carolina, that's a Florida thing.

I also love the rainbows after the rain...

When I got home, I was greeted by a happy, smiling puppy and all her hugs and kisses for me.

I love having a dog... because whether you were gone for 5 minutes or 5 hours or 5 weeks, they always greet you with wagging tails and lots of puppy kisses.

No matter how bad of a day you have had, you know when you get home they will be there for you.

They don't judge you or get mad at you or fight with you.

When my puppy does something bad and I yell at her, her ears and tail goes down, and she crawls up on me slowly and gives me tiny little kisses... it's her way of saying sorry.

Mind you, she is at least 60 pounds now...

she is no lap dog, no matter how much she thinks she is... ha ha ha.

Sunsets and Puppy Kisses,

Kayla

The Art Of Chaos

Today, my day started at 6:45... and won't end until probably close to midnight. I'm exhausted most days and I'm not sure how I even manage to do it sometimes. Here is just a peek into what my days are like:

6:45 - wake up, wake princess up, get us both bathed, groomed, dressed, fed
8:15 - rush out of the house, running late almost every day (even though I get up 30 minutes earlier than I used to, I still end up at work at the same time... go figure.)
8:30 - drop princess with her babysitter, drive to work
8:50 - walk in the door at work, allows me some time to check Facebook and email
9:00 - start my day of tedious work
(I don't take a lunch break, I just snack while I work so that I get my full 40 hours)
*I also want to add that sometimes I am by myself, which I have time to spare... but when my boss is here, I am running up and down the stairs, and doing just about everything you could think of... these are the days where I am truly worn out.
5:00 - leave work, head straight to school on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
*School doesn't start until 6, so I try to study and catch up on homework and lessons
8:30 - leave school, head home
8:45 - I come home to normally a messy house; I end up cleaning, doing dishes, laundry, and sometimes cooking if hubby and princess haven't ate already. If I'm done and it's not too late, I check my emails again and study/do a little homework.
Depending on what time it is, I might be able to catch up on a show or two with hubby before we go to bed. This brings us to about midnight... and I start all over the next morning.

Thursdays and Fridays I go straight from work to pick up the princess, get home around 6 and those days feel like holidays for me... I don't know what to do with my spare time. Oh wait, more laundry, dishes, cleaning, and making dinner... ha ha ha.

My weekends are filled with more of the same things... along with food shopping, etc. Only problem here is that I'm anemic... I have very low iron and so I'm ALWAYS tired.

So how do I get through it, you ask? Aleve, NoDoz, and Gatorade are my best friends... I have all three by my side at all times. I have tried energy drinks... but they seem to have bad effects on me, so I stick with my winning trio.

Maybe I should start bringing a sleeping bag and pillow to work... I could curl up and take a midday lunch nap like a preschooler ha ha ha!

Oh, how sweet a nap sounds right now... sigh... maybe one day I can take a vacation by myself and spend the whole time sleeping LOL

Hugs and lots of Z's
Kayla

My Love/Hate Relationship With My Husband's XBOX

In light of MW3 releasing today, I have been thinking about my feelings towards Hubby's XBOX. Now I know I definitely hate it... as do most mothers, girlfriends, and wives all across the world; however I think there are good reasons that women should love it too.

Often the volume is kept loud, men shouting while they are playing and ladies sometimes have to do the ever famous "sprint across the TV before men get mad and possibly throw something at you"... LOL. My husband sits a camping chair smack in the middle of the living room, and leaves it there half of the time. Sometimes I feel like hiding the stupid chair, it's big and orange and ugly and just always right there. Possibly my biggest pet peeve is when I tell Hubby that dinner (or any meal) is ready... He says "OK, I'll be right there..." It turns into an extra 20 minutes that he is playing the game until he gets to an appropriate save point, or ends his online match... and by that time I have already eaten by myself. I think maybe I should start telling him that dinner is ready when I start to prepare it, so that he will be off in time to eat with me... ha ha ha.

Top 5 reasons why I love the XBOX:
1. I get out of cooking dinner by sitting a bag of Goldfish crackers with a can of Mountain Dew next to him and going about my business
2. I can ask him to do things like, say, clean the house or do the dishes tomorrow... most times he will say yes and not even realize it
3. I can cuddle up with my daughter and puppy and take a nice nap and he doesn't notice; which means I don't get yelled at for sleeping too much... ha ha ha
4. If I really want him to get off, all I have to do is get on my computer and upload huge files... It makes his game lag and he gets off almost every time (unless he realizes that I'm doing it on purpose... in which case he stays on and deals with it just to get me mad)
5. I can use the XBOX as leverage to get things I want... "You can play all day Sunday if you do these two little things for me..." Works every time. :)

So, all I'm trying to say is... although most ladies hate the evil box, don't forget that you can use it to your advantage most of the time and the men won't even notice.

Happy Tuesday!!

All Things Fall

6 months ago, my husband and I packed up all of our belongings in Orlando, Florida and drove 12 hours to the beautiful, tiny town of Mebane, North Carolina. Since we are now right in the middle of fall, I am happier than ever about this decision. It is such a big change from what we are used to, I can sit and look out the window of my office and watch the trees change on a daily basis. The cool, crisp air is amazing... you feel like you can finally breathe outside.

Today I am thinking about the coming events--Thanksgiving, Black Friday (my favorite day of the year) and preparing for Christmas. In just two weeks, it will be time to get all of the supplies and ingredients together for Thanksgiving dinner--and this one is extra special for me. It is my first Thanksgiving with my mom since 2007, and boy have I missed her cooking. The only difference this year is that I will be helping her with everything and hopefully learning a bit more about preparing the huge meals that my mom does every year.

I'm starting to think of decorating, one of my favorite parts. My mom normally focuses on the food, but I'm the one to make a nice centerpiece for the table and create a nice environment for the special event. This year I'm gonna make everyone get all dressed up just to eat dinner (lol) and I'm gonna make sure we aren't eating at 2pm. (My mom has a habit of making everything early and it being ready early-afternoon. That's not dinner, that's lunch!)

Typically after eating Thanksgiving dinner, sitting around groaning from full tummies, and eventually cleaning up, me and the hubby will leave Little Miss Brooklyn with someone (my mom this year) and go home to plan our attack and get some sleep before the big event - Black Friday. We will be up by about 11pm and off to Wally World to score some sweet deals on stuff for ourselves and the princess, and think about going to some other stores if there is anything else we want.

Then, that weekend we will probably be heading up to the mountains in NC or VA to cut down a fresh Christmas tree, and bring it all the way back down to our apartment to decorate. And yes, in case you were wondering-- we are too good for the pre-cut ones that they sell on every corner.

My mind is rattling with ideas of how to decorate for the coming occasions, and what to get my loved ones for holiday gifts. I can't wait to see how everything turns out :)

Childhood Plans: What I Wanted To Be When I Grew Up...

For as long as I can remember, I never had my mind set on a career. Little girls wanted to be princesses, ballerinas, doctors, nurses, etc... But not me. From a young age until now, I have thought about tons of different options and I'm still looking. Psychologist, Veterinarian, Nurse, Business Manager, Office Assistant, Cosmetologist, Teacher.... the list could go on and on. One thing is for sure though, I always knew I wanted to be a wife and a mother at a young age.

Family is the absolute most important thing to me. I'm a homebody, I would rather spend my days at home with my family. I love to cook and bake, I enjoy decorating a doing crafts. I loathe working and doing anything that doesn't involve my home; my mom has always joked and called me "Miss Suzie Homemaker"... I am the exact opposite of her.

But I guess things happen, life happens. My dreams sort of fell through and I kicked myself in the butt by having a baby at 18. My husband and I have been together since we were 16, but didn't get married until 21... we did things sort of backwards according to traditional society, and it was a long and hard road that I don't think I would wish upon anyone. In the past 6 years I have experienced more things than people my age are even beginning to experience... but I would never take back one second of it.

My life is beautiful, my family is beautiful. I have so much to be thankful for, and so much ahead in my future.

This is a little bit about me and my family... and I can't wait to share more about our daily events and never-ending laughs. It truly is never a dull moment in the Newman household. :)