Non Thanksgiving Thanksgiving

In the beginning of November, my mom came to visit for a few days. Since I was unable to go home for Thanksgiving, we decided to have "It's Not Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Dinner"
It was a lot of fun and we laughed A LOT!
Here is Mom carving the turkey breast (because really, we did NOT need an entire turkey!)

You'll notice the BEAUTIFUL card table I borrowed from A & J in May 2010 that I'm still using as a table. Well, I don't really ever use the table but it's nice to have. Since mother and I were having a "real" dinner which should not be enjoyed on the couch, I used the "chair in a bag" chairs as table chairs. Great idea until ya sit down and the chair is way shorter than the table. :)

Part of our feast! As soon as we sat down we realized we forgot the broccoli (thanks to steamfresh bags it was ready in under 5 minutes!)

We also had this AWESOME cake for dessert! Oh my stars it was AMAZING! It's called William Tell Apple Cake and you MUST make it! The icing on the top is divine! But with ingredients of butter and brown sugar it has to be good, right?!?!?!

Overall, "it's not thanksgiving thanksgiving" was a lot of fun. I'm thankful my mom spent 18 hours in a car to come visit for a few days and create new memories!

*since I'm writing/posting this in December, I'll let ya know that Santa brought me a BEAUTIFUL table & chairs for Christmas so now I have a lovely place to eat meals!*

in the midst of the darkness...

Last night. Oh last night we had a crazy storm....rain, thunder, lightening and hail. I was at work until 10pm. I live close to where I work and everything was fine. My apartment complex however, did not survive the storm and was pitch black and powerless. I didn't really want to pretend to be Amish and I left my window open and I'm petrified of the pitch black darkness and my flashlight was in my room and ......you get the point. It wasn't a good combo. So, I went to Target to buy a flashlight. Well, buying a flashlight when half of the town is out of power is like buying milk or bread when they're forecasting snow. I had the option of a heavy duty (literally) flashlight or Toy Story. I went with the heavy duty can last forever and hit someone over the head if they try to attack you in the darkness flashlight. I know, you probably think I'm crazy by now but I really did watch too much Rescue 911 when I was little and followed that with CSI until high school when it just got too freaky and I had to stop watching. Yes, I do love NCIS and that doesn't bother me. Anyway, I hung out in Target testing the lawn furniture until 10:45ish since they closed at 11. I went home with my flashlight and could not figure it out. I know that sound crazy but the flashlight didn't come with instructions and I tried every battery combo and nothing worked. So, I called my AWESOME friends Adrienne and Jeff. They had power so we decided I should just spent the night at their house (because they are awesome like that) and Jeff fixed my flashlight. Apparently it does matter what way you put the spring in. Who knew! They came over with their flashlights and walked through my apartment so I could grab some pjs and off we went. This whole thing made me realize how blessed we really are to rely on something so simple as a light switch. These poor people in our own cities that are homeless or in other countries make it work and I freaked. I hate the darkness. But I do love the song that we sing in church...

"in the midst of the darkness You're the light that guides me through..."

Epic Fail

Let me just start by saying it's only Wednesday and I'm ready for this week to be over!
Monday I spent 3 hours waiting in line at the DMV only to FINALLY reach the counter and discover that my car title wasn't signed so I needed to obtain the signature and come back. Well, since my mother lives in DE and I'm in NC, that's not so easy. Not to mention the fact that my current car registration expires March 15. Yikes! I called mom and we decided that I should have a friend sign it or forge it but since I had to work at 2:00 I didn't have time to have someone else sign it. So, I did what any desperate 3 hours wasted standing in line (which is a post for another day!) person would do and I left the parking lot, went to grab a snack, forged my mother's name with her permission and went back 45 minutes later. However, I wasn't able to skip to the front of the line and judging by the length of the line, I didn't have 3 more hours so I left. Now, I get to go back this coming Monday. UGH!
***
Tuesday I don't even remember! I know it was just yesterday but I was out and about attending different meetings so I know I spent a lot of time in my car...OH and I got VERY lost and had to call the place for directions since my GPS is no longer working. Chester, my GPS literally just decided to stop navigating my ways. I don't know what his problem is but he best snap out of it! :) It's tragic.
***
Today. Oh today. Today is such a sad day. I had to make a delivery to an awesome company and since it's located next to one of our corporate partners, I decided to pop in and drop off a sweet treat. Well, I left the first place and headed to the next parking lot and as I was driving it started to rain. The parking lots are HUGE and all of the close spots were taken so I wasn't able to park that close to the door. It is now POURING so in heels and carrying a box of sweet treats, I decided to RUN to the office door. As I'm running, carrying a box and dodging the colossal rain drops...my heel gets STUCK in the split of the sidewalk. STUCK. As in WEDGED in between the concrete blocks. It is raining so hard that a puddle is forming in my shoe. Mind you, at this point I am close enough to the front door that the security guard is watching this all play out. I go back for my shoe, carry it to the main entrance, dump the water out, put it on, get buzzed in and basically shake off like a wet dog. Mr. Security Guard makes a not funny to me joke about not having a towel and I tell him who I need to see and I wait for that person. Well, person comes down the stairs and just starts laughing. We decided that it was a good thing that we've dealt with one another for over a year and they know that I am usually put together and not sopping wet with soaking wet hair matted to my face/head and a sloshing shoe. I digress....

I go back to work and start to get stuff done and finally, at 7:45, pack up to leave. I come home (it's still raining), park my car, grab my phone, keys and a NICE bottle of wine that a customer gave me and open the back door to grab my purse and work bag and turn around and it happens. The wine bottle is slipping. The wine bottle is gone. It's pouring. The road smells like GOOD RED WINE. My pants smell like red wine. My shoes smell like red wine. It was tragic. I don't think I'll recover for awhile.

And now I'm not off to go pour myself a glass of wine. Instead I'll be licking it off the pavement or wringing it out of my pants and shoes. Not cool, Megan. Not cool.

Snow Day Fun!

Almost two week ago we had a nice little snow fall! The store was closed so I worked from home but decided it would be best to clean off my car as the day progressed. I'm really glad I did because Tuesday was nothing but ice and well, that's no fun to remove from your car!

I owned an ice scraper that also had a brush on it but for the life of me, I have no idea where it is. So, I used a squeegee to remove the snow from my windshield! Whatever works, right?!

Adrienne and her husband live within walking distance from my apartment so A came over for the afternoon so we could go exploring. We found this snowman by the apartment mailboxes! How cute!
We walked to $tarbucks.

And Target.

Poor A couldn't decide which SUMMER cover up to purchase. I think all the snow was getting to her!

Of course I found this. That "As Seen on TV" section is just too funny.

I mean with "Dramatic Results in Just 2 Minutes A Day" it has to be good, right? ha ha

We left Target.

And walked back to Harris Teeter.

And walked back to my apartment only to discover how deep the snow really was.
After our adventure, we decided it was time to "Wine Down" with some cocktails and that it would be best to have a slumber party. I mean after all, the news kept mentioning "power outages" and well, apartments just don't have fireplaces so I spent the night at A&J's house.

***I am SO thankful for such great friends that live so close!!! I really have no idea what I would do without this amazing couple. When I need help putting together a lamp (don't ask) or setting up a DVD player or anything like that, A just sends J over and wa la. We've dubbed him "man hands" since he's so handy.***

Anyway....

A makes the best guac I've had outside of a Mexican restaurant! I mean we had a method to the madness of walking to HT and Target...we needed snowed in supplies!

Tuesday it was really icy and gross but we headed Uptown after lunch and it was so foggy. It was crazy!

We went back to HT to find no bread....

No milk....

But we had a great snow day! Poor J thought we were nuts walking all over the place and documenting our trip but boys just don't understand! We think that's why he hid upstairs watching the Oregon v Auburn game. Or maybe because we were just too excited to read gossip magazines, watch The Proposal and watch reruns of HIMYM, Greys and Modern Family!

Christmas Cheer is Here!

Yesterday I was in quite the holiday funk, but today....I snapped out of it!

We all know that God works in mysterious ways and when I came home from work yesterday, I went to check my mail and I got my first Christmas card of the year! It made me happy!

Now I just need to find somewhere to display Christmas cards!

Anyway, here's what I've done so far to get ready for Christmas.

It's kind of random, but for now, it'll work!

As soon as you walk in the front door, this is what you'll see.

I just love this mat! I found it in Hobby Lobby for 50% off and it reminded me of home.

I really liked the wording of this sign. So I hung it on the coat closet door.

It's the first thing you see when the front door opens.

I had this sign on the closet door until I found the one above. I thought this one was funny, and it was also another Hob Lob 50% off find! I just need to find somewhere to hang it.

The side table contains the ornaments that didn't make it on the tree and some snowmen that I didn't have anywhere else to put!

Here's an aerial view of the ornament tub/snowman. Please disregard all of the bags around the table...I sort of drop everything by the door when I get home!

My tree! Lit and decorated! I found an "M" made out of jingle bells to act as the Star/Angel topper. And yes, to the right of my tree is a bookcase which is really a picture case since it doesn't have any books on it and to the left of the tree is the boardum....it's a bulletin board that contains index cards with funny moments/sayings. It's kind of like a happy board of memories.

Just a close up of the ornaments I found...

Since I haven't bought/wrapped any presents, I decided to put some Carolina under my tree! I've collected a fair amount of sports related ornaments over the years and generally have a sports tree. However, this year I forgot to bring all of my Christmas ornaments from home to NC, so I had to buy new ornaments. Instead of mixing the basketballs with the green/pink/blue balls, I just kept them in the box and put them under the tree. I also don't have a tree skirt so I took some fabric that I've had for awhile and just bunched it under the tree. I was going to make a memory board but never did. Oh well!

This is the tiny tree I bought last Christmas and I added some glitter ornaments to it this year and put it on the counter. I also found a nativity scene in walmart that I really like.

Last year, Stephanie made everyone stockings and we hung them in the apartment. Well, this year I decided to tape mine to the counter.

I found this plate in Marshall's for $2.00 and just knew it would be cute for the kitchen! It's also a great reminder for when I start to bake Christmas Cookies! :)

I found these angels in Hobby Lobby (for 50% off) and thought they were cute. They are currently next to my tv stand.

And the random gifts I've acquired.

So that's that! Nothing too exciting but still some holiday cheer!

Bring on the snow!

overwhelmed

Sometimes I'm sitting in my car at a red light, and I look to the right and left and see the decorated houses and the nicely lit Christmas tree front and center in the window and I think "how do they do it?"

I'm a very organized person.

Those that I work with would probably say I'm a bit OCD

(in a moment of tiredness this week, I did convince a customer to purchase an extra something they had chosen so that when packaged, their box would look symmetrical...presentation people!)

about things because I often nicely lecture them on the importance of putting things back where they found them and completing tasks as they are assigned. I mean really though, it's a great system because during the rare occasion when I'm not at work, I can walk them through what they need to do/where they need to go to find something and everyone is happy! Or maybe it's just me. :)

However, this week I've been in a bah humbug mood.

It could be because for 4 straight days I came to work at 8:00am or 8:30am and didn't leave until 8:00pm. I even had the oh so glamorous moment of working in the office for a few hours one day this week and I tend to "Pebbles" my hair when I spend a lot of time looking at the computer/print outs (ya know how Pebbles from the Flintstones would have a pony tail on the top of her head) and I walked out of the office to assist a customer with their order and the gal that was working the counter was giving me these looks and I couldn't figure it out until after the fact that I had just spent 15 minutes assisting a customer with a large holiday order, answering all of her questions, planning everything out and the whole time, I had Pebbles hair. Don't let the black dress and heels fool you people!

Perhaps the bah humbug comes from the fact that I receive e-mails throughout the day about "Holiday Gift Giving" sales/deals/items/specials and I realize that I have not purchased a single gift. Christmas is exactly 3 weeks from today. THREE WEEKS! Granted, I have a few stocking stuffer type items that I've found and think "so and so would get a kick out of this" so I buy it but I have a small collection of nothing in the corner of my dining room aka storage room. But I have yet to step foot in a mall or store that would have what I'm looking for.

I have a green blob in the corner of my living room that should be a nicely decorated Christmas tree. Yep, took that thing out of the box 10 days ago, put it together and that's as far as I got. I was so excited when I purchased my 1st ever fake Christmas tree. It's pre-lit which adds to the excitement. I had all these ideas about the theme of the tree and I have yet to purchase a single ornament. Now I'm not complaining, though it may sound that way, but I'm mad at myself for not taking the time to do what makes me happy. I realized that I've spent the last few weeks helping everyone else make their holiday gathering awesome that I haven't taken the time to enjoy the Christmas Cheer as well.

I did enjoy a Peppermint Mocha so I guess that counts as holiday spirit!

However, when I finally left work BEFORE 8:00 yesterday...I left at 6:00 thankyouverymuch. I had all these plans to Griswold Family my apartment in a classy way and I fell asleep on the couch at 8:30.
Yep, 8:30 on a Friday night. I'm a party animal!

That's all going to change today! I'm going to leave work before dark and DECORATE!

Awhile ago I purchased clear glass ornaments, ribbon and feathers and somehow, I'm going to make it work. I have no idea how, but I'm going to add some flair to my tree. I'm going to purchase green, pink and silver ornaments and hang those along with the blue ones I picked up a few weeks ago.

And when I am all done, I will finally get back on the blog train and post more often and post my holiday decor. But for now, we should all take a lesson from Santa and head to the beach/relax!

Thank you Hob Lob for providing cute doormats for 50% off! WOO HOO!

Hope everyone else is in the Christmas Spirit!!!!

I'll be joining you soon!

Halloween 2010

I am fully aware that this post is almost an entire month late. But, better late than never, right?!

Today, I bring you Halloween 2010

My inside "decorations" complete with an Apple Cinnamon Candle burning!

The hilarious card my mother sent me

It's funny because I called her about sheets!

As you know, I mentioned that I really wanted to have a Pumpkin Carving Party!
Well, since I live in an apartment and don't really have a whole lot of space for a group of people and their pumpkins (and don't really want pumpkin guts on my carpet/my apartment to smell like fresh pumpkin), we had a party at Adrienne's.

My mother sent me a recipe for "Melting Witch Puddles"....the photo attached to the recipe was awesome, mine, not so much.

Adrienne was supposed to make Nutter Butter ghosts, but somehow she handed me a bag containing white chocolate and Nutter Butters with a look of disgust and made me dip them for her :)

Since I was handing out candy at Adrienne's, I didn't want to be the mean neighbor so this is what I left:

I took my candy to A&J's the night before, but at 3:30 in the afternoon Buzz Lightyear knocked on my door....so I gave him Oreo 100 calorie packs, fruit snacks and Coconut M&Ms. I decided to take what I mini bagged item I had in my pantry but wasn't in love with and use it as my Halloween treat. The way I see it, it's better than giving out canned veggies and salsa.

In case you 're wondering, I carved the Panther logo in my pumpkin but wrote "Panthers" with a Sharpie underneath the logo instead of carving the letters. The carving contest was getting cold and dark (we carved in the driveway) and I couldn't feel my fingers to continue gutting and carving. Needless to say, I was not crowned the winner of the "1st Annual Carving Contest" Boo!

Hope you're Halloween (last month) was great!

Hello Blog World, It's Me, Megan!

I "forget" to blog because I remember to go to work, cook, clean and sleep. I also feel like I haven't done anything worthwhile, gone anywhere exciting, found anything humorous or really have much to report at all.

So let's recap some things!

TV:
I was amazingly disappointed with the Grey's premiere. My favorite premieres happened to be NCIS, Big Bang Theory and Glee. Naturally, DWTS is always new and exciting...each week is like a premiere week! I thought everything else was just sort of blah. It seems to be a slow intro to this season of television viewing which means only good things are to come! I'm excited about watching everything else again this week/weekend.


LIFE:
I played Bingo with some people that live in the same apartment complex the other night as part of a "Social Night Among Residents" and won a $5 gift card to Target! It was pretty awesome.

I went to Hob Lob to look for some inspiration to hang on my living room/bedroom walls since they are empty and sad. I don't really know what I want but I know I'm tired of looking at nothing! I kind of think I want a skyline picture in black and white to hang above my tv....just need to find what's in my head. Anyway, I ended up buying a super cute Halloween sign to put outside of my apartment...and it was 50% off!


I'm excited to decorate for Halloween. I've never had my own apt to decorate. I kind of want to have a Halloween party too! Really though, I just want to carve a pumpkin.


BAKING:
I decided since it's Fall and Football Season, I needed to make Buckeyes! Let's be clear that I am not an Ohio State/Big Ten fan, but I enjoy consuming Buckeyes. I've never really made them myself, I've either had them from the lady who shared the recipe with me (who happens to be from Columbus and an OSU Grad) or my Mom has made them.

I'm a firm believer that it's all about the Nabisco Grahams and the Skippy PB (even though I eat Jif if I'm making a sandwich...weird, I know)

I was not aware of how much of a mess I would make. It may have something to do with the fact that I tend to not choose a pot/pan/plate/bowl big enough...

Yes, I did use a metal spoon with that pot. I'm sorry Gramma, you did teach me better but I didn't obey. I did not however scrape it along the sides/bottom...I used that spoon to scoop out the mixture. Yum!

I was also unaware of how long it would take to form the peanut butter balls. This is half of them. I probably would've made more but I was getting bored and well, I ended up with Buckeyes the size of golf balls towards the end!

I did not take a picture of the dipping process or the finished product but I will tell you, they were amazing! I gave away a good portion of them, ate some and still have a container in the freezer for whenever I feel like some PB&Chocolate goodness!

That's about it for now!

that's what I love about Sunday....

Today was my first day off in exactly 2 weeks.

Crazy. I know.

I had big plans for today!

I woke up this morning and went to a brand new-to-me church.

Can I just say that it was AMAZING!

As you know, I'm a self described "church hopper" so I've gone to a few churches in the area and wow, after today I think I found a new home.

Despite today's sermon being the last in the series, I really enjoyed it. The intro to the sermon was pretty neat as a few members of the staff recited Romans 8 from memory and it was just powerful. So powerful that we got a glimpse into football season and ended up high fiving the people sitting around us...which was super weird since I went to church by myself and was seated next to a random family. Oh well!

The sermon was based off of Romans 8:37

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."

As you probably guessed, it was about conquering and the difference between being a "Conqueror" and being a "Super Conqueror" and really, all I could think of for a moment (among church things of course) was Superman and having super powers. I then had to chuckle because I now had the image of a picture that I used to have (that sadly I don't have on my laptop to show you since it was taken with gasp.... film) of D when he was 5 years old, standing on the front steps leading into the house with a "suit" on, his hands along the buttons of his shirt, clip on tie flapping in the breeze and his Superman pajama shirt underneath as little E was in her car seat fresh from the hospital, wrapped in a pink blanket....Big Bro a step above her to protect her! (D&E I babysat for when I was in High School) Too cute!

Anyway, I'm super excited for the next sermon series and glad that I can listen to the sermon online as well. It's so funny how far church has come. I grew up sitting in the very front pew, not allowed to talk or turnaround, singing the hymns and only clapping when we went to church Saturday night and the "fun" worship leader (back then was just a lady with a guitar and a microphone) was leading everyone....moving on to a church that was a bit more relaxed but still piano/organ and hymns....moving on to a church that was expanding and having a Contemporary Worship Service in the Fellowship Hall with folding chairs, drums, guitar and microphone to slowly adding a projector and a movie screen to today where it was just intense. God is good!

I left church feeling happy and like I may have found a church "home" and I was excited! I was so pumped that I headed here:

to look for one of these to take home with me:

and I was now so overwhelmed and confused with the massive selection, that I came back to my apartment without a fan.

I just want a plain ol fan that someone will install so I don't burn the place down. I would like to be able to just flip a switch and it'll turn on. I don't need or want anything fancy. But really, does the length of the blade matter? Yes, the color does, but the speed and the light and the size. It was too much to deal with right then and there because I had an important lunch date!

The Newlyweds, Claire and Dave, were in town for a wedding last night so naturally we had to meet for lunch! It was great that I got to see them for a bit as a married couple!!!! And really, who doesn't want to enjoy some Chili's Chips and Salsa with friends on a Sunday?!?!?!

After lunch I came back to my apt and headed to "Sundaes on Sunday" which was supposed to be a way to meet your neighbors but it was raining. The ice cream was mighty tasty though!

I sat on my front porch and watched it rain as I ate my ice cream. It was so weird. I was so excited to have a pool day since I haven't been to the pool in at least a month and gosh darn it, it was sunny and it rained, rinse and repeat. So I sat outside, eating ice cream and watching it rain.

I did some laundry and met Adrienne and Jeff for dinner! I tried sushi for the first time but ended up ordering my staple, Chicken Teriyaki with Fried Rice as they ate sushi...what can I say, I may be a creature of habit :)

And now, Remember the Titans is on. Really, what more could I want!!!

I am so ready for some FOOTBALL!

"Alice, are you blind? Don't you see the family resemblance? That's my brother." -Gary Bertier

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, those who have been called according to his purpose." -Romans 8:28