Giveaway: 5 Prizes // 1 Winner

I'm really excited to be teaming up with Whitney of Keeping Up with the Cypert's and four other bloggers.  She's doing a giveaway to mark the unveiling of her brand new blog design.  Go check it out.  Her and her husband designed it together and it's really cute.  I'm thrilled that she asked me to join in for what will be my first group giveaway.  When I did mine last month I realized how much fun it it is!  I'm not a big fan of overly complicated giveaways by fifty million bloggers that don't explain the rules.  Do I really have to follow all 50 blogs? There are only 5 of us, we kept it simple and the rules are clearly stated. The only mandatory entry is to follow the host blogs via GFC and any extra to get more entries is up to you.  Yes, we know there is that chance you might drop us all like a hot potatoes after the winner is announced but if you think you might be interested in our blogs at least this gives us a chance to woo you and hopefully you'll decide to stick around.  If you haven't entered yet please do!  These are great prizes and you don't wanna miss out.  Use rafflecopter below to complete your entry.

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$20 Starbucks Gift Card from me

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2 Pairs of Lauren Conrad Earrings from 
Whitney @Keeping Up with the Cyperts

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$25 i Tunes Gift Card from
Meighan @Heavens to Meighan


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Free Add Space from
Katie @My Darling Days

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 $25 Gift Card from 
Faith @ Life, Love & Marriage


Prize:

$20 Starbucks Gift Card 

$25 i Tunes Gift Card
$25 Target Gift Card
2 pairs of Lauren Conrad earrings
Blog Add Space
   
Entry Period:

Last day to enter is Sunday, January 27th 

How to Enter-Mandatory:

Follow all host blogs via GFC
Additional entries to increase your chance of winning are optional

a Rafflecopter giveaway



 

The Weekend

I love Saturday mornings that I don't have to clean.  After waking up and NOT cleaning I spent a leisurely morning bumming around the house.  At around 3pm we went to a wine tasting at The Wine Bank downtown.  Another Groupon date of many over the last month.  Some people complain about not getting out enough with their spouse.  We don't have that problem!  I went Groupon crazy for a while buying them right and left but then not using them right away so that a bunch of them were expiring in December and January.  I had to actually put them on my calendar to keep track of what expired and when to be sure that we made time to use them all.  At the tasting we got five pours plus an extra of our favorite.  We brought some smoked mozzarella cheese and crackers to go along with it and ate the whole block! Yeah, we both really love cheese.  We bought a bottle of white Argentinean wine to take home. After that we went out to dinner at a seafood restaurant.  I don't eat seafood plus I was so full that I just got a side salad.  Mj didn't like the seafood entree that he ordered so he sent it back and ended up with a Chicken and Rice bowl so neither of us actually ate any seafood at the seafood restaurant. 

Sunday my mom, sister and nephew came down.   We watched football most of the day.  Mj left to watch the 1st game at a friend's house then later that night we all watched a movie together.  It's so much fun when they spend the night. Mj didn't get Monday off so I felt bad for him when he had to get up.  Instead of going to work I went to Reformer Pilates.  I finally got to take the barre class that's only offered when I'm at work.  The weather was 75-80 all weekend long and it felt really good to be wearing flip flops in January.  I got accused of bragging about it on Facebook.  Sorry, can't help it!  We went out to lunch and sat outside.  I closed my eyes and turned my face up to the sun.  It was so relaxing.  

I don't know where the time went.  Next thing I knew it was 7 o'clock and time for my family to hit the road for home.  Boo!!  At least it's a short work week.

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I'm part of an awesome group giveaway with great prizes that you do not want to miss.  Trust me.  check it out here at Keeping Up with the Cyperts.

Confessional Friday

I confess that I was really excited when I went to our free company EAP health screening and found that my body age is 19!  This is calculated by using height, weight, body fat, blood pressure and a bunch of other things.  I don't want to actually be 19 anymore but my body can stay that age for as long as it wants to.  My diet may not always be perfect but I must be doing SOMETHING right.

A shot I got in Amsterdam @this adorable Pancake House

I confess that our Rebel Canon camera makes me feel like a professional photographer even though I am absolutely not. There is something so satisfying about the sound and feel of that powerful shutter clicking in fast succession. I start adjusting the zoom lens and trying for different angles and the next thing you know I feel like I'm doing a photo shoot. I still haven't read the manual so I suppose I have no idea what I'm doing but it sure is fun. 

I confess that I'm a fruity gum chain chewer.  Those fruity flavors like Trident Layers Wild Strawberry and Extra Dessert Delights Lemon square sure are bursting with flavor when you first pop them in your mouth but in less then 45 minutes they have fallen flat and tasteless.  I spit it right out and pop in another.  I buy them in multi-packs whenever possible because I go through them so quickly.

Link up with Leslie @A Blonde Ambition

I confess that we watched four seasons of Son's of Anarchy in about 3 weeks on Netflix.  It takes a lot of dedication to do this.  We typically watched no less then 2 per night and our last episode was often viewed in bed on the i pad.

I confess that I'm so excited that House Hunters is back with new episodes.  I've been loving having a new episode in my queue every day.  Mj got sick of this show a long time ago but I still love it.

I confess that I love shopping but I literally shopped 'till I dropped.  I actually got tired of hunting for items I'd decided that I had to have in stores and online and trying to decide what to buy.  I'm done for now anyways and my bank account thanks me.  I've gotta start saving up for our next vacation and car maintenance stuff that is on the horizon.

I confess that I've had a sandwich for dinner every day this week.  Monday, PBJ.  Tuesday, Roast Beef sub from Capriotti's with a Groupon.  Wednesday, the other half of the Roast Beef sub.  Thursday, PBJ.  And today??  I got my way and Mj agreed to either Subway or Capriotti's for dinner tonight.  If we go with Subway it'll be low fat and if it's Cap's then it will be a major sandwich splurge; The Italian.  What can I say?  I love bread and I love sandwiches!!

I'm really looking forward to a sunny 70 something degree three day weekend.  Happy Friday!!

Luxury Cinema Date Night

The cost of movie tickets has gone up so much over the years.  By the time you pay $12 per person to get in and spend over $20 on popcorn, drinks and candy it's turned into a very expensive night out.  When we go we usually buy snacks and drinks at Target before we go and smuggle it in.  So if you think that's bad imagine paying $19.50 for movie tickets.  On Saturday night we did just that.   There's a luxury movie theater called Cinepolis where you pay a lot more then the average movie ticket price but you also get a lot more.  We've been meaning to try it out for about 2 years and just finally got around to it.

You have to make advance reservations on line for an assigned seat.  The movie selection is also a little limited just because they only have 8 theater's.  When you walk in it looks more like a trendy restaurant than a movie theater.  There is a bar on the left and a room full of tables so you can enjoy a drink or snack before your movie.  We met a couple there for a quick drink before ours.  Instead of your average movie seat you get a giant leather recliner and they are set up in pairs.   There are about 7 pairs per row.  We walked to our seat, kicked off our shoes and pushed the button that reclines our seat.   Then the waiter came around and took our order.  Most of the food is fairly low maintenance which makes sense because you are essentially eating in the dark.  They have things like wraps, onion rings, paninis and Sushi.  There was Chocolate Molten Lava cake for dessert among other things.  They also have gourmet popcorn and typical movie candy.  The food prices were surprisingly reasonable.  We ordered mini corn dogs as an appetizer.  I splurged and got the Caesar salad.  Yes,  this is a splurge because I normally won't touch full fat dressing.  Mj got the Burger and fries.  There is a little table that slides over for you to eat your food.  We saw Django and it was really good.  Classic Quentin Tarantino touches but in a totally different setting then you would ever expect.  We both really liked it.

So was it worth $19.50?  Call me crazy and I know it's totally excessive but I actually say yes.  It's a novelty and you're paying for that along with the extra amenities.  The price is steep but it was absolutely the best movie watching experience ever!  Django is a long movie and my butt never got tired once.  It was so cozy being able to cuddle up comfortably with Mj.  You feel like you're at home but you're not.  Why not stay home then for free right?  Well, it was a fun and different date night for us to go out and do together.  It's not something we'll do every time or even every other time we go to the movies.  That would be ridiculous.  We're not rich.  It would just be an every so often kind of thing but we definitely plan on going back.

New Year // New Blog Design

I've never had my blog "done" and didn't even realize that I wanted a makeover until I won one in a giveaway and the person who was supposed to give it away decided not to give it away.  I had to reach out to her after I won and then all but that 1st e mail went totally ignored.  How rude is that?  I absolutely do not blame the blogger who hosted the giveaway.  She in good faith hosted the giveaway on her blog and the designer in very poor taste reneged on her obligation.  This person is a blogger and lucky for her I'm not interested in calling anybody out so I'll just leave it at that.

I'm not a blogger pro so I never saw a blogger makeover as something I should consider for myself but after I had it dangled in front of my face then snatched away I realized that I actually did want a new look for my blog.  I spent hours making my own social media icons.  Hours!  I realized there was nothing I could do about my header and left it at that.  Then fellow photographer turned blogger turned blog designer Lauren of Choosing Joy stepped in.  She was sweet enough to offer her services and I took her up on it.  I sent all the information she asked for and quicker then I ever expected I had an image of a layout customized just for me.  I'm a control freak so I have to admit it was a little scary to relinquish control when I wasn't sure how it all worked.  But Lauren, how is this stuff all going to get on my blog? Lauren, what if I want to change something?  I hope I didn't drive her nuts. 

I'm very happy with the new look.  She did a great job.  It's clean, basic and slightly girly.  It totally fits me. I'm not sure why I felt that I needed to have XXXX amount of followers or be some kind of blog mogul in order for my blog to be worthy of a make over.  I'm on here darn near every single day.  I love blogging.  I love my blog.  I've been doing this for a while now and I don't plan on quitting any time soon if ever.  I might as well have a unique fun design of my own.  New Year...new blog design.

A Merry New Year Party

When I found out that Mj's company holiday party was January 5th instead of the usual December this year my first thought was, cool now I can get a dress on an after Christmas clearance sale.  It was a good idea in theory but in reality I still didn't feel like buying another dress I'd only wear once so I went with what I had.  I often worry about looking too hootchie so I err on the side of conservative and end up seeing women in far more risque dresses then the one I left at home. This time I said screw it and went with potentially hootchie and I'm glad I did because as expected there were STILL women there that went shorter, tighter and lower cut then me.  If you can believe that from looking at my dress.  Mj waited until that day to finally try on his suit and after a 20 lb weight loss last year he was swimming in it so he had to throw an outfit together.  There were clothes strewn all over the bed.  You know the kind of scene we have to go through on a regular basis.

Feels like a Prom pic!

The party was at the Westin Hotel downtown on Saturday so we booked a room for the night.   At the party we were greeted with champagne.  We were off to a nice start but once inside the ballroom we couldn't find a table.  Mj gave up because he was starving and grabbed some food to start eating while we milled around like lost sheep looking for a place to sit.  I don't know if they underestimated the amount of people that were going to show up or if people didn't RSVP or what but there were no more tables inside the main room.  We were relegated to what we called the reject room and had to wait a while before we could even find a table there.  We were away from all the action and ambiance of the main room but we made the best of it and had a good time anyways.  There was a live violinist and a DJ.  Like last year's it was heavy appetizers served buffet style around the room.  There was flat bread pizzas, pastas and salads.  Mj complained about there not being good enough variety but they had me at Pizza and it was all good to me.  They had a photo booth set up and handed us the print so I had to scan it old school style to get it on the blog.

I bought this shirt in Nice, France at Cache Cache // Yes, it feels really cool to say that!

Afterwards we went to a club with some of his co workers.  As much as I wanted to strut around in my hot (read cold) little black dress and pumps like the other girls I couldn't bear to freeze my butt off so I had to change.  My husband is so cute.  I stared and smiled at him from across the room like some kind of creepy stalker and happily thought to myself; yep that's my man.  We've been together for going on five years and I love it that I still feel like we're dating.  We don't do the whole downtown thing too often which is fine but when we do it's so much fun.  I had a blast dancing with my husband all night long.  I made it until 1:30am which is pretty impressive for an old lady who likes to be in pajamas by 10pm if not sooner.   My knees were telling my gyrating hips that they'd had enough and the balls of my feet were yelling at me too so it was time to call it quits and walk back to the hotel.  This is about that time when we start walking like broken rag dolls with sticks up our butts because we can no longer hide the abuse we have put our feet through all night.

The next morning we met another couple for breakfast at The Broken Yolk Cafe.  We hear good things about this place but I don't think any of us was overly impressed with the food.  We ran a few errands on the way home.  As soon as I walked in the door I really wanted to take a nap but instead I changed right away and went to the gym.  Call me crazy but I stayed for two hours trying to burn off all that Pizza.  Later that night we took down the tree.  The last party of the season is officially done and even though having to go back to work really sucks I'd say we're off to a very Merry New Year.