Thankful

Happy (early) Thanksgiving!!

The past week has been crazy between redecorating the house and work, I feel like I haven’t slept a wink! It will all be worth it though because the house is looking great!

I will post about the house at a later date; we are still waiting on area rugs and the couch. Today I want to post about Thanksgiving! I LOVE Thanksgiving! I love spending a whole day with family and friends while enjoying delicious foods. This year we are celebrating with both families. First we will have an early dinner with Bob’s family and then we will have dessert with my family. I hate having to do a lot of traveling on a holiday but it is worth it to be able to see both families.

This year I have so much to be thankful for. I spent half of the year in Europe earning a duel degree and making the best friends a girl could ask for. The other half I spent with my amazing family I friends in Buffalo. I am so lucky to have such a close family. We are always there for each other and I am so happy to have all these wonderful people in my life. The person I am most thankful for is my absolutely fantastic boyfriend! He is always there for me and supports me in everything that I do. I would be so lost without him.

I am so thankful for all that I have but I have not forgotten about people who are less fortunate. This holiday season remember to help out the people in your community who are in need. This could be giving money to a charity, donating food to a food bank, donating clothes to someone, buying a gift for a giving tree, or helping out at a soup kitchen. Last week I donated money to help buy a family I know who is in need  a thanksgiving meal and next week we put up our giving tree at work and I plan on taking at least one name to buy gifts for. These are both just small things I can do to help make a difference in someone’s life.

What are you thankful for this holiday season? 

What is your favorite way to give back to others? 

Only in America

Warning: This may make very little sense & is poorly written. I am just so angry which is why the font is red! 

Every year millions of people around America get up really early, some never going to bed the day after Thanksgiving to get a deal on their holiday presents. I have never really understood or agreed with this concept. I am usually a bargain shopper, it is all about getting a good deal in my book. This however is not a good deal. Black Friday is a day for Americans to act like the greedy individuals that they are however it is not long Black Friday, it is not turning into Black Thursday & Friday. I have gone out on Black Friday to get some things but I go after 10 a.m. when the craziness isn't as bad... these are the stores normal operating hours so I do not feel bad shopping when the store would be open on a normal weekday. 

This is where I draw the line. WHY DO THE STORES NEED TO BE OPEN ON THANKSGIVING? Plain and simple, they don't! By opening on Thanksgiving you are taking all the workers away from their families. This is supposed to be a day that we give thanks for all that we have and are supposed to spend it with our family & friends. Instead the CEO's and higher ups have decided that money is more important than being a descent human being. The people making these decisions are not the ones who have to work, they are the ones who will be home with their families celebrating the holiday. Now you have people who have to work because either their job depends on it or they are so broke that they cannot afford to miss out on the holiday pay. It is so sad to see the greed in this country. 

There is a petition started online by a Target employee who is fighting Target on this very matter. She works two jobs and was looking forward to her day off to spend with her boyfriends family however now she has to work. Sure once she got the publicity Target offered her the night off but she refused it saying that it isn't fair to her coworkers who were not given the same option. 

It is not only Target that is opening on Thanksgiving but also Walmart, Kmart and other large retailers. Some are not opening until midnight so it will technically be Black Friday but that is still pushing it since employees need to be there hours before opening to make sure the stock is in place and the store is prepared the madness that is about to ensue. 

A friend brought up that hospitals are open along with insurance carriers. Hospitals are different because they have no choice but to be open. Insurance I am sure could close but they don't. Retailers have a choice and are just being greedy. That is why I am saying this.... if you don't agree with me then don't sign and go shopping. 

What I am asking is for you to sign the petition. I have put the link below, please sign it to help show these stores that it is unfair to ask employees to work on Thanksgiving. I am also asking that when you are doing your holiday shopping this year you keep in mind that these people are working hard to please you as a consumer. Be kind and considerate to the employees! It is not the end of the world if they do not have what you are looking for or if they can't help you. Put yourself in their shoes and take a minute to relax if you start getting worked up. 

https://www.change.org/petitions/target-take-the-high-road-and-save-thanksgiving

I am ready to move back to Europe where the people get more than 2 weeks vacation, Sundays almost everything is closed, and there is amazing food & beer! Who is with me? 

Change happens very slow and very sudden....

What a great weekend! 

     Friday night we went to dinner at Mulberry with 3 other couples, the food was delicious, and the company was great! 

     Saturday was spent running errands and looking at furniture again. We found something we like at Ashley! :) Then Saturday night I babysat. 

     Yesterday we got up early and put the Christmas lights up outside. We aren't turning them on yet but might as well get them up on a sunny /65 degree day opposed to a cold day in December! After we finished our, we headed to Bob's parents to help with theirs and then went home to watch the Bills game. 

     We had been discussing taking out the carpeting in the dining room & living room but weren't sure what the floors underneath were like.  I decided to pull up a corner of the carpet in the dining room just to see... they are GREAT! I called Bob over to take a look and he agreed that they do look nice (at least where I pulled the rug up) He made me a deal, we could pull the carpet up if we painted the dining room first. I was not hesitant to agree to that deal because I have been wanting to take down the wallpaper in the dining room since we moved in! I started right then. I turned the volume up on the Bills game and sat there and peeled wallpaper all afternoon. Bob helped until he decided that since we are doing the dining room we might as well take down the wood paneling above the mantel. Here are the before and after pictures for that. 

BEFORE

AFTER 

Bob patched up the wall where all the nail holes were and we will paint that an accent color. We are thinking of using the greyish color from our bedroom. Our goal is to finish stripping wallpaper this week and paint this weekend and take the carpeting out soon after. It will be a lot to do especially since the top half of the wallpaper is putting up a fight but we want the carpeting out before the couch comes in which is 2-3 weeks. 

Last night before heading to bed we were looking at paint colors for the dining room and area rugs for the dining room & living room but could not agree on ANYTHING. This morning I took a quick look online and found a paint color I really liked which Bob agreed to and then he sent me an area rug that I agreed to. We are off to a great start! I will post pictures of the before and afters of both rooms when they are completed. 

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Any tips for redecorating the rooms? 

“So many books, so little time.” - Frank Zappa

First of all I must say, I am on a roll! Three straight days of blog entries? That must be a new record for me! I am usually terrible at keeping up with this.

The other day I was at Big Lots and I came across books marked down 70%, being the avid reader that I am, I had to check them out. I found a book called Men and Dogs by Katie Crouch for $3. Took a look at the summary and decided to give it a shot. I started reading it at lunch yesterday and really didn't want to stop reading when lunch was over. Last night I read as Bob watched the election coverage and I lost a little interest in the book because it was a bit dull but I am hoping during lunch today it will pick back up. Very rarely will I stop reading a book once I have started. I love following the story, seeing where it leads. I usually hope for a sequel because I want the story to continue. Finding a good book just makes my day. I have decided I need to make more time for reading because I haven't really read in awhile and it is one of my favorite ways to relax. Give me glass of wine and a good book and I am a happy camper! 
Any suggestions on what to read next? Anyone looking for a book suggestion? Let me know. I will help you out the best that I can. 

On a totally unrelated note, today I was washing my hands and looked in the mirror and realized my hair was a mess! It was everywhere and looked like it needed a good brushing. This was only an hour or two after brushing it right before I left for work. Anyone else have that problem? Constant knot filled hair? It is so much easier to handle when it is short but I think if I cut my hair short again my boyfriend might leave me. Not really because I don't think he is that shallow and wouldn't leave me after 4 years because of my hair but  I do know he prefers my long hair. Plus I can't cut it yet because I am planning on donating it to Locks of Love but it isn't quite long enough. It would be a little too short for my liking if I did it now so I guess I will just stick it out a few more months and then get a new do! 

Hope everyone is having a great Wednesday. I am looking forward to tonight. I have a tastefully simple party to attend then having a drink with a friend. I am looking forward to that drink because it is a German inspired restaurant! :) 

Post again soon. <3

Oh wait, it's election day?

Title of this post is quite clearly a joke and the only thing about the election you will hear from me. I do NOT talk politics with anyone, including my boyfriend. Moving on...... 

I can't believe I forgot to write about joining a gym! A few months ago there was a groupon offer for the BAC (Buffalo Athletic Club), 3 months for $33! I was trying to decide which gym to join at that point so I thought I might as well buy it and try the BAC out.

Well 3 or 4 months after buying the groupon I finally turned it in on Sunday. 3 days before it expired. haha. I know that if I wait until after work to go to the gym I will not go so I decided that my gym time is 6-7 a.m. I got up at 5:50 yesterday morning and headed to the gym. Thankfully it is a 2 minute drive. I did 4 miles on the bike, stretched and went home to get ready for work. I know that isn't a lot of exercise but keep in mind I haven't exercised regularly in about 5 years. Sure I get into kicks where I say "hey, I should go running" but it doesn't last very long. I skipped the gym this morning but plan on going tomorrow morning. Wish me luck! Any tips on being motivated to go to the gym and not hit snooze? I did take a tip from a fellow blogger & friend from EA, Lindsay to sleep in my gym clothes so I don't use that as an excuse.

Last night I made a pork tenderloin which turned out to be delicious! I was worried bout the cooking method but it was delicious. You take your pork tenderloin and make sure you have the exact weight of it. Once you know the weight you prep it with salt, pepper, and any other seasoning you want. Preheat your oven to 500. Once the oven if preheated you put the pork tenderloin in for 5 1/2 per pound. Mine was just under a pound so I cooked it for about 5 minutes. After that time you turn the oven off but KEEP THE OVEN DOOR CLOSED!! Let sit in the oven for an hour. After that hour take it out and make sure it has cooked all the way through and then serve! If you are a nut job like me and want to make sure it is all the way cooked you can turn the oven on the last 5-10 minutes. I put my crescent rolls in with it at 375 for the last ten minutes or so. It turned out great and was pretty moist!

Have a great Tuesday! 

Fallen leaves lying on the grass in the November sun bring more happiness than the daffodils

November already?

Time is flying by! It feels like just yesterday I was in Germany getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving with my friends. I am so thankful for this past year, it is insane to think of all the amazing things I have experienced. 

Lets catch up on the past few weeks. I had my major event at work, Corks & Forks. It went great and now I am working on our Poinsettia sale and starting the plans for our walk in May. I am pretty busy with all of that. 

I have been babysitting at least one night a week the past few weeks to try and get some extra cash for the holidays and to help pay off student loans. A lot of people ask where I find the time an energy to babysit after work but the only answer I have for them is that I love it. Sure kids can be difficult sometimes but the family I am babysitting for feels like family to me and watching the kids grow and learn is so rewarding. I am actively looking for another regular babysitting job so if you know anyone in the northtowns who needs a sitter feel free to give out my name and number! 

Bob's birthday was on Halloween and we celebrated this past weekend. Friday night we invited some friends over for drinks and snacks then headed out to the bar for the evening. It was a great night. I had a lot of fun and it was night seeing a lot of Bob's friends from growing up. 

Saturday we had my family and Bob's family over to watch the Notre Dame game and eat dinner. It was great having everyone together. We ordered pizza & wings and all hung out then finished the night off with an ice cream cake. 

Sunday we planned to relax all day but decided to go look at furniture for the living room. The couch that I bought for Bob's house is just WAY too big for the size of the room. We looked at some couches & love seats then headed home to watch the Bills game. I had Bob's 4 year old niece over to help put up some Thanksgiving/Fall decorations and after she left Bob decided that we should go look at more furniture. We ended up finding some stuff for a great price that we like so now its just a matter of deciding which set up to get. I am pretty excited about this. Definitely forward progress in getting the house together, which brings me to my next and last point.....  

I live in Bob's house. He bought it a year and 3 months ago. It is his house, not mine. I am aware of this fact and when I say "my house" I simply mean it as the house that I live in. Most of the time the word home sounds weird (at least to me) in a sentence. I know some people get confused as to why I call it my house when I don't own it. Just wanted to clear that up for anyone who reads this and said "wait, what?" :) 

Needless to say, it was a fantastic weekend! One of my favorite weekends yet this fall! It is so nice having Bob home. 

 What is your favorite part of November? Any recipes to share? I am making a pork tenderloin tonight for dinner using an unconventional style so I will try and remember to share tomorrow how it turns out! 

Happy November everyone!!