momma got an upgrade

we traded my equinox in for this beast.



i've always wanted a truck. and the husband has missed having a truck.
he just went to the dealership to look last wednesday. he came home and told me that we needed to go test drive one truck in particular. we came home with that 'one truck' on thursday night.
i pretty much love it. there are tons of bells and whistles that came with it that i'm still trying to figure out, but give me time.
today, while the kids napped, i practiced pulling in and out of the garage. i thought it was going to be more difficult than it was. now i just need to get comfortable in parking lots. i feel like the bed hangs out way far.

wordless wednesday-zulily

our new visitor

on black friday, i went to target, specifically for two things: a cabbage patch and the leapfrog toy phone. i walked passed the electronics (where the books are located) and the elf on the shelf was sitting right there. it was calling my name. i contemplated it. it was in my hands. it was back on the shelf. i walked away. then i walked back. i walked out of the store with one. i got home and was so excited to read the book to fletcher and to give our new friend a name. the whole time i was reading the story, fletcher seemed very into it. adam and i explained to him that he can't touch our new friend, but he can talk to him and that he will leave to tell santa if he's been good or bad. anyway, when it was time to name our elf, fletcher had been saying something that sounded like 'gus' so that's the name that was given. i think gus fits our smirky-smiled guy in red.

i'm not the best at moving him at night, so gus usually goes to santa during naptime and comes back in a new place by the time fletcher gets up.  fletcher has a fun time searching for him. when daycare boy's mom comes, she asks fletcher where gus is. she even tries to find him. look at these crazy places he's been found.

i'm so excited about starting this new tradition with our kids. i have tons of memories of christmas traditions with my family growing up and i hope that gus will give my kids memories that they'll be sharing with their kids when they are my age. 

bling!

two weeks ago, we got brynlee's ears pierced. i had been wanting to do it for a few months now, but we just now had the time to actually get it done. i knew what to expect, but i'm not sure adam did. anyway, we got there, told the girl we wanted to get her ears pierced, and we were sitting in the chair within a few minutes. 

i had to fill out  paperwork and get the 'care' instructions, but other than that, i was ready for my girl to get her ears pierced. first, worker girl had to mark the spot where she would shoot the earrings through. this was probably the part B hated most. she just wanted the marker that worker girl had in her hand, so i had to hold her head and arms down so worker girl could mark the dots. 

the first one was done. the cry was delayed, but when it came, it was in full force. we gave her a minute to collect herself. i shoved a few puffs in her mouth  and then we did the other ear. the crying was loud, but it only lasted a couple minutes with each side. when it was done, i dealt with baby girl and her tears while adam paid. when he was done, she had stopped and we left. the whole adventure took about twenty minutes and $40. now we just need to get the real BLING that will go in her ears. i think the man in the red suit will be bringing them...fingers crossed. 

when we got home, she requested a pickle. after all, she had been through a lot. 

*if you look close, you can see the stud in her ear.*

meal planning monday-wk 33 and thanksgiving recap

monday-chicken nachos
tuesday-pizza pasta salad (subbing pepperoni for the salami)
wednesday-monte cristo sandwiches
thursday-bbq chicken pineapple quesadillas-using leftover chicken from monday
             couldn't find the recipe, but here's what i do
             *flour tortillas
             *shredded chicken, seasoned with taco seasoning
             *monterey jack cheese
             *crushed pineapple
             *bbq sauce
             *jalapenos, optional
             *directions-put one tortilla in a frying pan. spread chicken, cheese and pineapple all over tortilla.                       drizzle with bbq sauce, add jalapenos. sprinkle a little more cheese and place another tortilla on top. cook til bottom is light brown and flip...very carefully...brown other side, cut and serve. i dip in sour cream and a little more bbq. it's a nice sweet, spicy taste. hard to explain, but worth trying.
friday-mom's meatloaf and baked potatoes
saturday- what more could the birthday girl want than beer and pizza...old chicago for us.

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we had thanksgiving with adam's dad's side this year. nothing too extravagant, just a good juicy turkey, green bean casserole, mashed taters, and some other random salads....oh, and four pies, that i made. make sure you read that right, FOUR PIES! I MADE! never have i offered such a task, but the task was a challenge for myself, and i succeeded. they were all good (says the people who ate them) and there was lots left over too. guess where they are, my fridge. i'm almost pumpkin pie'd out. anyway, it was a nice day to be with family and to do a little relaxing. after we left, we stopped by my grandparents' house where my parents, aunts uncles and the little c's were. we got to hang out and visit with them a little also. adam and i made a trip to walmart to see all the crazies who were waiting for the 10pm sales to start. us, we went for a brown shirt for fletcher to wear in pictures on friday and a bottle of margarita mix. we're cool like that.