Thanksgiving Recap

This year my sister, Shauna, was gracious enough to have our entire family over for Thanksgiving.  Just our immediate family has grown to a whopping 15 people. We have my parents, my siblings and their spouses and my 4 nephews and 2 nieces.   Needless to say, whenever the whole fam gets together, it is definitely a house full. I love it.

This year after we all stuffed our bellies with a delicious meal and sweet desserts we all gathered in the living room and played Guesstures.  Boy was it interesting, and oh so fun. The kids got a kick out of it, and even some of adults took part – it was entertaining and there a was always a room full of laughter. 

I was lucky enough to have 4 days off this weekend.  Yes, I was one of the those crazies that went shopping in the middle of the night on black Friday.  My oldest nephew, Gage, went with me again this year, and I love it that he wants to go shopping with me in the middle of the night, and he is a great helper, because I can only hold so much stuff! ;)  I am loving this little tradition that we have started.  We started at 2:00am and got home around 7:15am. Gage and I started off at Kohl's, then went to Target and Fred Meyer,  ending with JcPennys.  With a family as large as mine, I love a good bargain! Heck, even if my family wasn’t large, I would still love a good bargain! Who is with me?! I got the majority of my shopping done, just have a couple people left, and I even picked up a few items for myself.  What kind of bargains did you guys find out there?

Food Galore!!!

Kiddos with their Uncles
bottom left: Casey, Alyssa, & Katie with my bro-in-law, Kevin
right: My brother Mike with Alyssa

Fishy Faces & Smiles from Katie and I <3 td="td">

Beautiful Sunset from Shauna's front room! Gorg.

Me w/ Jake, Casey, Gage, and my Mom.



My Black Friday Partner in Crime, Gage. Look we were smiling in the middle of the night!

As I drive to and from work everyday I am noticing the Christmas tree stands popping up on every corner and the traffic getting busier... I think it's time to whip out my Christmas Cd's (especially Michael Buble) - because Christmas Season has arrived... I am happy about it!

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! 

Next time you hear from me, I will be a year older! Holla

~Lindsay


Thankful.

I am most thankful for:

My amazingly strong Mom. 
My equally as strong Dad.
My Sister & Brothers.
My Nephews & Nieces.
My Best Friend.

I could make a list about things, but life isn't about things, it is about people.

And, sure, I am thankful for a lot more than what I listed here, but the most important
thing to me is who I surround myself with. Without each one of those people I wouldn't be who I am today.  They are my family. And, today and always, that is what will always be most important to me!  I am forever grateful adn thankful for each and every one of them.

Hope you all have a fabulous Thanksgiving!

~Lindsay

Twilight.

It all started with my friend Sasha.
She was telling me all about how good these books were.
It was the newest craze, they were all over the place.
How did I not know about them?
I had to read them.

So, the next time I went to Wal-Mart, I saw them.
I picked up the first two.
Can I say, they looked pretty cool from the outside.

I started reading the first one, Twilight.
I am going to admit, at first I was thinking, 'Really?'
But then, after the first couple chapters - I was hooked.
For Reals.

If I wasn't working, or doing something I had to do, I was reading these books.
I was never really an avid reader, until this series.
I loved these books.  I will admit, I read them all more than once, twice, okay,
maybe three times....

Then, I heard about the movie coming.
I was so into it, I was a little hard to believe.
I read all the fan sites, got all the scoop.
I think I may have drove Sasha crazy with everything i emailed her.

It was no question that we were going to see this movie.
We decided to see the midnight premiere.
I had never been to one before, I don't think she had either.
We went to dinner, got to the theater many hours before it started,
and got all settled in inside to wait until the clock struck midnight.



Twilight 2008

Fast forward another year, we had our tickets, we were ready to go sit in line (earlier this year of course, because it had gained even more fans).  We thought we would go pick up our tickets, go get something to eat, and come back. Well we were in for a surprise when we get there and there was already a line - and it was OUTSIDE. In November. In Oregon. We didn't end up getting dinner, we ended up going back to our houses to get blankets, lots of blankets, and sweatshirts, jackets, gloves. We ended up having a good time, freezing, but good. And her husband brought us dinner. So sweet.

 

Sasha  - New Moon 2009
 

Me - New Moon 2009

Sadly, that would be our last midnight Twilight Premiere together.  When the release of Eclipse came out she couldn't miss work the next day (she gets to work super early).  But we did see it a couple weeks after opening. Then she moved 4 hours north, so seeing the last two movies together would be a little hard.  But I did talk my older brother into going with me to see Eclipse (yes, I got him hooked on the books!).  We opted to see the Twilight Trilogy. I don't have any pictures of us, but I do have a picture of the tickets!

 

For Breaking Dawn Part 1 and 2 I talked Jenni into coming with me, and her cousin (my friend also) Maxie joined us! Both movie premiers were a lot fun.  There were lots of blankets - hot cocoa - pizza - soup and chatting.  It was so fun.

 

Jenni, Me, & Maxie - Breaking Dawn Part 1    2011



Me, Jenni, & Maxie Breaking Dawn Part 2 - 2012

I will miss these midnight premieres with great friends and family.  I will miss being teased by my co-workers on seeing a 'vegetrain vampire movie'.  I will miss the anticipation of a new movie and what it will be like.  I won't miss screaming teenagers gasping and screaming when Edward or Jacob came on the screen. Oh, there was a new one this year - a group of girls screamed when Carlisle came on the screen... really?! And, they were teenagers.... twi-moms I could handle, but teenagers? Come on now.

I must say, they ended the saga on great note -
every movie has gotten better as they went along.
Loved the little twist at the end.

Oh, in case you were wondering, I am Team Edward.
But Jacob is mighty fine to look at.

Happy Monday.
~Lindsay

Friday Letters #7

Sheesh, did 5:00 pm take forever to get here for anyone else today?!

Yay for the weekend.

I came from work this evening to a package awaiting my arrival.  It was my birthday gift from Sasha, I knew it was coming, and I thought I could hold out another week and half until my birthday. But, then I saw it was from Nordstroms, and the temptation ran through my veins.... she said I could open it early if I wanted... so I did.  I opened the box to find this:

Oh Em Gee.

TOMS! She got me a pair of Toms. Wedged Toms. I about died.  I may have jumped up and down a little, and a little squeee may or may not have escaped my lips... look at these beauties!  Thank you soooo much Sasha. I absolutely love them!




Dear Sasha: Thank you so much, you are pretty much the bestest friend in the whole wide word, and not just because you got me Toms for my birthday, but because you are always there for me no matter what. Thank.You.Friend.

Dear Sydney:  I am glad you are liking your toys I got you for your 6 month birthday!  Sorry they were late, bad auntie I know. Love this picture. And, I can't wait to see you for Christmas!!! :-)



How cute is she?! I just want to pinch those cheekies.

Dear Starbucks: Thank you for having delicious breakfast sandwiches, who knew??

Dear Teeny-Boppers: Thank you for making me feel old while in line for Breaking Dawn last night, where, oh where, do you get your energy from??  And, yes. I am one of those people twilighters that stood in line for 5 hours for the premiere of the movie.



Me, Jenni, and Maxie eagerly awaiting the movie.

Dear Readers: My sister and I are hosting an awesome giveaway, if you haven't entered yet, what are you waiting for?? Check out the details here.

Dear Thanksgiving: How did you get here so fast?? Yay for family time, good food, and 4 day weekend.

Dear Stephanie Meyer: Thank you for writing The Twilight Saga, it's sad to see it come to an end..... Are u sure you don't want to write another one??

Dear Tinseltown, I love that you have been remodeled and now have leather seats, and a self buttering station. Say Whaaaa?


Dear Maxie: Thanks for keeping me to date on the hip lingo these days.  I know we have all seen the phrase "smh" on facebook and what not, well I never knew what that meant.... (feeling old right about now). It means 'Shakin My Head'.  Really? How did I not know that?! smh.

Dear Dove Dry Shampoo:  You are the best invention ever.  You totally make my hair look a little more presentable when I wake up late in the mornings.  Who am I kidding, I always wake up late, but some hair days are better than others, am I right ladies? BTW, best brand I have tried to date.  And, yes, I know what BTW means.... and I am not that out of the loop.

Dear Private Practice:  Sorry Im not sorry I deleted 17 episodes of you off my DVR.  It just wasn't working out for me anymore.  I hope you understand. And, Greys... you might be right behind them.

Dear Breaking Dawn Part 2: You were pretty much amazing.  Great way to end the Saga.  Well done Hollywood, well done. I can't wait to see it again.

HAPPY WEEKEND FRIENDS.

Linked up with Ashley again this week.

Note: This was my second attempt at this post, since between my iPad and laptop, changes didn't get saved.... the other one was so much better! : (

GIVEAWAY!

Hope everyone is having a great week!  It might just get a little better after you read this...

With the holidays approaching rather fast (um, hello - Thanksgiving is next week - when did that happen?!) my fabulous sister, Shauna and I thought it would be a great time to host a giveaway!  Just because.

You can enter up to 5 times!
You are entering to win a $25 gift card to ETSY! Who doesn't love etsy?
I could spend hours on their site and it feel like 30 minutes.
This is great way to treat yourselves (or others) right before the holidays!

What are you guys waiting for??!?
You need to enter!

Enter once if you are a follower of mine via Google Friend Connect.

Enter once if you are a follower of Life Captured via Google Friend Connect.

Enter once of you are a Twitter follower of me, You can follow me here!

Enter once if you are a Twitter follower of Shauna, you can follow her here!

And if you are so kind to tweet about it, then you can enter one more time.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Veterans Day.

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." -Elmer Davis
 "Freedom is never free." -Author Unknown

There are not enough words to express my gratitude for our Military and their families.
They are so strong and will do everything in their power to protect us.
The face horrible situations and continuously risk their lives for us, for our country.
Today, all I can simply say is, Thank You.
Thank You to our past Military.
Thank You for our present Military.
Thank You to our future Military.

Thank You for being brave, courageous, strong, powerful,  fearless, and selfless.

To The American Solider - I Thank You.

-Lindsay

Friday Letters #6

Let me just start off by saying: HAPPY FRIDAY!  Did it take forever to get here this week or what?!

I am linking up with Ashley again this week for Friday Letters! 

Dear people that are still talking about the election: You are annoying, get over it. I am not happy about the outcome, but you don’t hear me talking (or complaining) about it.  We can’t change it – therefore STOP talking about it! Sheesh.

Dear Hair: You are getting soooo long, I can’t wait to chop off a couple inches, you are driving me nuts!

Dear Black Friday: I just found out it is my payday that day.  Doesn’t that just scream – you need to go shopping with all the nut jobs (including me, of course) in the wee hours of the night/morning.  I love me a good bargain!

Dear November: How are you already going by sooo fast?! Slow the heck down! Thanksgiving in nearly two weeks. Yikes.

Dear iPad: I am in love with you! How did I ever get along without you??  Any suggestions out there for good apps?!

Dear Trader Joes:  Thank you for finally coming to good Ol’ Medford, Oregon.  I love your store and I will be a reoccurring customer, good food and good prices – love it.

Dear E.L.F. Cosmetics: Thank you for having free shipping on election day so I could stock up on my makeup brushes!

I’ll leave you with this quote my boss puts in our paycheck this week:

“The greatest part of Happiness or Misery depends on our dispositions, and not our Circumstances.” – Martha Washington

Also, stay tuned for a giveaway within the next few days!!!

Fall Favorites Swap Reveal

This was my first swap and let me tell you it was so much fun! I was matched up with Allie based on our love of Fall Weather! I really enjoyed getting to know Allie from A day in a Joyful Life.  It was great to send a few emails back and forth getting to know my swap partner that lived across the United States from me, and it ended up that we had a lot in common also!

I had so much fun shopping for "fall" themed items and I hope she did too! I was happy to receive this package in the mail! Allie did really good!!! I loved all my goodies! Thanks again Allie!



I was happy to open my box to this:



Can I just say I love making cupcakes and I was really excited to get these cute cupcake liners with decorative picks .... And fall leaf sprinkles to boot! I cannot wait to use these up on some delicious cupcakes (maybe with the Trader Joe mix she got me), I love anything pumpkin flavored.



Allie also got me a cute notebook, scrapbooking paper and a cute Jolee embellishment! I am excited to add these goodies to my scrapbook collection!!



Lastly, the note she included was sweet and can I say how much I love dark nail polish?? I was happy to see this China Glaze polish. It's black with very fine dark green sparkles. Perfect for fall, and I couldn't wait to use it!

 

This swap was so fun and I am so happy I participated! I am officially hooked on swaps! Who doesn't love to get cool packages in the mail filled with goodies and who doesn't love shopping for someone else for goodies you hope they will enjoy just as equally!

Thanks again Allie for all the Fall goodies!! It was great getting to know you! :-)

Happy Monday,
Lindsay

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday Letters #5

Dear November: Thank you for being my birthday month! I can’t believe I am going to be 26!

 

Dear Taylor Swift: Why are your songs so catchy?  I kind of want to buy your CD at Target, because there are 3 extra songs when you buy it there!

via

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Dear Can of Pumpkin & Dark Chocolate Chunks: You have been in the cupboard for a few weeks now, I am hoping to use you up this weekend and make something delicious out of you!

 

Dear Phillip Phillips: I heard (ok read, online) that your album is coming out this month!! Yay, I so can’t wait. I love hearing your voice. 

Dear iPad: I am loving you!! I can't believe I took the plunge and got you last night.

 

Dear MM&L: I love watching your YouTube videos – you both are hilarious and give such great tips. Check them out here

 

Dear Chipotle: It was so worth standing in line for over 25 minutes for this deliciousness. Thank you for coming to Medford!

 

 

Dear Blake Shelton & Miranda Lambert: You guys took home all the major awards last night on the CMA's.  I love you two!

via

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Dear Breaking Dawn Part II: You are only a couple weeks away and I can't wait to watch you, I heard there is a twist at the end... can't wait to see what it is!

Happy Weekend!
~Lindsay