Happy New Year!

May Your 2009 be filled with joy, blessings, good fortune, and most of all...



Newlywed Husband and Newlywed Wife (& Winston :)

January 6th is a Big Day!!!

Why, you ask, is January 6th such a big day? Well, it just so happens to be the day that I (Newlywed Wife), turn 1/4 of a century! That's right sweet readers, I'll be the ripe old age of 25! Kinda scary huh?

Newlywed Husband sweetly asked what I wanted for my birthday...so with the help of Polyvore, I compiled two lists. A real {read: semi-affordable} wish list, and a fantasy {read: maybe-if-you're-lucky-you'll-get-one-thing-off-this-list-for-our 50th-anniversary} wish list.

What do YOU want for your birthday?

You Know Your Christmas is Redneck If...

You know your Christmas is redneck if: You ride 2 hours to the family ranch in the middle seat of a manual-transmission Ford truck, between your husband in his camo hat and your dog who is hanging halfway out the window, with a dirtbike in the back of the truck.

You know your Christmas is redneck if: Your dog blends into the foliage as soon as he leaps out of the truck.

You know your Christmas is redneck if: Your husband, uncle, and husband's friend spend 2 hours shooting various handguns and an AR15 (assault rifle).

You know your Christmas is redneck if: Your aunt shoots the AR15.


You know your Christmas is redneck if: YOU shoot the AR15. (While wearing a flowered camo hat, no less).

You know your Christmas is redneck if: You take a picture of your husband's cute backside, and realize there is a gun sticking out of his pants. (Look closely, it blends in with his shirt).

You know your Christmas is redneck if: You have to consciously avoid these lovely surprises...

You know your Christmas is redneck if: Your uncle thinks the picture below is a "Glamour Shot".

You know your Christmas is redneck if: This is what the back of your Ford pickup truck looks like.


You know your Christmas is redneck if: Your main source of entertainment is watching the dog try to play wii.

You know your Christmas is redneck if: The dog is this tired after playing wii. (Or running at full-speed on many long walks).

You know your Christmas is redneck if: You consider this little guy to be cuter than an elf.

MERRY {REDNECK} CHRISTMAS!

Dear Santa...

I must have been really really really good this year!

In case you forgot what you got for me... here's a little refresher:

A BRAND NEW PAIR OF NIKE RUNNING SHOES!

A PINK {yes pink} POLAR HEART RATE MONITER WATCH

NIKE SLACKER RUNNING JACKET IN PRETTY PLUM!

NIKE RUNNING LEGGINGS...THEY STAY WHERE THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO!

SOME FANTABULOUS KNEE SUPPORTS FOR MY ABNORMALLY WEAK PATELLA'S.

Oh yeah, and I did get this guy too...

THANKS SANTA!!!

Hooray!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Math.

NEWLYWED WIFE +

A several glass(es) of wine. +




Some graham crackers +



A lot of really really messy icing +





Candy. More candy. And more candy. +

Some really great friends =

All equals a fabulous Monday night and a crazy-good little graham cracker house. (If I do say so myself :)

And the Award for most adorable child goes to....

My cousin's little boy. A-d-o-r-a-b-l-e. Kinda makes me want one...

Frustrated.

Why must all men act like they are 9 years old?

Impatient.

I'm totally counting the hours until 5:00pm Tuesday...when work is but a distant memory for 5 whole days!!!

Because Sometimes You Just Want to Smooch Your Honey...

The Mission.

Newlywed Husband had a fabulous 2nd interview with a great company yesterday. He will hopefully have a firm offer from them by early next week - just in time for Christmas, how great would that be?!?

So, I've decided to make it my mission to try and convince him to go on a last minute vacation for a couple of days over Christmas.

When (fingers crossed) Newlywed Husband starts a new job, he'll probably work 12 hour days, 6 days a week for the first 3 to 4 months (not unusual for our industry)...This will pretty much eliminate we will get to spend together, and remove all chance of going on a vacation until at least May. So, it makes sense to get away for just a bit to spend some time together, and get a little relaxation in.

Our families hadn't planned on being all together on Christmas Day this year anyway, they're all scattered visiting other family members, so I think this is a great option for us. The kicker, though, is that we have to wait until he has a for-sure offer with his company...it doesn't make sense to spend money on a vacation until we are positive he has a job.

But...a girl can dream until then, right???

Here are some of my destination ideas:


Whistler/Blackcomb - Located in Vancouver, BC, this is the largest ski resort in the western hemisphere! I've never been to actual Whistler, but I have been to Vancouver for a trade show. You can see Whistler in the distance, across a giant stretch of water (Vancouver is right on the Pacific Ocean). Stinkin gorgeous, I tell ya! Am I a good skiier? Nope. Am I an enthusiastic skiier? You betcha!



Disneyland California - Because really, who doesn't love Disneyland? And I've only been once! Newlywed Husband's never been to LA, so it would be great fun to spend a day or two at Disney, and take a day or two to go to Bel Air/Rodeo Drive/Walk of Fame...


Vail, Colorado - More skiing wishes! I haven't been to Colorado in almost 5 years...I think it's time!


Florida Keys - Here's the plan: fly into Miami, rent a car and drive across the 7 mile bridge to the keys...then proceed to drink our fill of fruity beverages with little umbrellas in them!

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico - This is probably the most likely option. No ski equipment required, no danger of weather cancelling our flights. Just a couple of swimsuits and some sunscreen.

Which do you think is the best idea? We could potentially leave Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning, and return Saturday or Sunday...so there is a good amount of time there to travel!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

It's 29 degrees and spitting rain/ice crystals at 2:34 in Grapevine, TX. (That's just outside of Dallas, for all you non-DFW Metro dwellers).

This is crap.

How to Get Dallas Hair.

This post is because of two things.

1. Julie's post about having trouble getting her hair to behave.

2. Despite the spectacularly horrific week I'm having, my hair is behaving spectacularly well. At least one thing is going well.

I'm the queen of big hair. Yup. And proud of it, too.

I respect the chi, and all you ladies who straighten your hair. Sadly, my hair is ultra curly, and my face is baby-chub round...so the whole silky straight hair doesn't really work for me.

So...in case you're wondering how to get said big hair...here's a couple of things I've figured out over years of aspiring to have the perfect Texan lady-who-lunches hairstyle.

First, start with the shampoo. It really doesn't matter what kind, I'm sort of addicted to the old-school Herbal Essences. (Thank you Steph, for getting me hooked on this in 9th grade :)

Followed by lots of conditioner, of course. If you have oily hair, maybe be sure you just put it on the ends, and avoid the roots of your hair. I have incredibly dry skin/hair, so I slather the miracle conditioner on everywhere. Perhaps if I reduced my diet coke intake my skin wouldn't be quite so dry, hmmm? (not a chance, but it's a nice thought).

Post-shower, I usually brush through my hair, then spray some root-booster, or volumizer on the roots. I like the John Frieda Luxurious Volume, but any volumizing spray will work. Use your fingers to lift hair at the scalp, and spray generously. *Caution* Avoid spraying volumizer on dry hair...it gets a bit...crunchy. Not that I would know. *End Caution*

Now. Here is where you have to make a decision. If you're like me (i.e. lazy) you wash your hair before bed. If you are unlike me (i.e. 'a morning person'), you wash your hair in the morning. Either way will do. If you have curly hair, I'd recommend washing it at night, spraying on the volumizer, then blasting the roots briefly with a hairdryer before going to bed with it mostly wet. The natural curls will actually help your styling process in the morning, by adding texture to your hair and giving the curlers something to cling to.

If you have straight hair that's prone to going limp or oily, probably wash it in the morning, and just add volumizer, and dry hair upside down, using a flat paddle brush to smooth it. But don't take my word for it, I was born looking like Shirley Temple.

Whether you washed it in the morning, or at night, start with completely dry hair. If there is the least bit of dampness, hot rollers will just not work. Trust me. There have been some serious disasters due to my laziness and inability to completely dry my hair.

As far as curler placement, you will have to experiment to see what works for you, but I'd recommend starting in the front, at the top of your forehead. (If you have bangs, start just behind them. Using the largest rollers (These give the most volume), take a 2 inch section of hair on the top of your head, directly behind your bangs (if you have them, if not then just the first section of hair above your forehead), and place the roller behind the hair. Roll it away from you, secure with the little metal thingies. (Don't use the plastic clips, they'll leave nasty looking ridges in your hair). Continue with the next section of hair from the top of your head, you should use 3 total rollers on the top. Then use the medium size rollers to do the hair around your face (roll these towards your face. Use the smallest rollers to get any remaining hair in the back or underneath (This really won't show, so don't worry about it too much).

Leave the rollers in for at least 10 minutes. To expedite this process, blast your hair on low with the hairdryer for about 3 minutes, then use the cool button on the hair dryer and cool the rollers down for another 3 or 4 minutes. The rollers must heat the hair up, then cool down for the style to set...otherwise you'll just have a head of frizz, or no curl at all!

When you take the rollers out, start with the smallest, then the medium, and end with the large ones on the top (the first rollers you put in). Take the large rollers out one at a time, spray near the roots with a little hairspray, and tease just ever-so-slightly with a small comb. Do this to the back two rollers, do not tease the one closest to your face. Unless you want 1980's style Dallas hair.

Fluff around a little, make sure the part (or no part, up to you), is how you want it. Then, push up the hair around the crown (top of your head where a ponytail would go) with one hand, and use the other hand to spray with a little (or a lot, if you're me) of hairspray. Hold it for a sec to let it set, then lift sections of hair all the way around your head and spray with a little hairspray to hold the volume.

That's it. If you have a frizz problem, run a dryer sheet lightly over your hair. (Don't laugh, it totally works! Plus, it's not like you're going to be using that dryer sheet to do laundry, your hair looks way to fabulous to do housework!)

I Really Like My Boss.

My boss? Great.

The rest of my job. Sucks.

1. Bad, bad, bad (possibly the worst) industry to be in right now.
2. Can't take the week after Christmas off. Why? Because of #3.
3. December 29. Day they are telling all of us we are getting a 20% pay cut. Effective Jan. 1.
4. Have to work Christmas Eve.
5. Have to work New Year's Eve.
6. Because of #4 and #5 I won't get to see my Grandparents/Dad for Christmas this year.
7. It took me 1 1/2 hours to get home last night in traffic. I cried in the car in frustration.
8. I got pulled over this morning on my way to work. It took me an hour to get here.
9. This is the first time in our marriage that Newlywed Husband is not working 12 hour days. I can't take any time off to spend with him.

Newlywed Husband needs to get a high-paying job quickly and let me be a stay-at-home-mommy to our doggie. And so we can afford to take a vacation together.

End rant.

Reasons Why I Despise Working.

Three Sure Signs of Winter..

Sign # 1:

SNOW!!!

Sign #2:

Winston in his little jacket. {He hates it, by the way}.

Sign #3:

The Tree!!! (Our first ever Christmas together...awwww)

Scary Times.

Please be in prayer for us. Newlywed Husband was forced to resign today. The only choices given were: "Leave" or "Get Fired". He chose the more graceful option.

This economy is very frightening, but we have been expecting this for a while. True colors always come to the forefront during tough times, and his {now ex} company really showed what they were made of.

We have been searching for a little while now for somewhere that will allow him to practice the values and ethics that he believes in the workplace; simple things like treating your employees with respect, and always telling the truth. The company he just exited is in major financial turmoil, partially due to their inability to 1. treat their employees with respect, and 2. tell the truth.

The {somewhat} ironic twist is that this company will most likely lose 85% of their employees at Newlywed Husband's location due to the spirit of loyalty and fairness he cultivated. They will follow him wherever he goes, and we are hoping to be able to tell them where that is very soon.

Sorry about the slightly gloomy tinge to this post, but I feel a little like Charlie Brown today, with the little rain cloud over my head. When is something happy going to happen, and push the raincloud away?

Merry Christmas...Love, Your Job.

We are having a 20% company-wide pay cut starting January 2009. Merry freakin' Christmas.

How I Feel Today.

Snoop Dogg + Martha Stewart = Hysterical

Part 1


Part 2

Oh Target...I Love You.

I only need to know one thing about this camera...Does it come with an Ashton Kutcher?

Festive metallic? check

Sash for optimal waist control? check

Flattering gathered top and waistline? check

Cute trendy 'bubble hem'? check

Is this Palm Beach-theme martini set a little gaudy and over-the-top? Yep.

Love the green

Love the cute little presents

Love the little sayings

What's not to love? Nothing.

Ruffled sweater in festive color? Yes please!!!