Thom and I have never really gotten into Valentine’s Day. Most years we don’t even go out to dinner. It’s not because I don’t want him fawning over me or showering me with gifts. It’s just that he’s never really been the kind of guy to think ahead and plan out romantic gestures like that. He’s more the kind of guy who offers up a trip the mall to let me pick something out.

But if he were the kind of guy who wanted to surprise me with gifts this Valentine’s Day, here’s a few things that would surely do the trick.

The Naked Palettes from Urban Decay. I love them both, but they are like $50 each so it’s not just something I can justify buying myself on a whim. Urban Decay makes the best eye shadows. I almost never wear anything else. My personal favorite shades are Mushroom, AC/DC, Misdemeanor, Sellout, and Mildew. Can be purchased at Sephora or Ulta.

Penguin Book Cover postcards from Anthropologie. $25

These are adorable and I have a project in mind for them.

This kick ass shirt with my current favorite tv character Ron Swanson. $25

Are you currently coveting anything? Do you and your sweetie celebrate Valentine’s Day?

I love me some Pinterest, and I pin a lot. I just don’t end up doing most of the things that I pin. One thing I did end up doing was some art work. I’ve learned in the past that when I take a brush to canvas, things don’t end well. Thank God for vinyl letter stickers and spray paint!

I took a square canvas I had purchased for cheap at Big Lots and spray painted the entire thing green. Then I used masking tape to give me diagonal lines. Then I sprayed the entire thing again in this lovely persimmon color.

I spelled out what I wanted to say with my vinyl letters and then sprayed the entire thing, again, in purple this time.

Once the paint I had dried I carefully removed the vinyl stickers and voila!

I liked it so much I did one for my sister too.

I bought my vinyl letter stickers at Michael’s. I love them, but I wish they offered more fonts. Or some in all lowercase. I don’t know if that exists or if I just can’t find it here. And if you’re careful enough, you can use the stickers more than once.

Have you done any fun or new crafts lately?

I had the entire last week of the year off. So what did I do? I took down the tree, put away all the new loot, and I made laundry soap.

Now I’m not becoming some crunchy hippie type. I just simply look for easy ways to save money sometimes. Like how I always buy my toilet paper from the Family Dollar now instead of at the grocery store. The good stuff is so much cheaper there.

My only regret is that didn’t have any scented oils on hand. So my laundry smells like nothing when I pull it out of the dryer. Oh well. It made a lot of soap and there’s still plenty of stuff leftover to make a few more batches.

I was gifted some lovely things for Christmas. And also gifted some cash so that I could buy my own lovelies.

I have too many things. I love them so.

My Thanksgiving weekend was splendid. I ate more food than I probably ever have ever and watched more episodes of Brothers & Sisters than should be allowed. Boy when Netflix has a show on instant, I waste no time in plowing through the episodes. I’m on the 5th and final season now and I’ve only been watching this show for about six weeks now. I love that I don’t have to deal with season finales and cliffhanger endings. Not like I do now with shows like Revenge or when Lost was on.

I avoided black friday shopping almost completely. Thom and I lazed around the house a bit until the afternoon. Then we went to Home Depot to buy a part for the furnace. Our pilot light wouldn’t stay lit and thanks to a friend (the same friend who installed my gas line for my new range) suggesting some things over the phone to Thom, he was able to buy the replacement part and put it in himself. And it only cost us $13. How great is that? Remind me to send that guy a Christmas present.

Saturday I went shopping with my sister and I finally got my hands on a white Christmas tree. I’ve been wanting a white tree for about four years now, but they’re so expensive. All I’ve managed to get my hands on have been tiny little one foot trees. And while this is a fairly small full sized tree, it’s pretty perfect for us. And it was only $25. I was finally able to bust out a huge bucket of sparkly ornaments I bought at Target a few years ago.

I’ve decided I’m doing super low key Christmas this year. In an effort to not stress out about money and the holidays I’m going to be making more gifts this year and buying from local shops. Sure my version of “making gifts” is like Sandra Lee’s Semi-Homemade cooking, but I’m ok with that. I won’t be buying gift cards this year or trying to rack my brain over what to get someone and then worry if it’s good enough. Besides, Christmas isn’t really about the gifts. It’s about being with people I love and celebrating the birth of Christ. Regardless of when Jesus was actually born, this is the day we choose to celebrate it. I had a bit of remorse over the weekend. Not because I didn’t go out of town to visit family, but because I didn’t volunteer to go feed the homeless. The local Christian station spent all week promoting the John 3:16 mission and asking for donations and I was completely humbled.

I know what it’s like not to have enough money to pay all your bills, but I don’t know what it’s like to go hungry. I’ve never had to steal food from a grocery store to feed myself. I’m so thankful that John 3:16 exists for those who need it. And there’s absolutely no reason why I shouldn’t be volunteering my time or donating my money to them. As I sit here and worry about the bills I can’t pay right now, I’m thankful for the roof over my head. For the furnace that was fixed for cheap. For the car I have to drive to the job I’m fortunate to have.

And instead of sitting around worrying about what bills I can’t pay, I should look for something I can do. If you need a blessing, be a blessing to someone else. You reap what you sow and all that jazz.

Happy Holidays folks.

In an effort to keep my stress levels lower this holiday season, I decided not to go anywhere for Thanksgiving. The family my sister works for invited us to join them so I said yes. Then I found out that there will be 50 people there. Man, those people know how to party.

Then I remembered that hello? I have new appliances this year. Why am I not cooking my own dinner? So I decided that I would cook a simple turkey dinner so that we could feast off of the leftovers for days. So we’ll have late lunch at the party house and then a nice dinner later at home.

Menu:

• turkey & gravy
• dressing (cooked outside of the turkey)
• cream cheese corn
• green beans
• mashed potoates
• banana cream cheese pie
• hawaiian sweet rolls

I might add a can of jellied cranberry sauce, but only if Thom wants it. I don’t eat the stuff.

So what’s on the menu at your house? Are you keeping it traditional, or trying something new?

I sort of want to skip the holidays this year. This is odd for me because I usually get really into Christmas. Well, Christmas spirit that is. I don’t go crazy decorating or listening to that much music. I’m lucky to get a tree up each year. This year though, I kind of just want to go to sleep and wake up and have it be Dec 26th. I don’t want to skip the last week of the year because I always get that week off work so it’s very important for my sanity.

As the years go by, the holidays get harder and harder. I’m reminded once more that I still don’t have kids. All the cousins around me are having kids or had kids years ago. And while I love these kids so much, they are not mine. I’m still left with a feeling that I’m missing out.

Then there’s the matter of gifts. It’s been a rough year for us financially and I know we are not alone in this boat. Several other family members are struggling as well. We already draw names so that we don’t have to buy for everyone, but then you’re faced with another problem. What if you spent time and money and put a lot of thought into your gift, but then the person buying your gift didn’t do the same for you. I’m not singling any one family member out because I saw several examples of it just last year. And while I know Christmas isn’t about gifts, shouldn’t be about gifts, gifts still play a major role. I think it’s less about the gift itself and more about the feeling that goes along with it. It’s as if we try to put our value and self worth into that gift. Aunt Julie loves Sarah a lot because she bought her an ipod, but Uncle Jeff must not give a shit about Robby because he gave him a broken knife that clearly came from the dollar store. Some family and friends have opted to have us do homemade Christmas this year. I think this was devised as an effort to help combat both of those problems, but I fear it will go very wrong. Not everyone is handy or crafty. And if you have to go buy all the supplies to make your gift, you could end up spending more money. I may appear to be crafty, but it’s all smoke and mirrors.

Then there’s the guilt that goes along with making sure you find time in your schedule to see everyone. Do you know that I’ve lived in Oklahoma for 23 years now and I’ve never once spent a Christmas here? Every single year of my life I have gotten in the car and driven the 4+ hours to Dallas to spend it with family. I’ve spent many Christmases without my husband (or then boyfriend) because I wouldn’t budge on Christmas. I’d forfeit Thanksgiving with my family in order to have Christmas. And now that my husband doesn’t have any family left to spend Christmas with, you’d think that would make things easier, but it doesn’t. Between divorces and family dramas, even my family is getting split up more than I like. And I just don’t feel like I can accommodate everyone. And just once, maybe I’d like to wake up in my own bed on Christmas morning.

Since I’m not able to jet off to Vegas like I did last year, I’ve decided that Thom and I are spending Thanksgiving at a friend’s parent’s house. So not only do I not have to cook a huge meal, I don’t have to drive 4+ hours to have the meal. I can make one thing to show up with and just have a good time. I’ll figure out a way later to cope with not getting any leftover turkey sandwiches.

I know it’s just now November and I really shouldn’t even be stressing out about the holidays yet. I should be eating leftover Halloween candy. Except that I didn’t buy any. I shut off my porch light and smiled happily at the fact that my doorbell doesn’t work. Bah humbug!

And I can’t believe that of the 100+ photos Thom took, there wasn’t a single one of us together.

Since Jessica asked. And Lord knows I love to cater to her demands…

I did get the immersion blender I asked for. And a Microplane. I got gift cards to Dillard’s and Target and Anthropologie and Itunes. I used one of those to buy me a Calphalon jellyroll pan that I didn’t know I wanted at first. But let me tell you how nice it is to finally have a pan that is the exact perfect size for my Silpat.

I have three new sweaters and a few new candles. A new pair of Guess prescription sunglasses and a fanny pack that we’re calling a hipster because fanny pack sounds bad.

And in case you were wondering why I would get a hipster for Christmas. My sister bought one for herself in Vegas and I’ve been kicking myself ever since for not getting one too.

Here’s a photo of her wearing it across her body, which is the more attractive way to wear it.

But it can also be worn around the waist just like a fanny pack. You know, for all those trips to Disney World.

Things I didn’t think to ask for until the last minute and now desperately want? A white noise machine and an electric blanket. Holy crap heated blankets are expensive. Mine broke last year and even a twin sized one is like $70. And of course I sleep on a king sized bed.

I’ll be getting a white noise machine soon though. These days of sleeping with a fan on in the dead of winter need to go away.

And now let me share with you my favorite photo from the holiday season. Baby Kyah and Thom just couldn’t get along.

I really hate New Year’s Resolutions. Probably because for as long as I can remember “losing weight” was on the list. Even on the years that I didn’t really officially announce my resolutions. And yet, it’s never really happened.

I didn’t really announce any resolutions for 2010, although I had one in my mind that involved home improvements and making my house a better place to live. I think it’s safe to say I did good on that one. It’s still a work in progress and I still can’t muster the courage to start my cabinet transformation. I’m proud of what I was able to accomplish though. Especially since I did most of it alone.

Here are some things I would like to see happen in 2011:

• I have one of those keep the change checking accounts where it puts the remaining change from my debit card charges into my savings account. I would like to go a whole year without transferring any of that money back into my checking account.
• My kitchen remodel finished, complete with new appliances. (I currently have one working burner and one half working oven)
• I would like to get my shopping/spending under control.
• Become a better homeowner. I need to stay on top of things like exterminators and maintenance and getting better windows or something so my utility bills aren’t so high.
• Become a better pet owner. My dogs get sorely neglected by me. It’s not their fault I don’t care much for animals.
• Take a trip with my husband to a place we’ve never been before. We haven’t gone away together since we got married over four years ago.
• Figure out how to keep my house from being such a clutter infested dwelling space. This may involve upping my cleaning lady (mom) to twice a month instead of once a month.

I’m not going to put lose weight or get pregnant on this year’s list. It goes without saying. Of course it also probably won’t happen because I’m a bitter jaded woman who is selfish, lazy, and tired of it all.

Cheers!

So what’s on your list?

I probably won’t be getting anything as cool as a pink Barbie Hot Wheels this year, but I get to see all of my favorite people. And that’s good enough for me.