Arrive Alive, Don't Drink & Drive - Tipsy Tow

Happy New Year's Eve everyone!  This will be my last Public Service Announcement/important safety tip for 2010!  If you need a ride home after all of your New Year's Eve festivities AAA is once again offering their Tipsy Tow service 1-800-400-4AAA.  Please call it is free and it will get you home safely! NO questions asked!

Recycle, Reduce & Reuse!

January 1st is almost here and for all you Trader Joe's shoppers out there this is a friendly reminder that as of January 1st they will start charging their customers .10 per paper bag that you use if you do not bring in your own reusable bags.  However, if you are are a Henry's shopper, Henry's will take .10 off your total for every reusable bag you bring in.  So, if you are not already sporting your reusable bags it is time to purchase a few!  Last year Santa left me a few reusable bags in my stocking and this year he left me some reusable produce bags (yay for no more plastic)!  Rumor has it he stopped at the Container Store on his way in from the North Pole for some last minute ecofriendly shopping.  All of my bags roll up and fit nicely in my glove box in my car or in my purse so I always have them for any shopping trip.

It's A Cupcake Day!

Yesterday was Mari's 3rd birthday and it was a "Cupcake Day"!  It was so cute, when I arrived to her house for the birthday celebration Mari came up to greet me and I said "Happy Birthday" and Mari says to me "Why does everyone keep saying that to me?" Lol!!  She was so confused!  Well, as soon as more people and presents started arriving she was no longer confused!

Birthday Girl!

Birthday presents!

One of the many faces of MARI! 

She loved dancing on the table!

Happy Birthday to you!!

 CHOCOLATE!

Got Milk?

Yay for birthday presents!

A Very Merry Christmas (Part Two)

After all of the present opening and breakfast eating it was time to clean up the mess and wait for the family to come over. Around 3pm everyone arrived (The Ferguson's (Mike, Kathy, Cole, Mari, Anne & Joe, The Mudry's (Dwight & Ann), my Auntie Janis & Kathy's Mom, Dory ), drinks and holiday cheer, we all gathered in the kitchen to enjoy some tasty appetizers and adult beverages, mmm mmm good!

  





Then it was time for more present opening AGAIN!  It was chaos with all of people and presents but everyone had a great time.  I had a hard time trying to figure out what to get my lil nephew Cole for Christmas this year, he has a ton of toys and I always buy him pj's and clothes ( I cannot turn into the Aunt that only gives pj's for gifts) so I needed to come up with something different.  I did a little research and decided that I am going to take him tubing in Big Bear this winter, I tried to play it as something that he would love to do and that we just have to go, but secretly inside I am dying to go and I cannot wait to go (I guess he is kind of lucky to have an Aunt who still thinks she is a kid)!  Well, since you cannot wrap up a tubing trip this is how I told him what we are going to do!  
 

Cole's present!



Kathy, Cole, Mari & Dory

Dinner!

An ultra competitive friendly game of Othello. 
Kind of funny, this was Cole's present and his Mom and Uncle are playing it.



Cole helping me with the dishes.



Anne, Ryan, Uncle Dwight, Joe, Mari, The BEST Dad EVER & Kathy

Mari showing us all of her funny faces!

Gracie enjoying her new bone from Mr. T!

I hope everyone had a Very Merry Christmas!

A Very Merry Christmas! (Part One!)

Oh what a day, I hope everyone had a great Christmas this year, I know we sure did!  Our day started with the discovery that Santa made it to our house during the night and that we must have been good boys and girls because our stockings were FULL! 

Stocking hung by the chimney with care!

A sweet lil bunny in Ryan's stocking for Caroline!

Lots of sewing stuff and an Ipod touch, wow Santa, what a surprise!

My Mom, Dad and I enjoyed an AMAZING breakfast compliments of my Mom! We gorged ourselves enjoyed  french toast, bacon, banana muffins and mimosa's!  

 

My Dad providing the morning entertainment!

 After breakfast Ryan and Shannon joined us for present time!  Oh my Santa you out did yourself again this year!  I received a bunch of clothes from J.Crew, a new blender from Ryan and Shannon and Apple TV from my parents!  I thought the Ipod touch was awesome, now Apple TV, I am so becoming all techno savvy!

Look at all of those presents!

Lucy all tuckered out after playing with her new toy from Mr. T!

 Stay tuned for "Part Two" of A Very Merry Christmas!

Twas the Night Before Christmas and......

All through the house there was laundry to fold....

Laundry pile got way worse after picture was taken!

Spinach casserole to be made...

Dishes to be done...

Presents to be wrapped...

And trash to be taken out...

Trash became out of control after presents were wrapped!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!!!

Oh Girl, Say it Ain't So !!!

A few months ago I mentioned that I wanted to start a recurring theme for my blog, but I did not place a timeline on how often it would happen because there was no way I could predict how often I would stumble upon something that fell in to the "Say it Ain't So" category, well good news it happened this weekend when I braved the crowds and hit South Coast Plaza for some last minute Christmas shopping.  I was pushing my way through the crowds of people on my way to the GAP and low and behold right in front of me was this....

OMG! Girl, just because you cannot see your backside, does not mean that this outfit is cute!  I so wanted to tap this girl on the shoulder and tell her that she looks like a hooker from the back.  Who in their right mind puts this on and looks in the mirror and says "damn, I look good"? I mean really, at least put a black bra on!  Seriously, I just had to take a picture!

Time to Rise & Shine!!

Lately when my alarm goes off in the morning I can hear it but it takes me a couple minutes to figure out what the noise is.  Well, this morning was no different, I heard it but it took a few mins to realize it was time to get up!  Oh, I forgot to mention that it goes off at 4:30 AM!  In reality no one should be getting up at 4:30am to go to the gym but that is what you have to do if you want to get a spot and some weights for the 5:30am "Lean Extreme" class. Crazy, huh?  Apparently the person who has the morning shift at the gym did not hear their alarm clock cause at 4:50am there was about 30 people waiting to get in.  It is kind of funny because I go to the 24 Hour Fitness and one would think that if it is called 24 HOUR Fitness it would be open 24 hours a day, well, I guess not, some serious false advertising going on!!!  So, some of the peeps standing outside suggested that we go to the 24 Hour Fitness Agassi Super Sport, well my friends, I cannot afford to pay for the "super sport", so how am I going to get in?  However, I thought since the doors are locked here and the only other 5:30am class that is offered is at the "super sport" then they should let me in!  I was RIGHT, they let me in and a bunch of the non "super sport" people in.  It was kind cool, probably the one and only chance I will get to see what I am missing out on! 

Tis' the Season For A Christmas Show!!

Last night was my little niece's Christmas show and it was so cute, Mari's class dressed up as snowmen and their costumes were made by my super talented sister!  The show started at 6:30pm at South Pasadena High School, did you know that when driving from Aliso Viejo to South Pasadena it takes darn near two hours to get there?  OMG!!  I seriously spent two hours in my car to get to this show but it was worth every minute in the car!  Mari was so excited to see all of us and Santa after the show!  It is so funny, Cole is 5 and still kind of freaked out by Santa and Mari on the other hand is not yet 3 and loves Santa.  Go figure!  Anyway, I had to fulfill my role as proud Aunt and get the show on video so I could show everyone I know! 

 

After the show was over we headed over to a local diner for dessert, Mari insisted that I sit in the middle between her and Cole, do you know how tight it is in the back of a Volvo between to carseats?  It is even better when a three year old says to you "Auntie Erin, can your butt fit in my carseat?"  LOL!!  No Mari, my butt cannot fit in your carseat and it can hardly fit in between you and your brother! Geez, way to make your Aunt feel like a JUMBO kid! 

The three of us in the back seat playing "Christmas" a game that requires finding all of the Christmas lights and decorations around the neighborhood and screaming as loud as you can when you find them!!  I won when I found the giant snowglobe!

Cole and Mari ordered apple pie and I order a mini vanilla sundae, it was classic as soon as my dessert came Mari and Cole looked at me with these huge eyes that were just screaming please share some of that with me!! Of course being the BEST Aunt in the world I let them eat the whipped cream!

Waiting for dessert to come, with a friendly game of tic tac toe!

Will Auntie Erin let me have a bite?

After dessert was over and I have completely brainwashed Mari into thinking I am the best thing that ever happened (not hard to do when ice cream is involved) I was carrying her out to the car and joking around saying to her that I was going to take her home with me and that she was going to sleep in Gracie's dog house, she told me that she was ok with sleeping in the dog house as long as Gracie did not lick her! So cute!  We get to the car, I set her down to help my Mom carry some stuff to our car and Mari starts to cry, so sad, she really thought I was going to take her home and she did not want to go home with her family.  A few minutes later I get a phone call from Mari telling me in this really sad voice that she really wants to go home with me, I guess a sleepover at Auntie Erin's is now in the works! 



Home Decor!

Some people use slipcovers, blankets, or pillows to decorate their couch, well in my house I use aluminum foil as the latest and greatest decor for the couch!  I know, so stylish, forget Crate and Barrel or Pottery Barn, all you have to do is head to your local grocery store, look for it in the baking aisle and there it is, it is all the rage and every pet owner is doing it! Yes, the Gracie dog decided last week that she needs to sleep on the couch during the night, well that is a HUGE no no in our house and she knows it.  So, I had to figure out what would keep her off the couch besides caving and letting her sleep in my room, that is her ultimate goal in life and that is not going to happen anytime soon, sorry Gracie, so aluminum foil was the best thing I could come up with and it worked.  So every night before I go to bed I bring out the foil and carefully place it along the couch and every night after I am finished placing it on the couch Gracie looks at me with her sad face and wonders why I do such mean things to her.  AHHHH, poor pup!

Just in case you were wondering, I buy the store brand aluminum foil!

Week and Weekend Recap!

Monday - Thursday:

•  A lot of New Year's Eve prep work, I swear if my blood pressure had been taken at any point during the work day I would of been rushed to the hospital. 
• Told one of our new instructors that I am done rewriting his class description and if he wants any changes made he needs to rewrite it himself and send it to me because I am done (I probably have changed it 8 times for him), I think he got the message that I am finished with him and his antics. 
• Gorged myself with Trader Joe's Mint Chip Ice Cream!
• No blogging, way to tired!

Friday:

•  My Mom called to see if I wanted to meet her for lunch, me in a really bad mood. 
•  I met my Mom at our usual lunch spot Cinnamon Productions, me still in a bad mood and crying. 
• My Mom and I sat in her car for 30mins, yes you read that right 30mins and during those 30mins I yelled, I screamed, I vented, I cursed (used really bad words, sorry Mom) and cried about how terrible I think my life is (thinking about starting my 32 and still single club). 
• I am sure my Mom was wishing she had not called to go to lunch.
• My MOM is the BEST!

Saturday:

•  Still in a bad mood from the day before.
•  Decided I needed a little Christmas light retail therapy. 
• Went to Target and almost had a meltdown when I could not find the lights I wanted. 
•  Good news crisis adverted I found them up high and in the wrong spot (whew, that was a close one!) 
• Gracie and I hung the lights together (me on the ladder, Gracie eating the paper inserts). 
• Did our usual Saturday things laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc. (so exciting!)
• Christmas Party that night with all of my friends from South County Physical Therapy and Pilates, it was actually an employee party but after spending 14 weeks with them last year we all became good friends, so I made it on the evite list and proud to say the only former patient that made it on the list! 

SUNDAY: 

• Took Gracie to O'Neill Park for a nice long hike, met a lady who I workout with on Saturday's there with her dog Jack. 
•  Jack and Gracie were instant pals! 
• Let Gracie off her leash and she ran and played the whole time.
• Gracie had her first and hopefully last encounter with barbed wire it was so sad to see chunks of her fur caught on it, but at least it did not require a trip to the emergency Vet!
• Gracie been the water loving Lab that she is was sure to find a huge mud puddle to play in.
•  After our walk Gracie and I enjoyed a nice cup of coffee.
• Gracie got a bath and we napped that afternoon! 
• Ate more Ice Cream!
• It was GREAT! 

A few photo's from our weekend!

Looks like she is saying to herself "what did she do to my house?"

Mud puddle fun!

Such a nice day to go for a hike!

COFFEE!
I was done, she was licking the inside of the cup!



Lost?

You know it is going to be an interesting day at work when you walk into your office and find a street sign sitting on your desk, either that or someone thinks you are lost!!



Just wanted to clear something up!

I just wanted to tell you all before 2010 ends, there were probably many times this year when I may have...

Disturbed you,

Troubled you,

Pestered you,

Irritated you,

Bugged you,

Or got on your Nerves!!

So today, I just wanted to tell you...

Suck it up, Cupcake!!

Cause there ain't no changes planned for 2011!!

Cyber Monday!

Good Morning Everyone!!!  I hope everyone had a GREAT Cyber Monday yesterday and that everyone found amazing online deals for this holiday season!  I was probably the only one who did not partake in all of the cyber fun this year due to the fact that I had to purchase four new tires (seriously thinking about dusting off the red beach cruiser for my commute to work) and windshield wipers for my car this weekend, HOLY COW, they are expensive.  So, to my dear family I am going to have to wait another week to purchase your xmas gifts, gosh I sure hope there is stuff left in the stores!  However, I was lucky enough to book Gracie a room at the Aliso Viejo Pet Suites for December 24 & 25 this year, so that in itself is a gift to all of you!! This year we will not have to hover around the Christmas tree to make sure Gracie is not ripping the paper off of the gifts, we will not have to guard our food from sweet Gracie jumping up and eating it off out plates and best of all we will not have to protect our young from all of the horseplay and nightly entertainment that Gracie and Lucy partake in EVERY TIME they see each other!

This is where Gracie stays when I need a break from her!

P.S.  I am looking for a sitter for Gracie on New Year's Eve any takers?

Looking for Love!

So, I have kind of falling off the dating wagon and I am thinking it is time I get back on, I am not getting any younger and I would like to walk down the aisle before I am 40!  There are several ways that one could meet an eligible (sp?) bachelor, a bar, a country club, a dog park, a blind date, online, etc.  Well, I am not a fan of bars, I do not have a country club membership, I do have a dog, so the dog park is an option, I have done the blind date thing and dated a crazy man, and the online thing is a little too sketchy for me.  So I am thinking video dating might be for me!  If you would all take a moment and screen some potential matches and vote, I would so appreciate it!  Happy viewing!!

Wow! Click here!

OMG! Click here!

I am so kidding!!!

Gracie is her name, Trouble is her game!

    Holy smokes, this dog never stops causing trouble!  A few posts ago I shared a photo of her licking the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, well Gracie has taken licking the dishes to a whole new level!  Yesterday morning I was washing my breakfast dishes and putting them in the dishwasher when little Miss Trouble came running as soon as she heard the dishwasher open and before I knew it she had somehow gotten the bottom dishwasher rack caught on her collar (at least this is what I am thinking happened), freaked out and managed to pull the rack completely out of the dishwasher, by the time I turned to see what all of the commotion was, I see the dishwasher rack bounce as it hits the ground and hear the dishes break.  Oh fantastic!  Gracie runs as fast as she can away and is scared to death like somehow the dishwasher rack is going to roll over and attack her and I run for the camera!

If I don't make eye contact with her, she will never know I made this mess!



I am so taking that broken dish out of her allowance!

A little blogger support!

Gracie feels very left out when I go into my bedroom (forbidden territory for Gracie) to work on my blog or check my email, well last night I walked away from my computer and when I came back there she was sitting under my desk.  I think she just wanted to help me out!  Well mission accomplished Gracie, you gave me inspiration for this post! LOL!!

The Difference Between Aunts and Uncles!

A couple weeks ago the "Circus" (aka The Ferguson's & Gracie) came to town (aka Grammy & Grampy's house) to celebrate my Dad/Grampy's birthday and of course the Aunt's and Uncle's were there too to help celebrate!  Well lets just say Auntie Erin and Uncle Ryan have different ways of showing our love to Cole! 

Uncle Ryan:

Uncle Ryan,  PUT ME DOWN!!

Auntie Erin:

Auntie Erin sharing the leftover cool whip with Cole, Shhh, this is our little secret!

Ego Boost!

On Sunday I decided that I was in desperate need of some new workout clothes and running shoes!  Lucky for me I have two huge shopping centers and a Costco within walking distance of my house.  So I headed out to Old Navy first, Old Navy has a great workout clothes for super cheap (super cheap is my budget) compared to some of the fancy workout clothing stores.  As I pull in I see the McCray family and lil Crash McCray (Click here to read about the Old Navy Disaster), chat with them for a few mins before they have to dart off to the ER and continue with my shopping.  I find the workout clothing section and lets just say that if you are in need of some confidence building shop here!!  I ended up buying two pairs of workout pants size small, size small you have got to be kidding me I have hips that could birth triplets no problem and a sports bra size medium?  I am usually a cup size A and an extra small in sports bras and bathing suit tops, I know, I am so awkwardly proportioned that it makes buying a dress tough!  So to make a long story short I walked out of Old Navy with smaller hips and a bigger bust size, I am sooooo not complaining!!   I think I might go for a run!  :)

100th Post!

Yesterday my blog celebrated it's 100th post!!

I cannot believe I have had so much to blog about!!