Dec 29, 2010

A Window to Me

I am looking forward to my 3 and a half day weekend. I have a much needed hair appointment on Friday. I feel like life is getting back to normal. This holiday season has been, to say the least, stressful. I think it was the combination of my boyfriend and I combining families, moving into together into a new house at the end of October to only have to rush into Thanksgiving followed by frantically getting it together for Christmas. I don't think I've had a chance to breathe. And if I did, I sure don't remember it. Unfortunately for me, and for everyone else around me, I am burned out. When you move in with your partner you can't just waltz in and start hanging your favorite kitty cat pictures anywhere you want to. Mind you I don't have a kitty cat picture but you get my drift. If it was just me moving into another place for me, well then that's easy as pie. But when you are melding yourself with your partner it takes a little bit more thought and a lot more effort. Take for instance my little white dove that I love so much. Here she is:
She was not allowed to be on display. Actually, anytime that Brian catches a glimpse of her all I hear is "Baybieeeee...." and a grimace on his face. So she has ended up on my side of the bed on my bedside table lamp. And I am ok with that.
Here is one of his favorites that he wanted in the kitchen and at first I said nah, but they are growing on me and might eventually make their way up from the man cave. Maybe.
Compromises were made and we worked it all out, no worries. Maybe the dove and beer steins will one day meet. Seems like the moment we settled on what went where we had to tear it all down and put up Christmas decorations. Christmas to me just seems so fast anymore. Just seems like a rush to get everything done. Every year I tell myself that next year will be better, that things will go smoother and get accomplished with ease. That I will have tons and tons of time to make millions of crafts, gifts, and goodies. It's just not really not going to happen to a perfectionist procrastinator. It just isn't. I will probably always feel the pressure. I just have to learn how to deal with that holiday pressure better somehow right? Sure. It can be done. I just have to get geared up for it. And not move my whole house 3 weeks before Thanksgiving. Just to kind of pile it on a little, work has been impossible. I went back to doing payroll, which I know sounds so exciting so hold onto your seats here, because I thought that would make me feel more secure and calm knowing that I knew what I was doing from front to back. But it's only made me realize why I quit doing payroll. The deadlines will smother you. I feel I have no room to breathe. I couldn't take any time off at the holidays because of the schedule. Memories just came flooding back of when I used to be a sour, snappy person at work and yes, that was when I was doing payroll for a company about 11 years ago. I got back into payroll to escape a job that was way over my head and was flabbergasting me every day. I thought if I went back to my roots I would be safe. Safe is not necessarily good. Unless I can find something else that I feel confident in and can make some dough at, I will stay where I am until I can figure something out. I just get that dreaded feeling...don't know if you've ever had it or not...but it feels dead. That feeling that you are getting up every day to go be dead. Mentally dead and emotionally strained and fighting a rage that is growing in your belly and creeping up into your throat. On another note,
I miss my son. 
When he is not here and is with his dad I miss him so much it. Our bedtime routine goes a little something like this...We head to his room about 7:45 or 8:00 to watch a few episodes of his choosing. Either Backyardigans, Olivia, Franklin or the beginning of Madagascar or Horton Hears a Who. We get snuggled under the covers and I hold him close. I run my fingers through his hair or rub his back. We check the clock and he tells me when the big hand is close to the 6. Then, as he says, Lights Out. As soon as lights are out, he drinks a little sippy of milk and I start singing him a combination of songs I have been singing him his whole life. You Are My Sunshine, If All the Raindrops Were Lemon Drops and Gumdrops, Jesus Loves Me and Farmer in the Dell. I continue to rub his tiny little back and sing the final song, Kumbaya. Sometime during that song and one of the million lyrics I have added to it to lengthen it into oblivion, he slips off into dreamland. Sometimes I do to. I wake up and try to easily roll out of the bed and put up the bed rail guard. I slip out the door quiet as a mouse and head into the kitchen to do my final rounds of clean up. I pass back by his door and have fleeting thoughts of crawling back in the bed with him and snuggling him like the teddy bear he is. Instead, I head to my bed and anxiously await him to gently touch my hand in the middle of the night after he has found his way to me in the dark quiet night. I crawl out of my covers and carry him back to his bed, when I can resist the temptation to pull him in the bed with me and clutch him tightly, and ask him if he needs to use the potty. He holds onto me so tightly in that walk back to his room. His sleepy little body...that little boy that I know so well...that little boy that I have nursed as an infant and known since his first day of life. I place him back under the covers and I crawl in there with him sometimes to sing some more and sometimes just to let him know that I'm there. I end up slipping back out about an hour later. 

On the nights he's not here, I go to my bed and sleep.
He's not here tonight, so that's what I will be doing.
All my love sweet little boy

Dec 28, 2010

Well Then, Let's Just Remix the Sweater Too

I noticed the sweater in these photos is the same one I wore when I remixed the Christmas skirt that kept on giving. So why not just make it deliberate and post this little black sweater...again! I was forced (forced I say) to take these pictures inside. It was just too dang cold and I didn't have much time left on the ol' lunch break so I just saddled up the camera, hung an out to lunch sign on my door and snapped a few pics in my office.

Voila


Photos by me

Sweater: NY & Company
Skirt (worn as dress): Thrifted
Boots: Thrifted
Belt: Vintage
Earrings: NY&Company
Necklace: some old thing!

Vintage Clutch Winner!

And the winner is............

MelindaJane!
I'm in love with that cute little clutch! :) For New Years, I will probably stand in my back yard and watch fire works, eat popcorn, and watch movies. ;) I wish I could be with my friend in New York on New years! Sadly, I can't. holyghostgirl@sbcglobal.net xx melindajg.blogspot.com

Congratulations MelindaJane! I will be contacting you very soon!!!!

Thanks everyone for entering my very first giveaway! Have a wonderful Tuesday!


Dec 27, 2010

Reminder

Just a reminder.......the giveaway entries are closed @ midnight tonight! If you haven't entered - go ahead! You might be the lucky winner
Thanks to all of you that have already entered! So exciting!


Dec 26, 2010

The Skirt That Keeps On Giving

So I remixed the Christmas skirt that I am in love with and incorporated some black and camel colors. This is what I wore while I hosted my first Christmas Eve party at the new house. Covered in snow today, I might add. We have 8 inches of the white stuff. Which, in my opinion, is a little overboard. I love a white Christmas but after 4 inches it ends up just making it hard to travel. Plus I had to pick up my little boy from his dad's house and he lives in Marion, which if you are from here you know that means you have to go down Old Fort Mountain which scares the poo out of me in the summertime much less 8 inches of snow. But my stepdad saved the day and met up with my baby's daddy and then brought him to the bottom of our driveway. I hiked down and brought the boy back up. Yee!!! I am glad he is here with me because #1) I know that he is safe #2) we have 8 inches of snow!!!! Perfect for sledding. 
Now for some bragging - I got 2 vintage fur hats for Christmas and a fur stole. SWEET! I know, I know. It's fur and animals had to die but it is vintage and those guys have been dead for a while. Why not carry on their legacy and make them beautiful in their afterlife? No? Damn. Guess I'll have to wear them anyway. :) I actually got some great snow boots which I have been wearing since I opened them up Christmas morn! 
We shot these photos Christmas Eve hence the no snow scene. I will have to get out there and get some photos with my new furry hats...if I can just stand being frozen solid!



Photos by Brian - thank you! :)

Sweater: NY&Company
Belt: Charlotte Russe
Skirt: Thrifted, Hospice
Boots: Steve Madden
Brooch: Thrifted, Goodwill
Lipstick: Loreal, Red

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for an adorable vintage clutch! Maybe you can use it for New Years Eve!!!!!!


Dec 25, 2010

We Wish You a Merry Christmas Skirt

I hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas and enjoy the rest of the holidays!





Photos by me

Wool Plaid Skirt: Thrifted, Hospice
Sweater: Walmart?
Trench coat: Thrifted, Hospice
Boots: Kmart
Tights: Target
Bow: Thrifted, Hospice

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for an adorable vintage clutch!!!!!!!

Dec 22, 2010

There's a First Time for Every Giveaway

UPDATED: Congratulations Melinda Jane on winning this cute vintage clutch!

Oh wow! I had told you guys that I would have a giveaway when I reached 15 followers and now I have 30! How did that happen? Really what I want to do is say thanks to all of you out there that stop by my little ol' blog. I have the BEST time blogging and reading all of the other blogs out there too! Your comments are precious and just too sweet. Thanks Thanks Thanks!

So since you guys are the best readers a blogger like me could ever ask for, I am giving away this precious little vintage clutch. It has an iridescent sheen so that when the glow of the light hits it, it sparkles with beautiful royal blues, pinks and golds!

 Here it is with the flash on so you can see the sheen. Cute eh?! You know it!
It is 7 inches long and 3 & a half inches high with a metal clasp. Here's a pic to see how it fits in my hands. It is a great clutch for a swanky little party don't you think?


So here's what you have to do to enter the giveaway

1. Be a follower of A Day in the Life of One Girl via Google Friend Connect (on the right sidebar)
2. Leave a comment and tell me what you have planned for New Year's Eve!
3. Leave an email address in your comment (if I can't reach you through your blog) in case you win!


Giveaway entries open until Monday, December 27th at midnight. After that, I will choose a winner by random number generator and get in touch with you right away!

Good Luck!!!! Thanks again!

Dec 20, 2010

Christmas 2010

I hope everyone is enjoying the excitement and anticipation of the week before Christmas! I have finished my shopping and just have a few little things left to do for some homemade gifts. We have a big Christmas Eve dinner that we're hosting for our parents and grandparents that I am soooo excited about. Can't wait. I am making my grandmother's recipe for sweet potato casserole and Brian will be making his famous green bean casserole from scratch. The sweet potato casserole calls for so much butter that it' scary. But so delicious! So, here goes, I wanted to share with all of you out there a little bit of the Christmas cheer at my house.
Have a great pre-Christmas week! Lots of joy and happiness!

Photos by me - Merry Christmas!

Dec 18, 2010

A Little Love

Well hello there! I hope everyone is staying warm! It was in the teens here for a few days last week but it is warming up. It snowed and iced too. Our driveway never sees much sun so I couldn't get my car out all week. I finally got it out Friday morning. I could beg for no more snow and no more bone chilling temperatures but I will only be desperately disappointed.
So here's the story here. I had a bajillion mismatched buttons I grabbed at one of those crazy discount box stores that has a little bit of everything and wanted to do something with them. I rifled through my drawers to find a shirt that I wasn't that attached to. I found this fuchsia sweater-y thingie that almost went in the donate pile but I pulled it out for some reason. Thinking I may like it again some day or thought it would be good for layering. I thought this would be a good shirt to be a guinea pig for button craft-o-rama.
I have a confession to make. I did NOT sew the buttons on. I cheated. I used..........hot glue! I know! I know. What can I say? I really wasn't sure it would work out so I kind of just winged it. So here I am with a huge button flower on my chest.



Photos by me

Fuchsia Top: Thrifted, DIY lace button heart
Navy Polka Dot Skirt: Thrifted, Goodwill
Cable Knit Tights: Modcloth
Oxford Shoes: Modcloth
Brown Belt: Thrifted