Black Friday Etsy Shops + a GIVEAWAY!!!

This post is brought to you by me, myself and my coffee. While 90% of the college population was probably hung over yesterday I was not. Probably because I've been out of college for 5 years and also because I can't fathom going out like that when we have kids to take care of in the morning. Aint no body got tiiiiiimmmeee for that! While I didn't participate in wasted Wednesday at the bar I am Black Friday shopping this morning. Now I'm not one of those people you will find in line at 4am waiting for a blender that's half price {although I do need a new one} but I tend to go out around 9 or 10 am today as well as I shop online. Ohhhh do I love shopping online!

In honor of Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday coming up I wanted to share some of my favorite Etsy shops that we've purchased from in the past. {PLUS theres an AMAZING giveaway going on thanks to Barbara from 'Hello Barbara' and shop owner of 'Markee Market'}

If you've seen my post on our half bath makeover you've seen how we transformed our unusable small space into a regularly used thrown! I recently ordered these little 'targets' to help Tracen aim and if were being honest here {which I try to always be} it's for any male that enter's this house! Pee on the dino, pee on the mother F#!*ing DINO guys! I also got this friendly reminder 'put me down' to remind them that when they are done to put that seat back down..subtle right ;) I purchased both of these cute little decals from Cover It In Vinyl. They came with very in depth instructions so any dummy {IE: me} could do it and even gloves, how thoughtful! Cover It In Vinyl overs decals for your shoes, doors, and even nails! These really are great stocking stuffers!

Next up is Jewelry, something every mama, sister and wife would love to get! Chelsea from Flower Child Alchemy specializes in handmade vintage jewelry that has a bohemian & whimsical feel. With 30% off all orders till December 6th you better order now!

I am currently in the process of uploading more design and chalkboard prints to my Etsy shop so keep an eye out for that! However I am offering 40% off all downloadable prints in my shop East Willow Grove: The Shop till December 24th using the code word 'CHRISTMASTIME' at checkout.

Last but not least this sign!!!! *Insert emoji heart eyes* this sign has been our newest addition to our family room! While we still need to figure out how were going to hide the wires {Jerek's biggest pet peeve} we are IN LOVE!!!

My friend Barbara and fairly new blogger, writes over at Hello Barbara and is the owner of Marquee Market. Barbara use to live in Michigan but her and her husband recently moved down south to Charlotte, North Carolina where she runs her blog and Etsy shop. Girlfriend escaped the winter just in time and is making a name for herself with these signs! With her most popular item being the 'LOVE' sign I opted for something a little different. OMG right! I had plans to put this in my dressing room but when Jerek started painting our back family room the other day we he had the brilliant idea to put it above the couch!

Barbara offers different material options at different price points so there is always something for someone! My sign has letters made out of 24" metal which are new to her shop! They can be painted any color you choose but I opted to keep the raw metal look and add some 'rust' spots. Marquee Market also takes custom orders so chat Barbara up on Etsy with any questions you may have. The icing on the cake is that Barbara and I am hosting a giveaway for one lucky winner that will win their very own LOVE sign! This is the ultimate gift in my book!

HAPPY SHOPPING!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hump Day Confessions: Wedding Talk

The wedding. It's all people ever talk about with us now. What's our date. Where are we getting married. Do we have colors picked out? Who is going to be in the bridal party? Where are we going on a honeymoon? Were going on a honeymoon, right?

I guess I shouldn't complain I mean, no one is asking me when were going to have another baby anymore, right!

Anywho, if you see me on the reg you probably already know this but I'm having really bad anxiety lately about this wedding stuff. I'm pretty sure it's solely the venue that is stressing me out. The fact that you need to start looking and BOOK something at least 12-18 months in advance is so stressful to me. I know some people have dreamed about where they want to get married months, even years before they actually do but I've never been that person. I have thought about all the fun stuff like picking out flowers, dresses and invites. I think about the way I'm going to ask the girls to stand with me, the outfits that I want the boys to wear and the vows I want to say. This picking a venue out is hard work.

I finally bit the bullet and booked a few venues to look over these past few weeks.We were able to see two before my work trip and one when we got back. I'm still holding out on the last venue because they have to see if they even have the space/time available for when we want, otherwise there's no point in seeing it, in my eyes at least. I have a backup plan if we just can't find something that we really like but I'll wait to talk about it. Actually, I won't call it a backup plan, because that sounds like I wouldn't like this venue. It's more like another option that was presented to us if we wanted to use it. I know secrets don't make friends but... no new friends, no new friends no new friends no no new.' {mmm Drake anyone?} KIDDING! I'll share soon once we have it all figured out, promise.

If picking out a venue wasn't hard enough two of my best friends from college are also engaged and trying to get married next fall. Exciting right? Well while this is fun for all parties involved I'm even more stressed because we are trying to plan our weddings around each others as we will be in/at all of them. I have a list in my phone of dates I can't have even when we do find a venue because of this. #firstworldproblems

A few weeks ago I made a Knot.com profile. I got to the home page, looked around and freaked the eff out. I then preceded to go on my Facebook and beg for people to leave comments on where they got married and if they recommended it. I was probably crying while I posted that plea so forgive me if I sounded like a baby. HOWEVER, I got so many responses it was awesome {I'm sure I'll do it again, don't worry!} This then led me to check out the websites mentioned and I even stumbled across other venues I may not have. {Social Media for the win!} So thank you to anyone that commented or sent me messaged and also reads here, you da bestest! With a boat load of emails to send out I started jotting down questions I had for each venue.

I realized I was asking the same questions so I decided I should make a Google doc and pretend I'm some bride that has all her shit together {secret.. I DON'T!} I got a few Excel cells in said eft this, where was that post Kathleen wrote about a few months ago? I poped onto her website, downloaded the Google Doc and boom was ready to start. I altered hers around a bit to make it more fitting for me, my budget, needs, wants, etc and it's working out perfectly! I can now be anywhere and not think, 'aw piss, I left my wedding notebook at home, greatttttt, now what...'

 Now I realize I'm like THE last person to offer up wedding advice because I'm sitting here explaining how I'm freaking out on all things wedding related BUT if you are planning your wedding and need a guideline check out Kathleen's website. She is a web design manager by day but her graphic design abilities are out of this world. She offers up many Google & Excel docs and some great wedding guides that I will be following! Her birthday was also yesterday so ya know, HBD girlfranddd!

Welp, I guess that's it for now, hopefully we pick a venue soon or I'm about to book us all a flight to Fiji and call it a day, and by all, I mean me, Jer and the boys, sorry family!

While talking about money ultimately means spending money, lets all talk about the $145 cash giveaway that I'm hosting with some other bad ass bloggers over at A Farmers Wife blog. You can enter oh I think 20+ different ways. And if you win and want to pay for part of our flight to Fiji, holllaaaa!

11 years

A year ago, I wrote this post. 

It's crazy what can happen in a year! 

We bought a house.

Skylor hit all his first milestones.

Tracen conquered daycare, like a BOSS.

We spent more money on Starbucks than any sane person should

and we got ENGAGED!

Last year we took the day off work and spent it together.

Brunch, shopping and getting tattoos. 

I'm hear to tell you that we are both working today. 

Such is life man!

Jer had a workshop for work

and with me in Mexico last week

I had things to catch up on in the office.

While we weren't able to sneak away and have lunch alone

tonight we will eat as a family of 4 around a table

in a new house while wearing a perfectly sized ring.

Because we don't need a night out alone just to celebrate us,

family around the dinner table,

together, a home cooked meal

and my boys is all I need.

As we spend out last year with titles of 

'boyfriend/girlfriend'

I want to let you know that life with Jer is exciting no matter what we're doing!

I mean have you watched any of my Youtube vlogs

Whoever said Starbucks runs, laundry and errands aren't exciting

has never done them with Jerek!

11 years is an accomplishment.

So this year I wanted to share 11 facts 

about Jer and I that you may or may not know.

This will also be followed up by some lovely throw back pictures {forgive me now Jer!}

1. We call each other 'beach'. It came from the Travelocity commercial and we both for some reason thought it was SO funny that we went around screaming 'YOU'RE A BEAUTIFUL BEACH ANGEL!!!" {for DAYS!} One day it just stuck and we even call the boys baby beach angels and we all answer to these out in public too! I'm sure people probably give me a look of horror thinking we're calling each other bitch or something like that but rest assured, we're not!

2. I've been cutting Jer's hair since college. Our trust in each others skills is big here people!

3. We've been friends since 7th grade, have spent countless birthday, NYE and Halloween parties together ranging from middle school, high school, college and after!

4. I 'dated' all Jereks friends in middle school because he was taken. I always joke saying I was waiting around for him. {literally was}

5. There's nothing Jer can cook that I won't eat.

6. I don't eat mushrooms. {take back #5}

7. Give Jer lemon or German Chocolate cake and he will be your best friend.

8. It's embarrassing how many dishes are next to our sides of the bed because we LOVE eating in bed after the boys go to sleep but were too lazy to bring them downstairs afterwards.

9. We each have 4 tattoos.

10. Jerek was named after his aunt and uncle. As a 4th child names were getting sparse I suppose! {I don't remember the exact story} but I think his parents were talking about his uncle Eric and Jen {?}, {correct me if I'm wrong!} and they put the two together and WA-LA! He gets called Jared or Derek on the reg and I am always the one to correct people.

11. I interrupt everything Jerek says. Besides money/finances, its the thing we fight about the most! I have issues man, I swear I can read his mind and finishes sentences for him but I'm almost never right!

Happy 11 years you beautiful beach angel!!!

ILY. 

I'm alive, I promise.

If you only read my blog you might think woah woah woah, where the hell did this lady go?? But I'm here I promise! I've been updating on Instgram, Twitter, and on Youtube but EWG just hasn't gotten any love these past few weeks. It's not because I haven't had things to say, I really have. We've just been really busy and I was having really bad anxiety with the trip to Mexico.

As some may know from my previous post I was in Mexico this week for work {Tuesday-Friday.} While people's first response is usually Uh, that's sweet, where do you work, I wanna work there?! I respond with an I work in automotive and were going to visit car/truck plants, not the beach. This also means I'll be working longer hours than I do at home so don't be jealous, PROMISE. 

I'll give you a very short rundown. 

My boss and I fly from Detroit to Monterrey at 830am Tuesday.

We then take a car driven by a secured driver from our company for an hour to our hotel.

We are told we don't have a reservation till Nov 17 {we're there Nov 11-14.}

AWESOME.

Our travel agent checks everything nearby.

Everything is booked but the Quality Inn.

The Quality Inn wasn't the best quality, if you get my drift.

The wifi is rubbish and 1 in 10 texts go through to check on Jer and the boys.

I sleep less here alone than I do at home with both kids always getting up.

This is for 2 days straight.

We visit warehouses and truck plants and I feel like I'm naked walking through them.

Such a great feeling when your in a foreign country and the news is telling you 'stay out of Mexico!'

We spend the last night in the hotel we first started at, it's WAY nicer.

I sleep like shit once again.

We have to be up at 4am.

Driver picks us up at 430am, with a 1 hour drive to airport.

They also tell you not to drive between Saltillo and Monterrey when its dark out. {AWESOME}

We make it to the airport, alive.

Flight leaves at 730am to Houston.

Layover for an hour-ish.

Fly to Detroit. Arrive around 2pm.

It was THE longest 4 days. I was more tired from that than I was giving birth two twice and the 4 days after that. Seriously, no lie.

{Pic Jer sent me}

While I was gone Jer held the house down. Like a fucking BOSS. Some mom's could never imagine leaving the house and kids to their husbands/dads/partner to tend to for that long. Not me though, I had zero stress going away knowing he could handle anything and everything those little blondies threw at him. {Literally and figuratively.} While I had stress about the safety of the trip and how Tracen would be without me there, my stress never laid under Jerek's parenting skills.

What I came home to was the best. A super clean house, laundry all done, and it smelled like the holiday candles had been brought out. There was a welcome home banner and picture of me and Tracen from DC and a love note from the boys. 

I'm not trying to dog other dads/partners that can't handle the kids for a few hours {okay, I am, sorry} but as a mom, you should feel comfortable leaving the house with the person you choose to have children with. Know that they are just as good as you are raising and taking care of them while you're away, no matter the length of time. To me, whats the point then, we can't do it all, even though sometimes we have to. 

While Jerek is one to brag about it shouldn't be, it should be the norm. All dads/moms/partners should be like this. Sure I probably would have folded the clothes differently than he did or cleaned differently but when it comes down to it, why pick apart the negatives when there are SO many positives! The kids were SO good for him, I mean SO good! Bedtime wasn't a big deal at all like I expected it to be. Jerek had 2 of the days off from work and took them on so many fun little adventures. They all were alive, fed and happy! I could have came home to a house that was toe up and would have been totally fine with it as long as the three of them were happy, had a good time together; the clean house was pure bonus!

So while I've been a little MIA from posting on here get ready because I've been writing like a mad women! Christmas decorations are going up this week {shhh!} and I have so many fun things planned for the last 6 weeks of 

November Goals

Last month I explained how October was my favorite month but I have to admit, November is also a fav of mine. While Jerek made October EXTRA special by proposing, November is a special month for us as well. On the 18th we will be celebrating 11 years. It's nuts to think that I've known him for 16 years though! With November coming up and the holidays approaching at 100 mph my ass will be in high gear with the holidays and Tracen's 4th birthday coming up!

SIDE NOTE: The Detroit Marathon went great! I started vlogging it the morning of and even got to about mile 3 filming. Then I realized I didn't train like I should of and needed/wanted to concentrate on running, breathing and not dying so I stopped and deleted all footage {sorry!} I'm happy to report I ran 6.4 miles (relay leg 3) in an hour and 15 minutes. Pretty damn good with about 3.3% of training I did! I've already decided that I'm doing the half marathon next year! That shit is so exhilarating! Running through Indian village and having people cheer you on while they hand out water keg beer at 9am was the JAM!

Re, re, RECAP TIME!

1. Crock pot meals {once a week, no repeats}- COMPLETE! We did a crock-pot meal once a week every week but I'm pretty sure we did chili twice. It's just so good to not repeat!

2. Decorate Living Room- SEMI-COMPLETE! Jerek did a couple DIY projects that had to do with palletes, frames and our new family pictures. I still have pillows to buy/sew, find a coffee table I love and add a few small pieces. But it's getting there! I won't be showing it till it's finished, so keep your eyeballs open in the next month or two...

3. Finish bedroom-FAIL. Room was not touched. We were lucky if we changed our sheets and picked up the clothes off the floor.

4. Turn the TV off at dinner- COMPLETE! Although this is a goal that will continue on because it's not one I'm "done" with. Tracen defiantly has been putting up a fight about this but when we say it's dinner time now and the TV goes off he just asks if we can "pause" his show so he doesn't miss a THING!

1. Gym Schedule- I've finally re-joined my gym and I need to plan a schedule out. Like I've said before, I'm effing busy but that is no excuse! I'm tired of making excuses to myself as to why I'm too busy to get an hour of cardio/weights in. But like the rest of my life, when I schedule and plan things out everyone involved is less stressed and I cry far less often {bonus for all.} While our gym has a child care I don't feel like paying extra and Tracen doesn't need to be in another "daycare" setting, esp with the cold/flu/green snot/hand foot mouth season that seems to be creepin up on us. G-ROSS.

2. Plan Tracen's 4th birthday- Tracen's birthday is Dec 21st and I have a baby shower on Dec 6 & 7 and then am hosting at least one Chirstmas at our new house. December is going to be uber busy and I want it planned out before it's the 20th and I'm up till 5am having a panic attack because nothing is done!!!

3. Plan "vlog/blogcember"- wondering what I'm talking about? Well I decided I'm going to vlog/blog EVERY day in December. I know a lot of Youtubers vlog every day and while I don't think I can commit to that I can do a mix of videos and posts everyday. BUT, again so I'm not even more stressed I want to plan out different posts/videos and when they will be scheduled for. I'm really excited about this and I hope you are too!

4. Book a wedding venue- I would really like to figure this part out before Nov 11th as I will be in Mexico for 4 days on a business trip for work. I've already set up 4 "viewings" is that what you even call them? We will be visiting 4 venues next week and if we don't like any of these we pretty much have a back up plan figured out.

5. Get engagement pictures done- yes, I know, 5 goals is real ballsy but my balls are growing so fast that I felt it necessary to do. {Sorry for that image} I need to remind myself to do these since I'm making the save the dates and invites {possibly.} If you saw our family photos you will get to see the engagement ones because I wouldn't want anyone but Mrs. Jenny Fox from Monroe Fox Photography doing them!

Last year on our 10 year anniversary we got tattoos' together, can't wait to see what we do this year!