Friday, November 23, 2012

It's a Thanksgiving Miracle!

So happy with how this turned out!
I made a turkey. Like, by myself! Well, actually, that's not entirely true. Evan carved it and helped me move it all around and stuff, but I did the prep, basting and timing of it and, in my opinion, that's the real work. Ok...except the carving. That's definitely real work! 

Proof that he is awesome!
Anyway, for two days before Thanksgiving, I worked my butt off getting everything ready! I made my mom's famous sweet potatoes and my nana's cranberries and homemade whipped cream! Evan was a huge help, getting the bathrooms cleaned and bathing Cali. No one wants a stinky puppy around the amazing feast that is Thanksgiving at the Wing House. 

Fresh, never canned!
I went out to Hobby Lobby and Michaels to make this awesome centerpiece!

Pretty and good-smelling! Scented pinecones from Michaels are always a win!
The night before Thanksgiving, Allie gave us her grandmother's hand cross-stitched tablecloth for us to use. We ironed it, and set up our table! I will seriously find any excuse to use our fancy silver that we got for our wedding! 

I'm not gonna lie, I love the way it looked all set up!
We woke up and I definitely had a sweet tooth...so I made some yummy crescent roll cinnamon rolls! 

Yum...
Cali was really excited to have the windows open and was definitely on "smell patrol," making sure that no smell passed our window without her approval first. 

Haven't smelled this, haven't smelled that...
After what seemed like the longest 2 days ever, it was finally time to eat! Evan's family (well, the part that lives in Atlanta) came over with the most amazing spread of food! We had turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, "upscale" green beans, stuffing, mac and cheese (which was delicious...and not poisoned...Evan's twin brother made it, so I had to be somewhat skeptical!), rolls and taco salad! For dessert, Allie made this amazing cheesecake pumpkin pie! I wish I had a picture of everything. You'd be jealous. Instead, here's a picture of Evan and Cali...they are enough reason for you to be jealous. They're awesome!

They are so cute!
My favorite part of our Thanksgiving was the new tradition that we started. I have a friend whose mom always has everyone write what they're thankful for, the year and their name on their Thanksgiving tablecloth. I love this idea, but since I thought Allie's tablecloth was a little too special to destroy, I put my own twist on it! I bought cheap napkins from Target and gave everyone a sharpie and let them at it! I did lay down a set of guidelines: nothing sarcastic, nothing dirty, nothing "Cam" (sorry--had to say it). I should have specified no drawings, but we had to let Allie use her art major for something! I'm not going to read them until next year, but I'm really excited to see what they look like in 10 years! Tune in (if blogs are still cool then...if they are even still cool now...even if they're not, I'll probably still be using it) to see how they turn out!

See those napkin rings? One of my awesome residents gave us those for our wedding! 
As for me, I am thankful for my wonderful husband and whatever lies in our future! 

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone! 

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Update -- Military Care Packages

Hey all,

I know I just posted, like, a minute ago, but I wanted to update you all on how you can help support our Military Care Package project! 


Look to the right side of the page here and you'll see a little PayPal widget. All you have to do is contribute through there! I've set our goal at $200 because I'm still not sure how much it will all cost. 

Anyone care to guess how much this will all cost?

I plan on going to the post office this Tuesday when I'm off work to get a quote. Again, any little bit will help! 

Anything above and beyond the actual shipping costs will either go towards future care packages for his company or to a Military-based charity! 


I really appreciate all of your help and support! Thanks for taking the time to do something to help our men and women overseas! 

To read the original blog post, click here!

- Shelly

A Letter to my Cat...

Mercedes. My sweet kitten.

If you've known me long enough, you've known that my cat has been a huge part of my life. She's been around longer than either of my nephews, my niece, or my husband. She's been on a TV show (look for her in the beginning and end!). She's moved with me from my college days in Athens to my first job in Duluth to my first apartment in Atlanta proper to a brief stint living with my best friends to the apartment where I lived when I first started dating, got engaged to and then married to my now husband and, finally, to the apartment where my husband and I made our first home. If you lost count, that's 6 homes in a little over 7 years. 

To say that this cat has been there for me through everything is, at best, an understatement. Hell, she was the costar of my very first blog

I'm not going to lie and say that Mercedes has been an easy cat; there's a reason her nickname is Mersatan. I don't think she has bad intentions, though. I just think she's misunderstood. 

That said, Evan and I have made a difficult decision (difficult for me, at least...he's been on the receiving end of some of Merce's worst temper tantrums). We have found a new home for Mercedes. 

I have known for a while that Mercedes hasn't been happy living indoors. She is pretty wild at heart and needs to be able to chase bugs and rodents and explore the outdoors. My coworker, Erika, has been amazing and supportive and has found the perfect situation for us all. Tomorrow, Mercedes will take up her new residence as a semi-outdoor cat. She will have a warm place to sleep -- in a wood-working shop, no less -- and 200 acres of farm land to explore as she pleases. 

This is not an easy choice for me. From the moment that I saw her on Craigslist and made the decision to save her life (she was going to be put down soon if they couldn't find a home. This is why we all need to support our local animal shelters...seriously, people. ADOPT), I have been in love with this little girl. 

I know we're making the right decision though. She'll be happier. She'll have more room to play and explore. She'll be a useful and loyal companion to her new owners. 

With much more back story than I intended on giving, I bring you my letter to my cat:

Mercedes,

I want you to know how much I love you. I always have. I always will. From the time I first adopted you, you captured my heart. I remember driving home with you in my lap. You were so tiny. And scared. As soon as I started to sing along to the radio, which I often do when I'm alone, you put your hands on my chest and stood up in my lap, purring and staring into my eyes. That sealed the deal for me. You always enjoyed it when I pretended to audition for American Idol in the bathroom. Thank you. 

This is the first picture I have of Merce...chasing rubber bands is still her favorite! 
Even though you were sometimes a terror, I knew that, if I ever really needed to feel better, you would do the trick. After every break-up, heartbreak or really awful day, you knew to come snuggle up next to me and purr until I fell asleep. 
She seriously knows when I'm feeling bad. :(


You are at your best when I am sick or sad. 

I could not pose her like this. 

Sure, you liked to attack my feet in the middle of the night. Sometimes you would wake me up destroying the plastic bag I left out. 
She was stuck in this bag for about an hour. 

Sometimes you would go just a little bit crazy an run all over the apartment, chasing whatever it was you thought you saw. You always snuggled yourself in the middle of or on top of my warm clean laundry. 

Warm laundry is the best! Plus you take my fur with you when you go to work! 

Boxes are your favorite. 

E says she's thinking: "If I fits, I sits." 
Not a day went by that you didn't try to drink the leftover milk from my cereal bowl or the water right out of my cup.

Can't make this up. Every day. 
But I didn't mind. 

You were my litmus test for men. You knew before I did when someone wasn't right for me. And you showed me. You attacked his leg as he went to the bathroom. You pounced on his crotch while we watched a movie. You clawed his thumb when he was just trying to pet you. But Evan was different. I told him not to pet you; that you were just not a cuddly cat with men. He sat down on the couch and you proved me wrong. Imagine my surprise when I came out of the kitchen to see you purring happily on his lap while he loved on you. You were right about him, too. He is a good one. 

She never did this with anyone but Evan...and his twin brother.
But I'm pretty sure she thought he was E. 

I know it hasn't been easy for you. We moved a lot. You had a taste of the wild and then I brought you back inside. Sometimes I was too busy to play with you. I wasn't the best about cleaning your litter. I dressed you up as a devil for Halloween and Santa for Christmas.

She was not amused.

 I brought an energetic, obnoxious, slobbery beast into your otherwise peaceful life. 

Mersatan observes the new invader of her fortress...

I'm making up for that all now. Your new home will be fun and exciting! You'll have room to run and play. You'll never be trapped inside again. You'll have the freedom to choose where you go! You'll have the great wide-open as your playground! 

Be nice to your new owners. Be courageous and fierce! Don't ever think that I don't love you. I'm doing this because I do. I know it's scary at first, but you'll see soon that this is much better. You can, once again, be the tiny lion I know you are. 

Saying goodbye is bittersweet. It is breaking my heart, but I know it's for the best. You will always be with me in my heart. You have a special place there. You were my first real baby. 


I know you'll be fine. I hope I will, too. Goodbye, sweet kitten. I love you very much. 

The loves of my life.
The one time they were all peaceful and harmonious together.

Love always, 
Mommy

Monday, November 12, 2012

Veteran's Day Done Right...

Veteran's Day means something different to everyone. I've met so many people over the years who have a personal connection to the different branches of our armed services. A couple of months ago, our good friend, Ryan, got deployed. 

This is one of MAYBE 3 pictures that Ryan isn't making a face...
So this is what we're putting up! :) 

We miss Ryan's sarcastic sense of humor, his hatred of my cat and his "drop anything for a friend" attitude. To show him this, our group of friends banded together to send Ryan a care package. 

We got a list of things Ryan and his company might want or need: 
  • Toilet Paper (the nice stuff)
  • Games
  • Disposable Razors
  • Baby Wipes
  • Facial Wipes
  • Soap
  • Shampoo 
  • Face Wash
  • Reading Materials 
  • Trail Mix
  • Snacks
  • Football
Make sure that, if you're making a military care package, you don't include any alcohol, anything flammable or any potentially offensive material!

I thought we'd have enough stuff for one neat little package...

I was wrong!
Overwhelmed by everyone's donations!

Nice toilet paper...a MUST!

In case the Army forgets to feed him...

In case he needs to take a "baby wipe" shower...

Get clean, Ryan! Erin might hug you even if you're stinky,
but the rest of us want you so fresh and so clean, clean! 

For once, though, I am so happy I was! We had so much stuff to send to Ryan that we ended up filling up 7 boxes to send to Ryan and his company! 

If anyone knows the best way to package and ship Monopoly,
please let me know! 

I have to say a special thank you to everyone who helped out:

Melissa, Joe, Sam, Michael, Jenny, Victoria, Andy, Evan, Ms Judy and Ms Lynn (two of my residents) and Mr. and Mrs. Camac! 

Thank you all so much for dropping off goods, supplies and boxes and helping us pack everything up! We'll be sending things out soon, and we're not so sure how much shipping will be, so we'd love any donations to the "We Care about Ryan" Postage Fund!
Ask me how to help us ship these packages to Ryan! :) 

I'd also like to say a huge Thank You to Ryan's amazing girlfriend, Erin, who has been keeping us updated on Ryan's well being! Erin, we are so glad Ryan has found someone like you to love him and look after him, even when he isn't here! I honestly can't imagine how hard it is for you and the rest of Ryan's family during this time! Our thoughts and prayers are with you all! 

Erin and Ryan (at our wedding, actually...they're so cute together!)
Happy Veteran's Day to all of our Service Men and Women, past and present! 

And, to make everyone who knows/loves Ryan as much as we do, here's an awesome picture I made one day at work night at home:

That's Ryan as "Grumpy" Bear. So true...

Sunday, November 11, 2012

It's House Party Time!

I love parties! I love it when my friends come over to my parties...but this time was even more awesome than the others...


There's this awesome little site I love. It's called House Party

Why do I love it? Well, it allows me to host awesome parties so that my friends and I can try cool products or services!

This was the second House Party I've thrown. I was particularly excited about this one because it was sponsored by Shutterfly! As many of you know, E and I just got married (well, 7 months ago, I mean, I've still got some times to send those Thank You notes, right?) and we've got a TON of awesome pictures (thanks to my fantastic brother/photographer) that I've been wanting to put into a photo book! 


Evan looking at our photo book. :) It's awesome!

Well, with this House Party, I was able to make my photo book (which I haven't actually gotten yet--but only because of myself. I have to pay the shipping and handling and I am waiting for payday...don't act like you've never done it)! Not only did I get to make a photo book, but I was able to give my 15 closest friends a free photo book of their own! 

But that's not all folks...not even a little bit! Everyone who attended got a voucher for a free photo book, 10 free holiday cards and 101 free prints if they sent a promo code to 5 of their friends! That's right, my guests got MORE free stuff for sending their friends free stuff!!! I mean, really...that's just too much awesomeness!

Holiday Cards...

and photo books...

and balloons...OH MY!
So, anyway, I had all my guests load their photos up on their accounts and when they got to my place, I helped some of them organize their books! We played some "get to know you" games (2 truths and a lie...best game ever!) and a game where made up a title for the book of their lives. Andy won this game with his book, "Stop Interrupting Me." He got an "emergency" card pack with a birthday card and a thank you card. He was very happy as he never remembers to buy cards until it's too late. His girlfriend memorized them in case he tries to give them to her sometime in the future...

I'm so grateful for everyone who came! :) It was a really fun party! And thanks to House Party and Shutterfly for letting us host! Can't wait til we get to host another one!!

I had work friends, girlfriends and hubby friends who joined the party!

These fancy pants used a tablet...

Andy and Victoria looking at their book! 
Wish I could say we were watching the video, but we weren't. It was the GA game...GO DAWGS!

Look, Andy is ACTUALLY reading the catalog! 

These cupcakes were a fail. I didn't have the patience or attention span to follow the directions.
It was my fault, but they were not at all what they were supposed to be. 

Phyllis made this apple bundt cake. I had it for breakfast, it was so good. 

Evan made this buffalo dip. It was awesome.