The Suits Sisters

I'm linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy (JUST KIDDING. After almost 10 (!) years of blogging, I still don't know how to link up with other blogs) with what worked and what didn't work in 2016.  What Didn't Work:: 1. Wasted Evenings Turns out I can't have a spotless kitchen, read a bunch of books and watch 3 hours of TV every night. 2. Dying My Own Hair I'm embarrassed to admit that I tried and I should have listened to the many people online that screamed at me through my computer screen to not touch my hair with dye. After a few visits to my lady in SC, Annie, and mucho dinero, we're somewhere back to normal.  Lesson learned.  3. Preschool Fun I had grand plans to do fun learning with Caris this year (A letter every week! Apple pie to celebrate the letter A!) and I never quite followed through with it. There's still time though... 4. Small Group  Without divulging too many secrets, we started a "Hey! There's a chee

Naps and Disney movies on VHS for all!  Give me all the festive little girl clothes Also, Christmas jammies Putting his engineering degree to good use. Also: tye dye turtleneck   Christmas Story via the Jesus Story Book Bible  Pops & Finn Christmas Morn'  Cousins by the dozens (Papa and Yaya are at 13 grandkids with #14 coming in July- not us)  Keeping warm by Papa and Yaya's fire   Every year I get a lump in my throat when I put their stockings on their bed  Per usual, we made one stop- this time to rid Caris' hair of the squirrel that found a cozy home  ..while Liza drank coffee creamer  Kent and my dad watched a Youtube tutorial on squeezing dog's anal glands (Merry Christmas)  We went to Lights at the Zoo courtesy of Pops and Gigi's annual pass   Small bubbles  SNOW!!  Cousins in Christmas jammies. Heart eyes.  These two had fun together  We introduced our kids to egg nog. Changing lives one sippy c

Making:  Christmas cards this year  Cooking:  I took my kids to McDonalds today. Fist pump  Drinking: I drank a large peppermint mocha while my kids played at McDonalds  Reading:  I just finished  "Don't Lick the Minivan: And Other Things I Never Thought I'd Say to My Kids" Wanting:  My dog to get better so we can travel (we're behind schedule!)  Looking:  For a stocking stuffer that I bought for the girls months ago. I'm my mother.  Eating:  I ate animal crackers dipped in icing today. TIS THE SEASON YOU GUYS. Wishing:  My daughter would grasp the concept that Christmas doesn't automatically equal snow  Enjoying:   An empty house. Kent took the family on a walk.  Thinking: About strategic packing. 2 adults, 2 kids and a dog in a Camry, it's about to get real.  Celebrating: C H R I S T M A S Loving: I love to see daughter #1 help daughter #2 unprompted "Here, I'll help you". I die.  Hoping:  My daughter isn't disappointed

I know you're on the edge of your seat waiting. Here's an update from last week. I found our water bill + check (that I dated 11/16/16) in a pile of paper on my bedroom dresser. I feel 1% vindicated and 99% like Uncle Billy from It's A Wonderful Life. We have no closure on the Fedex Fiasco, but our home and cars have remained in tact (alternate sentence: our neighbor is mad, but sane). My sister  A faithful blog reader noted that I can hook my water bill up to an automatic payment through my bank account. We are aware, but our company charges a couple of dollars for *each* withdrawal (Poo on you, Florida) but yes, it's probably cheaper than having to reconnect your water.   The only hiccup this week, so far, happened today when Kent found five and half pounds of boneless chicken breast in my trunk from my shopping trip about 24 hours earlier. WINNING. Let's add that to the list.. Reasons Why We'll be Living in a Shanty Town When We are Old 1. Disney

From Today 12/7/16 High#1 Kent and I survived our second exercise class this week. You know the stance "slightly bent over, hands on the knees, face towards the ground, because this is simply kicking my butt"? Yah, I did that a handful of times. There's a high possibility that we're going to need medical assistance to get out of bed tomorrow morning. High#2 We snagged a picture of both girls looking at the camera. If you want a Christmas card, send me a stamp. har har har  deep breath  Low#1 Since we're honest here and judgement-free, we  had our water turned off today.   Laugh along side me, please. At first I thought, "Something's wrong with our fridge!" and then "Lemme google water problems+our zip code" until it finally hit me. After I realized my failing   transgression   boo boo   oopsie daisy  mistake, I taught my daughter how to give thanks in all circumstances  stress eat. We put away a bag of potato chips , two oreos a

We bought a tree! We began to sweat in the Home Depot jumbo tent and had to remind ourselves that yes, it is Christmas time.   Right off the bat we broke an ornament again this year. It's a new tradition!  Liza had her first hair cut. She lost her baby mullet ( but on her good hair days, she still had her beautiful baby curls) Moment of silence, please.    The after shot. We're looking to order her cap and gown tomorrow.  Somebody hold me.    I tried to take a picture to put in our Christmas card and it ended like this. Hence, the stack of cards on my dresser.  Other honorable mentions...  -Two of Kent's brothers came down for the weekend (for the Clemson game in Orlando). We ate donuts and pizza and had ourselves a real good time  -Kent and I spent today hobbling around after our first Body Combat class -Our neighbor gave us a huge (five feet tall, maybe?) doll house. It's hiding in the garage and Caris doesn't know yet -The forty coo

Disclaimer : This is coming from someone who went to Target at 8PM on Thanksgiving night to purchase seven copies of *Suits Christmas Spoiler Alert! Finding Dory at the request of my mother in law. The same person that just an hour ago purchased new sneakers on a random Thursday night. To say this list is written by a hypocrite is putting it lightly. Onward ho. 5 ways to have the December of your dreams 1. Avoid the unavoidable  Ugh, you guys, commercialization! Avoid being bombarded by all things money by having a  budget/price cap, a gift list and shopping online (We don't even have Amazon prime and I'm singing its praises)  If you must shop in stores, do so right when they unlock the doors or right before they lock them at night. If you find yourself grabbing your keys on a Saturday afternoon at 1PM, immediately put your wallet and keys in a large vat of water and carefully place it in the freezer. Then sit your buttocks down on the sofa and have peace in your tiny co