Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Wednesday Wishes & Weekly Photo Challenge

I'm slacking!  Okay, not really.  I've just been really busy is all.  No, really, I have!!! 

Last Thursday night was the NEA Christmas party, which was L-A-M-E.  Maybe the new manager will make it fun next year!  :)  Friday I woke up at 8:00 am with the stomach flu ( I swear it was not the bottle flu)!  It was AWFUL!  Okay, well duh Brooke.  When is the flu ever amazing?  Anyway, I was super sick - both ends sick - until around 3:30 when one of my co-workers brought me some Ginger Ale.  Here's a tip for all of you:  Next time you have the puking flu pour a glass of Ginger Ale and nuke it in the microwave for 45 seconds.  Then stir the bubbles out of it and SIP it.  Don't chug it or take normal gulps...sip it.  It is my life saver when I have an upset tummy.

Saturday I should've stayed home, but I was feeling better.  I was weak and sore from being in bed so much, but I felt fine.  I seriously thought about staying home and I even got on the Internet to Google how long the flu is contagious, but in the end I was too restless so I went to the High School to watch my friend's kid wrestle.  Well, my friends are now sick.  Oops!  I must defend myself though.  When I got there she told me she wasn't worried about getting sick cause she figured she'd get it anyway cause all the wrestlers have been sick.  Okay.  Whew!  Then she told me a kid came up to her at the tournament the day before (yeah, it was a 2 day tourney...LONG) and asked her where the nurse was cause his belly hurt and the smell of the food was making him sick and he didn't know what was wrong.  She had to tell him he had the flu.  Apparently this kid has never been sick before.  Haha!  Sooooooo, maybe that kid or one of the other hundreds of kids passed it on to my friends instead!  Yes, that sounds good to me!  :)

Sunday I worked on Christmas gifts.  I'm doing some homemade things.  After working on stuff for a while I became extremely exhausted, so I sat on the couch and worked on some stuff for a class I had to take at work.  Next thing I know it's bed time.

Monday night was clogging/tap dancing and more working on gifts.  Last night I had a wrestling meeting and I worked, yet again, on gifts.

So, see?  I have been very busy!  This is what the whole next 2 weeks is going to look like!  Tonight a friend is coming to visit and I am going to try to work on gifts.  Tomorrow night is wrestling registration, which will take an hour or so and then I will work on gifts.  I don't think I have anything going on this weekend, except working on gifts.  Next week I start my Christmas vacation on Wednesday, which is also the day of Pacen's school musical.  Thursday is his class Christmas party and sledding and Friday my family and I head to Missouri until the 30th!  Good grief!  I seriously do not like December!  It is way too hectic and just creates a an overwhelmed, stressed-to-the-max Brooke.  I hope I survive!  :)

You know, it's times like these that a tiny little bitty party of me wishes I was married so I had help accomplishing everything.  I imagine things would be simpler if there were two of us to help with Pacen's stuff, two of us to clean the house, two of us to cook, etc.  Maybe not.  Who knows?

So, anyway.  Enough about how busy I feel I am.  Let's get on with this week's Wednesday Wishes...and I'm going to try to sneak in a picture for last week's Photo Challenge theme at A Step in the Journey, which was "from a distance".

Wednesday Wishes!

                                                   Source: marthastewart.com via Brooke on Pinterest

I love this newspaper tree!  First of all it is an awesome way to recycle the paper, and secondly it is just awesome!  I want to fill my mantle with all sizes of these, alas I do not have the time to make a bunch of newspaper trees (this year).  Also, I don't read the newspaper, so I guess when I do find the time to make them I'll have to steal the old papers from work!  :)

                                                Source: coolcraftsites.com via Brooke on Pinterest

This box is made from an old Christmas card!  Another awesome way to recycle!  These would be perfect for little gifts such as jewelry, chap stick, a car key, or even gift cards!  Ooooooo, I'm hoping to make my mom and sisters some wrap bracelets for Christmas and now I totally know how I will package them!  Can't wait to try it!

                                        Source: delightsbydaisy.blogspot.com via Brooke on Pinterest

These little guys are called Christmas Meltaways.  Apparently they are suppose to melt right in your mouth.  They are also suppose to be to die for!  I plan on finding out this weekend!  :)

                                             Source: camillaathome.blogspot.com via Brooke on Pinterest

I'm head-over-heels in love with this mantle!  It's so romantic and awesome!  I wish I could find candles like those in all sizes (that don't cost an arm and a leg).  I'm also totally diggin' the two decorated trees!  With my mantle I'd have to put the trees on the ground due to the stuff hanging on the wall.

                                                         Source: littlebitfunky.com via Brooke on Pinterest

These are the ornaments that Pacen and I are making for my parents and sisters.  I bought some big green and red ball ornaments at Wal-Mart and plan on using them.  I hope they turn out just as cute.

Weekly Photo Challenge!

Okay, so to be honest I didn't get time to take a "from a distance" picture this past week.  Read the first few paragraphs and you will understand why.  :)  So, here is the only picture I took the past week.  I think it's pretty funny and instead of it being "from a distance" it is of my sisters trying to distance themselves from my flu germs.  They insisted on driving the 32 miles from Harrison to Lusk to nurse me somewhat back to health after Raine got off work on Friday.  They stayed long enough to make sure I drank some nasty TheraFlu in 10 minutes or less and some chicken soup.  Haha!


Here's an actual "from a distance" picture that I took this August when I was in Colorado.  If you look real close there is an awesome little lake at the base of the mountains in the background.  I want to hike there.  I want to hike there and do something crazy, like jump in the freezing cold mountain lake!  Not in the winter, mind you, but in the middle of the summer.  :)  Okay, it just hit me that it probably wouldn't really be much warmer in the summer, cause this picture was taken in August and look at all the snow!  Haha!


Well, sorry for such a long post and sorry that I killed two birds with one stone today and sorry for complaining about how busy I am and how I don't like it.  I know I'm not the only one running around like a chicken with my head cut off this month.  Let's all take a nice deep relaxing breath, look at the beautiful lights on the Christmas tree, ignore the mess of wrapping paper and/or not finished gifts, and have a shot of tequila!  Cheers everyone!!!

Oh, and don't forget to head over to A Step in the Journey to check out last week's pictures!  As always, everyone did a great job!



If you can't read this week's quote (due to over-fancy font) it says:  "Christmas waves a magic wand over this world and behold everything is softer and more beautiful."



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Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Wednesday Wishes!

What a Wednesday.  If I didn't know any better I would think it was Monday.  Ugh.  Well, it is now December so I guess it's time to start posting my Christmas/Holiday wishes/likes/loves/etc. that I have pinned on Pinterest.  I have an obsession and my friends and family might have to have an intervention.  Haha!  Actually, Pinterest did help me a lot on deciding what to get my sisters for Christmas.  I shouldn't say "get" cause I'm actually making their gifts.  :)  I hope they turn out awesome!

Here are some of my Christmas pins.  Maybe you'll get some grand ideas too!

                                                       Source: elsiemarley.com via Brooke on Pinterest

How adorable and funny is this ornament?!  I make an ornament for my sisters and parents every year.  I didn't find this little guy until I'd already bought the supplies to make another ornament!  :(  I'm not going shopping again for a while so he might have to wait until next year!  I don't know if I can wait that long!

                                                             Source: obxtradingroup.com via Brooke on Pinterest

I love this stocking!  If I have time this month I am going to make one...for ME!  :)  Pacen has a stocking, but I don't.  Okay, I have one at my parent's, but I want one at my house and this would be perfect!  Am I being selfish?  It's not like I'm going to stuff it with lots of gifts for myself. :)


                                                Source: goodhousekeeping.com via Brooke on Pinterest

I love these wreaths!  They are so pretty!  I really want to make one, but I just haven't had the time.  When I do get time, which will probably be next year I want to add some star ornaments like the one above has!

                                              Source: make-it-do.com via Brooke on Pinterest

Christmas Potpourri!!  My mom makes some stuff similar to this and I love the way it smells!  I will definitely have to whip up a batch!

                                         Source: bigredkitchen.com via Brooke on Pinterest

I am definitely going to make some of these to put in Pacen's stocking!  I can't wait to see the look on his face!!  It's so cool how they look just like lump coal!

Quote of the week:




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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Weekly Photo Challenge: Childhood Memory

Once again I am behind.  Imagine that.  :)  As usual I have been super busy, with Pacen activities, Rawhide Wrestling things, holiday stuff, etc.  When will things slow down?  Probably when I'm 6 feet under, which I'm in no hurry to be, so bring on the hectic-ness.  (As I'm sure I've mentioned before, I like to make up my own words.  Deal with it.)  :)

Okay, so on with the show.  The theme for last week's photo challenge at A Step in the Journey was "a childhood memory".  It just so happens that when I was at my parent's over Thanksgiving break I was standing by the back door and I noticed something in the backyard.  Of course, this was before I remembered that we would be doing a childhood memory themed challenge in the coming weeks, and I am so glad that something told me to grab my camera and take a shot.  This picture definitely fits the "childhood memory" theme.

It's mine and my sister's old yellow wagon!  So many memories with this thing!  My Grandpa used to pull us around in it and when we got older we pulled each other and random toys around.  Obviously it is now used to pull around Pacen's trucks.  Haha!  I'm so glad it's still being used though.  It sure is a tough wagon!  :)

 I like this black and white version too.  There is just something serene about this picture.

Well, what are you waiting for.  Head on over to last week's photo challenge and show people some love!  :)



"What we remember from childhood we remember forever - permanent ghosts, stamped, inked, imprinted, eternally seen."  ~Cynthia Ozick
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