Great deals on Zulily

I'm a big fan of great deals and I'm sure you are as well. One of my favorite sites is Zulily. There are plenty of people that have already heard about this great site, but if you haven't I encourage you to check it out. They aren't paying me to write about them, I just really love their deals.

I have ordered numerous items off of their site for the kids, and even for Adam & I. If you sign up for their emails, each morning you will receive the featured items that are on sale that day. If you find something you like, be sure to add it to your basket quickly because they sell out fast.

Today they have great deals on their game day gear for kids, toddlers, and babies. They even have some items for moms and dads. Have fun shopping!

Hobby Lobby = Happy Girl

We found the fabric for Taylor's room today. My mom and I headed to one of my favorite places to shop, Hobby Lobby! Unfortunately, we don't have a Hobby Lobby in Bakersfield and while they have a website, you can't shop online. (I just don't understand why they don't have a Hobby Lobby in every city. It is way better then Michael's.) Oh my goodness, the lines were long today. Eight lanes were open at the checkout and each lane had about 5 people waiting to purchase their goodies.

I don't know how my mom didn't know that Hobby Lobby sold fabric, but for some reason she was shocked when I mentioned stopping in to see what they had in stock. I was very impressed with their selection. We hit the jackpot within in the first few minutes of walking in the store. I found the black and white swirl print I was looking for and just the right kind of hot pink to accent the room. We ended up buying the entire roll of each fabric, because I didn't want to run out and I don't mind having a couple of extra yards lying around in case I decide to do another project.

I plan on going back, because this week they are having a huge sale and almost all of their decor items are 50% off (which is basically the entire store). I have to remind myself that I have to fly back with everything and my suitcase isn't suitable to hold all of the items I want. I seriously could go nuts in the store, I love it.

A Year of Thanksgiving

I debated on posting, but I then realized that I hadn't posted about Thanksgiving and tomorrow is the first day of December. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. We were blessed to spend the day with a whole lot of family.

My great-grandmother, Granny, came in town for the holiday and all of our extended family on my dad's side went to my cousin LeeAnn's for the day. Probably 40 people filled the house for lunch and more arrived afterwards to visit. In the evening, we went over to my in-laws where we feasted yet again on another delicious turkey dinner. Mason enjoyed all the yummy good food and loves pumpkin pie like his mom. The evening ended with none other than the A&M vs. UT football game. Unfortunately, the Aggies lost, but we still had a good time.

Friday morning, my mom, my cousin Taylor, and I left at 5:30am to begin Black Friday. This family outing, really a tradition, has been going on since I was 10 years old. (Just writing that makes me feel old, because that means we have been doing this for the past 18 years.) We have started earlier in the past, but didn't feel the need to leave any earlier this year. I'm so glad we didn't, because even though we all bought a few things, it was a disappointing shopping day. The sales weren't as good, and has anyone else noticed all of the summer clothes from last season? Yes, they are still in the stores and I feel like the winter sales are minimal because most of the stores haven't sold all of their summer clothes yet. Overall, Black Friday just didn't bid well this year.

The rest of the morning was spent napping, followed by another visit to my Gram's house. My aunt and uncle were in from Frisco and I wanted to make sure we had some time to visit with them, since I only see them around the holidays. Mason was a ball of energy, playing with everyone. It was no wonder that he hit a wall early that evening and we took him home to bed.

That evening, Adam & I made a stop at Freebirds before going over to my friend David's house for another visit. The last time I saw David, was the day after Thanksgiving last year and because his schedule is usually so busy and I normally am only home for a week, this was the first we could get together since we moved to California. I finally had the chance to meet his girlfriend, Maggie, who is delightful and was able to catch up and watch some more college football with the guys.

Saturday we took it easy and my mom finished decorating the house for Christmas. Mason absolutely adores anything having to do with Christmas and gets so excited anytime he sees the Christmas tree. It is the best seeing Christmas through your child's eyes. In the evening, Adam & I went on a date, while mom and dad watched Mason. Actually, Mason was sleeping, so their job was easy. For dinner, we went to Hasta La Pasta. It is one of my favorite Italian restaurants and I have yet to taste a better Chicken Rappalla. Afterwards, we debated going to the Galleria, but since we got a late start on dinner and with the drive, we opted to go to a movie instead. We haven't been to the movies together since before Mason was born, so it has been a very long time. We saw Four Christmas' with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon. It was cute and funny and I would recommend it.

Adam left this morning to fly back to LA. I was dreading the drive, mostly because I knew Mason would be so upset to say goodbye to his Daddy. He still doesn't understand and it will be another 3 weeks before we see him again. Fortunately, Mason fell asleep on the way, so Adam kissed his head and said his goodbyes. I felt bad, because I know he probably wanted to hold him one more time, but neither of us wanted to wake him. As Adam was walking away, Mason woke up and noticed his Daddy wasn't in the car and started to cry. Luckily, Adam was only a few steps away and I got his attention so that he could say goodbye and try to calm him down. It didn't stop the tears, and it was a long ride home. This is the longest Adam & I have ever been a part. We had such a nice 10 day visit and it went by too quickly.

Overall, we have a lot to be thankful for this year:
* Our supportive families
* New/Old friends
* Adam's job which allows for me to stay home with Mason
* A house where Mason has plenty of room to play
* Our health
* This pregnancy, which will bring Mason a sister in March
* All of the traveling we were able to do this past year, so that we could visit our family
* Growth in our lives and spiritually
* An adorable son, who teaches me more about life everyday

Shopping

I love to shop, but the ironic thing is that I mostly end up shopping for everyone but me. Most of my purchases involve Mason, the house or Adam. I tend to talk myself out of purchases ALL THE TIME! It's good in a lot of instances, but in most cases, it can drive anyone that I am shopping with nuts.

I have been waiting to do some maternity shopping until I arrived in Houston. Bakersfield has a lot of stores, but I tend to find more things in Houston. Hours after arriving in Houston, my mom & I were on a search for a Peacoat. I have been needing a winter coat and I had an idea in my mind of exactly what I had been looking for. We drove from store to store Saturday evening and that Sunday afternoon, but I'm too picky and didn't see anything that caught my eye. We decided to give it another try last Wednesday and we hit the jackpot. I found the exact coat I had been wanting and it was on sale. I didn't buy a maternity coat, just because I don't plan on being pregnant forever.

This last weekend was crazy busy, with Adam's arrival and my mom's 50th birthday celebration. I had no time to shop, but knew that this would be the perfect week to do a little shopping. Tonight, I hit the jackpot. In less than an hour, I found 4 blouses, 4 sweaters, and a pair of pants. I also tried on all but 4 items. The only thing left to find, are some brown and black boots and a couple of pair of shoes. All of my maternity clothes from my pregnancy with Mason are summer tanks, or work suits and blouses. So this was a big time need, especially now that my bump is starting to get a little bigger. (Belly pictures to come soon. We are taking family portraits tomorrow, so if I get proofs, I will be sure to post them.)

There is this store in Katy called Charming Charlies. It is a favorite of mine, because it is like a boutique with all sorts of accessories, clothes, shoes, and jewelry. I seriously could spend an hour in the store, there is so much to look at. I tell Adam all the time, that I wish I could bring the store back with me to Bakersfield. Today, I walked in and I was in handbag heaven. Again, I talked myself out of some purchases, but I have several ideas for Christmas gifts now.

My week of shopping will continue on Friday, bright and early. My mom and I have been shopping on Black Friday since I was in elementary. It's a tradition to wake up around 4 am, head to Starbucks and begin our morning of shopping. I waited to do all of our Christmas shopping until we arrived in Houston, because I didn't want to worry about shipping everything. Hopefully, I will find everything that I am looking for and be home in time to take a morning nap.