Goodbye 2010!

Hello everyone!

I can’t believe this year is already over, it feels like I just decorated for Christmas last week!

I’ve never been one to make resolutions or be excited about the New Year.. to me nothing changes just because the ball drops and we have to spend a month or two getting used to writing a new date.

This year though I am making some resolutions.. simple ones, but resolutions none-the-less.

I want to dwindle my to-be-read pile down on my book shelf. I have TONS of books left to read and want to have that cut down greatly by the time book sale season comes back around so that I wont feel so bad about buying tons of books again!

I want to cook more. I do like cooking and baking, but I don’t do it enough. I want to try out new recipes and start making GOOD food instead of occasional good food and lots of fast food.

Pay down our credit cards! We were doing so good up until we moved out of our apartment and our landlord screwed us all up and since then we haven’t payed anything off like we used to. So I’d like to work with the hubby and put more money towards those, and also work at saving more money too!

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I did some Goodwill and Target shopping the other day and came home with a few finds I’ll share with you!

Goodwill snowman only $.49

Picture frame – $.50.. It has a small scratch up at the top, but I can fix that, or hide it..

Basket for easter.. I loved it, the shape, colors and bow! so cute!

and LucyFurr checking it out.. probably contemplating whether her big butt would fit in it or not.

My new stocking! I saw it before Christmas but was NOT going to spend $10 for it. It’s so soooofffftttt and I love it. it was half off so I had to have it before it was sold out, I know if I returned later for it when it would be 75% then there wouldn’t be anymore and I’d be upset.

Cardinal clip ornament. I might keep him up all year in my one little birdhouse, I think he’s too cute!

I have no idea why I got this, I don’t need anymore pillows but it was $6 and super soft. It just suckered me in.

Goodwill ornaments. I can put them on my little teeny white tree next year.

Mug – $.25 I plan on putting this in a little bag and giving it to hubby for valentines day.

Easter light up house.. Couldn’t pass it up for less than a dollar! I love the colors of it!

little strand of lights for my little white tree. I didn’t agree with the price but they were there, and they worked, so I just grabbed them. Plus they are small enough to fit on the tree!

Present for the Hubs. He loves drinking from mason jars, and I found a smaller one a month or so ago and he loved it. I found this one which is like twice its size so I had to grab it!

I also got 5 books

The Red Tent – Anita Diamant

Tales of a Drama Queen – Lee Nichols

My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding – Multiple authors

Ice Queen – Alice Hoffman

Dewey: the library cat .. which ive been looking for FOREVER and finally got it. I am SO happy about that one!

I have been seeing Valentines stuff up in stores already, and a few blogs with Valentines posts and was just wondering… When does everyone take their christmas stuff down? I wasn’t planning on doing mine until next week since the Christmas season isnt over until the 6th or 7th (I cant remember now the exact date).

And after you have your christmas stuff down, what do you put up? I usually leave my silver stuff and snowmen that aren’t too christmas-y up.

When do you start decorating for Valentines day?

I will miss my christmas stuff, especially since it feels like I just put it up. But for once in my life I am actually ready to take it down. I am excited to start decorating for Valentines day too!

Hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year!!

My Christmas!

Hello Bloggers! Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend and that everyone got what they wanted and had safe travels if you went anywhere!

I have pictures to share with you of my weekend.. =)

I was playing with the color filter on my new camera, the mess after opening presents at hubbys grandma's house. I love it. (can you spy the pillow pet? =P )

Christmas Morning out the computer room window.

Lucy is stalking the presents, hoping that one of them is hers. Lucky cat got 30 cans of cat food. For free. YAY coupons!!!

How cute is this. I seriously cried when I opened it. I suggested that we get each other ornaments since I always get him one but never get any in return. Not really expecting anything or at least nothing this cute.
I cant stop looking at it. I don't want to pack it away with the christmas stuff whenever it comes down.

The ornament that I wanted to get for him was gone. Actually ALL of the ornaments from the store were gone, I was pretty upset.
I found this at Bon-Ton and it was on sale it WAS $10 I got it for $2, so not too bad!
and I thought it was pretty awesome that I picked this out, not even knowing he was going to get me any ornaments, and defiantly not knowing it was going to be gingerbread people, and I got him this gingerbread letter ornament. I thought that was neat.

So at the end of my christmas list, and for the last several months, ive been asking for another cat. And he knows that at some point in my life I want a big orange fluffy kitty.
He kept telling me that he got me a cat, it was stuffed in the ammo crate that he packed my presents into and he broke its legs and it was going to die by christmas morning. and he seriously kept going with the "the cat i got you is going to die" thing. I unpacked and unwraped everything in the crate and got to the last package on the bottom and pulled out this orange kitty stuffed animal. I cried again. I dont have any idea why i was such an emotional mess LOL but I was so amazed that he would think of that. I just thought it was cute, and funny.
Lucy approves of her new brother!

my new gloves. I had cheap pairs from walmart which are just fine but these are nice inside, nice and grippy on the outside and they have that smart touch feature that you can use your cell phone with. It's not EASY to use the phone with them but it beats having to take your gloves completely off to do stuff on your phone.

my electric tart warmer!!!
hubby walked into Yankee Candle and the first thing he said to the girl who was helping him was "my fiance wants a tart wamer, I have no idea what kind of crazy sex toy that is but can you help me find it" or something along those lines. It had sex toy in it either way and appearantly the girl was cracking up. I'm sure that totally made her day.
He told her I was going to have it in the kitchen and she helped him pick out this one and two tarts to go with it. I am proud of him for actually going into the store since he complains that I have too many candles, but he wasnt really buying me a candle, he was buying me something to use all the candles I have stashed in the closet already!!!! =P

My after christmas sales!


I ran to walmart today to pick up a few things for dinner and of course had to stop by the christmas section. I picked up a few ornaments that were half off (pictured below) I wanted that reindeer in gold or red, but they only had it in green, but whatever. I'll do something cute with him next year. and the little ornaments for my little tree.
I want to go back and buy some more different kinds of little ornaments for the tree, they had a lot of cute ones there I could use outside of christmas.

Christmas balls! I only got the green and gold today, they had TONS left, so I am going to go back and get some of the other colors. I want more green because I can use those for St. Pattys day.

I got this at Goodwill. $1.49. It's actually really big, a lot bigger than the picture makes it look. It's like a dept. 56 house only I think its a cheaper version, but I thought it was just too adorable. I snatched this up as fast as I could.
It didn't come with the light but I can find one of those somewhere, i'm sure.(hopefully)

This little tote was $2. I wasn't going to get it but I have SO many things that I can put in there. It's only 14x11 so its not huge, but it can go in my closet, or be scrapbook storage .. the possibilities are endless!

4 cups, $.25 each.
Basket $.50 It's actually fairly deep .. Idont know what to put in it yet, as with every other basket I have, but it's really cute I don't want to hide it in a closet!
a pair of khaki pants for work, a black t shirt and a yellow tank top $7 total.

I got a package of 3 wrapping papers at walmart also. half off, and it was one of the ones i was looking at before christmas so I was defiantly getting it today. I told myself I wouldn't buy anymore paper until I finished what I had, but I really liked this stuff, and I couldn't help it!

I also got one of those zip wrapping paper storage things. not the tupperware tote thing. I put all my paper away and all my bags and stuff are in there. I am going to try to fit it under the bed to give myself a little bit more room in my closet. It is seriously, SO nice to have a place for my wrapping paper instead of just thrown in the closet.

The only thing that I didn't get on my christmas list was baskets for under the coffee table, but I needed to measure first to make sure the baskets I got would fit.

Top 2 Favorite Christmas Memories

Top 2 Favorite Christmas Memories...

#1. Christmas morning (and christmas eve!)
Growing up my dad would follow me EVERYwhere with the video camera. We have everything ive ever done recorded, especially Christmas. I loved going to both grandmas for Christmas Eve, especially the one, she would get us 4 grandkids TONS of stuff. and I mean a tupperware tote full of stuff for each of us, plus some extra little things. I loved it. I hated being recorded though.
and Christmas morning.. coming downstairs to the tree, dad would be playing christmas music, opening the presents and rolling around in the strewn about wrapping paper.
Ahh to have those simple days back.



#2. Decorating the Tree (and the house!)
Ever since I could remember I have always helped to decorate the tree and I have always loved it. I love singing christmas songs, putting the lights on the tree, hanging the ornaments! We always had real trees for many years when i was a young girl, so I remember always getting hurt by the branches when I would put the ornaments on and I HATED that but I still did it anyway I just tried to look for ways to not get hurt! We eventually switched to fake trees and while I love the smell of real trees I will probably never go back... maybe when we have a kid, but who knows!
Now that I am on my own, I love and look forward to putting up the tree, decorating it and decorating the house. I wish more people would get to see it in person.. but I guess that's what I have a blog for, right?!

Under $5 Goodwill Mirror

So I made this mirror in the spring time and posted one picture of it but I wanted to actually make a post about it because I love it and want to show it off.
It cost me under $5 but I cant remember the exact amount now.
It was a gaudy gold color too, I KNEW that had to go, but it took me quite awhile to pick a color that I loved.
We found a textured stone paint and decided this was the one! We hung it in our apartment .. above the same table.. right by the door.. and here we did the same thing.. same table.. right beside the door.





Bottom of the cheese dome thing I bought at goodwill. I posted it before but wanted to put up painting pictures!

I Heart Faces | Pet Faces

This is my fur baby - LucyFurr. She's a daddy's girl and she defiantly lives up to her name! I have SO many pictures of her (and all of our other babies, past and present) that I had a very hard time choosing just one!




She's around 6 years old.. We were out at some local shelters looking for another cat. My fiance kept saying while driving to another shelter that he really wanted an all black cat. About a minute down the road from the next shelter we were going to he stopped the car suddenly and asked "Did you see that?" I had NO idea what he was talking about until I saw this little all black kitty in the bushes on the side of the road. He told me to get out and catch it since I have a magical way with cats, sure enough I opened the door and she ran right up to me. We took her up to the shelter and they took one look at her and said that some guy was just in there not too long ago and said he "found her" but they were too full to take her and gave him the name and address of another shelter who would but he appearantly just dumped her right down the road. How horrible! They ended up giving her all of her shots plus a giant goody bag for free because we wanted her!

She has THE biggest eye's and the brightest yellow color on ANY cat that I've ever seen. Everyone comments on it, and it has even earned her the nickname googly-eyed-cat by some because they are so huge and even kind of stick out a little!

She is our big fur baby and we love her to pieces!






I am entering this into the Iheartfaces contest:

Lookie what my mom got me!!!!!!!!

So my mom texted me today while I was leaving work and said she had something for me, I figured it was just a candle or something random so I continued on my way home.. she proceeded to tell me that it was a Willow Tree nativity set, I just about slammed on the breaks and did a complete 360 in the middle of the highway to get to her house.

She said she was at the mall and saw it and had to get it for me, she didn't even know that I've been wanting it!!!!! She bought me the 6 piece main set and the 3 wisemen.

There are no words to describe how happy I am about this... Now I just need the Creche, the metal stars, and theres an ox and goat and the shepherd and stable animals also.

Onto some crappy pictures!


I put the tree behind it to take away from the all white background of the blinds, but I don't really care for it. I wanted to put it on my other stand but I had more room on this one.


the entire buffet.. I didnt want to put away my other figurines and was too lazy to move them elsewhere, so I just moved them around.
Close up.. I love it!


This nativity I figured I'd throw in there again.. It's a nativity set that my mom had for years, and I always used to LOVE ever since I was a little girl, I took it with me when I left home a couple years ago and will never EVER get rid of it, It will always go under our tree and the Willow Tree can go on the table/buffet or wherever.
Sorry for the crappy picture, sitting it like that on the ground was the only way I could get some semi-decent lighting for my crappy phone quality pictures. (I cant WAIT for my new camera!)

My Snowman Obsession... And some thrifty shopping!

Hi, my name is Kristin and I have a problem.. I am obsessed with snowmen!

I don't have TONS as I have used what little will power that I have to sometimes put them down when I am shopping, but I do have a bunch, I just think that snowmen are so cute, peaceful and pretty! PLUS! you can leave them up in January, after all the christmas decorations are down and the house looks all naked.. I have no inspiration for the month of January, so I usually leave up snowmen unless they are very christmas-y and decorate with whites and golds.

I took a couple pictures of some snowmen that I have to share my obsession with someone other than myself, hubby and demon-kitty.. and I also took another trip to Goodwill today, so I have some pictures of my finds at the end!

let it begin!

This came from my mom, she didnt put it out anymore so I took it. Its very heavy, and pretty tall... I think the little family carolling it just adorable!


I got this when I worked at Bon-Ton, they have their yearly "collectible" things, they had this and a reindeer but the snowman was cuter, this year i think they have this and santa, but neither are really that cute. I think I got this for a dollar with my discount and on sale, I got one for my mom too.

I think this little guy is adorable, PLUS he has a birdhouse! my second favorite obsession! Hes very glazed/glossy and just so cute!
I have no idea where I got this guy from.

new goodwill purchase (posted below)
Another Goodwill purchase that I can leave up through Jan.
Goodwill... supposed to be a candle holder, but I think he;s cute just standing alone
sleigh.. I dont have this out because I couldnt find anywhere for it.

bottle from goodwill.
pinecone snowman, got this at goodwill although im sure i couldve made it myself.












Goodwill Finds

I saw this cute little tumbler glass only .25 cents, its heavy glass too, very nice.


Plastic mixing bowl.. I have a BIG one and while I have two big stainless mixing bowls now, I like my white one sometimes too, but I haven't had anything smaller, just for little things, and this thing was basically glowing and jumping out at me. It was only $.49 and it's nice and small. I KNEW it was meant to be!
CSI Board game... It was only $1. I was going to get Fact or Crap too but I didnt know how much the games were, and this one is 2-4 player, we need more games that are just 2 player, plus I love CSI related stuff and this seemed interesting, and for a buck, if its horrible, ill send it back!

little wooden apple basket. It's going to go on my corner cabinet, I wasn't going to get it at first but I kept thinking about it while I was walking through the store so I ended up getting it.

Again with the snowmen.. I saw him sitting in a cart of stuff they just brought out from the back room and HAD to have him. He has paint chipped off the tip of his nose, but really WHO CARES! he's the perfect size, shimmery and just CUTE! He was only $.49 so that helped coax him into my cart too. =D

Little turkey figurine... only $.49 too. He's perfect, not a scratch on him and cute as can be (at least I think so!)

I found another Lemax village piece... $.99! (gah .. excuse the free cat food coupon underneath, I needed half-decent lighting)

Haverford Lighthouse.. It is a Lemax piece, I have no idea what collection it belongs to but seriously.. for THAT price I wasnt going to let it pass. Little wicker basket for $.49, I have no idea what I am going to put in it but it's a nice size and cute and cheap.. maybe the bathroom.. or even a closet or something... I dont know yet.


This little washboard thing.... I want to put it in my laundry room, I almost didn't get it since it was $.99 but I thought it was cute and Im sure I could've found one cheaper at a yard sale eventually, but really for a buck, who cares.

This cute little tree for a dollar.. I plan on putting it... somewhere... probably our bathroom and I will decorate it for every holiday since its white itll go with anything! It has 4 or 5 little ornaments on it already, one fell off and broke into a million little pieces and these suckers are tiny so they must be super fragile, but they'll be coming off anyway... I plan on buying some little decorations from target and/or walmart after christmas to decorate this with.




Ok, is this guy not adorablee??? I found him at Ross for $4, I didn't pick him up but I can't stop thinking about him, and where I would put him if I got him. He's just too cute!