Lock Me Up!

Last year was crazy.



I'm talkin', rubber-room, give-me-meds-and-put-me-to-bed crazy.



I was getting to a point where I was thinking "Exactly WTF did I do to deserve all this??"



Things are much more calm now.

Not so long ago I realized that I hadn't told you guys about the icing on my 2010 cake.

So you know about my grandbaby.

Good GAWD he is cute and awesome. SO very, very Awesome.

And you know about my oldest moving out.

[insert sigh here] Things are not much better on that front, I'll fill ya in on that a bit later.

And you know about my near divorce.

Like, pens in hand ready to sign on the dotted line, near divorce. We decided to give it another shot at the last minute.  Everything is going very well on that front. We are getting along better than we have in years. It helps that Little Dude has his Poppy wrapped around his tiny finger. :P

But did I tell you that I lost my job?

Yeah, no...not joking. Unreal, huh?

The company cut my position. After nearly 10 years in the same office, for the first time since I was-I dunno...12?--I don't have a job. Scary shit folks.

And the perfect icing to an already wonderful, stress-free year. Am I right?!

There is an upside. Believe it or not.

I got a fairly nice severance package that is allowing me to stay home with Little Dude for awhile. Not forever, but for now. In about a month I will have to start hitting the job search. I've already got some fantastic leads and being in the IT industry for so long I have a huge network of colleagues to call upon. It helps that Hubs in the same industry and he knows people too.

It also helps to know that his company would give me a job in the event that we were looking at living in a refrigerator box or something.

I've never been a stay-at-home type. I gotta say, I'm kind of liking it. I'm crazy thankful for this time with Little Dude (and his momma).

So for now, I'm doing some side work on neighbors computers and things of that sort. This is my opportunity to catch up on all the crafty projects that I've put off, deep clean the house, read a ton (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and Hunger Games so far), play with the baby and try to figure out this whole extreme couponing thing (I think I'm just not organized enough for this crap.  I'm totally into saving money, but I haven't the faintest how to go about organizing and sale finding).

I gotta say, it is harder to keep motivated than I thought. I had big plans for all this free time (after the initial panic wore off). Some days I don't get out of my PJs. Others, I'm up with the sun and working my butt off on the house or big projects. Ok, that's a lie. Not exactly working my butt off since I've managed to put on 30 lbs....but you know what I mean!


If you have any tips on staying at home, gimme!

**GIVEAWAY*** Win a Kindle Keyboard 3G + 3 Ebooks!

You guys know how I freakin' LOVE to read.  I ADORE my Kindle, even though it's first gen-practically a dinasour, I use it every single day.  Now I have the chance to pass on both of these loves to one lucky reader!

 The Mommy Bunch, along with myself and several other awesome blogs and bloggers have joined forces to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a Kindle Keyboard 3G!  Yes, I am serious!

All you have to do is complete the rafflecopter entry form below. Easy-peasy!

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! In addition to winning the Kindle you will also receive three free ebooks!

Spellbound By Fire by: Lavinia Thompson

Admit It, You’re Crazy! Quirks, Idiosyncrasies, and Irrational Behavior  by: Judy Reiser

Super Blogga: 70 Plus Tips To Take Your Blog from Zero To Hero by Missy Diaz

There are TONS of ways to enter.  Do one, or do them all...it's up to you.  BUT--if you complete each required entry AND each optional entry you will receive an additional 25 entries! 

This giveaway will run from January 23rd to Febuary  6th. 

Please stop by some of the fantastic bloggers that have helped make this giveaway possible! 

Colleen’s Book Nook, This N That with Olivia, Mary’s Cup of Tea, Blog with Mom, Blog with Dad, Follow My Investments, Mama Luvs Books, My Devotional Thoughts, The Homeschooling Blog, Loves 2 Read, Mommy Powers, B’Tween Prose, Crafty Zoo with Monkeys, Cute Like Me, Lavinia Thompson – Author, Coupons for Wisconsin, Centsable Coupon Lady, My Frugal Mom, The Grandma Blog, PinkMama’s Place, The unexpected Mother, ebook reader geek, The Ghostly Adventure Guys, Be-Wickless Independent Scentsy Consultant

Valentine's Day!

Valentine's day is coming up very soon. Since Hubs and I are are still in the making up process I thought something racy might be in order. :D

I checked out Edenfantasys to see what I could find.

The selection is amazing! There are tons of super cute, racy and simply beautiful lingere to choose from. No matter what your tastes, or your partners tastes, Edenfantasys will have something to make your evening! Their prices are crazy reasonable too!

I chose the Black Lace Panel Gown with G-String, which is also avaliable in red:

Since I look exactly like this model, I didn't see a reason to post an actual pic of myself.

Ok, seriously though--Eden has an amazing selection of sizes as well as styles. If you are a big girl like me, don't worry--you are covered (or not-as the case may be).

I picked up A Touch Of Honey to compliment our evening too. I'm crazy exctied about this stuff. I've always wanted to try it, but never have. 

While I was placing my order I added a couple of things to my Edenfantasys wish list.

This robe and babydoll are on my list and are just another example of the great lingere selection:

Wish lists are a great way to bookmark your favorite items for another time or send your partner to Edenfantasys to check out your list.  My list has bath and body items, sex toys, lingere and even a couple of books! 

Right now Eden is having a special, so on top of the great items I ordered I received a free Xtreme pack bullet vibe with a remote control. AND, as always, a free gift. This time a chose an EdenFantasys t-shirt.

Head over now and take a look, right now many of the lingere items are up to 30% off!

I'm Done. Stick A Pin In Me.

I've know about this Pinterest thing for awhile. Never got into it. I didn't get it. All my friends are on there, but hey...I'm too cool for that.  I got an invite months ago, and accepted it of course. I mean, who doesn't love being part of a secret society-not matter what the topic, right?

Well yesterday I was blogging around and read this post by MaryMac over at Pajamas and Coffee.

Wait. What? Pinterest is cool? I better check this thing out one more time.

Lemme tell ya, I'm sorry I did. Cause now my house will go uncleaned. My cats will go unfed. Hell, my kids and Hubs might go unfed or *gasp* have to fend for themselves.

Cause I'm addicted.

I need another vice like I need a hole in the head.

Folks, this site is stupid. I dunno who thought this up, but they deserve a Nobel Peace Prize or something.

I'm just starting out, but I've already got boards for stuff I want to do to my house, crap I wanna cook for dinner and shit I like to use for relaxation.

For instance, I'm already searching the internet and local resources for wooden pallets. Yep. Pallets. I'm gonna make shelves for my office/craft room. Who the hell thought of that? Another genius I suppose.



There are lamps made from old books-gotta make those for my bedroom.  Hand embroidered wall hangings-gotta make that for Z's room.  Key hooks decorated with book pages-that's for the entry. 

GAH!

I'm gleaning so much inspiration from this ridiculous site that I won't have another spare minute in my life.

Just when I finally have time to sit on my ass, along come good ideas. Damn it.

I'm off to make some cutesy crafty stuff.

Go ahead and follow me.  You know you want to.