DPP - Dec. 19

December 18 - My Buddy and Me

DPP - Dec. 18

December 18 - Just Pulled Into Hurst Station!

DPP - Dec. 17

December 17 - He Becomes a Little Boy with His Old Toy Trains

 Tommy's Trains in Wethersfield was packed floor to ceiling with every train part imaginable! This shop is a dream come true for train enthusiasts but an absolutely nightmare for organized, clutter-free people like me. Next time I walk in there I am going to offer Tommy my time to help him spruce up the shop! Besides thinking about how I could make this shop look better, I also enjoyed people watching while we were there. All grown men fulfilling their child-like, EXPENSIVE obsession.
Weird, but kind of cute.

 Fortunately, Matt didn't have to spend hundreds thousands on his train set. His entire collection was passed down to him from his grandfather. He spent hours laying everything out and tacking down the tracks with these tiny little nails. Let's hope everything works! Keep your fingers crossed!

DPP - Dec. 16

December 16 - Cozy Night on the Capri Chair

He must be one of the most photogenic puppies in the entire world! More than half of my DPPs have been of him! But I just can't help it!

DPP - Dec. 15

 December 15 - Reindeer Chatting on Google+ with the Siblings!

Absolutely hysterical! This made my night!

DPP - Dec. 14

December 14 - New Ornaments on Christmas Tree 2011

Griswold Moose Cup from Uncle Jon!

2010 Lenox Anniversary Couple from Nana

DPP - Dec. 13

December 13 - Impromptu, Mid-Week Date Night!

Enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Vic House tonight with the hubby. Although not my style of decor, the food is scrumptious and the restaurant reminds me of my mom and nana. Happy Tuesday! 11 more days till Christmas!

DPP - Dec. 12

December 12 - Cheers!

Celebrating a Monday night with my wonderful husband and a delicious malbec!

This is my happiness!

DPP - Dec. 11

December 11- My New Door and His New Spot

DPP - Dec. 10

December 10 - Daddy Do List = DONE!

Clearly it was a HUGE day of accomplishments! Actually, I can't even say 'day' because it only took him six hours to tackle my list! I feel like I should tip my hat to Arby's because after we fueled him up with his favorite lunch (which he hasn't had in years), he was nonstop after that. I can't thank him enough for giving up his day to come help us get this house nine steps closer to becoming our home.

Pictures of our updates will come soon!

DPP - Dec. 9

 December 9 - "Mom, is Santa Paws coming?"

DPP - Dec. 8

December 8 - Our Ornament Tradition

Ever since Matt and I bought our first tree together, we've been adding new ornaments to our collection each year. This year's ornament was from our trip to Disney World this past summer! I love how our tree is starting to tell the story of our lives together - so corny but so true. It makes decorating that much more fun, recalling so many great memories! I used to make fun of the people who shopped in Christmas stores when it wasn't the holiday season, but then I married one and started falling in love with the idea.  

DPP - Dec. 7

December 7 - Rain, Rain, Go Away

Lazy, lumpy day around here for Ryley boy. I love that he gets so cuddly when he is tired!

DPP - Dec. 6

December 6 - What would New Year's resolutions be without

Cinnamon Crumb Cake!?

DPP - Dec. 5

December 5 - Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, you smell so yummy!

We took a trip to the tree farm tonight and picked out our tree! There was such a great selection this year and they all smelt so good!  I can't wait to decorate our first tree in our new home!

DPP - Dec. 4

December 4 - A Sunday Surprise

 On Joey's way back from Aubrie's, he decided to stop and visit, sort of! Grandma's car kicked the bucket down in Guilford and it was Theresa to the rescue, sort of! I was actually just there for moral support and a nice little lunch at the local diner. It was dad who really came to his rescue.

Once dad got the call, he dropped everything he was doing, hooked the trailer up to the Suburban and drove to CT.  Two hours later, he met us on the shoulder at exit 58. I dropped Joey off, said hi to dad and took off because there was really nothing for me to do.  About 10 exits down the road, I get the call to turn around and come back to help push the car up on the trailer. (I knew I shouldn't have left!) Once I got back I see them pulling the car up on the trailer. "Perfect timing!" I thought. Then it occurred to me, "How in the world did he get that thing up there?" Take a look...

 Dad created his own towing system! He unhooked the trailer from the Suburban and tied it down on the guard rail. Then he tied grandma's car to the back of his Suburban and hauled it up. Genius! Pure genius!  I don't know anyone else who thinks like my dad and is actually crazy/talented enough to pull it off. They tied it up, secured everything and took off for home. Another mission successfully accomplished for Poppa Joe!

 I know my dad wasn't born with tights and a cape but he is definitely our Super Man! Maybe there are some super powers in those flannel shirts he loves. Either way, I'm glad he always comes to our rescue and saves the day!

DPP - Dec. 3

December 3 - How much is that doggy in the window?

Someone is looking for Santa and his sleigh! Or maybe he is waiting for dad to come home from work. Either way, this face is so precious and has certainly made it to the top of Santa's nice list.

December Photo Project

I've decided to join the December Photo Project this year! The goal is to post at least one picture each day for the first 25 days of December. If you'd like to join the project or read more about it, check out View From the Prairie Box!

Since I missed yesterday, I will double up today!

December 1st - Haul out the holly, for we need a little Christmas now!

December 2nd: Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse!

Check out this cute treat a teacher made for our breakfast this morning! Chocolate covered cherry, almond slices, Hershey kiss, oreo and icing - YUM!

House Slippers Rock, Who Knew?!

For years, I've had a small obsession with sneakers, Nike of course. I have a pair for just about every occasion:  walking, running, mowing the lawn, teaching, going to the store and ones to just wear around the house. Don't ask me why but I feel so much more productive in sneakers, especially around the house! When I'm wearing sneakers, I clean the house better, fold the laundry better and just feel all around BETTER!

I love black sneakers!

Unfortunately, this was a huge problem once Matt and I moved in together four years ago. He hates when I wear my sneakers in the house. For years he has tried to convince me to buy house slippers. I bought a few slip on pairs throughout the years but I always found a reason not to wear them. They made me feel lazy.

That is, until I tried L.L.Bean slippers!  A few weeks ago, Matt found a great pair of slippers in an L.L.Bean magazine and had to have them.  To continue my efforts of making him happy, I went along with it and ordered a pair, too. Once they arrived I haven't been able to take them off! I LOVE them!  I think they work for me because they are my first pair with a back and sort of fit like a sneaker, yet way more cozy and comfy!

Get yourself on www.llbean.com and order a pair! I guarantee it will be one of your best purchases of this winter season!

My House Inspiration Board

Over the past few years, I've been collecting tons of house magazines! I love thinking about my dream house!  As I flipped back through some of my favorite magazines I decided to rip out my favorite pictures and make my own collection. It's fun to dream and set goals. I hope some of these pictures become real rooms in my home some day. I've already decorated my dining room to look exactly like one on my board!

What is an Inspiration Board?
Well, it's anything you want it to be! But, basically it's a photo collage that inspires you, drives you, helps you reach your goals, keeps you focused, organizes, makes you happy or just makes you laugh! There are no rules, guidelines or limits to what you can do! Make one!

The October Nor'Easter

Snow storm in October? You better believe it!

I have to admit, I was pretty excited when it began to snow.  The snow flakes were as big as golf balls and it was coming down one to two inches every hour! Ryley was so excited that he started licking/kissing the ground!

Not even considering the negative effects it would soon have on our trees, I started bragging to Matt that it was the best snowball fight snow because it was wet and heavy.

Our first snow in our new house was definitely one to remember!

When we woke up, the damages were unbelievable.

 We had about 6-8 inches of snow, 6-8 HUGE branches fall from our trees and 4 days of no power!

It was nearly impossible to sleep the night of the storm! Every few minutes, we could hear another branch snapping, tree falling or power line/transformer buzzing and blowing up.

You can see the tree in our backyard is dropping over from the heavy snow caked on top. We couldn't let Ryley use the backyard until the snow melted because branches would snap with the slightest gust of wind.

Our neighbor's tree was almost stripped to the trunk!

Our block was a complete mess! Trees were laying across power lines and on top of houses.

Our neighbor across the street had a tree laying on their roof and power lines dropping to the ground!

It was a record breaking storm for Connecticut. About 850,000 people were without power! Check out all of the towns in black! Cheshire lost 100% power!

Not only did we break power outage records and snow fall records, we also broke freezing temperature records! During our four nights of no electricity, the temperatures when down into the 20s! The house would go down to about 50 degrees at night!

We brought mattresses into the warmest place in the house, in front of the fireplace.  It was funny to have a sleepover in our own house!

Poor Ryley tried staying warm too!  He cuddled up in between us and laid under all the covers.

We were completely unprepared for this storm and had little to no food in the house.  We never thought that our town and the towns around us would be shut down for days!  To get food, we had to travel about 30 minutes south to find open Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds. Most only accepted exact change but we found one that still had electricity! I even had to go to a shelter to shower!

It felt like a war zone outside.  Helicopters swarmed above assessing damage, smoke filled the air from all of the burning fireplaces, caution taped was wrapped everywhere and chainsaws and generators were humming nonstop.

When the power finally came back on, we had to empty the entire fridge and restock the essentials!

Thankfully, the snow melted pretty quickly. You better believe that Ryley hung on to every last heap!  The week off from school was a nice break but will certainly have it's consequences. Five snow days before Thanksgiving is not a good way to start the winter!