Are you from the Midwest? ...and other updates.

Hi.  

I blog here.  

Hard to imagine right? 

 Anyways I have been MIA, but who hasn't.  Besides Christmas, my husband turned the big 3-0 Saturday.  And even though it wasn't my birthday, I still had a major headache to commemorate. 

So, most important thing I have to say to you today?

Do you live in the Midwest?   Then this get together is just for you. *Cue cheesy Google images*

I myself am from Wisconsin, however those get togethers that we have tried to plan have been major fails.  So Suze & I came up with this brilliant (if I may say so) idea.  

How about the Midwest?  *note:  we do not discriminate, if you aren't living in the Midwest and want to come, go for it*.   

The plan?   Around June 2013.  The place?  Chicago.   We figure this is the most central we could get.  Soon I will be making a facebook page to keep everyone updated.  Today is mostly for these reasons:  * put the idea in your head * plan ahead * tell your fellow Midwest bloggers *give us ideas.

If you are from/love Chicago give us your recommendations.  Where should we go, what should we do?  I think this would be a fun/collaborative idea.   

===========================================

Other things.

I won the awesome giveaway from Leeann at Join the Gossip.  Happy 5th Blogiversary!  Check her out, she's the best.

Now, what's to come?

* Wings - I am on the search for the best Chicken wings ever.  And I need your help.

* Gallery Wall - I have a big 'ol blank wall.  And I'm going to make it beautiful.

* Christmas Decorations - Yah I may have forgot some in my other post.  Plus a DIY.

* So much more Awkward and Awesome coming your way.

* A possible music/iPod playlist link-up.

* My bucket list that I promised 2 months ago. (I have a huge thing crossed off)

* 2013 resolutions, exceptions I think the word resolution sets you up for failure.  So we will say "Changes for 2013".   Less demanding.

I missed you all and hope you all had a great Holiday and have a great New Year's Eve!!!

P.S.   If you don't follow me in these awesome places, you might want to.  But I'm biased.

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram: @mlco5775

Pinterest

*Note:  I'm not going to lie, I wrote this at midnight, after my beloved Green Bay Packers lost, and I may have had a bit too much alcohol.  Just keeping it real people.  So please disregard things that don't make sense, at the time I thought it did.*

No Words

Things don't usually hit me right away.   Like when I was in the 3rd grade and we got a call in the middle of the night that my Grandpa had passed away.  I covered my ears, rolled over, and tried to go back to sleep.

I don't know if it's a defense mechanism or what but it's always been that way.

So yesterday as I watched all day coverage of the horrible tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut it never really "hit".  

Then the president spoke and I cried with him.

Then the local priest was interviewed, broke down and I sobbed with him.

Then he said this.  

He had been with the parents of the children who were killed and one of the parents, who had a son that was deceased, phone had went off.   It was an alarm.  It was time to take her son to Cub Scouts.

No words.

My Decorations - Christmas Exploded

 Linking up for the last day with Katie & Holly.

Home for the Holidays.

Let's just get right to it.  These are some really piss-poor photos.  Thank you iPhone.  

Each picture has it's own description.  It details the good and the sad.  (See drunk Christmas tree below.)

Our sad sad tree.  Half the lights are out.  And Guss says out tree is drunk.  (Notice the leaning) We bought all the ornaments and lights when we were (even poorer) newlyweds after Christmas.  It needs some upgrading.  But I still love like it.

Below is Jim Gaffigan talking about Holiday Tradiations.  The first part is just about Christmas but the whole thing is hilarious.   

Our awesome Ikea bookcase.   3 rows taken up by a monster named Mason.   I get the top shelf, the one he can't touch.  (BTW - excuse that glass of wine and those wall decorations are gonna go.  They were there pre-Ikea-awesomeness.)

Vase full of ornaments, JOY from the Target dollar spot, and plates turned decorations from Target.  

On the left is actually a Christmas card that is framed, and the one on the right is ripped from a magazine.  (tip from Young House Love)

Blurry but cute.  Our stockings.  From top Guss, mine, & Mason's. 

  

Above the TV.  (funny story I just typed above the law?  um what subconscious?) The clock is always set at 6 o'clock.  It was a wedding gift that just won't stay working.  But I love it.  (and yes that is a Packer Santa)

Decoration courtesy of Katie.

Favorite decoration?  Christmas lights.  I am so sappy that I actually almost cried when all the lights and tree were on.  Ah, I'm so sensitive.

There ya go folks.  Next year I hope to go even bigger and better! But for this year it will do, and it's ours.   

See you next week?   Promise.

My Home - No Place Like It

Linking up for Day 4 of Holly's and

Katie's Link up. 

My Favorite Things About Home

* warning somewhat bad language below (way below) *

Hometown:
see here


Town I currently reside in:

The free zoo that also has a Christmas light village.

The river and Phoenix Park where the farmer's market is.

The college I graduated from.  

Home of the 2 time Grammy winning band Bon Iver.  (we got a shout out in their acceptance speech as well)

My actual home:

I actually own it.  I can do whatever

I want with it.  Come back tomorrow for

 the Christmas decorations (which I 

accidentally said was coming today)


State:

We have some of the best sports fans ever (Milwaukee Brewers, Badgers, & the Packers)

I have read many books from football players and they all praise Lambeau field for being one of the best.  Especially for fans.

The Midwest if a very polite, down to earth place to live.

We stay away from many natural disasters!   That what happens when you are smack dab in the middle of your country.

That's it.  Hope I kept you somewhat entertained. :)

WWWFD?

(Wordless Wednesday - What would Will Ferrell do?)

I know this is mostly for my fellow Wisconsinites or Packer lovers.  Back tomorrow with my Christmas decorations    I got crafty this year!

There Is No Place Like Home For The Holidays - Tomah.

Linking up today (and all week) with Holly.  I love holiday link-ups and this one is definitely a great idea!

Today? Where I come from.

It's a bit late in the day to post but we got 12 inches of snow last night.  So today consisted of snow blowing, shoveling, and playing with Mason in the snow.  He gave himself a lot of face washes but other than that he loved it.   He got really upset when it was time to go in even though his face was as red as a cherry and freezing.

Well Today I am talking about my hometown Tomah, WI. Population about 9,000.  I had lived there since I was born till I was 18. 

 The town was named after Chief Tomah so we have quite a big Native American community.   When I was in High School we were the Indians, however people (surprisingly not very many Native Americans) were against it so after I graduated they became the Timberwolves.  :P   

Our movie theater is called Ho Chunk Cinema (which also didn't come around till after I was gone) and we have a casino.  

Downtown.  Home of a bunch of  bars and the best Chinese restaurant ever.  Really.

VA Medical Center.  My parents both worked here.  My mom was a nurse and my dad a pharmacist tech.

The one and only High School.   I graduated with a class of around 290 people.

I took this on Instagram awhile back.  In my opinion this is the best feature of Tomah.  Lake Tomah. (creative name isn't it)   We lived a block from it and it's my favorite part of Tomah. 

Our biggest store?  Walmart.  However we do have a Maurice's.   And the places my friends and I hung out at the most?  McDonald's.  I worked there for 7 years and most of my friends did too.  Even when we weren't working we always ended up there.  We were super cool like that.  And also there is nowhere else to go in Tomah.

In my opinion Tomah is a great place to grow up in, but not to live in forever.  However I enjoy going home and that is where I will be for most of the Christmas Holiday.  

Park

Sometimes you just need coffee...and a break.

Insomnia, Short Break, Cleaning.
This post talks about all of these things.  Riveting stuff I tell ya.
I'm not going to be posting next week but I will still be reading all of ya'll's (i can't believe that's a word) blogs.  
Lately I have been neglecting my home.  Sure I have been picking up, doing laundry, etc but deep cleaning hasn't been going on.  My shower is well...let's just say it needs to be cleaned before my son catches some kind of fungus mold disease.  Ok well it's really not that bad but my mom is not impressed.  

I couldn't help myself.

And my basement and closets are all places to store junk.  So in order to be a better housewife (yah right) I need to clean that crap up.  
And insomnia.  Oh man has it been horrible lately.  Last night I went to bed at 12:15 and literally tossed and turned for 2 hours before I fell asleep.  Like some people I don't like getting up and trying to watch TV or read to fall asleep because that just seems like starting the process all over.  This is what my night last night looked like.
- Lay in bed. - Try and get comfortable - Ouch.  What the hell?  Yep just rolled over on a goldfish cracker. - Ally (the dog) starts to have a dream, throw shirt at her. - Try counting from 100 to 1. - Trying counting in German from 100 to 1. - Almost there when my husband starts snoring loudly.  Awesome. - Try a relaxing technique where I am laying on in inter-tube in the water, slowly rocking back and forth. - Start to think:  what if there's a shark? what if I drift too far away and no one can save me?  what if I fall in the water and drown?  Yep, that's my weird way to thinking.
Finally somewhere in there I fell asleep.   Ugh.  One thing I am going to try doing is not playing a game on my iPad before I go to bed.  And actually try reading a book...not on a tablet.
Wish me luck.
P.S.  I'm really not a big fan about talking about potty training (no weird pictures of my son on the toilet here) however I have to brag just a teeny bit.  Today Mason told me he had to use the bathroom (and usually he just tells us after he has went in his diaper) but he hadn't and so we took him to the place of business and he did both!  It's so weird the things that get you excited about after you have a kid.   
P.P.S.  I will be back the following week for a really fun link-up!  Check it out below.  I actually did a lot of decorations this year and so excited to show them off!

Scrambled

Scrambled thoughts, not eggs.  Even though I am hungry now.

Hmmm.

* Jessica Simpson pregnant again?  

 Oh no, what about her million dollar contract with Weight Watchers?

  Big Deal.  She's a person. 

 She can get pregnant again if she wants, even before losing all the weight from the first time. *gasp*

  Or maybe it is all just a rumor.

This is obviously not her now.  

* Anyone watch X Factor? 

 So I really like the all-girl group Fifth Harmony, however I'm skeptical.  In today's world I don't see an all girl group making it.  They are really good but anyone remember P. Diddy and Making the Band?   I liked Danity Kane but that did not last long.

* Dancing with the Stars.  

I am so happy Melissa won.  I love Shawn Johnson but come on, we needed a new champion and Melissa definitely earned it.

* Weight Watchers.  

Yeah I did it.  

Now if only I could actually get used to keeping track of everything that I eat and drink.  Ugh.

* Baby Fever.  

My cousin just had a baby girl, Lily, the other day.   And Mason is almost 3.  That itch has started again.  However I really want to lose some weight before I try and get pregnant.   I had Gestational Diabetes with Mason and I know it will be coming with the next pregnancy so I need to try and get healthier for my sake and the baby's. 

* My son.

He has actually been liking to go to time-out lately.  He thinks it's a fun game.  Help me.

* Power ball?  

I didn't win.

And finally, 

* I wish I was taking a nap right now.

--- I'm Out. ---

Laugh It Up Clowns.

Because today, I'm linking up with Michelle.   And I have some funny things to show you.

Gotta love Tom. 

Totally agree.

Ha.  Yeah.

Great game.

Awesome.

I can just hear Monica saying next "Nestle Tollhouse?!?!" (you Americans always butcher the French)

Ain't it the truth!

Oh Betty.

A little late for Thanksgiving but I just love the Slap Bets.

Well I really hope you guys laughed.  I would find it hard to believe if you didn't.  My pins were pretty awesome today.  Just sayin'.  :)

Have a great Wednesday.  I am finishing up my Christmas decorations and starting my gallery wall.  Can't wait to share it with all of you!

Winner & Cougar Town

Hello to the new week!

The winner from the giveaway is KATIE!!!  

This was done randomly by rafflecopter to insure no one thought it was fixed.  

Anyways, kind of random, but who watches Cougar Town?  The show premieres on TBS January 8th and I am so excited!  

I am so happy that TBS picked it up after ABC canceled the series.  They drink a lot of wine (a show after my own heart) however there have been tragedies.  Such as Big Carl.  

My goal in the next few months?  Get my own Big Carl.  They are actually pretty cheap.  

Ok.  That's all I got for today.  Weird I know.  Hope your Monday doesn't suck!

Happy Day !

Well I'm sure most of you are with your families celebrating.  If you aren't, still have a great Thursday!

Hope your day is filled with limited family fighting, great food, good company, and football!!!