Holiday Plan 2014: Week 5

Week of September 28th:
- Make one batch of freezable cookies
- Make two crock pot meals - one to eat this week and one to freeze for a later date
- Purchase some non-perishable goods used in the planned recipes
- Purchase some gifts
- Wrap the purchased gifts
- Work on homemade gifts

- Compile a donation box/bag; I realized after cleaning the mast bedroom, we accumulated some donations. This is a great time of year to re-evaluate items you need and items that can be donated. Our goal is to drop off this bag before Thanksgiving
- Deep cleaning area this week: Main Bathroom; although this room gets cleaned all the time, it is good to really scrub areas that may not get the attention during weekly cleanings

Good luck to those following along!

Our 3rd Anniversary

Christopher and I celebrated our 3rd Anniversary this week. So far it has been incredible. We had an amazing private tour of the Ralph Wilson Stadium given by Sammy Watkins (See earlier blog post on our fabulous tour).

We went out to dinner on our actual anniversary to Russell Salvatore's restaurant and indulged in delicious steaks, seafood, dessert and champagne. When we came home, we were surprised to find some chocolate covered strawberries waiting for us from my in-laws, Christopher's parents!

We spent the rest of the night relaxing at home with our pups. For our anniversary, Christopher splurged and bought us Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party tickets for our December Holi-Dis trip. I made our annual "yearbook" for our collection and got Christopher a portable bluetooth stereo speaker.

Our AMAZING Experience - Private Tour of the Ralph with Sammy Watkins!

What an incredible day it was! We found out Friday night that Christopher won a Twitter contest from Northtown Automotive to receive a private tour of Ralph Wilson Stadium and the Buffalo Bills facilities given by Sammy Watkins! We were absolutely thrilled and Christopher picked me to be his plus 1. He said it would make for a memorable anniversary - and he was right!

Sammy was super personable, friendly, took pictures with everyone and was a down to earth guy.

We toured the press box at the stadium, went onto the field, through the end zone tunnel, into the game day locker room (which according to Sammy is very serious and not as cool as the players locker room), field house and outdoor training facility, players locker room, weight room and training rooms and the team conference meeting room. IT WAS AMAZING!

We asked Sammy how he felt about press conferences. He said he received a lot of prep in college and he still gets a little nervous in front of the media. He gave me a few pointers - what do you think? I think I am ready for my first press conference - put me in coach!

Smiling ear to ear! It was a great afternoon with our tour guide and friends.

Sammy even signed a special picture for Christopher and I in celebration of our wedding anniversary. What a keepsake! We also had him sign a mini helmet and a baseball cap and some items for friends/family.

We even ran into a couple other players, including Aaron Williams!

It was a fantastic afternoon and one I will remember FOREVER! Huge thanks to Northtown Automotive, the Buffalo Bills and Sammy Watkins for a great experience!

I feel so Official - Business Cards & Pads are in!

I feel so official now with my Ellegant Decor business cards, sticky pads, note pad and note cards :) Now when we go to Disney in December, I can pass out my cards to anyone who asks about the park cards. I will be prepared!

Hopefully soon, I will be able to get some decor items up on the site. It has been awhile since I have had a chance to design some wreaths. Maybe this weekend???

Marv's 3rd Birthday & Jameson at 12 Weeks

Last night we had my family over for dinner to celebrate Marv's 3rd birthday. The adults had pizza and wings and the pups had some Blue Buffalo "Boo" Stew. The pizza, wings and stew went over very well.

Marv and Jameson were very cuddling with everyone. Earlier in the day, they received their next round of shots and booster shots. Needless to say, they wanted to be loved and hugged, which the grandparents had no problem doing.

How funny is the picture below? On our way home from the vet, this is how Jameson layed in the car - on top of Marv! Big brother Marv did not seem to mind at all. Marv is really starting to get into being "big" brother. He is becoming very protective of little Jameson.

Look how big Jameson is getting! 12 weeks old already! The vet said both look very good and healthy! Woo hoo! Jameson will receive his next round of shots in 3 weeks and Marv is not due back until December for his annual physical and tests. 

Marv Turns 3!

I am having a pretty emotional day because our not so little dog just turned 3 years old today! I cannot believe it has been almost three years since we brought Marv home. And it is hard to believe Christopher and I will be celebrating our 3 year wedding anniversary next week. Craziness!

I remember the night we brought him home like it was yesterday. We met the breeder in this sketchy pharmacy parking lot near the Peace Bridge and it probably looked like a drug transaction except instead of drugs we received our puppy Marv. It was the day before Thanksgiving and we had so much to be thankful for! I was terrified of our first night with him. I was so worried I wouldn't know what to do, or when to let him out, how much he should eat, etc. Needless to say, we survived!

Marv has grown into such a handsome and loving dog. We are so proud of him and so glad that he loves us just the same.

One of the many things I love about him is how much he smiles at us. I love Marv's smile and kisses.

So excited to be celebrating his third birthday! We are having some family over tomorrow night for pizza (for the humans) and some wet food (for the dogs).

Marv has become such a great big brother to little Jameson. It was a little tough at first, but Marv is starting to become protective of his little brother and enjoys playing with him. And Jameson just adores Marv and wants to be wherever he is. It is really cute watching them cuddle and playing with their toys.

Holiday Plan 2014: Week 4

Week of September 21st:
- Make one batch of freezable cookies
- Make two crock pot meals - one to eat this week and one to freeze for a later date
- Start purchasing non-perishable goods used in the planned recipes; I usually buy a couple extra of each in case I have to double a recipe and/or have extra goods on hand for donations
- Start purchasing gifts; I am going to try to divide up so I am spreading the cost of the gifts over 6 to 8 weeks, instead of splurge buying in December. This way, I can also review the weekly ads in order to get the best prices on certain items!
- Wrap the purchased gifts; ugh this is my least favorite part, but I will be so glad it is done in December
- Start working on homemade gifts; my goal is to work a couple of hours each week on a craft in order to finish in time for Christmas
- Deep cleaning area this week: Master Bedroom; I know what you are all thinking - nobody sees the Master Bedroom. Unfortunately mine is driving me nuts! It is getting cleaned this week.

Good luck to those following along!

I wish my gifts looked this cute!

Hard Work Pays Off

The past year I have been working on this accounting project at my work. I was tasked with the training and communications aspect of the project. I have never been involved in a project of this magnitude and in this type of capacity. Although I performed tasks way outside my usual comfort zone, it was one of the most rewarding projects to work on.

Although the largest part of the project is over, there are still small items and post implementation projects to be worked on. A stressful yet rewarding experience.

To say thanks for all of the team members hard work, they purchased us all beautiful fleece jackets and catered lunch for us today. It feels great to work for a company that recognizes their individuals and rewards them. So proud to work for this organization.

Buffalo Bills Home Opener 2014

This past Sunday was the Buffalo Bills home opener. We could not have been more excited to go to the game. Coming off a win on week one AND the team getting sold to the Pegula Family, meaning it will be staying in Buffalo - you cannot get much better than that!

Our pups were excited too or at least we brain wash them to be Buffalo fans. They watched game from Nan's house and had a great time.

Because of all the excitement, we decided we would do a long tailgate. I will be honest, I was not crazy about getting up super early and doing this, but Christopher was soooooo excited, it was hard to say no. We tailgated with some of Christopher's friends from the message boards.

I have no idea who the guy in the tutu is. Clearly it is not the man I am married too lol.

We had a great time and then the game was even greater! The Bills squished the Fish and are now at the top of the AFC East. Needless to say, we are very excited about next weeks game against the Chargers.

Molly's 1st Birthday!

I feel like it was just yesterday that I blogged about Molly's birth. I remember that day so vividly and was so excited to hear the news of her arrival. Thirteen is now a lucky number for me! Little Molly turned 1 this past weekend and Christine & Brian threw the cutest party that was themed with the hungry caterpillar.

It was also great to catch up with our close friends and all of their sweet babies. Little Zoe was just as cute as ever and she has the most beautiful blue eyes.

Christine found a lot of the cute book themed items on Etsy. This is why I LOVE Etsy. Not only can you find creative, fun party accessories, but you are also buying from small business crafters like me!

They served pizza and wings (YES) and a couple of salads. Brian's parents created this (see below) amazing fruit bowl complete with a "hungry" caterpillar made out of grapes. How cute is that?

When it came time for Molly's birthday cake she was not exactly sure what to do. But like any kid, she ate the frosting first. But with everyone watching so intently, she decided she was done with cake lol. It was seriously the cutest thing ever.

Isn't my best friend so beautiful?? She is a great mom!

Happiest of birthday's Molly and many more to come!