My nerdy little secret...

Everyone has a little nerd in them...and up until recently the fact that I collect playmobil figures has been a secret.

I've bought several sets of them for my nephews, and Matt and Gioia's boys through out the years. I'm not sure when I realized that the reason I kept buying them was really for me, and not them!

Then two years ago at church, they bought the HUGE Noah's Ark and Nativity Scene for the kid's play room! I sat there with another older lady for about 2 hours putting everything together...you know, for the kids =)

This lady was German, and had owned and operated a toy store both in Germany and there in Chicago. She told me all about all the different playmobil sets she had seen and how she had seen them change over the years.

If I didn't love them then, I sure did now! It was Christmas time, and I went home and bid on my very first one that night on eBay. A set of two, A Santa and an Angel. I won those bad boys for $2.50.

To this day, the angel at the top of my tree is Playmobil.

So I just collected one Santa at a time. I told myself I'd never pay more than $1 for a figure. Because paying more than $1 for a toy, as a grown woman, is kinda silly.
So in 4 years, I've collected these Santas:

Wow! That's a whole lotta St. Nick, huh? I love them! Last year they sat (literally, they're little bodies bend, love it!) on my mantle, just chillin' waiting for the REAL Santa to come :)

So then I'd just pick up other figures as I would see them at yard sales, garage sales, etc. Again, I follow the $1 or less rule. I don't have too many of the other guys.

The four to the right are vintage 70's figures :) The fireman is new! He was a gift from a friend who recently found out about my nerd collection. He is a key chain but I'm reluctant to put him on my keys because his face shield comes off pretty easily.

My "other" category is rather lame! They have nurses, Indians, cowboys, rebel soldiers, pirates, princesses, mermaids, fireman, zombies, snowmen, zookeepers, biblical characters, British castle guards, ghosts, vampires, kings and queens, police, bus drivers, race car drivers, etc etc etc.

So there you have it, I'm not only crafty, but also a collector of toys, just call me Sheldon Cooper! That's not so bad though, I love me some Sheldon.

Bazinga!

Our Christmas List...

So here we are, What I like to call "Christmas Eve Eve"

What is on your list?
Oscar and I have a little imaginary list going on here. We haven't shared it with anyone, so we know we aren't getting any of it, ha ha =)

In all reality, we are SO glad to be home with my family for the first time in 4 years. I am safe, and not in fear for my safety this year. I am not working 80+ hours to try and support an alcoholic husband. I am still battling the migraines, but less than last year! We have a roof over our heads, a warm bed to sleep in, I have a job (and Initials Inc!,) and a car to drive, and a little bit of money in my pocket! Because of these things, I've got EVERYTHING I want for Christmas, and this will the best Christmas I've had in a long time!

Doesn't mean a girl can't wish, right??

So...in no particular order =)

1. Lasik surgery! My contacts are such a pain in the butt, and my glasses are an old Rx, and I can't really wear them except around the house. I'd loooooove to wake up, roll outta bed and be able to SEE!

 

2. A finalized divorce and financial papers!!

3. A REALLY good year with Initials Inc! Complete with tons of parties, sales, and maybe even a few recruits! There is an Initials Inc. conference in Atlanta in July that I would love to go to as well, hoping to make enough selling that I can go!

 4. Headache Ice Pillow from Amazon.com

 

5.  Turquoise or Aqua down comforter. My current one is VERY old, and Lyla chewed a hole in it a while ago. I keep putting packing tape over the whole, but that's pretty lame. I'd love a new one!!

6. Some new scrubs, including jackets. Scrubs get worn out, just like anyone else's "work clothes." So I could use some new tops, pretty good on pants. I've never been into wearing the jackets. I usually just wear long sleeved shirts under the tops. But since Jennifer has been on maternity leave, I've been stealing her black jacket almost every day, and I like it =) Since she will be back in mid-January, I should probably get my own!

 

7. New coat. All of my coats are "Chicago" rated. Totally unnecessary for down here. I really like this Carhartt one. They also have a pretty turquoise one that I saw. Something that will last, but doesn't need to be rated for sub-zero temperatures and 3 feet of snow!

8. Dog food. His stuff is pretty expensive. I love him and it helps keep him slim and trim, so I pay the $40 a bag, but if Ol' Saint Nick wants to help me out, by all means, throw a few bags in the sleigh!

9. Rawhides, Nylabones, Flea and tick meds, and anything else for Momma's boy...I usually would rather not eat lunch and pay for his stuff, so I'll just go ahead and ask for it for Christmas :)

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

 

My one and only Christmas craft!

As I posted before, I'm totally Bah Humbug this year! In the past 5-6 years I have handmade at least 1/2 of my gifts, had the most beautifully wrapped packages, and baked dozens of cookies by now...

But alas, here I am, a few store bought gifts, nothing wrapped, and cookie-less.

I DID manage to make a few ornaments about a month ago. My friend Gioia was having a Holiday "shopping event" where people could come and shop for Slumber Parties, Pampered Chef, Scentsy, 31 (booo! lmao) etc. products. I had set up a table with a few handmade ornaments. Mainly my favorite, the wine cork reindeer. I just love these guys, and they are always a favorite!

I didn't take pics as I went, so I don't have a tutorial, but here is a picture :) I use 4 corks, glue gun them together, add antlers and a ribbon or a hook. Some of them have eyes and a nose...some of them just get left plain.

My homeboy...

Yup...I totally wear this shirt to work. Black scrub pants, black scrub jacket...good to go, baby!

Bah humbug...

I don't know what my problem is...I LOVE Christmas! It's MY thing!

I'm THAT girl who drags everyone out to drive around and look at lights!
I love to go to the mall and listen to the Christmas music and enjoy the hustle and bustle!
I take Oscar to sit on Santa's lap!
I make cookies!
I wrap gifts with big, gorgeous bows!
I send beautiful, handmade Christmas cards (Usually postmarked by the first week of December!)
I wear Christmas scrubs!
I put THREE trees up last year! Including one just for my Dachshund!

I just can't get into it this year. I'm not sure if its because this is my first year alone? Alone as in, not with Kurt...I have my family around, which I am SO THANKFUL for....but being alone in a relationship sense is kinda a bummer around the holidays.

I'm also BROKE as a joke. I can't do or buy the things I want, and I REALLY have to watch what I am spending. I usually go CRAZY on Aron and Jason (and now Jackson) but I just can't this year. I know that they won't know, and they love their Em-way just the same...but it breaks me inside a little.

How is YOUR holiday season going? Are you Buddy the Elf this year? Or Mr. Scrooge?

Thankful...

I was totally into the 30 days of Thanks on Facebook, until I landed in the hospital just before Thanksgiving. Having a headache for 15 days and being on IV pain medication makes on a little less thankful and even more importantly...less able to write facebook posts that make any sense, so I ended it there.
But I did keep them all on a document so that I could share them on my blog, because I really and truly DO have so many things to be thankful for....

My Facebook (almost) 30 days of thanks:

November 1. I am thankful for my amazing parents. Without them I would not be who I am today. I would not have had the strength to put one foot in front of the other, from my very first steps, to the most difficult of times, especially in the last 9 months.

November 2. I am thankful for my grandmother, my Ma. She passed away on August 6. I am so blessed to have had 28 years with her. She was an amazing example of strength, creativity and love. Not a day goes by when I don't think about her, and smile. I know that she is resting peacefully and watching over all of us, smiling that beautiful Trumbo smile of hers :)

November 3: I am thankful for Erin Briner. I was blessed with a sister when I was 20 months old, so I've pretty much never known life without her. Her smart ass mouth and hilarious views sometimes frustrate me, but also make me laugh until my stomach hurts sometimes. She fights harder in one day than most people do in their whole lives, and I love her for it.

November 4: I am thankful for my beautiful, hilarious, intelligent, creative, smart mouthed, baby sister, Hannah. Despite out differences, and the fact that she once held a large vase over her head and said, "I'll break this and tell mom you did it," she is truly my best friend.

November 5: I am thankful for flannel sheets because damn, its cold!

November 6: I am thankful for my Oscar Mayer. My partner in crime for the last 3 years. I'm not sure I would have made it through all of the insanity without him. He has made me laugh when I wanted to cry, and kept me going through migraines, divorce, and Lord knows what else :)

November 7: I am thankful that I live in a society where divorce is not only allowed, but accepted. I am a firm believer in “till death due us part,” but sometimes you have to stand up, and realize that you can't let someone who is ruining their life, ruin yours as well. People have a lot of excuses for why marriages fail, and I can tell you about 100 reasons why mine did. But in reality I am just thankful that I am able to walk away unscathed, and hold me head up high, knowing that I made the right decision, and my life will be better because of it.

November 8: I am thankful for text messaging. Man, what did we do without it?!?

November 9: I am thankful for good friends. They know who they are. Without them, life would be no fun, and quite boring. Friends make life worth living.

November 10: I am thankful for Aron, Jason and Jackson Komar. Aside from my dad, the 3 most important men in my life! Aron, always making me laugh with his crazy knock knock jokes and funny outbursts! I love his sweet cuddly side, and his sometimes mischievous and sneaky side. Jason, I was there to hold him the day he was born, and he has had me around his little finger since then! I love that scratchy little voice and his somewhat oblivious attitude toward the world. Being in Chicago and away from these 2 dudes was heart wrenching! And then there is Baby Jax...so special in every way! From the way he made his entrance into this world, to the cute little giggles he gives me when I go to get him at 6am. He is a perfect mix of both parents and I can't wait to see how his personality will develop into a mix of Matt, Gioia, Aron and Jason! I am so proud to be these boys Em-Way!

November 11: Today I am thankful for migraine medications. It has been a less than pleasant day, and it would have only been worse without them!

November 12: I am thankful for the men and women who give and have given of themselves to serve our great nation.

November 13: I am thankful for opportunity. You never know whats around the next corner, and you gotta keep on looking around those corners, especially when times get tough!

November 14: I'm so thankful for Dansko nursing clogs. They're the only reason I can stand on my feet for 8 to 12 hours a day for the last 10 years!

November 15: I am thankful for a place for Oscar and I to call home. It is so cold out there, and there are so many without homes. Despite an insane year of loosing nearly everything, I am so fortunate that I have amazing parents who allowed us to move in here after I left Chicago.

November 16: I am thankful for my car. I loooove that Hybrid :)

November 17: I am thankful for Cards against Humanity. A terrible, terrible card game...but oh so fun with a glass of wine and good friends!

November 18: I am thankful for YVFD. Being within the walls and amongst the amazing people of this department remind me of who I am, how far I have come, and the future. Years of memories, calls, and a place to live when I needed it the most! I miss those insane calls, late nights on the back porch, and endless hours spent with friends and brothers. It was good to be “home,” today in the 'Shire...even for a short time. I can't wait to be back for good!

November 19: I am thankful for peanut butter and jelly. My favorite food on the planet!

November 20: I am thankful for my own bed, you never know how good it feels until you can't sleep in it for a few days!

November 21: I am thankful for Initials, Inc. I was so torn on the whole idea of direct sales. I had seen Gioia doing so well in it, and others just ordering their start up kits and never doing much else with them. I've always felt that I could be good at it, just didn't know which company that I wanted to do it with. Since signing under Initials, I feel a little more confident, have some killer bags to show off(!!!) and have met some pretty amazing women who are always willing to help when I have (sometimes stupid) questions!!

November 22: I am thankful to be thankful. I have so much to be thankful, and there are so many people who do not. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!