The Power of Words

What I'd tell ya? I'm back and I'm fo' real this time.  Today's post is really short but it's really moving.

Watch this short video (less than 2 mins) about the power of words.  It gives you something to think about as we kick-off a brand new year.



Yesterday is today. Today is your life. Stop waiting on tomorrow. Happy 2013!

Christmas in Vegas

The people have spoken. After a few tweets begging for my blogging return, your wish is my command. I promised last night on The Twitter that I'd blog and since I'm a girl of my word (sometimes) ... here I am. Today I blog.

One of my New Year's goals is to blog like the old days and that starts today with a recap of Christmas. As you know, my family came to Vegas for Christmas including this little fellow Reesey. We had a great time and I loved being able to spend time with them. Get ready for picture overload courtesy of my one true love, Instagram.

Reese's first night here! When I picked them up from the airport he said to me, "Aunt Lindsey will you come back on the plane with me and never, ever come back here again?" Dagger to my heart!!!

Baby bed head

Ice skating with Daddy

Roasting marshmallows and skating!

"Santa in the shipwreck" @ Mandalay Bay

Petting dem stingrays

That shark scare me!

Up to no good hanging out with me

Christmas Eve dinner with tamales my Grandma brought frozen from San Antonio. So good!

'twas the night before Christmas ....

I showed Reese this picture of him and he told me, "That's me as the Hulk when I got mad. You don't want to see me mad." I cannot handle the stuff that comes out of his mouth. Melt my heart.

Get in my belly.

This is the magical winter wonderland that is Mt. Charleston and only 30 miles from my house. It's a dream. We headed there Christmas Day for lunch at the Lodge.

Like I said, magical. 

The Lodge where we had lunch.

Merry Christmas from 7,650 feet

My favorite gift of all: My Christmas Tree skirt my grandma has spent years working on for me. Some of the appliques my Great Grandma who I never got to meet made.  I love it and cherish it.

And then the day I dread arrived, it was time to put Christmas away.  The only thing that made it slightly enjoyable was this label maker I bought. 

Christmas all packed up.  See ya again in 11 months. I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season. I already miss it terribly.

Elf workshop in full effect

My family starts arriving in town tomorrow so I decided it was about time to tackle all of this:

Thirty minutes later this was the scene in my living room:

And thennnnn .... I decided to call it quits after my mom called and said she'd help tomorrow. And Ike that, the elf workshop closed shop for the evening. Don't just love Moms? Happy one week to Christmas!!!

P.S. I finally decided to check my mail and put up my Christmas Cards. Like my DIY Christmas card holder? If your answer is yes, here's my tutorial. It's easy, I promise. Good night, I'm off to watch Ashley and JP's wedding on ABC. Cue the tears I'm sure.

A Very Vegas Christmas

Hi! I miss y'all. We're down to the single digits until my family comes to Vegas. In preparation for their arrival, I've added a little Christmas cheer to my humble abode. Like I mentioned in my last post, (which was oh, I dunno ... about 10 years ago), I was looking forward to getting my Christmas tree. It still excites me to come home everyday after work, plug it in and just stare at from my couch. My life truly is that exciting.
Let it be known I got this tree at Home Depot, drove home without it rolling off the hood of my car, got it off the top of my car, put it in a tree stand and drug it into my apartment ALL BY MY LONELY. Let me tell you, it was not easy and I don't recommend doing it yourself, but it can be done. Single girl probs.

OK, so the kind gent at Home Depot helped me tie it to the top of my car, but once I drove out of the parking lot I was all on my own.

Before/After

Angel tree topper

The view of the tree from my couch

I get an ornament every year from my Mamma bear and this is 2012 from Paula Deen's restaurant in Savannah, GA

So my tree stood nicely in one corner of my living room until last week when I got the bright idea to buy a new chair for my living room so I had to find a new spot for my tree. I moved it twice before it ended up in this spot:

Dragging a tree across your living room is surprisingly easier than I thought.

I don't have a fireplace, so I got this stocking hanger from Kirkland's on sale. Pretty nifty, huh? Did I just really use the word nifty?

Since I moved my tree, this has found a new home as well.

Christmas tablescape

And last but not least, we have Santa at the top of my stairs:

Ho, Ho, Ho

That about sums up the Christmas cheer in my abode. Now, my Christmas shopping? I literally have not bought one present yet. Hopefully I can get most of my shopping done this weekend. Wish me luck because I need it. I do this to myself every year. I'll never learn.

I survived my first Turkey Day away from home

Turkey latte art from last weekend

Welp, I survived my first official holiday without the fam. Yesterday didn't really feel like Thanksgiving to me, though.  Not sure if you've noticed, but casinos are a 24/7, 365 day a year kind of operation - we don't get holidays.  I haven't been here long enough to be able to take vacation, so I woke up, set the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to record and headed my happy ass to work.  Our office was dead since most people I work were on PTO (personal time off), so it was nice to be able to work in silence and not have to run off to a meeting every other hour.

After work, I headed home to make macaroni and cheese and to get ready for Thanksgiving Dinner at my BFF Kristina's house (the one I lived with when I first moved here). I also made a strawberry pretzel dessert per her request.  Shout out to fellow bloggess Brooke from Tales of My Fairytale for sharing this recipe with me.  It was a hit.

If I were to make it again (for my own personal preference), I'd use graham crackers instead of pretzels to make the crust.  If you love a salty, sweet combo than this recipe is for you. If you like all sweet, then I suggest a graham cracker crust.  

The turkey, which was phenom might I add. If I had to made a turkey, I wouldn't even know where to begin.

All the fooooood. 

Get in my belly. 

Me eating (not really):

So that about sums up my Thanksgiving. I came home after dinner and a game of Apples to Apples, finished watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade I recorded and fell asleep.

Thanksgiving was great and all, but what I'm really looking forward to is CHRISTMAS!  My most favorite time of year. I personally don't believe in decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving. I don't know why I don't, I just don't. I feel like it kinda ruins Thanksgiving. Enjoy Thanksgiving THEN soak up everything Christmas.

Anyway ...

My family (including REESE) is coming to VEGAS FOR CHRISTMAS! Excited does not even begin to describe it. Speaking of Reese, I leave you with this video message from him to me. Melt my heart, why don't you?