Five on Friday!!

Another Black Friday dedicated post!  Here are your 5 random facts about Black Friday!

1. Black Friday is the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season in the US.

2. The term ‘Black Friday’ dates back to 1966 but it was primarily used on the East Coast.

3. Although not an official holiday many employees have the day off due to Thanksgiving falling on the 4th Thursday in November.

4. Although Black Friday is usually billed as the busiest shopping day of the year, it comes second or third to the Saturday before Christmas.

5. Back in 1869 the term black Friday was used to describe a stock market financial crisis.

Thought Provoking Thursday, Black Friday Style!!

With Black Friday only 4 minutes away I would like to dedicate this Thought Provoking Thursday to it!  I have only participated in Black Friday Festivities once in my life and I will probably never do it again!  That was enough to satisfy me for probably forever!!  :-)  So, here is what I wanna know:

If you could get one awesome good deal on Black Friday what would it be?

I think mine would be to go to a store and get an Ipod Touch for $50 and get a free Garmin GPS with purchase!!  Those are the only things on my Christmas List this year!  I would probably wait in line for 4 days if they had a deal like that!!  

So tell me, what is your awesome deal that you would like to get? 

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your Family!

What is Grieving?

I have been fortunate enough in my life that I haven't really had to deal with death much.  I don't know how to deal with someone dieing, I despise going to funerals, I refuse to go up to the casket and see the lifeless body laying there.....I'm my heart I know that their souls are not there, so to me there is not reason for me to go look.  With the recent death of a very close church member I started to think, What exactly is grieving?  What is it?  How do you do it? When do you do it? Why do you do it? Do I do it without knowing?

I googled "Grief" and I came up with this definition:


From Healthline.com: Grief is a reaction to a major loss. It is most often an unhappy and painful emotion.

I also liked with that website had to say about how there are different stages of grief.


There can be five stages of grief. These reactions might not occur in a specific order, and can (at times) occur together. Not everyone experiences all of these emotions:

• Denial, disbelief, numbness
• Anger, blaming others
• Bargaining (for instance "If I am cured of this cancer, I will never smoke again.")
• Depressed mood, sadness, and crying
• Acceptance, coming to terms

So, with all of this information I have been gathering, I'm still not sure how I am supposed to grieve.  Do I cry?  Do I get angry because she shouldn't have died?  Do I pretend to not let it bother me?  Do I accept it because I know that she is in Heaven right now watching us with Jesus and shes not suffering anymore?

I have never felt this way about a death before.  I can not stop thinking about her.  I cant stop thinking about her husband and how he is alone now.  I can not stop thinking about who will take over her duties in church.  And I cant stop thinking about how I should have called her more to see how she was doing or how I should have helped out more. I wish I would have gotten closer to her and got to know her better personally, rather than just at church.

For the time being I am just going to put on a brave face and pretend like its not bothering me until I figure things out.....Who knows, Maybe that is the way that I grieve.....

May you Rest in Peace Shirley.  You are living with God now and watching over David and the rest of us! And I Thank you for everything you have done!

Don't forget the little things!

I would like to take a cue from a blog that I like to keep up with: Manic Mother and instead of making the traditional Thanksgiving list of all of the obvious things that I am thankful for I thought I would make a list of the little things that make my life easier which in return makes me thankful for them!


What 5 little things are you most thankful for? Here are mine.

1.Dora DVD's

I am thankful for Dora the Explorer DVD's because they allow me to take a shower in the morning!  My daughter LOVES these DVD's and will watch them until they end!  She has learned so much from Dora and Boots and I love them because I can jump in the shower real quick while she is exploring away!



2. My Van

I am so thankful to be able to have my van.  Even though I only have 1 child I have found so many uses for all of the extra room that this van gives me!  Ive only had it for about 3 months but feel like I have always driven a Ponitac Montana!

3.  Chapstick

"But my lips hurt real bad!" Let's face it, I'm addicted!

4.  Zyrtek-D

 

For without Wonderful Zyrtek-D I would never be able to breath out of my nose and stop sneezing!!

5. My Laptop

I bought my laptop last year and have totally gotten my money's worth! I'm gonna be honest with you, I'm on it pretty much everyday for multiple hours of the day!  Without it I wouldn't be able to sit in my favorite chair and browse around Facebook or write a new blog!  I would have to sit in my not so comfy computer chair and that wouldnt be fun! 

Wanna play along?  Comment me with the link to your top five little things you are thankful for! You have plenty of time to post it with only 2 days till Turkey day, and 30 days until Christmas…..

Its Beginning to Look A lot Like Christmas!!

I finally got my hubby to bring all of my Christmas stuff from our creepy basement and since we had wonderful weather this weekend I took advantage of it and decorated the outside of our house!!  I will be honest with you though....I'm not totally satisfied....I haven't been able to talk hubby into putting icicle lights on the peaks of the house....its not THAT high....lol!  So, here is what Ive done so far:

Ignore the fire hazard of extension cords!!  Lol.  I haven't decided what I'm going to do with that yet!  Now I just have to work on getting my icicle lights up.....

Secret Givaway Offer at 5 Moms & A Blog!

One of my favorite blogs, 5 Moms & A Blog is having a secret giveaway!  Check them out, its a great Blog!  Here is what they have to say:

"As a way of saying thanks to all of YOU wonderful followers who have helped we 5 Moms reach the 200 FOLLOWERS mark, we're having another GIVEAWAY!!!

Yay!!!

I mean, you do like GIVEAWAYS, right?
I thought so!!!

If you'd like to be entered, here are all the different ways you may enter:

1. Anyone may leave one random comment here for a 1st entry.

2. If you're a follower on this blog, that gets you a 2nd entry! Just say, "I'm a follower!" in your second comment.

3. And since Erica's the hostess this time, if you follow HER BLOG, that will get you a 3rd entry! Just leave another comment here saying, "I follow along at Scottsville, too!"

4. And for a 4th entry, blog about this Giveaway, and then come back and comment letting us know that you did.

*Remember you MUST leave separate comments for each possible entry!

Is that easy enough? Good!

Oh.....what is it that we're giving away? We're so glad you asked!

Erica will be sending you something that she just LOVES! Something that will be a 'hug' from her to you every time you {{ahem}} use it! That's all we're sayin'! Guess you'll just have to wait til we announce the winner to find out EXACTLY what it is. =0)

The GIVEAWAY will end on Friday night at midnight, so be sure to watch NEXT Saturday's post to find out who wins!

Best of luck to ALL of you!!!

~ ♥ The 5 Moms"

SO, jump over to 5 Moms and enter their Super Secret Giveaway!!  

Five on Friday...Take 2!!

So, I decieded that I would also do a 5 on Friday about myself and allow my readers to get to know me a little better. Remember, these are Random Facts so I'll try and think of some that you may not know yet!

1) I am addicted to Social Networking...ok, you might have known that one already!!  But really, I wake up in the morning and check Facebook and all throughout the day I check it and before I go to bed....I wasn't lying when I said Addicted!

2) I was mugged in 2004 at 10:00 p.m. walking out of Meijer.  To this day I am paranoid to be by myself and I don't like to go anywhere after dark alone.  He has caused me to have extreme paranoia.  The ironic thing was I only had $1.52 in my purse at the time and he was looking for money to buy Cocaine....I don't know about the prices to buy some of that but I'm pretty sure he wouldn't get much with $1.52.

3) I love God with all my heart and I strive to be the best child to him that I can be but it is a struggle that I deal with every minute of my life.

4) My husband and I have been trying to conceive our second child since December of 2008.

5) I feel that I grew up too fast and missed out on some of the things people my age do.  Although, it was my choice to grow up this fast and I wouldn't change anything at all. 

Tell me a little bit about you??

Five on Friday!!

Because I am currently watching The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien I would like to dedicate today's 5 on Friday to him!!  I have always liked his show but I have to say I was a little disappointed last night when I was watching and he had Heidi and Spencer Pratt as guests.... that was just wrong Conan!!!!

So, here are your five random facts about Conan O'Brien!

 

1) Conan dated Lisa Kudrow after meeting her in an acting class. They remain good friends.

2) He auditioned for host of Late Night on the set of The Tonight Show, where he interviewed Mimi Rogers and Jason Alexander.

3) On the first episode after September 11th, O’Brien went out of character and told a story of how he went to pray for the first time in eight years.

4) Denis Leary is his (distant) cousin.

5) He went on to Harvard to earn a Bachelor of Arts in History and Literature. He graduated Magna Cum Laude.

Five on Friday!! ...on Sunday....alittle late!

In the spirit of Thanksgiving which is 2 weeks away, my Five on Friday is about Thanksgiving!

1. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November in the United States.

  2. The first Thanksgiving celebration lasted three days.

3. The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade tradition began in the 1920's.

4. Californians are the largest consumers of turkey in the United States.

5. President Franklin D. Roosevelt restored Thursday before last of November as Thanksgiving Day in the year 1939. He did so to make the Christmas shopping season longer and thus stimulate the economy of the state.

Thanksgiving for me is when reality sets in that the Holiday Season is officially here!!!

What is Thanksgiving to you?

Its been awhile...Update Time!

Many things have happened in the Hightree household since I last posted!

The biggest news is that we have added a niece into our family!  I am finally an Aunt and I am in love!!  This little girl will steal your heart the minute you see her!

Welcome Emma Paige!  She was born November 9th and feels like she has been in our lives forever! She has her Aunty Steph wrapped around her little finger already and she isn't even a week old!

Next I had my debut show for CadyMayDesigns on Friday.  I did well for being my first show!  And I got my name out so that's all that matters!!  I have to say that it is SUPER exhausting to put on a show though!  Now its time to rest a little!

And lastly we kicked off the Holiday season by attending our first Holiday parade!  We went with moms from our playgroup as well as some of my family members!  Even though we couldn't see well at times we still had a great time!  And now we are EXCITED for Christmas!!

After such a LONG week hubby let me take a 3 hour nap this afternoon!  It was SOOOOO nice!  I think this next week is going to involve A lot of rest and relaxation!

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme 

TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?
   -Ipod Touch

   -Quiet time...I know...lol...I can wish at least!

   -New sewing Machine

   -New tennis shoes

   -Cricut

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?
   -My tie blanket from my mommy! :-)

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?
   -Crochet blankets for everyone.

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?
   -I was very blessed as a child so I received so many!  I think probably my barbie house my dad built for me!  It will be passed down to Cady as soon as she is big enough. 

5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year? 
   -Dancing Dora

   -Coloring supplies

   -Pretty much anything she sees on tv at the moment! (Shes 2 and learned to say "I want that!")

6. What is your favorite holiday food? 
   -Dad's Mustard Gravy

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?
   -Custom hair bows for the girls, haven't figured out a boy gift yet.

8. What is your favorite holiday movie? 
   -Old school Rudolph

9. Favorite holiday song?
    -White Christmas- Bing! 

10. Favorite holiday pastime?
   -Spending time with Family 

Im gonna be an Aunt!

My little Sister Christen is going to be a mommy!  She is currently in the hospital being monitored and they are going to induce her tomorrow if she doesnt go into labor before then.  I CAN NOT wait to be an aunt!!  I have been excited since the minute she told me!!

So, with this short Blog I just want to say: CONGRATULATIONS Josh and Christen!!  And even though you are taking your time to show us your already beautiful face, I Love you with all my heart Emma Paige!

Five on Friday!!

I'm going to start giving you 5 Random Facts about something random every Friday!  Lets call it "Five on Friday"!  lol  This week our theme is Michigan!  The great state that I live in. 

*Spanning five miles between the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan, The Mackinac Bridge is one of the longest suspension bridges in the world.

*Singing sand can be found on the beaches of Grand Haven.  The sand particles make a whistling sound as you walk upon them. 

*The first soda pop made in the U.S., Vernor’s ginger ale, was created by accident in 1866 in Detroit. 

*The Great Lakes account for one-fifth of the world's surface freshwater supply.

*Michigan has the only floating post office in the world.  The J.W. Westcott II delivers mail to ships still underway.  


Hope you enjoy! 

   

Thought Provoking Thursday!

I chose my idea for this thought because of a blog post on one of my favorite blogs to follow: Five Moms & A Blog!  One of the moms that posts, Miti, wrote a blog about if we call Lunch, lunch or if we call lunch dinner! Lol!  So that's what I wanna know.

Is Lunch, lunch to you, or is Lunch, dinner to you?  And then if it is dinner, do you call dinner supper?  Haha!  Are you confused yet??

Here is my answer:  I have always been a Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner girl!  I will admit, that I call Dinner, Supper more often than I call it Dinner though!

So, what are your thoughts??  Share them here and then start your own Thought Provoking post if you would like.

Sharpie Marker+Cady+Dora+Carpet=Very Upset Mommy

My little angel has been...how do I say this....a little devil lately!  The 'terrible twos' have definitely set in!  Here is out latest adventure........

Mommy saying, "Where in the world did you get a marker!?!?!?!"

Poor Dora......

Poor Carpet.....

Happy Cady

Lets hope that I gathered all of the markers up and she doesn't find a stray somewhere.....