I can’t help but think I am a little crazy for thinking the weather the past couple days has been nice and warm.  it’s kinda sad when I consider 35 warm, but if it stayed this temp, I think I could handle another month of winter.  It is funny because in November 35 would seem soooo cold.  But at the end of winter 35 seems like a heatwave!  Enjoy the balmy temps everyone!

I figured the logical thing to write about this week was how I did with my cake-venture I took on last week.  If you remember my daughter, Mazie, was turning three and having a princess birthday party.  For that party I decided to not make just one but 4 Disney Princess cakes.

I can say they turned out great, but it was a much larger undertaking then I expected.  Thankfully I had the help of my grandparents, and parents.  My Grandpa made homemade butter cream frosting for several hours, while my grandpa frosted.  My mom and I made 12 boxes worth of cake and my dad had the important job of keeping Mazie occupied.   

It was a lot more time consuming then I expected, but all that mattered that my daughter loved them!

Three years ago today I was at Mercy St. V’s in labor.  My daughter Mazie will be three tomorrow.  Crazy to believe how fast it has gone by.  This weekend we will celebrate with friends and family at a princess party.  Like most little girls, Mazie is obsessed with Disney Princesses.  So she will be dressed in one of her princess costumes for the day.  And I will attempt to create a Belle, Jasmine, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella 3 dimensional birthday cake.  Maybe next week I will post the pictures for you to see how well I did.  Happy Birthday Mazie! 

This week I will say goodbye to a dear friend and a person who has been a part of our family for years.  Jimmy Hamm died Sunday morning … he was only in his 40’s.  Jimmy leaves the love of his life behind … his son Che.

My husband and I met Jimmy several years back in Flint Michigan.  Jimmy was performing at a comedy club in town and was on my husband’s morning show promoting the show.  Shortly after my husband asked Jimmy to be a part of his morning show and the two became inseparable. Over the course of the years Jimmy and my husband moved to two other stations and have had countless female co hosts but they always remained together. 

Jimmy did become a part of our family.  He stood up to our wedding and is even our daughter, Mazie’s, godfather.  When our daughter was born we knew there was no person better then Jimmy to play that role in Mazie’s life.  Jimmy was so changed by parenthood himself because the impact his son had on his life.  He was so passionately excited for my husband and I to experience the same milestones as he did. 

There were many afternoons my husband would be so stressed out because Mazie would not stop crying.  Jimmy would come over and scoop her up and walk and bounce her around our house for hours.  He could always stop her crying.

Jimmy was a comedian by trade, but an incredibly funny person to be around all the time.  He was always able to make any situation entertaining and put a different spin on it.  He was very gifted.  But a side many didn’t know was his compassionate side.  Jimmy had a huge heart, and was always worried about others or being a burden.  But the truth is Jimmy was never a burden, we loved having him around … and really could never get enough time with him.  He had the skill to make you feel so important and that you were the only person in the room.

Jimmy did leave this earth far too soon … my final wish for him is to hope that he knew how important he was to us and the impact he made on our lives.

Here is a link to some of his most memorable moments on air at 92.5 KissFM

Last night I spent a better part of the night sleeping on my almost 3 year old daughters floor.  She has been getting more and more scared of the dark, sleeping in her room and having the door closed when it’s bedtime. 

Well, last night even with keeping the door open, and giving her a flashlight, she was too freaked out to fall asleep alone .. and also woke up at 3am crying too.  She says she is afraid of the bears … I wish I knew why bears and where this fear came from.  So I took a spot on the floor until she fell asleep both times and then headed back into my bed.

I am hoping this is just a phase.  I don’t mind staying in her room until she falls asleep, but I don’t want to start any bad habits either.  Any suggestions from parents out there … will this fear pass and should I handle it differently?

In November I felt I was ahead on Christmas this year.  I put my decorations and tree up before Thanksgiving and even started my shopping early. 

But now I look at the calendar and wonder where the time went!  I can’t believe Christmas is next week! 

I still have to finish a little shopping, nothing is wrapped and I think I will have to forget about making cookies this year all together.

I have a strict “To Do List” for every day leading up to Christmas to make sure I will get everything done….now I just need to stick to it!

My daughter is at the age where she loves watching movies over and over and over. 

Usually they are on DVD so it makes it easy for me just to pop it in and let her watch it.  But recently she discovered a new movie she loves, the 1964 version of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.  I am sure you know which one I am talking about … Burl Ives is the voice of the snowman who narrates it … the abominable snowman an appearance.

Well I recorded it on my DVR box, and I have been having to stop what I am doing and fast forward through all the comercials so she can watch “more reindeer.”  So today while at Wal-Mart I found the movie on sale for $9.  I was so excited.  Now my daughter can watch it as many times as she wants … the conveniences of parenthood these days are wonderful!

I usually get the start to my Christmas shopping on Black Friday, but this year I was sick.  So I decided to take advantage of Cyber Monday to catch myself upt.  And I think I have a new favorite day to shop!

I cashed in on free shipping on every purchase I made online.  I even visited online stores like Old Navy and New York and Company.  I bought the same things I would have at the mall, but this way I got the size and color I needed and didn’t have to wait in line.

So a word to the wise, forget Black Friday next year, and remember Cyber Monday.

I would have to say Black Friday is one of my favorite days of the year.  I love shopping and like saving money even more.  I have been planning my shopping route for weeks and I think I have my game plan down. 

This year with many stores opening at midnight and even on Thanksgiving, it is messing with my shopping plan a little.  I’m not sure if I will try to take advantage of those sales on Thursday, or try to get a little bit of sleep.

Every year there are websites that post the Black Friday ads two weeks in advance.  I pick the store to start at that has the most items I need.  Then I decide which items are most important, and go for those first.  After the first store I have a list of the stores I want to hit and the order I want to go to them. 

I usually get a huge chunk of my shopping done on Black Friday.  I am looking forward to another successful year. 

Here is the link I use to plan out my shopping trip before the ads come out on Thursday.

Happy shopping!

I have lived in Ohio for 4 years and I would have to say this is the first year I am excited about the Ohio Michigan game. 

My neighborhood is actually having a tailgate party.  rather then just hanging out and watching the game inside someone’s house, we are going to tailgate outside starting at 8am.  Brats and burgers will be served for Breakfast.   Should be fun

What are your plans for the big game?